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What's news: Whitney Leavitt is leaving Mormon Wives. Meryl Streep and Zendaya are likely missing the Met Gala. Project Hail Mary sails past $600m as Michael moonwalks to $400m worldwide. NBC has canceled Brilliant Minds and Stumble. And Greta Gerwig's Narnia is moving to 2027 and is getting a full theatrical release from Netflix. — Abid Rahman
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com. |
'Prada 2' Kicks Off Summer With Massive $234M WW►Runway riches. 20th Century and Disney's The Devil Wears Prada 2 officially kicked off the summer box office season in fine fashion, opening to a strong $77m in North America and $156.6m overseas to strut well past expectations with a global haul of $233.6m. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that the sequel is a vital reminder of the buying power of women and teenage girls at the box office, a fact Hollywood execs are quick to forget. Friday’s haul of $32.5m included $10m in Thursday previews alone, one of the best showings ever for a female-fueled pic, and not far behind current box office hits Michael and Project Hail Mary.
Prada 2 is attracting moviegoers across all age groups who are eager to see original cast members Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt reunite 20 years later. According to PosTrak exit polls, the strongest quad on opening day was those ages 25-34, a mix of Gen Zers and younger Millennials.
Lionsgate and producer Graham King’s Michael Jackson biopic secured second place and jumped to $400m globally to rank as one of the top music biopics of all time, not adjusted for inflation. Michael has earned $183.8m domestically and $240.1m at the foreign box office. Amazon MGM Studios’ sci-fi hit Project Hail Mary crossed the $600m mark globally over the weekend. The box office report. |
Met Gala Drama►Will Meryl show up? Tonight's Met Gala — “fashion’s biggest night of the year,” as the cliché goes — will deliver beaucoup theatrical looks, with Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and of course Vogue’s Anna Wintour as co-chairs, and a host committee that includes Saint Laurent’s Anthony Vaccarello, Doja Cat, Elizabeth Debicki, Teyana Taylor, Lena Dunham and Zoë Kravitz. But the intrigue off the red carpet runs just as hot, with billionaires Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos as co-chairs and Amazon as lead sponsor. For THR , Merle Ginsberg writes that there's talk of boycotts related to the involvement of fashion arrivistes like the Bezos, including a certain three-time Oscar-winning actress. The story.
—Also missing. Zendaya is sitting out on the Met Gala this year. According to reports, the actress is taking a break from the spotlight after back-to-back press tours for her latest projects, The Drama and Euphoria. Zendaya has attended the Met Gala seven times since making her debut in 2015 and served as a co-chair in 2024. Her absence also means fashion fans likely shouldn’t expect a gala appearance alongside Tom Holland ahead of their upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day release. The story. |
SAG-AFTRA Agrees to Tentative Deal With Studios►✊ It's looking good. ✊ Hollywood can breathe a sigh of relief, as another one of its major labor unions has agreed to a new contract deal without even so much as a hint of another strike. Performers’ union SAG-AFTRA and the bargaining representative for studios and streamers, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, announced that they had struck a tentative agreement on a new deal on Saturday. The parties did not go into detail on the terms of the agreement but said they would divulge more information at a later date. The story.
—ICYMI. On Friday, the Film Academy revealed an update to its rules and regulations, eliminating any gray area about its position on AI. The organization decreed that the only sorts of performances that will be eligible for acting Oscars are those credited in a film’s legal billing and demonstrably performed by humans with their consent. Additionally, the Academy explicitly spelled out that only human-authored screenplays are eligible for writing Oscars. The organization also revisited its policy that the best international feature race will only consider one film from any country or region as chosen by a local selection committee. Henceforth, a film can also qualify for consideration by winning the top prize at one of several major international film festivals: Berlin, Busan, Cannes, Sundance, Toronto or Venice. The story.
—🤝 Making moves. 🤝 Versant is only a few months old, but it continues to cut deals. This time, however, it is a seller, not a buyer. The Mark Lazarus-led media company has sold SportsEngine, a youth and local team sports management and streaming platform, to PlayMetrics. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Versant is has been a buyer of digital businesses since it launched, including of Free TV Networks and StockStory, with a heavy emphasis on its core areas of business news and personal finance; political news and opinion; golf; and sports and genre entertainment. The story.
—Why grievance politics are more L.A. than you think. Spencer Pratt — the 2000s reality TV star turned 2010s online influencer turned 2020s populist firebrand — is now a formidable candidate in the L.A. mayoral race, gauged by fundraising totals, poll numbers and incoming criticism from chief rivals. This ascent is a shock for the city’s liberal establishment, which considers him an unqualified clown. THR's Gary Baum writes it shouldn’t be. The analysis.
