| | | | | | What's news: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Charli XCX are among the Golden Globes presenters. The DOJ is taking a look at Paramount's hostile bid for WBD. Bob Iger says Disney will continue to invest in China. John Mulaney has postponed shows in Minneapolis after the ICE shooting. And Megyn Kelly has blasted new CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil. — Abid Rahman
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BAFTA Longlists Revealed ►🏆 Clear frontrunners. 🏆 With awards season heating up, BAFTA has thrown in its two cents with strong showings for One Battle After Another, Hamnet, and Sinners on their 2026 Film Awards longlists. Paul Thomas Anderson’s political thriller came out on top with 16 mentions on the longlists, shortly followed by Chloé Zhao’s Shakespearean heartbreaker and Ryan Coogler’s slick vampire film with 14 apiece. The longlists.
—🏆 Strong field. 🏆 The Directors Guild of America has revealed its nominees for the 2026 DGA Awards for theatrical feature film directors and first-time theatrical feature film directors. For the first award, for outstanding directorial achievement in theatrical feature film, the nominees are Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another), Ryan Coogler (Sinners), Guillermo Del Toro (Frankenstein), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme) and Chloé Zhao (Hamnet). Last year, Anora director Sean Baker won the DGA Awards’ top prize ahead of winning the best director Oscar and three other awards, including best picture, for Anora. The story.
—🏆 In the frame. 🏆 The American Society of Cinematographers has announced the nominees for its 2026 Outstanding Achievement Awards, recognizing excellence in feature films, documentaries, television and music videos. Five features are nominated in the theatrical film category: Sinners, One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme, Frankenstein and Train Dreams. All winners will be celebrated at the 40th Annual ASC Awards held on Mar. 8, at The Beverly Hilton. The ceremony will also be livestreamed on theasc.com. The nominees.
—🏆 Wait, no Sirat? 🏆 Casting Society announced its film nominees for the 2026 Artios Awards, which celebrates the contributions of casting professionals in film, TV, short films, commercials and theater, on Thursday. Among the big budget comedy feature nominees are Jay Kelly, The Naked Gun and Wicked: For Good, while the big budget drama nominees include Bugonia, Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, Hamnet and Sinners. In the independent comedy category, Eternity and Twinless were among the nominees, while drama nods went to Blue Moon, Nuremberg, Sentimental Value and Train Dreams, among others. The nominees.
—🏆 Usual suspects 🏆 Taylor Swift is the top nominee for the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, iHeart announced on Thursday, marking the fourth consecutive year Swift heads into the annual award show with the most nominations. Alex Warren, Sabrina Carpenter and Bad Bunny are tied for second with eight nominations each. Swift, Carpenter and Bad Bunny are all up for artist of the year, alongside Benson Boone, Chris Brown, Jelly Roll, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae. The nominees. |
THR and Spotify Celebrate Golden Globe Nominees ►Star-studded. THR and Spotify kicked off Golden Globes weekend in a major way on Thursday night, throwing a star-studded bash in celebration of this year’s TV, film and podcast nominees. The Nominees Night party, which served as an official Golden Week event, featured performances from Chaka Khan, John Legend, Sinners star Miles Caton and a late-night DJ set from Mark Ronson, alongside a guest list that included Amy Poehler, Odessa A’zion, Quinta Brunson, Natasha Lyonne and Heated Rivalry breakouts François Arnaud and Robbie G.K. The recap.
—Hollywood royalty. The Golden Globes announced the presenters for this year’s awards show on Thursday. Stars set to take the stage include George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Macaulay Culkin, Charli XCX, Hailee Steinfeld, Jennifer Garner, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Hart, Miley Cyrus, Pamela Anderson and Snoop Dogg. Also set to present are Amanda Seyfried, Ana de Armas, Ayo Edebiri, Chris Pine, Colman Domingo, Dakota Fanning, Dave Franco, Diane Lane, Jason Bateman, Joe Keery, Judd Apatow, Justin Hartley, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key, Kyra Sedgwick, Lalisa Manobal, Luke Grimes, Marlon Wayans, Melissa McCarthy, Mila Kunis, Minnie Driver, Orlando Bloom, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Queen Latifah, Regina Hall, Sean Hayes, Wanda Sykes, Will Arnett and Zoë Kravitz. The story. |
Paramount Stands By $30 Per Share Offer for WBD ►Not giving up. Paramount is sticking by its $30 per share tender offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, arguing in a statement Thursday morning that its all-cash bid remains “superior” to the deal that WBD signed with Netflix, and urging WBD shareholders to back its bid. “Our offer clearly provides WBD investors greater value and a more certain, expedited path to completion,” Paramount CEO David Ellison said in a statement. “Throughout this process, we have worked hard for WBD shareholders and remain committed to engaging with them on the merits of our superior bid and advancing our ongoing regulatory review process." The story.
