| | | | | | What's news: Comcast has unveiled a streaming bundle that includes Peacock, Netflix and Apple. Dissident filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has made a dramatic escape from Iran. Doug Belgrad is joining Netflix as vice president of film. AMC Theaters shares spiked 80 percent on Monday. Amazon has renewed The Boys and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Edgar Wright is in talks to direct Barbarella. — Abid Rahman
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Bonjour de Cannes! ►THR's crack team is in Cannes for the 77th edition of the world's greatest film festival. Read our day 1 digital daily here.
—"We would like to have a festival without polemics." At his annual pre-festival press conference, Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux skillfully dodged potentially hot-button topics, including the war in Gaza, #MeToo politics, and the threat of employment strikes disrupting the 77th festival. Frémaux politely responded to question after question from the international film press on Monday but managed not to address many of the most controversial topics on their minds. The story.
—"With a heavy heart, I chose exile." Mohammad Rasoulof, the dissident Iranian filmmaker who was last week sentenced to eight years in prison by the Iranian courts, has dramatically fled the country, according to a statement shared with the press. The director is in an "undisclosed location" in Europe, according to the announcement. The sentencing came ahead of the Cannes Film Festival, where the director’s latest feature, Seed of the Sacred Fig is set to premiere in competition. It is unclear if Rasoulof will now appear in Cannes. The story.
—China's back! After a partial comeback in 2023, THR's Patrick Brzeski writes that Chinese cinema is returning to Cannes in a major way. This year, there are five titles spread across the official selection, spanning art-house works, genre filmmaking, and a major commercial movie. Patrick writes that the bumper crop of Chinese titles in the selection, as well as the Chinese box office’s ongoing post-pandemic recovery will provide a boost to international sales of Chinese titles at Cannes’ Marché du Film. The analysis. |
The (Extra Hot) Cannes Hot List ►Double Cage! With the festival kicking off, THR's Scott Roxborough and Mia Galuppo highlight the films that will attract the most interest at Cannes' Marché du film this year. With two Nicolas Cage projects (one in which he plays Jesus’ father), Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac as ’80s-era vampires, more David Cronenberg, and a singing Paul Rudd – what more could buyers ask for? The list.
—Big Dave's Big 10. New films from Francis Ford Coppola, Yorgos Lanthimos and George Miller are seizing the Cannes festival spotlight, but THR's chief film critic David Rooney says there’s plenty more in the lineup to whet the cinematic appetite and picks out his 10 must-sees. The list.
—FFC FTW. Ahead of its Cannes premiere on May 17, Francis Ford Coppola released the first teaser trailer to his $120m epic, self-funded passion project Megalopolis. In the clip that dropped on Monday night, we see more of the scale and ambition of the project, with the large ensemble cast, dynamic shots of a utopian society and protests. The teaser.
—"It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen." Also ahead of that Megalopolis premiere, THR's nicest man Chris Gardner spoke to one of the film's lead stars, Nathalie Emmanuel. The British actress, who broke out on HBO’s Game of Thrones and is a familiar face from Universal's Fast franchise, opens up about starring in one of the most anticipated titles of this year's Cannes Film Festival. The interview. |
Comcast Unveils Peacock, Netflix, Apple Bundle ►"Those three products will come at a vastly reduced price to anything in the market today." Comcast CEO Brian Roberts has unveiled plans for StreamSaver, an upcoming streaming product bundle that packages Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+ that will be available to all Comcast broadband, TV and mobile subscribers. The launch of StreamSaver, with pricing still to be determined, follows Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery teaming up on a streaming bundle that combines the Disney+, Hulu and Max streaming services. The story.
—First big hire. Dan Lin has found his right hand man. Former Sony head turned producer Doug Belgrad is joining Netflix as vice president of film. A Sony exec for over 25 years, Belgrad worked his way up to the post of president of the studio where he was the No. 2 to Amy Pascal, then the studio’s co-chairman. Belgrad’s hire is the first major exec move by Lin, who took over as head of film in April after taking over the job from Scott Stuber. Lin is tasked with steering the streamer’s film output into a new era of constrained cost and at the same time, high quality. The story.
