What's news: Netflix comms chief Emily Feingold has left the company. BET has formed its first-ever board of advisors. NBC has canceled The Hunting Party. Will Arnett has joined Amazon's The Challenger. And Universal has revealed more details on its massive $6.7b U.K. resort. — Abid Rahman
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com.
|
Even Paul Rudd Is Tired of Being Typecast as Paul Rudd |
►"I mean, I don’t think I’m completely like what people might think I’m like. I’m not just a happy-go-lucky dude." At 57 (no, really), Paul Rudd has come to terms with who Hollywood wants him to be. In fact, he has built a long and successful career being that guy. And though he’s found ways to spackle in considerably darker roles onstage, to which he’s retreated whenever he can, his goofy, good-guy charisma has fueled three decades’ worth of rom-coms, R-rated comedies and, most recently, a lengthy spin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. THR's Lacey Rose sat down with the industry's most affable and bankable everyman, who reveals that sometimes he really wishes he weren’t. The cover story.
|
Fired Pelley Slams CBS News: "Incompetence and Unprofessionalism"
|
►Shocker! Veteran CBS News 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley has been fired by the network after clashing with the show’s new executive producer, Nick Bilton, in a fiery meeting with the show’s staff Monday. Bilton informed Pelley of his termination Tuesday evening, writing in a note that his employment was “terminated for cause effective immediately.” Pelley has been at CBS News for decades, and previously served as the anchor of the CBS Evening News. The story.
—"The new management have wreaked havoc." Scott Pelley is not looking to go quietly. In a statement released late on Tuesday, Pelley accused CBS News management, led by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, of “incompetence and unprofessionalism.” Pelley made some incendiary claims against CBS News, including that they “instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story. I’ve been told to include assertions that are unverified.” Pelley adds that he “managed to ignore these instructions or refuse them.” He also wrote that, “politicians have been invited to choose correspondents for interviews on the broadcast. Giving politicians control over 60 Minutes interviews is not how this is done.” The story.
—📅 New date. 📅 A redo of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is set for next month, White House Correspondents Association president and CBS News’ senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang told members Tuesday, with “significantly enhanced security” after April’s dinner was cut short when a shooter entered the Washington Hilton, forcing an evacuation of the event. The dinner will be held July 24, with the venue and programming still TBD, though Jiang said that the event will be more “intimate” than the traditional dinner, which hosts thousands of guests. The story.
|
Pratt and Hilton Surge in California Primary Battles |
►Absurd. Spencer Pratt, the star of a long-running reality show, is closing in on a renewal in the Los Angeles mayoral race, but this season’s finale may yet contain some surprises. With 63 percent of the vote counted by 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, The Hills star-turned-political gadfly sat solidly in second place behind Karen Bass with 30.4 percent of the vote in his bid to run California’s largest city. In the California governor’s race, another critic of Democratic incumbents has turned out a strong showing. Former Fox News host Steve Hilton — like Pratt, a TV figure who has never run for elected office before — had climbed handily to the top late Tuesday night. The story.
—Wait, what? Netflix communications chief and press gatekeeper Emily Feingold has abruptly exited after nine years with the streaming giant. Feingold joined Netflix in 2017 as part of the film leadership team as Netflix rapidly expanded its original film programming. As the company noted, her responsibilities grew along with Netflix’s growth and expansion, with her ultimately overseeing all communications for the U.S. and Canada. The story.
—Idea theft suit. A screenwriter has sued the production company and scribe behind John Wick for copyright infringement, accusing them of ripping off his script to make the hit revenge thriller. In a lawsuit filed on Monday in California federal court, the writer, J.R. Wicker, alleges John Wick and its sequel bear “strikingly and substantially similar” elements to his screenplay Blood for Escobar. Both works follow a widowed, middle-aged ex-assassin who’s reluctantly dragged back into the criminal underworld and goes on an unstoppable killing spree while battling an international secret society of hit men. The story.
|
Universal Reveals Details on U.K. Resort
|
►Cor blimey, guv! Construction is set to soon start on Universal‘s U.K. theme park and resort, which will create 28,000 jobs and boost the British economy by nearly $67b. In details released to THR's Lily Ford on Wednesday, Comcast confirmed that it will invest over $6.7b in the newly-named Universal United Kingdom Resort throughout its five-year construction, as well as an additional $1.3b in capital investment over its first 10 years when finally open — which is expected to be in 2031. The story.
