| | | | | | What's news: Nick Offerman will serve as announcer at the Oscars. A$AP Rocky was found not guilty. DNEG has acquired Metaphysic. CBS has ordered a Blue Bloods spinoff series. Joseph Kosinski's UFO conspiracy movie project has set off a bidding war. A24 has acquired rights to Eric Puchner’s novel Dream State. — Abid Rahman
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Lively Claims Two Other Actresses Are Prepared to Testify Against Baldoni ►Amended suit. Blake Lively's legal battle with her It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni took a new turn late Tuesday night when her team filed an amended complaint alleging that two other actresses on the set of the film are prepared to testify as to their own uncomfortable experiences with Baldoni or with his Wayfarer Studios partner Jamey Heath. According to the amended suit, experiences of Lively and others were documented at the time they occurred, beginning in May 2023. The suit does not name the actresses, but sources indicate the two women are Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer. The story.
—Not amused. Justin Baldoni's attorney doesn’t think Ryan Reynolds' joke during Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special was very funny. Bryan Freedman was asked about the gag during an interview with Billy Bush on his Hot Mics podcast. “I’m unaware of anybody, frankly, whose wife has been sexually harassed and has made jokes about that type of situation,” Freedman said. “I can’t think of anyone who’s done anything like that. So it surprised me.” He also described the joke as the duo’s “latest move.” The story. |
Kevin Spacey Responds to Guy Pearce's Claims He Was "Targeted" ►"Grow up, you are not a victim." Kevin Spacey on Tuesday denied targeting Guy Pearce on the set of 1997’s L.A. Confidential. Spacey’s response, which he posted on X, came one day after Pearce told THR's Awards Chatter podcast that Spacey “targeted me, no question,” while on the set of L.A. Confidential, also saying he had told his then-wife that the only days he felt safe on set were when co-star Simon Baker was present, because Spacey focused his attention on Baker instead. Spacey, who has faced several allegations of sexual misconduct, denied Pearce's claims and alleged that the Aussie actor flew to Georgia about a year after L.A. Confidential "just to spend time with me." The story.
—Not guilty. Rapper A$AP Rocky was found not guilty Tuesday of firing a handgun at a former friend on a Hollywood street in 2021. A Los Angeles jury cleared him of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. The 36-year-old hip-hop star, fashion mogul and burgeoning actor — whose legal name is Rakim Mayers — risked more than 24 years in prison if he had been convicted. On the eve of trial, he turned down a prosecution offer of just six months in jail, along with probation and other conditions, if he would plead guilty to one count. The story.
—Swanson! Oprah Winfrey, Selena Gomez, Ben Stiller, Willem Dafoe, Goldie Hawn, Sterling K. Brown, Joe Alwyn, Lily-Rose Depp, Ana de Armas and Connie Nielsen are set to take the stage as presenters during the 97th Academy Awards, per executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor and executive producer Katy Mullan who confirmed Wednesday. Also booking a high-profile gig for the telecast is Nick Offerman, who will serve as the announcer. Offerman follows in the footsteps of David Alan Grier, who served as the “voice of God” for the 2024 Oscar telecast. The story. |
Kamala Harris Signs With CAA ►Next chapter. As Kamala Harris maps out her next moves after a grueling general election campaign, the former vice president has found Hollywood representation. The California politician has inked with Creative Artists Agency, a spokesperson said on Tuesday. The agency plans to focus on speaking gigs and publishing opportunities as Harris plots options after the end of her term. The move reunites Harris with her former boss, President Joe Biden, who re-signed with the Century City-based representation giant earlier this month. CAA’s co-chiefs, Richard Lovett, Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane, have been among the industry’s prominent backers of Biden and Harris’ re-election bid. The story.
—First wave. FireAid has distributed $50m in grants following its star-studded concert fundraiser, the nonprofit announced Tuesday. The shows, put on through a partnership between Live Nation, AEG and the Azoff Company, raised $100m through two benefit concerts at the Intuit Dome and Kia Forum in Inglewood. More than 30 artists played between the two venues and brought in 50m viewers through 28 streaming platforms. Tuesday’s $50m in grants kicks off the initial phase of funding. The community-based organizations that received the funding “have the infrastructure, experience and relationships necessary to efficiently and equitably deliver assistance to fire-impacted individuals,” according to the nonprofit. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Dune VFX house DNEG Group and its Brahma division have made a big swing in acquiring Metaphysic, a developer of artificial intelligence content creation technologies. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the agreement includes Abu Dhabi-based investor United Al Saqer Group and the DNEG Group investing another $25m into Brahma, an AI and content technologies company launched by DNEG Group. In addition, Thomas Graham, CEO of Metaphysic and president of Brahma, will become CEO of Brahma when the transaction is completed. The story. |
Kosinski-Bruckheimer UFO Conspiracy Thriller Ignites Bidding War ►Talk of the town. THR's Borys Kit and Ryan Gajewski have the scoop on a movie project reuniting producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski that is spurring huge interest in Hollywood. A host of companies, including Amazon, Apple, Lionsgate, Paramount and Warner Bros., are vying for the package, that also includes scribe Zach Baylin, the writer whose credits include King Richard, Creed III, and The Order. Little is known about the piece, which is described as All the President’s Men with UFOs. The budget range is unclear but it is seeking a greenlight, per one source. No stars are currently attached. Sources say the bidding is escalating "quickly and aggressively." The story.
