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THR's Director Roundtable; Netflix's 'Zero Day' Shuts Down; How 'Andor' Broke 'Star Wars' Rules; 25 Hot Films Potentially Heading to Venice; 'Transition' Review

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June 09, 2023

What's news: Sony is set to make animated adaptations of classic shows like Bewitched and The Partridge Family. Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh will star in Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley's next film. The CW has renewed Sullivan's Crossing. Hulu has picked up reality show Vanderpump Villa. Shannen Doherty has revealed her cancer has spread to her brain. — Abid Rahman

THR's Director Roundtable

►"Tears on my pillow were just part of the price." THR's award-winning Roundtable series continues, with the television directors up next. Mark Mylod (Succession), Karyn Kusama (Dead Ringers and Yellowjackets), Paris Barclay (Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story), Liz Garbus (Yellowjackets), Peter Hoar (The Last of Us) and Jake Schreier (Beef) sit down with THR's Mikey O'Connell for a discussion about guild gripes, the existential threat of AI and what it’s like when Brian Cox keeps showing up on set even after Logan Roy dies. The roundtable.

—For the children. THR's Rick Porter has the scoop on Sony reaching into its vast catalog of TV properties to develop programming aimed at young viewers. The studio’s Sony Pictures Television — Kids (formerly known as Silvergate Media) is developing animated takes on classic sitcoms Bewitched and The Partridge Family. It’s also delving into its library of game shows and unscripted series, with early takes on kid-centric versions of Wheel of Fortune and Shark Tank. The story.

—Tough competition. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hopes to set off early Fourth of July fireworks at the domestic box office. Disney and Lucasfilm’s long-awaited next installment in the action-adventure franchise is pacing to open to $60m to $70m over the June 30-June 2 weekend, according to early tracking. That’s on par with Mission: Impossible — Fallout and No Time to Die, and those films didn’t face such a crowded marketplace. The box office report.

Netflix's 'Zero Day,' With DGA Boss Directing, Shuts Down Production

►Halted. Production on Netflix’s Zero Day, Robert De Niro’s first scripted TV role, has come to a halt amid the ongoing strike. The six-episode drama is being directed and exec produced by Lesli Linka Glatter, who helms all the episodes. Glatter is also the president of the DGA, which has already reached a tentative deal with the studios and streamers. Sources tell THR's Lesley Goldberg that production on Zero Day started Monday on location in New York, where it was greeted with picketing members of the WGA. The story.

—Doesn't smell right. A week after the WGA called its strike, portions of the sidewalk immediately outside the NBCUniversal lot, where picketers had begun marching, were fenced off and torn up. THR's Gary Baum reports that now several blocks of that footpath along busy Lankershim Blvd. are gone and WGA members are crying foul. Some are suspicious of the timing, and many believe that the situation is a threat to their safety and an infringement on their right to protest. The story.

—Anonymous strike diary. THR's series of frank accounts of the writers strike continues. The Eastside Warrior returns, and his latest missive the writer lambastes the DGA for rolling over before the AMPTP in a deal with "loopholes big enough for James Cameron to drive the Titanic through" — especially regarding AI. By contrast, SAG's overwhelming vote to authorize a strike was a stirring show of solidarity with writers. The diary entry.

How 'Andor' Broke 'Star Wars' Rules to Reinvent Sci-Fi TV

►"I’m just so relieved at the reaction because we were making this huge, obscure thing and we knew it was crazy." Andor has received near-universal acclaim among critics and fans for its brand of grounded, grown-up Star Wars. Showrunner Tony Gilroy and his cast led by Diego Luna talk to THR's James Hibberd about how they pulled off two of the Disney+ drama’s most gripping, trope-busting sequences. The story.

—🎭 Promising 🎭 Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh are teaming up for Mayday, a feature that hails from Apple Original Films and Skydance. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley penned the script before the strike and will produce and direct the project. The duo most recently helmed Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and are also known for directing Game Night. Their new feature is described as an action-adventure film. The story.

