Why Broadcast Networks Took a Back Seat at the Upfronts

►No longer the priority. At Disney's upfront this week, ABC was barely mentioned during a presentation that instead highlighted the entertainment conglomerate's sprawling portfolio and streaming prowess. With media giants emphasizing streaming and overall series orders plummeting, THR's Lesley Goldberg writes that networks are no longer the stars of the annual event. The analysis. 

—New charge. Isaiah Lee, the man charged in an on-stage attack of comedian Dave Chappelle last month has now also been charged with the attempted murder of a roommate months earlier, the LA County District Attorney’s Office said. The story.

—Not stopping yet. Netflix has renewed its breakout romantic dramedy Heartstopper for two additional seasons. The Brit series launched in April and has become a sensation on the streamer. The LGBTQ-themed young adult show, inspired by the webcomic and graphic novel by series creator Alice Oseman, ranked in Netflix’s top 10 list in an impressive 54 countries. The story.

—Breaking through. HBO Max commanded enough of TV viewers’ time in April to be name-checked in Nielsen’s monthly platform rankings. The streaming service was responsible for 1 percent of total TV usage for the month — just enough to break it out of the “other streamers” category in April’s Gauge snapshot. HBO Max had both the streaming premiere of The Batman and season two of The Flight Attendant in April. The story. 

—Edging nearer. After two years of development, the Amy Adams-starrer Nightbitch is moving forward. Searchlight has picked up the worldwide rights on the neo-horror feature, teaming up with Annapurna on the adaptation of the Rachel Yoder novel. Can You Ever Forgive Me? filmmaker Marielle Heller will write and direct the project that will head to Hulu. The story. 

—Ever expanding cast. Scott Eastwood is returning to the world of Fast and Furious. The actor is set to reprise his role as Little Nobody in Fast X that is currently shooting in London. The story.

'Daredevil' Disney+ Series in the Works at Marvel

►A first. After several teases of characters from Netflix’s Daredevil show in the MCU, Marvel Studios is finally moving forward with a Daredevil series for Disney+. Matt Corman and Chris Ord have been tapped to write and exec produce a series that will be notable for being the first of the Netflix Marvel shows to get a new but continued series. The story. 

—Triple tipple. THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Universal picking up Shots! Shots! Shots!, an action-comedy starring and produced by Jason Momoa from scribes Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows. The story details are being kept under the umbrella, but the project is described as a family-centric adventure that has tones of True Lies, Taken and The Lost City. The story.

—Absolute no-brainer. HBO has picked up Bill Hader and Alec Berg’s dark comedy Barry for a fourth season. The renewal comes midway through its third season, which returned to HBO after a three-year layoff. The gap between seasons three and four likely won’t be nearly as long, with production scheduled to begin in June and Hader directing all eight episodes. The story.

—Casting news. Thomas Haden Church will play the lead villain in Peacock’s live-action adaptation of the Twisted Metal video game. The Sideways star will join previously announced castmembers Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz in the series, which is written by Deadpool scribes Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and has Cobra Kai's Michael Jonathan Smith as showrunner. The story. 

—"To bring it up to another level — and keep it as something Bob would have done today." In the 40 years since Bob Fosse's Dancin’ closed on Broadway, there have been several false starts in reviving the musical revue. Now director Wayne Cilento is looking to bring the physically taxing show, which Fosse himself didn't think could be revived, back to Broadway in 2023. The story. 

Paul Mescal on Dealing With Success And His Two Films In Cannes

►"If I can just make independent films, I'll be a very, very happy man." After shooting to instant fame thanks to Normal People, in-demand Irish actor Paul Mescal spoke to THR's Alex Ritman about the last "insane" two years, upcoming titles such as God's Creatures and Aftersun, preferring scripts that make him "weep," and his growing indie credentials and ambitions. The interview. 

—Early awards buzz. THR's awards analyst Scott Feinberg is on the ground in Cannes and was there to witness the warm reception for James Gray's family drama Armageddon Time (the link to the review is below). Scott postulates that two-time Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins and Emmy winner Jeremy Strong are the ensemble members with the best shot of garnering individual recognition as the 2023 Oscars race begins in earnest. The analysis. 

—Heading back to the commune. Lukas Moodysson is set to make a sequel to his 2000 cross-over hit Together, a dramedy set in a Swedish commune in the 1970s. Together 99 is set 24 years after the events of the first film. Göran and Klasse, played by Gustaf Hammarsten and Shanti Roney, reprise their roles from the original film. The story.

More from Cannes...

