This year was set to be particularly thrilling for Maude Apatow, a notable figure in the realm of “nepo babies.”
At 28, the actress is a key player in the eagerly awaited third season of *Euphoria*. In addition, she was on track to make her directorial entrance with the film *Poetic License* slated for release in May.
Maude, the daughter of actress Leslie Mann and acclaimed filmmaker Judd Apatow, took the helm of her debut film, casting her mother in the lead role.
Leslie Mann, now 54, steps into the shoes of Liz, a former therapist on the brink of having an empty nest, who unexpectedly becomes the centerpiece of drama between two inseparable friends vying for her attention.
The film’s ensemble is a veritable showcase of Hollywood’s next generation, with at least half of the cast linked to famous relatives.
But things haven’t gone exactly according to plan as this week it was reported that the indie film distributor Row K who picked up the movie are money-strapped.
The film that nepotism couldn’t save: Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow’s daughter Maude Apatow is in crisis as her directorial debut full of celeb offspring runs into money trouble
No less than half the cast of Poetic License boast celebrity relatives (L-R, Andrew Barth Feldman, Dustin Hoffman’s son Cooper and Maude’s mother Leslie in the movie)
Deadline has reported that off the back of this Maude is now looking for a new distributor for the project as Row K is no longer able to ‘fulfill its legal obligations on the film’s acquisition’.
The publication has previously claimed the movie was picked up for around $7million but now that money is nowhere to be seen.
It was meant to be released in May, hot on the heels of Euphoria’s April release, but it has since been pushed back to October.
The trouble comes in the wake of another of its projects – Dead Man’s Wire starring Bill Skarsgård and Al Pacino – having a disappointing $2.2million take at the domestic box office.
Row K are thought to have spent $5million on North American rights and another $5million on marketing ahead of the Oscars.
Row K principals Christopher Woodrow and Raj Singh said on Friday: ‘Row K’s release of Dead Man’s Wire has provided an important opportunity to evaluate and refine our strategy as a new entrant building in a highly competitive marketplace.
‘Like many early-stage companies, we moved quickly to establish a slate and are now taking a more measured, disciplined approach – prioritizing commercially viable titles, strengthening our internal infrastructure, and aligning our team accordingly.’
Row K only launched eight months ago but Variety reports that there have been problems with unpaid bills and financial concerns.
Multiple sources told them that ‘cash flow has been an increasingly urgent issue’ and claimed that vendors and consultants ‘haven’t been paid for months’ which has caused much of their work to be halted.
Maude – who began acting at the age of seven with a role in her father’s comedy film The 40-Year-Old Virgin – is set to make her directorial debut with the film (pictured with sister Iris, mother Leslie and Paul Rudd)
Maude has embraced nepotism with her upcoming project, casting several stars who have had a leg up in the industry owing to their famous backgrounds.
Maude – who began acting at the age of seven with a role in her father’s comedy film The 40-Year-Old Virgin – is set to make her directorial debut with the film.
She unwittingly found herself at the centre of the nepo baby discourse in 2022 when a X/Twitter user expressed her shock at learning the Euphoria star had two famous parents.
The viral tweet prompted a raft of fans to share other examples of nepo babies in the industry, with New York magazine going as far as to call 2022 ‘The Year of the Nepo Baby’.
Maude was among a slew of celebrities who have famous parents to feature on the magazine’s front cover, which quipped: ‘She Has Her Mother’s Eyes. And Agent.’
The actress has previously confessed she was ‘sad’ to see the backlash, telling Net-a-Porter: ‘At first it was sad. I try not to let it get to me because I obviously understand that I’m in such a lucky position.
‘A lot of people [in a similar position] have proven themselves over the years, so I’ve got to keep going and make good work.’
Notably, Maude landed her first film roles as a direct result of her father – featuring in his movies Knocked Up (2007), Funny People (2009), and This Is 40 (2012) during her childhood.
The films also starred her mother Leslie and sister Iris.
Maude went on to star in Euphoria, while Iris appeared on the Netflix series Love.
Last year, Maude teamed up with director Olivia Rosenbloom to launch Jewel Productions, a film and television production company.
The pair’s first film in the works is the aforementioned Poetic License, but they already have plans to create another two movies.
Poetic License will star Cooper Hoffman – the son of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nico Parker (right) – the daughter of Thandiwe Newton and Ol Parker, Jon Bon Jovi’s son Jake (left) and Maisy Stella – the daughter of MaryLynne and Brad Stella
Discussing the venture, the pair shared: ‘We have both always been drawn to flawed and complicated characters and using comedy as a tool to tell their stories.
‘We are so excited to launch Jewelbox and hope it can be a home for artists with distinct voices and perspectives to develop compelling original ideas.’
Poetic License will star Cooper Hoffman – the son of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nico Parker – the daughter of Thandiwe Newton and Ol Parker, Jon Bon Jovi’s son Jake and Maisy Stella – the daughter of MaryLynne and Brad Stella.
Poetic License running into money troubles at Row K comes as Hollywood turns its back on indie movies.
The rise of streaming has massively impacted how people consume their film content – with many films now going straight to platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
2025 saw a sea of films like After the Hunt, The Smashing Machine, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere and Christy flop at the box office.
In addition A24’s Marty Supreme failed to scoop any Oscars at this year’s ceremony.
It remains to be seen who will pick up Maude’s directorial debut project – but for now the nepo babies will have to wait a little bit longer before they see themselves on the big screen again.
