Magazine Dreams, the Sundance hit people thought would win Jonathan Majors an Oscar, seems unlikely ever to see the light of day.
Has there ever been a rise and fall quite as swift and dramatic as that of Jonathan Majors? 2023 started off as a killer year for Majors. After years as an up-and-comer, he had three films set to debut within the first three months of the year. His two big studio films, Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania and Creed III, seemed poised to make him a real-deal movie star, while his indie film, Magazine Dreams, was going to serve as an acting showcase.
Indeed, when the film debuted last January at Sundance, many believed his tortured, Travis Bickle-like role would win him an Oscar nomination (I was one of them in my review). His character, Killian Maddox, a wanna-be bodybuilder with serious anger issues, was a distinct creation for him and director Elijah Bynum. The movie quickly sold to Fox Searchlight, and a December 2023 release date was set. Everyone assumed Majors was a shoo-in for an Oscar.
Then, Majors got arrested.
All of a sudden, the narrative changed. Majors was no longer the humble up-and-comer he was at the beginning of the year. Now, he was an accused abuser, and indeed, he’s now been found guilty of abuse and harassment and is awaiting sentencing. Within minutes after the verdict was revealed, Majors was fired by Marvel, despite his villain, Kang, being set up as the next major antagonist for the MCU.
All of that leaves Magazine Dreams in limbo, but to those of us who saw it at Sundance, its release seems very unlikely. Under the best circumstances, Disney doesn’t seem like the kind of studio that courts controversy. It’s possible that they’ll release the Searchlight film to Hulu, but even that seems unlikely. Over his trial, through testimony from his victim and evidence, a new portrait of Majors emerged that showed he was a troubled man with delusions of grandeur, comparing himself to Martin Luther King and Barack Obama and claiming he was a “great man.” All of this sounds almost like it was dialogue written for his Magazine Dreams character, with the similarities between the actor and his on-screen role so uncanny that the film will no doubt be a lightning rod for controversy if it ever comes out.
Which is why I doubt Disney/ Searchlight will ever release it.
In a lot of ways, that’s a shame. For one thing, Majors delivers a stunning performance, even if it turns out to be a role that’s chillingly close to who he is (or was) in real life. But beyond Majors, there are a lot of reasons the movie shouldn’t be shelved. It’s a great calling card for the director, Elijah Bynum, who seemed poised to make a breakthrough following his little-seen indie Hot Summer Nights. The film is exceedingly well-directed, and Bynum’s script is superb. The supporting cast is also excellent, with Hayley Bennett, Taylor Paige, bodybuilder Mike O’Hearn and Harrison Page all delivering top-notch performances.
This brings me to a tricky question – does a movie deserve to be shelved permanently because of its star’s bad behaviour? All things considered, the best thing that could have happened to the film would have been if Disney had simply released the movie during the SAG-AFTRA strike. Then, at least, it would exist in some form. As it is now, Magazine Dreams seems increasingly unlikely ever to see the light of day. While one could argue Majors brought all of this on himself, you have to sympathize with Bynum, a writer-director who poured his soul into his film. His career doesn’t deserve to be collateral damage from Majors’ downfall.