| | | | | | What's news: Ariana DeBose will host the Tony Awards. Disney and Ron DeSantis' allies end legal dispute over control of Florida theme park. Martin Scorsese will host, narrate and EP a docudrama for Fox News' streaming service. Amazon has confirmed a sequel to A Simple Favor. Austin Butler will star in Darren Aronofsky's Caught Stealing. — Abid Rahman
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Melissa Barrera on 'Scream' Firing and the Storm That Followed ►"It seems weird to have a platform and not use it." Just months after her dramatic exit from the iconic Scream franchise over pro-Palestine social media posts, Melissa Barrera is back with her new film, the Radio Silence-directed horror feature Abigail for Universal. The actress spoke to THR's Ryan Gajewski about the aftermath of her firing, the blowback she received for speaking out about the war in Gaza, and how she will continue to "raise my voice for those who don’t have one." The profile.
—Raising money. Tilda Swinton, Ken Loach, Mike Leigh, Asif Kapadia, Josh O'Connor, Joseph Quinn, Gurinder Chadha, Harris Dickinson, Joanna Hogg and Brian Cox are among the British entertainment industry figures contributing to an online auction to raise money for humanitarian relief for Palestinians in Gaza. Among the auction lots to bid on are an online bedtime story read by Swinton; tickets to Cox’s London stage performance of A Long Day’s Journey Into Night, including a meet and greet with the Succession star; and a walk-on part in Chadha's new film. The story.
—"I couldn’t pass up the chance to host the Tonys one more time." Ariana DeBose will return as the host of the 77th Annual Tony Awards in June. This marks the third time The West Side Story star has hosted the awards show, which will take place on June 16 at the David H. Koch Theater at the Lincoln Center. DeBose will also choreograph the opening number for the show and serve as a producer. The story.
—"We are thrilled to elevate Bridgette to this new and needed position at the Academy." The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has hired Bridgette Wilder to serve as its chief people and culture officer, a newly created position that combines the human resources teams of the Academy and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Wilder will report directly to Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy Museum director and president Jacqueline Stewart. The story.
—"We see Life as an uplifting and unifying voice in a chaotic media landscape." More than two decades after it was shuttered by Time Inc., Life magazine will be revived. Bedford Media, the holding company founded by model and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss and her husband, investor Josh Kushner, has acquired the publishing rights to Life from Dotdash Meredith. Bedford says that Life will be relaunched as a print magazine, with “vibrant” digital and video presence. The story. |
NBC's Leadership Vacuum Led to McDaniel Fail ►"It sort of stinks from the head." By hiring and then quickly firing the former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, NBC News managed to alienate nearly every constituency that matters. THR's editor-at-large Kim Masters writes that insiders blame a byzantine structure and a lack of news chops at the top for the debacle. The story.
—Bad news for Bob. The advisory firm Egan-Jones is recommending Disney shareholders vote to add Nelson Peltz and Jay Rasulo to the company's board of directors. The firm also backed Peltz's Trian Partners in recommending shareholders withhold their votes for current Disney board members Michael B.G. Froman and Maria Elena Lagomasino. That follows Institutional Shareholder Services coming out as the first advisory firm to back Peltz in his proxy fight ahead of Disney shareholders casting votes at the company’s annual meeting on April 3. The story.
—Good news for Bob. Disney and allies of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have settled a legal battle for control of the district that oversees development around the company’s theme parks. The deal, reached on Wednesday, resolves litigation in state court accusing the entertainment giant of covertly cobbling together a “series of eleventh-hour deals” to illicitly retain development powers after DeSantis assumed control. Under the settlement, Disney stipulates that the development agreements are “null and void.” The two sides will immediately start the process of negotiating a new deal. The story.
—Not great. S&P Global has officially downgraded Paramount Global debt to junk status at BB+, from BBB-, or one level below investment grade. The credit rating agency made the move on “weak credit metrics,” with a stable outlook. The downgrade comes a month after Paramount was put on a negative watch by S&P Global for a possible credit rating downgrade over weaker cash flow concerns as the major studio pivots from linear TV to the streaming space. The story.
