| | | | What's news: Ron DeSantis has escalated his fight with Disney. Serena Williams has launched a new production company. ABC has renewed The Rookie. The Cannes Directors’ Fortnight sidebar has unveiled its 2023 lineup. James McAvoy is set to star in Blumhouse's Speak No Evil. — Abid Rahman |
Writers Authorize Strike Option ►"Overwhelming numbers." In a record-setting vote that concluded on Monday, 97.85 percent of eligible members of the Writers Guild West and East voted to authorize a strike. According to the guild, this level of participation and support is unprecedented for a strike authorization vote for the union. These results do not ensure a work stoppage will happen, but instead give the union the option to strike if labor leaders decide one is necessary in ongoing negotiations with studios and streamers over a new contract. The story.
—Unseemly threats. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is escalating his fight with Disney in the battle for control over the land where Walt Disney World is located. A bill targeted at Disney will be introduced next week ending the company's exemption allowing it to do safety inspections for its own rides. Additionally, DeSantis threatened further retaliation against the company by building another amusement park, a prison or a state park on the land that borders Disney World. The story.
—Not happening. Cineworld Group, the owner of Regal Cinemas, has revealed that it has decided to scrap plans to sell its businesses outside the U.S., the U.K. and Ireland. The world's second-biggest cinema company, which is in the process of emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, said on Tuesday that it had received proposals for the rest of the world business, which includes units in Eastern Europe and Israel, but the bids did not meet the value level required by Cineworld’s lenders. The story.
—Serving content. THR's Mikey O'Connell has the scoop on Serena Williams launching a new multimedia production company 926 Productions. The recently retired tennis legend's company launch coincides with a first-look TV deal at Amazon Studios and the appointment of Grand Electric alum Caroline Currier as president. Multiple projects are already in various stages of development, including the forthcoming soccer doc Copa 71. The story. |
'Beef' Producers Under Fire Amid Choe Rape Controversy ►Deafening silence. Since it dropped on April 6, Netflix's Beef has been an unquestioned hit with audiences and critics. But just two weeks later, the conversation around the Ali Wong and Steve Yeun drama is zeroed in on a resurfaced controversy involving costar David Choe — namely a 2014 podcast episode in which the artist and actor claimed to have sexually assaulted a woman. Amid a growing backlash, the deafening silence from Beef creator Lee Sung Jin, Yeun, Wong, Netflix and A24 is fuelling the controversy. The story.
—Veteran status. ABC has renewed its police drama The Rookie, starring Nathan Fillion, for a sixth season. The pickup comes two weeks ahead of the show’s fifth season finale on May 2. The Rookie is the third veteran series ABC has renewed for 2023-24, joining Abbott Elementary and Grey’s Anatomy. The series will cross the 100-episode milestone early next season. The story.
—📅 Driving solo 📅 The title and release date of filmmaker Ethan Coen’s upcoming movie have been revealed. Drive-Away Dolls will ride into theaters on Sept. 22, Focus Features and Working Title announced Monday. The comedy caper — which stars Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Pedro Pascal, Colman Domingo, Bill Camp and Matt Damon — marks the first time Coen has directed a movie without brother Joel. The story.
—1/5 of the band is something, right? Fans may not be getting a One Direction reunion for the final episode of The Late Late Show With James Corden, but they will be getting Harry Styles — as well as Will Ferrell. The show’s nine-season run with Corden is set to come to an end on the night of April 27 at 12:37 a.m., with a primetime special at 10 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+. Tom Cruise will also be included in one final sketch with the host as part of the finale. The story. |
Frank Ocean Stuns Fans at Coachella ►Short but not so sweet. Fans of Frank Ocean have been waiting since before the pandemic to see the R&B singer headline Coachella, but his performance didn’t seem worth the wait. Ocean began his Sunday night headlining set an hour late, and his performance was cut short due to his tardiness. Upset fans posted videos on social media detailing the drama with some even leaving the festival. The story.
—🎭 Touch of class 🎭 James McAvoy is set to star in Universal/Blumhouse's Speak No Evil, a remake of the Danish psychological horror thriller Gaesterne. The remake hails from filmmaker James Watkins, who will write and direct. The feature centers on a family that takes a dream holiday to an idyllic country house, only to have the vacation turn into a psychological nightmare. Universal has set a release date of Aug. 9, 2024. The story.
—🎭 Many men 🎭 THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Mel Gibson and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson toplining indie crime-thriller Boneyard. Inspired by true events, the features is about an FBI special agent, played by Gibson, who is hunting for a serial killer nicknamed The Bone Collector. Jackson plays the police chief. Asif Akbar is directing the project that has a script by Hank Byrd, Vincent E. McDaniel, Koji Steven Sakai and Akbar. The story.
