If there's one film genre that still resonates with audiences, it's inspirational stories about people attempting to reach their goals no matter the cost. Moviegoers love seeing "the little guy" persevere and win against whatever odds they face. Magazine Dreams, the drama from Searchlight Pictures and writer-director Elijah Bynum was set to continue this trend. However, following the recent updates in the Jonathan Majors case, where he was found guilty of one count of reckless assault in the 3rd degree and a charge of harassment as a violation, Magazine Dreams' chances of getting a release are now slim to none.

First premiering in January 2023 at the Sundance Film Festival, the Jonathan Majors-led film tells the tale of an aspiring bodybuilder who wants to achieve stardom above all else, even his own health. Critics praised the film and Majors' performance, suggesting that it would be a hit with audiences when it was set to release in theaters late last year. However, it courted controversy months ahead of the release, specifically because of problems involving the lead actor and accessibility issues at the Sundance premiere (more on those later).

Despite Magazine Dreams being shelved indefinitely, many cinephiles are still curious about it and hoping that the film may see the light of day in the future. With that in mind, here's everything to know about Magazine Dreams? What was the plot, who appeared in the cast, when and where could the film be released, and what else should audiences know? First, let's take a look at all the available information.

Updated January 3, 2024: This article has been updated following updates in the Jonathan Majors case as well as news regarding his career and Magazine Dreams release date.

Magazine Dreams: The Plot

Creed 3 with Jonathan Majors
MGM

Since Magazine Dreams has already premiered at Sundance, we have a good idea of what we can expect from the plot. An official synopsis for the film reads:

"Killian Maddox lives with his ailing veteran grandfather, obsessively working out between court-mandated therapy appointments and part-time shifts at a grocery store where he harbors a crush on a friendly cashier. Though Killian's struggles to read social cues and maintain control of his volatile temper amplify his sense of disconnection amid a hostile world, nothing deters him from his fiercely protected dream of bodybuilding superstardom, not even the doctors who warn that he's causing permanent damage to his body with his quest."

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Magazine Dreams' categorization as a sports movie is dependent purely on individual opinions on bodybuilding - mainly asking if it's a sport or a beauty contest? Despite your perspective though, Magazine Dreams draws many parallels with the genre. Majors' Killian Maddox pushes his body to the limit to achieve greatness within the highly competitive world of bodybuilding, not unlike any other pro athlete. One might even compare Magazine Dreams and the Rocky franchise (which now features Majors in a major capacity, pun intended). Offscreen, Majors clearly put just as much devotion into the role. He reportedly ate more than 6,000 calories and worked out for multiple hours every day to gain the physique he needed to take on the role.

Interwoven with the film's themes of dedication and obsession, Magazine Dreams also took a no-holds-barred approach to exploring male sexualization and objectification within bodybuilding, and the wider fitness industry. Majors' performance and director Elijah Bynum's direction juxtaposed pre-conceived perceptions of the links between physicality and confidence in toxically masculine environments. Majors's Killian Madox is a hulking, vascular figure when performing on stage at competitions, with his stance tall and his shoulders broad. However, when it comes to asking out the girl he has a crush on, this apparently inherent confidence crumbles, and the once dominating Maddox transforms into a shy shadow of his on-stage persona.

Magazine Dreams: The Cast

Jonathan Majors in Devotion looking at the camera
Columbia Pictures

As mentioned, Jonathan Majors leads the cast of the film as bodybuilder Killian Maddox. 2023 looked to be Majors' year, with leading roles in hits Creed III and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and well as a major role on Loki. Fox Searchlight, a subsidiary of Disney, purchased Magazine Dream out of Sundance in an attempt to cash in on what they thought was going to be a big year for Jonathan Majors and maybe ride the positive good will the actor generated from his many performances to a possible Oscar nomination.

However, on March March 25, 2023, Majors was arrested on assault, strangulation, and harassment charges against his then-girlfriend Grace Jabbari, whom he met while filming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The news broke just one month after his role as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was one of the few positive responses that the film received and just three weeks after Creed III had opened to number one at the box office.

Related: MCU: Should We Expect Delays After Marvel Fired Jonathan Majors?

The cast also includes Haley Bennett, most recently seen in Cyrano and Till, as Maddox's love interest and grocery store employee Jessie. Taylour Paige of Mack & Rita plays a prostitute named Pink Coat. Maddox's idol, professional bodybuilder Brad Vanderhorn, is played by real-life bodybuilder and actor Mike O'Hearn. Actor Harrison Page, known for minor roles in numerous TV series, is Maddox's grandfather William Lattimore. Harriet Sansom Harris of Licorice Pizza is a counselor assisting Maddox, and actor Bradley Stryker plays plumbing worker Ken Donaghue.

Additional cast members include Dan Donahue, Justin Cuomo, Mark Smith, and Craig Cackowski. We do not yet know any details on their potential roles.

Magazine Dreams: The Release Date & Everything Else We Know

Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival

Magazine Dreams first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 20. Later, in February, worldwide distribution rights were acquired by Searchlight Pictures. Searchlight was then set to release the film theatrically in the United States on December 8, 2023. However, as previously mentioned, Magazine Dreams has now been shelved for the foreseeable future, with little hope of a theatrical release. Disney pulled the film from the release schedule in October 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA Strike and also the domestic abuse case against Jonathan Majors set to go to trial. The trail began on November 29, 2023, which would have been days from the films original theatrical release.

The Sundance release of Magazine Dreams was a bit of a mixed bag. At the premiere, it received a standing ovation and was praised by critics, who noted how the film handled themes of misogyny and toxic masculinity with care. However, jurors from Sundance's U.S. Dramatic Competition Jury walked out of a showing due to accessibility issues. Juror Marlee Matlin, who is deaf, received a captioning device for viewing that later malfunctioned. Sundance responded by stating that its goal is to make films accessible to everyone, and feedback will help drive its efforts forward.

The only conceivable way of Magazine Dreams receiving a full theatrical release in the future rests on the shoulders of Jonathan Majors formal appeal. Following his guilty verdict, Majors' attorney released a statement declaring that Jonathan Majors will appeal the court's decision and:

"Looks forward to fully clearing his name."

Another potential for Magazine Dreams is Disney and Fox Searchlight could just dump the movie on Hulu and make it a streaming release. They do not need to give it a big marketing push and have a title that they can add to the streaming library. Yet now with Jonathan Majors name now being associated with domestic abuse, they likely want to try and not release a new project with him on any platform as opposed to Loki season 2 which was filmed and set for release before the domestic abuse cases were leveled against him.

As well as Magazine Dreams, Jonathan Majors has also been dropped from an upcoming adaptation of Walter Mosley's novel The Man in My Basement with Willem Dafoe, and, an Otis Reading biopic titled Otis and Zelma. The most notable project Majors has ben cut from is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is now looking to recast the part of Kang the Conqueror in all upcoming projects. Magazine Dream now remains an interesting relic of a film that could have been an Oscar-winning role that was ruined by the star's screen actions, and one audience may never get to see.