What's news: Other Mommy opened to a stellar $27.5m. Netflix has already used AI in 300 titles. Paramount+’s Avatar animated universe is expanding. Russell Brand's rape and sexual assault trial has started. And A24, Square Peg are keen to adapt Emma Cline’s novel The Guest. — Abid Rahman
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►Spy thrillers, royal romances, a Zulu epic, oh my! Few years have tested the TV business like this one. Phone-first vertical dramas are moving from experiment to mainstream, AI-generated content is edging into production pipelines and creators are claiming a growing share of viewers’ time. YouTube, now the clear winner of the video wars, is setting the terms, while commercial TV scrambles to find new models. All this disruption will be in focus over the four days of MIPCOM, the world’s largest television trade fair that runs Oct. 12-15, writes THR's Scott Roxborough. The story.
—All eyes on YT. Google-owned YouTube, the world’s largest television distributor and, as of this year, the globe’s biggest media company, wants the industry to love it, not fear it. At a MIPCOM session in Cannes on Monday, YouTube VP Pedro Pina took the pitch to the TV trade’s home turf, joined by Stephan Schmitter, CEO of leading German commercial broadcaster RTL Deutschland. Their message was YouTube wants to work with, not replace, traditional TV. The recap.
—Calling the shots. As the global television industry heads to Cannes for MIPCOM, THR unveils its 2026 list of the Most Powerful Women in International Television. From Lagos to London, Rio to Rome, these are the executives who decide what the world watches open up about how they're steering a business upended by consolidation, AI and vertical video. The list.
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►Huge rethink. In a stunner of a move and a notable shift in strategy, THR's Borys "Scoops" Kit has the scoop that Sony has hired veteran YouTube exec Fede Goldenberg to lead Screen Gems, its division specializing in genre movies such as Resident Evil and Underworld and comedies such as Easy A. Under the new creative strategy, the film label will expand its longstanding focus on traditional genre films to include theatrical projects from the next generation of so called “digital-native storytellers,” meaning filmmakers who are making names — and gaining followers — in the digital content space a la Curry Barker and Kane Parsons. Ashley Brucks, who has been running Screen Gems since 2023, will transition to a producing role. The story.
—ICYMI. With stock down 20 percent year to date, Netflix's leadership team may unveil a shake up that could be geared in part to showing Wall Street that it’s ready to accelerate growth in the post-Streaming Wars economy. In the last several weeks, multiple journalists have been hearing that cuts could be in the 5 percent range, or more, at the company. THR has been hearing the same from sources about upcoming belt-tightening, and co-CEO Ted Sarandos himself has been laying those expectations in public settings as well. The story.
—It's already here. Netflix has already used AI in various capacities on about 300 titles, one of its senior production executives said Saturday during an industry discussion at the Busan Film Festival. Sung Q Lee, Netflix’s senior director of production for Asia-Pacific, said the technology was being deployed across the filmmaking process, but stressed the importance of preserving human creativity. The story.
—Barbie’s new boss. Mattel has named Catherine Wood its new GM and global head of dolls, giving her oversight of long-term vision global strategy and business for brands like Barbie, American Girl, Monster High, Polly Pocket and the rest of its doll portfolio. Wood joins from Warner Bros. Discovery, where she led global franchise strategy for entertainment properties that included Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and The Lord of the Rings. The story.
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Oliver on Sky-Daddy Takeover |
►"Hope you’re happy with what you bought, guys!" John Oliver made a few references to his new corporate "daddy" on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight. Oliver did not address Skydance‘s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, owner of Last Week Tonight‘s network home, HBO, on last week’s episode. But he did slip in a couple of quips about Skydance, which also acquired Paramount last year, on Sunday’s edition. The recap.
—Liz, Jack, Tracy and the gang reunite. Over the course of its silly-glorious seven-year run, 30 Rock in-jokingly skewered every cultural and media taboo with what might be called an air of welcoming insiderism. Over the course of 100 minutes at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday night, THR's Steven Zeitchik reports that the 30 Rock 20th Anniversary Reunion did pretty much the same thing, all while mildly flexing that more than 13 years after the show went off the air, yes, they did kind of predict everything. The recap.
—A warning. A court has turned down a bid from Julia Ormond’s lawyers to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz, who walked out of a June deposition after being prodded about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. New York state court justice Adam Silvera found on Thursday that Ovitz shouldn’t be held in contempt of court, though he was ordered to complete the questioning. The story.
—Trial begins. Russell Brand arrived at a London court Monday for the start of his rape and sexual assault trial. It begins with jury selection and could last up to 10 weeks. The former actor, comedian and presenter was photographed arriving at the court in a grey suit and sunglasses with his wife, Laura, in the morning. Brand 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 story.