—🎭 Prestige team 🎭 HBO has ordered a limited series from Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby about a law enforcement task force and the criminals they’re trying to apprehend. Mark Ruffalo is set to star and will serve as an executive producer. The untitled series had been in the works well before the writers strike began, and casting decisions were made before then as well. No additional development has happened since the strike began in early May, and there’s no start date for production yet. The story.

—🎭 Swole Santa 🎭 Reacher star Alan Ritchson is set to lead The Man with the Bag, a holiday family comedy that Adam Shankman will direct for Amazon Studios. Allan Rice wrote the script for the feature project that is in development. Man with the Bag’s plot is set in motion when Santa’s magical bag of gifts is stolen, forcing him to turn to his naughty list to find help. The story.

Venice: 25 Films That Could Be Heading to the Festival

►Lido bound? The Venice Film Festival won’t be unveiling its full 2023 lineup until next month at the earliest, but producers, studios and streamers are already prepping the projects they hope to be premiering on the Lido this year for the festival’s 80th-anniversary edition, which will be running Aug. 30-Sept. 9. THR's Scott Roxborough and Alex Ritman survey the features that could be screened at Venice this year. The list.

—All part of the plan. The CW has given an early renewal to one of its fall dramas — and will become a creative partner in the show. The network has picked up a second season of Sullivan’s Crossing, a family drama starring Morgan Kohan, Scott Patterson and Chad Michael Murray. The series, based on novels by Virgin River author Robyn Carr, will make its U.S. debut in the fall after airing on Canada’s CTV earlier this year. The story.

—New Rules. Lisa Vanderpump is continuing to expand her reality empire, this time with a new series for Disney-backed Hulu. Vanderpump Villa has been given a 10-episode order, with a launch date yet to be announced. The reality series will follow a staff — hand-picked by the Bravo reality star and restaurateur — at her luxury French villa as they live and work together “to navigate every extravagant desire of their well-to-do guests.” The story.

—🏆 Drizzy's year 🏆 Drake’s unstoppable run in music continues with the rapper scoring seven nominations for the 2023 BET Awards. Breakthrough rapper GloRilla — who scored her first Grammy nomination this year — is behind Drake with six nominations. 21 Savage and Lizzo earned five nominations each, while Beyoncé, SZA, Ice Spice, Chris Brown and Burna Boy each scored four nods. The nominations.

—All set. Julianne Hough and Skylar Astin have been tapped to host the preshow telecast of the Tony Awards airing on Pluto TV on Sunday. Like the main telecast, this portion will be unscripted. The WGA did not grant the Tony Awards a waiver for the awards show but said that the union would not picket the show, so long as the producers did not use a script. In light of that decision, Ariana DeBose, who had been tapped as the host of the main telecast, is now only expected to perform the opening number. The story.

How Hollywood-Style Propaganda Films Are Selling Putin's War

►Inside the Wagner-verse. Russia’s multi-tentacled Wagner Group is not just sending mercenaries to the Ukrainian front lines. For THR, Scott Johnson writes that the paramilitary organization, led by a former hot dog vendor named Yevgeny Prigozhin, is also at the vanguard of Vladimir Putin’s effort to counter Western cultural dominance, and it's using slick, higher-octane action movies to do it. The story.

—Her reign continues. Netflix’s Bridgerton prequel Queen Charlotte spent a second straight week as the top title in Nielsen’s streaming rankings — with a viewing time rank almost identical to its opening week. The parent series also rejoined the top 10. Jennifer Lopez’s Netflix movie The Mother also had a strong opening, finishing second overall in the rankings with 1.43b minutes of watch time — the equivalent of almost 12.5m full runs of the 115-minute film. The streaming rankings.

—"My fear is obvious." Shannen Doherty shared an update on her cancer, saying it has now spread to her brain. The actress took to her Instagram to further educate people about cancer treatments and diagnoses. She posted a video of herself undergoing chemotherapy for her brain, revealing that her cancer was no longer only in her chest but had moved up her body. The story.

—"It’s about taking a chance." Bryan Cranston is looking at temporarily winding down his career in the next few years. In a new interview, the Asteroid City star laid out his plans for the next several years, which includes shutting down his production company and selling his half share of mezcal company Dos Hombres, which he co-founded with Breaking Bad co-star Aaron Paul. Cranston also plans to move to another country, likely France, with wife Robin Dearden, for at least six months. The story.

