| | | | What's news: Netflix has landed Adam McKay's next film. Apple has renewed The Morning Show for a fourth season. Actors’ Equity members have approved a new touring contract with the Broadway League. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret bombed at the box office. — Abid Rahman |
WGA Ready to Picket if Deal Isn't Reached ►"Picketing is a key tactic to demonstrate that we are all in this together." The Writers Guild of America told its members Sunday that they should be ready to picket if a new deal isn’t reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers by the May 1 deadline. In an email sent to its members Sunday night, the guild’s negotiating committee also asked the writers to complete a survey on their preferred strike locations and times. The story.
—🤝 New contract agreed 🤝 Members of Actors’ Equity have voted to approve the new touring agreement with the Broadway League. The union, which represents more than 51,000 stage managers and actors, had been negotiating with the League over the new touring contract since mid-January. The new contract will be in effect through Sept. 7, 2026. The story.
—The big pickup. Adam McKay is returning to Netflix with his latest feature film. Titled Average Height, Average Build, the project is being described as part serial killer-thriller, part comedy, that follows a killer who uses political lobbyists to change laws in order to make it easier for him to kill. Actors already attached include Robert Pattinson, who will play the moneyed killer, and Amy Adams as the lobbyist. Robert Downey Jr., Forest Whitaker and Danielle Deadwyler are also in the cast. The story.
—Quick as you like. Apple TV+ has renewed The Morning Show for a fourth season. The early pickup comes several months ahead of season three for the Jennifer Aniston- and Reese Witherspoon-led drama, which is scheduled to premiere in the fall. Season three of the show will see Jon Hamm and Nicole Beharie join the cast. Julianna Marguiles will also reprise her role, and Tig Notaro, Stephen Fry and Natalie Morales will all have recurring parts. The story. |
'Mario' Hits $1B Globally ►Bona fide phenomenon. Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie is checking off another notable milestone. The Nintendo video game adaptation crossed $1b at the worldwide box office sometime on Sunday, its 26th day in release. It becomes only the 10th animated film to achieve the feat, and the first animated movie to do so since before the pandemic.
In North America, Mario's projected weekend gross is $40m from 4,204 theaters for a domestic tally of $490m through Sunday. Its projected weekend overseas haul is $68.3m for a foreign cume of $532.5m.
Elsewhere at the domestic box office, Warner Bros.’ Evil Dead Rise impressed in its sophomore outing of $12.2m from 3,417 locations for a domestic tally of $44.4m. Lionsgate’s new offering Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret opened in third place with an estimated $6.8m from 3,334 cinemas. The critically acclaimed adaptation of the much-loved Judy Blume book had earned an A CinemaScore. The box office report. |
'Succession' Director on Filming That Surprise Cameo ►"I was excited to see Ken face up in the water, even if there are dark clouds on the horizon." THR's resident chat queen Jackie Strause spoke to birthday girl Lorene Scafaria about directing "Living+," the sixth episode of the final season of HBO's Succession. Scafaria discusses Kendall’s win, Roman hitting rock bottom and Shiv and Tom’s semi-rekindling. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"We really defend her, without trying to let her completely off the hook." The ever-busy Jackie also spoke to Love & Death star Elizabeth Olsen and director Lesli Linka Glatter about the recently launched Max limited series about the Candy Montgomery case. The duo talk about their shock to learn that Hulu was moving ahead with their own version of the Montgomery-Gore story and why they didn't reach out to Montgomery. Warning: Spoilers! The review.
—"It’s the final nail in the coffin." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Barry star Sarah Goldberg about season four's fourth episode, "It Takes a Psycho." Goldberg discusses her character Sally Reed's big choice at the midpoint of the HBO series' final season and offers some clarity on that flash-forward. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
CinemaCon 2023 Takeaways ►Theatrical is back, baby! THR's Pamela McClintock, Carolyn Giardina and Aaron Couch team up for a handy recap of the biggest moments from this year's CinemaCon. They write that the annual gathering of Hollywood and theater owners in Las Vegas resembled pre-COVID times — and then some — as studios paraded their upcoming movies. The recap.
—The McConaissance is over. John Oliver gleefully mocked Matthew McConaughey’s recent virtual motivational seminar, titled The Art of Livin’, on Last Week Tonight. McConaughey hosted the free five-hour-plus virtual event April 24 that featured guests including Tony Robbins and Trent Shelton. It turned out to be the launch of a (not-free) “immersive learning experience” that costs between $397 and $497. The recap.
