| | | | | | What's news: Broadway musicians have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. Amazon paid $20m to secure control of the Bond franchise. Imax saw a 50 percent surge in revenues. EA has secured the rights to Madden through to 2030. And HGTV has made a 400 episode renewal order for its slate of real estate shows. — Abid Rahman
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The Fight to Keep Shoots From Fleeing California ►"We’re seeing extraordinary momentum right now." The numbers for on-location shoot days in Los Angeles have never been more depressing. According to the Oct. 14 report from FilmLA, the nonprofit group that handles film permits for the city and county, production in the region reached another all-time low. But the state's boosters tell THR's Winston Cho that help — in the form of those $750m in tax incentives — is just kicking in, and the future looks brighter. The story.
—Bargain! How expensive is it for one of the world’s largest tech companies to secure control of the world’s most famous spy? About $20m. In February, Amazon announced that it had struck a deal with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the longtime stewards of the James Bond franchise, to give the tech company full control over the character and its related IP. Now a new tax filing for EON Productions in the U.K. puts a number on that sale price, and it is significantly lower than what many observers may have thought. Of course, as revealed in the initial deal, the Broccoli family will continue to have economic exposure to the Bond franchise through the joint venture structure of the deal. It is also possible that there are other elements like earnouts, bonuses, or stock options that could impact the value of the final sale price. Sources said at the time that the total value could be closer to $1b. The story.
—✊ Strike averted! ✊ Broadway musicians have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, averting the possibility of a strike. Local 802 AFM, the union which represents musicians, had said they would strike “immediately” if a deal couldn't be reached with the Broadway League, a trade association for producers and general managers, after a mediation session Wednesday. This was the second threat of a strike in the past few weeks, as Actors’ Equity and the League had also hit an impasse in their negotiations. Local 802 will bring the tentative agreement to the members for ratification. The story. |
NFL Locks Up 'Madden,' ESPN, Amazon Deals ►🤝 Deals, deals, deals! 🤝 NFL owners have officially signed off on the multi-billion dollar deal that will see the league take a stake in ESPN, with the Disney-owned media giant securing NFL Network and rights to the RedZone brand. The league also inked a new deal with Amazon Prime Video to bring the Nov. 28 Black Friday football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears to a worldwide audience in more than 240 countries, a significant expansion of that game’s reach. The NFL also announced a deal with Electronic Arts (which is in the process of going private) to continue its Madden NFL video game franchise through 2030. That said, the partnership is also expanding, with Renie Anderson, executive vp and chief revenue officer at the NFL telling reporters that EA will more heavily market the games in overseas markets, and may also develop a more casual game to compliment Madden. The story.
—Boffo! Imax is seeing a surge in global box office based on a mix of Hollywood and foreign local, language titles and other alternative fare to drive revenue and profit gains, judging by the film technologies company’s third quarter financial results unveiled on Thursday. Lifted by Hollywood’s ongoing recovery at the multiplex, Imax posted a 50 percent rise in global box office to $368m during the third quarter, against a year-earlier $239m. Imax did big business with the Japanese anime hit Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and a super-sized F1: The Movie, which marked the film technologies company’s highest grossing Hollywood release of 2025 to date. The results.
—Revenue slip. Spanish-language media giant TelevisaUnivision reported higher adjusted profitability for Q3, driven by “continued growth” in streaming profits and the impact of previously taken cost efficiency measures. But the company on Thursday posted a 2 percent U.S. revenue decline to $831.3m in the third quarter of 2025 as an 11 percent advertising revenue drop couldn’t be fully outweighed by an 11 percent gain in subscription and licensing revenue, which is smaller in dollar terms. When excluding political ads, U.S. revenue would have been steady. The results.
