Cuckoo
Summary
With over a decade of work already under their belts , Ken Kao and Josh Rosenbaum are seem to keep their smart streak in Hollywood pealing atWaypoint Entertainment . The yield troupe was first co - founded in 2010 by Kao , apace getting the ball rolling with 2011’sRampart , the crime dramatic event led by Woody Harrelson and co - written by acclaimed offence novelist James Ellroy . With only a modified theatrical release , the movie was just a mild box office winner , but garnered generally well-disposed reviews from critics and audience alike .
After a few years off , Waypoint would come back in full force in 2015 , partnering with arthouse directors Gus Van Sant for the Matthew McConaughey - led mystery dramaThe Sea of Treesand Terrence Malick for the experimental dramaKnight of Cups . The following class would see them onboard two widely applaud movies , beginning with the Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling - ledThe Nice Guysand followed byMartin Scorsese ’s larger-than-life historical dramaSilence . Despite the positive reviews , both movies bump themselves pitted against some hefty box power challenger , includingNeighbors 2,The Angry Birds MovieandHidden flesh .
The best motion-picture show like The Nice Guys do n’t just control uproarious comedy but compelling mystery too .
In the year since , Waypoint has lent resources to a wide diversity of musical style efforts , include Scott Cooper ’s Western dramaHostiles , the Jared Leto - conduct action - thrillerThe Outsider , the Netflix sci - fi thrillerTau , and Yorgos Lanthimos ' Oscar - winninghistorical blackness comedyThe Favourite . The group also has a number of exciting projects on their docket for the future , including the Hunter Schafer - ledCuckoo , and Phil Lord & Christopher Miller’sProject Hail Maryadaptation , which will reteam them with Gosling .
As the studio fake ahead with its ambitious plans for the future , Screen Rantinterviewed co - founder / CEO Ken Kao and Head Executive / Producer Josh Rosenbaum to discuss Waypoint Entertainment ’s story , how they go about prefer which projects to support , and the current state of the movie manufacture . The twain also portion out their hopes forThe Nice Guys 2to get made , what to expect from Blumhouse’sWolf Manreboot , and why audiences will be " scared out of [ their ] god — n nous " by Nicolas Cage inLonglegs .
Kao & Rosenbaum Take A “Genre-Agnostic” Approach To Picking Their Projects
In reflect on their near - decade - long partnership , the span call back how Kao help Rosenbaum head for the hills his factor trainee position to build up out Waypoint Entertainment , with both flavour throb by the experience they ’ve shared together thus far :
Ken Kao : Well , I co - set up this company in 2010 - ish . I think Josh , I produced or was involved in , what , four or five motion-picture show , and then that ’s when I ’m go bad to turn over off this baton to Josh to finish this .
Josh Rosenbaum : Yeah , you had done Rampart , you had made the two Terrence Malick films , and you were in billet with the Gus van Sant and Matthew McConaughey photographic film . And I was working at WME as an agentive role trainee and then wassail the Kool - Aid over there . And then , luckily , Ken judder me out of my reverie because he demand someone . He ask , " Hey , do you cognize anyone that would want to aid me progress out this party ? " And I was like , " Yeah . Me . " And then that was in June 2015 .
Custom Image by Yailin Chacon
Ken Kao : Since then , I want to say we ’ve had 12 films add up out , and we ’re almost at 10 years now . And yeah , it ’s been nothing but a great experience even through all the crap that ’s been drop at this industriousness . I conceive we ’ve kept it lean and intend , and just been able to endeavor to circumnavigate all these issues that are getting thrown everyone ’s way . And here we are still put up in 2024 .
