What's news: Prolific voice over artist Eric Bauza died suddenly at 46. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland will become the new CEO of SAG-AFTRA. Jane Wiseman is leaving Paramount+. You Can See Everything sails past $45m domestic. Sandra Hüller will appear in Avengers: Doomsday. And Trump is laying into Bill Maher again. — Abid Rahman
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iPhone Duo: Hollywood's New Best Friend?
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►"Because it has so many different poses, there’s so much flexibility." Could Apple‘s newest iPhone spark a premium video renaissance? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but the iPhone Duo, which was released Friday, may very well be the best friend to streaming platforms from the likes of Netflix, Skydance, NBCUniversal and Disney. THR's Alex Weprin writes that as more video goes vertical, the iPhone Duo embraces horizontal video and a bigger canvas, making it ideal for watching longer-form, premium content at a moment when cheap vertical video is everywhere. The story.
—🤝 Upped. 🤝 SAG-AFTRA is giving its national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, a contract extension and elevating him to CEO. The union says Crabtree-Ireland will serve as CEO through June 2032. His contract was previously set to expire in 2028. He will also continue on as its chief negotiator. His new deal was approved with more than 98 percent of the SAG-AFTRA national board’s support. Crabtree-Ireland joined the union more than 25 years ago, and has been leading the its negotiations with the Hollywood studios as well as defending the rights of actors amid a rapidly-changing technology environment. The story.
—Another big exit. Paramount+ head of originals Jane Wiseman is departing the streamer as the post-merger combination of it and HBO Max takes shape. Casey Bloys, co-CEO and chief content officer for Skydance Direct-to-Consumer, announced Wiseman’s departure Friday as part of a memo setting the leadership team for the streaming division of Skydance. Several members of Bloys’ executive team at HBO will remain in their current positions, while Sarah Aubrey, head of originals for HBO Max, will take Paramount+’s original series output under her umbrella. The story.
—Unexpected. Former 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens is getting into the creator economy. The veteran journalist is joining the media startup Newpress as its EP. Newpress was founded by Johnny and Iz Harris, who are both established YouTube filmmakers. The company is planning to launch a handful of new shows over the next few months, with a longer-term goal of having 12-16 channels led by creators who are subject matter experts. Owens will work with all of the creators to develop new shows and bolster their production. The story.
—Two more years... Donald Trump is once again criticizing Bill Maher, host of HBO's Real Time — only days after the two had what he previously referred to as a “great dinner” at the White House. On Sunday, Trump posted a scathing 1,318-word diatribe on Truth Social blasting Maher as a “complete and total loser” (in all caps). "He’s got a Low Rated Show on equally Low Rated HBO, which was once, long ago, a Network of Quality and Excitement — But that’s all gone. It’s not ‘HOT’ anymore!” (Capitals and uppercasing are all Trump’s.) The story.
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►"A unique voice talent who brought joy and laughter to millions around the world." Eric Bauza, an Emmy-winning voice actor who was the modern voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other Looney Tunes characters, has died. He was 46. The news was announced Sunday by his family via a post on his Instagram feed. In Coyote vs. Acme, which was released earlier this year, Bauza voiced several roles, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig, Road Runner, Charlie the Dog, and more. Bauza recently landed on THR’s inaugural Animation Power list. The obituary.
—Sentenced. Laura Owens, the 36-year-old woman who pleaded guilty in August to four felony counts for falsely claiming she was pregnant with former The Bachelor star Clayton Echard’s twins, was sentenced on Friday to one month in jail and seven years of supervised probation. The sentencing took place in Maricopa County Superior Court, where a judge heard Echard’s plea to send Owens to prison. “I believe incarceration is an absolute must, because I know, as well as the other victims know, that Laura will not stop until she is removed from her environment,” Echard said. The story.
—Knife incident. A man was arrested Friday night after displaying a knife during a confrontation with a crew member on the Brooklyn set of Universal's movie Miami Vice ’85. A 42-year-old man reported that he had a verbal dispute with an individual who displayed a knife, an NYPD spokesperson told THR. The individual, 23-year-old Alex Perez of Brooklyn, was arrested shortly after 11 p.m. in the vicinity of Avenue N and McDonald Avenue, near Washington Cemetery. The story.
—"The Elvis Plaintiffs are deeply protective of these iconic songs." Anthropic has been sued by the owners of Elvis Presley‘s music for allegedly utilizing his songs to train AI models without permission. The suit filed Friday claims the company infringed 274 songs of Presley’s, including “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “A Little Less Conversation” and “Don’t Be Cruel.” “The Elvis Plaintiffs bring this action to enforce these exclusive rights against the defendant that has built its entire business model based on copyright infringement at a scale never seen before,” said lead attorney Richard Busch. The story.
—"I see it as the bare minimum." As she became increasingly well-known during her run on HBO's Hacks, Hannah Einbinder has used her time in the spotlight to speak out on various political and social issues she’s passionate about from climate change to AI to, most prominently in recent years, the fate of the Palestinian people. While some celebs might choose to stay silent about their political views, for Einbinder, there’s no alternative. “I see it as the bare minimum,” Einbinder said at The New Yorker Festival on Friday of the “responsibility” she feels to speak out about her beliefs. The recap.
