| | | | What's news: Hollywood's great and good have been paying tribute to Sidney Poitier, who died Thursday. The Omicron surge has cost Pixar's Turning Red a theatrical release and is pushing Berlin's film market to an online-only event. Magnolia Network has pulled a show two days after launch after allegations against the host. Plus: Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley have joined Wes Anderson's new film — Abid Rahman |
Sidney Poitier 1927-2021►"A cultural icon, an actor and film director, an entrepreneur, a civil rights activist and a diplomat." Sidney Poitier, the noble Oscar-winning leading man whose work in such films as No Way Out, The Defiant Ones, To Sir, with Love, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Lilies of the Field and In the Heat of the Night paved the way for minority actors and actresses everywhere, has died. He was 94. The obituary. — "He was a gentle man and opened doors for all of us that had been closed for years." Hollywood honored the life and legacy of Sidney Poitier with the likes of Denzel Washington, Harry Belafonte, Robert Redford, Berry Gordy, Viola Davis, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Don Cheadle, Ted Sarandos and Tyler Perry all paying tribute to the legendary star. The tributes. — "Our guiding light." Sidney Poitier’s family is sharing heartfelt memories of the star. In a statement sent to THR, his relatives described their grief following the Oscar winner’s passing: "We are so grateful he was able to spend his last day surrounded by his family and friends." The story. — Sidney Poitier rewrote the book on screen representation. THR's chief film critic David Rooney reflects on the celebrated career of the Hollywood elder statesman whose many awards included an honorary Oscar in 2002 for his "remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being." The critic's notebook. — "Heartbroken." In the Heat of the Night director Norman Jewison shared his emotional memories of Sidney Poitier with THR. Jewison recalled an over-50-year friendship with Poitier and his wife, Joanna Shimkus and described the late star as "probably one of the most intelligent actors I ever worked with." The story. — "He’s the gateway to this whole place." In September 2021, the Academy Museum officially opened the Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby. At the time of the unveiling, THR's Rebecca Keegan spoke to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and his wife, Nicole Avant, former U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, and Poitier’s daughter, Sydney about the actor's legacy, his impact on their families and what it was like to be at Poitier’s booth at Spago, "sitting with this king." The interview. — Poitier's best. THR put together twelve of the most memorable performances by the legendary late actor, who was nominated for 40 awards and won 26 during his multi-decade career. The list. |
Patel, Fiennes, Kingsley and Cumberbatch Sign Up For Wes Anderson’s New Movie ►British beef. Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley have boarded Wes Anderson’s newest feature, an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s short story collection The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More that’s set up at Netflix. Anderson wrote the script and is directing the adaptation with shooting starting this month in the U.K. The story.
—Straight to streaming. Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red is headed straight for Disney+ amid the surge in COVID-19 cases. The film will bypass a theatrical release and instead launch exclusively on the streaming service March 11. The story.
—Digital move. In unsurprising news, Berlin’s European Film Market is going online-only for the second year in a row amid concerns over the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The story.
—"Justice League that was the nadir for me." Ben Affleck has been speaking out on his experiences playing Batman and why he gave up the role and passed on directing a standalone film about the Caped Crusader. In a recent interview, Affleck admitted that a confluence of personal issues as well as a litany of production problems on 2017's Justice League killed his enthusiasm for playing the character. The story.
—Ed's on board. Someone who is very keen to work on a Batman project is acclaimed comics author Ed Brubaker who has joined the creative team behind Batman: Caped Crusader, the animated series in the works at HBO Max and Cartoon Network. Bruce Timm is showrunning and exec producing the series, which also has executive producers J.J. Abrams and The Batman feature director Matt Reeves. The story. |
Will Box Office Scuttle 'Matrix' Reboot Possibilities? ►"Things have changed, the market’s tough." The muted box office return for The Matrix Resurrections, which reportedly cost $190 million to make and has earned $106 million globally since its Dec. 22 bow, has dampened talk of possible sequels. Further complicating things is star Keanu Reeves only signing a one-picture deal, while Warner Bros.’ hopes to revive the franchise theatrically may rest on its overseas rollout. The story.
