| | | | What's news: Two-time Oscar winner Glenda Jackson has died. Marvel's Daredevil: Born Again and Max's Penguin have paused production due to the strike. Ticketmaster and SeatGeek have pledged to be more transparent on ticket prices and fees. Netflix has renewed XO Kitty. — Abid Rahman |
THR's Showrunner Roundtable ►"It’s too hot on the page!" THR's award-winning Roundtable continues, with the television showrunners up next. Tony Gilroy (Andor), Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters), Ryan Condal (House of the Dragon), Taffy Brodesser-Akner (Fleishman Is in Trouble), Katori Hall (P-Valley) and Ashley Lyle (Yellowjackets) join THR's Mikey O'Connell for a discussion on negotiating sex scenes, Star Wars fans and the biggest problems that this writers strike won’t solve: "The concern with telling stories has been superimposed by a desire to make shareholders happy." The roundtable.
—On hold. Marvel and Disney+’s Daredevil: Born Again and DC/Max collaboration Penguin are shutting down for the duration of the writers strike. The double shuttering occurs after the two New York-based productions were shut down multiple times due to picketing writers. The shuttering follows Marvel's decision to postpone the start of production on the features Thunderbolts and Blade as the scripts were not ready. The story.
—Business genius strikes again. Twitter’s longstanding refusal to secure music licensing rights has come to a head with a lawsuit accusing the company of mass copyright infringement. The three major music conglomerates — Universal, Sony and Warner — joined by a host of other publishers, on Wednesday sued Twitter for at least $250m over the alleged infringement of roughly 1,700 works for which it received hundreds of thousands of takedown notices. The story. |
Pride Issue: Rosie O'Donnell on 40 Years in the Queer Spotlight ►"The mass media was complicit in the formulation of this character that we are calling Donald Trump." Life in Malibu hasn’t mellowed Rosie O'Donnell, the fearlessly outspoken actress and podcaster, who talks to THR's Seth Abramovitch about celebrity friendships and foes (including Ellen, Madonna and Trump), why she won’t ever marry again and bringing politics to The View: “I would say, ‘Do you think that women are so dumb that all they want to talk about is thinner thighs in 30 days?’” The interview.
—"The gay is here and it’s going to get gayer." THR's Mesfin Fekadu spoke to director-writer-producer Patrik-Ian Polk about P-Valley's groundbreaking success. Polk discusses being unapologetically gay and Black and his slate of upcoming projects, including a Luther Vandross biopic. The interview.
—"I came out and they’re all like, 'Yeah, girl, clearly, you are homosexual.'" For THR, Cori Murray spoke to The Blackening star Dewayne Perkins on his gay horror spoof character and mining his coming-out story for comedy. Perkins recounts introducing his boyfriend to his father, who asked "‘Who’s that guy?’ I was like, ‘That’s my boyfriend.’ He said, ‘You’re gay?' And I said, 'Oh my God, I forgot to tell you.'" The interview. |
Glenda Jackson 1936 - 2023 ►"Today we lost one of the world’s greatest actresses." Glenda Jackson, the two-time Oscar winner who walked away from a hugely successful acting career to spend nearly a quarter-century in the U.K. parliament, only to make a comeback on the stage and win a Tony Award in 2018, has died. She was 87. In all, Jackson was nominated for an Academy Award four times, winning the best actress prize for Women in Love (1969) and Touch of Class (1973). The obituary.
—"I know that there are people right now who are ready to hire me." Kevin Spacey says he anticipates working again almost immediately if he is found not guilty in his U.K. sexual assault trial. In a new interview, Spacey suggests that there are projects lined up that could see him working again, depending on the trial’s outcome. His comments come just days ahead of his June 16 appearance at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London. The story.
—Junking junk fees. Live Nation and its ticket selling arm Ticketmaster made commitments Thursday to show customers the full price of tickets, including fees, up front. The announcement came as President Biden invited private sector companies to the White House Thursday, following his calls for federal agencies, Congress and private companies to cut down on junk fees. SeatGeek also promised to roll out features this summer that make it easier for customers to see the full price. The story. |
What Hollywood Thinks of Apple's VR/AR Headset ►"This is just the beginning." Apple's Vision Pro VR/AR headset is the company’s first entirely new product category in nearly a decade — and carries a ton of hype for the entertainment industry. After the big product reveal earlier this month, THR's Carolyn Giardina checked in on how the headset and its potential features resonated with some of Hollywood's top tech pros. The story.
—Not looking great. Microsoft’s $69b bid to buy video game publisher Activision Blizzard has been temporarily blocked, allowing more time to review whether the deal violates antitrust laws. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley found on Tuesday that pausing the merger is “necessary to maintain the status quo” and preserve the FTC’s ability to permanently stop the deal. The story.
—The CW expands. Nexstar is looking to bolster its lineup of CW affiliates, flipping three of its local TV stations in major markets. The local TV giant says that WPHL in Philadelphia, KRON in San Francisco, and WTTA in Tampa will become affiliates of The CW beginning in September. All three are owned by Nexstar, and currently MyNetworkTV stations. The story. |
Pets and Mermaid Cosplay: Asian Cinemas Get Creative to Fill Seats ►Puppies and popcorn. With box office revenue in many Asian countries still recovering after the pandemic, multiplex owners are creating new experiences to make the theatrical model a little more enriching or exciting. THR's Patrick Brzeski looks at some innovative approaches from Asian cinemas, including dog-friendly screenings, Little Mermaid cosplay and critic-led events, in an attempt to entice audiences back to theaters. The story.