—🤝 Funding round. 🤝 Could the Law & Order TV franchise become a video game franchise? A new deal certainly makes that a distinct possibility. Wolf Games, an interactive entertainment company using AI tech to build narrative games, says it has raised $9m in a new funding round, and announced a wide-ranging partnership with NBCUniversal “to explore building immersive games to expand some of the world’s most beloved IP” that “will allow fans to play within their favorite IP universes like never before.” Wolf Games was co-founded by Elliot Wolf, the son of legendary TV producer Dick Wolf, who is also an investor in the company. NBCUniversal, of course, is home to many of Wolf’s programs, including Law & Order , Chicago Fire and a slew of other programming. The story. |
The Producer Who Hoodwinked Half of Hollywood ►Blizzard of lies. 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. Everyone agreed that Ozer was a charismatic guy, even if he came off a little nerdy. He would tell you about his successes, but never in a brash way like so many in this business can. He wore his achievements lightly, but confidently. 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. For THR, Steve Belanger goes inside Ozer's epic fall from grace. The story. |
'Stranger Things' Series Finale Heading to Theaters ►Well, well, wellity, well. Netflix's previously stated plan not to release the series finale of Stranger Things into theaters has been turned upside down. The streamer announced Thursday that the highly anticipated feature-length ending to the coming-of-age sci-fi hit will get a theatrical release after all. The screenings of the season five closer will take place in more than 350 theaters in the U.S. and Canada starting on Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. PT — timed to the finale’s global premiere on Netflix — and will run through Jan. 1, 2026. The news follows the Duffer Bros. signing a four-year exclusive deal with Paramount explicitly to create feature films after their Netflix contract ends next year, a move which has been seen as a talent loss for the streamer. The move also follows Netflix’s success in releasing KPop Demon Hunters as a sing-along theatrical event in August. The story.
—🎭 Comedy dream team. 🎭 Nikki Glaser and Judd Apatow are reuniting with Universal Pictures for a new romantic comedy feature. Glaser is set to co-write, produce and star in the untitled project that counts Apatow as a producer. The film is said to be a modern, edgy rom-com, although plot details have not been disclosed. A director is not yet attached. Emmy-nominated writer Sean O’Connor is penning the script with Glaser. O’Connor was a writer on the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, which saw Glaser become the awards ceremony’s first solo female host earlier this year. The story.
—🎭 Filling out. 🎭 Cameron Diaz’s action comedy Bad Day has rounded out its cast with several bold-faced funny people. Sam Richardson, Ben Schwartz, K Callan as well as Ayden Mayeri, Mark Duplass and Rob Corddry have boarded the project, which is in production in New Jersey and being directed by Jury Duty filmmaker Jake Szymanski. Ed O’Neill, Danielle Brooks, John Higgins, Rhenzy Feliz, Jessica Belkin and Emma Pearson are already on the call sheet. Written by Laura Solon, the original script centers on a single mom fighting to keep one little promise to her daughter on the absolute worst day of her life. The project has been described as a comedic version of Falling Down , the 1993 drama directed by Joel Schumacher that starred Michael Douglas. The story.
—Finally. Superstar classical pianist Lang Lang is joined the likes of Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin in receiving the biopic treatment. But it nearly didn’t happen. In fall 2020, classical music aficionado Ron Howard announced that he would direct a film based on Lang’s 2008 memoir Journey of a Thousand Miles, in which the Shenyang-born maestro details his struggles on the way to the top. Alas, the project fell through during the pandemic. But Lang soon found another taker in Chinese director-actor Jiang Wen, who in June released his own adaptation of the memoir in China. Titled You Are the Best, the movie stars Jiang as the young pianist’s domineering father and features music recorded by Lang himself. The story. |
David Chase Returning to HBO With 'Project: MKUltra' ►He's back. David Chase has set up his next series project at HBO. The Sopranos creator Chase has optioned John Lisle’s nonfiction book Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKULTRA to adapt as a limited series. The drama, titled Project: MKUltra, is in development and should it go to series, it will be Chase’s first HBO effort since The Many Saints of Newark, a Sopranos prequel film that debuted on HBO Max at the same time as its theatrical release in 2021. HBO describes Project: MKUltra as “a dramatic thriller centered on the infamous chemist and spymaster Sidney Gottlieb, often known as The Black Sorcerer, who headed the CIA’s MKUltra Psychedelic program which conducted dangerous and deadly mind control experiments on willing — and unwilling — subjects during the height of the Cold War. Gottlieb is also known as the unwitting godfather of the entire LSD counterculture.” The story.
