| | | | | | What's news: It's magazine day! This week's cover star is Jonathan Majors. Daniel Radcliffe will star opposite Tracy Morgan in a NBC comedy pilot. The Minecraft movie is tracking to a $58m opening. Glen Powell is set to star in Barry Jenkins' next movie. — Abid Rahman
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com. |
Jonathan Majors' Moment of Truth ►On the cover. Speaking exclusively for the first time since his domestic violence sentencing, Jonathan Majors opens up to THR's Rebecca Keegan about the childhood abuse he suffered, the impact of being fired by Marvel, his work on the critically acclaimed and soon-to-be-released Magazine Dreams, and his ongoing fight for Hollywood redemption: "It’s harder to find a way when you are trapped in notoriety." The cover story. |
Comcast Inks $3B Deal to Keep Olympics Rights Through 2036 ►🤝 Gold medal sports rights 🤝 Comcast and the International Olympic Committee have inked a $3b deal that will keep NBCUniversal and Peacock as the U.S. TV and streaming home of the Olympic Games through 2036. The deal includes the 2034 Winter Olympics, which are set to be held in Salt Lake City, and the 2036 summer games, for which a host city has not yet been determined. Comcast’s previous deal for the Olympic rights was signed more than a decade ago, and was set to run through 2032. The new agreement supersedes that one and is effective immediately. It also includes “new, innovative joint strategic initiatives and projects.” The story.
—Significant W. Blake Lively won the latest round in the ongoing legal battle between the actress and her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni, receiving an “attorneys’ eyes only” ruling for certain sensitive information surrounding the hot-topic cases filed by both stars. A judge agreed on Thursday and warned that some information could be leaked if the attorneys shared it with their clients. Details about the stars, including trade secrets and the security measures taken by the actors, as well as all medical information and what’s referred to as “highly personal and intimate information about third parties,” will only be seen by the lawyers involved in the case — not even their clients may look. The story.
—"Behind-the-scenes workers need to feed our families." IATSE International president Matthew D. Loeb cautioned artists and producers against cancelling shows at the Kennedy Center, citing the impact on wages for behind-the-scenes workers. Loeb visited the Kennedy Center workforce, including stagehands, wardrobe professionals, makeup artists, scenic artists and ticket sellers, represented by the union this week. His visit and statement to artists and producers come after a number of upcoming engagements were canceled at the Kennedy Center after President Trump overhauled the board and became chair. The story. |
'Ted Lasso' Finally Renewed for S4 at Apple TV+ ►Believe. After more than a year of speculation, Apple TV+ has ordered a fourth season of its Emmy-winning comedy Ted Lasso. The pickup comes after co-creator and star Jason Sudeikis closed a deal to reprise his role as the title character, the manager of the fictional AFC Richmond soccer club in London. Details on season four are slight at the moment. THR reported in August 2024 that Warner Bros. TV, which produces Ted Lasso, had picked up options for actors Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein and Jeremy Swift in anticipation of a possible fourth season. Apple is not confirming any casting beyond that of Sudeikis, but sources tell THR that Juno Temple and Brendan Hunt — also a co-creator and executive producer — are close to signing on to come back. The story.
—🎭 Living his best life 🎭 NBC's Tracy Morgan comedy pilot has added another big name to its cast. Daniel Radcliffe will star opposite Morgan in the pilot, which comes from several people behind 30 Rock, including executive producer Tina Fey. The show stars Morgan as a disgraced former football player named Reggie who sets out to rehabilitate his image. Radcliffe will play Arthur Tobin, an award-winning filmmaker who moves into Reggie’s mansion to make an immersive documentary about the onetime star running back. NBC ordered the pilot earlier this month. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 Black Mirror has finally set a return date and along with the release date announcement, Netflix has dropped a captivating trailer and slew of photos teasing the forthcoming episodes. The six-episode season releases April 10 on Netflix. Joining the already announced cast for season seven are Michele Austin, Ben Bailey Smith, Asim Chaudhry, Josh Finan, James Nelson-Joyce, Will Poulter, Jay Simpson and Michael Workéyè. Previously announced stars includes Awkwafina, Milanka Brooks, Peter Capaldi, Emma Corrin, Patsy Ferran, Paul Giamatti, Lewis Gribben, Osy Ikhile, Rashida Jones, Siena Kelly, Billy Magnussen, Rosy McEwen, Cristin Milioti, Chris O’Dowd, Issa Rae, Paul G. Raymond, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jimmi Simpson and Harriet Walter. The story.
