| | | | What's news: DC Films chief Walter Hamada is looking to exit his role after the Batgirl shelving. WBD now boasts 92m streaming subscribers. Lionsgate's Starz hits 26.3m streaming subs. Christina Spade is the new CEO of AMC Networks. Disney+ Middle East will not carry content with LGBTQ characters/themes — Abid Rahman |
Walter Hamada Was on the Brink of Exit After 'Batgirl' Cancellation ►Things are tense at DC. THR's editor-at-large Kim Masters reports that amid the shelving of Batgirl and the clear desire of Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav to find new leadership for the DC universe, DC Films president Walter Hamada has come to the verge of exiting the studio and consulted with counsel. Sources tell Kim that Hamada has now agreed to remain in his post at least until the Oct. 21 release of the Dwayne Johnson film Black Adam. The story.
—Missing estimates. For the first time since the merger, WBD reported combined full quarterly earnings on Thursday. David Zaslav disclosed a total streamer subscriber base of 92.1m, inclusive of HBO Max and Discovery+. WarnerMedia had previously reported 76.8m subscribers to HBO or HBO Max last quarter, with Discovery reporting 24m DTC subscribers. WBD reported revenues of $9.8b and a loss of $3.4b, missing Wall Street estimates. The results.
—The future. Also on Thursday, Zaslav outlined WBD's grand streaming plans, revealing that a new, combined global service will launch in the U.S. in summer 2023, with other markets to follow. The company says the new service is targeting 130m global subs by 2025, and will "continue to have healthy content investment," but at a "more measured pace" than previously indicated. The service will feature the full “unique and complementary” content libraries of both HBO Max and Discovery+, but will use the tech stack of Discovery+. The story. |
DC to Follow Marvel's Playbook ►Chairman Zaz's 10-year plan. Just two days after the stunning move to cancel Batgirl, an unapologetic David Zaslav sought to reassure Wall Street there is a cohesive plan for the future of DC. "We have done a reset. We’ve restructured the business where we are going to focus, where there is going to be a team with a 10-year plan focusing just on DC. We believe we can build a much more sustainable business," said during an earnings call Thursday.
Zaslav, who recently brought former Disney film chief Alan Horn as an adviser, suggested DC would try to emulate the Marvel playbook. "It’s very similar to the structure Alan Horn, Bob Iger and Kevin Feige put together very effectively at Disney. We think we can build a much stronger, sustainable growth business out of DC." The story.
—It's official. Lady Gaga be starring opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à deux, director Todd Phillips’ sequel to Joker. The official confirmation, conveniently dropping on the day that the WBD brass were mapping out a future for DC Films to Wall Street analysts, came on Gaga's Twitter account. Although, there were no details on her character, it is widely expected that she will play Harley Quinn in this iteration of the DC universe. WB has set an Oct. 4, 2024 release date for the film. The story.
—Prepping. With WBD's future unified streaming service still a way off, the company announced that it was beefing up the libraries of both HBO Max and Discovery+. "Select" programming from Magnolia Network, the joint venture between Discovery and Chip and Joanna Gaines, would launch on HBO Max in September. The content will continue to be available on Discovery+. At the same time, CNN will get its own “hub” on Discovery+. The story. |
Spacey Must Pay $31M in 'House of Cards' Dispute ►Breach of contract. Kevin Spacey has lost his bid to overturn a $31 million arbitration award he was ordered to pay House of Cards producer MRC for sexual misconduct involving young crew members behind the scenes of the Netflix series.
Spacey was dropped from the Netflix series during its sixth season after allegations surfaced that he preyed on young men. The dispute was sent to arbitration, where an arbitrator found that the actor breached his contract by violating anti-harassment policies and failing to provide services “in a professional manner.” (MRC is a co-owner of THR through a joint venture with Penske Media Corporation called PMRC.) The story.
—Falling into line. Disney+ Middle East looks set to appease regional cultural sensitivities when it comes to its content. THR understands that Pixar’s Lightyear, which failed to reach cinemas across the Gulf and beyond for featuring a same-gender kiss, won’t be appearing on the streaming platform, nor will the Disney+ series Baymax, which includes LGBTQ characters. The story.
—🤝 Multiple-project deal 🤝 Parenthood and Friday Night Lights creator Jason Katims has reunited with the company behind both shows and has signed a multiple-project deal with Imagine Television. Under the pact, the showrunner is said to already be hard at work on three projects (details of which remain under wraps). The story.
—🤝 Overall deal 🤝 Yara Shahidi, arguably the face of Freeform, is extending her overall deal with the studio behind Grown-ish and adding Onyx Collective to the pact. Yara Shahidi and her mom/business partner Keri Shahidi's 7th Sun banner will continue to develop and produce scripted and unscripted programming for both studios as part of the exclusive deal. The story.
