| | | | What's news: SAG-AFTRA has issued strict Halloween costume guidelines for striking actors. Law & Order: Organized Crime is on to its fifth showrunner. Netflix has renewed Sweet Magnolias. Amazon has renewed Gen V. The MTV Europe Music Awards have been canceled. A second woman has come forward with sexual abuse allegations against Danny Elfman. — Abid Rahman
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Drescher Responds to Clooney-led Strike Plan ►It "does not impact the contract that we’re striking over whatsoever." Late on Thursday, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher welcomed a George Clooney-led proposal on taking caps off union dues to accelerate an end to the actors strike, but she said the offer wouldn’t be legally compatible with the union’s contract with the AMPTP. In a video posted to Instagram, Drescher explained that the proposal wouldn’t work legally due to the basis of the union’s contract: "We are a federally regulated labor union and the only contributions that can go into our pension and health funds must be from the employer." The response.
—The A-listers gambit. Earlier on Thursday, Clooney and a group of prominent actors brought a bold proposal to SAG-AFTRA leaders suggesting that the union remove the cap on dues for high-earning members in order to infuse more funds into the union’s coffers over the course of three years. The proposal also seeks to get lower-income members paid in residuals before higher-income members. The plan.
—"How novel and audacious is the actors’ ask, really?" When SAG-AFTRA talks ended abruptly on Oct. 11, the most significant sticking point left on the table was the union’s proposal to charge a fee per streaming platform subscriber. The studios call it a “bridge too far.” Actors say it’s a concession. THR's Katie Kilkenny talked to experts about the guild’s proposal for a small piece of every streaming subscription. The story.
—Wait, what? SAG-AFTRA has issued some strict Halloween costume guidelines for striking actors. The union is prohibiting actors from dressing up as popular characters from struck content and then posting the images on social media. That means some of the most popular Halloween costumes this year — such as Barbie and Wednesday Addams — are not allowed. The story. |
Jon Stewart's 'The Problem' Ending on Apple ►The problem with The Problem. Jon Stewart return to the talk show space has ended prematurely as Apple has abandoned plans for an eight-episode third season of the Stewart-hosted series The Problem. The NYT reported that Stewart informed his staff Thursday that Apple pushed back on topics relating to China and AI. Production on season three was already under way, with filming poised to begin shortly. The story.
—Fifth time lucky. Law & Order: Organized Crime has named its fifth showrunner. Veteran showrunner John Shiban (Ozark, The X-Files) has been tapped to take over the helm of the fourth season of the Dick Wolf procedural. Shiban replaces David Graziano, with the SVU grad taking over the remainder of season three for Sean Jablonski. The story.
—Quick as you like. Amazon’s Prime Video has ordered a second season of Gen V, the college-set spinoff of The Boys. The renewal comes a couple of weeks ahead of the show’s first season finale, which is set to debut on Nov. 3. Gen V is set at Godolkin University, a superhero-only college where students train to be the next generation of heroes — preferably with lucrative endorsements. The story.
—Sweet sweet renewal. Netflix has handed out a fourth-season renewal to Sweet Magnolias, the romantic drama about three lifelong best friends starring JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott and Heather Headley. The series, which dropped its third season in July, landed at the top of Netflix’s English-language TV charts. Season four will again consist of 10 episodes and Sheryl J. Anderson will return as showrunner. The story.
—🎭 Together again for Christmas 🎭 Kit Harington is reuniting with fellow Game of Thrones alum Mark Gatiss for a new BBC adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle. Gatiss — who co-created the BBC’s wildly popular Sherlock based on Doyle’s novels — is adapting Doyle’s short story Lot No. 249. The move keeps with an annual tradition of Gatiss writing and directing a televised ghost story for Christmas. The story. |
ADL CEO on How Hollywood Can Help Israel ►"The silence from other prominent figures is deafening." In a guest column for THR, Jonathan A. Greenblatt, the CEO and national director of the Anti-Defamation League, looks at how Hollywood can help Israel amid its war with Hamas. Greenblatt writes that in light of how distorting social media algorithms can present the world, it’s even more important for voices of celebrities to cut through and unequivocally stand with Israel. The column.
