What's news: UTA is taking on a Variety journalist over a story about the agency. Blake Lively will receive $400,000 from the It Ends With Us settlement. Carina Walker will head YA programming at Amazon. Annapurna is reducing its head count by 30. DAZN is acquiring EverPass Media. Love Island USA has been renewed for S9. And Blake Griffin is launching a weekly late-night show. — Abid Rahman
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►Singular talent. Tim Curry, the offbeat British actor who specialized in playing eccentrics like the seductive, cross-dressing scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and such fiendish villains as Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King’s It, died Wednesday. He was 80. Curry died at his Toluca Lake home in Los Angeles, his longtime manager and friend Marcia Hurwitz announced. He had suffered a major stroke in 2012. The obituary.
—"A bright fierce flame." A host of Hollywood stars, including Susan Sarandon, Carol Burnett, Rob Schneider, Michael McKean, Lesley Ann Warren, Josh Gad, Jennifer Tilly and Brooke Shields, took social media to share their love, fond memories and tributes to Tim Curry on Wednesday. "What a funny, sexy, original he was. But what I loved about him most was his heart. Even wheelchair bound he continued to be so sweet and generous," wrote Sarandon. The reaction.
More on Tim Curry...
—How Tim Curry walked into an audition — and became Frank-N-Furter
—Luke Evans, who played Frank-N-Furter on Broadway, wrote letter to Tim Curry weeks before his passing
—Tim Curry’s most memorable roles
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Meta Agrees to Set Time Limits for Kids |
►🤝 Landmark deal. 🤝 In a major legal settlement, Meta Platforms Inc. has agreed to pay as much as $18b and set strict time limits for Instagram and Facebook for users under the age of 18. The settlement covers claims made by 47 states, with California attorney general Rob Bonta among the AG’s leading the case. The penalty will be paid over 10 years, and will be earmarked by each state to help address mental health and social media addiction for kids and teens. But it also includes an agreement by Meta to institute new limits for users under 18, including a strict 2-hour time limit that can only be turned off with a parent’s permission; a default night mode which makes the apps inaccessible between midnight and 6 a.m.; a school mode, which will block notifications during typical school hours. The story.
—"Flagrant and hostile enemy." On Wednesday, United Talent Agency sent out a blistering company-wide memo after Variety published a not-very-favorable story about the agency. Variety (owned by Penske Media Corporation, which also owns THR) published a piece by reporter Matt Donnelly that spotlights recent high-profile client departures from UTA, such as Alex Cooper and Nikki Glaser. In response, UTA CEO David Kramer accused Donnelly of threatening them and deliberately trying to damage the talent agency’s business. The story.
—It ends with cash. Blake Lively will receive about $400,000 in legal fees after the settlement of her legal battles with her It Ends with Us co-star Justin Baldoni. This is well below the $8m Lively sought to make up for her attorneys fees as she fought against the defamation lawsuit filed by Baldoni as part of their larger legal battle. However, in the ruling Wednesday, a judge wrote that he agreed with Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, who said that Lively was “entitled only to the reasonable fees and costs necessary to defend against the defamation claim,” rather than her larger claim amount. The story.
—Sure Jan. Less than a month ago, Mark Walter was the undisputed king of L.A. sports as owner of the Lakers and the Dodgers. Now the billionaire’s holding company, TWG Global, is moving into damage control mode amid claims of insurance fraud in his empire. The shocking sale of the Lakers only threw fuel on the fire of what had been reported to be government scrutiny of Guggenheim Investments deals over the years. On Wednesday, Walter’s company issued a series of bullet points aiming to counter concerns over a fire sale and that the Dodgers may be the next asset to be sold. The story.
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Roy Price Is Betting on User-Generated Microdramas
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►"People can upload whatever." Another name to add to the list of former Hollywood execs jumping into the world of microdramas: Roy Price. The ex-head of Amazon Studios once presided over the tech giant’s initial foray into Hollywood. He resigned in 2017 as he faced a sexual harassment claim. Price has returned to entertainment with a company that allows users to collaborate on and upload their own microdramas. THR's Katie Kilkenny spoke to Price about his comeback. The interview.
