| | | | | | What's news: Minions 3 will hit theaters in summer 2027. Hallmark is launching streaming service Hallmark+ in September. Bill Belichick is joining The CW's Inside the NFL. AT&T has suffered a huge hack. — Abid Rahman
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Trump Slams Clooney Over Biden Op-Ed ►"Get out of politics." Donald Trump slammed George Clooney for his devastating New York Times op-ed, which called on Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential election. Trump took to Truth Social to question Clooney's politics as well as his acting career. It’s been suggested by political pundits that Trump probably wants Biden to stay in the race, given post-debate polls show Trump increasing his pre-debate lead. The story.
—"I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump." Joe Biden had his first solo live press conference of the year on Thursday, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. After the disaster of the first presidential debate, and the kinda-OK-but-not-really ABC News interview, Biden had a lot riding on his speech and press conference during NATO's 75th anniversary celebratory event in Washington, DC. THR's James Hibberd blogged the pivotal event that did contain one or two concerning moments. The recap.
—The latest. One mystery has plagued the Rust case from the very beginning: How did a live bullet ever get on a movie set to begin with? THR's Rebecca Keegan reports that at Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial in Santa Fe on Thursday, jurors heard about one theory — and a so-called “good Samaritan” who came forward to investigators in the last few months purporting to have evidence of that theory — from Baldwin’s defense attorney Alex Spiro. The recap.
—Deadline set. Paramount Global’s “go-shop” window, or the period in which the company can evaluate any other takeover offers, ends Aug. 21, according to a securities filing disclosed Thursday. The go-shop period allows a 45-day window for the special committee of Paramount’s Board of Directors to evaluate or seek out better offers. However, if Paramount does not choose to go with the Skydance offer, it will be forced to pay a $400m breakup fee. If a serious bidder emerges, the go-shop period can be extended to Sept. 5, per the filing. The story.
—"1,000 people are about to lose their jobs." Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, the parent company of Redbox, is shuttering as its former CEO fields accusations that he mismanaged the business and failed to pay workers, whose health care benefits have been denied. A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Wednesday said he’d appoint a trustee to probe whether money meant to pay employees were misappropriated. The story.
—🤝 Podcast deal 🤝 Amazon's Wondery has signed a distribution and ad sales deal with Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast. The deal, valued at an estimated $80m, also includes plans to develop two new podcasts, a first look deal for future podcast ideas, plans to host livestreams, and rights to develop and sell Armchair Expert merchandise. The company will also launch video episodes of the podcast. The story.
—Stunning hack. AT&T says that call and text records of “nearly all” of its wireless customers have been obtained by a “threat actor.” AT&T said in a securities filing Friday that the hacker “accessed an AT&T workspace on a third-party cloud platform” back in April. The company notes that the hacked data does not contain the contents of those texts, nor does it contain personally identifiable information like names, dates of birth, or social security numbers. The story. |
Shelley Duvall 1949 - 2024 ►"Too much suffering lately, now she’s free." Shelley Duvall, the saucer-eyed, rail-thin waif who starred in seven films directed by her mentor, Robert Altman, and avoided the ax wielded by an unhinged Jack Nicholson in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, died Thursday. She was 75. Duvall died in her sleep of complications from diabetes at her home in Blanco, Texas. The versatile actress, also memorable in McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Nashville, Popeye and 3 Women, produced TV series for kids as well. The obituary.
—"She leaves us many unforgettable performances." A host of Hollywood notables, including Mia Farrow, Stephen King, Wendell Pierce, Edgar Wright, Vincent D’Onofrio and Malcolm McDowell, took to social media to pay tribute to the late Shelley Duvall. The reaction.
—"Shelley Duvall and me." A journalist and movie star make for an unlikely friendship, as THR senior writer Seth Abramovitch shares his thoughts about profiling the late Shelley Duvall in 2021. The story.
—ICYMI. Here again is Seth's wonderful profile of Shelley Duvall. The profile. |
Muhammad Ali Authorized Scripted Series a Go at Amazon ►"Don’t count the days; make the days count." Following months of negotiations, Amazon Prime Video has handed out a formal series order for The Greatest, a scripted drama about the life of Muhammad Ali. The estate of the former heavyweight champion boxer, who died in June 2016 after a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, has signed on to the series and will executive produce alongside showrunner Ben Watkins, Michael B. Jordan and Josh Wakely. Relative newcomer Jaalen Best will star in the career-making role of Ali. The story.
