| | | | | | Just like Paramount's "The office of the CEO," The Weekender is also signing off for the week, but not before sending over must-reads from The Hollywood Reporter: a blockbuster theme park war, a Gen X lament, a family feud over an iconic Oscar and a South Park postscript.
— Erik Hayden
Plus, a news ticker: Peter Rice's new job; Keanu's biz shake-up; Rebel Wilson's legal battle; Rich Gelfond's Imax bet; Paltrow's crisis PR gig. |
Co-CEOs Sign Off With Skydance's acquisition of Paramount now set to close on Aug. 7, co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins sent a memo to staff at the tail end of a hectic week. “Because of you, Paramount is in a much better place today than it was a year ago," it read. The memo I Skydance plans I FCC's order.
+ When the FCC approved the Paramount-Skydance merger Thursday, one commissioner, Anna Gomez, said it was an act of “cowardly capitulation.” And, to THR, called it "a dangerous thing." Here's why, in a Q&A. |
Back In Black In their first joint interview, Tim Burton and Jenna Ortega, the director and star of Netflix's smash hit Wednesday, discuss their freakiest public encounters, how they navigate controversy and the prospect of Beetlejuice 3: "This is why I don't hardly talk to anybody." The cover story. |
Mickey vs. ShrekFrom Orlando to Abu Dhabi, Disney's Bob Iger and Comcast's Brian Roberts are pouring tens of billions of dollars — and their best IP — in a theme park battle. The studios are investing more cash into the space than anyone else, with Disney committing $60 billion, and Universal committing billions of its own, though Comcast president Mike Cavanagh quips that “we don't really talk about the billions of dollars in precise numbers.” The report.
+ Earnings charts: YouTube ads soar; Netflix rev by region; Charter cord-cutting |
Colbert's Silver LiningThe Late Show has never won any Emmy in its previous nine seasons despite some notable streaks of excellence. (It has been nominated 31 times over that period.) CBS' cancellation, and Donald Trump's gloating, could change that as Hollywood aims to rally around Stephen Colbert. The column.
+ What they think: David Letterman I John Oliver I Jon Stewart I Jimmy Fallon |
The Exiles of Tehrangeles Iranian Americans have become an emerging force in Hollywood. But as the war between Israel and Iran reverberates across the world, many are grappling with grief, division and the tricky politics of a tragic impasse. The report. |
Bannon’s Epstein Videos He says it’s a documentary. But the 15 hours of footage Steve Bannon shot with Jeffrey Epstein were reportedly training for a 60 Minutes-style redemption tour that never happened — and paid for by Epstein himself. The report. |
A Gen X Lament Steven Zeitchik writes: "Ozzy was the embodiment of early MTV. And now he’s gone. Along with MTV itself. It’s hard not to feel the symbolism. The stuff we thought would be here forever has left before its time. Theo was teenage possibility; MTV was the cutting edge incarnate. It was all supposed to tell us what was coming. Not remind us of what is gone."
+ Dan Fienberg on Ozzy's reality reinvention: "Your father can’t figure out the remote control for a new TV? Funny. Your father is Ozzy Osbourne? Hilarious." |
Hollywood Do-Gooders Timed to THR and the Social Impact Fund’s annual Social Impact Summit, we spotlight CORE co-founders Sean Penn and Ann Lee — our Philanthropic Organization of the Year — and John Legend, our Philanthropist of the Year. |
Inside an Oscar Family Feud When In the Heat of the Night star Rod Steiger died, he left behind a glittering array of major awards. Now his daughter Anna Steiger is fighting her step-sister in a bitter battle to reclaim them. A quixotic mission. |
Rock's New LifeA decade ago, Gene Simmons of Kiss made a declaration: rock is officially dead. Or as he told Esquire, it was “murdered” by an era of piracy and file-sharing. The guitar, he lambasted, was becoming a relic. But times have changed: It's now a fast-growing genre. |
The Best Horror MoviesFrom razor-edged satires to dark fairy tales, inspired haunted house riffs and nerve-shredding accounts of supernatural possession, the 2000s have been a goldmine for fright freaks. Plus, a note from David Rooney, the chief film critic at THR: "Please don’t bitch and moan about David Lynch’s incomparable Mulholland Drive not being here. Love it, but the genre-defying stunner is not horror." The full list. |
7 Days of DEALS Naomi Ackie, the multifaceted actress from Mickey 17 and Blink Twice, is joining DC Comics movie Clayface ... Ike Barinholtz is in talks to play Elon Musk in an upcoming AI movie from Luca Guadagnino ... Superman actor Skyler Gisondo is in talks to join the cast of the next Meet the Parents film as the son of Ben Stiller and Teri Polo 's characters ... Chris Sanders, who co-created the 2002 Lilo & Stitch, is in talks to write the sequel to Disney’s live-action Lilo ... Lionsgate optioned rights to Stephen King novel The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, setting Strange Darling filmmaker JT Mollner to write and direct ... Warner Bros. has acquired Chris Colfer’s book series The Land of Stories and has attached Phil Johnston to write the script ... John Wick filmmaker Chad Stahelski is adapting comic Calexit ... The Penguin actress Cristin Milioti will star in indie horror thriller Buddy.
For the past two decades, every few years — or when a rights deal is about to expire — there's been a Fantastic Four movie. But before 2005, there was just the Roger Corman lost film. So when 20th Century Fox finally brought the Marvel heroes to the big screen 20 years ago this month, there was some summer popcorn movie hype, only for it to dissipate once the reviews hit:
This time around, Marvel may have made course corrections, as noted in THR's new The Fantastic Four: First Steps review, "There’s a fresh willingness to prioritize character over the usual barrage of interchangeable CG action sequences that often overwhelm them." |
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