| | | | What's news: HFPA members approve reforms... but is it enough? Hollywood's new podcast boom, Cinemark strikes a new deal with studios as AMC teases "favorable" moviegoing environment, NBCU's Susan Rovner talks Peacock plans and the "broken" Golden Globes. Plus: Sony's Cinderella bypassing theaters, and a Slip-n-Slide TV series --Alex Weprin |
HFPA Reforms ►HFPA approves reforms... but is it enough? The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group of journalists for outlets based abroad that is best known for presiding over the annual Golden Globe Awards, has voted to approve sweeping reforms to its organization that were proposed by its board on Monday. --The proposal of the board, now endorsed by the full membership, calls on the organization to admit “at least 20 new members in 2021, with a specific focus on recruiting Black members,” and with “a goal of increasing the membership by 50% over the next 18 months.” It also eliminates the requirement that HFPA members must reside in Southern California, expanding eligibility to any qualified journalist living in the U.S. who works for a foreign outlet.
--It still remains to be seen if the HFPA’s planned changes are enough to quell threats of an HFPA boycott from Time’s Up, the coalition formed in the wake of #MeToo to combat workplace discrimination, and the entertainment industry’s PR firms, more than 100 of which sent a letter to the HPFA demanding substantial change. The story. |
| | | Hollywood's New Podcast Boom ►Why Hollywood is giving the nod to companion podcasts. With finite screen time and budgets, creators and studios are continuing their onscreen stories in a medium that’s more competitive and lucrative than ever — and turning popular pods into films and series, Tatiana Siegel writes.
--"Every company wants to capture as much market share as possible and every lane available,” says Topic Studios head Maria Zuckerman, who oversees film, docs, TV and podcasts for the studio behind The Mauritanian and Missing Richard Simmons. Creating podcasts for an existing fan base is a plus. “You have a built-in audience hungry for more content,” Zuckerman adds, “but you want to offer them a deeper dive or a different lens.” The story.
►AMC Theatres ready for a rebound: AMC Theatres keeps facing pandemic-related headwinds, but CEO Adam Aron teased that a rebound was right around the corner, saying Thursday that “we finally can now say that we are looking at an increasingly favorable environment for movie-going and for AMC as a company over the coming few months.”
--AMC posted a $567 million net loss in the quarter on $148 million in revenue. That was nonetheless an improvement from the same quarter a year ago, as lockdowns began to roll across the world, causing the theatrical giant to post a loss of more than $2 billion. With a number of major movies on the horizon, Aron remained optimistic on the call, even as the company’s theatrical partners play around with release windows. “Thank you Universal for F9, thank you Disney for Black Widow, thank you Warners for the movies you are bringing to our theaters,” he said. The story.
+It was a similar story at Cinemark: The company reported a widened $208 million loss for the first quarter of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic after a year-ago loss of nearly $60 million. “Over a year has passed since COVID-19 prompted the shutdown of our global circuit, and today I am pleased to report that we are now actively on the road to recovery,” CEO Mark Zoradi said.
--Cinemark also announced that it had reached new theatrical exhibition deals with Warner Bros., Disney, Paramount, Sony and Universal. While specifics weren’t revealed, Cinemark said the deals “secure a consistent supply of content and demonstrate a shared commitment to offering consumers the ultimate movie-viewing experience, with compelling content exhibited within the theatrical environment.” More.
+And then there's the TV AMC: AMC Networks reported a 7 percent U.S. advertising revenue drop for the first quarter on Friday, saying that was “due to shifts in the timing of the airing of original programming and lower delivery, partially offset by higher pricing and ad-supported streaming growth.” --U.S. subscription revenue increased 14%, “driven by robust growth in streaming revenues, attributable to increased paid streaming subscribers, partially offset by a low-single digit decrease in affiliate revenue, attributable to subscriber universe declines.” More. |
NBCU's TV Boss Talks ►Susan Rovner talks Peacock plans, post-Kardashians E! and future of “broken” Golden Globes. In an interview with Mikey O'Connell, NBCUniversal's new TV boss also discusses the excitement and uncharted waters around her expansive role as she readies the company's post-COVID upfront presentation.
--What now for the cable channels? "E! is going to lean into fandom, a celebration of Hollywood and fashion, while moving away from snarkiness... We will still be doing scripted for USA — returning to the “Characters Welcome” days — but not as much as in the past. E! and Bravo will not be doing scripted."
--What is an NBC show as opposed to a Peacock show? "At NBC, it’s about finding shows that are broad, commercial, relatable and more closed-ended. For Peacock, it’s about bingeable, urgent shows and events. I want bigger ideas — more elevated, more premium — to bring people to the service." The interview.
