Credit: Marvel StudiosJonathan Majors may be getting a chance at a Hollywood comeback.
Just a few years ago, Jonathan Majors was one of the most promising up-and-coming stars in show business. He had starred in the critically acclaimed (if short-lived) HBO series Lovecraft Country and was noted for his performances in The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019) and Da 5 Bloods (2020), and then he really began to level up.
In 2023, Majors starred in Creed III alongside Michael B. Jordan and debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Kang the Conqueror, the multiversal villain pegged to succeed Thanos (Josh Brolin) as the franchise’s Big Bad. The actor appeared in the beloved Disney+ series Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), and the fifth Avengers movie was announced as being titled The Kang Dynasty to indicate his future importance.
Related: 11 Actors Who Could Replace Jonathan Majors as Kang in the MCU
Then, in March of 2023, Jonathan Majors was arrested for assaulting his ex-partner, Grace Jabbari. He was later found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment and is serving a year-long domestic violence program, as well as being sued by Jabbari for defamation, assault, and battery.
Unsurprisingly, Majors was fired by Marvel Studios during the very public trial, as well as dropped by his professional management and as a spokesperson for the United States Army. In the months since then, Marvel has retitled The Kang Dynasty to Doomsday and brought Robert Downey Jr. in to play Doctor Doom, presumably as a replacement for a central franchise villain.
Another Jonathan Majors project was also dropped: Magazine Dreams, a film written and directed by Elijah Bynum. The movie stars Majors as Killian Maddox, an aspiring bodybuilder whose drive to compete pushes him to dangerous lengths. It co-stars Haley Bennett, Taylour Paige, Mike O’Hearn, Harrison Page, and Harriet Sansom Harris and was critically acclaimed when it premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and was set to be distributed to theaters by Searchlight Pictures.
Those plans were dropped, and it was considered unlikely that Searchlight (notably, a subsidiary of Disney, just like Marvel) would release it in any form, basically killing the movie.
Now, CNN reports that Briarcliff Entertainment has acquired the distribution rights to Magazine Dreams and will be releasing the film in theaters in 2025. Briarcliff Entertainment CEO Tom Ortenberg said, via a statement, “Magazine Dreams is a visceral experience that challenges the perceptions of ambition and identity. Jonathan Majors’ transcendent performance as Killian Maddox will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most compelling and transformative roles in recent cinema history.”
Related: Jonathan Majors Sparks Marvel Movement, Reboot Suspected
The resurrection of Magazine Dreams may be a sign that Hollywood is tentatively ready to welcome Jonathan Majors back. A few months ago, the actor received the Perseverance Award at the fourth annual Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards, and now his movie has been brought back to life. Cancelation doesn’t last long these days.
Will you see Magazine Dreams when it is released?