—Big reach. Season three of Amazon Prime Video's Reacher grabbed its biggest audience to date over its first two-plus weeks of release, according to internal figures from the streamer. The show brought in 54.6m viewers worldwide in the 19 days after its Feb. 20 premiere — a slight uptick from season two over the same amount of time — to become the biggest returning series (i.e., season two or later) in the streamer’s records. Amazon further says Reacher season three is Prime Video's biggest premiere since Fallout brought in 65m viewers over its first 16 days in April 2024. Only that show and season one of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power had more viewers over a similar time frame. The ratings.
—Love wins. Netflix’s Love Is Blind came out of the gate strong with the Valentine’s Day premiere of its eighth season. The dating show accumulated 1.07b viewing minutes in the U.S. for the week of Feb. 10-16, according to Nielsen. That’s better than the premiere week totals for the past two cycles: Season six had 907m minutes in the same week a year ago, and season seven opened to 1.05b minutes in early October. Nielsen counts viewing of all episodes toward a show’s weekly tally, but the ratings service notes that 95 percent — our about 1.02b minutes — of Love Is Blind’s total was for the new batch of episodes that premiered Feb. 14. The streaming rankings. |
The Russo Brothers Reveal Their Secret Weapons ►Marvel's money-minting directors. On the heels of the Netflix feature The Electric State and ahead of production beginning on the first of two massive Marvel Avengers films they are directing, Joe and Anthony Russo reveal to THR's second-nicest man Aaron Couch that time they gave the studio back its fee, the “bad luck” actor they fought to cast and why the era of big-budget streaming features won’t be a “healthy part of the business” going forward. The interview.
—Outlook promising. A Minecraft Movie, the kid-friendly movie adaptation of the popular video game, is tracking to open to $58m or thereabouts in its North American debut over the April 4-6 weekend, according to early tracking data. That’s good news Warner Bros. co-movie chiefs Mike DeLuca and Pam Abby, who have come under the microscope after the studio suffered a series of misses at the box office. They inherited many of those pics in various stage of development, but Minecraft is the first movie they made from start to finish, along with the upcoming Ryan Coogler vampire movie Sinners . WB partnered with Legendary on the PG-rated pic, and put up most of the financing for the fantasy action-adventure. The pic’s budget is a reported $150m before marketing. The box office report.
—🎭 Natural fit 🎭 Universal has landed the pitch for the Barry Jenkins feature The Natural Order, based on author Matthew Aldrich’s unpublished manuscript. Glen Powell is set to star in the movie that has Jenkins in talks to direct, with Jenkins and Aldrich attached to write the script. Natural Order is a sci-fi thriller centering on the search for eternal life. This marks the first project for Powell and producing partner Dan Cohen’s banner Barnstorm through the first-look deal with Universal that began last month. In addition to Powell and Cohen, producers on Natural Order include Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak for Pastel, along with Jewerl Keats Ross. The story.
—🎭 Another one 🎭 Ryan Hurst, known for his key roles in FX’s Sons of Anarchy and AMC’s The Walking Dead, has joined the long list of Hollywood’s who’s who in Christopher Nolan’s latest film, the adaptation of Homer’s epic peom The Odyssey. The Universal feature is already in production and has a roll call that that includes bold-faced names such as Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie and Jon Bernthal. Other names in the cast include Mia Goth, Elliot Page, Samantha Morton, Benny Safdie and Cosmo Jarvis, among others. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired the distribution rights for the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land in the Middle East and North Africa. Directed by Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, No Other Land chronicles Adra’s journey as he examines the devastation of his hometown, designated for military training. His efforts to raise awareness gain momentum with Abraham’s support. The story.
—"Brutal. Unflinching. Relentless." The first reactions to Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s Warfare have hit social media, and the early consensus suggests the film is an intense, brutal and harrowing work that must be experienced in theaters. The A24 war film is a real-time and immersive retelling of a battle during the 2006 Iraq War, and follows a team of Navy SEALs coming under heavy fire as they are trapped inside a house. The large ensemble cast includes a number of rising Hollywood stars including D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Taylor John Smith, Michael Gandolfini, Adain Bradley, Noah Centineo, Evan Holtzman, Henry Zaga, Joseph Quinn and Charles Melton. Warfare is set to hit theaters April 11. The reaction. |
TV Review: 'Dope Thief' ►"Can't sustain momentum after a strong start." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews Apple TV+'s Dope Thief. Peter Craig's eight-episode adaptation of Dennis Tafoya's novel follows two petty criminals who get in big trouble in post-pandemic Philadelphia. Starring Brian Tyree Henry, Wagner Moura, Marin Ireland, Kate Mulgrew and Ving Rhames. The review.
