| | | | | | What's news: Amy Pascal and David Heyman will oversee the James Bond franchise for Amazon. Gregory Hessinger is the new head of the AMPTP. Good Night and Good Luck broke the Broadway record for highest weekly gross for a play. Megyn Kelly is launching a podcast network. — Abid Rahman
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An Eyewitness Account of Oscar Winner Hamdan Ballal's Arrest ►"Zip-tied and blindfolded while his family prayed." An eyewitness to the arrest of Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal has detailed the moment she saw the Oscar winner zip-tied and blindfolded by Israeli police. Raviv Rose, a Jewish American living in the region, spoke to THR's Lily Ford about the aftermath of the attack on the co-director of No Other Land and two others in the West Bank on Monday night. No Other Land co-director Yuval Abraham tweeted on Tuesday that Ballal had been released. The interview.
—"It’s not too late to change this stance." On Wednesday, Yuval Abraham called out the Academy for not publicly supporting Hamdan Ballal. Expressing his anger, Abraham wrote on X that the Academy “refused” to publish a statement on the incident. “Sadly, the U.S. Academy, which awarded us an Oscar three weeks ago, declined to publicly support Hamdan Ballal while he was beaten and tortured by Israeli soldiers and settlers,” Abraham wrote. “The European Academy voiced support, as did countless other award groups and festivals. Several U.S. Academy members — especially in the documentary branch — pushed for a statement, but it was ultimately refused. We were told that because other Palestinians were beaten up in the settler attack, it could be considered unrelated to the film, so they felt no need to respond.” The story. |
Gen Z Is Choosing Creator Content Over Premium TV, Movies ►Warning sign. Hollywood will have to navigate a world in which consumers are increasingly choosing to spend more of their time with creator-driven entertainment and social platforms rather than premium content. That is a key takeaway from Deloitte's 19th annual digital media trends survey, which asks consumers about their media and entertainment preferences. The survey finds that 56 percent of Gen Zs and 43 percent of millennials surveyed find social media content “more relevant than traditional TV shows and movies,” and roughly half feel a stronger personal connection to social media creators than to TV personalities or actors. The story.
—Ominous. YouTube commanded more TV time than any other media provider in the U.S. in February, and its top ranking was thanks in part to viewers over the age of 50. The service accounted for 11.6 percent of all TV use in the country in Nielsen's rankings of media distributors for the February period (which ran from Jan. 27-Feb. 23). That’s an all-time high for YouTube and the second time it has placed atop the distributor rankings; it previously did so in July 2024. YouTube improved from 10.8 percent of TV use in January and passed Disney (10 percent) for the overall spot among TV content distributors. The story.
—Chipping away. Amid uncertainty around the fate of the TikTok ban, Meta is one of the major social media platforms making overtures to creators. In January, Meta launched a “Breakthrough Bonus” program, which would give creators up to $5,000 for posting videos on Facebook and Instagram Reels, and also announced plans to offer content deals to select TikTok creators to “help grow their communities on Instagram and Facebook.” THR's Caitlin Huston writes that top creators, including Daniel Mac, Quen Blackwell and Charli D'Amelio, have been trying new approaches to their social media strategies and plans to spread content out across several platforms. The story. |
Gregory Hessinger to Replace Carol Lombardini at AMPTP ►New era. For the first time in 15 years, the powerful but discreet organization that negotiates union contracts on behalf of Hollywood’s major studios and streamers has named a new leader. Gregory Hessinger has been selected to helm the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers as former president Carol Lombardini steps into an advisory position. The change marks a post-strikes shakeup for the Sherman Oaks-based organization, which was formed in 1982 out of the merger of two previously separate employer groups in an attempt to present a more unified front and reduce the likelihood of industry work stoppages. The story.
—New leaders. The Directors Guild of America has appointed negotiations committee leaders for its upcoming 2026 talks with studios and streamers — and they are two familiar names. Film and television director Jon Avnet will serve as chair of the union’s negotiations committee for its Basic Agreement and Freelance Live and Tape Television Agreement, while veteran television helmer Karen Gaviola will serve as vice chair. The DGA’s national board voted to appoint the pair, which have each served on the negotiations committee for several previous rounds, at a meeting in February. The DGA’s current deal with major entertainment firms expires on June 30, 2026. The story.
—New network. Former Fox News primetime star Megyn Kelly says that she is launching MK Media, a video and audio podcast network that will work with creators and journalists in the news and entertainment space. The first three shows will be hosted by journalist and 2Way founder Mark Halperin, Daily Mail culture columnist Maureen Callahan, and influencer and political commentator Link Lauren, and others will follow. The story. |
CinemaCon: Sony Rejoins, Amazon Debuts As Vegas Beckons ►"The current situation is one where there’s a lot of uncertainty out there." CinemaCon, the annual gathering of exhibitors and Hollywood studios at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, opens its doors on its 2025 edition on March 31. The event comes amid another downturn at the box office. A month ago, year-to-date domestic revenue was up more than 20 percent over 2024. But the blues have returned due to a lack of product that continues to haunt cinema owners due to the pandemic and strikes. Ahead of an especially critical CinemaCon, THR's Pamela McClintock spoke to Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of Cinema United, formerly known as the National Association of Theater Owners. The interview.
