What's news: Digger is dividing critics. Disney has laid off a few hundred people. Mattel has named Roger Lynch as its new CEO and chairman. Jennifer Lawrence will star in Zach Cregger’s The Flood. And M. Night Shyamalan's surprised Beyond Fest attendees with a screening of his next film Remain. — Abid Rahman
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Cruise Slams AI, Defends 'Digger' as Reviews Divide Critics |
►"People want real things and they want real experiences." Tom Cruise and Alejandro G. Iñárritu screened their new film Digger to a full house at the Academy Museum’s 945-seat David Geffen Theater on Tuesday night. THR's Seth Abramovitch was there and reports that the duo stuck around for a panel discussion where they defended the film in the face of mixed reviews and also defended the idea of "real" filmmaking amid the looming threat of AI. The story.
—"Dead and buried, or ought to be." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Iñárritu's Digger. Cruise leads a starry cast feature in this dark comedy about a blowhard oil tycoon facing a global catastrophe of his own making. Also starring Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Emma D’Arcy, Sophie Wilde and Robert John Burke. Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone and Sabina Berman. The review.
—About those other reviews. THR has surveyed the other Digger reviews, and they do not hold back. The positive reviews contain strong superlatives praising Iñárritu‘s bold new film, and the negative reviews are utterly scathing. The reaction.
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Cindy Holland to Exit Paramount |
►Casey's poised. Paramount's chair of direct-to-consumer Cindy Holland will leave the company in connection with its looming deal for Warner Bros. Discovery. Holland’s exit positions HBO Max content chief Casey Bloys as the likely leader of the combined company’s streaming operations. Holland, who previously led U.S. originals at Netflix, entered Ellison’s orbit two years ago, as an adviser to Skydance on streaming content and strategy. After closing the Paramount deal only a year ago, Holland was named the head of the company’s streaming business, including Paramount+ and Pluto TV. The story.
—Major shake-up. Mattel has named Roger Lynch as its new CEO and chairman, succeeding Ynon Kreiz, who the the toy giant says is leaving for a role at another public company. Kreiz is the executive responsible for pushing Mattel into entertainment, with box office hits like Barbie, alongside a slate of other films and shows. Lynch, who was already a Mattel board member since 2018, will step down as CEO of Condé Nast, the media company that owns brands like Vogue and Vanity Fair. Mike Perlis, currently the lead independent director of Condé Nast, will become interim CEO. The story.
—Kreiz's next stop? Could David Ellison be turning to a veteran chief executive to join Paramount-Warner Bros? THR's Alex Weprin reports that shortly after Mattel announced that Ynon Kreiz would be leaving for another role at a public company this morning, the rumor mill was buzzing that he could be returning to the entertainment business, specifically at the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. The story.
—Layoffs. For months, employees at Disney have been on edge. The entertainment giant has cut hundreds of jobs this year as it continues streamlining corporate operations. More have been expected. On Tuesday, the ax fell. A few hundred employees, mostly in human resources and tech, were laid off, a person familiar with the situation confirms to THR's Winston Cho. The story.
—New leadership. The Producers Guild of America has a couple of new presidents. Donna Gigliotti and Mike Farah have been elected to lead the trade organization dedicated to the work of film, television and digital media producers, the PGA announced on Tuesday. They will succeed Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line, who have served as presidents since 2022. The story.
—Looking outward. Cinema United, the national theater owners lobbying group formerly known by the geopolitically-tinged acronym NATO, is looking to form some new alliances abroad and making key hires to do so. The trade org, which reps AMC Theatres, Cinemark, Regal, Marcus, Harkins and many more theater chains, has created new executive roles aimed at expanded engagement with international theater owners. Amanda Martin was promoted to svp, external affairs while Erin Von Hoetzendorff will be promoted to vp, membership and global affairs. The story.
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Chad Lowe's Daughter Fiona Dies at 13
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►"She was the light of our lives." Chad Lowe and Kim Painter’s daughter Fiona has died, her family announced on Tuesday. She was 13. In a statement the family wrote, “We are deeply heartbroken by the loss of our beloved Fiona. She was a loving young girl who was smart, creative and loved to dance. She was adored by her sisters and she was deeply loved by her parents. In fact, she was the light of our lives. Her passing is devastating for our entire family and we ask for prayers and privacy at this time. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988." The story.
