| | | | | | What's news: The Duffer Brothers respond to the brewing Stranger Things scandal. Amy Madigan is back in the spotlight — and it’s making her nervous. How Netflix made nice with SONY to secure the ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ sequel. Coca-Cola doubles down on AI. A guide to getting around L.A. without a car. — Julian Sancton
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Next Gen 2025: The 8 Hottest Young Stars in Hollywood ►The Next Cut. The eight rising screen stars featured in THR’s annual Next Gen selection are popping up everywhere from streaming successes to festival stand-outs, catching the attention of directors, studio executives and audiences alike. Some have had franchise turns like Hunger Games actor Tom Blyth and 28 Years Later’s Erin Kellyman, while others will be familiar to A24 obsessives (see: Chase Sui Wonders and Archie Madekwe). The 2025 class joins alumni that include a pre-Top Gun Glen Powell, pre-Euphoria Sydney Sweeney, pre-Spider-Man Zendaya, and many others who are now at the top of call sheets and calling their own shots. The list.
—Biggest loser. Dana White, the Ultimate Fighting Championship boss and Donald Trump confidant, has become a folk hero for his storied gambling sessions at Las Vegas casinos. His adrenalized exploits, primarily at blackjack, are much discussed across the manosphere, and are set be subject of a Netflix doc. Among other wild tales, he once apparently lost $30 million at the tables. But when the house is owned by your BFF billionaire business partners, is anyone really going to make you pay? THR’s Gary Baum has the story.
—Witchy Woman. For filmgoers of a certain age, Amy Madigan is the ultimate chameleonic actress, star of such beloved 80s films as Field of Dreams and Uncle Buck. And though she’s been all but absent from the screen in recent years, her indelibly creepy turn as a witch in this summer’s horror hit Weapons has launched her back into the zeitgeist — and into the Oscar conversation. THR’s David Canfield has the profile.
—French Twist. Zoey Deutch, who stars as French New Wave gamine Jean Seberg in Richard Linklater’s Cannes hit Nouvelle Vague, was afraid the part would go to someone who could actually speak French. Yet the Hollywood nepo baby — daughter of director Howard Deutch and actress-director Lea Thompson —was so committed that she chopped off her role before the movie was a go. “You should hear me with Rick now,” she tells THR’s Seija Rankin with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘What do you think about doing a movie on Natalie Wood? What about a role on Merrily We Roll Along?” I can’t stop pitching myself.” The story. |
Duffer Brothers Respond to Brewing Scandal at Stranger Things Premiere ►Upside Down. A Stranger Things final season press tour junket has been underway since Monday, but there’s one topic Netflix doesn’t want raised: A viral report alleging star Millie Bobby Brown accused co-star David Harbour of on-set bullying. Despite the alleged report, Brown and Harbour were all smiles as they posed together at the season five world premiere in Los Angeles Thursday evening, as THR’s cameras revealed. The show’s creators, brothers Ross and Matt Duffer, didn’t discuss matters directly, saying, “nothing matters more than just having a set where everyone feels safe and happy.” Meanwhile, Stranger Things director and executive producer Shawn Levy described some of the reports as “wildly inaccurate.” The story.
PLUS: ‘Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85’ Animated Series to Debut on Netflix in 2026
—History awaits. Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger has some thoughts about Walt’s legacy, and about what matters for the people entrusted with carrying on that legacy. Iger is the guest on the latest episode of the podcast The Rest Is History, hosted by Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland (no, not that Tom Holland), and his looming departure from the company seemed to be top of mind for the veteran executive, who shared some advice for his successors. The story. |
KPop Demon Hunters Sequel Deal: How Netflix Made Nice with Sony ►How it’s Done Done Done. Sometimes the hunt for a deal is easier than others. In the case of the sequel to the cultural sensation KPop Demon Hunters, Netflix decided to take the easier route and awarded Sony — which made the acclaimed animated film — a $15 million bonus for the astonishing success of the pic, according to a source close to the streamer. From Sony Pictures Animation, KPop Demon Hunters quickly became the most watched film of all time on Netflix this summer. The bonus was a mutually agreed upon olive branch that allowed Netflix’s movie executives to hammer out a deal relatively quickly with Sony movie chief Tom Rothman and his team for a sequel. THR’s Pamela McClintock has the exclusive.
—Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough. Michael, the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, looks likely to be expanded across two features, judging by the latest comments from Lionsgate execs. “While we’re not yet ready to confirm plans for a second film, I can tell you that the creative team is hard at work making sure that we’re in a position to deliver more Michael soon after we release the first film,” Adam Fogelson, chair of the studio’s Motion Picture Group, told analysts on Thursday during a call after releasing Lionsgate’s second quarter financial results. The story. |
Disney-YouTube TV Standoff Seems to Be Hurting ABC’s Ratings ►Dangerous Game. The blackout of Disney networks on YouTube TV may be affecting ratings for those networks. A carriage dispute between the two companies led to ABC, ESPN and other Disney outlets going dark on YouTube TV on Oct. 31. Evidence from Monday and Tuesday suggests that the dispute might be pulling viewing numbers down for two of ABC’s biggest shows, Monday Night Football and Dancing with the Stars. THR’s Rick Porter has the analysis.
