| | | | | | What's news: WB is holding special screenings of A Minecraft Movie where the audience can talk and sing. Brad Pitt will star in Edward Berger's next film. Greg Berlanti has three new projects set up at three different streamers. Spotify now has 268m paid subscribers. The full Cannes competition jury has been revealed. — Abid Rahman
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com. |
Has '60 Minutes' Run Out of Time? ►Shari's choice. THR's Benjamin Svetkey writes that Paramount Global mogul Shari Redstone is stuck in the middle of an impossible choice: Fight Donald Trump and blow up her $8b Skydance deal, or cave to the president and torch the most valuable news property in her media empire. The analysis.
—"We will build tangible tools, provide resources and develop industry standards." In an acknowledgement of the shifting balance of power and attention in today’s media landscape, SAG-AFTRA is stepping up its efforts to represent and support influencers. National board members of the union unanimously voted to create an influencer and digital creator committee during the organization’s latest two-day plenary, SAG-AFTRA announced on Sunday, as the labor group eyes an expansion into the digital performance space beyond branded content. The committee is intended to serve as a voice for digital creators and influencers within the labor group, according to national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. The story.
—Masterful gambit, Donald. Canadian voters have given the governing Liberals, led by the owlish central banker and businessman Mark Carney, a fourth term after a snap parliamentary election prompted by Donald Trump’s threats to take over Canada. On Monday night, decision desks at major Canadian broadcasters like CBC, CTV and Global News made projections that the Liberals would form the next government soon after 10 p.m., when polls in British Columbia closed. Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party saw pre-election polling momentum stall amid the trade war with the U.S. and Trump's "51st state" taunts. The story. |
Halle Berry, Jeremy Strong Join Juliette Binoche on Cannes Jury ►The gang is all here. An all-star line-up, including actors Halle Berry, Jeremy Strong, and Alba Rohrwacher, auteur directors Hong Sangsoo, Payal Kapadia, and Carlos Reygadas, French Moroccan writer Leïla Slimani, and Congolese documentarist Dieudo Hamadi will join Oscar-winning French screen icon Juliette Binoche on this year’s international jury for the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. The group will pick the winners of this year’s Palme d’Or for best film. The story.
—Suit filed. Paramount has been sued by the cousin of a writer for Top Gun: Maverick, who alleges he co-wrote the screenplay. In a lawsuit filed Sunday, Shaun Gray says he penned key scenes for the film after screenwriter Eric Warren Singer and director Joseph Kosinski enlisted his help to craft the story behind the blockbuster sequel. He seeks a share of profits from the film as a cowriter or, alternatively, unspecified damages for copyright infringement. The lawsuit marks the second legal battle over the rights to Maverick. In 2023, the heirs to the author of a 1983 magazine story that inspired the original film accused Paramount of forging ahead with the project without renegotiating a new license. The story.
—Dismissed. Showtime Networks and Lionsgate’s Entertainment One have beaten a lawsuit accusing them of ripping off 2015 survival thriller Eden in Yellowjackets. Both follow a soccer team whose members start to exhibit cult-like behavior and contemplate cannibalism after crash landing in a remote location. U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson on Friday dismissed the lawsuit, finding that the plots, characters, themes and settings of the two works aren’t similar enough to constitute copyright infringement. Eden, written by Nate Parker and distributed by Voltage Pictures, was released in 2015. Showtime sensation Yellowjackets premiered in 2021 to critical acclaim. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Vice Media has picked up McMafia producer Cuba Pictures from UTA’s Curtis Brown Group. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the U.K. film and TV producer will become part of Vice Studios to bolster its scripted TV business. Cuba Pictures will continue to be led by head of film and TV Dixie Linder, who will report to Vice Studios co-president Jamie Hall. The acquisition of Cuba Pictures follows Vice Media inking a distribution deal with ITV Studios and acquiring commercial and music video production studio London Alley Entertainment and merging it with UK’s Pulse Films. The story.
