The Future Blockbusters Draft, Part 2

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Town with Matthew Belloni

Episode: The Future Blockbusters Draft, Part 2
Date: July 28, 2026
Host: Matt Belloni (The Ringer/Puck)
Guest: Lucas Shaw (Bloomberg)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw continue their two-part "Future Blockbusters Draft," a playful but sharp exercise in guessing who and what will dominate Hollywood’s box office over the coming decade. Each picks from a pool including directors, actors, and intellectual properties (IP), building a theoretical “slate” of tentpole assets for the next 10 years. The discussion is a blend of industry intel, canny predictions, entertaining ribbing, and plenty of Hollywood-insider banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Recap & Draft Mechanics ([00:59–02:35])

• Draft Recap: Lucas reviews his picks so far: Spider-Man, Christopher Nolan, Shrek, Demon Slayer, X-Men. Matt’s team includes Super Mario Bros., Ryan Coogler, Batman, Frozen, Michael B. Jordan.
• Commentary: Both agree the first five were relatively easy and that this latter half gets "impossible" (Lucas, [02:20]).

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Round 6–10 Picks: Debates and Reasoning

1. Minecraft as an Enduring IP ([02:38–03:38])

• Lucas: “I think that there is interest... There is like a built-in audience for that property that is not going anywhere.”
• Matt: Wary of replicability, calling it a “weird movie that worked for mysterious reasons like Jack Black and Jason Momoa,” ([03:18]).
• Memorable Moment: “Don’t underestimate Jack Black.” (Lucas, [03:38])

2. K-Pop Demon Hunters’ Sequels and Music Challenge ([03:54–05:29])

• Matt: Picks the Netflix original, noting uncertainty over managing a franchise: “So much of the success of the first movie was based on the music. Music is really tough to replicate...” ([04:20])
• Lucas: “Netflix has really never managed a film franchise before.” ([05:29])
• Quip: They joke about picking Millie Bobby Brown as a franchise anchor for Netflix ([05:58]).

3. Phil Lord & Chris Miller’s “Popcorn” Consistency ([06:15–08:24])

• Lucas: Picks Lord and Miller as “the most bankable director producers in Hollywood. ...they basically only do popcorn movies and they're good movies.” ([06:31], [07:15])
• Matt: Notes their tendency to do TV as a mild risk.

4. Zach Cregger: Rising Horror Auteur ([08:24–10:31])

• Matt: “He’s the kind of filmmaker that can produce a couple movies a year maybe and direct his own... The volume play is where it’s at”. ([09:01])
• Lucas: Bias against horror, but acknowledges Cregger’s momentum: “Everything he’s touched so far has worked.”
• Shared Skepticism: Picking nascent names like Curry Barker is “way too premature.” (Matt, [10:19])

5. Zendaya: Potential or Plateau? ([10:42–12:57])

• Lucas: “If I’m trying to pick an actor... who I think is going to be a global star over the next 10 years... But coming off Spider-Man, coming off Dune, is there going to be a movie like that where she is the face of it?” ([10:46], [11:24])
• Matt: Wonders if Zendaya will pursue smaller, more personal projects: “She uses the cachet to get smaller movies made and go the Angelina Jolie route...” ([11:54])
• Lucas: Compares to Jolie’s decade of action leads, noting Zendaya “has not been the face of a huge studio movie.” ([12:33])

6. Shawn Levy: Underrated IP Specialist ([13:42–15:56])

• Matt: “He’s got a Star Wars movie coming out... consistently shown that he is an IP guy and can also do originals like with Free Guy.”
• Lucas: Skeptical: “He feels more like a custodian or executor of other people’s visions than someone who always has the vision himself.” ([15:00])
• Matt: Counters that studios value reliable execution: “That’s what Hollywood likes. That’s what these studios like.” ([15:14])
• Lucas: Wonders if audiences follow Levy by name: “If you just say, here is a Shawn Levy movie, do I think that people know who that is?” ([15:37])

7. Bond Reboot: High-Risk, High-Reward ([17:13–19:43])

• Lucas: “When Bond comes back, it's going to be huge... They have a proven director at the helm.” ([17:13], [17:44])
• Matt: Trusts Denis Villeneuve’s vision but worries about Amazon’s long-term plan. “Is that character still cool?... They gotta modernize that character.” ([19:39])
• Lucas: Trusts in the pent-up enthusiasm for Bond after the long hiatus.