—Chugging along. Sony Pictures Entertainment’s full-year 2023 operating income slipped to $808m from $894m in dollar terms, with FY 2023 sales creeping up slightly to $10.32b from $10.14b. In a strike affected year for Sony's film and TV unit, there were theatrical brights spots such as Anyone But You and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but also box office misfires such as Madame Web. Sony also revealed it sold 20.8m PlayStation 5 units in FY 2023 and now has 118m subscribers to the PlayStation Network. The results.
—Here we go again. Shares in AMC Theatres surged 80 percent on Monday after a famed meme stock investor resurfaced online. Stock in parent company AMC Entertainment Holdings ended the day up $2.28, to close at $5.19. That’s a big jump after shares in AMC tumbled in value since the cinema giant during the pandemic used its meme stock mania to raise fresh cash to stay afloat. The latest speculative buying of AMC shares followed Roaring Kitty, also known as Keith Gill, returning online after a 3-year absence and rekindling interest in the the cinema chain. The story. |
THR's 40 Most Powerful Women in International Film ►Fighting the good fight. Re-Framing the Picture, a recent study from an international and multidisciplinary research team looking at the German, British and Canadian film industries, projects that, at the current rate of progress, true 50:50 gender equality in key creative positions won’t be reached until 2041 in Germany, 2085 in the U.K., and 2215 (!) in Canada. It’s not an optimistic forecast for the producers, managers, film execs and talents picked by THR as the most influential women in international cinema, but they continue to find new models to produce, finance and distribute movies that amplify diverse voices. The list.
—"Y’all have really motivated me." Lizzo said Monday she wished to extend a “personal thank-you” to activists working against genocides in Palestine, Sudan and the Congo, also saying student protests in the United States are “deeply important.” In a video posted to Instagram, the singer said she wanted "to take a second and give a personal thank-you to all of the activists who have been working tirelessly to help the liberation and the freedom of the people who have been genocided all over the world, specifically Palestine, Sudan and the Congo." The story.
—Tragic accident. A crew member on 9-1-1 died early Saturday morning in a car accident on the highway following a 14-hour overnight shift. Rico Priem, a grip for the Fox procedural and a member of the crew union IATSE Local 80, was involved in a car crash after working Friday night through Saturday morning on a location shoot in Pomona. IATSE and the show’s studio, 20th Television, confirmed the death in statements on Monday after crew members began posting about the tragedy on social media over the weekend. The story.
—Acquitted. A French court acquitted filmmaker Roman Polanski Tuesday of defaming British actress Charlotte Lewis. The case stems from a 2019 interview with Paris Match magazine, where Polanski allegedly called Lewis a liar following her accusations of sexual assault. The court’s ruling did not address the truth of Lewis' rape allegation against Polanski but focused solely on whether the director's comments in the interview constituted defamation against Lewis. Polanski denied the charges. The story. |
Nicolas Cage Spider-Man Noir Series a Go at Amazon ►More Cage! Amazon, ahead of its first upfront presentation Tuesday, announced that it is moving forward with Noir, a live-action series based on the Marvel comic Spider-Man Noir. Nicolas Cage will star in the series that revolves around an aging and down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life as a superhero. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios. Noir is part of the larger Marvel universe that Amazon is assembling, with the streamer already working on Silk: Spider Society. The story.
—It’s official. Amazon has renewed Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The streamer kicked off its inaugural meeting with Madison Avenue ad buyers Tuesday with a slew of announcements, including news that the action series has been renewed for a second season. A reimagining of the 2005 feature that starred Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, star Donald Glover co-created the series with his Atlanta colleague Francesca Sloane, with the latter returning as showrunner for season two. It’s unclear if Glover and Maya Erskine will return to star as Amazon has not formally confirmed any casting for the newly ordered season. The story.
