| | | | | | What's news: The owner of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood is trying to buy the Dolby Theater. Italy is honoring Kevin Spacey with a special award. French prosecutors have requested rape charges be brought against director Benoît Jacquot. Amazon has canceled Outer Range. Apple has renewed Dick Turpin. Despicable Me 4 looks set to open to $120m in North America. — Abid Rahman
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Netflix's Reed Hastings Calls on Joe Biden to "Step Aside" ►Going public. Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings has become one of the first big Democratic Party megadonors to call on President Joe Biden to step down ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Hastings, in an email to the NYT, said that "Biden needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to beat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous." Hastings’ comments join a growing number of outspoken Dem supporters calling for Biden to step down, agitated by the president’s performance during last week’s debate. The story.
—Denied. The producers of Rust may have to forgo a robust economic incentive as they try to sell the film to distributors and fulfill financial obligations to the immediate family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins who was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin in 2021. New Mexico tax authorities denied an application this spring by Rust Movie Productions for incentives worth as much as $1.6m. A late July deadline for producers to appeal the decision is approaching. Baldwin is scheduled to go on trial starting next week on an involuntary manslaughter charge in Hutchins’ death. The story.
—"We hope to see the AMPTP ready to sit back down at the table and be prepared to bargain and ‘care’ about the issues our members face." At the end of their latest week of bargaining with the studios and streamers, the unions that make up the Hollywood Basic Crafts coalition struck a defiant tone. In a statement on Wednesday, the labor groups said that major entertainment firms at the bargaining table during these talks “can and should respect” the workers that the unions collectively represent. Talks between the coalition of unions and the AMPTP resume on July 8. The story.
—Racial quotas suit. CBS and Paramount Global are facing a discrimination lawsuit from former anchor Jeff Vaughn, who accuses his ex-employers of implementing policies that favor the hiring of individuals from certain groups and firing older, white, heterosexual men. Vaughn, in a lawsuit filed on Monday and backed by a conservative group founded by Trump adviser Stephen Miller, says he was replaced in 2022 by a younger, minority news anchor. He points to a CBS goal to ensure that half of all writers be nonwhite by 2023. The story. |
Producer With Checkered History Eyes Purchase of Oscars Venue ►In talks. THR's Gary Baum reports that Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever producer Elie Samaha, the owner of the historic Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, is looking to acquire the Dolby Theater, that is the current home of the Oscars. Gary writes that Samaha has previously been found liable for business fraud, accused of unsafely operating local venues, and has been pursued for production-related grievances by several major entertainment unions. The story.
—"[He] deserves the chance to get his career back." Kevin Spacey will be honored with Italy’s Nations Award for Lifetime Achievement at a special gala in the historic southern Sicilian town of Taormina. The award is organized under the patronage of the Italian Senate and the state of Sicily. At the event, Spacey is also set to give an onstage performance at Taormina’s historic Greek Theatre. The honor comes as the two-time Oscar-winner continues to battle multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Spacey has always denied all criminal charges. The story.
—Request for charges. French prosecutors have requested rape charges be brought against director Benoît Jacquot in connection to assault allegations made by actresses Isild Le Besco and Julia Roy. Jacquot, who directed Farewell, My Queen and Diary of a Chambermaid, was taken into police custody on Monday for questioning on those allegations as well as assault charges brought by filmmaker Judith Godrèche. According to local media reports, prosecutors have not yet pressed for charges in connection to Godrèche’s charges. Jacquot has denied all allegations of wrongdoing. The story. |
Why U.K. Music Festivals Are in Crisis ►"It's the worst time they've ever had." We're deep into music festival season, usually a lucrative time for the U.K.'s live music industry. THR's Lily Ford writes that the lingering effects of Brexit and the pandemic have led to a credit crunch that has upturned Britain's indie festival circuit this year, with 50 events getting axed. The story.