—"I started sending people emails asking what they are doing in 2031." It's almost unheard of for a Hollywood studio to date a film five years out — much less eight-plus years. On Tuesday, Disney revealed that James Cameron and his team need more time to make the next three installments in the blockbuster Avatar franchise, pushing out Avatar 5 all the way to 2031. THR's Pamela McClintock looks at the impact of the big changes to Disney's theatrical release schedule. The analysis.
—"They’re certainly some of the bleakest stories we’ve ever done." After taking a four-year break, Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror returns to Netflix for a sixth season. In a new interview, the creator and writer of the Emmy-winning anthology series has been vocal about his reasons for the long wait, saying essentially that the world itself felt too dystopian for his dystopian series. The story. |
'Ted Lasso' Star Phil Dunster on Jamie Tartt's Evolution ►"It’s a story of an emotionally immature person very slowly and awkwardly becoming a bit more mature." THR's Beatrice Verhoeven spoke to Ted Lasso star Phil Dunster about what increasingly seems to be the final season of the Apple TV+ show. The English actor discusses his character Jamie Tartt's transformation from selfish superstar into mature team man, his most challenging scene and Ted Lasso's lasting legacy. The interview.
—Hello Kitty. Netflix has ordered a second season of its rom-com series XO, Kitty. The series, starring Anna Cathcart as the title character, is a spinoff of Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before movie franchise. The renewal for XO, Kitty comes four weeks after the show premiered to solid viewing figures. It racked up 72m hours of viewing worldwide in its first week, according to Netflix’s internal figures, and is at 180.15m hours as of June 11. The story.
—Reverse window ahoy! Hulu’s Reservation Dogs is getting a second home on FX. The critically acclaimed comedy’s first season will make its linear TV debut on June 26. FX will air two episodes starting at 10 p.m. ET/PT Mondays for four weeks, finishing a couple of weeks ahead of the show’s third season premiere Aug. 2 on Hulu. The on-air premiere for Reservation Dogs is the latest “reverse window” for FX Productions series that have their first runs on Hulu, and follows Under the Banner of Heaven and The Patient. The story. |
TV Review: 'Black Mirror' S6 ►"An uneven season heralds an intriguing new era for the series." THR's Angie Han reviews season six of Netflix's Black Mirror. Charlie Brooker's acclaimed anthology returns to the streamer with five episodes about technology, media and human nature, featuring stars like Salma Hayek Pinault, Zazie Beetz, Aaron Paul and Kate Mara. The review.
—"Mute the dialogue, turn up the volume for the action." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Sam Gargrave's Extraction 2. Chris Hemsworth is back for another thrill-ride adventure as mercenary Tyler Rake in this follow-up to the hugely popular 2020 Netflix action film. The review.
—"The archival footage is worth the sleepy storytelling." THR's Robyn Bahr reviews Alison Ellwood's Let the Canary Sing. Premiering at Tribeca, this straightforward biography centers on singer/activist Cyndi Lauper's unconventional talent. The review. |
TV Review: 'Secret Invasion' ►"A great cast stuck in a repetitive slow burn." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Disney+'s Secret Invasion. Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury takes a long-overdue turn in the spotlight in this six-episode adventure co-starring Olivia Colman, Ben Mendelsohn, Emilia Clarke and Don Cheadle. The review.
—"A sequel, please." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Nick Bruno and Troy Quane's Nimona. A knight (Riz Ahmed) falsely accused of murdering his queen finds an unlikely, shapeshifting ally (Chloe Grace Moretz) in this Netflix movie based on ND Stevenson’s acclaimed graphic novel. The review.
—"It turns out that in space, they can hear you scream." Frank reviews Gabriela Cowperthwaite's I.S.S. Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina and John Gallagher Jr. star in this tense thriller about warring astronauts that premiered at Tribeca. The review. In other news...
—Ophelia Lovibond and Jake Johnson grapple with meteoric success in Minx S2 trailer
—Brandi Carlile, Adam Lambert and Ciara to perform at Can’t Cancel Pride 2023
—Pineapple Street Studios finds new leaders as co-founders step aside
—Power Book III: Raising Kanan star MeKai Curtis signs with APA
—UTA opens new London office aimed at growing opportunities for U.K., European clients
—Annette Bening named new chair of Entertainment Community Fund board
—Paramount promotes Lee Sears to head of int’l ad sales and integrated marketing
What else we're reading...
—Jay Peters reports that Google is getting a lot worse because of the Reddit blackouts [Verge]
—Rebecca Jennings looks at how Beatrix Potter (and the whole "critterposting" thing) is taking off on social media, and why the author has become a hero of the anti-hustle movement [Vox]
—A. A. Dowd reflects on how Cormac McCarthy made mainstream movies subversively cruel [Daily Beast]
—Ahead of the return of HBO's The Righteous Gemstones, Austin Considine profiles the always hilarious Danny McBride [NYT]
—Richard Milne reports that Beyoncé is being blamed for stubbornly high inflation in Sweden [FT]
Today...
...in 1967, MGM unveiled the 149-minute World War II thriller The Dirty Dozen, featuring a template that would be echoed in action films for decades. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Ice Cube (54), Helen Hunt (60), Courteney Cox (59), Ashley Nicole Black (38), Leah Remini (53), Neil Patrick Harris (50), Denzel Whitaker (33), Ray Santiago (39), Dan Laustsen (69), Andy Tennant (68), Jake Busey (52), Jim Belushi (69), Julie Hagerty (68), Lia D. Mortensen (58), Polly Draper (68), Eileen Davidson (64), Greg Vaughan (50), Sterling Jerins (19), Esteban Powell (47), Idalis DeLeon (54), Anthony Atamanuik (49), Tanya Memme (52), Barkhad Abdirahman (29) |
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com. |
| | | | | | | | | | |
