| | | What's news: Paramount Global is reducing its U.S.-based workforce by 15 percent. French police have taken Travis Scott into custody over a brawl. Roy Wood Jr. will host CNN's Have I Got News for You. Deadpool 3 is heading for a $50m to $60m third weekend. There’s officially a new version of "Roundball Rock." — Abid Rahman Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com. |
Inside the Robbie Robertson Inheritance Drama ►"The medical history is very relevant here. There’s a lot of people involved and a lot of records to go through." Robbie Robertson, the Bob Dylan collaborator and legendary leader of the Band, was one of Hollywood’s most beloved musicians. Exactly one year on from Robertson's death, THR's Seth Abramovitch and Winston Cho write that the Canadian rock icon's grown kids and glamorous restaurateur widow Janet Zuccarini are mired in an ugly estate battle that has escalated into all-out war. The story. —It's on. ABC says both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have agreed to a Sept. 10 presidential debate, setting up a face-off between the Republican and Democratic nominees. The announcement Thursday came shortly after Trump rambled at a news conference that he had proposed three presidential debates with three television networks, saying he agreed on certain dates in September. Trump had previously said he would not debate on any network except Fox News. The story. —Arrested. Actor Gabriel Olds, who has appeared in dozens of supporting television and film roles, was arrested in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning and charged with seven counts of sexual assault. Local authorities said they are seeking out other possible victims or witnesses in a series of alleged attacks that date back to over a decade ago. Olds recently appeared in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, in which he portrayed evangelist Pat Robertson and also featured in JAG, CSI, and Six Feet Under. The story. —French fracas. French authorities confirmed they have taken rapper Travis Scott into custody after an alleged attack on a security guard at the five-star George V hotel on Friday morning. Scott allegedly attacked the guard after he attempted to break up an altercation between the 33-year-old star and his bodyguard. The prosecutor’s office said it had referred the case to the 1st district of the judicial police. The story. —"That wasn’t my experience." Rapper Yung Miami broke her silence over the allegations against her ex-boyfriend Diddy, saying she can’t speak to those who have accused the disgraced mogul of abuse. Yung Miami, real name Caresha Brownlee, addressed the allegations during a conversation with Saucy Santana during the season two premiere of her Revolt TV show, Caresha Please, on Thursday. "I can’t speak on something that wasn’t my experience, I can’t speak on something I don’t know," Brownlee said of the abuse allegations. The story. | What NBC Is Taking from Paris to L.A. ►"The Olympics are our billion-dollar lab." Enlisting star power (thanks, Snoop) and letting viewers watch events live on Peacock helped make the Summer Olympics a ringing success for NBCUniversal. THR's Alex Weprin spoke to NBC Sports execs about what worked well during Paris 2024 and what we can expect at Los Angeles 2028. The story. —Deep staff cuts. Paramount continued to push forward on its $500m cost-savings plan and goal of reaching sustained profitability in streaming by 2025, in the company’s first earnings report since the Skydance deal was announced. On Thursday, the company said its cost-savings plan will include reducing its U.S.-based workforce by approximately 15 percent. The company is also exploring "potential strategic partnerships" for Paramount+ and is reevaluating its portfolio with an eye to improving its balance sheet. The story. —About those savings. As part of those efforts to save $500m, Paramount Global has sold two entertainment news websites in its portfolio to the digital media executive who once ran the sites. ComicBook and PopCulture have been sold to Savage Ventures, a digital media operator run by Sam Savage. The two websites had been in the CBS Interactive portfolio since 2018, when they were acquired while Savage was listed as CEO at ComicBook and PopCulture. No layoffs were made as part of the sale and employees were made comparable offers to join Savage Ventures. The story. —"There are things in our environment over which we have little control." Lionsgate released its Q1 financial results after the spinoff of the media giant’s studio business into a separately traded stock. The studio posted a Q1 net loss attributable to shareholders at $59.4m, compared to a year-earlier $70.7m loss, on overall revenue falling to $834.7m, against a year-earlier $908.6m. The results. —Open to offers. News Corp. is weighing a sale of Australian pay TV player/streamer Foxtel Group, the Murdoch family-controlled company said Thursday in its full-year earnings release. CEO Robert Thomson said that potential buyers had emerged for Foxtel during a review of the company’s assets. Foxtel operates legacy cable and satellite TV businesses down under, as well as sports streamer Kayo, entertainment streamer Binge, and the more recently launched OTT streaming aggregator Hubbl. The story. —He would say that? Liberty Media, the company that has ownership stakes in Live Nation, SiriusXM and Formula 1, reported its Q2 results on Thursday. Amid the DOJ's antitrust case against Live Nation, CEO Greg Maffei told analysts that he didn't think "break up is in the interest of Live Nation today, or in the interest of the consumer." The results. |
