What's news: Martin Scorsese's next film has landed at 20th Century Studios. Patrick Whitesell's new firm will be a minority investor in Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions. Netflix will release a doc about the making of its stage show, Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Sony's Zelda movie will arrive in March 2027. — Abid Rahman
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Jennifer Salke Exits Amazon MGM Studios
►License to leave. Jennifer Salke is stepping down as the head of Amazon MGM studios. The announcement was made in an internal email to staff by Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios head Mike Hopkins. She is exiting the company with plans to start a production outfit that already has an overall first-look deal across both film and TV at the studio. Amazon MGM will not be replacing Salke, instead having head of film Courtenay Valenti and head of TV Vernon Sanders handle their separate arms, both reporting in to Hokins. Salke joined Amazon in 2018, after a hard-fought executive search Roy Price, as the tech giant turned entertainment company was scaling up its original productions. During her time at Amazon, the studio went through a series of massive changes, including the acquisition of MGM in 2021 and, more recently, the acquisition of the creative rights to James Bond franchise. The story.
—Vamos! THR is set to debut a Spanish-language edition in partnership with Tasty Media. As part of a multiyear licensing deal, The Hollywood Reporter en Español will offer original content highlighting the best in Ibero-American cinema and television for Spanish-speaking readers. The launch of The Hollywood Reporter en Español follows THR’s expansion into Italy, India and Japan. The story.
—🤝 That was quick! 🤝 Patrick Whitesell has found his first deal. The former Endeavor executive chairman is making his first investment through his new Silver Lake backed firm: A stake in Peyton Manning‘s Omaha Productions. Whitesell’s firm will be a minority investor in Omaha, joining Peter Chernin’s North Road as a backer of the former NFL star’s media company. Manning and former ESPN executive Jamie Horowitz founded Omaha in 2020, starting with a building block of the Monday Night Football “Manningcast,” as well as other sports content. It has since expanded into scripted content, lifestyle fare, branded content, podcasts and other genres. The story.
—🤝 Thinking out of the box 🤝 In a global first, Warner Bros. Discovery‘s streaming platform Max is partnering with Le Monde and Télérama, to launch joint services in France bundling Max shows with news content from the French media groups. Le Monde is France’s leading national newspaper, with some 650,000 subscribers and millions of readers, online and off. Télérama, which specializes in culture and entertainment recommendations, serves a 6m-strong online community. The partnership will see Max’s offering, including hit HBO series House of the Dragons, The White Lotus and The Last of Us, packed together with Le Monde 's journalism and Télérama's coverage of the cultural scene, in France and internationally. The story.
—The latest. The Paris prosecutor’s office has requested an 18-month suspended prison sentence and a $21,500 fine for actor Gérard Depardieu in his sexual assault trial this week. Two women have accused the French acting legend of assaulting them on the set of the film The Green Shutters in 2021. The sentencing request, issued on Thursday, comes after a contentious four-day hearing in Paris. There have been more than 20 public allegations made against Depardieu alleging sexually inappropriate behavior, but this is the first time he has appeared in court. The story.
—Cha-ching. John Malone’s Liberty Media — which owns the Formula One racing circuit, and a stake in events promoter Live Nation Entertainment, among others — has disclosed that Greg Maffei’s 2024 compensation package amounted to $24.3m before giving up his president and CEO roles at the end of the year. Maffei had earned $28.7m in 2023, $22.4m in 2022, and $21.6m in 2021. In 2024, his stock awards rose to $8.7m from $7.1m, and he received a $1m bonus that he had not received in 2023. Early this year, Derek Chang was appointed president and CEO of Liberty Media. The story.
Sundance Film Festival Heading to Colorado
►Goodbye, Park City. The Sundance Film Festival has a new home. After four decades in Park City and a yearlong search process to find a new location at the expiration of its current contract, the beloved indie film festival is heading to Boulder, Colorado, for its 2027 iteration. Boulder beat out many other locations, most notably fellow finalists Cincinnati and Salt Lake City, the latter of which would have included some operations in Park City. The new contract with the city of Boulder and the state of Colorado will be for 10 years, Sundance officials confirmed. The story.
—🏆 Congrats to all! 🏆 GLAAD handed out its annual honors — celebrating media that showcases fair, accurate and inclusive representations of LGBTQ issues — on Thursday night in Los Angeles. Agatha All Along, Hacks, 9-1-1: Lone Star, My Old Ass, Will & Harper and breakout musical artist Doechii were among the winners at the 36th annual GLAAD Media Awards, in a ceremony hosted by Shrinking's Michael Urie. Cynthia Erivo was also a special honoree, receiving the Stephen F. Kolzak award. The winners.
—🏆 Ella leads the way 🏆 The 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards nominations have been revealed. First-time nominee Ella Langley leads this year’s nominees with eight nods, followed by seven-time nominees Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson and Cody Johnson and Chris Stapleton with six nods. Post Malone and Riley Green landed five nominations each. Wallen, Wilson, Johnson and Stapleton are all up the top prize of for entertainer of the year, along with Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs and Jelly Roll. Langley is up for female artist of the year and new female artist of the year and received six nominations for her song with Riley Green, “You Look Like You Love Me.” The nominees.