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'Social Reckoning' Opens to $5.5M
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►Meta flop. Other Mommy was in command at the box office in its opening weekend, while The Social Reckoning received a painful status check as Aaron Sorkin‘s follow-up to The Social Network went quiet. Universal released Other Mommy in 3,200 North American theaters, and the horror title grossed around $27.5m for the weekend despite overwhelmingly negative responses from critics and audiences alike. Other Mommy lands above the studio’s projected $20m opening for the $19m-budgeted project, which stars Jessica Chastain as a sinister entity that appears in a young girl’s closet.
Sony's Social Reckoning was even softer than expected, as Sorkin’s Facebook-focused feature notched $5.5m. This is slightly below the $7m the studio expected for the fact-based thriller. Earning a B- CinemaScore, the $30m-budgeted movie launched in 2,606 North American locations. The box office report.
—Steady growth. The weekend’s box office saw a strong sophomore frame for NAZA, the self-distributed documentary examining Israel‘s military operations in Gaza. Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, who were both credited as directors on 2024’s Oscar-winning No Other Land, helmed NAZA that expanded to 85 North American locations in 30 cities after debuting the week prior at the IFC Center in New York City. The doc looks to gross $378,250 domestically for the four-day weekend, averaging $4,450 per screen. This pushes it past the $500,000 mark. The box office report.
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Boyle On Why He Used AI in 'Ink'
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►"I didn’t want an impersonator." Danny Boyle discussed his latest film, Ink, which traces Rupert Murdoch‘s rise on Fleet Street and takeover of the tabloid The Sun, and his film career at an event during the 70th edition of the BFI London Film Festival on Friday. Boyle also addressed the controversy of the film using AI to recreate late U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s face. The story.
—🎭 You haven't been talking to cops have you mate? 🎭 Borys "Scoops" Kit also has the scoop on LaKeith Stanfield and Ben Mendelsohn starring in horror feature Molepeople. The film will be co-financed and co-produced by Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Paramount Primal, with Paramount handling worldwide distribution. A release date of Aug. 27, 2027 has been set. Rob Savage, who has Other Mommy opening this weekend, will direct from a script by Nathan Elston. The story.
—🏆 In the mix. 🏆 The U.K. has selected Pegah Ahangarani’s Rehearsals for a Revolution, which won the L’Oeil d’Or for best documentary at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, as its entry in the best international feature film category at the 2027 Oscars. The film traces more than 40 years of Iran’s history through Ahangarani’s personal experiences of exile and the stories of her relatives and mentors. The story.
—All talk. A24 and Square Peg are in negotiations to adapt Emma Cline’s bestselling novel The Guest. Writer-director Lorene Scafaria is in the frame to direct with Stranger Things star Sadie Sink in talks to star and produce alongside Square Peg. Cline‘s 2023 novel, published by Penguin Random House, centers on a calculating grifter who navigates the treacherous world of summer in the Hamptons. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Black Bear has nabbed the North American rights to Honeymoon / Funeral, the gay romantic comedy from director Nahnatchka Khan and starring Rebecca Ferguson, Greta Lee and Carrie Coon. The film, shopped first at the inaugural Toronto: The Market by FilmNation, is written by Julia Bicknell and follows Ferguson and Lee as two women who meet on a flight from L.A. to London. One is going to her honeymoon by herself after being left at the altar by her girlfriend, while the other is headed home for her mother’s funeral. The story.
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Lerner Fired From NBC Comedy 'Newlyweds' |
►ICYMI. Gail Lerner has been fired from her own NBC sitcom, Newlyweds, ahead of its premiere. In an Instagram post on Friday, Lerner says the reason she was given was “creative differences.” An NBC spokesperson confirmed that was the case. Lerner called Newlyweds, set to premiere on Oct. 23, “the most joyous TV experience of my life.” The show stars real life married couple, Tim Daly and Téa Leoni and also features Jamie Lee Curtin who co-created the show. The story.
—🟢 Quick as you like. 🟢 Tubi’s next Final Girl is here. The free streamer is set to release a live action adaptation of The Babysitter, based on the popular series of R.L. Stine novels first published in 1989, in 2027. The film’s announcement comes just two days after the Oct. 9 release of Pumpkinhead 2. The film follows a 16-year-old babysitter, Jenny, who is so desperate to earn enough money for a prestigious writing program that she takes the job despite a prowler terrorizing girls across town. The story.
—🟢 Back in the fold. 🟢 Robby Hoffman, the Emmy nominated performer, who debuted her first stand-up special on Netflix in December 2025, has struck a deal to return to the streamer with a follow-up. A new one-hour special is set to debut globally on Netflix in 2027. Rotten Science will be producing. The story.
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Roseanne's Self-Produced Series Courts Distributors
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►Comeback incoming? Roseanne Barr’s new independently produced television series is being shopped to distributors and has fielded interest from a few, according to her co-creator on the project. “We have a lot of nibbles right now,” writer-producer Allan Stephan told THR on Friday. Reps for the comedy series, co-created by Stephan and Barr and called Meemaw: A Modern-Day Fable, have been sending a trailer around to interested parties and targeting streamers. The story.
