Jonathan Majors' new movieMagazine Dreamsis finally out, and some viewers are asking if the actor’s character is based on a real bodybuilder.Magazine Dreamswas a huge critical hit when it first premiered in 2023, although it was pushed back after Walt Disney Studios decided not to release it due to the controversies surrounding Jonathan Majors. However,another distributor has picked upMagazine Dreams, with the new Jonathan Majors film now available to watch.
Magazine Dreamstells the story of Killian Maddox, a bodybuilderplayed by Jonathan Majors. Maddox dreams of being a world-famous bodybuilder like many of his idols, although he is stuck working a menial grocery store job. Maddox deals with anger issues and taking care of his elderly grandfather as he attempts to move up the world of bodybuilding, although things never go as he planned.Magazine Dreamsis a great story, but some are wondering if it is a true one.
Magazine Dreams' Killian Maddox Is Loosely Inspired By A Real Bodybuilder
The Director Saw Him At A Gym
Thestory ofMagazine Dreamsis entirely fictional. However, the character of Killian Maddox is loosely inspired by a real bodybuilder.Magazine Dreamsdirector Elijah Bynum discussed the inspirations for the film in an interview withIndieWire, with him stating that he decided to write the film after an experience at his gym. Bynum stated that he saw an incredibly dedicated bodybuilder working out, with him being interested in how the gym responded to him. Here are the writer and director’s full comments:
“He seemed to be in quite a bit of pain, like physical pain, spiritual pain, emotional pain, but there was something that kept him going there every day. He was clearly very ambitious about what he was doing and clearly was very driven about what he was doing. What was most interesting was how the rest of us in the gym were responding to him, because he was an intimidating figure. No one wanted to be caught looking at him, so we all just sort of looked the other way and pretended he wasn’t there. I thought there was something very interesting about a character or individual human who moves through the world that’s both feared and ignored at the same time.”
So, while the story ofMagazine Dreamsdidn’t actually happen,it was rooted in Bynum’s experience with a real-world bodybuilder. The story of the Jonathan Majors film is Bynum’s speculation about what could have been going on in this bodybuilder’s life, leading to the wild and tense story ofMagazine Dreams.
There Is No Real Bodybuilder Named Killian Maddox
Jonathan Majors Plays A Fictional Character
Jonathan Majors' character inMagazine Dreamsis not a real person, as there is no real bodybuilder named Killian Maddox.Magazine Dreamsdoes not claim to be telling a true story, with Maddox being a fictional character that Bynum made up for the film.
3 Villains the MCU Should Use to Replace Jonathan Majors’ Kang
Jonathan Majors' Marvel firing has caused a stir, but some villains could easily replace Kang as the big MCU’s next big bad.
Maddox, along with the rest of the characters and events seen inMagazine Dreams, are not real. The specificity ofMagazine Dreamsand general audiences' unfamiliarity with the world of bodybuilding may lead some viewers to falsely believe that the story is true. However, outside of Bynum’s initial inspiration,Magazine Dreamsis a fictional story.
