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Guthrie's 'Today' Re-up; 'Moana' Moolah; 'Mummy' Director's Monster Movie Plans; 'Last Tango' Rape Outrage

December 05, 2016

What's news: Today co-host Savannah Guthrie got a nice baby gift from NBC as she heads out on maternity leave: a new long-term contract. Plus: SNL vs. Trump, continued, L.A. Critics pick Moonlight over the hometown La La Land and Tom Cruise's full Mummy trailer debuts as Universal preps a cinematic universe. — Matthew Belloni, Erik Hayden and Jennifer Konerman.

Guthrie Gets New 'Today' Deal

An early Monday scoop: Savannah Guthrie has signed a new long-term deal with NBC's Today just before heading out on maternity leave Dec. 2, Marisa Guthrie (no relation) reveals in a new profile:

Matt Lauer will remain the A anchor; he's been on the show 20 years and recently signed on through 2018. But the gulf between their compensation packages — he is said to earn more than $20 million annually — has likely narrowed. Guthrie has become the top choice to fill in for Lester Holt on Nightly News and also has put in strong performances at the helm of Meet the Press.

The strong chemistry between Guthrie and Matt Lauer, as well as the enthusiastic ease with which she navigates the show's dizzying high/low subject shifts, has restored stability to NBC's $500M franchise. Last year, Today regained the lead in the critical 25-to-54 demographic from ABC's Good Morning America (it's also No. 1 among younger viewers 18-to-49) and has bested GMA in the key demo for more than 14 consecutive months.

NBC News chairman Andy Lack: "One of the things I really do love about Savannah is she's game. She's up for the question, and damn it, give me an answer. I admire that about her. She's got a very good bullshit barometer."

Elsewhere in TV...

► ABC's Designated Survivor swaps showrunners (again). Jon Harmon Feldman has been replaced by Army Wives grad Jeff Melvoin on the freshman drama. Logistically, the series has become difficult: Production takes place in Toronto, the writers' room is in L.A. and creator David Guggenheim is based in N.Y.

► Marvel's Luke Cage renewed at Netflix. The superhero series, ordered for season two, is the studio's third drama for the streamer, joining Daredevil (renewed for its third season) and Jessica Jones (renewed for season two), with a fourth — Iron Fist — due in 2017.

► HBO's Westworld finale sets stage for season two. No spoilers here, but the season one finale pulled very few punches, if any, as it brought many of the drama's most mystifying mysteries to an end. Recap I Key finale star explains reveal.

↱ SNL: Trump can't stop, won't stop tweeting. The Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon (now playing Kellyanne Conway) cold open this weekend was a hilariously on-point send-up of what's been going on publicly in President-elect world, including Steve Bannon as Grim Reaper. Trump then tweeted his displeasure with the sketch (again) and Baldwin fired back ... during the show. Watch here. ↲

► CNN's State of the Union election post-mortem, reviewed. The Harvard showdown between Clinton and Trump aides, broadcast on the cable network on Sunday, reopened still fresh wounds and didn't offer too many revelations, critic Frank Scheck writes.

► ABC's Scandal adds Shondaland family member. Zoe Perry, daughter of Scandal star Jeff Perry (Cyrus) and his ex-wife Laurie Metcalf, will have a recurring role in the upcoming sixth season of the political soap. Details on who Perry will play are being kept under wraps.

► Fox backtracks on skipping TCA, will attend. It's still unclear if CBS, ABC or NBC will follow Fox's decision. Netflix, Amazon and Starz are all sitting out the January tour. The CW president Mark Pedowitz, as well as execs from FX and Showtime, are still set to participate.

Rep Sheet Roundup, Offspring Edition: Mel Gibson's son Milo Gibson signs with APA … Matthew Modine's daughter Ruby Modine signs with Gersh … Stephen Baldwin's daughter Hailey Baldwin and Sylvester Stallone's daughter Sistine Stallone sign with 42West … YouTube prankster Jesse Wellens signs with WME. More here.

Universal's Monsterverse Assembles

It begins with Tom Cruise's Mummy reboot, but it's going to get much, much bigger. Director Alex Kurtzman shared plans with a small group of reporters for the unveiling of the first trailer, Aaron Couch writes:

Yes, Universal's planned shared universe is going to feature its monsters (Javier Bardem is on board for a future Frankenstein film, while Johnny Depp has signed on for The Invisible Man). But Kurtzman is also focused on the now.

