| | | | What's news: George Lucas has backed Bob Iger in Disney's ongoing investor proxy fight. 450 Jewish Hollywood professionals have signed an open letter condemning Jonathan Glazer's Oscars speech. Rian Johnson has signed a two-film deal with WB. Hulu has ordered a weed focused docuseries produced by Jimmy Kimmel. — Abid Rahman
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Stephen Miller's War on Hollywood Diversity ►Skill issue. Backed by former Donald Trump aide Stephen Miller’s America First Legal foundation, aspiring writer Brian Beneker has sued CBS and Paramount, alleging that he did not get a staff writing job on the military drama SEAL Team due to discrimination. But fellow scribes tell THR's Kim Masters and Lesley Goldberg that the issue was the work itself. The story.
—"The current climate of growing antisemitism only underscores the need for the Jewish State of Israel." An open letter condemning Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest Oscars acceptance speech has been signed by more than 450 Jewish Hollywood professionals. The group consists of actors, executives, directors, creators, producers and representatives denouncing Glazer’s controversial comments made when accepting the Academy Award for best international film. The story.
—"Creating magic is not for amateurs." George Lucas is weighing in on Disney's ongoing proxy fight with activist investors, and he is throwing his support firmly behind CEO Bob Iger and Disney’s board. The filmmaker, Star Wars creator and Disney shareholder released a statement in support of the company and its CEO on Tuesday morning. Lucas is a high-profile name to support Iger and Disney, following similar statements of support from the family of Walt and Roy Disney last month. The story.
—Multiple sexual assault allegations. Five people have come forward to make accusations of sexual assault or coercion against Ru Paul’s Drag Race star Shangela. In a Rolling Stone article published on Monday, the five accusers recount incidents in which Darius Jeremy Pierce, the man behind Shangela, allegedly assaulted individuals or attempted to get them inebriated beyond the ability to give consent. Pierce denied the allegations via his attorney. It was also revealed Pierce settled a previous rape case that allegedly took place on the set of an HBO series through mediation in February. The story.
—New home. Weeks after mass layoffs hit the iconic sports publication Sports Illustrated under Arena Group Holdings, the owner of the brand rights to the outlet has found a new home. Authentic Brands Group says that Minute Media has obtained the publishing rights to SI, which will officially part ways with Arena Group. Minute Media owns The Player’s Tribune (which was founded by Yankees legend Derek Jeter), Mental Floss, FanSided and 90Min. The story. |
'Quiet on Set' Directors Talk Making Dan Schneider Docuseries ►"One of the central questions we were looking at was this power dynamic." THR's Etan Vlessing spoke to Emma Schwartz and Mary Robertson, the filmmakers behind ID's four-part docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV that tackled allegations of inappropriate behavior involving underage stars on popular Nickelodeon series overseen by Dan Schneider. Schwartz and Robertson discuss how they first came across this story via viral videos that swirled around Schneider’s shows, and how they hope to continue their exploration. The interview.
—"The stress of working for him caused me to develop a significant heart arrhythmia." In the wake of Quiet on Set, an ex-Nickelodeon writer and former assistant to Dan Schneider is adding to the toxic workplace claims that are being leveled against him by sharing that he was her "psychological tormentor" and allegedly caused her to have significant health issues. Amy Berg, who wrote for Nick hits Kenan & Kel and All That, tweeted a brief account on Monday of her experience working for Schneider. The story.
—"Remember, all stories, dialogue, costumes, and makeup were fully approved by network executives on two coasts." Also on Monday, Schneider denied the toxic workplace claims and the “sexualizing” of child actors on the Nickelodeon series he created and ran. In a statement, Schneider said there were always adults on set and that the network execs were approving scripts. The story. |
Rian Johnson's T-Street Inks 2-Film Pact with WB ►🤝 *DJ Khaled voice* Another one 🤝 Rian Johnson is headed to the Warner Bros. lot. The filmmaker’s T-Street banner, which he runs with producing partner Ram Bergman, has inked a two-picture producing pact with WB. It’s the latest in a series of deals the studio has inked with top talent as it shores up its relationships across Hollywood, even as it has taken some reputational hits for shelving several films. In recent months, Tom Cruise, Margot Robbie and Ryan Coogler have all inked deals with the studio. The story.