—It's official. The James Bond franchise has found its producers in Amy Pascal and David Heyman. The duo have been tapped by Amazon MGM to steer the new Bond film, the first to be produced by someone outside the Broccoli family. Pascal will produce the film via Pascal Pictures, with Heyman producing via Heyday Films. It wasn’t made immediately clear if they would be producing Bond titles beyond the next film. The selection comes after Amazon MGM closed a deal with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the producers whose family has been producing 007 movies since the 1960s, to take over creative control of the Bond franchise. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 The War of the Roses remake starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman as a warring married couple will be released nationwide on Aug. 29 via Searchlight Pictures. Jay Roach directs The Roses from a script by Poor Things and The Favourite writer Tony McNamara, which is based on the novel published in 1981 by Warren Adler. The Adler novel was made into the 1989 dark comedy from Danny DeVito and starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. The story.
—🎭 One more 🎭 Wheel of Time star Laia Costa has joined Jack Reynor in The Mummy, a new take by writer-director Lee Cronin. New Line Cinema is behind the feature that has horror powerhouses Atomic Monster and Blumhouse producing. Doppelgängers, the banner run by Cronin, is also producing. Cronin previously made horror hit Evil Dead Rise for New Line. Production begins this week in Ireland. The Mummy is set for an April 17, 2026 release. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but it is understood that Costa and Reynor are playing a married couple, who along with their daughter, cross paths with mummy dearest. The story. |
Chastain, Driver to Star in Art World Drama at Apple ►It's not TV, it's Apple. Apple TV+'s latest series order will explore the world of high-end art, with two A-list stars attached. Jessica Chastain and Adam Driver will star in The Dealer, which the streamer landed with a straight-to-series pickup following a bidding war with several other outlets. The two leads will also be executive producers. The show hails from The Morning Show and Pachinko producer Media Res and will be executive produced by Tony Award-nominated playwright Lucas Hnath, Sam Gold and Sarah Lunnie, all of whom collaborated on Hnath’s play A Doll’s House, Part 2. The story.
—🎭 Spy stuff, innit 🎭 Gemma Arterton will lead the cast of ITV’s new espionage drama, Secret Service. Adapted from the novel by ITV News anchor Tom Bradby and produced by Potboiler Productions, Secret Service will be a five-part drama also starring Rafe Spall and Mark Stanley. The show follows senior MI6 officer Kate Henderson (Arterton), who, on the surface, appears quite ordinary— a civil servant married to Stuart (Spall) with two teenage children — however, her true role is heading the Russia Desk at the Secret Intelligence Service. The story.
—🏆 Félicitations 🏆 Tokyo Crush, a French-Japanese culture clash rom-com took home the top prize at Series Mania Forum’s annual Co-Pro Pitching Sessions, organizers announced Tuesday night. The eight-episode, 30-minute series follows Mona, a bold Parisian chef tasked with reinventing a struggling Tokyo izakaya who clashes with Toshiro, the talented and stubborn grandson of the restaurant’s founder. Clémence Dargent wrote Tokyo Crush, with Jonas Ben Haiem and Jean-Félix Dealberto producing for Salle Commune (France) and Hiroko Oda for Flag Inc. (Japan). The project’s producing team was awarded the co-pro $54,000 development prize. The story.
—🎭 Family reunion 🎭 The Malcolm in the Middle revival at Disney+ is getting (most of) the show’s original family back together. Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield have joined the four-episode revival alongside their original series co-stars Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek, and Kiana Madeira, playing Malcolm’s (Muniz) girlfriend. Caleb Ellsworth-Clark, Anthony Timpano, Vaughan Murrae and Keeley Karsten have also signed on to the series. Masterson and Berfield will reprise their roles as Malcolm’s older brothers, Francis and Reese. Ellsworth-Clark will play younger brother Dewey, taking over the role from Erik Per Sullivan, who played Dewey in the 2000-06 Fox series. Sullivan left show business after a role in the 2010 film Twelve. The story.
