Searchlight Drops Jonathan Majors’ "Magazine Dreams"

Jonathan Majors‘ "Magazine Dreams" is officially back on the market. 

Nearly a year after Searchlight Pictures acquired the body-building movie, the specialty arm of Walt Disney Studios has quietly returned rights of the movie to the filmmakers, who will now shop it to other buyers.

The move comes weeks after Majors was convicted of assault and harassment, stemming from an incident involving his ex-partner, Grace Jabbari. His sentence hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6.

Sources revealed Searchlight delivered the news to the Magazine Dreams team late last week that it would not be releasing the pic.

“Magazine Dreams,” directed by Elijah Bynum, debuted to positive reviews at Sundance, where Majors’ performance as amateur body builder Killian Maddox earned him rave reviews and early awards buzz. 

Co-starring Haley Bennett, Taylour Paige, Mike O’Hearn, Harrison Page and Harriet Sansom Harris, it’s produced by Jennifer Fox, Dan Gilroy, Jeffrey Soros, and Simon Horsman. 

Executive producers are Majors, under his production banner Tall Street Productions, Luke Rodgers and Andrew Blau.

Searchlight bought the pic for what sources say was around mid seven figures in February 2023. It was mapping out a late-year awards season campaign. A month later, however, Majors was arrested in New York, putting the fate of the film up in the air.

Majors’ March 25 arrest put the pic's release in question, and it was officially removed from Searchlight’s calendar in October.

Marvel dropped Majors from his role as villain Kang the Conqueror, while Lionsgate’s Dennis Rodman film “48 Hours in Vega” will now seek a new star and new distributor.