| | | | What's news: James Gorman and Jeremy Darroch will join the Disney board next year. The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan has died. NBC has renewed Found and The Irrational. MGM+ has renewed Godfather of Harlem. CBS' Bob Hearts Abishola will end with season five. Lionsgate has acquired the rights to Stephen King's The Long Walk. — Abid Rahman
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THR's 2023 Power Showrunners ►Hollywood's 50-ish most influential writer-producers. Two months after the WGA strike’s conclusion, TV’s most successful bosses sound off to THR's Mikey O'Connell and Lesley Goldberg on the state of their medium — “Once in a generation, a work meteorite hits this town” — and anoint the next series due for a Suits bump. The list.
—Trial begins. Jonathan Majors appeared in New York Criminal court Wednesday for the start of his trial on misdemeanor assault and harassment charges. The actor walked into the Manhattan courtroom holding hands with his girlfriend, Meagan Good, wearing a gray suit and carrying several items, including a brown mug and a Bible. The charges stem from an alleged domestic violence incident on March 25. He faces charges of misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment and harassment with a potential sentence is up to a year in jail. The story.
—New faces. Disney is beefing up its board of directors by adding Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman and former Sky CEO Sir Jeremy Darroch, who will join in early 2024. The company cited Gorman’s experience with Morgan Stanley’s acquisition of E-Trade in 2020 to note that the exec will “provide key perspectives as Disney leverages technology to advance its strategy.” And Darroch’s work transitioning Sky from linear TV to multi-platform was touted in relation to Disney’s own efforts to grow its streaming business. The story.
—"I was trying to think of a way to thank you." Taylor Swift surprised fans on Wednesday by dropping “You’re Losing Me (From The Vault)” to celebrate being Spotify’s Global Top Artist in 2023. The singer told fans the honor was "truly the best birthday/holiday gift you could’ve given me." The story.
—"I am blessed beyond words to have met him." Shane MacGowan, the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band The Pogues, who mashed up Irish folk music with raw rock, has died. He was 65. A statement from MacGowan’s family said he died after a long illness. The hard-drinking MacGowan penned the dark holiday classic "Fairytale of New York" and was the subject of Julien Temple's Johnny Depp-produced 2020 documentary Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan. The obituary. |
Musk Tells Advertisers Leaving X: "Go F*** Yourself" ►How to win friends and influence people. X owner Elon Musk says that the current advertiser boycott could "kill the company" and added that those companies, and in particular Disney, that have pulled ads should "go f*** themselves." Musk was interviewed by Andrew Ross Sorkin on Wednesday afternoon at the New York Times Dealbook Summit, and the talk proved to be a slow motion car crash that will rank alongside Prince Andrew's infamous Newsnight interview. The story.
—"I’ve tried hard to conduct my own postmortem, just so that we as a company don’t do it again." Disney CEO Bob Iger says that he is focused on not repeating the same succession mistake he made last time. At the Dealbook Summit, Iger said the board’s current succession process "is robust right now," adding that he will "definitely" be stepping aside in 2026 when his contract is up. Iger also addressed why Disney pulled ads from X. The story.
—"It’s a very scary time, but it's also an exciting time because of what’s possible." Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav says his company is now “in a position to really attack for growth” over the next year, with its finances stabilizing and the entertainment industry moving forward after the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Speaking at the Dealbook Summit, Zaslav added that the “generational disruption” that is impacting the industry “requires more aggressive, tougher, faster, decisions.” The story.
—"Our late summer is almost completely booked up for 2025." Imax CEO Richard Gelfond says major studios making high profile changes to their movie release slates after the resolution of the Hollywood actors strike means 2025 will be a very good year for his global big screen network. Speaking at a conference, Gelfond said that 2025 will see the latest from the Top Gun and Superman franchises and Avatar 3 also roll out on Imax screens. The story. |
'Found' and 'The Irrational' Renewed at NBC ►Coming back. NBC has renewed Found and The Irrational for second seasons. Both dramas were developed off-cycle at NBC and thus had a full complement of episodes in the can before the double strikes. The two series have also performed solidly for NBC: The Irrational is averaging 6.34m viewers per episode after seven days of linear viewing, while Found clocks in at 5.18m viewers (not including streaming for either show). They are also the top two broadcast series of the season so far among Black viewers. The story.
