| | | | | | What's news: Upfronts 2025 kicks off this morning in New York. Taylor Swift has been subpoenaed by Justin Baldoni’s lawyers. Tom Rothman has extended his contract at Sony Pictures. NBC has canceled Suits LA. Sinners is nearing $300m at the global box office and Minecraft has topped $900m. Mikey Madison's next film will be the mermaid drama Reptilia. — Abid Rahman
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THR's Most Influential Women in International Film ►"We need to fight back with all the tools and resources we have." Gender-based lists like THR's Most Powerful Women in International Film should be passé by now. It is 2025, after all. But the fight for equity in the global entertainment industry is anything but over. In some places, it’s barely begun. From the backlash against DEI initiatives in the U.S. to a blistering French report exposing systemic abuse across the arts, the message is clear: Progress is under threat. Which is why spotlighting these global power players feels more vital than ever. From Lagos to London, these 46 female execs, producers and creatives are changing the face of global cinema. The list.
—Ever the diplomat. Tom Cruise ensured questions at a recent press event in Seoul for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning were focused on the film itself. On Thursday, Cruise and his Mission: Impossible co-stars and director, Christopher McQuarrie, were promoting the upcoming final movie in the action franchise. However, when a reporter asked about Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on movies shot outside the U.S. and the extent to which the Paramount film, which was shot around the world, would be affected by it, Cruise wanted to move past that. “We’d rather answer questions about the movie. Thank you," Cruise said. The story.
—Don't blame me. Taylor Swift has been subpoenaed by Justin Baldoni’s lawyers in the sprawling legal battle over the filming of It Ends With Us. Swift’s involvement in the dueling lawsuits relates to suggestions from Blake Lively that Baldoni altered a rooftop scene at the beginning of the film. Lively invited the director to her New York City home in 2023 to discuss the script changes. Once there, Baldoni was surprised to see Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, and close friend, Swift, according to his lawsuit, which cites communications that include the name “Taylor.” The megastars praise Lively’s version of the scene, pressuring Baldoni to accept the revisions, he alleged. The story.
—Yay us! THR has taken home an award from the 2025 American Society of Magazine Editors’ best cover contest. THR has been awarded the best local magazine cover for its 2024 “Work Issue,” which hit newsstands on October 30, 2024. The issue competed against four other finalists in the category, including entries from New York Magazine and Texas Monthly. The story. |
NY Increases Film and TV Tax Credits to $800M ►Aggressive push. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has approved a state budget that increases the cap on the state’s film and TV subsidy to $800m, nearly double the amount from 2022. The expansion creates a $100m pool earmarked solely for independent projects and ups the payout for production companies that frequently film in the state. It also includes changes around the margins aimed at remedying longtime grievances with the program, including delays in receiving the credit and restrictions around above-the-line costs eligible for the rebate. The revisions come amid a tit-for-tat race between production hotspots vying for Hollywood dollars. California is mulling an overhaul of its film and TV tax incentive program that will see the cap increase from $330m to $750m and up the base credit to 35 percent while expanding the category of productions that qualify. The story.
—On the move. Film Independent’s Spirit Awards, the industry’s highest-profile celebration of independent film, is leaving the beach in Santa Monica, where it has been held for decades, and relocating to the heart of Hollywood, specifically the Hollywood Palladium, for its 41st edition on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. The Spirit Awards have been held in a tent alongside the Santa Monica Pier since its eighth edition in 1993, except for its 9th edition, which, too, was held at the Hollywood Palladium. It is unclear if the just-announced move is temporary or permanent, though it reportedly was triggered by the city of Los Angeles’ preparations for the 2028 Summer Olympics. The story.
