THR Actor Roundtable

►"They let the lunatics run the asylum." THR's award-winning Roundtable Series continues, up next are the film actors. Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer), Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things), Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Colman Domingo (Rustin) and Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers) sit down with THR's Scott Feinberg to discuss making mayhem in Hollywood, what they’d be doing if not acting, and the auditions they’ve walked out of. The roundtable. 

—Call for action. A group of prominent Korean filmmakers, including Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho, will hold a media event in Seoul on Friday calling for an investigation by local authorities into the circumstances that led to the death of Parasite star Lee Sun-kyun, who died last month at age 48 of an apparent suicide. Before his death, Lee had been under police investigation for several weeks over suspected illegal drug use, accusations he strenuously denied. The story. 

—So fetch. Paramount’s movie adaptation of the Mean Girls Broadway musical is expected to open to as much as $30m over the long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that it would mark a great start for a studio film that cost a relatively modest $36m to produce before marketing, not to mention for a musical, a genre which has become an endangered species (Wonka aside). The box office report.  

—"No machine will ever replace his genius." Kelly Carlin, the screenwriter, producer and daughter of comedian George Carlin, has sharply criticized the release of a comedy special that uses an AI-generated version of her late father. On Tuesday, an hour-long special, titled George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead, appeared on YouTube. The AI George Carlin uses comedian’s signature style and cadence to make topical jokes. Kelly Carlin took to X to make clear the project had not been granted permission and slammed the people behind it. The story. 

—"There will be a lot of people that will be happy with that, myself included." After a string of controversies and an ongoing spat with Jimmy Kimmel, Aaron Rodgers will no longer be appearing on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show. "'Aaron Rodgers Tuesdays' season four is done," Pat McAfee said on his program Wednesday, as his staff applauded. The host added that the fracas between Rodgers and Kimmel ultimately gave ammunition to people who simply don’t like his show. The story.

Boyle, Garland Team for '28 Days Later' Sequel, New Trilogy

►Dream team. THR's Borys Kit has the huge scoop on Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, the director and writer of classic 2002 zombie movie 28 Days Later, reuniting for 28 Years Later, a new thriller that is expected to hit studios, streamers and other potential buyers later this week. The package the filmmakers are pushing isn’t just a simple modern sequel installment, with plans to launch a new trilogy. Boyle is attached to direct the first installment. Garland would write all three. The budget for each movie would be in the $75m range. The story. 

—Get excited. Paul Thomas Anderson is lining up the cast for his latest film, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Regina Hall set for the feature. The logline is being kept under wraps, but the film is due to begin filming soon in California. The project is set up at Warner Bros., whose studio’s picture group heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy worked with Anderson on his last film, Licorice Pizza, during their time at MGM. Anderson wrote the script and is set to produce with Adam Somner and Sara Murphy. The story. 

—We go again. After years of stops and starts, Paramount is making a step toward returning Star Trek to the big screen. Toby Haynes, who directed episodes of the Star Wars series Andor, will helm a new feature, with Seth Grahame-Smith writing. The plot is said to take place decades before the events of 2009's Star Trek, which J.J. Abrams helmed. Abrams' Bad Robot will produce the movie, which the studio is describing as an expansion of its Trek universe. The story. 

—Doesn't look good. THR's Aaron Couch and Pamela McClintock report that Searchlight Pictures is increasingly unlikely to ever release the Jonathan Majors-starring bodybuilding drama Magazine Dreams. The film was the darling of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and had major awards buzz before the actor's arrest two months later. With Majors' conviction for assault and harassment, sources say Searchlight could decide to return the feature to the filmmakers, who could shop the film to other buyers. The story. 

—In the works. Selena Gomez is attached to star as Linda Ronstadt in a biopic about the singer-songwriter. Gomez is set to play the 11-time Grammy winner in a feature that is in the works from producers James Keach (Walk the Line) and Ronstadt’s manager, John Boylan. A director and additional castmembers have yet to be announced for the project, nor does a distributor appear to be on board at the moment. Keach was behind the 2019 documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice. The story. 

'Drew Barrymore Show' Renewed for S5

►"Drew is truly creating magic in daytime." Drew Barrymore’s daytime talk show is sticking around for another year. CBS-owned stations, which serve as the flagship station group for the syndicated show, have picked up a fifth season of The Drew Barrymore Show. The renewal for the 2024-25 season comes three months into the show’s fourth run — and four months after Barrymore drew the ire of Hollywood writers in announcing plans to restart her show during the WGA strike. The story. 

