Following an intense bidding war to land the stunning bodybuilding drama Magazine Dreams, Searchlight has officially set a December 8 theatrical release for the Jonathan Majors-led film. Written and directed by Elijah Bynum as the follow-up to his 2017 directorial debut film Hot Summer Nights, it stars Majors as a troubled bodybuilder with aspirations of stardom who struggles with human connection in his climb toward greatness.
Majors plays Killian Maddox, a man so driven to become the superstar he’s always dreamed of that he gives little care to the permanent damage he could do to the body he’s worked so hard to sculpt to perfection. Billed as a chilling exploration of fame and violence, it’s a dark look at one man’s want for the love and admiration that he’s never been able to find and the constant struggle and descent that occurs as he tries to make himself known to the world. It also shows the toll of putting too much pressure on oneself to be perfect as Maddox tries, in a desperate, genuine effort, to be visible by becoming the perfect bodybuilding model. It debuted at Sundance to rave reviews earlier this year, already earning praise as one of Majors’ best performances.
In addition to Majors, Magazine Dreams features Taylour Paige and Haley Bennett in starring roles with Mike O’Hearn, Harrison Page, and Harriet Sansom Harris rounding out the bunch. Collider was able to sit down with Majors, Bennett, and Bynum during Sundance to discuss the film and the actors described their connection to their respective characters and the love they had for Bynum’s writing. “I try to do work that illuminates and brings things to the forefront, and the story of Killian Maddox in the world of Magazine Dreams is a world populated with people who have been rebuked in many ways,” Majors said of the project. “That really pulled me, that idea that there’s a whole group of folks that have been put aside by society, and how we cope with that, and I aligned with that in some ways, and I felt very seen in that.”
Magazine Dreams Was One of Sundance’s Buzziest Titles
Magazine Dreams walked away from Sundance having won the U.S. Special Dramatic Jury Award along with the audience’s hearts. Collider’s own Ross Bonaime gave the film a B, heaping praise on Majors for a “powerhouse” performance and on Bynum for crafting a film that never lets up on the tension. Searchlight had tense competition from Neon, Sony Pictures Classics, and HBO for the rights to the film, securing the Majors-starrer as the actor is riding a high in his career. Between Creed III and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, his films have eclipsed $650 million at the global box office this year with Majors often stealing the show whenever he’s on-screen.
See Majors back in action with Magazine Dreams in theaters on December 8. Check out Collider’s full Sundance interview for the film below.