—"Worldwide, people showed their love." Spike Lee is defending Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic after some criticized the film for excluding the child sexual abuse allegations that were made against the music icon. The Oscar-winning filmmaker recently sat down with CNN, where he shared how much he “loved” Michael, noting that he saw the pic “twice.” During the interview, he also pointed out that allegations wouldn’t “work in the timeline of the film,” because the biopic covers the first half of Jackson’s life, with the movie concluding in 1988, and the pop legend didn’t face his first accusation until 1993. The story. |
'Narnia' Set for Wide Theatrical Release From Netflix►📅 Seismic strategy shift. 📅 Netflix is moving the release date of its hotly-anticipated Narnia movie from director Greta Gerwig, with the film now getting a wide theatrical release, a first for the streamer. Gerwig’s adaptation of the sixth book in the C.S. Lewis fantasy series, The Magician’s Nephew, was set to be released in Imax theaters this Thanksgiving before heading to the streamer on Christmas Day. The movie will now be getting a release on Feb. 12, 2027 and then will hit on Netflix April 2, 2027. Sneak previews of the film will begin on Feb. 10, 2027, only in Imax. The story.
—🎭 Spy-hard. 🎭 THR's Borys "2 Skewpz" Kit has the scoop that filmmaker McG has teamed up with Kevin Hart for a high-concept action comedy in the works at Netflix. And this one comes with some big names on the screenwriting and producing side. Hart is set to star in the untitled project with McG set to direct the feature. Producing the project are Shawn Levy, Dan Levine and Emily Morris for 21 Laps, the banner behind Stranger Things , as well as Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort. The logline concerns two rival spies who cross paths in a Lamaze class as their wives become fast friends. The story.
—🎭 No Cassian, no! 🎭 2 Skewpz's second scoop is the news that Diego Luna is joining the cast of Tangled, Walt Disney’s live-action adaptation of its 2010 animated movie. Luna has joined the project in a role created specifically for the feature, which goes before cameras in Spain in June. Australian actress Teagan Croft and Zombies star Milo Manheim lead Tangled, respectively playing Rapunzel, the curious and plucky would-be princess with magical hair, and Flynn Rider, the cocky outlaw thief who helps her escape her tower prison. The story.
—Not a great sign. Jonah Hill and Kristen Wiig‘s forthcoming comedy Cut Off is waiting for the right moment to branch out. The Warner Bros. feature does not currently have a release date after it was previously scheduled to hit theaters on July 17, which THR scallywag Ryan Gajewski has learned in light of the movie not being named at CinemaCon among the studio’s list of 2026 releases. Hill directed the movie from a script he wrote with Ezra Woods, and a new release date for the project is expected to be announced soon. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Sony Pictures Classics has picked up the worldwide rights to Wishful Thinking, Graham Parkes’ directorial debut that stars Lewis Pullman and Maya Hawke. The romancer, which bowed in SXSW, follows Julia (Hawke), a frustrated video game designer, and Charlie (Pullman), a struggling musician, having supernatural impacts on the world after attending a couples therapy seminar to repair their volatile relationship. The story. |
Whitney Leavitt Exiting 'Mormon Wives' Cast►More bad news. Whitney Leavitt is saying goodbye to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The reality star turned Broadway darling announced that she is departing the Hulu series during her final performance in Chicago on Sunday. Leavitt has been a full-time cast member on the reality series since its debut in September 2024. After an impressive turn on Dancing With the Stars, she joined Chicago to star as Roxie Hart and is set to make her feature debut in a rom-com for Ninth House Productions that she’s also executive producing later this year. Leavitt’s departure arrives amid a hectic time for Mormon Wives . On April 21, production on the series resumed after a pause initiated by an internal investigation surrounding Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen. The story.
—Cleaning house. NBC has canceled two shows — Brilliant Minds and Stumble — as it heads toward its upfront presentation. Medical drama Brilliant Minds, starring Zachary Quinto, will end after two seasons. NBC earlier this year pulled the show from its post-Olympics schedule; its final episodes will run during the summer, beginning May 27. The comedy Stumble, a mockumentary about a college cheer squad and its coach (Jenn Lyon), is done after a single season. Its final episode aired in March. The story.
—Cor Blimey! What a lineup! A special selection of Britain’s celebrities have been announced to return to the Scottish Highlands later this year for a second season of the hit BBC reality series, The Celebrity Traitors. The lineup includes Bella Ramsey, Michael Sheen, Richard E. Grant, Myha’la, Maya Jama, James Acaster, James Blunt, Jerry Hall, Joanne McNally, Joe Lycett, Julie Hesmondhalgh, King Kenny, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Miranda Hart, Hannah Fry, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Ross Kemp, Sebastian Croft and Sharon Rooney. The story.
—Swiping right. Fox is jumping into the dating-show pool with a series featuing people who want out of the dating pool. The network has picked up a show called Marriage Market for the 2026-27 season. Comedian Whitney Cummings will host the series, which will follow single people “who are officially over swiping, ghosting, and endless first dates” and their families, who will do the matchmaking for them. The catch: Once those families think they’ve found a good match, the couple gets engaged on the spot, and both the couples and their families move in together to see if the arranged relationship will work out. The story.
