Jonathan Majors movie dumped after conviction – but it may be released

Jonathan Majors’ new movie, Magazine Dreams, is looking for a new distributor following the star’s assault conviction.

Majors first gained attention for his performances in 2019 drama The Last Black Man in San Francisco and 2020 HBO horror series Lovecraft Country. This success paved the way for parts in blockbusters such as Creed III and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

However, Majors’ meteoric rise was stopped in its tracks in March 2023, after he was arrested on assault charges. At the time, Majors insisted he was innocent and vowed to prove as much in court.

Yet Majors was ultimately found guilty of assault and harassment in December 2023. The professional fallout was immediate, with Marvel Studios firing him the same day as the verdict was delivered.

Jonathan Majors movie dumped – but may still be released

Now, the one-time Hollywood A-lister’s career has suffered yet another blow, as Searchlight Pictures has dropped his latest film, Magazine Dreams. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Searchlight “quietly returned rights of the movie to the filmmakers.”

The outlet adds that writer-director Elijah Bynum and production companies Los Angeles Media Fund
and Tall Street Productions are now shopping Magazine Dreams around to other distributors. They’ll presumably have their work cut out for them, though. Indeed, several industry experts previously branded the film unreleasable.

All told, it’s a shocking reversal of fortune for a project widely touted as an awards season contender following its 2023 Sundance Film Festival premiere. At the time, reviews for Magazine Dreams compared the flick to the likes of Taxi Driver and The Wrestler. Majors’ performance was frequently singled out for praise, as well.

Will Marvel Studios re-cast Jonathan Majors’ Kang?

That said, the plight of the Magazine Dreams team is arguably dwarfed by the headaches Majors’ conviction is causing Marvel Studios execs. The production company built its MCU Phase Five and Six slate around the disgraced actor’s character, Kang.

As a result, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and his inner circle have to decide whether to recast the Kang role or scrap their existing plans. Sources claim the latter option is a real possibility, with Doctor Doom reportedly considered as a potential replacement for Kang.

Neither Feige nor any other Marvel Studios representative has publicly commented on Kang’s MCU future at this stage, however. As such, talk of the supervillain’s franchise exit should be taken with a grain of salt for now.