| | What's news: ABC pulls Backstreet Boys holiday special. Mike Flanagan to adapt The Dark Tower for TV. Kristen Stewart to head Berlin Film Festival jury. The British press is apoplectic over Harry & Meghan. An Election sequel is in the works. Lorene Scafaria will helm the Bee Gees movie. — Abid Rahman |
Trevor Noah Bids Farewell to 'Daily Show' ►"I’m grateful to you, every single one of you." An emotional Trevor Noah hosted The Daily Show one last time on Thursday night. After his final monologue, the correspondents, including Dulcé Sloan, Desi Lydic, Ronny Chieng, Jordan Klepper and Roy Wood Jr., took turns to say goodbye to Noah. The comedian then reflected on his journey with the Comedy Central show, and in his final sign-off, a visibly moved Noah took a few minutes to thank the Black women who shaped his life. The recap. —Pulled. ABC will no longer air its planned Backstreet Boys holiday special this month. The decision to pull the special follows a lawsuit filed Thursday alleging that band member Nick Carter raped a 17-year-old fan on his tour bus after a 2001 concert in Tacoma, Washington. Carter’s attorney Michael Holtz called the allegations “not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue.” A Very Backstreet Holiday was scheduled for Dec. 14 but has been pulled from the network’s schedule, and comedy reruns will air in its place. The story. —"A once in a generation artist and storyteller." Taylor Swift will make her feature directorial debut with Searchlight Pictures. The pop sensation has penned an original script, which will be produced by the studio. Swift recently wrote and directed the 14-minute production All Too Well: The Short Film. Details on her upcoming project are scarce, but Swift has previously pointed to women directors like Nora Ephron, Chloe Zhao and Greta Gerwig as influences on her fledging directorial career. The story. —At least five seasons. A TV adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series of novels is in development — again. The latest stab at King’s supernatural western, which spans eight novels, comes from The Haunting and Doctor Sleep helmer Mike Flanagan and his Intrepid Pictures partner Trevor Macy. The duo have rights to the books, and Flanagan has written a pilot for what he calls his “Holy Grail” of TV work. The story. —"The perfect bridge between US and Europe." Actor, screenwriter and director Kristen Stewart will serve as the president of the jury at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival. Stewart will head the as yet unnamed jury that will select the winners of the coveted Golden and Silver Bear awards. The Spencer star follows M. Night Shyamalan as jury president. The Berlinale runs Feb. 16-26. The story. |
THR's Songwriter Roundtable ►"How do you put this beautiful story into this one tune?" With movie awards season in full swing, THR's Roundtable series moves on to the songwriters. Finneas, Diane Warren, Joe Jonas, David Byrne and Ruth B. join THR's editorial director Nekesa Mumbi Moody for a freewheeling discussion on making songwriting magic for movies, the best notes from a director and how TikTok proves tunes are timeless. The roundtable. —Recount. Tracy Flick Can’t Win, a follow-up to the 1999 cult favorite Election, is in the works with Reese Witherspoon set to reprise her role as Tracy Flick and Alexander Payne returning to direct. Payne, who wrote the original film, will write the film adaptation with Jim Taylor based on Tom Perrotta’s latest novel of the same name that was published in June of this year. The story. —Remo is back! Sony Pictures Television has picked up the rights to Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir's The Destroyer, the best-selling book series featuring pulp action hero Remo Williams. The studio has teamed up Gordon Smith (Better Call Saul) to adapt the book for television, with the multiple Emmy nominee writing and exec producing the series. The story. —A streaming first. Yellowstone’s record-breaking season five premiere was preceded by a big week for the show’s library on Peacock, with the streamer grabbing its first ever entry on Nielsen’s streaming series chart in the week of Nov. 7-13. Netflix’s Manifest stayed at No. 1 overall, growing substantially in the week after its season four premiere. It narrowly beat The Crown, whose season five debut wasn’t as big as its last outing. The streaming rankings. | James Gunn Addresses DC Speculation ►"We know we are not going to make every single person happy." James Gunn took to Twitter to respond to yesterday's bombshell THR scoop that Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman 3 was no longer moving forward. In a thread, Gunn addressed the future of DC Studios ahead of a presentation next week in which he and partner Peter Safran will share their vision with Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav. The story. —An "assault on the queen’s legacy." Netflix’s much-talked-about docuseries Harry & Meghan dropped on Thursday, and although the first three episodes revealed little new information, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s blunt criticism of the British press has elicited a predictably hysterical reaction from U.K. tabloids, Piers Morgan and some politicians. The reaction. —"It’s been really difficult for me." Celine Dion is postponing and canceling dates of her Courage World Tour again to address a diagnosis of a rare neurological condition known as Stiff-Person Syndrome. In an Instagram video posted Thursday, Dion opened up about her condition and its connection to the health issues she’s faced over the past year, which have affected all aspects of her life. The story. —Stayling alive. Hustlers director Lorene Scafaria will direct the untitled Bee Gees movie. Scafaria is replacing John Carney, who will no longer be on the project due to scheduling conflicts. John Logan (Gladiator, Hugo) wrote the most recent draft of the script. Barry Gibb will executive produce. The story. |
