| | | | What's news: CNN's omnishambles Trump town hall scored bumper ratings. The CW has canceled Kung Fu and The Winchesters. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is tracking for a $70m to $80m domestic opening. Monica Belluci is in talks to star in Beetlejuice 2. Peacock will stream all Paris 2024 events live. — Abid Rahman |
How Much Can a Director Change a Script During the Strike? ►Guilds at odds. As the writers strike rages on and writer-directors are facing tough choices about which work they will or will not do, the Directors Guild of America has issued some new guidance on members’ rights and responsibilities when it comes to minor or incidental script changes. THR's Katie Kilkenny reports that the Writers Guild of America has banned scribes from performing these so-called "(a) through (h)" services — but things get complicated when it comes to writer-directors. The story.
—"There needs to be more of us." For THR, Brande Victorian looks into what underrepresented writers are saying is really at stake during the strike. For many on the picket lines, fighting for better pay and work conditions will keep diverse writers in the room — and their perspectives on the screen. The story.
—"Definitive and unvarnished examination." Musk, celebrated documentarian Alex Gibney’s film about Elon Musk, has landed at HBO Documentary Films in North America. The doc will take a forensic look at the life and career of the headline-making CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter. No release date has been confirmed. The story.
—A boon for advertisers? Staying with Musk, the eccentric billionaire has pledged to step down as CEO of Twitter and veteran ad exec Linda Yaccarino is in talks to take the top job at the social media giant. In a dramatic shakeup just days before the TV upfronts, NBCUniversal said that Yaccarino, its longtime head of ad sales, will depart the company effective immediately. The story.
—All in. NBC is betting big on broadcast TV and its Peacock streaming service for its 2024 Paris Olympics coverage. NBCU said Thursday that it planned to stream all 2024 Olympics events live on Peacock next year, a first for the summer games. In addition, the company says that it will air at least nine hours of coverage during the daytime hours, including live coverage of the finals for key events like gymnastics, swimming, and track and field. The story. |
Ava DuVernay, Warner Bros. TV End Overall Deal ►Moving on. Ava DuVernay and Warner Bros. Television are parting ways. Sources tell THR's Lesley Goldberg that DuVernay has opted to end her overall deal with the studio following the conclusion of her five-year deal. The rich pact officially ends May 31 and its conclusion has nothing to do with the strike, according to sources. Insiders say the writer-director-producer is expected to focus more on her current film slate. It’s unclear if she will set up shop with a TV deal elsewhere. The story.
—"Blackwashing isn’t a thing." Adele James, who plays the titular role in Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra docuseries, has addressed the controversy around the project after the Egyptian government criticized the portrayal of the country’s ruler as dark-skinned. Speaking on a podcast, the British actress said she finds it "sad that people are either so self-loathing or so threatened by Blackness that they feel the need to do that, to separate Egypt from the rest of the continent." The story.
—Gutted. The CW has canceled two more series as network owner Nextstar continues to whittle down its roster of scripted shows. Kung Fu and Supernatural prequel The Winchesters — both produced by Warner Bros. TV, one of The CW’s former owners — won’t return to the network in 2023-24. The CW has yet to make a decision on All American: Homecoming, Superman & Lois and Gotham Knights. The story.
—Staying in the Ramsey business. Fox has renewed Next Level Chef for two more seasons, which will take the Gordon Ramsay-led cooking competition show through season four. The renewal comes just ahead of the show’s season finale Thursday night. The pickup continues Fox’s long-standing partnership with Ramsay, which also includes the long-running Hell’s Kitchen and Masterchef and the upcoming Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars. The story. |
Anderson Cooper Addresses Trump Town Hall Debacle ►"You have every right to be outraged." With CNN facing a storm of criticism for its handling of a town hall event with Donald Trump, the network’s star anchor Anderson Cooper addressed the backlash on air on Thursday night. Cooper conceded for the most part the event was a disaster for CNN. However, the anchor's attempts to spin and deflect the widespread criticism the cable news network has faced in the last 24 hours led to further scrutiny on social media. The story.
