| | | | | | What's news: Live Nation and the DOJ have settled the antitrust case. Kanye "Ye" West will perform a one-night concert at SoFi Stadium. Mike Flanagan has signed an overall TV deal with Amazon. The Drew Barrymore Show has been renewed for 2 more years. And the Wasserman Agency has changed its name to The Team. — Abid Rahman
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Harvey Weinstein: The Rikers Interview ►"Most of the people I knew have shut me out. Close friends. Family members. People who owe their entire careers to me. They all just disappeared overnight." In his first major sit-down from behind bars, Harvey Weinstein talks to THR's editor-in-chief Maer Roshan . The disgraced mogul and convicted rapist fumes about life at Rikers ("I’m dying here"), his wrecked legacy and his delusions about the future ("I will be proven innocent. That I promise you"). The interview.
—No one really gets canceled. Kanye "Ye" West will perform a one-night Los Angeles concert at SoFi Stadium in April, marking the rapper’s most high-profile U.S. show in years after he had faced widespread backlash across the entire entertainment industry over his stream of antisemitic comments going back to 2022. West will play SoFi on April 3 for what is advertised as his “only performance in Los Angeles,” according to the venue’s announcement. The stadium said a general on-sale for tickets will take place on Wednesday. The story.
—The latest. Police have identified the woman arrested in connection with the Sunday shooting at the home of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky. A spokesperson for the LAPD told THR that 35-year-old Ivanna Lisette Ortiz was booked for attempted murder. Bail has been set at $10,225,000. News broke Sunday that a woman had fired several shots into the Beverly Hills mansion, with a round penetrating a wall of the home. The woman reportedly fired the shots from her car, a white Tesla, across the street and then fled the scene. The story. |
Predicting 2026 Oscar Winners Using Just Math ►What do the numbers say? Ahead of Sunday's Academy Awards, Ben Zauzmer is here with his final Oscar predictions based on math. Ben, the author of Oscarmetrics: The Math Behind the Biggest Night in Hollywood, offers his final picks for each category, and after crunching the numbers, he thinks that things are looking good for Jessie Buckley, One Battle After Another and Paul Thomas Anderson, but it's pretty tight when it comes to best actor. The predictions.
—"This year, our music performances are inspired by two of the most powerful cultural phenomena in film." Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, producers of the 98th Oscars, have confirmed that — as THR exclusively reported last week — the March 15 ceremony will feature special “moments” celebrating two of 2025’s most popular movies, Sinners and KPop Demon Hunters, that will include but also go well beyond performances of those films’ Oscar-nominated songs. The story. |
Live Nation, DOJ Reach Settlement in Antitrust Case ►🤝 States still to decide. 🤝 Live Nation and the DOJ have reached a settlement over antitrust claims against the live music giant, potentially putting an end to the government’s pursuit of the case as dozens of states decide whether to continue pursuing it, according to court documents filed Monday. Live Nation said in a statement Monday that it will pay as much as $280m in settlements, tied to the damages the plaintiff states had reported in their complaint. The company also said it would be divesting its exclusive booking agreements with 13 of the amphitheaters it operates across the U.S., and that its amphitheaters would be “open to all promoters.” The story.
—Suit filed. Jeff Shell has been sued by a former PR adviser who says the Paramount Skydance president reneged on a deal involving a TV show. R.J. Cipriani, in a lawsuit filed on Monday in California state court, alleges Shell promised to pick up an English-language format of a Roku reality show he co-created and exec produced as payment for providing crisis communication services. He brings claims for breach of oral contract and fraud, among several others, and says he’s owed at least $150m. Cipriani, a high-stakes gambler at the center of the dispute, sparked the internal investigation and SEC inquiry into Shell for improperly disclosing details about the timing and structure of Paramount’s $7.7b UFC rights deal almost a month before its August 2025 announcement. The story.
—What's in a name? Wasserman is gone, say hello to “The Team.” The talent agency founded by Casey Wasserman has officially rebranded, as its sale process kicks into high gear. Visitors to Wasserman’s website Monday redirected them to a new URL. “We remain completely focused on serving our clients with the same professionalism that has always been our standard,” the company said in a statement related to the name change. Casey Wasserman announced last month that he would sell the firm he founded after his links with Ghislaine Maxwell became public, with majority owner Providence Equity supporting the move. The firm hired the investment bank Moelis to lead the sale process shortly thereafter. The story.
—Something is rotten in the state of Noma. On the eve of its $1,500-per-person Los Angeles pop-up, which starts Mar. 11, Noma — often ranked the world’s top restaurant — has been exposed as a creative institution that built and sustained its reputation on physical and psychological workplace abuse. THR's Gary Baum unpacks the deluge of abuse allegations surrounding star chef Rene Redzepi. The story. |
Arnie and Sly Return to Beloved Franchises ►"Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women." Arnold Schwarzenegger and Christopher McQuarrie are ready to take a swing at relaunching the Conan the Barbarian franchise. McQuarrie, who has helmed the four most recent Mission: Impossible films, is attached to write and direct King Conan for 20th Century Studios. Schwarzenegger would reprise his role as the sword-wielding Conan, which became an early signature part for the star after he starred in the 1982 fantasy film and its 1984 sequel that brought the character created by author Robert E. Howard to the big-screen. The story.
