| | | | | | What's news: Dan Lin has begun reorganizing Netflix's film unit. Paramount has won a copyright lawsuit related to the original Top Gun. 18.7m people watched South Carolina beat Iowa in the NCAA women’s basketball championship game. 20th Century and Disney has landed Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere. Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga will screen out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival. — Abid Rahman
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Coppola's 'Megalopolis' Faces Uphill Battle for Mega Deal ►"Just no way to position this movie." Megalopolis, the project which Francis Ford Coppola first began writing in 1983, cost a reported $120m to make — funded in part by the sale of a significant portion of his wine empire (the 2021 deal was reportedly worth over $500m). THR's Kim Masters, Seth Abramovitch and Pamela McClintock write that industry insiders feel the epic is too "experimental" and "not good" enough for the $100m marketing spend envisioned by the legendary director. The story.
—ICYMI. On Monday, Jonathan Majors was sentenced to a 52-week in-person domestic violence intervention program after being convicted of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment in December. Prosecutors asked for a sentence of domestic violence programming, with a six-month jail alternative if Majors failed to complete programming, as well as a full order of protection for his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. Majors received time served for the harassment violation. The story.
—It's official. The Los Angeles Times is removing "interim" from executive editor Terry Tang’s job title. The newspaper announced on Monday that it was making things official with its former editorial page editor, who was elevated to the leadership role on a provisional basis in January. Taking the helm during a period of intense turbulence in media and at the Times itself, Tang is now formally the first woman to lead the paper's newsroom. The story.
—Dismissed. Paramount has prevailed in a copyright lawsuit, brought by the heirs to the author of a 1983 magazine story that inspired the original Top Gun, accusing the studio of forging ahead with the blockbuster sequel without renegotiating a new license. U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson, in an order dismissing the case on Friday, found that several elements from the film — including plot, theme, setting and dialogue — are “largely dissimilar” from Ehud Yonay’s article. The court concluded that any overlapping factual similarities aren’t protected by copyright law. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Night, the talent management company that represents YouTubers and Twitch Streamers, has acquired the Roost Podcast Network from Warner Bros. Discovery. As part of the acquisition, Night will retain the majority of the podcast network team, including A.J. Feliciano. The network includes 47 original shows, with more than 350m views and 20m monthly audio downloads. Popular shows include This Past Weekend with Theo Von, H3 Podcast and The Phil DeFranco Show. The story.
—🤝 Investment deal 🤝 Dude Perfect, one of the biggest brands on YouTube, is planning a significant expansion, and has locked up a massive investment to do it. Best known for their elaborate trick shot videos, Dude Perfect have secured a nine-figure investment from Highmount Capital in a play to build out their business in new areas, and to expand their core programming. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though a source pegged the value of the investment at greater than $100m, a huge number for a brand originally built on YouTube. The story.
—"For the first time in a while, it really feels like we are back to pre-pandemic levels of volume." The Tony Award nominations are set to take place April 30, and in the lead up, the month is jam-packed with Broadway openings, with 14 taking place over the course of 11 days. While the days before the Tonys eligibility cut-off, on April 25, are typically filled with openings, THR's Caitin Huston writes many industry insiders are optimistic that this year’s rush spells somewhat of a return to normalcy. The story. |
Stewart Slams Biden Admin's Double Standards on Israel ►"What the f**k are we doing here?" Jon Stewart took the Biden administration to task over how it deals with Israel, pointing out the stark contrast between the U.S. government response to the Ukraine-Russia conflict and that over the war in Gaza. On Monday’s episode of The Daily Show, Stewart took a “wellness check” on the war on Gaza, adding that "as the war is grinding on, justice is beginning to look like cruelty." The recap.
—"What Israel is doing is wrong, it is wicked." Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes has called on all Jews "to shout, beg, scream for a ceasefire" in Gaza as the Palestinian territory continues to deal with rising death tolls and, according to aid agency UNRWA USA, is facing a “man-made famine.” The veteran British-Australian actress and activist released a video on Saturday via the Jewish Council of Australia, in which she said Israel’s prosecution of its war in Gaza has left her "ashamed" of the country. The story.
