| | | | What's news: Ayo Edebiri has dropped out of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Amazon MGM has acquired Irene Taylor's Celine Dion doc. The NFC Championship game averaged nearly 57m viewers for Fox. SiriusXM has acquired certain exclusive rights to the SmartLess podcast. Amelia Dimoldenberg is the face of the 2024 Oscars social media campaign. — Abid Rahman
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Milly Alcock to Play Supergirl ►Search is over. DC Studios has cast House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock as Supergirl/Kara Zor-El in its planned feature Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. The Aussie actress screen-tested for studio bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran last week, along with Meg Donnelly, who was also in contention for the role. Supergirl is expected to appear in a project (or two) before her solo adventure, but it’s unclear if that project will be Gunn’s Superman: Legacy, which begins filming this spring, or another DC movie or show. The story.
—Bad luck continues. Aussie actress Geraldine Viswanathan is set to replace Ayo Edebiri in Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts. Edebiri, who recently earned an Emmy for her role in FX series The Bear, had to exit the superhero pic due to scheduling conflicts. This is the latest recasting to hit the film that was delayed amid the Hollywood strikes. Last week, THR reported that Lewis Pullman is in talks to step in for Steven Yeun in the ensemble MCU project. The story.
—"An emotional, energetic, and poetic love letter to music." Amazon MGM has landed the worldwide rights to Celine Dion doc, I Am: Celine Dion. The film follows the superstar as she is diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome and continues to navigate her career. Sony Music Vision, Sony Music Entertainment Canada and Vermilion Films are behind the Irene Taylor directed film, which will stream on Prime Video. The story.
—🤝 Nonexclusive pact 🤝 A24 and UTA's Civic Center Media have announced a partnership to produce premium television. The nonexclusive pact will see the agency-housed shingle, which has backed series like The Great and Shrink Next Door, and the New York-based studio behind series like Beef and Euphoria partner for premium scripted, unscripted and documentary series. The story. |
Taylor Swift Search Re-enabled on X Following AI Nudes ►"We will continue to be vigilant." Taylor Swift's name is no longer drawing up a blank space on X. Searches for the singer’s name were disabled over the weekend, following an excess of pornographic AI nudes of her flooding the social media platform, which also wiped all results for “Taylor Swift nude” or “Taylor Swift AI.” Now, X has reinstated the ability to search for her name. The story.
—Living up to the hype. The primetime NFC Championship game averaged nearly 57m viewers for Fox, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen — and will likely surpass that once final ratings are in early Tuesday. The audience peaked at almost 59m viewers (58.97m) from 9:15-9:30 p.m. ET, late in the San Francisco 49ers’ 34-31 victory over the Detroit Lions. Sunday’s broadcast is on track to be Fox’s biggest NFC title game since 2012, when the New York Giants’ overtime win over the 49ers brought in 57.64m viewers. The ratings.
—🤝 Exclusive deal 🤝 SiriusXM has acquired certain exclusive rights to the popular podcast SmartLess, hosted by Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, in a multiyear agreement. As part of the deal, which is said to be over $100m, SiriusXM will provide exclusive content from the podcast for its subscribers, including early access to new episodes of SmartLess and SmartLess Media podcasts Just Jack & Will, Bad Dates and Owned. The majority of the SmartLess library will also be available only on SiriusXM. The story.
—"Some groundbreaking pop culture journalism is incoming." Amelia Dimoldenberg, the buzzy internet personality who hosts the viral celebrity interview series Chicken Shop Date, has been drafted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to serve as the face of the 2024 Oscars social media campaign. The role will find her acting as a social media ambassador and red carpet correspondent, participating in high-profile Oscar events during the rest of awards season leading up to the 96th annual Academy Awards. The story. |
Universal Orlando Unveils Epic Celestial Park ►One for Potterheads. Universal Orlando Resort has revealed the first official look at one of five new lands slated to open as part of its Universal Epic Universe park, and confirmed the themes of three additional lands. On Tuesday, the Florida-based theme park and resort teased Celestial Park, a land that embodies the literal “park” experience. It also confirmed the themes of Epic Universe’s three previously unannounced parks beyond Super Nintendo World: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk and Dark Universe. The story.
—"We’re dedicated to amplifying the visionary Black voices and creators." THR's Rebecca Sun reports that TikTok’s celebration of Black History Month this year includes its annual Visionary Voices list spotlighting Black creators as well as a number of in-app and in-real-life programs. A #BlackTikTok hub in the app will feature stories, livestreams and music from Black creators, businesses and nonprofits, such as Black Girl Ventures. The story.
—First pilot order. Reba McEntire, fresh off her run as a coach on NBC’s The Voice, will star in an untitled comedy that has earned a pilot order at the network. The multi-camera vehicle will reunite McEntire with former Reba showrunner Kevin Abbott, who is set to pen the script for the project. The potential series revolves around McEntire, who inherits her father’s restaurant and is less than thrilled to discover she has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew she had. The comedy is NBC’s first pilot order of the 2024 season. The story.
—"You’re seeing very clearly now that our stories are less of a priority." Issa Rae’s career as a Hollywood writer-producer has included four series developed through the studio system, but she says that recent industry tides have her considering alternate independent avenues as a creator in the future. In a new interview, the multihyphenate also says she relates to the message of American Fiction, which calls out the media’s narrow preferences for Black narratives. The story. |
Laurence Fox Loses "Pedophiles" Libel Case ►"I feel utterly bereft and totally hopeless." British actor Laurence Fox has lost a libel case with two men he called pedophiles on social media after they had called the My Son Hunter star a racist. On Monday, the High Court in the U.K. deemed that Fox had defamed Simon Blake, a former LGBT charity trustee, and Crystal, a drag artist and former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant, on Twitter/X in October 2020, when he called them pedophiles over an escalating row over Black History Month. The story.