—Soaring. The early rounds of March Madness didn’t feature many bracket-destroying upsets — but TV viewers didn’t seem to mind. The first two rounds of the men's NCAA basketball tournament on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV drew their biggest audience in more than 30 years. The women’s tournament on ESPN and ABC has fallen off from last year’s record-setting ratings, but it’s also running well ahead of every other year for the past decade-plus. Through Sunday’s second-round games, the men’s games have averaged 9.4m viewers across the four networks, the highest mark for the opening weekend since 1993. There are a couple of caveats there, as CBS was the sole broadcaster for the tournament until 2011 and Nielsen didn’t include out-of-home ratings in its totals until a few years ago. The ratings. |
Clooney's 'Good Night and Good Luck' Sets New Broadway Record ►On top, for now... Good Night and Good Luck, starring George Clooney, broke the record for highest weekly gross for a play last week, with an eye-popping $3.3m. That total was brought in across only seven preview performances, and bests the record set by Othello, starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal. Othello initially broke the record for highest-grossing play the week of March 3, with $2.8m, and then broke its own record the following week with $2.82m. Good Night and Good Luck achieved the new record with an average ticket price of $302.07 and capacity of 101 percent at the Winter Garden Theater. The Broadway box office report.
—🎭 Angry John 🎭 John Krasinski will star in the dark comedic play Angry Alan Off-Broadway this June. The Penelope Skinner play will mark the first production at the Studio Seaview space, which was previously known as the Tony Kiser Theatre. Sam Gold, who directed An Enemy of the People and Romeo + Juliet, both produced by Seaview, directs the one-man play. Angry Alan will start performances May 23, ahead of a June 11 opening night. The play is slated for a 10-week engagement. The story.
—🎭 Leads in place 🎭 A new play starring Insecure’s Jay Ellis and Stephanie Nur will premiere Off-Broadway this summer. The play, Duke & Roya, is written by Charles Randolph-Wright, the playwright behind Blue, with Get Lifted Film Co.’s John Legend, Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius attached as producers. Warren Adams, who recently directed Superhero Off-Broadway, will direct. Duke & Roya is slated to run at the Lucille Lortel Theatre starting June 10, with an opening night on June 24. The play is set for an 11-week run at the theater. The story. |
Film Review: 'The Penguin Lessons' ►"You'll take it to heart." THR's Frank Scheck reviews The Penguin Lessons. A curmudgeonly teacher finds a renewed zest for life after rescuing a penguin in this new film from The Full Monty helmer Peter Cattaneo. Starring Steve Coogan, Vivian El Jaber, Bjorn Gustafsson, Alfonsina Carrocio, David Herrero and Jonathan Pryce. The review.
—"Entertaining, but not essential." THR's Angie Han reviews Apple TV+'s Side Quest. In this Mythic Quest spinoff, the four standalone episodes step outside the main offices to explore the other individuals whose lives have been touched by the game. The review.
In other news...
—Amazon's Etoile trailer crosses the Atlantic for balletic drama
—Miley Cyrus drops trailer for Something Beautiful film accompanying new album
—Hot Docs Fest to open with Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance
—Ilana Glazer to host 2025 Webby Awards
What else we're reading...
—Dear Lord. Of course, they were lying about there not being war plans in the texts.... Read the latest monocle-popping story on Signal-gate [Atlantic]
—As he lurches from one disaster to the next, Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt go inside the vastly underqualified Pete Hegseth's first few months at the DOD [NYT]
—For people who felt season two of Apple's Severance was a little off, Claire McNear is here for you [Ringer]
—Ryan Faughnder looks for answers to the terrible start to 2025 for the domestic box office [LAT]
—Allison Pohle reports that Canadians are boycotting American vacations, which is likely to cost billions in lost spending and job losses [WSJ]
—Kerry Howley has a story on a fascinating scrap amongst demographers over fake data and the questioning of the fabled "blue zones" of centenarians [Intelligencer]
Today...
...in 1997, Sony Pictures unveiled the Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt thriller The Devil’s Own in theaters, where it would go on to gross $140m during its run. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Martin Short (75), Ramy Youssef (34), Keira Knightley (40), Jonathan Glazer (60), Diana Ross (81), Michael Imperioli (59), Alan Silvestri (75), Jonathan Groff (40), Catherine Keener (66), Martin McDonagh (55), Tinto Brass (92), Francis Lawrence (54), Natasha Leggero (51), Jennifer Grey (65), Amy Smart (49), Leslie Mann (53), Floriana Lima (44), T.R. Knight (52), Bianca Kajlich (48), Renata Vaca (26), Jess Bush (33), Vicki Lawrence (76), Eric Allan Kramer (63), Marita Geraghty (63), Carly Chaikin (35), Joe Anderson (43), Lucas Bravo (37), Ella Anderson (20), Choi Woo-sik (35), Roisin Conaty (46), Charlene McKenna (41), Philip Brown (67), Emily Tosta (27), Neal Bledsoe (44), Billy Warlock (64), Chris Payne Gilbert (53), Ilia Isorelýs Paulino (30), Freya Tingley (31), Alicia Lagano (46), Haley Ramm (33) |
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