—Team in place. Amazon MGM Studios has tapped Carina Walker as its head of YA programming, completing the leadership team under TV chief Peter Friedlander. Walker will take charge a growing segment of Amazon MGM’s TV output, including Prime Video series Sterling Point, Off Campus and the upcoming Boys of Tommen, among others. She takes over as head of YA from Jen Chambers, who departed in a July reorganization of Friedlander’s exec team — the second such effort Friedlander, head of global TV for Amazon MGM, has undertaken this year. The story.
—Layoffs. Megan Ellison’s production banner Annapurna is reducing its head count by 30 staffers. Of late, the banner has backed projects including Olivia Wilde’s drama The Invite and Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters. Megan Ellison, the 40-year-old daughter of Oracle mogul Larry Ellison, is the sibling of David Ellison, Paramount’s CEO and would-be owner of the merged Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery empire. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 DAZN is acquiring EverPass Media in what will be the sports streamer's biggest push into the U.S. market. Terms of the new deal were not disclosed. EverPass, which was founded by the NFL’s 32 Equity and RedBird Capital Partners, holds the commercial rights to much of the U.S.'s major sporting events, including NFL Sunday Ticket and live sports from Peacock, Netflix, Paramount and Apple. The company is responsible for selling and providing the infrastructure to deliver those events to bars, hotels and other commercial venues. The story.
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'Love Island USA' Renewed for S9
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►🟢 No-brainer. 🟢 Peacock‘s hit cultural phenomenon Love Island USA has been renewed for season nine, with Emmy nominee Ariana Madix returning as host. The renewal comes ahead of the highly anticipated season eight reunion, which premieres on Monday at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET. Season nine of the reality dating show will premiere in 2027, as well as the previously announced third seasons of Love Island: Beyond the Villa and Love Island Games. The story.
—🟢 "He’s asking questions insiders won’t." 🟢 THR's Steven Zeitchik has the scoop that retired NBA star Blake Griffin is launching a weekly late-night show on Prime Video and YouTube produced with Amazon’s Wondery. Titled The Stepback with Blake Griffin, it features the host sitting behind a desk chronicling and opining on the juiciest sports topics of our time — think John Oliver, but for all things athletic. The story.
—🎭 "Well… the secret’s officially out." 🎭 Leah Remini is joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast for its upcoming 16th season, making quite the star-studded addition to the Bravo reality series. Remini joins former Million Dollar Listing star Tracy Tutor as a new addition for season 16. After speculation that two new women would be added to the cast, Tutor confirmed suspicions last week. The story.
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Netflix to Adapt Roald Dahl's Short Stories
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►🟢 Not for kids! 🟢 Danny Brocklehurst is adapting Roald Dahl‘s short stories into a Netflix show with Naomi Scott, Josh Finan, Nicola Coughlan and Dominic West set to star. The untitled project, from Orchid Pictures, will also feature Imelda Staunton, Toby Jones, Carmen Ejogo, Christine Tremarco, Michael Socha and Clarke Peters. It’ll depict the stories told by the famed Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory author in a series he wrote for adults — not children. The story.
—🟢 Hype! 🟢 Netflix has greenlit Jonny Boy, a five-episode prequel series from the world of BAFTA-winning British crime drama Top Boy, produced by Cowboy Films. Barry Keoghan will reprise his role as Jonny, a high-ranking Irish mob member and drug distributor. He’ll also executive produce the series with his production outfit Wolfcub. Creator and writer of Top Boy, Ronan Bennett, is also returning for Jonny Boy, as is rapper Drake, who executive produced the original show. Ali Abbasi is signed on to direct, with filming set to kick off in 2027. The story.