—Football is life. Disney CEO Bob Iger and his wife, Willow Bay, are in talks to buy a majority stake in Angel City FC, the professional women’s soccer club based in Los Angeles. Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, has previously been the largest shareholder of the team. If the investment from Bay and Iger finalizes, the team will have a valuation of more than $300m, making it the highest valued women’s soccer club. Bay, who is the dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, is said to be taking the lead on the investment. The story.
—Cancellations. Ellen DeGeneres canceled four of her Ellen’s Last Stand … Up comedy shows this week after beginning her tour in June. Shows scheduled in July and August for Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago were canceled, per an announcement on the Ticketmaster website. The tour is the comedian’s first since the 2022 end of her eponymous daytime talk show, which came after she faced claims of a toxic workplace in the summer of 2020. The story. |
Why You Won't See Michelle Visage on 'Dancing With the Stars' ►"It’s kind of raw. That’s the difference between the different Australasian queens versus America." THR's Mikey O'Connell spoke to RuPaul's Drag Race producer-judge Michelle Visage, the new host of the upcoming season of Drag Race Down Under. Visage discusses the reason she says she's not allowed on the ABC competition, touring with Milli Vanilli and the misconceptions around her relationship with the color green. The interview.
—Turpin rides again! Apple TV+ has renewed adventure comedy The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin for a second season. The British series, which debuted worldwide on March 1, has comic and actor Noel Fielding playing 18th century highwayman Dick Turpin alongside his merry band of outlaws. There’s no word on casting or a premiere date for the second season of the British comedy created by Claire Downes, Ian Jarvis and Stuart Lane. The story.
—Out of Range. Amazon Prime Video has canceled Outer Range, which featured a blend of Western and sci-fi storytelling, after two seasons. The news comes not quite two months after the show’s second season premiered with a binge release. Outer Range stars Josh Brolin as a Wyoming rancher who discovers a mysterious black void on his property, while also fighting to keep his land out of the hands of a rival family with whom he has a long-standing feud. The story.
—"It’s sex basically. It’s not actual sex but it’s quite punchy." Bridgerton casting director Kelly Valentine Hendry revealed that she gets tons of “unsolicited” emails with fan auditions for the hit Netflix series, and much of it is raunchy. In a new interview, Hendry said that she is constantly having to go through and delete messages in her inbox, noting that it’s always “90 percent” full of spam from fans. The story.
—Slate reveal. Nico Hofmann and Jan Mojto, two leading figures in the German TV industry, have unveiled the upcoming slate for their new joint venture. Their company plans to make big-budget, high-end series out of Germany for the international market. The first slate of projects include: Tilmann Lahme’s Die Manns – Geschichte einer Familie, a biography of the legendary Mann family, including Nobel Prize winner Thomas Mann and his brother Heinrich Mann, which is to be produced as a six-part television series set in the 1920s. The story. |
'Deadpool 3' Tracking for Record $160M-$165M Debut ►Monster debut incoming. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that Deadpool & Wolverine — the third outing in the celebrated superhero franchise starring Ryan Reynolds — is tracking to open to at least $160m to $165m domestically over the July 26-28 weekend, with plenty of upside. That would be the best start of the year to date, as well as the biggest launch ever for an R-rated title. It would also be a needed boost for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the superhero genre in general. The box office report.
—Strong start. Illumination and Universal’s Despicable Me 4, which opened yesterday in theaters across the U.S., looks set to post an opening day gross of $28m for a five-day holiday debut of $120m, including $70m for the three-day weekend, according to early returns. That’s in line with expectations and a strong start for the fourth outing in the main franchise, and the sixth in the Despicable Me/Minions series, which combined ranks as the top-grossing animated franchise of all time. The box office report. |
'Axel F' Director on Bringing Back 'Beverly Hills Cop' ►"I really had [the Beverly Hills Cop music] in my head the whole time." THR's Brian Davids spoke to filmmaker Mark Molloy about his new feature, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Molloy discusses how producer Jerry Bruckheimer convinced him to helm the Netflix film, how he wanted to bring a '80s sense of danger back to the movies, and reveals that neither he nor Bruckheimer have watched the ill-fated third Beverly Hills Cop movie. The interview.