—Canceled. The 2023 MTV Europe Music Awards in Paris have been canceled amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas. In a statement, organizers said the decision to cancel came out of "an abundance of caution." The awards were originally scheduled to take place on Nov. 5 with performances from Reneé Rapp, Sabrina Carpenter, David Guetta, the Kid Laroi and Jung Kook from K-pop band BTS, among others. The story.
—Returning home. One of Taylor Swift's security guards has landed in Israel to join the fight against Hamas. On Thursday, Israel confirmed on Instagram that one of the superstar’s Eras Tour bodyguards — who previously gained viral fame in videos guarding the singer — has returned to join the IDF reserves. The bodyguard (who has requested to remain anonymous) elected to leave the U.S. after Hamas’ devastating Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. The story. |
Tyler Perry Says Bidding Process for BET Was "Disrespectful" ►"Don’t try to get me to pay for something that’s not worth anywhere near the value." Tyler Perry said he was “disappointed” in the way that Paramount Global handled the bidding process for the potential majority stake sale of its BET business. On Wednesday, during a Bloomberg Equality Summit in Atlanta, Perry gave a glimpse at how that process went for those aiming to acquire the stake. The story.
—More allegations. A second woman has come forward with sexual abuse allegations against Oscar-nominated and Grammy-winning composer Danny Elfman. In documents filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the accuser, a 47-year-old woman in Maryland going by Jane Doe XX, is alleging that Elfman sexually abused her from 1997 to 2002. She is suing Elfman and his company, Musica de la Muerta, for sexual assault, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual harassment and negligence. The story.
—Cannot be stopped. After a week in second place, Suits returned to the top of the streaming charts, extending its record run as the No. 1 overall title in Nielsen’s weekly rankings. Netflix’s Sex Education also scored well for the week of its final season premiere, and a pair of HBO series joined the rankings after their Netflix debuts. The streaming rankings. |
Gaga Helps Rolling Stones Celebrate Album Launch ►Still got it. The Rolling Stones celebrated the release of their new album with an intimate club performance in New York City, closing the show with a rousing duet with Lady Gaga as Daniel Craig, Chris Rock, Mary-Kate Olsen and more cheered on. The rock icons performed songs from Hackney Diamonds — including the Gaga-featured “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” first single “Angry,” “Whole Wide World” and “Bite My Head Off” hours before the album was released on Friday morning. The story.
—"Our union is a sloppy experiment in unconditional love." Will Smith made a surprise appearance at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore as part of Jada Pinkett Smith's Worthy press tour, where he showed support for her and their marriage following the memoir revelation that the duo were separated in 2016. The actor addressed their long-standing relationship and also said that he was "happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life." The story.
—"[I] like I had been exploited, set up in front of the whole world." Britney Spears said her post-Justin Timberlake breakup interview with Diane Sawyer was a “breaking point” for her. The pop icon recalled in her new memoir, The Woman in Me, being “devastated” by their split, which he initiated over text message. She added that she even fantasized about quitting the entertainment industry. The story. |
Superhero Fatigue: 'Marvels' Tracking for $75M-$80M Debut ►Not great. Marvel Studios' The Marvels is tracking to open in the $75m to $80m range in the latest test of box office superhero fatigue. The 33rd installment in the MCU, which launches Nov. 10, is a sequel to the 2019 Brie Larson-starrer Captain Marvel, which opened to $153.4m in North America, not adjusted for inflation. The superhero film is unique in that it stars three female leads. And it was directed by Nia DaCosta, who is the first Black woman to direct a Marvel Studios movie, as well as the youngest director of an MCU film. The box office report.
—"If they don’t want it, somebody else will. So that’s just the truth of it." Christopher Nolan said Hollywood studios missed out by not releasing Taylor Swift's concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, since she distributed it directly through AMC Theatres. During a recent discussion at a City University of New York event, the Oppenheimer filmmaker also said the studios have been too skittish about releasing movies in the streaming era. The story.