—🟢 Greenest of green lights. 🟢 Derry Girls and How to Get to Heaven From Belfast creator Lisa McGee is heading back to Netflix for her next series. The streamer has greenlit Jig, a mockumentary comedy set in the “high-stakes world of competitive Irish dancing.” The six-episode show is set to begin filming next year in Northern Ireland. The story.
—🟢 Stacked. 🟢 Kate Winslet will star in and executive produce The Unheard, a five-episode limited series written by Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne. From Warp Films, Brad Pitt’s Plan B and Matriarch Productions, the Netflix show will co-star Maxine Peake. The limited series tells the story of two sisters who go on the run after an act of vengeance goes wrong. The Unheard will be directed by Mounia Akl. The story.
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Chris Hansen Buys Ads Before Every Screening of 'Primetime' |
►"You see how this looks, right?" Moviegoers who show up to see Robert Pattinson play To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen in Primetime will first find themselves face-to-face with the real thing. THR's Seth Abramovitch has the scoop that Hansen has purchased preshow advertising on every screen showing the upcoming A24 release. In the spot, he directs audiences to TruBlu, his streaming network devoted to the same kind of predator investigations that made him famous. The story.
—Wait, what? Andrew Garfield is not just a rebellious peasant in his upcoming action period drama. He’s Robin Hood. The reveal, confirmed by Focus Features this week on social media, came as a surprise to fans, who assumed The Uprising — releasing in U.S. theaters Sept. 10 — was about the 1381 English Peasants’ Revolt against King Richard II and its leader, Wat Tyler. But Paul Greengrass’ movie has received a new tagline: The Rise of Robin Hood, unveiled on X. The story.
—WAIT, WHAT?!? That long-awaited sequel to Alien: Covenant? Still happening, Ridley Scott says, and with Michael Fassbender’s David at the center. In a new interview, the iconic filmmaker said the feature “will pick up with David creating a ‘brave new world for himself.'” Scott added that he’s fascinated by the homicidal android character, noting, "AIs can go off. And if they do, it’s like a bomb." The story.
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'Cliff Booth' Movie Finally Gets Official Title
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►Cliff-hanger. Brad Pitt‘s return as Cliff Booth finally has a name from Netflix. The streamer revealed that David Fincher‘s feature follow-up to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is officially titled The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth. The film gets a two-week Imax run globally starting Nov. 25 before it begins streaming Dec. 23. Quentin Tarantino penned the script for the new movie that also stars Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Peter Weller, Matt Groove, JB Tadena, Corey Fogelmanis and Karren Karagulian. The story.
—🎭 Filling out. 🎭 Tre Hale, who appears on Netflix crime show Nemesis, will portray infamous record executive Suge Knight in Snoop, Universal’s biopic of Snoop Dogg. The feature has been on a casting tear as it heads toward a mid-September production start in and around L.A. Outer Banks' Jonathan Daviss is portraying Snoop Dogg, Myles Bullock Be will play Dr. Dre, Camron Jones portrays Tupac Shakur, Algee Smith is in as Warren G, and Lauren London will play Snoop's mother. The story.
—🏆 Chok dee! 🏆 Thailand has selected Sompot Chidgasornpongse’s comic family road movie 9 Temples to Heaven as its submission for the best international feature category at the 99th Academy Awards. The film world premiered in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight section in May, becoming the first Thai feature selected for the sidebar in nearly two decades. The story.
—🏆 ¡Mucha suerte! 🏆 Manuela Martelli’s period mystery The Meltdown has been selected to represent Chile in the best international feature film category at the 2027 Oscars. The film had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section in Cannes, where THR featured it as a hidden gem. The story.
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Rupert Grint to Join Broadway Cast of 'Cursed Child'
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►🎭 For the love of the game. 🎭 Rupert Grint will join the Broadway cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child this winter. Grint, who originated the role of Ron Weasley in the eight Harry Potter films, will also play the character onstage, in the play that sees Weasley as an adult. Grint begins in the role Feb. 2, 2027, for a 17-week run through May 30. The story.
