| | | | What's news: Disney is hiking the prices for its streaming services. Jon Hamm joins season three of The Morning Show. 2022 Oscars producer Will Packer reacted to Will Smith's recent video apology. Tatiana Maslany will star in a Nabokov drama for AMC. Neve Campbell opened up on why she won't be returning to the Scream franchise — Abid Rahman |
WB Weighing Fate of 'The Flash' as Ezra Miller Problem Grows ►What could happen next. On Monday, Ezra Miller was charged with a felony burglary, yet another incident to legal issue facing the scandal-plagued actor, which raised more questions about the future of The Flash. With Miller's behavior becoming a bigger and bigger headache for Warner Bros., THR's Pamela McClintock and editor-at-large Kim Masters report that the studio is pondering three paths forward for the $200m DC film, with a worst case — if unlikely — scenario including the project being scrapped. The story.
—Everyone, including Jon Hamm. Apple’s The Morning Show has recruited Jon Hamm for season three. The Mad Men alum will play Paul Marks a character described as a corporate titan who sets his sights on UBA. The casting comes after Hamm recently poked fun at the streamer for its roster of A-list stars that included everyone, seemingly, but him. The ad earned an Emmy nomination for outstanding commercial. The story.
—"We share your concerns." Hollywood's studios have issued a written response to the letter signed by 411 female showrunners (and co-signed by nearly 1,000 additional directors and male showrunners) asking them to step in and help ensure access to legal abortions in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade. The story.
—🤝 Done deal 🤝 Crackle streaming service owner Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment has completed its acquisition of DVD-focused entertainment firm Redbox to expand its footprint in free ad-supported streaming video. The $375m deal will give Chicken Soup stockholders a 76.5 percent ownership of the combined company, and Redbox stockholders holding the remaining 23.5 percent. The story. |
Disney Hits 221M Subs, Topping Netflix for First Time ►Everything is coming up Bob. Disney+ added 14.4m subscribers during Q3 for a total of 152.1m, beating Wall Street analysts’ expectations of an average 10m subscriber add for the quarter. Including Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, Disney now has 221m total subscribers, surpassing Netflix’s 220.7m subscribers, as of July. Disney has not disclosed how many of those subscribers are coming through bundled subscriptions, however. The results.
—Shifting forecasts. As Wall Street cools on scale as a primary metric for investors to judge Hollywood’s streaming race, Disney is revising its ambitious forecast for subscriber additions on its flagship platform. The company has separated its streaming guidance and now expects to hit 135m to 165m Disney+ subscribers by 2024. The story.
—Price hikes! Disney is launching its ad-supported version of Disney+ in the U.S. in December and increasing the prices of its subscriptions for ad-free Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. Beginning on Dec. 8, Disney+ with ads will cost $7.99 a month — the same price that Disney+ currently costs, without ads. As a result, the premium, ad-free version of Disney+ will cost $10.99 a month or $109.99 a year, representing a $3 monthly increase or $30 yearly increase. The story.
—"We’ve got the most comprehensive programming." After the news that ESPN has pulled out Big Ten talks, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said the company has enough sports coverage to keep hold on to its viewership. "If you look at the college sports, we’ve got the SEC, we’ve got the ACC, we’ve got the PAC 12, we’ve got the Big 12, we’ve got the playoffs," Chapek said on the company’s Q3 investor call Wednesday. The story. |
Antoine Fuqua on Working With Denzel and the Film That Got Away ►"It breaks my heart just to say it out loud." THR's Mia Galuppo spoke to Antoine Fuqua as he readies his Hulu docuseries Legacy: The True Story of the L.A. Lakers. The now veteran director reflects on his journey to become one of Hollywood’s most prolific filmmakers, including five films with Denzel Washington as well as Emancipation, the much-discussed upcoming Apple TV+ drama starring Will Smith. The interview.
—"I love the fact that he’s being so transparent about his process." 2022 Oscars producer Will Packer says that he is “pulling” for Will Smith following the actor’s recent statement over his behavior at this year's ceremony and for slapping Chris Rock. In a new interview, Packer shared his thoughts on Smith’s video apology and how the actor has responded to the incident. The story.
—Next up. Tatiana Maslany has joined AMC Networks’ drama Invitation to a Bonfire. The She-Hulk star will also be an executive producer of the series, which is inspired by the codependent marriage of Lolita novelist Vladimir Nabokov and his wife, Vera. The announcement was one of several AMC made during its time at the TCA press tour Wednesday. The story.
