The Tracking Board’s Daily Debrief (07.26.17)

It’s “Mission: Imposter” for Christopher McQuarrie as Con Man Movie “The Chameleon” Takes Shape at Netflix

There’s a lot of juicy material to mine here, but the risk lies in making something like The Walk, a very good movie that still paled in comparison to the documentary (Man on Wire) that came before it.

“James Bond 25” Director Search: Yann Demange Eyed for Job, But Isn’t It Time for a Woman to Pilot This Franchise?

We’re not going to throw names out there, but we can’t really see Kathryn Bigelow stooping to direct a Bond movie, so hold that hot take this week as Detroit hits theaters.

Focus Features Still Suffering Growing Pains at 15 (Studio Series)

It’s tough to have one’s cake and eat it, too, but Focus is certainly trying. If you doubt it, look at the success of 2016 and, though the first seven months of 2017 have been the company’s worst since 2010, the list of upcoming releases is as impressive as anyone’s. In the 15 years since its creation, Focus it is responsible for some of the very best examples of what independent film is and can be.

More News From Around the Web

• Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding has booked the lead role in Paul Feig’s A Simple Favor. He joins previously cast Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. (Hollywood Reporter)

• Danny Glover, David Cross, and Patton Oswalt have been tapped to join the cast of Sorry to Bother You. The project is writer/director Boots Riley’s directorial debut. (Deadline)

• Electus is teaming up with former crime boss Michael Franzese for a Mafia-centric series. The project titled American Royalty, will put a modern spin on the crime genre that takes viewers back to a time when mobster were bigger than life, often bringing politicians and corporate executives to their knees. (Variety)

• John Asher’s feature comedy I Hate Kids has added Rhea Seehorn and Rachel Boston to the cast, joining previously announced Tituss Burges, Tom Everett Scott, and Beth Riesgraf. (Deadline)

• Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley are set to headline the new BBC comedy Sticky. The animated series follows a group of friends coping in a world without the internet. (Radio Times)

• Screenwriter Jeremy Garelick has teamed up with LD Entertainment to form American High. The shingle will focus on a slate of high school-set comedy features which will be shot in a recently acquired 100,000 scare foot high school-turned-studio in Syracuse, NY. (Deadline)