—"America was served very well." CNN CEO Chris Licht, aware of the backlash and social media furor, addressed the reaction on a Thursday morning editorial call, audio of which THR's Alex Weprin obtained. Licht defended "rock star" Kaitlan Collins who moderated the town hall and emphasized the event was newsworthy as Trump is the GOP frontrunner. The story.
—Was it worth it? Final same-day ratings for the Trump town hall on CNN have it averaging 3.31m on-air viewers, with another 100,000 streaming the event for a cross-platform total of 3.41m. The TV audience for the event was the news network's largest in primetime since at least July 21, 2022, when it drew 3.18m viewers for the final televised hearing of the Jan. 6 committee. It was about four times larger than the usual tune-in for Anderson Cooper 360 in the 8 p.m. hour. The ratings. |
'Across the Spider-Verse' Tracking for Huge Opening ►The excitement builds. Sony Animation’s highly anticipated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is looking in great shape, according to early box office tracking. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that the sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse should enjoy a domestic debut of $70m to $80m over the June 2-4 weekend. In 2018, Into the Spider-Verse opened to $35.6m domestically on its way to becoming a box office sensation and topping out at $384.2m worldwide. The box office report.
—Prime Beef. Netflix’s Beef displaced The Night Agent as the top overall streaming title for the week of April 10-16. The dramedy starring Ali Wong and Steven Yeun drew 1.59b minutes of viewing time for the week, up 65 percent from its premiere week. The streaming rankings.
—🎭 Two-hander 🎭 Oscar nominees Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds are teaming up for Midwinter Break, the debut feature of British theater director Polly Findlay. Adapted from the novel by Bernard MacLaverty and written by Nick Payne, the feature follows Stella and Gerry, a long-time married couple who reach a crossroads in their relationship when they take a trip to Amsterdam. The story.
—🎭 Goth queen 🎭 THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Monica Bellucci entering negotiations to join the cast of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice 2. Jenna Ortega is leading the cast with Michael Keaton reprising his role as the obnoxious ghost. Winona Ryder is also back, playing Ortega’s mother. Catherine O’Hara is also among the returnees, while Justin Theroux is a newcomer to the proceedings. The story. |
'Love & Death': Elizabeth Olsen on Playing Candy ►"She’s trying desperately to hold onto the thing that she built." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to Elizabeth Olsen about the Max true-crime limited series Love & Death. Olsen opens about what drew her to playing Candy Montgomery in the TV retelling of the infamous murder case, where she lands on some of the lingering questions and how the experience in this role has impacted her Marvel aspirations. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"It smacks them back into reality." Jackie's back with more chat, this time she spoke to Yellowjackets breakout Sophie Nélisse about that harrowing birth episode. Nélisse opens up about the physical demands of filming the episode, "Qui", unpacks how the trauma manifests in Melanie Lynskey’s adult Shauna and explains why this will rock the young Yellowjackets to their core. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—TMI. Priyanka Chopra Jonas revealed one of the first moments that Nick Jonas ever set eyes on her. During her appearance on Thursday’s episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, the Citadel star recalled winning the Miss World pageant in 2000 and said that Jonas' family confirmed that young Nick (age 7) saw the actress scoop the big prize. The story.
—"I didn’t have enough Instagram followers at the time." Elle Fanning is opening up about the pressure in Hollywood to join large franchise films. In a new podcast interview, Fanning said she doesn’t feel the need to do projects for such brands as Marvel, DC and Star Wars for success in the industry, but also revealed she previously auditioned for a role in a larger franchise, which she did not name, but didn’t get the part because of her social media presence. The story.
—"If you can save one person’s life who was in my situation, then it’s worth it." Dolph Lundgren says he was diagnosed with kidney cancer eight years ago, and that he was at one point told by a doctor he only had two to three years to live. In a new interview, the Aquaman star said he was first diagnosed in 2015 after doctors in L.A. found a cancerous tumor in his kidney. Lundgren says he’s opening up about it now to help raise awareness. The story. |
Film Review: 'The Mother' ►"Elevated trash." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Niki Caro's The Mother. Jennifer Lopez, Joseph Fiennes, Omari Hardwick, Gael García Bernal and Lucy Paez star in this study of the maternal instinct under fire as a tough assassin emerges from hiding to protect her daughter. The review.
