| | | | | | What's news: Disney is set to pay Comcast $439m to complete the sale of Hulu. SAG-AFTRA and major video game companies have reached a tentative deal on a contract agreement. MLB is acquiring a stake in Jomboy Media. Outer Banks actor Jonathan Daviss will play Snoop Dogg in a biopic. Netflix will invest $1.1b in Spain by 2029. — Abid Rahman
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Paramount to Cut Another 3.5 Percent of U.S. Staff ►"These changes are necessary to address the environment we are operating in." Paramount Global is continuing to cut its U.S. workforce, with its co-CEOs on Tuesday unveiling another reduction by 3.5 percent. The cuts follow a 15 percent reduction last year. Co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins wrote in a staff memo, obtained by THR, said the focus was on U.S. headcount but the moves “may also result in some impacts to our workforce outside the U.S. over time.” The majority of impacted staff are being notified on Tuesday. As of the end of 2024, Paramount Global had 18,600 employees worldwide. The story.
—"We thank Naveen for his leadership role during a dynamic period of transformation and growth." More exits at Paramount Global, with CFO Naveen Chopra set to leave the company “to pursue other opportunities.” Andrew Warren, currently a strategic advisor to Paramount’s three-headed Office of the CEO and a former CFO at Discovery Communications, will step in on an interim basis. Warren will be executive vice president and interim chief financial officer. He’s been around to advise George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins on CEO matters. One by one, top Paramount Global executives are going down, making way for David Ellison and his Skydance to take over and set up his own leadership team. The story.
—It's over. The years-long saga over the fate of Hulu is officially resolved, with Disney set to pay Comcast $439m to finally complete the sale of its 33 percent stake in the streaming service. Back in 2023, Disney officially agreed to pay a floor of $8.61b for Comcast’s stake in Hulu, but the companies couldn’t agree on a final valuation for the stake, leading to an extended appraisal process. Disney argued that the floor price would suffice as the final price, while Comcast argued that Hulu’s value was higher, and that Disney should pay it an additional $5b. The story.
—✊ Tentative deal! ✊ In an agreement that could eventually mark the end of a nearly yearlong strike, SAG-AFTRA and major video game companies have reached a tentative deal on a contract agreement. The performers’ union announced the provisional deal on Monday night without getting into specifics on the terms of the agreement. The work stoppage against video game firms will continue until the terms of a strike suspension agreement have been fully hammered out, the union stated. With the strike, the union took a stand against proposed AI terms that leaders claimed would have allowed companies to undercut members and their position in the workplace. The story. |
Baldoni's $400M Defamation Suit Tossed Out ►Dismissed. In a dramatic turn, a federal judge in New York on Monday tossed out Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer’s entire $400m defamation and extortion lawsuit against actress Blake Lively after determining, among other rulings, that her allegations of sexual harassment on the set of the film It Ends With Us are legally protected and therefore immune from the suit. Baldoni’s January 2025 suit also named Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, her longtime publicist Leslie Sloane and The New York Times as defendants alongside Lively. It was logged days after the newspaper’s Pulitzer Prize-winning #MeToo journalist Megan Twohey published a story outlining her claims against Baldoni and Wayfarer, including how they weaponized social media to “astroturf” the actress around the time of the pic’s release in summer 2024. The story.
—"People use the word visionary a lot in our business but Jonathan Mayers was the real deal." Jonathan Mayers, a concert promoter who co-founded the music festivals Bonnaroo and helped create Outside Lands as a principal at Superfly Entertainment, has died at the age of 51. The cause of death is as yet unknown. The news arrives as the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is set to kick off on June 12 with headliner Luke Combs. The three-day musical gathering continues through June 15. The New York City native founded Superfly Presents as a marketing and event company in 1996 with partners Kerry Black, Rick Farman and Richard Goodstone, co-creating events such as the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival with Another Planet Entertainment and Bonnaroo, held on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee since 2002. The obituary.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Sony Music Publishing has acquired Recognition Music Group’s publishing and administration company Hipgnosis Songs Group. The acquisition comes five years after Recognition Music Group — which used to be known as Hipgnosis Songs Fund until the company rebranded three months ago — purchased music publisher Big Deal Music in 2020, rebranding that company as Hipgnosis Songs Group shortly after. Hipgnosis has stakes in hits like Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” and “Bed Chem” among others. The publishing company is the only asset Sony acquired from Recognition. The story.
