| | | | What's news: Mayim Bialik is exiting Jeopardy! Jon Hamm will star in Apple's Your Friends and Neighbors. MGM+ renews Beacon 23. Starz renews Power Book IV: Force. ABC’s General Hospital won seven Daytime Emmys. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes crossed $300m globally. — Abid Rahman
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Streaming Giants Weigh Costs of Big Licensed Libraries ►"It has echoes of broadcast and cable." As the streaming industry has come down from its blank-check era, it has rediscovered a time-honored way to keep revenue flowing: licensing TV series and movies to other outlets. THR's Rick Porter writes that with studios rethinking exclusive streaming licensing deals and warming to the idea of selling to Netflix, executives face tough calls on whether to bulk or trim catalogs. The analysis.
—Abrupt exit. Mayim Bialik is no longer going to be involved with Jeopardy! The Big Bang Theory grad posted on social media Friday that Jeopardy! producers Sony Pictures Television informed her that she will "no longer be hosting the syndicated version of Jeopardy!" Bialik — and co-host Ken Jennings — were both nominated for Daytime Emmys for their roles alternating at the lectern left vacant by the passing of the beloved Alex Trebek. The story.
—"A man who can pull off pretty much any bad guy in a movie." John Oliver did a deep dive into Elon Musk on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, and came up with a slew of insults to lob at the billionaire tech mogul. "This is our final show of the year, so we thought we’d focus on someone who’s had a pretty big 12 months," the HBO late-night show said. The recap.
—"I don’t really like to talk in my own voice. That’s kind of why I got into this racket in the first place." Saturday Night Live's final episode of 2023 featured several alums of the sketch comedy show. Not only did Kate McKinnon, who departed the show last year, return to host, but fellow alums Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph also made a special appearance during her monologue. The recap. |
Hamm (Finally!) Lands His Own Apple Series ►If you don't ask, you don't get. Jon Hamm is finally getting his own Apple show. The Emmy-winner, who previously “begged” Apple for a show of his own in a tongue-in-cheek ad for the streamer, will star in and exec produce the straight-to-series drama Your Friends and Neighbors. The role marks Hamm’s first starring role in an ongoing drama series since AMC’s Mad Men. Based on an original idea by Jonathan Tropper, the series revolves around a recently divorced hedge fund manager who, after being fired, resorts to stealing from the wealthy residents. The story.
—Quick renewal. THR's Lesley Goldberg has the scoop on MGM+ renewing Beacon 23. The premium cable network formerly known as Epix has officially picked up a second season of the sci-fi drama series starring Stephan James and Lena Headey. The news comes as MGM+ just wrapped the first season of the drama from creator Zak Penn and aired a teaser for the second season of Beacon 23. The story.
—Power-verse expands. Starz has ordered a third season of Power Book IV: Force, which stars Joseph Sikora as Tommy Egan, continuing his role from the original Power. The renewal comes a month after the show’s second season concluded in November and follows the recent pickup for Power Book III: Raising Kanan. The story. |
WB Wins Bidding War for 'Calamity Heist' ►$175m project. Warners Bros. is in final negotiations to win the high-priced bidding war for Calamity Hustle, the action comedy that has Ryan Reynolds and Channing Tatum attached to star as wayward bothers. Aaron and Adam Nee, the sibling team that was behind the 2022 sleeper hit The Lost City, wrote the script and are attached to direct. Reynolds and Tatum are also producing via their respective banners, Maximum Effort and Free Association. The story.
—"It’s not looking too good." Jason Momoa may love playing Aquaman, but he is unsure about the future of the DC superhero franchise. In a new interview, the actor opened up about his concerns regarding future installments while promoting Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which arrives in theaters Dec. 22. Addressing reports that the latest movie could be his last time playing the legendary King of Atlantis, Momoa admitted, "I don’t necessarily want it to be the end… [but] I don’t think it’s really, like, a choice." The story.
—Shor thing? Miriam Shor is in early talks to become the latest to join the growing cast of James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy. Details on her role are being kept under wraps, but she is Gunn alum having appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as Recorder Vim. Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio and Sean Gunn are among those who have joined in recent weeks. The film is due to be the kickoff for the much ballyhooed DC Studios slate when it hits theaters in July 2025 and has been casting up furiously since the end of the actors strike in November. The story. |
Disney's Legal Woes Mount As Exec Notes "Pay Equity Nightmare" in Docs ►Not great. THR's Winston Cho reports on Disney facing a still-growing class of nearly 9,000 women alleging discrimination against female workers, who say they’re being paid less than their male counterparts. The case is believed to be one of the largest classes ever suing under an equal pay act claim. The story.