+Lilly Singh’s time on NBC’s late-night roster has come to an end. NBC is ending A Little Late With Lilly Singh after a two-season run. The host will segue into a first-look producing deal with NBCUniversal’s Universal Television Alternative Studio and develop unscripted projects for the company. Singh will also turn her attention to scripted and is developing a comedy series at Netflix with Black-ish creator Kenya Barris. The story.
+NBC has found its post-Olympics show. The network has gone straight to series on a 10-episode reality competition game show Ultimate Slip ‘n’ Slide. Hosted by comedians and actors Bobby Moynihan (NBC’s Mr. Mayor) and Ron Funches (The Goldbergs), the series will launch with one episode on Sunday, Aug. 8 at 7:30 p.m. PT — immediately after the Summer Olympics Closing Ceremonies. The story.
+ E. Lynn Harris’ Invisible Life trilogy of novels is getting the TV treatment. HBO has put in development a scripted drama series based on the 1990s novels about a young, gay and Black author who fashioned a deeply moving and compelling coming of age story out of the then-highly controversial issues of bisexuality and AIDS. More.
+A U.S. K-Pop reality show? In the latest business deal to underscore the globalization of K-pop, MGM Worldwide Television Group is partnering with Korea’s SM Entertainment to develop a competition series to scout young American men to form a U.S.-based K-pop group. More.
+Dr. Jackson Avery is checking out of Grey Sloan. Star Jesse Williams is departing Grey’s Anatomy. The actor, whose two-year contract was up this season, will officially sign off in the May 20 episode, titled “Tradition,” of ABC’s Shondaland medical drama. More.
►Sony’s live-action musical adaptation of Cinderella will bypass a theatrical run, opting instead to debut on Amazon Prime, sources confirm. A release later this year is planned. The film is the latest major studio film to launch on a streamer amid the ongoing fallout of the pandemic. With the box office back and running, this summer’s theatrical release calendar is particularly crowded when it comes to family fare. Cinderella was set to dance its way on the big screen in June. The story.
+Owen Wilson is set to star in family action comedy Secret Headquarters for Paramount and Jerry Bruckheimer. The high concept project, according to the logline, follows “a kid who discovers the secret headquarters of the world’s most powerful superhero hidden beneath his home and must defend it with his group of friends when villains attack.” More.
+Gabourey Sidibe is set to make her feature directorial debut with thriller Pale Horse. Effie T. Brown and Wellington Love are set to produce via Gamechanger Films, which recently debuted Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut Passing at Sundance, where it was picked up by Netflix. More.
Casting roundup: Paper Girls has found its adult star. Amazon’s adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan’s Eisner Award-winning comics has tapped writer, comedian and actress Ali Wong to lead the cast...
►TV review: Daniel Fienberg reviews Jupiter's Legacy for Netflix, writing that "the show’s only actual legacy is arriving in such a superhero-glutted landscape that it’s almost impossible to find a single character or plotline or thematic beat here that you won’t be instantly comparing to a previous show." The review.
►TV's Top 5 podcast: Girls5eva Showrunner Meredith Scardino joins hosts Lesley Goldberg and Daniel Fienberg to discuss her new girl group-inspired comedy as this week's podcast also previews what to expect from the broadcast networks heading into crunch time. Listen. In other news...
--The Noel Clarke fallout continues to grow in the U.K. and has now dragged in the BBC, with new claims of sexual harassment made against the embattled Brit actor and writer from the set of the one of the broadcaster’s flagship shows, Doctor Who. --The second season of Gangs of London — Sky/AMC’s blood-soaked and BAFTA-nominated British crime thriller created by The Raid’s Gareth Evans and produced by Pulse Films — is taking shape, with a trio of directors lined up and a late spring 2021 shoot planned.
--Nasim Cambron has been named an executive vice president of publicity for STXfilms, where she will oversee all feature film publicity for the studio.
--Sacha Baron Cohen is set to receive the Comedic Genius Award at the 2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards.
--André Maranne, who portrayed Sgt. François Chevalier in six Pink Panther movies over two decades and a French chef who prepares duck in a beloved episode of Fawlty Towers, died April 12. He was 94. What else we're reading...
--"A Quiet Place stars think Paramount owes them money" [Bloomberg]
--"Spring TV ad-sales season expected to show rebound from 2020, more spending on streaming" [WSJ]
--"'F---, let's go do it': An oral history of The Fast and the Furious" [Entertainment Weekly]
--Is Fox’s Peter Doocy just asking questions — or trolling the White House?" [Politico] Today's birthdays: Matt Helders, 35, Christy Moore, 76, Nicholas Hytner, 65, Aidy Bryant, 34. |
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