| | | | | | What's news: Disney+ has hit 126m global subs. Starz and Lionsgate are officially separate companies. Comcast's cable TV spinco will be called Versant. Smokey Robinson has been accused of sexual assault by 4 women. The Golden Globes are introducing a podcast category. — Abid Rahman
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com. |
Trump's Tariffs: Hollywood Studio Heads to Meet MPA Chief ►Lots to discuss. THR's Pamela McClintock has the scoop on top Hollywood studio execs scheduling a call with Motion Pictures Association chair-CEO Charles Rivkin this Friday to discuss Donald Trump’s surprise proposal to impose tariffs on movies shot outside the U.S. Those expected to take part in Friday’s call with Rivkin include Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman, who oversees the conglomerate’s film empire; Amazon MGM Studios’ chief Mike Hopkins; longtime Universal Pictures chair and NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios chief Donna Langley; Paramount Global co-CEO Brian Robbins; Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group chair Tom Rothman; Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos; and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. The story.
—"The guy is a moron." Trump’s plan to Make Hollywood Great Again by imposing a 100 percent tariff on “any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands” has left the industry with more questions than answers. A major one being: What about TV? THR's Tony Maglio writes that Trump and his White House spokesperson keep talking about foreign films, but there are way more internationally produced television series consumed by Americans. The story.
—"Tariffs … are a narrative tool that supports his story that he’s been telling for 50 years, since he met Roy Cohn." Daniel Bekerman, producer of the Trump film The Apprentice, has a different take to much of the global entertainment industry left reeling by the tariff threat. Speaking to THR's Etan Vlessing, Bekerman sees the film tariff as less of an economic tool to bring jobs and moviemaking back to Hollywood, and more of a storytelling tool by Trump to keep alive his own image as an infallible deal-maker ever on the attack and counter-attack. The story.
—"Please stop." Whoopi Goldberg has come out hard against Trump’s movie tariffs. On Tuesday's episode of The View, Goldberg explained why Trump’s plan wouldn’t work for the U.S. film industry. “You can’t do that because what that equates to is you’re going to tell me how to write the story I want to write if it happens in Europe,” she explained. “You’re telling me that if my book comes out and I want to write it, you’re telling me how to write it [and] you’re telling me you’re going to charge me for that. Could you please lower the price of eggs before you start this?” The story. |
Disney Plans New Theme Park in Abu Dhabi ►Uncle Bob does it again. Disney is bringing a new theme park and resort to Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. The new destination will be the company’s seventh global resort, and will be its first in the Middle East, with CEO Bob Iger framing it as “authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati.” In an interview with THR's Alex Weprin , Disney Experiences chairman Josh D’Amaro says that the new park and resort will be the company’s most “modern” destination yet, and will also be its most “tech-forward” park. Specific timing on when the park will open, as well as which Disney intellectual property will be featured, will be disclosed later. The story.
—Boffo Bob. Disney blew past Wall Street earnings expectations in its latest quarter, the company’s fiscal Q2. The company delivered revenue of $23.6b, up 7 percent from a year prior, and operating income of $4.4b, an improvement of 15 percent from a year earlier. Every division — Entertainment, sports and experiences — beat expectations, with streaming driving particular growth in the entertainment division. Disney’s entertainment division had revenue of $10.7b, up 9 percent vs the prior year, with operating income of $1.3b, up 61 percent from last year. Direct-to-consumer operating revenue soared to $336b, compared to $47b in the same quarter a year ago. In fact, after losing 700,000 Disney+ subscribers in the prior quarter, the company added 1.4 million subscribers in its latest quarter, bringing its Disney+ subscriber total to 126m. The results.
—Bullish Bob. On Wednesday morning's conference call with media analysts, Iger sung the praises of Disney’s upcoming theatrical-release calendar. “I have a lot of confidence that are upcoming slate,” Iger said. He then pretty much listed all of them out individually. He said he has personally seen the live-action Lilo & Stitch “a few times” and “can endorse it wholeheartedly,” adding: “Tracking is enormous.” In 2026, Disney will put out a new Avengers film, its Mandalorian movie, another Toy Story and the live-action Moana . It’s “as strong as any slate that I’ve seen in a long time, since — well in 2019 I think was our best year — the strongest I’ve seen since then.” The story.
