What's news: Jon Stewart will continue with The Daily Show until 2028. Carol Choi will run Disney in APAC. Netflix has ordered two seasons of The Apology from A24. A sequel to Amazon romcom Upgraded is in production. And ESPN will offer an animated Star Wars alternative telecast of the Super Bowl. — Abid Rahman
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com.
|
►Another one bites the dust. Dan Lin is out as Netflix‘s film chief. The news comes as the streamer cuts from its uppermost ranks and implements layoffs that will affect roughly 1,000 people, the company’s biggest cut since 2022. Prior to Lin, chief content officer Bela Bajaria was exited, along with VP of film Doug Belgrad and a series of high-ranking television executives. It is unclear who will assume Lin’s role, but the understanding is that Peter Rice, who took over the chief content officer post, will be in charge of finding new leadership. The story.
—"A new path is being laid; it may take time." Netflix doesn’t need its third-quarter earnings report on Tuesday to get anyone’s attention. It already has had all sorts of eyes and ears in Hollywood and on Wall Street on it for days. After all, the global streamer has been in the headlines with its largest layoffs in years, hitting around 6 percent of its workforce, and the surprise replacement of chief content officer Bela Bajaria with Peter Rice. THR's Georg Szalai talked to Wall Street analysts about what to expect from the latest earnings reveal. The story.
—Exiting. Adam Ciongoli is stepping down as Fox’s top lawyer. The company announced on Tuesday that he won’t renew his contract. His last day in the position is Dec. 1, after which he’ll serve as a special advisor. At the same time, executive vice president and principal deputy general counsel Nicholas Trutanich will become general counsel. He’ll report to CEO Lachlan Murdoch. The story.
—Surprise shuffle. In a significant leadership shake up across one of its most important international regions, Disney has appointed company veteran Carol Choi as president of Asia-Pacific following outgoing chief Luke Kang’s decision to retire. Disney said Tuesday that Choi, currently executive vp of Disney APAC, will succeed Kang on Dec. 1. Her expansive new remit will encompass Disney Entertainment’s businesses across Greater China, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, including its studios, Disney+, local original content production, consumer products, media networks and content sales. The story.
—Growth area. United Talent Agency is beefing up the leadership in its UTA Creators division, as the business of the creator economy continues to boom. Seven agents have been elevated in the division, including Beth Hatchett, Ike Zhang, Nicole Lonner, Rebecca Bibb, Sarah Mathews, Scarlett Perlman and Shelby Schenkman. The agency says that UTA Creators has seen its revenue triple over the past five years, underscoring the growth in the sector and its leadership in the space. The story.
|
Christina Applegate Reveals She Was Misdiagnosed
|
►"I’m back at square one." Christina Applegate returned to her podcast after some time away to reveal that she was misdiagnosed and does not, in fact, have MS. Applegate revealed in a two-part episode of her MeSsY podcast that she co-hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who has multiple sclerosis, that, in 2021, she was being tested for “everything under the sun,” but not MS right away. On her podcast episode she said that after her diagnosis, she then leaned on the MS community and started infusions that went on for years, wreaking “havoc” on her body. The story.
—The latest. Russell Brand‘s rape and sexual assault trial moved into its second week at London’s Southwark Crown Court. On Monday, a second woman detailed an oral rape assault that took place at a bar in Soho, London in 2004. In this trial, Brand is accused of three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault, with six women alleging crimes dating from 1999 to 2009. He denies all of the claims. The story.
—Dismissed. Mariah Carey has won a long-running $20m lawsuit alleging she defamed her brother in her bestselling memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey when a New York state court dismissed the suit on Monday. Morgan Carey first filed his lawsuit on May 28, 2021, claiming Mariah damaged his reputation in the 2020 memoir by portraying him as violent and accusing him of trafficking cocaine. In a ruling, a judge said Morgan Carey failed to establish that his sister acted with actual malice. The story.