With the duet having tackle everything from historical comedies to mind - bend sci - fi thrillers to coming - of - age dramedies likeJonah Hill’sMid90s , the duo observe themselves often presented with the question of how they opt which projects to come on board and which genre they look for . Rather than pick any one slant , the two ultimately feel that they are " genre - agnostical " in a sense , instead looking for anything " singular and potentially subversive " while also acknowledging the challenge they front to get such movies made :
Ken Kao : I cerebrate it ’s really of import that the film , or I like to say , unremarkably these come in as a script , or in maybe a root material . apparently , you know how these thing add up together . It has to feel , I think , unique and potentially subversive . That ’s definitely something we bet for . We really do n’t need to do anything that feel like it ’s comply in the musical genre or whatever musical genre it is , or I call back just another instalment to that same musical style . It ’s hard to get films made , and it ’s hard to get pic to shoot down . It takes a whole small town to get these things done . So you never have intercourse how they ’re going to turn out .
Image via NEON
So I reckon you really got to feel there ’s something there at the origination of it that I think gives them an chance to be unique and different . And multitude enquire this all the time , like , " What music genre are you into ? " And I call back we are jolly genre agnostic . I cogitate if we ’re in a literary genre , I call up it ’s to be linear or create something within any musical style that push the point of accumulation or the parameters , the newfangled boundaries of whatever genre we ’re bet in .
Josh Rosenbaum : No , I think that sum it up really well . Because I get asked this all the metre , and it ’s really irritating to say , " Oh , we ’re open to everything , all genres , all budgets . " Which is true , but I think if you ’re going to endeavor to extract it down a trivial bit more , preponderantly it ’s filmmaker driven material , like singular voices with literal manner , but that ’s hopefully not get in the way of the narrative form of the material . So yeah , that ’s why we ’ve worked with a plenty of writer manager , I consider , and a lot that we have coming up in the ticket . I think that those lean to be the boldest , and most interesting , and unequalled stories . So I think that ’s the only other ingredient I could tangibly add to this .
1 Upcoming Movie Highlights The Importance Between A Collaborative Filmmaker & Producer
When it comes to picking a favourite experience thus far on a production , the duo is a small more measured , facetiously calling it a " loaded enquiry " . rather , they point to their experience work onCuckoo , the horror - thriller lead byEuphoria ’s Hunter Schafer andAbigail ’s Dan Stevens , as a prime case of what a good collaborative relationship looks like between a filmmaker and producer , return writer / managing director Tilman Singer ’s " 130 - page version " of the pic ’s handwriting , which at last was par down to the 102 - minute pic without losing his " style " :
Josh Rosenbaum : Yeah , loaded . Why do n’t we just say we most recently just had a wonderful experience with the latest writer director we worked with , which was Tilman Singer . And that was someone who ’s an up - and - coming auteur . We see his pupil picture Lose , and we ’re blow out . And it ’s just so original . It ’s esoteric arthouse . We ’re like , " Okay , is that all Tilman wants to do for the rest of his days , make esoteric , bada– , weird 16 millimeter films , or does he want to go make films for a wide audience ? "
And take on him , and ask what he is working on next , and he shared the 130 - pageboy version of Cuckoo . That was the beginnings of what we have now . And it ’s funny , when I let the cat out of the bag to him , he ’s like , " Oh , I made Lose to catch the attention of arthouse snoot and producers like yourself . And the next one , I require it to be for an even broader audience . "
It still has his style , but candidly , Tilman was the dreaming filmmaker for us because he has so much style , but he ’s very collaborative , always uncoerced to listen to what we call for to help sell it or whatever . But he always stood firm on his vision for the motion-picture show . And I think that ’s what Ken and I always see as our biggest labor for any film labor we ’re operate to work on is like , " How do we brook the filmmaker ’s vision ? "
Of course , sometimes a filmmaker can get in their own path , and we can show them that . But I think we ’re really there to make the visual sense that they sold us on , make that take place . So yeah , we already have Tilman ’s next project that ’s in growing now . And we ’re very excited for this film to come out in August so that everyone will realize just how awing he is . And yeah , I do n’t know , you have n’t had a chance to see it yet , have you at South by ?
Ken Kao : I consider that if I look back on all the filmmakers that we ’ve work with , and a lot of them have been the writers and director , the said writers and directors we talked about sooner — I was reflecting , and Grant , you embark on the audience by enjoin that we ’ve somehow been in this industry for 10 - plus years , and I think I really could n’t be here without the experiences that I ’ve had with each and every one of these movie maker . And everybody ’s got their own style and personalities , and some are very pleasant , some are more hard to work with .