—"[Bill and Philip] were basically the shapeshifters of that group, and they helped make a group of really amazing people feel as if they had worked together for a really long time." Brian also spoke to Twister director Jan de Bont, ahead of the release of the long-awaited sort-of sequel Twisters. The Dutch filmmaker, who jumped to the director's chair after shooting classics like Die Hard as a cinematographer, reflects on his game-changing 1996 movie and also shares his memories of the film's late stars Bill Paxton and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The interview.
—"We want a different vision in this universe." Brian also spoke to filmmaker Michael Sarnoski about his new film, A Quiet Place: Day One. The acclaimed indie filmmaker behind the excellent Pig discusses his reluctance to join studio franchises, until John Krasinski won him over. The interview.
—"I felt it was a really great way of telling a story about the cost of living and working. and trying to thrive under the power of a racist, toxic, incompetent boss." For THR, Ronda Racha Penrice spoke to showrunner Gina Welch about her FX limited series, Clipped. Welch weighs in on the ending of the show about the fallout from 80-year-old Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s viral racist comments, and how viewers are left to feel about Donald and Shelly Sterling, along with V. Stiviano. The interview. |
TV Review: 'Down in the Valley' ►"Tells some worthwhile stories, but often lacks focus." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Starz's Down in the Valley. Nicco Annan, who plays Uncle Clifford on Katori Hall's series P-Valley, hosts this six-episode documentary look at the real-life dancers, hustlers and musicians in the Delta. The review.
—"The scenery isn't the only beautiful thing about the film." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Subhadra Mahajan's Second Chance. A young woman recovers from an abortion by escaping to a remote Himalayan village in Subhadra Mahajan's Karlovy Vary-premiering debut feature. The review.
In other news...
—John Cho can’t trust his AI device in Blumhouse’s Afraid trailer
—Whoopi Goldberg lights fire under cannabis business with two brand launches
—Criterion Collection’s summer sale at Barnes & Noble promises half off all DVD, Blu-ray and 4K titles
What else we're reading...
—K-hive assemble! Akayla Gardner, Jennifer Jacobs, and Amanda L Gordon report on Kamala Harris' surprising resurgence as Biden’s campaign unravels [Bloomberg]
—Eric Lutz rides the Kamala wave, and makes a compelling case for Harris to step up [Vanity Fair]
—Stephen Kalin and Jessica Toonkel report on the plight of American-Saudi animation filmmaker Abdulaziz Almuzaini, who scored a big 5-year Netflix deal to create content that shed a positive light on a modern Saudi Arabia, but has now been convicted as a terrorist by the country [WSJ]
—Emma Jones explains what Gen Z sex symbol labels like "hot rodents" and "short kings" really mean [BBC]
—In a deeply personal essay, author and journalist Mary H.K. Choi reveals how her life changed after being diagnosed with autism as an adult [The Cut]
Today...
...in 2018, Universal/Blumhouse released The First Purge in theaters. The fourth entry in The Purge franchise was a huge box office success, scoring $137m in ticket sales worldwide on a $13m budget. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Melissa Barrera (34), Tahar Rahim (43), Post Malone (29), Romain Gavras (43), Al Madrigal (53), Malia Obama (26), Geraldo Rivera (81), Ted Elliott (63), Pitof (67), John R. Leonetti (68), David Kross (34), Conor MacNeill (36), Jenica Bergere (50), Luke Thompson (36), Becki Newton (46), Tracy Letts (59), Emily Coutts (35), Marti Matulis (54), Max Elliott Slade (44), Jen Tullock (41), Carrie Keagan (44), Lee Je-hoon (40), Alex R. Hibbert (20), Victoria Abril (65), Susan Kellermann (80), Claire Price (52), Kevin Hanchard (50), Ronni Ancona (56), Stephen Rannazzisi (47), Anwen O'Driscoll (25), Brent Bailey (41), Francesca Hayward (32), Angelique Boyer (36), Ron Kovic (78), Dulcé Sloan (41), Harrison Osterfield (28), Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino (42), Jaclyn Betham (38) |
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