Michelle Pfeiffer to Lead 'Yellowstone' Sequel Series ►🎭 All is revealed 🎭 When the end of Yellowstone was officially announced last year, Paramount Network had set the wheels in motion for two more spinoffs. There was the prequel series, to be set in 1944, and then the present-day continuation, set to take place after the events of Yellowstone, which had the working title 2024. Now, that sequel series is very much beginning to take shape and will be titled The Madison and will star Michelle Pfeiffer. The actress will also executive produce the new series from franchise boss Taylor Sheridan. The Madison is described as a heartfelt study of grief and human connection, following a New York family in the Madison River Valley of central Montana. The story. —Back in the big seat. Daily Show alum Roy Wood Jr. has been named the host of Have I Got News for You at CNN. The cable news outlet will debut its version of the long-running British panel show on Sept. 14. Have I Got News for You is a BBC staple, having been on the air since 1990. The show features two teams of panelists answering questions about the week’s news, with a heavy dose of humor. CNN announced in May that it was developing its own version of the show with Hat Trick Productions, producer of the BBC show. The story. —🎭 Seven for the Seven Kingdoms 🎭 HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has announced seven more actors and the roles they’ll play in the Game of Thrones prequel/House of the Dragon sequel. Seven Kingdoms' Daeron Targaryen will be played by Henry Ashton. Edward Ashley will play Ser Steffon Fossoway, Youssef Kerkour will play Steely Pate, Daniel Monks will play Ser Manfred Dondarrion, Shaun Thomas will play Raymun Fossoway, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor will play Plummer and Danny Webb will play Ser Arlan of Pennytree. The story. —Getting hyped. There’s officially a new version of “Roundball Rock,” the iconic theme song for the NBA on NBC. Composer John Tesh debuted the new version of the song (he calls it the “shredded version”) Thursday morning. Tesh appeared via a pre-recorded video on The Dan Le Batard Show, where he introduced the new version of the song. The story. —"Whatever Jason feels like doing and whatever his decision is, we’re all down with it." While the future of Ted Lasso remains uncertain, it’s definitely all in the hands of Jason Sudeikis. The Emmy-winning show aired its season three and seemingly series finale more than a year ago, however, fans and co-creator Bill Lawrence know anything is possible. In a new interview, Lawrence didn't close the door on more seasons but said ultimately it was down to whether Sudeikis wanted to do it. The story. —The come down. Overall streaming numbers according to Nielsen for July 8-14 came down a fair amount from the record-breaking previous week. House of the Dragon, however, was virtually even with its prior viewing total — which was good enough to move it to the top spot for the first time. HOTD amassed 1.27b minutes of viewing on Max (not including viewing on HBO’s cable channels), just a smidge below the 1.3b it had the week before. With the two titles ahead of it the previous week, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F and Suits, each falling by significant amounts, the HBO show moved up to No. 1. The rankings. | Did Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Have a Rift Over 'It Ends With Us'? ►What the devil? As It Ends With Us sails toward a strong opening weekend at the box office, the movie is facing unexpected — and likely unwanted — attention on social media. TikTok has been flooded with speculation about a rift between star-producer Blake Lively and her co-star Justin Baldoni, who also directed the adaptation of Colleen Hoover's beloved book. Rumors began to swirl after Baldoni's notable absence from the film's joint press events, lack of group cast photos at the New York premiere, and the fact that Lively doesn't follow Baldoni on Instagram. The story. —Barbenheimer 2.0? The last time a married couple had their films top the domestic box office was 34 years ago. In 1990, Bruce Willis’ Die Hard 2 stayed atop the chart in its second weekend with $14.5m, and Demi Moore’s Ghost opened in second place with $12.2m, not adjusted for inflation. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that this weekend, Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool & Wolverine will stay No. 1 in its third weekend, with $50m to $60m and Blake Lively is virtually assured bragging rights to second place with It Ends With Us. The box office report. —"Everything about Borderlands is appalling: the acting, writing, direction, design." Eli Roth's Borderlands, the live action adaptation of the popular video game series, hits theaters on Aug. 9, but the review embargo for the film broke on Thursday, and the early reaction from critics has been dire. The review aggregator sites have damning scores for the film. