| | | | | | What's news: Pras is suing Lauryn Hill over a recent Fugees tour. CAA has acquired Hanold Associates. Sir Charles Barkley is launching a production company. Todd Phillips is done with the Joker franchise. Sterlin Harjo's next project has landed at FX. MGM+ has renewed Billy the Kid for a third and final season. — Abid Rahman
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Diddy to Face Lawsuits From 120 Additional Accusers ►Flood of new allegations. A series of lawsuits from 120 accusers who’ll bring claims against Sean Combs for sexual assault and sex trafficking are expected to be filed. Tony Buzbee, a lawyer for the accusers, said on Tuesday that he represents several men and women who accuse Combs of sex crimes dating back to 1991. Many of them say they were raped after being drugged, he added, before saying that “many people trying to break into the industry were coerced into this type of conduct under the promise of becoming a star.” During a press conference, Buzbee said that companies and individuals who were allegedly aware of and profited off of turning a blind eye to Combs’ misconduct will be named in the litigation. The story.
—Fugees at war. Lauryn Hill has been sued for fraud and breach of contract by Fugees bandmate Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, who alleges he was cheated out of his fair share of profits from the group’s tour last year. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, Michel accuses Hill of illicitly taking a 40 percent cut of the tour’s proceeds “off the top” before splitting the rest. The complaint was filed as Hill and Wyclef Jean moved forward with plans for a European tour after their run of shows in North America was canceled days before it was supposed to start due to poor ticket sales. It details a contentious split between Hill and Michel, who won’t be joining his bandmates. The story.
—What's that Chuck? Charles Barkley is launching a new production venture with big plans to get into the scripted, documentary, and live programming space. The former NBA star and current TNT Sports analyst will launch Round Mound Media in partnership with EverWonder Studio, with backing from Jeff Zucker’s RedBird IMI. Barkley’s longtime manager Marc Perman will be president of Round Mound in addition to leading his management company. TNT Sports will have a first-look deal with Round Mound, with Barkley recently reaffirming his commitment to stay with the company as an on-air commentator, regardless of what happens to its NBA rights. The story. |
Disney Reorg: ABC Signature Folded Into 20th TV ►Layoffs incoming. Disney’s TV units are undergoing a major reorganization. The media giant announced Tuesday that it will shutter its ABC Signature studio, combining its operations with 20th Television. Additionally, the comedy and drama development teams at Hulu and ABC are merging. Karey Burke, president of 20th TV, will continue to lead the combined studio. Simran Sethi has been upped to president scripted programming for Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment and will head development efforts. The reorganization will also result in about 30 layoffs, Disney says. The story.
—Big shift. In a major change to its business strategy, CNN has officially launched a paywall on CNN.com, the beginning of a “long-term” effort to build a sustainable digital subscription offering. CNN executive vp digital products and services Alex MacCallum announced the paywall in a memo to staff Tuesday. "The vast majority of the 150m users who visit CNN.com every month will continue to enjoy the same experience as they do today. Only after users consume a certain number of free articles will they be prompted to subscribe," MacCallum wrote. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 As it looks to bolster its executive search business, Creative Artists Agency has acquired a boutique firm that has specialized in helping clients recruit C-suite candidates in human resources and diversity, equity and inclusion roles. CAA said Tuesday it had bought the Chicago-based firm Hanold Associates, led by co-founders Neela Seenandan and Jason Hanold, and will bring over its 20 employees into its executive search division. The story. |
Vance and Walz Get Serious but Stay (Mostly) Civil in VP Debate ►"They weren’t there to really attack each other, but rather the candidates at the top of the tickets." THR critic Frank Scheck writes that "one thing became painfully clear during the debate between vice presidential candidates J.D. Vance and Tim Walz: Donald Trump has ruined our expectations of political debates forever." Frank adds that the Ohio senator offered more polish, but the Minnesota governor eventually delivered more depth in the first and only such meeting of the VP candidates. The review.
—Running scared. With no more presidential debates on the horizon, 60 Minutes announced plans to air a special telecast that initially had agreements for separate sit-downs with both presidential candidates. But now only one is scheduled to show. According to CBS News, Donald Trump first agreed to an interview with Scott Pelley — after which Kamala Harris said yes to doing the same with correspondent Bill Whitaker. Trump, however, has since backed out. His campaign decided not to participate after all, something Pelley plans to address during the telecast. The story. |
John Amos 1939 - 2024 ►"He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold." John Amos, the TV writer turned Emmy-nominated actor who starred as the stoic father on Good Times before he was fired from the landmark sitcom for objecting to stereotypes and admittedly letting his temper get the best of him, has died. He was 84. Amos died Aug. 21 in Los Angeles of natural causes, his son, K.C. Amos, announced. The New Jersey native received his Emmy nom for portraying Toby, the older version of Kunta Kinte, on the acclaimed 1977 ABC miniseries Roots, and he had a recurring role as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on NBC’s West Wing. The obituary.