—🤝 Stake deal! 🤝 Major League Baseball is getting into business with one of the sport’s top creators. The league is acquiring a stake in Jomboy Media, with the company and MLB set to strike a strategic partnership that will lead to the development of new content and IP. Jomboy is led by CEO Courtney Hirsch, who was elevated to the role in March, as well as founders Jimmy O’Brien and Jake Storiale. Jomboy’s content includes Talkin’ Baseball and Talkin’ Yanks as well as The Warehouse Games, which applies TV-level production to backyard pick up games. MLB says it will work with Jomboy to get MLB stars and celebrities to participate. The story. |
BET Awards 2025 ►🏆 Dot FTW. 🏆 Kendrick Lamar was top winner at the 2025 BET Awards, held in Los Angeles Monday night. The rapper took home the awards for album of the year for GNX, best male hip-hop artist, video of the year for “Not Like Us” and best collaboration alongside SZA for “Luther.” Lamar also shared the award for video director of the year with his longtime creative partner Dave Free. SZA and Chris Brown won best female and male R&B/pop artists, respectively. Doechii also won the award for best female hip-hop artist. The winners.
—"I don’t want to make this whole speech about that, but you can’t go through something like that and not testify." Jamie Foxx got emotional while accepting the Ultimate Icon Award at the BET Awards. The actor-comedian-singer struggled to hold back tears during his speech as he thanked God for giving him a “second chance” following his health emergency in April 2023. He revealed in his Netflix special, What Had Happened Was… , that he had suffered a brain bleed that led to a stroke. “I cannot even begin to express the love that I feel from everybody out there,” Foxx began after accepting the award. “I gotta be honest, when I saw the In Memoriam, I was like, man, it could have been me. I don’t know why I went through what I went through, but I know my second chance, I’m not gonna turn down.” The speech.
—"For Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza." Doechii took home the title of best female hip hop artist at the BET Awards, and she used her acceptance speech to shed light on the ongoing protests against unlawful immigration raids in Los Angeles. The “Alter Ego” rapper noted that it was her first time attending the awards ceremony and showed love toward her fellow nominees before noting that “as much as I’m honored by this award, I do want to address what’s happening right now outside of the building.” The speech.
—Looking good. The stars were out in Los Angeles Monday night for the BET Awards. Host Kevin Hart, Snoop Dogg, Keke Palmer, Tyler Perry, Doechii, Machine Gun Kelly, Jordin Sparks, Shaboozey, Andra Day and Ashanti were among the celebrities who walked the red carpet ahead of the awards ceremony at the Peacock Theater and THR has gathered them altogether for a gallery. The looks. |
Sly Stone 1943 - 2025 ►"A monumental figure, a groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music." Sly Stone, who took audiences higher during memorable performances at Woodstock and the Fillmore West, but whose career was plagued by drug problems and periodic disappearances, has died. He was 82. Stone died after a “prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues,” his family said Monday. Sly and the Family Stone burst onto the scene in 1968 with the cathartic “Dance to the Music” and followed with a string of crossover smash hits that defined their hometown San Francisco’s “Summer of Love,” including “Stand!,” “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” “Runnin’ Away,” “If You Want Me to Stay” and “Time for Livin’.” The obituary.
—"He dared to be simple in the most complex ways." Questlove, who helmed Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), paid tribute to the documentary’s subject, Sly Stone, hours after the iconic artist died on Monday. "From the moment his music reached me in the early 1970s, it became a part of my soul. Sly was a giant — not just for his groundbreaking work with the Family Stone, but for the radical inclusivity and deep human truths he poured into every note. His songs weren’t just about fighting injustice; they were about transforming the self to transform the world," Questlove wrote in a tribute shared to his Instagram. The tribute.
