What's news: Dwayne Johnson is returning to the Fast franchise with a new feature in the works. Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer has been given an R-rating. HBO renews Somebody Somewhere. WME acquires Ross Yoon. All3Media is up for sale. Billy Joel will end his MSG residency next year. — Abid Rahman
Netflix Shareholders Reject Exec Pay Packages
►Yikes! In a rare rebuke of corporate executive compensation, Netflix shareholders rejected the pay packages for top executives at the company, including co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters and former co-CEO Reed Hastings. The vote is non-binding, but could spur engagement from the company with shareholders. The news also comes just days after the WGA urged Netflix shareholders to vote down the pay packages amid the ongoing strike. The story.
—Recusal. In an early blow to Disney’s suit against Ron DeSantis for control of the district that oversees development around the company’s theme parks, the Florida governor has won a bid to disqualify the judge who was initially assigned the case. U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker, who ruled against DeSantis last year in a separate case, will hand off the case to Judge Allen Winsor. While maintaining that he’s not biased against DeSantis, Walker recused himself because a member of his extended family owns stock in Disney. The story.
—The Black Adam legacy. After the surprise tease at the end of Fast X, Universal is making it official: Dwayne Johnson is back for another Fast movie. Johnson will star in an untitled project, with Fast mainstay Chris Morgan penning the script. The return is a major reversal for the star, who had insisted, repeatedly, that he was done with the action franchise after clashing with franchise headliner Vin Diesel. Details are scant, but the film won't be a sequel to Hobbs & Shaw or Fast 11. The story.
James Wan Talks 'Aquaman 2,' AI Fears and Origins of 'Saw'
►"I really believe AI is gonna change not just our business, but many other industries and the world that we are living in." THR Titan James Wan, the prolific creator behind M3GAN, the Conjuring universe and the Insidious franchise, talks to Brian Davids about the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom , the final film in the DC Extended Universe before it is rebooted by James Gunn. The Aussie filmmaker also talks about the struggle to cast actors of Asian heritage: "I would always hear, ‘We’ll think about it,’ and nothing would happen. So that would always really piss me off." The interview.
—One for grown-ups. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has been given an R-rating by the MPA, marking a rare feature from the Brit filmmaker to get such a rating. Nolan’s breakout feature Memento (2000) and his next outing, Insomnia (2002), were both rated R, but he has largely stayed in the PG-13 sphere. The story.
—Sticking around. HBO has renewed Somebody Somewhere for a third season. The pickup comes a few days after the dramedy starring Bridget Everett and set in Manhattan, Kansas, concluded its seven-episode second season. The series draws relatively modest viewership in relation to some other HBO originals, but it’s been a critical favorite. Season one received an AFI Award as one of the top 10 TV programs of 2022. The story.
Why AI Isn't Funny — At Least Not Yet
►"How mediocre are you OK with your comedy being?" Researchers believe that most original comedy is presently out of reach for artificial intelligence. But many comedy writers view AI as no laughing matter, a wariness that has only intensified during the ongoing writers strike. THR's Gary Baum talks to the experts to see where AI technology currently stands and the challenges it faces in creating comedy of a high caliber. The analysis.
—The end is nigh. AMC Theatres has transferred its streaming library over to Fandango’s Vudu as the theater chain prepares to sunset its own streaming platform, AMC Theatres On Demand. Existing subscribers to AMC Theatres On Demand will be able to transfer their accounts over to Vudu to rent and purchase films, as well as view previously purchased movies. The story.
—Pay TV throwback. Streaming rivals Netflix and Paramount+ are set to be bundled together on Verizon's +Play service. For a limited time, the telecom giant's subscription bundling platform will offer Netflix’s premium plan and the Paramount+ with Showtime in a package for $25.99 a month. Verizon is pointing to annual savings of $70, based on monthly retail pricing for the streaming services. The story.
—Up for sale. Warner Bros. Discovery and Liberty Global are considering offers for their production joint venture All3Media. The U.K.-based company is the largest TV production firm in Britain, and its titles include the likes of Fleabag, The Traitors and The Tourist, as well as Sam Mendes' 2019 film 1917. THR's Georg Szalai reports that All3Media's sale price would be in the range of $1.25b to $1.87b. The story.
—A foothold in DC. WME has acquired the literary agency Ross Yoon. Led by Gail Ross and Howard Yoon, the agency focuses on the non-fiction space, and has a roster of author clients including Molly Ball, David Corn, Ezra Klein, Joy-Ann Reid, Ryan Lizza, Karen Tumulty, Gabriel Sherman and many others. As part of the deal — financial terms weren’t disclosed — Ross and Yoon will join WME as partners and bring agent Ethan Bassoff and coordinator Dara Kaye with them. The story.
Tavi Gevinson: Auditions Are Work. Pay Us.
►"Simply put, auditions require labor." In a guest essay for THR, Gossip Girl actor and Rookie magazine founder Tavi Gevinson writes that too many in Hollywood — including herself until recently — undervalue a huge part of the profession: "I realized how little I knew about auditions’ value as not simply 'opportunities' for us, but commodities that studios need." The essay.
—"I’m kind of flabbergasted that it lasted as long as it did." Billy Joel has revealed that his Madison Square Garden residency is coming to a close next year after 10 years. In 2013, Joel was named the venue’s first-ever music franchise, and then the following year he began his recording-breaking run. During his residency, he broke several more records, including his own, for “most consecutive performances by any artist” with 13 shows in 2015, and “most lifetime performances by any artist” later that year with his 65th lifetime show. The story.
