| | | | | | What's news: Filmmakers, actors, governors, mayors and a former president have been mourning the tragic death of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele. Zootopia 2 roared past $500m in China. Ian Tuason is in final negotiations to helm the Paranormal Activity reboot. HBO Max and Crave have renewed Heated Rivalry. And LaKeith Stanfield has replaced Jonathan Majors in Lionsgate's film about Dennis Rodman. — Abid Rahman
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Rob Reiner 1947 - 2025 ►Shocking deaths. Rob Reiner, who directed such beloved Hollywood classics as This Is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me and When Harry Met Sally after starring in the trailblazing sitcom All in the Family, died Sunday along with his wife, Michele, in their Brentwood home. He was 78. Reiner and his wife were found dead in their home on Chadbourne Avenue, with the couple “suffering lacerations consistent with a knife,” law enforcement sources told the media. There reportedly was no sign of forced entry. The obituary.
—"Big-hearted genius." Major figures from the worlds of entertainment and politics were in complete shock at the devastating news that filmmaker and activist Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer had been found dead on Sunday night. Reiner's Hollywood friends and collaborators such as Kathy Bates, Cary Elwes, Ron Howard, Stephen King, Paul Feig, Eric Idle, Ben Stiller, John Cusack, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell and Mira Sorvino, as well as political heavyweights Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass all took to social media to mourn his passing and celebrate his works. The reaction.
—Historic streak of hits. The Rob Reiner news has shocked Hollywood to the core, as not only was he a popular and respected figure with a long career of success, he was also behind some of the greatest American films ever made, particularly in the comedy and rom-com genres. Though he rose to prominence as an actor in All in the Family, Reiner transitioned into directing in the 1980s and unarguably achieved greater success. Reiner’s opening seven-film run of This Is Spinal Tap (1984), The Sure Thing (1985), Stand By Me (1986), The Princess Bride (1987), When Harry Met Sally (1989), Misery (1990) and A Few Good Men (1992) is regularly cited among film fans and critics as one of the greatest hot streaks enjoyed by any director working in Hollywood. The story.
—Tragic look behind the scenes. With media reports that a family member is alleged to have been involved in the shocking deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, THR's Steven Zeitchik looks back at the 2015 feature film Being Charlie, that told the story of tensions within the Reiner family, particularly regarding their son Nick's addiction problems. Steven writes that the film, co-written by Nick Reiner, serves as an unexpected map of the Reiners’ dynamic. The story. |
The Last King of Hollywood ►Inside the war over WBD. In case you missed THR's cover story that posted over the weekend, here again is Steven Zeitchik's piece on the hundred-billion-dollar battle between Netflix's Ted Sarandos and Paramount's David Ellison to take over Warner Bros. and secure dominion over a fading Hollywood. But, Steven writes, the real kingmaker may turn out to be the Don in the White House. The analysis.
—Arrêt! Stoppen! ¡Detener! Or maybe not. THR's Scott Roxborough writes that David Ellison and Paramount's scare tactics pitched to European regulators revolve around playing up Netflix's Euro dominance in the streaming market, which will only increase with the purchase of WBD. Scott spoke to several European antitrust experts and most believe that both Paramount’s and Netflix’s buyout deals would face regulatory scrutiny by the EU, but neither is likely to be stopped. The analysis.
—Cruises, comedy and Christmas. When Hallmark was founded 115 years ago, it was purely in the card business. The company expanded into entertainment in the mid-to-late 1990s, first with Hallmark Entertainment, and later with Hallmark Channel, bringing its ethos to an entirely new line of business. But the company has, quietly, leveraged that media business into what Hallmark chief brand officer Darren Abbott describes as something of a third pillar: Experiences. THR's Alex Weprin spoke to Abbott about the shift and the company's plans to make fans feel like they’re part of the story. The story.
—🤝 Consolidation. 🤝 Blended Strategy Group, a female-founded strategic and integrated marketing and communications agency, and On Board Experiential, a marketing and creative agency, have teamed to form the ADD Collective, a holding company with a mission to invest in and scale marketing agencies. ADD Collective set its sights on the first target by acquiring an interest in the Nicole Perez-Krueger-founded align Public Relations, a full-service communications firm that is home to well-known brands and talent ranging from Hollywood stars and musicians to buzzy podcasters, authors and digital creators. The story. |
'Zootopia 2' Gobbles Up $1B at Record Pace ►Animal style. As all of Hollywood frets over the future of theatrical amid the proposed Netflix-Warner Bros. merger, the stunning performance of Disney’s critical and audience darling Zootopia 2 underscores that moviegoers will turn out for the right reason. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that the Walt Disney Animation Studios sequel zoomed past the $1b mark at the worldwide box office on Friday after just 17 days in release. So far this year, it’s only the second title to clear that milestone behind fellow Disney blockbuster Lilo & Stitch . The more stunning feat: It did so in the shortest amount of time among all animated Hollywood releases and all PG-rated films. Zootopia 2 took in another $26.3m this weekend for a domestic total of $259.6m and $877.8m and roughly $1.08b globally. The box office report.
