| | | | What's news: The WGA and AMPTP are looking to schedule a meeting next week. Disney shot down a report that it was in active discussions to sell ABC. Amazon's Mr & Mrs. Smith has been pushed back to 2024. Netflix renews One Piece. Lawrence Jones is the new co-anchor on Fox & Friends. — Abid Rahman
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Unmasking the AMPTP ►Hollywood labor’s opaque nemesis. During the double strike, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, a studio bargaining coalition run by lawyers and located in a suburban shopping mall, has been portrayed by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA as a James Bond villain set on breaking their solidarity. THR's Gary Baum and Katie Kilkenny peek behind the curtain. The story.
—Getting back in the room. The AMPTP says that the WGA reached out to restart negotiations, and the organization is seeking to schedule the meeting next week. Ongoing talks between the two organizations hit a standstill in late August after WGA leaders sat down for a meeting with AMPTP president Carol Lombardini as well as company leaders Bob Iger, Donna Langley, Ted Sarandos and David Zaslav. On Friday, the WGA is set to meet with top showrunners who have sought a meeting to discuss negotiations. The story.
—Third lawsuit. Hollywood hotspot Nobu Malibu was sued Sept. 13 by a Jane Doe plaintiff who alleges hostesses are “subjected to an intense pattern and practice” of sexual misconduct from supervisors. According to a review of court documents by THR, the lawsuit contains similar claims as at least two others filed against the Malibu location of the restaurant since 2019. The restaurant was founded by chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro and producer Meir Teper. The story.
—Past the statute of limitations. THR's Winston Cho reports that a messy legal battle initiated by Stan Lee’s estate involving accusations of exploitation and elder abuse by the comic book legend’s inner circle has concluded, with an arbitrator siding with Lee’s former attorney that the lawsuit against him was brought too late. The five-year legal saga was sparked by a THR investigation into Lee’s estate, which chronicled allegations that people introduced into his life by his daughter, J.C., stole millions of dollars from him. The story. |
What's Next for Freeform After Being Dropped by Charter ►Ominous. Freeform, the cable channel that caters to younger women, was dropped from Spectrum channel lineups as part of Disney’s landmark deal with Charter. THR's Alex Weprin and Lesley Goldberg write that Disney's agreement with the pay TV giant suggests that, in an accelerated cord-cutting era, no channel is truly safe. The analysis.
—"Unfounded." Disney said in a statement Thursday that it is “open to considering a variety of strategic options for our linear businesses,” but shot down a report that it was in active discussions to sell its ABC broadcast network and stations. The statement followed a Bloomberg report that said Disney had held “initial” talks about a sale of ABC and its local stations to Nexstar, the local TV giant and owner of The CW network. The story.
—"Quality content has been given away well below fair market value." Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels said keeping all the entertainment giant's content for Max alone was “incomprehensible” and streaming prices would continue to rise as subscription prices were too cheap. Speaking at an investor conference, Wiedenfels frankly discussed WBD's need to move away from "warehousing content" in order to properly monetize its library. The story.
—New AI toolset. THR's Carolyn Giardina reports that generative AI tech firm Metaphysic has finally revealed its new system for what it claims could help actors and other individuals to navigate the creation and management of their personal data including their likeness and voice. The company says that early users include Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Paris Hilton and Maria Sharapova. In January, Metaphysic unveiled a strategic partnership with CAA, the agency that reps Hanks, Wilson, Spencer and Hathaway. The story. |
'Lando' Project Revealed to Be a Movie ►Hello, what have we here? Donald Glover's Star Wars project Lando is set to shift from being a Disney+ series to a full feature from Lucasfilm. Glover’s brother, Stephen, was working on the project with Donald before the writers strike began in May, and during an appearance on a podcast posted Thursday, revealed the latest plans were to make a film. The project is currently on hold amid the strikes. Donald previously played Lando Calrissian in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. The story.
—I don't like it. I don't agree with it. But I accept it. More Glover news, Amazon Prime Video’s reimagining of Mr. & Mrs. Smith has become the latest project getting pushed to early next year due to the strikes. The series, based on Doug Liman’s 2005 film, was originally scheduled for a November release and is from co-creators and executive producers Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane (Fargo), with Glover starring as John Smith and PEN15 star Maya Erskine as Jane Smith. The story.
—Quick as you like. Netflix has renewed its charming adventure series One Piece for a second season. Executive producer (and creator of the original manga) Eiichiro Oda confirmed the news in a video on Thursday. Since the show’s launch on Aug. 31, One Piece has been No. 1 in Netflix’s internal Top 10. The series was created by Matt Owens and Steven Maeda, and stars Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp and Taz Skylar as Sanji. The story.
—Can't be stopped. Suits extended its streak on the streaming TV charts for Aug. 14-20. The legal drama, which streams on Netflix and Peacock, was the top title in Nielsen’s weekly rankings for the ninth consecutive week. It more than doubled the viewing time total of the second-place show, Netflix’s Painkiller. The streaming rankings. |
The Wave of Biopics Centering Latino Achievement ►"These films mean our true stories are finally being told – our stories, not tropes." With National Hispanic Heritage Month kicking off today, THR's diversity and inclusion editor Rebecca Sun reflects on the recent spate of biopics that have placed Latino achievement front and center. Rebecca writes that movies like Flamin' Hot, A Million Miles Away, Cassandro and Radical are helping to tell the stories that the history textbooks all too often skip. The story.
—Peak representation. GLAAD has released the 11th installment of its Studio Responsibility Index, an annual study that tracks “the quantity, quality and diversity” of LGBTQ characters in films released in a calendar year by 10 Hollywood distributors. The results found that of 350 titles released in 2022, 100 films, or 28.5 percent, featured an LGBTQ character, marking the highest number recorded in the time GLAAD has conducted the study. The story.
