What's news: Anne Sweeney is stepping down from Netflix's board. Christopher Halpin is the new CFO of NBCU. Kanye West has settled a sexual harassment lawsuit. Meghann Fahy will star in a Louise Woodward drama for HBO. And the Clueless sequel series has landed at Paramount+. — Abid Rahman
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THR's 25 Best Documentaries of All Time
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►Facts over fiction. From Grey Gardens to The Gleaners and I, Gimme Shelter to Grizzly Man and beyond, THR's crack team of critics — David Rooney, Jon Frosch, Daniel Fienberg, Leslie Felperin and Jordan Mintzer — pick their favorite nonfiction films of all time. The list.
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Netflix Sued For $105M Over Stolen Nicolas Cage Movie
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►Has anyone seen Benjamin Franklin Gates? A theft at Netflix‘s L.A. office of an unreleased film has sparked a lawsuit from makers of the movie, titled Fortitude and starring Nicolas Cage. THR's Winston Cho reports that in a lawsuit, writer-producer Simon Afram and his company, Op-Fortitude, accuse Netflix of compromising the sale of the WW2 spy thriller by losing a copy of the movie that was shared for screening. He seeks at least $105m. An unencrypted master copy of the movie was in one of several drives that were stolen from Netflix’s office last month. The story.
—🤝 Overall deal. 🤝 One of the key people who shaped reality TV as we know it is headed to Netflix. Former Warner Bros. TV and Fox executive Mike Darnell has signed an overall deal with the streamer. Under the multi-year deal, Darnell will develop and produce unscripted series and also provide what Netflix is calling “strategic creative guidance” on its larger unscripted slate. Under Darnell, Fox’s unscripted division produced hits including American Idol, Hell’s Kitchen and So You Think You Can Dance. Darnell also shepherded The Bachelor franchise and The Voice, both of which debuted before his arrival at WBTV. The story.
—Exiting. After more than a decade serving on Netflix‘s board of directors, Anne Sweeney is stepping down from the role. The streaming giant said that Sweeney, formerly co-chair Disney Media Networks and president of Disney-ABC Television, resigned from the board as of July 26. Since exiting the Disney C-suite in early 2014 with plans to direct, Sweeney has served on multiple corporate boards including at toymaker Lego, the J. Paul Getty Trust and The Mayo Clinic. The story.
—Entering. NBCUniversal has hired Christopher Halpin as its new CFO. Halpin will oversee the studio’s global finances and report to co-CEO Mike Cavanagh, the future CEO of NBCUniversal after Comcast separates its media and technology businesses. The exec starts on Sept. 8. Randy Culbertson, currently CFO of NBCU, will remain with the studio as he transitions to a new role to be announced in the coming weeks. The story.
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ABC Calls on FCC to Dismiss License Renewal Proceedings
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►Going on offense. ABC is officially calling on the FCC to drop its “extraordinary and unprecedented” proceeding to call in the Disney-owned network’s stations for an early broadcast license renewal. The network has responded to the Brendan Carr-led agency in a new filing Thursday, bringing on veteran litigator Beth Wilkinson to its legal team (Wilkinson also recently signed on to represent Paramount in its antitrust suit filed by state AGs). The story.
—Wait till next quarter! Sony Pictures Entertainment’s operating income for its fiscal first quarter was up 21 percent to $154m from the comparable period a year before, with Q1 sales down 13 percent to $1.98b year-on-year. SPE released only one theatrical movie (The Breadwinner) in North America in the period. SPE's next quarter should see a massive spike in revenue and profit with the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Sony’s music division saw Q1 revenue jump 22 percent, boosted from the renewed interest in Michael Jackson’s music, coinciding with the release of the Lionsgate biopic Michael. The results.
—Sounds great. Universal Music Group posted $3.795b in revenue for the company’s second quarter, a 10.5 percent increase year over year. Excluding revenue from recently acquired Downtown Music, revenue was about $3.5b. Recorded revenues grew about 13 percent to $2.89b, while publishing revenue grew about 8 percent to about $710m. The results.
—Chugging along. U.K. media giant ITV reported revenue growth of 2 percent in the first half of the year and revealed a $135m shareholder buyback in what CEO Carolyn McCall has described as a show of “commitment to attractive shareholder returns” in the wake of Sky‘s $2.13b acquisition of the broadcaster’s network and streaming businesses. The results.