—Yanked. Chip and Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Network has removed one of its series from the air two days after the channel’s launch amid accusations of poor work and unexpected costs against its hosts. Home Work has been yanked after allegations surfaced against hosts Andy and Candis Meredith by homeowners on social media. The story.
—Judge and jury. The Sundance Film Festival has announced its 2022 jury members. The U.S. dramatic competition jury will comprise of Marielle Heller, Chelsea Barnard and Payman Maadi, the U.S. documentary competition jury includes Garret Bradley, Joan Churchill and Peter Nicks. Andrew Haigh, Mohamed Hefzy and La Frances Hui will judge the world cinema dramatic competition. The full list of juries.
—"We are Sex Bob-Omb and we are here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff." THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Scott Pilgrim, the hit graphic novel series that was adapted into an Edgar Wright film, is set to become an anime series. Netflix and UCP are developing the anime adaptation, which does not yet have a series order. Creator Bryan Lee O'Malley and BenDavid Grabinski will write and exec produce the series. The story.
—Reboot news. CBS Studios is developing a new version of iconic working-class comedy The Honeymooners for the network this time with a female lead. Executive producer Damon Wayans Jr. (New Girl) and showrunner Lindsey Shockley (Black-ish) are developing a new version of the 1955 comedy. The story. |
'Boba Fett' Stars on Their Journey to the Center of the 'Star Wars' Galaxy►From Couples Retreat to Star Wars. THR's Brian Davids spoke to The Book of Boba Fett stars Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen about how the lead character defied the odds to return for the Disney+ series. The pair also reflect on chance meetings with Jon Favreau and formative years imagining being a Jedi. The story. — "Keeping the tone and the shape of it consistent with the original." THR's Lacey Rose spoke to Fred Savage about his return to the comedy reboot of Wonder Years. The actor turned director also talked about encouraging his kids to work in Hollywood, his career pivot and his initial discomfort with telling someone else’s story. The interview. — Hawk's flip flop. THR's Ryan Parker spoke to Cobra Kai star Jacob Bertrand who says he was vehemently against his character Hawk’s switch to the side of good in the hit Netflix series. The actor reveals he had grown accustomed to fans warmly telling him how much they hated the character and how he got a kick out of them now rejoicing over his heel-face turn. The interview. In other news... — Julia Garner to star in thriller Apartment 7A for Paramount Players — Jon Bernthal lost 30 pounds learning to play tennis for King Richard role —Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook takes full control of German group Telepool —Roku platform chief Scott Rosenberg stepping down — Byron Allen hires Shaun Williams as CFO overseeing Allen Media Studios —Top Toronto Film Fest programmer Diana Sanchez steps down —UTA comms chief Seth Oster departing agency —20th TV drama head Michelle Mendelovitz exiting — Fast & Furious director Justin Lin shoots for $7 million sale of celeb-pedigreed loft — Larry Gerbrandt, veteran media and entertainment research analyst, dies at 69 What else we're reading... —Ben Affleck Is Done Worrying About What Other People Think [ Los Angeles Times] —The Repressive, Authoritarian Soul of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends [ New Yorker] —Halle Berry Looks Back at Her Historic Oscar Win, What Changed, and What Didn’t [ Vanity Fair] —Tilda Swinton: "My Ambition Was Always About Having A House By The Sea And Some Dogs" [ The Guardian] —Why the New York Times is buying the Athletic [ Vox] Today... Today's birthdays: Shirley Bassey (85), Gaby Hoffmann (40), John McTiernan (71), Cynthia Erivo (35), Sarah Polley (43), Sam Riley (42), Sam Levinson (37), Ron Cephas Jones (65), Haruka Abe (34), Damián Alcázar (69), Freddie Stroma (35) |
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