—Sounds great. Spotify’s paid subscribers increased to 268m in its Q1, up 11 percent year-over-year and beating guidance by 3m. The total number of monthly active users grew to 675m, up 12 percent year-over-year, making the highest number of net additions for the music and podcasting platform and exceeding guidance by 10m. Revenue reached $4.79b, up 16 percent year-over-year, coming in above expectations, while operating income rose to $544m, a record high for the company. The results.
—New shingle just dropped. Liz Gateley, former head of development, originals at Spotify Studios, has left the company to launch Damsel Media. The new company is a television, film, direct-to-consumer and digital media production company that will be focused on Gen Z. Before working at Spotify, Gateley was head of programming at Lifetime. Gateley has created content including Laguna Beach, The Hills, 16 & Pregnant, Teen Mom, Teen Wolf, Surviving R. Kelly, Learning to Skateboard in a War Zone (If You’re a Girl), which won the Oscar in 2020 for documentary short, and developed the scripted series You. The story. |
'Miami Vice' Movie in the Works With Joseph Kosinski Directing ►Heading to South Beach. Joseph Kosinski, the filmmaker behind the $1.49b hit Top Gun: Maverick, is attached to direct a Miami Vice movie for Universal. Nightcrawler filmmaker Dan Gilroy is penning the script, with The Batman producer Dylan Clark producing through Dylan Clark Productions and Kosinski producing through Monolith. Miami Vice began life as the Anthony Yerkovich-created TV series, starring Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two undercover Miami police officers. The series was executive produced by Michael Mann, who later adapted the show for the big screen in a criminally underrated 2006 feature starring Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell. Kosinski has been kicking the tires on the project since last year, though Miami Vice will not be the next project he directs. The story.
—🎭 Next up 🎭 Dev Patel is continuing to establish his triple threat filmmaking skills, coming on board to write, direct and star in The Peasant, a unique period action thriller from Fifth Season and Thunder Road Pictures. Patel will also produce via his Minor Realm production shingle. The project reunites Patel with Thunder Road, which produced Monkey Man, his feature directorial debut, which he also co-wrote and in which he starred. An adrenalized revenge thriller, The Peasant is being described as having shades of Braveheart and John Wick as well as notes of King Arthur as it mashes up medieval knights with feudal India. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights to Boris Lojkine’s Souleymane’s Story, a French drama about a bicycle deliveryman and asylum seeker in Paris, that won the jury prize at Cannes Un Certain Regard last year. Non-professional Abou Sangare, who plays the titular lead character, Souleymane, won the Un Certain Regard best actor honor and has been universally praised for his performance, winning best acting honors at the European Film Awards and France’s Césars. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 The Match Factory has closed multiple international deals for Miroirs No. 3, the latest feature from acclaimed German director Christian Petzold, ahead of its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival. The film follows Laura (Paula Beer), a piano student from Berlin, who survives a car accident during a weekend in the countryside. Though uninjured, she is left psychologically shaken and is taken in by a local woman who witnesses the crash. Miroirs No. 3 marks Petzold’s fourth collaboration with Beer, who received the Silver Bear for Best Actress at Berlinale 2020 for her role in Undine. The story.
—Game recognize game. Tom Cruise is encouraging his fans to go see Sinners, and star Michael B. Jordan has thoughts. On Sunday, Cruise took a break from promoting his upcoming sequel Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning to post on Instagram a photo of himself at a theater holding two tickets for Ryan Coogler‘s genre-defying hit. “Congratulations Ryan, Michael, and to the entire cast and crew,” Cruise wrote. “Must see in a cinema and stay through the end credits.” Jordan reacted by sharing the post in his Instagram stories with a mind-blown emoji and a “nah this crazy …” The story. |
Natasha Lyonne Set to Make Directorial Debut With AI Film ►"When artists lead the tech instead of the other way round." In one of the more unusual creative collaborations to come along in a while, THR's Steven Zeitchick has the scoop that Jaron Lanier — the longtime technology innovator and sometime-skeptic — is teaming with Natasha Lyonne and Brit Marling for a new feature film that will be set in the world of immersive videogames and make abundant use of AI. Uncanny Vallley , as the project is called, is backed by Asteria, the new AI-based studio founded by Lyonne and Los Angeles-based filmmaker and entrepreneur Bryn Mooser. Lyonne will direct from a script she wrote with Marling; both will star. Centered on a teenage girl who becomes unmoored by a hugely popular AR video game in a parallel present, the movie will blend traditional live action and game elements. The story.
