| | | | | | What's news: Andrea Arnold's Bird received a 7-minute ovation in Cannes. Kino Lorber has launced a streaming service. Liam Neeson and Sharon Stone have backed Kevin Spacey's return to acting. Marvel series Silk: Spider Society is dead at Amazon. Stephen Curry is producing a basketball comedy feature. Oscar Isaac will voice Jesus Christ in a faith-based animated feature. — Abid Rahman
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Coppola on $120M 'Megalopolis' Budget: "The Money Doesn't Matter" ►THR's team of reporters and reviewers is in Cannes for the 77th edition of the world's greatest film festival. Read our day 4 digital daily here.
—"What is important are the friends. A friend will never let you down. The money may evaporate." The most anticipated press conference of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival took place on Friday, with Francis Ford Coppola fielding questions about his latest work, Megalopolis, which had its premiere the previous evening. The legendary filmmaker arrived in high spirits, stating that hearing applause at the premiere gave him feelings of "relief and joy." The story.
—10 minutes! About that world premiere on Thursday night, Megalopolis was greeted with a 10-minute standing ovation inside Cannes' Grand Lumiere Theatre. Coppola gave a hug to each of his principal stars and threw his hat into the cheering crowd. Coppola, who lost his wife Eleanor last month, eventually interrupted the applause to take a microphone and introduce the members of his family who were with him, including his son, Roman Coppola, and sister, Talia Shire, both of whom worked on the film. The story.
—7 minutes! Andrea Arnold's highly anticipated new film Bird touched down in Cannes on Thursday for an afternoon world premiere at the Grand Lumiere Theatre. And it got a warm reception, including a seven-minute standing ovation. The story.
—#MeToo moment. France’s film producers and actors unions on Friday unanimously approved new measures aimed at preventing gender-based and sexual violence and harassment within the industry. Several French industry associations, including the union of independent producers, the association of independent producers, the union of cinema producers, and the professional union of dramatic artists approved an amendment to their collective agreement which will require mandatory harassment training for producers and enforce the protection of minors on film sets, among other measures. The story.
—New streamer. New York arthouse distributor Kino Lorber is launching a stand-alone streaming service, Kino Film Collection, featuring hundreds of titles from its extensive back catalog, including features from the likes of Yorgos Lanthimos, Jia Zhangke, and Ken Loach. Kino Lorber announced the new service timed to the start of this year’s Cannes. The stand-alone SVOD, available to subscribers for $5.99 a month. The story. |
Did Tyla or Zendaya Win the Met Gala Red Carpet? ►It depends. With a guest list that totaled 400 bold-faced names, the 2024 Met Gala may rank as the best-attended celebrity event so far this year — but who really won the night’s red carpet in terms of brand exposure? THR provides an exclusive reveal of Launchmetrics' findings of which brands and stars earned the most media exposure (in millions) at the Met Gala, with Stray Kids and Maison Margiela among the big winners. The story.
—🏆 The saga continues 🏆 The Drake–Kendrick Lamar showdown will continue — at the 2024 BET Awards. The rappers will compete in two categories at the June 30 show: best male hip-hop artist and best collaboration. In the latter category, Drake is nominated for "Rich Baby Daddy" with SZA and Sexyy Red, while Lamar is nominated for his guest verse on the remix of Beyoncé’s "America Has a Problem." The nominees.
—🏆 Crossover night 🏆 The country music world shared the stage at the 2024 ACM Awards, where Post Malone performed songs from his upcoming country album, Dua Lipa joined Chris Stapleton for a duet, and Avril Lavigne and Noah Kahan partnered with country musicians onstage. But it was Lainey Wilson who was in the spotlight at the two-hour event: She earned the top award — entertainer of the year — continuing her winning streak after collecting the same honor at the CMAs last November and her first Grammy in February. The winners. |
Neeson, Stone Express Support for Spacey's Hollywood Return ►"He is a genius." Liam Neeson and Sharon Stone joined with Stephen Fry and F. Murray Abraham in expressing support for Kevin Spacey's return to Hollywood this week. Their comments come on the heels of newly surfaced allegations of sexual misconduct against Spacey in the recent Spacey Unmasked doc. Spacey has not worked in Hollywood since several men accused him of sexual misconduct beginning in 2017. "Kevin is a good man and a man of character," Neeson told The Telegraph newspaper, adding he was “deeply saddened” to learn of new assault accusations against Spacey. The story.
—"I want to prove that I’m a man of great character." Kevin Spacey spoke to Chris Cuomo in a NewsNation interview on Thursday that marked his first television appearance in years. During the interview, Spacey said he is "so much happier today, living a more authentic and open life." The actor told Cuomo that he is "ready to move forward" and that he blames "fear" for the ongoing push against his return to acting. The story.