—Poohniverse incoming. The makers of Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey 1 & 2 are at work on another twisted take on A.A. Milne’s children’s story. The prolific low-budget genre labels Jagged Edge Productions and ITN Films have unveiled plans to swing their bloody axe again with Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble, a slasher horror pic set to shoot this year ahead of a 2025 release. The film will include a number of classic characters, including Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, Bambi, The Mad Hatter and Peter Pan. The story.
—"A documentary thriller, in the tradition of Graham Greene or John le Carré." Raoul Peck, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind 2016’s I Am Not Your Negro, is in production on his latest doc, an investigation into the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise. Tentatively titled The Hands That Held the Knives, Peck is not only directing but producing the film under his Velvet Films banner. Peck has incredible insight into Haitian politics, and served as the country's Minister of Culture from 1996 to 1997. The story.
—"It is his legacy. That's how it should remain." Alex Proyas, the filmmaker behind the original The Crow has disavowed the upcoming reboot over concerns it will impact the late Brandon Lee's legacy. In a post on social media, Proyas, who has generally been against the various attempts to reboot his cult 1994 film over the years, wrote that his movie was "not just a movie. Brandon Lee died making it, and it was finished as a testament to his lost brilliance and tragic loss." The story.
—📅 Matt Berry! 📅 Warner Bros. announced Monday it will release its animated event pic The Cat in the Hat — based on the beloved Dr. Seuss tale — in theaters on March 6, 2026. It also revealed the movie’s voice cast for the first time. Bill Hader, who will play The Cat, will star opposite Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang, Xochitl Gomez, Matt Berry and Paula Pell. The story. |
MrBeast Strikes Amazon Deal for $5M Prize Competition Series ►"The biggest reality competition series in television history." YouTube star MrBeast has struck a deal with Amazon MGM Studios for his first traditional TV series. The project is based on his YouTube show and titled Beast Games. It will feature 1,000 contestants competing for a $5m cash payout. The prize is touted as the biggest single prize in the history of television and streaming. Sources say Amazon outbid at least one major streamer to make the deal with MrBeast, a.k.a. Jimmy Donaldson. Donaldson also negotiated the right to retain creative control of the production. The story.
—Fully baked. Hulu has handed out a six-episode series order for High Hopes, a docuseries following two brothers running a cannabis shop in Los Angeles with Jimmy Kimmel on board to exec produce. The streamer describes High Hopes as a "workplace reality series following Belarus-born brothers Slava and Mishka and their stoned crew through the trials and tribulations of taking their cannabis business to new heights." The show drops on April 20 (of course). The story.
—Dank tales. Netflix has unveiled two new European series with A-list stars. X-Men alum Famke Janssen will star in and executive produce the Dutch crime drama Amsterdam Empire, about a big-time cannabis dealer whose personal betrayal of his wife threatens the future of his pot business. Veteran French actress Isabelle Adjani will star in the untitled thriller series from Nils Antoine Sambuc and directed by Marie Jardillier. The story.
—🤝 Expanding partnership 🤝 Pachinko creator Soo Hugh has signed a multiple-year overall deal with Apple and series producers Media Res. Hugh, who was previously at Universal Content Productions, will continue to serve as showrunner on Pachinko as well as developing new projects through her Moonslinger Productions banner. The story. —🎭 TV vets 🎭 Starz is adding to the cast of its forthcoming thriller The Hunting Wives. Chrissy Metz, Jaime Ray Newman, Katie Lowes and George Ferrier have joined the ensemble for the drama series, based on May Cobb’s novel. The cast for the series from Lionsgate Television and 3 Arts Entertainment also includes Malin Åkerman, Brittany Snow, Dermot Mulroney, and Evan Jonigkeit. The story. |
Oprah Calls Out Criticism of Her Weight in ABC Special ►"There is now a sense of hope, and you no longer blame yourself." Oprah Winfrey held back tears during the airing of her ABC special, Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution Monday night as she spoke to a woman who participated in Oprah Daily’s “The State of Weight” Panel last September who’s since lost 85 pounds after using an unnamed weight loss medication. The special, which will be available for streaming on Hulu on Tuesday along with an exclusive audience Q&A, focused on the growing popularity of weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy. The recap.
—Phew! Richard Simmons is healthy and happy. On Monday, a statement was shared on Simmons’ verified Facebook page in which he wrote, "I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I am ….dying. Oh I can see your faces now. The truth is we all are dying. Every day we live we are getting closer to our death." Amid speculation on his health spurred by that post, Simmons’ spokesperson Tom Estey told THR, "I can confirm with 100 percent certainty that Richard is not dying." The story.
