Jonathan Majors got a big break when he was cast to play Killian Maddox in the body-building drama Magazine Dreams. The success did not stop there, as the film was well-received at the Sundance Film Festival, and Searchlight acquired the rights to the film. Big things seemed to be on the way for the rising star. However, the momentum surrounding Magazine Dreams has come to a halt as Majors awaits sentencing on February 6 for an assault and harassment conviction following an incident with his ex-partner, Grace Jabbari, in March of 2023.
The consequences for Majors’s career do not end at Magazine Dreams, as the actor was slated to play King the Conqueror for Disney’s Marvel Franchise. However, following the conviction, the movie was pulled from the release calendar, putting Magazine Dreams at risk.
Searchlight has yet to release a statement on the film’s status, but sources close to the company and project do not see a future for Magazine Dreams in a theatrical release. The themes of personal violence in the film further complicate the release and advertising for the movie, and a release on Disney’s streaming platform Hulu is unlikely.
Some sources are optimistic about the movie’s release despite Majors’ conviction. A possible track for the movie’s release could be turning the feature over to the filmmakers, who could look for new buyers.
Magazine Dreams, written and directed by Elijah Bynum, who started developing the script during the pandemic, abandoned the project and only picked it back up after seeing a Major’s picture on a Los Angeles bus.
Major’s trained and prepared for 18 months for the role as the body-builder. The film received the Creative Vision Jury Prize at Sundance.
David Rooney, the chief film critic for The Hollywood Reporter, wrote, “It’s an all-in performance for the ages, layered with as much vulnerability as anger, and it’s to Major’s credit that our hearts ache for Killian even – perhaps especially – when he’s out of control. Majors and writer-director Elijah Bynum manage the considerable feat of making us fear more the intimidating colossus than the quivering employer he’s standing over.”
The movie’s fate is unknown, but a source said, “It would have 100 percent been in the awards conversation” if not for Major’s conviction.
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