| | | | What's news: It's magazine day! The cover stars of THR's second annual, digital-only Sustainability Issue is the cast of the Apple TV+ series Extrapolations. Justin Roiland has been cleared of domestic violence charges. Aaron Sorkin has revealed he suffered a stroke last November. Veteran Hollywood distribution exec Erik Lomis has died. — Abid Rahman |
THR's Sustainability Issue 2023 ►"For Hollywood to truly heed the crisis call for our planet, every level must be involved." THR's second annual, digital-only Sustainability Issue — featuring a cover story on Apple TV+’s ambitious limited series Extrapolations — celebrates what the entertainment industry is doing to address the climate crisis and examines what more can be done. The issue.
—On the cover. Sienna Miller, Meryl Streep, Gemma Chan, Forest Whitaker and Kit Harington are among the international cast of Extrapolations, which asks what happens to humanity in the near future, when global warming upends every aspect of our lives, including the way we love and grieve. For THR, Brande Victorian goes inside the making of the star-studded climate drama. The cover story.
—"How many luxury brands are calculating their red carpet carbon footprint?" Writing for THR, Dana Thomas, the author of Fashionopolis: Why What We Wear Matters, looks into the environmental cost of red carpet fashion. Dana writes that awards show gowns may be glamorous, but they are often made of petrochemical-based fabrics. She also shares five ways to dress more sustainably in Hollywood. The story.
—How to green-ify awards season. THR's Kirsten Chuba spoke to Sheila Morovati, founder of sustainability nonprofit Habits of Waste, on how entertainment industry award ceremonies can make a difference by cutting the plastic water bottles, ditching the Escalade and opting to rewear on the red carpet. The story.
—Messages, rather than carbon offsets. THR's Alex Weprin looks at how Hollywood is courting Wall Street’s ESG investors. Alex writes that the likes of Disney, Comcast, Paramount and Fox are aiming for a piece of $150b in annual eco-friendly investments as sustainability has proven itself an opportunity to show that they care, through their content. The analysis.
—Hollywood flashback. THR's Seth Abramovich reflects on Richard Fleischer's sci-fi classic Soylent Green, that depicted an overpopulated planet with a dark secret. The 1973 eco-thriller reunited Charlton Heston with his Ten Commandments co-star Edward G. Robinson, who died shortly after filming. The story. |
Steven Knight Steps in to Write New 'Star Wars' Movie ►All change. Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is stepping in to write the Star Wars film that Damon Lindelof was recently attached to. Knight will work on a script for the project that also involves two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Knight comes in after the departures of Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson. Lindelof began work on the film in July 2022, and attempted to fashion a script that sources say will take place after 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The story.
—"This case was dismissed as a result of insufficient evidence." Justin Roiland, the Rick and Morty co-creator whose animation empire came crashing down in the wake of domestic violence charges being leveled against him in Orange County, has been cleared of those charges. Calling the development “justice,” Roiland said in his statement, “I have always known that these claims were false — and I never had any doubt that this day would come.” The story.
—"It was a loud wake-up call." Aaron Sorkin says he had a stroke last November while writing his new Broadway musical Camelot. In a new interview, the Oscar and Emmy-winning writer shared details about his medical emergency and discussed why he decided to go public. The story.
—"Truly one of a kind and an icon in our industry." Erik Lomis, the admired distribution executive who handled numerous blockbusters and Oscar winners during his three-decade career in Hollywood, died suddenly Wednesday at his home in Santa Monica. He was 64. The obituary. |
WGA Pushing to Prohibit AI-Generated Works ►Do not praise the machine. THR's Katie Kilkenny reports that while the Writers Guild of America is at the negotiating table with studios and streamers, the union has clarified its stance on works created with the help of artificial intelligence. The guild stated that it is seeking in these talks to ban AI from being used as source material and AI-written works and AI-rewritten works from being covered under its contract; the union also wants to preclude AI-created writing from being considered for credits. The story.
—Big new addition. CNN's Sunday lineup has added a new weekly newsmagazine to be anchored by Anderson Cooper. The program, The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, will feature investigations, character-driven profiles, interviews and other long-form reporting. The Whole Story will air on CNN Sunday nights at 8 p.m., beginning April 16. The program will leverage CNN’s global team of reporters and correspondents. The story.
—Silver lining. Vanderpump Rules mainstay Ariana Madix is continuing to focus on her acting career amid a flurry of headlines surrounding a cheating scandal involving the Bravo unscripted series. Lifetime announced Wednesday that Madix will star alongside Meagan Good in the network’s movie Buying Back My Daughter. Roger Cross and Faith Wright have also been cast in the project that is currently filming under the working title. The story.