—Ticket to ride. Live Nation reported Q2 revenue of $7.7b, up 9 percent year-over-year and operating income of $522m, up 7 percent, in a quarter of strong ticket sales. This marks the highest Q2 yet for Ticketmaster, which reported revenue of $852m, up 15 percent year-over-year, and 90m fee-bearing tickets sold, up 8 percent, with concerts as the primary growth driver. The second quarter ended with deferred ticket sale revenue of $5.2b, up 16 percent, for shows later in the year, pointing to continuing ticket demand. The results.
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The Reporter Who Won't Give Up On the Nancy Guthrie Story
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►"Any day now something could happen." As the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case hits the six-month mark, THR's Tony Maglio talks to NewsNation journalist Brian Entin, whose good, old-fashioned (and consistent) shoe leather reporting has stood tall above the conspiracy theories so often amplified by amateur internet sleuths. Unpacking aspects of the case, Entin explains why there still could be a break soon. The interview.
—The latest. Kanye West has settled a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former assistant who accused him of multiple instances of sexual abuse and assault over the year she worked for him. The civil suit, one of several filed against the artist, will be withdrawn within 45 days after West reached an unconditional settlement with his former assistant, Lauren Pisciotta, on July 23, according to court documents. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. The story.
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The Last Blockbuster Franchise Hollywood Hasn't Screwed Up |
►When "too many cooks" works. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, in recent years, has been rather messy — to say the least. DC movies, for whatever reason, have always been hit or miss. Star Wars is lost in space. The Fast and Furious veered off the road with its last two efforts. Then there’s Spider-Man… When was the last time you saw a bad Spider-Man movie? THR's James Hibberd looks at how Spidey keeps winning while other franchises stumble. The analysis.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Sony Pictures Classics has snapped up Andy Garcia‘s Diamond, taking worldwide rights to the actor-director’s long-gestating Los Angeles noir following its buzzy Cannes Film Festival premiere. The deal covers all territories except France, Germany, Italy and CIS. Written, directed, produced by and starring Garcia, Diamond transports a 1940s-style gumshoe into present-day L.A. The passion project also stars Vicky Krieps, Brendan Fraser, Bill Murray and Dustin Hoffman. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Avedon, Oscar winner Ron Howard’s documentary feature about the life and work of legendary photographer Richard Avedon, has been acquired by Netflix. The film, which had its world premiere in Cannes and was met with raves, will be released worldwide on the streaming platform later this year, and will receive an awards push. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Tribeca Films has acquired three movies from first-time feature filmmakers. Loves Company, directed by Jason Laurits, stars Dratch as a woman who believes she’s been rescued from her lonely existence when her favorite celebrity crash lands in the Florida swamps outside her home. A Very Merry Breakup is written, directed by and stars Elizabeth Guest as Lydia, a serial dater determined to change her unhealthy relationship patterns. Magic Hour, written and directed by Jacqueline Christy, stars Shor as a once-promising filmmaker who secretly enrolls in film school. The story.
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'Wonder Man' Un-Renewed at Disney+
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►Shocker! Disney+ has canceled Wonder Man — despite picking up a second season in March. The un-renewal means that the show, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley, will follow the path of most other live-action Marvel series on Disney+ in being one and done, either by design or via cancellation. Wonder Man had a solid opening for Disney+, drawing 618m minutes of viewing time for its premiere week in late January. The show also drew strong scores from both critics and viewers on review aggregator sites, and Abdul-Mateen was nominated for an Emmy for playing the title role. The story.
—🎭 Up next. 🎭 Meghann Fahy‘s next TV series will bring her back to HBO. The two-time Emmy nominee will star in a limited series called The Trial of Louise Woodward. The show will dramatize the story of Louise Woodward, an 18-year-old British au pair who in 1997 was accused of shaking to death a baby who was left in her care by her host family in Massachusetts. Matthew Barry is writing the series and will serve as showrunner. The story.
—"You make my body feel/About a million different things." Ben Affleck and Jeopardy! champ Jamie Ding are the latest celebrity winners of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The actor-writer-director and his partner on the ABC game show, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, won the top prize of $1m on Wednesday night’s edition, with the funds going to Affleck’s longtime charity, the Eastern Congo Initiative. The pair began this week’s episode with only two questions left after beginning their march to $1m last week. The story.
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'Clueless' Sequel Series Moving Forward at Paramount+
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►🟢 Whatever, forever! 🟢 Cher Horowitz is returning to a screen near you — this time, as a mom of a teen, rather than one herself. A sequel series to the 1995 cult classic film Clueless has found a home at Paramount+. The series, once again starring Alicia Silverstone as the Beverly Hills-bred Cher, will revisit the character 30 years after the events of the film and now as the owner of a successful business and a mother, who seems to have it all figured out until her daughter enters high school. Executive produced by Silverstone and the original film’s director Amy Heckerling and producer Robert Lawrence, the series will shoot on location in L.A. The story.
