| | | | | | What's news: It's magazine day! This week's cover star is the seemingly unstoppable Glen Powell. The LAPD and DEA will investigate Matthew Perry's death. Netflix has renewed Shane Gillis' Tires. The CW has canceled Walker. Adam Wingard will not return to direct the sequel to Godzilla x Kong: New Empire. Michael Lesslie will write Marvel's X-Men movie. Comcast's streaming bundle will cost $15 to existing customers. — Abid Rahman
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Glen Powell Finally Conquered Hollywood. So Why Is He Leaving? ►On the cover. Glen Powell, the red-hot star mentored by Tom Cruise and on every studio wish list, tells THR's Lacey Rose that he is returning to his native Texas to party with his folks, escape the L.A. fishbowl and finally graduate college. But don’t worry, the star of Top Gun: Maverick and Anyone But You and the upcoming features Twisters and Hit Man will still be everywhere. The cover story.
—Glen more and see. As part of our cover feature on Glen, THR has put together a rather fetching gallery of Glen pics taken by photographer Guy Aroch. See exclusive shots of brooding Glen, coquettish Glen, mysterious Glen, action Glen, retro Glen, chest hair Glen, The Nice Guys Glen and more, Glen. The gallery.
—🎭 Stop it, Glen! 🎭 A remake of Heaven Can Wait is in early development at Paramount with man-of-the-moment Glen Powell. Oscar-winning scribe Stephen Gaghan is writing the project for Powell to star. Based on Harry Segall’s play of the same name, the original 1978 movie starred Warren Beatty and was nominated for nine Oscars, including best picture, with the film notching a win for best art direction. The film told the story of an NFL quarterback who dies prematurely due to an antsy angel and returns to Earth in the body of a recently murdered millionaire. The story. |
Pixar Hit By Largest Ever Layoffs ►Brutal. The long-expected layoffs at Pixar Animation Studios have begun. THR's Pamela McClintock had the scoop that Pixar started notifying employees of the reductions on Monday. It is the biggest restructuring in Disney unit's history, although top leadership isn’t impacted. Approximately 14 percent of Pixar’s workforce, or around 175 employees, will be let go. Before the cuts, approximately 1,300 people worked at the storied animation studio. The layoffs are part of Disney chief Bob Iger’s overarching mandate to return to a focus on quality, versus churning out content for streaming. The story.
—Criminal investigation. Six months after Matthew Perry’s tragic death sent ripples around the world, the LAPD and the DEA have launched a joint criminal investigation into how he died, the LAPD told THR on Tuesday. The beloved Friends star died on Oct. 28 at 54 from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, his autopsy report revealed. The autopsy also listed drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects as contributing factors to his death. It was ruled an accident at the time, with no signs of foul play. The story.
—Movie-like ending. Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, who dramatically fled Iran last week after being given an 8-year prison sentence, will be in Cannes for the world premiere of his new film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig. Reps of Rasoulof confirmed to THR that Rasoulof will attend the premiere on May 24, and will do press events and promotion for the movie. The director escaped Iran by ditching all his trackable electronic devices and fleeing by foot over the mountains out of the country. He has found shelter in Germany. The story.
—"These documents are fraudulent." Riley Keough is taking the fight to save Graceland — the iconic Memphis home of her grandfather Elvis Presley — to court this week after what she claims is a fraudulent attempt to use her late mother Priscilla Presley's forged signature to pass the property over to settle a multi-million dollar debt. The Daisy Jones & The Six star filed a lawsuit on May 15 and is now seeking to block an entity named Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC from taking profits from the sale of Graceland. The story.
—"I know exactly how she feels, and through my empathy, it has triggered my own trauma." Misa Hylton, the mother of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ second-eldest son, Justin, has expressed her support for Cassie Ventura days after a video of the scandal-plagued music mogul assaulting the singer and his longtime ex-girlfriend was released. Hylton posted two images of Combs’ seven children on Instagram and shared in the caption that she was “heartbroken” over what Ventura must be going through. The story. |
Johansson's AI Legal Threat Sets Stage for Actors' Battle With Tech Giants ►"It is no longer science fiction to easily clone a voice, it is science fact." Artists were first to sue. Then authors hit generative AI companies with a volley of lawsuits, followed by publications. THR's Winston Cho writes that as battle lines over the use of AI tools in Hollywood are being drawn, actors may be the next group of creators to open another front in what could be an industry-defining legal battle against AI firms over the use of copyrighted works and personal data to power their human-mimicking chatbots. The analysis.
