| | | | What's news: Actors are scrambling to book interviews and late night slots. Robert De Niro's company has been ordered to pay a former assistant $1.26m. Disney has shuffled its movie release schedule for its Marvel films. Vince McMahon is selling a big chunk of his holdings in TKO Group. ABC has canceled The Rookie: Feds. Starz has given a series order to Spartacus: House of Ashur. — Abid Rahman
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Drescher Talks Deal, Her Improvised Strike Speech ►"Meryl Streep said to me, 'This is great, now go run for president.'" With the actors' strike officially over, THR's Katie Kilkenny spoke to SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. In a wide-ranging interview, Drescher discusses the provisional deal that finally brought Hollywood’s double-strike era to an end, the fiery, viral speech she improvised at a press conference, her future plans and why SAG-AFTRA may be entering its "golden age." The interview.
—"I think everyone is really glad to get back to work." On a very busy Thursday, Katie also spoke to SAG-AFTRA's national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. The union leader discussed some details of the contract’s AI protections and its streaming participation bonus. He also explained why he believes this strike was all about the "journeyman performer." The interview. |
Awards Contenders, Campaigners Scramble as Strike Ends ►Playing catchup. As the actors strike finally came to an end Wednesday night, the celebrations of some — namely, awards-contending talent and awards campaigners — were tempered by a certain amount of stress, given that many will now have to cram months worth of campaigning into just a few weeks. THR's Scott Feinberg and Beatrice Verhoeven write that the rollout of the majority of awards hopefuls was impacted by the sidelining of their most obvious selling point: their stars. Now there are just weeks to capture the attention and affection of voters. The story.
—Promopalooza! By midday Thursday, Tom Hiddleston was booking a TV appearance in the U.K. to promote the season two finale of Loki. He’ll then travel to New York City, where he and The Marvels star Brie Larson are slated to appear on the Tonight Show. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that studios will be thankful that stars can hit the promo circuit to juice box office numbers, and Warner Bros. might be the company that benefits the most. The story.
—"The strike is over so tune in tomorrow when my guests will be everyone." As the 118-day actors strike came to an end, late night hosts shared their thoughts on stars returning to work. On Thursday's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, host Jimmy Kimmel started off the show by declaring it "take your actor back to work day here in Hollywood." Over on the Tonight Show, host Jimmy Fallon joked about the deluge of guests he's expecting now that actors can promote their projects. The story. |
WB Shelves John Cena's Completed 'Coyote vs. Acme' ►Shocker! THR's dynamic duo Borys Kit and Aaron Couch have the huge scoop on Warner Bros. scrapping plans to release Coyote vs. Acme, a live-action, CG animation hybrid that completed principal photography last year in New Mexico. The move follows veteran animation executive Bill Damaschke taking over Warner Animation Group earlier this year, and comes a little over a year after the shelving of Batgirl sent shockwaves throughout Hollywood. The animated feature, starring John Cena, was greenlit as an HBO Max film before being considered for a theatrical release. The story.
—📅 All change 📅 Hollywood studios are racing to rearrange their release schedules now that the SAG-AFTRA strike is over. Deadpool 3 will hit theaters on July 26, 2024, instead of May 3, 2024. Captain America: New World Order has been moved nine months to Feb. 14, 2025 and Thunderbolts has moved to July 25, 2025. Blade has been delayed nine months, moving to Nov. 7, 2025. In non-Marvel changes, Disney pushed Mufasa: The Lion King to Dec. 20, 2024. The story.
—Smaller holding. WWE founder Vince McMahon is selling a big chunk of his holdings in TKO Group, the Endeavor-controlled owner of the wrestling giant. McMahon plans to sell 8.4m shares in TKO, valued at just over $700m. That is nearly 25 percent of his current holdings in the company. Notably, the security filing says that TKO intends to buy back $100m worth of the shares in the sale, with Endeavor and TKO CEO Ari Emanuel and president and COO Mark Shapiro expected to purchase $1m each. The story.
—Leaning in. News Corp. expects to generate big bucks from generative AI. On News Corp.’s fiscal first-quarter earnings call, CEO Robert Thomson said that the company is in “advanced discussions” with companies to license its content for their AI engines. The story.
—"It took 500 artists five years to make a world-class animated movie. I think it won’t take 10 percent of that." Jeffrey Katzenberg predicts that generative AI will cut the cost of animated films by 90 percent, as the technology is set to deliver serious disruption to the media and entertainment sector. Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Summit, the DreamWorks founder said that AI is a tool that will be embraced by creative people. The story. |
Franklin Leonard: 74 Things Hollywood Needs to for a Viable Future ►Yes to more football films and TV. With the strikes lifted and the town on the verge of going back to work, THR asked The Black List founder Franklin Leonard to predict what’s next for the industry. What he came up with was less a prognostication and more a prescription to help Hollywood future-proof itself. The story.
