| | | | | | What's news: CBS has canceled So Help Me Todd and CSI: Vegas. Disney’s live-action feature adaptation of Space Mountain has found its writers. American Idol alum Mandisa has died at 47. Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter will return for a second season on IFC/AMC+. Netflix will present a sneak peek of the new Wallace & Gromit film at Annecy. — Abid Rahman
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Behind Netflix's Subscriber Shift ►Net-flex. After juicing its subscriber base to 270m with a password-sharing crackdown, THR's Alex Weprin writes that Netflix execs want Wall Street to stop focusing on subs and to look at other metrics, like its revenue, operating income and engagement. The analysis.
—The vagaries of modern Hollywood. When the tech billionaire Jeff Skoll announced the closure of Participant Media, the company behind movies like An Inconvenient Truth and Green Book, THR's Rebecca Keegan and Pamela McClintock report he had been trying to sell the purpose-driven studio for over a year amid changing Hollywood economics: "People knew it would be bad, but no one expected this." The story.
—"To have them disappear is devastating." The sudden end of Participant came as a shock to many in the entertainment industry, but it hit documentary filmmakers particularly hard, with some concerned that backers for serious-minded, issue-driven projects are becoming ever more scarce. THR's Katie Kilkenny spoke to doc makers who reacted to the news of Participant's shuttering and also considered what it means for the future: "With Participant going away, it feels a little bit like the canary in the coal mine." The reaction.
—🤝 Elmo loves deals 🤝 The Sesame Workshop has averted a picket line outside its New York headquarters, as a new contract deal with its unionized writers was reached on Friday night. Sesame Workshop announced the five-year agreement hours before the educational nonprofit’s current labor contract with its writers expired. The story.
—🤝 Another one 🤝 The union representing West Coast costumers has reached a tentative agreement on its craft-specific issues with studios and streamers. IATSE Local 705 struck a provisional deal with the AMPTP on Wednesday, the crew union IATSE announced Friday. Like with other recent IATSE Local tentative deals, the details of the agreement are not yet public and will be communicated with union members once a memorandum of agreement (a more detailed summary of the deal) is drawn up, the union added. The story. |
2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class Set ►Frampton comes alive! The incoming 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class includes superstar acts such as Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton and Kool & the Gang. Lionel Richie and Ryan Seacrest announced the inductees on Sunday during American Idol. The icons will officially be anointed as rock ‘n’ roll royalty on Oct. 19, when the 39th annual induction ceremony takes place at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will stream live on Disney+. The story.
—"A voice of encouragement and truth." American Idol alum Mandisa has died at 47. The Christian singer was found dead in her Nashville home on Thursday, the artist’s rep said in a statement posted on Mandisa’s verified Instagram account. The cause of death is unknown, the rep said, declining to share further details. Mandisa competed on American Idol in 2005, making it to the top nine in the singing competition. She found success after Idol, winning the Grammy for best contemporary Christian music album in 2014. The story.
—"I'm not proud of my behavior." Morgan Wallen addressed his arrest earlier this month for reckless endangerment in Nashville after he allegedly threw a chair off of the roof of Chief’s, a six-story bar owned by fellow country artist Eric Church. The musician took to X on Friday night to make his first public statement after being taken into custody on April 7. "I didn’t feel right publicly checking in until I made amends with some folks," he wrote. The story.
—"We see Shreveport as a beacon of inspiration and creativity." Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has unveiled his G-Unit Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he’ll continue to expand his film and TV projects. The rapper's production empire includes the sprawling Power franchise on Starz as well as films such as Den of Thieves 2: Pantera. On the G-Unit Studios launch date, Jackson was honored with his own celebratory day in Shreveport and presented with a key to the city by Mayor Arceneaux. The story. |
The Luxury Brands That Won 2024 Awards Season ►The power of Taylor, Ryan and Zendaya. Who was the most powerful star on the 2024 awards season red carpet? Which fashion label attracted the greatest amount of attention? These and other questions will be answered in a special webinar set for April 24. “The Red Carpet Power Rankings: The Official Recap” presentation will serve as the wrap-up to the awards season partnership between THR and Launchmetrics and dive into the details of 2024’s buzzy season. The story.
—"She was battered and sexually assaulted." Bianca Censori, the Australian designer and model, was “physically assaulted” last week, according to a rep for her husband, Ye (formerly Kanye West), by a man who Ye then allegedly attacked. According to reports, Ye punched the alleged assailant in the face early Wednesday morning at the famed Chateau Marmont hotel in West Hollywood. Police confirmed to THR that officers had responded to an incident at the 8200 block of Sunset Boulevard at 12:15 a.m. The story.
—"I need to apologize." Mohamed Hadid, the father of models Gigi and Bella Hadid, has apologized after allegedly sending New York Rep. Ritchie Torres racist and homophobic messages via Instagram direct message. On Saturday, the New York Post obtained screenshots sent from Hadid’s verified Instagram account to the representative, in which he allegedly told the congressman that he was a “slave to whites.” The story.
