| | | | | | What's news: Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are going their separate ways. Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek will transition to the role of executive chairman. YouTube agreed to pay $24.5m to resolve a Trump lawsuit. Ari Emanuel is launching a new video podcast. And Reading Rainbow is coming back! — Abid Rahman
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SAG-AFTRA Slams AI Actress ►"Tilly Norwood is not an actor — it has no life experience to draw from, no emotion." SAG-AFTRA has slammed a newly-launched AI talent studio in a statement released Tuesday, saying: “Creativity is, and should remain, human-centered.” Over the weekend, the creator of the computer-generated actress Tilly Norwood responded to critics after news broke that her studio was looking to get Norwood representation. Eline Van der Velden, Dutch founder of AI outfit Particle 6 Productions, announced at Zurich Film Festival the launch of Xicoia, “the world’s first artificial intelligence talent studio.” She was met with outrage, however, and later said in an Instagram post: “She is not a replacement for a human being.” SAG-AFTRA shot back, "The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics." The story.
—"How can any of us take you seriously again?" David Cross has become the latest comedian to criticize his fellow comics for participating in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Comedy Festival. Cross wrote a rather scathing open letter denouncing performers at the event, who are reportedly being paid top dollar while agreeing to a set of censorious guidelines regarding what they can and cannot joke about on stage. The festival is being billed as “the world’s largest comedy festival” and includes more than 50 comedians — including Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., Jimmy Carr, Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, Whitney Cummings and Andrew Schulz. The story.
—Ari's next move. After years of representing the best and brightest from the worlds of entertainment, sports, music and culture, WME Group executive chairman and TKO Group CEO Ari Emanuel is becoming talent himself, launching a new video podcast called Rushmore . The show, which debuts today, will see Emanuel and co-host Ben Persky (himself a music industry veteran) joined by titans of industry to discuss who the greatest of all time (the GOATs, if you will) are in various categories. Indeed, the preliminary guest list reads like a who’s who of media, sports, art and business, with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Musk, Kotick, Shaquille O’Neal, Reggie Miller, Rubin, Iovine, Bob Costas, Al Michaels, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jon Meacham, and Jeff Koons among the initial batch of “experts.” The story. |
Legislators to Trump: Consider Federal Film and TV Tax Credits ►"I know what will work, without harming consumers: a national film tax credit. It’s working in California and it will work across the country." You could practically hear Hollywood executives groaning Monday after Donald Trump mused again about imposing a “100%” tariff on films produced abroad. But at least two local legislators saw an opportunity in Trump’s latest riff. THR's Katie Kilkenny reports that just hours after the president’s Truth Social post, California Sen. Adam Schiff and U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman released similar statements that attempted to redirect the conversation to their pet project: a federal film and television tax incentive. The story.
—Not great. Add YouTube to the list of tech and media companies to settle a lawsuit from Donald Trump after the start of his second term. The Alphabet-owned company agreed to pay $24.5m to resolve a lawsuit over the suspension of Trump’s account following a mob of his supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol in 2021, according to court papers filed on Monday. Under the deal, $22m will go toward a trust for the National Mall, the entity handling the construction of a $200m ballroom at the White House. The remainder is earmarked for other plaintiffs in the case, including the American Conservative Union, Andrew Baggiani, Austen Fletcher, Maryse Veronica Jean-Louis, Frank Valentine, Kelly Victory and Naomi Wolf. The story.
—New era of leadership. Audio streaming giant Spotify said Tuesday that founder and CEO Daniel Ek will transition to the role of executive chairman, effective Jan. 1, 2026. The company also announced that Gustav Söderström, co-president and chief product and technology officer, and Alex Norström, co-president and chief business officer, as its co-CEOs. They will report to Daniel Ek and will also serve on the company’s board of directors, subject to shareholder approval. The story. |
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban Split ►Love is not real. After nearly two decades of marriage, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are going their separate ways. The Oscar-winning actress and the country singer tied the knot in June 2006, and have regularly shown their support for each other and their respective careers over the years. Kidman has been seen by Urban’s side at music awards shows, while the singer has also been spotted at the actress’ movie and television premieres. They share two teen daughters, Sunday and Faith. Kidman also has two adopted children, Isabella and Connor, with her ex-husband, Tom Cruise. The story.
—"There were moments in my life I wanted to cut my arms off." Madonna has admitted she contemplated suicide while navigating a tumultuous custody battle over her son, Rocco. The Queen of Pop sat down with British podcaster Jay Shetty in an episode of On Purpose with Jay Shetty, and across a two-hour conversation discussed her storied life. Among other things, she explains turning to spirituality in her darkest times amid strained relationships with friends and family. The superstar singer even said that, after splitting from filmmaker Guy Ritchie in 2008, the pair were caught in a tricky custody battle when their son, Rocco, turned 16 in 2016. He reportedly left his mother during her Rebel Heart Tour to relocate to his father’s home in London. The story. |
New 'Simpsons' Movie Set for 2027 Release ►"Homer’s coming back for seconds." The Simpsons are getting off the couch and heading back to theaters in 2027. Disney announced Monday that an untitled The Simpsons movie is set for theatrical release on July 23, 2027. The Simpsons Movie, a previous feature version of the long-running Matt Groening-created Fox animated series, hit theaters in 2007. Plot details for the new film have not yet been shared. The second Simpsons movie takes the release date that Disney had previously held for an untitled Marvel film. Warner Bros.’ animated musical feature Bad Fairies is also scheduled to hit theaters July 23, 2027. Released in July 2007, The Simpsons Movie collected $536m at the global box office. The story.
