| | | | What's news: Dick Wolf is nine for nine in season renewals after NBC renewed three L&O series. Republicans continue their attacks on Disney, this time targeting the copyright for Mickey Mouse. Banijay is going public. Redbox has been sold. Starz renews Shining Vale. Ariana DeBose is joining season four of Westworld. Plus: EA and FIFA are parting ways, signaling the end of the hugely successful soccer video game series — Abid Rahman |
Emmy Rossum's Angelyne Obsession ►“I found it to be completely liberating to look in the mirror and not see myself at all." Emmy Rossum speaks to THR's Mikey O'Connell about how she spent the past four years willing her new Peacock limited series Angelyne into reality. The former Shameless star reveals the lengths she went to transform into L.A.'s mysterious billboard diva as well as how she secured Angelyne's blessing. The story.
—Seismic. Electronic Arts is parting ways with FIFA after the next game in the franchise is released, ending a 20-year partnership that led to the world’s most popular soccer video game. EA said that it would create a new soccer brand called “EA Sports FC,” which would leverage the more than 150 million user accounts that EA has secured through its FIFA games. The story.
—"Deeply unfortunate." After a nude photo of Jesse Williams performing in the Broadway revival of Take Me Out began circulating online, Second Stage Theater announced it is taking action to remove the picture from the internet via take down requests. The theater also added that it will be adding personnel to further enforce its no-phone policy. The story.
—People still care. The first teaser trailer for James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water finished its first 24-hour online window with 148.6 million views, including 23 million from China alone, according to Disney and 20th Century. That’s ahead of all recent Star Wars films, including Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The story.
—"Flat-out stupid." Elon Musk said he would allow Donald Trump back on Twitter if his acquisition of the company goes through. At a FT conference, Musk said Twitter’s ban of the former president was a “morally bad decision” and “foolish in the extreme.” He added that he believes the platform should not enact permanent bans, and should instead look at temporary suspensions or timeouts. The story. |
'Law & Order' Revival, 'Organized Crime' Renewed at NBC ►Dick Wolf Broadcasting Company. NBC has picked up its Law & Order revival and Law & Order: Organized Crime for the 2022-23 season. They join Law & Order: SVU — which is in the second year of a three-season renewal — on the network’s lineup for next season. NBC has also renewed all three of Wolf’s Chicago dramas for next season, and CBS earlier this week picked up its three Wolf-produced FBI series for two more seasons apiece. That makes Wolf and his Universal TV-based Wolf Entertainment nine-for-nine in renewals this season. The story.
—Back for more. Starz has renewed Shining Vale, its horror comedy series starring Courteney Cox, for a second season. The renewal comes about a month after the series completed its first season. Like the first installment, season two will run for eight episodes. The story.
—Award-winning recruitment. Westworld has signed up Oscar winner Ariana DeBose for season four. HBO’s dystopian sci-fi drama has cast the West Side Story actress in an undisclosed role as a recurring guest star. The story.
—The hunt is over. Apple TV+’s limited series Manhunt, about the hunt for Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, has cast Midnight Mass star Hamish Linklater as the 16th president. Lili Taylor will play the first lady, Mary Lincoln. Brandon Flynn, Betty Gabriel, Will Harrison, Damian O’Hare and Patton Oswalt have also been cast. They join the previously cast Tobias Menzies, Anthony Boyle, Lovie Simone and Matt Walsh. The story.
—The new face. Staying with Apple TV+, Game of Thrones alum Maisie Williams has joined the cast of the streamer's fashion drama series The New Look. The series stars Ben Mendelsohn and Juliette Binoche as Christian Dior and Coco Chanel, respectively. Williams will play Catherine Dior, Christian’s younger sister. The story. |
Disney Copyrights Targeted in Bill Proposed by Sen. Josh Hawley ►Culture war crosshairs. Disney, under siege by Republican lawmakers, may immediately lose its copyright for Mickey Mouse if a law slashing the duration of ownership is passed. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) on Tuesday proposed legislation that limits copyright protection to 56 years. According to the Copyright Clause Restoration Act of 2022, the law would retroactively apply to existing copyrights.
The move follows Florida lawmakers last month stripping Disney of special privileges of self-government of Disney World in retaliation for push back over the "Don't Say Gay" law. The story.
—Contesting the decision. The producers of Rust are appealing a New Mexico safety agency’s finding that they knew that firearm safety procedures weren’t being followed on set and demonstrated a “plain indifference” to the welfare of cast and crew. According to a notice of contest filing, the producers argued that the state body is out of its depth and unequipped to make determinations of safety violations on movie sets. The story.