—Broadcast without Chuck? CBS on Wednesday announced that its Chuck Lorre-produced comedy Bob Hearts Abishola will end with its upcoming fifth season, with the series finale set for May 13. The comedy starring Billy Gardell and Folake Olowofoyeku joins fellow Lorre-produced series Young Sheldon in coming to a close in 2024. With the conclusion of both shows next year, broadcast comedy kingpin Lorre will have gone from having a two-hour block of four shows on CBS to zero on broadcast. The story.
—Crown jewel. MGM+, formerly known as Epix, has handed out a fourth-season renewal to Godfather of Harlem, the drama series starring and exec produced by Forest Whitaker. Production on the 10-episode fourth season will begin next year in New York. Godfather of Harlem is one of the cable network and streaming service’s top performing scripted originals and the No. 1 acquisition driver for subscribers on the platform. The story.
—🤝 Multi-year deal 🤝 Fresh off its blockbuster acquisition of Bellator, the Professional Fighters League has inked a new multi-year deal with its U.S. broadcast partner ESPN. The deal will see the PFL’s regular season, playoffs and world championship run on both ESPN’s linear networks and on ESPN+. PFL also plans to launch the PFL PPV Super Fight Division in 2024, and ESPN+ PPV will become the exclusive home for the premium fights, which will feature fighters like Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul. The story.
—🤝 Seven-year deal 🤝 NASCAR has finalized a seven-year deal for its Cup Series with four media companies. Fox Sports and NBC Sports will continue to carry the majority of the 38 annual races, but NASCAR is also adding Amazon’s Prime Video and Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT to the mix. The new deal is worth $7.7b across its seven-year span, a 40 percent increase over the current agreement. It’s set to begin in 2025 and runs through 2031. The story. |
It's a Scary Time for the 'Scream' Franchise ►Time for another reboot? After losing franchise stalwart Neve Campbell over a salary dispute for this year’s Scream VI, the shock firing of Melissa Barrera and exit of Jenna Ortega last week from Scream VII has capped a horrifying few months for Scream producers Spyglass. THR's Borys Kit looks at whether all the recent tumult will result in a further delay for the seventh entry in the long-running slasher franchise. The analysis.
—Let's go! Borys and THR's resident scallywag Ryan Gajewski have the scoop on Lionsgate picking up the rights to Stephen King's 1979 dystopian novel The Long Walk. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes helmer Francis Lawrence in final talks to direct. JT Mollner will pen the script. New Line was previously developing the project with director André Øvredal and a script from James Vanderbilt before the rights lapsed in the summer of 2022. The story.
—Young Donald. Sebastian Stan is set to portray a young Donald Trump in a movie from Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi. The Apprentice began principal photography this week and features an ensemble cast that includes Jeremy Strong and Maria Bakalova. The film focuses on Trump as he builds his real estate business in New York City in the 1970s and ’80s. Abbasi (Holy Spider) is directing from a script by Gabriel Sherman, whose biography of Fox News founder Roger Ailes was the basis for Showtime’s 2019 miniseries The Loudest Voice. The story.
—Snapped up. Saban Films has nabbed the U.S. rights to Michael Keaton’s Knox Goes Away thriller, which also stars Al Pacino, James Marsden and Marcia Gay Harden. Saban is eyeing a 2024 first quarter theatrical release. Keaton directs and stars in the neo-noir thriller as John Knox, a contract killer with a rapid onset of dementia who is offered the chance to redeem himself by saving the life of the adult son played by Marsden with whom he had been estranged. The story. |
Drescher for President? Top Dem Consultants Weigh In ►"She has an amazing ability to have people smile while wielding power. That’s a rare talent." After it was suggested that SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher could succeed with loftier political goals, THR's Gary Baum asked a pair of political operatives about her chances. The story.