—The Great Wall of Cash. Zootopia 2 powered past the $500m mark in China over the weekend. The result builds significantly on the original Zootopia, which grew gradually through word of mouth to finish its China run at $236m 2016), then a record-setting total for an imported animated feature. THR's Patrick Brzeski writes that the animated sequel grossed $55m over the weekend, lifting its cumulative China total to $500.6m, making it the first imported animation to hit the half-billion mark. The achievement is all the more striking given that late November and early December are typically among the quietest stretches on China’s release calendar, a period when studios often avoid launching major titles ahead of the year-end holiday corridor. The China box office report. |
THR Critics' Best Movie Performances of 2025 ►Timmy FTW. From Timothée Chalamet's latest high-wire act to Amy Madigan's indelible horror villain to dynamic duos and standouts from around the globe, these were THR critics David Rooney, Jon Frosch and Angie Han 's favorite big-screen turns of the year. The list.
—New home. THR's Borys "Scoops" Kit has the scoop that an adaptation of Torso , the graphic novel by Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko, that has been winding its way around Hollywood for over two decades is alive once again. Netflix has picked up the movie rights to the work and is in early development on a feature adaptation of the true-crime story revolving around Elliot Ness. The deal comes after a brief but intense bidding war and is said to be in the seven figures for the rights. No writer or director are attached yet, but the producing team is stacked, including Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee, Weapons filmmaker Zach Cregger, and Eat the Cat's Alex Hedlund and Nick Antosca. The story.
—Helmer spotted. Borys also has a scoop on Paramount Pictures’ new Paranormal Activity project. Less than two weeks after it was revealed that the studio had partnered with Blumhouse-Atomic Monster on the horror reboot, the feature is now landing a director: rising Canadian filmmaker Ian Tuason, who is in final negotiations for the gig. Paramount is on board as a partner to co-finance, co-produce and distribute the new chapter. Oren Peli, the filmmaker behind the 2007 film that grossed $194.2m on a shoe-string budget, will also produce via his Solana Films. For the first time, James Wan will be involved with the movie series, coming in as a producer. The story.
—🎭 Finally. 🎭 Almost two years after Jonathan Majors was dropped from Lionsgate’s 48 Hours in Vegas, LaKeith Stanfield has replaced him in the film to star as Dennis Rodman. Stanfield will portray the Chicago Bulls forward in Rick Famuyiwa‘s forthcoming feature centered around Rodman’s trip to Las Vegas during the 1998 NBA Finals. Majors was initially attached to the role in 2022, though he was let go from the project after he was convicted of assault and harassment following an incident involving his ex-partner Grace Jabbari. He was later sentenced to a 52-week in-person domestic violence intervention program. The story.
—🏆 Oi bruv, it's one win after another, innit. 🏆 Paul Thomas Anderson’s thrilling political epic One Battle After Another has topped the nominations for the 46th annual London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, securing nine nods in total. OBAA is closely followed by Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet with eight nods. Both movies were nominated for film of the year, with stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jessie Buckley also nominated for actor and actress of the year, respectively. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners was nominated in seven categories, including film of the year. The nominees. |
THR Critics' Best TV Performances of 2025 ►Don't freak out Owen Cooper fans! THR critics Daniel Fienberg and Angie Han celebrate their favorite small-screen turns of the year, including scene-stealing supporting work, seasoned players showing new shades of their talent, and a luminous newcomer. The list.
—📅 Dated! 📅 The 2026 Emmys season already looked a little different with the show set to take place on a Monday (Sept. 14), instead of the awards‘ more frequent Sunday night timeslot, but the calendar got another tweak on Friday as the TV Academy announced the 2026 Emmy nomination dates. While the majority of this year’s nominees will be revealed on July 8, nominations in 13 craft categories that rely on peer-group screening panels won’t be revealed until the next week, on July 15. The story.
—🏆 Congrats to all! 🏆 The Producers Guild of America has announced its 2026 nominees in its outstanding children’s, sports and shortform program categories. The best sports program nominees are 100 Foot Wave, Big Dreams: The Little League World Series 2024, Formula 1: Drive to Survive, Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the Buffalo Bills and Surf Girls: International. The best children’s program nominees are LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy — Pieces of the Past, Phineas and Ferb, Sesame Street, Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical and SpongeBob SquarePants. The nominees.
—Rematch. HBO Max and Canada’s Crave have picked up the steamy gay hockey romance Heated Rivalry for a second season. The renewal comes four episodes into the show’s six-episode season and on the heels of the show becoming a word-of-mouth breakout on both sides of the border. HBO Max will continue to have rights to the series in the U.S. and Australia as part of a deal with Sphere Abacus, which distributes the show, while adding territories in Asia, Latin America and parts of Europe (though not the U.K., Ireland, Spain or Turkey). Crave, which commissioned the show, will continue to stream it in Canada. The story.
