| | | | | | What's news: Four board members at Paramount Global will step aside amid deal talks. Apple has renewed Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and ordered more spinoffs. Amazon/BBC are reviving The Night Manager for two more seasons. Glen Powell will star in Edgar Wright's remake of The Running Man. Matt Stone, Trey Parker and Kendrick Lamar are developing a comedy for Paramount. — Abid Rahman
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O.J. Simpson Dead: Hollywood Reacts ►Fame and infamy. O.J. Simpson, the football star who later became an actor and then better known for being accused of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman amid a high-profile televised car chase and trial in which he was ultimately acquitted of murder charges, has died. He was 76. Simpson died of cancer on Wednesday, his family announced. The obituary.
—Reclaiming her story. In the aftermath of O.J. Simpson's death, THR has learned that Lifetime is set to air a Nicole Brown Simpson docuseries this summer. The two-night event titled The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson has been in the works for more than a year and is centered on Nicole Brown’s story in a bid to reclaim her narrative. The project is pegged to the 30-year anniversary of her death. More than 50 participants said to have known her best, including her sisters, close family and friends, are participating in the docuseries. The story.
—"Good Riddance." Following the news of O.J. Simpson dying from cancer, Hollywood was quick to react on Thursday to the death of one of the most divisive figures in pop culture. The likes of Caitlyn Jenner, Mia Farrow, Magic Johnson, David Zucker and Whoopi Goldberg all offered their thoughts. The reaction.
—"The system failed Nicole Brown Simpson and failed battered women everywhere." Gloria Allred, the attorney who represented Nicole Brown Simpson’s family during the O.J. Simpson murder trial, shared that she isn’t mourning the controversial figure and called upon the public to remember the victims instead. The story.
—"Had I been on the jury, I would’ve also acquitted him." THR's Gary Baum spoke to former AP journalist Linda Deutsch, a legendary court reporter who covered O.J. Simpson's trial. Deutsch reflects on the trial, and says how even arch-nemesis Dominick Dunne was won over by Simpson. The interview.
—"The Trial of the Century." THR's Alex Weprin reflects on the pop culture phenomenon of the O.J. Simpson trial and its lasting impact. Alex writes a massive 150m people watched the Simpson verdict, a sign of how powerful the opinion and analyst-driven coverage of the trial was, and how it became a prelude to the media’s opinionated present. The analysis. |
'Golden Bachelor' Couple to Divorce ►"It’s a head-scratcher." Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist were the first Golden Bachelor couple and less than two months after their engagement was revealed on television on Nov. 30, 2023, they married in the ABC franchise’s first-ever Golden Wedding on Jan. 4. Now, about three months later, the Bachelor's history-making couple has announced they are getting a divorce. Turner and Nist down with Good Morning America to reveal their decision, but offered little to an audience that will be wanting to know what really happened. The story.
—Love is not real. In light of the divorce news, here again is THR's expose on Gerry Turner that was published in November. For THR, Suzanne O'Malley and Barbara Lippert dug into the secret history of America’s senior sweetheart and found secret girlfriends, a juiced-up résumé and the selling of a septuagenarian stud. The story. |
Condé Nast Purgatory ►"I can’t emphasize enough how weird it is." In November, 94 Condé Union staffers at the glamorous media company behind Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair and Bon Appétit — across editorial, video and audience development — learned that they had been earmarked to be laid off as part of a Condé Nast-wide cost-cutting push. THR's Katie Kilkenny reports that while their union negotiates with top execs about the scale and terms of layoffs, employees have been consigned to the "central editorial group," a unit that, sources say, mainly includes busy work. The story.
—Upped. CAA has appointed nine managing directors and changed up its agency board membership. The new managing directors include Rob Light, Howard Nuchow, Joe Cohen, Michael Levine, Joel Lubin, Maha Dakhil, Chris Silbermann, Tiffany Ward and Paul Danforth. CFO Carol Sawdye and chief legal officer Hilary Krane will continue in their roles. The managing directors will work alongside CAA co-chairman and CEO Bryan Lourd, co-chairmen Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett and president Jim Burtson on varying strategic business and operational matters. The story.