—"216 writers on 139 other Netflix theatrical films." The Writers Guild told members on Thursday that an arbitration with Netflix over the 2018 film Bird Box has resulted in members receiving $42m in previously unpaid residuals. The Guild says that it is seeking an additional $13.5m in interest for delayed disbursement of residuals. The story. |
'Curb' Filmed Larry's Death Scene — And Then Did Another Season ►"If this is how we go, this is how we go!" THR's Jackie Strause spoke to Curb Your Enthusiasm showrunner Jeff Schaffer about how he and creator-star David always assume the current season will be the last for the Emmy-nominated HBO comedy. (Until, it isn’t.) The interview.
—Power play. Lionsgate saw its base of streaming subscribers for Starz hit 26.3m as the Hollywood studio released its Q2 results as it explores a sale or spinoff of the premium cable and streaming platform. Paying subs grew 1.8m for the quarter. The results.
—Beating expectations. AMC Networks reported a 5 percent drop in U.S. ad revenue in Q2, but said it grew its streaming subscribers in the period to end June with 10.8m, up from 9.5m as of the end of March and ahead of its forecast. AMC also revealed that current COO and CFO Christina Spade would take over the CEO role in early September. The results.
—Let's hear it for The Boys! Amazon had two series top a billion minutes of viewing for the first time. The Terminal List (1.56b mins) and The Boys (1.09b mins) ranked second and fourth on Nielsen’s chart, with The Boys hitting its best mark to date in the rankings (which have been around for two years) in the week its third season finale debuted. Amazon had never had two shows pass a billion minutes of watch time previously. The streaming rankings. |
TV Review: 'The Sandman' ►"A perfectly fine adaptation that prioritizes fidelity over creativity." THR's Angie Han reviews Netflix's The Sandman. Neil Gaiman's classic comic book series gets adapted into a drama series starring Tom Sturridge as the King of Dreams, who finds himself imprisoned in the human world for a century. The review.
—"Family comedy of the strained variety." THR film critic Frank Scheck reviews Jay Chandrasekhar's Easter Sunday. Popular stand-up comedian Jo Koy stars in this broad comedy celebrating Filipino American culture, that also stars Eugene Cordero, Tia Carerre and Asif Ali. The review.
—"A nimble and chilling body horror." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Michelle Garza Cervera's Huesera. In Michelle Garza Cervera’s narrative debut, a woman confronts her desire to become a mother. The review.
—"More psychological thriller than slasher horror." Lovia reviews John Logan's They/Them. Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Logan makes his directorial debut with a horror film starring Kevin Bacon and streaming on Peacock. The review. |
Thank Pod It's Friday► All the latest content from THR's podcast studio. — TV's Top 5. Lesley Goldberg and Dan Fienberg break down the latest TV news. The guys begin by running through the week's headline makers, including a whole section dedicated to the drama at Warner Bros. Discovery. They remember Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 94. And they also discuss new shows for Ellen Pompeo and Keanu Reeves, the end of The Flash and Days of Our Lives moves to Peacock. FX CEO John Landgraf chats about Peak TV and the state of scripted. And Dan reviews FX’s Reservation Dogs, Paramount+’s Beavis and Butt-head and Netflix’s The Sandman. Listen here. — Awards Chatter. Awards analyst Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode from 2014, Scott spoke to the late Vin Scully. In an interview from Dodger Stadium, Scott spoke to the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers about his long and storied career. Listen here. In other news... —Quentin Tarantino offers rare review of Top Gun: Maverick —Laura Poitras opioid epidemic doc to screen as NY Film Fest centerpiece —Rosewood Hotel Group will open its first residences in Beverly Hills in 2024 —CAA hires a Chief Metaverse Officer —Top ICM agent Bart Walker joins Gersh as partner —Amazon unveils first Nigerian originals Gangs of Lagos, LOL: Last One Laughing Naija amid major local push What else we're reading... —Kyle MacNeill looks at how the Astroworld tragedy changed gigs forever [ Guardian] —Sam Adams looks into why Netflix’s most expensive movies keep getting worse [ Slate] —Matt Glasby looks back to the time The Dark Knight shot on location in Hong Kong, and how, despite a lot of courting, the film was never released in China [ SCMP] —Derek Lawrence has a great piece on how Bullet Train helmer David Leitch became the king of Hollywood action [ Ringer] —Here's your Friday list: "The 13 worst '80s kids movies, ranked" [ Gamespot] Today... ...in 2003, Fox premiered creator Josh Schwartz’s hourlong teen drama The O.C., which aired for four seasons on the network. The original review. Today's birthdays: James Gunn (56), Mark Strong (59), Jesse Williams (41), Olivia Holt (25), Loni Anderson (77), Maureen McCormick (66), Jonathan Silverman (56), Scott William Winters (57), Kajol (48), Wi Ha-Joon (31), John Jarratt (70), Suzuka Ohgo (29), David Chang (45), Francine Maisler (61), Janet McTeer (61), Josie Totah (21), Sophie Winkleman (42), Pat Smear (63) |
| John Steiner, a British actor who appeared in Tinto Brass’ Caligula and in other Italian films for directors Lucio Fulci, Mario Bava and Dario Argento, has died. He was 81. The obituary. |
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