Could 'Parasite' Star's Death Lead to Social Reckoning in Korea?

►"His fate could have a chilling effect on the perception of South Korea as a cultural and artistic mecca to be envied." Lee Sung-kyun's shock Dec. 27 death, considered a suicide, has put a spotlight on Korea’s current political and social climate. THR's Rebecca Sun writes the actor's passing has potential ramifications for the country’s status as a global soft superpower. The story. 

—"Your reckless words put my family in danger." Jimmy Kimmel slammed Aaron Rodgers on social media after the NFL quarterback suggested his name could be on a list of people connected to the late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Rogers made the comment about Kimmel on a recent podcast appearance, and the late night host shot back on X, threatening to take the Jets star to court. The story. 

—Disney cedes the crown. Universal's film unit is taking a victory lap after placing No. 1 in market share at the 2023 global box office, a feat no studio has been able to pull off since Disney rose to dominance in 2016. The 24 movies released by Universal generated an estimated $4.91b in worldwide ticket sales, compared to an estimated $4.83b from the 17 titles released by Disney, in what made for a relatively close race both in North America and at the foreign box office. The story.

Steven Yeun Will Not Star in Marvel's 'Thunderbolts'

►Oh dear. THR's second-nicest man Aaron Couch reports that Steven Yeun will not be featuring in Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts. The Beef star's involvement in the film was first reported back in February, though Marvel never officially announced the casting. During a D23 presentation, the studio revealed Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour and Wyatt Russell would star in the film. Thunderbolts was hit by the dual strikes, it was initially slated for release in July 2024, but was pushed back to July 2025 and has yet to begin filming. The story. 

—YESSSS!!! Apple TV+ has handed out a fifth-season renewal for Slow Horses, the drama starring Gary Oldman. On the heels of the third-season finale last week, the upcoming season will be based on the next novel in author Mick Herron’s Slough House book series. The spy drama recently earned a Golden Globe nomination for Oldman’s performance as Jackson Lamb. The story.

—🎭 First TV project 🎭 Parasite's Song Kang-ho is set to star in Uncle Samsik, Disney+’s ambitious period drama from Korean writer-director Shin Yeon-shick. Set in Korea during the 1960s, a time of great social and political upheaval, the 16-part drama tells the story of a young idealist man and his relationship with a shady fixer played by Song. Written and directed by Shin, the series is notable for being both the filmmaker and Song’s first television project. The story. 

—🎭 Eight more 🎭 Lasse Hallström's drama series The Darkness is filling out its cast. Jack Bannon, Douglas Henshall, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Thorsteinn Bachmann, Þorvaldur Davíð Kristjánsson, Tora Hallström, Ahd Tamimi and Árni Þór Lárusson join the series that also features Lena Olin. The six-episode English-language series is a co-production from CBS Studios and Icelandic production firm Truenorth with Stampede Ventures. The story. 

Despite 'Barbie,' Progress for Female Directors Remains Stalled

►"It’s the ultimate illusion." The highest-grossing movie of 2023 was directed by a woman – but equal opportunity for women behind the camera is as elusive as ever, caution San Diego State’s Martha Lauzen and Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s Stacy L. Smith. The academics’ latest respective industry progress reports pour cold water on any premature celebrations prompted by the high-profile successes of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, the year’s top box office performer, and of Celine Song’s Past Lives, which received the highest Metacritic score. The report. 

—🤝 "We could not be more excited to partner with Bob and the board to help create long-term sustainable shareholder value" 🤝 Disney and activist investor ValueAct Capital Management have entered into a confidential agreement that will see the parties share information and consult on strategic matters. ValueAct also confirmed that it would support the Disney slate of nominees for the company’s board of directors at the upcoming annual shareholder meeting. The news comes amid Disney’s proxy battle with Nelson Peltz's Trian Partners. The story. 

—🤝 Deal closed 🤝 More than a year after stating their intentions to combine their companies, horror maestros Jason Blum and James Wan have made it official. Wan’s banner Atomic Monster and Blum’s Blumhouse have closed a deal to merge, Blum announced on X on Tuesday. The two banners have worked together previously, and have the feature Night Swim in theaters Friday from Blumhouse’s longtime home Universal, where his and Wan’s combined company has a first-look deal. The story. 

