| | | | | | What's news: Angel Studios’ animated faith-based pic The King of Kings opened to $19m. Aimee Lou Wood says she received an apology from SNL. Mickey Rourke exited Celebrity Big Brother UK after several inappropriate incidents. Sam Wrench will direct WB's The Bodyguard remake. Cannes Critics’ Week has revealed its 2025 lineup. — Abid Rahman
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'Black Mirror': Every Episode Ranked, Including S7 ►Fully updated. With the new season of Netflix's Black Mirror, creator-writer Charlie Brooker’s anthology saga now has a total of 34 offerings of dystopian delights for the ready and willing viewer. Season seven’s six new episodes add to a catalogue that also includes a 2014 holiday special starring Jon Hamm and Netflix’s first-ever adult interactive movie with 2018’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. But which episodes are the best, which are the worst, and where do the new episodes fall on THR's ranking? The list.
—"Generally speaking, it’s always been clear to me throughout the show that the technology is not necessarily the problem." THR's Jackie Strause spoke to Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker and executive producer Jessica Rhoades about the latest season. Brooker and Rhoades take a closer look at the new episodes, reveal which season seven ending sums up their feelings about the future, explain why they wanted to revisit "USS Callister" and how they have ideas for more sequels. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"It’s unnerving and weird, but it’s wonderful and campy and over the top." THR's Lily Ford spoke to Brit actor Rosy McEwen about episode two of season seven of Black Mirror, "Bête Noire." McEwen, who plays Verity in the episode, divulges how creator-writer Charlie Brooker really feels about technology and, despite her episode's chaos, why this was the most relaxed set she's ever been on. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"It was really critical to us to not feel like it was just a disparate sort of feature set that loosely ties into it." THR's Alex Weprin looks into how Netflix turned the terrifying Black Mirror plot device in season seven's "Plaything" episode into a real-life video game. The episode, a sequel of sorts to Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, includes a game called Thronglets. Now users can play the game as they watch the season seven story unfold. Warning: Spoilers! The story. |
HBO Reveals 'Harry Potter' Remake Cast ►Revelio! HBO has finally announced the adult cast of its Harry Potter TV series. The company has announced six actors for the core adult roles of its adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s beloved novels. As expected, John Lithgow will take on the critical role of Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Janet McTeer will take on the role of Transfiguration Professor Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu will take on the role of Potions Professor Severus Snape, Nick Frost will play Hogwarts gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon will play Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Quirinus Quirrel and Paul Whitehouse has been cast as caretaker Argus Filch. No child stars for the equally critical roles of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco have yet been cast. The story.
—"I did find the SNL thing mean and unfunny." Aimee Lou Wood, the British breakout star of The White Lotus season three, said Saturday Night Live has apologized after unkindly parodying her looks during Saturday's show. The 31-year-old actress posted to her Instagram that she found the sketch comedy show’s portrayal of her by Sarah Sherman to be in poor taste. “Yes, take the piss for sure — that’s what the show is about — but there must be a [more clever], more nuanced, less cheap way?” Wood wrote on social media. The actress later posted an update that said that she had "had apologies from SNL." The story.
—Out! Mickey Rourke has officially exited Celebrity Big Brother UK following bouts of “inappropriate language” and “unacceptable behavior.” “Mickey Rourke has agreed to leave the Celebrity Big Brother House this evening following a discussion with Big Brother regarding further use of inappropriate language and instances of unacceptable behavior,” a spokesperson for the reality show said in a statement to THR. The actor’s removal from the show comes after he displayed “threatening and aggressive” behavior amid a disagreement with former Love Island contestant Chris Hughes. The story.
