| | | | What's news: Long-running syndicated talk series Dr. Phil is coming to an end. Peacock ends its free tier for new users. NBC renews La Brea. A King of the Hill reboot is a go at Hulu. CBS orders a Matlock pilot starring Kathy Bates. Sony confirms Bad Boys 4 is happening. — Abid Rahman |
Gunn and Safran's DC Slate Unveiled ►"The stakes are massive for us and for Warner Bros. Discovery." DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran finally shared their first content slate, and it includes a new Batman movie without Robert Pattinson, a Superman movie, a Game of Thrones-style drama set on Wonder Woman’s home island of Themyscira and an animated Creature Commandos series already in production. All in all, the DC duo revealed 10 projects on Tuesday, and explained some of their thinking. The slate.
—"They were giving away IP like they were party favors at any creator who smiled at them." At the slate reveal, a very candid Gunn also blasted previous DC leadership for its missteps with IP and also in how it treated talent. Among several choice comments peppered with profanities, Gunn said previous DC regimes were “fucked up” and, at another point in the presentation, insisted that former Superman star Henry Cavill was “dicked around” by the studio. The story.
—Not happening. After years of development and redevelopment, an HBO Max series based on DC's Green Lantern from Greg Berlanti has been scrapped. In its place, a new series is being developed, titled Lanterns, which is acting as a foundational show under the plans from Gunn and Safran. The story.
—Experienced veteran. Former Warner Bros. film executive Courtenay Valenti is nearing a deal to land at Amazon Studios. Valenti is expected to take a top role at MGM’s film studio, a job that’s been vacant for months. On Sept. 2, WB announced Valenti would be leaving her role as president of production and development at the end of October. She spent 33 years with the studio, rising to her most recent role under former studio head Toby Emmerich. The story.
—A sign of things to come. WBD has signed content deals with Roku and Tubi for a selection of its free, ad-supported channels. Tubi will add more than 225 titles from WBD and 14 WB-branded FAST channels, including the launch of three brand-specific channels, WB TV Reality, WB TV Series and WB TV Family. Roku has made a similar deal and plans to create WBD-branded channels. Among the content selection is all seasons of Westworld, Raised by Wolves, Legendary and FBoy Island. The story. |
Alec Baldwin Charged Over Fatal 'Rust' Shooting ►"Baldwin acted with willful disregard of the safety of others." Alec Baldwin has officially been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Charges were formally filed against Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who both face two counts of involuntary manslaughter, on Tuesday after Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced criminal charges against both on Jan. 19. Notably, prosecutors charged Baldwin as both an actor and producer for Rust. The story.
—"There is so much more I wish to do." Dr. Phil, the syndicated talk series hosted by Dr. Phil McGraw, is coming to a close following a successful run in the daytime space. After launching in September 2002, the program that was co-created by the 72-year-old host and Oprah Winfrey will air new episodes until the current season ends this spring, with McGraw eyeing other ventures. The story.
—It's happening. Following years of rumors and speculation, King of the Hill is officially getting the reboot treatment at Hulu. The streamer has handed out a straight-to-series order for a revival of the former Fox animated series from 20th Television Animation. Creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels are set to return and exec produce alongside showrunner Saladin Patterson. Also returning are original voice castmembers Kathy Najimy, Stephen Root, Pamela Adlon, Johnny Hardwick and Lauren Tom. The story.
—Sticking around. NBC has picked up a third season of La Brea from creator and showrunner David Appelbaum. The early renewal for the sci-fi series on Tuesday came a few hours before it began the back half of its 14-episode second season. La Brea is averaging about 5.37m viewers per episode in season two, along with a 0.6 rating (equivalent to about 783,000 people) in the key ad demographic of adults 18-49. The story.
—Busy, busy. CBS has handed out a pilot order for a new take on the iconic drama Matlock, with Kathy Bates taking on the role of Madeline Matlock. The network has also ordered a pilot for Elsbeth, the third series in The Good Wife/The Good Fight franchise, which will see Carrie Preston reprise her role. Additionally, CBS is opening writers rooms for The Pact and Sherlock Holmes offshoot Watson with an eye on both scripts going to series for the 2024-25 broadcast season. The story. |
In Court, Musk Is a Case Study in How Not to Use Twitter ►"We have a long history of people manipulating prices by saying things that aren’t appropriate." During a trial over a fraud claim tied to Tesla’s stock price and a series of his tweets, the mogul tried to deflect blame by saying the platform’s 280-character limit created confusion — but experts tell THR's Ashley Cullins that argument likely won’t fly. The story.
—The party is over. Peacock has ended its free tier for new users. According to an updated signup page for the streamer, new users no longer have the option to create a free account to access more than 10,000 hours of content on Peacock. Instead, as of this week users must choose between Peacock’s $4.99 a month ad-supported plan or its $9.99 a month ad-free plan. The story.