—Raising cash. AMC Theatres sold more shares at the end of 2023 to raise fresh cash and pay down a looming debt load. In a securities filing on Tuesday, parent AMC Entertainment Holdings reported it completed a “series of privately negotiated exchange agreements” between Dec. 28 and Dec. 29, 2023, to issue in all 3.25m class A shares in exchange for $22.5m for a buyback of notes due in 2026. The latest funding round is a bid to bring in more equity capital to shore up his company's balance sheet. The story.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard Opens Up About Doc, Prison and Her Mother

►"There's a lot of things to unpack in my life — more than just with my mother." Ahead of the premiere of the Lifetime documentary The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, THR's Kimberly Nordyke spoke to Blanchard about why she wanted to open up in such a candid way, what she’s been doing since her release from prison and what her advice would be to others in her previous situation. The interview. 

—"I experienced an alarming incident involving a group of individuals on mini bikes." Beverly Hills, 90210 actor Ian Ziering has opened up about being swarmed by a gang of mini bikers while driving with his daughter down Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve. YouTube footage of the confrontation shows the actor having to fight off multiple bikers before reaching safety. Ziering said the incident left him "deeply concerned about the growing boldness of such groups who disrupt public safety and peace." The story.

—Dominant. The Lion King and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child both set records across the holiday week, with the highest weekly grosses for a musical and play on Broadway, respectively, in history. In the week ended Dec. 31, the long-running hit Lion King grossed $4.316m across nine performances, besting its own record of $4.315m last year. This is the highest weekly gross across a nine-performance week, though Hamilton still holds the highest gross for an eight-week show, bringing in $4.04m during the holiday week in 2018. The story.

Actors Talk Love and Suffering on Screen

►"It’s incredibly debilitating to have feelings." For THR, Carita Rizzo spoke to Dominic West (The Crown), Josie Totah (The Buccaneers), Keri Russell (The Diplomat) and Sam Claflin (Daisy Jones & the Six) about embodying characters who suffer through complex love affairs. The interviews. 

In other news...

—Awards season: Key dates leading up to the Oscars

—Golden Globes: The complete guide to parties and events

—CBC News promotes Brodie Fenlon to top role

—Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay, Bryan Abasolo to divorce after 4 years of marriage

​​​What else we're reading...

—Wendy Lee looks at why Netflix is turning Yu Yu Hakusho, One Piece and other manga series into live-action shows [LAT]

—Brit critic Jason Okundaye writes that Netflix's The Crown never really had anything new to say, but instead speaks to several furtive truths about the British monarchy [NYT]

—Tom Sykes looks into reports whether Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II abdicated to save her son’s marriage [Daily Beast]

—With China's population set to drop dramatically in the coming decades, Liyan Qi and Shen Lu report that the government is pushing women to have more babies, with little success [WSJ] 

—Tom Scocca pens a very personal essay on his recent health crisis, that offers a harrowing look at the precarious nature of journalism and the broken nature of the healthcare system [Intelligencer]

Today...  

...in 2018, David Barba and James Pellerito's Anatomy of a Male Ballet Dancer was released in a limited number of theaters. The doc follows Brazilian ballet star Marcelo Gomes as he celebrates his 20th anniversary with American Ballet Theatre. Gomes resigned from the ABT a month before the film's release due to an allegation of sexual misconduct. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Florence Pugh (28), Greta Thunberg (21), Nicholas Gonzalez (48), Danica McKellar (49), Jason Marsden (49), Frankie Adams (30), Dan Harmon (51), Karl Glusman (36), Rebecca Broussard (61), Matt Ross (54), Jeananne Goossen (38), Leah Gibson (39), Jisoo Kim (29), Veronica Powers (23), Justin Paul (39), Katie McGrath (41), Victoria Principal (74), Nicole Beharie (39), Leah Gibson (39), Juani Feliz (35)