—Read THR's Cannes Film Festival day 4 daily

—Lukas Dhont on the pressures of making a second film and why his competition title Close explores friendship

—Cannes flashback: Tilda Swinton and Ewan McGregor thrilled the fest with Young Adam in 2003

—Cannes first look: Maggie Q in action thriller Fear the Night

—Patryk Vega to make Vladimir Putin drama as English-language debut

—IFC Films takes sci-fi comedy Turn Me On starring Bel Powley, Nick Robinson

Film Review: 'Armageddon Time'

►"Minor-key magic." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews James Gray’s Cannes Competition entry Armageddon Time. The director returns to the setting of his 1980s childhood in Queens with this coming-of-age story about hard lessons and comforts in a fractious but loving family, starring Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong and Anthony Hopkins. The review.

—"No great catch." David also reviews Lee Jung-jae's Hunt (Heonteu). Breakout Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae makes his directing debut on this 1980s-set espionage thriller, co-starring with Jung Woo-sung as intelligence agents trying to smoke out a North Korean mole. The review. 

—"An auteur and star, beautifully matched." THR critic Jon Frosch reviews Mia Hansen-Løve’s Cannes Directors' Fortnight selection One Fine Morning. Léa Seydoux plays a single mom juggling an ailing father and a new lover in the latest from the writer-director of Bergman Island and Things to Come. The review. 

—"Merits the Palme d’Eeyore." THR film critic Jordan Mintzer reviews Jerzy Skolimowski's Cannes Competition entry EO. The veteran Polish filmmaker behind Deep End returns to the Croisette with his latest feature, which follows the turbulent adventures of a mule in Poland and Italy. The review.

—"A padded slow-burn kept watchable by two superior leads." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Amazon Prime Video's Night Sky. J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek play a long-married couple who harbor a science-fiction mystery in their shed in a drama that's a bit like Amazon's Outer Range with fewer holes. The review. 

—"Easy to consume, easy to forget." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews Apple TV+'s Now & Then. The bilingual thriller featuring Rosie Perez follows five former friends who are reunited by a blackmail threat, 20 years after a life-changing tragedy marked the end of their college years. The review.

Thank Pod It's Friday    

►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.

—TV's Top 5. Lesley Goldberg and Dan Fienberg break down the latest TV news. This week the guys dedicate almost the entire episode to the upfront presentations, where broadcast networks pitched their fall and midseason schedules to Madison Avenue ad buyers. So there's individual focus on NBCUniversal, Fox, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Global and The CW. To finish, Dan reviews HBO’s George Carlin doc, Peacock’s Angelyne and Amazon’s Night Sky.  Listen here. 
 
—Awards Chatter. Awards analyst Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott speaks to Robert and Michelle King. The TV production power couple, and four-time Emmy nominees, best known for The Good Wife and Evil reflect on 35 years of marriage, the differences between making shows for broadcast versus streaming and juggling two vastly different series at the same time. Listen here. 

In other news...

—She-Hulk: Attorney at Law trailer smashes 78m views in 24 hours

—The Sparrow Academy makes punchy introduction in Umbrella Academy season 3 trailer

—Batwheels adds Gina Rodriguez and Xolo Mariduena to supervillain lineup

—Kenan Thompson responds to Samuel L. Jackson saying the SNL star got him “banned” from show

—TikTok to sponsor LA Pride Parade next month

—MSG Sphere Studios opens in Burbank

—Ed Sheeran welcomes baby girl with wife Cherry Seaborn

—John Aylward, actor on ER and The West Wing, dies at 75

—Rosmarie Trapp, whose family inspired The Sound of Music, dies at 93

What else we're reading...

—Rich McHugh's huge story revealing that SpaceX paid an employee $250,000 to settle a claim she was sexually harassed by Elon Musk in 2016 [Insider]

—Critic Mikael Wood reviews Harry Styles' latest and says the foppish imp is staking his claim as the perfect boyfriend and pop star [LAT]

—An emotional Kevin Fallon reveals that Downton Abbey: A New Era made him cry, a lot [Daily Beast]

—Sarah Bahr has a 40th anniversary oral history with the cast and creative team from the original production of Little Shop of Horrors [NYT]

—Here's your Friday list: "Fleetwood Mac’s 30 greatest songs – ranked!" [Guardian]

Today...  

Today's birthdays: Cher (76), Josh O'Connor (32), Timothy Olyphant (54), Mike Flanagan (44), Matt Czuchry (45), Bronson Pinchot (63), Tony Goldwyn (62), Alex Høgh Andersen (28), Jack Gleeson (30), David Proval (80), Matt McCoy (64), Louis Theroux (52), Constance Towers (89), Naturi Naughton (38), John Billingsley (62), Mindy Cohn (56), Owen Teale (61), Daya Vaidya (42), Jon Amiel (74), Anton Corbijn (67), Busta Rhymes (50), Gabriele Muccino (55)