—DOJ review. As Paramount insists its offer for WBD presents less regulatory roadblocks, the Justice Department is taking a comprehensive look at David Ellison’s hostile tender bid. WBD said in a securities filing on Wednesday that regulators on Dec. 23 expanded their review of the offer after opening it earlier last month. The investigation, though largely expected, signals that the government may challenge an acquisition of the company regardless of who emerges as the winner, running up against Paramount’s position that it offers a more certain pathway to approval. The story.
—Doubling down. Disney will continue to invest in China, CEO Bob Iger said during a meeting with the country’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang in Beijing Friday. The meeting was reported by China’s state news agency Xinhua, which wrote that “Iger said Disney is confident in China’s development, and will continue to expand its investment in China and better promote exchanges and cooperation between the United States and China.” Disney, of course, has more business in China than perhaps any other American entertainment conglomerate. In addition to historically having more films succeed in the country, the company has two resorts in Greater China: Shanghai Disney Resort, which opened in 2016, and Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened in 2005. The story.
—Upped. Disney has promoted Jimmy Zasowski to president of platform distribution for Disney Entertainment and ESPN. In his new role the executive will lead distribution and monetization for Disney’s streaming platforms like Disney+, Hulu and ESPN, and its linear TV networks, including ABC. He will report jointly to Disney Entertainment co-chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro. The story. |
X Limits Grok's AI Image Generation ►Just switch it off! Grok, the AI chatbot created by xAI, the artificial intelligence company founded by and majority-owned by Elon Musk, has switched off its image creation and editing function for most users after an uproar over sexualized and violent imagery created with it. "Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers," Grok replied to users of Musk’s X attempting to create images on Friday. The restriction comes amid threats of fines or even an outright ban on X in the U.K. The Guardian reported that its research found that Grok had been used to "create pornographic videos of women without their consent, as well as images of women being shot and killed." The story.
—"I will die here unseen and unheard." Harvey Weinstein addressed Judge Curtis Farber in Manhattan court on Thursday begging for a reconsideration of his guilty verdict, while also claiming that he had “never assaulted anyone." "I know I was unfaithful. I know I acted wrongly. But I never assaulted anyone," the convicted rapist said in court. "Your Honor, I’m begging for a second chance." He said that being jailed in Rikers feels like a "march to my death" and that he’s "haunted by the thought that I will die here unseen and unheard." The story.
—"The situation is so unsafe." John Mulaney has postponed a string of shows in Minneapolis amid the shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer on Wednesday. The comedian took to Instagram to share the news, where he confirmed the show’s would be postponed and noted “what’s happening in your city is heartbreaking.” “I hate to postpone shows in a town going through such awful challenges and such grief, because it feels unfair to the audience,” Mulaney continued. "Still, I don’t feel comfortable asking thousands of people each night to leave their homes, gather at the venue, and then make their way home when the situation is so unsafe." The story.
—"You want to talk about ‘feminization of the newsroom,’ I give you the new CBS Evening News anchor." Megyn Kelly lambasted new CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil, questioning his masculinity and worthiness of being the face of the news network as it undergoes massive changes. Kelly let fly her ire on The Megyn Kelly Show podcast over a Dokoupil segment about his hometown of Miami, in which he very ostentatiously teared up. The story. |
Connor Storrie Is Playing it Cool Amid 'Heated Rivalry' Craze ►"I’m just trying to do things that are cool and bold and swing big." THR's nicest man Chris Gardner caught up with Connor Storrie, the star of HBO/Crave's Heated Rivalry and one half of the most talked about duo in Hollywood, at back-to-back events on Wednesday and asked how he’s dealing with the crush of newfound fame. (Hint: Deleting Instagram from his iPhone.) The interview.