—"Difference is strength." The author of the Percy Jackson book series — and executive producer of the upcoming Disney+ series — has spoken out against racist backlash directed at one of the show’s actors. Rick Riordan condemned trolls who have complained that Leah Sava Jeffries, who was cast as Annabeth Chase in the series, is Black. Riordan describes the character as white in the books. The story.
—Going public. Banijay, one of the world’s largest television production groups, with more than 120 production companies across 22 countries, is set to merge with a SPAC, or “blank check company” backed by billionaires Bernard Arnault and Vincent Bolloré in a $4 billion IPO. The France-based production company's hit shows include Survivor, Black Mirror and MasterChef. The story.
—Sold! DVD-focused entertainment firm Redbox has agreed to be acquired by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, the owner of Crackle streaming service, among other properties. The $375 million all-stock merger includes the assumption of Redbox’s $325 million debt and $50 million in Chicken Soup for the Soul stock. The story. |
"This Is Us': Justin Hartley on Kevin's Selfless Choice in Final Episodes ►"I think I can atone ... by being the man I always wanted to be." THR's Jackie Strause continues the weepy countdown to the series finale of This Is Us, this time speaking to Justin Hartley on Kevin's journey to becoming "a complete and full man" and how the most difficult Pearson child stepped up to become his mother’s primary caretaker in the end. Warning spoilers. The interview.
—All in for number six. Paramount's Scream 6 is fixing up its cast. Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Jenna Ortega, all of whom starred in January’s horror hit Scream, have signed on to return for the next installment. James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick returned to co-write the screenplay while Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are back as directors. The story.
—Stacked cast. A quartet of names — including two Academy Award winners — have joined the upcoming action-thriller Breathe, with another currently circling the Marche du Film project. Jennifer Hudson, Milla Jovovich, Quvenzhané Wallis and Common are set to star in the film, from See You Yesterday filmmaker Stefon Bristol. Sam Worthington is also in talks to join the cast. The story.
—This Week in TV. THR's Rick Porter runs down the TV premieres, returns and specials over the next seven days. Among the things to look out for over the coming week include the the return of the Emmy-winning Hacks on HBO Max, all new The Kids in the Hall on Amazon, the debut of Apple's The Essex Serpent, Netflix's The Lincoln Lawyer and HBO's The Time Traveler’s Wife. The full guide. |
TV Review: 'Hacks' ►"Sharp writing and strong performances overcome lapses in focus." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews season two of HBO Max's Hacks. Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder's characters hit the road as the Emmy-winning comedy expands on its story of female friendship and mentorship in the standup world. The review. In other news... —Astroworld victims’ attorneys now say over 4,900 people were injured — Hot Ones spinoff show heads to Instagram —Mario Batali acquitted of sexual misconduct —Michelle Williams is pregnant, expecting third child —Charissa Gilmore elevated at Disney —Paramount promotes two execs to oversee VidCon amid leadership shake-up What else we're reading... —Tim Jonze has a great reaction piece to the news that Ncuti Gatwa will be the next Doctor and what it means for Doctor Who [ Guardian] —Ben Allen's profile on Joe Alwyn who is about to become more famous for acting than dating Taylor Swift [ GQ] —Sara Fischer has a great scoop on Dr. Seuss' estate working with bankers on working out a value of its IP given the recent deals like Netflix-Roald Dahl [ Axios] — This is a Key & Peele sketch come to life: "Can Young Thug’s lyrics be used against him? Prosecutors say yes in RICO case against rapper" [ LAT] —Cameron Faulkner on the pressure on Google to deliver at I/O 2022 [ Verge] Today... ...in 2001, Columbia Pictures unveiled the medieval actioner A Knight's Tale in theaters nationwide. Directed by Brian Helgeland, the movie starred Heath Ledger, Paul Bettany and Rufus Sewell, and made $117 million at the box office. The original review. Today's birthdays: Shohreh Aghdashloo (70), Madison Lintz (23), Jeffrey Donovan (54), Sabrina Carpenter (23), Frances Fisher (70), Tim Blake Nelson (58), Pam Ferris (74), Shira Haas (27), Mark Neveldine (49), Karen Kilgariff (52), Mary Elizabeth Ellis (43), Jonathan Jackson (40), Adam Kaufman (48), Annabelle Attanasio (29), Nicky Katt (52), Laetitia Casta (44) |
| James R. Olson, who starred opposite Joanne Woodward in Rachel, Rachel and in the 1971 Michael Crichton plague thriller The Andromeda Strain, has died. He was 91. The obituary. |
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