| | | | | | What's news: Netflix, Madonna and Shawn Levy are working on a limited series about the pop icon. Michael Jordan will join NBC's NBA coverage team. Jude Law and Andrew Garfield will star in Apple's Siegfried & Roy series. Amazon has renewed Fallout. Damon Idris will play Miles Davis in a film. Patrick Dempsey will topline Fox's Memory of a Killer. — Abid Rahman
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Bonjour de Cannes! ►THR's crack team is on the ground in the south of France (lucky bastards) for the 78th edition of the world's greatest film festival. Read our day 1 Cannes digital daily here.
—"If this trend goes on, journalists will disappear." With Cannes kicking off today, more than 100 international film journalists have signed an open statement urging festival organizers, studios, and talent representatives to improve access to talent interviews — a concern that has sparked growing frustration across major film events worldwide. The protest, which follows a similar action launched at the Venice Film Festival last year, calls on Cannes director Thierry Frémaux and his counterparts at other major festivals to publicly support “good film journalism” and to push for more equitable access to talent during festivals. The signees argue that without meaningful interviews, serious coverage of cinema is being sidelined in favor of brief promotional appearances and soundbite-driven content. The story.
—Please, no nudity, we're French. Nipples and unruly dresses are out in Cannes. Ahead of the start of the 2025 edition, the festival issued an updated red carpet dress code that effectively bans full nudity and “voluminous” ensembles. “For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as in any other area of the festival. Voluminous outfits, in particular those with a large train, that hinder the proper flow of traffic of guests and complicate seating in the theater are not permitted,” per the festival on its official charter. “The festival welcoming teams will be obligated to prohibit red carpet access to anyone not respecting these rules.” The story.
—"Trump has succeeded, once again, in making it all about him." THR's Scott Roxborough reports that dealmakers in Cannes are already sick at the prospect of Donald Trump and his foreign film tariffs looming large over the festival. Insiders, frustrated with the lack of clarity about the president’s plan, are grumbling about the outsized presence he’ll have on the Croisette. The story.
—Cannes you return? The Cannes Film Festival acts as the kickoff for the summer movie season. Photo calls, press tours, international premieres and, yes, festivals see talent moving in and out of the U.S., while the Marché du Film and other forums see filmmakers traveling to get their movies financed. THR's Mia Galuppo writes that this year, non-citizens working in Hollywood are on edge as Trump causes chaos along the country’s borders. The story.
—Amicizia. Italian film producer Andrea Iervolino unveiled a proposal for a U.S.–Italy co-production treaty on Tuesday that they said was agreed with Mel Gibson, Trump's “special ambassador” to Hollywood, and is designed to "serve as a ‘pilot project’ for the development of similar treaties between the USA and all other countries around the world." The proposed agreement calls for Italian producers to be “incentivized to make Italian films in the USA, involving American stars and therefore investing in the U.S.,” according to a statement. It also suggests that the Italian government launch “support programs for productions that strengthen cultural ties between Italy and the United States.” The story. |
David Rooney's 10 Must-See Cannes Titles ►Eddington! With the 2025 Cannes Film Festival kicking off today, one key question is what movies not to miss on the Croisette. From competition veterans like the Dardenne brothers, Kelly Reichardt and Joachim Trier to newly promoted auteurs like Ari Aster, Oliver Hermanus, Carla Simón and Oliver Laxe, THR’s chief film critic David Rooney rounds up 10 essential premieres. The list.
—The Hot List! The Cannes Film Market is gearing up for one of its most unpredictable editions in years, as buyers navigate a landscape shaped by risk aversion, political turbulence, and the lingering aftershocks of a sluggish Berlin. THR's Mia Galuppo and Scott Roxborough write that February’s European Film Market was brimming with promising projects, but few big deals materialized, leaving distributors cautious as they head to the Marché du Film. THR's list of the market’s hottest titles boast impressive above-the-line names like Sydney Sweeney, Jesse Plemons, Gal Gadot, Jeremy Allen White and Angelina Jolie, signing up for indie projects both massive — Lionsgate’s $150m-plus Hunger Games prequel — and more modest, including Colman Domingo’s directorial debut, and a new Werner Herzog film. The list.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Neon has picked up rights for North America, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand for Fjord, the English-language debut of Palme d’Or-winning Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days), starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve. Neon plans to release the film theatrically in the U.S. The re-teaming of Romanian-born Stan and Reinsve, who co-starred in A Different Man , is a family drama focused on the Gheorghiu family, made up of a Romanian father (Stan) and a Norwegian mother (Reinsve), who relocate to a remote village in the mother’s homeland. They quickly form a close bond with the neighboring Halberg family. But when troubling allegations surface, the Gheorghius find themselves at the center of a small-town reckoning. The story.
