| | | | What's news: Kevin Spacey has been described as a "sexual bully" at his assault trial in London. FX's Reservation Dogs will end with season three. Google has pulled its news service from Canada. MGM+ has renewed From. NBCU is launching upto 50 FAST channels. Geraldo Rivera is leaving Fox News. — Abid Rahman |
How the A-List Strike Letter Came Together ►True solidarity. In a sign of a new current of energy infusing Hollywood labor, hundreds of A-list actors sent a bombshell letter to their union leaders on Tuesday calling on them to make a “transformative” deal with studios and streamers and expressing their resolve to strike if such a compromise wasn’t reached. THR's Katie Kilkenny and Tyler Coates report on who the key figures behind the document were and how it came into being. The story.
—"Sexual bully." Kevin Spacey has been described as someone who "delights in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable" by the prosecutor in her opening remarks at the two-time Oscar winner’s criminal trial in London. Speaking at Southwark Crown Court on Friday morning and with Spacey sitting in the dock, Christine Agnew KC acknowledged to the 14-strong jury that they may well feel “starstruck or overwhelmed” about being involved in such a case with a high-profile defendant, but urged them to "stay grounded." The story.
—What a kerfuffle, eh? Google has made good on a threat to pull its Google News Service in Canada after Bill C-18 — legislation designed to get U.S. digital tech giants to pay local publishers for news snippets shared or repurposed on their platforms — became law in the country. The move comes after Meta began blocking Canadians from viewing or sharing news on its Facebook and Instagram. The story. —No charges. Travis Scott will not face criminal charges in relation to the 2021 Astroworld concert tragedy that resulted in the deaths of 10 attendees and many more injuries. A Texas grand jury declined to indict the rapper along with five other individuals over the NRG Park festival concert deaths, which occurred as a result of crowd movement and panic and crushed or injured a number of the Nov. 5 event’s estimated 50,000 attendees. The story. |
'Gattaca' Reboot Among 4 Shows Dropped at Showtime ►McCarthyism. THR's Lesley Goldberg reports that Showtime has passed on four projects, among them a reboot of Andrew Niccol's 1997 film Gattaca that would have brought Homeland duo Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa back to the network. Also getting the thumbs down is Seasoned, the comedy inspired by the lives of married couple Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody that previously had a series order and two projects that had been in development — Split and Sweetness. The story.
—Oh, come on! Reservation Dogs, the FX/Hulu acclaimed series from creator Sterlin Harjo, will end with its upcoming third season. Harjo made the announcement Thursday on Instagram and called the move the “correct decision creatively for the show.” Co-created by Harjo and Taika Waititi, Reservation Dogs was renewed for a third season in September. The final, 10-episode season will return Aug. 2. The story.
—No brainer. MGM+ has handed out a third-season renewal for horror drama From. The series from creator/executive producer John Griffin and showrunner Jeff Pinkner (Lost, Alias, Fringe) ranks as the network’s second-most-viewed series in its history and trails only Forest Whitaker-led drama Godfather of Harlem. The story. —Going out with a bang. The season three (and potential series) finale of Ted Lasso delivered record streaming numbers for Apple TV+. Viewers watched 1.24b minutes’ worth of the Emmy-winning comedy for the week of May 29-June 4 — the first time any show on Apple’s streaming service has topped a billion minutes. The season three finale, released May 31, accounted for 529m of those minutes (about 42.5 percent of the total), which Nielsen says is the highest weekly total for a single episode of Ted Lasso. The streaming rankings. |
Barbenheimer 2023 ►Double feature ahoy! In one of the most intriguing box office showdowns in recent times, Greta Gerwig's Barbie is tracking to open well ahead of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. But the biggest winner could be theatrical if the two movies work over the long run. The two July tentpoles — dubbed "Barbenheimer" on social media — officially came on tracking Thursday, three weeks ahead of their release in theaters over the July 21-23 weekend.
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that Barbie could open to a stellar $70m to $80m, if not more, with Warner Bros. being more cautious, suggesting $60m. Universal's Oppenheimer is tracking for a domestic debut in the $40m range. For Oppenheimer — an R-rated, three-hour drama targeting adults — having legs could prove far more important than its opening weekend haul. The box office report.
—The start of a trend? After Tom Cruise took to social media to promote the three most hotly anticipated summer tentpoles outside his own film, Barbie filmmaker Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie returned the favor on Thursday night. On Twitter and Instagram, Robbie and Gerwig posted three images of themselves standing in front of promo posters holding tickets for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Oppenheimer. Your move Christopher Nolan. The story.
—"This summer is a stress test." Regarding the mid-summer box office turbulence, Pamela looks at whether the parade of July tentpoles can bring better news for Hollywood. With one studio executive noting that 15 percent of moviegoers still haven't returned to cinemas amid the rise of streamers and financial worries, the pressure is certainly on. The analysis. |
Melanie Lynskey Remembers Julian Sands ►"I will never forget you." Melanie Lynskey took to social media on Wednesday to share a heartfelt tribute to the late Julian Sands. The Yellowjackets star shared a throwback photo of her and Sands dancing on Instagram and opened up about being nervous to meet him for the first time on the set of the miniseries Rose Red in 2000. Lynskey went on to remember all the memories and adventures they shared as friends earlier in their lives and careers. The story.
