| | | | What's news: Marilyn Manson settled a sexual abuse lawsuit. New Line won the bidding war for Zach Cregger's Weapons. Hulu is the latest company to cut ties with Justin Roiland. CBS renewed Bob Hearts Abishola. Paddy Considine and Mena Massoud will star in a Prince Naseem Hamed biopic. — Abid Rahman |
'Grey's Anatomy' Showrunner Krista Vernoff Exits ►"It has been the privilege of a lifetime." Showrunner Krista Vernoff is exiting ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and its spinoff, Station 19. There is no word on a new showrunner for both Shonda Rhimes-produced shows as ABC has yet to renew either. Sources say that Grey’s, which is currently weathering the departure of leading lady Ellen Pompeo as a series regular, is likely to return for its landmark 20th season alongside Station 19. The story.
—Settlement. Marilyn Manson has settled a lawsuit brought by Esmé Bianco, a Game of Thrones actress who accused him of sexual, physical and psychological abuse in a series of violent incidents over the course of their relationship. The two sides reached a deal “in principle to resolve” the suit, according to a court document filed on Tuesday. Details weren’t disclosed. Manson has denied all of the allegations from her and several other women, including ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood, who’ve claimed that he raped them. The story.
—Droppped. In the wake of Adult Swim cutting ties with Justin Roiland, Hulu has dropped the co-creator of Solar Opposites. The streamer is also removing Roiland from its recently debuted series Koala Man, where he’s an executive producer and voice actor. 20th Television Animation, where Roiland had an overall deal and which produces both series, has also cut ties. The story.
—Resigned. Roiland has also resigned from the video game developer he co-founded, Squanch Games. On Tuesday, the High on Life developer announced that Roiland had tendered his resignation as CEO on Jan. 16, four days after a NBC News revealed the creator was facing felony domestic abuse charges. The story. |
Peacock Tops 20M Paid Subs ►World Cup bounce. NBCU's streaming service Peacock grew its revenue and subscribers in Q4, but its loss widened again compared with the year-ago period. On Thursday, the company said U.S. paid subs for Peacock surpassed the 20m mark as of the end of 2022, marking its strongest quarterly gain since its launch in 2020. However, the streamer's loss widened to $978m in Q4. The results.
—"Sometimes, you do things without thinking." Razzie Awards organizers have removed Firestarter's Ryan Kiera Armstrong from their ballot following backlash against including the actress, who is 12, in its annual picks for the worst films and performances of the year. John Wilson, head of the group that organizes the Razzies, issued an apology in a statement released Wednesday morning. Wilson also said that new voting guidelines are being adopted that will preclude any minor from being considered for a Razzie. The story.
—🎭 Rayplacement 🎭 RRR villain Ray Stevenson has nabbed the lead role in 1242: Gateway to the West after Kevin Spacey exited the historical Genghis Khan drama last year amid sexual assault charges in the U.K. Directed by Péter Soós, the cast also includes Eric Roberts, Christopher Lambert, Neil Stuke and Genevieve Florence. The story. |
'Titans,' 'Doom Patrol' Ending on HBO Max ►The end is nigh. Titans and Doom Patrol, the DC Comics dramas that were originally developed to help launch the former DC Universe streaming service, are coming to an end. The current fourth seasons of both of the Greg Berlanti-produced HBO Max dramas will be their last. THR's Lesley Goldberg reports that producers on both Titans and Doom Patrol saw the writing on the wall amid all the changes with DC Entertainment and plotted their current seasons with proper endings to not leave fans in a lurch. The story.
—What about Bob? CBS has renewed the Chuck Lorre-produced Bob Hearts Abishola for a fifth season. It joins breakout hit Ghosts and veteran The Neighborhood on CBS’ 2023-24 slate; Young Sheldon, also from Lorre, is in the midst of a three-year order that will take the Big Bang Theory prequel through next season. The renewal for Bob Hearts Abishola, starring Billy Gardell and Folake Olowofoyeku as the title characters, comes on the heels of the show hitting season highs in same-day ratings. The story.
—🎭 Born to be king 🎭 Paddy Considine and Mena Massoud have signed on to star in the upcoming sports drama Giant, based on the life of legendary British Yemeni boxing champion "Prince" Naseem Hamed. Aladdin star Massoud will play Hamed who held multiple featherweight world titles in his 10-year professional career, including the WBO, IBF and WBC titles. House of the Dragon's Considine will play Hamed’s Ireland-born boxing trainer, Brendan Ingle. The story. |
'To Leslie' Heading Back to Select Theaters ►A second look. There was a collective gasp across Hollywood this week when Andrea Riseborough was nominated for best actress for her performance in To Leslie, an indie movie that many haven’t heard of despite rave reviews. THR's Pamela McClintock reports that the sudden jolt of interest in the film has led to Momentum Pictures rereleasing To Leslie in approximately six theaters in North America this weekend. The following week, the movie is expected to be made available in select U.K. theaters. The story.
