| | | | What's news: Netflix shuts down Nancy Meyers' star-studded film return. The special prosecutor in the Rust case exits. Amazon's Citadel gets an early renewal. WGA's top negotiating team speaks out ahead of contract talks. — Ryan Gajewski |
Quentin Tarantino Readies His Final Film ►Back for the last time. THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Quentin Tarantino putting together what sources say is billed as his final movie. Per insiders, the Oscar-winning filmmaker wrote a script called The Movie Critic and is prepping to direct it this fall, with a story centering on a female lead in late 1970s Los Angeles. The story.
—Scarlett Johansson and Penélope Cruz were circling roles. Netflix is shutting down its star-studded Nancy Meyers romantic comedy that was expected to be her first directing vehicle in nearly a decade. As THR's Borys Kit and Aaron Couch report, Netflix and Meyers could not come to an agreement on the budget. Meyers is said to have asked for a budget of at least $150 million. The story.
—"It's compensation, compensation, compensation." Ahead of contract talks, THR's Katie Kilkenny speaks with the WGA's new chief negotiator, Ellen Stutzman, as well as co-chairs of the negotiating committee Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman. The trio discuss the writers' leverage, strike rumors and why the term "mini-room" is offensive. The interview.
—"The best way I can ensure justice is served in this case is to step down." The special prosecutor overseeing criminal charges in the Rust shooting is stepping down from the case. Andrea Reeb said she will no longer assist in the prosecution in light of arguments from Alec Baldwin's lawyers that it's "unconstitutional" for her to participate in the case due to her elected position in the New Mexico House of Representatives. The story. |
Amazon's 'A League of Their Own' to End ►One last at-bat. Amazon's queer take on Penny Marshall's beloved A League of Their Own is set to end. THR's Lesley Goldberg has the scoop on the streamer, following months of negotiations, having handed out a second and final season renewal for the series from showrunners Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson. The Sony Pictures Television-produced show will conclude with a four-episode final run. The story.
—"A heartfelt odd couple love story." Nine years after they starred in the first season of HBO's True Detective, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson will re-team for a very different kind of show. The pair will star in and executive produce an untitled comedy series at Apple TV+ that hails from Schitt's Creek alum David West Read. The story.
—"Continuing to broadcast quality live sports productions." Bankruptcy has come for America's regional sports networks. Diamond Sports Group, the Sinclair-affiliated company that is the country's largest owner of RSNs, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection but says it will continue to broadcast games. The story.
—"Building a leaner, more technical company." Meta plans to lay off about 10,000 employees in the coming months, CEO Mark Zuckerberg told staff. This is the second major round of layoffs at the company, after 11,000 workers were let go last fall, and follows Zuckerberg's promise to make this the "Year of Efficiency" at the social media platform, which owns Facebook and Instagram. The story. |
How A24 Made Oscars History ►"It's the Wild Wild West out here now." As THR's Rebecca Keegan writes, A24 capitalized on the underdog charisma of the casts of films Everything Everywhere All at Once and The Whale to win its Oscars. But some competitors have complained about the indie studio's alleged breaches of Academy rules. The story.
—"How are we going to know who's gay when it's illegal to ask?" Rebecca also reports on the Academy's new representation and inclusion standards for Oscar eligibility (RAISE), which the organization started rolling out in 2021 in preparation for making certain benchmarks mandatory by next year's awards season. The goal is to spur more inclusive hiring in the film business, but some producers who are trying to comply say the process is cumbersome at best and privacy-invading at worst. The story. |
✨ Latest SXSW Film Reviews ✨ ►"A weird and special little film." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Problemista, which premiered at SXSW. Tilda Swinton and Julio Torres star in the latter's directorial debut. The review.
—"Gently humorous and refreshingly clever." THR critic Justin Lowe reviews Mustache following its SXSW debut. The comedy marks Imran J. Khan's debut feature and centers on a young teen forbidden to shave his mustache. The review.
—"Intriguing but ultimately slight." THR critic Robyn Bahr reviews Sophie Compton and Reuben Hamlyn's Another Body, which premiered at SXSW. The documentary chronicles what happens when a college student discovers that her face has been digitally planted over the bodies of porn stars. The review. |
Marvel Working to Find 'Quantumania' Leaker ►The company is likely to pursue litigation. Marvel is closing in on the source of a leak of a script from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania before the movie was released, and it intends to take legal action, as THR's Winston Cho and Carolyn Giardina report. A federal judge in California issued subpoenas to Reddit and Google directing them to identify the users who leaked the dialogue. The order came after the company moved for information on whoever posted then-unreleased dialogue from the film to the r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers subreddit. The story.
—Early vote of confidence. THR's Lesley Goldberg has the scoop on Citadel, the expensive and troubled drama from the Russo brothers that has been in the works since 2018, getting a second chapter. The Amazon series starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden has been renewed for a second season ahead of its April 28 debut, according to sources. The show debuted a clip and keynote this month at SXSW. The story.
—"There has to be that diversity at the top." THR's Mikey O'Connell reports that Michelle Sneed, who most recently served as president of Tyler Perry Studios, just launched a new studio. A Few Good Women Productions is targeting a first-of-its kind model, with an exclusively female leadership offering green lights and maintaining project autonomy through every phase — acquisition, development, financing, production, licensing and distribution. The story.
—"It just feels so alive." THR's Jackie Strause interviews Clea DuVall about her key role in the season finale of Peacock's Poker Face. The performer discusses working onscreen again with star Natasha Lyonne and her hopes to explore more of the sisterly relationship in season two. The interview.
In other news...
—Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh to star in love story We Live in Time
—Wicked film moves up 2024 release date
—CBS' Matlock reboot adds Jason Ritter
—Judy Greer joins Ellie Kemper in ABC comedy Drop-Off
—In new memoir, Paris Hilton reveals why South Park "upset" her
What else we're reading...
—Saloni Gajjar asks Netflix to stop splitting up TV seasons [AV Club]
—Jaya Saxena talks to Drag Race star Kim Chi and YouTube chef Jon Kung about culture, cooking and their new podcast [Eater]
—Jessica M. Goldstein profiles Amelia Dimoldenberg, who has reimagined the talk show by hitting on her celebrity guests [WaPo]
—Stephen Armstrong hears from insiders about Euphoria creator Sam Levinson's path amid reports about upcoming series The Idol [Telegraph]
—Laura Bradley explores the debate over Penn Badgley's You facial hair [Daily Beast]
Today...
Today's birthdays: Eva Longoria (48), Judd Hirsch (88), David Cronenberg (80), Jai Courtney (37), Frances Conroy (70), Pollyanna McIntosh (44), Lil Dicky (35), Kim Raver (54), Joaquim de Almeida (66), Alia Bhatt (30), Sosie Bacon (31), Mark Hoppus (51), Eva Amurri (38), will.i.am (48), Kellan Lutz (38), Fabio (64), Bret Michaels (60), Mark McGrath (55) |
| John Jakes, the celebrated author known for his historical North and South trilogy that sold 10 million copies and became three ABC miniseries in the 1980s and '90s, has died. He was 90. The obituary. |
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