—"I’m not done with living. I’m not done with loving. I’m not done with creating." Shannen Doherty has revealed that her stage 4 breast cancer has spread to her bones. In a new interview, the Beverly Hills 90210 star opened up about her ongoing health battle and explained how she wants to keep pushing ahead during her treatment. The story.
—Heading to trial. A legal battle between comic creator Robert Kirkman and an artist who says he was tricked into abandoning his copyright to Invincible is headed to trial, with a federal judge narrowing the scope of the case but allowing key claims to move forward. William Crabtree accused Kirkman of duping him into signing a contract that characterized his contributions as a "work-for-hire," leaving him with no ownership stake in the series. The story.
—"We have found a path forward." Canada has struck a deal with Google to pay local publishers for news snippets shared or repurposed on its local platform. The agreement for Google to make an annual payment of $100m follows Canada passing into law Bill C-18, also known as the Online News Act, to compel U.S. digital giants to negotiate commercial licensing deals with Canadian publishers for their local platforms. The story. |
TV Review: 'Obliterated' ►"Only sometimes ignites, but the premise is a blast." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Netflix's Obliterated. In this action-comedy, the creators of Cobra Kai offer up a series about a special ops team battling inebriation and arms dealers in Las Vegas. The review.
—"The devil must have made them do it." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Brock Heasley's The Shift. Neal McDonough plays the Devil, here known as "The Benefactor," in this religious-themed sci-fi thriller from Angel Studios (Sound of Freedom and The Chosen). The review.
—"Innocuously sweet and entirely forgettable." THR's Angie Han reviews McG's Family Switch. Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms play parents who switch bodies with their teen children right before Christmas in this Netflix movie. The review. In other news...
—Ted series trailer: Ted the Bear and John try to survive high school in ’90s-set prequel
—Emma Stone reveals the secret to her success in SNL promo
—TV ratings: Thanksgiving week brings a bounty of viewers for the NFL
—The Promised Land, Society of the Snow top EFA Excellence Awards
—Jeffrey Wright to receive career achievement award at Palm Springs Film Fest
—CAA power agent Risa Gertner to retire
—Hayden Christensen signs with Independent Artist Group
—Mark Shelmerdine, producer who revived London Films, dies at 78
What else we're reading...
—Rob LeDonne goes behind the scenes of Spotify Wrapped, the music streamer's annual snapshot of what users consume that has become like an "election night" for the company [Guardian]
—Madison Vain profiles Lenny Kravitz and in amongst the fascinating revelations, the rocker offers his frank thoughts on the "appalling" racism of Jann Wenner [Esquire]
—Matt Singer looks into the odd recent trend of trailers for musicals hiding the fact that they are, in fact, musicals [Screen Crush]
—After missteps with Next Goal Wins and Thor 4, as well as some far too candid public comments, Miles Surrey writes that Taika Waititi fatigue has set in [Ringer]
—Heidi Lux makes an impassioned plea for people to lay off Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith [Eater]
Today...
...in 2012, Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly was released in theaters. The gritty neo-noir, starring Brad Pitt, premiered in Cannes earlier in the year and was a hit with critics. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Ridley Scott (86), Terrence Malick (80), Henry Selick (71), Emmanuel Lubezki (59), Kaley Cuoco (38), Ben Stiller (58), Mandy Patinkin (71), Gael García Bernal (45), Hiam Abbass (63), Deborra-Lee Furness (68), Adelaide Clemens (34), Robert Kirkman (45), Chrissy Teigen (38), Elisha Cuthbert (41), David Howard Thornton (44), Jessalyn Gilsig (52), Michelle Burke (53), Diego Klattenhoff (44), Perrey Reeves (53), Stephen Campbell Moore (44), Richard Brake (🏴59), Kristin Dattilo (53), Colin Mochrie (66), Jordan Belfi (45), Chris Weitz (54), Billy Lush (42), Gia Crovatin (38), Andrew Tiernan (58) |
| Frances Sternhagen, the versatile actress whose half-century on Broadway included two Tony Awards, seven nominations and memorable roles in Equus, On Golden Pond and The Heiress, has died. She was 93. The obituary. |
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