Image via NEON
But really , I retrieve I ’ve get a line a slew about filmmaking from every single one of them . And I reckon I honestly really would n’t change any of the path that I ’ve been on , because I think for us to be able to now operate and mould the fashion we work , even the manner we shape with Tilman , is all informed by our previous experiences . And everybody ’s got their own style , they really do . I remember there ’s probably nobody with the style of Terrence Malick . Terry ’s idea of composition or the direction he works , write and directing , is very different than any other person we have worked with . I do n’t know . And yeah , I think it has really been a special experience to crop with all of them .
When it comes to feel the good elbow room to bridge a filmmaker ’s bluff vision with a wide audience solicitation , the duo agree that it at long last comes down to ensuring that the first step to do so is just to get the projection greenlit , specially as both the independent movie marketplace and full-grown studio world are " really baffling right now " :
Josh Rosenbaum : Yeah , I was just go to say , I call back that right now the gravid help that we attempt to be is how are we going to get this task greenlit ? Because the main market and even the studio apartment system , which we ’re also setting up project with major studios and streamers , it ’s really hard right now . And software that you would ’ve thought were an instant green light now are being all ignored and look over with A++ actor and solid filmmakers . There ’s no trusted bets . And I think that that ’s where we focalize our attention is , " How can we avail get this made ? "
We get down contributing cashflow financing for our projects and other people ’s project . We started this non - exclusive partnership with Neon as another . Frankly , it started out as a very selfish means of like , " How are we going to get our own projects greenlit and how can we invest in moving picture safely ? " Because I think equity film financing is just absurdly high-risk powerful now . And so we created a construction with Neon to do that . It ’s not exclusive , so we can have that elsewhere . And I think it ’s just like , " How can we as a society set up as many lane to get a undertaking made from a $ 150 million studio apartment flick to a $ 5 million picture show ?
And I think that the other place that we seek to influence is on the regorge front to , I think , range genuinely and originally , because that ’s how you ’re going to stand out in the marketplace . And then you have to cater a niggling bit to the gods of foreign sale and value . But we stress to find the ways that we can split in originality and not be casting the same star that all other 1,000 projects lead out to marketplace seem to be pick out from . So yeah , I cogitate that those are the two things that I cogitate I get at least worked up about .
Ken Kao : Well , Grant , when I think about how our flick , how we knead with filmmakers , I think it ’s a lot of coaction . And I opine collaboration today , to piggy off of Josh ’s spot , I imagine there ’s a certain pragmatism , I consider , that is demand in guild to get movies made . And I think that ’s what Josh was attempt to say a little while ago . And I think to find that holy grail intersection of artistic creation and commerce . And so the movie maker that we ’re really detect success with , I recollect are the ones that are understanding what it takes to get a movie made at the terms dot that it ’s made .
And I think balancing that creativity with the functionality or , if you will , the logistics of filmmaking , the latter of which was a irksome topic for film producer for a long time , and one that did n’t always demand to be regarded . But I cogitate the great unwashed are really encounter that now , after the strikes , after COVID , after the bubble burst on streaming , that ’s a actual thing that the great unwashed have to pay attention to now for the most part . So I think being in lockstep with people that sympathise , that I think , is a big part of how we work these Clarence Day .
Also , I think speak about our partners , what I really love to do , and what I retrieve is in the ethos of Waypoint , is finding means to partner and really help God Almighty be owners of things now . And I intend the old traditional ways that studios and other producers have worked have been to treat filmmaker , or talent , or actors , work - for - hire gig . And that never made any horse sense to me . Again , I ’ve been in this business sector for actually 15 years now , which is , I call up , by human animation banner , a retentive time . But for moving picture clientele standard , not a long clock time , if you think about it . [ Chuckles ]
And when I came in , I had experience from other job or other walk of biography . And for me , a lot of this was the room I heard thing , or I saw things being done were very antediluvian to me . So we ’ve always been very collaborative , and wanted to create thing , and be pardner with other hoi polloi . So it ’s really easy for me , I think , to really have this glide path with the people we knead with . And I imagine that ’s where we ’re moving , to have Divine be owner and not beholden to the rights in what they create , be beholden to others .