—🤝 Contract extension 🤝 Sony’s movie studio doesn’t have to worry about succession — at least not for the foreseeable future. The company announced Friday that Tom Rothman has entered into a multiyear extension of his contract as chairman-CEO of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group. The news underscores the close professional bond he has developed with his relatively new boss, Sony Pictures Entertainment president-CEO Ravi Ahuja. Rothman, a fierce advocate of theatrical, is now the longest-running movie studio chief in modern times between his decade at Sony and, before that, at the now-defunct 20th Century Fox. The story. |
BAFTA TV Awards 2025 ►🏆 Congrats innit! 🏆 Mr Loverman and Mr Bates vs the Post Office were key winners at the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards, which were handed out in London on Sunday evening. Netflix's hit series Baby Reindeer, which had led the nominations with eight, earned only one honor on Sunday. Lennie James won the leading actor BAFTA for Mr Loverman in a category whose nominees included Gary Oldman, David Tennant, Martin Freeman and Toby Jones, and Richard Gadd. The leading actress BAFTA went to Industry star Marisa Abela who beat out Anna Maxwell Martin, Billie Piper, Lola Petticrew, Monica Dolan, and Sharon D. Clarke. Mr Loverman's Ariyon Bakare and Baby Reindeer 's Jessica Gunning won the supporting actor prizes. Other shows picking up BAFTAs included The Traitors, Gavin & Stacey: The Finale, and Wolf Hall: The Mirror. The winners.
—🏆 Glückwunsch! 🏆 September 5 took top honors at the German Film Awards, or Lolas, held in Berlin Friday night. Tim Fehlbaum’s real-life thriller, based on the terrorist attacks on the 1972 Munich Olympics, picked up nine Lolas, including for best director, best editing, best cinematography, best sound design, best screenplay, best makeup and best production design. Leonie Benesch won best supporting actress for her performance as a translator for the U.S. television network broadcasting the attacks live to the world. The winners. |
Upfronts: Hollywood's Ad Dollar Scramble Arrives in Strangest Market in Years ►"We’ve had five years of uncertainty." The 2025 upfronts kick off in New York City on Monday, with entertainment giants like NBCUniversal, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery pitching their wares, even as digital-first interlopers like Amazon, Netflix and YouTube have butted their way into the week. THR's Alex Weprin writes that while the upfronts used to about broadcast networks unveiling their fall schedules, the events have morphed into a celebration of corporate synergy. Last year, for example, NBCUniversal used the event to premiere the trailer for the film Wicked . Still media buyers expect to commit big dollars to live sports and tentpoles, but everything else remains somewhat in flux. The analysis.
—Getting the mouse house in order. ABC has renewed several of its unscripted shows for the 2025-26 season, but one of its longest-running reality franchises remains in limbo. The network announced Friday that it has picked up new seasons of American Idol, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Celebrity Jeopardy!, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and Shark Tank for next season. They join the previously renewed Dancing With the Stars and The Golden Bachelor on the 2025-26 slate; Bachelor in Paradise, Celebrity Family Feud, a new version of Match Game hosted by Martin Short, Press Your Luck and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire are set for summer runs. The story.
—Bear witness. After two movies and a prequel series, the world of Ted is growing again. Peacock has greenlit an animated Ted series based on the movies from Seth MacFarlane. The show will sit alongside the prequel series on Peacock, which premiered in January 2024 and has been renewed for a second season. MacFarlane will continue to provide the voice of Ted — a teddy bear brought to life by a boy’s wish, now grown up and bearing the hallmarks of a boorish Seth MacFarlane character. Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried and Jessica Barth will also star, reprising their roles from the Ted movies (the show will be set after the events of 2015’s Ted 2), along with Kyle Mooney and Liz Richman. The story.
—Making moves. Peacock has greenlit five new unscripted series and is bringing another one over from E! New shows include a pair of true crime docuseries, reality shows featuring Tiffany Haddish and Nelly and Ashanti, and a docuseries about Universal’s theme parks. In addition, Peacock is pulling House of Villains, hosted by Joel McHale, off of E! and onto streaming for an all-new season coming “early 2026.” The Haddish docuseries, Tiffany Haddish Goes Off, follows the comedian and three of her closest friends as they embark on a four-week girls’ trip across Africa. That one comes out in the fall. Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together, a June release, charts newlywed life for the hip-hop couple. The story. |
'Suits LA' Canceled at NBC ►One and done. Suits LA is ending its run. Yes, already. NBC has canceled the spinoff series of the beloved USA Network courtroom dramedy. The first season will conclude with its forthcoming May 18 finale. The 13-episode NBC series brought back original stars Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter, David Costabile as Daniel Hardman and the remaining episodes are set to see Rick Hoffman return as Louis Litt. Suits LA, however, launched with a focus on a new set of lawyers, led by Stephen Amell as entertainment lawyer Ted. After the legal drama exploded on Netflix in 2023, creator Aaron Korsh decided to expand the Suits universe with the franchise’s second spinoff, setting the story on the West Coast. Suits LA did not share much in the resurgence of its source series. The story.
