| | | | What's news: Quentin Tarantino will present a "secret screening" at Cannes. Louis Leterrier will direct Fast & Furious 11. Apple has canceled Dear Edward after one season. Courtney B. Vance has joined the cast of Disney's Lilo & Stitch. Roundabout Theatre Company chief Todd Haimes has died. Frank Ocean will not play Coachella's second weekend. — Abid Rahman |
'Twilight' TV Series in the Works ►Nostalgia is a powerful drug. THR's Lesley Goldberg has the scoop on Lionsgate Television developing an adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling book series The Twilight Saga. Sinead Daly (Tell Me Lies, Raised by Wolves) is attached to write the script. The Twilight series is in its infancy and does not yet have a network/platform as sources say the studio, which controls the rights to the franchise, plans to lead the development on the project before shopping the rights to the package. The story.
—"I wish Netflix would sell me that business instead of shutting it down." THR's Alex Weprin reports that Redbox owner Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is keen on buying Netflix's soon-to-be shuttered DVD business. Chicken Soup for the Soul CEO Bill Rouhana revealed in an interview that he has reached out to Netflix over the years expressing a desire to acquire the DVD business, to no avail. A Netflix source says the company is winding down the DVD business, and not selling it. The story.
—What's this then? Quentin Tarantino may not have his new film ready in time, but the legendary director will still be among the star attractions at the Cannes Film Festival this year. The Directors’ Fortnight sidebar competition has revealed that Tarantino will be its guest of honor at the 2023 edition of the festival, presenting a “secret screening” May 25 and will discuss his "counter-history of cinema" — theories about 1970s Hollywood that were recently published in his part-memoir, part film theory book Cinema Speculation. The story.
—One last ride. Universal has chosen Fast X filmmaker Louis Leterrier to direct the next installment in the long-running franchise. The eleventh Fast film is set to be the final movie in the main franchise. The French filmmaker, known to be adept at handling big budget, effects-heavy projects, had stepped in to helm Fast X after Justin Lin left mid-production. Universal had previously worked with Leterrier on The Incredible Hulk. The story. |
Actors on How Much They've Suffered for the Craft ►Broken ribs, exploded discs and gunshot wounds. Over the course of several months, THR's nicest man Chris Gardner has been polling actors at red carpet events, asking the same question: What’s the most you’ve ever suffered — physically, emotionally or spiritually — to get in character? Chris discovered that Colin Farrell put up with heart palpitations, David Arquette got shot in the leg, Joshua Jackson's disc exploded, Charlie Hunnam battled dengue fever and Betty Gilpin got a concussion, to name but a few. The story.
—Up next. Fox Corp. may have settled the defamation suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems, but it still faces sprawling litigation related to its claims of election fraud. Even after paying $787.5m to end the case, Fox has to deal with a second defamation suit brought by another election technology company, Smartmatic, which is seeking $2.7b. Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Pirro, Rudy Guiliani and Sidney Powell are all named as defendants in the suit filed in February 2021 in New York State Supreme Court. The story.
—Tell us what you really think. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel says a U.S. ban on TikTok would be beneficial in the “short term” but shared his concerns about the longer-term implications of “singling out a single technology company.” TikTok has faced massive scrutiny from Congress based on data and privacy concerns due to its ownership by the Beijing-based company ByteDance. The story.
—🤝 First-look deal 🤝 Paramount Pictures has renewed its first-look deal with Todd Garner’s Broken Road Productions. The deal, first signed in 2018, has seen veteran film producer make Playing with Fire for Paramount Players, which starred John Cena. Currently, he is developing the Rebel Wilson-starring pic Double Fault for the studio. The story. |
How 'The Mandalorian' S3 Brought Cohesion to 'Star Wars' Timeline ►"Season three incorporated elements of all three Star Wars film trilogies." THR's Sydney Odman reflects on The Mandalorian's action-packed season three finale, writing that it ties together stories from every era, all leading to the Disney-era sequel trilogy. Warning: Spoilers! The story.
—"Some very famous people told us to f*** right off." George Clooney has confirmed reports that both Mark Wahlberg and Johnny Depp turned down the chance to play Linus in the first installment of Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean's franchise, a role that eventually went to Matt Damon. Speaking during an Ocean’s Eleven panel at the 2023 TCM Film Festival, Clooney also revealed that getting Julia Roberts to sign on at the time was a major get for the project. The story.
—"I tried to get out of playing the role." With a wide array of roles on his acting résumé, Stanley Tucci admits there is one in particular he would never want to revisit. In a new interview, Tucci revealed that he did not enjoy playing George Harvey in Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones, describing the experience as "horrible" due to the role itself. "It’s a wonderful movie, but it was a tough experience. Simply because of the role," Tucci said. The story.
—"I gave Harrison Ford a career, which he has never thanked me for!" Al Pacino sat down for a wide-ranging conversation Wednesday night in New York, touching on everything from his early days on The Godfather and his decision to turn down Star Wars to his views on retirement. Speaking with David Rubenstein as part of 92NY’s “People Who Inspire Us” series, Pacino said he enjoys the first Godfather film more than Part II and revealed that "about half" of the Paramount+ series The Offer is true. The story.