—🤝 Throwback deal 🤝 New Line has won the rights to Weapons, the latest feature project from Zach Cregger, the out-of-nowhere filmmaker behind the cult horror hit Barbarian. THR's Borys Kit reports that New Line won an intense auction, signing a deal that seems unprecedented in modern times, especially for a filmmaker with one movie under his belt. Sources say Cregger secured eight figures to write and direct — the numbers are more than double the entire budget of his previous movie. The story.
—🏆 Scribes have their say 🏆 The Writers Guild has revealed its nominations in the categories of original, adapted and documentary screenplay, with Oscar-nominated scripts for Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick and Women Talking all earning nods. The nominations. |
Sundance Review: 'Past Lives' ►"An exquisite original." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Celine Song's Past Lives. Greta Lee plays a woman observed at three points in time, with Teo Yoo and John Magaro as the men whose fates are tethered to hers across two continents. The review.
—"Taut thrills give way to surprising sentiment." THR's Angie Han reviews Sing J. Lee's Sundance competition entry The Accidental Getaway Driver. An elderly Vietnamese cabdriver (Hiep Tran Nghia) is taken hostage by three men who've escaped from an Orange County prison. The review.
—"An authentically observant slice of reservation life." THR's Justin Lowe reviews Erica Tremblay's Sundance competition entry Fancy Dance. Set in northeastern Oklahoma’s Indian Country, the film features Lily Gladstone, Shea Whigham and newcomer Isabel Deroy-Olson. The review.
—"Not all truths are self-evident." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler's Sundance competition entry Bad Press. The filmmakers chronicle the long fight for a free press on the Muscogee (Creek) Nation reservation in Oklahoma. The review.
—"Love at first bite." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Jacqueline Castel's My Animal. Amandla Stenberg and Bobbi Salvor Menuez play two crazy small-town kids in love in this moody queer werewolf thriller. The review. |
TV Review: 'Poker Face' ►"Nostalgic charm, tight mysteries and a fun star turn." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Peacock's Poker Face. Creator Rian Johnson and star Natasha Lyonne pay homage to '70s standalone mysteries with their new dramedy. The review.
—"No reason to lycan subscribe." Dan reviews Paramount+'s Wolf Pack. Sarah Michelle Gellar returns to the world of supernatural YA TV as an arson investigator looking into a recent fire (and possibly a rise in lycanthropy among attractive teens). The review.
—"An intimate, real-life geopolitical thriller." Dan reviews Madeleine Gavin's Sundance competition entry Beyond Utopia. The doc tells deeply personal stories about people attempting to defect from North Korea and a heroic pastor from South Korea making the dangerous escape possible. The review.
In other news...
—Deadly police corruption in California town takes center stage in trailer for Colin Kaepernick’s Killing County
—Daisy Jones & The Six teaser offers first glimpse of Riley Keough, Sam Claflin leading ’70s rock band
—Michael B. Jordan gets violent in Saturday Night Live promo
—Grammys: Bad Bunny, Lizzo, Brandi Carlile among first round of performers
—DirecTV drops Newsmax as conservative lawmakers protest
—Penske Media Eldridge acquires Dick Clark Productions
—Penske Media taps Hannah Woodard as senior director of communications
—Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘n Waffles on Pico Boulevard closes after 32 years
—Margie Duncan, dancer and stand-in for her pal Debbie Reynolds, dies at 92
What else we're reading...
—Robert Daniels writes that it’s not just the Oscars that fail Black women, it’s the entire awards ecosystem [LAT]
—Daniel Chin offers his four recommendations to fix the DC extended universe [Ringer]
—Savannah Walsh writes that The Bachelor is officially on life support [VF]
—Just one more thing: Cameron Gorman on how the internet turned boomer TV cop Columbo into a sex symbol and queer icon [Slate]
—Alissa Wilkinson believes that Celine Song’s brilliant debut film Past Lives is already one of the year’s best films [Vox]
Today...
Today's birthdays: Ellen DeGeneres (65), David Strathairn (74), Taylor James (43), Joseph Quinn (29), Sara Rue (44), Kelly Stables (45), Scott Glenn (83), Mercedes Varnado (31), Park Hae-il (46), Lucy Loken (24), Hemky Madera (46), Gilles Marini (47), Cameron Bright (30), Edwin Hodge (38), Nuri Bilge Ceylan (64), Rachel DiPillo (32), Catherine Martin (58), Mimi Leder (71), Christopher Hampton (77), George Tillman Jr. (54) |
| Lance Kerwin, a former child star known for television projects James at 15, Salem’s Lot and The Loneliest Runner, has died. He was 62. The obituary. |
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