—"His library of music remains as alive and vibrant as ever and shall forever transcend the circumstances of its making and what came after." In a guest column for THR, veteran journalist David Kamp reflects on the life and legacy of the late Sly Stone. Kamp, who got the funk legend to break his decades-long silence, pays tribute to his indelible message of hope — needed now more than ever. The column. |
'John Wick' Spinoffs That Could Come Next ►Four possible concepts. The world of John Wick is growing. Across four entries, audiences have watched Keanu Reeves’ John Wick fire bullet after bullet, show off his martial arts skills, sword-fighting prowess, horse and motorcycle riding mastery, and emerge as arguably the coolest action hero of the 21st century. With Ballerina in theaters and a Donnie Yen feature on the way, THR's Richard Newby writes there are still plenty of ways to expand the Wick universe. The analysis.
—🎭 Doggfather found. 🎭 Universal's Snoop Dogg biopic movie is blazing a path toward bringing the rap legend’s life to the screen. The feature project from director Craig Brewer has cast Outer Banks actor Jonathan Daviss in the lead role. Coming 2 America filmmaker Brewer is revising the script that was previously penned by Joe Robert Cole and tells the story of Calvin Broadus Jr.’s eventful journey along his path to fame as Snoop Dogg. Producers include Snoop Dogg, Brian Grazer and Death Row Pictures president Sara Ramaker. This will be the first project through Death Row Pictures’ overall deal with NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios. Universal senior vp of production development Ryan Jones oversees the feature for the studio. The story.
—📅 Pushed back. 📅 Sony has delayed the theatrical release of its live-action video game adaptation Legend of Zelda to May 7, 2027. The nudge from the earlier March 26, 2027, released date appears to be for production reasons. Sony is distributing the film that hails from Nintendo and Avi Arad's Arad Productions. Nintendo representative director and fellow Shigeru Miyamoto produces the feature alongside Arad. Miyamoto on Monday took to Twitter to explain the film needed a few more weeks in the hothouse to complete. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 The animated feature adaptation of The Lunar Chronicles has set a launch date. Warner Bros. has slated director Noëlle Raffaele’s movie for theaters on Nov. 3, 2028. The film adapts author Marissa Meyer‘s best-selling novel series that focuses on a futuristic fairy tale universe. Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Locksmith Animation are behind the project that has a script credited to Lindsey Ferrentino and writing partners Kalen Egan and Travis Sentell. The Lunar Chronicles is the second feature collaboration between WBPA and Locksmith. It follows the forthcoming animated movie musical Bad Fairies, which hits theaters in July of 2027. Next up from WBPA is The Cat in the Hat , set for release early next year. The story. |
How 'Handmaid's Tale' Sets Up 'Testaments' Sequel Series ►Time to talk spoilers. Now that The Handmaid’s Tale has revealed its ending, a new tale is coming into focus: sequel series The Testaments. Author Margaret Atwood and show creator Bruce Miller explained to THR's Jackie Strause in a recent oral history on the Hulu series how Atwood’s sequel novel The Testaments, which published in 2019, set The Handmaid’s Tale series ending on a different course: The Testaments takes place after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale and centers on the young girls in Gilead who are training to be wives — and that includes Hannah (who has been renamed Agnes), the daughter of Elisabeth Moss' starring character, June Osborne. Warning: Spoilers! The story.
—"Dali masks, red jumpsuits, Bella Ciao – all of them have become instantly recognizable parts of the global culture." Netflix is doubling down on investing in Spain to keep producing Spanish originals, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said on Tuesday during a visit to Madrid to celebrate the streaming giant’s 10-year anniversary in the country. Visiting Netflix’s hub in Tres Cantos, just outside Madrid, along with Pedro Sanchez, the president of Spain, the top executive said that Netflix would invest $1.1b in the country by 2029. Touting such Spanish hits as Elite and Society of the Snow, Sarandos shared that local originals generated more than 5b hours of global viewing on Netflix in 2024. The story.
—🎭 9 more! 🎭 HBO has cast several more key roles its Harry Potter TV series — including the Malfoys and the Dursleys. The TV adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s fantasy series has announced nine actors playing key roles for its first season, tackling Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The cast includes Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge. The story.