—"It’s changed my life." Tallulah Willis revealed this week she was diagnosed with autism last summer. Willis, the youngest daughter of Bruce Willis and ex-wife Demi Moore, posted an old family video of herself as a child playing with her father’s ear while on a red carpet to Instagram on Saturday. “Tell me your [sic] autistic without telling me your [sic] autistic,” Willis captioned the post. In the comments section, she elaborated: "Actually this is the first time I’ve ever publicly shared my diagnosis." The story. |
How Danai Gurira Pulled Off That 'TWD' Reunion ►"We had to tie together a lot of loose ends, and it had to be the culmination of a lot of conflict." For THR, Josh Wigler spoke to The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live star and executive producer Danai Gurira about writing and showrunning the fourth episode of the AMC show. Gurira breaks down the elements of the episode, which sees a climactic confrontation between Rick and Michonne. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"It’s about honoring what came before in order to find a new arc for these iconic characters." THR's Brian Davids spoke to X-Men ’97 executive producer Brad Winderbaum ahead of the animated series release on Disney+. Winderbaum discusses bringing X-Men: The Animated Series’ original brain trust into the fold as consultants on X-Men ’97, Marvel chief Kevin Feige's mandate on the series and also offers an update on Daredevil: Born Again. The interview.
—"The last two minutes of this movie are actually my proudest moment as a director, and it’s exactly how I pictured it." Brian also spoke to filmmaker Michael Mohan about his new horror feature Immaculate. Mohan discusses his long-running collaboration with the film's star Sydney Sweeney, which includes the '90s coming-of-age series Everything Sucks! and the erotic thriller The Voyeurs, which he believes has the best sex scenes "this decade." The interview. | Theater Review: 'An Enemy of the People' ►"Deftly underscores the parallels of our current ugly political divide." THR's David Rooney reviews Sam Gold's An Enemy of the People. Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli star in this Broadway revival of Ibsen's 1882 play in a new adaptation by Amy Herzog, who penned last year’s scorching update of the Norwegian dramatist’s A Doll’s House. The review. In other news...
—Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver official trailer released by Netflix
—Paramount+ sets launch details for ad tier in Canada, Australia, premium plan in France
—Ben Platt to play concert residency at refurbished Palace Theatre on Broadway
—The Lebanese designers who are everywhere this awards season
—Stephanie Northen and Arianne Rocchi launch new PR and marketing agency, Arwin Ventures
—Lourdes Diaz promoted to partner at AGC Studios
What else we're reading...
—Following the right royal balls up over the doctored Kate Middleton photo and repeated PR missteps, Vanessa Thorp writes that the scandal rips up the rules for royals and the media [Guardian]
—Olivia Ovenden has a fascinating profile of Sydney Sweeney in which the in-demand actress discusses her new film Immaculate, the grim fixation on her body and her refreshingly prosaic reasons for agreeing to star in Madame Web [GQ]
—Lucas Shaw, Crystal Tse, and Ella Ceron report that Selena Gomez is looking into selling her $2b cosmetics brand, Rare Beauty [Bloomberg]
—Citing recent high profile instances of newspapers and magazines passing on investigative stories, Max Tani looks into the reasons why American media has lost its nerve [Semafor]
—Shawn Tully runs through the final days of Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, whose death has triggered a wave of speculation [Fortune]
Today...
...in 2010, Universal released Miguel Sapochnik's Repo Men in theaters. The film, based on the novel The Repossession Mambo by Eric Garcia, starred Jude Law, Forest Whitaker and Liev Schreiber but proved to be a box office and critical failure. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Bruce Willis (69), Glenn Close (77), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (47), Rachel Blanchard (48), Ursula Andress (88), Caylee Cowan (26), Abby Brammell (45), Jorma Taccone (47), Nicholas Stoller (48), Amanda Kloots (42), Neil LaBute (61), Nick Hendrix (39), Connor Trinneer (55), Fred Stoller (66), Josie Loren (37), Garrett Clayton (33), Kwak Dong-yeon (27), Theo Von (44), Simmone Mackinnon (51), Dermot Crowley (77), Michael Drayer (38), Craig Lamar Traylor (35), Matthew Leitch (49), De'aundre Bonds (48), Nicole Muirbrook (41), Ayoola Smart (30), Dana Melanie (32), Philip Bolden (29), Vida Guerra (50), Joy Suprano (44) |
| Cass Warner, filmmaker, author and granddaughter of Harry Warner, co-founder of Warner Bros., has died. She was 76. The obituary. |
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