—"Paying me for episodes I was forced to leave, does not pay for the retaliation I was met with." Actor Charlyne Yi has detailed the experience of being physically assaulted by a scene partner on the set of the upcoming Apple TV+ adaptation of Time Bandits, which Yi says led to their coercion into quitting the production and subsequent denial of workers’ compensation for a back injury and post-traumatic stress. The actor's claims of repeated assaults and covert narcissistic abuse by a scene partner while filming the upcoming TV series are being countered by an on-set source. The story. |
'Shogun' S2 and S3 in the Works at FX, Hulu ►It’s official! FX and Hulu are prepping not one but two more seasons of breakout drama Shōgun. The Disney-owned companies said Thursday that they are teaming with the estate of author James Clavell to extend Shōgun for two additional seasons. The company noted that both seasons are in development, meaning that a two-season renewal depends on how the creative comes in. A writers room is being assembled and will open in the summer to explore a continuation of Shōgun beyond Clavell’s original novel. The story.
—8 takeaways. Upfronts used to be all about the trailers and the broadcast fall schedules. Now those are largely a thing of the past as the media sector’s presentations to Madison Avenue ad buyers continue to evolve. Following a week of spin and hard sales, THR has eight central takeaways after Netflix, Amazon, NBCUniversal, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, YouTube and Fox made their pitches. The story.
—Dead Society. Amazon’s Marvel drama Silk: Spider Society — from producers Sony Pictures Television — is no longer moving forward at the streamer. Sources say Sony TV, which owns rights to a fraction of the Marvel universe that features more than 900 characters, plans to shop the drama series from former Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang. Kang, who departed her pact with AMC for what sources say is an eight-figure deal with Amazon, remains housed at the streamer and will continue to develop projects for the company. The story.
—Sent from my iphone. Netflix’s Baby Reindeer entered Nielsen's streaming top 10 in mid-April, and given the continued buzz around the series, it’s likely to stay around for a while. The show drew 673m minutes of viewing for the week of April 15-21, according to Nielsen’s latest streaming rankings. That was good for third place among original series and ninth among all titles. Amazon Prime Video's Fallout had a second straight huge week, if not quite as big as its first — it had 2.62b minutes of watch time, off a slight 10 percent from its opening week. The streaming rankings. |
Paramount+ Lands Oct. 7 Doc 'We Will Dance Again' ►"It is a painful story of unfathomable tragedy." Paramount+ has landed We Will Dance Again, a documentary about Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack at the Nova Music Festival. The project from See It Now Studios features new interviews with more than a dozen survivors, who recorded their experience throughout the attack, and exclusive footage. The doc also includes eyewitness accounts from those survivors, as well as footage captured by other victims and Hamas. The story.
—Hollywood playmaker. NBA star Stephen Curry has netted a new scripted project. Curry’s producing banner Unanimous Media and David Henrie's Cedar Hill are developing the basketball-focused comedy feature Trick Shot. The film centers on a middle school student who is dismal at basketball until a freak accident occurs, and he suddenly can’t miss a shot. A director has yet to be attached to the film that has a script from Jay Longino, whose previous writing credits include Uncle Drew (2018) and Skiptrace (2016). The story.
—📅 Dated 📅 The revival of I Know What You Did Last Summer is appropriately set to hit theaters in the dead of summer. Sony announced Thursday that its new film with the same name as the original 1997 slasher flick is set for theatrical release domestically on July 18, 2025. Also scheduled for release on July 18, 2025, is Paramount’s Naked Gun reboot from director Akiva Schaffer that features Liam Neeson as bumbling detective Frank Drebin. The story.
—📅 Also dated 📅 Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 has received an official release date in theaters — Dec. 5, 2025. The move was among a handful of key additions and changes Universal and Blumhouse made to their 2025 theatrical calendar, including pushing back the release of M3GAN 2.0 by a month, from May 16 to June 27. The Black Phone 2 is also on the move, now opening on Oct. 17, 2025. Blumhouse’s horror-thriller The Woman in the Yard will open on March 28, 2025, followed quickly by Platinum Dunes/Blumhouse’s thriller Drop on April 22, 2025. The story.
—Jesus found. Oscar Isaac has signed on to portray Jesus Christ in The King of Kings, the animated family film being made by the South Korea's Mofac Animation. Forest Whitaker has also been tapped to voice the apostle Peter. The duo join a growing A-list voice cast that includes Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, and Jojo Rabbit actor Roman Griffin Davis. The faith-based feature is very loosely inspired by The Life of Our Lord, a little-known Charles Dickens short story that was published posthumously and that depicted the life and times of Jesus. The story. |
Film Review: 'Megalopolis' ►"A folly that's not without a certain fascination." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Francis Ford Coppola's Cannes competition entry Megalopolis. Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza and Shia LaBeouf star in an epic reimagining of the Roman Empire in modern-day New York City on the brink of ruin. The review.
