| | | | What's news: Nicholas Hoult is in talks to play Lex Luthor in Superman: Legacy. Universal is developing a new film in the Jason Bourne franchise. Doug Liman will direct The Saint. Kerry Washington renews her overall deal with ABC Signature. Paramount is selling MMA promotion Bellator. Elon Musk's X is suing Media Matters. — Abid Rahman
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'Blue Bloods' to End With S14 on CBS ►"Forever be a beloved part of CBS’ legacy." CBS will bring its long-running drama Blue Bloods to an end with the show’s 14th season. The final season will be split into two parts: 10 episodes will air starting Feb. 16 as the show resumes production following the end of industry labor strikes. After a summer hiatus, the final eight episodes will run in the fall. Blue Bloods premiered in September 2010 and has anchored CBS’ Friday lineup for its entire 275-episode run (save for a handful that ran on Wednesdays during its first season). The story.
—Getting in there early. NBC has set premiere dates for the early part of 2024, and the network will roll out several of its biggest scripted shows a few weeks ahead of its rivals. Night Court and new series Extended Family will premiere Dec. 23 following a Saturday afternoon NFL game, then move into their regular homes starting Jan. 2. That’s more than a month earlier than the announced return of any scripted series on other broadcasters. The network’s two biggest nights of scripted programming, the Chicago and Law & Order franchises, and La Brea are also set to return in January. The story.
—🤝 Deal renewed 🤝 Kerry Washington has renewed her overall deal with ABC Signature — and will also continue with the studio’s Hulu dramedy UnPrisoned. The streamer has picked up a second season of UnPrisoned, which stars Washington as a single mother whose world is upended when her father (Delroy Lindo) is released from prison and moves in with her and her son. The series comes from Disney’s Onyx Collective and ABC Signature; Washington and Lindo are also executive producers. The story.
—Rockin' on. ABC has renewed its deal with Dick Clark Productions for the annual New Year’s Rockin’ Eve special. The new deal will keep the show, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, in its long-time home through 2029. The current deal was due to end in 2024. New Year’s Rockin’ Eve is the longest-running NYE TV special, dating back to 1972. It’s also by far the most watched of any NYE programming on broadcast and cable networks; last year’s show averaged 13.8m viewers, peaking at just under 18m at midnight ET. The story. |
'Aquaman 2' Set to Test China's Superhero Fatigue ►Get Momoa out there stat! Could James Wan's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom snap the Hollywood's box-office losing streak in China? THR's Patrick Brzeski writes that we are soon going to find out as the Warner Bros. and DC Studios superhero sequel has secured a Dec. 20 release in China, two days before it opens in North America. Despite the woeful performance of Hollywood fare in China this year, Patrick writes that Wan's box office record in the country and stars being able to do promo again might help Aquaman 2 avoid a disaster. The analysis.
—🎭 In the mix for Lex 🎭 In one of the most significant new castings post-SAG-AFTRA strike, Superman: Legacy has found its Lex Luthor, with Nicholas Hoult in talks to star as the classic villain. No deal is done, but talks have been in the works since before the strike. James Gunn is writing and directing Superman: Legacy, the first feature from his and Peter Safran’s new DC Studios universe. David Corenswet will star as Clark Kent/Superman, while Rachel Brosnahan is playing Lois Lane. The story.
—Bourne again? Universal is developing a new take on the Jason Bourne action franchise, with All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger leading the project. The new Bourne film is in the early stages of development. Matt Damon, who became an action star with the role in the early 2000s, could potentially become involved, but at this stage there is no script, and thus no star commitments. Damon played Bourne in a trilogy of films from 2002-07, and then reprised the role in 2016’s Jason Bourne. The story.
—Saintly progress. Doug Liman is set to direct and oversee development on Paramount Pictures’ reboot of The Saint. Bridgerton breakout Regé-Jean Page was earlier tapped to star in and executive produce the studio’s imagining of the movie based on the early 20th century adventure novels by Leslie Charteris that featured a mysterious man named Simon Templar taking down various bad guys. Roger Moore famously starred in the 1960s British TV series of The Saint and Val Kilmer starred in Paramount’s 1997 film adaptation. The story.
—🎭 Lead in place 🎭 Faith Based actor Luke Barnett is set to star in Teacher’s Pet, the fourth feature from writer and director Noam Kroll. Launch Releasing will finance, produce and distribute the indie set to start production in L.A. in early January 2024. The project signed a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement just before the Hollywood actors strike ended. Barnett co-wrote, acted in and produced Faith Based, a satire on the Christian film industry, which was toplined by Jason Alexander, Lance Reddick and Margaret Cho. The story. |
International Emmy Awards 2023 ►Derry Girls FTW! The best in global television was honored in New York on Monday night at the 2023 International Emmy Awards. The 56 nominees for this year’s awards, handed out by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, came from 20 countries across six continents. In a sign of how important streaming companies have become to the international TV industry, Amazon and Netflix dominated in the major categories. The winners.
—🤝 Deal done 🤝 Paramount has cut a deal to sell off its Bellator mixed martial arts promotion. The company is selling a majority stake in Bellator to the Saudi-backed Professional Fighters League, an upstart MMA promotion that was created to take on the UFC, which is the dominant player in the space. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but previous reports had pegged the value of Bellator at around $500m. Paramount will retain a minority stake in the combined company. The story.