—"Cornell has failed to protect its students." Mariska Hargitay is joining the list of celebrities condemning the seven men accused of sexually assaulting a woman at Cornell University in 2024. The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star took to her Instagram for a joint post with the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization she launched in 2004 to support victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse. “We refuse for this victim to be reduced to just another story,” her statement read. The story.
—"A lot of emotions." Blogger Perez Hilton remains in a residential treatment facility where he’s receiving care following an August suicide attempt, but the veteran celebrity media personality has reunited with his mother and three children for brief meetings at the facility. "Seeing his children in person has meant an enormous amount to Perez. There have definitely been a lot of emotions for everyone, but being able to spend that time together has been incredibly meaningful and healing," per a status update posted on Hilton’s blog Tuesday afternoon, credited to his team and family. The story.
—Guilty. A former Ohio music pastor who once appeared on American Idol was convicted of murder Tuesday in the killing of his wife while he was having an affair. Prosecutors said Caleb Flynn, 40, staged a home invasion in February after shooting his wife, Ashley Flynn, a 37-year-old schoolteacher and volleyball coach. Flynn, who claimed his wife was killed by a burglar, could now be sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole. He appeared on American Idol in 2013. The story.
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Lawrence to Star in Cregger's 'The Flood'
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►🎭 A-list help. 🎭 Jennifer Lawrence will star in Zach Cregger’s sci-fi thriller The Flood. Warner Bros.’ New Line division is behind the movie, having picked up the project out of turnaround from Netflix earlier this year. New Line was the studio that made Cregger’s breakout Weapons. The Resident Evil filmmaker wrote the script and will direct and produce The Flood, which is based on his original idea and is set for theatrical release on Aug. 11, 2028. Production is due to begin in Europe in the first months of 2027. The story.
—📅 New obsession. 📅 Curry Barker's Obsession followup has a date with movie theaters. Anything But Ghosts will arrive on May 7, 2027 from Focus Features, a little less than one year after Obsession hit theaters and became the studio’s top grossing movie of all time. Barker co-wrote the script for Anything But Ghosts with longtime partner Cooper Tomlinson, with the duo selling the script and shooting the feature before Obsession became a phenomenon. The story.
—What a twist! M. Night Shyamalan's hotly anticipated next feature Remain had an impromptu premiere at Beyond Fest and the early reaction (try 4 months early!) to the supernatural thriller has already hit social media. Remain screened at the genre festival ahead of a planned retrospective screening of The Sixth Sense. The filmmaker personally introduced his new film and to say festivalgoers were surprised is an understatement as Remain is not slated to be in theaters until Feb. 5, 2027. Clearly Shyamalan is feeling bullish and the early reaction seems to back him up. The reaction.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Aero Films has acquired North American rights to writer-director Ellie Sachs' indie film Lucy Schulman and plans a theatrical release for early 2027. Sachs also stars alongside David Cross, Thomas Mann and Hasan Minhaj in the movie that is set in New York City. Lucy Schulman centers on Lucy (Sachs), who endures a devastating breakup and ends up moving back in with her quirky single dad (Cross) as she navigates cringeworthy dates and other personal challenges. It premiered earlier this year at Tribeca. The story.
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'GOT' Finally Hitting Big Screen in 2029 |
►🟢 A feature is coming. 🟢 Warner Bros. announced Tuesday that Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest is set for theatrical release on June 1, 2029. Owen Harris directs the film that has a script from Beau Willimon, marking the first feature film for the franchise that adapts author George R.R. Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy book series. The studio confirmed the title at CinemaCon earlier this year for the movie that centers on King Aegon I Targaryen’s conquest of Westeros. Castmembers have not yet been revealed. The story.
—More to come. The story of Olive Smith and Adam Carlsen will continue in a book sequel. Author Ali Hazelwood announced Tuesday that she will release The Two-Body Problem next February. The sequel novel is in early development and comes amid the recent release of Prime Video‘s adaptation of Hazelwood‘s bestseller The Love Hypothesis. Hazelwood also announced that MRC is developing a film based on The Two-Body Problem for Amazon MGM Studios. The story.
—The lucky 19. A new wave of nonfiction projects have officially gotten a boost from Sundance Institute. The nonprofit revealed the roster of global recipients selected to receive documentary fund grants for 2026. In total, 19 filmmaker-led projects got a thumbs up to receive more than $1m in unrestricted funding to support their process from development and production to post-production. Four of the 19 projects are in development, 12 are in production and three are in post. The story.