—✊ Unionization effort. ✊ Production assistants on Elsbeth are embarking on a union push. On Oct. 15, the production assistants filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. The petition covers 28 workers on the CBS series. The goal is to join LiUNA Local 724, which has partnered with grassroots organization Production Assistants United as part of a broader push to unionize film and television production assistants. The story.
|
Stewart Extends 'Daily Show' Run Through 2028 |
►🤝 New deal. 🤝 Jon Stewart has signed a two-year deal to continue as the once-a-week host of Comedy Central‘s The Daily Show through 2028. He also remains an executive producer of the show every day of the week. Stewart most recently signed a one-year deal to continue his duties on The Daily Show through 2026. With the end of that agreement approaching, he re-upped. The two-year deal, notably, extends Stewart’s run on the show through the 2028 presidential election cycle. The story.
—🎭 Five more. 🎭 Varada Sethu, Ethan Moorhouse, Tuppence Middleton, Merab Ninidze and Joshua McGuire have all joined the seventh season of Apple TV‘s Slow Horses. The upcoming installment is adapted from the Bad Actors novel in Mick Herron’s popular Slough House book series and is set to see Gary Oldman‘s Jackson Lamb attempt to hunt and neutralize a mole at the heart of the British government before they can bring down the state. The story.
—First order, first down. The 2027 Super Bowl will take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California — and also a galaxy far, far away. Lucasfilm, ESPN, Disney and the NFL will present an animated, real(ish)-time alternate telecast of Super Bowl LXI set in the Star Wars universe. The altcast will stream in Disney+ and the ESPN app and air on Disney Channel and Disney XD alongside the main broadcast (on ABC, ESPN and Disney+) and several other alternate presentations. The story.
|
Christiane Amanpour to Exit CNN |
►"I’m very sorry to see her go, but I’ve come to accept that this is the right time for her, both personally and professionally." CNN is losing one of its highest-profile anchors and correspondents next year. Christiane Amanpour will scale back her work at CNN over the next few months, and leave the channel entirely next June. CNN CEO Mark Thompson shared the news in a note to staff Monday morning. Amanpour, 68, has been with CNN for 43 years, becoming perhaps its most famous foreign correspondent, and a staple of its lineup. The story.
—🟢 Doubling up. 🟢 Netflix has ordered a pair of seasons of The Apology starring Gwyneth Paltrow from A24. Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg will direct and executive produce alongside Paltrow, Joe Hipps and creator/showrunner Joe Murtagh. The series logline reads: "Evelyn and Caleb Amspoker’s son was murdered 18 years ago in a cold case that gripped the nation. When a stranger suddenly appears and confesses, justice finally seems possible — until they learn the killer may get off with a reduced sentence." The Apology‘s pickup predates the hiring of Peter Rice. The story.
—🎭 Multitasking. 🎭 Running Point co-creator and executive producer Mindy Kaling is stepping in front of the camera for the show’s third season. Kaling will have a recurring part in the Netflix comedy, which is currently filming season three. Kaling will play Divya, the outspoken CEO of a popular gambling app. The Running Point role will be Kaling’s first on-camera acting work since 2023, when she made her last appearance as Audra on Apple TV’s The Morning Show (she has done some voice work since then). The story.
|
Feinberg's Latest Oscar Forecast
|
►October surprise. THR's executive editor of awards Scott Feinberg offers his latest assessment of the 2027 Oscar race following a slew of film festivals, the theatrical unveilings of You Can See Everything and La Bola Negra, the Academy Museum Gala at which Taylor Swift performed and more. The forecast.
—📅 Dated! 📅 Dwayne Johnson and Benny Safdie are getting ready to serve up a little music for the holidays. Amazon MGM Studios is set to release feature Lizard Music, which is a hybrid of live-action and CGI, in theaters on Dec. 25, 2027. Johnson leads the cast that also includes Theo Clark Leber, Alicia Silverstone, Tim Heidecker, Arya Parvathi, Regina Hall, Colman Domingo, Jeff Goldblum, Rachel McAdams, Andrew Dice Clay and David Krumholtz. Safdie directs the film from his own script that is based on author Daniel Pinkwater’s novel of the same name. The story.