—📅 Big get. 📅 Former First Lady Michelle Obama is set for a rare cable news interview next week, setting a primetime special on MS NOW. Obama will sit down with Jonathan Capehart to discuss her new book, The Look. The special, called The Look: A Conversation with Michelle Obama, will run on Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. on MS NOW. The special is also a continuation of MS NOW’s efforts to build out a live events business. The interview will be held with a live audience of members of Blackbird House, a community co-working space in L.A. that supports and guides women of color and their allies. The story. |
'Bel-Air' Boss Reveals They Shot Two Endings in Hopes Will Smith Would Return ►The Prince returns. For THR, Ronda Racha Penrice spoke to Bel-Air showrunner Carla Banks-Waddles about how she and her team pulled off several awesome fan moments in the final episode of the Peacock drama, and what makes her most proud of the dramatic re-imagining of the iconic ‘90s sitcom. The interview.
—"So many different people on social media are seeing themselves." For THR, Max Gao spoke to All's Fair executive producer/director Anthony Hemingway about the conclusion of the first season of the Hulu legal drama. Hemingway dishes on the decisions around Sarah Paulson's homicidal turn, first-time scripted series lead Kim Kardashian's acting evolution and how showrunner Ryan Murphy has handled the polarizing show reaction. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"It’s super enticing and super easy to fall into a trap of wanting to know what everyone’s saying about you." THR's Nicole Fell spoke to Heated Rivalry stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie about the much-talked about show that just secured a second season. The actors dish on that episode four turmoil and why it needed to happen. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"Nothing on our show is ever wasted." For THR, Trey Williams spoke to Palm Royale creator Abe Sylvia about season 2 of the Apple TV dramedy. Sylvia breaks down the Carol Burnett scene that ups the ante, and also leaning into season one lore to raise the stakes in the sophomore outing of the show. The interview. |
TV Review: 'The End of an Era' ►"Good for her." THR's Angie Han reviews Disney+'s The End of an Era. Don Argott's six-part docuseries looks behind the scenes of Taylor Swift's record-breaking 51-city, 21-month concert tour, and will be released two chapters at a time over three weeks. The review.
In other news...
—Stranger Things S5 trailer teases looming final showdown
—HBO Max teases Lanterns, The Pitt and Industry in 2026 preview
—2026 European Shooting Stars unveiled
—Katie Pavlich backfills Ashleigh Banfield’s NewsNation slot
—Hailee Steinfeld expecting first child with Josh Allen
—Amy Schumer announces divorce from Chris Fischer
—Arthur Cohn, three-time Oscar-winning producer, dies at 98
—Abraham Quintanilla Jr., Selena’s father and manager, dies at 86
What else we're reading...
—Laura Sharman and Jessie Yeung have details on the heroic bystander who wrestled a gun from the Bondi Beach attacker [CNN]
—Ethan Beck and Samantha Chery dig into the MAGA-fication of Nicki Minaj, once an advocate for LGBTQ people and now being praised by the Trump administration for bashing trans kids [WaPo]
—As Michael Mann's Heat turns 30, Jesse Raub reflects on the fact that the male characters are fueled by their romantic relationships [Atlantic]
—John Herrman writes that the AI engagment wars are upon us as the likes of ChatGPT got our attention, and now will do anything to keep it [Intelligencer]
—Bilge Ebiri has a must-read oral history of Ron Howard's classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas and it will convince you that Jim Carrey should have won an Oscar [Vulture]
Today...
...in 1974, Gene Wilder’s Young Frankenstein, now recognized as an essential part of the Mel Brooks canon, first hit theaters. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Charlie Cox (43), Adam Brody (46), Lee Jung-jae (53), Julie Taymor (73), Don Johnson (76), John Lee Hancock (69), Reginald Hudlin (64), Ralph Ineson (56), Maude Apatow (28), Michelle Dockery (44), Alana Haim (34), Nichole Sakura (36), Camilla Luddington (42), Wesley Kimmel (16), Helen Slater (62), Stuart Townsend (53), Paul Kaye (61), Michael Shanks (55), Molly Price (59), Stefania LaVie Owen (28), Brendan Fletcher (44), Ned Brower (47), P.J. Byrne (51), Emily Head (37), Gísli Örn Garðarsson (52), Amy Wright (75), Garrett Wang (57), Alex Cox (71), Karl Makinen (55), Alex Solowitz (46), Isaac Robinson-Smith (36), Alexandra Tydings (53), Yûko Araki (32) |
| Peter Greene, the actor who appeared in films including Pulp Fiction and The Mask, has died. He was 60. The obituary. |
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