What's news: Universal Music Group is undergoing big layoffs this week. Apple has renewed Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. NBC’s Dateline is getting a Canadian spinoff. And fashion giant Banana Republic has unveiled its first scripted microdrama. — Abid Rahman
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►Doug pull. As part of Netflix's largest restructuring in four years, film division executive Doug Belgrad has been laid off report THR's Borys Kit and Erik Hayden. Belgrad had served as a righthand man to film chairman Dan Lin since he joined Netflix in 2024 following a long run at Sony. Hiring Belgrad was Lin's first big exec move after the latter had succeeded Scott Stuber in overseeing all Netflix movies. Belgrad had just toasted the launch of the Ben Affleck's Animals at its L.A. world premiere early in October, and had been a key part of managing Netflix’s massive slate of original movies. As part of the reorg, movie exec Sheroum Kim, who joined Netflix in 2019 as director of independent films, was also let go. The story.
—No escape for TV. Also among the Netflix staffers laid off on Wednesday were TV executives Lisa Lang McMullen, James Oh, Carolina Garcia and Andrew McQuinn. McMullen was most recently director of overall deals and series at Netflix, Oh was director of drama series, Garcia and McQuinn both held the title of director of original series. Also laid off were Jason Pan, manager of original series, Aaron Davidson, manager of adult animation comedy, and Dan Evans, manager of original animation. The story.
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IMDb's Latest Pivot Takes a Cue From LinkedIn |
►DM sliding epidemic incoming. IMDb is adding features to make it the professional social network for the entertainment industry. The Amazon-owned platform is best known for housing the details on film and TV productions. On Wednesday the company launched “Connections,” a new professional network for Pro users to connect with people that they have worked with, met at industry events, or otherwise want to be connected to. It also launched “Endorsements,” which will let users who are connected to each other write professional recommendations for their colleagues. The story.
—Deep cuts. Universal Music Group is undergoing big layoffs this week connected to the $270m cost-savings initiative the company had announced back in 2024, a move that has several major executives from across the company’s North America, Europe and U.K. operations stepping down. Most notably, Def Jam CEO Tunji Balogun, who has spearheaded the label since 2022, is departing, as are Interscope execs Sam Riback and Nicole Wyskoarko. Republic Records chairman and CEO Jim Roppo is leaving the label too, more on him below. The story.
—Landing spot. Hours after news dropped that he was leaving UMG after three decades, Jim Roppo revealed that he was joining Warner Music's Warner Records Group as vice chair. Roppo will report to Warner Records Group chairman and CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck. The story.
—End of an era. CNN has decided to go direct to consumers and launch its All Access premium subscription service in Canada from Oct. 20. As with the U.S. market, where the All Access service launched a year ago, Canadian subscribers will gain access to live streaming video and the news division’s library of video content, alongside complete access to CNN’s digital products. The Canadian premium subscription service will cost CAN$7.99 (US$5.65) a month, or CAN$79.99 (US$56.50) annually. The story.
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Brand Rape Claims Detailed as Trial Opens
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►"Ruthless, sexual predator." Russell Brand's rape trial is officially underway at London’s Southwark Crown Court, with the prosecution describing the disgraced actor and comedian as a “ruthless” and “calculated” sexual predator. Arriving at the court with his wife, Laura, on Wednesday, Brand, best known for his roles in Get Him to The Greek and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, is accused of three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault, with six women alleging crimes dating from 1999 to 2009. The recap.
—"I am wholly prepared to accept the consequences." Normal People and Conversations With Friends author Sally Rooney has shared that her books will no longer be available for sale in the U.K. because of her support for protest group Palestine Action. Given that the British government has proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist group, Rooney‘s publisher Faber confirmed to the AP that it “has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass on U.K. earnings to Sally Rooney for her work.” The story.
—"It’s exhausting to have a target on my back." Justin Baldoni's former crisis PR firm has been linked to a smear campaign against a consumer safety advocate. THR's Gary Baum reports that the actor/director worked with an executive at vitamin company Hiya Health, which also appears to have hired TAG PR, the same agency now at the center of the Hollywood smear scandal. The story.
—$15m! If Kelly Clarkson still wants that singing mechanical bird, she can apparently now buy it for an insanely high price. Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin has decided to put its automated bird Molly on sale for $15m given all the attention the bird has received in the wake of the shop’s viral feud with the American Idol star. The story.
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Zendaya to Star in Garland's A24 Sci-Fi Movie
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►🎠Booked and busy. 🎠Zendaya has joined a new project as her memorable year winds down. The actress is set to star in filmmaker Alex Garland‘s untitled sci-fi movie for A24. Plot details have not yet been disclosed for the feature that is expected to shoot in 2027. This movie marks the latest collaboration between Zendaya and A24 following her hit HBO series Euphoria, which counted A24 as a producer, and this year’s feature The Drama. The story.
—"Working on these scenes — that's when they became surprisingly more sexy than we thought." THR's lady in London Lily Ford spoke to filmmakers, and real-life couple, Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer about their much-talked about feature Wicker. The duo reveal the making of the perhaps the horniest and tenderest film of the year and the warning signs that their movie, starring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgard, was to become an erotic, meme-making phenomenon. The interview.
—"We worked really hard to not kill Austin Abrams, and [Zach Creggar] would’ve also killed me if I killed Austin." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Brian Duffield about his new film Whalefall. The writer-director, recently named to THR's top genre filmmakers list, discusses adapting Whalefall the novel alongside its Pulitzer Prize-winning author Daniel Kraus, and test screening challenges. The interview.