—"There is some semblance of peace in knowing my father is finally free." John Amos‘ daughter Shannon has revealed she learned about her father’s death through the media. “We are devastated and left with many questions about how this happened 45 days ago, learning about it through the media like so many of you,” Shannon Amos wrote in a caption to a post on her official Instagram account. Amos' children were locked in a bitter battle over their father's care and legacy before his death. The story.
—Prolific producer. Sam Strangis, the Emmy-nominated producer, director and studio executive who worked on Batman, The Six Million Dollar Man and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation during his five-decade career, has died. He was 95. As head of production at Paramount Studios starting in the late 1960s, Strangis guided such memorable series as Mannix, The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Brady Bunch, Love, American Style and Mission: Impossible. The obituary.
—Unsung hero. Robert Watts, the British producer and production manager who collaborated with George Lucas on the first three Star Wars films and the first three Indiana Jones movies, has died. He was 86. Watts also worked alongside Steven Spielberg on the Spielberg-produced Who Framed Roger Rabbit and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. The obituary. |
Daniel Day-Lewis Comes Out of Retirement for 'Anemone' ►🎭 Return of the king 🎭 Daniel Day-Lewis is making his return to feature acting with his son at the helm. Day-Lewis is set to star in the film Anemone from first-time director Ronan Day-Lewis. Hailing from Focus Features and Plan B, the movie marks Daniel Day-Lewis’ first acting role since 2017’s Phantom Thread, which the Oscar-winning performer had said would be his final project before retiring. The father and son duo co-wrote the script that explores family bonds, specifically those involving fathers, sons and brothers. Sean Bean, Samantha Morton, Samuel Bottomley and Safia Oakley-Green round out the cast. The story.
—🎭 Meet cute incoming 🎭 Madelyn Cline, the star of Outer Banks, and KJ Apa, best known for starring in Riverdale, are set to topline The Map That Leads to You, a romantic drama set up at Amazon MGM Studios. Lasse Hallström, the Swedish filmmaker behind weepie Dear John as well as What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, is directing the love story, which adapts the novel of the same name by J. P. Monninger. Les Bohem and Vera Herbert wrote the script. Sofia Wylie, Madison Thompson, Orlando Norman and Josh Lucas are also in the cast. The story.
—📅 Dated 📅 The seventh installment of Scream is officially on Paramount’s release calendar. Returning franchise star Neve Campbell and director Kevin Williamson announced Tuesday on social media that Scream VII will hit theaters on Feb. 27, 2026. Campbell all but rescued the revived franchise from extinction earlier this year when announcing she would return to the world of Scream after sitting out Scream VI over a salary dispute with producer Spyglass. Scream VII underwent a creative overhaul following last year’s high-profile firing of star Melissa Barrera, exit of Jenna Ortega and director Christopher Landon. The story.
—Quick as you like. THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on We Live in Time filmmaker John Crowley signing on to direct Five, a psychological thriller currently in development at TriStar Pictures. While plot details are scant, the project is described as a two-hander and is said to center on a recent widow who becomes obsessed with the actress of a one-woman show. Adam McKay, Kevin Messick and Betsy Koch are producing the feature via their Hyperobject Industries. The project reunites the producers with Seth Reiss, the co-writer of the production banner’s 2022 dark thriller The Menu. The story.
—"My time in the DC universe was these two films." THR's Kirsten Chuba had a candid chat with Joker: Folie à Deux filmmaker Todd Phillips at the film's premiere in Los Angeles on Monday. Phillips reiterated he's keen to move on from the Joker franchise he co-created. The story. |
Nicole Scherzinger's 'Sunset Boulevard' Makes Big Broadway Entrance ►The hype is real. There was a new top ticket on Broadway last week, as Sunset Boulevard, starring Nicole Scherzinger, began previews. The musical revival, which has been reimagined by director Jamie Lloyd, only played one performance at the St. James Theatre last week, on Sept. 28, but brought in $304,934 and played to capacity. The show commanded an average ticket price of $187.42, the highest in the industry for the week. Transferring from London, the production has drawn buzz for the blood-soaked image of the Pussycat Dolls star onstage and a live performance shot outside the theater during the course of the show. The musical is set to open Oct. 23. The story.
—Crossing the Atlantic. West End musical Operation Mincemeat is transferring to Broadway this winter. The production, which won the 2024 Olivier Award for best new musical, will open on Broadway at the Golden Theatre, with previews starting Feb. 15, 2025 and an opening night on March 20. The WWII musical is described as "equal parts farce, thriller, and Ian Fleming-style spy caper." Operation Mincemeat is written by the comedy group SpitLip, featuring David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts. The show is directed by Robert Hastie and choreographed by Jenny Arnold. The story.
—📅 Turning the taps off 📅 Water for Elephants has set its closing date on Broadway and will take its last bow on Dec. 8. The stage adaptation of Sara Gruen's book was nominated for a Tony for best musical and also received nods for best book of a musical, scenic design of a musical, costume design of a musical, lighting design of a musical best direction of a musical and best choreography. Water for Elephants opened on Broadway on March 21 and will begin its national tour in Baltimore in the fall of 2025. The story. |
Sterlin Harjo's 'Reservation Dogs' Follow-Up Lands FX Series Order ►Next up. Reservation Dogs co-creator and showrunner Sterlin Harjo has his next series at FX. The Disney-owned outlet has placed a series order for a drama starring Ethan Hawke (who guest-starred on the final season of Reservation Dogs). The untitled series, formerly known as The Sensitive Kind, is set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is said to have a film noir vibe centering on Hawke’s character, a “guy who knows too much.” Other details are being kept quiet for now. The story.
