| | | | | | What's news: CBS' The Talk will end with its 15th season. WB became the first Hollywood studio to clear the $1b mark at the global box office in 2024. Paul Walter Hauser will play Chris Farley in a biopic directed by Josh Gad. Roku says that it has uncovered a new data breach impacting 576,000 accounts. Two more IATSE Locals have reached tentative deals with the AMPTP. — Abid Rahman
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Awards Season Calendar 2024-2025 ►📅 Key dates 📅 With the 2024 Oscars now in the rearview mirror, Hollywood’s focus turns to Emmy season. A number of TV awards shows are set to take place over the next few months, including the BAFTA TV Awards, the newly announced Gotham TV Awards, the Critics Choice Real TV Awards and, of course, the Primetime Emmys, which are returning to September after the strike-delayed 2023 Emmys was pushed to January 2024. THR has put together a month-by-month guide to upcoming awards-related activities. The schedule.
—🏆 Congrats to all! 🏆 The Holdovers, American Fiction and Succession were among the winners at the 2024 Writers Guild Awards, which were handed out Sunday night in simultaneous ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles. Best adapted screenplay was presented to American Fiction, the winner for the best adapted screenplay Oscar, while The Holdovers won the award for best original screenplay. (The winner of the best original screenplay Oscar, Anatomy of a Fall, was deemed ineligible for the WGA Awards.) The winners.
—"See you on the picket line in 2026." The 2023 writers strike was raised at the WGA Awards on Sunday. More than half a year after the end of its 148-day strike, the writers' union and host Niecy Nash-Betts took raunchy and at times brutal shots at AMPTP president Carol Lombardini. The recap.
—"It was the right thing to do." Speaking at the WGA Awards, Drew Carey opened up about the hefty investment he made by paying for striking writers’ meals at two Los Angeles-area restaurants in 2023. The comedian addressed his decision to pay for WGA members’ meals at Bob’s Big Boy and Swingers over the course of the 148-day strike. Carey revealed that the last time he paid for writers’ meals, the total bill came out to about $67,000. The story.
—🏆 Lovely jubbly! 🏆 Nicole Scherzinger, Succession's Sarah Snook, a revival of the musical Sunset Boulevard and the play Stranger Things: The First Shadow were among the winners at the 2024 Olivier Awards, which celebrate achievements in London theater. The ceremony at Royal Albert Hall in the British capital was hosted by Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham. The winners. |
Cannes Critics' Week Unveils 2024 Lineup ►63rd edition. The Cannes Critics’ Week, the parallel film festival sidebar organized by the French film critics’ union, has unveiled its 2024 selection. The psychological thriller Ghost Trail, the first feature from acclaimed French shorts director Jonathan Millet, will open the sidebar. The lineup.
—"Just the variety of the donors has been incredible." Cinema for Gaza, a group launched by a small group of female filmmakers and film journalists, has successfully raised more than $315,000 via a celebrity auction to support medical aid for the civilian population in Gaza. The event was supported by the likes of Tilda Swinton, Annie Lennox, Joaquin Phoenix, Spike Lee and Guillermo del Toro and raised money for Medical Aid for Palestinians a U.K.-based charity that provides on-the-ground medical support, from sterile water to cancer drugs, for those living in Gaza. The story.
—This seems bad. The streaming video platform Roku says that it has uncovered a new data breach impacting 576,000 accounts. On Friday, the company said it uncovered the new “incident” while investigating last month’s security breach, in which 15,000 accounts were compromised. Rather than a hacker breaking into Roku’s system, the attack utilized a technique called “credential stuffing,” with the accounts compromised by hackers that obtained log-in data from other sources. The story.
—🤝 More tentative deals 🤝 Two more IATSE Locals — covering set lighting professionals and costume designers — have reached tentative agreements on craft-specific issues with Hollywood’s top studios and streamers. IATSE Local 728, whose members include lighting programmers and chief rigging technicians, reached a provisional deal with the AMPTP on Thursday, IATSE announced on Friday. Meanwhile, on Tuesday the Costume Designers Guild (IATSE Local 892) announced on Instagram that it had also agreed to a tentative deal with the AMPTP. The story. |
'Civil War' Opens No. 1 With History-Making $25.7M for A24 ►Garland of flowers. Dystopian action movie Civil War conquered the domestic box office this weekend with $25.7m, ahead of expectations and scoring A24’s biggest opening ever. Alex Garland's much-discussed $50m movie about a divided America is a big swing for A24 as it tries to produce bigger movies, marking its most expensive production to date. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that there are clearly split feelings about the film, with moviegoers only bestowing it with a B- CinemaScore, while PostTrack exits were mixed. Civil War's audience skewed heavily male at 73 percent.
Warner Bros. and Legendary's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire stayed a strong No. 2 in its third outing, grossing $15.5m for a domestic total of $157.9m and $436.6m globally. Dune: Part 2 earned $4.3m for a domestic cume of $272.3m and a massive global haul of $683.9m. Thanks to Dune 2 and Godzilla, WB is the first Hollywood studio this year to clear the $1b mark at the international box office.
