EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winner Russell Crowe (Nuremberg) and Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Heads of State) are set to star in the sci-fi action thriller Bluefly.

Directed by Nimród Antal (Predators), pic is written by David Frigerio (Beast), William Eubank (Underwater) and Carlyle Eubank (Muzzle).

The synopsis reads: “Deep in the Congo, a grieving UN translator is pulled onto a black-ops mission to recover a downed aircraft that isn’t supposed to exist. As a Special Operations team pushes upriver through militia-held territory, the recovery becomes a descent — and the closer they get to the craft, the clearer it becomes that they were never meant to bring it home.”

The sci-fi action-thriller is produced by Michael Jefferson for Polite Society, David Frigerio for Broken Open Pictures, Deborah Glover for G2 Dispatch, Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier for Highland Film Group, and Vanessa Yao Guo. Executive producers are Lia Buman, Guy Davies, RuthAnne Frigerio, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Jason Kringstein, Katie Leary, Scott Levenson and James Norbury.

Highland Film Group is handling worldwide rights, launching sales at the upcoming TIFF market. Principal photography is set to begin later this year on Australia’s Gold Coast.

“We have a stellar cast led by Russell Crowe and Priyanka Chopra Jonas who will ignite the screen in this high-stakes, sci-fi thrill ride with layers of depth,” said Highland Film Group CEO Fraser.

“Bluefly is heart-pounding entertainment with a complex story full of unexpected twists. With Nimród Antal at the helm and our wonderful cast, we cannot wait to introduce this fantastic project to our global buyers,” added company COO Perrier.

“Bluefly is an intense, character-driven thriller wrapped inside a bold science-fiction premise,” said Antal. “It’s the kind of film I live to make — grounded, propulsive, and full of dread — and I couldn’t ask for a better cast or team to bring it to the screen.”

Gladiator and L.A. Confidential star Crowe recently starred in Sony Pictures Classics’ Nuremberg and will next be seen in Netflix’s thriller Unabomber, Vertical’s The Weight, Walden Media’s thriller Billion Dollar Spy, and Amazon MGM’s reboot of Highlander.

Chopra Jonas recently led and produced Prime Video’s The Bluff; and Emmy nominee Heads of State, Prime Video’s fourth most-watched film, alongside Idris Elba and John Cena. She will star in S.S. Rajamouli’s upcoming action-adventure epic film Varanasi, set to be released in March 2027, and is due to star opposite Orlando Bloom in the survival thriller Reset.

Crowe is repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Goodman Genow. Chopra Jonas is repped by UTA and A-Series. Antal is repped by Range Media Partners. William Eubank is repped by Anonymous Content and CAA. Carlyle Eubank is repped by Atlas Literary.

EXCLUSIVE: Yul Vazquez (Severance, Will Trent), Cheryl Umaña (The Pitt, All American), José Zúñiga (Twilight, Griselda) and newcomer Bryanna Marie Felipe will lead the cast of the Cuban American film 1972. The announcement of their participation arrives as 1972 wraps production after shooting in Los Angeles.

The film from Nil Novi, Ten to the Six Pictures, and Three Friends/One Spirit is eyeing a festival run for early 2027.

1972 tells a story of family, hope, resilience, and the complexities of identity and belonging. At her New Year’s Eve party in 1972, Cuban exile Gloria Cienfuegos (Umaña) faces the onslaught of a defiant daughter (Felipe), a charismatic and provocative novelist friend (Vazquez), a rogue hamster, and her worst fears of losing hope and never returning to her homeland.

In addition to the above four actors, the cast also includes Sienna Oquendo as Lucia Cienfuegos, Krizia Bajos as Natalia Robles, Orlando Pinedala as Fernando, Kelvin Han Yee as Ismael, Aixa Clemente as Ofelia, Yareli Arizmendi as Anais, Adam Peltier as Frank, Paige McGhee as Darla, Damian Darnell Lewis as Ronald, Gia Ochsenbein as Lisa, and Gary Guerrier as Ed.

