Dark Bodybuilding Drama, Starring Jonathan Majors, Finally Sees the Light — Watch the Trailer for "Magazine Dreams"

After a year of controversy and uncertainty due to its star, filmmaker Elijah Bynum’s dark bodybuilding drama will finally debut in theaters, giving audiences a chance to judge for themselves.

It was Sundance 2023. One of the most talked-about and buzziest acting performances to emerge from the Park City film festival was the eye-opening lead portrayal in a film called Magazine Dreams. Shot with striking visual flair by filmmaker Elijah Bynum, the film tells the bitter story of an aspiring bodybuilder named Killian Maddox, whose dreams of becoming the best bodybuilder in the world ultimately lead him down a path of self-destruction. The film offers a somber look at the dark side of the pursuit of fame, glory, and the relentless drive for perfection.

For his performance as Killian Maddox in the film, Jonathan Majors received so much attention and praise at Sundance that year, the word around town was that he was destined for an Oscar nomination—and possibly a shoo-in for Best Actor. After all, it was still early 2023, January. He was about to make his official introduction as the new MCU supervillain Kang the Conqueror in the February release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Oh, the future looked so bright for Jonathan Majors. This was going to be his year. He was set to become the superstar he had been building his career for until this very moment. Magazine Dreams, it indeed was.

Then it all came crashing down. Quantumania was first ripped apart by fans and critics alike. The movie did well enough at the box office but didn't live up to the hype fans had hoped for. The character Kang the Conqueror didn’t feel like the right villain to build an entire franchise around. And, of course, Majors was arrested in March over a violent domestic dispute with his then-girlfriend. Other allegations came to light. There was a court appearance. And then things kept falling after that: he was dropped by his management, dropped by his PR firm, and projects he was set to star in were canceled. There was a Dennis Rodman movie he was looking to do but was dropped from that as well. Finally, the MCU cut ties with the actor, as the studio decided to step away from the Kang the Conqueror storyline and take a different direction. There was an attempt from Majors to make a public statement about his arrest and the other allegations in a sit-down interview with ABC News. But it didn’t go so well. He came off as awkward and seemed to be holding back.

But it's been more than a year now. Majors went to court and was found guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment, though he was acquitted of the more serious charges. He also settled a defamation lawsuit with his ex. Now, Majors has moved on and is currently engaged to actress Meagan Good.

Only time will tell if Majors can rebuild his acting career again—whether there's an audience looking forward to his future projects, who knows?

But what happens to the film Majors had starred in but was never released due to his controversy and was subsequently dropped by its distributor, Disney's Searchlight Pictures?

Magazine Dreams, after all, was a critically acclaimed Sundance film, earning a Special Jury Prize for Creative Vision that year. It took a few years for writer-director Elijah Bynum to see the film come to fruition, following his 2017 feature debut, the 1990s-set thriller Hot Summer Nights, which starred a then-unknown Timothée Chalamet. Bynum worked hard on the film, and it would feel like a waste if it was shelved forever, especially for a movie that was shot and completed before Majors's public scandal.

Well, Briarcliff Entertainment, the indie film distributor who recently released the equally controversial Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice in theaters last year, is making the gamble with Magazine Dreams. They picked up the film's distribution rights back in December and are now planning for a theatrical release in March.

Along with the official trailer, Briarcliff also released the movie's official synopsis:

Killian Maddox is consumed by his dream of becoming a world-famous bodybuilder and one day gracing the cover of fitness magazines. He lives a lonely, regimented life, and his relentless drive for perfection only pushes him deeper towards self-destruction, but beneath his tenacious pursuit of superstardom lies a desperate, aching need for human connection. As he battles both the limits of his physical body and his own inner demons, MAGAZINE DREAMS explores the lengths one man will go in his haunting quest for recognition in a world that often overlooks him.

Also starring Taylour Paige, Haley Bennett, Mike O'Hearn, Harrison Page, and Harriet Sansom Harris, Magazine Dreams will finally be making its official debut, hitting theaters on March 21st.

Now people can decide for themselves if they want to support it or not. At least, they have that choice.