—"I’ll say I can't sign because I’m not doing it. That doesn’t mean I’ve read a bad script." Jessica Chastain addressed a recent viral video showing her declining to sign a copy of a book that does not currently have her attached for a planned adaptation. In a series of tweets, Chastain explained her eminently sensible policy on autographs and also reiterated that she's not involved in any project to adapt Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2017 novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. The story. |
'Snowfall' Boss Talks "Dramatic Irony" of Series Finale ►"What is an end that’s befitting for a tragedy where a guy has destroyed his own neighborhood?" THR's Hilary Lewis spoke to Snowfall showrunner Dave Andron, who breaks down the series finale of the FX drama about the origins of the crack cocaine epidemic. Andron, who wrote the final and penultimate episodes, explains why the series ending focused mostly on Franklin. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—A rarity. Apple TV+ has canceled its Jason Katims-produced drama Dear Edward, making the series one of the streamer’s few scripted shows to get the ax after a single season. Based on the book by Ann Napolitano, the series reunited Friday Night Lights creator Katims with leading lady Connie Britton and revolved around Edward (Colin O’Brien), a young boy who was the lone survivor of a plane crash. The story.
—🎭 Another addition 🎭 Courtney B. Vance is the latest actor to join Disney’s live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch. The Lovecraft Country star will play Cobra Bubbles. Vance joins previously announced castmembers Maia Kealoha as Lilo, Sydney Agudong as Nani and Kahiau Machado as David Kawena. Zach Galifianakis joined the cast in February. The story.
—Same, same, but different. The latest film in the Warner Bros. and Legendary's Monsterverse has a title. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is the follow-up to 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong and is set to hit theaters March 15, 2024. Adam Wingard directed the upcoming installment, with Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry and Kaylee Hottle returning to the franchise. Dan Stevens, Fala Chen and Rachel House are among the cast newcomers. The story. |
Todd Haimes 1956 - 2023 ►Broadway titan. Todd Haimes, the widely respected artistic director and CEO of Roundabout Theatre Company, has died. He was 66. During his 39-year tenure as the leader of Roundabout, Haimes led the organization from near bankruptcy to becoming a major player in New York’s cultural scene and one of America’s largest and most influential not-for-profit theatre companies. The obituary.
—Not happening. Frank Ocean will not perform during the second weekend of Coachella after injuring his leg. A rep for the singer said he is not able to perform due to two fractures and a sprain in his left leg. Ocean’s performance at the festival days ago was delayed by an hour and cut short, leaving fans angry and confused. The story.
—"It came out of nowhere." Foo Fighters announced a release date for their new album, But Here We Are, the group’s first new music since the death of Taylor Hawkins in March 2022. The band also shared a lyric video for the first single, “Rescued,” from the album out June 2. After honoring Hawkins with two tribute concerts in London and Los Angeles in September, Foo Fighters have been slowly easing back into the spotlight and are set to resume touring on May 24 in New Hampshire. The story.
—🏆 Worthy recipients 🏆 The Peabody Awards announced on Thursday that Issa Rae and Lily Tomlin will receive honorary awards at the June 11 ceremony, which will be held in Los Angeles for the first time in Peabody’s 83-year history. Shrinking star Jessica Williams will host the event at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, the first in-person ceremony since 2019. The story. |
TV Review: 'Dead Ringers' ►"A worthwhile remake with a distinctive perspective and a towering central performance." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Amazon Prime Video's Dead Ringers. Rachel Weisz stars as identical twin doctors who explore childbirth and fertility innovations in Alice Birch's six-part adaptation of David Cronenberg's 1988 film. The review.
—"A defiant queer riff on Hamlet makes a dazzling Broadway debut." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews James Ijames' Fat Ham. The Pultizer Prize-winning play, starring Marcel Spears and Nikki Crawford, recasts Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet as a story of intergenerational trauma among a Black Southern family. The review.
In other news...
—Showtime’s Ghosts of Beirut trailer recounts CIA manhunt for deadly terrorist
—Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S2 trailer shows Captain Kirk's return
—Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Netflix action-comedy series FUBAR reveals official trailer
—Patricia Arquette goes from drug dealer to P.I. in Apple’s High Desert trailer
—Roy Wood Jr. returns as host of the Webby Awards
—Matte Projects names Angus MacEwan as company’s first CMO
—Diana Lee Inosanto signs with Gersh
—Moonbin, member of K-pop band Astro, dies at 25
What else we're reading...
—Nick Kostov and Stacy Meichtry have a fascinating piece on how the world’s richest person Bernard Arnault is auditioning his five children to run LVMH [WSJ]
—On the nepo baby theme, Margaret Hartmann has exhaustively recapped all the ways the real-life Murdoch family drama has inspired Succession [Intelligencer]
—Matt Brennan and Josh Rottenberg do the Lord's work by creating a disturbingly in-depth analysis of Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid [LAT]
—Michelle Goldberg on why Fox News had to settle the defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion [NYT]
—Brian Stelter looks at how an unapologetic and unwavering Fox News will look to move on from the Dominion settlement [VF]
Today...
...in 1937, David O. Selznick premiered A Star Is Born, featuring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, in Los Angeles. The film went on to earn seven Oscar nominations at the 10th Academy Awards, winning for original story. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Jessica Lange (74), Andy Serkis (59), Shemar Moore (53), Killer Mike (48), Tan France (40), Billy Magnussen (38), Veronica Cartwright (74), Crispin Glover (59), Carlos Valdes (34), Joey Lawrence (47), Ryan O'Neal (82), Carmen Electra (51), Ruth Connell (44), George Takei (86), Scott Cooper (53), John Patrick Amedori (36), Miranda Kerr (40), Georgina Rylance (44), B.J. Britt (41), Woo-hee Chun (36), Sari Arambulo (27) |
| Herb Lazarus, the veteran TV distribution executive who spent nearly 70 years in the business, including the past 27 with Carsey-Werner, has died. He was 88. The obituary. |
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