| | | | What's news: It's magazine day! This week's cover star is German star Sandra Hüller. Disney's TV channels went dark on Charter Spectrum. Three AMC series will resume production after securing SAG-AFTRA interim agreements. Barry Diller thinks the legacy studios should cut links with Netflix and Amazon. Michael Mann's Ferrari received a seven-minute ovation in Venice. — Abid Rahman
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Sandra Hüller, Actress of the Year? ►On the cover. Fans of European art house cinema will recognize Sandra Hüller from her barnstorming performance in Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann, an improbably funny cringe comedy that wowed at Cannes in 2016. With two starring roles in movies getting serious awards buzz this year — Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest — THR's Scott Roxborough profiles the German actress who is on the cusp of becoming a household name. The cover story.
—Resuming production. SAG-AFTRA has struck interim agreements with three AMC series — two spinoffs in the Walking Dead franchise and Interview With the Vampire — to resume production. AMC Networks, whose AMC Studios produces all three shows, is not an AMPTP member but is an “authorized” by the alliance, meaning AMC agrees to abide by any contracts between the AMPTP and industry unions. The three shows are the highest-profile TV projects to date to land interim agreements. The story.
—"We are your natural allies, not your enemies." IAC mogul Barry Diller thinks that the Hollywood studios need to “reorient” their businesses, and fast, or else face potential “catastrophic” consequences. The former studio executive, speaking to journalist Kara Swisher for her podcast, also expressed pessimism about the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, and suggested that the legacy Hollywood studios should split with Netflix and their tech counterparts at the AMPTP. The story.
—Blackout. In a significant carriage dispute, Disney’s TV channels, including ABC, ESPN, FX and Freeform, went dark Thursday on Charter Spectrum, the country’s second-largest cable TV provider, with 14.7m subscribers. The blackout happened at a critical time, with ESPN’s networks broadcasting both the U.S. Open tennis tournament (in the middle of Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz’s match), and a college football game between Utah and the University of Florida. The story. |
Venice: 'Ferrari' Gets Roaring Ovation ►Salve! Here's all the latest from THR's team at the Venice Film Festival. The day 3 digital daily.
—Seven minutes! THR's Scott Roxborough reports that Adam Driver, Patrick Dempsey and Michael Mann gave a boost of star power to the 80th Venice Film Festival Thursday night, with their car racer biopic Ferrari welcomed warmly by the Lido audience. Enzo Ferrari's second son Pierro was in the audience, enjoying the raptous reception from the Venice crowd, which gave the film a good seven-minute standing ovation, with Driver visibly moved by the response. The story.
—Six minutes! Also bowing Thursday night in Venice was Luc Besson's Dogman. The controversial French director was showered with applause, with the cast, including lead Caleb Landry Jones, Jojo T Gibbs and Clemens Schick, all moved by the response to the film. For the ovation junkies out there, THR's Patrick Brzeski reports that the Venice audience rose to their feet for a good six minutes. The story.
—"Pinochet has never been portrayed before. It’s quite unbelievable." Patrick Brzeski spoke to Pablo Larraín about his haunting Augusto Pinochet vampire satire El Conde. The acclaimed Chilean director discusses the creation of his innovative Netflix film, taking inspiration from Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove and whether Donald Trump might be America's own orange blood-sucker. The interview.
More from Venice...
—Venice flashback: A decade ago, William Friedkin was lionized on the Lido
—Venice hidden gem: Newcomers fuel partly improvised Gasoline Rainbow
—Venice rising star: Amanda Collin |
Taylor Swift Concert Film Ticket Presales Hit $26M ►Phenomenon. Ticket presales for the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film hit $26m after the first day at AMC Theatres, setting a record for the highest ever single-day advance ticket sales revenue for the mega-exhibitor. The previous record was $16.9m in first-day ticket sales for Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021. Faced with heavy ticket demand, AMC has added extra showtimes. The story.
