Actor Jonathan Majors' star power was steadily growing over the last few years, especially after villainous roles in both Creed III and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (the latter of which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription). Unfortunately, things came to a screeching halt when Majors was arrested and late convicted of assault and harassment. But he's got an upcoming 2025 movie coming titled Magazine Dreams, and the exec releasing the project reveals key reasons he acquired it, and how Majors will handle promotion, being quoted saying he's "thrilled to be doing It."
Jonathan Majors' conviction sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry, including Marvel firing him from playing Kang. But he'll return to the big screen in the New Year with Magazine Dreams, and producer/ exec Tom Ortenberg spoke to THR about his excitement about both the project and Majors' performance. As he put it:
When we approach filmmakers about acquiring the domestic distribution rights to controversial films, to films that have been shunned by others, we look at those films as distressed assets. Magazine Dreams, at least reportedly, was acquired by Searchlight for $10 million at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. There’s a reason Searchlight agreed to pay that kind of money. It’s because the movie’s really fucking good, and Jonathan Majors gives an awards-caliber performance. Those facts remain. Magazine Dreams was not a particularly expensive acquisition given the circumstances. We’ll be bringing it to audiences likely in early spring of 2025. I don’t think it should have had to wait another year and a half after Searchlight dropped it to find distribution. But here we are, and I’m thrilled to be doing it.
There you have it. While some studios might be reticent of getting involved with Jonathan Majors because of the controversy surrounding him, that's not how Ortenberg sees it. Instead, he thinks the quality of Magazine Dreams, especially Majors' performance. And it should be interesting to see if the moviegoing public agrees.
While his career is Majors, he's still making money through festival appearances. And Magazine Dreams has the opportunity to start real comeback momentum. Later in the same interview, Ortenberg spoke about how the 35 year-old actor will factor into the movie's press tour, saying:
Yeah. Jonathan remains very supportive of the movie, and we are supportive of him. We have not mapped out a whole PR strategy yet of what we will or will not ask of him or what he is or is not comfortable doing. But Jonathan is and remains an undeniable talent, and he will absolutely be a part of the campaign for the movie, no doubt.
There you have it. It sounds like the actor's career isn't quite over, despite hi s legal issues and firing from Marvel Studios. And in addition to Magazine Dreams, Majors landed his first post-trial role recently. So maybe things are looking up.
Magazine Dreams is expected to arrive in theaters on January 31st.