| | | | | | What's news: Netflix has renewed The Night Agent for S4. ABC has renewed 911, 911: Nashville and High Potential. David Ellison claims CNN will retain its editorial independence. The Toronto Film Critics Association is facing collapse. And Peter Jackson will receive an honorary Palme d’Or. — Abid Rahman
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Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot ►"I put Frankenstein at number 10 because I haven’t seen it." It's that time of year, when real Oscar voters spill on what they really think of this year's contenders. First up is a female member of the Academy’s 719-person documentary branch who has no connection to any of this year’s nominees. She was granted a cloak of anonymity in return for candor, as she speaks with THR about her ballot. The story.
—Academy leaders tease the Oscars. Ahead of the 2026 Academy Awards on March 15, THR's executive editor of awards coverage Scott Feinberg exclusively spoke to Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor and CEO Bill Kramer. The duo spill on Conan’s return, the special musical celebrations of Sinners and KPop Demon Hunters, and more. The interview.
—Latest batch. Academy Awards executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor and executive producer Katy Mullan announced the latest batch of presenters for this year’s ceremony on Thursday. Will Arnett, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal and Gwyneth Paltrow are all set to take the stage at the 98th Oscars. The group of entertainers joins the previously announced lineup of presenters, which includes Adrien Brody, Javier Bardem, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Chase Infiniti, Mikey Madison, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani, Maya Rudolph and Zoe Saldaña. The story.
—Omnishambles. Outgoing BBC director-general Tim Davie has answered key questions at the center of the BAFTA-Tourette’s controversy, including why the racial slur shouted by campaigner John Davidson as Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented was not cut from the final broadcast. On Friday, Davie said in a letter to the chair of the U.K. government’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee that the broadcaster’s initial evidence has found that the incident was “a genuine error.” He said: “No one in the on-site broadcast truck heard [the N-word] when they were watching the live feed.” The story.
—🏆 Félicitations! 🏆 The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson will receive an honorary Palme d’Or in recognition of his life’s work at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Cannes announced the honor on Thursday, praising the New Zealand filmmaker for “a body of work that blends Hollywood blockbusters and films d’auteur with extraordinary artistic vision and technological audacity.” Jackson has never had a film in official selection in Cannes, but his connection to the Cannes market goes back to 1988, when he brought his first feature, Bad Taste, to the Marche, securing global distribution for the low-budget splatter horror classic. The story. |
Megan Ellison Revs Up Movie Ambitions Again ►Annapurna is hiring! With David Ellison aiming to take over Hollywood, emerging triumphant in the fight for Warner Bros. Discovery less than a year after merging his studio Skydance with Paramount, chatter in more independent-focused corners of the industry has turned to his sister. Megan Ellison, the auteur-loving producer behind Annapurna who is hot off the splashiest sale at this year’s Sundance, is gearing up for an industry reemergence, with new (albeit familiar) execs being brought into the fold. THR's Mia Galuppo has learned Annapurna veterans Chelsea Barnard and Matthew Budman are returning to the company and have been named the co-heads of film. And more hires are on the way. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Netflix is getting into the AI business with Ben Affleck. This isn’t an output deal, it’s a business deal, with the streaming giant set to acquire an AI-powered filmmaking technology company that Affleck quietly founded a few years ago: InterPositive. Affleck will join Netflix as a senior adviser in the deal, alongside all of InterPositive’s staff. The company declined to comment on the terms of the acquisition. InterPositive traces its origin story 2022. Working with engineers, researchers and creative executives, the company develops proprietary AI-powered tools meant to help filmmakers create their films and shows in a fast, efficient way, while centering the humanity of it all. The story.
—Facing collapse. The mass exodus at the Toronto Film Critics Association is gathering pace after indigenous actress and filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers returned her award trophy following the alleged censorship of her video acceptance speech, which included remarks in support of Palestine. Over a third of the association’s 46 members are understood to have resigned so far, with others still considering their position. The story. |
David Ellison: Editorial Independence "Will Be Maintained at CNN" ►"We want to be in the truth business, we want to be in the trust business." As CNN staffers brace for impact amid Paramount’s looking takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount CEO David Ellison is seeking to reassure them that the independence of the venerable news brand will be kept alive. Ellison gave his first interview about the WBD deal to CNBC, where CNN’s future was the subject of intense interest from David Faber. “CNN is an incredible brand with an incredible team, and we absolutely believe in the independence that needs to be maintained for those incredible journalists, and we want to support that going forward,” Ellison said. “Editorial, independence will absolutely be maintained. It is maintained at CBS, it will be maintained at CNN.” The story.