—Chanel hopping. The intrepid (and very nice!) Chris Gardner was at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles on Wednesday to celebrate Chanel's fine jewelry line Coco Crush, and you would you believe it, all the hottest stars were there too, including Tessa Thompson, Gracie Abrams, Lily Allen and man-of-the-moment Connor Storrie. The recap. |
Kathryn Hahn in Talks to Play 'Tangled' Villain ►🎭 One for the fans. 🎭 Kathryn Hahn is in talks to play Mother Gothel, the magical would be step-mother, in Disney’s live-action take on Tangled. The move comes after the studio chose rising Australian actress Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim, star of Disney Channel’s musical Zombies franchise, to star. Croft will play Rapunzel, the curious and plucky would-be princess with magical hair, and Manheim stars as Flynn Rider, the cocky outlaw thief who helps her escape her tower. The casting of Hahn will be a bit of a magical treat to fans, who for months had fan-cast her as the bad guy in this project, even when actress Scarlett Johansson was temporarily inhabiting it. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 In a worldwide deal, L.A.-based distributor Indie Rights has picked up all rights, outside of the U.K. and Ireland, for Swing Bout, an Irish crime thriller from writer-director Maurice O’Carroll set in the world of women’s boxing. The deal, between Indie Rights and Orion Productions, the Irish shingle founded and run by Swing Bout producer Sinéad O’Riordan, covers TVOD, SVOD, AVOD, and home entertainment rights. Ciara Berkeley stars in Swing Bout as Tony, an up-and-coming fighter preparing for the biggest match of her career. The film plays out in real time from the dressing room up to Tony's ring walk. The story. |
'KUWTK' Library Heading to Hulu ►🤝 Rights deal. 🤝 The world of the Kardashian family is about to grow significantly at Hulu. The Disney-owned streamer has struck a deal with Versant for U.S. streaming rights to the full library of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, which ran for 14 years and some 280 episodes on E!. The deal also includes several specials and spinoff series Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami, Kourtney & Khloé Take the Hamptons and Kourtney & Kim Take New York. They’ll all make their debuts on Hulu on Feb. 17; Versant retains on-air rights to the shows. The story.
—🎭 Together again. 🎭 Manifest fans who were crushed by the end of the series in 2023 — you’re in luck. One of the stars of the supernatural drama will be reuniting with his former colleague on NBC’s The Hunting Party on March 18, forming a cast reunion of sorts. Josh Dallas will star in the eighth episode of the show’s second season as Elliott Carr, otherwise known as the “Connecticut Cobbler,” a Buffalo Bill-type serial killer. His former Manifest colleague Melissa Roxburgh stars in the show as a former FBI profiler. The story.
—E Pluribus unum. Stranger Things spent another week as the most streamed title in the U.S., but the Nielsen charts for Dec. 8-14 also featured a couple of noteworthy debuts and returns. Apple TV’s Pluribus made its first appearance in the rankings in the week its seventh episode premiered. The sci-fi series/character study from creator Vince Gilligan, which stars Rhea Seehorn, drew 360m minutes of viewing for the week. Percy Jackson and the Olympians returned to the Nielsen rankings with 508m viewing minutes for the week of its season 2 premiere. Nielsen says the first two episodes of season 2 accounted for about 52 percent of the total, with catchup viewing of season one making up the rest. Also back was Mayor of Kingstown (443m minutes), appearing in the rankings for the first time since August 2024. The streaming rankings. |
'Lion King,' 'Mamma Mia' Break Broadway Records Over Holiday Week ►Woof! The Lion King and Mamma Mia! both broke box office records as Broadway celebrated the last week of the lucrative holiday season. The Lion King brought in $3.14m across eight performances at the Minskoff Theatre, besting its 2023 holiday record, with an average ticket price of $234. Mamma Mia brought in $2.6m, albeit across nine performances, rather than the typical eight, in what the production called its “best week ever.” The average ticket price of $187. Still, Hamilton was the top-grossing show of the week, with $3.3m across eight performances, followed by Wicked with $3.29m and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child with $2.7m. The Lion King was the fourth highest grossing, followed by Mamma Mia! The Broadway box office report.
—🎭 All aboard! 🎭 Titanique is heading to Broadway — and bringing some familiar faces with it. The three-year Off-Broadway hit is a parody of the classic film Titanic, imagining the story as if Celine Dion were narrating it. Set to Dion’s songs, including “My Heart Will Go On” and “All by Myself,” the production will star Jim Parsons, Deborah Cox, Frankie Grande and co-creator Constantine Rousouli. Co-creator Marla Mindelle will also reprise her role as Dion. Parsons returns to Broadway after leading Kenny Leon’s Tony-nominated revival of Our Town last year. The story. |
Film Review: 'Greenland 2: Migration' ►"It's the end of the world as we know it…again." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Ric Roman Waugh's Greenland 2: Migration. Gerard Butler returns in the follow-up to the 2020 thriller about a family forced into an underground bunker after a global catastrophe. Also starring Morena Baccarin, Roman Griffin Davis, Amber Rose Revah, Sophie Thompson, Trond Fausa Aurvag and William Abadie. Written by Mitchell LaFortune and Chris Sparling. The review.
—"Not a life-changing trip, but a pleasant one." THR's Angie Han reviews Brett Haley's People We Meet on Vacation. Emily Bader and Tom Blyth star as two longtime friends who take a summer trip together each year. Also starring Sarah Catherine Hook, Lucien Laviscount, Miles Heizer, Jameela Jamil, Tommy Do, Lukas Gage, Alice Lee, Molly Shannon and Alan Ruck. Written by Yulin Kuang, Amos Vernon and Nunzio Randazzo, based on the novel by Emily Henry. The review.
