| | | | What's news: TV writer/producer Eric Weinberg has been charged with 18 counts of sexual assault. Jared Leto is set to play Karl Lagerfeld in a biopic. Emma Tammi will direct Blumhouse's Five Nights at Freddy's. The Spawn movie has found its writers. Fifteen minutes of footage of Avatar 2 was screened at the Busan Film Festival. — Abid Rahman |
'Rust': Halyna Hutchins' Family Settles Wrongful Death Suit ►"I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame." Nearly a year after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in a shooting on the set of Rust, her family has settled a wrongful death suit with the production. The cinematographer was killed Oct. 21, 2021, when a prop gun held by Alec Baldwin discharged. The plan from the settlement is to resume shooting in January with her husband, Matthew Hutchins, as an executive producer. The story.
—Charged. Television writer and producer Eric Weinberg has been charged with 18 counts of sexual assault by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. Weinberg, a producer on Scrubs, was arrested again on Tuesday and later released on $5m bail, up from his previous bail of $3.2m. The D.A.'s office revealed that it had asked that Weinberg remain in detention without bail but that a judge denied the request. Weinberg quickly posted bail and is now out of custody. His arraignment is set for Oct. 25. The story.
—Depressing. Women in Film has released the results of a survey conducted to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the #MeToo movement. The advocacy group's survey was meant to take a look at the perceived changes around the culture of abuse and misconduct in Hollywood in the last five years. The results show an improvement in the awareness of workplace harassment; however, the majority of respondents noted that either they or someone they know has experienced abuse, harassment and misconduct in the survey period. The story.
—"You’re dealing with two such incredible talents there." Christian Bale has addressed the tensions between director David O. Russell and co-star Amy Adams during the production of 2016's American Hustle. In a GQ interview, Bale revealed he acted as a “mediator” between Russell and Adams on set, stepping in when the filmmaker became abusive towards the actress. The story.
—"I feel like this is a full-circle moment." Jared Leto is set to star in a biopic of Karl Lagerfeld, the legendary glove-wearing fashion designer and former artistic director of Chanel, who passed away in Feb. 2019. The Oscar winner will also produce the feature with Emma Ludbrook through their production company Paradox. The story. |
50 Most Powerful TV Showrunners ►"With fewer places to pitch, fewer shows will be made, which means fewer voices being heard." THR's annual report on the 50 most powerful, prolific and influential showrunners in TV is a list that becomes a bigger challenge to whittle down each year. From the series they couldn’t stop watching, the peers they most admire and the industry trends that keep them awake at night, TV's top talents reveal these secrets and more in the annual survey. The list.
—"Cameron has confidence for a reason!" Select attendees at the Busan International Film Festival got a sneak peek at 2022’s most anticipated movie — James Cameron’s long-gestating mega-tentpole Avatar: The Way of Water. Lead producer Jon Landau introduced 15 minutes of exclusive footage from Avatar 2 and discussed some of the revolutionary technological processes employed in the film’s creation. The story.
—Helmer in place. Blumhouse’s big-screen adaptation of popular horror video game Five Nights at Freddy’s has landed its director. Emma Tammi, who made her feature debut with the 2018 horror Western The Wind, is set to direct the horror thriller, which is in pre-production for an early 2023 start of principal photography. Jim Henson’s Creature Shop is already working alongside Blumhouse to bring the game’s animatronic characters to life. The story.
—Scribes in place. THR's second nicest man Aaron Couch has the scoop on Blumhouse’s Spawn movie landing a trio of writers. Joker’s Scott Silver, Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Malcolm Spellman and rising scribe Matt Mixon are teaming on a new script for the feature, which has been in development at Blumhouse since 2017. Jamie Foxx remains attached to star as the antihero, who was first introduced in the comics in 1992, with creator Todd McFarlane among the film’s producers. The story.
—Sad news. The Edinburgh International Film Festival is to “cease trading immediately,” with its parent charity, the Centre for the Moving Image, going into administration. The CMI announced on Thursday that all three of its operations would close with immediate effect, citing rising costs and reduced trade. The story.
—🤝 Another acquistion 🤝 Production giant Banijay has struck a deal to acquire scripted and non-scripted producer/distributor Beyond International (MythBusters, Back in the Groove). Banijay has grown through acquisitions over the years, including its takeover of Zodiak Media in 2016 and Endemol Shine Group in 2020. The story. |
'Rings of Power' Star Channels Iranian Activism in Her Character ►"These brave women inspired me to play this role." THR's Sydney Odman spoke to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power star, Nazanin Boniadi, who reveals she channeled Iranian activism into her role of Bronwyn in the Amazon series. The Iranian-born, London-raised actress discusses diverse representation in onscreen fantasy and gives her views on the ongoing protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini. The interview.
——#HairForFreedom. France’s entertainment industry is continuing to rally behind Iranians protesting the brutal government crackdown that followed the death of Mahsa Amini. More than 1,000 working professionals from the world of French cinema have signed an open letter in support of the protests, and the likes of Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard and Isabelle Huppert cut their hair in an act of solidarity. The story.
—"I hope this documentary encourages people to warmly welcome Ukrainian refugees." THR's man in London Alex Ritman has the scoop on Janusz Kaminski boarding a new short documentary examining the Ukrainian refugee crisis. The Oscar-winning cinematographer and long-time Steven Spielberg collaborator will exec produce Janek Ambros' Ukrainians in Exile that was shot in March in the Polish border city of Przemysl. The story.