—📅 On the move 📅 Steven Spielberg‘s next film is moving its release date from May 15, 2026, to June 12, 2026, to provide more distance from Disney behemoths Avengers: Doomsday (May 1, 2026) and The Mandalorian and Grogu (May 22, 2026). The untitled Universal and Amblin Entertainment movies takes the date previously belonging to filmmakers the Daniels, the duo behind the Oscar-winning indie sensation Everything Everywhere All at Once. Universal said that project is moving forward as planned, and that a new release date will be announced shortly. The story.
—🎭 Filling out 🎭 Amazon MGM Studios' live-action movie Masters of the Universe has added three more actors to the cast. Based on the popular Mattel toy line, the film has started production and has added Sasheer Zamata as Suzie, Jon Xue Zhang as Ram-Man, and Christian Vunipola as Hussein. Nicholas Galitzine was previously announced to star as He-Man in director Travis Knight‘s feature that is set to hit theaters exclusively on June 5, 2026. Other previously announced castmembers include Camila Mendes (set to portray Teela), Jared Leto (Skeletor), Idris Elba (Duncan/Man-at-Arms), Morena Baccarin (The Sorceress), James Purefoy (King Randor), Alison Brie (Evil-Lyn), Charlotte Riley (Queen Marlena), Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Malcolm/Fisto), Sam C. Wilson (Trap Jaw), Hafthor Bjornsson (Goat Man) and Kojo Attah (Tri-Klops). The story. |
Mindy Kaling Comedy Lands Series Pickup at Hulu ►Prolific. Mindy Kaling is adding another series to her portfolio. Hulu has placed a series order for Not Suitable for Work, a comedy about young professionals in New York. The show went into development at the Disney-owned streamer in April 2024 (it was called Murray Hill at the time) with a script-to-series commitment. Created by Kaling, Not Suitable for Work will follow “five work-obsessed 20-somethings striving for professional success and, if they have time, personal happiness in Manhattan’s most glamorous neighborhood, Murray Hill,” per the show’s logline. Casting hasn’t been announced yet. The story.
—Partial rescue. CBS is heading back to the world of Blue Bloods — at least partially. The network has given a straight-to-series order to a drama titled Boston Blue, which will see Donnie Wahlberg reprising his role as Danny Reagan. The new show — CBS is calling it a “universe expansion” of Blue Bloods — is set to premiere in the 2025-26 season. It will follow Danny as he leaves New York and takes a position with the Boston police — where he’s partnered with Detective Lena Peters, the daughter of a prominent law enforcement family in the city. The story.
—Strong start! The third season of The White Lotus opened to the show’s largest premiere audience so far. The HBO series brought in 2.4m cross-platform viewers on its opening night Sunday, a 57 percent increase on the season two premiere (1.5m). The night one figure includes the on-air premiere and replays on HBO and streaming on Max. After 36 hours — including the Presidents' Day holiday — HBO says the premiere grew to 4.6m viewers, double the audience for season two’s first episode over the same amount of time. The ratings.
—🤝 Rights sold! 🤝 As the Western genre continues its renaissance thanks to Yellowstone and its Taylor Sheridan-backed spinoffs, one of the classics of the literary genre is being put into development. Teton Ridge has acquired the rights to adapt Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove and the subsequent books in the Pulitzer Prize-winning series. The deal, which was made with McMurty’s estate, covers film, TV, and all rights except publishing, which remain with Simon and Schuster. It’s unclear if the new adaptation will be a film or for television. The story.
—🤝 Rights sold! 🤝 A24 has acquired rights to Eric Puchner’s novel Dream State in a competitive situation and will adapt the book for TV. Gloria Sanchez Productions is also behind the project; Flora Birnbaum and Sam Sackeroff will adapt the novel. Published Tuesday by Doubleday, Dream State is the latest selection of Oprah’s Book Club (Puchner is set to discuss the book with Oprah Winfrey on her podcast). The novel spans 50 years and is set against the backdrop of a “rapidly warming” Montana. The story.