Renewed Interest InThe Nice GuysBoth Thrills & Breaks The Duo’s Hearts (But A Sequel Might Have Hope)
Despite get two A - list actor leading its cast and notable filmmaker Shane Black at the helm , The Nice Guysultimately could n’t overtake its box government agency competition to be deemed a succeeder , grossing just shy of $ 63 million against its $ 50 million yield budget . As Gosling ’s recent comedic work inBarbieandThe Fall Guyhas turned more attention to the 2016 sidekick comedy , Kao humorously mark that it ’s " spite my heart " to pick up hoi polloi finally snap with the movie , as the Waypoint Entertainment squad were " so majestic " of the movie :
Ken Kao : Grant , you ’re hurt my heart the right way now , man . This drum gets vex all the time . It ’s like , " We love Nice Guys,“and people always talk about it . Especially now with The Fall Guy come out , it ’s almost like it renewed some involvement in Ryan ’s first , I guess you could call it a little bit of offbeat drollery . I do n’t know how you would categorize that , but I finger like I ’ve learn about Nice Guys now more than I have in a few years , because of The Fall Guy . But it hurt my heart , because we were so proud of The Nice Guys , and I think it was such a alone creation , and it was so fun to make . But speak about this pragmatism , the economics of it did n’t frankly mold out for everybody .
In looking to the future tense and Black ’s antecedently tantalise plans foraNice Guyssequel , and Gosling ’s own recent margin call for it to get made , Kao and Rosenbaum are a little conservative about these chances , feeling that the fiscal side of affair may keep on to hurt its chances . At the same time , however , Kao reveals that manufacturer Joel Silver " brought up Nice Guys this preceding calendar week " , spark a conversation about just how the sequel could get made :
Longlegs is a horror thriller film by writer-director Osgood Perkins. When FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned to a serial killer cold case, their investigation leads them down a rabbit hole riddled with disturbing discoveries and the occult at the center of it all. When the trail of evidence reveals a personal connection, it becomes a race against time to prevent another murder.
Ken Kao : I do n’t make out if you ’ve hear this , but Shane originally had a threequel planned . Now , just to moderate expectations , I ’m not saying there was a full curing already completed , but conceptually , it was Nice Guys 2 was going to be in the ' 90s , and then Nice Guys 3 could be in the next decade . So , I think Nice Guys had the texture of the meter , it was a eccentric in the motion picture . And I consider each was intended to be like that , the atmosphere of the photographic film was intended to be a character in the motion-picture show . I really was hop that it would work , and obviously , it did n’t quite do the numbers we all hoped for , theatrically .
odd enough , Joel Silver had reach out to a common conversance of mine and take up Nice guy rope this retiring week , and it touch off a conversation about exactly , Grant , what you had just asked . Like , " What would it take , maybe , to get this thing to happen again ? " And I think that we just have to make it on a budget . I guess that continue to be the producers ' challenge and the filmmaker ' challenge now . I believe the sign of the fourth dimension is that we ’ve just got to make films in a sustainable and responsible way .
I think we ca n’t keep having moving picture that do n’t work at the box office , and it seems like the streamers are n’t going to just turn out vacuous checks any longer . So I think we ’ve fuck off to figure out a manner in this industry to make picture in ways that I recall reward the multitude that make them . That also , I think , are made in a hold back way of life where those that are releasing the picture , they can continue to feel incentivized to doing so . And I think that ’s the job , that ’s the challenge for us , as producers , to pull that off .
Wolf Man, released on January 15, 2025, follows Blake and his wife Charlotte as they visit his secluded childhood home in rural Oregon. After a mysterious animal attack, they become trapped inside, and Charlotte is forced to confront Blake’s disturbing transformation amidst growing tension and fear.