—"The courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots and collective restraints of personal memory." French author Annie Ernaux has won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Her autobiography Happening was adapted for the screen by director Audrey Diwan as the abortion drama under the same name that won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2021. Ernaux's other books include The Years and Getting Lost. The story.
—🎭 Casting news 🎭 THR's Etan Vlessing has the scoop on Mekhi Phifer joining Uzo Aduba, Aunjanue Ellis and Sanaa Lathan in Searchlight Pictures' The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat. Tina Mabry is directing the film about three best friends dubbed the “Supremes” from a script by Gina Prince-Bythewood, with revisions by Mabry. The story.
—🎭 More casting news 🎭 Chris Parnell, Cara Buono, Dennis Haysbert, Willow Shields and Illeana Douglas, have joined the cast of In Fidelity, currently filming in New York City. The project hails from Different Duck Films founder Rob Margolies, who will direct from his original screenplay. The story. |
The 40(ish) Most Powerful People in Podcasting ►Cream of the crop. The podcast industry is expected to generate a whopping $4b in revenue by 2024. THR’s inaugural Podcast Power List features the creators of the medium’s most influential shows and the executives behind the latest megadeals. The list.
—"I know they trust me, and I wouldn’t give them something I don’t think they are ready for." THR's J. Clara Chan spoke to podcaster Alex Cooper — who, through her phenomenally popular series Call Her Daddy, has sailed into the Podcast Power List. Cooper, who inked a $60m exclusive deal with Spotify, discusses how she's now more comfortable talking about politics, and with an episode focusing on abortion, thinks that her audience is ready to go on a deeper journey with her. The interview.
—"They don’t believe in the culture, man." Ice Cube says Warner Bros. rejected two of his scripts for a new Friday sequel. The rapper revealed the details of the pair of scripts he pitched and also discussed his ongoing attempts to bring Chris Tucker back to the popular comedy franchise. The story.
—"Music’s always a bit of a healer." THR's Seth Abramovitch spoke to Depeche Mode co-founder Martin Gore ahead of the release of the British band's 15th studio album, Memento Mori, and a world tour that kicks off March 3. Gore opens up about the passing of founding member Andy Fletcher, who died unexpectedly earlier this year, and the possibility of a sequel to 1988’s legendary Rose Bowl show. The interview.
—"I got a bacterial gut infection, a viral gut infection, an acute respiratory infection, I had conjunctivitis in both eyes, an ear infection and dengue fever from a mosquito bite." Charlie Hunnam has detailed the series of health woes he suffered while shooting the Apple TV+ series Shantaram. Seemingly plagued by bad luck, the Brit actor also revealed he sustained further serious injuries while filming Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon. The story. |
Film Review: 'Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical' ►"Bright enough to blind you to its darkness." THR critic Leslie Felperin reviews Matthew Warchus' Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical. Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough star with Alisha Weir in the title role in this Netflix film based on the stage musical, premiering at the London Film Festival. The review. — "Who can resist a crocodile tenor?" THR film critic Frank Scheck reviews Will Speck and Josh Gordon's Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. Shawn Mendes, Constance Wu and Javier Bardem lend their voices in this movie based on the children's book series about a boy who befriends a singing crocodile. The review. — "A wild story told with sensitivity, but too much padding." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Peacock's A Friend of the Family. Anna Paquin, Jake Lacy and Colin Hanks star in this nine-hour limited series about the harrowing story of Jan Broberg, already told in the Netflix documentary Abducted at Plain Sight. The review. — "Unsatisfyingly stuck between broadcast and cable drama." Dan reviews ABC's Alaska Daily. Hilary Swank teams with Spotlight writer-director Tom McCarthy for a drama that focuses on a disgraced reporter trying to repair her career with a major investigation. The review. In other news... —What to read right now: Timely books with Hollywood appeal —Ryan Seacrest to receive career achievement honor from Los Angeles Press Club —Hilary Swank reveals she's pregnant with twins —BBC Studios acquires full ownership of producer Firebird Pictures —Amazon picks up Korean fantasy series Island —SXSW: Janet Pierson stepping down as fest director, Claudette Godfrey to take over —Tammy Frick named CEO of Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television —Alan Ladd Jr.’s former L.A. home lists for $3m What else we're reading... —Kathryn VanArendonk asks why episode 7 of House of the Dragon had to look so bad [ Vulture] —Roger Sollenberger has a wild update on the Herschel Walker scandal: "She had an abortion with Herschel Walker. She also had a child with him." [ Daily Beast] —Lisa Du and Sebastian Tong write that Elon Musk’s everything app ‘X’ sounds a lot like China’s WeChat [ Bloomberg] —Fashion critic Vanessa Friedman writes there is no excuse for Ye’s ‘White Lives Matter’ shirt [ NYT] —Ben Lindbergh posits Disney+ series Andor does more for the Star Wars universe with less [ Ringer] Today... ...in 1959, Rock Hudson and Doris Day’s Pillow Talk premiered in New York theaters. The film went on to be nominated for five Oscars at the 32nd Academy Awards, winning for its screenplay. The original review. Today's birthdays: Ioan Gruffudd (🏴 49), Addison Rae (22), Elisabeth Shue (59), Emily Mortimer (51), Olivia Thirlby (36), Jeremy Sisto (48), Brett Gelman (46), Amy Jo Johnson (52), Britt Ekland (80), Bronagh Waugh (40), Matt Cornett (24), Jacqueline Obradors (56), Melia Kreiling (32), Luisa d'Oliveira (36), Ida Engvoll (37), Jenny Wade (42), Scarlett Hefner (32), Shauna MacDonald (52), Carolina Gynning (44), John Knoll (60) |
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