How the Middle East Conflict Is Playing Out at the Box Office
►"The reality is if you’re fascinated by No Other Land you’re probably not fascinated by October 8, and vice versa." This month, two starkly contrasting documentaries are drawing polarized audiences, defying mainstream Hollywood’s avoidance of the Israel-Gaza conflict. Oscar-winning doc No Other Land (which chronicles the Israeli government’s efforts to evict Palestinians from the southern West Bank) and October 8 (about the aftermath of Hamas' 10/7 terrorist attack) are both self-released films that have collectively sold 250,000 tickets, reflecting a hunger for unfiltered Middle East narratives. THR's Steven Zeitchik writes that their success underscores a divided culture, where viewers seek validation rather than dialogue. The analysis.
—"Profoundly bad statement." A number of documentary branch members have reacted angrily to a statement put out Wednesday by AMPAS leaders Bill Kramer and Janet Yang, which suggests that the beating and arrest of recent No Other Land Oscar-winner Hamdan Ballal is something Academy members will have “many unique viewpoints” on. In an email sent today to Kramer and Yang, AJ Schnack — a documentarian, branch member and founding director of the Cinema Eye Honors awards ceremony — wrote: “It’s hard for me to adequately express my deep disappointment and anger at the profoundly bad statement that was just sent to Academy members in your name." The story.
TV Academy Launches First-Ever TV Festival "Televerse"
►Shaking things up. Emmy voting has just gotten a little more interesting: The Television Academy is launching a first-ever TV festival, “Televerse,” that will offer fans and voters “unprecedented access” to Emmy-nominated shows. The festival will run from Aug. 14 to 15 at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. According to the TV Academy, plans are in progress with partners at every studio, network, platform and tech company to present “insider discussions, meet-and-greets, interactive exhibits, premieres and previews of upcoming programs” at this festival. Additionally, for the first time, voters attending Televerse will have access to Academy-sanctioned “for your consideration” panels with this year’s Emmy nominees prior to the final round of voting. The story.
—One for the super fans. Netflix will release a documentary about the making of its stage show, Stranger Things: The First Shadow. The documentary, Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things: The First Shadow, will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the play in London's West End, where it opened in December 2023. The doc will premiere on April 15. The news comes as The First Shadow heads into its first Broadway preview Friday at Marriott Marquis Theatre. The show is scheduled to open April 22. The story.
—Reacher's reach. Kate Hudson’s Netflix basketball comedy Running Point made a big bow on Nielsen’s latest streaming viewership snapshot even as Prime Video’s Reacher led the chart overall for the week. Reacher totaled up 1.48b minutes viewed during the Feb. 24-March 2 frame, Nielsen said in its weekly update on Thursday. Last week’s champ, Netflix’s Robert De Niro political thriller Zero Day, fell a spot overall with 1.47b as the No. 1 and 2 series swapped places in the most recent week in the data firm’s tally. Running Point , which chronicles the ups and downs of a pro basketball team that is not the Los Angeles Lakers (and is exec produced by Lakers owner Jeanie Buss), clocked in at No. 4 overall with more than a billion minutes viewed in its first week on Nielsen’s streaming chart. The streaming ratings.
20th Century Lands Scorsese's Hawaii-Set Crime Thriller
►Huge coup. Disney's 20th Century Studios has picked up the Hawaii-set crime thriller package that has Leonardo DiCaprio, Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt attached to star, and Martin Scorsese attached to direct. With a script by journalist and author Nick Bilton, the fact-based untitled movie is said to be in the mold of Scorsese’s Goodfellas and The Departed and center on a mob boss vying for control of the Hawaiian islands in the 1960s and 1970s. All the players will also be producers on the project. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 Sony is getting ready to lower the drawbridge for its forthcoming movie The Legend of Zelda. The studio’s live-action video game adaptation is set for theatrical release on March 26, 2027. Wes Ball, who helmed last year’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is directing the feature that has not yet announced plot details or a cast. The feature version of The Legend of Zelda adapts the Nintendo gaming franchise of the same name that launched in 1986. The story.
—📅 Heading to the big screen 📅 Director Mackenzie Donaldson’s film All the Lost Ones is set to hit select theaters on April 18 from Epic Pictures before debuting via digital platforms on April 22. The ensemble cast includes Devon Sawa, Douglas Smith, Jasmine Mathews, Sheila McCarthy, Steven Ogg and Vinessa Antoine. All the Lost Ones is set amid a dystopian America, where a civil war has torn the nation apart. The film centers on a group of individuals hiding out in a cabin when they are targeted by a ruthless rebel militia leader and his platoon. The story.
—🎭 One more 🎭 Alyssa Milano is joining the cast of Bobby Farrelly‘s comedy Driver’s Ed, currently in production. The Melrose Place and Charmed actress teams up with the director for the third time on the project, also starring Kumail Nanjiani, Molly Shannon, Sam Nivola, Sophie Telegadis, Mohana Krishnan, Aidan Laprete and Lilah Pate. Shooting in North Carolina, Driver’s Ed is an ensemble comedy about teens who steal their school’s driver’s ed car to go on a road trip to help a fellow student track down his college girlfriend and win her back. The story.
