| | | | What's news: Michael Waldron will write Avengers: Secret Wars. Andrew Lloyd Webber is bringing Bad Cinderella to Broadway. Donald Trump is suing CNN. NATPE is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Dish and Disney have reached an agreement over a carriage dispute. — Abid Rahman |
Will Oscar Voters Consider Voting for 'Emancipation'? ►"We have to allow people to grow." "No chance." "F*** him." Apple has finally set a release date for Will Smith’s Emancipation. The Antoine Fuqua film will open in theaters Dec. 2, in time for awards season. THR's Scott Feinberg and Beatrice Verhoeven surveyed dozens of Academy members for their thoughts on a potenial awards push in the wake of Apple's announcement. The reaction.
—ICYMI. On Monday, Apple released the first trailer and poster for Emancipation and it looks rather good. The trailer.
—Tweaked. The British Academy has made a couple of changes to the voting rules and regulations for its BAFTA TV and BAFTA TV Craft awards, tweaks that it says are aimed at improving diversity. For the 2023 awards, both the director and entertainment performance categories — which have been historically male-dominated — have been changed to "increase the visibility of women at the longlisting stage." The story.
—Marvel's guy. Loki head writer Michael Waldron will write the script for 2025’s Avengers: Secret Wars. Waldron has become a Marvel favorite, also penning Doctor Strange 2. With Secret Wars, Waldron will get to close out the Multiverse Saga, which he had a key role in setting up with season one of Disney+’s Loki, which also introduced Secret Wars big bad Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) to the MCU. The story.
—It's official. Amazon’s The Rings of Power has started filming its next season. Production got underway Monday at the new hub at Bray Studios, just outside London. The first season of the show was filmed in New Zealand over an epic stretch of 18 months during the pandemic. For season two, which will consist of eight episodes, Amazon switched the show’s production to the U.K., which is considered more economical and is also where the company is establishing a multishow hub. The story.
—Litigious gonna litigate. Donald Trump on Monday sued CNN, seeking $475m in damages, saying the network had defamed him in an effort to short-circuit any future political campaign. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, focuses primarily on the term “The Big Lie” about Trump’s false claims of widespread fraud that he says cost him the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. The story. |
Mark Pedowitz's Legacy at The CW ►What happens next? Mark Pedowitz leaves an impressive legacy at The CW after an 11-year run in which he championed diversity and worked tirelessly to transform the broadcast network into a home of year-round programming. THR's Lesley Goldberg wonders whether The CW's new CEO Dennis Miller will embrace or erase Pedowitz's legacy. The analysis.
—Cleaning house. Lesley also has the scoop on The CW's Rick Haskins, president of streaming and chief branding officer, as well as finance chief Mitch Nedick exiting the company as Nextstar looks to bring in its own people. It’s unclear if additional layoffs are expected. The story.
—"Adversely impacted." The National Association of Television Program Executives is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The organization says that the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancelation of its signature conferences and events ultimately forced the decision. The story. |
Lea Michele Finally Gets Her Shot at 'Funny Girl,' and Nails It ►"Michele has the vocal talent and the hunger." THR critic David Rooney writes that Lea Michele's long-awaited turn in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl is a triumph. David adds that the former Glee star is a natural as Fanny Brice, a role that proved a poor fit for Beanie Feldstein. The critic's notebook.
—Coming to Broadway. Andrew Lloyd Webber is bringing his musical version of Cinderella to Broadway this spring. The newly retitled Bad Cinderella, which played the West End from 2021 to 2022, will take over the Imperial Theatre. The musical explores the classic fairytale through the lens of beauty standards, with a book written by Emerald Fennell, the Oscar Award-winning screenwriter of Promising Young Woman. Linedy Genao will play the title role. The story.
—Spooky season is here. L.A.’s Center Theatre Group has set Constance Wu, Finn Wittrock, Anna Camp and Adam Rothenberg to star in 2:22 — A Ghost Story, a four-person play described as an “intriguing, funny and scary supernatural thriller.” Previews at CTG’s Ahmanson Theatre begin Oct. 29 with an official opening set for Nov. 4. The play will then run through Dec. 4. The story.
—🎭 Casting news 🎭 Taissa Farmiga is returning to The Conjuring horror universe to star in The Nun 2, New Line’s sequel to its 2018 global hit. Farmiga, who starred in the initial movie, will reprise her role as Sister Irene and joins Euphoria actress Storm Reid in the production, which will begin shooting later in October. The story.