8. Timothée Chalamet’s Global Stardom Ambitions ([21:31–23:15])

• Matt: “He wants to be a global star... He’ll do another Wonka. He’ll find another franchise after Dune.” ([21:44])
• Lucas: Agrees he’s “probably a safer bet than Zendaya just in terms of how much she’s gonna wanna act and work and the types of projects he does.” ([22:27])
• Fun Digression: They riff on Chalamet’s “tacky ads” phase.

9. Denis Villeneuve as Franchise Architect ([23:19–24:32])

• Lucas: “Commercially... that's what Denis’ tendencies are. He wants to make these big studio, like, fun, fun movies.” ([23:19])
• Matt: Adds Villeneuve will likely move from Bond to either “an original... or he’s shown he wants to do IP.” ([24:11])
• Note: Villeneuve claims he doesn’t want to do Star Wars after a “bad experience” ([24:32]).

10. Greta Gerwig: Author or Auteur? ([27:06–29:12])

• Matt: “I think Greta Gerwig... has not had a loser movie yet. Like Little Women huge, obviously. Barbie huge. Lady Bird big. So I think she's also young.” ([27:06])
• Lucas: Wonders if she’ll return to “personal” or indie films, which may mean fewer blockbusters: “Is that a lane that she wants to kind of swim back in or is she like fully committed to the big ambitious studio movies?” ([28:03])
• Matt: Bets on another Barbie-sized hit and future IP interest.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On franchise risk:
  “The wild card here is that so much of the success of the first movie was based on the music. Music is really tough to replicate...” — Matt, [04:20]
• On popcorn auteurs:
  “If you are looking at kind of at filmmakers who consistently give popular movies to studios and are very productive, they're at the top of the list.” — Lucas, [07:15]
• On modern stardom:
  “He wants to be a global star... he knows the game and he knows that to be the biggest star... you need to be in hits.” — Matt, [21:44]
• On Bond reboot:
  “They have at least haven't announced who they're casting as Bond. But... I just have faith that they know how important it is to not fuck that up.” — Lucas, [17:24]
• On irrelevance of director credentials for audiences:
  “If you just say, here is a Shawn Levy movie, do I think that people know who that is?” — Lucas, [15:37]

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• [02:38] – Minecraft as a box office foundation IP
• [03:54] – K-Pop Demon Hunters and Netflix’s franchise inexperience
• [06:31] – Lord & Miller as the “popcorn” kings
• [08:24] – Why Zach Cregger is a volume play
• [10:46] – The Zendaya dilemma: indie beloved or blockbuster face?
• [13:42] – The case and skepticism for Shawn Levy
• [17:13] – Why Bond’s return is seen as a future tentpole
• [21:31] – Timothée Chalamet’s trajectory from prestige to blockbusters
• [23:19] – Denis Villeneuve’s commercial run and potential future
• [27:06] – The bet on Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster future

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Final Draft Results ([29:25])

Matt’s Team:

1. Super Mario Brothers
2. Ryan Coogler
3. Batman
4. Frozen
5. Michael B. Jordan
6. K-Pop Demon Hunters
7. Zach Kreger
8. Shawn Levy
9. Timothée Chalamet
10. Greta Gerwig

Lucas’s Team:

1. Spider-Man
2. Chris Nolan
3. Shrek
4. Demon Slayer
5. X-Men
6. Minecraft
7. Phil Lord & Chris Miller
8. Zendaya
9. James Bond
10. Denis Villeneuve

Closing thoughts:

• Matt concedes, “I think you’re winning,” with Lucas’ top picks carrying extra weight ([29:57]).
• Acknowledgement of the draft’s speculative nature and lack of true accountability, but both look forward to tracking their “results” years down the line.

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Tone & Style

• Playful, bantering, with just enough industry snark.
• Deep references for true Hollywood insiders, but with explanations accessible to general fans.
• Clear admiration for certain talents, mixed with skeptical analysis of industry trends and “sure things.”
• Willingness to take risks or call out “risky” bets.