—🎭 Building up speed 🎭 In the Heights star Anthony Ramos is in talks to star in Universal and Amblin’s Twisters, a new chapter following the 1996 storm-chasing blockbuster Twister. Top Gun: Maverick's Glen Powell was already announced to join Daisy Edgar-Jones in the movie that Minari helmer Lee Isaac Chung will direct from a script by Mark L. Smith. The story. |
Why Social Media Impostors Pose a Constant Battle for Stars ►Sisyphean task. Though social media platforms now have sophisticated AI-powered technology that can help weed out possible fraudsters among their millions of users, public figures still must contend with the potential for their likeness to be ripped off for someone else’s gain. THR's J. Clara Chan writes that flushing out celebrity fakes remains an impossible game of whack-a-mole — especially when experts say platforms "want to have more accounts up, not less." The story.
—🤝 First-look deal 🤝 Paramount Pictures has renewed its first-look film deal with Temple Hill Entertainment. The multiyear pact comes after the studio and production company partnered on the horror box office smash Smile, which has grossed $200m globally. Temple Hill develops films for both Paramount and its label Paramount Players, under which Smile was developed and produced. The story.
—🎭 Another new face 🎭 THR's Beatrice Verhoeven has the scoop on newcomer Kahiau Machado being cast as David Kawena, Nani’s love interest and Lilo’s friend in Disney's live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch. Machado joins Sydney Agudong, Maia Kealoha and Zach Galifianakis in the reboot of the 2002 hit. The story.
—Problems fixed. The Media Rating Council, which applies standards for audience measurement, has reinstated accreditation for Nielsen’s national TV ratings measurement, more than 18 months after it was suspended. The MRC said it was lifting the suspension after Nielsen addressed several issues related to undercounting viewers in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic. The story. |
Bill Hader Wants to Direct Movies Post-'Barry' ►"I’m learning to just remain open." With Barry's fourth and final season now in the can and starting to roll out on HBO, Bill Hader has his sights set on the next goal: directing a movie. THR's Kirsten Chuba spoke to Hader at Barry's season four premiere on Sunday, where he revealed that he's written a feature with writing and producing partner Duffy Boudreau and on top of "two other ideas that I’m knocking around." The story.
—Gondry's back! The Cannes Directors’ Fortnight sidebar has unveiled its 2023 lineup, which will feature new films from arthouse favorites Hong Sang-soo, Michel Gondry and Cédric Kahn as well as a broad selection from up-and-coming international directors. The lineup.
—"In what way is this going to hold me back, not propel me forward?" Succession star Sarah Snook has opened up about the big Shiv news that occurred in the fourth episode of the final season of the hit drama. Snook unpacked the big development for Shiv when visiting HBO's Succession podcast, explaining why her character chose to not share the news with her brothers and husband, Tom. Warning: Spoilers! The story.
—"A very strange season for me." Succession star Dagmara Domińczyk says that her own father died while she was filming the series’ major death scene, which made shooting it and eventually watching the scene even more emotional. In a new interview, Domińczyk said the show helped her "out of my own grief and just be in the story." Warning: Spoilers! The story. |
NATO Chief Prepares His Exit After 23-Year Run ►"John McCain threw me out of his office once." National Association of Theatre Owners president John Fithian is set to step down from leading the industry lobby group on May 1, the culmination of an impactful 23-year career. THR's Pamela McClintock spoke to the NATO chief on his time in the hot seat and where the industry stands today. The exit interview.
In other news...
—Anna Nicole Smith’s life examined in trailer for Netflix doc You Don’t Know Me
—HBO’s controversial The Idol gets provocative new trailer, premiere date
—Imax, Megarama expand partnership, sign three-theater deal
—Netflix’s Reed Hastings buys stake in Utah ski resort
—Two men charged in attack outside Elton John concert at Dodger Stadium
—Film Academy creates and fills new position of chief membership, impact and industry officer
What else we're reading...
—Aja Romano writes that Baby Yoda may have once been the key to success for Disney+'s The Mandalorian, but is now the problem [Vox]
—Brian Lowry opines that with the Love is Blind live reunion debacle, Netflix has inadvertently made the case for old-fashioned TV [CNN]
—In a guest essay, Andrew Lloyd Webber reflects on the closing of The Phantom of the Opera, the loss of his son and the future of Broadway [NYT]
—Hugh Langley and Rob Price have a fascinating long read on the rise and demise of Google co-founder Larry Page's flying car startup Kittyhawk [Insider]
—Oyin Adedoyin looks at how inflation and the pandemic has led to millennials and Gen Z to avoid making crucial financial decisions [WSJ]
Today...
...in 1973, MGM unveiled Richard Fleischer’s dystopian, 98-minute sci-fi drama Soylent Green in Los Angeles at Red Carpet theaters. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Conan O'Brien (60), Vanessa Kirby (35), Edgar Wright (49), Maria Bello (56), Britt Robertson (33), America Ferrera (39), David Tennant (52), Alia Shawkat (34), Eric Roberts (67), Rick Moranis (70), Melissa Joan Hart (47), Hayley Mills (77), Moises Arias (29), Eric McCormack (60), Kevin Rankin (47), Dorothy Lyman (76), Kenny Ortega (73), Jeff Dunham (61), Anthony Chen (39), Virginia Gardner (28), Chloe Bennet (31), Jane Leeves (62), Eli Roth (51), Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (36), David Hewlett (55), Melody Thomas Scott (67), Kourtney Kardashian (44) |
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