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What Kim K Didn't Like About Her Biography
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►Here’s what made her cringe. THR's editor-in-chief Maer Roshan spoke to Jonathan Van Meter, author of Citizen Kim, an authorized biography of Kim Kardashian that took five years to report and write. Van Meter dishes on his on his surreal years inside the Kardashians’ world: the sex tape, sibling rivalries, falling for your subject, Paris Hilton’s 17 cancellations and why Kanye isn't in the book. The interview.
—"She’s a full-on Monet. It’s like a painting, see? From far away it’s OK, but up close it’s a big ol’ mess." We have more from Jonathan Van Meter's Citizen Kim! In an exclusive excerpt, the writer reveals how the 1995 comedy classic Clueless inspired Kim Kardashian to purchase Claude Monet's French Impressionist masterpiece "Storm Off the Coasts of Belle-Ile." The excerpt.
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'Clayface' Rolls to $24M Opening, 'YCSE' Shines
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►Facelift for DC. Clayface made its mark in its opening weekend at the box office as the Elizabeth Holmes documentary You Can See Everything continued to build on its momentum with an impressive sophomore frame.
Warner Bros. released director James Watkins’ body-horror feature Clayface in more than 3,400 North American theaters, and it grossed around $24m domestically for the weekend. While just under the studio’s initial projection of $25m to $30m, this represents a solid result for the genre offering from DC Studios that carries a modest $44m budget. It added $19m from 76 international markets. THR's resident box office number cruncher Ryan Gajewski writes that thanks to Clayface's lean budget, this is a more promising result for DC than its previous release, as Supergirl struggled in opening to $37.1m domestically over the summer on a $170m budget.
YCSE went wide Friday in its second weekend and built on its hot opening, collecting $19.5m from 2,600 North American locations to bring its domestic sum to $45.1m. The A24 film, which has been the focus of awards buzz, becomes the rare title to gross more in its second weekend than its first — with a 25 percent increase over its initial frame — and gives the studio the second-biggest weekend for a doc since Fahrenheit 9/11′s $23.9m in the summer of 2004. The box office report.
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New 'Alien' Movie in the Works
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►Shut up and take my money! THR's Borys "Scoopz" Kit has the scoop on Aaron Guzikowski, who wrote Denis Villeneuve’s English-language debut Prisoners, being tapped to write a mystery Alien feature project for 20th Century Studios and Ridley Scott. The project marks a reunion between the writer and Scott, as the two worked together on Raised by Wolves, the well-regarded sci-fi drama that streamed on HBO Max. Scott is not at this point directing the Alien project, just producing it, along with Michael Pruss via their Scott Free production banner. No director is attached. The story.
—🎭 It's a sign of the times. 🎭 Sandra Hüller, the German actress who earned an Oscar nom for Anatomy of a Fall and has appeared in Project Hail Mary, Digger, Rose and Fatherland in 2026, is part of the all-star cast of Avengers: Doomsday. While much of the plot still remains hidden in the eastern European nation of Latveria, it is known to feature heroes from different timelines that team-up to fight the universe-shattering peril of a sorcerer scientist named Doctor Doom. The story.
—🎭 Filling out. 🎭 More castmembers are stepping into the ring for House of Guerrero, the boxing drama that marks a reunion for director Gina Rodriguez and producer Justin Baldoni. Chino Pacas, Clave Especial, Vic Blends and Emily Austin have joined Rodriguez’s feature directorial debut. With a script from Bernardo Cubría, House of Guerrero has begun production in L.A. and California’s Imperial Valley. The latest additions join previously announced castmembers Carlos Sanson Jr., Rosario Dawson, George Lopez, Becky G, Tokischa and Rodriguez. The story.
—🎭 Five more. 🎭 Paramount's forthcoming sequel to horror movie Crawl is snapping up more castmembers. Sarah Niles, Ray Panthaki, Richard Brake, Charley Palmer Rothwell and Flula Borg have joined the cast for filmmaker Alexandre Aja‘s Crawl follow-up. Mason Gooding and Emily Rudd were previously announced to lead the untitled sequel feature that is set for theatrical release on July 16, 2027. The initial Crawl hit theaters in 2019 and centered on a woman (Kaya Scodelario) and her father (Barry Pepper) dealing with a swarm of massive alligators after a hurricane damages their Florida home. The story.
—Surprise! Quentin Tarantino made an appearance at AFI Fest on Friday for a screening of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, sitting down for a Q&A afterward about his hit movie. But just as the night seemed to be wrapping up, Tarantino surprised the crowd at the TCL Chinese Theater with a first look at The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, showing off the first 17-minutes of the follow-up film. Tarantino wrote the script for Cliff Booth, with David Fincher stepping in to direct this time around. The story.