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Summary for Non-Listeners

If you haven’t listened to the episode, this draft is less about fantasy sports and more about informed predictions of what—and who—will shape Hollywood’s blockbuster landscape over the next decade. The hosts debate not just who is hot now, but whose creative/career trajectories and built-in audiences will make them long-term constants at the box office. It’s an insightful, opinionated, and often funny window into how Hollywood insiders think about future hits, the power of franchises, the unpredictability of talent choices, and the eternal question: what makes a blockbuster in modern cinema?

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

I felt like part one went about as well as it could have. I got five of my top six picks. Coogler was the only one.

[A]

Yeah. Just to say you got Spider Man, Chris Nolan, Shrek, Demon Slayer and X Men. And I have Super Mario Brothers Ryan Coogler, Batman, Frozen and Michael B. Jordan.

[B]

I think yours is a solid five too. I don't know.

[A]

Yeah, I'm okay. I'm feeling good about it.

[B]

I'd be happy to be either studio. I think this is where it gets just about fucking impossible. Am I allowed to say fuck? I forget.

[A]

Of course you are.

[B]

This is where it gets just about impossible. And I'm already trying to like reorder the next ten.

[A]

All right, so I'll catch you off guard then. You go first.

[B]

I have concerns about what happens with this franchise which you voiced in part one, but I'm going to go with Minecraft.

[A]

Oh, okay. That's totally fair.

[B]

I think that there is interest. There is like a built in audience for that property that is not going anywhere. You know, the first one almost got to a billion. I'm a little worried that we're going to. Minecraft's gonna be like Super Mario, where the second one is gonna go from almost a billion to like 700 million. But I think that there is. That is a property where there is like a real floor and it is cross. It appeals to at least sort of a segment of, you know, 20 years of people and it's not going to feel tired for the period that we're talking about.

[A]

Yeah, that's totally fair. My only worry with that one is that it's such a weird movie and it worked for such mysterious reasons like Jack Black and, you know, Jason Momoa and having the world and everything that it's going to be tough to replicate. That could be. But the property is huge.

[B]

And don't underestimate Jack Black.

[A]

No, I know. He's a huge movie star. I mean, God, you could even pick Jack Black. That would. That would be an interesting pick.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You then have to take Jumanji 3 then.

[B]

He's like an accent to a lot of these things, which makes it hard to.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. All right. So my number six and I. I take this with some reservations as well, but I'm going to go with K Pop Demon Hunters.

[B]

Okay. On my list, but much lower down.

[A]

So it's the only Netflix property that we have looked at here, and it's really, I think, going to be the only Netflix property that we pick. If I have to predict here from a movie perspective.

[B]

Yes. Unless you're really all in on red notice, too.

[A]

Yeah, I am not. So the Next Movie isn't coming till 2029, but I got to assume that there is a plan that once this next movie comes out, and remember, Sony makes the movies for Netflix, that they have a plan to keep these coming every few years for the next decade that it's not going to take four years to get a sequel after 2029. I'm hoping at least. The wild card here is that so much of the success of the first movie was based on the music. Music is really tough to replicate and we'll see if they can get the hitmakers in there.

[B]

Well, but you could make that argument about Frozen. So much of the success of the first one was about the music.

[A]

Yeah. And the music in the second one was the same composers and they Did a nice job. Like, it's not quite the same as the hit from the first one, but they did a decent job on it. And maybe they'll be able to replicate it on K Pop Demon Hunters. But I just think that the upside there, it's instantly gonna be massive. Who knows if by then Netflix will come to its senses and put the movie for an exclusive theatrical run? We'll see. But regardless, it's going to be massive.

[B]

I think the second one is going to be huge no matter what. So I totally get it, you know, a bigger, you know, an even bigger hit last year than Minecraft was. I do. Yeah, I do. I do think that there's real execution risk going forward. And Netflix has really never managed a film franchise before, so, you know what?

[A]

How dare you? What's the Chris Hemsworth one?

[B]

Extraction.

[A]

Yes, extraction. And the Millie Bobby Brown Enola Holmes.