—Heading for the exit. NBC has also canceled Lopez vs. Lopez and Night Court after three seasons apiece. The cancellations came on Friday, the final business day before NBC’s upfront — when networks pitch advertisers on their coming slates — on Monday. Night Court aired its third season finale, which will now serve as a series ender, on Tuesday — although sources say Warner Bros. TV, which produces the show with Universal TV, may try to find a new home for the series. The story.
—Shuffle, shuffle. The addition of the NBA to NBC’s primetime lineup next season will bring about some changes to the network’s schedule — but the network is also making a few moves independent of that, including the launch of a new comedy block. NBC is turning over Tuesday nights to the NBA when the league’s season tips off on Oct. 21. A second night of NBA games will follow on Sundays in early 2026, after NBC’s NFL commitment ends. The October start for the league is also leading to something of a two-track schedule for NBC in the fall. Two-hour editions of The Voice and the Jimmy Fallon-led new unscripted series On Brand will air on Tuesday nights in September and early October. November will bring another change: NBC will launch a pair of one-hour comedy blocks on Mondays and Fridays, anchored by second-year shows St. Denis Medical (Monday) and Happy’s Place (Friday). The story. |
Fox Bets Big on Unscripted to Start 2025-26 Season ►"We want to push all our chips in on a few shows at different times of year." Unscripted and sports programs dominate Fox’s schedule for the start of the 2025-26 season. After devoting two nights to dramas last fall, Fox has pared back to one night — Tuesdays — of hour-long shows along with its usual Sunday animation block. That means only four of the 15 or 16 primetime hours per week will be given over to scripted series. The lineup.
—Charles in charge. Fox is adding another medical show to its roster. The network has given a series order to Best Medicine, an adaptation of the long-running British series Doc Martin. Josh Charles will star in the show, which Fox describes as an hour-long comedy, as a successful surgeon who abruptly leave his post in Boston to become a general practitioner in the East Coast fishing village where he spent summers as a kid. It’s slated to premiere in the 2025-26 season. The story.
—Three pickups. Fox is further solidifying its animation lineup, handing out renewals to Krapopolis, Grimsburg and Universal Basic Guys. The pickups will carry the three shows through the 2025-26 season — and in the case of Krapopolis and Universal Basic Guys, beyond that. The trio of shows, all animated by the Fox-owned Bento Box Entertainment, join the long-running quartet of Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy, The Simpsons and American Dad, which all received huge, four-season renewals in April. (American Dad is returning to Fox, where its first nine seasons aired, after a decade-plus on TBS.) The story.
—Leap of faith. Fox has greenlit The Faithful, a limited series from executive producer Carol Mendelsohn and writer and showrunner Rene Echevarria. The six-episode series is based on the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament and will be “told through the eyes of the courageous and passionate, yet flawed women whose descendants would shape three of the world’s great faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam,” per the show’s logline. The story. |
'Thunderbolts*' Rules Quiet Weekend With $33M ►Coogler's got legs. Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* lorded over a relatively quiet weekend at the domestic box office, earning $33.1m for a 10-day North American tally of $128.5m and $272.2m globally. The ensemble pic led by Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan fell a respectable 55 percent from its opening weekend, compared to an average decline of 57 percent for a title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and far less that more recent MCU films. Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World tumbled more than 65 percent.
THR's Pamela McClintock reports that Warner Bros. had plenty to celebrate as Ryan Coogler’s Sinners crossed the $200m mark at the domestic box office for a worldwide total of nearly $300m. Sinners came in second in its fourth weekend with a huge $21.1m for a North American total of $214.9m through Sunday and $283.3m globally.