—Back to school. Amazon Prime Video's Maxton Hall has scored a season three renewal. The streamer confirmed on Monday that production has begun on a third season of the hit series Maxton Hall – The World Between Us. Season three will continue the story of Ruby and James, based on Save Us — the third book in Mona Kasten’s bestselling trilogy, published by LYX. Damian Hardung and Harriet Herbig-Matten will reprise their roles as James and Ruby. The third season will mark the final one. The story. |
Film Review: 'Boy George & Culture Club' ►"Gets the job done but lacks perspective." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Alison Ellwood's Tribeca spotlight documentary selection, Boy George & Culture Club. Ellwood charts the 80s British group’s rise to global pop domination, the inevitable media backlash and the frictions that pierced their bubble of success. Featuring George O’Dowd, Jon Moss, Mikey Craig and Roy Hay. The review.
—"An effectively zeitgeist-tapping comedy." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Oscar Boyson's Tribeca viewpoints selection, Our Hero, Balthazar. Jaeden Martell and Asa Butterfield play two young men from very different worlds whose lives intersect in Boyson's directorial debut. Starring Chris Bauer, Jennifer Ehle, Anna Baryshnikov, Noah Centineo, Becky Ann Baker, Avan Jogia and Pippa Knowles. The review.
—"An interesting look at the pressures of representation." THR's Daniel Fienberg reviews Chase Joynt's Tribeca spotlight selection, State of Firsts. Joynt follows the history-making election of Sarah McBride, the first openly trans member of Congress, and her subsequent introduction to Republican hostilities in Washington. The review.
—"Lots of visual punch, much less insight." Daniel reviews Clay Tweel's Tribeca spotlight documentary selection, Andy Kaufman Is Me. From stand-up to Saturday Night Live to wrestling to death, the confrontational entertainer gets his second documentary showcase in two years. The review.
—"Stars outshine the script." For THR, Caryn James reviews Michael J. Weithorn's Tribeca spotlight narrative selection, The Best You Can. Kevin Bacon plays a security guard and Kyra Sedgwick plays his urologist in Weithorn's dramedy. Also starring Judd Hirsch, Brittany O'Grady, Olivia Luccardi, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, Ray Romano, Misha Brooks and Heather Burns. The review.
In other news...
—Lucy Liu to receive Locarno Film Festival lifetime honor
—Vin Diesel and Laverne Cox among speakers at CAA Amplify Summit
What else we're reading...
—Shane Goldmacher writes that Trump is pivoting from beefing with Elon Musk to Gavin Newsom [NYT]
—Maeve Reston and Matt Viser report that Newsom says Trump is stepping toward authoritarianism [WaPo]
—Francis Agustin looks back at how Jurassic Park made dinosaurs into film stars [BBC]
—Miles Surrey writes that the "John Wickification" of movies is underway, but Ballerina is a worthy spinoff [Ringer]
—Remy Tumin and Claire Moses look at how everything Millennial is cool again [NYT]
Today...
...in 1994, 20th Century Fox revved up Jan De Bont's actioner Speed in theaters, where it would go on to be a summer hit grossing $120m-plus stateside. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Bill Burr (57), Jeremy Saulnier (49), Gina Prince-Bythewood (56), Elizabeth Hurley (60), Jeanne Tripplehorn (62), Gina Gershon (63), Kate Upton (33), Andrew Niccol (61), Jürgen Prochnow (84), Timothy Van Patten (66), Dustin Lance Black (51), DJ Qualls (47), Leelee Sobieski (42), Titus Makin Jr. (36), Juliet Doherty (28), Jonathan Bennett (44), Betsy Sodaro (41), Shane West (47), Ben Daniels (61), Frankie Faison (76), Tina Ivlev (36), Nicholas Duvernay (26), Tristin Mays (35), Marko Zaror (47), Randee Heller (78), Susannah Fielding (40), Colton Ryan (30), Helena Zengel (17), Laura Silverman (59), Andrew Stevens (70), Doug McKeon (59), Mike Dopud (57), Luciana Paluzzi (88), Kate Flannery (61), Nicole Bilderback (50), Maggie Thurmon (23), Carolyn Hennesy (63), Jessica DiCicco (45), Veronica Ferres (60), Elsie Lovelock (33), Toby Levins (44), Sasha Obama (24) |
| Frederick Forsyth, the internationally acclaimed British author whose talent for page-turning thrillers provided the fodder for such films as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Dogs of War and The Fourth Protocol, died Monday. He was 86. The obituary. |
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