—"It's time to get loose, laugh out loud and belt out those lyrics like a true diamond-tier fan." Warner Bros. is leaning into the A Minecraft Movie mayhem by announcing “Block Party Edition” screenings, which encourage the audience to sing and talk along with the smash hit film. As the video game adaptation starring Jack Black edges into its second month in theaters, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have come up with a screening stunt to try and spark another round of repeat viewing this weekend. The screenings will embrace fans singing and “meme-ing along” to their favorite moments. The story.
—🎭 Runners and Riders 🎭 Brad Pitt and Conclave director Edward Berger will team on A24 feature, The Riders. The project is based on Tim Winton’s novel of the same name, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1995 and follows a man who travels around Europe with his daughter looking for his wife who has gone missing. David Kajganich is adapting for the screen. Ridley Scott is producing via his Scott Free banner with Michael Pruss. Production will start in early 2026, shooting in multiple locations across Europe. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 Oscar-nominated Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda’s upcoming anime pic Scarlet will open in North American theaters on Dec. 12, during the lucrative year-end holiday corridor and the heart of awards season. Sony Pictures, which is co-producing and co-financing the film with Studio Chizu and Nippon TV, announced the release date Monday. Sony will distribute the film in the U.S. and around the globe, except for in Japan, where Toho is handling the movie theatrically. Scarlet tells the story of a brave princess who transcends time and space. The story.
—Inside the drama. Mercedes’ much-discussed Formula One driver change is the focus of The Seat, a documentary zooming to Netflix for a release next month. The streamer has landed director Kyle Thrash’s 45-minute film examining Mercedes’ decision that was announced last year to promote 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli as its driver after Lewis Hamilton's exit. Hailing from WhatsApp and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, The Seat is set for global release on May 5. The Seat offers rare access into the workings of the Mercedes team and provides an exclusive look at the private conversations through the messaging platform WhatsApp that were at the center of the decision. The story. |
Nathan Fielder Reveals Why Paramount+ Removed 'Nathan for You' Episode ►"We’ve been erased." Paramount+ has removed “Horseback Riding/Man Zone,” a 2015 episode of Nathan Fielder's seminal comedy series Nathan for You, which originally aired on Comedy Central. The episode, in which Fielder creates the clothing line Summit Ice to raise money for Holocaust education, was taken down “following a standards review,” a Paramount spokesperson told THR. On Sunday’s episode of his Max show The Rehearsal, Fielder revealed a conversation he had with Paramount over the company pulling the Summit Ice episode. The story.
—Back to the writers room. TV mega-producer Greg Berlanti has three projects, at three different streamers, in various stages of development — including a series order for Stillwater, based on the horror comic of the same name, at Amazon Prime Video. Berlanti is also developing a high school mystery series at Hulu and a family drama at Max. All three projects come from Warner Bros. TV, where Berlanti has a rich overall deal and has been his studio home for most of his career. Stillwater and the Hulu project, Foster Dade, will also mark Berlanti’s first teleplay credits in several years. Berlanti and Carly Wray are adapting Skybound’s comic Stillwater. The story.
—Clarification. THR's awards editor Scott Feinberg has learned The Perfect Couple, the six-episode Netflix murder-mystery starring Nicole Kidman that was a huge hit for the streamer upon its release on Sept. 5, 2024, is being submitted for Emmys consideration not in the limited/anthology series categories, where most pundits assumed it would compete, but rather in the drama series categories. The reason? Author Elin Hilberbrand, from whose 2018 bestselling novel Jenna Lamia created and Susanne Bier directed the show, has written additional books that could also be adapted into an additional season or seasons. The story.