[B]

Fair. Different. Different. Different level.

[A]

But, yes, I know Millie Bobby Brown is not on our list. Are you just ignoring her immense draw on Netflix?

[B]

I'll let you take her.

[A]

I'm not taking her. All right, you give me your number seven.

[B]

I am going to make a strange selection. Maybe I'm overreacting to this year. So one of the quibbles I had with the list, I think that Lord and Miller are like the most bankable director producers in Hollywood.

[A]

So you're taking Lord and Miller?

[B]

Yeah, they just directed.

[A]

What's controversial about that? And they produce a lot, too.

[B]

So the production is why we're allowing producers. They directed Project Hail Mary, which was one of the most successful movies of the year. They are involved either as producers or directors in spider verse in 21 Jump street franchise. And we don't get the franchises, but I list that to say that if you look at their filmography and we're going to get to some other directors later. Unlike some of the other really great directors, they basically only do popcorn movies and they're good movies, but they are not trying to make like, the art house project that's gonna get someone their first acting Oscar.

[A]

But who cares? I mean. But that's a reason to pick them.

[B]

No, that's my point. That's why I'm picking them, is that if you are looking at kind of at filmmakers who consistently give popular movies to studios and are very productive, they're at the top of the list.

[A]

And you're saying that now. And unless Amazon really up their Oscar campaign for Project Hail Mary, which is

[B]

a distinct possibility, they will get nominations and all of that stuff. Yes.

[A]

Yeah, they are. Going to be in that conversation after this year of prestige filmmakers because they're going to get a bunch of nominations for that movie.

[B]

When I look back on it and our draft from earlier this year, one of the things I regretted was not having more confidence in Project Hail Mary because of their track record as, as directors and producers.

[A]

Yep, agreed. So instead I went with disclosure day. Big whiff.

[B]

I forgot about the Lego Movie. They also.

[A]

So, yeah, yes, they do the Lego movies. Although are we getting another one of those?

[B]

Again, we don't get the ip. It just proves that most of what they, you know.

[A]

No, they're great. My only reservation with them is they also do television.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And they could decide to work on a TV show for a few years and then take a break from movies. And you may not get that a hundred percent, but that's a solid choice. So my next pick is also a filmmaker who directs and produces. And it's a little bit of a risk because he's at the beginning of his career, but I think that given where we're going right now in the business with the lower budget horror genre movies.

[B]

Are you taking Cain Parsons right now or Curry Barker? Which one?

[A]

I'm taking Zach Kreger. Oh, okay. Yeah.

[B]

Why not?

[A]

Because. So it's not just Weapons and it's not just this Resident Evil movie that he's got coming out, which I think is going to be pretty big in the fall. This is a guy that has become a brand to younger audiences and I think he's meaningful going forward. I think that everybody in town wants to be in business with him. He will get chance after chance. And he's the kind of filmmaker that can produce a couple movies a year maybe and direct his own. So you get the volume there.

[B]

I get it. For me, he's sort of gotta leave the horror lane.

[A]

Weapons got to 270, almost 300 million worldwide.

[B]

This is where I'm just betraying my bias against horror movies because I don't like them and I don't enjoy. But usually when we're talking about kind of franchises, horror is sort of like simmering below the surface because they are sort of like not. The ceiling is always going to be lower for the most part. You know, the biggest, biggest, biggest horror movie is going to get to about 400 million of the year. But I totally. Yeah, he's, he is an emerging filmmaker that, to your point, everyone wants to work with. And everything he's touched so far has worked. And so who wouldn't want to be in business with Him.

[A]

Some people might say, oh, Curry Barker. Curry Barker has one movie.

[B]

No, I. If you had taken. Let's be clear, if you had taken either of the guys from this year, that is premature that you need to see them.

[A]

That's way too premature. I mean, I hope they blossom into that, but you can't. I mean, even Craig or arguably is ins. Is a little bit premature, but I'm willing to make a bet on that guy.

[B]

Yeah, I think he's. I think he's got the track record

[A]

now and he's an adult and people who worked with him, like, he's very focused. He could do multiple movies a year. I think. I think the volume play is where it's at. All right, Go with your number eight pick.

[B]

I think now I finally have to pick an actor.

