Jonathan Majors Film ‘Magazine Dreams’ Sets 2025 Release Date After Searchlight Exited Over Actor’s Domestic Assault Conviction

“Magazine Dreams,” a tense sports drama starring Jonathan Majors, has been acquired by Briarcliff Entertainment and will be released theatrically in 2025. Searchlight Pictures had originally landed the movie at 2023’s Sundance Film Festival but parted ways earlier this year after Majors was convicted of domestic assault and harassment of his ex-girlfriend.

It will debut in theaters on a yet-to-be determined date during the first quarter of next year. Elijah Bynum wrote and directed “Magazine Dreams,” about an aspiring bodybuilder named Killian Maddox who abuses steroids in his quest to become a sports icon. After its Park City premiere, the film sparked a bidding war between Neon, Sony Pictures Classics and HBO before Searchlight landed domestic rights. After Searchlight dropped “Magazine Dreams,” the filmmakers were free to shop it to other distributors.

Related Stories

VIP+

What Film Fund From AI Startup Runway Means for Content’s Future

Lyle Menendez Actor Nicholas Alexander Chavez on His 'Monsters' Audition With Cooper Koch: 'It Felt Electric Right Off the Bat'

“Elijah’s film made a well-deserved splash in Sundance and Briarcliff is looking forward to taking his story to the big screen across the country in early 2025,” Briarcliff’s CEO Tom Ortenberg said in a statement. “Jonathan Majors’ transcendent performance as Killian Maddox will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most compelling and transformative roles in recent cinema history. We are honored to bring this extraordinary work to theaters nationwide, inviting audiences to witness a story that will resonate long after the credits roll.”

Briarcliff Entertainment’s prior films include the Liam Neeson thriller “The Marksman,” supernatural thriller ”Don’t Let Go” and sports biopic ”Sweetwater.” The indie distributor will be releasing “The Apprentice,” a biographical drama in which Sebastian Stan portrays a young Donald Trump, on Oct. 11.

Majors, the Emmy-winning actor of “Lovecraft Country” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” was fired from Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe in the wake of the guilty verdict. The 34-year-old was expected to appear in upcoming installments in the comic book franchise, including 2026’s “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” which has been renamed to “Doomsday.” Prior to the trial, Majors was dropped by his manager, Entertainment 360, and his publicity firm, the Lede Company. He remains repped by the talent agency WME.

Majors has denied the assault allegations and maintained a desire to resume his career in Hollywood. Earlier this year, he was cast in the independent revenge thriller “Merciless,” which will be directed by Denis Villeneuve’s brother Martin Villeneuve.

Deadline Hollywood first reported the news of Briarcliff’s acquisition of “Magazine Dreams.”