—New translation. An adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya will play the Lincoln Center Theater this spring. The classic play will feature a new translation by Heidi Schreck, writer and star of What the Constitution Means to Me, and direction by Lila Neugebauer, who previously directed Kenneth Lonergan’s The Waverly Gallery on Broadway. Uncle Vanya will begin previews at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on April 2, 2024, with an opening night on April 24. The story.
—Change up. Fox News is adding Lawrence Jones as a co-anchor of Fox & Friends, where he will join longtime hosts Steve Doocy, Brian Kilmeade and Ainsley Earhardt on weekday mornings. Jones will also continue in his role as the program’s enterprise reporter. His weekend show Lawrence Jones Cross Country will end with his new promotion, with Kilmeade taking over the 9 p.m. Saturday time slot. The story.
—Expansion. ABC News Live, the network news division’s streaming offering, is expanding its lineup in a fresh push for consumers seeking live news outside the traditional TV ecosystem. The company says that correspondent Kayna Whitworth will join the lineup from 5-7 p.m. beginning next week, creating a live news lineup that starts in the mornings with Diane Macedo, continues in the afternoons with Kyra Phillips and then Whitworth, and is capped off in the evening with Linsey Davis. The story. |
Film Review: 'Society of the Snow' ►"Uneven but ultimately effective." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews J.A. Bayona's Society of the Snow. The 1972 crash in the Andes of a charter flight from Uruguay and the harrowing ordeal of its survivors get intense treatment in this Spanish-language feature from Netflix. The review.
—"A joyful ride." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Bill and Turner Ross' Gasoline Rainbow. The latest from the Ross brothers is about a group of high-school friends who set out on a road trip to see the Pacific. The review.
—"Starts off trashy-fun, becomes trashy-dull." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Amazon Prime Video's Wilderness. Jenna Coleman and Oliver Jackson-Cohen play a couple whose marriage and road trip go astray because of infidelity and a ubiquitous Taylor Swift song. The review. |
Film Review: 'Sing Sing' ►"A quiet declaration of art's redemptive powers." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Greg Kwedar's Sing Sing. Colman Domingo flexes his range in this feature about incarcerated men trying to stage a theater production inside their maximum security correctional facility. The review.
—"A charming if scattershot cinematic mash note." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Eva Hassmann's Willie and Me. Hassmann stars in her directorial debut, playing a German woman who travels to America to see her idol Willie Nelson's farewell concert, also starring the late Peter Bogdanovich. The review.
—"Spare in its style, haunting in its effect." Frank reviews Takayuki Hayashi's From Dawn Till Noon on the Sea. Hayashi's debut feature revolves around three troubled souls and the aftermath of a kidnapping. The review. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ► All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—TV's Top 5. THR's Lesley Goldberg and Dan Fienberg break down the latest TV news. This week's episode begins with the mailbag. There's a lengthy discussion on the return of a number of talk shows amid the strikes and a segment on top showrunners having their overall deals suspended. Also, the guys break down the Disney-Charter carriage deal and Dan reviews season three of Apple'sThe Morning Show, Amazon's Wilderness and Netflix's Wrestlers. Listen here.
—Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott spoke to Wim Wenders. The legend of New German Cinema reflects on making movies in Germany and the U.S., moving between narrative and doc features and the making of his greatest films including Paris, Texas, Wings of Desire and Buena Vista Social Club, as well as his new works Anselm and Perfect Days. Listen here.
In other news...
—Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer finally arrives
—Wes Anderson revisits Roald Dahl in Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar trailer
—Frasier trailer brings back Kelsey Grammer in sitcom revival
—Goosebumps trailer brings jump scares to Disney+
—Aliens exist in trailer for Tom DeLonge’s directorial debut Monsters of California
—Gareth Edwards’ sci-fi epic The Creator to open Beyond Fest
—AMC Networks promotes Georgia Juvelis to chief communications officer
—CAA signs Los Angeles Magazine
What else we're reading...
—With The Drew Barrymore Show resuming production amid the strikes, Josef Adalian and Kathryn VanArendonk look at how the backlash came for Drew [Vulture]
—With worries over AI roiling Hollywood at the moment, critic Manohla Dargis reflects on how the technology has been depicted on screen [NYT]
—Ella Creamer reports that Millie Bobby Brown's debut novel Nineteen Steps has reignited the debate over ghostwritten celebrity books [Guardian]
—Adriane Quinlan investigates which star is selling a Williamsburg condo in a listing staged with tons of acting awards [Curbed]
—Here's your Friday list: "100 best anime movies of all time, ranked by the Tomatometer" [Rotten Tomatoes]
Today...
...in 1977, NBC revved up a new one-hour police drama, CHiPs, featuring Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Tom Hardy (46), Tommy Lee Jones (77), Ben Schwartz (42), Oliver Stone (77), Ingrid Bisu (36), Rebecca Miller (61), Prince Harry (39), Lisa Vanderpump (63), Pawel Pawlikowski (66), John Bradley (35), Dave Annable (44), Josh Charles (52), Marisa Ramirez (46), Chelsea Kane (35), Amy Davidson (44), Caterina Murino (46), Danny Nucci (55), Emma Fuhrmann (22), Lauren Compton (36), Nadine Nicole (40), Tom Austen (36), Colleen O'Shaughnessey (52), Barry Shabaka Henley (69), Sydney Ozerov-Meyer (28), Ron Shelton (78) |
| Michael McGrath, the veteran stage actor who won a Tony for Nice Work If You Can Get It and originated the role of Patsy in the Broadway production of Spamalot, has died. He was 65. The obituary. |
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