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►Innit, though! THR's Lily Ford was gifted one of London’s hottest tickets on Saturday night: a seat at SNL UK‘s final show of the year. Hosted by the irrepressible Cynthia Erivo and with Amelia Dimoldenberg and Ike Barinholtz among the audience members at the lively — and impressively huge — episode, Lily wonders: Has the British spin-off finally found its groove? The story.
—🎭 Familiar face. 🎭 Former Law & Order: SVU regular Stephanie March, who played prosecutor Alexandra Cabot over eight seasons, will guest star in the ninth episode of season 28. An airdate for the episode hasn’t been scheduled yet, and NBC is keeping details of Cabot’s return quiet for now. March will be the second former SVU regular to appear on the show this season. Christopher Meloni will reprise his role as Elliot Stabler on the show’s milestone 600th episode, which is set to air Nov. 12. The story.
—🟢 Batch of renewals. 🟢 Bravo's Next Gen is expanding into its own franchise, with the network revealing Friday ahead of Bravo Fan Fest Charleston that Next Gen Atlanta has officially been greenlit. The announcement marks the first extension to Next Gen NYC, Bravo’s buzzy new entry that debuted in 2025 and featured a cast of children of Housewives, combined with other cast members, a few of which had parents who also had experience in the spotlight. Bravo has not shared any details about who will make up the cast of Next Gen Atlanta. Next Gen NYC was also renewed for a third season, with the network also opting to renew Southern Hospitality for season five. The story.
—🟢 Coming back! 🟢 Bravo has also officially renewed Summer House spinoff In the City for a second season. The unscripted series is currently in production, although Bravo hasn’t announced who on the cast is returning. There is a longline: "In The City follows a group of New Yorkers as they navigate the biggest transitions of their lives — marriage, separation, parenthood, reinvention and the reality of growing up without growing apart." The story.
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Sarandos Swoops Into Seoul
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►Dae-bak! After a tumultuous week of corporate shake-ups at Netflix, Ted Sarandos traveled to Seoul over the weekend to celebrate one of the streamer’s clearest success stories of the past decade: its big bet on Korean entertainment. The Netflix co-CEO joined a massive two-day fan event days after the company replaced chief content officer Bela Bajaria with Peter Rice and announced layoffs affecting roughly 1,000 employees — but the mood in Korea was purely celebratory. The recap.
—Sugoi! A chilly autumn rain did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the scores of fans gathered in Tokyo’s Hibiya district Monday evening, as the Tokyo International Film Festival kicked off with a starry — albeit soggy — red carpet featuring Shōgun actor Tadanobu Asano, Last Samurai Standing leading man Junichi Okada, singer-actor Kento Nakajima, actress Mei Nagano and Yu Yu Hakusho lead Takumi Kitamura. The recap.
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Film Review: 'The Mosquito Bowl' |
►"Looks good but says little." THR's Angie Han reviews Peter Berg's The Mosquito Bowl. The AFI Fest-premiering film is inspired by the true story of a football game played between Marines stationed in the Pacific theater of WWII. Starring Nicholas Galitzine, Bill Skarsgard, Ray Nicholson and Tom Francis. Written by Peter Berg and Mark L. Smith. The review.
In other news...
—Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt are married
—Ken Atchity, producer on Joe Somebody and The Meg, dies at 82
—Marysa Maslansky, founder of the renowned Visages Photo Agency, dies at 82
What else we're reading...
—Maya Salam talks to Matthew Perry's sister Mia Perry Bowick and director Mary Robertson about the new Netflix docuseries about the late Friends star [NYT]
—Lucas Shaw has a few more juicy revelations on the recent firings and hirings at Netflix [Bloomberg]
—Shira Ovide reports on the behind the scenes battle between Mark Zuckerberg and the Meta board over the company's massive AI spending [Washington Post]
—Mengchen Zhang has a grim report on how a California mansion filled with surrogate children became a "House of Horrors" [BBC]
—For people with no time and a surface level interest in internet drama, Bethy Squires explains the whole H3 podcast/Ethan Klein scandal [Vulture]
Today...
...in 1984, a new sci-fi franchise was launched with the U.S. theatrical debut of James Cameron's The Terminator. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Seth MacFarlane (53), Rita Wilson (70), Dylan McDermott (65), James Pickens Jr. (72), Julian Schnabel (75), Keith Urban (59), Pat Sajak (80), Cary Elwes (64), Rosemarie DeWitt (55), Jon Heder (49), Anthony Rapp (55), Tom Cavanagh (63), Zoë Tapper (45), Steve Valentine (60), Jaclyn Smith (81), Dana Kimmell (67), Charles Parnell (62), Morgan Saylor (32), Lisa Ryder (56), Wynn Everett (48), Kelly Rowan (61), Tom Brittney (36), Mahesh Jadu (44), Samantha Isler (28), Patrick Breen (66), Florence Kasumba (50), Brian Bovell (67), François Chau (67), Beulah Koale (34), Alexandria DeBerry (32)
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Peggy King, a television star and singer who rose to prominence in the 1950s, has died. She was 96. The obituary.
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