—New names, new lots. Several more entertainment industry figures have joined the Cinema for Gaza auction that is raising funds for the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians. The latest auction lots include a signed and framed Malcolm X poster offered by Spike Lee and Paul Mescal donating a signed Aftersun poster. There’s also a Zoom call with Ayo Edebiri, star of The Bear, who is tossing in a list of her favorite places to dine, and a walk-on part in director Gurinder Chadha’s next film. The story. |
Women's Sports' Rights Boom May Have Finally Arrived ►The future is here. For years, women’s sports was an afterthought for TV, frequently relegated to ESPN2, Fox Sports 2 or ESPN News, if they were able to secure TV rights at all. But over the last year or so, it seems like a dam has broken. THR's Alex Weprin writes that beyond the college women's basketball tournament, the WNBA and National Women’s Soccer League have inked new rights deals that could increase exposure at a time when popularity is surging. The analysis.
—Another record. To hammer home the point about women's sports, for the third time in seven days, the NCAA women’s basketball tournament drew its largest audience ever. Some 18.7m people watched South Carolina cap an undefeated season by beating Iowa, 87-75, in Sunday’s championship game, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings. The audience is the largest ever for a women’s basketball game in the U.S. — and among the biggest for any women’s team sporting event. The ratings.
—Comedy event. Netflix announced Monday that John Mulaney will be rolling out his latest twist on the traditional comedy special with a multi-night streaming event, which he’s titled John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A. The six episodes will unspool live on the streamer over as many nights during the service’s Netflix Is a Joke Fest, when, yes, everybody — or at least every major comic — is in town. The special formally launches May 3, with additional episodes debuting nightly, beginning 7 p.m. PT, from May 6 to 10. The story.
—"It has always been my dream to monetize my coping mechanism." Hacks star Hannah Einbinder is expanding her relationship with Max. The comedian has set her first stand-up comedy special for the streamer behind the hit show. Einbinder, aka Ava Daniels on Hacks, will perform in front of a live audience at the El Rey Theatre in L.A. on April 20 with the streamer set to air the special exclusively at a date to be determined in June. The story.
—🤝 Tax credits deal 🤝 Amazon’s Fallout series has picked up a $25m tax credit offer from the California Film Commission to practically assure a second season and relocate production from New York state to Los Angeles. Fallout is set in a future post-apocalyptic L.A., the series is projected by the CFC to contribute $153m in qualifying expenditures to that state and bring on around 170 people in cast and crew. On Monday, CFC unveiled in 12 projects projected to spend an estimated $1.1b in California during their upcoming season. The story. |
MonsterVerse Future Looks Bright ►Kai-juice. Despite mixed reviews, the boffo $80m North America opening for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire had jaws dropping all over Hollywood. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that the opening figure wasn’t quite double what tracking services had predicted, but close enough. And by day 10, its global cume had hit an impressive $361.1m as it stayed atop the chart, almost guaranteeing future MonsterVerse installments from Legendary and Warner Bros. The analysis.
—Here come the changes. THR's Mia Galuppo and Borys Kit have the scoop on Netflix's film division getting a reorg under new head Dan Lin. Several sources say that the features division at the streamer will now be split up by genre — such as sci-fi, rom-com and faith-based. While Lin officially started his Netflix tenure April 1, sources note that the reorg has been in the works for over a month, with Lin consulting with chief content officer Bela Bajaria, the streamer’s film heads and outside partners. About a dozen people will depart Netflix as a result of the changes. The story.
—Big get. 20th Century and Disney has landed Deliver Me From Nowhere, the Bruce Springsteen project that has Jeremy Allen White in talks to star as the Boss. Scott Cooper, who treaded into music territory with his debut Crazy Heart, will write and direct the feature that will be based on the 2023 book Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska by Warren Zanes. The project does have the involvement of Springsteen and of his manager Jon Landau, giving it something essential: access to the music. The story.
—"I've been waiting for the right time to return and I’m proud to say that this time has come." Kevin Costner is moseying his way onto the Croisette. Costner’s highly anticipated western Horizon: An American Saga will screen out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The film will screen Sunday, May 19, 2024, at the fest, joining already announced titles that include the Mad Max film Furiosa. The story.
