| | | | | | What's news: Anora's Mikey Madison won best actress at the BAFTAs. Ari Emanuel is officially a billionaire. Paramount Global and YouTube have cut a new carriage deal. Goonies 2 is in the works. Kate Winslet is set to make her feature film directorial debut with Netflix's Goodbye June. Max has renewed The Pitt. — Abid Rahman
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com. |
BAFTA Film Awards 2025 ►🏆 Cor blimey guv! 🏆 The BAFTA Film Awards were held on Sunday evening in London, and it was a big night for Vatican drama Conclave, which picked up four wins, including best film and outstanding British film. The Brutalist also scored four wins, including best director for Brady Corbet and best actor for Adrien Brody. Meanwhile, Mikey Madison received the best leading actress BAFTA for her role in Anora, which was also honored with the casting award for Sean Baker and Samantha Quan, while Zoe Saldaña earned the best supporting actress statuette for her work in Emilia Pérez. For the latter, director Jacques Audiard and Pascal Caucheteux also won the award for best film not in the English language. The winners.
—🏆 Something to write home about 🏆 The 2025 Writers Guild Awards took place Saturday night, with the guild continuing its tradition of doling out prizes in simultaneous ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles. In the film categories, Anora ultimately took home the award for original screenplay, beating out A Real Pain, Challengers, Civil War and My Old Ass. As for adapted screenplay, Nickel Boys won, beating A Complete Unknown, Dune: Part Two, Hit Man and Wicked. On the TV side, Shogun won for drama series while Hacks scored the award for comedy series. The winners.
—🏆 Looking good 🏆 Wicked, The Substance, Palm Royale and The Penguin are among the winners of the 12th annual Make-Up and Hair Stylists Guild Awards, which took place on Saturday night. The Last Showgirl also won in the film categories, while TV winners include Emily in Paris, Bridgerton, Abbott Elementary, Saturday Night Live, Dancing with the Stars and Avatar: The Last Airbender, among others. The winners. |
Stars Assemble for 'SNL' 50th Anniversary Special ►"A fun fact: A person born during the first season of Saturday Night Live could today be easily dead of natural causes." Steve Martin kicked off the SNL 50th anniversary special Sunday night with a monologue in which he made jokes about topics ranging from his age to President Trump’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Following an opening performance by Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound,” Martin took the stage to introduce himself as SNL‘s “newest diversity hire” and to deliver the monologue, which he joked is “traditionally the weakest part of the show.” The recap.
—Paging CelebrityNetWorth.com. Ari Emanuel is officially a billionaire. The Hollywood titan and CEO of entertainment and media agency giant Endeavor has seen his net worth soar over the last 12 months as bets on WWE and UFC have paid off handsomely. Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index anointed Emanuel as part of the rarefied club of the super rich, owing in large part to his holdings in Endeavor, which has enjoyed a 48 percent rise in its share price in the last year, according to Bloomberg. The story.
—🤝 Carriage deal 🤝 Paramount Global and YouTube have cut a new carriage deal that will keep Paramount channels available on the YouTube TV video service. The companies had warned last week that they were at odds over a new deal, and said that CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, BET and other channels were at risk of going dark. They signed a short-term extension as talks continued, and on Saturday night, YouTube TV confirmed that an agreement had been reached. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The story.
—✊ On strike ✊ Employees at two unionized Alamo Drafthouse theaters in New York have joined their colleagues in Colorado in making good on a threat to strike. Staffers at the chain’s lower Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn theaters in New York have begun withholding their labor in protest over layoffs they claim violated labor law, following a similar walkout at the Sloans Lake location in Colorado earlier Friday. The move means that all three unionized Alamo Drafthouses, out of 42 theaters nationwide, are now on strike. The story.