Jerrod Carmichael to Host Globes ►Tough gig. Comedian Jerrod Carmichael has signed on to front the 80th Golden Globes, which is airing live Jan. 10 on NBC and its streaming service Peacock from the show’s longtime home, the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Helen Hoehne praised the Emmy winner as "the special kind of talent this show calls for to kick off the awards season." The story. —"This is not the old HFPA." In her first interview since reports of improprieties and a near-fatal scandal over the lack of Black members surfaced, Hoehne spoke to THR's Rebecca Keegan about the HFPA's short-term NBC contract and Brendan Fraser’s refusal to attend. The interview. —🎭 Casting a spell 🎭 Michelle Yeoh has joined Universal's film adaptation of Wicked. Yeoh will play the role of Madame Morrible. She joins Jeff Goldblum, who has been confirmed to play the Wizard, and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero. Ethan Slater has also been cast as a student named Boq. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will play Elphaba and Galinda, respectively. The story. —🎭 Back together 🎭 Matt Damon and Casey Affleck are set to star in director Doug Liman’s The Instigators for Apple Original Films. Damon and Affleck will play two thieves on the run with the help of one of their therapists after a robbery goes wrong. Damon, Ben Affleck, Jeff Robinov, John Graham and Kevin Walsh will produce the drama that reunites Damon with director Liman after their work on The Bourne Identity franchise. The story. |
NBR Names 'Top Gun: Maverick' Best Film ►🏆 Tom's year? 🏆 The National Board of Review has named Top Gun: Maverick as its best film of 2022. The film also won outstanding achievement in cinematography. The Banshees of Inisherin won a leading three awards, including best actor (Colin Farrell), best supporting actor (Brendan Gleeson) and best original screenplay for Martin McDonagh. Steven Spielberg won best director for The Fabelmans. The winners. —Mr. Cinema. Everything is turning up Tom Cruise at the moment, with the actor set to receive the 2023 David O. Selznick Achievement Award at the 34th Annual Producers Guild Awards on Feb. 25. The award recognizes a producer or producing team for their work in motion pictures. Past recipients include Steven Spielberg, Barbara Broccoli, Mary Parent, Brian Grazer, David Heyman and Kevin Feige. The story. —🏆 Viola FTW 🏆 Sony's The Woman King topped the African American Film Critics Association list of the best films of 2022. Gina Prince-Bythewood's film beat out strong competition this year including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Chinonye Chuku’s Till. The AAFCA will reveal the winners of its competitive awards, honoring achievement in film in 15 categories, on Jan. 16, 2023. The list. —🤝 Overall deal 🤝 Mrs. America creator and showrunner Dahvi Waller is returning to Lionsgate Television. Waller, who previously served as a writer and producer on the studio’s Mad Men, will create and develop new projects under the multiple-year overall deal. Additionally, Irene Marquette has been tapped to serve as head of development at Waller’s newly formed production company, Federal Engineering. The story. |
TV Review: 'Harry & Meghan' ►"Not as fresh a perspective as Sussex fans might hope." THR's Angie Han reviews Netflix's Harry & Meghan. Featuring extensive interviews with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Liz Garbus' docuseries chronicles the couple's romance, their experiences within the British royal family and their role on the world stage. The review. —"Often effective, but key choices aren't clicking." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews FX/Hulu’s Kindred. Octavia Butler's revered novel about time travel and slavery gets a series iteration starring impressive newcomer Mallori Johnson. The review. | Thank Pod It's Friday ► All the latest content from THR's podcast studio. —TV's Top 5. THR's Lesley Goldberg and Dan Fienberg break down the latest TV news. The duo begin by running through the week's headlines, including Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy's planned TV adaption of The Dark Tower, Taylor Kitch and Jake Gyllenhaal scoring small screen roles, Surface's renewal and Monarch 's cancellation. There's a discussion about the return of the Golden Globes and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins drops by for a chat about FX/Hulu's Kindred . And Dan reviews Kindred, Apple’s Little America and Netflix’s Harry & Meghan doc. 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 John Sayles. The writer and director of the 1984 sci-fi film The Brother from Another Planet discusses the making of the Harlem-based story that follows a mute alien with six toes being chased by Men in Black. Listen here. —Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott spoke to Emma Thompson. The double Oscar winner reflects on how her pursuit of sketch comedy gave way to dramatic acting, the roots of her deep feminism and why, at 63, she took on one of the most intimidating parts of her career with Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. Listen here. In other news... —Al Pacino returns in the Hunters season two teaser —BBC names Damon Buffini deputy chair —CAA raises eight to agent —TikTok’s The McFarland Family signs with CAA —PR firm Lippin Group sets promotions for senior staffers —New Zealand’s Auckland Film Studios launches two large sound stages —Gary Friedkin, actor in Young Doctors in Love, dies at 70 What else we're reading... —Josef Adalian tries to make sense of the BBC's global streaming strategy [Vulture] —Andrew Pulver has a great interview with veteran Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski on his donkey film EO that wowed Cannes and could win an Oscar [Guardian] —Helen Lewis writes that with their Netflix doc, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle know exactly who their audience is [Atlantic] —Eric Betts argues that Americans should get behind Morocco, the biggest underdogs left behind in the World Cup [Slate] —Here's your Friday list: "Best TV shows of 2022" [NYT] Today... ...in 1948, Paramount released the 88-minute Alan Ladd-starring Western Whispering Smith. Leslie Fenton's film was a success in the U.S. and U.K. although planned feature sequels never materialized. Audie Murphy later starred in a Whispering Smith TV series. The original review. Today's birthdays: Judi Dench (88), Emma Thomas (51), John Malkovich (69), Simon Helberg (42), Felicity Huffman (60), Jesse Metcalfe (44), Beau Bridges (81), Toby Huss (56), Michael Dorn (70), Allison Smith (53), Jolene Purdy (39), Joshua Sasse (35), Richard Brooks (60), Jackson A. Dunn (19), Sean Durkin (41), Mario Cantone (63), Donny Osmond (65), Joe Lando (61), Michael Nouri (77), Jaren Lewison (22), Raja Gosnell (64), Russell Carpenter (72), Lori Greiner (53) |
| Jon Wilkman, a documentarian who received two Emmy nominations for writing and producing Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood, has died. He was 80. The obituary. |
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