—"So many gross stories of things he made me go through." Before Mickey Rourke's exit from Celebrity Big Brother UK, and in the aftermath of his homophobic comments to now-former housemate JoJo Siwa, Bella Thorne recalled an incident with the veteran actor which Thorne described as "one of the all time worst experiences" of her life. "This fucking dude. GROSS," Thorne wrote on social media, responding to a picture of Rourke. "I had to work with this man — in a scene where I’m on my knees and with my hands zip tied around my back. He’s supposed to take a metal grinder to my knee cap and instead he used it on my genitals through my jeans. Hitting them over and over again. I had bruises on my pelvic bone." The story. |
'Last of Us' S2's Ruthless New Character Speaks ►"She's a chilling ice queen." For THR, Josh Wigler spoke to Kaitlyn Dever about season two premiere of The Last of Us. Dever enters the story as Abby in the hit HBO show's return as someone with an intimate connection to Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey). Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I think Harry’s somewhat trapped inside being Harry." THR's Lexi Carson spoke to Tom Hardy about his new crime series, MobLand. The star and executive producer of the Guy Ritchie-created Paramount+ show breaks down his character, the fixer Harry Da Souza, and says, "the plan is definitely to see more seasons," as he shares an idea to take the story international. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I had a lot of that stuff to tap into." For THR, Lisa de los Reyes spoke to Zahn McClarnon about the latest episode of AMC's thriller series Dark Winds. The actor, who plays Joe Leaphorn, breaks down episode six’s abuse storyline, which surfaced during a surreal exploration of the hero’s psyche. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I have found that I personally am in a better space in my life emotionally — and I think Harvey is too." For THR, Max Gao spoke to Suits star Gabriel Macht on coming back to play Harvey Specter in spinoff Suits LA. Macht opens up about his decision to return (albeit, briefly) to scripted television to support the expansion of the Suits universe, why he thinks the fan-favorite relationship between Harvey and Mike has stood the test of time — and why he believes that hypermasculine antiheroes, including Harvey, are often celebrated for the wrong reasons. The interview. |
'Yellowjackets': Pit Girl Speaks! ►"I hope that it haunts them all for the rest of their lives!" THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to the Yellowjackets star known as "Pit Girl" The actor who is revealed to be the person running for her life from the pilot shares a departing message after the season three finale. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"We feel that there is more story to tell and we’re really excited to dive into it." Jackie spoke to the Yellowjackets co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson as well as showrunner Jonathan Lisco about the season three finale. The trio open up about how hard it is to kill off characters and why they have a lot more story to tell. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"It was fun to keep this big secret." Jackie spoke to Yellowjackets star Sarah Desjardins about the season three finale. The actor, who plays teenager Callie Sadecki the daughter of Melanie Lynskey's Shauna, opens up how she played that fateful scene. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"Honestly, none of us are safe." Jackie also spoke to Melanie Lynskey about the Yellowjackets season three finale. The actor who stars as Adult Shauna on the hit Showtime series reacts to all of the season three character deaths ("I was heartbroken") and why every shocking thing she did this season — even taking a bite out of Hilary Swank's arm — makes so much sense. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
A Best Stunt Oscar Could Drive Stunt Designers to Up the Ante ►"You're going to see guys really honing their craft." Hollywood's stunt community is celebrating last week's news that, finally, stunts will be recognized in 2028 with a stunt design Oscar. THR's second-nicest man Aaron Couch spoke to stunt designer Chris O'Hara, who along with his The Fall Guy director David Leitch was instrumental in pushing for the new category, notes that the coming years could see a further evolution of the artform. The interview.
—Rumbling forward. Warner Bros.' remake of The Bodyguard has found its director. Sam Wrench, who directed the 2023 concert feature Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, is attached to a new version of the original 1992 drama film that starred Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. No casting announcements have been made. Wrench’s previous credits include A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter, which hit Netflix during last year’s holiday season. Jonathan Abrams, who the Clint Eastwood-helmed Juror #2 for the studio, is writing the script. Matthew Lopez wrote a previous version of the screenplay for the long-gestating remake that has been in various stages of development since 2011. The story.