—Dismissed. Jay-Z and Sean Combs are no longer facing a lawsuit accusing them of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000, according to a court document filed on Friday in New York federal court. A lawyer for the anonymous accuser moved to dismiss the lawsuit “with prejudice,” meaning it can’t be refiled. Further details weren’t disclosed. In a statement posted to X, Jay-Z, also known as Shawn Carter, called the allegations “frivolous, fictitious and appalling.” He added, “This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims.” The story. |
'Brave New World' Opens to Bullish $192M Globally ►Presidential performance. Marvel Studios attempts to reboot the Captain America franchise with an entirely new cast looks to have paid off as Captain America: Brave New World became 2025's first tentpole to report a four-day domestic opening of $100m over the long Valentine’s Day/Presidents' Day weekend, including $88.4m for the three days. Numbers should shift again on Sunday, but either way, it is coming in ahead of expectations. Globally, it’s starting off with $192.4m after launching to $92.4m internationally.
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that Brave New World scored one of the top domestic openings for the Presidents' Day holiday and the biggest opening of 2025 to date. That’s no small feat considering that many critics dissed the movie. Nor were some moviegoers impressed — Brave New World received a B- CinemaScore from audiences, the worst grade given to any title in the MCU. Not all viewers feel the same, of course. Brave New World boasts a pleasing 80 percent audience ranking on Rotten Tomatoes. The box office report. |
'Goonies' Sequel in the Works ►Goonies never say die! Nearly 40 years after The Goonies, a sequel to the 1985 film is in the works. Warner Bros. has tapped Potsy Ponciroli to write the forthcoming sequel. Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus will return to produce the film with Kristie Macosko Krieger and Holly Bario for Amblin Entertainment. Lauren Shuler Donner will executive produce. No director has been attached to the new project. Based on Steven Spielberg’s original story, The Goonies was helmed by Richard Donner with a screenplay by Columbus. The original film starred a young Josh Brolin, Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Ke Huy Quan and Martha Plimpton, catapulting their careers into the mainstream. The story.
—Wearing all the hats. Kate Winslet is set to make her feature film directorial debut with the Netflix family drama Goodbye June. The Oscar winner will also produce and act in the movie, which will star Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall and Helen Mirren. Joe Anders, Winslet’s son with ex-husband Sam Mendes, wrote the screenplay and Kate Solomon will produce with Winslet. Solomon also produced Winslet’s most recent feature, the Lee Miller biopic Lee about the model-turned-World War II photographer. Netflix describes Goodbye June as a "touching, yet humorous" drama, "which sees a fractured group of siblings pull together under sudden and trying circumstances." The story.
—🎭 Silent star 🎭 Pearl actress Mia Goth has joined the cast of Christopher Nolan’s latest movie project, The Odyssey. The all-star Universal Pictures production is an adaptation of the Greek epic poem by Homer and has bold-faced names Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie and Jon Bernthal on the manifest. And while some roles could just be for a key scene (Nolan loves to populate even the smallest of supporting roles with powerhouse thespians), sources tell THR that Goth’s role may not even involve speaking at all. The story.
—🎭 What an alternate! 🎭 Benedict Cumberbatch is joining Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Blood on Snow, an indie adaptation of the Jo Nesbo crime thriller being directed by Cary Fukunaga. Also on the call sheet are Eva Green, Emma Laird and Ben Mendelsohn. Cumberbatch is replacing Tom Hardy, who was previously on board to act and produce but stepped away due to scheduling issues. The feature is heading to a start of production at the end of the month, and is shooting in Latvia. The story. |
Amazon Nets Streaming, Theatrical Rights for 'The Chosen' ►The chosen streamer. Christian historical drama The Chosen is getting a streaming home in the U.S. As part of a wide-ranging deal with series creator Dallas Jenkins’ 5&2 Studios, Amazon’s Prime Video will become the exclusive U.S. streaming home to the series about the life of Jesus. Amazon MGM Studios will also distribute theatrical releases for key installments of the show’s final two seasons and has signed a first-look series and film deal with 5&2. Prime Video has also ordered an unscripted series, The Chosen in the Wild With Bear Grylls, which will follow members of the cast and Jenkins on wilderness adventures with Grylls. The story.