—Bold Bob. Iger has signaled that Disney will produce even more original local and regional content overseas to grow its streaming platforms business worldwide. “The third pillar of growth is the investment in content, particularly outside the United States, where we know that we need to invest more in local content, and we’ve already started that process,” Iger said on the analyst conference call. Since the launch of Disney+ in 2019, Disney has grown its streaming business overseas. As part of the studio’s content strategy, Iger said the company was “already starting to develop more aggressively in markets, in very, very targeted markets outside the United States.” The story. |
Netflix Plans Major Overhaul of Homepage Design ►Refresh. Netflix is planning a major overhaul of its home page on TV sets, as it continues to push into areas like games and live events. The company says that the new home page will roll out to users in the next few weeks and months, depending on location. The new layout is more clean and modern, featuring visual elements for shows and movies while also managing to cram in more relevant information about them. Titles will receive callouts that highlight popularity, awards or other features, while shortcuts that had been relegated to the left side of the screen will now appear at the top. The company is also overhauling its recommendation engine to be "more responsive to your moods and interests in the moment." The streaming giant also previewed a few other products that it plans to ship in the coming months, including a TikTok-style vertical video feed featuring clips and trailers from its shows and movies that will be designed for mobile viewing on the go. The story.
—It's done. After more than eight years under the same roof, Starz and Lionsgate are officially separate companies once more. Starz completed its split from the studio on Wednesday and will begin life as a standalone public company when markets open, trading shares on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Shareholders of Lionsgate, which acquired Starz in late 2016, overwhelmingly approved the separation in an April 23 meeting, with 99 percent voting yes. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Swedish podcasting company PodX Group has announced plans to acquire a majority stake in Lemonada Media. Lemonada's slate of podcasts include Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Fail Better with David Duchovny, and Confessions of a Female Founder with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. The company, which was founded in 2019 by Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs, has launched more than 50 original podcasts and close to 40 partner shows. Once the acquisition closes, Lemonada will still continue to operate under its existing leadership, team, talent, partners and brand. The deal is reportedly valued at around $30m. The story.
—Finally! Comcast‘s cable TV spinoff company now has a name: Versant. The new venture, first unveiled last year, will include most of Comcast’s cable TV assets, including USA, Syfy, E!, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen and Golf Channel, as well as some digital businesses like Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes. Versant will be led by CEO Mark Lazarus, CFO and COO Anand Kini, and chairman David Novak, with sernior executives largely plucked from the ranks of NBCUniversal. The story.
—Ummm. During the NBA on NBC's 12 year run from 1990-2002, the broadcasts and promotional spots featured the voice of narrator Jim Fagan, who drove excitement around the games featuring stars like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Hakeem Olajuwon. NBC lost the NBA rights in 2003, and Fagan passed away in 2017, but when the NBA on NBC returns to the network this fall, his voice will once again be featured in promos, title sequences and show opens, this time teasing stars like Steph Curry, Jason Tatum, and Victor Wembanyama. NBC says that it is using generative AI technology to recreate Fagan’s voice, conjuring up a return to its broadcasts of 25 years ago. Separately, NBC Sports also confirmed that it would bring back its iconic “Roundball Rock” theme song, composed by John Tesh. The story. |
Smokey Robinson Accused of Sexual Assault By 4 Women ►Suit filed. Four women who worked for Smokey Robinson as housekeepers have sued the famed Motown singer for sexual assault, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday. In the complaint, the four anonymous women accuse Robinson of raping them at several of his residences, primarily at his home in Chatsworth, California. The listed causes of action include negligence, sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment and a hostile work environment, among other claims. Robinson’s wife, Frances Robinson, was also named as a defendant, with the women claiming that she “failed to take the appropriate corrective action to prevent Defendant Robinson’s deviant misconduct despite having full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct,” stating Robinson had settled claims with other women. The women also claimed the defendants failed to pay them minimum wage. The story.
—Bringing in the chatters. It would appear that Joe Rogan, Alex Cooper and Megyn Kelly could soon be invited to “Hollywood’s Party of the Year.” That’s because the Golden Globe Awards, which for decades have celebrated the best of film and television, are broadening their horizons: they will now fête podcasts too. The Globes’ best podcast category will feature six nominees, chosen from among the 25 most-listened-to podcasts, “that have made a significant impact over the past year, celebrating the creativity and influence of creators worldwide.” Comprehensive eligibility criteria and additional details will be announced in the coming weeks. The story.
—Trump's America. Michelada Fest, a Latin music festival in Chicago, has canceled its 2025 event, citing “uncertainty around artist visas and the shifting political climate” under the Trump Administration. Among the artists who were slated to perform at the festival were Grupo Firme, Anitta and Danny Ocean. Also on the bill was Mexican band Los Alegres del Barranco, whose visas were revoked last month over images during their shows that U.S. deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau said “glorified” drug cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mencho. The story. |
'The Studio' Renewed at Apple ►Sequel confirmed. Apple TV+ has renewed its hit comedy The Studio for a second season. The series stars Seth Rogen (who also co-created it) as Matt Remick, a movie executive who is elevated to president of the fictional Continental Studios and quickly realizes he might be in over his head. The renewal comes two weeks ahead of the show’s season finale, which is set for May 21. The comedy has won critical acclaim for its first season — and inspired guesses about which real-life industry figures inspired its characters. Apple doesn’t share viewing data for its programming, and the show’s first two weeks didn’t push it into the top 10 of Nielsen’s streaming rankings. However, Apple CEO Tim Cook did note during the tech giant's quarterly earnings call that The Studio (along with Severance and other shows) helped Apple TV+ to “record viewership” in the first three months of the year. The story.