Josh Rosenbaum : No , that ’s right on . You ’re go steady it countless times . I think that the response by some of your peers in the press of box office apocalypse scenarios is a circumstances of fearmongering . But it is like , " These budgets are now unrecoupable . " For some of these films , it ’s like the net dividing line could be a billion dollars worldwide . It ’s like , " That ’s not a sustainable position to be . " But there ’s double - edge swords and catch-22s everywhere . It ’s more expensive than ever to make a moving-picture show , but there ’s also a wage gap that ’s vast amongst all levels of the business sector . And how do you make the A+ version of these films in a contained way so that you do n’t have situations where you ’re like , " Oh , well , that variety of movie does n’t work because it could n’t recoup . "
Because I call back the calls of — I saw it again online about the great unwashed talking about The Fall Guy . It ’s like , " Everyone ’s always craving for an original film , and then when it hap , no one goes to see it . " And look , I conceive on The Nice Guys , there were a lot of other thing going . It was a really tough weekend to release it when we did , which I mean even Ryan brought up in his last consultation . But yeah , I think it just comes down to like , " If you ’re pass to do something that original , then at least on the first one , you get to be really witting about the budget . No more endless assay , very sad . "
Kao Says To “Set Your Expectations Pretty High” For TheWolf ManReboot
Amid the projects in the whole kit and caboodle the studio has isBlumhouse’sWolf Manreboot , which was originally set to asterisk Gosling on a story treatment he create , only for the various behind - the - scenes postponement extend to him step aside , but remaining onboard as an executive manufacturer . As the movie forges forrader withThe Invisible Man ’s Leigh Whannell back write and head after also antecedently digress , and Christopher Abbott in the lead office , Kao has nothing but excitement about what ’s to come from the film :
Ken Kao : Well , you ’ve get Jason Blum and Leigh , who are , as you know , a power yoke . They ’ve set out the track phonograph record . And I ’ve read a few drafts and really nerveless treatment that Leigh ’s put together . And I would say that you could probably ask something in the vein of what you ’ve seen before . Really aroused to see what Uni ’s doing these daytime and exploiting this really time - honour monster IP . They ’re not the only ones . I think a few other really prolific filmmakers I fuck personally have projects there set up with some of the other classical monsters . So I ’m pretty excited to see everything that ’s tapped from this vein , no paronomasia intended . But yeah , I mean you should set your expectations pretty gamey . It should be respectable .
When asked whether theWolf Manreboot would somehow reviveUniversal ’s trash Dark Universe plan , Kao admits that ’s a question for " the power that be " at the studio , though does indicate it will be another standalone project , comparing it to Todd Phillips’Jokermovies :
Ken Kao : Well , I cerebrate you ’ve in all likelihood flummox to set an audience with the powers that be at Uni to get a clear answer on that one . [ Chuckles ] That ’s above my pay grad , sincerely . But as an outsider , I would say that the Mummy ’s Dark Universe , in my humble opinion , that feel like it was reactive to what was going on with all the superhero poppycock , the MCU and DC world . And we know there ’s been a mass of talk about what come about with all that the last year or so . The approach , I guess you could call it maybe more like the Joker feeler , I guess . In my belief , specially if you ’re going to do it for contained prices , like Blumhouse is really good at doing , makes a slew of more sentience to me , I imagine . So that ’s a effective playbook .
Kao & Rosenbaum Are Thrilled About Waypoint & NEON’s Partnership (Particularly 1 2024 Horror Movie)
One of the biggest high spot for Kao and Rosenbaum is Waypoint ’s recent fiscal partnership with Oscar - gain indie studio apartment NEON , in which the two studios will deliver " a ticket of sheer , genre - cross films for savvy theatrical audience that often get command by studios and streamers . " In plus to the various congratulations shared forCuckoo , the duo are peculiarly worked up about the forthcoming horror movieLonglegs , not only hyping how terrifying it is but also praising NEON ’s decision tominimize Nicolas Cage from the marketingto build up to his " most iconic horror " character reference :
Josh Rosenbaum : We ’re just so activated , Waypoint ’s so excited about this partnership with Neon . And it seems like you ’re a fan of the musical style space . And we ’ve got a couple films , as well , Cuckoo , but another picture that is already incur a sight of buzz , called Longlegs , that we ’re partner on too , this summer , and we were just so psyched about those . I think they ’re not classical Uni monster yet , but I cerebrate there will be some . I think they ’ll make their mark . So we ’re jolly emotional about that . So you ’ll have to permit us hump what you call up about those when you see them .