—End of an era. Angela Yee, the longtime co-host of the hit radio show The Breakfast Club, is leaving the morning show to launch her own solo weekday broadcast with iHeartRadio. Way Up With Angela Yee will debut later this fall and feature Yee interacting with listeners, interviewing celebrity guests and discussing timely topics. The story. |
'Saul' Team on Ending With Season 6 ►127 hours. Between the original series, follow-up movie El Camino and Better Call Saul, the Breaking Bad universe encompasses about 127 hours of television. That, according to Vince Gilligan, is just about the limit of how long to spend in that world. Referencing the story of mountaineer Aron Ralston, the subject of the film 127 Hours, Gilligan and co-creator Peter Gould said at TCA on Wednesday that they don’t want to test their viewers’ patience by continuing to string things out. The story.
—"I couldn’t walk on set feeling undervalued." Neve Campbell is speaking further about her exit from the Scream franchise. The actress, who has starred in all five films in the blockbuster slasher series, announced in June that she would not be returning for the forthcoming sixth sequel after disputes over her salary. In a new interview, Campbell said she felt a man in a similar position would never be offered what she was offered. The story.
—"The Oprah Effect." Harpo Inc., which owns Oprah Winfrey's trademarks, is suing Kellie Carter Jackson and Leah Wright Rigueur over their Oprahdemics podcast. Winfrey’s company alleges that the Oprahdemics moniker misleads consumers into thinking she is involved, dilutes the power of her brand and will cause irreparable harm to Harpo’s goodwill and reputation. The story.
—"Our love for each other transcends our understanding." John Easterling shared a tribute for his late wife Olivia Newton-John, who died Monday. "We never had to ‘work’ on it. We were in awe of this great mystery and accepted the experience of our love as past, present and forever," Easterling wrote in a post shared via Newton-John’s Instagram. The story. |
Film Review: 'Mack & Rita'►"Best when it isn’t trying too hard." THR film critic Sheri Linden reviews Katie Aselton's Mack & Rita. In a body swap comedy that she also produced, Diane Keaton plays the 70-year-old version of a 30-year-old who feels out of step with her peers. The review. — "As basic as its title." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman's Secret Headquarters. Owen Wilson, Walker Scobell, Jesse Williams and Michael Peña star in this sci-fi adventure about a boy who discovers his neglectful dad has been busy saving the world with help from alien superpowers. The review. In other news... —Timothee Chalamet, Taylor Russell go on wild ride in teaser for Bones and All — House of Hammer trailer details years of alleged abuse by Armie Hammer —Santa Barbara Film Fest: Michelle Yeoh tapped for Kirk Douglas Award — The Banshees of Inisherin, All Quiet on the Western Front, get Zurich Fest gala screenings —Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light to screen at London Film Festival —IFC Films nabs Stephen Frears' The Lost King —Orlando Bloom to receive humanitarian award from Location Managers Guild What else we're reading... —Lucas Shaw offers his take on the eyebrow raising cost-cutting at HBO Max in recent weeks [ Bloomberg] —Jen Yamato profiles the criminally underrated Andrew Koji, who is criminally underutilized in Bullet Train, if I'm honest [ LAT] —Ever wondered why so many docs are released about the same subject? Charles Bramesco has some answers [ Guardian] —On the 35th anniversary of Street Fighter, Willa Rowe reflects on the legacy on the video game that spawned a genre [ Inverse] —Steven Perlberg reports that the newsletter craze might be over (well, apart from this one, of course) [ Insider] Today... Today's birthdays: Viola Davis (57), Chris Hemsworth (39), Anna Gunn (54), Embeth Davidtz (57), Merritt Wever (42), Alyson Stoner (29), Sophie Okonedo (54), Chris Messina (48), Ian McDiarmid (78), Ashley Jensen (53), Úrsula Corberó (33), Henry Lloyd-Hughes (37), Jacqueline Fernandez (37), Duane Martin (57), Elya Baskin (72), Rob Minkoff (60), Suniel Shetty (61) |
| | Gene LeBell, the colorful judo champion, wrestler and stuntman who trained Bruce Lee, fought Elvis Presley and John Wayne in the movies and was an inspiration for Brad Pitt’s character in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, has died. He was 89. The obituary. |
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