What's news: The Paramount-WBD cannot be completed until Aug. 18 at the earliest. A legal fight has broken out over Chadwick Boseman's estate. The Morning Show will end with S5. Paramount+ unveiled Avatar: Seven Havens at Comic-Con. And the final season of The Bear saw a steep fall off in streaming viewers. — Abid Rahman
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Venice Chief Alberto Barbera on Hollywood's Festival Retreat |
►"We do know that all the studios are re-thinking their marketing strategies." Artistic Director Alberto Barbera unveiled the lineup for the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on Thursday, and, as ever, there is no shortage of auteur firepower headed for the Lido. In a wide ranging conversation, THR's Scott Roxborough spoke to Barbera about the lineup, explaining why Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial is missing and the “desperate” lack of women in competition. Barbera also addressed the recent conspicuous absence of Hollywood studios at the major festivals, and whether AI-made films may have a future on the circuit. The interview.
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L.A. Filming Levels Tumble |
►Not great. The expansion to California’s film and TV tax credit program hasn’t notably curbed lethargic production levels in Los Angeles, at least not yet. L.A. saw a nearly 13 percent drop in shoot days from April to June compared to the same period last year and an 8 percent drop compared to the previous quarter, according to the latest report from permitting office FilmLA issued on Thursday. Production in the region trails the five-year average by about 36 percent. So far, 170 projects have been awarded tax credits under the newest iteration of the program. These productions comprise a growing portion of shoot days in L.A., with 33 percent of all production for features coming from titles receiving subsidies. The story.
—Getting expensive. Paramount won’t be able to close its $111b takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery until Aug. 18 at the earliest, with the court extending the temporary restraining order another 14 days. U.S. District Judge Araceli MartĆnez-OlguĆn issued the extension to allow lawyers for the studio and the states looking to block the deal to come to an agreement on the schedule and format for legal proceedings on a preliminary injunction, which would freeze the transaction until the case is decided if granted. The ticking fee in the deal contract would result in a $6.9m per day penalty if the transaction isn’t closed by Sept. 30. The story.
—Exit plan. Casey Wasserman may soon be no longer on The Team. After being pressured to set up an auction for his Westwood-based firm that drew interest from United Talent Agency, Patrick Whitesell’s upstart shingle WIN and other suitors, the sale of his company may not go to any outside party. Puck reports that Wasserman is in talks to sell his stake in the company to private equity firm Providence Equity Partners. Providence had already taken a major stake in Wasserman in November 2022, so a buyout of the company’s founder would keep the firm in the same strategic hands it had been in for the past several years. The story.
—Raking it in. Adam Aron, the CEO of AMC Theatres, saw his pay rise nearly 30 percent year-over-year as he navigates the exhibitor through a box office rollercoaster. Aron received $14.97m in total compensation for 2025. That’s up from $11.3m in 2024 but below the levels that the executive had been paid in the company’s post-memestock years of 2022 and 2023 ($23.7m and $25.4m, respectively). The 71-year-old exec is in his tenth year of running AMC, which boasts 860 theater locations globally. Of his 2025 pay, $1.55m was base pay, $7.38m was from stock awards while $6m came from the company’s non-equity incentive plan. The story.
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Boseman Estate Battle Breaks Out |
►Family feud. A legal fight has broken out over the administration of Chadwick Boseman‘s roughly $3.8m estate, with his parents looking to remove his widow from her role overseeing its assets. Boseman’s parents, Leroy and Carolyn, accuse Simone Ledward Boseman of violating a court order mandating the distribution of funds and mismanaging the company that holds Chadwick’s rights and prior works. The petition filed in California state court asks to hold her in contempt and issue an injunction barring her from exercising unilateral control over estate property. The story.
—Shocking death. Mary Kate Golding, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel set decorator, has died after being found stabbed. She was 34. Golding was found dead on Tuesday in her apartment in Astoria, Queens, having suffered a stab wound on her back, an NYPD spokesperson told People. Police were called to her residence after midnight and at roughly 6:39 a.m. they responded to a call of “an unconscious person in the vicinity of Astoria Park South and Shore Boulevard.” That person was Golding’s husband, Joseph Azzaretto, with the police believing the deaths were a "possible murder-suicide." The story.
—Guilty plea. Scandal-plagued musician Chris Brown has pleaded guilty to affray following a confrontation at a London nightclub in 2023. The BBC reported on Friday that Brown, 37, entered his plea at Southwark Crown Court in a hearing that took less than five minutes. The incident took place in a nightclub in Mayfair, an upscale area of London. Brown was joined by a co-defendant, his vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu, who also performs under the name of Hoody Baby. The story.