—Going big. Peter Chernin’s North Road Company has taken in a $150m investment from Qatar Investment Authority in order to expand. The studio launched in July 2022 by combining Chernin Entertainment, which has been behind titles such as Ford v. Ferrari and New Girl and documentary production studio Words + Pictures. The investment adds to the film and TV studio’s existing funding, which includes up to $500m from Providence Equity Partners and $300m in debt financing from Apollo Global Management. The story.
—It’s official. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are reuniting for a fourth film in the Bad Boys franchise. Sony Pictures confirmed the untitled Bad Boys sequel is in early preproduction at the studio, with Bad Boys 3 filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah returning to direct from a script by Chris Bremner. The story.
—Flower power. Lovecraft Country creator Misha Green is set to make her feature directorial debut with Sunflower, a thriller for Lionsgate set to star Jurnee Smollett. Green will write and helm the film about two women struggling to escape from a deranged college professor who holds them hostage on a remote sunflower farm. The story. |
THR Titan: M. Night Shyamalan ►"There’s always a balancing act for me between art and entertainment." THR's Brian Davids spoke to genre-defining filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan about the repeated highs and lows he's experienced in Hollywood. Shyamalan also opens up on how he freed himself from Harvey Weinstein with The Sixth Sense and his sadness over the sudden retirement of Bruce Willis, who protected his early career. The interview.
—"I’m in it, and I loved my episodes, but it’s very different now." The Crown star Helena Bonham Carter revealed that she feels differently about the Netflix show now that it’s covering more recent events. In a new interview, Bonham Carter, who played Princess Margaret in the series, said that she doesn’t think creator Peter Morgan’s highly acclaimed royal drama should continue as it has, in her view, moved away from being a period drama. The story.
—"I just don’t know." Ashton Kutcher has spoken publicly for the first time about his former That ’70s Show co-star Danny Masterson, who was on trial last fall following multiple rape allegations from the early 2000s. In a new interview, the actor briefly discusses his response to the allegations against Masterson, saying that he wanted his former Ranch co-star "to be found innocent of the charges brought against him." The story. |
TV Review: 'The Ark' ►"A bumpy start eventually smooths out to a fun ride." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews Syfy's The Ark. Dean Devlin (Leverage) and Jonathan Glassner (Stargate SG-1) executive produce a sci-fi drama about a colony spaceship pushed to the edge of survival after a catastrophic event. The review.
—"Ten episodes of nonstop grief, even well-crafted grief, is a lot of grief." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Apple TV+'s Dear Edward. Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood) adapts Ann Napolitano's novel about grief, interconnectivity and other mysteries of human suffering, starring Connie Britton and Taylor Schilling. The review.
—"A vivid narrative and a dynamic study in color." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews C.J. "Fiery" Obasi's Mami Wata. The Nigerian filmmaker's third feature, which won the Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Prize in Cinematography, weaves the lore of a water deity into a propulsive narrative of village change. The review.
—"On the money about love and grief." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Aleem Khan's After Love. Joanna Scanlan, who won BAFTA's best actress prize for her performance, plays a grieving widow in this sensitive British-French drama that is taking its North American bow in limited release. The review.
—"As abrasive as it is amusing." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Sebastián Silva's Rotting in the Sun. Playing a version of himself, the Chilean director teams with social media influencer Jordan Firstman on this existential farce about sex, suicide and the creative void. The review.
In other news...
—Amazon Prime Video’s new releases coming in February 2023
—TV ratings: NFL championship games average 50m viewers
—Hasan Minhaj to host 2023 Independent Spirit Awards
—Tiffany & Co. and Nike reveal their anticipated sneaker collaboration
—Gregory Peck’s To Kill a Mockingbird script to be sold at auction
What else we're reading...
—Jason Schreier reports that Microsoft is rebooting video game studio 343 Industries, the unit behind the Halo franchise, after years of turmoil [Bloomberg]
—If you're out of the loop, Charissa Cheong neatly covers all the furor over YouTuber MrBeast curing people's blindness for content [Insider]
—Lauren Thomas reports that Disney and Salesforce are among a group of companies being swarmed by activist investors [WSJ]
—J. Bryan Lowder writes that the gorgeous gay love story in The Last of Us could not be more timely [Slate]
—Critic James Poniewozik reflects on Gen X fave Schoolhouse Rock! on the occasion of its 50th anniversary [NYT]
Today...
Today's birthdays: Harry Styles (29), Julia Garner (29), Sherilyn Fenn (58), Christopher Abbott (37), Rachelle Lefevre (44), Michael C. Hall (52), Linus Roache (59), Pauly Shore (55), Abbi Jacobson (39), Heather Morris (36), Tasya Teles (38), Ronda Rousey (36), Kelli Goss (31), Brian Krause (54), Rebecca Creskoff (52), Ana Alexander (44), Lauren Conrad (37), Candace Smith (46), Leigh Janiak (43), William Lustig (68), Lauren Mary Kim (42), Sharone Meir (58), Big Boi (48) |
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