What's news: ABC is escalating its battle with the FCC. Dattner Dispoto & Associates and Worldwide Production Agency are merging. A24 and Google DeepMind are developing AI tools. The Edinburgh TV Festival is moving to Manchester. And Meta is testing out Instagram for TV. — Abid Rahman
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com.
|
►Icon. Clive Davis, the hands-on hitmaker with a “golden ear” who brought Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen to the world and revitalized the careers of Carlos Santana, Rod Stewart and Aretha Franklin, died Monday. He was 94. Davis, most recently chief creative officer of Sony Music Entertainment, a former head of labels Columbia, Arista Records and J Records and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, died at his home in Manhattan. He recently had been hospitalized with an upper respiratory infection. The obituary.
—"He changed my life." Bruce Springsteen, Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, Patti Smith, Kenny Loggins, Dionne Warwick and Carlos Santana were among the music legends mourning the death of Clive Davis and sharing their cherished memories of the mogul when news of his death broke on Monday. "He treated me with the same respect and kindness as a 22-year-old nobody as he did after all my success. A great man," wrote Springstreen. The reaction.
—"We lost the greatest music man of all time." THR's Ethan Millman spoke to legendary songwriter Diane Warren about the death of her longtime friend Clive Davis. "Just seeing him be so moved by hearing a song and having tears in his eyes, there's nobody like that anymore," said Warren. The interview.
|
Second Note Sent to Media Claimed Nancy Guthrie Died
|
►The latest. In February, the second letter sent to the media regarding Nancy Guthrie‘s abduction indicated that the retired grandmother was killed shortly after she was taken from her Arizona home earlier this year, according to multiple reports on Monday. Nancy Guthrie, the mother of longtime Today host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing after she disappeared from her Tucson home on Feb. 1. Evidence indicated she was taken from her home where she lived alone. The story.
—"We cannot be at peace." On Tuesday's episode of Today, Savannah Guthrie addressed the second letter about her missing mother. "This is unusual and unprecedented to say the least to be sitting here. But I don’t have any comment on this story and I’m not involved in our coverage. But I can’t pretend I’m not here. And so, since I am, I wanted to take the opportunity to ask people to, to beg people to come forward, somebody knows something,” a tearful Guthrie said. The story.
|
Minghella Named Head of Netflix Animation Studios
|
►Big changes! Showing the ever-growing importance of animation, Netflix has reshuffled two portfolios involving a pair of senior executives reports THR's Borys "Scoopz" Kit. Hannah Minghella, who was previously head of feature animation and live-action family film will now focus sole on animation. The longtime exec has been named head of Netflix Animation Studios and will oversee a massive slate, three animation studio facilities, and over 1,000 employees across three continents. Live-action family films will now be overseen by vp film Kira Goldberg, who already maintains a steady hand over thrillers, dramas, and faith-based stories. The story.
—Escalating battle. As ABC faces multiple proceedings in front of the FCC, the network is going public in a major way, launching a campaign that will urge viewers to support it in its fight with the regulator. The campaign, which debuted its first spots during The View on Monday and ran across the network’s owned and operated station footprint, included a spot urging View fans to weigh in on the investigation related to whether the show qualifies as a “bona fide” news program, and a spot focused on each local station, given the FCC‘s move to review their broadcast licenses. The story.
—🤝 Merger. 🤝 With major Hollywood talent agencies often on the hunt to gobble up boutique shingles or bolt-on acquisitions, some smaller firms are faced with the question of whether to merge — out of necessity or out of choice — to avoid that fate. For Dattner Dispoto & Associates and Worldwide Production Agency, the principals say that their merger was one made out of opportunity and the chance to work with like-minded agents. Both firms rep notable below-the-line talent in the film, TV, and commercial space. The story.
—🤝 Groundbreaking deal. 🤝 In a striking marriage of Silicon Valley and Hollywood, the buzzy entertainment company A24 and the pioneering AI lab Google DeepMind are joining forces. The studio of Marty Supreme and Backrooms will develop tools in concert with the London-based neural-network giant that can then be used by the studio’s filmmakers while also being funneled back into the Google ecosystem. As part of the deal, DeepMind will invest $75m in the project. The story.
—Standalone division. As Paramount races to consummate its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, the company has formed a standalone industrial relations department led by longtime executives Nicole Lang and Sheldon Kasdan. The company announced the creation of the department, which handles labor relations with Hollywood’s powerful unions, on Monday in a move that seems designed to telegraph that it is taking labor seriously as it attempts to consolidate two of the industry’s historic studios. The story.