—🏆 Табрик мекунем! 🏆 Black Rabbit, White Rabbit, a mystery drama by Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri, has been selected to represent the country of Tajikistan in the best international feature film category at the 2026 Oscars. The news follows the film’s International Film Festival of India – Vision Asian Award honor at the Busan International Film Festival. The movie next screens at the BFI London Film Festival and Chicago International Film Festival. Mokri's mystery drama, in which "three seemingly disparate stories weave into an enigmatic whole," is his fourth feature and the country's fourth film sent to the Oscars. The story. |
'Reading Rainbow' Returns ►Finally, some good news. During what has been an otherwise difficult year for public media, there’s a rare bit of good news coming from the sector: Reading Rainbow is coming back. The classic PBS series, produced by Buffalo Toronto Public Media out of Buffalo, New York, is being revived. The new iteration of the show will be a digital series, debuting Oct. 4, on KidZuko, the kids-focused YouTube channel operated by Sony Pictures Television. Mychal Threets, a librarian and digital creator, will host the new version of Reading Rainbow. New episodes will arrive every subsequent Saturday through Oct. 25, joined by companion vertical videos. The original Reading Rainbow was a staple of PBS for decades, running from 1983 until 2006. LeVar Burton hosted the program, which celebrated reading and literacy, a mission that the new iteration will build on. The story.
—One and done. Hulu has canceled its comedy series Mid-Century Modern after a single season. Co-creator Max Mutchnick wrote in an Instagram post Monday that the show is done: “Ten great episodes … Not enough. But we loved making every single one of them. We’re gonna miss our very special show. Thanks to everyone who watched.” Mutchnick and David Kohan created the series, which centered on three gay men “of a certain age” (Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer and Nathan Lee Graham) who, after an unexpected death, decide to move in together in a house in Palm Springs. The late Linda Lavin, in one of her final roles, also starred as the mother of Lane’s character. The story.
—🎭 Classy addition. 🎭 Patricia Clarkson has joined the second season of Ransom Canyon, the soapy Netflix western that has started production in New Mexico. Clarkson will guest star as Claire O’Grady, the mother of Quinn, played by Minka Kelly, who along with Josh Duhamel and James Brolin are back in the saddle for the romantic drama about three rival ranching families in Texas Hill Country. The second season of the series will see the future of Ransom Canyon hang in the balance as ranching dynasties continue to vie for power, and new faces arrive, threatening the lives and loves of the quaint, western town. Ransom Canyon is based on author Jodi Thomas’ book series that debuted in 2015 and is adapted by Blair. The story.
—Flooding the zone. Taylor Swift will be making NBC something of a second home in the week after her new album is released. The network announced Monday that Swift will be the sole guest on Late Night With Seth Meyers on Oct. 8, sitting for a longer interview than Late Night’s (or late night shows more broadly) format usually provides. NBC is calling it a (cringe alert) “TAY/kover” of Meyers’ show. Swift’s appearance on Late Night will come two days after she visits NBC’s other late night talker, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She’s scheduled for an interview with Fallon on Oct. 6, with Keri Russell and musical guest The Format also set to appear. The story.
—🎭 Greenlight. 🎭 ABC has given a series order to RJ Decker (a working title), starring Scott Speedman as a South Florida private investigator. The show, based on Carl Hiaasen’s novel Double Whammy, is set to air later in the 2025-26 season. Elementary showrunner Rob Doherty adapted Hiaasen’s novel and is executive producing with the author, Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman and pilot director Paul McGuigan. Speedman is a producer. Disney’s 20th Television is the studio. Speedman plays the title role in RJ Decker, a disgraced newspaper photographer and ex-con who starts over as a PI in Florida. The story. |
'Cocaine Quarterback': Gambler Says He Was Dealt Unfair Hand in Amazon Doc ►"I don’t want people thinking the wrong thing." A larger-than-life gambler turned FBI informant is taking issue with Cocaine Quarterback, Amazon Prime Video’s colorful new docuseries about Owen Hanson, the USC football player who became a notorious narcotics kingpin. R.J. Cipriani tells THR's Gary Baum that he was hoodwinked into participation after initially passing on the project, and that he was ultimately portrayed in a false light. The interview.