—Downed. Four board members at Paramount Global will step aside as talks continue with the David Ellison-led Skydance Media, the company confirmed Thursday in its proxy filing. Dawn Ostroff, Nicole Seligman, Frederick Terrell and Rob Klieger will all depart the company’s board in the next few months, with Paramount telling shareholders in its annual proxy filing that they would not be standing for reelection. Paramount’s annual meeting has been scheduled for June 4, it is not immediately clear when the directors will leave the company. The story.
—"Celebs who … cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies." J.K. Rowling suggests she will not forgive her Harry Potter stars for going against her views on trans rights in the wake of a new U.K. report criticizing current gender care treatments for young people. On Wednesday, the BBC reported on a four-year review investigating gender care commissioned by the NHS. The report concluded that gender services were based on “remarkably weak” evidence and that children had been “let down” by medical professionals. The story.
—Dispute over? Taylor Swift's music has returned to TikTok, months after being pulled as part of the ongoing dispute between the platform and Universal Music Group, which distributes Swift’s music. It is worth noting that Swift has owned the publishing rights to her songs since 2019, though it is not clear if that is the reason why the music has returned to the platform, with users noting that some of her albums were not included, specifically albums that she does not fully own. The move comes a week before Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department drops. The story. |
Paramount Wows CinemaCon With 'Gladiator 2' ►Are you not entertained? Gladiator 2 swept into the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, where theater owners at CinemaCon were given the first look at footage from Ridley Scott's epic. Scott sent in a video from London to introduce some footage, and star Paul Mescal called working on it a “standout moment” in his life to date. Denzel Washington said the film will have "emotion" and "spectacle" beyond anything else in theaters this year. The story.
—Kendrick keeps winning. During Paramount's presentation at CinemaCon, the studio announced that an original live-action comedy from South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker as well as rapper Kendrick Lamar. The untitled project is not a musical, and is set to begin shooting this summer and hit theaters on the Fourth of July in 2025. Lamar and Dave Free serve as producers through their company PGLang, while Stone and Parker produce for Park County. The story.
—Out of director jail. Damien Chazelle has set his next feature with Paramount. The La La Land filmmaker wrote and will direct the feature. Plot details are not yet known and talent has yet to be attached, but the project is a priority for the studio. The movie is being produced under Chazelle and Olivia Hamilton’s Wild Chickens Productions banner, as part of their first look deal with the studio that was signed in 2022. Chazelle is acting as a producer on another Paramount feature, the David Ayer-directed Heart of the Beast. The story.
—🎭 So hot right now 🎭 Glen Powell, Hollywood’s favorite rising star, has nabbed his first action vehicle. The actor, who cemented his leading-man status with the hit romantic comedy Anyone but You, will star in Paramount’s The Running Man, a new adaptation of the Stephen King novel that Edgar Wright will direct. The story.
—Spinoff hopes. Paramount’s A Quiet Place: Day One is getting ready to bring chills to audiences. Stars Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn on Thursday introduced extended footage of the prequel to movie theater owners gathered in Vegas. The film is based on an original idea from A Quiet Place filmmaker John Krasinski and is directed by Pig’s Michael Sarnoski, who also wrote the script. The story.
—"Unlike anything you’ve ever seen onscreen." One year after Paramount broke news at CinemaCon that Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and Brian Tyree Henry had signed on for the animated film Transformers One, the studio welcomed that trio back to introduce their work. Ahead of a wide launch April 18, a new extended trailer was played for the gathering of theater owners. The story.
—🤝 First-look deal 🤝 Paramount and Neal H. Moritz’s Original Film banner have renewed their first-look production deal for another three years. The new deal extends the studio’s relationship with Moritz through 2027. The partnership was last extended in 2020 after Moritz and his production banner left their longtime deal with Sony Pictures. Under the new deal, Paramount and Miramax will have Moritz produce a new installment in the Scary Movie franchise. The story.
—Turtle power. After the success of last year’s animated hit film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Paramount is leaning into the IP for a new feature project. The studio is developing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, adapting a popular storyline seen in the recent IDW comics, as a live-action feature with the intent of making it for an R-rating. Walter Hamada is producing through his 18hz production company as part of his multiyear deal with the studio. The story.