—Secret history. A four-part history of the FBI and its use and abuse of power is on its way from American Experience, the documentary series that airs on PBS. The Bureau: A Secret History of the FBI will air on the GBH-produced series in the fall of 2027, the series announced while revealing its coming lineup on Thursday. Helmed by McCarthy director Sharon Grimberg and Walt Disney director Sarah Colt, the limited series will follow "the rise, weaponization, and survival of the nation’s most powerful law enforcement agency." The story.
—Dominance. A week after setting an all-time high in Nielsen’s streaming ratings, Love Island USA nearly matched it while taking back the top overall ranking for the third time this summer. The Peacock reality series tallied 1.94b minutes of viewing in the week of June 29-July 5, just off its series best of 1.97b the prior week. Love Island moved back to No. 1 overall with the previous leader, Netflix’s Harlan Coben thriller I Will Find You, declining considerably in its third week of release. Despite a 56 percent drop, however, I Will Find You still drew a very strong 1.1b viewing minutes. The streaming rankings.
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►"Far from a knockout." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews Starz's Fightland. In this 50 Cent-produced drama, Howard Charles plays a former heavyweight champ who returns to London after eight years in prison, eager to upset a drug empire and exact revenge. Also starring Deborah Ayorinde, Charles Babalola, Anita-Joy Uwajeh, Tahirah Sharif, Tyler Conte, Richard Pepple and Nicholas Pinnock. Created by Daniel Fajemisin-Duncan, Marlon Smith, Damione Macedon and Raphael Jackson Jr. The review.
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►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—It Happened in Hollywood. THR senior writer Seth Abramovitch goes behind the scenes of the pop culture moments that shaped Hollywood history. In this episode, Seth spoke to Richard Linklater. The auteur filmmaker discusses his six-time Oscar-nominated film Boyhood, widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. The podcast.
—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 Patrick Ball. The actor and rising star who plays Dr. Langdon on HBO Max's The Pitt reflects on the years of personal and professional ups and downs that preceded him landing that role at 35; how his theater experience, real-life dynamic with Noah Wyle and battles with addiction have shaped his performance; and why he has returned to the stage even while shooting the TV show. The podcast.
In other news...
—Obama puts Glen Hansard, SZA, Drake, Beatles on his songs of the summer playlist
—Pachinko star Kim Minha to host Busan Film Festival’s opening ceremony
—YouTuber and rapper Yung Filly found not guilty of raping woman in Australia
—George and Amal Clooney forced to evacuate French home amid wildfires
—Angela Wales Kirgo, longtime Writers Guild Foundation executive director, dies at 78
What else we're reading...
—Ali Swenson digs into the new media ecosystem taking root on the left that is reshaping Democratic politics [AP]
—As The Strokes’ highly influential Is This It turns 25, Andrew Trendell talks to the album's producer Gordon Raphael about making music magic [NME]
—Ben Fritz looks at the massive global success of preschool cartoon Spidey and his Amazing Friends that continues to create millions of Spider-Man fans [WSJ]
—Josh Dawsey, Dana Mattioli, Annie Linskey and Emily Glazer go inside Trump’s incredibly sketchy fundraising operation that has raised $800m since he got back in office [WSJ]
—Here's your Friday list: The 25 best U.S. film schools in 2026 [THR]
Today...
...in 2015, Paramount released Christopher McQuarrie's Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation in theaters. The fifth installment in Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible film series was a critical and commercial smash hit, making $711m globally. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Wunmi Mosaku (40), Michael Biehn (70), Wesley Snipes (64), Jessica Williams (37), B.J. Novak (47), Emilia Fox (52), France Nuyen (87), Annie Parisse (51), Eve Best (55), Sofia Pernas (37), Christina Cox (55), James Read (73), Rico Rodriguez (28), Barry Van Dyke (75), Zelda Williams (37), Geraldine Chaplin (82), Ben Chaplin (57), Kiara Advani (35), Alexis Knapp (37), Tami Stronach (54), Asher Keddie (52), Dirk Blocker (69), Georgia Oakley (38), Al Sapienza (70), Michael Eklund (53), Cassi Davis (62), Jim True-Frost (60), Charlie Carver (38), Allison Dunbar (54), Mela Lee (50), Loren Dean (57), Rudolf Martin (59), Larry Romano (63), Celina Sinden (39)
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