—"Expansive knowledge and expertise." Disney has named Tinisha Agramonte as its senior vice president and chief diversity officer. Agramonte, who is already a Disney executive, will lead the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy. The hiring comes after Latondra Newton, who previously held that position, departed the company in June after a six-year run. The story. |
'Golden Bachelor' on His "Extremely Difficult" Moments ►"Time is of the essence. I’m just hoping I get the opportunity to talk to him." THR's firestarter (twisted firestarter) Ryan Gajewski spoke to Gerry Turner and several contending women about this week's goings-on in ABC's The Golden Bachelor. Turner discusses the pressure of hometown dates and the women the vagaries of the group-date competition. The interview.
—"Season one was a setup of a lot of questions, and season two is the answer to all of those questions." THR's Abbey White spoke to Kelly Marcel, showrunner on the Apple TV+ series The Changeling, as well as author and executive producer of the series Victor LaValle. Marcel and LaValle discuss the season finale and say that it was never designed to be an ending for the adaptation. But, they did want viewers to come away from the series' first season with a “what the fuck” feeling. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I just made sure everything stayed honest with all the different aspects of it, like the time travel, the TVA and Loki." THR's Brian Davids spoke to director Dan DeLeeuw about season two of Disney+'s Marvel series Loki. The visual effects veteran discusses jumping into the director's chair and the unlikely task of re-creating a 1982 McDonald’s and explains how a Ke Huy Quan choice in the season two premiere led to a running gag in his episode and beyond. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ► All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this live episode, Scott spoke to Tim Burton. The brilliant and eccentric filmmaker reflects on his childhood in Burbank and how it led him to animation and to characters regarded by others as freaks, alternating between mainstream blockbusters and personal art films and collaborating over decades with the likes of Johnny Depp, Colleen Atwood and Danny Elfman. Listen here.
In other news...
—Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell fake flirt in Anyone But You trailer
—Baz Luhrmann’s Faraway Downs trailer builds on Australia
—Tessa Thompson, Pete Nicks join Sundance Board of Trustees
—Former White House advisor Nick Rathod joins People of Culture Studios
—Rebecca Rolnick Knaack promoted to senior VP entertainment at Metro PR
—Hello Sunshine launches incubator for female content creators and entrepreneurs
What else we're reading...
—Andrew Prokop looks at 5 ways the House speaker drama could end [Vox]
—David Sims writes that Taylor Swift did what Hollywood studios could not and brought viewers to the theater in droves during a tricky season [Atlantic]
—Josef Adalian makes the case for Paramount+'s Frasier needing longer seasons (and a network home) [Vulture]
—Ryan Gilbey talks to trainer Bonnie Stoll about Diane Nyad's incredible attempts to swim from Havana to Florida, a story that's now been adapted into a film by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi [Guardian]
—Here's your Friday list: "The top 100 players in the NBA" [Ringer]
Today...
...in 1995, MGM unveiled Barry Sonnenfeld’s R-rated crime comedy Get Shorty in theaters, where it would go on to gross $115m globally. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Snoop Dogg (52), Danny Boyle (67), John Krasinski (44), Viggo Mortensen (65), Rachel House (52), William Zabka (58), Thomas Newman (68), Asante Blackk (22), Sam Witwer (46), Dan Fogler (47), Niamh Cusack (64), Barrie Chase (90), Alona Tal (40), William Russ (73), Katie Featherston (41), Julika Jenkins (52), Galadriel Stineman (33), Jennifer Freeman (38), George Wyner (78), Yvette Nipar (59), Nargis Fakhri (44), Alberto Ammann (45), Jennifer Hall (46), Alan Ackles (75), James William O'Halloran (39), Melanie Mayron (71), George Harris (74) |
| Judy Balaban, the daughter of a longtime studio mogul who dated Montgomery Clift and Merv Griffin, married Tony Franciosa and served as one of Grace Kelly’s bridesmaids at her wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco, has died. She was 91. The obituary. |
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