—Toon talk. Rihanna now has a host of blue pals to join her journey as Smurfette in Paramount's animated The Smurfs Movie. Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne and Dan Levy are among the big names joining the voice cast for the film that is set to be released on Feb. 14, 2025. Paramount also dropped news on its other animation projects including Paw Patrol 3, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2, The Spongebob Movie: Search for Squarepants and Aang: The Last Airbender. The story. |
Feige Drops F-Bombs Introducing 'Deadpool & Wolverine' ►Not for kids. A Disney presentation at CinemaCon would usually be a family-friendly affair. Not so this year, with the raunchy, R-rated Deadpool & Wolverine taking center stage. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige “It’s fucking awesome,” Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige said to the crowd. He added, he could say that because it’s an R-rated film — and proceeded to say the F-word a few more times. Director Shawn Levy then came out to show off nine minutes of spoiler-free scenes. The story.
—Throwback. Feige, along with Anthony Mackie, introduced a clip for Captain America: Brave New World at CinemaCon. Cap 4 puts Mackie in the lead role and Feige said the film was a call back to fan favorite Captain America: The Winter Soldier in that it will be a relatively grounded action thriller. The story.
—"It’s an expansive adventure." On Wednesday, Disney also dropped a first-look at the live-action film Mufasa: The Lion King. Director Barry Jenkins introduced the teaser trailer for the film, and it received a resounding round of applause from the Vegas crowd for its stunning visuals and tone. Mufasa is a music-infused an origin story and follow-up to Jon Favreau’s 2019 photorealistic movie The Lion King, which in turn was based on the 1994 Disney animated classic. The story.
—"It’s so much deeper than a movie to me." Two months after Disney CEO Bob Iger's surprise announcement that Moana 2 was in the works at the studio and scheduled to hit theaters Nov. 27, the animated sequel took over the stage at CinemaCon. Disney debuted an exclusive sneak peek of footage of the David Derrick Jr.-directed film in front of theater owners with the help of its superstar voice talent, Dwayne Johnson. He arrived to the stage after a mini-performance from Polynesian dancers. The story. |
Apple Renews 'Monarch,' Confirms Spinoffs ►Much a kaiju about something. Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has been renewed for a second season. But that’s only the beginning of the streamer's MonsterVerse plans. Apple has also struck a new multi-series deal with Legendary Entertainment, which includes multiple spinoffs based on the franchise. The second season of Monarch will be executive produced by Chris Black and Matt Fraction, who will also continue as showrunners. The story.
—Cannot be killed. After being canceled, then un-canceled, then producing what was billed as its final season, CBS' SWAT is getting yet another new lease on life with the network picking up an eighth season of crime drama. The decision to continue the series, a co-production of Sony Pictures Television and CBS Studios, comes as a surprise: CBS has billed this season of SWAT as its final one after negotiations with Sony over licensing fees and a reduced episode order. As recently as Monday, CBS was billing the May 17 episode of SWAT as a "series finale." The story.
—Yes! Amazon MGM Studios and the BBC are teaming to revive the Emmy- and BAFTA-winning thriller The Night Manager, eight years after its initial run. Tom Hiddleston will reprise his role in the show, which scored a two-season order from the BBC and Amazon’s Prime Video streaming platform. Series creator David Farr is also set to return as writer. Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie, who starred in the first season, will also be executive producers. The Night Manager is based on the spy novel by the late British writer John le Carré. The story.
—"The Rucker is an integral part of basketball culture." Roc Nation, EverWonder Studios and 3 Legends Productions are teaming up to produce a documentary series about the Entertainer’s Basketball Classic, the infamous streetball tournament in Harlem also known as the Rucker. The film will include never-before-seen footage and will highlight the beating heart of basketball culture, the stars of the historic era and the connection between Hollywood, hip-hop and Harlem. The story.
—Swifties assemble. Taylor Swift made her chart debut in Nielsen’s streaming rankings, as her concert movie The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) had a strong showing over its first four days of release on Disney+. The film racked up 677m minutes of viewing in the U.S. in the week of March 11-17, finishing second among movies and eighth among all titles for the week. Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen took the No. 1 overall spot for the week, moving up from third place a week earlier. The streaming rankings. |
TV Review: 'Good Times' ►"After an excruciating start, the home stretch has promise." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Netflix's Good Times. The late Norman Lear is an executive producer on this animated 10-episode series about a Black family in the Chicago projects, featuring the voices of JB Smoove, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jay Pharoah and Marsai Martin. The review.
