| | | | What's news: SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP will continue talks on Wednesday. Oscar nominated filmmaker Rory Kennedy has slammed her brother RFK Jr.'s plan to run for president. The final season of The Crown will debut in two parts. The first images of Angelina Jolie as opera icon Maria Callas have been revealed. — Abid Rahman
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WGA Ratifies Strike-Ending Contract With Studios ►It’s officially over. The WGA has ratified the three-year contract deal that ended the second-longest strike in the union’s history. Ninety-nine percent of union members voted to support the contract in a vote that ended on Monday; the WGA says of the 8,525 valid votes cast there were 8,435 “yes” votes and 90 “no” votes (1 percent). The term of the new agreement is from Sept. 25, 2023, through May 1, 2026. The story.
—It’s not over yet. Leadership for performers union SAG-AFTRA and the studios, repped by the AMPTP, issued a joint statement on Monday saying that talks have ended for the day and outlining next steps as the strike nears its three-month mark. Talks will resume on Wednesday. The story.
—"This is a now or never situation." THR Roma's Manuela Santacatterina spoke to actor and activist Susan Sarandon about the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. The Oscar winner discusses why the strike action is “important for all unions,” the threat of AI and why filmmakers need to have the freedom to challenge the status quo. The interview. |
CNN's New Leader Grapples With Israel-Hamas Crisis ►Straight in the deep end. Mark Thompson began his new job as CEO of CNN on Monday. On day one the veteran news executive found himself facing a global crisis after Hamas’ deadly surprise attack against Israel. THR's Alex Weprin writes that Thompson told staffers on his first edit call that viewers and readers wanted to understand what Hamas is, who they are and what their goals were in the unprecedented attack. The story.
—"I love this show. And I love this network. But I’ve got to ask who is writing the scripts? Hamas?" Amid the flurry of breaking news coverage of the attacks on Israel, Jonathan Greenblatt, national director and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, appeared on MSNBC to critique the way the network, as well as some others in media, have depicted the conflict. Appearing on Morning Joe on Monday, Greenblatt spoke out against the way the show was describing the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the attacks as “an escalation” of a geopolitical conflict. The story.
—"Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment." White House hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Monday a decision to quit the Democratic Party and run as an Independent. The move — revealed during a rally held outside the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia that featured remarks by his actress wife Cheryl Hines of Curb Your Enthusiasm fame — was quickly denounced by members of his own family, including Oscar nominated documentarian Rory Kennedy. The story.
—"I get it and I completely understand, and I could’ve been better." Dwayne Johnson says he’s been moved by all the messages he’s received from survivors that have benefited from The People’s Fund of Maui following last month’s wildfires, but that he also appreciates those who spoke openly about their issues with the fund. In an Instagram post, Johnson responded to the public criticism of the fund. The story. |
First Look: Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas ►All set. The first two images of Angelina Jolie as famed opera diva Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain's upcoming biopic Maria have been revealed. Based on true accounts, the film will tell the life story of one of the world’s greatest opera singers, during her final days in 70s Paris. With the independent production having signed to a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, the shoot is now set to start, and will take place over eight weeks in Paris, Greece, Budapest and Milan. The script, which was completed prior to the WGA strike, is written by Steven Knight. The story.
—Two helpings. Netflix has announced a premiere date for the sixth and final season of The Crown — but it won’t be debuting all at once. As it’s done with several series in the past year and change, the streamer will split The Crown’s last run into two parts. The first four episodes will premiere on Nov. 16, with part two — six episodes — following four weeks later on Dec. 14. Netflix has similarly split up the runs of the most recent seasons of Stranger Things, You and The Witcher. The story.
—Decent enough. The second season of Loki had a solid opening for Disney+, according to internal viewing data from the streamer. The season two premiere of the Marvel series racked up 10.9m views worldwide over its first three days, as defined by the increasingly industry-standard formula of total viewing time divided by run time. Loki’s three-day total compares well to that of Star Wars series Ahsoka, which debuted in August to 14m views, per Disney+ — but that was over five days, not three. The ratings. |
Baz Luhrmann's 'Faraway Downs' Sets Premiere ►"With over 2m feet of film from the original piece, my team and I were able to revisit anew the central themes of the work." Baz Luhrmann’s Faraway Downs, a six part series that extends his 2008 epic Australia, will close the inaugural SXSW Sydney Screen Festival on Oct. 21 with a world premiere. The Elvis filmmaker will be on hand to present the limited series starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Bryan Brown, Brandon Walters and Ben Mendelsohn. The SXSW festival bow will be followed by Faraway Downs launching simultaneously on Hulu in the U.S., Star+ in Latin America and on Disney+ in all other territories on Nov. 26, 2023. The story.