—Lovely touch. Ahead of the release of the anticipated Anthony Bourdain movie Tony, A24 has set a series of free advance screenings for hospitality and food service workers. In partnership with OpenTable and Square, the screenings are set up for servers, dishwashers, line cooks, maĆ®tre d’s and beyond. Dubbed “Industry Night,” the advance screenings will take place on Aug. 3 in 25 cities, from Austin to Phoenix to Philadelphia, with each screening hosted by a local chef. Staff from across OpenTable and Square’s restaurant network, as well as front-and-back-of-house workers from other local restaurants, will be invited. The story.
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Ford Celebrates Fox at THR's Social Impact Summit |
►"The most stubborn optimist I know." In a rare moment away from the usual glitz and glam of the entertainment industry, THR celebrated some superstars who are using their platforms to give back to those in need at its Social Impact Summit. The event, put on by THR and the Social Impact Fund, honored John Mayer, Stephen and Ayesha Curry and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for their charitable efforts, tied to the magazine’s annual Philanthropy Issue. Gilead Sciences Inc. presented the afternoon of awards and conversation, with Delta Air Lines, Perlman + Perlman, Macy’s, Good360, Charitybuzz, CARE, Peroni and La Crema also serving as sponsors. The recap.
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'The Morning Show' to End With S5
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►The end is nigh. The Morning Show has set its final broadcast. The already renewed fifth season will be the last for the hit Emmy-winning series when it returns in 2027, Apple TV announced on Thursday. The media drama starring and executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston was renewed back in September 2025, just hours before season four premiered. Now months later, the star-studded creative team is revealing that they went into making season five knowing it would be the end of the show. The season five release date will be announced at a later date. The story.
—Long distance relationships. More from Apple, with the streamer revealing details for its first-ever dating series. The eight-episode documentary show pairs together couples who appear to be opposites, who are then shipped off to one of the world’s most romantic and remote destinations to see if they can connect. Fittingly, the series is called The Last Person on Earth. The couples are chosen by bestselling author and couples therapist Esther Perel, along with a team of matchmakers and therapists. The story.
—š Industrial strength casting. š Zosia Mamet has been tapped to join the cast of HBO and BBC’s buzzy hit Industry. The former Girls regular is slated to play Carmen Dame, a fitness influencer turned wellness tech founder and CEO in the show’s fifth and final season. Created by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, the critically acclaimed Industry was renewed for season five earlier this year ahead of its season four finale. Production on season five is set to begin the first week of August in the U.K. The story.
—Ready to talk. ESPN+ is set to debut a new interview series that will include such guests as John Cena and Marshawn Lynch. Hailing from Andscape, The Trade With Kelley L. Carter premieres July 29 on ESPN Unlimited and ESPN+. Carter, an Emmy-winning journalist, will host and executive produce the digital series featuring conversations that center on the intersection between sports and culture. The story.
—Ending with a whimper. The final season of The Bear has the restaurant’s crew dealing with, among many other things, flooding in the basement. The show itself also suffered from a deluge in its premiere week. The Bear recorded 587m minutes of viewing time for the week of June 22-28; the final season premiered June 25. That was down 36 percent from season four’s premiere week (917m minutes) last year. An unusually busy week of TV for late June, with six other streaming titles topping the billion-minute mark, plus the World Cup dominating linear TV, may be partly to blame for the decline. The streaming rankings.
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Paramount+ Unwraps New 'Avatar' Series at Comic-Con
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►š
Not long now. š
The first new series set in the (animated) world of Avatar: The Last Airbender in more than a decade has a premiere date. Paramount+ will debut Avatar: Seven Havens on Oct. 9. The news came during a Comic-Con panel devoted to the feature film Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, which premieres this weekend. Seven Havens, from Avatar creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is set well after the events of sequel series The Legend of Korra. Seven Havens scored a series order in February 2025. It will premiere 21-plus years after the debut of The Last Airbender. The story.
—š
By Zeus' beard! š
Percy Jackson’s next quest will begin in the fall. Disney+ announced a Nov. 20 premiere date for season three of Percy Jackson and the Olympians during the show’s Comic-Con session Thursday. Season three is based on The Titan’s Curse, the third book in author Rick Riordan’s original Percy Jackson quintet (since augmented by two more novels) about the young demigod. The story.