Dev Patel’s action pic Monkey Man met an unhappy fate in its second weekend, tumbling to No. 6 with $4m for a 10-day domestic total of $17.6m. It earned another $1.3m overseas from 27 markets, for a global total of $22.8m. The box office report.
—Still packing them in. Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning anime The Boy and the Heron floated to an easy second-weekend win at China’s theatrical box office, earning $12.8m from Friday to Sunday. The Studio Ghibli blockbuster has now earned a massive $93.8m in China, with local ticketing app Maoyan projecting that it will soon sail past the $100m mark. Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire added $10.7m in its third frame. The tentpole’s China total sits at $110.3m and is projected to climb as high as $130m. The China box office report. |
Cats Are Finally Having a Big Hollywood Meow-Ment ►These kittens have claws. From Ripley to A Quiet Place: Day One to Argylle and The Marvels, THR's James Hibberd writes that cats are getting dramatic roles in live-action projects they can really sink their claws into. But why cats, and why now? The story.
—Family affair. Emma Stone and husband Dave McCary are in talks to work together on an untitled Universal project, with Stone as the star and McCary as the director. Young Rock supervising producers Patrick Kang and Michael Levin wrote the original spec screenplay for the film. However, details about the project are being kept under wraps for now. Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen and Dan Levine are set to produce through 21 Laps alongside Michael H. Weber. The married couple and Ali Herting are also in talks to produce through Fruit Tree. The story.
—🎭 Hauser! 🎭 Chris Farley, the late Saturday Night Live star, is getting the biopic treatment. Emmy winner Paul Walter Hauser will lead the project that has actor-filmmaker Josh Gad attached to direct. SNL patriarch Lorne Michaels will produce via his Broadway video banner. The screenplay will be written by sought after duo Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber based on the New York Times best-selling biography The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts by Tom Farley Jr. and Tanner Colby. The story.
—🎭 Another addition 🎭 Musician Naomi McPherson is joining the star-packed cast of SNL 1975, Jason Reitman's forthcoming film about the debut night of the long-running NBC sketch series Saturday Night Live. McPherson will make their acting debut as singer-songwriter Janis Ian, a musical guest on the first episode of SNL that aired Oct. 11, 1975. The cast includes Gabriel LaBelle as series creator Lorne Michaels, Cooper Hoffman as former NBC exec Dick Ebersol and Rachel Sennott as Michaels’ ex-wife and former SNL writer Rosie Shuster. The story.
—🎭 Award-winning additions 🎭 Helen Hunt and Dustin Hoffman have signed on to star in the new, still-untitled feature from British director Peter Greenaway. The Oscar-winners join a cast that includes Sofia Boutella, Giacomo Gianniotti, Jonno Davies and Laura Morante. The drama is the first feature from Greenaway, who is best known for The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, since 2015’s Eisenstein in Guanajuato. Principal photography for the film has begun in Lucca, Italy. The story.
—Off to the races. Justin Lin has come aboard to direct Stakehorse, a crime thriller set up at Amazon MGM Studios. The filmmaker behind several Fast and Furious movies and his Perfect Storm Entertainment banner will also produce the feature, joining Hidden Pictures. Justin Piasecki wrote the script, which landed near the top of the 2023 Black List, but full details are being kept under wraps. It is known that it centers on a horse vet who has a side hustle doing medical work for criminals who may need to work off the books. The story. |
Conan's Excellent Adventure ►"Look, I’m not just white. I’m maybe one of the whitest people in America." THR's Mikey O'Connell spoke to hot sauce maestro Conan O'Brien about his new Max show Conan O’Brien Must Go. With the new travel series and a thriving podcast operation, late night’s retired oddball predicts the future of his old genre and reflects on the Tonight Show debacle. The interview.
—The silence. CBS is bringing its daytime show The Talk to an end. The network announced Friday that the show will return for a shortened 15th season in the fall and will air its final episode in December. The Talk, created by Sara Gilbert, debuted on CBS in 2010 with Gilbert, Julie Chen Moonves, Holly Robinson Peete, Sharon Osbourne and Leah Remini as its hosts. The show has cycled through several groups of hosts over its tenure; the current panel features Sheryl Underwood, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales and Jerry O’Connell. The story.
—Good and bad news. Paramount+ has made two big decisions about its Star Trek universe. Live-action series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been renewed for a fourth season, while animated comedy show Star Trek: Lower Decks will end with its previously announced upcoming fifth season, expected to air sometime this year. The story.
—🎭 New companion confirmed 🎭 A first look production photo for the second season of Doctor Who has confirmed Varada Sethu is the newest companion. Millie Gibson will also return after the first season on Disney+ to save the world with Ncuti Gatwa as the fifteenth Doctor. BBC Studios released photos from a table read for the latest season of Doctor Who on Friday that introduced Sethu as the second companion to trip through space and time. The story. |
Eleanor Coppola 1936 - 2024 ►Emmy-winner. Eleanor Coppola, the matriarch of a Hollywood dynasty who directed the documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse and helmed her first narrative feature at age 80, died Friday. She was 87. Survivors include her husband of 61 years, five-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, 85; their daughter, Sofia Coppola, the director, producer and Oscar-winning screenwriter; and their son, Roman Coppola, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter. The obituary. |
Why 'Civil War' Is Making Audiences So Uncomfortable ►"Civil War is an abrasive and uncomfortable film, not because it fully subscribes to any particular ideology, but because it doesn’t." For THR, Richard Newby dives deep into the often fractious debate online about Alex Garland's Civil War. Richard writes that the Ex Machina filmmaker's latest feature is difficult to watch because it does not give people clearly defined sides to root for (or against). Warning: Spoilers! The analysis.