—The Exoswift isn't happening lads. The Exorcist: Believer is arriving a week earlier than expected, with Universal shifting the film’s release up to Oct. 6. The move came hours after Taylor Swift announced that a concert film would arrive in theaters on Oct. 13. The Exorcist was initially set to bow that same day, but quickly relocated because of the overlap between Swift fans and the audience for the horror sequel (namely, younger females). The story.
—"I can tell you with great certainty that everyone at Bravo likely despises me, including Andy Cohen." Bethenny Frankel is sharing more details on her efforts to push for the unionization of reality TV as well as some of the challenges she has faced along the way. In a new interview, the former Real Housewives of New York star admitted that while she was surprised some Hollywood executives have praised her for speaking out, others are not too thrilled. The story. |
'One Piece' Director on Adapting the Best-Selling Manga ►"You have to be bold. You have to dare." THR's Brian Davids spoke to One Piece director/executive producer Marc Jobst on adapting Eiichiro Oda’s much loved fantasy world for Netflix. Having also worked on Daredevil, Luke Cage, The Witcher and now One Piece, Jobst also discusses how he's quietly become one of Netflix’s most prolific directors. The interview.
—Navigating the festivals. For the last several weeks, SAG members and their reps have been trying to figure out how to navigate fall festival season during the strike. THR's Rebecca Keegan reports that as the first day of Telluride unfolded, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Emma Stone provided examples of how they might. The story.
—"I felt that that was not their responsibility." Jimmy Kimmel says his longtime friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon made a very generous offer at the start of the writers strike. On his newly launched Strike Force Five podcast — which has Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver uniting for a limited run pod — Kimmel revealed that the duo offered to pay his staff’s salaries for two weeks after his ABC late night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, shut down in May. The story.
—Second bite for Apple. Idris Elba's incredibly watchable drama Hijack allowed Apple TV+ to place its second series ever in the streaming rankings. Hijack claimed a spot for the week of July 31-Aug. 6, and recorded 357m minutes of viewing time for the week its finale debuted, according to Nielsen. Suits dominated the overall rankings again, and The Lincoln Lawyer shot back up with the release of more episodes. The streaming rankings. |
'The Bikeriders': Jodie Comer Enters the Oscar Race ►"She gives the film heart." THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg writes from Telluride that Jeff Nichols' festival opener The Bikeriders has put star Jodie Comer in the hunt for her first Oscar nomination. The analysis.
—"Vanity-free leading performance." Almost two decades after filmmaker Alexander Payne and actor Paul Giamatti teamed up on Sideways, the duo have reunited on The Holdovers. The period dramedy had its world premiere at Telluride on Thursday, and Scott thinks the film could net Giamatti the best actor Oscar nomination his iconic performance in Sideways was denied. The analysis.
—"Consistently engaging and often hilarious." Saltburn, the second film written and directed by Emerald Fennell — three years after Promising Young Woman, for which she won the best original screenplay Oscar — also had its world premiere at Telluride Thursday, and certainly left people talking. Scott writes that the film could see Fennell and star Barry Keoghan return to Oscar contention. The analysis. |
Film Review: 'Ferrari' ►"Not without flaws, but mostly fast and furious, with a brain." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Michael Mann's Venice competition entry Ferrari. Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley and Patrick Dempsey star in this study of the auto magnate at a turning point, betting everything on a treacherous 1,000-mile open-road race. The review.
—"Bloody wicked." David reviews Pablo Larraín's Venice competition entry El Conde. The Chilean director’s Netflix feature is political farce as darkly funny vampire horror, offering an inventive take on why despots like Augusto Pinochet keep sinking their fangs into the world. The review.
—"Fertile soil for drama." David reviews Nikolaj Arcel's Venice competition entry The Promised Land. The Danish director and Mads Mikkelsen reteam on this Nordic Western about a low-born military man determined to cultivate the wild Jutland heath against daunting odds. The review.
—"A stylish but ultimately silly patchwork of borrowed ideas." David reviews Emerald Fennell's Saltburn. Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant star in this tale of excess and obsession, about an aristocratic family with a grand estate and an outsider who wants in. The review.