In another huge win for WB, A Minecraft Movie — the second-top-grossing video adaptation of all time behind Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, not adjusted for inflation — placed third in its sixth weekend with $8m for a domestic haul of $409m and a whopping $909.6m globally. The box office report. |
Madison, Dunst to Star in Mermaid Thriller 'Reptilia' ►🎭 Next up. 🎭 In her first deal since winning an Oscar for her performance in Anora, Mikey Madison has signed on to star in Reptilia, a unique thriller feature from Alejandro Landes Echavarría. Kirsten Dunst is also starring in the indie that has a power producing team behind it, including Pastel (Moonlight), Imperative Entertainment (Killers of the Flower Moon) and international production company AF Films. Based on a script by Landes Echavarría and Duke Merriman, the story tells of a dental hygienist seduced by a mysterious mermaid into the dark and wet underworld of Florida’s exotic animal trade. The story.
—Space Godzilla!? The latest Godzilla x Kong feature in the MonsterVerse franchise is preparing to stomp into theaters. Warner Bros. and Legendary announced Friday that Godzilla x Kong: Supernova is the new title for the forthcoming movie that is set for theatrical release March 26, 2027. A teaser video was also released to mark the start of production on the sixth film in the series that kicked off with 2014’s Godzilla and most recently hit theaters with 2014’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Grant Sputore is directing Supernova from a script by David Callaham and Michael Lloyd Green. Kaitlyn Dever, Dan Stevens, Jack O’Connell, Matthew Modine, Delroy Lindo, Alycia Debnam-Carey and Sam Neill are set to star. The story.
—Awards push. Apocalypse in the Tropics, a powerful Portuguese-language documentary feature about the rise and impact of Christian nationalism in Brazil, with eerie echoes of its rise and impact in America, will be eligible for recognition during the 2025-2026 awards season despite having screened at numerous major film festivals in 2024, THR's Scott Feinberg has learned. Indeed, the film, which was written, produced and directed by Oscar nominee Petra Costa, and which Netflix acquired in December 2024 after it played to strong receptions at the Venice, Telluride, New York and IDFA film festivals last fall, will receive an awards-qualifying theatrical run over the summer and will then drop on the streaming service on July 14. The story.
—🤝 First-look deal 🤝 Ric Roman Waugh, the action director behind Angel Has Fallen and Greenland, has signed a first-look deal with Lionsgate. The producing deal aimed at the genre space will also cover Waugh’s CineMachine Media Works banner and production partner Brendon Boyea. As they cement their production ties, Lionsgate recently picked up the action-thriller Renegotiate, to be written by Mark Townend and produced by Waugh and Boyea, alongside Range Media Partners’ Brian Kavanagh Jones and Fred Berger, with AJ Bourscheid executive producing. Lionsgate will release Waugh’s next film, Greenland: Migration, later this year. The story.
—🎭 Lead in place 🎭 Aaron Eckhart has signed on to star in The Old Man in the Dunes, an “inspirational thriller” from Angel Studios, the faith-based distributor behind Sound of Freedom and The King of Kings. The feature, based on an award-winning short, traces the story of an enigmatic old man living in the dunes who is unjustly accused of killing a local. His only hope is a steadfast public defender determined to unearth the truth. According to a summary of the plot, the story “delves deep into the human soul, underscoring the consequences of concealing the truth and the redemption that can be found in repentance.” The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Magnolia Pictures has picked up the U.S. rights to the Nicolas Cage-led movie, The Carpenter’s Son, ahead of the Cannes Film Festival. The horror pic, now in post-production, is directed by Lotfy Nathan and tells the childhood story of Jesus Christ, with Cage playing The Carpenter, Noah Jupe plays the Son and FKA Twigs is the Mother. The Carpenter’s Son has a theatrical release planned for later this year. Inspired by the Gospel of Thomas, the film, also written by Nathan, centers on a family hiding out in Roman Egypt. Known only as ‘the Boy’, the son is driven to doubt by another mysterious child and rebels against his guardian, the Carpenter. The story. |
'Last of Us' Creator on That Intense "Baby Shark" Scene ►"I was scared of her, and I didn’t like her." THR's James Hibberd spoke to The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin about the latest episode of the hit HBO show. Mazin breaks down a scene from season two's fifth episode where Ellie takes a dark turn. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"It fit like a glove." For THR, Max Gao spoke to Rick Hoffman on returning as Louis Litt in Suits LA for the now series finale. After floating the idea of a spinoff with Hoffman, creator Aaron Korsh called the original series star up for the NBC spinoff series, which the network just canceled. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I didn’t want it to be cheesy or over the top, but it just felt real the way we did it." For THR, Demetrius Patterson spoke to Tracker star Justin Hartley and showrunner Elwood Reid about the second season finale of the CBS action drama. The duo discuss the bomb dropped on Colter in the episode and how that will carry through to season three. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
Critics' Conversation: A Gloomy Small-Screen Spring ►"I’ve found it very difficult to watch Andor and not notice the parallels to the rise of fascism in the real world." North of North, an under-the-radar, Arctic-set Netflix comedy provided a rare blast of cheer in a TV season that otherwise has reflected our bleak American moment right back at us through shows like Andor and The Last of Us. THR's TV critics Daniel Fienberg and Angie Han chew over the desolate small screen landscape. The conversation.
