What's news: The FCC has voted to end the ownership cap on local TV stations. Gareth Edwards is no longer directing the sequel to Jurassic World Rebirth. Kit Connor is circling the role of Cyclops. Screen Gems has landed the horror feature Mime. And Spider-Man: Brand New Day has landed the highest-grossing first week in domestic box office history. — Abid Rahman
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How Reality Stars Crashed Hollywood's A-List |
►The barbarians at the gate. With Peak TV having, well, peaked, and the monoculture being a quaint vestige of pre-COVID nostalgia, there has been a decided vacuum at the watercooler. Enter Peak Reality TV. THR's Mia Galuppo writes that pop culture moments like the Summer House love quadrangle, "Scandoval" and the Mormon "MomTok" scandal aren’t just ratings gold anymore — they’re a new pipeline, feeding Bravolebrities and Bachelorette castoffs straight into A24 films, Netflix deals and Broadway leads. The story.
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Does Ellison Win in the End? Two THR Staffers Debate
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►Rollercoaster. Another week, another turn of the screw in the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger — aka David Ellison vs. the creative community. With a host of players lining up on both sides of the deal and the state AGs picking up a major victory this week in their case against the deal, THR thought it a good moment for two staffers covering the story, Steven Zeitchik and Alex Weprin, to sit down and talk about it. The conversation.
—Seismic. The FCC voted Thursday to end a regulation that capped ownership of local TV stations. In a 2-1 vote, the body removed the ownership cap, which prohibited ownership of local stations that reached more than 39 percent of TV homes in the U.S. Removing the ownership cap has been a priority for FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who has argued the rule created an unbalanced relationship between national networks and station owners and that its removal will spur investment in local news. Big station owners like Sinclair and Nexstar have lobbied for removal of the ownership cap. The story.
—Shamone! Lionsgate released its latest financial results on Thursday with sharply higher overall revenues and a narrowed loss in a first quarter lifted by the stellar box office of Antoine Fuqua’s Michael. The studio posted a Q1 net loss at $28.8m, compared to a year-earlier $109m loss, on overall revenue rising 48 percent to $776.6m, against a year-earlier $526m. That revenue line blew past a Wall Street forecast for $693.1m in overall revenue. The Michael Jackson biopic has to date brought in $1.013b in global box office after the studio tapped Universal to handle the movie overseas. The results.
—Power play. Starz executives were bullish Friday about the premium cabler’s digital-led transformation making headway in the first quarter, despite posting a revenue dip and a widened loss. During the three months to June 30, overall revenues at the premium cabler were $307.9m, just down from a year-earlier $319.7m. OTT streaming revenue was virtually unchanged at $221.3m, while linear and other revenue fell back to $86.6m, compared to $98.6m in the same period of 2025, due to a continued decline in the traditional cable TV business. The results.
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Perez Hilton's Children Were Inside Home Before Livestream |
►"A severe mental health crisis." Perez Hilton‘s children were inside the home moments before the celebrity gossip blogger started his disturbing livestream, his family has revealed. In a new statement shared on Hilton’s website Thursday, his family wrote, “The events of the past several days have been nearly unbearable for our family. Just minutes before the public livestream incident, Perez’s children, niece, and sister were inside the home. When it became clear that Perez was experiencing a severe mental health crisis and harming himself, they immediately fled to protect the children from witnessing any further trauma.” The story.
—"The reason why I’m not dead, honestly, is the car that we were driving." Minnie Driver is recovering after being in a “really bad car accident” in France a “few days ago.” Wearing a neck brace, the Oscar-nominated actress revealed the news in an Instagram video recorded in London. Driver said the crash left her with a sprained neck, but she is otherwise “fine” and “grateful to be alive.” Driver recalled how she and her friend Ben were driving on a country road when their car was hit by another vehicle that failed to stop at an intersection. The story.
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Kit Connor Eyed to Play Cyclops in 'X-Men' Reboot
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►🎭 Beaming in. 🎭 Heartstopper actor Kit Connor is circling the role of Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops. Marvel is assembling a new team of actors to play mutants in its upcoming X-Men reboot from Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier. As revealed in Spider-Man: Brand New Day (spoiler alert!), Sadie Sink has joined the MCU as Jean Grey. THR previously reported that Samara Weaving will play Emma Frost. James Marsden is reprising the Cyclops character in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, which will also feature several other legacy 20th Century Fox X-Men actors. The story.
—Another one. Sony Pictures announced Thursday that Spider-Man: Brand New Day has landed the highest-grossing first week in domestic box office history. It has surpassed $500m in North America in its first seven days, becoming the fastest film to reach that half-billion milestone by supplanting Avengers: Endgame, which hit the threshold in eight days after opening in April 2019. The box office report.