—🤝 Deal agreement 🤝 Video game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software said on Thursday that it has struck a definitive agreement with Embracer Group to acquire The Gearbox Entertainment Co., the maker of the Borderlands franchise, for $460m in stock. The companies said that Gearbox currently has six key interactive entertainment projects in various stages of development, including five sequels, two of which are from the Borderlands and Homeworld franchises. The story. |
'Power' Spinoff 'Raising Kanan' Renewed for S5 ►Max Power. Starz has renewed Power Book III: Raising Kanan for a fifth season, with the pickup for the spinoff coming as the fourth cycle of the show is in production in New York. Creator Sascha Penn will return as showrunner and exec producer. The renewal means Raising Kanan will officially outlive Power Book II: Ghost, as the latter series will conclude with its upcoming fourth season. Starz, meanwhile, is developing a Power prequel series, Origins, which would follow Ghost and Tommy. Power Book IV: Force is currently filming its third season in Chicago. The story.
—Act of faith. Martin Scorsese is bringing his talents to Fox Nation, the streaming service of Fox News Channel. The legendary director will host, narrate and executive produce for an eight-episode docudrama called Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints. The series will debut on Nov. 16 and run through May 2025. Each episode will focus on a singular saint, including Joan of Arc, Francis of Assisi, John the Baptist, Thomas Becket, Mary Magdalene, Moses the Black, Sebastian and Maximilian Kolbe. The story.
—"Well, just got a text." Sarah Hyland revealed that she will not be returning to host season six of Love Island USA on Peacock. The actress, who has hosted the dating competition series for two seasons, revealed the news on her Instagram Story Wednesday. The Modern Family alum initially joined Love Island USA for season four in 2022 when the series moved from CBS to Peacock. Arielle Vandenberg previously hosted the dating reality show for three seasons after the U.S. iteration premiered in 2019. The story.
—🤝 First-look deal 🤝 Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver's Point Grey Pictures and Lionsgate Television are expanding their working relationship. The company has signed a first-look TV deal with Lionsgate, under which Point Grey will develop and produce scripted series. Lionsgate TV and Point Grey recently began production on The Studio, an Apple TV+ comedy. They also teamed for Peacock’s 2023 series Paul T. Goldman. Point Grey and Lionsgate signed a multi-platform content deal in 2019. The story.
—🤝 Overall deal 🤝 Darren Star, the creator of hits including Netflix’s Emily in Paris and TV Land’s Younger, has departed his longtime home at Paramount Global’s MTV Entertainment Studios for a rich overall deal with Universal Television. Star has a carveout in his new eight-figure deal and will remain showrunner on Emily in Paris should Netflix continue the show beyond its upcoming fourth season. Beyond that, Star will create and develop new series for NBCUniversal’s broadcast network and streamers as well as for outside platforms. The story. |
Gosling Launches Production Co., Inks Amazon First-Look Deal ►🤝 Banner year 🤝 Ryan Gosling is continuing a stellar 2024 with the launch of a new production banner. Gosling will run General Admission with longtime film executive Jesse Henderson, with the duo signing a three-year first-look film deal with Amazon MGM Studios. Under the pact, Amazon will have first looks at General Admission narrative features, some of which Gosling will star in, that are intended for both theatrical and streaming. The story.
—All change. Christopher Slager has been promoted to head film operations at Fifth Season, with longtime features head Alexis Garcia exiting the company to launch a yet-to-be revealed venture. Slager will focus on in-house production and development. The company’s recent film credits include 80 for Brady, the Apple Sundance acquisition Flora and Son and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter. Garcia, whose new outfit is receiving backing from Fifth Season, will remain with the company as a consultant through the transition. The story.
—🎭 Next up 🎭 Coming off his creepy villain turn in Dune: Part Two, Austin Butler will star in the crime thriller Caught Stealing, which hails from filmmaker Darren Aronofsky. Sony has acquired the package, which is based on the book by Charlie Huston, and per the logline, it "follows Hank Thompson, a burned-out former baseball player, as he’s unwittingly plunged into a wild fight for survival in the downtown criminal underworld of '90s NYC." Huston penned the script, Aronofsky is producing via his Protozoa Pictures. The story.
—🎭 Together again 🎭 Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are reuniting for A Simple Favor 2 from director Paul Feig. Amazon MGM Studios announced Wednesday that the sequel movie, which is a co-production with Lionsgate, is looking to begin shooting this spring and will stream on Prime Video. Feig is back to helm the follow-up to his 2018 dark comedy, with Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Joshua Satine, Ian Ho and Kelly McCormack all reprising their roles from the first feature. The story.