—Shelling out for lawyers. A legal fight is taking shape between Paramount and the high-stakes gambler who sparked an internal investigation and SEC inquiry into whether company president Jeff Shell prematurely disclosed details of a $7.7b UFC media rights deal. At the heart of the matter: An allegation that the studio and Shell reneged on an agreement to pick up an English-language format of a Roku reality show the gambler, R.J. Cipriani, co-created and exec produced. THR's Winston Cho and Gary Baum report that a lawsuit hasn’t been filed, though Paramount is lawyering up, hiring Blair Connelly, a longtime, do-it-all outside advisor to David Ellison. The story.
—Mornings mourning. Shawna Thomas, executive producer of CBS Mornings, is leaving the program as new owners Paramount continue to reshape the network. Thomas has headed the morning show for the past five years and will step down at the end of March. Senior broadcast producer Jon Tower will run CBS Mornings on an interim basis once Thomas departs. The news comes a day after anchor Gayle King renewed her deal to remain as co-host of CBS Mornings, after speculation about her future at the network under the new leadership of editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and president Tom Cibrowski. The story. |
ABC Renews '911,' '911: Nashville' and 'High Potential' ►No-brainers. ABC is starting to solidify its scripted lineup for the 2026-27 season. A day after picking up Abbott Elementary, the network has renewed three dramas — 911, its spinoff 911: Nashville and High Potential — for next season. All three are among the network’s most watched scripted shows of the current season. 911 will air its 10th season overall and fourth on ABC (the first six ran on Fox) in 2026-27. High Potential will head into season three and 911: Nashville into season two. High Potential is ABC’s most-watched show for the second year in a row. The two 911 shows also rank among the top 20 network series in adults 18-49. The story.
—Monster. Just a few weeks after the release of the third season The Night Agent, Netflix has renewed the Gabriel Basso-led spy thirller for a fourth season. The news was announced on Friday morning and the streamer added that season four will shoot in Los Angeles. The Night Agent has been a viewership monster for Netflix, with the series becoming one of its most-watched English-language series ever. The story.
—🟢 Greenlight! 🟢 Netflix has picked up a new comedy series based on Justin Halpern’s autobiography of a period spent fumbling his way through relationships with the opposite sex, I Suck at Girls. The show, which will focus on the experiences of three high school sophomores as they confront romance and coming of age, will be showrun, written and executive produced by Halpern and his creative partner Patrick Schumacker for their Delicious Non-Sequitur Productions. Halpern and Schumacker are co-showrunners and executive producers on Abbott Elementary and play the same roles on Max’s Harley Quinn. The story.
—Woof! FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette has captivated a sizable audience. The limited series has racked up more than 25m hours (or 1.5b minutes) of viewing for its first five episodes on Hulu and Disney+, FX says — a record streaming number for an FX limited series. The show airs on the FX cable channel as well, but virtually all of its audience has come on the two streaming platforms. The show has also been building week to week. The ratings. |
How 'Rookie' Embodies the Streaming Era for Network Series ►Delay, delay, delay. When The Rookie airs in its regular timeslot on ABC, about 350,000 to 375,000 people ages 18-49 watch the show on air. That’s in line with most other network dramas this season, but it is not a lot — 10 years ago, a show drawing that level of viewers in a key ad sales demographic probably wouldn’t have lasted more than a month. The Rookie is in its eighth season, however, and a pretty solid bet to earn a ninth thanks to all the people who watch the show after its initial airing. THR's Rick Porter writes that the show is a great example of broadcast shows that get a bigger lift from streaming and other delayed viewing. The analysis.
—In demand. Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney will tackle ancient Greece in his next series. Netflix has given a straight-to-series order for Alexander, which will center on the relationship between the future ruler known as Alexander the Great and his tutor, Aristotle. The show is based on Annabel Lyon’s 2009 novel The Golden Mean. Tierney will write and direct the series and executive produce with his Accent Aigu Entertainment partner Brendan Brady, who’s also an EP of Heated Rivalry. Jason Bateman and Michael Costigan of Aggregate Films also executive produce. The story.
—Lawyering up. Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer scored its best premiere week so far and led the streaming charts for Feb. 2-8. Overall streaming volume fell off some with the Super Bowl and the opening of the Winter Olympics competing for viewers. The Lincoln Lawyer drew 2b minutes of viewing time for the week (its fourth season premiered Feb. 5), up 22 percent from the week of its season three debut in October 2024 and just shy of its highest total ever (2.03b minutes for the week after season three premiered). Nielsen says 81 percent of the show’s viewing time — about 1.62b minutes — was for the new season. The streaming rankings. |
Hollywood Is Suddenly Taking UFOs Seriously ►"This movie is going to blow people's minds." It’s quietly become a trendy new genre in Hollywood: The serious UFO movie. THR's James Hibberd reports that an invasion of projects across the narrative and documentary space are exploring the topic of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), including prestige films from Steven Spielberg and Joseph Kosinski. James writes that producer and podcaster Bryce Zabel has just packaged Unidentified , a film with UTA that’s billed as “the most grounded, historically anchored” look at the 1947 Roswell incident yet. Sylvain White is attached to direct. The story.
