Nothing says dog days of summer like a new Super Troopers movie plodding its way to theaters. But this is no sleepy August in cinemas (Spidey is heading for $143M in weekend #2) nor on the studio lots, where the deals, C-suite pivots and courtroom whispers are in full supply right now. — Erik Hayden
Ticker: Jeff Zucker goes A24; Sam Altman courts creators; Gareth Edwards' Rogue 2.0; Josh D'Amaro's Grogu spin.
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Inside both Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount, anxiety is pervasive in offices and studio lots as David Ellison’s $111 billion marriage stalls while 12 states take their legal fight to court with a winner-take-all trial set for March. That uncertainty is causing a mix of panic and frustration at the highest levels. At the TV studio, it’s made it that much more challenging to retain talent (see Quinta Brunson, who defected from Warners, where she had an overall deal, to Disney’s 20th Television) or lure new names to the studio. Alex Weprin's report.
"Does Ellison Win in the End?" That's the subject of a debate between Weprin and Steven Zeitchik over how the merger is shaking out, from the court of public opinion to the actual courtroom: "Settlements have a way of healing all wounds." The chat.
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While the number of women out in the world wearing Dutton Ranch shirts will tell you that Sheridan shows have their share of female fans, the new Paramount+ strategy is appealing more broadly to women. "They’re building a female-forward wheel that is attempting to expand the brand’s reach beyond what it’s probably best known for, which is the Taylor Sheridan fare," says one agent. Katie Kilkenny's report.
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In their first extended interview together — two hours in a studio at Rockefeller Center, the OG Real Housewives, trailed by a small, frantic army of stylists, hairdressers and minders — sat down with Maer Roshan to discuss what they thought they were signing up for, how the shows changed their families and why, after everything, they continue to come back. Vicki Gunvalson, Teresa Giudice, Kyle Richards, Gizelle Bryant, Lisa Barlow, Porsha Williams and Luann de Lesseps speak in the full feature.
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Bing Chen has marshaled Oscar campaigns, launched a venture fund and thrown some epic parties on his way to building Gold House, a formidable engine for AAPI power in Hollywood. Now, with the launch of Gold House Studios, Chen is moving from helping other people get their work made to producing films and TV. Mia Galuppo's feature.
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"We're a little light on those tentpoles." — David Zaslav, to analysts, about Warner Bros.' underperforming film slate, adding: "We do have Cat in the Hat coming."
"It wouldn’t surprise me in the least." — Power lawyer Mark Geragos, on if the Guthrie family may sue the Arizona sheriff's office over the Nancy Guthrie case.
"Repealing the national cap will provide essential relief for local broadcasters." — FCC chair Brendan Carr, on a major move that may allow local TV station giants like Sinclair and Nexstar to snap up market share.
"It’s encouraging that others are seeing the potential that we’ve long believed in." — Tubi CEO Anjali Sud on hitting a 110 million user milestone.
"I'll never forget the support from friends, strangers, and even those who generally make me throw up." — Jimmy Kimmel on his not so terrible TV year.
"If they’re going to pay you enough, then you overlook some of the glitches in the script." — Morgan Freeman, on how he chooses the projects he wants to take on.
"Working with the President on a 25% FEDERAL film tax credit to bring back Hollywood." — Spencer Pratt, sharing images of himself with Trump in L.A.
Next Big Thing
Meet Keen Ruffalo, the now 25-year-old who was in school for fashion design only to jump into acting like his father Mark Ruffalo.
Logline of the Week
[Blur]
"Netflix is keeping the logline a hop, skip and a jump from prying eyes but it is known to be a mother-daughter story involving teleportation." -> Kirill Sokolov, director of They Will Kill You, is tackling the sci-fi action movie for Shawn Levy's 21 Laps and Netflix.
By the Numbers
(Most-read stories on THR.com this week)
1) "Top Odyssey Theater 70MM Hadn’t Screened a New Movie in 35 Years"
2) "Brand New Day Star Jacob Batalon Talks the Ending"
3) "The 25 Best Documentaries of All Time"
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The Golden Popcorn Bowl Award of this earnings season goes to Cinemark CEO Sean Gamble. The major exhibitor rode a box office rebound and also sold a lot of soda and snacks, too. The chain’s concession revenue hit a quarterly record of $433.3 million, against $377.7 million in the same period of 2025.