—🟢 It's all happening. 🟢 Paramount+’s Avatar universe is expanding, with Avatar: Seven Havens earning a two-season renewal, alongside the announcement of a new series, Avatar Kuruk: Wave of Chaos. Wave of Chaos was described as the Avatar universe’s first action comedy, and follows a 14-year-old Kuruk during a time of peace. A Seven Havens podcast is also coming alongside an expansion for Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 The second season of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will premiere in March 2027. The announcement came as part of Paramount+’s Star Trek panel at New York Comic Con on Saturday. It was also revealed that Bill Nighy and Rosemarie DeWitt will guest star in the new season. Nighy will play Nahla’s estranged father, Nyk Ake, while DeWitt will portray Tarima’s mother, Laytha Sadal, the first lady of Betazed. The story.
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►"A bland pastiche." THR's Angie Han reviews Brad Bird's Ray Gunn. Produced by Skydance Animation's John Lasseter, the Netflix animated film follows a golden-hearted private eye hired to wrangle a famously volatile starlet. Voice cast includes Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Waits, Bobby Cannavale, Alan Tudyk, Matt Berry, Kether Donohue and Michelle Rodriguez. Written by Brad Bird and Matthew Robbins. The review.
—"Admirably ambitious, disappointingly flat." Angie reviews MGM+'s Treasure Island. David Oyelowo and Hayley Atwell star in the reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel, about a young man's ocean-traversing quest for buried treasure. Also starring Tom Sweet, Jack Huston, Tomer Capote, Tristan Sturrock, Craige Els, Neil Pendleton, Mayen Mehta, George Frost and Tadghe Murphy. Created by Robert Murphy. The review.
—"Infuriating and inspiring in the right ways." THR's Daniel Fienberg reviews Ava DuVernay's 14th. Premiering at the New York Film Festival, and streaming on Netflix, the filmmaker's follow-up to her 13th doc tackles birthright citizenship, the Equal Protection Clause and the undoing of the gains of Reconstruction. The review.
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►"Stupendous in every respect." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Travis Knight's Wildwood. A teenage girl enters a mysterious kingdom in search of her kidnapped brother in the Laika animated fantasy film. Voice cast includes Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Awkwafina, Maya Erskine, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Tom Waits, Richard E. Grant, Amandla Stenberg, Tantoo Cardinal, Len Cariou and Marc Evan Jackson. Written by Chris Butler. The review.
—"Oy!" Frank reviews Thane Economou's Trust Me, I'm a Doctor. Abbie Cornish stars as the famous model and reality TV star Anna Nicole Smith and Kal Penn her doctor in this film about the man charged with various crimes after her death from a drug overdose. Also starring Linda Hamilton and David Julian Harish. Written by Thane Economou. The review.
In other news...
—The Exorcist: Martyrs trailer radically reboots franchise with Scarlett Johansson
—Blade Runner 2099 drops new trailer, team teases a detective story
—James Bond comic book series in the works from Grant Morrison, IDW
—Darth Vader’s Empire Strikes Back lightsaber heads to auction, expected to top $1m
—San Diego: Iliza Shlesinger and Mira Sorvino to receive top honors
—Rodney Muñoz, Emmy-winning Jimmy Kimmel Live! costume designer, dies at 60
What else we're reading...
—Lane Florsheim talks to The Odyssey composer Ludwig Göransson, arguably the Oscar favorite and the most in-demand tunesmith in Hollywood [WSJ]
—Andrew Higgins' essay on returning to China after decades away from the country is well worth a read on the dizzying changes experienced by the superpower [NYT]
—Maria Curi reports that top execs at Anthropic and OpenAI are "privately gaming out scenarios for a public and political revolt after a catastrophic AI event" [Axios]
—Mark Savage unpacks the racism scandal surrounding Blackpink's Lisa [BBC]
—Mark Zuckerberg has an image problem, but Lily Jamali looks at why Meta's business continues to boom [BBC]
Today...
...in 2012, CBS Films released Martin McDonagh's Seven Psychopaths in theaters. The filmmaker's followup to cult classic In Bruges, starring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson and Christopher Walken, was met with good reviews, although modest box office. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Hugh Jackman (58), Jimmy Chin (53), Joseph Kahn (54), Josh Hutcherson (34), Hiroyuki Sanada (66), Kathryn Boyd Brolin (39), Lin Shaye (83), Tony Cavalero (43), Iris Apatow (24), Deborah Foreman (64), Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (27), Brian J. Smith (45), David Threlfall (73), Susan Anton (76), Kate Beahan (52), Grace Johnston (46), Richard Price (77), Ninja Thyberg (42), Lidia Vitale (54), Brett Cooper (25), Jalen Thomas Brooks (25), Mia Threapleton (26)
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