—Supergirl who? Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav was asked if he’s considered any “change of strategy” at DC during the company’s earnings call on Thursday. “You haven’t talked about DC for a while,” an analyst on the call said. “I know with films, sometimes they perform, sometimes they don’t. But is there any change in strategy?” Zaslav replied that DC co-chief James Gunn is “focused on Man of Tomorrow. I saw some pictures yesterday that looked amazing.... He’s working 16, 18 hours a day. It looks fantastic. We’re super excited about it.” The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Coming on top of a competitive situation, Sony’s Screen Gems has landed Mime, a supernatural horror project that has John David Washington attached to star. Nikyatu Jusu, who made her feature directorial debut with the Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Nanny, will direct. Alas, plot details are being kept under wraps for now. Stephen Herman wrote the spec screenplay, which is based on his original idea. The story.
—Ever-expanding universe. Disney has announced a new movie that expands the Descendants universe by focusing on iconic Disney sidekicks. Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story, greenlighted for Disney Channel and Disney+, is described as a music-and-dance-fueled movie that “centers on the journey of the unsung heroes behind Disney’s greatest adventures.” The story.
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'Jurassic World Rebirth' Sequel Loses Director Gareth Edwards
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►Good ol' "creative differences." Gareth Edwards was expected to return for Universal’s follow-up to 2025’s Jurassic World Rebirth, but the Brit filmmaker has now left the project over “creative differences,” sources tell THR's Borys "Scoops" Kit. Edwards' Rebirth grossed $869m last year and showed there was still plenty of life left in the franchise. Universal began moving on a sequel swiftly and has a script by returning scribe David Koepp. Stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey are expected to return. The story.
—🎭 One degree of Kevin Bacon. 🎭 Borys has the scoop that Ted star Giorgia Whigham is set to star opposite Kevin Bacon in Summoner. The Amazon MGM horror thriller is being directed by Jeremy Slater, the longtime genre writer behind Mortal Kombat II and The Umbrella Academy. Horror filmmaker Andy Muschietti is producing with Barbara Muschietti and Russell Ackerman, with plans for a fall shoot in Ireland. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 Amazon MGM Studios announced Thursday that its film Madden will begin streaming worldwide via Prime Video on Nov. 18. David O. Russell's film tells the story of the beloved NFL icon whose legacy continues through his titular video game, Madden NFL. The film centers on John Madden (Nicolas Cage) as he coaches the Raiders to a Super Bowl win alongside best friend Davis (Christian Bale) before becoming one of football’s most popular broadcasters. Kathryn Hahn, Sienna Miller, John Mulaney and Shane Gillis round out the cast. The story.
—🎭 Award-winning addition. 🎭 THR's Lexi Carlson has the scoop on Aisling Bea joining the cast of the feature Starman. The Irish actress joins the cosmic sci-fi thriller starring Brendan Fraser and Jeff Daniels. Josh Wakely is directing from his original screenplay. Starman is currently filming in Australia. The film follows Tom Adams (Fraser), an architect of the future who launches a historic expedition to Mars, positioning himself at the forefront of humanity’s next great frontier. The story.
—GOAT drama. THR jock Ryan Gajewski has the scoop that Winter State Entertainment is developing Brady vs. Manning, a documentary film based on Gary Myers’ 2015 bestselling book. Hamid Torabpour and Camille Torabpour are attached to direct the project that will adapt the work that Myers wrote after decades of covering the two elite athletes as a sports journalist. Focusing on the Tom Brady and Peyton Manning rivalry, the doc will include exclusive interviews, archival footage and detailed storytelling. The story.
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Forget War and Whales. Celebrity Docs Have Taken Over the Emmys
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►"The world is falling apart, so where are the documentaries about that? People aren’t making or buying them because they don’t want anyone coming after them." In 2026, four out of the five Emmy-nominated documentary specials and three out of the five doc series nominees are about famous people. THR's Scott Feinberg and Beatrice Verhoeven unpack the troubling trends. The story.
—In demand. Two of the writers of KPop Demon Hunters have landed their next project at FX. Danya Jimenez and Hannah McMechan are developing a drama with the intriguing title of A Really Bad Person at the Disney-owned outlet. It’s the first series project that the pair have created together. FX Productions and Legendary Television are behind A Really Bad Person. The show’s logline describes it as "a drama about a very relatable American girl who does the most unrelatable thing while visiting London — she pretends to be the missing daughter of a British family. It’s a last-ditch effort to gain citizenship, a fresh start, and escape her complicated past." The story.
—Corporate synergy innit. Disney+ has ordered a pilot for Spaceship Earth, based on the EPCOT ride that has been in place (with periodic updates) since the park opened in 1982. Jason Fuchs and Michael Waldron are writing the pilot. Fuchs will serve as showrunner; he executive produces via his FiveTen Productions, which he and his wife, producer and actress Alexandra Fuchs, recently launched. Also exec producing are Waldron, director Lee Toland Krieger, Adam Fishbach and Waldron’s Anomaly Pictures partner Adam Fasullo. The story.
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Film Review: 'The Last House' |
►"Lockdown redux." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Louis Leterrier's The Last House. The Fast X directs this hybrid of sci-fi, horror, mystery and domestic psychological drama in which both physical and mental survival are tested. Starring Greta Lee, Wagner Moura, Riley Chung, Noah Alexander Sosnowski, Emma Ho, Gabriel Barbosa and Arden Cho. Written by Matthew Robinson. The review.