—Quick as you like. Max has picked up a second season of The Pitt, a medical procedural set in the emergency room of a Pittsburgh hospital. ER alum Noah Wyle stars in the series, which comes from creator R. Scott Gemmill and executive producer John Wells. The show follows Wyle’s Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, the chief attendant in the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital’s ER, through a 15-hour shift with a group of interns and residents. The show, which unfolds in real time, also stars Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Ball, Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell and Shabana Azeez. The story.
—🎭 Woof! 🎭 Sharon Stone is currently in talks to star in the long-awaited third season of HBO's Euphoria . The veteran actress would be joining a stacked roster on the hit show, which includes Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Maude Apatow, Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Eric Dane and Colman Domingo, among others. Last week, HBO revealed that production has begun for season three after a nearly three-year hiatus. Several new castmembers were also officially announced, including NFL star turned actor Marshawn Lynch, Grammy winner Rosalia, Kadeem Hardison, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Toby Wallace, Priscilla Delgado, James Landry Hébert, Darrell Britt-Gibson and Anna Van Patten. Akinnouye-Agbaje and Wallace will be regulars, while the other actors will have “notable” guest roles. The story.
—Back for more. Netflix has renewed XO, Kitty for a season three. The romantic dramedy, a spinoff of Netflix’s To All the Boys trilogy, follows the youngest Song Covey sister, Kitty, portrayed by Anna Cathcart, as she navigates her teenage years full of love and friendship while attending Korean Independent School of Seoul, often called KISS. Season two of the series premiered Jan. 16 and debuted at No. 2 on the streamer’s English TV list with 14.2m views for the week of its debut. The story.
—🎭 One last ride 🎭 D’Arcy Carden will be part of The Handmaid’s Tale’s televised revolution when the sixth and final season premieres this spring. The actress has joined the Emmy-winning Hulu drama in a guest starring role. Carden joins Elisabeth Moss and company having just appeared in Netflix mega-hit Nobody Wants This, Dicks: The Musical and A Man on the Inside — though she is best known for her longtime roles on The Good Place, Barry and Amazon’s short-lived but much-loved remake of A League of Their Own. The story. |
Film Review: 'Mickey 17' ►"The director has been here before, with sharper aim." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17. Robert Pattinson plays a repeatedly reconstituted “expendable” in this dark comedy set in a nascent ice planet colony, also starring Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Colette and Mark Ruffalo. The review.
—"A powerful depiction of the trauma of survival." David reviews Amazon Prime Video's The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Adapted from Richard Flanagan's novel and starring Jacob Elordi, Ciarán Hinds and Odessa Young, Justin Kurzel’s five-part limited series examines the harrowing experiences of an Australian Army medical officer during World War II and four decades later. The review.
—"A torrid pas de deux that leaves scars." David reviews Michel Franco's Berlin competition entry, Dreams. Mexican ballet dancer Isaac Hernández stars as an undocumented immigrant who pins his bid for permanency in the U.S. on his relationship with a wealthy San Francisco philanthropist (Jessica Chastain). The review.
—"Lukewarm at best." David reviews Rebecca Lenkiewicz's Berlin competition entry, Hot Milk. Screenwriter Lenkiewicz makes her directing debut adapting Deborah Levy’s novel about the prison of a strained mother-daughter relationship. Starring Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw and Vicky Krieps. The review.
—"Stays afloat but could lose a good 20 minutes." David reviews Jan-Ole Gerster's Islands. Set around a luxury hotel in the Canary Islands, Gerster’s drama follows a Brit tennis coach whose inertia is shaken up when he gets entangled with a guest after her husband goes missing. Starring Sam Riley, Stacy Martin and Jack Farthing. The review.