—🎭 Together again. 🎭 CBS and The Good Wife and The Good Fight creators Robert and Michelle King are going back to court. The network has given a series order to the couple’s legal drama Cupertino for the 2026-27 season. The pickup comes after CBS announced in May that it would open a writers room for the show and commissioned 13 scripts. Cupertino will also reunite the Kings and Evil star Mike Colter, who has a lead role in the series. Colter also had recurring roles on The Good Wife and The Good Fight. Cupertino is named after the California city that’s home to Apple’s headquarters. The show’s logline reads, "Cupertino is a David vs. Goliath legal drama set in the heart of Silicon Valley that follows a lawyer (Colter) who is being cheated out of his stock options by his former employer, a tech startup." The story.
—Nepo babies assemble! Bravo's Next Gen NYC is returning for a second season. The news of the renewal comes exactly three months after the series concluded its eight-episode first season earlier this year, on July 22. Bravo has additionally confirmed that the full Next Gen NYC season one cast is returning for season two. Season one of Next Gen NYC notably featured four children of Real Housewives stars, marking the first time the kids of beloved Bravo women stepped into the spotlight solo of their mothers. Brooks Marks (son of RHOSLC‘s Meredith Marks), Ariana Biermann (daughter of RHOA‘s Kim Zolciak-Biermann), Riley Burruss (daughter of RHOA‘s Kandi Burruss) and Gia Giudice (daughter of RHONJ ‘s Teresa Giudice) all starred in season one. The story.
—🎭 Filling out. 🎭 HBO and Sky legal thriller series War has rounded out its cast with some popular faces who are joining Dominic West, who plays tech titan Morgan Henderson, opposite Sienna Miller as his estranged wife and international film star, Carla Duval. Celia Imrie will feature as series regular Budgie, while Nick Mohammed has joined the cast as series regular Michael Stefanou. Created by showrunner George Kay, directed by Ben Taylor, and co-produced by All3Media’s New Pictures and Observatory Pictures, War received a two-season commitment from Sky and HBO. It follows two of London’s most prestigious rival law firms. Also added to War as series regulars are Shaheen Jafargholi, Akiya Henry, Honor Swinton Byrne, Miles Jupp, Kartanya Maynard, Alexandra Mardell, Mark Quartley, and Steve Furst. The story.
—Huge order. HGTV has bolstered its slate of real estate shows by freshening up its House Hunters and House Hunter International series with a giant 400 episode renewal order through 2026. The House Hunters franchise, launched 25 years ago and attracting over 13m viewers monthly, will return as real estate experts continue to steer potential buyers to local dream property purchases. Botched Homes will see New York City-turned-Florida contractor Charlie Kawas and his crew fix failed renovations in a reality series from producer Mounment and set to debut in 2026. HGTV also ordered 16 half hours of Neighborhood Watch, a home surveillance footage series from Arrow Media also to debut next year. The story. |
Does Your Script Suck? Let Shane Black Decide ►Laying down The Gauntlet. Leave it to Shane Black to turn the lonely act of screenwriting into a contact sport. The Lethal Weapon and Iron Man scribe has launched The Gauntlet, a competition that puts aspiring writers through a rigorous series of critiques and rewrites — sort of American Gladiators for the Final Draft set. “It’s a competition,” Black tells THR, “but I like to think of it as more friendly than that. It’s about a community of writers.” Developed with the script-consultancy ScriptHop, the contest puts entrants’ work through a detailed review by readers and advisers drawn from Black’s own circle of industry veterans —including longtime friends like The Woman King scribe Dana Stevens and Meet the Parents’ Jim Herzfeld. The story. |
TV Review: 'Nobody Wants This' S2 ►"Not a shanda, but not quite a mitzvah either." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews season two of Netflix's Nobody Wants This. The lead characters face many of the same interfaith relationship dilemmas, as Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan take over as showrunners. Starring Kristen Bell, Adam Brody, Justine Lupe, Timothy Simons and Jackie Tohn. Created by Erin Foster. The review.