—🎭 Rising star. 🎭 Callie Cooke, who played the struggling pit stop tire gunner in Brad Pitt’s F1, has landed the female lead opposite Keanu Reeves in Warner Bros.’ untitled action movie being directed by Tim Miller. Nicholas Duvernay, Steven Waddington, Abraham Popoola, Bobby Holland Hanton and Anastasia Safonov have also joined the call sheet for the feature that began production this week. The water-centric feature, which was titled Shiver when WB picked it up last fall and is now simply being referred to as the untitled Tim Miller/Keanu Reeves film, is shooting in the Dominican Republic and using massive water tanks for the sea-set sequences before moving to the U.K. The story. |
TV Review: 'Rooster' ►"Still trying — too hard — to find itself." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews HBO's Rooster. Steve Carell leads a starry cast in this dramedy about a pulp fiction author who gets the opportunity to change his life when he gets a job as writer-in-residence at a small New England college. Also starring Charly Clive, Phil Dunster, Danielle Deadwyler, Lauren Tsai and John C. McGinley. Created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses. The review.
—"Not all it could be." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Patrick Hughes' War Machine. In this Netflix sci-fi actioner, Alan "Reacher" Ritchson stars as the leader of a U.S. Army Ranger team that does battle with a giant alien robot. Also starring Blake Richardson, Keiynan Lonsdale, Daniel Webber, Jai Courtney, Esai Morales, Stephan James and Dennis Quaid. Written by Patrick Hughes and James Beaufort. The review. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this live episode Scott spoke to Joachim Trier. The celebrated Danish-Norwegian writer and director reflects on his family's history in film; what led to his celebrated "Oslo trilogy" of Reprise, Oslo, August 31st and The Worst Person in the World; and why he decided "tenderness is the new punk" en route to his latest film, Sentimental Value, which is nominated for nine Oscars, including best picture, international feature and, for him personally, director and original screenplay. The podcast.
—I’m Having an Episode. THR’s Mikey O’Connell attempts to stay on top of the latest TV and entertainment news with a little help from his friends, colleagues and a revolving door of actors, writers, showrunners and filmmakers. In this episode, Mikey interviews filmmaker Kevin Williamson, who discusses returning to the Scream franchise, his biggest hits and working with the late James Van Der Beek. And, now that The Traitors and the Winter Olympics are over, THR's Daniel Fienberg joins Mikey to discuss what exactly is happening over on Peacock. The podcast.
In other news...
—Harry Styles and Netflix share trailer for concert special
—The Boys S5 trailer: Homelander chases immorality
—Hearst Media Production Group president Frank Biancuzzo to retire
—Bob Rosenfarb, writer-producer on Who’s the Boss? and Step by Step, dies at 74
—Gary Dontzig, Emmy-winning writer and producer on Murphy Brown, dies at 79
What else we're reading...
—Bindu Bansinath looks at why celebrity GoFundMes make people so angry [The Cut]
—Jonathan Abrams remembers the time twenty years ago (yes it was that long ago!) the Three 6 Mafia won an Oscar for "It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp" [NYT]
—Ross Barkan writes that the Iran War might be the breaking point for the already fraying U.S.-Israel relationship [Intelligencer]
—Andrew England and Simeon Kerr report that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE are reviewing their overseas investments, including the tens of billions committed to the U.S., amid the Iran War [FT]
—Here's your Friday list: Every Scream movie, ranked [THR]
Today...
...in 1987, Warner Bros.’ R-rated buddy-cop drama Lethal Weapon, pairing Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, opened in theaters. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Tyler, the Creator (35), Edward Berger (56), Tyler Gillett (44), Shaquille O'Neal (54), Connie Britton (59), Odessa Young (28), Millicent Simmonds (23), Ren Watabe (27), Anna Maria Horsford (78), Tom Arnold (67), Milo Manheim (25), Moira Kelly (58), Amy Pietz (57), Shaun Evans (46), Ellen Muth (45), Neela Jolene (20), Eric Graise (36), Jacob Bertrand (26), Eddie Deezen (69), Alan Davies (60), Joel Palmer (40), Yael Stone (41), Andrea Elson (57), James Saito (71), Rosie Day (31), Elise Eberle (33) |
| | Sanford “Sandy” Wernick, a longtime talent manager of clients including Adam Sandler, Lorne Michaels, Tim Herlihy, John Davies and Rob Schneider, who also became partner and senior executive vp at Brillstein Entertainment Partners, died Thursday. He was 86. The obituary. |
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