—Long Island tragedy. Peacock is developing a scripted series based on one of the more notorious serial killer cases of the recent past. The streamer is working with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and writer Jordan Hawley on a drama about the Gilgo Beach murders on New York’s Long Island. The project comes from Universal Studio Group’s UCP and Jackson’s G-Unit Film and Television. It’s inspired by a Jackson-produced docuseries, The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, that debuted on Peacock last year. Originally three episodes, the series released a fourth installment April 23 — two weeks after Rex Heuermann, 62, pleaded guilty to murdering eight women and disposing of their bodies along Gilgo Beach. The story. |
Simone Ashley Is Bringing the Sass ►"[Amari's] very confident, very grounded. She has a confidence that comes from silence." Simone Ashley, the British actress who first broke out on Netflix's monster hit Bridgerton, is ready for audiences to see she's more than just the "new Emily" in The Devil Wears Prada 2. THR's Carly Thomas spoke to Ashley about joining such an iconic cast for the sequel, bringing Amari to life on screen, her favorite cameo in the film, as well as her dream project, if she plans to return to Bridgerton and whether she’s open to returning for an F1: The Movie sequel, despite her role being cut from the first film. The interview.
—"I like it when something plays as fan service, but you don’t need to know [that’s what it is]. You don’t have to have seen the first movie to enjoy this movie." THR's Mikey O'Connell spoke to screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna about returning to The Devil Wears Prada twenty years later to pen the sequel. McKenna explains how Meryl Streep (not Disney) was the impetus for the followup and stands by the way she wrote Adrian Grenier's character in the original: "He's there to remind her that it's a Faust story." The interview.
—"I think we all have that imposter syndrome, and that’s easy to relate to with any character." THR's Rick Porter spoke to Billy Magnussen about the latest episode of his show The Audacity. The actor breaks down the his character's "crazy" Silicon Valley fight club scene, as the buzzy AMC series hits the halfway mark of its first season. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"Either you wait to get something on television or film, or you work and work on your instrument and keep your sword sharpened." THR's David Canfield spoke to rising Broadway star Kara Young. The record-breaking Tony winner gives a major performance in the upcoming film Is God Is, her biggest screen role yet, while earning more Broadway raves for Proof. The interview.
—"I always try to use art as a conversation with my work in a very natural way that makes the conversation easy and natural." THR's nicest man Chris Gardner flexed his nice muscles and spoke to star fashion designer Alessandro Michele. Valentino’s resident creative director was recently in L.A., making an appearance at the Marciano Art Foundation to launch the house’s Specula Mundi book of couture photographs. The interview. |
TV Review: 'Lord of the Flies'
►"Very close to a definitive adaptation." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews the BBC/Netflix's Lord of the Flies. Adolescence scribe Jack Thorne brings Piggy, Ralph, Jack and their island-paradise-gone-wrong to life in a limited-series take on William Golding's classic novel. Starring Winston Swayers, Lox Pratt, David McKenna and Ike Talbut. Written by Jack Thorne and directed by Marc Munden. The review.
In other news...
—Marty, Life is Short doc trailer reveals why Martin Short is a treasure
—SNL UK S1: Hannah Waddingham, Ncuti Gatwa to host final episodes
—Far East Film Festival: Taichi Kimura’s Fujiko wins top prize
—Geena Davis tapped to host Cannes' amfAR gala
—Audrey Beth Davis, retired entertainment publicist, dies at 82
What else we're reading...
—Ashley Carman has an interesting report on the audio industry grappling with the ominous and rapid rise of AI "podslop" [Bloomberg]
—Recession indicator? Lauren Thomas reports on memestock Gamestop's wild bid to buy the much bigger eBay for $56b [WSJ]
—George Hammond, Stephen Morris, David Keohane and Tim Bradshaw report on the phoney baloney claims made for OpenAI's $500b data centre venture Stargate [FT]
—The meeting of Dowds! Great interview between Bald Ann Dowd (Alison Sivitz) and the real, not-bald Ann Dowd [Interview]
—Samuel Granados, Abdi Latif Dahir and Sanjana Varghese reveal shocking evidence that Israel is now doing to Southern Lebanon what it did to a devastated Gaza [NYT]
Today...
...in 1934, MGM unveiled Manhattan Melodrama, starring Clark Gable, William Powell and Myrna Loy, in theaters. The film went on to win an Oscar for original story at the 7th Academy Awards ceremony. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Richard Jenkins (79), Will Arnett (56), Shameik Moore (31), Alex Lawther (31), Darrell Britt-Gibson (39), Ana Gasteyer (59), Ashley Rickards (34), Miles Robbins (34), Mary Beth McDonough (65), Julian Barratt (58), Óscar Jaenada (51), Toby Schmitz (49), Stefano Sollima (60), Lance Bass (47), Randy Travis (67), Trystan Gravelle (🏴45), Alexander Gould (32), Darren Mann (37), LaRoyce Hawkins (38), Cat Simmons (45), Christian Howard (42), Jean Yoon (64), Kimora Lee Simmons (51), Steve Barron (70)
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Beau Starr, the Halloween franchise actor and who played the father to Ray Liotta’s Goodfellas character, has died. He was 81. The obituary.
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