Film Review: 'Transition'

►"A gestural portrait in need of fuller fleshing out." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Jordan Bryon and Monica Villamizar's Transition. In this Tribeca premiere, documentarian Bryon chronicles the dangers of embedding with a Taliban unit while undergoing his gender transition. The review.

—"A hoot, and full of heart." THR's Sheri Linden reviews Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater's Downtown Owl. Offscreen partners Rabe and Linklater share directing duties on an adaptation of Chuck Klosterman’s North Dakota-set novel. 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 kicks off with the headlines, including the cancellations of I Love That For You and Perry Mason, The CW's sports plays with NFL and LIV golf and the reboot of Extreme Makeover . There's a whole segment dedicated to the omnishambles at CNN and the exit of Chris Licht. Another section on the DGA's tentative deal with the studios and SAG-AFTRA authorizing strike action. And Dan offers his reviews of Peacock’s Based on a True Story, Apple’s The Crowded Room, HBO’s The Idol and Netflix’s Arnold and Never Have I Ever. Listen here.

—Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this live episode, Scott spoke to Alicia Vikander. The Swedish Oscar winner reflects on her transition from dancing to acting, the ups and downs of her life-changing 2015, her husband Michael Fassbender and her return to Cannes this year as the star of Firebrand. 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 Gregg Araki. The cult filmmaker discusses the making of his provocative and controversial 1995 film The Doom Generation. Listen here.

—Behind the Screen. THR's tech editor Carolyn Giardina's podcast focuses on the filmmaking crafts. In this episode Carolyn spoke to production designer Patrick O'Keefe and character artist Kris Anka. The duo discuss their work on Sony's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, in particular the creation of the multitude of new worlds and characters. Listen here.

In other news...

—Emma Stone reveals more of her Frankenstein in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things trailer

—Zoe Saldaña leads CIA anti-terror mission in Special Ops: Lioness trailer

—Red Rooms thriller to open Fantasia Film Fest

—NBC Sports chairman Pete Bevacqua exits for job at Notre Dame

—Inside the biggest, most over-the-top hotel suite in the U.S.

—Thomas W. Sarnoff, legendary NBC network exec, dies at 96

—Bob Rice, trailblazing agent for video game music, dies at 79

What else we're reading...

—A wonderful Judd Apatow interview with Mel Brooks that covers all manner of things including fighting in World War II, his life in comedy, and the secret to happiness [Atlantic]

—Brooks Barnes reports on Universal's booming on-demand service which has made more than $1b in less than three years, with nearly no decrease in box-office sales [NYT]

—Carlos Aguilar talks to Preston Mutanga, the 14-year-old animator who impressed the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse producers so much they asked him to create a whole scene [NYT]

—Michael Schulman has produced a monumental piece on how the Marvel Cinematic Universe swallowed Hollywood [New Yorker]

—Here's your Friday list: "10 movies impacted by past writers strikes" [Vulture]

Today...

Today's birthdays: Louis Cancelmi (45), Michael J. Fox (62), Natalie Portman (42), Aaron Sorkin (62), Mae Whitman (35), Xolo Maridueña (22), Michaela Conlin (45), Eddie Marsan (55), David Koepp (60), James Newton Howard (72), Gloria Reuben (59), Johnny Depp (60), Danielle C. Ryan (30), Caroline D'Amore (39), Ash Santos (30), Josh Hamilton (54), Finn Little (17), Keesha Sharp (50), Lucien Laviscount (31), Andrew W. Walker (44), Lauren Socha (33), Justin Benson (40), Rory Keenan (43), Brian Patrick Wade (45), Logan Browning (34), James DeBello (43), Imogen Waterhouse (29), Tamela J. Mann (57)

Noreen Nash, a starlet of the 1940s and ’50s who appeared in such notable films as The Southerner, Giant and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold, has died. She was 99. The obituary.

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Written by José Vizcarra
on Friday, June 09, 2023 at 7:07 AM.

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