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What's news: WME has publicly backed Blake Lively ahead of her trial against Justin Baldoni. Sponsors are pulling out of Wireless after the London festival booked Kanye West. The Runarounds has been canceled at Amazon. And Hulu’s Vanderpump Villa will edit out Dakota Mortensen. — Abid Rahman
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com. |
Savannah Guthrie Returns to Work►"OK, here we go. Ready or not, let’s do the news." Savannah Guthrie returned to the Today show on Monday — this time, for real (and for good). The NBC News morning show’s longtime co-anchor was in her familiar chair next to Craig Melvin. Wearing a cheery yellow dress and surrounded by roses of the same color, Guthrie opened with the latest news on Iran, as if it were any other day. It was not. Guthrie has been absent from Today since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, was abducted from her Arizona home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1. Her 84-year-old mother remains missing, and the investigation is still ongoing. The recap.
—"Recently, though, in my own season of trial, I have wondered, I have questioned, whether Jesus really ever experienced this particular wound that I feel." On Sunday, Savannah Guthrie shared an Easter message with the parishioners of Good Shepherd New York in a digital message posted to YouTube, where she linked her own trials with those experienced by Jesus. The story. |
'Galaxy' Soars to Gigantic $190M U.S. Opening►Mamma mia! The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is contributing in a major way to the much-needed spring bloom at the box office, where the family friendly tentpole opened to an estimated $372.5m globally, the biggest showing since Avatar: Fire and Ash unfurled in theaters over Christmas 2025. And it is by far the top opening of 2026 so far among Hollywood titles. The sequel opened to an estimated $190.1m domestically over the five-day Easter corridor, including a three-day weekend gross of $130.9m. Overseas, Galaxy blasted off with an estimated $182.4m from 80 markets.
Hitting theaters over the Easter corridor in 2023, the first Mario Bros. movie posted a five-day domestic debut of $204m, including a three-day weekend haul of $147m, one of the best showings of all time for a holiday. Galaxy also joins the upper reaches of that list.
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that Galaxy achieved a number of other milestones, including delivering the year’s biggest three-day opening not only in North America, but overseas and globally (a record held briefly by sleeper hit Project Hail Mary). Global achievements include scoring the the fifth-biggest opening ever for an animated title, and the fourth-biggest for a Hollywood studio release behind Zootopia 2, Moana 2 and Mario Bros ., not adjusted for inflation; it is the only animated franchise based on a video game to have two titles open to north of $350m. And it is Universal’s fifth-biggest opening of all time (an elite group that obviously includes the first Mario.) The box office report. |
WGA Reaches Tentative 4-Year Deal With Studios►✊ "The new contract also builds on gains from 2023 and helps address free work challenges." ✊ The Writers Guild of America has reached a tentative four-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers group representing studios and streamers. The writers’ union and the AMPTP officially confirmed the deal on Saturday evening after THR and other outlets reported that a provisional agreement had been reached earlier in the day. "Today, the WGA Negotiating Committee unanimously approved a tentative agreement with the AMPTP for the 2026 Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) for a four-year term," the union said. "Crucially, it protects our health plan and puts it on a sustainable path, with increased company contributions across many areas and long-needed increases to health contribution caps." The story.
—"She has met this moment with courage, moral clarity, and extraordinary determination." WME, Blake Lively's agency that dropped Justin Baldoni hours after she accused him of sexual harassment, is going public on the It Ends With Us legal battle, throwing its weight behind the actress ahead of a trial set to start next month. "In an industry that too often asks women to absorb the damage and stay quiet, Blake Lively chose to stand up for herself, her castmates, and those without the ability to fight back," the agency said in a statement on Friday. The statement came a day after a court dismissed claims for sexual harassment, defamation and conspiracy, among others, significantly narrowing the scope of Lively's case. The story.
—📅 Home news! 📅 THR is getting set for its next Directors In Focus event at the Directors Guild of America's HQ on Sunset Blvd. on May 2, where top talent will engage in illuminating chats with THR editors and reporters in front of an industry pro audience. Check out THR’s inaugural Directors in Focus event here. |
Hollywood Assistants Are Using AI Despite Their Better Judgment►"When they say, 'You should be using AI,' the first thought in your head is: 'Are you asking me to teach you how to replace me with technology?'" Industry watchers fearing the encroachment of generative AI may be expecting Tilly Norwood to show up in the next Fast & Furious movie or an AI-generated screenplay to end up on the Black List. But the realities of that kind of AI takeover of Hollywood are hindered by multiple barriers to entry, including labor contracts, ongoing copyright questions and actual consumer interest. THR's Mia Galuppo reports that The reality of how AI is currently being integrated into the largest swaths of the entertainment industry is much more mundane. And, as with previous introductions of new technology into Hollywood, from digital film to email, AI is percolating from the bottom up, starting with the assistant class — on track to become industry standard as today’s underlings (those that survive the continual layoffs, that is) rise to positions of power. The story.