—Walking Dead? AMC Networks, the company behind such cable channel brands as AMC, IFC and Sundance TV, as well as such streaming services as AMC+, Acorn TV and horror streamer Shudder, reported a 17 percent drop in third-quarter U.S. advertising revenue to $110 million on Friday. It cited “linear ratings declines and lower marketplace pricing.” The story.
—Lion’s share. Newly-solo Lionsgate on Thursday posted sharply lower overall film and TV businesses’ revenues and a reduced loss for the second quarter of fiscal 2026. The Hollywood studio, led by CEO Jon Feltheimer, posted a net loss attributable to shareholders at $113.5 million, compared to a year-earlier $163.3 million loss, after spinning off its Starz streaming platform. Investors reacted in after-market trading by sending stock in the studio down by 36 cents, or 5 percent, to $6.67. The story.
PLUS: Nexstar Quarterly Revenue, Income Falls on Lower Political Ad Sales |
Man Who Created AI Holiday Coke Ad Says It Took More Creativity Than You Realize ►New Coke. For the second year in a row, Coca-Cola has faced a social media uproar over its use of generative AI to concoct its schmaltzy holiday ad. The criticism was something the maker of commercial, an L.A.-based AI studio founder named Jason Zada, was prepared for: “The ad was a wake-up call to a lot of people in marketing that it was OK to do it this way. It shifted the conversation: There’s a really traditional way to do it and there is a brand new way to do it.” The Q&A.
—Interesting Times. Can The New York Times steal time and attention away from TikTok or YouTube? Probably not, but the venerable news outlet is moving aggressively in the video space by trying to carve out a strategy that is true to what it is, with less fretting over the specific platform that the videos it produces live on. “I think our goal here is just to build the largest, the widest and most engaged audience that we can, and we see video as a way of doing that,” says Jordan Vita, vp of product at the Times, in an interview. THR's Alex Weprin has the story. |
TV Review: Ken Burns' 'The American Revolution' ►“Rousing, if repetitive.” THR's Daniel Fienberg reviews the new six-part PBS docuseries The American Revolution, directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David P. Schmidt. The show, Fienberg writes, “is smart, thorough, sincere in intent, and still of undeniable and uncomfortable importance with or without direct reference to the current political moment.” The review.
—“A winning blend of fantasy and emotion.” THR’s Frank Scheck reviews In Your Dreams, a Pixar-esque animated Netflix film about two children of squabbling parents who seek help from the Sandman to keep their family together, starring the voice talents of Simu Liu and Christine Milioti. 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 live episode, Scott spoke to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, star of A24’s The Smashing Machine. In front of an audience of film students at Chapman University, the superstar wrestler-turned-actor reflects on his life, career and Oscar-buzzed portrayal of Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie's A24 film: "I was ready to chase the challenge and not chase the box office." The podcast.
—I’m Having an Episode. On his new TV-centric pop-culture pod, THR’s Mikey O’Connell hosts ascendant stand-up Leanne Morgan, whose new special immediately shot to No. 1 on the Netflix Top 10. She spoke about the perks of her time in Los Angeles, plans to find some more grounded material during a visit to Dollywood and flirting with Pedro Pascal at the 2025 Emmys. The podcast.
In other news...
—‘Michael’ Biopic: Michael Jackson Nephew Jaafar Debuts His King of Pop in First Footage
—LGBTQ Characters on TV Are Up From Last Year But Set to Plummet Due to Series Cancellations.
—What Mikie Sherrill’s Win Means for New Jersey’s Booming Film and TV Industry
—‘Comcast’s Sky in Talks to Acquire U.K. TV Giant ITV’s Media Unit in Deal Valuing it at $2.1 Billion
What else we're reading...
—Movies like A House of Dynamite get a lot right, write Kelli Wessinger and Noel King, but they miss what might be a bigger threat: How AI might actually start a nuclear war. [Vox]
— Josh Rottenberg speaks with Billy Crudup about how the actor turned his short scene in Jay Kelly’ into the performance of his career. [LA Times]
—Laura Wagner and Scott Nover take stock of Bari Weiss’ tumultuous tenure atop CBS News. [WaPo]
-—Charlotte Klein bids bon boyage to Air Mail. [NY Mag]
Today's birthdays: Adam Devine (42), Jason London (53), Jeremy London (53), Jackie Joseph (92), Sophia Ali (30), Michael Byrne (82), Will Gluck (47), Tracie Savage (63), Lawrence O’Donnell (74), Park Ji-Hu (22) |
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