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film’s score clocked in at a lowly 6 percent from 45 reviews. On Metacritic, the critic score was 29 based on 23 reviews and things were no better on Letterboxd, where users gave Borderlands a score of 2.1/5. The reaction. —Snapped up. Kino Lorber has acquired the North American rights to Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada, which reteams Richard Gere with Schrader after their collaboration on American Gigolo. Gere plays an American documentarian who relocated to Montreal as a Vietnam draft refugee and attempts to set the record straight in one final interview. The film, which portrays a man contemplating his legacy while facing the end of his life, co-stars Uma Thurman, Jacob Elordi, and Michael Imperioli and premiered in competition in Cannes. The story. | 'Shōgun' Star Talks S2, FX's Record Haul of Emmy Noms ►"There are so many famous episodes in Japan. Toranaga’s strategies are like a chess game." THR's Julian Sancton spoke to Shōgun star Hiroyuki Sanada about the show's incredible critical success. Sanada reveals how he worked to balance Eastern and Western perspectives and ensure historical authenticity, discusses when the next seasons are expected to start shooting, and why he thinks the world could use more samurai spirit. The interview. —"I was happy in my ignorance about what a huge figure is." For THR, Brande Victorian spoke to Tom Hollander about his Emmy-nominated role on FX’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. Hollander reveals he didn't know what a big deal Truman Capote was when he signed on to play him, and his nerves about the role after he did his research on the famed author. The interview. —"When I was a little baby comedian pursuing a career, I would say yes to every single audition." THR's Seija Rankin spoke to Saturday Night Live player Ego Nwodim about her new comedy show Mr. Throwback. The comedian, known for SNL roles like Lisa from Temecula, snags her first lead role playing opposite Steph Curry in Peacock’s new comedy series. The interview. |
'Umbrella Academy' Showrunner on Ending the World One More Time ►"I hope this isn’t the end of Umbrella Academy. I hope there’s another iteration somewhere down the road." For THR, Abbey White spoke to The Umbrella Academy showrunner Steve Blackman about the final season of the Netflix time travel drama. Blackman unpacks the challenges of doing a final run in six episodes — and what that ending really meant — while also discussing the show's diversity, legacy and the allegations made by former writers. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. —"We were just a pawn in the machine." THR's Seth Abramovitch spoke to Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan about the new biopic on the band, Girl You Know It’s True. Morvan discusses making peace with the duo's lip-syncing fiasco, performing his hits with his actual voice and his late musical partner and best friend Rob Pilatus. The interview. —"It’s genuinely an enormous televisual part." THR's Beatrice Verhoeven spoke to Andrew Scott about his Emmy-nominated turn as Tom Ripley in Netflix's Ripley. The Irish actor talks about his “arduous” preparation for the role and the parts of Tom he finds "very endearing." The interview. | TV Review: 'Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' ►"A winsome and worthy follow-up." THR's Angie Han reviews Paramount+'s Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The cast of the 2023 film return for an animated series that follows the heroes as they battle an army of mechazoids unleashed by a scientist with an anti-mutant agenda. The review. —"A good start to a longer conversation." THR's Dan Fienberg reviews MGM+'s Hollywood Black. Dear White People director Justin Simien is joined by the likes of Ava DuVernay, Ryan Coogler, Gabrielle Union, Giancarlo Esposito and more in the four-hour docuseries project about African American film history. The review. In other news... —Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night trailer teases chaos at SNL —Grace Van Patten, Jackson White face drama, toxic dynamic in Hulu’s Tell Me Lies S2 trailer —Joey King fights against a dystopian society’s beauty standards in trailer for Netflix’s Uglies —Jennifer Lopez, Jharrel Jerome star in first look at wrestling biopic Unstoppable —Paramount’s Chris Aronson to receive career achievement award from Children’s Charity —Claire Danes, Hugh Dancy selling their NYC townhouse for $9.75m —How to watch Olympic break dancing online for free —The new Harris-Walz camo hat is very ‘Midwest Princess’ What else we're reading... —David Remnick's must-read interview with Nancy Pelosi reveals what the former speaker really thought of Joe Biden's ultimately doomed re-election campaign [New Yorker] —Elle Hunt puts the focus on the also-rans at the Olympics, talking to the athletes who finish fourth [Guardian] —After years of roaring growth due to streaming, Anna Nicolaou writes that the music industry is experiencing a hangover, and is looking to exploit super fans to boost revenues [FT] —Steven McIntosh dives into Operation Flagship, the "absurd" real-life sting operation that inspired M. Night Shyamalan's rather fun Trap [BBC] —Here's your Friday list: "The 100 best Hong Kong movies" [Time Out] Today... ...in 2013, Sony released Neill Blomkamp's criminally underrated sci-fi feature Elysium. The South African filmmaker's followup to District 9 starred Matt Damon and Jodie Foster and made $286m at the global box office. The original review. Today's birthdays: Gillian Anderson (56), Bill Skarsgård (34), Anna Kendrick (39), Sam Elliott (80), Eric Bana (56), Kate Siegel (42), Melanie Griffith (67), Dan Levy (41), Kenya Barris (50), Ashley Johnson (41), Rhona Mitra (48), Kevin McKidd (51), Justice Smith (29), Adelaide Kane (34), Thomas Lennon (54), Audrey Tautou (48), Liz Vassey (52), Jessica Capshaw (48), Paige Spara (35), Celine Buckens (28), Daniela Denby-Ashe (46), Amanda Bearse (66), Emily Tennant (34), McG (56), Joe LoCicero (38), Jes Macallan (42), James Martinez (44), Nikki Ziering (53), Adam Nimoy (68), Daniel Henshall (42), Stephen Schneider (44), Anjali Jay (49), Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut (32), Kelly Albanese (47) | | | | |