—Making bank. As Starz gets set for its first shareholder meeting as a spun off, pure-play TV production brand without its Lionsgate studio sibling, the company has disclosed its C-suite pay for top execs. Jeffrey Hirsch, who has spent a decade at Starz and took the CEO title in 2019, saw his compensation package total $6.7m between salary, incentives and awards, a securities filing disclosed on April 2 shows. His current contract runs through December 2028. Alison Hoffman, who oversees content and revenue as president, received $2.7m while CFO Scott Macdonald saw pay total $2m in fiscal ’25. The story. |
Kanye's Comeback Show Draws Star Power — and Backlash►"[Lauryn Hill's] surprise set was meant to evoke a sense of legacy and continuity. Instead, it quickly became a lightning rod online." In his latest attempt at a comeback, Kanye “Ye” West returned to the stage in Los Angeles with a spectacle designed to signal resilience, relevance and, perhaps, redemption. Instead, it has reignited a familiar question: who, exactly, is willing to stand beside him — and at what cost? THR's EIC Maer Roshan writes that Lauryn Hill’s surprise appearance, alongside Travis Scott and CeeLo Green, ignites controversy amid fallout from West’s antisemitic rhetoric and 2025 song "Heil Hitler." The story.
—Trouble across the pond. Pepsi has reportedly withdrawn its sponsorship of the Wireless Festival in London after the event booked Kanye West. A spokesperson for Pepsi, which has been a long-standing partner and headline sponsor of Wireless for several years, wrote in a statement, “Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless festival,” the BBC reported. The beverage company didn’t share details on its reason for pulling its sponsorship, but the decision came after West’s booking. The story. |
It's Not Your Imagination: Movies Are Getting Longer►Marvel movies are partly to blame... You know the feeling: You’re sitting in a movie theater. The film feels like it should be ending soon. Yet it just … keeps … going. It’s not your imagination. Major wide-release films are getting longer — even if the average film produced is not. Researcher Stephen Follows checked the run times of 36,000 films that were released theatrically from 1980 to 2025 and discovered the average length of a wide-release theatrical title has grown from roughly 106 minutes in the 1990s and early 2000s to 114 minutes in recent years. Films with big budgets — $100m plus — tend to be even longer. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 The Schwartz is with the forthcoming sequel to Spaceballs. Amazon MGM Studios‘ feature follow-up to the 1987 original film is set for wide theatrical release April 23, 2027, the studio announced Friday. Mel Brooks, Rick Moranis, Daphne Zuniga, Bill Pullman and George Wyner reprise their roles from the first one, while newcomers to the cast include Josh Gad, Keke Palmer, Lewis Pullman and Anthony Carrigan. Josh Greenbaum is helming the comedy from a script by Gad, Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez. Producing the film are Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Jeb Brody for Imagine Entertainment, alongside Gad, Brooks, Greenbaum and Kevin Salter. The story.
—🎭 "We are on the way to finding someone." 🎭 Andy Serkis confirmed for the first time that the role of Aragorn will be played by a new actor in his upcoming The Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hunt for Gollum. In a new interview, Serkis said that the role played by Viggo Mortensen in the original trilogy will be recast. Directed by Serkis (who also reprises his motion-capture role as Gollum), The Hunt for Gollum tells of events that took place between The Hobbit trilogy and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, when Aragorn and Gandalf set out on a quest to find Gollum to acquire more information about Bilbo’s mysterious ring. The story.
—Fall from grace. A video has surfaced of Jonathan Majors falling through a window on set of the Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend’s untitled action movie. The video came to light after reports that crew were organizing a strike and claiming unsafe conditions. In the clip, Majors and his co-star, JC Kilcoyne, fall out of shot and out of the window, with the outlet noting that sources said Kilcoyne required stitches “all over his hands” after the fall, which was about six feet to the ground. When asked for comment about the video of Majors and Kilcoyne allegedly falling through a window on set, Dallas Sonnier of Bonfire Legend told THR, “The actors’ fall was shorter than the failed movie careers of the now-union reps.” The story. |
Amazon Reorgs TV "Worldbuilding" Team►Reorg of a reorg. Amazon MGM Studios is reorganizing its Worldbuilding Series team as part of the restructuring that will see Matthew King and Adrienne O’Riain depart. The team primarily deals with large scale genre TV shows like Lord of the Rings . In January, head of global TV Peter Friedlander shook things up via the formation of genre-based teams for both his in-development and current programming. Those would be: 1) Drama and comedy; 2) Worldbuilding (i.e., fantasy, sci-fi, etc.); 3) animation; and 4) unscripted. At the time, Laura Lancaster and Nick Pepper left (and transitioned to production deals) and were replaced by Jenn Levy (unscripted) and Melissa Wolfe (animation). Blair Fetter joined Amazon to lead the Worldbuilding team. This is Fetter’s rebuild, an attempt to “operate with a flatter, more streamlined structure,” he wrote in a memo to staff. The story.
