Spike Lee and Ben Stiller are ready to paint the City blue and orange. David Ellison is gearing up for a legal fight to create his Hollywood empire. The YouTube wave of filmmakers unleashes a land grab for new IP. Plus, the quotes and narratives to pay attention to next week. — Erik Hayden
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If Backrooms' Kane Parsons, Iron Lung's Mark Edward Fischbach and Obsession's Curry Barker represent a new wave of Hollywood filmmakers with theatrical sway, then count YouTube executive Fede Goldenberg as radiating zen about the turn of events.
"It’s a particularly great feeling — two movies leading the box office and Markiplier on the platform too," the YouTube exec tells Steven Zeitchik. Goldenberg, like so many Google executives, has a title, head of film and TV partnerships, that only hints at his influence. "I know people are surprised but it does not surprise me one bit — these are people who’ve had years to perfect the craft of entertaining audiences." The report.
Six YouTube Talents to Watch
With the horror genre reliably bankable for both the major studios and specialty outfits, there has been a land grab for the next stars in the space. Mia Galuppo and Aaron Couch called insiders to see who could be the next breakout.
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Once the world’s highest-paid male model, Hoyt Richards gave his last penny to a socialite conman who claimed to be an alien and preyed on the sexy and susceptible. A new HBO doc tells only half the story. Frederick told followers — mostly men but women, too, all of them attractive, often plucked from the world of fashion — that he was a “walk-in,” meaning an extra-terrestrial had taken over his body to prepare humanity for an apocalypse. Seth Abramovitch's feature.
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Paramount must turn over board-level internal comms relating to Shari Redstone’s ousting of three special committee members that precipitated the studio reaching a deal with Skydance, a court has ruled. There is a "credible basis to investigate mismanagement or wrongdoing," wrote Magistrate Judge Christian Wright in the ruling.
The move is an incremental win for investors who sued Paramount. And it arrives as Reuters' Jody Godoy reports that California, New York and other states are readying a lawsuit "expected to be filed in the coming weeks" to block the Par-Warner Bros. merger.
As Winston Cho has noted, Paramount is prepared for this possibility, hiring big-name antitrust lawyer Jeffrey Kessler to work with former federal prosecutors Makan Delrahim and David Gelfand. Delrahim went on offense this week, telling the L.A. Times' Meg James of merger opponents: "There’s a lot of fear-mongering, particularly from people in Washington, D.C. They are running a political campaign. Some of these people are trying to inflict harm on this transaction really because of their own antisemitic views. Regulators and law enforcement officials will see right through that."
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"Nah." — Jordan Peele to Marlon Wayans, when asked if he'd cameo in the new Scary Movie, which parodies Get Out.
"There’s more under the tip of the iceberg." — Alleged hacker ImStillDissin, hinting that Paramount's Avatar content may be compromised after a full-movie leak of Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender.
"We have to get rid of this exclusivity mindset that many of us still have." — Gerhard Zeiler, Warner Bros.' int'l chief, on flexibility to license movies and TV shows.
It "will function 'almost like the talent agents who are offering up these characters to licensees.'" — Roberta Thomson, CEO of Hasbro's new AI studio, on monetizing Optimus Prime and Mr. Potato Head.
"In both works, the antagonist gets away and is finished by a bullet later at a different location." — From an idea theft lawsuit by writer J.R. Wicker, alleging John Wick is "strikingly" similar to his screenplay "Blood for Escobar."
Logline of the Week
"The director aims to make a more down and dirty movie, using plenty of practical effects or locations like he did when he remade Dawn of the Dead as his feature debut, rather than something more overtly slick, such as his later superhero hits." -> Zack Snyder's plan to reimagine Escape From New York.
Job Listing of the Week
VP at Warner Bros.' Alloy
"Responsible for the development of material for television & streaming series and to work on series, staffing and current programming..."
Salary range: $161,000 - $299,000
By the Numbers
(Most-read stories on THR.com this week)
1) "Euphoria Season 3 Finale Ends With a Major Death"
2) "Inside the UFC’s $60 Million Made-for-TV White House Gambit"
3) "Alexa Demie, Euphoria’s Most Elusive 'It' Girl, Is Finally Ready to Talk"
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TV news ratings scorecard
As EIC Bari Weiss and new EP Nick Bilton undertake an effort to tear down and rebuild 60 Minutes at CBS News, it's notable that they're starting from a position of strength, ratingswise at least, for the venerable newsmagazine. Right now, 60 Minutes regularly outpaces all evening newscasts, and while the NFL lead-in has been a help, that metric will be kept in mind as the next iteration of the show unspools. Will there be more viewers or fewer by the time the show is fully rebuilt next year?
