What's news: Julie Rapaport and Alana Mayo are the new heads of film, production and development at Amazon. Denzel Washington and Christopher McQuarrie are teaming up for an Amazon movie. American Horror Story has been renewed. And the BBC is set to close BBC Three and BBC Scotland. — Abid Rahman
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Sacha Baron Cohen Gets Real About Backlash
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►The cover story. Sacha Baron Cohen insists his new film, Ali G: Who Iz I?, is the last guerrilla comedy of its kind that he’ll make. He’s adamant. No more Borat. No more Bruno. No more Ali G. They’re too hard, he says, too risky. He’s tired of hoodwinking people to expose their prejudices, and he’s even more tired of the death threats that periodically follow. There are easier ways to make money in this business, and eventually his luck will run out. The comedian and newly-minted director talks to THR's Lacey Rose about brining back his OG character and the outrage already brewing, as well as cancel culture, boycotts and putting his money — and his life — on the line for a laugh. The cover story.
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Netflix Braces Wall Street for 2026 Ad Sales Whiff
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►Stock slump continues. Netflix posted third quarter 2026 revenue of $12.9b on Tuesday, as well as a profit of $3.664b and earnings per share of 87 cents. The numbers beat everyone’s expectations — including Netflix’s — but they were not enough to immediately rally the stock price. The summer’s sub-12 percent revenue-growth rate (11.8 percent) is a bad look for the company, which now forecasts 11.5 percent growth for the October to December quarter. For Q4, Netflix now forecasts $13.442b in revenue, $2.787b in net income. The results.
—"We need better execution." Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said Wednesday that while the streamer’s strategy for continued growth is sound, it needs “better execution” of that strategy — particularly in the U.S. He also said that incoming chief content officer Peter Rice will provide the leadership to deliver on that promise. "The business and the business flywheel are working. There’s no need for a fundamental shift in strategy," Sarandos said. The story.
—Dan Lin was fired for being Dan Lin. THR's Mia Galuppo and Borys Kit dig into why Netflix unceremoniously ousted film chief Dan Lin. Mia and Borys writes that Netflix wanted a blunt communicator who could rightsize budgets. Until it didn't. The story.
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Legendary Steps Up Bid to Nab Lionsgate
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►Maybe this time! Hollywood’s favorite M&A target that never seems to get gobbled up may just have a serious takeover offer. Legendary has submitted an acquisition offer for Lionsgate, per a Bloomberg report. Both companies declined to comment on the blind-sourced item, which sent Lionsgate shares up double digits. The report arrives just weeks before the company is set to disclose quarterly earnings on Nov. 5. Lionsgate has been here, many times before. But since its formal separation from Starz in 2025, the company is even more of a pure play option at the M&A buffet. The story.
—Dream team. Amazon MGM Studios is reorganizing its film team amid its output having expanded to beyond 30 titles per year. The studio named Julie Rapaport and Alana Mayo as heads of film, production and development. The pair will report to Amazon MGM head of film, streaming and theatrical Courtenay Valenti. Rapaport and Mayo will each oversee half of the Amazon film slate, standing at roughly 15 titles apiece. Both will work on theatrical and streaming across varying genres. The story.
—Austerity is here, innit. The BBC is set to close its BBC Three and BBC Scotland TV channels in the spring. The news comes as the British broadcaster attempts to make savings of $670m over two years. The services will become online only, the BBC said, meaning they’ll continue to produce and host some content on streaming service iPlayer. Radio 4 Extra will also close. The story.
—Hollywood titans. The Paley Center for Media is adding some boldface names to its board of trustees. The nonprofit says that Skydance CEO David Ellison, Mattel CEO Roger Lynch, Meta president and vice chair Dina Powell McCormick and Charter CEO Chris Winfrey are joining its board, and that Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. is joining its Los Angeles board of governors. The story.
—🤝 AI-shielding deal. 🤝 The Writers Guild of America East is attempting to make it harder for AI models to scan their members’ work. The union on Tuesday announced a partnership with Cloak, a software company that obfuscates documents to AI models but not human readers. As part of the deal, the union will offer Cloak to its members for free and to non-members who register their scripts with the union for an additional $10. The story.