—"Prepare to be wrecked." David reviews Andrew Haigh's All of Us Strangers. Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell and Claire Foy star in this metaphysical ghost story about a lonely gay writer, orphaned young, painfully revisiting his past while starting a new relationship. The review. |
Film Review: 'The Holdovers' ►"Uneven but affecting." THR film critic Stephen Farber reviews Alexander Payne's The Holdovers. Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and newcomer Dominic Sessa star in this Telluride world premiere about a teacher and student stuck together during Christmas break. The review.
—"An overdue song of praise." THR's Sheri Linden reviews George C. Wolfe's Rustin. In his first big-screen lead role, Colman Domingo portrays Bayard Rustin, the chief architect of the historic 1963 March on Washington, and a gay man who was well ahead of his time in being out and proud. The review.
—"Small but perfectly crafted." THR film critic Leslie Felperin reviews Wes Anderson's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel and Richard Ayoade star in this 40-minute film adaptation of a Roald Dahl short story that is set to premiere on Netflix next month. The review.
—"A compelling investigation." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss' The Mission. The new doc from the Boys State directors tell the story of John Allen Chau, who was killed in 2018 while trying to establish contact with Sentinelese tribespeople. The review.
—"Luc lets the dogs out." THR film critic Jordan Mintzer reviews Luc Besson's Venice competition entry Dogman. Caleb Landry Jones stars in the French director’s latest English-language feature, about crime, canines and drag. The review.
—"Great footage, great stories, but not as illuminating as it tries to be." THR's Dan Fienberg reviews Alex Braverman's Thank You Very Much. In this documentary, Braverman attempts to define the undefinable career of the comedian and master hoaxer Andy Kaufman. The review. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ► All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott spoke to Cedric the Entertainer. The veteran comedian and comic actor reflects on his path to standup and his unusual stage name, how the Spike Lee documentary The Original Kings of Comedy changed his career trajectory and his forthcoming debut novel, Flipping Boxcars. Listen here.
In other news...
—Tim Gray leaves Variety to become Golden Globes evp
—Former Biden adviser Remi Yamamoto joins Disney TV comms team
—VMAs: Lil Wayne, Doja Cat, Kelsea Ballerini among performers at 2023 awards show
—Physical therapists on Broadway tours vote to join IATSE
What else we're reading...
—With new films from David Fincher, Martin Scorcese, Ridley Scott and Michael Mann all incoming, Israel Daramola is excited for the onslaught of dad movies [Defector]
—Nathan Solis reports on the tech billionaires hatching a secretive plan to build a California city from scratch [LAT]
—With the massive success of Oppenheimer, Dan Gallagher reports that IMAX looks set to be relatively well-shielded from Hollywood’s troubles for a while [WSJ]
—Helen Holmes writes that Coco Gauff is the tennis world’s new fashion ‘It Girl’ [Daily Beast]
—Here's your Friday list: "50 greatest rap groups of all time" [Billboard]
Today...
...in 2010, Focus Features released Anton Corbijn's The American in theaters. Based on Martin Booth's novel A Very Private Gentleman, the film starred George Clooney as an assassin who wants to give up the life. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Zendaya (27), Lily Tomlin (84), Ludwig Göransson (39), Padma Lakshmi (53), Barry Gibb (77), Craig Gillespie (56), Gloria Estefan (66), Tom Kaulitz (34), Stephanie Koenig (36), Boyd Holbrook (42), Billy Blanks (68), Michelle Meyrink (61), Scott Speedman (48), Burn Gorman (49), Zoe Lister-Jones (41), Cosmo Jarvis (34), Morven Christie (42), Cassady McClincy Zhang (23), Nishi Munshi (36), Lilan Bowden (38), Camille Chen (44), Steve Pemberton (56), Polly Shannon (50), Hannah Emily Anderson (34), Ricardo Chavira (52) |
| Don Browne, the former president of the Telemundo Communications Group who led the broadcaster’s big push into original content, died Wednesday at his home in Miami Beach. He was 80. The obituary. |
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