—The end is nigh. It’s not all good news from Apple TV+, with the streamer confirming that the fourth season of Acapulco will be its last. The Eugenio Derbez-led comedy series will return on July 23 with a pair of episodes. Acapulco season four was announced in August. In the now final season, present-day Máximo (Derbez) works to restore Las Colinas to its former glory before its grand reopening, per Apple’s logline. Back in 1986, when a competitor claims the top spot in the annual ranking of Acapulco’s “Best Hotels,” a young Máximo (Enrique Arrizon) does whatever it takes to secure Las Colinas’s future. The story.
—🎭 Filling out 🎭 Netflix has rounded out the cast of A Man on the Inside’s second season, adding 11 actors to the comedy’s ensemble. Constance Marie, David Strathairn, Gary Cole, Jason Mantzoukas, Jill Talley, Linda Park, Lisa Gilroy, Madison Hu, Max Greenfield, Michaela Conlin and Sam Huntington have joined the series from The Good Place creator Mike Schur and Universal Television. Mary Steenburgen was previously cast in season two; Ted Danson and Lilah Richcreek Estrada will reprise their roles from the first season. The first season of A Man on the Inside followed Charles Nieuwendyk (Danson), a retired professor who took a job with private investigator Julie (Estrada) and went undercover in a retirement home to see who was behind a robbery there. Season two will see Charles taking on a new assignment at a college. The story. |
Why Scarlett Johansson Made Age an Issue With 'Eleanor the Great' ►"I grew up on sets, and I’m a huge sucker for efficiency. Even in my job as an actor, I can read a call sheet and tell you exactly what’s going to make us fall behind and what we’ll owe the next day." Scarlett Johansson, Hollywood’s highest-paid actress, heads to the Cannes Film Festival with her directorial debut, Eleanor the Great. THR's nicest man Chris Gardner spoke to Johansson about the film, an uplifting drama — starring 95-year-old June Squibb — about fresh starts and facing your demons. The interview.
—"Expect smashed pumpkins, wayward science, and a wild hairy beast." Shaun the Sheep is gearing up for a third feature film, with Aardman Animations and StudioCanal on Wednesday unveiling plans for the Halloween-themed Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. Sky will be the U.K. distributor releasing the movie in cinemas and on Sky Cinema. Independent studio Aardman, known for its stop-motion franchises, including Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run, has partnered with Canal+ unit StudioCanal as the global partner outside the U.K. in the companies’ fourth collaboration following Shaun the Sheep Movie, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmaggedon, and Early Man. The story.
—"We’re developing it right now." 10 Things I Hate About You is set to spawn a new trilogy of films. In a new interview, the beloved rom-com’s director Gil Junger revealed he is developing a follow-up movie with the original film’s producer, Andrew Lazar. Junger is also penning the script opposite Naya Elle James, and they have “some pretty good ideas” to make the story into a trilogy, with the first project to be called 10 Things I Hate About Dating, to be followed by 10 Things I Hate About Marriage and 10 Things I Hate About Kids. Released in 1999, 10 Things I Hate About You, a modern spin on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew , starred then newcomers Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 The sequel to Practical Magic is aiming to enchant viewers in the fall of 2026. Warner Bros. took to social media Tuesday to announce that director Susanne Bier’s forthcoming feature Practical Magic 2 is set to hit theaters Sept. 18, 2026. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are returning from the original that was released Oct. 16, 1998. Akiva Goldsman, who worked on the original Practical Magic’s script, penned the sequel’s screenplay. Denise Di Novi, the producer on the 1998 movie, is producing the new one with Bullock and Kidman. Also set for release on that date is director Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil reboot for Sony. The story.
—🎭 Boarding 🎭 Kingsley Ben-Adir and Rob Morgan have signed on to star in Frank & Louis (w/t), the upcoming English-language debut from Swiss-Italian director Petra Volpe, whose recent feature Late Shift drew acclaim at this year’s Berlinale and became a local box office success in German-speaking Europe. Volpe first drew international attention with her 2017 feature The Divine Order, which was Switzerland’s official Oscar entry. TrustNordisk has acquired world sales rights to Frank & Louis, which began principal photography on April 30, and will pitch it to buyers at the Cannes film market next week. The story. |
'Good Night, and Good Luck' Becomes First Broadway Play to Surpass $4M ►Strength to strength. George Clooney's Good Night and Good Luck brought in $4,003,481.50 on Broadway last week, becoming the first play to surpass $4m in a single week. The play also broke its own record, yet again, as the highest grossing play in Broadway history. The milestone came as the production received five Tony Award nominations. The average ticket price for the production also keeps inching up each week, reaching $319.36 last week, but still below the $367.42 commanded by Othello, which still had the highest average ticket price in the industry, despite being snubbed by the Tony Awards. Othello still brought in just over $3m, as the second highest grossing show in the industry last week, and continued to play to 100 percent capacity. The Broadway box office report.