—"It is an important film, but I also know that it’s timeless. It’s not about any particular place or time." THR's Brian Davids spoke to veteran actor Stephen McKinley Henderson about his pivotal role in Civil War. Henderson discusses Garland’s decision to not choose sides in the film's central conflict, instead basing the movie from the objective perspective of its journalist characters. He also discusses filming his parts as mentat Thufir Hawat in Dune: Part Two, that were sadly left on the cutting room floor. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
'Fallout' Showrunners Talk S1 and Show's Violence ►"I feel like this stayed whimsical, stayed fun, and doesn’t take itself too seriously." THR's James Hibberd spoke to Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner, showrunners behind Amazon Prime Video's Fallout. The duo discuss how Fallout evolved over the course of its development, what kind of violence was considered too extreme, and what lessons they learned from executive producer Jonathan Nolan. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"She's terrible at it, but she tries really hard." For THR, Brande Victorian spoke to Maya Rudolph about season two of Apple TV+'s comedy series Loot. Rudolph discusses playing and dressing the part of a billionaire, what the series has taught her about being a producer, and working with longtime friend Ana Gasteyer in season two. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"This part of him has been coded into the show at least since season two." For THR, Max Gao spoke to 911 co-creator and showrunner Tim Minear about the midseason finale of the hit ABC procedural drama. Minear discusses his decision to have Oliver Stark’s Evan Buckley explore his attraction to a former male firefighter. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I literally felt like I was an actress getting my first meaningful part [with Stranger Things]." For THR, Josh Wigler spoke to Linda Hamilton about Syfy's Resident Alien and her upcoming appearance in the final season of Netflix's Stranger Things. The iconic actress speaks about her storied career, what's ahead — and why she's never going back to Terminator. The interview. |
Film Review: 'Challengers' ►"Game, set and match." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Luca Guadagnino's Challengers. Complicated interpersonal history gets tangled with the competitive drive of pro tennis in this intense round of action on and off the court, starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist. The review.
In other news...
—Dua Lipa set as SNL host and musical guest in May
—Russo Brothers’ AGBO adds Chris Brearton as partner
—Ron Weiner, Emmy-winning director for Donahue, dies at 93
—Robert MacNeil, longtime PBS anchor, dies at 93
—Roberto Cavalli, legendary Italian fashion designer, dies at 83
What else we're reading...
—With Donald Trump's New York criminal trial beginning today, Charlie Mahtesian and Calder McHugh have a handy cheat sheet to get everyone up to speed [Politico]
—Zach Schonfeld reflects on the recent spate of music biopics (and the deluge of films still to come!) and writes that only the fake biopics are worth watching [Guardian]
—Paul Farhi looks at what's behind the collapse in traffic for right-wing media sites such as Drudge Report, The Federalist and The Daily Caller [Atlantic]
—With some Gen Zers tut-tutting Sex and the City since it hit Netflix, Claire Moses explains why millennials and Gen X can't quit the show [NYT]
—Reflecting on the public toilets found in Wim Wenders' excellent Perfect Days, Justin Davidson writes that Tokyo's lavvies will put those found in America to shame [Curbed]
Today...
...in 1954, MGM’s star-studded drama Executive Suite held its premiere in Hollywood. The film went on to earn four Oscar nominations at the 27th Academy Awards, including for best supporting actress (Nina Foch), art direction, cinematography and costume design. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Emma Watson (34), Emma Thompson (65), Seth Rogen (42), Luke Evans (🏴45), Alice Braga (41), Paula Pell (61), Samira Wiley (37), Andy Daly (53), Arian Moayed (44), Toheeb Jimoh (27), Linda Perry (59), Susanne Bier (64), Reed Morano (47), Maisie Williams (27), Claudia Cardinale (86), Thomas F. Wilson (65), Cody Christian (29), Danny Pino (50), Karen David (45), Trine Dyrholm (52), Susan Ward (48), Madeleine Martin (31), Lois Chiles (77), Cooper Barnes (45), Sam McMurray (72), Fay Masterson (50), Clara Galle (22), Kamala Lopez (60), Flex Alexander (54), Siobhan Hewlett (41), Leonie Elliott (36), William Belleau (42), Damien Dante Wayans (44), Ester Dean (38), Luvia Petersen (46), Daniel Croix (29), Alexandra Masangkay (32), Olivier Nakache (51) |
| Rico Wade, a key Outkast producer and member of Organized Noize, who also co-founded the Dungeon Family collective, has died. He was 52. The obituary. |
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