—A festival first.Waitress, the Musical – Live on Broadway! will make history when it debuts during the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival as the first film to be broadcast in Times Square as part of the annual New York festival’s programming slate. The film will play simultaneously for free on TSX Entertainment’s 18,000-square-foot digital screen overlooking Times Square on Monday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET, with sound for the broadcast available for viewers through the TSX mobile app. The story.
'Love & Death': Lily Rabe on the Tragedy of Betty Gore
►"There’s so much misperception." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to Love & Death star Lily Rabe about the profound experience of filming the infamous ax murder scene with co-star Elizabeth Olsen and director Lesli Linka Glatter whilst being very pregnant herself. Rabe also shares why she believes the real Betty Gore was so misunderstood. Warning: Spoilers!The interview.
—"[It] felt very refreshing to have people that believed in me and trusted me."THR's Brian Davids spoke to rising star Sophie Thatcher about her new film The Boogeyman and how she related to her character’s feeling of isolation. Thatcher also discussed the Yellowjackets scene that cost her the most sleep and her experience working on Disney+'s Star Wars series The Book of Boba Fett.The interview.
—Coattails. Netflix’s Queen Charlotte: A BridgertonStory had a big opening — one that also boosted interest in Bridgerton. Queen Charlotte debuted at No. 1 in Nielsen’s streaming rankings for May 1-7. The six-episode prequel, which premiered May 4, had 1.89b minutes of viewing in the U.S. for the week, easily outpacing every other title. Nielsen also notes that viewing for Bridgerton tripled for the week, coming in at 125m minutes. The streaming rankings.
A TV Spring Full of Risks and Rewards
►In the shadow of Succession. THR’s TV critics Dan Fienberg and Angie Han found plenty to praise (and puzzle over) on the small screen the past few months — including a Netflix standout stained by controversy, a true original on Peacock and shows that understood the appeal of formula done right. The critics' conversation.
—"Mostly hits its shots." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Chris Robinson's Shooting Stars. The Peacock film tells the story of basketball legend LeBron James' close friendships with his high-school teammates known as the "Fab Five." The review.
Thank Pod It's Friday
► All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—TV's Top 5.THR's Lesley Goldberg and Dan Fienberg break down the latest TV news. This week’s episode breaks format a bit in that the breaking news cycle has slowed considerably with the writers strike now entering its second month. Author Maureen Ryan drops by to discuss her much-talked about book Burn It Down: Power, Complicity and a Call for Change in Hollywood. Rolling Stone critic Alan Sepinwall also makes an appearance to chew over the finales of Ted Lasso, Succession, Barry and Yellowjackets. Listen here.
—Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott spoke to Mo Amer. The Kuwait-born Palestinian standup comedian turned co-creator/writer/star of Mo, the first Palestinian-American television comedy series, reflects on his 20-year journey to become an American citizen.Listen here.
—It Happened in Hollywood.THR senior writer Seth Abramovitch goes behind the scenes of the pop culture moments that shaped Hollywood history. In this episode Seth spoke to Matthew Broderick. The veteran actor discusses the making of the enduring classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off and working with filmmaker John Hughes. Listen here.
—Behind the Screen. THR's tech editor Carolyn Giardina's podcast focuses on the filmmaking crafts. In this episode Carolyn spoke to Tim Burke. The VFX supervisor for Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid discusses how they created the look and movements for the mermaids and what it was like working on a film that takes place primarily underwater. Listen here.
—Jacky Oh, former Wild ‘N Out castmember, dies at 32
What else we're reading...
—David Weigel looks at how brands have become collateral damage in the right's war against Pride Month [Semafor]
—Samantha Chery reports on trolls review bombing Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, and what sites like IMDb are doing about it [WaPo]
—Art critic Jason Farago eviscerates comedian/curator Hannah Gadsby's Brooklyn Museum exhibition about Pablo Picasso [NYT]
—Charlotte Klein reports that NYT staffers are up in arms over the recent, risible profile of fraudster Elizabeth Holmes that adorned the cover of the Sunday Business section [VF] —Here's your Friday list: "The 10 worst TV series finales of all time" [AV Club]
Today...
...in 2002, HBO premiered David Simon’s The Wire. The Baltimore-set crime drama ended up spanning five seasons, and to this day is considered by many to be one of the best television shows ever created. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Kevin Feige (50), Awkwafina (35), Morena Baccarin (44), Dennis Haysbert (69), Andy Cohen (55), Jo Koy (52), Justin Long (45), Dominic Cooper (45), Dana Carvey (68), Wayne Brady (51), Lasse Hallström (77), Ol Parker (54), Jon Peters (78), Jewel Staite (41), Wentworth Miller (51), Zachary Quinto (46), Pip Torrens (63), Navid Negahban (55), Jack Lowden (33), Liam Cunningham (62), Amber Marshall (35), Sonakshi Sinha (36), James Ransone (44), Whitney Able (41), Amali Golden (35), Brittany Curran (33), Jeremy Ray Taylor (20)
George Watson, a former Washington bureau chief, White House correspondent and vice president for ABC News, died Thursday, a network spokesperson announced. He was 86. The obituary.
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