—🎭 More casting news 🎭 The Walking Dead actor Austin Amelio has jumped on board Richard Linklater’s action comedy Hitman. Amelio will appear in the film based on true events opposite Adria Arjona and Glen Powell, who will play a Houston cop working undercover as an in-demand hitman. The story. |
'Black Panther 2' Leaves Door Open for Classic Villain ►Impending Doom? The second trailer for Marvel Studios' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever dropped on Monday, giving us a deeper look at Ryan Coogler's sequel. THR's Richard Newby gives his take on the trailer and its significance, and feels the upcoming film is poised to be a meditation on monarchs and could even introduce a Fantastic Four antagonist earlier than expected. The analysis.
—ICYMI. If you missed that second Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer, here it is in all its glory. The trailer.
—"I would’ve been more bummed out if this movie had a happy ending." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Sosie Bacon about her starring turn in Smile, another box office horror hit for Paramount. Bacon discusses the most horrifying day of shooting, bucking genre conventions and the film's wild ending. Warning spoilers. The interview.
—Is a Lohanaissance soon to be upon us? THR's Seth Abramovitch spoke to Lindsay Lohan on her movie comeback in Netflix's holiday romance Falling For Christmas. The star breaks down her performance techniques, which she credits to a life coach and acting guru. The interview. |
Questlove & Black Thought Know Much More Than Music ►"Having that musical pedigree will aid us in a way other creatives wouldn’t know." THR's Mikey O'Connell spoke to The Roots duo Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tarik “Black Thought” Trotter about their recent success outside of music — Questlove winning an Oscar for Summer of Soul and Black Thought debuting the original musical Black No More off-Broadway. The pair also talk about working with the Obamas’ Higher Ground for their upcoming Netflix doc Descendant. The interview.
—"That was not a fat suit, that was me." Whoopi Goldberg addressed a film critic who claimed that she wore a fat suit in the Emmett Till biopic, Till. During Monday’s episode of The View, Goldberg, who portrays Alma Carthan in the film, reacted to the comment and explained that she was not wearing a fat suit for the role. The story.
—"I'm so grateful for that job, but I had a really tough time on it." House of the Dragon actress Olivia Cooke says that during her early 20s, while working on projects like Bates Motel, Ready Player One and Thoroughbreds, her filming schedule led to a "full mental breakdown." In a new interview, Cooke opens up about the conditions that led to her increased isolation and eventually depression while working on Bates Motel. The story. |
Film Review: 'Mr. Harrigan's Phone' ►"A missed call." THR's Frank Scheck reviews John Lee Hancock's Mr. Harrigan’s Phone. Donald Sutherland stars as a reclusive elderly man who befriends a teenage boy in need (Jaeden Martell) in this Netflix adaptation of a Stephen King story. The review. In other news... —Amazon Studios inks partnerships with two Latino industry organizations —Laura Marano to be honored with Cameron Boyce Pioneering Spirit Award at Beverly Hills gala —Jessica Alba, Bella Hadid and Billy Porter set for God’s Love We Deliver gala —Julie Pandeya named COO, CFO of Mercury Filmworks —Filmmaker Mohit Ramchandani signs with Gersh, The Cartel —Yvette Nicole Brown to host 2022 Sentinel Awards — William G. Borchert, Emmy-nominated screenwriter of My Name Is Bill W., dies at 89 — Carl Samrock, longtime Hollywood publicist, dies at 81 What else we're reading... —Marc Tracy on CBS' East New York and how cop shows are dealing with the "defund the police" era [ NYT] —Even by the cartoonish standards of modern politics, this Roger Sollenberger scoop is something: "Pro-life Herschel Walker paid for girlfriend’s abortion" [ Daily Beast] —In light of Bros stalling at the box office, Jackson McHenry writes that Hollywood should stop trying to "save the rom-com" [ Vulture] —Alison Stine writes about Galadriel and the Rings of Power horse girls and why they matter to Middle-earth [ Salon] —Tracy Brown has an explainer on all the royal incest that seems to be a feature of Games of Thrones/ House of the Dragon [ LAT] Today... ...in 1996, Tom Hanks’ directorial debut, That Thing You Do!, hit theaters nationwide after getting early reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival. The original review. Today's birthdays: Christoph Waltz (66), Alicia Silverstone (46), Dakota Johnson (33), Susan Sarandon (76), Caitríona Balfe (43), Rachael Leigh Cook (43), Melissa Benoist (34), Liev Schreiber (55), Vicky Krieps (39), Ella Balinska (26), Wendy Makkena (64), Ryan Lee (26), Nick Mohammed (42), Armand Assante (73), James Landry Hébert (38), Morgan Spector (42), Reggie Lee (47), Hoyte Van Hoytema (51), Christopher Fairbank (69), Clifton Davis (77) |
| Robert Brown, who starred alongside David Soul and Bobby Sherman by portraying the oldest of the three logging Bolt brothers on the 1968-70 ABC series Here Come the Brides, has died. He was 95. The obituary. |
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