| | | | What's news: The Last of Us lives on. Avatar 2 nears Titanic at the global box office. Nicole Kidman returns to HBO for The Perfect Nanny. GMA3's T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach are officially let go. Netflix offloads two completed films that hope to land elsewhere. — Ryan Gajewski |
THR Critics Pick Sundance's 15 Best Films ►Best of the best. As Sundance 2023 winds down, THR's critics team selects 15 standout films. Among faves from the fest are a deliciously juicy psychological thriller starring Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway, an Olympian's stunning directorial debut and a spirited documentary portrait of Little Richard. The picks.
—"We are committed to ensuring an inclusive awards process." Without directly naming Andrea Riseborough, whose unexpected best actress Oscar nomination for the indie To Leslie has sparked widespread conversation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a statement announcing a review of the year's campaigns. The story.
—"I couldn't be more ready to dive back in." Not a surprise, but certainly marking a victory for HBO: The Last of Us has been renewed for a second season. The apocalyptic drama starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey has been a smash hit out of the gate. The story.
—🎭 Nicole Kidman and HBO: a perfect pair 🎭 Nicole Kidman is headed back to HBO to star in and executive produce a thriller based on Leïla Slimani's novel The Perfect Nanny. PEN15 co-creator Maya Erskine will also star and will write and executive produce the limited series that HBO outbid several other outlets to land. The story. |
'Tomb Raider' Film, Series in Works at Amazon ►Alive and well. Amazon is building a Tomb Raider franchise. THR's Lesley Goldberg has the scoop on the retail giant and streamer teaming with Dmitri M. Johnson's dj2 Entertainment for a massive rights deal to make a Tomb Raider feature film. This is in addition to the newly announced TV series from Phoebe Waller-Bridge, which Lesley also broke, and at least one video game in the Lara Croft franchise. The story.
—Another big splash. The remarkable performance of Avatar: The Way of Water continues, with James Cameron's film set to overtake Star Wars: The Force Awakens as No. 4 at the worldwide box office, not adjusted for inflation. THR's Pamela McClintock reports on box office insiders now being confident that The Way of Water will ultimately overtake Titanic, with China standing as a major factor. The story.
—"It's best for everyone." ABC News is officially parting ways with GMA3's Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes. The news anchors became tabloid fodder late last year after they were revealed to have been in a personal relationship. They have subsequently left their respective spouses. The story. |
Sundance Fest Awards Top Prizes ►🏆 "I was thinking about marginalized people" 🏆 A Thousand and One took the jury prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Meanwhile, Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project nabbed the top prize in the U.S. Documentary Competition section. The story.
—"More than earns its surging emotional payoff." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Christopher Zalla's Radical. Eugenio Derbez stars in the student-teacher drama that snagged Sundance’s Festival Favorite Award. The review.
—"Anchored by the vivacious personality of its subject." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson's Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project. The film about the celebrated poet took Sundance's top documentary prize. The review. |
'1923' Star Brandon Sklenar on Playing Harrison Ford's Nephew ►"He's dug himself into such a hole." Taylor Sheridan's latest Yellowstone prequel, 1923, sold itself with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren but focuses on Brandon Sklenar's Spencer Dutton. THR's Brian Davids interviews the actor about the "hero's journey" ahead for his character and his theories about the Dutton family tree, not to mention his years-ago audition for a younger version of Ford's iconic rebel in Solo. The interview.
—Emergency brake not properly applied. Jeremy Renner was injured while trying to rescue his nephew, and the parking brake on the snowplow may not have been properly applied, according to a police report on the Jan. 1 accident. The report states that as Renner was clearing snow on New Year's Day, the Avengers star was run over by his PistenBully snowplow as he was trying to divert it away from his nephew. The story.
—"The bike kept going." Jay Leno revealed that he's recovering from new injuries unrelated to his November gas fire accident. In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the comedian explained that he was recently knocked off his motorcycle and suffered from varied injuries as a result. The story. |
Netflix Offloads Two Completed Films ►An industry trend continues. Two completed Netflix feature films will no longer be distributed by the streamer, with filmmakers shopping them elsewhere for distribution. THR's Mia Galuppo has the scoop on genre movies The Inheritance and House/Wife. The story.
In other news...
—Alan Cumming returns OBE honor over "toxicity" of the British empire
—Wall Street has cautious outlook on NBCUniversal after Comcast earnings
—The Black Keys, Jason Derulo to perform at NFL TikTok tailgate ahead of Super Bowl
—Nikole Hannah-Jones discusses bringing The 1619 Project to the screen
—How Pamela Anderson's Netflix doc captures her reaction to Pam & Tommy
—Rita Ora confirms that she's married to Taika Waititi
What else we're reading...
—Josef Adalian looks at what Netflix's Bela Bajaria era means for Hollywood [Vulture]
—Katie Cunningham explores why everyone is watching TV with subtitles on [Guardian]
—Kyle Bonagura sits down with Ryan Reynolds to discuss getting asked more about Wrexham than Deadpool these days [ESPN]
—Julia Jacobs examines extreme horror film Infinity Pool and the battle for an R rating [NYT]
—Charles Trepany assesses Disneyland's newest ride, which pays tribute to the company's animation heritage amid its 100th anniversary [USA Today]
Today...
Today's birthdays: Will Poulter (30), Elijah Wood (42), Alan Alda (87), Ariel Winter (25), Maluma (29), Whitney Peak (20), Tom Hopper (38), Matilda Lutz (32), Frank Darabont (64), Tyra Ferrell (61), Angelique Cabral (44), Gillian Vigman (51), Kathryn Morris (54), Ty Olsson (49), Barbi Benton (73), Shruti Haasan (37), John Beck (80), Susan Buckner (70), Alexandra Krosney (35), Susan Howard (79), Joey Fatone (46) |
| | Gregory Allen Howard, Remember the Titans and Harriet writer, has died after a brief illness. The obituary. |
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