—🎭 Lethal casting 🎭 Margo Martindale will lead Dead Letters, a drama and debut feature from writer-director David Drake. In the feature, which wrapped production in New Mexico, Martindale plays a long-haul truck driver who, facing the potential parole of her daughter’s murderer, has to contend with her past, present and future. The ensemble includes Wes Studi, along with Stephen Root, Cole Sprouse, Yalitza Aparicio and Jefferson White. Sam Bank and Hélène Sifre of Braintrust produced Dead Letters with Juliet Berman of Spiral Stairs Entertainment. Martindale serves as exec producer. The story.
Film Review: 'The Woman in the Yard'
►"Brings a scary new meaning to "Get off my lawn!"" THR's Frank Scheck reviews Jaume Collet-Serra's The Woman in the Yard. The latest from Blumhouse revolves around a family who becomes rattled by a mysterious stranger who shows up at their isolated farmhouse. Starring Danielle Deadwyler, Okwui Okpokwasili, Peyton Jackson, Russell Hornsby and Estella Kahiha. The review.
—"Unflinching realism that leaves you breathless."THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland's Warfare. Shaped from Mendoza's memories of Navy SEALs on a 2006 mission in Iraq, the co-directors plunge the audience into the hell of combat in a visceral real-time nerve-shredder. Starring D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Taylor John Smith, Michael Gandolfini, Adain Bradley, Noah Centineo, Evan Holtzman, Henrique Zaga, Joseph Quinn and Charles Melton. The review.
—"Strong building materials elevate too-familiar design."THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews Hulu's Mid-Century Modern. Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick present a trio of gay friends living in Palm Springs in this show starring Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Nathan Lee Graham and the late Linda Lavin. The review.
—"Sex on the brain, for better and worse." THR's Angie Han reviews Hulu's Dying for Sex. Inspired by the Wondery podcast of the same title, the series follows a 40something woman who embarks on a journey of self-discovery after receiving a terminal diagnosis. Starring Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Rob Delaney, Esco Jouléy, David Rasche, Sissy Spacek, Kelvin Yu and Jay Duplass. The review.
Thank Pod It's Friday
►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—Awards Chatter.THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott spoke to Jean Smart. One of TV's all-time great comedy actresses, a six-time Emmy winner, reflects on why she walked away from her first hit show, Designing Women, mid-run; why she thinks she's had some of her greatest successes over the past decade, at an age at which many actresses can’t find any work; and what she finds to be the greatest challenges and rewards of playing standup comic Deborah Vance in Hacks. Listen here.
—It Happened in Hollywood.THR senior writer Seth Abramovitch goes behind the scenes of the pop culture moments that shaped Hollywood history. In this episode, Seth spoke to actress and singer Amy Irving. The star of Crossing Delancey, the ultimate "Jewish romcom," joins Seth to reminisce about making the 1988 charmer and shares memories of her marriage to Steven Spielberg. Listen here.
—Terry Manning, key architect of Stax Records’ Memphis sound, dies at 77
What else we're reading...
—Nitish Pahwa writes that hit shows like Apple's Severance, Hulu's Paradise, and Netflix's Squid Game all have one thing in common [Slate]
—Khushboo Razdan reports that American YouTuber IShowSpeed is being hailed in China for portraying a positive image of the country [SCMP]
—Ilya Gridneff reports that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney believes the old Canada-US relationship is "over" [FT]
—Nina Burleigh writes that, sadly, we live in "the age of Don Jr." as the president's failson has inexplicably become a power player [Intelligencer]
—Here's your Friday list: "Every live-action Disney remake, ranked" [Vulture]
What else we're seeing...
—Andrew J. Hawkins breaks down how Tesla's problems are more than just the increasingly erratic and extreme behavior of oligarch Elon Musk [Verge]
Today...
...in 1963, Alfred Hitchcock premiered his Psycho feature follow-up, The Birds, in New York. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Lady Gaga (39), Julia Stiles (44), Vince Vaughn (55), Dianne Wiest (77), Mike Newell (83), Reba McEntire (70), Nick Frost (53), Richard Kelly (50), Cailey Fleming (18), Flula Borg (43), Megan Suri (26), Orla Brady (64), Laura Harrier (35), Alexandra Billings (63), Dan Petronijevic (44), Adrian Lukis (68), Tracey Needham (58), Meaghan Oppenheimer (39), Shanna Moakler (50), Radu Jude (48), Chris Barrie (65), Erica Oyama (44), Ian Ousley (23), Gareth David-Lloyd (🏴44), Katrina Durden (35), Sam Lake (55), Stephen Ure (67), Siena Goines (56), Luke Roessler (18)
Dennis McDougal, who covered Hollywood for the Los Angeles Times before writing biographies of Lew Wasserman, Bob Dylan and Jack Nicholson, died Saturday of injuries suffered in a car crash. He was 77. The obituary.
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