—Safe BETs. As Paramount-owned BET continues to chart its future beyond the dying realm of cable networks, the brand has formed its first-ever board of advisors featuring a mix of celebrities and executives. Joining the inaugural board is BET founder Bob Johnson, musician and actress Queen Latifah, musical artist and actor LL Cool J, NFL evp of football operations Troy Vincent, Lazard president Raymond J. McGuire and Paramount chair of TV media George Cheeks. The story.
—🤝 Stake deal. 🤝 Versant Media Group has taken a minority stake in GammaTime, the microdrama streaming app, as part of a Series A funding round. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed by the USA Network and Syfy owner, but the agreement includes adapting stories based on Versant channel brands as vertical series and aligning the Comcast spinoff with bite-sized dramatic content increasingly favored by advertisers. Versant news brands like CNBC and MS NOW are not part of the agreement. The story.
|
Scorsese Teams Up With AI Company |
►No Marty, no! Martin Scorsese is teaming up with the AI company Black Forest Labs, where he will serve as an advisor with the research lab. The legendary filmmaker said in a statement released Tuesday that he’s utilizing the company’s FLUX technology to assist in creating storyboards. But some artists were quick to criticize the move. "He throws every single storyboard artist he’s ever worked with under the bus, as he demolishes their livelihoods with models that are likely trained on those story board artist’s same works," the concept artist and illustrator Karla Ortiz wrote on X. The story.
—He's got the juice! Sports dramas have been benched at the multiplex for years. But Paramount and Skydance’s Mr. Irrelevant feature, starring David Corenswet as “John Tuggle," has landed a coveted holiday release after earning a rare perfect 100 score in test screenings among women over 35 and a 92 score overall. THR's Mia Galuppo as whether audiences ready for a sports movie comeback? The analysis.
—🎭 Heads will roll. 🎭 Sydney Sweeney is attached to star in Hollow, a movie adaptation of Lindsey Anderson Beer‘s debut novel that has sold to Putnam and is set to be published in fall 2027. Pet Sematary: Bloodlines filmmaker Anderson Beer will write and helm the film. Hollow is a reimagining of Washington Irving’s 1820 short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which centers on schoolteacher Ichabod Crane competing with Brom Bones to earn the affection of Katrina Van Tassel, while also dealing with the ominous Headless Horsemen. The story.
—"We’re back to Phase Zero." The Russo brothers fired up a rainy SXSW London on Tuesday afternoon. The directors of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame discussed their hotly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to premiere this December. Anthony Russo said that even though after Endgame there was a strong sense of closure — and the men were admittedly “exhausted” after those seven years leading the franchise — it was an idea from writer Stephen McFeely that “reignited” their desire to return to the MCU. The recap.
|
Will Taylor Sheridan Finally Break Through at the Emmys?
|
►Long-time coming. Among the most fascinating Emmys-related mysteries to THR's Scott Feinberg is why the TV Academy has so consistently overlooked the shows of Taylor Sheridan, the prolific TV creator behind the Yellowstone televisual universe — Yellowstone, 1883, 1923, Marshals and Dutton Ranch — as well as Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Lioness, Landman and The Madison. The sophomore outing for Landman has already garnered an Actor Award nom for best cast of a drama series and a best drama series actor Critics Choice nom for star Billy Bob Thornton, but Scott asks whether the TV Academy finally ready to embrace a show from its polarizing creator? The analysis.
—"Everything that I’ve said to you over the summer, everything that I felt, everything that we’ve talked about was truly how I felt in those moments." Part two of the Summer House season 10 reunion shed more light on whether or not West Wilson was in an exclusive relationship when he began his romance with Amanda Batula (to sum it up, yes he was). But it appears Bravo is waiting to show the cast really grill Wilson about his romance with Meija Moreno until the third part of the reunion. Warning: Spoilers! The recap.
—🎭 Gob goes galactic. 🎭 Will Arnett has joined Amazon Prime Video‘s limited series The Challenger, which stars Kristen Stewart as astronaut Sally Ride. Arnett will play NASA official George Abbey in the drama, which is inspired by the 2023 book The New Guys by Meredith E. Bagby. The Challenger will recount “the events leading up to the Challenger disaster, the investigation that followed, and Sally Ride’s groundbreaking journey as the first American woman in space,” the logline reads. The story.