—"Talk about burying the lede." David reviews Ido Fluk's Cologne 75. Mala Emde plays Vera Brandes, the 18-year-old music promoter without whom Keith Jarrett's celebrated piano recording, The Köln Concert, might not have happened. The review. |
Film Review: 'The Ice Tower' ►"An artsy fable for adults." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Lucile Hadzihalilovic's Berlin competition entry, The Ice Tower. The latest feature from French director follows an orphaned teenage girl who stumbles into a haunting real-world fable. Starring Marion Cotillard, Clara Pacini, August Diehl, Lilas-Rose Gilberti, Marine Gesbert and Gaspar Noé. The review.
—"Confirms a promising new talent in Chinese cinema." Jordan reviews Huo Meng's Berlin competition entry, Living the Land. The writer-director's 1990s rural China-set film follows an extended family of farmers scraping by as their country gradually evolves into an industrial powerhouse. The review.
—"A minor but moving character study." Jordan reviews Léonor Serraille's Berlin competition entry, Ari. The French filmmaker worked with both seasoned and amateur actors in a partially improvised drama that explores the lives of wayward 20-somethings. The review.
—"Fleeting beauties." Jordan reviews Jing Yi's The Botanist. First-time director Yi sets his feature in the northern province of Xinjiang, in a remote community just across the border from Kazakhstan. The review.
—"Lots of death and diamonds, not much reflection." Jordan reviews Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani's Berlin competition entry, Reflection in a Dead Diamond. The latest genre movie homage from the French directors follows a retired secret agent reminiscing about his action-packed past. The review.
In other news...
—NAACP Image Awards: Kamala Harris to receive Chairman’s Award
—Ambies unveils 2025 nominees, Tig Notaro to host
—Kim Sae-ron, Korean actress known for A Brand New Life and The Man From Nowhere, dies at 24
—Jerry Eisenberg, Peter Potamus, Wacky Races and Fangface animator, dies at 87
—Michael Groszkruger, former New Line and Warner Bros. market research exec, dies at 60
What else we're reading...
—Alan Rappeport, Andrew Duehren and Maggie Haberman report that the IRS is getting ready to hand over taxpayer records to Elon Musk's DOGE [NYT]
—Steve Rose looks at the culture war barbs that are dogging Captain America: Brave New World [Guardian]
—Keach Hagey, Berber Jin, Dana Mattioli and Josh Dawsey have the inside story of how OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk went from friends to bitter enemies [WSJ]
—Max Tani reports that last week Democrats and influencers huddled to come up with a much-needed new media strategy [Semafor]
—Renée Reizman looks into the fast-growing Los Angeles trend of hyper-specific slogan bumper stickers [LAT]
Today...
...in 2011, Sony released Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor's Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance in theaters. The Nicolas Cage-led superhero sequel was panned by critics and bombed at the box office. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Ed Sheeran (34), Jeremy Allen White (34), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (44), Michael Bay (60), Rene Russo (71), Paris Hilton (44), Jason Ritter (45), Denise Richards (54), Jerry O'Connell (51), Lou Diamond Phillips (63), Taylor Misiak (33), Sasha Pieterse (29), Rory Kinnear (47), Dominic Purcell (55), Bonnie Wright (34), Lucy Davis (52), Brooke D'Orsay (43), Kelly Carlson (49), Richard Karn (69), Becky Ann Baker (72), Christina Pickles (90), Ashton Holmes (47), Brenda Fricker (80), Conrad Ricamora (46), Carole Davis (67), Chord Overstreet (36), Meaghan Martin (33), Larry the Cable Guy (62), Isis Valverde (38), Erin Cardillo (48), Garry Chalk (73), Jackson Hurst (46) |
| Geneviève Page, the alluring French actress who starred in such films as Belle de Jour, El Cid and The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, died Friday. She was 97. The obituary. |
|
|
|
| | | |
