Can television have its own New Hollywood moment?
Much like when movies such as Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, Rosemary’s Baby and Easy Rider took the late 1960s by storm, a group of writers and directors are now hoping that their own independent TV projects can break through and find their way to the small screen amidst the current Hollywood contraction.
After a number of web series such as Issa Rae’s The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl, Broad City and High Maintenance were turned into TV series over the past decade, writers and directors hoped that this would lead to more.
Now a new generation of creators hopes that cost-conscious companies will pay more attention to their projects.
This charge is being led by Mark Duplass, who started out making independent films such as The Puffy Chair before creating series such as HBO comedy Togetherness and anthology series Room 104 and then starring in Apple TV+’s The Morning Show. >>>Kit Williamson, Too |
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BAFTA Boss Speaks - This Sunday’s BAFTA TV Awards will “celebrate and remember the power of storytelling” at a “challenging” time for the industry, according to the new chair of the 77-year-old body. Speaking exclusively to Deadline in the days leading up to the London ceremony, Sara Putt, who replaced Krishnendu Majumdar last year, said the awards will partly act as a tonic against the bad times. >>> Interview
Sony-Paramount Blueprint - Deadline has confirmed that a combined Sony and Paramount studio, which would be created if Sony and Apollo gain favor in merger discussions with Paramount's board and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, would keep theatrical release output steady on both sides of the merged entity. Earlier Wednsday, the New York Times had reported that Sony and Apollo would look to auction off CBS, linear channels like MTV as well as the Paramount+ streaming service. >>> Skydance Comparisons
Peter Morgan's Next Project - Peter Morgan's next collaboration with Netflix is likely to be a film adaptation of his stage play Patriots rather than more of The Crown, according to sources close to the writer. Patriots chronicles the rise of billionaire Boris Berezovsky and the deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin. >>>Not Fully Greenlit
Athletic Competition - Phil Keoghan, host of The Amazing Race and Tough As Nails, is plotting another unscripted competition series for CBS. Keoghan is working on an elite physical competition series, which is understood to be in the early stages of development at the network. >>>The Toughest Wins 'Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes' Review - Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes moves hundreds of years into the future and, with that brilliant idea it proves, without a doubt, that there is still life in this 56-year-old franchise with plenty room to grow. >>>Pete Hammond's Take
Mommy Influencers Movie - Amazon MGM Studios has optioned film rights to Elizabeth Rose Quinn’s unpublished novel Follow Me, with Adele Lim in negotiations to write and direct. Follow Me is a dark thriller described as Heathers meets The Stepford Wives at a mommy influencer retreat in Northern California. >>>New Shingle's First Project
In Brief - Rebecca Hall to direct & star in Four Days Like Sunday... Prince William & Kate Middleton won't attend BAFTA TV Awards... Ben Stiller signs with WME... Linden Productions lands rights to Alice Sadie Celine |
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QUOTABLE
“Phony” - Kristen Stewart describing Hollywood's self satisfaction after backing a few female filmmakers |
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Donald Glover and Maya Erskine are forces to be reckoned with together in Prime Video's Mr. and Mrs. Smith. But when they have to face off against each other, things really heat up.
The Season 1 ending left the mystery of whether John and Jane survive and find some sort of happily ever after for themselves (whatever that looks like), or whether they died, open-ended. Glover shared what it would take for the story to continue.
“We don’t know but it really depends on whether or not we win an Emmy,” joked Glover. “If we win, we kind of have to do something, right?” >>>Watch The Interview |
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Exclusive
Fox Corp.’s free, ad-supported streaming service Tubi has greenlighted The Z-Suite, a comedy series starring and executive produced by Lauren Graham (Parenthood).
Exclusive
There is one final addition to Ryan Coogler's supernatural thriller for Warner Bros. starring Michael B. Jordan: BMF's Christian Robinson.
Exclusive
Patrick Fischler (American Fiction) & Julian Black Antelope (Prey) have been tapped for recurring roles in NCIS: Origins, CBS’ prequel to the venerable procedural.
Exclusive
Matthew Del Negro (City on a Hill) is joining Season 3 of Mayor of Kingstown. Del Negro will play Will Breen, a charming, seemingly good natured corrections officer at the Kingstown Women’s Prison.
In Brief - Gail Bean, Bertram Williams Jr & Thomas Q. Jones upped to P-Valley series regulars |
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More News
🧙 The first of two new Lord of the Rings films at Warner Bros. — working title Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum — will be directed by and star Andy Serkis, with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens set to write the screenplay, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. The film is slated to arrive in theaters in 2026.
📉 Warner Bros. Discovery announced a new Lord of the Rings film project during its first-quarter earnings call. The reveal was a strategic effort to counter the generally downbeat narrative in the quarter, when results fell short of Wall Street forecasts.
🤼♂️ Endeavor Group Holdings saw an uptick in revenue in the first quarter due to last fall's WWE-UFC deal, but most of its divisions posted a decline in results compared with the prior-year period.
🖥️ Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are breaking ground in streaming with a bundled offering featuring Disney+, Hulu and Max. The companies are aiming to launch the bundle this summer.
⚖️ Alec Baldwin is again attempting to get a judge to dismiss the charges stemming from the fatal 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of Rust. “Because the State does not even allege that Baldwin was aware of any level of risk (let alone a substantial risk) that the gun was loaded with live ammunition, he is innocent as a matter of law,” his filing states.
🧪 AGBO, the Russo Brothers' media company, has launched an innovation department, expanding its physical and virtual production capabilities under the guidance of a seasoned executive team.
🥊 TKO Group Holdings posted better-than-anticipated revenue but saw a March antitrust settlement with UFC fighters squeeze its bottom line. Revenue of $629.7 million came in ahead of Wall Street analysts’ expectations.
🏗️ New Jersey's state economic development authority has approved a partnership with a $1+ billion studio complex including 23 sound stages set to rise in the Bergen Point neighborhood of Bayonne. |
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Obituaries
🕯️ Steve Albini, a singer and guitarist best known for producing some of the most groundbreaking and influential albums of the alt-rock genre, died of a heart attack at his Chicago recording studio Electrical Audio. He was 61. 🕯️ Sean Viator, a dancer and choreographer who performed on TV shows American Idol and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga on Netflix, died May 3 at 31, his family announced. 🕯️ Media & Hollywood Deaths Gallery |
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On the Radar
Fri - AMC Networks earnings
Sat - Maya Rudolph hosts SNL
Mon - Upfronts begin in New York
Tue - Cannes begins; Caitlin Clark makes WNBA debut
Wed - Furiosa premieres in Cannes; Bob Iger Q&A at MoffettNathanson conference |
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"A New Territory" - After Deadline broke the news of Travis Kelce's first major acting job, a role in Ryan Murphy‘s high-profile new FX horror series Grotesquerie, Kelce posted a video on this IG stories from the set. “Guys, guess who I am working with on Grotesquerie,” co-star Niecy Nash-Betts says to the camera before Kelce joins her and says, “Coming into a new territory. With Niecy!” |
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