—One and done. The Runarounds has been canceled after one season at Amazon Prime Video. The show dropped on the streamer at the beginning of September, but there has been no word on its future until now. The coming-of-age drama hailed from Outer Banks creators Jonas and Josh Pate, who formed a real-life rock band to star at the center of the musical coming-of-age drama. William Lipton, Axel Ellis, Jeremy Yun, Zendé Murdock and Jesse Golliher starred as the band on the show, and they are currently on tour offscreen. The group was formed in 2021 after Jonas issued a casting call for a group to appear on Netflix's Outer Banks. The story.
—Trotsky'd. Hulu’s Vanderpump Villa will edit out Dakota Mortensen in its forthcoming season. The decision comes as Mortensen, a regular presence on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, is part of a domestic violence investigation in Utah with his former partner and Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul. Vanderpump Villa follows the staff and guests of Lisa Vanderpump in a series of historic locals in Europe. Mortensen and several other of the “DadTok” contingent from Mormon Wives are set to appear as guests in the coming season, which is scheduled to premiere April 16. The story. |
The 'Dark Winds' Finale Breakdown►"When I first read the script, I was tearing up." For THR, Lisa de los Reyes unpacks the season four finale of AMC's gripping drama Dark Winds. Someone dies "with his boots on" in the finale, in a game-changer for Joe Leaphorn and the rest of the Navajo Tribal Police. THR talked separately with showrunner John Wirth and the show’s stars about all the resolutions from the finale. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"It’s the most flavorful role I’ve ever had emotionally." THR's David Canfield spoke to actor Nick Offerman about his new show, Apple TV's Margo’s Got Money Troubles. Offerman’s soulful turn in the drama is about as far from Ron Swanson as you can get. The Emmy winner digs deep into his career shift — and why it’s both exciting and terrifying him. The interview.
—"I got to meet Chevy Chase, in fact, randomly in an airport lounge." THR's Tony Maglio spoke to Jon Hamm, ostensibly, about season 2 of his Apple TV show Your Friends & Neighbors, but there was rather more whisky talk. The Emmy-winning actor discusses the critically acclaimed drama and also answers some questions about Fletch! The interview. |
Film Review: 'Faces of Death'
►"Not nearly as thoughtful as it thinks it is." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Daniel Goldhaber's Faces of Death. The latest from the How to Blow Up a Pipeline helmer is a horror film inspired by the 1978 cult classic featuring real and staged death scenes. Starring Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery, Josie Totah, Aaron Holliday, Jermaine Fowler, Charlie XCX, Kurt Yue, Ash Maeda, Sam Malone, Tiffany Colin, Tadasy Young and Jared Bankens. Written by Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei. The review.
In other news...
—A history of Brian Cox saying mean things about celebrities
—Disney+ expands Korean esports streaming partnership
—Don Lemon considers running for president
—Chuck Norris’ family speaks out against misinformation about his death
What else we're reading...
—As All the President’s Men turns 50, David Smith talks to cast members and reporters who share their memories of "the granddaddy of journalism movies" [Guardian]
—Ryan Grim reports that amid the Iran War, Gulf-based funds are recalibrating their American investments, including backing for the Paramount-WBD merger [Drop Site]
—Berber Jin and Nate Rattner take a look at the finances of OpenAI and Anthropic as both AI giants head towards IPO [WSJ]
—After a wild weekend of unhinged social media posts, Hollie Silverman reports that Trump’s chances of being removed by the 25th Amendment are climbing on prediction markets [Newsweek]
—Anne Applebaum writes that everyone but Trump understands what he’s done with his Iran War [Atlantic]
Today...
...in 2011, Sony Pictures Classics released Whit Stillman's Damels in Distress. The dramedy, which debuted in Venice, starred Greta Gerwig, Adam Brody, and Lio Tipton, and was a hit with critics. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Paul Rudd (57), Billy Dee Williams (89), Jerrod Carmichael (39), Fabien Frankel (32), Candace Cameron Bure (50), Michael Rooker (71), Barry Levinson (84), John Ratzenberger (79), Lauren Ridloff (48), Myha'la Herrold (30), Doug Ellin (58), Steven Levitan (64), Peyton List (28), Zach Braff (51), Eliza Coupe (45), Marilu Henner (74), Seo Ye-Ji (36), Sinqua Walls (41), Rick Cosnett (43), Judi Bowker (72), Diora Baird (43), Charlie McDermott (36), Kerrice Brooks (26), Anders Thomas Jensen (54), Katherine Hughes (31), Miranda May (30)
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Dee Freeman, the Sistas and Young and the Restless actress, has died. She was 66. The obituary.
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