—No-brainer. The Boys will keep bringing the fight to superheroes for another season. The series based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic book has scored a fifth season pickup at Amazon Prime Video. The renewal announcement is part of Amazon's first-ever upfront and comes a few weeks before the June 13 premiere of season four of The Boys. The story.
—Expanding. Jeopardy! is moving into the streaming realm. Prime Video has ordered a version of the beloved game show called Pop Culture Jeopardy!, which will be the first iteration of the franchise to debut on a streamer. Sony Pictures Television, which is behind all versions of Jeopardy!, is producing. Pop Culture Jeopardy! will differ somewhat from the classic game in that three-person teams will compete against one another rather than individual players. However, the show will keep the classic answer-and-question format. The story.
—"To answer the questions everyone is asking me — yes, I’m going to talk about it." Ellen DeGeneres is set to return to Netflix with a new stand-up special, her second for the streamer and what she’s calling her "last special," later this year. The veteran comedian and former talk-show host previously appeared in the 2018 Netflix special Relatable, DeGeneres’ first stand-up special in 15 years. Relatable was the first of a two-special deal with Netflix. The story.
—🎭 Looking for Luke 🎭 Arnold Schwarzenegger will face a new foe in the second season of his Netflix series FUBAR. Carrie-Anne Moss has joined the action comedy as a former adversary — and former flame — of Schwarzenegger’s not-quite-retired CIA spy Luke Brunner. The Matrix star will play Greta Nelso, a former East German operative who shares a passionate history with Luke. Production on FUBAR's second season began in late April; a premiere date hasn’t been scheduled. The story.
—Going nowhere. Seth Meyers has extended his deal with NBCUniversal through 2028, the company announced Monday. Meyers, who skewered the network (among others) during NBCU’s upfront presentation Monday morning, will remain host of Late Night through 2028. Additionally, Meyers’ Sethmaker Shoemeyers production company has extended its deal with Universal Studio Group and will continue to create and develop scripted and unscripted programming for the company’s vast portfolio. The story.
—Doggfatherly advice. NBC announced at its upfront presentation Monday that Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé will join singing competition The Voice as coaches for its 26th season in the fall. Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani will return to the show, McEntire for her third edition of the show and Stefani for her eighth. The story. |
Garfield Joins Roberts in Guadagnino's 'After the Hunt' ►🎭 Tracked down the lead 🎭 Andrew Garfield will star opposite Julia Roberts in a new thriller from Luca Guadagnino that is set in the world of academia. Garfield is in negotiations to star in the forthcoming Amazon MGM Studios feature After the Hunt. The Challengers filmmaker is set to direct from a script by Nora Garrett, with the film aiming to start production this summer. The film focuses on a college professor who is forced to confront her own dark past when a prominent student makes an accusation against one of her colleagues. The story.
—🎭 Classy cast 🎭 Inglourious Basterds star August Diehl and Oscar-nominated actress Andrea Riseborough have signed on to star in The Noise of Time, a new drama about the life of Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich and his wife Nina, adapted from Julian Barnes’ book of the same name. Two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher Hampton is adapting Barnes’ novel for the screen, with Polish director Jan Komasa attached to direct. The story.
—Still early. Edgar Wright is in talks to direct Barbarella for Sony, with Jane Goldman and Honey Ross in talks to write the script. The Sydney Sweeney project is still in early development and is planned as a new take on the character that originated in a French comic series from Jean-Claude Forest. Barbarella, a mercenary who travels the universe, was portrayed by Jane Fonda in a 1968 movie version that has become a cult favorite. Sweeney’s involvement in the new film was announced in 2022. The story.
—There are no small parts. Theater Camp director Molly Gordon is on board to helm Small Parts, a reimagining of the 1987 comedy Outrageous Fortune, which starred Bette Midler and Shelley Long as rivals. Gordon, who also stars in The Bear, and co-writer Allie Levitan will do a new take for Searchlight Pictures. Small Parts will center on rival actors who clash on a scrappy indie film set and accidentally find themselves entangled in a game of cat-and-mouse more outrageous than any movie, according to a synopsis from the producers. The story.