—"Short but shaggy." THR's Angie Han reviews Netflix's Alley Cats. Ricky Gervais leads the voice cast of the animated comedy, following a group of feral strays who take in a lost kitten searching for her former home. Also featuring the voices of Tom Basden, Jo Hartley, David Earl, Diane Morgan, Andrew Brooke, Kerry Godliman, Tony Way and Natalie Cassidy. Created by Ricky Gervais. The review.
—"Barely satisfying as background TV." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews USA's Anna Pigeon. Tracy Spiridakos plays a crime-solving national park ranger in this series adaptation of Nevada Barr's literary mysteries. Also starring Paulina Alexis, Ronnie Rowe, Manuel Rodriguez-Saenz, Crystle Lightning, Tricia Helfer, Cooper Levy and Kim Coates. Created by Morwyn Brebner. The review.
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►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—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 Hiro Murai. The Japanese-born director and producer reflects on how he began his career making music videos and installations, and then transitioned to longer-form projects; his special friendship and collaboration with Donald Glover, which includes Atlanta, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Guava Island and This Is America; and why Katie Dippold recruited him to help her build the world of Widow's Bay, a comedy/horror show about a fictional New England island town — which is now nominated for 19 Emmys! The podcast.
—I’m Having an Episode. THR’s Mikey O’Connell attempts to stay on top of the latest TV and entertainment news with a little help from his friends, colleagues and a revolving door of actors, writers, showrunners and filmmakers. In this episode, Mikey interviews comedian and actress Fortune Feimster who drops by to discuss her days as a red-carpet reporter, golf blindness and filming a buddy comedy with Kim Kardashian. But First! THR's own Lacey Rose returns to dish on all the drama behind comedy Ted Lasso as it comes out of hibernation for a fourth season. The podcast.
—I’m Having an Episode. In this episode, Mikey interviews Hello Sunshine's Lauren Neustadter who talks about ending of The Morning Show, launching Elle and Lucky this summer, the impending return of Big Little Lies and how you've got to get up real early these days if you want to score adaptation rights to books. The podcast.
In other news...
—The real Jeff Zucker disses Robert Pattinson's Chris Hansen in riveting Primetime trailer
—Real Housewives of Salt Lake City S7 trailer
—Werner Herzog to receive San Sebastian's Donostia Award
—Luca Guadagnino to receive Venice's Glory to the Filmmaker Award
—SiriusXM taps Jenny Tartikoff to lead communications
—Joan Blackman, Elvis’ love interest in Blue Hawaii and Kid Galahad, dies at 87
—Jean Lodge, British actress and mother of Nanny actor Charles Shaughnessy, dies at 99
—Abbe Lane, glamorous singer and actress, dies at 93
What else we're reading...
—Maxine Joselow, David A. Fahrenthold, Tyler Pager and Clarence Williams go inside the reflecting pool debacle and how it has come to mirror Trump's Washington [NYT]
—Ben Lindbergh looks at why Spider-Man is immune to the recent superhero swoon [Ringer]
—Sophia Nguyen ponders why the U.S. is an outlier in making The Odyssey R-rated [The Atlantic]
—Holly Otterbein reports that the author of DNC's infamous 2024 election "autopsy" says he concluded Gaza did hurt Kamala Harris [Axios]
—Here's your Friday list: The 25 best documentaries of all time, ranked [THR]
Today...
...in 1987, Masters of the Universe hit the big screen for the first time, with Dolph Lundgren and Frank Langella headlining the adaptation of the Mattel toy line. The film sputtered in release, ultimately grossing $17.3m globally. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Charlize Theron (51), Michael Shannon (52), Harold Perrineau (63), David Duchovny (66), Abbie Cornish (44), Wayne Knight (71), Brit Marling (44), Tobin Bell (84), Alexandre Aja (48), John Glover (82), Sasha Calle (31), David Rasche (82), Sydney Penny (55), Eric Johnson (47), Marlyn Mason (86), Francesca Eastwood (33), Liam James (30), Caroline Aaron (74), Julian Wadham (68), Lesley Nicol (73), Kim Ro-Woon (30), Anjanette Comer (87), Charlotte Lewis (59), Jon Jon Briones (61), Tom McGrath (62), Julia Ford (63), Doon Mackichan (64), Hans Matheson (51), Randy Wayne (45), Suzanne Bertish (75), Mark Bagley (69), William Stanford Davis (75), Cirroc Lofton (48), David Caves (48), Brett Gray (30), Shannon Cochran (68), David Mann (60), Benjamin Wallfisch (47), Megan Gale (51), Ramon Estevez (63)
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Peter Katsis, the veteran music manager who helped guide the careers of Jane’s Addiction, Smashing Pumpkins, Morrissey, Backstreet Boys and Audioslave, among others, has died, his family confirmed. He was 69. The obituary.
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