—"Let's hope that's not all folks." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Pete Browngardt's The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie. Porky Pig and Daffy Duck team up for their first full-length, fully animated feature film. The review.
—"More admirable than effective." Frank reviews Lior Geller's The World Will Tremble. This real-life drama tells the story of prisoners who escape from a Nazi death camp and provide the first eyewitness account of the Holocaust. The review.
—"Stays too close to the surface." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Amy Wang's SXSW narrative feature competition winner Slanted. Shirley Chen, McKenna Grace and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan star in this satrical body horror story of a young woman who participates in an experimental surgery to become white. The review.
—"A sweet and sour charmer." THR's Angie Han reviews Nastasya Popov's Idiotka. Premiering at SXSW, writer-director Popov's film stars Anna Baryshnikov as an aspiring fashion designer who gets cast on a show featuring underprivileged contestants. The review. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott spoke to Mickey 17 director Bong Joon Ho. In front of an audience at the 2020 Santa Barbara International Film Festival (the first part of this interview) and via a 2025 Zoom (the second part), the Korean master and three-time Oscar winner reflects on his path to filmmaking, the magical journey of Parasite and his new film starring Robert Pattinson. Listen here.
—It Happened in Hollywood. THR senior writer Seth Abramovitch goes behind the scenes of the pop culture moments that shaped Hollywood history. In this episode, Seth spoke to Nancy Olson. The star of Billy Wilder’s 1950 Hollywood-skewering noir Sunset Boulevard regales with tales of the making of the classic film. Listen here.
In other news...
—Tom Hiddleston faces the apocalypse in Life of Chuck trailer
—Brad Pitt races toward redemption in fast-paced F1 trailer
—Winona Ryder, Johnny Depp appear in first look at Tim Burton doc
—Lionsgate’s Kevin Beggs named chair of International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
—Chappell Roan “gets the job done” in highly anticipated country single “The Giver”
—Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco release sultry single “Sunset Blvd”
—Alicia Keys to honor Gracie Abrams at She Is The Music event
—Gucci names Demna new artistic director
—Donatella Versace steps down as creative director of Versace
—A+E ups Matthew Glotzer to lead corporate strategy
—John Feinstein, acclaimed sports columnist and author, dies at 69
What else we're reading...
—Michelle Hackman reports that Trump is set to invoke a seldom-used wartime law from 1798 to speed up mass deportations [WSJ]
—Dan Brooks looks at how Trump supporters have embraced generative AI tools to make pictures and videos and how this AI slop compliments the MAGA style [NYT]
—Sarah Ferris reports that furious Dems are urging Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to primary the increasingly ineffectual Chuck Schumer [CNN]
—Nicholas Quah talks to Majority Report host Sam Seder about that viral (and frightening) Surrounded YouTube clip [Vulture]
—Here's your Friday list: "The 100 best TV shows of all time" [Empire]
Today...
...in 2014, Focus Features released Jason Bateman's Bad Words in theaters. Also starring Bateman, as well as Kathryn Hahn, Rohan Chand, Ben Falcone, Philip Baker Hall, and Allison Janney, the black comedy received mixed reviews. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Michael Caine (92), Simon Biles (28), Steph Curry (37), Billy Crystal (77), Ansel Elgort (31), Jamie Bell (39), Corey Stoll (49), Aamir Khan (60), Kevin Williamson (60), Bruno Dumont (67), Tamara Tunie (66), Meredith Salenger (55), Johnny Flynn (42), Daniel Gillies (49), Antoni Porowski (41), Chris Klein (46), James Jordan (46), James Frain (57), Abby Ryder Fortson (17), Grace Park (51), Megan Follows (57), Gary Anthony Williams (59), Kate Maberly (43), Rhiannon Fish (34), Betsy Brandt (52), Eleanor Bron (87), Laila Robins (66), Season Hubley (74), Penny Johnson Jerald (64), Murielle Telio (32), Raymond J. Barry (86), Adrian Zmed (71), Ryan Cartwright (44), Greta Onieogou (34), Rachel Alig (38), Angela Lin (44), Lokesh Kanagaraj (39) |
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