—On the road again. The Rolling Stones have announced a 16-city trek of the U.S. and Canada, which kicks off April 28 at Houston’s NRG Stadium. AARP is sponsoring the tour. The live shows are in support of the band’s new album Hackney Diamonds, which was released last month. The story.
—Suit filed. In the wake of major advertisers pausing their spending on X, the social media service has sued Media Matters for allegedly defaming the platform by reporting that ads for companies appeared next to antisemitic content. The lawsuit, filed in Texas federal court, claims that the media watchdog group “knowingly and maliciously manufactured” the report to mislead advertisers into believing that the ad pairings were organic. X seeks monetary damages, as well as a court order directing Media Matters to “immediately delete” the report. The story. | How 'Wish' Pays Homage to Classic Disney Films ►"Star’s face shape is a heart, which is also inspired by the face of Mickey Mouse." To celebrate the release of Disney’s Wish, which comes 100 years after the company first put out Steamboat Willie in 1923, Walt Disney Animation Studios gave press an inside look at the place where the magic happens at its famous Burbank headquarters. THR's Ryan Fish popped along and spoke to Wish production and costume designer Griselda Sastrawinata-Lemay about how the movie draws from a number of early Disney films for its story and design. The story.
—Banksy revealed? The identity of Banksy has long intrigued the art world, but we may be one step closer to the street artist's true identity following the recent discovery of a lost BBC interview in which he appears to confirm his name. The BBC revealed Monday that in an unearthed 2003 interview between the young up-and-coming artist and its former arts correspondent, Banksy lets slip his first name. The story.
—Incoming. Sony Pictures is giving fans the chance to immerse themselves in the worlds of Ghostbusters, Uncharted, Zombieland and more as part of a new 45,000 square-foot entertainment destination. The studio will launch Wonderverse, its very first immersive entertainment destination, this December just outside of Chicago on level one of the Oakbrook Center. The space will feature a hybrid of physical and immersive multimedia experiences, interactive installations, dynamic attractions, and themed dining experiences, based on major film, TV and video games. The story.
—🏴 Up the Town! 🏴 Wrexham AFC, the Welsh football club owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney — and the focus of the recently renewed FX series Welcome to Wrexham — is getting the Men In Blazers treatment. The podcast network is in the middle of an expansion push, and as part of that has decided to launch a show dedicated to Wrexham. The monthly program, This Week in Wrexham, will be hosted by Thomas Wynne Lewis, AKA “Tommy Cheese,” and Men In Blazers co-founder Roger Bennett. The story. |
'Past Lives': Celine Song on How She Landed Her Directorial Debut ►"I didn’t know I knew how to make a movie until I was doing it." THR's Mia Galuppo spoke to the incredibly talented Celine Song about the making of her stunning directorial debut Past Lives. Song, THR's Young Filmmaker of the Year, discusses the origins of Past Lives, the challenges of making a movie over a play and the film’s much-talked-about final sequence. The interview.
—"Madness and badness." THR's Carly Thomas spoke to Love Island Games star Cely Vazquez about the season one finale of the Peacock reality show. Vazquez also opens up about being back in the villa with her bestie Justine and her ex Johnny, taking on the intense challenges and what she's most proud of this season. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. In other news...
—Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart reunite for Just Friends commercial
—Mariah Carey and her twins bring Christmas cheer to L.A. for sold-out shows
—Inside the Las Vegas Grand Prix: The best parties, top trackside experiences and star sightings
—Microsoft hires former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in shake-up of AI landscape
—Ron Herman, icon on the L.A. retail scene, is closing after more than 45 years in business
What else we're reading...
—Wonderful Matt Zoller Seitz interview with The Right Stuff writer-director Philip Kaufman about the making of the film and its enduring legacy [Vulture]
—Simon Abrams interviews action legend John Woo about his new, dialogue-free revenge drama, Silent Night [New Yorker]
—Marjorie Ingall considers the controversy of Bradley Cooper playing Leonard Bernstein and debates over what Jewish representation means in Hollywood [Vox]
—Kylie Robison has a remarkable report on Linda Yaccarino’s all-hands meeting at X after Elon Musk decided to sue Media Matters [Fortune]
—Deena Shanker reports that more Americans on Ozempic means smaller plates at Thanksgiving and potentially trouble for food companies [Bloomberg]
Today...
...in 1931, Universal unveiled Frankenstein in theaters, adapting a novel that was at the time an unproven commodity on the big screen. Directed by James Whale, the film starred Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein and Boris Karloff as The Monster and was a huge commercial hit for the studio. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Goldie Hawn (78), Björk (58), Jena Malone (39), Jimmi Simpson (48), Nicollette Sheridan (60), Aimee-Ffion Edwards (36🏴), Alexander Siddig (58), Cherry Jones (67), Ronny Chieng (38), Andrew Davis (77), Isabel May (23), Marlo Thomas (86), Claire van der Boom (40), Guy Wilson (38), Grace Van Patten (27), Juliet Mills (82), Mariana Treviño (46), Sisse Marie (38), Cynthia Rhodes (67), Daniella Pick (40), Lindsey Haun (39), Ryan Carnes (41), Brian McNamara (63), Jordan Warkol (37), Lorna Luft (71), Rain Phoenix (51), Yasmine Al Massri (45), Rib Hillis (53), Cherie Johnson (48), Ira Sachs (58), Dahlia Salem (52), Park Hae-soo (42), Tamara Gorski (55), Sara Tanaka (45) |
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