—"An age-old playbook to mislead and harm investors." The SEC charged eight celebrities in a crypto scheme tied to Justin Sun and his companies. Those being charged are actress Lindsay Lohan; influencer and boxer Jake Paul; adult film star Kendra Lust; and rappers and singers Soulja Boy, Ne-Yo, Lil Yachty, Akon and Austin Mahone. The stars were charged with touting cryptocurrencies associated with Sun’s companies "without disclosing that they were compensated for doing so and the amount of their compensation." The story. |
Heidi Fleiss Drama in the Works at HBO Max ►Infamous. HBO Max is developing a drama based on the life of Heidi Fleiss, the former “Hollywood Madam” who ran a prostitution ring that had a number of high-profile clients. The project comes from writer and executive producer Maggie Cohn (The Staircase), with Fleiss serving as a consultant on the project. Fleiss was arrested on a number of prostitution charges in 1993, and her trial on the charges was a media sensation. The story.
—Bringing back the splashy confab. THR's Alex Werpin has the scoop on digital media startup Semafor expanding into live events with its inaugural summit set for next month in New York. The event, “Semafor Media at Genesis House,” will take place the evening of April 10, hosted by co-founder Ben Smith. Interviewees scheduled to attend include CNN CEO Chris Licht, IAC chairman Barry Diller, MSNBC host Jen Psaki and journalist Kara Swisher. The story.
—"Those people who were brought in to make me feel more at ease were actually making me feel more anxious." Toni Collette says she’s had no second thoughts about turning away intimacy coordinators when they’ve been offered to her on sets. In a new interview, Collette said that most of her set experiences have been positive and been left with little need for intimacy coordinators. The story. |
Film Review: 'A Good Person' ►"Terrific performances help salvage a heavy-handed script." THR film critic Frank Scheck reviews Zach Braff’s A Good Person. Florence Pugh plays a young woman whose life hits rock bottom after being involved in a fatal car accident in Braff's latest directorial effort. The review.
—"Fluffy and fast-moving, like an airplane book." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Netflix's The Night Agent. Gabriel Basso plays a young FBI agent whose dead-end assignment connects him to a deadly conspiracy in Shawn Ryan's adaptation of the novel by Matthew Quirk. The review.
In other news...
—Nicolas Cage plays rage-filled Dracula in new Renfield trailer
—Queen Charlotte is a woman forced into marriage in the Queen Charlotte trailer
—Power Rangers reunite in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always trailer to Defeat Rita Repulsa
—The Winchesters star Drake Rodger signs with Gersh
—PR firm DKC opens flagship office in Century City
—UTA opens doors on Atlanta full-service office
—Peter Werner, Oscar winner and Moonlighting director, dies at 76
—Gordon T. Dawson, Peckinpah protégé and Walker, Texas Ranger writer and producer, dies at 84
What else we're reading...
—In a fascinating piece, Carlos Aguilar talks to filmmakers behind movies like Inside, Locke and The Guilty that place one character in one location [NYT]
—Saxon Baird goes inside the reggaeton lawsuit that could shake the pop world [Guardian]
—Devon Ivie spoke to Ted Lasso star James Lance about his character Trent Crimm leaving The Independent to follow his bliss, and also probed him on his wondrous hair (Vulture)
—Claire Atkinson has a comprehensive rundown on the demise of Vice Media amid its scramble to find a buyer [Insider]
—Shirin Ghaffary wonders whether Google's new chatbot Bard is deliberately boring in comparison to Microsoft's BingGPT (Vox)
Today...
...in 1990, Buena Vista unveiled Pretty Woman in theaters, where it went on to gross $463m worldwide and earn Julia Roberts a best actress Oscar nomination at the 63rd Academy Awards. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Keri Russell (47), Michael Haneke (81), Amanda Plummer (66), Victoria Pedretti (28), Hope Davis (59), Michelle Monaghan (47), Ben Rappaport (37), Daniel Espinosa (46), Jaume Collet-Serra (49), Judith Godrèche (51), Chris Henchy (59), Vanessa Morgan (31), Teresa Ganzel (66), Joanna Page (46), Richard Grieco (58), Barbara Rhoades (77), Randall Park (49), Steven Strait (37), Serena Grandi (65), Kate Jennings Grant (53), Mary Zophres (59), Marc Cherry (61), Bridger Zadina (29), Stephen A. Chang (38) |
| Norman Steinberg, the Emmy-winning screenwriter who teamed with Mel Brooks on Blazing Saddles and My Favorite Year and wrote for the Michael Keaton-starring Mr. Mom and Johnny Dangerously, has died. He was 83. The obituary. |
|
|
|
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com. |
| | | | | | | | | | |