—"I have no idea where this goes, but you never know, maybe NBC will put it on at three in the morning." THR's Lacey Rose reports that Michael Che has been pulling double duty, shuttling between Saturday Night Live, where he’s now celebrating 10 years as a “Weekend Update” anchor, and Manhattan’s City Winery, where he’s workshopping a new late night show. Don’t Sleep with Michael Che is his working title, mostly, he says, because he gets a kick out of the turn of phrase. As for everything else, Che is still sorting it out. The story.
—One last ride. MGM+ has renewed Michael Hirst's Western period drama Billy the Kid for an eight-episode third and final season. The renewal comes just over three months after the end of season two. The first season of Billy the Kid debuted on MGM+, then called Epix, in April, 2022. The series stars The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes star Tom Blyth as the titular Billy the Kid, aka William H. Bonney, and deals with famed outlaw’s rise from his humble Irish roots to his early days as a cowboy and gunslinger in the American frontier to his pivotal role in the Lincoln County War and beyond. The story.
—🎭 Skating anthology 🎭 Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk and Jackass star Steve-O have boarded Sk8 or Die: The Lee Ralph Story, a new scripted series on the life of the New Zealand skateboarder who reached the peak of the sport in the 1980s before abruptly vanishing from the scene. F9's Vinnie Bennett will star as Lee Ralph, with Oscar-nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes as Lee’s sister and life-long partner in crime, Kim Ralph. The show, which is currently in active development, is conceived as a biographical anthology series akin to Ryan Murphy’s Monster, which each new season exploring the life of another skating legend. The story. |
TV Review: 'The Franchise' ►"Occasionally clever, rarely super." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews The Franchise. Aya Cash, Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Darren Goldstein, Isaac Powell, Richard E. Grant and Daniel Brühl star in this comedy produced by Armando Iannucci and Sam Mendes, set behind the scenes of a big-budget comic book adaptation. The review.
In other news...
—Amazon Prime Video’s new releases coming in October
—Henry Winkler, Michael Imperioli bring chills to American Horror Stories trailer
—Nicholas Hoult faces stunning realization in Clint Eastwood’s Juror No. 2 trailer
—Apple’s Before trailer puts Billy Crystal in a dark place
—Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson set rules for risky affair in Babygirl trailer
—Blumhouse giving away trip to Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 premiere
—Ireland boosts local film and tv production with new tax incentive
—AFI Fest sets full lineup, adding September 5 and Zurawski v Texas
—Taylor Lorenz exits Washington Post to launch User Mag on Substack
—Rob Finnerty to take over 8 p.m. hour on Newsmax
—Frank Fritz, co-host of American Pickers, dies at 60
What else we're reading...
—Rich Juzwiak writes that 2024 has seen a renaissance in camp horror with films like The Substance, Longlegs, The Front Room and especially Trap [Slate]
—Facing unfair backlash from left and right, Chappell Roan got too famous too fast, writes Nate Jones [Vulture]
—Katelyn Polantz reports New York mag writer Olivia Nuzzi is accusing ex-fiance Ryan Lizza of orchestrating blackmail campaign amid RFK relationship [CNN]
—August Brown talks to a sex trafficking expert who analyzes the allegations against Sean Combs [LAT]
—With cannabis becoming mainstream, upmarket and chic, Erin Somers pines for the regular old stoner days [NYT]
Today...
...in 1992, Buena Vista released The Mighty Ducks, an underdog story about a powerhouse lawyer who’s sentenced to community service and ordered to coach an inept youth hockey team. The film was panned by critics but a success with its young target audience. It also remains the only film ever to have a professional sports franchise named after it. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Sting (73), Lorraine Bracco (70), Avery Brooks (76), Terence Winter (64), Kelly Ripa (54), Trace Lysette (43), Tiffany (53), Angelyne (74), Joe Walker (61), Adrienne Acevedo Lovette (42), Camilla Belle (38), Brianna Brown (45), Efren Ramirez (51), Maribel Verdú (54), Lucy Cohu (56), Natasha Little (55), Ambika Mod (29), Jeff Bennett (62), Samantha Barks (34), Joey Slotnick (56), Jamie Neumann (43), Michelle Krusiec (50), Akira Akbar (18), Robin Riker (72), Elizabeth McLaughlin (31), Jeffrey Weissman (66), Wyatt Nash (36), Brittany Howard (36), Jonathan Torrens (52), Brendan Meyer (30), Charlie Adler (68), Catherine Kellner (54), Arta Dobroshi (44), Tara Lynne Barr (31), Nick Gomez (46), Lindsey Stoddart (50) |
| Ken Page, the Broadway veteran who provided the voice of the ghastly villain Oogie Boogie in the Tim Burton-produced The Nightmare Before Christmas, has died. He was 70. The obituary. |
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