| | | | | | What's news: WBD is going through another round of layoffs. Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has filed a motion for a new trial. Apple has renewed Loot for a third season. A Madonna biopic is back in the works. Halle Berry has dropped out of Hulu's Ryan Murphy series All's Fair. Willow Bay and Bob Iger are set to buy Angel City Football Club. — Abid Rahman
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Feinberg Forecast: Scott's Final Emmy Picks ►Almost time. This morning, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will reveal its nominees for the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. Ahead of the final reveal, THR's awards expert Scott Feinberg unveils his own final predictions, and he has particularly strong showings for FX's Shogun and The Bear and Netflix's Baby Reindeer and Ripley. The Feinberg Forecast.
—🤝 Streaming deal 🤝 AMC Networks is betting that the “Netflix Effect” can bring its magic to a sizable portion of its lineup. A whole batch of shows from AMC are heading to Netflix in a new deal between the companies. AMC said Tuesday that it has inked a deal with the streaming giant that will bring the prior seasons of 13 different series to the platform. Most of the shows will launch on Netflix on Aug. 19, with two others to become available in early 2025. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and Interview With the Vampire are among the shows heading to Netflix next month. The story.
—More pain. Another round of layoffs has hit Warner Bros. Discovery. Employees in several different groups across WBD have been impacted, including in the finance division, production and in business affairs. A very small number of employees were also laid off from Max, according to a source familiar with the matter. The layoffs come days after CNN, owned by WBD, announced layoffs of 100 staffers, or 3 percent of its workforce. The story.
—"[The] current composition as a consolidated public company is not working." On Tuesday, a team of Wall Street analysts at Bank of America threw more kindling on the speculative Hollywood M&A fire in a report that suggests that the “status quo” at Warner Bros. Discovery, where the stock price is down 30 percent year-to-date, isn’t cutting it. In a report, titled “Is Unbundling the Answer?,” the analysts posit a few scenarios, including asset sales — BoFA thinks CNN, for example, could potentially be worth $6b if spun off — and also a potential merger or partnership with a broadcast network. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Willow Bay and her husband, Disney CEO Bob Iger, have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Angel City Football Club for $250m. The purchase makes the L.A.-based soccer team the most valuable women’s sports team in the world. The couple will invest an additional $50m to support the club’s future growth. Bay, who is the dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, will serve on and have full control of the ACFC Board of Directors. The story. |
Will the 'Rust' Armorer Walk, Too? ►"How can it be any different with Ms. Gutierrez-Reed’s case?" THR's Rebecca Keegan reports that Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has filed a motion for a new trial — or for a dismissal of her case — in the wake of new ballistics evidence and “egregious prosecutorial misconduct” that was revealed during Alec Baldwin's trial last week. Gutierrez-Reed is currently serving out an 18-month prison sentence in the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, after a Santa Fe jury found her guilty of involuntary manslaughter on March 6. The story.
—What of the other Rust players? Now that a New Mexico judge has dismissed Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter case, the Rust saga moves to a new stage, albeit one that will still keep plenty of lawyers busy. Rebecca details what’s next for the various players involved with the tragedy afflicted indie Western. The story. |
Jon Stewart Reacts to Trump's Assassination Attempt ►"We dodged a catastrophe." Jon Stewart has weighed in on the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. The Daily Show host detailed his thoughts during his first time hosting the show since the weekend’s dramatic events. Stewart compared the feeling of watching the Trump shooting to 9/11. "[It] was obviously terrifying and disorienting," Stewart told his audience. The story.
—Curiosity piqued. Interest in J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy is soaring after the author and Ohio senator was selected to be Trump’s running mate. The 2016 memoir from Vance became the number one and number two best-selling books on Amazon Tuesday, representing both the paperback and hardcover editions of the book. The 2020 film adaptation, which was directed by Ron Howard and starred Amy Adams and Glenn Close, is also surging on Netflix. The story.
—End of an era. Marvin Levy, the veteran marketing and publicity professional who has worked exclusively for Steven Spielberg since 1977, is retiring. Levy, who began his career in the 1950s, was employed at Columbia Pictures when Spielberg made Close Encounters of the Third Kind for the studio. He and the filmmaker hit it off, and Levy soon left to become Spielberg’s full-time consigliere, of sorts, shaping the promo and awards campaigns of dozens of Spielberg projects including E.T., The Color Purple, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, Munich and Bridge of Spies. The story.
—Breaking records. The Outsiders box office continued to climb in the aftermath of Tony Awards, with the musical bringing in $1.4m for the week ended July 14. This is the fourth week in a row that the Broadway musical, which won the Tony for best musical on June 16, has broken the house record at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Capacity for the show, which is based on the young adult novel by S.E. Hinton, has remained around 100 percent or above since the start of previews in March. The story.
—"That was not me last night." Ingrid Andress has addressed her controversial performance of the national anthem at the MLB Home Run Derby. In a statement shared on social media, Andress wrote, “I’m not gonna bullshit y’all, I was drunk last night. I’m checking myself into a facility today to get the help I need.” She then apologized for her performance, sharing, “That was not me last night. I apologize to MLB, all the fans, and this country I love so much for that rendition. I’ll let y’all know how rehab is I hear it’s super fun.” The story.