—Everyone wants their own Drive to Survive. THR's Alex Weprin writes that the runaway success of Netflix’s Formula 1 docuseries Drive to Survive and golf docuseries Full Swing has sparked a mini frenzy from leagues, teams and athletes looking to cash in on the genre. The story.
—No dice. AMC Theatres shareholders yet again voted against the compensation packages proposed for its executive officers, including CEO Adam Aron, according to a filing with the SEC on Thursday. In a largely symbolic move, stockholders holding 20,442,308 shares voted against the pay package, while those holding 19,565,042 voted for it. Aron received compensation of $23.7m in 2022, up 25 percent from $18.9m in 2021. The story. |
'The Rookie: Feds' Canceled at ABC ►Firming up post-strike plans. ABC has canceled The Rookie: Feds and opted to pass on The Good Doctor spinoff, The Good Lawyer. Both shows had been on hold since May as ABC, like other networks, took a wait-and-see approach to its needs once both the actors and writers strikes concluded. The decision to cancel what remained of ABC’s bubble shows comes a day after Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed the company planned to cut an additional $2b in costs. The story.
—Back to life. Starz has given a series order to Spartacus: House of Ashur, a continuation of the franchise that last aired a new episode in 2013. The pickup comes nine months after Starz announced it was developing a revival/sequel — and a day after SAG-AFTRA announced a tentative agreement. Series creator Steven S. DeKnight will serve as showrunner, and Nick Tarabay will reprise his role of Ashur from the former series. The story.
—"Viewers will feel as if they are transported back in time." Rob Lowe is the latest high-wattage celebrity to join Fox Nation, the streaming service operated by Fox News. Lowe, who also stars in the Fox broadcast drama series 911: Lone Star, will host and executive produce a docudrama for Fox Nation about the Boston Tea Party. The four episode series, Liberty or Death: Boston Tea Party, will debut on Fox Nation Nov. 19. The story. |
De Niro's Company Must Pay $1.26M to Ex-Assistant ►Verdict reached. A New York jury has awarded Robert De Niro's former assistant $1.26m in her lawsuit against the A-lister’s loan-out company, Canal Productions, for gender discrimination and retaliation, according to a rep for plaintiff Graham Chase Robinson. De Niro was not found personally liable in the case. Additionally, the jury rejected the actor’s counterclaim that she stole 5m frequent flyer miles from the company. Jurors took roughly four hours over a single day of deliberations to reach the verdict. The story.
—Suit filed. Antonio “L.A.” Reid — a Grammy-winning music executive known for helping launch the careers of Usher, OutKast and Pink — has been sued by a former Arista Records executive who claims she was sexually assaulted and retaliated against by Reid, who allegedly obstructed her career after she rebuffed further advances. Drew Dixon alleges in a complaint brought under the Adult Survivors Act that she was assaulted twice and that she was forced out of the music business due to Reid's alleged misconduct. The story.
—Way down. The TV audience for the third Republican presidential primary debate fell off considerably on Wednesday. The CMA Awards also narrowly avoided posting its smallest viewer tally ever. The Republican debate aired on NBC (but not cable siblings MSNBC or CNBC) and drew 7.5m viewers on the network, Peacock and other streaming and digital platforms. That’s down from 9.5m for the second debate on Fox News, Fox Business and Univision on Sept. 27. The ratings.
—The Fall of Suits. For only the second time since mid-June, Suits is not the No. 1 title in Nielsen’s streaming rankings. That honor belongs to Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher, which snagged the top spot for the week of Oct. 9-15. Writer-director Mike Flanagan’s spin on the titular Edgar Allan Poe story (and several others by the author) drew 1.23b minutes of viewing, edging out the 1.13b for Suits. The streaming rankings. |
John Amos and a Family at War With Itself ►Bad times. In July, TV legend John Amos’ 53-year-old son, K.C., ended up in a New Jersey jail after his 57-year-old daughter, Shannon, claimed that K.C. had sent her “terroristic” threats over text message that made her believe that her life was in danger, according to a police report. THR's Gary Baum reports on the acrimonious battle between the children of the 83-year-old Good Times legend as they fight over his care, his legacy and his love. The story.
—"See it when and only if you feel ready, and see it with people you feel safe with." Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone shared a message of support and a trigger warning for Native viewers considering watching Martin Scorsese’s film. The actress took to social media on Thursday night to offer comfort and resources, particularly to young people and women, about the film that depicts a brutal part of Native history. The story.