—🟢 When you need her... 🟢 Emma Thompson is bringing Nanny McPhee to the West End. The Oscar-winning actress has written a new musical stage adaptation around the character, set to open in London in the summer of 2027. Based on the films — in which Thompson played the magical, mischievous governess — as well as the Nurse Matilda character created by Christianna Brand and Edward Ardizzone, the musical will follow the mysterious figure of Nanny McPhee as she arrives at the Brown family’s door and discovers a household in chaos. The story.
—"As was Dolly’s wish." The Dolly Parton musical is moving forward with previews as planned after the death of the country legend. "The Broadway production of DOLLY: A True Original Musical will begin previews Dec. 7 at the St. James Theatre in New York City,” the producers said in a statement. Parton was a co-writer and listed as a lead producer on the musical, which chronicles the singer’s life and career and features a score of her well-known songs, including “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “9 to 5″ as well as new songs she wrote for the musical. The story.
—The end is nigh. Six will play its final performance Jan. 3, 2027 after about five years on Broadway. The long-running musical, which sees the six wives of Henry VIII compete in a singing competition to see who had it worse, is written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. Six won the 2022 Tony Award for best original score and recouped its $5m capitalization as of December 2022. The story.
—Tveit bounce. Grosses for Moulin Rouge! jumped up by more than $1m last week, reaching $2.2m, as original cast member Aaron Tveit rejoined the cast for the end of the show’s run. Hamilton was the second highest grossing of the week, with $1.97m, followed by The Lion King with $1.8m, MJ with $1.7m and The Lost Boys with $1.1m. Paranormal Activity played its first full week of eight performances last week. While the previews were heavily comped for press tickets, the play pulled in $729,250 and played to 100 percent capacity. The Broadway box office report.
In other news...
—Emily in Paris jets to Greece in glam first look at final season
—Netflix reveals its Wonka reality show trailer with creepy AI Gene Wilder
—The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives S5 trailer teases leadup to Taylor Frankie Paul scandal
—Dolly Parton’s Spotify streams spiked over 1,200 Percent following icon’s death
What else we're reading...
—Kaitlyn Tiffany looks at why Meta is happy to cough up billions in this week's landmark "mental and physical wellbeing of America’s youth" case [The Atlantic]
—Tyler Parker pays tribute to Dolly Parton's musical talent as well as her generosity and warmth [Ringer]
—Blake Gopnik reflects on the work and cultural impact of the late Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama [NYT]
—Grace Yoon dives into how a growing number of people suffering career burnout and turning to clown school [WSJ]
—Reed Albergotti reports on the increasing prevalence of AI writing on the opinion pages of the major legacy newspapers [Semafor]
Today...
...in 1953, Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, opened at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The film would go on to win three Oscars at the 26th Academy Awards, for costume design, Dalton Trumbo’s screenplay and for Hepburn as best actress. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Tom Ford (65), Suranne Jones (48), Peter Stormare (73), Aaron Paul (47), Chandra Wilson (57), Sarah Chalke (50), Ariana Greenblatt (19), Patrick J. Adams (45), Alexa PenaVega (38), Tuesday Weld (83), Stephan Elliott (62), Reece Shearsmith (57), Robert Richardson (71), Mario (40), Jack Kesy (40), Jessie Mei Li (31), Amanda Fuller (42), G.W. Bailey (82), Peter Mensah (67), Zifeng Zhang (25), Danica Curcic (41), Sugar Lyn Beard (45), Kayla Ewell (41), Tiffany Boone (39), Diana Scarwid (71), Dean Devlin (64), Charles Fleischer (76), Ellar Coltrane (32), B.K. Cannon (36), Claire Stansfield (62), Darren Goldstein (52), Karla Mosley (45), Kerr Logan (38), Bobbi Sue Luther (48), Kaouther Ben Hania (49), Gary Imhoff (74)
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