—"I want a big break after all this." Following her Las Vegas residency, Adele is ready for a break. In a new interview, Adele shared that her “tank is quite empty” after her lengthy run of performances, an emotional and consuming experience for the Brit singer. "I don’t have any plans for new music at all," she confirmed. "I think I want to do other creative things just for a little while." The story.
—A peek inside genius. Michael Mann is offering behind-the-scenes access to his filmmaking process with the launch of his Archives site. The online project debuted Tuesday, with a focus on his 2023 feature Ferrari. Users can purchase access to the site, and there is a plan to create future pages focused on other Mann movies. The Archives site includes 20 previously unseen mini-doc videos highlighting the making of the film and the technology involved. Also included are the iconic filmmaker’s annotated script pages, notes, photo storyboards and an array of audio recordings. The story. |
Netflix Orders New Horror Series From the Duffer Brothers ►Keeping them close. Stranger Things may be nearing its end, but Netflix wants to stay in business with creators the Duffer Brothers. The streamer has ordered a new series called Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen. Haley Z. Boston is the creator and showrunner of the series, with the Duffer Brothers and Hilary Leavitt producing on behalf of their Upside Down Pictures banner. The logline for the show describes it as "an atmospheric horror series set at a wedding, following a bride and groom in the week leading up to their ill-fated nuptials." The story.
—Quick exit. Halle Berry is no longer starring in or executive producing Ryan Murphy's upcoming Hulu legal drama All's Fair due to a scheduling conflict with another project. Earlier this month, it was announced that the Oscar-winner was joining the A-list cast and executive producing team also made up of Kim Kardashian and Glenn Close, who are producing alongside Murphy and 20th Television. The story.
—🎭 Award-winning addition 🎭 Amazon Prime Video’s Young Sherlock series is adding another big name to its cast. Oscar-winner Colin Firth has joined the Guy Ritchie-directed show, which is inspired by author Andy Lane’s Young Sherlock Holmes novel series. Firth joins a cast that also includes Hero Fiennes Tiffin in the title role, Joseph Fiennes and Natascha McElhone as Sherlock’s parents and Zine Tseng as Princess Gulun Shou’an. Firth will play a character named Sir Bucephalus Hodge; details on the role are being kept quiet for now. The story.
—🎭 A winning hand 🎭 Katie Holmes, Kumail Nanjiani, Giancarlo Esposito and Gaby Hoffmann have all been tapped as guest stars for season two of the hit Peacock series Poker Face. The murder mystery show starring Natasha Lyonne and created by Rian Johnson has a homicide-of-the-week format. The second season doesn’t yet have a premiere date. The first season had 10 episodes. The story. |
'The Boys' Star on How S4 Sets Up a Perilous Final Season ►"We’re in a mad dash to the finish line and the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been." For THR, Demetrius Patterson spoke to The Boys star Nathan Mitchell, who plays the pivotal role of Black Noir in season four of the Amazon Prime Video show. Mitchell discusses his approach to playing two totally different people in the same masked suit, his favorite scene, and what viewers can expect from the season finale. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—Back for more. Apple TV+ has ordered a third season of Loot, the comedy series starring and executive produced by Maya Rudolph. The renewal comes seven weeks after Loot completed its second season. The show centers on Molly Wells (Rudolph), who as the series begins is finalizing a billion-dollar divorce settlement with her tech-CEO husband (Adam Scott). The comedy also features Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Nat Faxon, Ron Funches and Joel Kim Booster. The story.
—📅 Lead in the way 📅 Fox will use its biggest possible launchpad — Sunday NFL games — to help introduce two of its three new series for the fall to viewers. The animated comedy Universal Basic Guys will premiere after an NFL doubleheader on Sept. 8 and air a new episode each week before settling into its regular place behind The Simpsons toward the end of that month. Rescue: Hi-Surf, a drama about lifeguards in Hawaii, will also get a post-NFL premiere on Sept. 22, then move to its full-time home the following night. The story.
—Two to renew. Investigation Discovery has renewed the Octavia Spencer-produced true-crime series Lost Women and the Oscar-winner's docuseries FBI docuseries Feds. The renewals spring from a production deal between Spencer’s Orit Entertainment, October Films, discovery+ and ID. The next cycle of the Lost Women franchise will focus on the brutal murders of two Alaska indigenous women, Veronica Abouchuk and Kathleen Jo Henry, and the investigation that led authorities to capture and convict their sadistic killer, Brian Steven Smith. The story.
—Gollllll!!!!!!!! The finales of two major continental soccer tournaments brought in big TV audiences on Sunday. Both Fox and Univision set records for their telecasts of the Euro 2024 final between Spain and England and the Copa America final, featuring Argentina and Colombia. Spain-England drew a combined 9.43m viewers Sunday afternoon, and in primetime, Argentina’s victory over Colombia averaged 11.63m across the two networks. Fox topped 6m viewers for both contests. The ratings. |
'Nutcrackers' to Open Toronto ►Grand opening, grand closing. Nutcrackers, David Gordon Green’s heartfelt comedy starring Ben Stiller, is set to open the 2024 Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 5. The TIFF opener — marking Stiller’s first starring role in a movie since Mike White’s Brad’s Status and Noah Baumbach’s Netflix family drama The Meyerowitz Stories in 2017 — will have a world premiere at Roy Thomson Hall. TIFF also announced Tuesday that The Deb, Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut and adapted from the original hit musical of the same name in Australia, will close this year's fest. The story.
