| | | | What's news: WBD is in talks with Netflix to license some HBO shows. Disney’s chief diversity officer Latondra Newton is leaving the company. Netflix is tweaking its weekly top 10 rankings. Dan Stephens is replacing Justin Roiland on Hulu's Solar Opposites. The stage adaptation of Life of Pi is set to close on Broadway. Paramount+ has renewed School Spirits. — Abid Rahman |
Taylor Sheridan Does Whatever He Wants ►On the cover. THR's James Hibberd profiles Taylor Sheridan, television's most prolific hitmaker, who breaks his silence on Yellowstone ending, Kevin Costner’s exit, the potential Matthew McConaughey spinoff, his battles with studio suits, and how he’s become a powerful mega-rancher straight out of his own show: "There is no compromising." The cover story.
—Elsewhere in the Dutton-verse. Yellowstone prequel 1883 delivered a big audience for the start of its cable run. The Paramount+ series, which premiered in late 2021, is getting a full-season run on Paramount Network over the summer, and it drew a lot of eyeballs for its June 18 debut on the cable outlet. The two-episode premiere drew 3.8m viewers on its first night, including replays and simulcasts on five other Paramount Global cable channels. The story.
—Another exec exits. Latondra Newton, Disney’s chief diversity officer, is leaving the company after a six-year run. Newton, who joined the studio in Feb. 2017 after leading Toyota’s inclusion efforts, is leaving Disney “to pursue other endeavors,” wrote chief human resources officer Sonia Coleman in a memo on Tuesday. Newton is said to be joining another corporate board. The story.
—Makes total sense. Yep. OK. Netflix is making some changes to its weekly top 10 rankings. The streamer will now sort its top titles by what it’s calling “views” rather than by total viewing time, though that figure will still show up on the weekly lists. The view tally comes from dividing the total time spent watching a series or movie in a given week by the running time to arrive at the number of Netflix accounts that watched a series or movie. The story. |
When David Zaslav is Your Boss ►"He’s always coveted this mogul life, and now he’s got it." THR's Lacey Rose, Alex Weprin and editor-at-large Kim Masters spoke to 20-plus Warner Bros. Discovery insiders about CEO David Zaslav's management style. With CNN head Chris Licht ousted, other WBD executives turn their attention to his very hands-on overlord, with one source wondering: "Who wants to have to manage him?" The story.
—The syndication move that nobody expected. THR's Lesley Goldberg reports that WBD is actively talking with Netflix to license HBO shows to the streamer. Should such a stunning deal close, licensed content would stream on both Netflix and the newly rebranded Max. It would be the first time that HBO’s prized original series would be available on a rival streaming platform in the U.S. Sources say HBO insiders pushed back against the licensing idea but ultimately finance execs at WBD won over. The story.
—Zaz's first major movie miss. By late April, all indications pointed to The Flash opening to $100m or more domestically. That’s when Zaslav took the stage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, triumphantly telling theater owners it was the best superhero pic he’s ever seen. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that the WBD chief could have easily distanced himself from the DC superhero tentpole — which opened to a woeful $55m — but embraced the pic as if it were his own. The analysis.
—More upheaval at WBD. Turner Classic Movies' executive vp and general manager Pola Changnon is exiting the company. Changnon has led TCM since 2020, but has been with the company for more than 25 years. In a memo, WBD TV networks chief content officer chief Kathleen Finch said that Michael Ouweleen, the president of Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Discovery Family and Boomerang, will assume oversight of TCM. Ouweleen previously ran TCM. The story. |
Spotify's Bitter Break With Royals Ends Exclusive Podcast Deals Era ►The need for more flexibility. Spotify's break-up with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has become very messy after exec Bill Simmons called into question how amicable the split was when he labeled the Sussexes “fucking grifters” during a June 16 episode of his eponymous podcast. Despite the royal fiasco, THR's J. Clara Chan writes that the audio giant has essentially abandoned the model for its new talent deals and is releasing some of its previously exclusive shows — as well as a new show from Trevor Noah — on rival platforms. The story.
—Legal troubles mount. Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S., has sued Google, accusing the tech giant of having an illegal monopoly over the technology that powers online advertising. The allegations, which mirror those lodged by the Department of Justice in a suit that seeks to break up the Alphabet-owned company, opens another front in a sprawling legal battle Google is fighting across the globe over its dominance in the digital ad market. The story.