—🎭 Two more 🎭 Abbott Elementary's Chris Perfetti and Wednesday's Joy Sunday have joined the cast of HBO‘s limited series DTF St. Louis. The show about a love triangle gone wrong is in pre-production. Perfetti and Sunday join a cast that also includes Jason Bateman, David Harbour, Linda Cardellini and Richard Jenkins. As has been the case with the other actors, details on the roles Perfetti and Sunday will play are being kept quiet for now. The story. |
'Romeo + Juliet' Ends Broadway Run on $1.5M High ►Going out with a bang. In its closing week, Romeo + Juliet hit the highest gross of its run, bringing in $1.48m, and playing to more than 100 percent capacity. The play, starring Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor, also had the highest average ticket price on Broadway last week at $225. Propelled by demand for the two stars, the play recouped its $7m capitalization during the course of its 20-week run. The production also touted having “the youngest ticket buying audience” in Broadway history, with 14 percent of purchasers between the ages of 18 and 24, compared to the current industry average of 3 percent. The Broadway box office report.
—🎭 In the works 🎭 A musical about country music star Loretta Lynn’s life is under development with Sutton Foster attached as the star. Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori is working on the show’s music production. Sam Gold, a Tony Award-winning director who worked on Fun Home with Tesori, is attached as the director. The musical, entitled Coal Miner’s Daughter, is inspired by the 1980 film and the autobiography about Lynn’s journey from rural Kentucky to becoming a country music star. The story.
—Quick as you like. All In: Comedy About Love recouped its Broadway investment after its 10-week run and has plans for a return engagement. The show, which played the Hudson Theater from Dec. 11 through Feb. 16, featured a rotating cast of starry actors acting out short stories written by Simon Rich. The cast included John Mulaney, Jimmy Fallon, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Aidy Bryant, Chloe Fineman, Nick Kroll, Richard Kind, Fred Armisen and more. Lorne Michaels and Seaview, the producers of the show, said they plan to bring a new show All Out: Comedy About Life by Simon Rich to Broadway in the 2025 – 2026 season, directed by Alex Timbers, who also helmed All In. The story. |
TV Review: 'Win or Lose' ►"A triumph — save for one egregious misstep." THR's Angie Han reviews Disney+'s Win or Lose. Each of the eight episodes of this Pixar-produced series focuses on a different character's perspective in the week leading up to the championship game for an adolescent softball league. The review.
—"A condensed portrait that encompasses a whole history." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Richard Linklater's Berlin competition entry, Blue Moon. Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Scott star in this real-time account of musical-theater lyricist Lorenz Hart getting pickled at Sardi’s on opening night of his former writing partner’s Broadway triumph, Oklahoma! The review.
—"Yet another tale of hitman angst and bullets flying." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Simon West's Old Guy. Christoph Waltz, Cooper Hoffman and Lucy Liu appear in this movie about an aging hitman forced to work with a much younger trainee. The review.
—"Touchingly taps into the healing power of collective filmmaking." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy, Timeea M. Ahmed and Phil Cox's Khartoum. A collective of Sudanese and British filmmakers collaborate with five residents from Khartoum to construct a kaleidoscopic document of identity, survival and hope. The review.
—"A modest arthouse zootopia." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Iván Fund's Berlin competition entry, The Message. The Argentine writer-director's roving black-and-white feature follows a little girl who claims she can read the minds of animals. The review.
In other news...
—Apple's Dope Thief trailer: Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura go on the run
—Anora named best picture by Vancouver Film Critics Circle
—Dick Clark Productions names Nick Terranova head of brand partnerships
What else we're reading...
—Richard Luscombe digs into the true story behind RaMell Ross' Oscar-nominated film Nickel Boys [Guardian]
—Luke Winkie profiles Hasan Piker, the leftist politics streamer who might just save the Democratic Party [Slate]
—Charlotte O'Sullivan wonders whether rom-com heroine Bridget Jones is a "misogynist role model" or the "inner voice of a generation" [BBC]
—Nick Kostov and Stacy Meichtry report that French billionaire Bernard Arnault is working his ties to Trump to spare luxury giant LVMH the coming tariffs [WSJ]
—Aatish Bhatia, Josh Katz, Margot Sanger-Katz and Ethan Singer report that DOGE claimed it saved $8b in one contract when it was actually $8m [NYT]
Today...
...in 2010, Paramount released Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island in theaters. The psychological thriller, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow and Michelle Williams was a big commercial and critical hit. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Millie Bobby Brown (21), Chappell Roan (27), Benicio Del Toro (58), Seal (62), Dan Fogelman (49), Ophelia Lovibond (39), Jeff Daniels (70), Bellamy Young (55), Ray Winstone (68), Josh Trank (41), Tatanka Means (40), Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (47), Arielle Kebbel (40), Victoria Justice (32), Sam Reid (38), Justine Bateman (59), Andrew Buchan (46), Luca Pasqualino (35), Eric Lange (52), Haylie Duff (40), Jessica Tuck (62), Paulina Gaitan (33), David Mazouz (24), Griffin Newman (36), Jackson Pace (26), Helen Fielding (67), Leslie David Baker (67), Jeff Daniel Phillips (60), Sonia Ammar (26), Camille Kostek (33), Zoë Robins (32), Alex Mallari Jr. (37), Miss Benny (26), Jonathan Tropper (55) |
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