| | | | What's news: Disney has pulled its channels from Dish and Sling TV. Planned Parenthood has slammed Blonde as "anti-abortion propaganda." The long-awaited Community movie has landed at Peacock. Diane Kruger is set to play Marlene Dietrich. Bill Skarsgard and Lily-Rose Depp are in talks to star in Robert Eggers' Nosferatu. — Abid Rahman |
#MeToo, 5 Years Later: Problems Persist In Hollywood's Crafts Community ►"Things didn’t get better." The shocking accounts of sexism and harassment revealed in the early stages of the #MeToo movement exposed a toxic culture of abuse that had long gone unchecked in Hollywood.
Women in the crafts community — in roles from camera to sound to editing — said they, too, were subjected to such treatment, but without the platform of stardom to help them fight back. THR's Carolyn Giardina writes that for these women, the pandemic and remote working brought more relief than the hashtag did. The story.
—Have fests cleaned up their act? THR's Scott Roxborough writes that international film festivals were once notorious havens of misconduct, but events from Cannes to Berlin have made real efforts toward curtailing toxicity: "Behavior that would have been accepted, or at least not commented on, just isn't anymore." The story. |
'Blonde': Adrien Brody on Monroe Biopic's Divisiveness ►"It's fearless filmmaking." THR's Patrick Brzeski spoke to Blonde star Adrien Brody about his transformation into Arthur Miller and his thoughts on the controversial film’s messages. The Oscar winner also weighs in on his role as a ruthless venture capitalist in Succession. The interview.
—"False images only serve to reinforce misinformation." Planned Parenthood has slammed Andrew Dominik’s Blonde as "anti-abortion propaganda." The film depicts Marilyn Monroe as having had two illegal abortions, which were imposed upon her against her will and which tormented her. The abortion rights organization says the filmmakers chose to "stigmatize people’s health care decisions." The story.
—Lena's story. Inglorious Basterds star Diane Kruger is set to play legendary German actress and singer Marlene Dietrich in a new biopic TV series from In the Fade director Fatih Akin. Akin’s Bombero International are producing the five-part series, with the working title Marlene, together with German mini-major UFA Fiction. The series is based on the biography of the screen icon, My Mother Marlene, written by Dietrich’s daughter Maria Riva. The story.
—He swings again! THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Sony Pictures picking up the movie rights to Edgar Rice Buroughs' classic pulp hero Tarzan. Sony has secured a deal with Burroughs’ estate and is looking to bring a more modern take on the character to the big screen. Warner Bros. tried to launch a potential Tarzan franchise in 2016 with a movie starring Alexander Skarsgard and Margot Robbie, but it failed with both critics and audiences. The story.
—Sign them up! The other Skarsgard, younger brother Bill, as well as Lily-Rose Depp are in talks to star in Robert Eggers’ long-gestating Nosferatu remake. Skarsgard is set to play the titular vampire character in the reboot of the 1922 classic horror pic by F. W. Murnau. Jeff Robinov, who originally developed Eggers’ remake at his Studio 8 banner, will produce along with John Graham, Eggers, Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus. The story.
—Pulled. TV channels owned by Disney, including ABC, ESPN, FX, Nat Geo and Disney Channel, went dark at midnight PT for customers of Dish Network and its streaming service Sling TV. The channels were pulled after the two companies were unable to come to terms on a new carriage agreement. Dish says Disney wants a billion dollar fee increase, while Disney says it is seeking terms similar to its deals with other pay-TV providers. The story.
—Extended. The industry’s return-to-work agreement — the pact between studios and unions that has kept Hollywood productions going during the COVID-19 pandemic — has been temporarily extended as both sides continue talks over whether to adjust current health and safety protocols. The latest iteration of the deal was initially set to expire on Friday, at which time both sides put the temporary extension in place. The story. |
Critic's Notebook: Doomed to Fail, Noah Thrived ►"Noah took a no-win job and he proved that The Daily Show With Jon Stewart wasn’t the only way to do The Daily Show." On Thursday night, Trevor Noah announced his upcoming departure from The Daily Show, timed almost exactly to his seventh anniversary with the show. THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reflects on Noah's tenure and the huge task of following Jon Stewart, writing that if The Daily Show With Trevor Noah was a failure — and Dan can’t emphasize enough that IT WAS NOT — it was a triumphant failure. The critic's notebook.