—Small screen Bayhem. Michael Bay is heading to television. The director, known for his muscular and high-revving big-screen action franchises such as Bad Boys and Transformers, is in talks to direct Barbaric, an acerbic fantasy series based on the best-selling Vault Comics title. Netflix has picked up the bold-faced series package, which it will develop with A+E Studios. Sam Claflin and Patrick Stewart are attached to star in the series, which will be written and exec produced by Sheldon Turner. The story.
—Murderous pickup. Starz has landed the U.S. and Canada rights to British revenge thriller series Sweetpea. The premium cable outlet will air the drama, which stars Fallout's Ella Purnell, later this year. The series is based on a 2017 novel by C.J. Skuse and is about a quiet young woman who develops a taste for murder. Purnell is also an executive producer. The series from See-Saw Films, Fanboy and Sky Studios is also set to air on Sky Atlantic in the U.K. The story. The story. |
All New Feinberg Forecast! ►Almost there! Voting to determine the nominees for the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards concluded at 10 p.m. PST on June 24. Next week, on the morning of July 17, we will learn the full list of nominees. With a slick new look and all new-and-improved charts, THR's awards expert Scott Feinberg offers his penultimate assessment of dozens of Emmy categories. The Feinberg Forecast.
—CW star? Bill Belichick, widely regarded as one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time, is joining the panel for Inside the NFL, which airs on The CW. The weekly highlights-and-analysis show, produced by NFL Films, is set to begin its season on Aug. 30. Belichick will join former NFL players Ryan Clark, Chad Johnson and Chris Long on the show. Inside the NFL will be one of several media gigs for Belichick, he’ll also appear weekly on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show and be part of the “Manningcast” alternate telecast of Monday Night Football on ESPN2. The story.
—Finally! Hallmark is getting fully into the streaming game. The cable outlet known for its annual bounty of Christmas movies and series like When Calls the Heart is planning to launch a streaming service — titled Hallmark+ — in September. The platform will replace the company’s current streaming option, Hallmark Movies Now, and offer a wider menu of programming, including more originals, and benefits for Hallmark’s other businesses including coupons for its retail stores and free gifts. The story.
—"We’ll look at the structure of the deal, we’ll see how it impacts us." Amid Skydance’s $8b takeover of Paramount Global, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked if the deal could impact the league's pact with CBS and trigger a renegotiation. Speaking to CNBC at Allen & Co.’s conference in Sun Valley on Thursday, Goodell addressed the takeover deal and didn't dismiss new talks but reiterated the NFL's commitment to keep its games on free over-the-air TV, and that CBS is a valuable part of that process. The story.
—Can't beat the Regency. With the start of new seasons, both The Boys and House of the Dragon returned to Nielsen’s streaming charts for the week of June 10-16. Neither one could reach the heights of Bridgerton, however, as the Netflix drama zoomed back to the No. 1 overall spot with the release of season three’s second half. Bridgerton amassed 3.47b minutes of viewing for the week — the biggest single-week total for any show so far this year, beating the 3.04b for Fool Me Once in early January. The streaming rankings. |
'Minions 3' Will March Into Theaters in June 2027 ►📅 That didn’t take long 📅 Fresh off the successful box office debut of Despicable Me 4, Illumination and Universal announced plans for Minions 3, which has landed a release date of June 30, 2027. Written by Brian Lynch, Minions 3 will be directed by veteran Despicable Me/Minions helmer Pierre Coffin, who has also provided the voice for the Minions since their film debut in 2010. The story.
—🎭 Word on the street 🎭 Rumer Willis has boarded director Rohit Karn Batra’s gun crisis drama, The Gun on Second Street. The indie, which already stars Poppy Delevingne and Tom Arnold, follows two Pittsburgh police partners and best friends called to an uneventful domestic violence dispute. The Gun on Second Street is produced by Guy J. Louthan of Ransom Films, with Rikin Shah executive producing. The story.
—🤝 Producing deal 🤝 Color Force, the Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson-run banner behind The Hunger Games movies and Crazy Rich Asians, have signed a film producing deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment. Lionsgate recently unveiled plans for a new Hunger Games movie, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, based on franchise writer Suzanne Collins’ just-announced new novel. The story. |
TV Review: 'Exploding Kittens' ►"Intermittently funny, occasionally sweet, rarely fresh." THR's Angie Han reviews Netflix's Exploding Kittens. Inspired by the card game of the same name, the animated comedy series created by Matthew Inman and Shane Kosakowski sees a clash between God and the Devil, both of them sent to Earth in the bodies of cats. The review.