—Damning texts. Ryan Millsap, former CEO and owner of Blackhall Studios, made a name for himself in Atlanta as a film exec who encouraged diversity. But, per a report published by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ProPublica, he may not have been as pro-diversity and inclusion as he appeared. Millsap's texts, mostly from 2019, included comments about “Fucking Black people” and “nasty Jews,” as well as other racist and antisemitic views. The texts were released due to a legal dispute between Millsap and his former attorney. The story. | 'The Office' Follow-Up Sets First Castmembers ►🎭 Becoming more real 🎭 The next iteration of The Office is coming together. Sources tell THR's Lesley Goldberg that the new take on the beloved NBC Steve Carell comedy has cast the first two members of what will be the ensemble comedy with Sabrina Impacciatore (The White Lotus) and Domhnall Gleeson (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) becoming the first two to join the cast of the potential series. Universal Television is producing the updated take from creators Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, although a platform for the project has not yet been determined. The story.
—And here come the cuts. After renewing 11 scripted shows for 2024-25, CBS has made its first cancellations of the spring. The network says second-year dramedy So Help Me Todd and drama CSI: Vegas, which is in its third season, won’t return. The two shows were among just a handful of CBS scripted series whose futures were up in the air. CSI: Vegas is averaging about 6.4m viewers per episode in Nielsen’s seven-day linear ratings, and So Help Me Todd draws about 6.3m. They’re likely to be the two most watched shows to get the ax this season. The story.
—Change incoming. CBS’ FBI will have a new person in charge as it heads into a massive three-season renewal. Rick Eid, who has been showrunner on the series since for all six of its seasons to date, will step down at the end of the season. He’ll remain an executive producer of the show, which comes from Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television in association with CBS Studios. A new showrunner will be named later. Eid is also the showrunner of another Wolf series — NBC’s Law & Order — and will remain at the helm as it heads into its 24th season. The story.
—🏆 Yay us! 🏆 The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the nominees for the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, and THR earned two nominations. Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter — the magazine’s iconic roundtable series, which aired on SundanceTV — earned a nom for best arts and popular culture program. There was also nom for best short form program with Hollywood Atelier: Rob Pickens, conceived by Chris Gardner, which sees the wigmaker meet with regular collaborator Jamie Lee Curtis to consult on a look for an upcoming role. The nominees.
—More good news. THR's Emmy-nominated series Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter will return for a second season. In a partnership with AMC Networks, the second season of the show will premiere May 24, at a new time of 10 p.m. PT/1 a.m. ET, exclusively on IFC and streaming on AMC+. New episodes will continue to premiere every Friday. The new season will consist of five new episodes featuring Emmy contenders, with installments each featuring a different theme: Comedy Actress, Drama Actor, Comedy Actor, Drama Actress and Stand-Up. The story. |
'Civil War' Stays No. 1 With $11M Second Weekend ►Bipartisan love. Alex Garland’s Civil War triumphed over new vampire pic Abigail at the weekend box office. Civil War held in well to stay No. 1 in its second weekend with $11m for a healthy domestic total of $45m for indie studio A24. The film has succeeded in uniting both blue states and red states. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that heading into the weekend, Universal’s Abigail was expected to take a bigger bite out of Civil War, but instead opened to $10.2 million. That’s still a respectable number for a studio film that cost a modest $28m to make before marketing. The box office report.
—Cracking news. Claymation legends Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham will offer stop-motion fans a sneak peek at their upcoming Wallace & Gromit film at this year’s Annecy animation festival. Netflix will also premiere its hotly anticipated series Ultraman Rising at the French animation festival, and screen Blue Eye Samurai and Pokémon Concierge in official competition. The story.
—Escape to Space Mountain. THR scoop-machine Borys Kit has, unsurprisingly, the scoop on Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec, the duo behind Amazon Prime Video's pricey spy series Citadel and showrunners on Netflix’s adaptation of Cowboy Bebop have been tapped to write Disney’s live-action adaptation of Space Mountain. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but Space Mountain is the venerable space-themed indoor roller coaster that was first introduced in Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort in 1975. The story.
—🎭 Filling out 🎭 Marshawn Lynch, Mustafa Shakir, Cam Gigandet, André Eriksen and Lio Tipton will join Ke Huy Quan in With Love for Universal Pictures. Ariana DeBose and Daniel Wu also star in the action film from 87North, the stunt-centric banner behind Nobody, Violent Night and the upcoming feature The Fall Guy. Veteran stunt coordinator and fight coordinator Jonathan Eusebio makes his directorial debut with the action movie. The story.