—"I dare not stay quiet." Fantasia Barrino shared that she and her family were racially profiled by Airbnb when they stayed at a house booked on the website for her son’s birthday. On social media, The Color Purple star explained that she rented a house for her son and his friends and invited people over to celebrate during the day. She claimed the host tried to kick out her group at midnight, and that she was "accused" of having a loud party. The story.
—Cause of death. Matthew Perry died from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, according to an autopsy released Friday by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office. The results of the autopsy listed drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine (used to treat opioid addiction) effects as contributing factors. The manner of death was ruled an accident. There were no signs of foul play. The story.
—Sued. The producers of That’s Amore ran out of money and skipped town without paying $570,000 in wages to dozens of workers while continuing to incur costly expenses to promote the movie, according to a complaint filed against the production. In a lawsuit, IATSE says that it reached a settlement in August to resolve the grievance but that the production continues to refuse to pay 77 members for nearly a month of work. It’s threatening to blacklist The Green Book writer Nick Vallelonga, who’s also a producer on the film, until workers are paid. The story. |
Mattel's Robbie Brenner Talks Post-'Barbie' Slate ►"I'm drinking from a pink fire hose." THR's Mia Galuppo spoke to Robbie Brenner, president of Mattel Films. The exec, THR’s Producer of the Year, discusses the five years taken to build up the studio to its crowning glory, the $1.4b worldwide phenomenon that was Barbie. Brenner opens up about the future of Mattel Films and the dozen (or so) projects in development. The interview.
—"As long as people show up and watch, I’m in." For THR, Demetrius Patterson spoke to Reacher star Alan Ritchson about season two of the Amazon Prime Video hit series. Ritchson discusses doing his own stunts and what he thinks has drawn people to the show, which has already been renewed for a third season and is currently in production. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I would always love to play Darby again." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Emma Corrin about FX on Hulu's A Murder at the End of the World. The actor discusses the central character, the hacker-sleuth named Darby Hart, and how they reimagined the amateur detective for a modern-day audience. Corrin, who’s currently shooting Deadpool 3, also discusses how it felt to return to the Marvel set after the 118-day SAG-AFTRA strike. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
Children's & Family Emmy Awards 2023 ►🏆 Muppet love 🏆 HBO/Max’s Sesame Street, Disney+’s The Muppets Mayhem and Jack Black were among the winners at the second annual Children & Family Emmy Awards, which were handed out Sunday night by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Among its wins, Sesame Street — which is in its 56th season — was named best preschool series, while The Muppets Mayhem — which was canceled last month after airing only one season — was named best children’s or family viewing series. The winners.
—🏆 GH supremacy 🏆 The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the winners of the 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards during an in-person ceremony Friday night. Winners in additional Daytime Emmy categories were announced during a Creative Arts and Lifestyle awards ceremony on Saturday afternoon. ABC’s General Hospital won a total of seven Emmys, including six during the televised ceremony, taking home the award for best daytime drama series. The winners.
—🏆 Another win 🏆 The Toronto Film Critics Association has named The Zone of Interest as its pick for the best picture of the year. All of Us Strangers and Killers of the Flower Moon were runner-ups in the voting, which took place on Sunday. Jonathan Glazer also picked up the best director trophy for Zone of Interest, the harrowing Holocaust drama. The winners. |
'Wonka' Opens to $151.4M Global Debut ►Paul King does it again. The Timothée Chalamet-led Wonka sweetened up the pre-Christmas box office in singing to a $39m domestic debut, ahead of expectations and a promising sign for the yuletide season.
Overseas, it took in $53.6m from 77 markets to come in well ahead of family classics like Paddington or musicals like The Greatest Showman and Mary Poppins Returns. The movie’s global weekend haul of $92.6m pushes the film’s early worldwide total to $151.4m, including a foreign tally of $112.4m. (It opened early in England and Australia, along with a handful of other markets.)
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that audiences bestowed Wonka with an A- CinemaScore, while 60 percent of ticket buyers were between the ages of 18 and 34. The largest quad was 18 to 24 at 33 percent, while another 10 percent of ticket buyers were between 13 and 17, underscoring Chalamet’s star status with younger moviegoers. Wonka is skewing slightly female so far, or 54 percent.