—"Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe." Sylvester Stallone has signed on to executive produce John Rambo, the origin story feature about the character the Hollywood action star initially played in 1982’s First Blood, Lionsgate said Monday. The latest feature in the revived Rambo franchise has started production in Bangkok, Thailand. Noah Centineo leads the prequel directed by Jalmari Helander. The ensemble cast includes Yao, Jason Tobin, Quincy Isaiah, Jefferson White and Tayme Thapthimthong. The story.
—🎭 London Boy on board. 🎭 Hamnet star Joe Alwyn has joined the cast of Seance on a Wet Afternoon, the new film from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy filmmaker Tomas Alfredson, currently shooting in the U.K. Rachel Weisz and Matthew Macfadyen star in the drama, written by Adolescence writer Jack Thorne. Weisz plays Myra, a self-proclaimed medium, who convinces her husband, Billy (Macfadyen), to kidnap the son of a wealthy family so she can lead the police to the “missing” child and legitimize her psychic abilities. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 GKids has acquired rights in North America and U.K./Ireland for Look Back, the upcoming feature from Hirokazu Kore-eda, the Oscar-nominated Japanese auteur behind the wonderous Shoplifters, Broker and Monster. Look Back is a coming-of-age drama, and the first live-action adaptation of the best-selling manga from Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto. The story follows two schoolgirls, one a shut-in with severe social anxiety, who are brought together by their dream of becoming manga artists. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝Stonecutter Media has picked up the North American rights to The Sweetest Kill, an indie gangster crime thriller starring Sidney Flanigan and Sofia Yepes. An April 2026 release is set for the movie billed as a film noir set in LatinX and LGBTQ+ Los Angeles and based on Yepes’ story, which she co-wrote with director Francisco Ordoñez. The story. |
Mike Flanagan Signs Overall TV Deal at Amazon ►🤝 Magic Mike. 🤝 Prolific filmmaker Mike Flanagan has signed an overall TV deal with Amazon MGM Studios. He’ll develop and produce original series for the studio, where Flanagan's Carrie series is already situated and out in October. Flanagan is the twisted mind behind The Fall of the House of Usher, Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Haunting of Hill House and The Midnight Club. Amazon's multiyear deal with Flanagan's Red Room Pictures exists only on the series side, he is still currently writing, directing and producing a new Exorcist film for Blumhouse and Universal. The story.
—Staying on call. Fox has renewed the medical drama Doc, starring Molly Parker, for a third season in 2026-27. The pickup follows the renewal last week for Fox’s other medical show — and Doc’s Tuesday night lead-in — Best Medicine. As is the case with the current run of Doc, Fox has ordered an old-school full season of 22 episodes for season three. Doc is averaging 7.3m multi-platform viewers so far this season (as of Jan. 27), three times the average for its first on-air showing (2.35m). The season’s first 11 episodes all rank among the network’s top 20 multi-platform telecasts this season (excluding live sports), based on a week of viewing. The story.
—🎭 Manifestmaxxing. 🎭 Swimsuit model and Love Thy Nader star Brooks Nader, who rocked the classic Baywatch one-piece on the cover of the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, has been cast in Fox’s Baywatch reboot. Nader’s character Selene is a Zuma Beach lifeguard constantly beefing with new, grown up Hobie Buchanon, played by Stephen Amell. The story.
—Going strong. Drew Barrymore’s daytime talk show will be sticking around for a couple more years. The syndicated show has scored a two-season renewal on stations owned by CBS (whose syndication arm, CBS Media Ventures, produces and distributes it), Sinclair and Nexstar. The pickup will take The Drew Barrymore Show through its eighth season in 2027-28. The two-season order comes on the heels of the show scoring its most watched season to date. In a challenging environment for daytime shows, The Drew Barrymore Show is averaging 1.6m daily viewers, its best mark to date. The show also has 14m followers across social and digital platforms. The story. |
Tinker Bell Series in the Works at Disney+ ►Face of the company. Disney+ has put into development a show called Tink that will center on Peter Pan’s Tinker Bell. Liz Heldens and Bridget Carpenter are teaming up to write the project. Tink is considered a priority for Disney+, but it’s in the very early stages — so much so that there’s no logline for the project yet. Heldens and Carpenter will executive produce with former Disney Branded Television head Gary Marsh and Quinn Haberman of Heldens’ Selfish Mermaid company. Tinker Bell, of course, is the pocket-sized fairy in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan who is friendly with the title character but envies new Neverland arrival Wendy Darling. Following the 1953 animated film, Tinker Bell became something of an unofficial Disney masco. The story.