—AI Xmas. A trio of animated shorts set around the Christmas holiday and powered by AI is in the works and poised to debut before the end of the year — for free. The projects come from Massive Studios co-founder Reza Sixo Safai, The Garfield Movie scribes Paul A. Kaplan and Mark Torgove, and producer Todd Garner. The three shorts will see Massive parter with content creation platform CapCut, and are being developed simultaneously using AI tools like Video Studio and Seedance 2.5. The story.
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Charlie and Martin Sheen to Star in AMC Comedy
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►🟢 Family affair. 🟢 Charlie Sheen is heading back to TV, and he’s bringing his dad along for the ride. Charlie and Martin Sheen will star together in a comedy series called Happy Jack that has scored a green light from AMC Global Media. The multicamera show is slated to premiere on AMC and AMC+ in 2027, with production starting early next year on the Warner Bros. lot. The show centers on Jack (Charlie Sheen), a “bit of a lifelong ne’er-do-well” with two adult daughters whom his dad (Martin Sheen) had a big hand in raising. The story.
—🎭 Filling out. 🎭 Icebreaker, Netflix's upcoming hockey romance series, is rounding out its main cast. Gabriel Tierney, Auliʻi Cravalho, Peter Berry, Chaneil Kular, Devin Craig and Aidan Shaw are set to star in the series. Tierney will play Aaron; Cravalho will play Lola; Berry will play Robbie; Kular will play JJ; Craig will play Henry; Shaw will play Russ. They join the show’s previously announced leads Daisy Jelley and Connor Simos, who are set to star as Anastasia “Stassie” Allen and Nate Hawkins, respectively. The story.
—Tackling the tango. Dancing With the Stars is bringing the Super Bowl to the ballroom for a special theme night in honor of the big game. It was announced on Good Morning America Wednesday morning that the Oct. 13 episode of the reality series will officially be Super Bowl Night. Couples will dance to iconic songs performed in various former Super Bowl shows. The story.
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►"Truth is stupider than fiction in this literary misfire." For THR, Richard Lawson reviews Michael Showalter's Verity. The fourth screen adaptation of best-selling novelist Colleen Hoover’s works stars Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett. Written by Nick Antosca. The review.
In other news...
—Lisa Vanderpump brings Vanderpump Rules to Vegas in Bravo limited series trailer
—Sam Pollard to head up London Film Festival competition jury
—AFI Fest: Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love among selections
—American Black Film Festival: Kerry Washington to serve as ambassador
—Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail jumps from CAA
—True Blood star Ryan Kwanten signs with Rain for management
What else we're reading...
—Bess Levin unpacks Anthropic's $2t IPO pitch, which includes a warning that AI may kill us all [Intelligencer]
—Two decades later, Whitney Friedlander has the untold history of The CW, including creating TV that was "crack for girls" and the bewildering number of superhero shows [Los Angeles Times]
—Rich Schapiro and Chloe Melas report that disgraced mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs is enjoying a pampered life in prison including massages, nude photos and Hennessy [NBC News]
—With Brexit now proven to have been a disaster, Paul Seddon and Richard Wheeler talk to UK PM Andy Burnham and his plans to potentially rejoin the EU [BBC]
—Isaac Butler thinks he knows how Robert Pattinson graduated from teen heartthrob to "now looking like the next Brad Pitt" [Slate]
Today...
...in 2011, Universal released Jim Sheridan's Dream House in theaters. The psychological thriller starred Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts and Marton Csokas, but was hated by critics (7 percent on RT!) and bombed at the box office. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Monica Bellucci (62), Marion Cotillard (51), Tony Hale (56), Fran Drescher (69), Kieran Culkin (44), Vondie Curtis-Hall (70), Lacey Chabert (44), Jenna Elfman (55), Maddie Ziegler (24), Angie Dickinson (95), Katrina Law (41), Eric Stoltz (65), Silas Weir Mitchell (57), Havana Rose Liu (29), Amy Landecker (57), Crystal Bernard (65), Andrea Roth (59), Teal Redmann (44), Toni Trucks (46), Victoria Tennant (76), Debrah Farentino (67), Chris Jackson (51), Alistair Petrie (56), Tiana Upcheva (31), John Light (53), Daniel Wu (52), Donna Biscoe (71), John Finn (74), Greyston Holt (41), Omid Djalili (61), Ki Hong Lee (40), Lyric Ross (23)
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