—Up and comers. The Cannes Critics’ Week, the festival sidebar focusing on directors’ first and second features, unveiled its 2025 lineup Monday. Competition highlights include Left-Handed Girl, the solo directorial debut of Taiwanese filmmaker Shih-Ching Tsou, known for her long-standing collaboration with Anora director Sean Baker (Tsou co-directed 2004’s Take Out and was a producer on Baker’s Tangerine, The Florida Project and Red Rocket). Baker co-wrote and edited the Taipei-set urban melodrama, which centers on a single mother and her two daughters navigating life on the margins of the Taiwanese capital. Also debuting in Critics’ Week is Thai director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke with A Useful Ghost, a surrealist take on motherhood in which a woman reincarnates as a vacuum cleaner. The lineup. |
Box Office: 'Minecraft' Mints More Gold With $80.6M ►Digging it. There’s no slowing down A Minecraft Movie, which hurtled past the $550m mark at the global box office on its way to likely becoming the first title of 2025 to join the $1b club. The Warner Bros. family event pic easily stayed No. 1 in its second weekend with a huge domestic haul of $80.6m. It has now earned $281m in North America and $296.6 million overseas for a worldwide total of $550.6m. The foreign tally includes $20.5m from China, one of the best showings in recent memory for a Hollywood title (Legendary East is handling the film there).
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that thanks in large measure to the astonishing performance of Minecraft, box office revenue in North America is once again on par with the same corridor in 2024 (not long ago, it was down 20 percent). Legendary, which has a 25 percent stake in the pic, produced the film for Warners alongside Vertigo.
Among the newbies, Angel Studios’ animated faith-based pic The King of Kings fared the best after winning over Middle America — the top-grossing theater is in Spartanburg, South Carolina — and receiving a coveted A+ from ticket buyers. The movie, inspired by a Charles Dickens’ tale of a boy and father who explore the life of Jesus, opened in second-place with a better-than-expected $19m from 3,200 locations (in a successful marketing stunt, kids are being allowed in for free). That marks the best start for Angel Studios’ behind its inaugural release and cultural sensation Sound of Freedom. The box office report. |
WGA West Names Members Who Broke Strike Rules ►Seven named. The Writers Guild of America West has gone public with its discipline of six union members for allegedly writing during the labor group’s 2023 strike and one for a purported constitutional violation, a move that four writers have appealed, with one saying he was “punished for being transparent.” Writers Julie Bush, Tim Doyle, Edward Drake and Roma Roth have all sought to overturn disciplinary rulings from the union’s board of directors, which followed hearings before five-member trial juries and investigations from a committee aimed at uncovering authorized work during the strike. The union announced the discipline and appeals to members on Friday. The story.
—"They asked for my trust and then weaponized it against me." THR's Katie Kilkenny spoke to Edward Drake, one of the Writers Guild members expelled for work during the 2023 strike. Drake, who is also a director, explains why he is one of four union members challenging their discipline following the second-longest work stoppage in the union’s history. The interview.
—🤝 Tentative deal 🤝 SAG-AFTRA and advertisers have reached a tentative agreement for successor commercial contracts. The tentative agreement — which covers actors’ and other performers’ work on ads — came after the two parties extended the expiration date on their previous contracts multiple times as they continued negotiations, allowing union performers to continue working. SAG-AFTRA and the Joint Policy Committee, which bargains on behalf of advertisers and advertising agencies, had been in negotiations since Feb. 20. They initially extended the conclusion of their previous three-year contracts at the end of March, but later pushed it through April 11. The story. |
Ted Kotcheff 1931 - 2025 ►Genre king. Ted Kotcheff, the unheralded Canadian moviemaker who moved gracefully among genres to direct such notable films such as the Rambo movie First Blood and Weekend at Bernie’s, has died. He was 94. Kotcheff, who went on to spend 13 seasons as an executive producer on the gritty Dick Wolf series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, died Thursday. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974), starring Richard Dreyfuss as a young hustler, is widely considered to be among the finest Canadian films ever made, and Kotcheff also directed a feature very high of the list of the best movies to come out of Australia — the harrowing thriller Wake in Fright (1971). The obituary.