—"The most important thing is that people went to watch [these movies] in a theater." Martin Scorsese is part of the majority of people who think Barbenheimer was a “wonderful” thing for cinema. In a new interview, the Oscar-winning director explained that the combination of drastically different movies in Oppenheimer and Barbie and the summer box office sensation they caused was truly "something special." The story.
—Settlement. Former Good Morning America producer Kirstyn Crawford has settled a legal battle against ABC News, which she accused of sweeping under the rug multiple sexual harassment allegations against her then-boss and ex-senior news executive Michael Corn. A stipulation was filed on Friday moving for dismissal of the case “with prejudice,” meaning it cannot be refiled, against ABC and Corn, who allegedly assaulted Crawford during a 2015 work trip to Los Angeles for the Academy Awards. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The story. |
'Book of Clarence': Jeymes Samuel on His All-Black Biblical Epic ►"I just wanted to make a Biblical movie at least resembling the environment I grew up in." THR's man in London Alex Ritman spoke to The Harder They Fall director Jeymes Samuel about his new film The Book of Clarence. The Brit filmmaker returns with another wildly creative and music-soaked all-star ride, again led by Lakeith Stanfield and produced by Jay-Z but this time set in the Holy Land and featuring characters including Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary. The interview.
—"We’re here. We have been here and we will continue to be us." THR's nicest man Chris Gardner spoke to the equally nice Dominique Jackson. The actress, author and model, who will receive a leadership award at the National LGBTQ Task Force's Miami gala on Oct. 14, discusses her activism, the challenges she’s faced as her fame grew as a result of the popularity of Pose, dealing with agoraphobia and the surprise curveball of finding love like Whitney Houston did in The Bodyguard. The interview.
—On a global mission. THR's music editor Mesfin Fekadu spoke to Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. about the organization's international work. Mason discusses how the Academy has "been going to every corner of the world to learn and understand what’s happening and where we might be able to be helpful or in service." The interview. |
Film Review: 'Here' ►"Precisely where it should be." THR's Sheri Linden reviews Bas Devos' Here. A migrant worker meets a botanist who opens his eyes to a world of microscopic beauty in the Belgian filmmaker's Brussels-set mood piece. The review. In other news...
—Within Sand: First Saudi Arabian film to be shot in Neom, gets trailer
—Signal Awards: Oprah, Michelle Obama, Jon Stewart among winners of podcast honors
—Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things set to open Camerimage Festival
—Tokyo Film Festival: Zhang Yimou to receive Lifetime Achievement Award
—Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival reveals jury and lineup
—Disney promotes Lylle Breier to executive vp of marketing partnerships and special events
—SoFi Stadium aims to enhance concerts with Samsung Infinity Screen
What else we're reading...
—David Gilbert reports that the Israel-Hamas war is drowning X/Twitter in disinformation and Elon Musk isn't helping things by recommending well-known spreaders of dangerous nonsense [Wired]
—William E. Ketchum III (fantastic name) talked to 25 rappers, including Common, RZA and Jeezy, about the exact moment they fell in love with hip-hop [Vulture]
—Critic Alissa Wilkinson asks why we aren't watching more short films [Vox]
—With social media seemingly riven with abuse, disinformation and ads these days, Kyle Chayka reflects on why the internet isn't fun anymore [New Yorker]
—Annie Lowrey writes that Airbnb's recent fall from grace was not down to a government crackdown, but rather the vagaries of the housing market [Atlantic]
Today...
....in 2008, Mike Leigh's dramedy Happy-Go-Lucky was released in U.S. theaters. The critically-acclaimed film starred Sally Hawkins and earned Leigh a best original screenplay Oscar nomination. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Sarah Lancashire (59), Mya (44), Dan Stevens (41), Bradley Whitford (64), Joelle Carter (51), Charles Dance (77), Michael Giacchino (56), Jodi Benson (62), Peter Coyote (82), Julia Sweeney (64), Mario Lopez (50), Tanya Tucker (65), Kyle Allen (29), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (45), Rose McIver (35), Manu Bennett (54), Aimee Teegarden (34), Marc Menchaca (48), Maggie Elizabeth Jones (20), Jessica Harper (74), Chiaki Kuriyama (39), Rebecca Pidgeon (58), Andrea Navedo (54), Damaris Lewis (33), Tim Miller (59), S.S. Rajamouli (50), Martin Kemp (62) |
| Alan Eisenberg, the former longtime executive director of Actors’ Equity, died Oct. 7 in Rhinebeck, New York. He was 88. The obituary. |
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