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'Glee' Revival a Go at Disney+ and Hulu
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►Don’t Stop Believin. Glee is returning. Disney+ and Hulu have ordered a revival of the high school musical, which ran from 2009-15 on Fox. 20th Television, which produced the original series, is also behind the new show. And that is literally all the public information Disney put out Wednesday morning — no producers or cast are mentioned in the press release announcing the series order. Sources say deals for the the creative team are still being finalized, but it’s an extremely safe bet that co-creator Ryan Murphy is involved. The story.
—🟢 Speaking of Murphy. 🟢 American Horror Story co-creator Ryan Murphy said at the start of the current season that he hopes he can keep making the show “forever.” FX might not have that kind of otherworldly power, but it can at least get Murphy a little closer to his goal: It has renewed AHS, which Murphy created with Brad Falchuk, for a 14th season. The pickup comes nine days before the season 13 finale, scheduled for Oct. 29. The renewal will likely push AHS past the 150-episode mark in season 14 and extends the show’s record as FX’s longest-running hourlong series (by far). The story.
—🟢 Six of the best. 🟢 Disney+ is bringing together some of Japan’s most celebrated genre filmmakers for Night Tales Club, a six-part supernatural mystery anthology series starring Takayuki Yamada and set to premiere in January 2027. The series adapts six stories from a collection by acclaimed Japanese horror writer Ichi Sawamura, with each episode directed by a different filmmaker. The lineup includes genre master Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Takashi Shimizu, Shinzo Katayama, Yukiko Sode, Yuichiro Sakashita and Yosuke Nakamura. The story.
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Reeves in Talks to Star in 'The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil'
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►🎭 Shut up and take my money! 🎭 THR's Borys "Scoopz" Kit has the scoop on Keanu Reeves enterting negotiations to star in The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, Paramount's reimagining of the 2019 Korean movie. Reeves will join Don Lee on the call sheet. Lee was one of the stars of the original movie and is reprising his role for this new iteration. The project is the next directorial effort from James Wan, who hasn’t helmed a feature since 2023’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The story.
—🟢 Greenest of green lights. 🟢 Denzel Washington and Christopher McQuarrie are teaming up for a crime thriller set up at Amazon MGM Studios and Scott Stuber’s United Artists. Washington will star in the feature, currently untitled but which was once referred to as The Frame, with McQuarrie directing. Amazon has greenlit the feature and will give it a theatrical release, dating it for Oct. 1, 2027. The project has been operating under the radar but will see cameras roll starting November in New Jersey. The story.
—"It was essentially two movies." Quentin Tarantino‘s scripts can be, like the director himself, a tad loquacious. Still, discarding more than one fourth of a Tarantino script feels like a pretty bold move. David Fincher says he did exactly that — cutting 60 pages from Tarantino’s script for The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel starring Brad Pitt that’s coming to theaters and Netflix. The story.
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Roseanne Breaks Silence on High-Stakes TV Return
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►"Who wants a number one show?" THR's Seth Abramovitch spoke to Roseanne Barr about her new single-camera sitcom Meemaw: A Modern Day Fable. Eight years after ABC fired her over a tweet widely condemned as racist, the former sitcom queen opens up about her estranged TV family, sides with ex-husband Tom Arnold against Chuck Lorre and bets on a self-financed comeback she calls "the funniest shit I’ve ever done." The interview.
—"If I were to change my accent, my parents would disown me." THR's Tony Maglio spoke to Josh Hartnett about his hit new Netflix show Below. The in-demand actor dishes on accents in the show, the car accident that nearly derailed production and the Widow's Bay comparisons that created "a little bit of a scary situation." The interview.
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The Emancipation of Charli D'Amelio
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►"I’m figuring out who I want to be, and that’s what I’m really excited for." For THR, Nancy Jo Sales spoke to OG TikTok star Charli D’Amelio. She’s been the platform's biggest female star since she was 15, and has the battle scars to prove it. Now she’s breaking free from her family’s control — and taking her 160m followers with her. The profile.
—"What the hell is going to happen if we get to another season?" THR's Hilary Lewis spoke to The Diplomat showrunner Debora Cahn and stars Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell and Allison Janney about season 4 of the Netflix megahit. Cahn and the cast speak about what last-minute moves mean for the couples at the heart of the series, which has yet to be renewed for season five, and how much an early-season scare affects foreign-policy decisions. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
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Katt Williams Was Sure He'd Be Dead by Now
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►"More now than ever, truth is really at a premium." For THR, Timothy Bella profiles the indefatigable Katt Williams. He may be best known for his scorching viral takedowns, but the comic has been filling arenas and making headlines for decades. As memoir Nine Lives, No Wives, and 69 Concubines hits shelves, Williams opens up about his new podcast, his epic beefs and past legal troubles, and why he always felt like his life was a race against time. The profile.