—On the move. The Edinburgh TV Festival will be celebrating British broadcasting from Manchester, starting in summer 2027, organizers said Tuesday. The relocation decision follows a strategic review of the annual TV festival prompted by rising costs to event organizers and delegates attending the popular event in pricey Edinburgh, host city for nearly 50 years. Manchester is seen to have more affordable hotel rooms than Edinburgh, a popular destination for tourists travelling around the U.K. The story.
|
WB Animation Reboots at Annecy |
►"Artists-first studio." Warner Bros. Pictures Animation wants the industry to know it’s back. For real this time, reports THR's Scott Roxborough. After several years in which WB became better known among animators for what it wouldn’t release than for what it made, WBPA President and chief creative officer Bill Damaschke took the stage at the Annecy International Animation Festival to say the studio is committed to taking big swings in animation. The story.
—🎭 Timmy toons up. 🎭 Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez will voice star in Illumination’s upcoming alien movie Not Alone, it was announced out of Annecy. Chalamet had teased the announcement in his Instagram Story on Sunday night. Universal and Illumination shared the poster for Not Alone on social media on Monday. The film will hit theaters on April 16, 2027. The story.
—A stealthy surprise. Dan Trachtenberg, the filmmaker behind recent Predator movies Prey and Badlands, will be tackling an animated feature based on the comic Freddy the 13th. Yehudi Mercado is behind the indie comic about a family vacation gone awry, when fun Uncle Freddy accidentally kills the Boogeyman and takes on his powers, and must go on a quest to break the curse. The Paramount Animation project was also announced in Annecy. The story.
|
Stephen Chow's 'Kung Fu Soccer' Lands Worldwide Deal
|
►🤝 Sold! 🤝 Encore Films has acquired worldwide distribution rights outside mainland China to Kung Fu Soccer, Stephen Chow's first film as director in seven years and the long-awaited spin-off of his beloved martial-arts-meets-football hit Shaolin Soccer from 2001. Release dates are still to be announced. Chow wrote and directed Kung Fu Soccer but, alas, does not appear in it. The story.
—"I needed a big budget." Perhaps it’s no surprise that Madonna, who proudly boasted of loving the finer things in hit single “Material Girl,” would have money concerns surrounding a biopic that never came to fruition. In a new interview, Madonna discussed the reasons the movie that she planned to direct about her life, which had Julia Garner attached to star, never moved forward at Universal. The story.
—🎭 Epic Bacon. 🎭 Scoopz has the scoop on Kevin Bacon starring in Summoner, an Amazon MGM Studios horror thriller on which Jeremy Slater, the writer behind Mortal Kombat II and Umbrella Academy, will make his directorial debut. The script, written by Slater, follows an exorcist names Jefferson Haddock (Bacon), who is called into an isolated witness protection property to deal with a terrifying demon, accidentally unleashing a force that threatens to end him and everything around him. The story.
—🎭 Toy talks. 🎭 Keanu Reeves is looking to reteam with Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley on the new live-action hybrid Lego movie at Universal. Plot details for the feature are under wraps, with Reeves understood to be still in negotiations for the role in the film. Jill Wilfert and Ryan Christians are set to produce for Universal. The story.
—🎭 Reddit wave continues. 🎭 Lily James has signed on to star in Seasons, a horror thriller that Drew Hancock, the filmmaker behind Companion, is directing for Amazon MGM Studios. Hancock’s script is adapted from the short story by Matt and Harrison Query, which first appeared on Reddit. Some big horror names are involved with the feature on the producing side. Marking their third collaboration, 21 Laps and Blumhouse Atomic Monster, who most recently produced A24’s Backrooms, are producing the feature as is 12:01 Films, a horror banner that was one of the first to colonize the Reddit-as-movie-inspiration space. The story.
|
It's Not TV. It's Instagram.
|
►The future of TV? Instagram is ramping up its efforts to attract more viewers on television in a way that may look very, well, old-school. Starting Monday, the Meta-owned social app will be testing out horizontal video on Instagram for TV, their preexisting feature that allows viewers to watch social videos on the big screen in their living room. And that’s not all. Coming soon, the company will also be experimenting with longer-form storytelling and episodic series with creators, in addition to trying live TV creator experiences on for size. The changes are timed to the launch of Instagram for TV on Samsung TV devices on Monday. The story.