—"Exactly the type of story we want to champion." THR's second-nicest man Aaron Couch has the scoop on the equally nice young man Elliot Page's Pageboy Productions optioning the rights to the 2021 YA sci-fi novel, The Darkness Outside Us, with hopes to develop a feature. Author Eliot Schrefer’s book is a love story about two young men from enemy countries put aboard a spacecraft on a rescue mission. Along the way, they learn they must work together, and that love may be the key to survival. The story.
—A proposal. The stars of The Blair Witch Project have come together with a public proposal to Lionsgate, after the studio recently announced a partnership with Blumhouse for a reboot of the 1999 horror sensation. Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael Williams wrote in a statement on Saturday that they’re asking Lionsgate for retroactive and future residual payments, “meaningful consultation” on any future Blair Witch projects and an annual $60,000 grant for "an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making their first feature film." The story. |
Radio Silence Talk 'Abigail,' Their 'Scream' Exit ►"It’s just a challenge when you see people that you care about, that love something, dealing with any form of challenge." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Radio Silence, the filmmaking collective of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, about their new film Abigail. The duo discuss working again with Scream collaborator Melissa Barrera, and the tragic passing of Abigail star Angus Cloud, and also offer an update on a Ready or Not sequel. The interview.
—"I’m also excited for everyone to get to go on this alternative reality director’s cut journey." Brian also spoke to Zack Snyder about his new film Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver, which recently debuted on Netflix. The filmmaker reveals that a 12-minute sequence from Rebel Moon 2 was inspired by an idea for his never-made Justice League 2 and talks director's cuts and potential Rebel Moon 3. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I felt that way with Bryan, and I felt that way with Colin." And finally, Brian spoke to Anna Gunn about her new Apple TV+ show, Sugar. Gunn discusses working with "true gent" Colin Farrell before describing her spoiler-free response to Sugar’s highly publicized impending twist. The actress also reflects on the toxic fandom around her Breaking Bad character Skyler White ("we've come a long way since then") and reveals why she never popped up on Better Call Saul. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
'The Jinx' Finally Explains Mystery of Durst Arrest ►"Of course it was going to be confusing to people. Nobody was going to understand." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to The Jinx — Part Two director Andrew Jarecki and executive producer Zac Stuart-Pontier about the concluding part of the HBO true-crime docuseries. The duo offer a play-by-play breakdown of Robert Durst being apprehended in 2015 ahead of the season one finale. The interview.
—"Less shocking, but still effective." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews HBO's The Jinx — Part Two. Jarecki and company follow up their 2015 documentary, which featured a surprise Durst confession, by chronicling the real estate mogul's latest murder trial. The review. |
Theater Review: 'Stereophonic' ►"Stereophonic could be called a workplace drama, a quarrelsome family play or even an extended hangout, as much a vibe as a story." THR's David Rooney reviews David Adjmi’s Stereophonic. Daniel Aukin’s lauded theater production, featuring new songs by Will Butler of Arcade Fire, transfers to Broadway with its gifted ensemble of actor-musicians intact. The review.
In other news...
—Kid Cudi reveals engagement to fashion designer Lola Abecassis Sartore
—The Spice Girls reunite at Victoria Beckham’s 50th birthday party
—Kevin Bacon returns to high school where Footloose was filmed after student campaign
—Meg Bennett, soap opera actress and writer, dies at 75
—Jane Nefeldt, former WGA West exec, dies at 71
What else we're reading...
—Michael R. Gordon, Warren P. Strobel and Gordon Lubold go inside the White House's desperate scramble to avert a full-blown Middle East war [WSJ]
—John Herrman explains why Meta is deploying AI chatbots across its popular apps including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger [Intelligencer]
—With Emmys talk stepping up, Joe Reid wonders who will succeed Succession as the 2024 TV awards season's darling [Vulture]
—In her review of The Tortured Poets Department, Lindsay Zoladz writes that Taylor Swift works with themes and familiar sonic backdrops that generate diminishing returns [NYT]
—Rachel DeSantis does the hard graft and picks out all the Matty Healy references in The Tortured Poets Department, and there seems like a lot [People]
Today...
...in 2016, Roadside Attractions released Tom Tykwer's A Hologram for the King in North American theaters. The dramedy, based on the book by Dave Eggers, was a misfire with critics and audiences. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Jack Nicholson (87), John Waters (78), Sherri Shepherd (57), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (58), Amber Heard (38), Colson Baker (34), Malcolm Barrett (44), Catherine Mary Stewart (65), Michelle Ryan (40), Cassidy Freeman (42), Roman Coppola (59), Violet McGraw (13), Marshawn Lynch (38), Meng'er Zhang (37), Robert Elswit (74), Sheryl Lee (57), Eric Mabius (53), Ryan Stiles (65), Demetrius 'Lil Meech' Flenory (24), Robin Bartlett (73), Amy De Bhrún (40), Zack Gottsagen (39) |
| Lourdes Portillo, the prominent Mexican filmmaker and social activist behind The Devil Never Sleeps and the Oscar-nominated Las Madres – The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, has died. She was 80. The obituary. |
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