—"There’s nobody else I thought of: It had to be James." THR's McKinley Franklin spoke to Tatyana Ali about her memorable run on season 35 of Dancing With the Stars. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air stars discusses her tribute to her onscreen TV father James Avery, how her onscreen brother Alfonso Ribeiro convinced her to take on DWTS and why the fans are the “most wonderful surprise of doing the show.” The interview.
—"If you put your own interpretation on [the letter], that’s potentially going to be more meaningful and interesting than whatever was written." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Whalefall director Brian Duffield and star Austin Abrams. The duo open up about resisting the new ending for the film before embracing it, revealing that the coda was added after test screenings. The interview.
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Film Review: 'Klara and the Sun'
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►"A robot tale that ought to be scrapped for parts." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Taika Waititi's Klara and the Sun. Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams and newcomer Mia Tharia star in this adaptation of the Kazuo Ishiguro novel about the unique qualities of being human that cannot be replicated by AI. Also starring Aran Murphy, Steve Buscemi, Natasha Lyonne, Rachel House, Jesse Griffin, Harry Greenwood and Molly Curnow. Written by Taika Waititi and Dahvi Waller, based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. The review.
—"Inoffensively old-fashioned." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews NBC's Newlyweds. Guest star Jamie Lee Curtis and the recently departed Gail Lerner co-created this series about a middle-aged couple (played by real-life couple Téa Leoni and Tim Daly) who rush into their second marriage. Also starring Emma Meisel, Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, Bill O’Neill and Al Madrigal. Created by Jamie Lee Curtis and Gail Lerner. The review.
In other news...
—The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County trailer sets the stage for a new MomTok
—Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart to receive first joint award as couple is selected for Icon Honors
—John Oliver hosts Comic Relief’s 40th anniversary night at Carnegie Hall
—Hiam Abbass to receive European Achievement in World Cinema Award
—Santa Barbara: Andrew Garfield tapped for Maltin Modern Master Award
—Publicist Emily Vespa joins Birch Public Relations
—Sundance Institute taps Tracy Brady for chief marketing, brand and communications role
—Hunter Schafer reveals she underwent gender-affirming bottom surgery
What else we're reading...
—Tyler Parker looks at how Nathan Fielder became our preeminent prankster sociologist [Ringer]
—Sheena McKenzie wonders why everyone is so obsessed with the ’90s right now [CNN]
—Lane Brown talks to French director Romain Gavras about his incredible Yung Lean music video for the song "Storm" which appeared to be AI-proof but has now been copied into oblivion [Vulture]
—With celebrated TV duo Troy Aikman and Joe Buck seemingly headed for a breakup, Jason Gay wonders if they can make it to the Super Bowl [WSJ]
—Mike Allen reports that GOP whisperer Joel Kaplan is leaving Meta after 15 years as policy chief [Axios]
Today...
...in 1964, Warner Bros.’ My Fair Lady held its premiere at the Criterion Theatre in New York. The film, said at the time to have the largest advance ticket sales of any movie in history, eventually went on to win eight Oscars at the 37th Academy Awards. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Glen Powell (38), Kim Kardashian (46), Andrew Scott (50), Ken Watanabe (67), Catherine Hardwicke (71), Darius Khondji (71), Doja Cat (31), 'Judge' Judy Sheindlin (84), Louis Koo (56), Sophie Willan (39), Helene Joy (48), Melora Walters (67), Charlotte Sullivan (43), Aaron Tveit (43), Everett McGill (81), Hari Nef (34), Gaia Girace (23), Will Estes (48), Blanca Suárez (38), Chelsea Edge (36), Damon Whitaker (56), David Clayton Rogers (49), Michael McMillian (48), Mark Rendall (38), Ashley Liao (25), Matt Dallas (44), Tom Everett (78), LaTanya Richardson Jackson (77), Amanda Arcuri (29), Michael Kopelow (57), Jeremy Miller (50), Teddy Moutinho (27), Kate Drummond (51), Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman (42)
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