—"The ability to balance the deeper and darker considerations of mental illness, alongside delivering a highly entertaining superhero movie, emboldens the MCU and takes it outside the realm of comfort." For THR, Richard Newby reflects on the themes and boundary pushing elements of Jake Schreier's surprisingly thoughtful Thunderbolts*. Richard writes that the codependent Thunderbolts* team isn't the one fans asked for, but it is also the most exciting group to emerge from the MCU in over a decade. The analysis. |
TV Review: 'Murderbot' ►"The tone is never quite right, but Skarsgård is." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews Apple TV+'s Murderbot. Alexander Skarsgård stars as a droll, but lethal, cyborg who’d rather be watching TV in Chris and Paul Weitz comedy series adaptation of the first of Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries books. The review.
—"An actioner on autopilot." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Joe Carnahan's Shadow Force. Kerry Washington, Omar Sy, Mark Strong and Da'Vine Joy Randolph star in The Grey filmmaker's movie about a pair of former government assassins trying to protect their young son. The review.
In other news...
—John Cena, Vigilante and Eagly are back in Peacemaker S2 teaser
—David E. Kelley to receive inaugural showrunner award at ATX Festival
—Amber Heard welcomes twins
—Johnny Rodriguez, Hispanic country music star and “That’s the Way Love Goes” singer, dies at 73
—Greg Cannom, Oscar-winning makeup artist on Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Mrs. Doubtfire, dies at 73
—Rosanna Norton, Oscar-nominated costume designer on Tron, dies at 80
—Lainie Miller, burlesque dancer in The Graduate and longtime Hollywood labor advocate, dies at 84
What else we're reading...
—Jacob T. Levy writes that Qatar's gift of a $400m jumbo jet to Trump reveals a gaping legal loophole [WaPo]
—Louis Theroux reflects on the international reaction to his searing West Bank doc The Settlers [Guardian]
—Joyu Wang reports that Taiwan is racing to overhaul its military to secure Trump’s backing and make a Chinese invasion as painful as possible [WSJ]
—Clare Malone digs into the identity crisis gripping the Washington Post as owner Jeff Bezos cozies up to Trump and star writers head for the exit [New Yorker]
—Foster Kamer reports that dance music is booming again, but in very different ways to previous moments of popularity [NYT]
Today...
...in 1995, Buena Vista unveiled its war thriller Crimson Tide in theaters. The film, starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman, went on to gross $157m globally during its run. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Rami Malek (44), Nathan Fielder (42), Rhea Seehorn (53), Varada Sethu (33), Malin Åkerman (47), Emily VanCamp (39), Emilio Estevez (63), Domhnall Gleeson (42), Ving Rhames (66), Gabriel Byrne (75), Mackenzie Astin (52), Jason Biggs (47), Samantha Mathis (55), Deborah Kara Unger (59), Bruce Boxleitner (75), Stephen Baldwin (59), Odeya Rush (28), Emily Beecham (41), Jamie Luner (54), Richard Riehle (77), Jennifer Hetrick (67), Luke Benward (30), Scott Ryan (52), Kim Fields (56), Natalie Paul (39), Malcolm David Kelley (33), Amy Sloan (47), Aaron Abrams (47), Clare Bowen (41), Aaron Yoo (46), Rachel Wilson (48) |
| Denise Alexander, who performed in thousands of radio episodes and on The Twilight Zone as a youngster before starring in two long stints as Dr. Lesley Webber on General Hospital, has died. She was 85. The obituary. |
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