—"It’s a home run for consumers." On Tuesday, Comcast Cable president and CEO Dave Watson unveiled pricing for StreamSaver, the new streaming bundle that combines Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+. Existing broadband and mobile subscribers will be able to get StreamSaver for $15 a month. The second way to tap StreamSaver is via Now TV, a streaming video product for Comcast broadband subscribers aimed at the low end of the U.S. market as it packages linear TV, FAST and subscription video-on-demand channels. The story.
—"The good news is we’re still talking and they’ve said they have an open mind." Live Nation President and CFO Joe Bechtold provided an update on the Department of Justice’s investigation into the company’s business practices, amid rumblings of a potential lawsuit. Speaking at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications conference Tuesday, Bercthold said the company continues to be in discussions with senior leadership at the DOJ, which they believe is the last part of the process before any action may be taken. The story.
—Bey vs. Tay. The 67th annual Grammy Awards will take place Feb. 2, 2025, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The Recording Academy announced key dates on Tuesday, revealing that nominees for the show will be announced on Nov. 8. The show will broadcast live on CBS and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are among those expected to earn nominations at the upcoming show. Albums and songs released between Sept. 16, 2023 and Aug. 30, 2024 will be eligible. The story.
—New leadership. The Art Directors Guild has elected a new slate of executive board officers, and for the first time in the union’s history, the top-ranking four are all women. In a vote that took place over mail in March and April, the members of the union chose production designer Dina Lipton to be their president. Senior set designer Kristen Davis was appointed vice president, and supervising art director Helen Harwell was elected as treasurer. Art director and senior set designer Judy Cosgrove was re-elected as secretary. The story. |
Behind Netflix's NFL Megadeal ►Spiking the football. On May 15, Netflix and the NFL unveiled a three-year deal that will see the streamer run live games on Christmas. THR's Alex Weprin writes that it’s a remarkable pact, a blockbuster move in terms of Netflix expanding its push into sports and the league growing its group of media partners. But it’s also a modest one, limited to a small number of games acquired for a relatively bargain price, that one source estimates cost about $75m per game. The analysis.
—Trump special. Alex has the scoop on MSNBC planning a primetime special about Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial, which will wrap up in the coming days. The special, Prosecuting Donald Trump: Witness to History, will debut June 2 at 9 p.m., streaming on Peacock the next day. The special plans to lean on eyewitness accounts from MSNBC’s stable of talent many of whom have spent time in the courtroom during the trial. Among those appearing are Rachel Maddow, Joy Reid, Lawrence O’Donnell, Chris Hayes, Katie Phang and Andrew Weissmann. The story.
—Star additions. The NFL franchise Atlanta Falcons says that it will add four new people as limited partners. Among the new limited partners are producer Will Packer, who produced films like Girls Trip, Ride Along, and Think Like a Man, as well as the (infamous, thanks to Will Smith) 2022 Academy Awards broadcast. The group also includes Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes, former Walgreens and Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer and venture capitalist Rashaun Williams. The story. |
Wingard Not Returning for 'Godzilla x Kong' Sequel ►Helmer wanted. THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Adam Wingard not returning to direct the sequel to Godzilla x Kong: New Empire. The parting of ways is described as amicable and stemming from timing issues. The door remains open for a future return, per insiders. The filmmaker, who has directed the last two of Legendary’s hit MonsterVerse movies, is set to direct an action thriller titled Onslaught, which was picked up in a competitive sale by A24 and is prepping for a fall shoot. The story.
—Scribe found! Marvel Studios' X-Men movie is gaining momentum as the project lands a writer. Michael Lesslie, who is known for his work on the series The Little Drummer Girl and the recent prequel feature The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, is in talks to pen the new film focused on Marvel's iconic mutant team. The feature does not currently have a release date or a director attached. X-Men are among the characters that were available to make their long-awaited debut in the MCU due to Disney’s acquisition of Fox. The story.
—Wealth of experience. Longtime X-Men producer Simon Kinberg is in talks to produce a new Star Trek feature for Paramount Pictures. If all goes well, the door would open to him taking active creative roles on the rest of the storied franchise’s film side. Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman are the main creative producers on Star Trek's television side. The project Kinberg would step into is already in very active development. Toby Haynes is on board to direct the new feature, with Seth Grahame-Smith writing the script. The story.