—"Pennywise but pound foolish." Daniel reviews HBO's It: Welcome to Derry. Filmmaker Andy Muschietti follows his two-part big-screen adaptation of the Stephen King novel with an eight-episode show set in 1962. Starring Jovan Adepo, Taylour Paige, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, Rudy Mancuso and Bill Skarsgård. Created by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs. The review.
—"Betrayal, budding romance and boredom." For THR, Richard Lawson reviews Josh Boone's Regretting You. Based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover, the romantic drama centers on the strained relationship between a young mother and her teenage daughter, exacerbated by her husband's tragic death. Stars Allison Williams, Dave Franco, Mckenna Grace, Mason Thames, Scott Eastwood and Willa Fitzgerald. Written by Susan McMartin, based on the book by Colleen Hoover. The review.
In other news...
—Landman drops explosive S2 trailers, revealing Sam Elliott role
—Emily in Paris teases romance in Rome in S5 trailer
—MomTok gets to the bottom of a scandal in Secret Lives of Mormon Wives trailer
—Netflix’s Being Eddie trailer: Eddie Murphy reveals his favorite TV show
—First-look pics at NBC’s Wicked primetime musical special
—Cate Blanchett to receive Camerimage Icon Award
—Takehiro Hira to receive THR's Trailblazer Award at Tokyo Film Festival
—TCM Classic Film Festival announces 2026 dates
—Sarah Schweitzman named co-head of CAA media finance
—Versant adds Amanda Cary, Jamie Palatini to comms team
—KPop Demon Hunters breakout EJAE signs with WME
What else we're reading...
—Jess Bidgood reports that Trump's demolition of the East Wing of the White House has struck a nerve in Washington and beyond [NYT]
—Ryan Gilbey talks to Kelly Reichardt about her new film The Mastermind, a gallery heist movie that has suddenly become relevant [Guardian]
—Great E. Alex Jung interview with Stellan Skarsgård who discusses his buzzy new film Sentimental Value, his acting sons, Andor and his activism for Palestine [Vulture]
—With the low-key push for some of its supposed Oscar contenders, Julianna Ress tries to make sense of Netflix's strategy for the 2026 Academy Awards [Ringer]
—This Daniel Kolitz longread on the "gooning" subculture amongst Gen Z men has gone viral. Fair warning it's bleak, fascinating, but mainly bleak [Harper's]
Today...
...in 1992, Quentin Tarantino’s feature directorial debut Reservoir Dogs hit theaters. The film originally premiered at Sundance on Jan. 21 of that year, vaulting the previously unknown Tarantino to immediate fame. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Ang Lee (71), Margaret Qualley (31), Ryan Reynolds (49), Emilia Clarke (39), 'Weird Al' Yankovic (66), Alex Gibney (72), Sam Raimi (66), Amandla Stenberg (27), Philip Kaufman (89), Elizabeth D'Onofrio (68), Zoë Bleu (31), Masiela Lusha (40), Beatie Edney (63), Prabhas (46), Mina Sundwall (24), Jessica Stroup (39), Jon Huertas (56), Bradley Pierce (43), Callie Cooke (32), Oscar Lesage (29), Kate del Castillo (53), Dwight Yoakam (69), Briana Evigan (39), Taylor Spreitler (32), Marta Kober (62), Jess Gabor (29), Manuela Velasco (50), Deacon Reese Phillippe (22), Ireland Baldwin (30), Robert Belushi (45), Seo In-guk (38), Boti Bliss (50), Katie Saylor (74), Miles Anderson (78), Matt Angel (35), Leticia Dolera (44) |
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