—Bagged and tagged. NBC has canceled The Hunting Party, the crime drama starring Melissa Roxburgh, after two seasons. The show was the last network scripted show awaiting word on its future. Sources tell THR's Rick Porter that Universal Television, which produces the series, will look to find a new home. Lisa Katz, president scripted content for NBC and Peacock, told reporters ahead of NBC’s upfront in May that “we’re discussing all options” for The Hunting Party. The story.
|
With 'Off Campus' S2, Mika Abdalla's "It" Girl Moment Has Arrived |
►"I always like to find a little piece of myself in every character that I play. If I read a script and get a feeling like, I know this person. I know this girl." THR's Nicole Fell profiles Mika Abdalla, who is set to take the leading lady title in season two of Amazon Prime Video's hit drama Off Campus. The 26-year-old actress knew from the first audition that her character, Allie, would headline the second season of the buzzy hockey romance. As Abdalla and the cast return to filming, she’s ready to dig into her lead role. The interview.
—"I struggle to raise money for something that doesn’t have a musical vibe to it. I have not been able. Music has to be very front and center." THR's Brian Davids spoke to John Carney about his new film Power Ballad. The Irish filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning Once is "grateful" star Joe Jonas took a laid-back approach, offering to help with the music only if needed. The interview.
—"This performance is my eulogy for her in some capacity." Brian also spoke to rising actress Havana Rose Liu about her latest feature Tuner. Liu discusses processing grief through working on Daniel Roher's film, as both she and the character she played recently lost their grandmothers and also previews her 7-film slate. The interview.
|
►"A surplus of violent bombast, elevated by a strong cast." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews Apple TV's Cape Fear. Javier Bardem, Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson lead this 10-hour take on the 1991 Martin Scorsese film. Also starring CCH Pounder, Lily Collias and Joe Anders. Created by Nick Antosca. The review.
—"Maybe not all's fair in love and war." THR's Angie Han reviews Hulu's Alice and Steve. A 50-something woman enters a feud with her best friend (and ex) after he starts dating her 26-year-old daughter in this British series. Starring Nicola Walker, Jemaine Clement, Yali Topol Margalith, Joel Fry, Tyrese Eaton-Dyce, Eilidh Fisher, Marcia Warren and Lydia Wilson. Created by Sophie Goodhart. The review.
In other news...
—Heated Rivalry goes all in on physical media including special edition Blu-Ray and DVD
—SNL star Marcello Hernández to host the 2026 ESPYs
—Imposters filmmaker Caleb Phillips signs with Underground
—Peabo Bryson, Grammy-winning R&B singer, dies at 75
—Ernest Chambers, Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour showrunner, dies at 97
What else we're reading...
—With Elon Musk set to become the first trillionaire, David Ingram believes Democrats are already sharpening their attacks against the oligarch [NBC News]
—Oliver Wainwright goes inside Barack Obama’s "audacious, near-windowless, $850m presidential library" [Guardian]
—AnnaMaria Andriotis and Anne Steele report that Garth Brooks is looking for a whopping $2b to sell his music catalog [WSJ]
—Sarah Maslin Nir writes that only celebs who know ball are likely to get tickets to see the Knicks during the NBA Finals [NYT]
—Annie Lowrey laments the way AI has ruined the job market [Atlantic]
Today...
...in 2011, Anchor Bay Entertainment released Shawn Ku's Beautiful Boy in theaters. The intense indie family drama, starring Michael Sheen and Maria Bello, was a critical hit and won a prize at TIFF. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Anderson Cooper (59), Imogen Poots (37), James Purefoy (62), Harvey Mason Jr. (58), Michelle Keegan (39), Suzi Quatro (76), Jason Jones (53), Josh Segarra (40), Alison Oliver (29), Penelope Wilton (80), Louis Hofmann (29), Louis Partridge (23), Suzie Plakson (68), Nikki M. James (45), Bill Paterson (81), Anita Harris (84), Lalaine (39), Zayne Emory (28), Amar Chadha-Patel (40), John Hodgman (55), Tate Taylor (57), Chase Mattson (32), Maddison Jaizani (31), John Rothman (77), Pico Alexander (35), Nassim Lyes (38), Tony Giglio (55), Rebecca Callard (51), Sebastian Armesto (44), Annie the Clumsy (36), Rhea Norwood (25), Henry Kingi Jr. (56)
|
Owain Rhys Davies, the Welsh-born actor who appeared in David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks: The Return reboot in 2017, has died. He was 44. The obituary.
|
|
|
|