[A]

Okay. Oh, this'll be interesting.

[B]

You already took Michael B. Jordan, who I. And we've discussed this in the past, who I think is the consensus number one pick. Okay, I think this is where I'll go. Zendaya.

[A]

Yeah, that's a solid pick.

[B]

If I'm trying to pick an actor, actress, who I think is going to be a global star over the next 10 years, the question with her, and we've talked about in the past, is like, what types of projects does she want to do? The biggest things that she has opened on her own are. Or where she was the star and there's no IP were basically the invite and challengers, and they were solid. But those are $100 million movies.

[A]

But those are indie sensibility movies.

[B]

Getting those movies to 100 plus is incredible. But coming off of the Odyssey, coming off of Spider man, coming off of Dune, is there going to be a movie like that where she is the face of it and not the third lead or the fifth lead?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, it's a good question. And she's going to have to step up to that leading role.

[B]

Yeah, I could see her doing a really cool action movie. I could see her do like, you know, but I. I believe it's. I believe the. The appetite is there.

[A]

Okay. Yeah. My. My only reservation there is she's sort of proven herself with the IP stuff. And I could see her having a more artsy type trajectory where she uses the cachet to get smaller movies made and go the Angelina Jolie route where it's like, okay, I did Tomb Raider. Now I'm gonna make 10 depressing movies that nobody's gonna see.

[B]

I totally hear you. And that is a risk. But Angelina Jolie did. Angelina Jolie had a phase of being the face of movies for like a decade.

[A]

Maleficent. And she did a Marvel movie. It didn't work, but she did do a Marvel movie, right?

[B]

She did. There was. Yeah. There were the Tomb Raider movies. There was Mr. And Mrs. Smith. She did a bunch of these action movies that established the bonafides. And I think as big a star as Zendaya is, she has not been the face of a huge studio movie.

[A]

Yeah. Huge value add.

[B]

Huge value add.

[A]

Yeah. Yep.

[B]

And maybe because. Maybe it's because she doesn't want to do it.

[A]

Yeah, maybe I just want. I want her to be a bigger star than Tom Holland. I just, like. I don't. I just don't.

[B]

Why?

[A]

I don't know. I just. He's just. We don't get. We don't have to get into this, but I. I'm not betting on him.

[B]

Let's just say that he is not on my list.

[A]

No, you do.

[B]

You do. You. You had him as the 17th best actor in the Odyssey. Right.

[A]

I just. I didn't get him at all. And I. But I normally don't, so I'm in the minority. People love him. I did enjoy that he threw up on Hot Ones.

[B]

Should have been you.

[A]

No, I did not throw up. I wanted to throw up, but I did not. Okay, who you got? So my number 8 pick may shock you.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

It's a filmmaker.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That is consistently underestimated, yet only makes hits.

[B]

Okay. I can't wait to see where we're going with this.

[A]

Shawn Levy.

[B]

Are you sending Richard Weitz a Christmas basket or something?

[A]

Oh, does he represent him?

[B]

He's a sort of. Yeah. Oh, okay.

[A]

I didn't even know that. But this guy, he's got a Star wars movie coming out. And I know Star wars is conspicuously absent from this list right now given the state of the franchise, but I think he can make that work. He has consistently shown that he is an IP guy and can also do originals like with Free Guy. And he just has a commercial smart sensibility that studios love. He will get big projects. He also produces. He produced backrooms via his company. He has his fingers in a lot of different projects. So there's going to be a lot of 21 laps. Projects that he probably has very little to do with, but will have his name on. And then there's gonna be these movies, and I think once every two, three years there'll be a Shawn Levy directed blockbuster. So I'm going with him.

[B]

I can't get there.

[A]

No, no, you just don't respect him.

[B]

No, that's rude.

[A]

But that is rude. That's what I'm saying.

[B]

He feels more like. I get. Maybe this is my bias, but he feels more like a custodian or executor of other people's visions than someone who always has the vision himself. So, yes.

[A]

You know what? That's what Hollywood likes. That's what these studios like.

[B]

I hear you. And that's important to have the adult who really knows how to do that. He's doing Star Wars. He's sort of managed a lot of these franchises.

