What's news: John Lindley will not seek a second term as head of the Cinematographers Guild. Telemundo is launching a streaming brand within Peacock. Sundance added two more world premieres to the program. Batgirl fills out cast with trio. AMC's CEO Adam Aron has sold another $7m worth of stock. Plus: Rupert Friend is the latest big name to join Wes Anderson's latest project — Abid Rahman
What Ridley Scott Has Learned
►"I keep flying." At the sprightly age of 84, Ridley Scott is as busy as he's ever been. Over 20 months during the pandemic, the legendary Geordie director shot two ambitious and wildly different movies, the flashy melodrama House of Gucci and the historical epic The Last Duel. In 2022, he’ll direct Kitbag, a Napoleon movie starring Joaquin Phoenix, as well as produce Death on the Nile, Boston Strangler and A Chronology of Water.
THR's Rebecca Keegan spoke to the living legend about his relentless output and how he confronts the uncertainties of modern Hollywood with the candor and audacity that have defined his 45-year career. The story.
—"It has been my privilege to work for the membership." John Lindley will not seek a second term as president of the International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600), as the Guild begins accepting nominations for national executive officers and board members. In a letter to members, Lindley said that safety will be a key initiative during his final six months in office. The story.
—Casting news. THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson, and Ethan Kai joining the cast of Batgirl, DC Film’s feature for HBO Max that is now in production in London. Leslie Grace is playing Barbara Gordon/Batgirl with J.K. Simmons reprising his role as Commissioner Gordon and Michael Keaton returning as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Brendan Fraser will play the villain. The story.
—Brand within a brand. Telemundo is launching a streaming brand within Peacock that will cater to younger generations of Hispanic audiences who are based in the U.S. The content hub, called Tplus, will include a slew of new scripted and unscripted shows and will available to premium tier subscribers to Peacock. The story.
—Outside baseball. Mookie Betts has signed a producing deal with Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens’ Propagate that will see the Dodgers outfielder and pro bowler’s One Media/Marketing Group develop scripted and unscripted film, TV and podcast projects. The story.
—Lawsuit filed.Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is suing Seth Kenney, the man whose company supplied ammunition to the production, claiming that he introduced live rounds on set. The lawsuit, filed in New Mexico federal court, accuses Kenney of distributing “boxes of ammunition purporting to contain dummy rounds, but which contained a mix of dummy and live ammunition.” The story.
—To the moon? AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron sold another tranche of stock in the movie theater giant, but says he is done selling for now. A filing with the SEC on Wednesday revealed that Aron sold another $7.1 million in AMC stock this week. Since last fall Aron has sold more than $40 million in shares. The story.
SAG Awards: 'House of Gucci,' 'Power of the Dog' Lead Film Noms
►ICYMI. Ridley Scott's House of Gucci and Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog are the top film nominees for the 2022 SAG Awards, with each movie earning three nominations. The top TV nominees are Succession and Ted Lasso, which each scored five nominations. The full list of nominations.
—History-making.THR's diversity and inclusion editor, and all-round good egg, Rebecca Sun writes that the nominations for the SAG Awards feature a couple of notable firsts on the inclusion front, although white or non-disabled performers continue to comprise the majority of the landscape. The story.
—Snubs and surprises. On the film side, Jared Leto got a nom for his turn as Paolo Gucci! Mamma mia! The major snubs include The Harder They Fall, The French Dispatch, C’mon C’mon and Spider-Man: No Way Home and there were no acting noms for Kirsten Stewart, Penelope Cruz or, the biggest travesty of all, Nicolas Cage. On the TV side, no recognition for And Just Like That, Pose, Insecure and Reservation Dogs. The story.
—What does it all mean for the Oscars?THR's awards analyst Scott Feinberg dissects the SAG Awards noms and what it means for the Academy Awards chances of particular films and particular actors (it's really not good news for Kristen Stewart). The analysis.
Sundance Festival's Hottest Titles
►Looking for the next CODA. Despite the eleventh-hour online pivot, the now online-only Sundance Film Festival is looming over the horizon. THR's Mia Galuppo outlines the buzzy sales titles up for grabs including Lena Dunham's latest directorial effort Sharp Stick and John Boyega's 892 that also features the late Michael K. Williams in one of his last onscreen appearances. The list.