—Staffing up. CBS is adding to the crew that take to The Road in its forthcoming music competition show. Grammy winner Gretchen Wilson has joined the series, which comes from creators Taylor Sheridan and Blake Shelton and follows several up-and-coming musical acts going on tour as the openers for headliner Keith Urban. The Road is slated to premiere on CBS in the fall. Wilson will be the show’s “tour manager,” giving advice and guidance to the opening acts as they make their way through the competition. She’ll also perform herself. The story. |
Film Review: 'Salvable' ►"Punches above its weight." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Bjorn Franklin and Johnny Marchetta's Salvable. The co-directors paint a gritty portrait of an aging professional fighter struggling to pick up the pieces of his broken life in Wales (🏴). Starring Shia LaBeouf, Toby Kebbell, Michael Socha, James Cosmo, Kila Lord Cassidy, Elaine Cassidy, Aiysha Hart, Nell Hudson and Barry Ward. The review.
In other news...
—Dwayne Johnson takes a prestige swing in first The Smashing Machine trailer
—Sony is using Roblox to market Karate Kid: Legends to children
—Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert – The 20th Anniversary Tour to take flight
—Cannes: Nicole Kidman to receive Women in Motion Award
—Netflix showcases deep Asian movie lineup in Tokyo
—Jackie Chan to receive Locarno Film Festival lifetime honor
—Seventeen’s Hoshi and Woozi, IVE and NMIXX among lineup for KCON L.A. 2025
—Guy Danella named president of film at XYZ
—Chappell Roan signs management deal with Drew Simmons
What else we're reading...
—Bloomberg reports Trump’s China attacks are unleashing a wave of nationalist support for Xi Jinping [Bloomberg]
—David Sims writes that A24's new fantasy film The Legend of Ochi conjures the kinds of special effects the film industry rarely uses anymore [Atlantic]
—Jack Crosbie profiles political streamer Hasan Piker, who is fast becoming the "Joe Rogan of the left" [NYT]
—Aymann Ismail writes that Ramy Youssef and Pam Brady's new animated show #1 Happy Family USA is the most cathartic TV he's seen in ages [Slate]
—With complaints from DJs, club owners, and patrons, Alex Abad-Santos wonders when people stopped dancing at the club [Vox]
—Anthony Zurcher looks at how political wizard Donald Trump gave the Liberals an improbable turnaround victory in the Canadian elections [BBC]
Today...
...in 2011, Universal released Justin Lin's Fast Five in theaters. The fifth installment in the long-running action franchise saw the gang head to Brazil and create untold damage on the streets of Rio and at the box office. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Willie Nelson (92), Daniel Day-Lewis (68), Michelle Pfeiffer (67), Uma Thurman (55), Kate Mulgrew (70), Xochitl Gomez (19), Phillip Noyce (75), Hansal Mehta (57), Megan Boone (42), Jenn Lyon (45), April Telek (50), Mark Stanley (37), Katherine Langford (29), Steve Blum (65), Fares Fares (52), Anita Dobson (76), Taylor Cole (41), Paul Adelstein (56), Tyler Labine (47), Bre Blair (45), Ella Hunt (27), Darby Stanchfield (54), Eve Plumb (67), Nora Dunn (73), Vincent Ventresca (59), Derek Mears (53), Morgan Turner (26), Federico Castelluccio (61), Ellen Crawford (74), Kate Nauta (43), Laura Harrington (67), Grace Kaufman (23), Shahadi Wright Joseph (20), David Belle (52), Barbora Bobulova (51), Master P (55), Jürgen Vogel (57), Michael Herbig (57), Callum Scott Howells (🏴26) | | Cora Sue Collins, the charming child actress of the 1930s and ’40s who worked alongside such legends as Greta Garbo, Claudette Colbert, Bette Davis, Irene Dunne and Merle Oberon during her brief but sensational career, has died. She was 98. The obituary. |
|
|
|
| | | |