[A]

Yeah. He's got an adaptation of a Japanese video game series that he's doing for Netflix. That's a producing project.

[B]

Right. He's got a lot of. He's got deals at Netflix. I guess my feeling is, if you just say, here is a Shawn Levy movie, do I think that people know who that is?

[A]

But. Okay, but is that the standard here?

[B]

Sort of what we're talking about?

[A]

The standard is, does the industry know who he is? And they definitely do.

[B]

No, I think we're talking about who are consumers showing up for. It's sort of. I thought. What we were going for.

[A]

Yeah, I guess I hear you.

[B]

And like, look, he could say Free Guy.

[A]

It worked for the director of Night at the Museum and Free Guy.

[B]

Yeah, sure.

[A]

And Star Wars. Starfighter.

[B]

But I don't know that there is sort of a following for him in the way that there is for some of you.

[A]

Certainly not. Yeah.

[B]

Which is what I thought. Which is, I guess, is what I thought we were going for. If you're saying it's sort of like the Jon Favreau question. I realize maybe not the right time because of coming off a Mandalorian, but, like, sure, Disney trusts Jon Favreau and the Russo brothers and some of these people with their movies, but if Jon Favreau just makes the movie that he wants, I don't think my kind of faith in that being a hit are much lower. Not because he's a bad director, just because I don't think it's the same.

[A]

Yeah. Favreau's a good one, though, because he will always have. He'll always be on the studio lists. Even though Star wars didn't work. He will do what he wants. And I think Favreau seems to have a lot of different interests, though. I think Shawn Levy, his company produces a ton of stuff, and then he directs a big movie every couple years.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All right, give me your nine. We're getting down there. So this is interesting.

[B]

I was going to go director or actor here. But since there's a lot of options for that and I really only have one IP left on my list, I think when Bond comes back, it's going to be huge. And so I'm taking that.

[A]

Yeah, that, that I was thinking of picking. It's just.

[B]

I know there's. There's a lot of risk. It's Amazon. It's. They don't even know who they're. They have at least haven't announced who they're casting as Bond. But.

[A]

I know, but they know they have Denis Villeneuve and although nobody's picked him, I should have maybe picked him over Shawn Levy.

[B]

Well, I was debating between the two, but I there. But there's a reason they have a proven director at the helm of it. They have a really good producer involved and I just have faith that they know how important it is to not fuck that up. And if they had gone in the like, if they had gone in the direction of a more strictly commercial director who was a franchise manager, I would be worried. But putting it in the hands of someone with a vision, I just think it's going to be good. He's gonna cast the right person. They're gonna reintroduce it in a way. And we're gonna get at least two or three Bond movies over the next decade. And they're gonna be. They're global. They're gonna be 600 to a billion with each one.

[A]

And I'm in. Yeah. And the whole problem with the broccoli family where they could just decide not to make a movie for five years, that's not Amazon.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Amazon wants to crank these things out.

[B]

There's a risk that they will over saturate, but that's not in our timeframe.

[A]

Yeah. And you know, may Denis goes away or produces and then others come in and do the other ones. But at least this is the key one. This is the Force Awakens of Amazon. They have to get this one right in order to fuck it up for 10 years in a row and have the opportunity to make all the others. And listen, Denis, he decided Timothy Chalamet was an action star when nobody else did. And he was right. So I trust him on the casting and it's probably going to be great. I just wonder, I don't know, I wonder whether the long term plan for Bond is going to work out in Amazon.

[B]

It might not. But I just think there's going to be a lot of pent up enthusiasm because it will have been one of the longest stretches without a Bond movie that there's been. And I don't think that's going to hurt it.

[A]

And also, like, is that character still cool? Like, they gotta modernize that character.

[B]

But I think they'll find a way to make it work. I just, I have trust, okay.

[A]

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license numbers.com Spotify so now my number nine. This is where it's getting really.

[B]

It's getting hairy. I know.

[A]

This is a guy who wants, it wants to be a huge movie star. He's gonna do the prestige movies. Fine. Like the Marty Supremes, the Bob Dylan movie. Like, fine.

[B]

But he wants to be a global star.