—Bringing back the "Video Store." Film-focused social media platform Letterboxd plans to launch a curated TVOD (transactional video-on-demand) service, targeted at its 20m-strong cinema-obsessed user base. Letterboxd unveiled the plans in Cannes on Tuesday, saying the Letterboxd Video Store would feature themed rental “shelves” highlighting film festival selections, overlooked titles, global cinema, and emerging filmmakers. Rentals will be available either on demand or within timed windows modeled after festival screenings. The Letterboxd TVOD service plans to curate its selection informed by user activity and enthusiasm across its site. The story.
More from Cannes 2025...
—Snag these restaurant reservations in Cannes
—Sex on the beach: A new photo book captures the fading decadence of Cannes
—Japan's Imagica launches film financing initiative backed by Hirokazu Koreeda |
Damson Idris to Play Miles Davis ►🎭 Star-crossed lovers. 🎭 Damson Idris will star in period romance Miles & Juliette with Anamaria Vartolomei, with Idris playing the late jazz icon Miles Davis and Vartolomei portraying French singer and actress Juliette Gréco. Love & Mercy director Bill Pohlad will direct the project from a screenplay by Zora Howard. Mick Jagger will produce via his Jagged Films banner along with Victoria Pearman and Pohlad via his River Road Entertainment banner alongside Kim Roth. Xavier Dolan is also in the cast. According to the project’s description, the film follows 22-year-old Miles Davis "on a transformative trip to Paris in 1949, where he falls into a passionate romance with Juliette Gréco." The story.
—🎭 Capitol gains. 🎭 Kelvin Harrison, Jr. has joined the ever-growing cast of Lionsgate’s latest installment of The Hunger Games franchise, the adaptation of the latest Suzanne Collins bestseller, Sunrise of the Reaping. Glenn Close is also said to be circling a role in the feature, although sources say it’s unclear whether a deal can be struck on that front. Reaping stars Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy, with Whitney Peak playing Haymitch’s girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird. The prequel story is focused on fan favorite Haymitch, who in the original Hunger Games book trilogy (and movie quadrology) acted as a mentor to heroine Katniss Everdeen. Harrison has been cast as Beetee, champion of the 34th Hunger Games . In the original movies, the character is played by Jeffrey Wright. The story.
—🎭 Green(e) party. 🎭 Ashley Greene and Seth Green are ready to dish out laughs with a romantic comedy feature offering a modern take on relationships. The pair are set to star in director Peter Facinelli's forthcoming film Grace Period. Hailing from Wango Films, the movie will be introduced to buyers at Cannes this month ahead of a planned production start in August. Grace Period centers on Willa (Greene), who impulsively decides to freeze her eggs with the help of Dr. Rubin, played by Emmy-nominated actor Matt Walsh. Things get complicated when she soon meets her ideal guy, Greg (Green), and ends up navigating this journey with the help of both men. The story. |
NBCU Upfront: A Caustic Seth MacFarlane, an Aerial Ad Chief and … John Tesh ►"It’s always easier to make lofty claims when you’re first at bat." NBCUniversal kicked off upfronts week that will see all major players in ad-supported visual media make a plea for spending commitments in a time when a volatile economy has purse strings ready to snap shut quicker than a gate door at Newark Airport. THR's Mikey O'Connell reports that NBCU's presentation began with Ted creator and rat pack cosplayer Seth MacFarlane delivering a song-and-dance roast of every other media company. None were spared, particularly Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. The story.
—GOAT hire. In a surprise move, NBC said Monday that it has hired basketball icon Michael Jordan to contribute to its NBA coverage, which tips off later this year. NBC announced Jordan’s hire during its upfront presentation, after composer John Tesh took the stage for a live performance of the NBA on NBC title theme “Roundball Rock.” Jordan appeared via a video message to announce his return as a special contributor. The story.
