Cary Fukunaga

Netflix has come a long way from the company that used to send you little red envelopes in the mail. Their original programming slate is expanding exponentially; after making major inroads into television and documentaries, they’re now expanding their feature film division as well. Their ambitious slate of movies includes Beasts of No Nation, the new project from Cary Joji Fukunaga, the director of the first season of True Detective (but not, it should be noted, the second season).

After teasing their upcoming original film lineup for some time now, Netflix has finally announced release dates for three major titles: Cary Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation, the company’s first original film acquisition for exclusive distribution; Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, which marks Paul Reubens’ big screen return as the beloved, iconic character; and that Adam Sandler comedy western movie that’s been causing quite a fuss.

HBO’s True Detective smashed time into a flat circle by its blockbuster first season, but did you know that creator Nic Pizzolatto originally intended the story as his next novel? Or that Matthew McConaughey’s Rustin Cohle only drinks eight beers over the course of the series? These are just some of the case files pulled from the twelfth episode of ‘You Think You Know TV?,’ which investigates the occult drama of of HBO’s True Detective!

The other day we learned that Cary Fukunaga had departed the two-part big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s It, following a move from Warner Bros. to New Line. The reason given for his departure was the standard “creative differences” along with reported budget cuts. The latest rumor about the film is definitely interesting: It has moved back over to Warner Bros., which is currently seeking a new director to move ahead with the project.

With production set to begin this summer, Cary Fukunaga has exited the director’s chair on the major two-film adaptation of Stephen King’s classic horror novel It. While it’s definitely disappointing news, it’s not entirely surprising given that Fukunaga recently signed on to direct another film and he’s got a TNT miniseries in the pipeline.

TNT has been lagging a bit behind the competition when it comes to original programming, but the network’s new plans for upcoming series announced at Upfronts 2015 indicate a shift into prestige dramas — most notably, the network will be home to Cary Fukunaga’s new eight-part miniseries, The Alienist, bringing a little slice of True Detective to their lineup.

After a very long search that looked at a wide variety of actors, the upcoming remake of Stephen King’s It has found its new Pennywise the Clown. And, you can keep guessing for a very long time, because we’re pretty sure you’ll never guess who it is.

Cary Fukunaga is very busy these days — after establishing himself with Sin Nombre and Jane Eyre, he went on to cement his career as one of the most exciting directors to watch with the first season of True Detective. His next film, Beasts of No Nation, is arriving on Netflix soon, and he’s heading into production on a two-film adaptation of Stephen King’s It, which should occupy much of his time. And yet, he’s just signed on to direct another film: the tragic true life story of father and son, Joe and Jadin Bell.

It was only a matter of time before we began to see the effects of Netflix’s foray into the film distribution business. We previously assumed that some major theater chains would refuse to show films which premiere simultaneously on the streaming service, but today brings confirmation of those assumptions, as some of the top theater chains have vowed not to screen Beasts of No Nation at their venues due to Netflix’s release plan.

Cary Fukunaga’s adaptation of Stephen King’s It is one seriously ambitious project, and given the massive size and the generation-spanning scope of the novel, it’s hardly surprising (and even something of a relief) that he’s splitting the story into two films. Fukunaga has a lot of work ahead of him, but most challenging will be the casting of Pennywise the clown, the terrifying entity made famous by Tim Curry in the ‘90s miniseries adaptation. Rest assured that Fukunaga isn’t taking that casting lightly.