—What’s next for Trevor? Following the shock announcement of Trevor Noah's exit from The Daily Show, THR's Lacey Rose considers what the comedian could do next, and there's plenty to keep him busy including touring, acting, podcasting, producing and perhaps writing another book. The story. |
'SNL': Biggest Cast Shake-up In a Generation Ahead of S48 ►Exodus! As Lorne Michaels tells it, Saturday Night Live’s most significant cast shake-up in a generation is a product of the pandemic. Whatever the reasons, an eyebrow raising number of people have left, toplined by the likes of Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant and Pete Davidson. THR's Rick Porter takes stock of all the exits ahead of the 48th season of NBC's comedy mainstay and puts the departures in a historical context. The story.
—Another win for Paramount? Parker Finn's debut feature Smile scared up a strong $2m from more than 3,000 theaters in Thursday previews. On Friday, the horror pic expands into a total of 3,648 cinemas. Tracking suggests Smile will open in the mid- to high-teens, but exhibitors and rivals believe it will overperform and possibly cross $20m. The box office report.
—Six seasons and, finally, a movie. More than seven years after Community wrapped its run with its sixth and final, the cult favorite comedy is officially getting its long-awaited movie. Peacock has greenlit the untitled movie after landing the project from series creator Dan Harmon following a bidding war with other platforms. Six of Community’s nine central stars will return for the movie: Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash and Ken Jeong. The story.
—"We have a productive and collegial relationship." Disney and activist investor Dan Loeb have reached a deal. The entertainment giants says that it has entered into a support agreement with Loeb's hedge fund Third Point. In addition, Disney has named veteran tech executive Carolyn Everson to its board of directors, at Loeb’s recommendation. The story.
—Landing spot. Former ESPN NBA host Rachel Nichols has landed at Showtime Basketball, the sports-focused vertical of the pay TV channel and streaming service. Nichols will serve as a host and producer for Showtime Basketball, which produces video and audio podcasts, docuseries and documentary programming, among other fare. The story. |
Bale Talks Singing with Taylor Swift, Producing 'Amsterdam'►"People make the mistake of calling me a method actor." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Christian Bale about his new film Amsterdam and the actor recalls surprising his daughter with news he'd sang with co-star Taylor Swift in the movie. Bale also looks back on collaborations with Christopher Nolan and Adam McKay, and restates his desire to be in Star Wars. The interview. — "There’s no common engine across the films." Brian also spoke to Hellraiser filmmaker David Bruckner about rebooting the horror classic for a modern audience. The filmmaker says he had no fears about making the antagonist female, despite certain corners of the Internet decrying onscreen representation. The interview. — "Sometimes the envelope pushes back." THR's Seija Rankin spoke to Hasan Minhaj about his new Netflix stand-up special The King’s Jester. The comedian, whose last Netflix foray Patriot Act was censored after Saudi objections, reflects on his decidedly more personal special. The interview. — "I didn’t make it for Democrats or Republicans." THR's Seth Abramovitch spoke to Armageddon Time filmmaker James Gray about the film's tragic backstory. Gray also talks about the pain of losing final cut on Ad Astra. The interview. In other news... —AMC Theatres’ investor suit settles In $17.4m deal —Next year’s Met Gala to honor Karl Lagerfeld —RuPaul, Diane Warren, Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter set for ACLU Bill of Rights Awards —Meet VIPER, the hot Hollywood hospitality agency powered by female entrepreneurs and friends What else we're reading... —Michael Schulman revisits Sacheen Littlefeather’s shocking appearance at the 1973 Oscars [ New Yorker] —Kyle Buchanan talks to Billy Eichner on creating the rom-com he wanted to see with Bros [ NYT] —Critic Melanie Mcfarland writes that Netflix's Dahmer is an example of how the Ryan Murphy brand can be at odds with a story's mission [ Salon] —Kaushik Raj and Sabah Gurmat report on right wing religious boycotts dragging down box office returns for Bollywood's biggest releases [ Guardian] —Aimee Levett on the big impact FX's The Bear has had on real Chicago eateries [ Guardian] Today... ...in 1963, United Artists hosted the New York premiere of Lilies of the Field, starring Sidney Poitier and Lilia Skala. The film was nominated for five Oscars at the 36th Academy Awards, winning one for best actor for Poitier. The original review. Today's birthdays: Julie Andrews (87), Michaela Coel (35), Jurnee Smollett (36), Brie Larson (33), Rupert Friend (40), Charles Edwards (53), Emerald Fennell (37), Priah Ferguson (16), Zach Galifianakis (53), Luna Blaise (21), Danielle Bisutti (46), Matthew Daddario (35), Danika Yarosh (24), Esai Morales (60), Marielle Heller (43), Sherri Saum (48), Harry Hill (58), Tara Buckman (66), Stéphane Caillard (34), Cassandra Freeman (44), Christian Borle (49) |
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