—"As an audience, I think Ben does a really beautiful job inviting you to ask questions." For THR, Max Gao spoke to Kerry Washington about her new film Animals. The actress opens up about teaming up with Ben Affleck for the weighty Netflix crime thriller, returning to the land of Imperfect Women — and what her career-defining role as Olivia Pope on Scandal taught her about power. The interview.
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Banana Republic Debuts First Scripted Microseries |
►Fashion trend. Maybelline. Crocs. Marc Jacobs. These are just a few of the brands that have recently turned to the microdramas format to spin a yarn while, naturally, advertising their goods. And now, Banana Republic can be added to that list. The Gap-owned brand debuted the initial episode of its first scripted microdrama on Wednesday. The Agency stars Adults actor Jack Innanen as four different employees at an old-school, full-service travel agency called Travel & Tours that is rocked when a corporate suit (Taylor Ortega) arrives to modernize it. The story.
—Heading north. NBC’s Dateline, the top-rated true crime series, is getting a Canadian spinoff series from Nov. 26. Keith Morrison, who got his start in journalism in his native Canada, was in Toronto Wednesday to tout the first international expansion of the Dateline franchise as part of a licensing deal with Rogers Studios. Dateline Canada on Citytv and Citytv+ will be hosted by Diana Swain, a former senior investigative correspondent for CBC News and host of The Investigators on the CBC News Network. The story.
—🟢 Maximum renewal guaranteed. 🟢 Apple TV has renewed the critically acclaimed series Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed for a second season. A writers room is already at work, and production is slated to begin in the first half of 2027. The pickup comes about three months after Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed concluded its first season. The series stars Tatiana Maslany as Paula, a recently divorced woman in the midst of a custody battle with her ex (Jake Johnson). The story.
—🟢 Wide Deceiver is gold. 🟢 If only Daejon Love worked as hard at running routes as he did scamming women, maybe he would have actually made the league. Probably not though — and if he had, we wouldn’t have a potential all-time-great Untold installment to look forward to. The next documentary in Netflix‘s Untold film series will zone in on Love, who scammed women out of money while posing as a wideout with the San Francisco 49ers. Untold: Wide Deceiver will be "told firsthand from those affected by the scam." The story.
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►"When people think of R.J., I hope they will remember how talented he was, how he overcame so many struggles, how he approached everything with joy and fearlessness." Tributes from R.J. Mitte’s inner circle are continuing to surface in the wake of the actor’s death by suicide on Monday. For THR, Breaking Bad casting agent Sharon Bialy reflects on the audition, appeal and legacy of the cerebral palsy-afflicted actor, who she and her partner Sherry Thomas brought to the attention of Vince Gilligan. The column.
—"Complete shock, absolutely devastated and struggling." Ben Brucato, who serves as CEO and founder of BLUNT MGMT, took to Instagram Tuesday to share a lengthy and emotional tribute R.J. Mitte, his longtime client, someone he called an “instant friend” turned family member over the course of their professional relationship. The story.
—Selfless. THR's Etan Vlessing writes that R.J. Mitte was best known for playing Walter White's son, but the late actor was also a philanthropist through his family connected Mitte Foundation, and advocated for SAG-AFTRA, Shriner's Children and United Cerebral Palsy. Etan reflects on Mitte's advocacy and charitable works. The story.
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►"Bravely keeps a straight face while talking out of its blowhole." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Brian Duffield's Whalefall. Man-of-the-moment Austin Abrams stars in this race-against-the-clock survival tale about a scuba-diving disaster. Also starring Josh Brolin, Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy and Emily Rudd. Written by Brian Duffield and Daniel Kraus, based on the book by Kraus. The review.
In other news...
—Guarding Stars trailer: Leighton Meester, Jared Padalecki star in fake-dating holiday romance
—Higher Ground links up with basketball podcast The Young Man and the Three
—The Academy’s Bill Kramer, Lynette Howell Taylor to attend Tokyo Film Festival
—Eric Nam, singer and The Traitors star, signs with UTA
—Hilary Swank reveals she’s pregnant with her third child
—Alan Mandell, esteemed actor and interpreter of Samuel Beckett plays, dies at 98
What else we're reading...
—Alexandra Bruell and Anne Steele report that YouTube is talking to publishers to bring audiobooks to the platform, which could spell trouble for Audible and Spotify [WSJ]
—Jason Schreier goes deep inside the making of the long-awaited and sure-to-be massive Grand Theft Auto VI [Bloomberg]
—Two law professors break down what Dolly Parton’s messy estate fight reveals about celebrity family business succession [Fast Company]
—Christina Newland makes the case for why Netflix's La Bola Negra could win the Oscar for best picture [BBC]
—Heather Schwedel unpacks the Kelly Clarkson store saga, and is very clear on where the blame lies [Slate]
Today...
...in 1951, the iconic sitcom I Love Lucy, starring Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, made its television debut on CBS. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Paul Walter Hauser (40), Dominic West (57), Bailee Madison (27), Ncuti Gatwa (34), Chukwudi Iwuji (51), Todd Solondz (67), Ali Fazal (40), Mira Nair (69), Michael Caton-Jones (69), Noel Gugliemi (56), Vanessa Marcil (58), Charlotte Hope (35), Grace Van Dien (30), Jere Burns (72), John Getz (80), Larry Miller (73), Alex McKenna (42), Shawn Andrews (55), Josefin Asplund (35), Vincent Martella (34), Renée Jones (68), Matt Keeslar (54), Devon Gummersall (48), Lynn Lowry (79), Götz Otto (59), Tyler Jacob Moore (44)
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Henry Siegel, a syndication specialist who was involved in live TV events including the MTV Video Music Awards, the ESPY Awards and the much-ballyhooed 1987 special Return to the Titanic, has died. He was 85. The obituary.
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