—"Flies high." THR's Lesley Felperin reviews Andrea Arnold's Cannes competition entry Bird. Newcomer Nykiya Adams co-stars as a 12-year-old trying to protect her younger siblings and herself from domestic violence in working-class England, also starring Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski. The review.
—"Decks the halls with warm, weird and trippy." THR's Sheri Linden reviews Tyler Taormina's Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point. A large Italian American family gathers for its annual winter celebration in Taormina’s sophomore feature, whose ensemble includes Michael Cera, Maria Dizzia, Ben Shenkman and Francesca Scorsese. The review.
—"Slender but powerful." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Rúnar Rúnarsson's When the Light Breaks. The Icelandic feature, which opened Un Certain Regard at Cannes, chronicles a day in the life of young adults dealing with an unexpected loss. The review.
—"An offbeat winner." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Jared Hess and Lynn Wang's Thelma the Unicorn. The movie is based on Aaron Blabey's children's book, and features a vocal cast including Will Forte, Brittany Howard, Fred Armisen and Jon Heder. The review.
—"Turns one wild story into two mediocre stories." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Apple TV+'s The Big Cigar. A team of white Hollywood producers fabricate a movie to help Black Panther co-founder Huey Newton escape to Cuba in this six-parter starring André Holland, Tiffany Boone, Alessandro Nivola, Marc Menchaca and P.J. Byrne. The review. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—TV's Top 5. THR's Lesley Goldberg and Dan Fienberg break down the latest TV news. This week's episode begins with the headlines, including news on Will Ferrell, Anthony Mackie, Seth Meyers, The Other Black Girl and Not Dead Yet . There are three whole segments dedicated to upfronts: one on the streamers, one on the legacy media giants, and finally, one on pro sports making big plays this week. And in Critic's Corner, Dan reviews Apple's The Big Cigar , Amazon's Outer Range, Netflix's Bridgerton and Peacock’s docuseries on the 1990s New York Yankees. Listen here.
—Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this live episode, Scott spoke to Emma Corrin. The British actor best known for their award-winning portrayal of Princess Diana in Netflix's The Crown reflects on their path to that career-making role, their gender journey and their acclaimed portrayal of a Gen Z amateur detective on FX series, A Murder at the End of the World. Listen here.
—It Happened in Hollywood. THR senior writer Seth Abramovitch goes behind the scenes of the pop culture moments that shaped Hollywood history. In this episode, Seth spoke to Tom Tykwer. The German filmmaker joins Seth to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Run Lola Run, his genre-bending sleeper hit that captivated the world in 1999. Listen here.
In other news...
—Halle Berry battles evil spirit in Never Let Go horror-thriller trailer
—Milo Yiannopoulos resigns as Yeezy chief of staff amid Ye porn plans
—Paul McCartney becomes first U.K. billionaire musician
—Tony Leung named jury president at Tokyo Film Festival
—UTA promotes 24 staffers to partner
—Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour kicks off in October: Where to buy sold-out tickets
—Roger Federer and JW Anderson’s new Uniqlo collection will ace your off-court style
—St. Regis Punta Mita unveils beachfront villas and redesigned rooms following $45m renovation
—Darren Dutchyshen, longtime Canadian TV sports anchor, dies at 57
What else we're reading...
—William E. Ketchum III writes that Drake and Kendrick Lamar's feud will come to define all future hip-hop battles [Bloomberg]
—Jesse Hassenger looks at how Planet of the Apes became Hollywood’s most resilient franchise [Guardian]
—Kate Christobek and Jesse McKinley have the five big takeaways from a grueling day of cross-examination for Michael Cohen at Trump's New York trial [NYT]
—Natalie Jarvey and Joy Press go inside Disney’s hunt to replace Bob Iger as CEO [VF]
—Here's your Friday list: "All Planet of the Apes movies, ranked" [THR]
Today...
...in 2013, IFC Films released Noah Baumbach's dramedy Frances Ha in theaters. The film, co-written and starring Greta Gerwig, was a huge critical and commercial hit. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Trent Reznor (59), Lena Waithe (40), Craig Ferguson (62), Sasha Alexander (51), Paige Turco (59), Hannah Dodd (29), Nikki Reed (36), Erin Richards (🏴38), Hill Harper (58), Corey Johnson (63), Tahj Mowry (38), Karrueche Tran (36), Rochelle Aytes (48), Leven Rambin (34), David Eigenberg (60), Sophie McShera (39), Kat Foster (46), Gabriel Hogan (51), Natalie Brown (51), Lyne Renée (45), Sendhil Ramamurthy (50), Ross Butler (34), Ginger Gonzaga (41), Olivia Luccardi (35), Cynda Williams (58), Elizabeth Hanks (42), John Paul Tremblay (56), T.J. Lowther (38), Kandi Burruss (48), Peter Gerety (84) |
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