| | | | | | What's news: Deadpool 3 is eyeing a $350m global opening. Will Smith has signed a new record deal. Ike Perlmutter has sold his entire stake in Disney. Alain Tascan is set to be president of its Netflix Games division. Workers at Disneyland have reached a tentative contract agreement. — Abid Rahman
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Shawn Levy: Hollywood's PG Guy Finds His Edge ►"I passed on a lot of movies that were very obvious Shawn Levy type movies." THR's Borys Kit spoke to filmmaker Shawn Levy about his new film Deadpool & Wolverine. The $2.7b-grossing director behind family-friendly blockbusters like Night at the Museum discusses going R-rated, competing with Paul Rudd and his future with Marvel. Plus: The five secrets of his success. The interview.
—Coming in hot. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that Deadpool 3 is expected to do massive box office numbers after a whirlwind press tour with its top stars. Tracking suggests the film will open between $160m and $175m in North America, a record for an R-rated film, and $180m to $190m internationally, for a global opening of $350m. Some analysts believe that could include crossing $200m domestically, but most box office experts say that might be impossible because of the R-rating. The box office report.
—"It can be done." Kevin Feige has dropped hints that it's possible Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans could come back to the MCU as Iron Man and Captain America, respectively, following Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine for Deadpool 3. In a new interview, the Marvel chief said that thanks to the multiverse, which can have different iterations of the same characters, bringing back stars is possible if “great care is taken” with the superheroes and their storylines. The story. |
How Time Reworked Its Studios Division ►"When you are smaller and more nimble, it allows you to make deals with those key talented people." A year and a half ago, Time Studios had already cemented itself as a cornerstone of the media company’s portfolio. Time CEO Jessica Sibley said at the time that it was bringing in about 25 percent of the company’s revenue, or about $100m annually. Amid a content spending pullback, THR's Alex Weprin writes that the Marc Benioff-owned publisher has merged its branded content division into its in-house production company as it looks to sell film and TV projects to networks and studios. The story.
—Getting jiggy once more. Hot on the heels of his performance at last month’s BET Awards, Will Smith is stepping up his return to music by signing a new record deal. The Grammy-winning rapper and Oscar-winning actor has signed to the indie label Slang, led by music executive Rene McLean, the partner and founding advisor of music and entertainment company Influence Media Partners. Slang's other artists include Grammy-winning producer-songwriter Camper and chart-topping hip-hop producer 30 Roc. The story.
—Done and dusted. Ike Perlmutter has sold his entire stake in Disney after he and activist Nelson Peltz lost a proxy fight. The former Marvel chairman had banded with Peltz to try to win two seats on Disney’s board of directors. Peltz launched his activist campaign in January and nominated himself and Rasulo to be board members of Disney. Perlmutter had pledged his shares to Peltz as part of the proxy battle. The story.
—Big get. Netflix is continuing its push into video games, hiring Alain Tascan to be president of its Netflix Games division. Tascan was most recently executive vp game development at Epic Games, the studio behind the juggernaut Fortnite. At Epic, Tascan has overseen the development of Fortnite, Lego Fortnite, Rocket League and Fall Guys. Before Epic, he founded the Montreal-based studios for both EA and Ubisoft, turning the Canadian city into a video game hub. He succeeds Mike Verdu, who is shifting to a new role at the company in game development. The story.
—Missing estimates. Even with overall video advertising market struggling, YouTube is still seeing its ad business grow. The Alphabet-owned video platform on Tuesday reported ad revenue of $8.7b in Q2 2024, up 13 percent from $7.7b in the Q2 quarter a year ago. That was below Wall Street expectations of $8.9b. Overall revenue for Alphabet was $84.7b, up from $74.6b a year ago. Google search made up the majority of that revenue. The results.
—✊ Strike averted ✊ Workers at Disneyland reached a tentative contract agreement Tuesday, averting the immediate possibility of a strike for 14,000 workers. The workers, which are part of the Master Services Council, had earlier voted to authorize their bargaining unit, Disney Workers Rising, to call for a strike if a contract agreement was not reached. The tentative agreement was reached after two more days of bargaining were set on Monday and Tuesday. The story. |
Netflix's Hastings Backs Harris With $7M Donation ►"After the depressing debate, we are in the game again." Reed Hastings has come out big for Kamala Harris, cutting the vice president’s election campaign a check for $7m. The Netflix co-founder and executive chairman revealed the donation to a Harris-linked super PAC to The Information on Tuesday. He said that it was the largest donation he had ever given to a single candidate. Earlier this month, in the aftermath of Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, Hastings was one of the prominent Hollywood figures who went public with wanting the president step aside. The story.
—Halo. Beyoncé reportedly gave Kamala Harris' campaign her blessing to use her 2016 song "Freedom." According to reports, Harris' team got a last-minute approval from the Grammy winner’s representatives to use the song, which played during a Monday appearance by Harris at the Delaware campaign headquarters of what had been Biden’s reelection effort. "Freedom" is the tenth track on Beyoncé's sixth studio album Lemonade, and famously was performed by the singer and Kendrick Lamar as the opening number at the 2016 BET Awards. The story.
—"The clear choice." The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada has endorsed Kamala Harris. The union’s backing comes after a unanimous vote of the U.S. members of the AFM International Board, and what they see as the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to labor. The New York-based union represents professional instrumental musicians in orchestras, bands, clubs and theater, as well as musicians working on film, television, commercials, and sound recordings. The story. |
Benedict Will Lead 'Bridgerton' S4 ►Dearest gentle reader, it’s official. Bridgerton's fourth season will focus on Benedict, played by Luke Thompson. The Netflix hit show will turn its attention to the second-eldest Bridgerton brother, who is loath to settle down — until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver at his mother’s masquerade ball. The Regency-era drama's third season has just smashed records as one of the streamer's most watched shows, with Luke Newton’s Colin and Nicola Coughlan’s Penelope now passing the baton to Thompson. The story.