—🤝 Minority stake 🤝 French pay-TV giant Canal+ is buying a 26.1 percent stake in Hong Kong-based OTT video service Viu for a staggered investment of $300m. As part of the deal, Canal+ will hold the option of paying an additional sum to up its stake to 51 percent. Viu says it has over 66m monthly active users and 12m paid subscribers with the bulk of those users based in Asia. The story.
—Shake-up. Gaming giant Electronic Arts has shaken up its executive team, including hiring a new CFO, and reorganized the company’s studios under two groups: EA Entertainment and EA Sports. Stuart Canfield has been appointed executive vp, CFO, taking over the role from Chris Suh, who decided to step down effective June 30. EA Entertainment unit will comprise studios that create well-known IP such as Apex Legends, the Star Wars games and Battlefield. EA Sports will comprise many of the sports offerings. The story. |
Ryan Murphy Leaving Netflix for Disney ►The prodigal son returns. Ryan Murphy will depart Netflix at the end of his five-year, nine-figure overall deal, and is set to make a new home at Disney. The producer behind hits including Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, 9-1-1 and American Horror Story is expecting to reunite with Dana Walden, who worked closely with Murphy when she headed what was then 20th Century Fox TV and he had a deal there. Walden, who is also one Murphy’s closest friends and confidants, is now co-chairman of Disney Entertainment. The story.
— 📅 New Thanksgiving tradition 📅 Universal is moving Wicked Part Two's release date in theaters from Dec. 25, 2025 to Nov. 26, 2025. In March, Universal moved up Wicked Part One from Dec. 25, 2024 to Nov. 27, 2024. Insiders say opening over Thanksgiving gives the event films more time to build an audience over the year-end holidays and is also beneficial from a consumer products standpoint. The story.
—Coming to a close. Life of Pi, the Tony-winning play based on Yann Martel’s best-selling novel, will close this July. The show will play its last performance on July 23 at Broadway’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. The show’s closing comes less than fourth months after its official opening, however, Life of Pi is set to launch a North American tour beginning in fall 2024, with locations and dates to be announced at a later date. The story.
—A whole new voice. Hulu has found its replacement for Justin Roiland in the animated comedy Solar Opposites. Brit actor Dan Stevens has been tapped to take over the lead role in the series that was originally created by Mike McMahan and Roiland, who was ousted in January amid domestic violence charges. Stevens will take over voicing the character of Korvo, a grouchy alien who always wears ceremonial robes and professes to hate Earth. The story.
—Back for more. Paramount+ has ordered a second season of School Spirits, its YA mystery starring Peyton List as Madison, a student who dies at her school and is unable to leave as she tries to discover who killed her. The renewal comes about two months after the show’s first season ended on a cliffhanger. Season two is slated to begin production in 2024, with creators Megan Trinrud and Nate Trinrud and showrunner Oliver Goldstick set to return. The story. |
Marvel Studios Skipping Comic-Con's Hall H ►Is it worth going now? Marvel Studios won’t be headed to San Diego Comic-Con for its customary Hall H presentation in July. The studio has long maintained it will only attend the con when it can truly deliver. This year’s convention, to be held July 20-23, comes as Marvel has pressed pause on a few titles, including Thunderbolts, Blade and Daredevil: Born Again, due to the ongoing writers strike. The story.
—Date set. An Aug. 3 trial date has been set in the case against Jonathan Majors on misdemeanor charges of assault and harassment. Majors appeared in person in New York criminal court Tuesday for a status conference in connection with the charges. The Creed III actor entered the courtroom with actress Meagan Good. Majors was wearing sunglasses and a brown linen suit. He later removed the sunglasses and approached the bench with a brown cup in hand and what appeared to be a Bible. The story.
—Dismissed. France’s highest appeals court on Wednesday dismissed rape accusations leveled at The Fifth Element director and producer Luc Besson by actress Sand Van Roy. The Paris court rejected an appeal lodged by Von Roy after her initial claimant alleging she had been sexually assaulted by Besson was dismissed in 2021. The Belgian-Dutch actress has had small roles in Besson’s Taxi 5 and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, and had been in an intimate relationship with the director for two years. The story.