—🎭 Back in the big chair 🎭 Ed Harris is set to direct an adaptation of Kim Zupan’s acclaimed neo-noir novel The Ploughmen. Nick Nolte, Bill Murray and Owen Teague are set to star in the movie, which will go into production in Montana this fall. Amy Madigan and Lily Harris are also set for the film. The Ploughmen follows a strange friendship that develops between a haunted young deputy sheriff and a notorious old murderer. The story. |
Richard Gadd on 'Baby Reindeer' Phenomenon ►"I feel like I’m going to wake up one day, and it’s all been a dream." THR's Chris Gardner spoke to man-of-the-moment Richard Gadd, the creator, writer, executive producer and star of Netflix's incredible Baby Reindeer. Gadd talks about failure and navigating becoming a global streaming sensation. The interview.
—"Nothing is off limits. That’s what makes it must-see television and, in this case, must-see live television." THR's Lesley Goldberg spoke to Robbie Praw, vp stand-up and comedy formats at Netflix. Praw discussed live TV events, comedy roasts, including the controversy over editing out the boos for Kim Kardashian and why nothing was off-limits for the Brady special. The interview.
—"It really depends on how well this movie does, but I’ve tried not to put too many eggs in that basket, so we’ll see how it goes." THR's Brian Davids spoke to filmmaker Wes Ball about his new film Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. After helming three consecutive Maze Runner features, Ball discusses whether more Apes films, a potential Legend of Zelda movie (or both) is the right call. The interview.
In other news...
—Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power S2 teaser trailer reveals Sauron’s new look
—Billie Eilish previews new song in Heartstopper S3 teaser
—Donald Glover announces first Childish Gambino world tour since 2019
—Fossil and Disney are teaming on a limited-edition collection of tennis watches
—Live Nation’s Concert Week ends soon — $25 tickets to Alanis Morissette, Missy Elliott, Peso Pluma, Blink-182 and more
—David Sanborn, renowned jazz saxophonist, dies at 78
What else we're reading...
—Kylie Robison reports that upgrades to ChatGPT will allow its AI assistant be able to talk to you like Scarlett Johansson in Her [Verge]
—Whitney Friedlander looks at the recent boomlet of WWII-set TV shows such as The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Masters of the Air and The New Look and how they aim to portray life beyond conflict and survival [LAT]
—Joe Reid wonders whether Fallout’s binge episode-release strategy on Amazon Prime Video is hurting the show's Emmy chances [Vulture]
—Ben Protess, Jonah E. Bromwich and Maggie Haberman write that in his detailed testimony, Michael Cohen painted a damning portrait of Donald Trump [NYT]
—Greg Ip and Janet Adamy crunch the numbers and find that birthrates are falling fast across the world, and this may lead to economic, social and geopolitical consequences [WSJ]
Today...
...in 2010, Fox Searchlight Pictures released Sanaa Hamri's rom-com Just Wright. The basketball-related film starred Queen Latifah and Common and was a moderate box office hit. The original review.
Today's birthdays: George Lucas (80), Cate Blanchett (55), Sofia Coppola (53), Robert Zemeckis (72), Tim Roth (63), Siân Phillips (🏴 91), Greg Davies (🏴 56), David Byrne (72), Lukas Dhont (33), Nava Mau (32), Miranda Cosgrove (31), Amber Tamblyn (41), Lina Esco (39), Danny Huston (62), Francesca Annis (79), Gabriel Mann (52), McKaley Miller (28), Ada Nicodemou (47), Michael Preston (86), Jim Howick (45), Deanne Bray (53), Martine McCutcheon (48), Anjelah Johnson-Reyes (42), Alexandra Park (35), Jane Brucker (66), Ben Weber (52), Chloe Troast (27), Carla Jimenez (50), Nadine Van der Velde (62), Woody McClain (35), Juno Rinaldi (47), London Brown (43), Brett Leonard (65) |
| Samm-Art Williams, a Tony-nominated playwright, actor and director and an executive producer on NBC’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, has died. He was 78. The obituary. |
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