—"I always say never say never with the NBC world." THR's McKinley Franklin spoke to reality star Aesha Scott about season 10 of Bravo's Below Deck Mediterranean. The chief stew discusses the hectic premiere, why she’s down with Down Under, if she’d have her wedding filmed and how long she'll stay with the franchise. The interview.
—"It was one of the darkest things I’ve had to do as an actor." THR's Seija Rankin spoke to Raúl Castillo about his new show, Task. The actor, who plays Cliff in the HBO series from the creator of Mare of Easttown, offers a spoiler-filled postmortem. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
'Gabby's Dollhouse' Team On How That Surprise Ending Opens Up Franchise ►"There’s a lot of fun stuff to come." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie star Laila Lockhart Kraner, director Ryan Crego and producer Steven Schweickart about DreamWorks Animation's adaptation of Netflix's hit preschool series. The trio discuss the new fact about Gabby that came at the end of the big-screen adventure and what it all means. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"It’s good to be aware of what you’re dealing with when it comes to audiences’ emotions and feelings." THR's Brian Davids spoke to James Gunn about his plans for the DCU. Gunn discusses season two of HBO Max's Peacemaker, DCU’s Batman and why he won’t resolve a key conflict from The Suicide Squad. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I had the idea for this Gladys story before Weapons came out, so I was secretly hoping Weapons would work." Brian Davids also spoke to filmmaker Zach Creggar. The director of box office smash Weapons discusses the script-to-screen changes to his film, Bill Hader's key contribution to the plot that unlocked the young character of Alex Lilly. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"Here’s some good writing advice for you, maybe next time don’t write a script that has 25 locations in it, especially when you’ve only got 23 days to shoot it in." In a guest column for THR, All of You filmmaker Will Bridges pens a letter to a, slightly, young version of himself. The Black Mirror Emmy winner looks back at the anxieties he faced while helming the new feature — starring Brett Goldstein and Imogen Poots — and how he overcame them. The column. |
Film Review: 'Play Dirty' ►"Play dead." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Shane Black's Play Dirty. Mark Wahlberg plays a sardonic master criminal in Black's Amazon Prime Video heist caper. Also starring LaKeith Stanfield, Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff, Thomas Jane, Tony Shalhoub, Claire Lovering and Chai Hansen. Written by Shane Black, Charles Mondry, Anthony Bagarozzi, based on the Parker book series by Richard Stark. The review.
—"Freshens up well-worn formulas." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Emilie Thalund's Weightless. The Danish filmmaker's feature directorial bow, a prizewinner at this year's San Sebastián Film Festival, tells the story of a teen at weight-loss camp learning hard lessons. Starring Marie Helweg Augustsen, Ella Paaske, Joachim Fjelstrup, Jessica Dinnage, Max Vorreiter Jensen and Zere Celik. Written by Marianne Lentz, based on an idea by Emilie Thalund. The review.
In other news...
—Zootopia 2 trailer: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman are back on the case
—Emily Bader and Tom Blyth are best friends in Netflix’s People We Meet on Vacation teaser trailer
—Netflix’s Who Killed the Montreal Expos? trailer aims to place blame for team’s demise
—DGA promotes Mitchell Schwenz to executive in charge of communications
—Public Assembly Soirée: Daniel Schienert, Jena Malone and Ryan O’Connell set for fundraiser
What else we're reading...
—Keach Hagey, Berber Jin and Ben Fritz report that OpenAI's new Sora AI video generator requires copyright holders to opt out [WSJ]
—Hugo Lowell reports that shadow president Stephen Miller is taking a leading role in strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats [Guardian]
—Ellen E Jones believes One Battle After Another reinforces stereotypes and raises questions about how white male directors depict Black women [Guardian]
—Reflecting on One Battle After Another, Michelle Goldberg feels the stellar film is an antifascist movie in a fascist moment in America [NYT]
—Susan Greene reports that Pentagon insiders believe that Pete Hegseth is unraveling at DOD and "crawling out his skin" [Daily Mail]
Today...
...in 1960, The Flintstones first were introduced to television audiences by ABC. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Marion Cotillard (50), Monica Bellucci (61), Kieran Culkin (43), Fran Drescher (68), Lacey Chabert (43), Jenna Elfman (54), Eric Stoltz (64), Tony Hale (55), Maddie Ziegler (23), Daniel Wu (51), Vondie Curtis-Hall (75), Lyric Ross (22), Katrina Law (40), Angie Dickinson (94), Silas Weir Mitchell (56), Len Cariou (86), Amy Landecker (56), Teal Redmann (43), Chris Jackson (50), Alistair Petrie (55), Greyston Holt (40), Andrea Roth (58), Omid Djalili (60), Crystal Bernard (64), Toni Trucks (45), Yoon Seo-Ah (25), John Light (52), Debrah Farentino (66), John Finn (73), Victoria Tennant (75), Pihla Viitala (43), Levi Miller (23), Ki Hong Lee (39), Ian Ogilvy (82), Havana Rose Liu (28), Mark Bazeley (55), Maia Brewton (48), Caren Pistorius (35), Al Leong (73) |
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