John Goodman Joins JT Mollner’s ‘Skeletons, Which Sold To Sony For Whopping $25M — Brie Larson to Star [Updated]

UPDATE: John Goodman, one of the great character actors, has joined the cast of Mollner’s “Skeletons,” which is currently in production. Brie Larson is the lead, and the rest of the ensemble includes Kyle Gallner, Willa Fitzgerald, Ione Skye and Daithí Ó hAragáinis

Brian Duffield (”Whalefall”)—who seems to be everywhere these days—wrote the original draft, with slight revisions by Mollner. They’ll likely both receive screenplay credit.

Back to Goodman: what a national treasure he is. His screen presence is the cinematic equivalent of a warm punch to the gut. He commands every frame, effortlessly shifting between larger-than-life bravado and tender subtlety without ever losing his authenticity. His upcoming turn as the U.S. president in Iñárritu’s “Digger” might even earn him his first-ever Oscar nomination.

UPDATE: In what is the biggest worldwide deal from this year’s European Film Market, so far, Sony Pictures is close to sealing a deal for JT Mollner’s “Skeletons,” which has turned into quite the hot package in recent days. Sony beat out multiple studios by dishing out $25M for the film, which is set to enter production this summer.

EARLIER: JT Mollner has been on the rise following the breakout success of “Strange Darling,” a 2024 psychological thriller that scored 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and won several genre awards.

Mollner is now bringing his next project to the EFM market this week at the Berlinale — it’s called “Skeletons,” and it will star Brie Larson. Curiously, Larson hasn’t been seen on the big screen since “The Marvels,” released in 2023 — she probably needed a break.

“Skeletons” is a modern take on the creature horror film, told from the perspective of a young boy who slowly begins to discover that his beloved parents are hiding a disturbing secret about his mother’s true nature.

J.J. Abrams is producing and FilmNation, WME and CAA are backing the project at the market. A shoot later this year is expected on the film.

Mollner, who was recently tasked by A24 to reboot “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” wouldn’t be in this position without “Strange Darling” — a pulpy, blood-soaked thriller told out of order, following a violent cat-and-mouse game between a woman and a man on the run through the Pacific Northwest.

Shot on 35mm and leaning hard into grindhouse vibes, “Strange Darling” played like a love letter to ’70s exploitation cinema. Even more impressive: it was made on a shoestring $3M budget.

I wouldn’t expect the budget on “Skeletons” to surpass $10M. In an era of bloat and diminishing returns, Mollner stood out as proof that cheapies can still break through — and it firmly put him on Hollywood’s radar.