—"Monkey business turns hairy." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Johannes Roberts' Primate. Johnny Sequoyah, Troy Kotsur and a dude in a monkey suit star in this creature feature about a secluded tropical vacation that goes bananas. Also starring Jessica Alexander, Victoria Wyant, Gia Hunter, Benjamin Cheng, Charlie Mann, Tienne Simon and Miguel Torres Umba. Written by Johannes Roberts and Ernest Riera. The review. |
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 episode, Scott spoke to Park Chan-wook. The South Korean master filmmaker reflects on the roots of his fascination with violence, the early struggles than prepared him for his Vengeance triogy highlighted by Oldboy, and what inspired his latest film No Other Choice — his country's entry for the best international feature Oscar race, now among the final 15 — which reunites him with Lee Byung-hun 25 years after their joint breakthrough Joint Security Area. The podcast.
—Awards Chatter. In this live episode, Scott spoke to Guillermo del Toro. The revered Oscar winner behind masterpieces like Cronos and The Shape of Water reflects on the roots of his infatuation with monsters, the importance of practical movie sets and effects, and finally realizing his 50-year dream of adaptating Mary Shelley's gothic horror novel Frankenstein about a Creator and his Creature into a movie of his own. The podcast.
—Awards Chatter. In this lepisode, Scott spoke to Wagner Moura. The world's most famous Brazilian actor reflects on why he once thought a screen career would be impossible for him, how the Elite Squad films led to him playing Pablo Escobar on Narcos, and how Brazil's Bolsonaro era impacted his career and inspired the film The Secret Agent for which he was awarded Cannes' best actor prize and could land an Oscar nom. The podcast.
—I’m Having an Episode. THR’s Mikey O’Connell attempts to stay on top of the latest TV and entertainment news with a little help from his friends, colleagues and a revolving door of actors, writers, showrunners and filmmakers. In this episode, Mikey hosts actor Josh Charles who discusses his new series, Best Medicine, and growing up on camera. Also, THR's Lacey Rose joins Mikey to talk about the significance of Canadian hockey drama Heated Rivalry's surreal run atop the HBO Max charts and why it won't be part of the Emmy race. The podcast.
In other news...
—Aldis Hodge goes on serial killer "womanhunt" in Cross S2 trailer
—Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista are bickering brothers who battle the Yakuza in Wrecking Crew trailer
—Hollywood PR vet Brandon Shaw joins Seven Letter
—John Cunningham, veteran Broadway actor, dies at 93
What else we're reading...
—In an op-ed, Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis, slams Trump and the Republicans for lying about his city and about the horrific death of Renee Nicole Good [NYT]
—Adam Serwer reflects on the shooting of Renee Nicole Good, writing that the Trump administration has perfected the smear campaign [Atlantic]
—Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Annie Gowen and Praveena Somasundaram profile Renee Nicole Good, writing that the slain mother of three had come to Minneapolis for "community" [WaPo]
—With GTA 6 (probably, maybe) set to release in 2026, Thomas Hobbs wonders if games of that ilk have become too realistic [BBC]
—Here's your Friday list: Most anticipated concert tours of 2026 [THR]
Today...
...in 2015, Sony Pictures released the Spierig Brothers' excellent Predestination in U.S. theaters. The science fiction time loop thriller film, starring Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, and Noah Taylor, was a hit with critics and has become a cult favorite. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Nicola Coughlan (39), Kerry Condon (43), Dave Matthews (59), David Ellison (43), J.K. Simmons (71), Omari Hardwick (52), Imelda Staunton (70), Sope Dirisu (35), James Acaster (41), Bob Peterson (64), Nina Dobrev (37), Joely Richardson (61), Nicola Peltz Beckham (31), K Callan (90), Joey Lauren Adams (58), David Costabile (59), John Doman (81), Steve Lund (37), Rona-Lee Shimon (43), Kerris Dorsey (28), Patrick Sabongui (51), Caitlin McGee (38), Tewfik Jallab (44), Angelique Midthunder (55), Angela Bettis (53), Jade Eshete (41), Deon Cole (54), Vassili Schneider (27), Julia Dietze (45), Scott Klace (65), Megan West (35), Sally Humphreys Wood (48), Candi Milo (65), Callan Potter (28) |
| Richard Dimitri, who played twins on the Mel Brooks comedy When Things Were Rotten and other colorful characters in the films Johnny Dangerously and Let It Ride, has died. He was 83. The obituary. |
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