"Probably about the same," Alex Weprin observes, cautioning: "This is a hard show to take down. Though maybe there will be an audience revolt. Will be very intriguing to see."
Putting together the pieces is Bilton, who spent the week in a fiery war of words with star Scott Pelley after his firing. The EP however, kept on three remaining correspondents, Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim, and pledged that the show would be free from corporate pressure. Yet, as Bilton told staff: "It’s been a hell of a first week."
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At 57, Paul Rudd has come to terms with who Hollywood wants him to be. In fact, he has built a long and successful career being that guy. And though he's found ways to spackle in considerably darker roles onstage, to which he's retreated whenever he can, his goofy, good-guy charisma has fueled three decades' worth of rom-coms, R-rated comedies and a lengthy spin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His next project is arguably a departure. Lacey Rose's cover story.
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Monroe invented herself. But it was photographer Bruno Bernard who spotted a young Norma Jeane Dougherty and put her on magazines. Their relationship is explored in a new book and at the Academy Museum. Joshua John Miller's book excerpt.
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Nikki Glaser, Wanda Sykes, Marc Maron, Leanne Morgan and Julio Torres join Lacey Rose for a raunchy chat about comedy, politics and bombing. "Sometimes people don't hear comedy for comedy," says Maron. "They're like, 'Well, I don't really believe that.' And I'm like, 'Good, because it's a fucking joke, stupid.'" Full feature.
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Ahead of the Tonys on Sunday, John Lithgow, Nathan Lane, Joshua Henry, Shoshana Bean, Rose Byrne and Marla Mindelle dish to Scott Feinberg in a Broadway roundtable chat on their career paths, conversations that they are provoking and performance schedule they wish they had. Full feature.
+ Ben Zauzmer is back with his annual Tony winners math predictions.
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Sony Pictures chair Ravi Ahuja posed with Chris Miller, Phil Lord, Tom Rothman, Rhea Seehorn, Keith Le Goy and Rahul Purini at Sony Pictures' global all-hands meeting and BBQ. Ben Affleck was on hand to honor Jimmy Kimmel at the Peabody Awards in Beverly Hills. Prince Harry came out to celebrate José Andrés and the release of his new cookbook in L.A. Alexandra Grant and Keanu Reeves had a night out at the Museum of Contemporary Art in L.A. François Arnaud, Camilla Belle and Noah Wyle hit the MPTF NextGen Summer Party in L.A. Composer Alexandre Desplat was honored during the closing night of the L.A. Greek Film Festival. Barbie Ferreira joined author Joshua John Miller for a reading of his book The Marilyn Monroe Century at Chateau Marmont in L.A. Rebecca Black hopped in the DJ booth for a special performance at the Museum of Modern Art's annual Party in the Garden in NYC. All 84 photos from this week's premieres and events.
Upcoming Releases
Notable movies heading to theaters
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Snapshots from THR's team of film critics
Summer of Soul director Questlove "delivers another superb effort" in HBO doc Earth, Wind & Fire. The Wayans Brothers' Paramount rebootiquel Scary Movie is "past its expiration date." Adam Shankman’s disaster comedy Stop! That! Train! is a "nutty fusillade of multiple jokes per minute." Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein's Netflix rom-com Office Romance is "too much work and not enough play." Bumblebee helmer Travis Knight's Masters of the Universe adaptation "doesn't have the power." Mindy Kaling's Gen Z Hulu comedy Not Suitable for Work is "a throwback, for better or for worse." Javier Bardem and Amy Adams' episodic adaptation of Cape Fear for Apple TV features "a surplus of violent bombast, elevated by a strong cast."
Winners & Losers
James Hibberd's weekly scorecard
"Scott Pelley rage quit 60 Minutes, the unexpected dismal end of Euphoria and Los Angeles' never-ending election day."
And finally,
A Hollywood Flashback...
"Once I saw him so fed up, he just peeled all that shit off his face and said, ‘I’m going home.'"
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