[A]

But he wants to be a global star. He'll do another Wonka. He'll find another franchise after Dune. Like, he knows the game and he knows that to be the biggest star and have everyone looking at you at the, you know, at the Knicks game, you need to be in hits.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I think, and my only worry is that, is he going to become like a big producer? Like, does he have his version of plan B in him? Maybe not. Who cares, but who cares? I think he'll make enough movies and enough of them will hit over the next 10 years that I will bet on him.

[B]

I agree. I though there was obviously a little bit of sort of blowback to him earlier this year.

[A]

Oh, who cares? Nobody cares about that.

[B]

Yeah. Tempest in a teapot. Short term, I think that of the young actors, even though I picked a different one of the. After Michael B. Jordan of the other ones, I actually think he's probably a safer bet than Zendaya just in terms of how much she's gonna wanna act and work and the types of projects he does.

[A]

He's gotta stop doing the tacky ads, though. I like Kalshee. Like, no betting ads. Like, don't just stay away.

[B]

Yeah. He's gotten a little bit too big for the britches right now, as they would say. And I think he's probably gonna have a couple of years that are a little off, but he's gonna long term. Too talented, too ambitious and like, he'll figure it out.

[A]

And he's like 30 years old.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So he's got a long career ahead of him and if he manages properly, this decade could be his best.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All right, last pick for you.

[B]

In keeping with sort of the spirit of what we were doing, I went like equal amounts talent and ip, and since I already have five pieces of ip, I'm gonna. I want five talent, five ip. I'm gonna go with another director. And even though I already picked Bon, I just think commercially, like, that's what Denis tendencies are. He wants to make these big studio, like, fun, fun movies. The only risk with him is I do think there is, like, he's gonna be a director who is gonna probably do who. I'm worried that after Dune and Bond, he's then gonna be like, I'm gonna go do something really fucking weird and like something small and I don't need to make a billion dollar movie. But his recent track record is like, you could say second to Nolan in terms of commerciality and like, spectacle and all of that.

[A]

So. Yeah. And he will probably move off of Bond after doing one movie. And he will move on to either an original, like, arrival, or he's shown that he wants to do ip, that he's totally. He could do a Star wars movie. Although, no, he told me, he told me in my interview with him that he had a bad experience and does not want to do Star wars now.

[B]

Okay, well, that much we know.

[A]

My last pick. I'm torn here. I was going to go out of left field and pick a property that is not currently being made, but is one of the biggest properties. And only because I have some intel that I know they really want it to happen. I got a tip the other day that there was a very interesting sighting on the Disney lot. Macaulay Culkin was there, and he's talked about doing. Having an idea for a new Home Alone. And Disney is, like, salivating. They want, like, you think right now of the Culkin brothers that Kieran would be the hot one since he just won an Oscar. Macaulay Culkin is having his ass kissed like nobody's business. They're offering him another movie, like he could do his own passion project if he would also do another Home Alone. And they have a good idea. I've talked to people who've heard it, and it's a really good idea for a Home Alone reboot with Macaulay Culkin. If that happens and they restart the Home Alone franchise, that would be gigantic for the next 10 years. Because that movie, as you know, is perennially top of the streaming list from October through Christmas every year. It's one of the biggest franchises. And the fact that they haven't done a movie in 30 years, and the star is, like, just sitting out there, like, enjoying his life in Toluca Lake, like, he. This could be massive if they can figure out how to get Macaulay Culkin into a new Home Alone. I'm not going to pick that.

[B]

What?

[A]

Why not? I'm not picking.

[B]

You're going to want to sprinkle in a little sizzle, but not take the. Not take it.

[A]

I'm not taking it because there's risk. There's risk here, and it may not happen. So. But I think it will. They are, like, courting him like nobody's business. The problem with taking the Disney movies is that there is a long wait between them. And as much as I would like to take Zootopia, I just don't know when they're gonna get around to it. Maybe there's one movie.

[B]

You're probably gonna get one in the decade.

[A]

Yes. Yeah. And the reason I took Frozen is because I know that 3 and 4 are in the works and they already have deals with everybody, but maybe we get two Zootopias. So I'm not going to pick that one, even though that is a sure thing.