—🟢 Upgraded, again! 🟢 THR's hopeless romantic Ryan Gajewski has the scoop that a sequel to the Camila Mendes romcom Upgraded is ready for takeoff. Mendes is set to return for Amazon MGM Studios‘ forthcoming movie Upgraded 2, with production beginning this month in Italy. Becca Gleason helms the follow-up to the 2024 original feature, with Gulfstream Pictures and Honor Role producing the new movie. Plot details are under wraps, but the script comes from Luke Roberts and Justin Matthews, who penned the first film. The sequel will be available worldwide on Prime Video. The story.
|
►"Plays hard to get." THR's Angie Han reviews AMC+'s Yaga. Carrie-Anne Moss and Hudson Williams star in Kat Sandler's adaptation of her own play, a reimagining of the Baba Yaga myth centered around the search for a missing college student. Also starring Clark Backo, Noah Reid and Sheila McCarthy. Created by Kat Sandler. The review.
—"A light-on-its-feet genre hybrid." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews Hulu's Phony. A high school student survives a car accident but begins to suspect that his mother is an imposter in this eight-episode dramedy. Starring Connie Britton, Sam Nivola, Myra Syal, Grace Brennan, Mahaela Park, Maliq Johnson and Colter Lee. Created by Nick Paley. The review.
In other news...
—The Hunting Wives are playing with fire in spicy S2 trailer
—Nicolas Cage is unrecognizable in Best Pancakes in the County trailer
—Dwayne Johnson reveals Jumanji: Open World new look ahead of holiday release
—Jason Segel marries Kayla Radomski
—Ron Koslow, creator of TV’s Beauty and the Beast, dies at 81
—Ann Hornaday, longtime Washington Post film critic, dies at 66
What else we're reading...
—Ben Fritz, Jessica Toonkel and Joe Flint have a must-read piece on the mounting domestic problems facing Netflix leadership [WSJ]
—Debra Kamin, Amy Julia Harris, Ryan Mac, Emma Goldberg and Hurubie Meko report on the grim social media campaign to dox the Jane Doe in the Cornell assault case [NYT]
—Phil Hoad looks at whether Hollywood "AI-listers" like Tilly Norwood are ready to compete with real actors [Guardian]
—Jaroslav Lukiv reports on the curfew imposed in parts of central Paris and other cities after rioting across France [BBC]
—Zach Baron's essay on how having a second child has kinda ruined his life has gone viral — and for good reason! [GQ]
Today...
...in 2006, Christopher Nolan unveiled the Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale magician feature The Prestige in theaters, where it would go on to gross $110m globally. The Touchstone Pictures and Warner Bros. title went on to nab two nominations at the 79th Academy Awards, for art direction and cinematography. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Snoop Dogg (55), Danny Boyle (70), John Krasinski (47), Viggo Mortensen (68), Rachel House (55), William Zabka (61), Thomas Newman (71), Asante Blackk (25), Sam Witwer (49), Dan Fogler (50), Niamh Cusack (67), Barrie Chase (93), William Russ (76), Katie Featherston (44), Julika Jenkins (55), Galadriel Stineman (36), Jennifer Freeman (41), George Wyner (81), Yvette Nipar (62), Nargis Fakhri (47), Alberto Ammann (48), Jennifer Hall (49), Alan Ackles (78), James William O'Halloran (42), Melanie Mayron (74), George Harris (77), Kenneth Choi (54)
|
Richard Riehle, the very busy character actor known for his bushy mustache and quirky turn as the laid-off Initech product manager Tom Smykowski in Mike Judge’s Office Space, has died. He was 78. The obituary.
|
|
|
|