—Centenary celebration. NBC will mark its 100th anniversary in 2026 with an on-air party. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler — both of whom have new projects at NBCUniversal — announced the special at NBCU’s upfront presentation. Details are scant at the moment, but the pair said it will feature past and current stars from the network and musical performances. The story.
—📅 Hot off the press. 📅 The next series in The Office world officially has a title — and a premiere date. The Peacock show, in which the documentary crew from The Office lands on a new subject, is called The Paper. It follows the publisher (Domhnall Gleeson) and staff of a historic but struggling newspaper in Toledo, Ohio. The series, from former Office showrunner Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, is set to premiere in September. Peacock also released the first image from the series, which also shows Oscar Nuñez, who will reprise his role as Oscar Martinez from the earlier series. The story.
—📅 It's official. 📅 After sitting out 2024, BravoCon is officially back this year. Details of the fan-focused convention were revealed Monday during NBCU's upfront presentation. The event is an opportunity for the network to showcase its stars while catering to fans. More than 150 “Bravolebrities” are expected to take part in the 2025 edition, which will take place Nov. 14-16 in Las Vegas, at Caesars Forum. Click through to see the full lineup of stars that will appear. The story.
—Same, same, but different. Versant, the portfolio of misfit NBCU cable channels, announced its first programming slate on Monday. The 2025-26 TV season will feature “bold originals, blockbuster sports and iconic live events." E! alone announced five new unscripted series at the NBC upfront, Syfy and USA Network each unveiled one new scripted series, and Oxygen’s got a killer pair of freshman shows. The story. |
Fox Upfront: Murdoch, Letterman and an Unfortunate Brady Pass ►Throwback. THR's Mikey O'Connell reports that Fox delivered the most traditional upfront presentation anybody is likely to see this week. Executives and talent kept the focus on live sports and news, all the men wore suits and there was nary a mention of a subscription service. Even if they have one. In other respects, the Monday afternoon program was a postmodern odyssey — as evidenced by 95-year-old Rupert Murdoch, seated in the fourth row with son Lachlan and members of the proletariat, nodding his head along to Jay Z’s “Public Service Announcement” as Jamie Foxx came on stage to deliver an impression of Donald Trump mispronouncing “Tesla.” The story.
—🎭 McDreamy lead. 🎭 Fox’s just-announced drama series Memory of a Killer has found its lead actor. Patrick Dempsey has signed on to star in the series, in which he’ll play a hitman who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s just as his double life begins to collapse. The series is based on a 2003 Belgian movie that won several awards in its home country. The role will mark a return to network television for Dempsey, who starred in Grey’s Anatomy for more than a decade. The story. |
Amazon Upfront: There's No Escaping Walton Goggins ►"Are you ready to terminate this segment?" Amazon made its play to be the cool advertising partner on Monday night with a relatively zippy Beacon Theater presentation that followed an extremely loud DJ set from Steve Aoki. THR's Mikey O'Connell reports that the streamer's pitch is relatively straightforward. In short, everybody has it. Why waste time dwelling on numbers when there’s an absolute canvas of stars waiting backstage? Jason and Travis Kelce, Octavia Spencer, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cena and, making her second upfront appearance of the day, Elizabeth Banks were among those in attendance. The story.
—Goggins sighted. Fallout is set to return to Prime Video late this year — and it will continue beyond that. The streamer has given an early season three renewal to Fallout, which instantly became one of Prime Video’s biggest shows when it debuted April 2024. Season two is set to premiere in December. Prime Video announced the early pickup at its upfront presentation Monday, with series stars Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten and Walton Goggins appearing on stage to reveal the season two premiere. The story.
—Getting back in the ring. After a few years of flirtations, Creed is finally getting a TV treatment — with Michael B. Jordan and his Outlier Society set to produce a new series for Prime Video. The first live-action series set in the Creed franchise, Delphi will take place at the titular boxing gym and focus on the young athletes who populate the ring. Though no other details were immediately available, Marco Ramírez will serve as showrunner as well as executive producer. Across three films, the Creed franchise has grossed more than $660m at the worldwide box office and grown its haul with every release. 2023 installment Creed III took in $276m. The story.