—"The worst thing that happened to me." Robert Downey Jr. has opened up about being sent to prison in 1999, describing the North Kern State Prison in Delano, California as "arguably the most dangerous place I’ve ever been in my life." In a new interview, the Iron Man star recalled being "over sentenced by an angry judge" and sent to a place where "you could just feel the evil in the air." The story.
—"I’ll work with certain directors when they call because I love them and because they’re so brilliant." Craig Mazin is getting a writing credit on Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming Dune: Part 2. In a new interview, The Last of Us co-showrunner revealed that he will receive a writing credit on the script, which was co-written by the director and Jon Spaihts. Mazin says his involvement with the project came at the behest of Villeneuve himself, as he’s basically “out of the movie business.” The story. |
Film Review: 'No Hard Feelings' ►"Chock full of charm and chuckles." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Gene Stupnitsky's No Hard Feelings. Jennifer Lawrence stars alongside Andrew Barth Feldman in this comedy feature about a woman hired by an awkward teen's parents to boost his confidence by dating him. The review.
—"A lively, if manipulative, portrait of a flamboyant family." THR's Dan Fienberg reviews Morgan Neville and Jeff Malmberg's The Saint of Second Chances. This Tribeca-premiering Netflix documentary takes a playful approach — including re-enactments with Charlie Day — to the life of baseball promoter Mike Veeck. The review.
—"Trenchant and sadly still timely." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Georgia Oakley's Blue Jean. A lesbian gym teacher in late ‘80s Northeast England begins questioning her double life in the face of a law stigmatizing LGBTQ Brits in Oakley’s first feature, starring a revelatory Rosy McEwen. The review. —"An antidote to Tár." THR's Caryn James reviews Maggie Contreras' Maestra. Marin Alsop is among the interviewees in this documentary feature, which has a determinedly positive spin. The review.
—"Fascinating subject, scattershot results." Caryn reviews Roxine Helberg's Cold Copy. Tracee Ellis Ross plays Bel Powley’s sinister role model in this journalism drama that takes on the timely issues of facts and media ethics. The review.
—"A fine fusion." THR's Sheri Linden reviews Irene Lusztig's Richland. This documentary, which premiered at Tribeca, spends time with the residents of Richland, Washington, a small town that played a big role in the Manhattan Project. The review. In other news...
—Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny star in first trailer for Priscilla biopic
—Jamie Lynn Spears reunites with Pacific Coast Academy friends in Zoey 102 trailer
—Zendaya plays a seductive tennis star in Challengers trailer
—TV ratings: The Walking Dead: Dead City gets solid start for AMC
—Fox names Mike Mulvihill president, insights and analytics
—Jonas Holmberg to step down at Goteborg Film Festival
—Luxury Italian design house Cassina opens their largest store in West Hollywood
—Korea singer Choi Sung-bong dies at 33
What else we're reading...
—Lucas Shaw looks into the collateral damage of Hollywood’s labor stoppage, with talent agencies getting hit hard [Bloomberg]
—Coralie Kraft profiles comedian Ayo Edebiri and charts her journey from being an uncomfortable child to a star of FX/Hulu's The Bear [New Yorker]
—Alex Welch writes that The Flash reveals everything wrong with the way modern superhero movies are produced and executed [Inverse]
—Joe Chivers writes that the late Cormac McCarthy gave modern post-apocalyptic video games like The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption their flavor [Guardian]
—Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski are back with another troubling exclusive, this time Justice Samuel Alito took a luxury vacation with a GOP billionaire who later had cases before the Supreme Court [ProPublica]
Today...
...in 2002, Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise unveiled the thriller Minority Report in theaters, where it became a summer hit and, later, an enduring sci-fi classic. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Chris Pratt (44), Juliette Lewis (50), Lana Wachowski (58), David Morrissey (59), Jussie Smollett (41), Lana Del Rey (38), Michael Gross (76), Meredith Baxter (76), Doug Savant (59), Annalisa Cochrane (27), Sarah Dugdale (21), Laura Kariuki (25), Eleanor Worthington-Cox (22), Nicola Correia-Damude (42), Benjamin Walker (41), Maggie Siff (49), Mariette Hartley (83), Carrie Preston (56), Erica Durance (45), Natalie Alyn Lind (24), Michael Bowen (70), Michael Malarkey (40), Josh Pais (65), Robyn Douglass (70), Blake Gibbons (62), Nathan Darrow (47) |
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