—"One of the most brilliant sci-fi films I’ve ever seen." Steven Spielberg has effusively praised Dune: Part Two and director Denis Villeneuve. Spielberg and Villeneuve appeared together on the DGA’s Director’s Cut podcast, where the filmmaker behind sci-fi classics Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. exalted the Dune and Arrival director. Spielberg was particularly moved by the sand worms in Dune 2, saying that the "scene [of Paul] surfing the sand worm is one of the greatest things I have ever seen, ever." The story. |
Stevens Talks 'Godzilla x Kong,' Odds of 'The Guest 2' ►"A character like Trapper to get thrown into the mix, he provides a bit of unfazed levity and a little humor in the midst of chaos and peril." THR's Brian Davids spoke to the impossibly charming Dan Stevens about his new film, Godzilla x Kong. The Brit actor discusses his “bromance” with co-star Brian Tyree Henry and also his upcoming work in Radio Silence's Abigail, the genre-bending Cuckoo and the chances of a sequel to The Guest. The interview.
—"I wanted to see what a day in the life of Kong was like in Hollow Earth." Brian also spoke to Godzilla x Kong director Adam Wingard. The filmmaker discusses his desire to complete a MonsterVerse trilogy, and offered an update on his "fucking awesome" Face/Off 2 script. The interview.
—"I could do that as long as I play it dead seriously." THR's nicest man Chris Gardner spoke to Liam Neeson about his new film In the Land of Saints and Sinners, a period action feature which sees him return to Ireland. Neeson discusses working with Ciarán Hinds ("the brother that I never had"), Colm Meaney ("my oldest friend") and Kerry Condon ("she's terrific") on the film and also offers an update on the upcoming Naked Gun sequel. The interview. |
TV Review: 'A Gentleman in Moscow' ►"Not deep, but full of modest pleasures and solid performances." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Showtime's A Gentleman in Moscow. Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead star in Ben Vanstone's miniseries adaptation of Amor Towles' novel that follows a displaced Russian aristocrat trapped in a luxury hotel for three decades. The review.
—"''Now' is far better than 'Then.'" Dan reviews Apple TV+'s STEVE! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces. Stand-up legend and beloved film and TV star Steve Martin sets aside his enigmatic image for a two-part documentary from Morgan Neville. The review. In other news...
—Jerry Seinfeld, Melissa McCarthy race to invent the pop-tart in Netflix’s Unfrosted trailer
—The Jinx — Part Two trailer revisits bombshell Robert Durst hot mic confession
—Kinds of Kindness trailer sees Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe reunite in Yorgos Lanthimos film
—Netflix reveals raunchy trailer for Good Times reboot
—Ramy Youssef struggles to find his DEI superlative in SNL promo
—Animation studio Titmouse signs with WME
—Ukraine doc The Rearview wins Vilnius Film Festival best film award
—San Francisco Film Festival to feature tributes to Chiwetel Ejiofor, Joan Chen
—Dan Stevens to receive CinemaCon’s Excellence in Acting Award
—Lea Michele expecting baby No. 2 with husband Zandy Reich
—Gamer star Ninja reveals skin cancer diagnosis
What else we're reading...
—Sha Hua reports that a lot of Chinese viewers wish Netflix had stripped China out of 3 Body Problem [WSJ]
—Laura Bradley writes that Joey Graziadei gave us the best The Bachelor season of all time [Daily Beast]
—With the huge growth in women's pro sports, Emilie Ikeda reports on the bars showing only women's sports on their TVs [NBC News]
—John Herrman does the Lord's work and looks into who is behind all the 'Pussy in Bio' spam on X/Twitter [Intelligencer]
—In an op-ed, Una Mullally outlines why Ireland, a country incredibly dear to Joe Biden, has fallen out of love with the president [NYT]
Today...
...in 1940, United Artists unveiled David O. Selznick and Alfred Hitchcock’s drama Rebecca at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Lady Gaga (38), Vince Vaughn (54), Richard Kelly (49), Julia Stiles (43), Dianne Wiest (76), Reba McEntire (69), Nick Frost (52), Laura Harrier (34), Radu Jude (47), Mike Newell (82), Ian Ousley (22), Orla Brady (63), Flula Borg (42), Alexandra Billings (62), Albert S. Ruddy (94), Dan Petronijevic (43), Daisy Bevan (32), Max Perlich (56), Meaghan Oppenheimer (38), Megan Suri (25), Tracey Needham (57), Chris Barrie (64), Stephen Ure (66), Belén López (54), Theo Germaine (32), Paul Eiding (67), Luke Roessler (17), Sam Lake (54), Jimmy Wong (37), Natalie Lander (41) |
| Fritz Wepper, the German actor who portrayed the German Jew Fritz Wendel in Bob Fosse’s Oscar-winning musical masterpiece Cabaret and starred in his home country on the TV series Derrick and For Heaven’s Sake, has died. He was 82. The obituary. |
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