[B]

I. Weirdly, I don't think I have anything touching Disney, even though it is clearly the most successful movie studio year after year after year.

[A]

Yeah, that's bizarre. All right. I'M doing it. I'm taking Greta Gerwig.

[B]

Okay. I'm proud of you.

[A]

Even though I have some reservations about Narnia. We'll see. And we'll see if the Netflix release plan to put it in theaters will work. I think it probably will. My guess is she probably does not direct the movies after that, but if she produces them, then we still get that she has not had a loser movie yet. Like Little Women huge, obviously. Barbie huge. Lady Bird big. So I think she's also young.

[B]

I was torn between Denis and Greta. And the only thing I think that held me up on Greta a little bit. And maybe, maybe it's honestly because of her partner, but I sort of feel like she's gonna do some small movies. I don't know that she has the same.

[A]

She's gonna get Melissa McCarthy husband. No, I. She's gonna have her.

[B]

Her.

[A]

She's gonna have Noah Baumbach tainting her.

[B]

No, I just. Lady Bird and Frances Hopp were like really great movies that did well. But is that a lane that she wants to kind of swim back in or is she like fully committed to sort of like the big ambitious studio movies? Like even Little Women. Like Little Women was a really solid hit. But not like on the scale of 300 million worldwide. Yeah, but not sort of like we talked about with Zach Kroger. Like not at the scale of what you would get from a Nolan or a Deneen. And if I'm. And if she is like, I want studio movie, studio movie, studio movie, then I actually. Then I think she's a no brainer and I would have taken her higher. And I don't know the answer to these.

[A]

Always a risk with these auteurs that they could do something personal. Maybe she's got her version of the Fabelmans in her or something like that. But I think there will be another Barbie at some point. I mean, clearly Warners wants it. And I think that she will probably take on other IP in the future things that she's interested in. So I'm willing to bet on her. Much more so than I am. Five Home Alone movies.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Fair. Oh, God. All right, so now we have our teams. Jesse, can you go through them please, and then offer your sense of. Of where you think we are. Who's going to win here?

[B]

Okay, so Matt's team going one through 10. Mario brothers, Ryan Coogler, Batman, Frozen, Michael B. Jordan K. Pop Demon Hunters, Zach Kreger, Shawn Levy, Timothee Chalamet and Greta Gerwig. And Lucas picks Spider Man. Chris Nolan, Shrek Demon Slayer, X Men Minecraft. Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Zendaya. James Bond and Denis Villeneuve.

[A]

Damn it. I think you're winning.

[B]

I feel good.

[A]

Yeah. How did I get outsmarted here again?

[B]

Lucas is very top heavy, which I think will kind of carry him. I heard those top three, and I was like, that's great. Love that.

[A]

I know Chris Nolan has to do his version of the Fabelmans. He needs to do, like, a no budget, very personal movie and absolutely tank his career.

[B]

Even if he did that, it wouldn't tank his career.

[A]

I know it wouldn't. And there would probably be some massive explosion in it.

[B]

How many misses in a row do you think he'd have to have for people to, like, look at him differently? At least two, right?

[A]

Yeah, at least two. If he did a movie. If he did his next movie and it's like.

[B]

Or if it was just like the biggest disaster ever. Right. If it was Ishtar or, like, goes

[A]

off the rails, everybody quits, like, that kind of thing. That's less likely to happen because he's such a professional person. It's more likely that he would read some book and decide to do a, you know, an epic silent movie or something in all Taiwanese or something like that, and just nobody watches it. All right. I am looking forward to the episode in July of 2036 when you and I can finally assess who did better in the future blockbuster draft.

[B]

Two years after we assess how we did in the talent under 35 and four years after we assessed the seven other drafts.

[A]

I know that's the best part about these. There's very little accountability. It's not like the box office draft where there's, like, guys online who are tracking every weekend and tweeting at us when we have a bomb.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All right, Lucas, thanks a lot.

[B]

Thanks, Matt.

[A]

All right, no call sheet today. I want to thank my guest, Lucas Shaw, of course, producer Craig Horbeck, editor Jesse Lopez, and Stephano Sanchez. And I want to thank you. No more episodes this week. We're back next week.