—🎭 Together again 🎭 Mark Ruffalo is eyeing a big-screen reunion with Chris Hemsworth for the planned adaptation of a Don Winslow project. Ruffalo is in talks to join Hemsworth in Amazon MGM Studios' feature version of Crime 101. Bart Layton — who wrote the script with contributions from Peter Straughan — is set to direct the movie that is based on author Winslow’s novella of the same name. Hemsworth is in talks to star and produce alongside partner Ben Grayson for the film that is aiming for theatrical release next year. The story.
—Wait, what? Club 33, the exclusive dining club inside Disneyland, is getting the movie treatment. Darren Lemke, who has worked on the family films Goosebumps and Shazam!, has been tapped to pen the script set in a fantastical world about the club. Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy, Dan Levine and Dan Cohen are producing through 21 Laps Entertainment, the prolific banner behind Stranger Things. The story.
—Snaffled. Neon has picked up the North American rights to Sentimental Value, the upcoming film from Norwegian director Joachim Trier that reteams him with Renate Reinsve, star of Trier’s 2021 hit The Worst Person in the World. Sentimental Value is a family drama about two sisters forced to deal with their estranged father after the death of their mother. The film is set to begin principal photography in August in Norway and France. Neon is planning a 2025 theatrical release. The story.
—Bagged. Kino Lorber has picked up U.S. rights to Johan Grimonprez’s Sundance-winning doc Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, which traces how the U.S. used “Jazz Ambassadors” like Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone and Duke Ellington, to build goodwill during the Cold War all while orchestrating clandestine operations to destabilize the Congo. Kino Lorber will partner with specialist streamer Kanopy on the U.S. release of the film. The story. |
'3 Body Problem' Creators Clarify S2 Renewal Plan ►"We have enough time to tell the rest of the story the way we want to." One of the biggest 3 Body Problem mysteries since the first season ended has been: What did Netflix's renewal announcement mean, exactly? During the streamer’s upfront presentation last week, Netflix promised "additional episodes" of the acclaimed sci-fi drama to "finish the story." THR's James Hibberd spoke to showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, who shed a bit more light on the future of the show. The story.
—Quick as you like. Netflix has handed out an early second-season renewal for Tires, the scripted comedy starring Shane Gillis. The pickup arrives just before the series, co-created by Gillis, Steve Gerben and John McKeever, officially arrives May 23. Season two will arrive in 2025 as Netflix plots more programming to return on an annual basis similar to broadcast fare. The story.
—Boffo. The third season of Bridgerton recorded the show’s biggest opening weekend to date. According to Netflix’s internal rankings, the first half of season three racked up 45.05m views worldwide after its May 16 premiere. That’s about 165.2m hours of viewing time. By comparison, season two debuted in March 2022 with just more than 193m hours of viewing time globally — but that was for a full season, with a running time more than twice as long as the first half of the current season. The ratings.
—Turning his badge in. The CW has canceled the Jared Padalecki-led Walker after four seasons. The show will finish out its run on The CW, ending with what will now be a series finale on June 26. Walker is one of just a few scripted series from The CW’s pre-Nexstar days that had a place on the schedule in the network’s current incarnation. The cancellation leaves All American: Homecoming and Superman & Lois as the last holdovers from when WarnerMedia and CBS jointly owned the network. The story.
—"A short but beautiful run." Amazon's Freevee has canceled the comedy Primo. Creator Shea Serrano announced the news Tuesday on social media, noting that the series will not be returning for a second season at the ad-supported streamer. Sources say producers Universal Television will shop Primo in a bid to find the beloved Mike Shur-produced comedy a new home. The story.
—"The journey is far from over." Unicorn Academy is getting a second season. The fantasy-adventure series will return June 27 on Netflix with a 44-minute special and nine 22-minute episodes. The show hails from Spin Master, a global children’s entertainment company that’s behind such brands as PAW Patrol, Hatchimals, Melissa & Doug, Rubik’s Cube and GUND. The story. |
Film Review: 'Parthenope' ►"Troppo bello but mostly just troppo." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Paolo Sorrentino's Cannes competition entry Parthenope. Newcomer Celeste Dalla Porta stars in this story tracing the life of a Neapolitan woman as a reflection of the city itself, also featuring Stefania Sandrelli, Gary Oldman and Silvio Orlando. The review.