—Another record smashed. The WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday drew the contest’s biggest audience ever — by a huge margin. The game, which pitted the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team against WNBA stars not selected for the Paris games, drew 3.44m viewers on ABC — 2m more than the previous high All-Star Game high, set back in 2003. The All-Star Game ranks third among all WNBA telecasts in the league’s 28-year history, behind only the first two nationally televised games in 1997. Viewing peaked at 4.05m in the final minutes of the game. The ratings.
—Evil wins! THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Minor Threats, the hit comic book co-created by actor and comedian Patton Oswalt and screenwriter Jordan Blum, heading to television. Netflix is developing the live-action adaptation, which centers on low-level supervillains. Oswalt and Blum will serve as writers, showrunners and executive producers. Scott Hepburn, the artist who drew and co-created the title, will also exec produce. The story.
—🎭 Filling out 🎭 The third season of AMC's anthology The Terror has filled out is principal cast with some big names. The new additions are Emmy winner Judith Light, CCH Pounder, Chinaza Uche, Hampton Fluker, Aasif Mandvi, John Benjamin Hickey, Stephen Root, Hayward Leach, Michael Aronov, Marin Ireland and Phillip Ettinger. Season three, subtitled Devil in Silver, will star Dan Stevens as a man who’s wrongly committed to a psychiatric hospital and finds himself fighting a supernatural force. The story.
—Anime Idol? Skybound, the comic book and media company founded by The Walking Dead co-creator Robert Kirkman, is on the lookout for the next Hayao Miyazaki. The company is developing a reality competition series in the vein of America’s Next Top Model or American Idol that will focus on the search for the next animation visionary. The venture will be a co-production with DIGA Studios, the banner behind unscripted shows such as Selling the Hamptons, The Flipping El Moussas, Big Trick Energy, and Million Dollar Beach House. The story. |
Film Review: 'Deadpool & Wolverine' ►"Slavish fan service dusted with nostalgia." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Shawn Levy's Deadpool & Wolverine. Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman play the titular superheroes, Emma Corrin plays a powerful adversary and Matthew Macfadyen a shady tech agent in this adrenaline-charged Marvel threequel. The review.
—"Hits its stride around the sixth episode." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Apple TV+'s Time Bandits. Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement and Iain Morris have adapted the 1981 Terry Gilliam cult film into a 10-episode family comedy, featuring Lisa Kudrow in its ensemble. The review.
—"An immersive Pete Rose experience, for better and worse." Dan reviews Mark Monroe's Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose. This HBO four-part doc, featuring J.J. Abrams among its producers, puts the controversial Cincinnati Reds star in the spotlight. The review.
In other news...
—Timothée Chalamet transforms into Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown trailer
—Peter Dinklage, Juliette Lewis clash as cold-blooded killers in The Thicket dark Western trailer
—Peacock’s Fight Night trailer showcases Kevin Hart, all-star cast
—Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga find love, create chaos in Joker 2 trailer
—Bad Monkey trailer: Murder, voodoo and primates in Vince Vaughn’s Apple TV+ mystery
—Hannah Gadsby is bringing stand-up show Woof! to NYC
—Blackpink’s Lisa is Louis Vuitton’s newest house ambassador
—Digital creator, actress Yuri Lamasbella signs with CAA
—Don Buchwald, longtime Hollywood talent agent, dies at 88
What else we're reading...
—Olivia Beavers and Jordain Carney report that House GOP leaders are trying and failing to stop members from making racist comments about Kamala Harris [Politico]
—Em Steck and Andrew Kaczynski report that JD Vance repeatedly indicated in 2016 that he believed Trump had committed sexual assault [CNN]
—Scott Nover believes that "Dark Brandon" never had the meme capital Kamala Harris does right now [Slate]
—Adam Nayman writes that the hype machine for Neon horror movie Longlegs showed there's a fine line between raising expectations and setting the bar impossibly high [Ringer]
—Amanda Mull believes she has the real reason Erewhon is a cult brand [Bloomberg]
Today...
...in 1998, Steven Spielberg brought Saving Private Ryan to theaters, where the film would become a summer hit and go on to win five Oscars. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Jennifer Lopez (55), Rose Byrne (45), Anna Paquin (42), Elisabeth Moss (42), Michelle Buteau (47), Cailee Spaeny (26), Summer Glau (43), Mara Wilson (37), Kristin Chenoweth (56), Emily Bett Rickards (33), Lynda Carter (73), Laura Leighton (56), Julie Graham (59), Daveigh Chase (34), Laura Fraser (49), Penelope Mitchell (33), Megan Park (38), Eliza Butterworth (31), Torrie Wilson (49), Troy Kotsur (56), Gus Van Sant (72), Doug Liman (59), Danny Dyer (47), Chris Sarandon (82), Dan Hedaya (84), Adam Rose (37), Kadeem Hardison (59), David Leon (44), Paul Ben-Victor (59), Robert Hays (77), Christian Keyes (49), Rick Fox (55), Lauren Miller Rogen (43), Eddie Eyre (36), Eric Szmanda (49), Jaboukie Young-White (30), Eugene Mirman (50) |
| John Mayall, the British blues musician whose influential band the Bluesbreakers was a training ground for Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood and many other superstars, has died. He was 90. The obituary. |
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