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Annette Bening on Meeting a "Dire" Moment; Strike Hits Earnings as Execs Size Up War Chests; Disney Sued Over Hollywood Accounting; 'Depp v. Heard' Review

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August 16, 2023

What's news: It's magazine day! This week's cover star is ECF chair Annette Bening. Marvel's VFX workers are moving closer to forming a union. Season 12 of American Horror Story will release in two parts. Sage Steele is exiting ESPN. Warrior Nun is set to return as a movie trilogy. The Tuohys have hit back in The Blind Side profits dispute. — Abid Rahman

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Annette Bening on Meeting a "Dire" Moment

►On the cover. In June, acting icon Annette Bening assumed the post of chair of the board of the Entertainment Community Fund, formerly known as the Actors Fund. A month later, SAG-AFTRA went on strike, leading Bening to depart the Australia set of the limited series Apples Never Fall. She made the trek back to L.A., where she wasted no time hitting the picket lines and using her platform to illuminate the mission of ECF. THR's nicest man Chris Gardner spoke to Bening about the precarious times facing performers and her hopes for post-strike unity: “We will move forward.” The cover story.

—Getting serious. THR's Katie Kilkenny and Lesley Goldberg report that the WGA East leadership arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday for meetings to review the counter-offer by the AMPTP furnished on Aug. 11. The writers' union and the reps for the studios and streamers are set to meet Aug. 15. On Friday, the AMPTP presented its latest counter-proposal to the WGA. The guild told its members that night that it would “evaluate their offer” and present their response this week. The story.

—Getting closer. THR's Carolyn Giardina reports that IATSE and Disney/Marvel have reached a stipulated election agreement, allowing Marvel’s in-house visual effects workers to vote on whether they wish to unionize. An election date of Aug. 21 has been set and workers will need to return their ballots by a Sept. 11 deadline. Ballots would be tallied by a third party, and if the vote passes, the union would be certified, IATSE organizer Mark Patch tells THR. The story.

—Worthy recipients. Meryl Streep, Michael B. Jordan, Oprah Winfrey and Sofia Coppola are set to be honored at the Academy of Motion Pictures’ 2023 Academy Museum gala, set for Oct. 14. Amid concerns that the event could be affected by the ongoing strikes, the Film Academy noted in its announcement about this year’s honorees that, “as a fundraiser, the event has been greenlit to move forward by WGA and SAG-AFTRA.” The event is set to raise funds to support exhibits, education initiatives and public programming. The story.

Strike Hits Earnings as Execs Size Up War Chests

►Outlook not great. As Hollywood discloses quarterly reports for the first time since the dual work stoppage began, THR's Caitlin Huston writes that the financial hits are coming into focus while companies game out timetables for a deal. The analysis.

—"These tactics are extremely frustrating." Tron: Ares director Joachim Rønning took to Instagram to give an update on the long-awaited sequel and express his frustration with the SAG-AFTRA strike, which has delayed the start of the Disney film. The Norwegian director revealed the production was supposed to begin filming this week and instead had to lay off 150 crew members. While supporting the goals of the work stoppage, he also urged both sides of the contract dispute to resolve their differences. The story.

—Season split. With productions shut down amid the work stoppage, FX has announced that season 12 of American Horror Story, which had already been in production, will release in two parts. Along with the announcement that AHS: Delicate Part One will premiere Sept. 20, FX released a first look at the headlining trio of Emma Roberts, Kim Kardashian and Cara Delevingne in the psychological horror story which, for the first time, is based on a novel: Danielle Valentine’s Delicate Condition. The story.

Disney Sued Over Hollywood Accounting

►"Chilling example." Disney is being accused of hindering a deal between 20th Century Studios and TSG Entertainment Finance in an effort to boost Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions, stock prices and executive compensation. THR's Ashley Cullins reports that in a lawsuit filed Tuesday, TSG says 20th Century/Disney "have tried to use nearly every trick in the Hollywood Accounting playbook" to short them hundreds of millions of dollars in connection with its investments in films including Avatar: The Way of Water. The story.

—Messy. The family at the center of The Blind Side, which chronicles Michael Oher’s life story out of poverty, has accused the retired NFL player of fabricating accusations that they lied about adopting him and cut him out of a deal for the rights to the book the film is based off of. THR's Winston Cho reports that a lawyer for Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy says Oher tried to extort them out of $15m and made the allegations “as a cynical attempt to drum up attention in the middle of his latest book tour.” The story.

—"I don’t want it to be misconstrued that, like, I’m good, because I’m not. I’m not good." Emma Heming Willis gave a candid update about her struggle amid her husband Bruce Willis’ dementia battle. The 45-year-old former model and Make Time Wellness founder posted an Instagram video Monday that she described as “a care partner PSA.” Heming Willis explained why she had previously asked people who are similarly taking care of a loved one with dementia to send her photos of “something beautiful.” The story.

'Warrior Nun' Set to Return as Movie Trilogy

►Fan power in action. Warrior Nun is being resurrected. The fantasy drama series, which was canceled by Netflix after two seasons, is set to return as a trilogy of feature films. Late last month, series creator Simon Barry credited an intense fan campaign to revive the show after its cancellation. On Tuesday, executive producer Dean English confirmed that the show will return as three feature films but stopped short of revealing details on writers or casting info due to the ongoing strikes. The story.