"It's not so much building a universe. It's 'Make a great Mummy movie.' Now, if in the context of making a great Mummy movie, you can plant the seeds for something else, fantastic," said Kurtzman. "But the only way you can get there, is if those seeds can be planted organically and if can be part of The Mummy story, first and foremost."

Don't expect an Avengers-style monster mash soon: "There has to be some kind of unifying reason if you're going to do something like that," Kurtzman said. "By the way, maybe they don't come together in one movie. We aren't necessarily going to do The Avengers."

Elsewhere in film...

► Weekend box office: Disney's Moana easily won, with a catch of $28.4M, while Warner Bros.' Fantastic Beasts nabbed $18.5M. Another holdover to watch is Paramount's Arrival, which pulled in $7.3M for a $73M domestic total so far. The only new wide release, BH Tilt’s Incarnate, opened to just $2.6M. Top 10 U.S. chart.

► China box office: Big win for Japanese anime. The animated hit Your Name dominated a competitive field of local movies and imported Hollywood releases with $41M in its debut. Meanwhile, Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine opened to $10M after cuts by China's censors, while Brad Pitt's Allied bombed with just $3.6 million in five days.

► Last Tango in Paris controversy reignites. A recently resurfaced interview in which Bernardo Bertolucci admitted Maria Schneider wasn't made aware of a graphic rape scene with Marlon Brando in the 1973 film prior to the day of shooting caused condemnation from actors and filmmakers...

Jessica Chastain: “The director planned her attack. I feel sick." Chris Evans: Bertolucci and Brando "should be in jail.” Ava DuVernay: "As a woman, I am horrified, disgusted and enraged by it." Evan Rachel Wood: "heartbreaking and outrageous." More reactions here.

► Marvel unveils Guardians of the Galaxy sequel trailer. The 2:13 clip features "Fox On The Run" by The Sweet, the first hint of what's in store for the Awesome Mix Vol. 2, the soundtrack for the film. Watch here.

► Amy Schumer to star in live-action Barbie movie. Mattel and producers Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald and Amy Pascal have teamed up for the project, which will try to put a contemporary spin on beauty, feminism and identity. A search for a director is also underway.

► Jason Momoa's Aquaman gets 2018 release date. The Warner Bros. and DC superhero film will be released in 3D and Imax on Oct. 5, 2018. James Wan is directing the film, also starring Amber Heard.

Moonlight gets momentum. Director Barry Jenkins drama was named this year's best picture by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association on Sunday. The critics group also recognized Jenkins, supporting actor Mahershala Ali and cinematographer James Laxton. Runner-up? The musical La La Land. Winner's list.

Patton Oswalt, Single Father

Catching up on weekend news? Here's a few stories worth reading:

► "Patton Oswalt’s Year of Magical Parenting." The comedian and actor pens an essay recounting his time as a single father after his wife, Michelle McNamara, passed away: "Five months and ten days ago, as I write this, I became a single father. I was half of an amazing parenting team, except we weren't equals." [GQ]

► "A Honeyed Punk: Director Mike Mills Hunts For His Past." A new profile of the helmer as he preps 20th Century Women while recalling his own history: "In sunny, beautiful, privileged Santa Barbara, I remember standing in my room in the dark, blasting punk. It was medicinal.” [California Sunday]

► "Stephen Gaghan, One-time Hollywood Wunderkind, Returns." The Gold director gets a look back at this past decade: "Few personalities in the modern era have clashed with the entertainment power structure so epically, or stuck to their guns so obdurately." [Los Angeles Times]

► "So, You Were the Blue Zombie!" An A-hed column: "With videogames, a $100-billion industry that has become a big employer of thespian talent, actors often don’t even know what games they audition for, let alone their final roles." [Wall Street Journal]

► "The Trump Tweets I Want to Read." Comedian Aasif Mandvi pens a Sunday Review column: "The American people deserve to see Mr. Trump attack these hate groups and the people perpetrating hate crimes in his name the way he attacked the cast of the Broadway hit Hamilton." [New York Times]

► "How Donald Trump's Private Plane Compares to Air Force One." A: "The President-elect will have to give up the gold-plated seat belts and 57-inch high-definition TV screen on the Boeing 757 he bought from mogul Paul Allen, but he'll gain access to a treadmill, top-secret encrypted communications system and operating room stocked with his blood." [The Hollywood Reporter]

// THR nabs top honors from L.A. Press Club. Home news: THR was named best publication and best website Sunday night at the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards. In addition, THR senior editor Eriq Gardner was named journalist of the year at the awards gala. Winners list. //