—🎭 Filling out 🎭 Wunmi Mosaku, best known for her work in Marvel Studios’ Loki and HBO’s Lovecraft Country, has joined Michael B. Jordan in the untitled supernatural horror thriller that Ryan Coogler is directing for Warner Bros. The buzzy project, the object of a high-profile bidding war in January, heads before cameras later this month in New Orleans and is furiously casting up. Delroy Lindo and Jack O’Connell closed deals last week. The story. |
'Curb' Boss Can Finally Talk About That Ending ►"A joke 26 years in the making." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to Curb Your Enthusiasm executive producer Jeff Schaffer and star Susie Essman about the series finale of the long-running HBO comedy. Schaffer and Essman (who plays the indefatigable Susie Greene) can finally speak freely about the genesis of Curb's ending, how long the idea to rewrite the Seinfeld finale had been in the works and how this puts a “stubborn exclamation point” on all of Larry David’s work. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"Sugata-San is so, so scary! He’s so scary on the set and also off the set." For THR, Demetrius Patterson spoke Tokyo Vice fan favorite Show Kasamatsu about the recently wrapped second season of the Max crime drama. Kasamatsu, who plays Akiro Sato in the show, discusses how he approached playing the young resilient yakuza member, his friendship with Ansel Elgort’s character and his Hollywood future. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
Film Review: 'Back to Black' ►"A bloody ballet slipper full of soul." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Sam Taylor-Johnson's Back to Black. Marisa Abela stars as Amy Winehouse, in this biopic about the dazzlingly talented English singer who died at age 27 that also features Jack O'Connell, Eddie Marsan and Lesley Manville. The review.
—"Knoxville enlivens otherwise routine proceedings." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Lije Sarki's Sweet Dreams. Jackass star Johnny Knoxville plays an alcoholic who coaches a softball team at a rehab facility in this addiction dramedy. The review. In other news...
—Evil releases final season trailer and premiere date
—Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum blast off in Fly Me to the Moon trailer
—Pulp Fiction stars reuniting at TCM Classic Film Festival
—Andrea Arnold to receive Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Golden Coach Award
—Geena Davis set to receive Viola Davis Trailblazer Award at CinemaCon
—Curate promotes Kristina Cuello to manager
—The Britely and Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant Ospero permanently close at Pendry West Hollywood
—Maui’s starry Grand Wailea resort unveils largest spa in Hawaii with $55m makeover
—Rapper Lil Uzi Vert sells home in remote Bell Canyon outside L.A. for $4.35m
What else we're reading...
—The morning after the day before, Danielle Dowling looks at all the places and dates for the next eclipse [NYT]
—Giles Richards writes that Max Verstappen’s continued dominance looms large for F1 as it battles to keep audiences around the world engaged [Guardian]
—After the whole J.Cole affair, Trace William Cowen runs through a history of rappers apologizing to Kendrick Lamar [Complex]
—Brittany Allen considers the unlikely literary inspirations behind Francis Ford Coppola’s new film Megalopolis, and Coppola responds in the comments! [Literary Hub]
—Francesca Maglione reports that the cost of an Ivy League college has soared to more than $90,000 a year [Bloomberg]
Today...
...in 2010, 20th Century Fox released Date Night in theaters. The Shawn Levy comedy, which starred Steve Carell and Tina Fey, was a big box office success, scoring $152m worldwide. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Kristen Stewart (34), Lil Nas X (25), Elle Fanning (26), Jay Baruchel (42), Cynthia Nixon (58), David Gordon Green (49), Jay Chandrasekhar (56), Keshia Knight Pulliam (45), Leighton Meester (38), Dennis Quaid (70), Kathryn Hunter (67), Kathleen Munroe (42), Mark Pellegrino (59), Neve McIntosh (52), Isaac Hempstead Wright (25), Brenock O'Connor (24), Sorcha Cusack (75), Marine Vacth (33), Jesse McCartney (37), Paulina Porizkova (59), Morgan Taylor Campbell (29), Katie Crown (39), Tanner Novlan (38), Rebecca Hazlewood (🏴47), Kim Da-mi (29), Isabel Coixet (64), Bryan Terrell Clark (44), Jaya Bachchan (76) |
| Adrian Schiller, the British actor who starred as Lord Aethelhelm in the Netflix drama series The Last Kingdom, has died. He was 60. The obituary. |
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