AMC's bid for the next Succession 🤞🏻

🎬 Welcome to The Reelarc Rundown 🎬

🔸 Get ready to film in New Mexico for your next Netflix project
🔸 What casting director Jill Anthony Thomas wants to see in auditions…and what she doesn’t 👀
🔸 AMC picks up a Succession-esque drama set in Silicon Valley

All that and more on this week’s Rundown ⤵️

Industry News

Is New Mexico the New LA?

…Netflix thinks so! The major expansion at the Albuquerque studios is now complete with four new soundstages, three mills, a production office, stage support buildings, and backlot areas across more than 100 acres. Since opening the NM hub in 2018, projects filmed there include Stranger Things, Army of the Dead, and The Harder They Fall. Netflix has invested close to $900 million in this production studio so far.

How to Ace an Audition for Jill Anthony Thomas

With over three decades of casting experience, Jill Anthony Thomas shoots straight with her advice for actors and auditions-

“What always impresses me is when someone makes a part their own and it stands out, or makes me think, ‘Oh gee, I didn’t think of it delivered that way, that’s so funny.’ I like having different choices to give the producers. I would never give them three people who all do it the same way, or who look the same. I give them options.”

And a big no-no for Thomas? “Don’t start an audition with an apology. As in, ‘I just got the sides’ or ‘I haven’t had much time with this.’…You’d be surprised how many people come in starting the audition with excuses, which means I’m watching the audition with that excuse in my head.”

She also advises actors to always research what show you’re auditioning for-

“It’s so easy in this day and age to go on YouTube and look at a clip of Loot to see what the tone is. Is it broad? Is it grounded? It surprises me when people come in and don’t do their homework.”

Above all, Jill urges auditioning actors to not play it safe and “make a strong choice with the scene.” However, she does have a caveat-

“When the audition is under five lines - a waiter, Juror #1, a receptionist for example…the most important thing is that it comes across as real. People make the mistake of trying to stand out with their one line, but the truth is those roles are usually driving a scene or setting someone up for a cue. Trying to make that too big with your one or two lines is a mistake actors make. It just needs to be real.”

She also had good news to share about the changing landscape of casting, especially for the “not a big name” actors-

“The benefits to this self tape culture that we have right now is that between my partner, my associate, and I, we can see hundreds of people a day. In the past, for these smaller co-star roles, we could see maybe 30 to 40 people a day in the office. Now, we are taking chance on talent that is getting pitched by agents that in the past I might not have had time to see. Now I’m like, ‘Sure, send a self-tape!’ We’re meeting and seeing so many new people.”

AMC Says Yes to Glatzer

The new series is “set inside the bubble of Silicon Valley, amid misguided corporate cultures, moony innovation labs and cutthroat private high schools. A scandal is sparked by the exploitation of personal data which unravels out of a rift between a self-appointed ‘inventor of the future’ tech CEO and his self-serving ‘performance psychologist.’ This act of corruption quickly spirals out of control for all involved, exposing the absurdities of ambition, corporate ethics, and the fallibility of the people who are shaping the future of our world.”

Glatzer went on to say, “The tech world and the future it is offering is in the hands of some frighteningly self-involved people. They radiate a bizarre, semi-deity-like energy, but even they cannot escape their own humanity.” Glatzer’s work as a writer and producer on Succession and Better Call Saul give us hope for striking gold a third time.

Box Office Numbers

1. Inside Out 2 - 101.2M (356.4M gross) - Disney

2. Bad Boys: Ride or Die - 18.9M (147M gross) - Sony

3. The Bikeriders - 9.7M - Focus Features

4. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - 3.8M (164.6M gross) - 20th Century

5. The Garfield Movie - 3.8M (85.3M gross) - Sony

Behind the Screens

Let’s take a closer look at Hotel Cocaine, the newest crime thriller series streaming on MGM+ starring Danny Pino and Michael Chiklis.

Hotel Cocaine follows Roman Compte- a Cuban exile, CIA operative, and general manager of the Hotel Mutiny, the glamorous epicenter of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s Miami cocaine scene. The beginnings of the war of drugs mixes with the death of disco and an inspection of what the “American Dream” really is.

Creator: Chris Brancato (Hannibal, Narcos, Godfather of Harlem)

Directors: Guillermo Navarro (Hannibal, Narcos, Godfather of Harlem)
Fernando Rovzar (Paramedicos, Monarca; Upcoming: Women in Blue)
Sara Seligman (Coyote Lake, Safe Word; Upcoming: Hysteria)

Casting Directors: Carla Hool (Narcos, Eastbound & Down; Upcoming: Land of Women, Like it Used to Be)
Miguel Fernandez (The Lost City, xXx: Return of Xander Cage; Upcoming: Me Gusta, Constanza)

Check out this Oscars feature on Carla and fighting for authenticity in casting. Actress Belgica Paola Rodriguez also did in-depth research about Carla’s career and background in this video.

Reelarc Casting Board

NYC
male, 35-40, any ethnicity
female, 21-25, any ethnicity
female, 24-34, any ethnicity

LA
male, 25-35, any ethnicity

Quiz Time

The Notebook is about to turn 20 years old. I guess time really does fly when you’re crying over un-delivered letters. 😭 Can you guess the ages of these other iconic romance & romcom movies?

Expert Insights

Letterboxd finally got Ron Howard to narrow down four of his favorite films. See what he has to say about The Graduate, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and more. ⤵️

What We’re Watching This Weekend

🎥 For tense thrills - A Quiet Place: Day One is now in theaters

🎥 For your romcom fix - A Family Affair on Netflix starring Joey King, Nicole Kidman, and Zac Efron

🎥 For a new take on the American Dream - A24’s Problemista starring Tilda Swinton & Julio Torres is now on Max

🎥 For the Lily Gladstone fans - Fancy Dance is now streaming on Apple TV+

🎥 Yes, Chef - FX’s The Bear is finally back for Season 3

Quiz Answers: 1B, 2E, 3A, 4C, 5D
(P.S.- Have a story or industry info you think should be featured on the Rundown? Let us know - [email protected]!)