The film is inspired by Marissa Chibás’ upbringing as the daughter of a commander in the Cuban Revolution and as a Miss Cuba runner-up. Chibás, who wrote and directed the film, is a Sundance Screenwriting Fellow for her screenplay 1972, which was selected for the 2024 Gotham Week’s Project Market, the Wscripted Cannes Screenplay List, was an Athena Awards finalist, and received an inaugural Sundance/Gold House Artist Accelerator grant. 

“1972 celebrates the communities that shaped me: young women finding their voices with Carole King on the turntable, the daughters and sons of the Civil Rights and Women’s Rights movements, and a generation that watched humanity land on the moon and believed anything was possible,” shared Chibás.

Adding, “Their optimism, contradictions, resilience, and dreams are woven into every frame of this film. Together, our extraordinary cast and creative team of 1972 recreated a world that feels remarkably familiar today—a time of political division, war, galvanized youth, and people searching for a different future. Although rooted in one Cuban family’s experience, I hope audiences everywhere recognize something of themselves in the universal search for home.”

1972 is produced by Liz Cardenas and Rui M. Xu. In addition to acting, Vazquez serves as executive producer. The creative team also includes Director of Photography Diana Matos, Editor Jonathan Cuartas, Composer Marcelo Zarvos, Production Designer Sandra B. Rodriguez, and Costume Designer Victor A. Sandoval. The film features songs by Bobi Cespedes, PALO!, The S.O.U.L., Jomama Jones, Blue Eye Extinction, Constance Hauman, and Johnny Knollwood and the Church of Mad Love.

Vazquez is represented by Gersh Agency and Untitled Entertainment. Umaña is represented by Metropolitan Talent Agency. Zúñiga is represented by SDB Partners and Prime Talent Media. Felipe is represented by Arise Artists Agency and Brave Artists Management.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday continued its string of annual election announcements, this time sharing that casting director Kim Taylor-Coleman was re-elected president of the Academy Foundation Board.

The Academy Foundation oversees all educational, preservation, and cultural activities of the Academy, including the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library, the Academy Film Archive, the Academy Collection, and the Academy’s talent development programs.

The Academy Foundation Board comprises 12 trustees who also are members of the Academy Board of Governors. The rest of the newly elected 2026-2027 Academy Foundation Board members and officers include Visual Effects Branch member Brooke Breton and Cinematographers Branch member Paul Cameron, who were both elected vice presidents; Marketing and Public Relations Branch member David Dinerstein, who was elected treasurer; and Animation Branch member Marlon West, who was elected secretary.

The rest of the board members are Patricia Cardoso (Directors Branch), Peter Devlin (Sound Branch), Richard Hicks (Casting Directors Branch), Lynette Howell Taylor (Producers Branch), Larry Karaszewski (Writers Branch), Chris Tashima (Short Films Branch), and Terilyn A. Shropshire (Film Editors Branch).

“The Academy Foundation plays a vital role in expanding our global reach and supporting our film community through the Academy Museum, Academy Collection, educational initiatives and preservation work,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer via statement. “I am incredibly grateful to our Academy Foundation Board members for dedicating their time, expertise and support to drive forward these impactful and important efforts.”

Academy Foundation Board members and officers serve one-year terms. As representatives of the Foundation Board, Dinerstein, Howell Taylor, and Taylor-Coleman will also serve on the Academy Museum Board of Trustees for one-year terms.

The Academy Foundation election announcement comes one week after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the result of its Board of Governors election, where producer Howell Taylor was re-elected president, Music Branch member Lesley Barber as Vice President (chair, Membership Committee), Producers Branch member Jennifer Fox as Vice President (chair, Awards Committee), Actors Branch member Lou Diamond Phillips as Vice President (chair, Equity and Inclusion Committee), and Writers Branch member Howard A. Rodman as Vice President/Secretary (chair, Governance Committee). 

Marketing and Public Relations Branch member Dinerstein was also elected to his first officer role as Vice President/Treasurer (chair, Finance Committee).