—Dream team. THR's Tony Maglio has the scoop on Vice Studios choosing Pen15 co-creator Sam Zvibleman to adapt Anika Jade Levy’s debut novel Flat Earth. Levy will co-write, with Zvibleman directing the pilot. Flat Earth is described as a “wry, sharply observed portrait of female ambition in New York" and "follows two desperate young women — best friends Avery and Frances — as they navigate friendship, rivalry, obsession and survival." The story.
—Expanding franchise. Netflix is launching a Gabby’s Dollhouse competition series in which young baker-and-maker duos do (friendly) battle in whimsical baking and crafting challenges inspired by the preschool series. Laila Lockhart Kraner will host the untitled series as her character Gabby. Four holiday-themed episodes will arrive later this year, along with new episodes in 2027. Season 14 of Gabby’s Dollhouse premieres on Sept. 14. The story.
—Mining YouTube. Netflix has picked up Hot Ones: Extra Heat, an extension of the popular YouTube talk show in which host Sean Evans asks a celebrity guest a series of deeply researched questions while they both eat increasingly spicy chicken wings. Extra Heat will be a series of specials that stream from the locations of Netflix live events. The first episode will debut after baseball’s Home Run Derby on July 13. The story.
|
Film Review: 'The Get Out'
|
►"Crowe having fun proves infectious." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Derrick Borte's The Get Out. Russell Crowe plays an Albanian nightclub owner in comic neo-noir pastiche. Also starring Luke Evans, Teresa Palmer, Danny Zovatto, Josh McConville, Ever Love Hope, Nina Dobrev and Aaron Paul. Written by Derrick Borte and Daniel Forte. The review.
In other news...
—Jake Johnson, Ben Stiller catch pickleball fever in Apple’s The Dink trailer
—Jenna Ortega is a robot seeking a friend in Taika Waititi’s Klara and the Sun trailer
—Netflix reveals trailer for Ricky Gervais’ animated comedy Alley Cats
—Olivia Rodrigo launches music festival
—Obamas’ Higher Ground adds Expense Account podcast to slate
—Wondery strikes deal with Kevin Durant’s Boardroom
—BAFTA announces student award finalists
—Carly Rae Jepsen to release new double album Day and Night
—Dustin Hoffman, Juliette Binoche and Jeffrey Wright set for Karlovy Vary honors
—Ado, chart-topping Japanese singer, signs with WME
What else we're reading...
—Incredible Katherine Long, Caitlin Ostroff, Neil Mehta and Brenna T. Smith expose on Polymarket allegedly flooding social media with fake content showing people winning after placing bets on the platform [WSJ]
—Emily Nussbaum talked to Welsh cad Matthew Rhys about Widow's Bay, and his formative love for Richard Burton [New Yorker]
—Sony Pictures boss Tom Rothman pens an op-ed on the "democratization of the means of production" made possible by platforms like YouTube and how its all for the good of Hollywood [NYT]
—Hershal Pandya talks to directors Sophy Romvari, Joel Potrykus, Daniel Lombroso, Dustin Guy Defa and Penny Lane about the unglamorous financial realities facing indie filmmakers [Vulture]
—Jon Swaine has a monocle-popping story about former Trump administration official Tulsi Gabbard and how much of her world view is guided by a cult [Washington Post]
Today...
...in 1933, director Harry Beaumont’s adaptation of When Ladies Meet hit the big screen. The film would go on to nab an Oscar nomination for art direction at the 6th Academy Awards ceremony. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Frances McDormand (69), Siân Heder (49), Joel Edgerton (52), Martin Klebba (57), Russell Mulcahy (73), Melissa Rauch (46), Selma Blair (54), Emmanuelle Vaugier (50), Bryan Brown (79), Miles Fisher (43), Hoyeon (32), Aaron Ruell (50), Joe Taslim (45), Edward Holcroft (39), David Dobkin (57), Billy Wirth (64), Connor Jessup (32), Fred Ewanuick (55), Lim Ji-yeon (36), Zen Gesner (56), Matias Varela (46), Travis Bacon (37), Kerry Cahill (44), Sara Powell (58), Dennis Andres (39), Louisa Connolly-Burnham (34), Angela Cole (35), Tara Morice (62), Gerry Cowper (68), Caitlin Blackwood (26), Mana Ashida (22), Sonya Balmores (40), Danna Paola (31), Terri Ivens (59), Allie Bertram (37), Cherie Jimenez (39)
|
|
|
|