—Transferred. Ragtime will be back on Broadway this fall. The New York City Center Gala revival of Ragtime will play Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater starting Sept. 26. Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy and Brandon Uranowitz will reprise their roles in the production after taking part in the fall 2024 New York City Center production. This marks the first production of the season under new Lincoln Center Artistic Director Lear deBessonet. DeBesonnet directs the revival, after directing the fall production while acting as the artistic director of City Center’s Encores! The story. |
'Andor' Creator on That Stunner "Genocide" Speech ►"The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil." THR's James Hibberd spoke to Andor creator Tony Gilroy about the third block of season two episodes of the hit Disney+ Star Wars show. Gilroy breaks down Mon Mothma's searing anti-authoritarian warning and its real-life inspiration. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"Her biggest fear is to lose control." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Andor star Denise Gough about the latest batch of episodes. Gough discusses her character Dedra Meero’s worst nightmare coming true, and how she didn't forsee the disastrous events of episode eight. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"Everything changes in that moment for June." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to The Handmaid’s Tale stars Elisabeth Moss, Max Minghella and O-T Fagbenle as well as co-showrunner Yahlin Chang about the season six episode, "Shattered." The actors and Chang break down the episode and discuss June's eye-opening revelation amid devastating consequences. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"We never expected there to be a sequel. We certainly didn’t plan for one." THR's Lexi Carson spoke to Jessica Sharzer, the co-writer of Paul Feig's Another Simple Favor, that just hit Amazon Prime Video. Sharzer discusses the sequel's biggest twists, star Blake Lively "massive" input in the film's fashion, and the increasing likelihood of a third film in the franchise. The interview.
In other news...
—Al Pacino, Dan Stevens attempt to perform an exorcism in The Ritual trailer
—Sabrina Carpenter, Hozier, Doja Cat, Luke Combs lead Austin City Limits lineup
—Raoul’s documentary set for Tribeca world premiere
—Sue Bird to launch WNBA podcast with Vox Media
—Andrea Bocelli signs global live performance deal with AEG Presents
—CNN hires Choire Sicha to lead features as it makes digital subscriber push
What else we're reading...
—The FT's editorial board castigates the U.S. and Europe over its "shameful silence" on the situation in Gaza [FT]
—More proof that we live in the dumbest timeline: Katherine Long and Alexander Ward report that U.S. intelligence agencies have been told to step up spying on Greenland [WSJ]
—Sarah Whitten reports that Mattel CEO says toy manufacturing won’t come to America, but price hikes will [CNBC]
—Ben Munster reports cardinals are watching Edward Berger's Conclave for guidance on the real-life conclave [Politico]
—Joe Wilkins reports that Facebook allegedly detected when teen girls were deleting selfies so it could serve them beauty ads [Futurism]
Today...
...in 1993, Warner Bros. unveiled Ivan Reitman’s political comedy Dave in theaters. The film went on to nab an original screenplay nomination for Gary Ross at the 66th Academy Awards ceremony. The original review.
Today's birthdays: MrBeast (27), Aidy Bryant (38), Alexander Ludwig (33), Amy Heckerling (71), Maya Erskine (38), Breckin Meyer (51), Andrew Barth Feldman (23), Dylan Gelula (31), J Balvin (40), Asghar Farhadi (53), Dariusz Wolski (69), Jennifer Yuh Nelson (53), Nicholas Hytner (69), Carrie Henn (49), Lela Loren (45), Ivan Sergei (54), Mark O'Brien (41), Morgana Robinson (43), J.D. Hall (78), Mhairi Calvey (37), Brandon W. Jones (37), Scheana Shay (40), Adain Bradley (27), Melissa Tang (40), Kristen Vaganos (29), Rada Rassimov (87), Peter Reckell (70), Darrin Baker (60), Lynsey Baxter (66), Marina Mazepa (28), Adam Bernstein (65), Dominik Moll (63), Gard B. Eidsvold (59), Lucile Hadzihalilovic (64), Yôsuke Kubozuka (46), Nicco Annan (36) | | Carolyn Raskin, the pioneering Emmy-winning producer who worked on four highly rated Frank Sinatra TV specials and the first four seasons of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, has died. She was 97. The obituary. |
|
|
|
| | | |