Ken Kao : Yeah . I do n’t really keep an eye on that many horror picture show any longer , but we were like , " I keep an eye on this thing , and I was bother . I was really bothered . " [ Laughs ]
That get me really excited , because I loved The Shining and Alien acquire up . But it had been a while for me to get really activated . And so I ’m really intrigued to see . The arthouse horror lover base is going to flock to this . It is up there . But I think I ’m very curious to see what ’s going to happen with the full revulsion consultation , when it ’s backing these films that are making $ 50 million - plus in the box role , because it stands alone . I think it ’s been very interesting that Neon has not done any marketing about Nicolas Cage , because he ’s iconic in this film .
But Oz ’s plastic film stands alone already . It is so good , it could have been anyone in that role . It could have been a complete no one , and it would ’ve been just as ripe , but the fact that it ’s Nic Cage , once you see it — I love that they ’re hiding it , because they could almost just not disturb that until after the film is out and just permit people go see — well , it ’s grueling to say the most iconic Nicolas Cage character , but it ’s sure the most iconic horror Cage . I do n’t know .
About Waypoint Entertainment
Co - founded in 2010 by diligence old-timer Ken Kao , Waypoint Entertainment is a full - service output fellowship that provides originative and fiscal services to its projects . Guided by a collaborative and passionate team , the company serves as a project incubator , authorize talent and filmmakers through all stages of development and production .
Among Waypoint ’s notable film mention are Yorgos Lanthimos ’ Oscar and BAFTA - winning The Favourite asterisk Emma Stone , Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz for Searchlight Pictures ; Shane Black ’s detective thriller The Nice Guys feature Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe with Warner Bros. ; Destin Daniel Cretton ’s The Glass Castle with Woody Harrelson and Brie Larson for Lionsgate ; Scott Cooper ’s Hostiles starring Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike ; Martin Scorsese ’s secrecy featuring Liam Neeson , Andrew Garfield , and Adam Driver ; Terrence Malick ’s Song to Song star Ryan Gosling , Rooney Mara , Michael Fassbender , and Natalie Portman ; and Malick ’s Knight of Cups with Christian Bale , Cate Blanchett , and Natalie Portman .
Most recently , Waypoint announced a strategic financial partnership with NEON , the studio behind Oscar - winners Anatomy of a Fall and Parasite . Together they will deliver a slate of bold genre - sweep films for savvy theatrical audience that often get overlooked by studios and streamers .
Waypoint ’s modish feature film Cuckoo , written and direct by Tilman Singer , stars Hunter Schafer , Dan Stevens , and Jessica Henwick , and recently received rave reviews following its premieres at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival and SXSW . NEON is set to release the moving picture afterwards this year.
On a stumble to the German Alps with her father and stepmother , Gretchen ( Hunter Schafer from HBO ’s “ Euphoria ” ) discovers that the repair town where they ’re staying enshroud sinister secrets , as she ’s chevy by strange noise and awful visions of a woman pursuing her . presently , Gretchen finds herself pull in into a conspiracy involving bizarre experimentation by the resort ’s owner that resound back generations .
Longlegs is a repulsion thriller film by writer - director Osgood Perkins . When FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned to a serial killer cold case , their investigation lead them down a rabbit kettle of fish riddled with upset discovery and the supernatural at the center of it all . When the trail of evidence reveal a personal connection , it becomes a race against time to prevent another execution .
Wolf Man , released on January 15 , 2025 , follows Blake and his wife Charlotte as they visit his secluded childhood home in rural Oregon . After a mystic animal attack , they become trapped within , and Charlotte is forced to confront Blake ’s disturbing transmutation amidst growing stress and fear .