—Layoffs. An estimated 50 staffers have been let go at Peacock’s marketing department as part of a restructuring of the streamer’s marketing department under chief marketing officer Shannon Willett. The restructuring, which Willett outlined in a memo to staff Thursday, is impacting both senior- and junior-level employees at the NBCUniversal-backed platform. The story. |
'Morning Show' Boss Says S4 Will Explore Consequences of Finale ►"Be careful what you fight for." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to The Morning Show showrunner Charlotte Stoudt about the season three finale of the bonkers Apple TV+ show. Stoudt explains why she centered the third season around Reese Witherspoon's character's big secret and how she plans to keep the friendship with Jennifer Aniston's character front and center, despite the final scene's uncertainty. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"At the moment that I told them that, I loved them very much and had so much respect for them." THR's resident loose cannon Ryan Gajewski spoke to Gerry Turner as we hit the "Women Tell All" episode of The Golden Bachelor. The star of the ABC dating series discusses using the L-word twice and that one "difficult moment" during the latest episode that made things feel like "a pendulum swinging quite violently." Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"What we want to scale and what we don’t want to scale, that’s what we’re considering right now." THR's Mikey O'Connell spoke to Magnolia Network moguls Chip and Joanna Gaines as they contemplate growth outside of Waco. The couple open up about flipping a hotel for their latest series, farmhouse fatigue, buying Lonesome Dove author Larry McMurtry’s 350,000-book collection and … starring in a holiday movie? “As long as Chip can have another wife.” The interview. |
Film Review: 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' ►"A grinding dystopian dirge set to Appalachian folk tunes." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Francis Lawrence's The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Tom Blyth stars as young Coriolanus Snow, charged with mentoring Rachel Zegler’s District 12 Tribute in this prequel chapter of the $2.9b franchise, also featuring Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman and Viola Davis. 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. This week's episode begins with the TV headlines including a third season for The Bear, syndication news on SWAT, and Showtime's The Circus coming to an end. There's a big dedicated section to the actors' strike officially ending and why it took so long and another section on what it all means for TV, going forward. Beacon 23 showrunner Glen Mazzara drops by for a chat about the new MGM+ sci-fi drama. And Dan reviews Showtime’s The Curse, Apple's The Buccaneers and a new season of For All Mankind. 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 Alexander Payne. The Omaha-born filmmaker known for dramedies including Election, About Schmidt, Sideways, The Descendants and Nebraska reflects on his differing feelings about writing and directing, the ways in which he casts A-listers and extras and reuniting with Paul Giamatti after 19 years for his new film The Holdovers. Listen here.
In other news...
—Maya Hawke voices new anxiety emotion in Inside Out 2 trailer
—Avatar: The Last Airbender trailer for Netflix’s live-action series released
—Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser are a young boy and his biggest fear in trailer for Orion and the Dark
—C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels selling Star Wars memorabilia
—Jared Leto scales Empire State Building to promote Thirty Seconds to Mars tour
—Barbie, Netflix among top marketing winners at 2023 Clio Entertainment Awards
What else we're reading...
—Dan Adler witnessed Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper's live tour and reports that the show is a mix of disclosure and affirmation that the devoted crowd was lapping up [VF]
—Scottie Andrew reflects on what Nicolas Cage’s five favorite Nicolas Cage films tell us about Nicolas Cage [CNN]
—Miles Surrey writes that between The Boys, Gen V, and Invincible, Amazon Prime Video has become the go-to streamer for mature, subversive superhero stories [Ringer]
—Joe Coscarelli reports that Young Thug's lyrics will be allowed as evidence in the racketeering trial of rap label YSL Records [NYT]
—Here's your Friday list: "Yoko Ono: her 20 greatest songs – ranked!" [Guardian]
Today...
...in 2004, Warner Bros. unveiled Robert Zemeckis’ The Polar Express in theaters, where it would go on to gross $311m worldwide and earn three Oscar nominations at the 77th Academy Awards. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Ellen Pompeo (54), Neil Gaiman (63), Walton Goggins (52), Taron Egerton (34), Zoey Deutch (29), Michael Jai White (56), Josh Peck (37), Hugh Bonneville (60), Sinbad (67), Roland Emmerich (68), Tracy Morgan (55), Eve (45), Kiernan Shipka (24), Mackenzie Foy (23), Heather Matarazzo (41), Vanessa Angel (57), Andrew Koji (36), Michael Cimino (24), Mackenzie Phillips (64), Lou Ferrigno Jr. (39), Matt Craven (67), Ruth Kearney (39), Britt Irvin (39), Sherry Cola (34), Halina Reijn (48), David Paetkau (45), Grant Cramer (62), Chris Lilley (49), Tommy Davidson (60) |
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