Lionsgate’s origin story The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes held at No. 2 in its fifth weekend as it jumped the $300m globally after finishing Sunday with a domestic cume of $145.2m and $155.3m overseas for an impressive global tally of $300.5m.
Following at No. 3 was Japan’s anime sensation The Boy and the Heron, which earned another $5.2m from 2,325 theaters for a domestic tally of $23.1m. Japan’s monster pic Godzilla Minus One came in at No. 4 upon delivering another $4.5m from 2,632 locations for a domestic total of $44.3m. The box office report. |
Hollywood's 20 Most Erotic Movies, Ranked ►Hot and bothered. In current Oscar contender Poor Things, Emma Stone plays a reanimated Victorian woman with a voracious erotic appetite. THR’s chief film critic David Rooney ranks 20 other sizzling movies in which Hollywood said yes to sex. The following list is an entirely subjective rundown of David's personal favorites that made hit sit up and pay attention on a first viewing, in most cases decades ago. The list.
—List with a twist. THR's TV critics Dan Fienberg and Angie Han run through their standout television performances, but from shows that didn't make their Best of 2023 TV shows selections. That means performances outside the obvious excellence found in shows like Succession, Reservation Dogs and Beef. Included are dazzling star turns from Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, a Brit playing two messy moms and an Abbott Elementary standout. The list.
—Best albums. Continuing THR's end of year best of lists, senior music editor Mesfin Fekadu picks his favorite albums of 2023. From behind-the-scenes hitmakers stepping into the spotlight to a glitter bomb of a soundtrack and a double dose of rap genius, here are the music projects that lived rent-free in Mesfin's home and in his headphones. The list.
—"Misses the gold, but a solid and quietly moving effort." THR's Sheri Linden reviews George Clooney's The Boys in the Boat. Joel Edgerton and Callum Turner star in the true story of a junior varsity rowing crew’s ascent to the 1936 Olympic Games. The review. In other news...
—Justin Hartley plays lone-wolf survivalist in Tracker trailer
—Jacob Elordi to host Saturday Night Live for first show in New Year
—I Am a Voter co-founder Mandana Dayani signs with CAA
—Iconic Kona Village Resort is reborn as a Rosewood
—The Hollywood guide to a perfect weekend in Mexico City
—This winter’s best luxury hotels in Hollywood-loved ski spots
—Australia travel: Where Hollywood hangs in Sydney and Byron Bay
—Where to stay and eat in London for the holidays
What else we're reading...
—Khadeeja Safdar has an exhaustive report on Jeffrey Epstein continuing to abuse women after his 2008 conviction and how his VIP circle enabled it [WSJ]
—Steven Erlanger writes that the killing of three hostages in Gaza by the IDF is fuelling Israeli doubts about Benjamin Netanyahu [NYT]
—Max Tani reports that media startup The Messenger is in the midst of an internal backlash from staffers angry at managements on how they cover Donald Trump [Semafor]
—Allegra Frank runs through the real reasons anime always misses out at awards shows [Daily Beast]
—With the final season of The Crown depicting Kate and William getting together, Julie Miller sifts through the fact and fiction of the Cambridge's real-life college romances [VF]
Today...
...in 2002, Peter Jackson unveiled the middle chapter of his Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers. The film went on to nab six Oscar nominations at the 75th Academy Awards. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Steven Spielberg (77), Keith Richards (80), Brad Pitt (60), Katie Holmes (45), Billie Eilish (22), Christina Aguilera (43), Sia (48), Rachel Griffiths (55), Jason Mantzoukas (51), Ashley Benson (34), Emily Swallow (44), Jeff Kober (70), Casper Van Dien (55), Josh Dallas (45), Bridgit Mendler (31), Victoria Pratt (53), Claudia Gerini (52), Begoña Vargas (24), Kari Byron (49), Isabella Crovetti (19), Koyuki (47), Robson Green (59), Anna Walton (43), Leila Arcieri (50), Krizia Bajos (38), Ravi Patel (45), Richa Chadha (37), Ann Serrano Lopez (63), Ania Sowinski (44) |
| Jack Axelrod, who played a mob boss on General Hospital for three years and had notable guest-starring turns on My Name Is Earl and Grey’s Anatomy, has died. He was 93. The obituary. |
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