—Sure-fire hit. Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions are looking to catch a box office wave after picking up the North American rights to The Surfer, the psychological thriller from director Lorcan Finnegan that stars Nicolas Cage as a beach bum on the edge of his sanity. With a 2025 theatrical release set, the fourth feature from the Vivarium director and screenwriter Thomas Martin has Cage playing a father who returns to his beachside hometown in Australia, but is harassed by a local gang of surfers. The story.
—It's on again? Madonna's biopic is back in the works, nearly a year and a half after news broke that it wasn’t moving forward. The film about the singer’s life, which was set to chronicle her decades-long career, was originally set at Universal Pictures, but the plans fell through in January 2023. In a new Instagram post, Madonna shared a compilation of photos of her working on a typewriter, with an array of papers around her. In one of the shots, a potential title is seen on the first page of what looks like a script. The story.
—📅 Dated 📅 Bad Fairies, an animated feature hailing from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Locksmith Animation, is set to hit theaters July 23, 2027. The movie from director Megan Nicole Dong, known for creating and directing the Netflix animated musical series Centaurworld, is currently in production in London. The studios behind the film have also announced that Tony winners Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss will write the songs for Bad Fairies. The story. |
Lee Isaac Chung Says 'Twisters' Is a Road Movie… With Tornadoes ►"When people saw the headline that I was doing Twisters, it didn’t make sense to them. It will once they see the movie." THR's Mikey O'Connell spoke to Lee Isaac Chung about his new film, Twisters. The Oscar-nominated Minari filmmaker, opens up about making his play for box office gold with a classic summer blockbuster, why Hollywood is minting fewer movie stars and what it’ll take to bring production back to Los Angeles. The interview.
—"I just don’t feel like films are meant to be message-oriented." Twisters is racking up positive reviews (currently at 84 percent “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes), but the one thing the movie doesn’t have: A reference to climate crisis. Lee Issac Chung spoke to CNN about why his film avoids the topic of climate crisis, saying, "I wanted to make sure that we are never creating a feeling that we’re preaching a message, because that’s certainly not what I think cinema should be about. I think it should be a reflection of the world." The story.
In other news...
—Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson face-off in A Different Man trailer
—Andra Day fights for her life, faith in The Deliverance trailer
—Gypsy Rose Blanchard to narrate audiobook edition of memoir
—Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer’s Office Ladies podcast moves to Audacy
—Joe Manganiello denies Sofía Vergara’s claims about divorce
—Drake’s Toronto mansion flooded from torrential downpour
—Dior taps Lewis Hamilton as ambassador, reveals guest capsule collection
—Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, father of Kobe Bryant, dies at 69
—Amazon Prime Day 2024: These are the best deals to shop in every category, from tech to beauty devices
—Meta’s faster, more immersive Quest 3 VR headset gets its first discount for Prime Day
What else we're reading...
—Marc Tracy reports on the uproar over a new backstory Marvel has given Israeli superhero Sabra who will feature in Captain America 4 [NYT]
—In a tribute piece, Jen Chaney writes that Shannen Doherty, through her TV characters, elevated bitchiness to an art form [Vulture]
—Trending again is this J.D. Vance piece penned in 2016, that warns against Donald Trump, comparing the then presidential candidate to heroin [Atlantic]
—Rachel M. Cohen explains why the DNC is accelerating Joe Biden’s nomination [Vox]
—After Amber Rose's appearance at the RNC, Danielle Cohen writes that the pseudo-celeb's MAGA rebrand is complete [The Cut]
Today...
...in 1959, Alfred Hitchcock unveiled his latest suspense thriller, North by Northwest, in theaters in Los Angeles. The film, starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, was nominated for three Oscars at the 32nd Academy Awards. The original review.
Today's birthdays: David Hasselhoff (72), Wong Kar-wai (66), Justine Triet (46), Brett Goldstein (44), F. Gary Gray (55), Billie Lourd (32), Jason Clarke (55), Eric Winter (48), Sarah Jones (41), Dagmara Dominczyk (48), Grace Caroline Currey (28), Elena Anaya (49), Mike Vogel (45), Tom Cullen (🏴 39), Alex Winter (59), Stefania Spampinato (42), Simon West (63), Catherine Schell (80), Jessica Amlee (30), P.J. Soles (74), Cécile de France (49), Heather Langenkamp (60), Robert Romanus (68), Katharine Towne (46), Alun Armstrong (78), Summer Bishil (36), John Ventimiglia (61), Lucie Arnaz (73), Brando Eaton (38), Mélanie Thierry (43), Robin Shou (64), Perla Haney-Jardine (27), Beth Littleford (56), Anna Grace Barlow (30), Charlie Shotwell (17) |
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