—"Choices were made and approved." Good Times drops on Netflix today, but before the show made its debut, Kyle Bowser, the NAACP's senior vp of the Hollywood bureau, penned a guest column for THR about the divisive trailer. Bowser writes that the civil rights organization spoke with creatives involved with the controversial animated series, who said the show will include social commentary, but notes that Netflix has nonetheless chosen to market the series with negative tropes. The column.
—"I thought it was going to be different." When the Good Times trailer first dropped last week, THR spoke to original series stars John Amos, who portrayed patriarch James Evans on the first three seasons, and BernNadette Stanis — known for playing Thelma, middle child to James and Florida Evans (Esther Rolle), throughout the series — about their thoughts on the clip that has created such a furious backlash. The reaction.
—"The show had an impact on the whole sociological face of America." With the original Good Times series celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, THR looks back at the CBS sitcom that was the first to depict a two-parent Black family and tackle topics like unemployment and discrimination. The flashback. |
Film Review: 'The Absence of Eden' ►"A timely story in an overly precious package." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Marco Perego's The Absence of Eden. Zoe Saldaña and Garrett Hedlund star in Perego's debut feature revolving around a woman forced to flee Mexico and an ICE agent. The review.
—"Familiar stuff with a Scottish twist." Frank reviews Terry McDonough's Damaged. Samuel L. Jackson plays a Chicago detective sent to Scotland to help investigate a series of ritual murders in this thriller co-starring Vincent Cassel. The review. |
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 headlines, including news on Heels, CBS' drama slate, Chicago Med and Quantum Leap. There's a segment on Heroes, Melrose Place and the recent reboot craze and another on Dan's semi-annual reality TV deep dive. Rolling Stone critic Alan Sepinwall drops by to chat about the now-finished Curb Your Enthusiasm . And Dan reviews HBO’s The Sympathizer, Apple’s Franklin, Amazon’s Fallout and Netflix’s Good Times. Listen here.
In other news...
—BAFTA Games Awards: Baldur’s Gate 3, Super Mario Bros. Wonder lead winners
—Santa Barbara Film Fest 2025 dates set, two more days added on
—Gotham Awards breaking out TV honors for June ceremony
—Former HBO Max exec Sandra Dewey joins Media Res as COO
—Marco Müller named artistic director of Taormina Film Fest
What else we're reading...
—With doubts over Francis Ford Coppola's new film finding a distributor, Bilge Ebiri writes that Hollywood is doomed if there’s no room for movies like Megalopolis [Vulture]
—Jia Tolentino profiles Korean auteur Park Chan-wook, who makes his American television debut with the wildly ambitious HBO series The Sympathizer [New Yorker]
—Zack Beauchamp writes that Alex Garland's controversial A24 film Civil War has little to say about America, but a lot to say about war (and that's a good thing) [Vox]
—Anna Betts runs through all the main figures from the O.J. Simpson trial, and where they are now [NYT]
—Here's your Friday list: "Every HBO show, ranked" [Vulture]
Today...
...in 2013, Warner Bros. Pictures released Brian Helgeland's 42 in theaters. The Jackie Robinson biopic starred Chadwick Boseman as the baseball legend and was a critical and commercial success. The original review.
Today's birthdays: David Letterman (77), Saoirse Ronan (30), Claire Danes (45), Andy Garcia (68), Ilana Glazer (37), Retta (54), Amr Waked (51), Mike Manning (37), Walter Salles (68), Vince Gill (67), Herbie Hancock (84), Jennifer Morrison (45), Shannen Doherty (53), Alicia Coppola (56), Marley Shelton (50), Brooklyn Decker (37), Ed O'Neill (78), Riley Smith (46), Jordana Spiro (47), Eline Powell (34), Kim Bodnia (59), Tom Noonan (73), Christina Moore (51), Lachlan Watson (23), Dan Lauria (77), Paul Rust (43), Brigitte Kingsley (48), Matt McGorry (38), Sarah Jane Morris (47), Annabelle Stephenson (36), Billy Harris (30), Lorena Andrea (30), Imani Lewis (25), Matt Levin (52) |
| Edgar Burcksen, who handled visual effects for The Hunt for Red October and Die Hard 2 and won an Emmy for editing the pilot for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, has died. He was 76. The obituary. |
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