—"A squandered opportunity." THR's Angie Han reviews Netflix's Mulligan. The survivors of an alien attack attempt to rebuild human society while improving on past mistakes in an animated comedy by Tina Fey and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Robert Carlock and Sam Means. The review.
—"Stand by Me in space." THR film critic Frank Scheck reviews Kyle Patrick Alvarez's Crater. Kid Cudi and Isaiah Russell-Bailey star in this Disney+ sci-fi feature about a group of teenagers undertaking an ambitious lunar journey. 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 is another writers strike special. The main event is a 45-minute chat with WGA negotiating committee co-chair Chris Keyser. The week's headlines are discussed, including the end of Yellowstone and the proposed integration of Hulu and Disney+. Also, Dan offers his reviews of Muppets Mayhem, The Great, City on Fire and more. 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 Sheryl Lee Ralph. The Abbott Elementary star reflects on her Tony-nominated turn in the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls, why she almost walked away from showbiz after leaving the hit TV show Moesha and the fateful series of events that led to her meeting Quinta Brunson. 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 Terry Gilliam. The cult filmmaker and former Python opens about the making of his 1985 dystopic sci-fi film Brazil. Listen here.
—Behind the Screen. THR's tech editor Carolyn Giardina's podcast focuses on the filmmaking crafts. In this episode Carolyn spoke to Stephane Ceretti. The VFX supervisor on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 remembers the “very emotional” final day of shooting with the cast, crew and director James Gunn. Listen here.
In other news...
—Netflix’s new releases coming in May 2023
—Sydney Sweeney faces consequences as a whistleblower Reality Winner in Reality trailer
—Outlander S7 trailer sees Sam Heughan and Caitríona Balfe facing the noose
—Lauren Cohan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan battle zombies in Walking Dead: Dead City trailer
—Vanderpump Rules reunion trailer shows Ariana Madix take aim at Tom and Raquel
—Sundance sets dates for 2024 festival
—Spike Lee and Gersh announce inaugural Spike Fellows
—Paris Jackson signs with CAA
—Adidas plans to resell remaining Yeezy sneakers
—Brad Pitt is launching a new gin with a famed French winemaker
—Javier Bardem to receive San Sebastián Film Fest lifetime honor
What else we're reading...
—E. Jean Carroll reveals to Benjamin Weiser, Lola Fadulu and Kate Christobek that she may sue Trump for a third time after that town hall [NYT]
—Paul Farhi and Jeremy Barr talk to insiders at CNN, where leadership is under fire from staffers furious over the Trump town hall [WaPo]
—Kevin Fallon talked to Charlie Day about his decade in the making directorial debut Fool's Paradise [Daily Beast]
—Incredible Connie Wang story — with great photos — on how she discovered she was part of a generation of Asian American woman who were named after CBS News anchor Connie Chung [NYT]
—Here's your Friday list: "The Cure’s 50 best songs, ranked" [Ringer]
Today...
...in 1995, Buena Vista unveiled its war thriller Crimson Tide in theaters. The film, starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman, went on to gross $157m globally during its run. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Nathan Fielder (40), Rhea Seehorn (51), Rami Malek (42), Domhnall Gleeson (40), Ving Rhames (64), Gabriel Byrne (73), Jason Biggs (45), Stephen Baldwin (57), Kim Fields (54), Malin Akerman (45), Emilio Estevez (61), Samantha Mathis (53), Emily VanCamp (37), Emily Beecham (39), Deborah Kara Unger (57), Odeya Rush (26), Bruce Boxleitner (73), Mackenzie Astin (50), Jennifer Hetrick (65), Clare Bowen (39), Kim Greist (65), Aaron Yoo (44), Rachel Wilson (46), Natalie Paul (37), April Grace (61), Gavin Hood (60), Bruce McCulloch (62) |
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