—"A miracle." Shannen Doherty has provided a positive cancer update after revealing in November 2023 that her cancer had spread to her bones. The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum recently made an appearance on Let’s Be Informative…with Dr. Mirhadi, the podcast hosted by her radiation oncologist, Dr. Amin Mirhadi, to discuss being diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, treating it and coping with it. During the conversation, Doherty revealed that she was on a new cancer infusion that she didn’t want to name quite yet. The story.
—"It’s something positive and happy for the world." Add David Letterman to the list of Taylor Swift–Travis Kelce fans. The former talk show host took to Instagram to share his thoughts on the singer-songwriter and her relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, dismissing the criticism the couple have faced and described Swift as politically "a huge force, and I think just wants to see people do the right thing." The story. |
Gus Van Sant: "The Mellowest Man in Hollywood" ►"I’m a wild card because things that I’ve made are just kind of all over the place." THR's Mikey O'Connell spoke to Gus Van Sant about the FX/Hulu series Capote vs. The Swans, the second iteration of Ryan Murphy’s Feud franchise. The filmmaker also discusses the movies he didn’t make (Fifty Shades of Grey and … G.I. Joe?) — and working with Robin Williams, Matt Damon and one imposter. The interview.
—"I don’t want to live in a world in which we can only tell the stories of our own experiences." THR's Lacey Rose spoke to writer-director Lulu Wang about her Amazon Prime Video series Expats. Five years after breakout The Farewell, the filmmaker moves from her personal tale about family to a massive Hong Kong-set series starring Nicole Kidman. The interview.
—"It was basically a passion project that started very small, and then just grew over time." THR's Abbey White spoke to Hazbin Hotel creator and showrunner Vivienne Medrano about taking her long-gestating adult animated musical comedy from YouTube to Amazon Prime Video. Medrano discusses creating connective tissue between her original pilot and the eight-episode series, and how the R-rated show is "proving there's a lot that LGBT stories and adult animation can do." The interview. |
Austin Butler Talks 'Masters of the Air' ►"It was one of those no-brainer decisions. You’ve got Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Austin Butler about his new Apple TV+ World War II drama Masters of the Air. The Oscar-nominated actor discusses working with the creative team behind Band of Brothers and The Pacific, and raves about co-star Callum Turner. Butler also discusses Dune: Part Two. The interview.
—"We needed the technology to catch up to allow us to make something that you would believe is happening." THR's James Hibberd spoke to Masters of the Air executive producer Gary Goetzman, who discusses why the project took so long to come to the screen and whether there could ever be a remake of Band of Brothers. The interview.
—"I can tell you Reacher is going to kick the crap out of people." For THR, Demetrius Patterson spoke to Reacher showrunner Nick Santora about the season two finale of the Amazon Prime Video action drama. Santora shares some of his fondest memories of working on the season, offers the tidbits he felt comfortable sharing about the recently greenlit third season and his hopes for a fourth season. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
Film Review: 'Orion and the Dark' ►"A witty, imaginative delight." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Sean Charmatz's Orion and the Dark. Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser, Angela Bassett and Colin Hanks feature in the voice cast of this Netflix animated feature written by Charlie Kaufman that's an adaptation of Emma Yarlett's children's book about an anxious kid that is especially fearful when the lights go out. The review. In other news...
—Henry Cavill in first trailer for Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
—Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire trailer teases original cast taking down "tall, dark and horny" enemy
—Anime and Godzilla Minus One push Japan’s box office higher in 2023
—SZA to perform at 2024 Grammys
—Santa Barbara Film Fest: Holdovers star Paul Giamatti tapped for Cinema Vanguard Award
—Eklund Gomes reveals $3.77b in real estate sales in 2023
—Billion-dollar Watson Salari real estate team joins Official brokerage
—Silver Tribe Media taps Jen Simons and Lagen Nash for c-suite roles
What else we're reading...
—Esther Zuckerman writes that Justin Timberlake's appearance on SNL had the air of desperation [Atlantic]
—Helen Holmes writes that the Nicki Minaj vs. Megan Thee Stallion diss track beef keeps getting uglier with references to the sex offender registry and foot fetishes [Daily Beast]
—Dorian Lynskey delves into the slave trade links of the writer of "Amazing Grace," often dubbed the most beloved song in the U.S. [BBC]
—Theo Francis reports that Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings has donated $1.1b to a charity popular with tech billionaires because it gives them tax breaks and privacy [WSJ]
—Dorothy Ma, Alice Huang, and Pearl Liu report on the liquidation of massive Chinese property company Evergrande that collapsed under a whopping $300b of liabilities [Bloomberg]
Today...
...in 1931, United Artists unveiled the silent film City Lights, starring, written, directed and produced by Charlie Chaplin. The film would make over $4m worldwide and become a classic, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Vanessa Redgrave (87), Olivia Colman (50), Christian Bale (50), Gene Hackman (94), Phil Collins (73), Ann Dowd (68), Steven Zaillian (71), Kid Cudi (40), Wilmer Valderrama (44), Darren Boyd (53), Brett Butler (66), Charles S. Dutton (73), Josh Kelley (44), Marc Turtletaub (78), Amelia Dimoldenberg (30), Eiza González (30), Kim Spradlin Wolfe (41), Danielle Campbell (29), Valene Kane (37), Kylie Bunbury (35), Khleo Thomas (35), Jussi Vatanen (46), Daniel di Tomasso (41), Norbert Leo Butz (57), Melanie Walters (62🏴), Myk Watford (53), Jordan Prentice (51) |
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