—"I have decided to leave so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely." ESPN host Sage Steele is exiting the channel after settling her lawsuit with the sports media giant. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Steele, an anchor on SportsCenter and a former host of NBA Countdown, sued ESPN and Disney last year for allegedly violating her free speech rights in retaliation for widely criticized comments she made about the COVID-19 vaccine mandate and for comments about Barack Obama. The story.

—"That show gave me anxiety." Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel opened up about how he really feels about inspiring the over-the-top über agent Ari Gold from HBO's Entourage. In an appearance on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, Emanuel said that "there [were] aspects to that character, 100 percent true" in particular Gold's aggressive approach to business. The story.

'Succession' Director Talks Shiv and Kendall's Post-Finale Whereabouts

►"I still miss them. I miss the characters." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to Succession director and executive producer Mark Mylod about the character endings and those record-breaking Emmy nods. Mylod discusses how he's simultaneously missing the Roy family and recognizing the right place to close Succession. The interview.

—"The episodes I’ve connected with the most have been those in which I’m able to forget my own involvement with the show." THR's Seija Rankin spoke to Yellowjackets director Karyn Kusama on how the Showtime drama depicts the “hell we put each other through” as women. Kusama, also an EP on the series, talks about her favorite moments from season two and where she hopes the journey takes the characters next. The interview.

—"When I read that script, I was blown away." For THR, Hilton Dresden spoke to The White Lotus executive producer David Bernad about learning of that finale death for the first time. Bernad talks about the big learning curves to filming an American TV show in Italy and the lessons he’s taking with him into season three. The interview.

—"There are eight wonderful episodes with so much happening in every episode." THR's James Hibberd spoke to House of the Dragon director Clare Kilner about the HBO show’s biggest moments and season two changes. Kilner talks about the work she’s most proud of on the Game of Thrones prequel and alludes to what fans can expect from the "jam-packed" second season. The interview.

'Blue Beetle': How Grassroots Backers Are Trying to Boost Latino-Led Superhero Movie

►"We’re going to say what the artists can’t say and encourage everyone to come out and support." Blue Beetle is the first major live-action release to bow since the actors strike began July 14 that did not have a press tour banked ahead of time. THR's Aaron Couch, Rebecca Sun and Borys Kit report that with the film's stars sidelined due to the stoppage, a coalition of advocacy groups are finding ways to promote the DC feature, the first studio movie to center on a Latino superhero. The story.

—"Don’t fear Latino heritage." Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto had a powerful message to share ahead of a fan event screening at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood Tuesday. “We put our hearts and souls into it because we wanted you guys to feel welcome to our stories,” Soto said. “There’s no fear. Don’t fear Spanish, don’t fear Mexican heritage, don’t fear Latino heritage. We want you guys to join the party with us.” The story.

TV Review: 'Depp v. Heard'

►"Could be worse, but could hardly be more pointless." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Netflix's Depp v. Heard. Emma Cooper's three-part doc tackles Johnny Depp's Virginia defamation case against Amber Heard and the social media circus that accompanied the trial. The review.

In other news...

—Madonna announces rescheduled dates for North American leg of Celebration Tour

—New building named in Rita Moreno’s honor thanks to $5m donation from John Gore

—Back to the Future cast share reunion photo 38 years later

—Amazon hikes prices again for Music Unlimited

—New Ving Rhames, Marion Cotillard films among Oldenburg 30th anniversary lineup

—Paul Bronfman to step down as senior advisor at William F. White International

What else we're reading...

—Matthew Cantor writes that Oliver Anthony’s supposedly organically viral song "Rich Men North of Richmond" punches down, so it's no surprise right wingers love it [Guardian]

—Here is the Reggie Ugwu piece on the explosion of paid for TikTok movie 'critics' that's been the talk of Film Twitter [NYT]

—Lucky Rebecca Alter scores an interview with DJ Crazy Times who has just released the song of the summer, "Planet of the Bass" [Vulture]

—Daniela Hernandez reports on the scientists who reconstructed Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1” using recordings of the brain activity of 29 patients [WSJ]

—Madeline Halpert and Kayla Epstein go inside Fulton County Jail, the notorious Atlanta complex where Trump will surrender [BBC]

Today...

Today's birthdays: Angela Bassett (65), Madonna (65), James Cameron (69), Taika Waititi (48), Steve Carell (61), Reginald VelJohnson (71), Saif Ali Khan (53), Kathie Lee Gifford (70), Cameron Monaghan (30), Cristin Milioti (38), Cam Gigandet (41), Rina Sawayama (33), Lesley Ann Warren (77), Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (51), Rumer Willis (35), Laura Innes (66), Talia Ryder (21), Evanna Lynch (32), Saskia Reeves (62), Okieriete Onaodowan (36), Elpidia Carrillo (62), Lorraine Gary (86), Bob Balaban (78), Jeff Perry (68), Agnes Bruckner (38), Shawn Pyfrom (37), Eili Harboe (29), Arden Cho (38), Dominik Garcia (40), Donovan Leitch Jr. (56)

Darren Kent, the British actor who played a goat herder mourning his daughter on Game of Thrones and a skeleton in Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, has died. He was 36. The obituary.

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Written by José Vizcarra
on Wednesday, August 16, 2023 at 7:23 AM.

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