—"A cross-culture fairy tale that takes a whiplash turn." David reviews Sean Baker's Cannes competition entry Anora. A young sex worker’s romantic entanglement with the son of a Russian oligarch gets very messy in this screwball comedy set in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, starring Mikey Madison. The review.
—"A weighty meditation on the power of images." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Raoul Peck's Ernest Cole: Lost and Found. The I Am Not Your Negro filmmaker's latest investigates a mysterious cache of photographer Ernest Cole's images, with LaKeith Stanfield giving voice to the chronicler of South African life. The review. |
Film Review: 'Being Maria' ►"Doesn't do full justice to its compelling subject." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Jessica Palud's Being Maria. Anamaria Vartolomei plays troubled French actress Maria Schneider — alongside Matt Dillon as Marlon Brando — in Palud's Last Tango in Paris behind-the-scenes biopic. The review.
—"Looking for la dolce vita." Jordan reviews Christophe Honoré's Cannes competition entry Marcello Mio. The latest collaboration between Chiara Mastroianni and the French director also features Catherine Deneuve, Fabrice Luchini, Melvil Poupaud and several other French talents playing themselves on screen. The review.
—"Authentic and quietly compelling." Jordan reviews Boris Lojkine's The Story of Souleymane. The French director's third feature follows an African immigrant navigating Paris' labyrinthine streets as he struggles to make a living and get legalized. The review.
—"Works hard, but not quite top of the class." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Halfdan Ullmannn Tondel's Armand. The writer-director, Ingmar Bergman’s grandson, makes his feature debut with this contender in Cannes' Un Certain Regard section that tells the story of a mother defending her son. The review.
In other news...
—Jake Gyllenhaal repeatedly insists he’s not guilty in Presumed Innocent trailer
—Jessica Alba goes on revenge mission in Netflix's violent Trigger Warning trailer
—Awards season calendar: Key dates for Oscars, Emmys, Tonys and other major events
—Paul Scheer's book recalls auditioning for SNL alongside Kevin Hart and Amy Poehler
—Anton secures new $100m+ production facility for TV and film
—Former Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy acquires activist stake in BuzzFeed
—The dogs who dressed up as Met Gala stars for the 2024 Pet Gala
—Screenwriter Ian Shorr signs with WME
—David Beckham becomes designer for Hugo Boss in multi-year, global partnership
What else we're reading...
—With the recent spate of PR gaffes, Nitish Pahwa writes that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is showing us who he really is [Slate]
—Xan Brooks goes inside the frantic race in September 2022 to finish Jean-Luc Godard’s last film Scénarios, one day before the French auteur was set to die by assisted suicide [Guardian]
—With Los Angeles losing studio productions to Georgia, Canada and Eastern Europe, Ivan Ehlers writes that the city needs to do more to stop the bleeding [LAT]
—John Herrman reports on Google lining up more AI-led changes to its search product that has the potential to shake up the entire internet [Intelligencer]
—Following the harrowing incident on a Singapore Airlines flight this week, Lara Williams writes that due to climate crisis, flying is becoming more turbulent [Bloomberg]
Today...
...in 1996, Paramount Pictures and Tom Cruise unveiled the big screen adaptation of Mission: Impossible, which would go on to gross $180m and kickstart a feature franchise. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Bernie Taupin (74), Maggie Q (45), Nazanin Boniadi (44), Ginnifer Goodwin (46), Anna Baryshnikov (32), Molly Ephraim (38), Ann Cusack (63), Brooke Smith (57), Heida Reed (36), Camren Bicondova (25), Michael Kelly (55), Sean Gunn (50), Tao Okamoto (39), J.D. Williams (46), Michael Kostroff (63), A.J. Langer (50), Stephen Walters (49), Edward Bluemel (31), Linda Emond (65), Camille Lou (32), Alison Eastwood (52), Yadira Guevara-Prip (29), Barbara Parkins (82), Tom Chambers (47), Judah Lewis (23), Anna Belknap (52), Thomas Schlamme (74), Alexandra Dowling (34), Emma Chamberlain (23), Hideaki Anno (64), Karoline Herfurth (40), Erica Peeples (40), Nitesh Tiwari (52), Max Brooks (52), Denise Welch (66), David Schneider (61) |
| Richard Foronjy, who spent more than eight years in prison before he turned to acting and appeared in such films as Serpico, Midnight Run, Repo Man and Carlito’s Way, died Sunday. He was 86. The obituary. |
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