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►"It’s good to be back." Johnny Depp appeared as Ebenezer Scrooge on the streets of San Diego on Thursday, the scandal-plagued actor promoting his Hollywood comeback vehicle Ebenezer in which he plays the classic Charles Dickens character. Appropriately, it took place in front of the Gaslamp Quarter pop-up shop Scrooge and Marley. His appearance was not announced ahead of time, and the movie has no panel at Comic-Con. Still, by the time he showed up, fans had gathered, apparently having gotten wind that something might happen. The story.
—"It’s got a lot of twists and turns and mysteries and crazy things." Zach Cregger is ready to work his magic with the prequel to Weapons that will focus on breakout character Aunt Gladys. During a panel at Comic-Con on Thursday, the filmmaker shared a status update on the follow-up to his 2025 hit that won Amy Madigan the best supporting actress Oscar. THR previously reported that Cregger and Zach Shields are penning the script for the project that is in development at New Line Cinema with the working title Gladys. The story.
—š¤ Sold! š¤ Sony is bringing the story of the Ramayana to the world, with the studio landing global rights (excluding India) to the adaptation of the epic poem. The news, and the film’s trailer, were revealed at Comic-Con. The epic poem centers on Rama, a prince who spends years in exile and whose wife, Sita, is kidnapped by the demon king Ravana. Nitesh Tiwari directs the project, which stars Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi. The story.
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►"Feels longer." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Tim Story's 72 Hours. A 40-year-old marketing exec spends time with a group of Gen Zers to get a handle on youth culture in this Netflix raucous action-comedy. Starring Kevin Hart, Marcello HernĆ”ndez, Mason Gooding, Kam Patterson, Ben Marshall, Kevin Dunn, Zach Cherry, Teyana Taylor and Andy Garcia. Written by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider. The review.
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►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—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 Nicolas Winding Refn, the enigmatic Danish filmmaker who reflects on his breakthrough film Drive, that turned a getaway driver into a pop culture icon. The podcast.
—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 David Harbour. The Emmy and Tony-nominated character actor reflects on his decades of struggle prior to landing Stranger Things, and the toll that both anonymity and fame took on his mental health; why, for his first post-Stranger Things project, he was drawn to producing and starring in an HBO limited series DTF St. Louis that raises questions about present-day masculinity, for which he is now a double Emmy nominee; and what's next for him, including a reunion with Millie Bobby Brown. The podcast.
In other news...
—Netflix drops Shane Gillis' Tires S3 trailer
—Toy Story 5 has given away 18,000 toys to sick kids
—Isabel Davis appointed director of the BFI Filmmaking Fund
—Fred Tsui to lead Hong Kong International Film Festival
—YouTuber Nigel "Uncle Roger" Ng signs with CAA
—Bryce Alakai, Love Island USA winner, signs with UTA
—Zale Parry, pioneering scuba diver and Sea Hunt actress, dies at 93
—Anne Russell, actress in Hello, Dolly! and Mame, dies at 103
What else we're reading...
—Jesse Hassenger looks at how online right-wing hate campaigns don’t really impact the box office anymore [Guardian]
—Fran Hoepfner reflects on Charli XCX's attempts to rebrand herself, and her need to remind everyone that her new album Music, Fashion, Film is not brat [Vulture]
—Patrick Coffee reports that AI videos are flooding TikTok Shop, raising tensions among creators, brands and the platform itself [WSJ]
—Alex Travelli reports on the Gen Z-led protests in India, where young people suffering economically have caught the government off guard [NYT]
—Here's your Friday list: The 49 best cosmetic doctors and aesthetic gurus in America [THR]
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 (57), Rose Byrne (47), Elisabeth Moss (44), Anna Paquin (44), Summer Glau (45), Kristin Chenoweth (58), Troy Kotsur (58), Gus Van Sant (74), Doug Liman (61), Patty Jenkins (55), Lynda Carter (75), Michelle Buteau (49), Mohammed Amer (45), Emily Bett Rickards (35), Robert Hays (79), Paul Ben-Victor (61), Clare Foster (46), Cailee Spaeny (28), Laura Fraser (51), Bronwyn James (32), Dan Hedaya (86), Chris Sarandon (84), Mara Wilson (39), Danny Dyer (49), Julie Graham (61), Adam Rose (39), Megan Park (40), Eliza Butterworth (33), Kadeem Hardison (61), David Leon (46), Ali Ahn (45), Emily Arlook (36), Vicki Pepperdine (65), Nicolas Vaude (64), Rick Fox (57), Penelope Mitchell (35), Lauren Miller Rogen (45), Laura Leighton (58), Eric Szmanda (51)
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Chris Anne Affleck, the mother of Oscar winners Ben and Casey Affleck, died June 2, her family announced. She was 83 and diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December. The obituary.
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