—Master of ceremonies. Don Mischer, the Emmy-accumulating director-producer who called the shots on the biggest live entertainment events in the world, from Super Bowl halftime shows and Olympic opening ceremonies to the Oscars and the Emmys, has died. He was 85. Mischer died peacefully in his sleep in Los Angeles on Friday, a family spokesperson told THR. The San Antonio native also helmed the Kennedy Center Honors, starting with the inaugural 1978 event through 1986 — he then produced the CBS telecast from 1993-2001 — and guided Barbara Walters‘ highly-rated ABC interview shows beginning in the late 1970s. The obituary.
—Tragically young. Nicky Katt, the character actor known for his roles in the indie film classic Dazed and Confused and on the ABC series Boston Public, has died. He was 54. Katt’s attorney, John Sloss, confirmed his death to THR but did not divulge any details. His other credits included Love & War, Friends, A Time to Kill, Batman & Robin, Rules of Engagement, The Guardian, School of Rock, King of the Hill, Monk, Law & Order, Death Proof and The Sitter. The obituary.
In other news...
—Ari Aster’s Eddington trailer connects Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone
—SNL: Quinta Brunson set as host with musical guest Benson Boone
—Ashley Park named Dior ambassador for fashion and beauty
—The Pointer Brothers sign with UTA
—Ed Arnold, former broadcaster at L.A. TV stations KTLA and KABC, dies at 86
—E. Jay Krause, Emmy-winning art director, dies at 98
—Jean Marsh, Upstairs, Downstairs actress and co-creator, dies at 90
—Robert Snow, Secret Service agent turned In the Line of Fire adviser, dies at 93
—Mel Novak, bad guys in Game of Death and Black Belt Jones, dies at 90
What else we're reading...
—Lucas Shaw breaks down how A Minecraft Movie was the massive blockbuster that no one in Hollywood predicted [Bloomberg]
—Miles Klee, Andrew Perez, Asawin Suebsaeng and Meagan Jordan have a fascinating and incredibly depressing piece on Elon Musk's time inside the Trump administration [Rolling Stone]
—Julia Jacobs looks into Sean 'Diddy' Combs' life inside the Brooklyn detention center as he awaits his trial, which begins next month [NYT]
—Vanessa Friedman goes inside the design for the Blue Origin flight suits that were created by Monse with input from Lauren Sánchez [NYT]
—Critic Kathryn VanArendonk writes that reality show The Baldwins almost succeeded in what it set out to do [Vulture]
Today...
...in 1933, Today We Live, a star-studded adaptation of a William Faulkner story, Turnabout, hit theaters, featuring a cast of Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper and Franchot Tone. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Adrien Brody (52), Sarah Michelle Gellar (48), Rob McElhenney (48), Julie Christie (85), Peter Capaldi (67), James Gray (56), Anthony Michael Hall (57), Abigail Breslin (29), Robert Carlyle (64), Brad Garrett (65), Adam DiMarco (35), Skyler Samuels (31), Claire Coffee (45), Gina McKee (61), Vivien Cardone (32), Graham Phillips (32), Catherine Dent (60), Chris Wood (37), Humberly González (33), Sibi Blazic (55), Jaimz Woolvett (58), Ben Lloyd-Hughes (37), Lloyd Owen (59), Quentin Dupieux (51), Jon Daly (48), Langley Kirkwood (52), Bob Clendenin (61), John Shea (76), Nick Krause (33), Chuck Dixon (71), Gracyn Shinyei (19), Antwon Tanner (50), John D'Aquino (67) |
| Mario Vargas Llosa, the Peruvian author behind the novels The Time of the Hero and Conversation in The Cathedral, Nobel literature laureate and a giant of Latin American letters for many decades, has died. He was 89. The obituary. |
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