| | | | | | Fittingly on opening day at a New Jersey theater for The Boss' brooding and excellent Deliver Me From Nowhere drama, Madam Marie's had a pop-up set up right inside the AMC. Just in case you need to see a psychic if you're feeling a bit existential after the film.
For The Weekender, this edition's news mix is sobering with a little sweetness thrown in. — Erik Hayden
+ News ticker: Paul Schrader's AI prediction; a Shohei Ohtani TV series strike out; Francis Ford Coppola at the pawn shop.
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WARNER BROS. FOR SALE ^It's both an industry-rattling headline and, also, a quite familiar one for the studio over the past two decades. This story is going to play out over the next few months if not years, but here's a few early signals: THE STUDIO WAS ON A HOT STREAK "Warner Bros. could use a break. Modern Wall Street has killed just about everything cool that walks or crawled at one time or another. It would sure be nice if, this time, it wasn’t here to kill WB." Steven Zeitchik's early read. WHO'S GOING ON THE RECORD? Count in the Writers Guild. "Merger after merger in the media industry has harmed workers, diminished competition and free speech, and wasted hundreds of billions of dollars better invested in organic growth," the union says. The statement.
THE STOCK PRICE CALCULATION Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery popped on Oct. 21, hitting a 52-week and three-year high after the reveal that its board of directors has launched "a review of strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value." Street analysts applauded the move.
IS IT ONLY DAVID ELLISON IN PURSUIT? That's the big question. WBD is working toward its previously announced separation, which will keep its studios, HBO and HBO Max in one side (led by David Zaslav) and boot its basic cable channels as the Paramount mogul makes his play.
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A Wild Story Less than two years ago, David Ozer was a respected producer with a well-stocked Rolodex and a bunch of buzzy shows on the way. He was smooth. He had the connections. He could set up meetings for folks all over town with major agencies and development execs. He had juice. Now, he’s in federal prison for embezzlement and fraud. Steve Belanger's investigation. |
Fade Out, CA? The numbers for on-location shoot days in L.A. have never been more depressing, but the state's boosters say help — in the form of those $750 million in tax incentives — is just kicking in, give it time. “We’ve hit the bottom,” says FilmLA chief executive Paul Audley of shooting levels in L.A. “We’ll see some more shooting toward the end of this year, but because of the timelines offered by the program, we should really start seeing the impact in the first quarter of 2026.” Winston Cho's report + charts. |
A Near-Implosion The Netflix rom-com Nobody Wants This, starring Kristen Bell as an agnostic sex-and-relationship podcaster and Adam Brody as a laid-back rabbi, spent the better part of last year mired in chaos. Production on season one had fallen woefully behind schedule, as whole episodes were scrapped, scripts were written at the eleventh hour and producers, including Bell, began second-guessing the series' tone ... Lacey Rose's cover story. |
Will Work for Kibble Hollywoof! Yes, THR's pets issue is here, more stories online soon... As AI advances, more productions are opting to create animal performances in post rather than film with the real thing — a trend that’s left trainers, wranglers and animal coordinators increasingly anxious about the future of their profession. Katie Kilkenny's report. + " The Cat Stays in the Picture" — They don’t take notes, don’t hit their marks and they certainly don’t care about your coverage — and yet, somehow, felines keep landing iconic roles. + " Diane Warren: Cat Crusader" — She may have 16 Oscar noms and a Rolodex full of rock stars, but she’d rather hang out with her cats than hit the red carpet. |
*Want to see pictures of the pets of THR staff? They're on the masthead here (page 6-7) this week. The Weekender is biased but partial to this poodle^, Camille. |
Twilight of the Gods The recent deaths of Robert Redford and Diane Keaton cast a mournful light on a fading generation of actors who once redefined what movie stars could be — complex, messy, and all too human. There’s something different about watching this circle begin to vanish. Ben Svetkey's essay. |
7 Questions For... Director Cameron Crowe THR: You are set to direct a Joni Mitchell biopic next year. Your most recent movie, Aloha, was in 2015, and a lot has changed in Hollywood in the past decade. What excites you and concerns you about getting back into filmmaking?
"I learned something writing about Billy Wilder, who was my hero, when I wrote the book Conversations With Wilder. I saw how a guy in his 80s and early 90s still remained curious. I tried to get him a job directing the Soundgarden video for “Black Hole Sun.” I just thought that would have been amazing."
Full Q&A
+ Listen to Crowe read an excerpt from his new memoir, The Uncool, here.
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Courting the Letterboxd Gen This month, FocusFest’s roughly 300 attendees paid $78 for a day on the Universal Studios lot that includes four movies — Promising Young Woman and The Big Lebowski, as well as screenings of Emma Stone starrer Bugonia and horror film Obsession — in addition to photo ops. It's all part of a new effort to create brand loyalty among a growing demo. Mia Galuppo's report.
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Second City’s Side Hustle An improv comic, an NHL player and a Fortune 500 CEO walk into a theater … but it’s no joke, it’s big business. The Second City, the venerable Chicago-based comedy institution, has quietly built out a surprising side-hustle: Using the tactics of improv to teach executives and pro athletes how to be better communicators. Alex Weprin's story. |
Yes, They Did Say That "The community is on kind of a knife edge." — Top attorney Linda Lichter, during THR's Business Managers event, on "serious disruptions" Hollywood faces. "Is it a big opportunity? Is there additional value in ownership?" — Netflix's Ted Sarandos on looking at Warner Bros. as it puts a "For Sale" sign up. "Don’t mess with a recently converted 5-foot-10 Slovakian Jew." — UTA's Jay Sures, recounting protesters surrounding his wife Linda’s car. “I think I’m ready for another roast." — Tom Brady, in a fake out that turned out to be an endorsement deal for an air fryer brand he's pitching. "I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback and criticism." — NFL's Roger Goodell, on Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime performer. |
About Town Events of the week: Omar Benson Miller, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Coogler brought Sinners to Cinespia ... Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, Guillermo del Toro and Mia Goth brought Frankenstein to NYC ... George Clooney and Adam Sandler surprised Laura Dern at the InStyle Imagemaker Awards in L.A. ... Hugh Dillon, Edie Falco, Jeremy Renner and Laura Benanti brought the fourth season of Paramount+'s Mayor of Kingstown to NYC ... Lilly Singh was joined by Chappell Roan and Ramisha Sattar at her Love & Light Diwali party in L.A. All 73 photos from this week's gallery. |
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