—Late additions. Sundance has added two world premiere documentaries to this year’s schedule as special screenings. The festival will debut The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales from the directing team of Abigail E. Disney and Kathleen Hughes, and Phoenix Rising from director Amy Berg. The story.
—"Business goes on." A surge in COVID-19 infections, driven by the Omicron variant, forced both the Sundance Film Festival (Jan. 20-30) and Berlin’s European Film Market (Feb. 10-17) to go all virtual for the second time in a row. The last-minute move means that buyers and sellers are resetting theirs plans as virtual markets return, but for dealmakers, the impact is likely to be more psychological than financial as sales execs are now used to pitching projects digitally. The story.
—Sixth time's a charm. Francois Ozon’s Peter von Kant, a free adaptation of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 masterpiece The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, will open the Berlin Film Festival. It will be the French director's sixth Berlinale appearance. In 2019, Ozon won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize for his Catholic abuse drama By the Grace of God.The story.
—Headline news. After two years of postponements and cancellations due to the pandemic, Coachella festival has confirmed its 2022 lineup and the headliners will be Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Swedish House Mafia. Coachella 2022 is currently set for April 15-17 and April 22-24 at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, Calif. The story.
Andrew Burnap Joins Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot in 'Snow White' Remake
►Rising star. THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Tony-winner Andrew Burnap nabbing the male lead in Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White. Sources say Burnap is not playing the prince or huntsman but is set to portray a new male character created for Marc Webb's film and will sing. Burnap joins a cast that includes Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. The story.
—"A genre mashup boosted by strong performances."THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Peacock’s Wolf Like Me. Isla Fisher and Josh Gad play an emotionally vulnerable couple whose chances at romance are complicated by one very strange secret in Abe Forsythe's dark comedy series. The review.
—Stacked, by jove! Rupert Friend has joined the cast of Wes Anderson’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s short story collection The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More. Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley are already on the roll call for the Netflix project, which gets underway this week in London. The story.
—"Not that simple."Jamie Lynn Spears is opening up about her relationship with older sister Britney Spears. Jamie Lynn sat down with ABC News’ Juju Chang on GMA Wednesday to talk about her new memoir, Things I Should Have Said, and gave her side of the conservatorship battle story. The story.
—Pushed back. Fox has pushed country music drama Monarch to the fall after originally scheduling it for a Jan. 30 premiere date. The decision comes as the pandemic has complicated filming on the Atlanta-based series, which stars Susan Sarandon, Trace Adkins and Anna Friel as members of a dynastic family in the country music world. The story.
—F is for first.Sesame Street production veteran Sal Perez has been named the show’s new vp and exec producer going into the iconic children’s television series’ 53rd season. As a first-generation Mexican American, Perez is the first Latino exec producer in the show’s history. He will replace Ben Lehmann, who will step down after heading the show for five seasons. The story.
—A Fad or the Future: Are We Ready For the Rise of NFT TV Shows? [The Guardian]
—Yellowstone: The Smash-hit TV Show That Exposed a Cultural Divide [The Guardian]
—"60 Songs That Explain the ’90s": How Lauryn Hill Became Music’s Great Dual Threat [The Ringer]
Today...
...in 1995, Tristar’s 133-minute, R-rated epic Legends of the Fall hit theaters. The film, directed by Edward Zwick and starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins, went on to nab three Oscar nominations at the 67th Academy Awards ceremony, winning one for cinematographer John Toll. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Shonda Rhimes (52), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (61), Orlando Bloom (45), Ruth Wilson (40), Michael Peña (46), Natalia Dyer (27), Liam Hemsworth (32), Patrick Dempsey (56), Penelope Ann Miller (58), Nicole Eggert (50), Suzanne Cryer (55), Trace Adkins (60), Janet Hubert (66), Bill Bailey (57)
Ronnie Spector, the cat-eyed, bee-hived rock ‘n’ roll siren who sang such 1960s hits as “Be My Baby,” “Baby I Love You” and “Walking in the Rain” as the leader of the girl group The Ronettes, has died. She was 78. The obituary.
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