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Dominic Sessa, star of the upcoming Anthony Bourdain biopic Tony, knows what you might be thinking about his new movie. "If I saw the headline, 'Anthony Bourdain biopic,' without knowing anything else, I would cringe at that," he says. The genre, with its sanitized storylines and Oscar-baiting pretensions, seems fundamentally at odds with the iconoclastic chef and TV personality. And signing on to play Bourdain means signing up for plenty of scrutiny. Seija Rankin profiles The Holdovers breakout.
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Finding his way beyond father Philip Seymour Hoffman’s formidable shadow, Cooper Hoffman, the 23-year-old I Want Your Sex and Artificial star is courting onscreen controversy, channeling his inner tech bro and getting comfortable being uncomfortable. "I hated my dad’s job because I was always like, ‘Why are you going away for three months?’" Seija Rankin's feature.
*It's more fun to read in print, preferably by a pool or on a beach this weekend. Subscribe! Here's what you're missing in THR's latest glossy mag.
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Aser Santos Jr. rose through the production ranks, from grip intern to camera operator to executive producer of music videos for the likes of Mike Posner and Shaboozey. He gave it all up to make custom side tables and credenzas: "There's some type of evolution to be had from every experience, good or bad." Katie Kilkenny's profile.
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If it feels like there's been an uptick of celebrity-centric doc projects nominated for Emmys in recent years — specifically, in the categories of best doc/nonfiction special (one- or two-part projects) and best doc/nonfiction series (projects of more than two parts) — it's because there has been. Scott Feinberg and Beatrice Verhoeven unpack the trend.
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Amid the deluge of AI, consumers are turning to vinyl records, books in print, film cameras and other tangible vestiges of a pre-smartphone age. The trend is broad, global and most importantly driven by youth … the very same kids who were supposed to cast off the physical world because they were "digital natives," completely enamored with screens. David Sax reports.
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Joey King, Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock and Maisie Williams attended a Cinespia screening of Practical Magic at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Alia Shawkat and Kristen Stewart showed off Neon's The Wrong Girls at Los Feliz Weed Dispensary in L.A. Morwyn Brebner, Tracy Spiridakos and Lea Thompson premiered USA Network series Anna Pigeon in L.A. Eli Roth debuted his latest horror project Ice Cream Man at L.A.'s Vista Theatre. Peloton head instructor Robin Arzón joined Halle Berry during a fireside chat at The Santa Monica Proper Hotel. Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro paired up at the New York premiere of One Night Only. Alison Sweeney, Ashley Williams and Holly Robinson Peete took part in Hallmark Channel’s 25th Birthday event at 92NY. All 22 photos from the week in premieres and events.
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Upcoming Releases
Notable movies heading to theaters
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One-liners from THR's team of critics
Ryan Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis team up for FX's The Shards, a "excess-soaked tale of prep-school sex, drugs and murder" that's also "nostalgic, over-the-top and unsurprisingly uneven." Tiger King director’s Eric Goode's HBO docuseries about reptile trafficking, Monsters of God, "is (relatively) sober and nuanced." USA’s national park-set drama Anna Pigeon is "barely satisfying as background TV." Ricky Gervais’ animated Netflix series Alley Cats is "half-crass, half-sappy, mostly unmemorable." Eli Roth’s horror flick Ice Cream Man "is for diehard slasher fans, and absolutely no one else." Greta Lee and Wagner Moura's Netflix thriller The Last House — yes, the one with the man stuck in the billboard above Sunset Blvd. — is "most effective while the threat remains unknown." Meanwhile, in theaters, Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner "sparkle in One Night Only, a rom-com sweeter and sexier than its contrived script deserves." And, yes, the Broken Lizard boys strike again in Super Troopers 3, "with more mostly unfunny hijinks."
And finally:
Hollywood Flashback...
"Wealth, Privilege, Gwyneth (and Ryan Murphy)."
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