—Doubling down. Prime Video is giving a two season renewal to MrBeast's reality competition series Beast Games, hosted and executive produced by the wildly popular YouTube creator, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson. The first season of the series saw 1,000 contestants via for a $5m cash prize, however that prize was doubled in high stakes all-or-nothing gamble late in the season. Donaldson also gave out millions of dollars in additional prizes over the course of the season, including a private island. The story.
—Heading to the small screen. Prime Video has ordered Barbershop, starring Jermaine Fowler, to series. Marshall Todd, who wrote the original Barbershop’s screenplay, is writing and executive producing the series; Max Searle is set as co-showrunner and executive producer. The Barbershop series will be produced by Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat (he’s among the executive producers), Prominent Productions, State Street Pictures and Amazon MGM Studios. The television adaptation of the Barbershop movie franchise revolves around Travis “Trav” Porter (Fowler), who is following in the footsteps of his grandfather, a legendary barber at the iconic “Calvin’s” barbershop in Chicago. The story.
—🤝 New deal. 🤝 The Academy of Country Music Awards will remain on Prime Video for several more years. The academy, producer Dick Clark Productions and the streamer have signed a three-year deal to keep the annual show on Prime Video through 2028. The previous agreement was up after last week’s 60th ACM Awards. The story. |
Madonna Limited Series From Shawn Levy in the Works at Netflix ►La Isla Binge-ita. After stops and starts on a biopic about her life and career, Madonna is turning to the limited series format to tell her story. The music icon is teaming with producer and director Shawn Levy on a series project at Netflix. The limited series in the early stages of development at the streamer, where Levy’s 21 Laps company has an overall deal. The streamer's project is not related to previous efforts to mount a feature film about Madonna. Julia Garner was considered the frontrunner to play Madonna in the film, which was set up at Universal but was scuttled in early 2023. Madonna hinted last year, via a social media post, that she was again at work on the film. The story.
—La surprise! We don’t have to say au revoir to Lupin, just yet. Part four of the hit series is already in production in Paris, Netflix said on Monday; it will consist of eight 45-minute episodes. Omar Sy is back as Assane Diop, the gentleman thief. Lupin was created by George Kay in collaboration with François Uzan; Marie Roussin, Florent Meyer and Tigran Rosine also participated in the formation of the series, which is inspired by Maurice Leblanc’s Arsène Lupin character. The story.
—🎭 Wunderbar! 🎭 Apple TV+ has given a pickup to Wild Things, the limited series about Las Vegas showman-magicians Siegfried & Roy, with Jude Law and Andrew Garfield to star. The eight-parter is based on the Apple original podcast Wild Things: Siegfried & Roy and is written, showrun and executive produced by Only Murders in the Building co-creator John Hoffman. Law will star as Siegfried, and Garfield will star as Roy. The series is set to go into production this fall. German magicians Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Uwe Horn in real life became Las Vegas stars along with their white lions and tigers. But their careers were cut short by an onstage tiger attack in 2003. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 FX has set the premiere dates for The Bear season four, Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth and Sterlin Harjo’s The Lowdown starring Ethan Hawke. The fourth season of The Bear will drop in its entirety on June 25 on Hulu. Alien: Earth will premiere on Tuesday, Aug. 12 with a pair of episodes available to stream on Hulu and airing on FX. Drama series The Lowdown will premiere its first two episodes on Sept. 23 on FX. The story.
—Finally! CBS has renewed its daytime soap for a second season in 2025-26. Beyond the Gates has performed solidly in the ratings, improving significantly on the year-ago numbers for its afternoon time period (which was filled by The Talk) and helping CBS lead daytime among broadcast networks for the 39th straight year. The series — the first daytime drama to center on Black characters since NBC’s Generations premiered in 1989 — premiered in February to 2.28m cross-platform viewers for its first week. The story. |
Gérard Depardieu Found Guilty of Sexual Assault ►Landmark ruling. A Paris court on Tuesday found Gérard Depardieu guilty of sexual assault, giving him an 18-month suspended sentence. Depardieu was found guilty of sexually assaulting two women, a production designer and an assistant director, on the set of Jean Becker’s French film The Green Shutters in 2021. The court also placed the French star of Green Card and Cyrano de Bergerac on the national sex offender registry. Depardieu did not appear in court for the sentencing. The ruling is the first successful case made against Depardieu, who faces at least 20 separate public accusations of sexually inappropriate behavior, going back decades. The ruling is being seen as a landmark in the #MeToo movement in France. The story.