—Banner year. As Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off, Gold House has unveiled this year’s A100, the API leadership coalition’s sixth annual list of the Asian Pacific leaders who have most significantly impacted American culture and society in the last year. Among the honorees this year are Ali Wong, Ke Huy Quan, Sandra Oh and Stephanie Hsu. Michelle Yeoh is also among those being inducted into the A100 Hall of Fame this year. The story. —Do not praise the machine. Birthday boy Wes Anderson must rue the day the masses were able to use A.I. to create tribute content that mimics his signature visual style. The latest piece of Anderson-like content to go viral is a computer-generated trailer for The Galactic Menagerie, a clip that wonders what a Star Wars film would look like if the Rushmore filmmaker had made it. The story. |
Michael J. Fox's Battle With Parkinson's Getting Tougher ►"I'm not going to be 80." Michael J. Fox shared new details about his decades-long battle with Parkinson’s disease. In a new interview, the actor revealed having undergone spinal surgery on a benign tumor and explained that the procedure impacted his walking. He said that this has led him to fall and suffer numerous injuries, including breaking both arms, a hand and facial bones. The story.
—"He needed to take Polaroids of me and then if I did X, Y and Z, I would be the next Marvel character." Boy Meets World star Matthew Lawrence said he believes he was dropped by an agency after refusing to meet the demands of a prominent Hollywood director who asked him to take off his clothes during a hotel room meeting. The actor detailed his experiences on the Brotherly Love Podcast, while talking about the #MeToo movement and the harassment that men and women face in the industry. The story.
—"I lost 35 pounds. I couldn’t eat. I had a feeding tube for six months." Stanley Tucci has opened up about his 2017 oral cancer diagnosis. In a new interview, Tucci confessed that he was "absolutely terrified" when he found out, as his late wife Kath Spath-Tucci had died from breast cancer in 2009. While this was one of the toughest times in his life, Tucci credits two people for helping him get through it all: his second wife, Felicity Blunt, and his Devil Wears Prada co-star and sister-in-law Emily Blunt. The story.
—"I was too young for certain roles. I was at this weird in-between stage." Molly Ringwald has revealed why she turned down the lead role in Pretty Woman. In a new interview, The Breakfast Club star spoke about navigating stardom as a young up-and-coming actress and said that she didn't fancy the role of Vivian Ward that Julia Roberts ultimately made iconic because she "didn’t really like the story," adding that she "felt like there was something icky about it." The story.
—"These generous women were giving me the things that were afforded to them in their contracts." Melanie Lynskey says her Mrs. America co-stars Cate Blanchett and Sarah Paulson helped her negotiate better on-set accommodations for Yellowjackets after they offered up their trailers for her to pump and breastfeed while they were all working on the Hulu limited series. In a new interview, Lynskey opened up about navigating Hollywood, including turning down roles and her career resurgence. The story. |
Willie's 90th Birthday Bash at the Bowl ►Legends assemble. You know you are music royalty when Keith Richards shows up to pay his respects. THR's Seth Abramovitch reports that the Rolling Stones icon was on hand Sunday for the second and final night of Willie Nelson’s epic, 90th birthday concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Woody Harrelson, Helen Mirren, Ethan Hawke were on hand to introduce an all-star lineup of performers that included Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson, Dave Matthews, Beck and Jack Johnson. The story.
In other news...
—Italy’s Far East Film Festival: Malaysian drama Abang Adik sweeps top prizes
—Inside the $25K members-only club that gives access to VIP suites at L.A.’s biggest arenas
—The Karl Lagerfeld Hotel in Macao officially opens in June
—The most exciting city hotels and beach resorts in Thailand
—Where to travel in Vietnam after watching A Tourist’s Guide to Love
—Jock Zonfrillo, chef and MasterChef Australia judge, Dies at 46
What else we're reading...
—Incredible reporting from Khadeeja Safdar and David Benoit on Jeffrey Epstein’s private calendar that reveals meetings with a host of prominent names, including a CIA chief and Noam Chomsky [WSJ]
—Adam Nayman writes that Adrian Lyne’s 1987 erotic thriller Fatal Attraction is a classic because of its flaws—not in spite of them [Ringer]
—Jesse Hassenger argues in favor of theatrical movies with expanded runtimes [Guardian]
—Alex Abramovich profiles Paul Schrader, who discusses his "man in a room" trilogy that is capped by his new film Master Gardener [New Yorker]
—Christi Carras reports that a concertgoer let out a "loud full body orgasm" while the LA Phil was playing Tchaikovsky’s Fifth [LAT]
Today...
...in 1998, Touchstone Pictures unveiled director Spike Lee’s drama He Got Game — featuring Denzel Washington, Ray Allen and Milla Jovovich — in theaters. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Wes Anderson (54), John Woo (77), Lorene Scafaria (45), Nicholas Braun (35), Caitlin Stasey (33), Jamie Dornan (41), James Badge Dale (45), Julie Benz (51), Tim McGraw (56), Joanna Lumley (77), Madeline Brewer (31), Bailey Chase (51), Kerry Bishé (39), Chris Coy (37), Jake Cannavale (28), Sacha Dhawan (39), Violante Placido (47), Darius McCrary (47), Dave Willis (53), Anne Fletcher (57), Charli D'Amelio (19), Cecilia Peck (65), Royston Langdon (51), Uberto Pasolini (66) |
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