—"The agony and the ecstasy, indie style." THR's Sheri Linden reviews Nicole Riegel's Dandelion. KiKi Layne and Thomas Doherty star in the sophomore feature from the Holler writer-director, that revolves around the creative and romantic sparks between two musicians. The review.
—"Better with the details than the big picture." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Lee Tamahori's The Convert. Guy Pearce stars as a British preacher who finds himself caught up in a violent conflict between two warring Maori tribes in Tamahori's second feature back in his native New Zealand after a long Hollywood hiatus. The review.
—"Escola’s performance is a master class in razor-sharp comic timing, shady double takes and giddy physical comedy." THR's David Rooney reviews Cole Escola's Oh Mary! Escola portrays first lady Mary Todd Lincoln as an alcoholic wannabe cabaret star, with Conrad Ricamora as her long-suffering husband and James Scully as her acting coach in this queer revisionist comedy stage play. The review. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott spoke to Dick Van Dyke. The beloved legend of TV, movies and theater reflects on his journey from small-town Missouri to America's living rooms, how he has faced challenges ranging from alcoholism to outliving almost all of his friends, and why he was so gratified by last December's CBS variety special tribute to him timed to his 98th birthday. 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 Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly. The stars of the Wachowskis’ steamy and stylish first feature Bound reunite to retell the making of a cult classic. Listen here.
In other news...
—First Captain America: Brave New World trailer hands the shield to Anthony Mackie
—Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber are suspected of murder in trailer for Netflix's The Perfect Couple
—Bloodied Demi Moore battles ageism in The Substance body horror trailer
—Shailene Woodley, Betty Gilpin and DeWanda Wise star in Three Women trailer
—Colman Domingo’s Sing Sing to open Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival
—Get Starz, MGM+, Britbox, ViX and more for just 99 cents with these Prime Day streaming deals
—Hot Docs Fest president Marie Nelson exits amid financial turmoil
—India’s $600m wedding: Kardashians, Justin Bieber, Nick Jonas, more A-list stars descend on Mumbai
—Jon Bon Jovi mourns mom Carol Bongiovi
—Bill Klages, pioneering television lighting designer and seven-time Emmy winner, dies at 97
—Amazon Prime Day 2024: The confirmed dates, best early deals to shop right now
What else we're reading...
—Mary McNamara suggests that if the Democrats want Biden to drop out, they should follow Pelosi’s lead, not Clooney’s [LAT]
—Max Tani looks at why Pod Save America, the Democrats’ favorite podcast, turned on Biden [Semafor]
—Jonathan Allen, Natasha Korecki and Carol E. Lee report that Biden insiders say the writing is on the wall as he has no path to victory [NBC News]
—Rita Omokha reports that 10 years on, Michael Brown’s and Eric Garner’s mothers are still fighting for justice for their sons who died due to police violence [Vanity Fair]
—Here's your Friday list: "Beyond the trilogy: The 17 best part-four movies" [Vulture]
Today...
...in 1991, Columbia brought John Singleton’s R-rated drama Boyz n the Hood to theaters, with Ice Cube and Cuba Gooding Jr. featured. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Michelle Rodriguez (46), Rachel Brosnahan (34), Topher Grace (46), Lee Byung-hun (54), Cheryl Ladd (73), Phil Lord (49), Jamey Sheridan (73), Steve Howey (47), Melissa O'Neil (36), Niles Fitch (23), Omid Abtahi (45), Anna Friel (48), Phoebe Tonkin (35), Natalie Martinez (40), Kristen Connolly (44), Mikaela Hoover (40), Alison Wright (48), Bojana Novakovic (43), Mason Alexander Park (29), Cheyenne Jackson (49), Tamsin Greig (58), Lauren Lyle (31), Jessica Barth (44), Mel Harris (68), Brock Ciarlelli (31), Lisa Nicole Carson (55), Woo Do-Hwan (32), Lisa Pelikan (70), Aure Atika (54) |
| Benji Gregory, the former child star known for his role on the 1980s sitcom Alf, has died. He was 46. The obituary. |
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