—The latest. Day one of the second week of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan saw a flurry of activity, as the jury was finalized after an accusation of racial bias from the defense team. On Monday, the trial began in earnest with opening statements followed by testimony from two witnesses. Combs stood up in the court on Monday morning when lead attorney Teny Geragos described him in her opening statements. Then followed testimony from two witnesses, with Cassie Ventura's testimony pushed to Tuesday. The story.
—Midweek movie magic. For years, there’s been a spike in moviegoing on Tuesdays, when it can cost half as much to take a trip to thousands of cinemas across the country. AMC Theatres — the country’s largest exhibitor — upped the ante in a major way on Monday when extending the discount to Wednesdays for members of AMC Stubs program, which is free to join (the loyalty program presently boasts 36m subscribers). Beginning July 9, 2025, Stubs members can buy a ticket for all releases at 50 percent off the normal adult-evening ticket price. The new policy will commence several days before James Gunn's Superman flies into cinemas on July 11 and not long after July Fourth tentpole Jurassic World: Rebirth debuts on July 2. The story. |
TV Review: 'Bad Thoughts' ►"Rude and crude, not necessarily in a bad way." THR's Angie Han reviews Netflix's Bad Thoughts. Dan Stevens, Shea Whigham and Rachel Bloom guest star in the six-episode show from creator and star Tom Segura, which includes sketches about an out-of-touch country singer, a sloppy assassin and a vengeful IT guy. The review.
In other news...
—Bucking Fastard: First-look at Kate and Rooney Mara in Werner Herzog film
—Michelle Pfeiffer ditches her family at the holidays in Amazon’s Oh. What. Fun. trailer
—Capitol Music Group launches Nashville division, hires Candice Watkins as president
—Janet Jackson to receive Icon Award at American Music Awards
—Red Sea Film Foundation names Faisal Baltyuor as CEO
What else we're reading...
—John Reed, Andres Schipani and Humza Jilani unpack how India and Pakistan pulled back from the brink of war [FT]
—Eric Vilas-Boas looks at why Netflix had to redesign its homepage [Vulture]
—Adrian Horton posits that Nathan Fielder’s singular The Rehearsal is TV’s most fascinating show [Guardian]
—Clare Dowdy digs into the trend of retro-futuristic interiors and furniture in celebrity homes and TV series and films [BBC]
—Charlie Savage considers the huge corruption red flags from Trump accepting a $400m luxury jumbo jet from Qatar [NYT]
Today...
...in 1964, 20th Century Fox unveiled the Shirley MacLaine-starring musical comedy What a Way to Go! in New York. The film went on to be nominated for two Oscars at the 37th Academy Awards, for art direction and costume design. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Robert Pattinson (39), Harvey Keitel (86), Lena Dunham (39), Stephen Colbert (61), Alan Ball (68), Mika Abdalla (25), Samantha Morton (48), Iwan Rheon (🏴40), Taylor John Smith (30), Brian Geraghty (50), Zoë Wanamaker (76), Debby Ryan (32), Antonio Cipriano (25), Frances Barber (67), Candice King (38), Siobhan Fallon Hogan (64), Hannah New (41), Hunter Parrish (38), Mark Heap (68), Joe Johnston (75), Sunny Leone (44), Jake Borelli (34), Tom Verica (61), Fred Melamed (69), Jeremy Bobb (44), Brian Thomas Smith (48), Eloise DeJoria (68), Zlatko Buric (72), Jo Han-chul (52), Cheryl Dunye (59), Shamea Morton (43), Ava Acres (21), Neil Hopkins (48), Caroline Ford (37), Dennis Rodman (64) |
| Samuel French, a Texas actor on the rise who portrayed the undercover FBI agent CJ Robinson in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, has died. He was 45. The obituary. |
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