—FAST love. NBCU is launching new free ad-supported streaming TV channels, which will include past seasons of Top Chef, Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Real Housewives. The company has teamed up with Amazon Freevee, as a first partner to distribute the channels, and with Xumo Play, which gives companies the ability to monetize and manage their FAST channels. NBCU’s FAST content offerings will encompass close to 50 new channels. The story.
—"Being odd man out isn’t always easy." Geraldo Rivera’s 22-year run at Fox News appears to be coming to an end. On Thursday afternoon, Rivera posted a video to his Twitter account filmed on a boat off the coast of Jones Beach in Long Island. In the video he told viewers, “I’ve been fired from The Five, and as a result of that I quit Fox.” He added that he would elaborate on that decision on Fox & Friends on Friday morning. The story.
—Landing spot. Jake Johnson’s feature directorial debut, Self Reliance, is heading to Hulu after debuting at the South by Southwest Film Festival earlier this year. The streamer has acquired the comedic thriller in a deal with MRC, which backed the project, and Paramount Global Content Distribution. The film is set for release as a Hulu Original on Sept. 8 with a cast that includes Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Natalie Morales and Andy Samberg. The story.
—New fund just dropped. The International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600) has approved the creation of a Work Slowdown Hardship Fund and additional financial relief policies for members impacted by the writers strike, which began on May 2 over a contract dispute with studios, repped by the AMPTP. The new Fund allocates $250,000 – with an option to increase to $500,000 – to provide grants of up to $1,000 to individual Local 600 members in financial need. The story.
—🏆 Location, location, location 🏆 The Location Managers Guild International revealed its nominations for its 10th annual LMGI Awards for work in film, TV and commercials, and Netflix's Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, HBO's The Last of Us and Paramount+ 1923 are among the runners. The awards will be presented Aug. 26 at The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica. The nominations. |
Film Review: 'Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken' ►"Charming enough, even if it doesn't wow." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Kirk DeMicco and Faryn Pearl's Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Dreamworks returns with a movie about a teenage sea monster who must confront family secrets while navigating high school, with Lana Condor and Jane Fonda in the voice cast. The review.
—"[The third season] tilted over into 30 Rock-level absurdity, and in doing so delivered jabs sharp enough to draw blood." THR TV critic Angie Han writes that the third and final season of Max's The Other Two found its way back to love in a hilarious and bittersweet series finale. Angie writes that Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider's showbiz satire delivered some of the biggest and most outrageous laughs of the series' run — and some of its most moving drama. The critic's notebook. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ► All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—TV's Top 5. THR's Lesley Goldberg and Dan Fienberg break down the latest TV news. This week's episode begins with the TV industry headlines, including Ryan Seacrest's new hosting gig, the purge at Paramount+, and Breeders coming to an end. There's a segment dedicated to the HR controversy surrounding The Other Two and another about the end of Reservation Dogs . There's also a section on the possible strike action from SAG-AFTRA. Finally, Dan reviews Max’s Ten-Year-Old Tom, Netflix’s American Gladiators docuseries and more. Listen here.
—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 John Mulaney. The comedian reflects on his path from comedy student to SNL writer and host, his five standup specials and whether he would say yes if asked to host the Oscars. Listen here.
—It Happened in Hollywood. THR senior writer Seth Abramovitch goes behind the scenes of the pop culture moments that shaped Hollywood history. In this episode Seth spoke to Steven Lisberger. The visionary writer-director of 1982’s Tron reveals how he brought all those Light Cycles, Solar Sailors and glowing neon circuitry to life. Listen here.
In other news...
—Dune: Part Two reveals Christopher Walken’s emperor in new 3-minute trailer
—Morning Show reveals premiere date and first look for S3
—The Summer I Turned Pretty S2 trailer teases love triangle, first listen of re-recorded Taylor Swift song
—Naomi Campbell welcomes a baby boy
—Hermès to bring cinematic Pegasus-inspired experience to Santa Monica in July
—Joker screenwriter Scott Silver buys $4.9m L.A. house from philanthropist Jamie Tisch
What else we're reading...
—Li Zhou writes that many Asian Americans support affirmative action. The recent Supreme Court cases obscure that [Vox]
—Chloe Hall writes that Netflix's I Think You Should Leave seems to have a degenerative effect on the language of men who communicate through Superbad and Anchorman sound bites [GQ]
—Is Airbnb collapsing? Natalie Lung reports that the company is pushing back against a viral tweet [Bloomberg]
—Mary Kate Carr valiantly explains all the bizarre and troubling drama surrounding YouTube creator Colleen Ballinger [AV Club]
—Here's your Friday list: "The 50 most definitive performances in Wes Anderson’s films" [Vulture]
Today...
...in 1951, Alfred Hitchcock unveiled the suspense thriller Strangers on a Train in theaters. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Lizzy Caplan (41), Vincent D'Onofrio (64), Tom Burke (42), Marton Csokas (57), Molly Parker (51), Angela Sarafyan (40), Monica Potter (52), David Alan Grier (67), Brian Bloom (53), Deirdre Lovejoy (61), Adil El Arbi (35), Rick Gonzalez (44), Colton Dunn (46), Rupert Graves (60), Grant Harvey (39), Elliot Fletcher (27), Katherine Ryan (40), Bashir Salahuddin (47), Kate Luyben (51), Desi Lydic (42), Sean Marquette (35), Chris Conrad (53), Christopher Jacot (44), Ashley Walters (41), John Heffernan (42), Predrag Bjelac (61), Nicole Kang (30), Mark Waters (59) |
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com. |
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