—🎭 The Newsroom hits The Morning Show. 🎭 Jeff Daniels is headed to The Morning Show. The Newsroom star, who appears in season 3 of Shrinking , is joining the Apple TV's show’s cast in its fifth season. Though he’s headed back to a series about a news show, Daniels is set to play a non-journalist character in “Lukas,” the billionaire founder of an investment company. The two-time Emmy winner joins the all-star cast of Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass and Jon Hamm. In its fifth season, the series will pick up on dramatic events from the previous season, which saw Witherspoon’s character Bradley detained in Belarus and a group of characters expose a UBN executive involved in a cover-up. The story.
—🤝 On the move. 🤝 After eight seasons on Netflix, Somebody Feed Phil will have a new home starting in 2027. The culinary travel show hosted and executive produced by Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal will move to YouTube next year. The change is part of a broader deal between Rosenthal, his production company Lucky Bastards and Banijay Americas and Banijay Rights. The companies will look to expand Rosenthal’s brand of unscripted storytelling across YouTube and other digital platforms. Prior seasons of the show will remain on Netflix, but new episodes will debut on YouTube in 2027 on a Phil Rosenthal World channel. They won’t be exclusive to YouTube, however, allowing Banijay to find other homes for the show, including FAST and AVOD services. The story.
—🤝 The British are coming. 🤝 The U.K. version of Saturday Night Live will have a home in the U.S. as well. Peacock has acquired U.S. streaming rights to SNL UK, with episodes streaming the day after the air in the U.K. The show is set to premiere March 21 on Sky One and streaming service Now. The Peacock deal means that users will have access to two versions of SNL in weeks when both shows run new episodes. The story.
—Feeling bullish. AMC is giving its newest drama series a vote of confidence: The cable and streaming outlet has renewed The Audacity for a second season a month before it starts airing. The show from Jonathan Glatzer is set in Silicon Valley and centers on an ambitious tech CEO played by Billy Magnussen. AMC gave The Audacity a series order back in 2024; the show is scheduled to have its world premiere Saturday at SXSW and will debut April 12 on AMC and AMC+. Gina Mingacci executive produces along with Glatzer. The story. |
Film Review: 'Project Hail Mary' ►"Prayers answered." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's Project Hail Mary. This sci-fi epic, based on Andy Weir's novel, is about a science teacher who finds an unusual ally in a mission to save two worlds. Starring Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub and Priya Kansara. Written by Drew Goddard, based on the novel by Andy Weir. The review.
In other news...
—Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill play cool killers in In The Grey trailer
—Enhypen member Heeseung to depart K-pop group
—2026 Tokyo Film Festival, TIFFCOM dates set
—Top Swedish chef Marcus Jernmark arrives in L.A. with Lielle
—Lucy Dickins joins CAA days after departing WME
What else we're reading...
—As oil prices surged on Monday, Malcolm Moore goes inside one of the wildest days the oil market has ever seen [FT]
—Mired in controversy, both real and manufactured, Ian Youngs asks whether Hollywood golden boy Timothée Chalamet has lost his shine [BBC]
—Lily Boyce and Ruth Igielnik unpack the historically dysmal polling for Trump's war of choice in Iran [NYT]
—In a damning take, Megan Garber feels FX's Love Story is "ultimately just a paparazzo by other means" [Atlantic]
—With AI now penning everything from scripts to sermons, Margaret Sullivan wonders whether the tech will be writing everything soon [Guardian]
Today...
...in 1995, Warner Bros. unveiled Wolfgang Petersen’s Outbreak in theaters nationwide. The drama would go on to gross $189m globally by the end of its theatrical run. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Bad Bunny (32), Sharon Stone (68), Jon Hamm (55), Olivia Wilde (42), Rafe Spall (43), Chuck Norris (86), Edi Gathegi (47), Danny Pudi (47), Jasmine Guy (64), Ego Nwodim (38), Scott Frank (66), Paget Brewster (57), Dave Sheridan (57), Emily Osment (34), Ryan Kiera Armstrong (16), Aloma Wright (76), Bree Turner (49), Thomas Middleditch (44), Shannon Tweed (69), Malachi Barton (19), César Domboy (36), Landon Liboiron (35), Madeleine Arthur (29), Gregory Scott Cummins (70), Ser'Darius Blain (39), Déborah Révy (39), Lesley Dunlop (70), Anel Lopez Gorham (51), Jeff Branson (49), Uriah Shelton (29), Robin Thicke (49), Kendall Cross (54), Gabriella Pizzolo (23), Grace Victoria Cox (31) |
| Jennifer Runyon, the veteran actress known for 1980s roles in Ghostbusters and Charles in Charge, has died. She was 65. The obituary. |
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