Beginning with the 97th Academy Awards for films released in 2024, there are some significant added requirements for Best Picture eligibility beyond the current one mandating a one-week theatrical release in one of six U.S. cities. The new rules include booking an expanded theatrical run of seven days in 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets.
Deadline originally learned several months ago of plans put forth even when Dawn Hudson was still CEO. It is an issue that seems to come up annually in one way or another. We hear that the current effort was instigated by several producers, with a charge led by AMPAS Producers Branch governor Jason Blum and some others to make these changes in order to recognize that a core mission of the Academy is to support movies for the big screen, even as streamers such as Netflix, Apple, Amazon, Hulu and others have made huge inroads into the Oscar races in past seasons.
Apple, in fact, became the first streamer to win Best Picture with its CODA victory last year and barely had any theatrical run when it first was released other than the bare minimum needed to qualify. This past March, Netflix — still looking for its first Best Picture win — likely came close with All Quiet on the Western Front scoring four wins.
Theater owners expressed their enthusiasm for the changes. Michael O’Leary, President & CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, said in a statement that the group "applauds the Academy’s decision." He continued, "This decision recognizes that to be fully appreciated as the art form they truly are, motion pictures must be experienced as intended: in a theater full of people, on a big screen, with state-of-the-art projection, sound and lighting." >>>Pete Hammond's Full Analysis |
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Emmy Dilemma - Voting for the 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards closes this coming Monday. Nominations will be announced July 14. Beyond that, things are very much in flux. The Television Academy and Fox have been discussing contingencies amid the writers strike, including a potential delay past the usual mid-September timing for the ceremony. Writers play a key part in the event, and the show also requires production lead time. >>>Fail Safe Date
Layoffs Linger At WBD - One day after a new round of layoffs began at Warner Bros. Discovery TV, more names were added to the list from Adult Swim, OWN, Travel Channel, Discovery and TCM. >>>List Of Names
'Yellowjackets' "Burial" Script - Deadline’s It Starts on the Page features 10 standout drama series scripts in 2023 Emmy contention. It showcases the critical role writers’ work plays in a show’s success. All arrangements were made before the WGA strike began on May 2. Click below to read the script for "Burial." Season 1 of Yellowjackets garnered 7 Emmy nominations, including Drama Series and two writing noms for the first two episodes. >>> Read It
Words With Friends - Ed Solomon, film and television writer, has teamed up with the Black List to host Word by Word. The show will broadcast live on Zoom starting Thursday, June 29. "During a strike years ago, I took some writing classes in order to challenge the way I was approaching my work,” Solomon said in a statement. “This time, I wanted to open it up for others who maybe felt the same." >>> Guests include Lena Dunham, Eric Roth, Phil Lord |
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Seth Meyers has become one of the elder statesmen of late night. Meyers has been hosting NBC’s Late Night for nearly 10 years, starting a week after Jimmy Fallon began his stint helming The Tonight Show. Other than Jimmy Kimmel, who has been on air for more than 20 years, the NBC pair’s runs on their shows have been the longest in the game. Meyers spoke to Deadline about the changes in late-night and the future of the genre as well as his thoughts on being touted as a potential successor to Saturday Night Live boss Lorne Michaels, should he ever step down (“It is not a job for me”). >>> Read The Interview |
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Exclusive
Succession’s Sarah Snook is returning to the stage in London, and possibly Broadway, to take on an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, a dark tale of a portrait that ages as its subject remains forever young. The Emmy-nominated actress will have the gargantuan task of playing all 26 characters in Dorian Gray when it opens at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London’s West End in January 2024 for a limited 12-week season.
Tenoch Huerta is exiting the Netflix film Fiesta en la Madriguera following allegations of sexual assault. “Given the impact of the recent false statements by María Elena Ríos and the damage they have caused, I have no choice but to withdraw from participating in the film,” Huerta said in a statement obtained by Deadline. |
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More News
🎥 Top filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson dialed Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav for an “emergency call” concerning the future of Turner Classic Movies, which they called "a truly a precious resource of cinema." The conversation followed a recently announced set of layoffs at the beloved pay-TV network and the exit of its general manager, Pola Changnon.
🎭 Washington's Kennedy Center said its next group of honorees includes Billy Crystal, Renée Fleming, Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah and Dionne Warwick.
🥊 Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, who have been scrapping online for years, appear to be set to settle their differences with their fists, according to a hard-to-fathom back-and-forth in recent days. Musk wrote, “I’m up for a cage match if he is” in response to a Twitter thread mocking Zuckerberg’s recent penchant for jiu jitsu, which he had been posting on Instagram. The Verge then reported and had confirmed a response on Zuckerberg’s Instagram page including a screenshot of Musk’s tweet with caption, “Send Me Location.”
🤝 The consolidation in the talent representation space continues. Agency for the Performing Arts and music touring agency Artist Group International (AGI) are merging, with the combined full-service agency rebranded as Independent Artist Group (IAG). APA President Jim Osborne is being named CEO.
💔 Jack Hanna, who hosted several television shows on animals and was a regular presence on late night talk shows, is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, his family has revealed in an interview with his hometown media outlet, the Columbus Dispatch. “While Dad/Jack is still mobile, his mind fails him, the light in his eyes has dimmed, and we miss who he was each & every moment of the day,” the post reads.
🤖 Marvel’s Secret Invasion is already causing a commotion on social media, though not for reasons that the studio may have hoped. The series, which debuted on Wednesday with just one episode, has generated backlash from viewers after director Ali Selim confirmed to Polygon that the opening credits were generated by artificial intelligence. Selim said he thought that the idea of using AI for the opening credits, which were designed by Method Studios, fit ithe themes of the show.
💰 Amazon has spent more than £4.2B ($5.4B) on the UK creative industries including TV and film since 2010, the conglomerate has revealed, contributing £4.8B to the UK economy. Unveiled at a swanky London do at the BFI Southbank tonight, the Jeff Bezos-run outfit said it has doubled spend over the past five years, although didn’t put a figure on this. The numbers, however, are behind Netflix’s spend of $6B on original UK content alone over the past four years. |
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Obituaries
Choi Sung-bong, an operatic singer who placed second on the Korea’s Got Talent television program, has died in an apparent suicide, police said Wednesday. He was 33. Choi was found dead by police at his home in the Yeoksam-dong district in Southern Seoul at 9:41 a.m. Tuesday, according to police and fire authorities. He is the latest in a string of deaths by young Korean performers, some by suicide. |
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On the Radar
Thu - ... And Just Like That S2 premieres on Max; NBA Draft
Fri - DGA membership vote closes; Taormina Film Festival kicks off
Mon - Emmy voting ends
Tue - Paramount+ with Showtime rebrand takes effect |
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Troubled Titan - Josh Gates, the host of Discovery’s Expedition: Unknown, has revealed that he dove in the same sub that is now missing near the wreck of Titanic. Gates said that the prospect of getting footage of the sunken wreck was a “huge opportunity,” but he decided against a second voyage because the sub, dubbed Titan, “did not perform well on my [first] dive.” Gates also indicated, “There’s more to the history and design of Titan that has not been made public — much of it concerning." As of this morning, the sub carrying five passengers had not been located after an extensive search and onboard oxygen supplies are due to expire in mere hours. |
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