—The pruning continues. Max has canceled its Julia Child-inspired series Julia following a two-season run. The news comes after the second season wrapped its run Dec. 21 and amid an era of belt tightening across the television landscape, with Julia joining Our Flag Means Death in being axed at the streamer this week alone. Both seasons of Julia will continue to be available to stream on Max. The story. 

—🎭 We have our Jesse 🎭 Young Mazino is joining the cast of The Last of Us. The Emmy-nominated Beef actor has been tapped to play Jesse in the HBO drama's upcoming second season. Jesse is described as a pillar of his community who puts everyone else’s needs before his own, sometimes at terrible cost. Mazino joins the recently cast Kaitlyn Dever, who will play Abby in the next season of the phenomenally popular show. The story. 

—"Hope this works out that I can ACTUALLY pull this off." Jeremy Renner returned to work on his Paramount+ drama Mayor of Kingstown on Wednesday as it begins filming its third season in Pittsburgh. The actor posted a picture on Instagram from set, with a caption admitting he was "nervous." Renner has been recovering from a devastating snowplow accident from December 2022, that nearly claimed his life. The story. 

—"I haven’t caught up." Dan Levy admitted that he was too “busy” to finish watching The Idol last summer, especially after one of his scenes was cut from the HBO show. In an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Levy was asked about playing Benjamin, Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) publicist, in the controversial five-episode series, but his character appeared only in the first episode, and another scene never made it to the final cut of the show. The story. 

SAG Awards Nominations 2024

►🏆 Some surprises 🏆 The 2024 SAG Awards nominations were revealed on Wednesday. Oppenheimer and Barbie lead the way on the film side with four nominations each, including nods in the SAG Awards‘ top category of best cast. Joining Barbenheimer as best cast nominees are American Fiction, The Color Purple and Killers of the Flower Moon. On the TV side, Succession leads with five nods, including one for best ensemble in a drama series. Its fellow nominees in that category are The Crown, The Gilded Age, The Last of Us and The Morning Show. The nominees.  

—"More significant and interesting to me are surprise inclusions and omissions." Following the SAG Awards nominations reveal, THR's executive editor of awards coverage Scott Feinberg dissects what it all means for the Oscar race, including what to make of the American Fiction surge, the nom for Ferrari star Penélope Cruz, the snubs for May December and Leonardo DiCaprio and more. The analysis. 

—🏆 "Incredible group of gifted storytellers" 🏆 The Directors Guild of America announced its film nominations for the 2024 DGA Awards on Wednesday. Nominees include Greta Gerwig (Barbie), Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Alexander Payne (The Holdovers) and Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon). In the first-time director category, Cord Jefferson (American Fiction), Manuela Martelli (Chile ’76), Noora Niasari (Shayda), A.V. Rockwell (A Thousand and One) and Celine Song (Past Lives) received nominations. The nominees.

Taraji P. Henson Praises Oprah at 'Color Purple' Screening

►"She was there holding our hands." Oprah Winfrey and the stars of The Color Purple gathered together for a screening of the musical Wednesday night, hours after scoring a coveted SAG best ensemble nomination — and also used the occasion to put aside any notion of rumored tension between the producer and the cast, even if subtly. Taraji P. Henson had nothing but praise for Oprah, saying she not only “knows how to produce,” but that she brought “the pride that she has in this project” to the set and it “poured into us.” The story. 

—"One of Hollywood’s most accomplished and innovative film executives." Lionsgate has tapped Adam Fogelson to succeed Joe Drake as chair of its movie division. It’s understood Drake initiated the transition as he works with Fogelson — currently vice chair of the Motion Picture Group and overseeing the worldwide marketing and theatrical distribution — over the coming months to ensure a smooth succession. Former STX Film chief Fogelson joined Lionsgate in September 2022. The story.

—🤝 First-look deal 🤝 Point Grey Pictures, the powerhouse production company run by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver, has signed a first-look deal with Universal Pictures. Details of the deal are scant, but it is being described as a traditional film pact in which Point Grey will produce movies across various genres. The company previously had a content deal with Lionsgate, a pact signed in 2019, and prior to that, with production company Good Universe. Sources say Point Grey’s television deal will remain with Lionsgate. The story. 

Film Review: 'The Book of Clarence'

►"Best when it doesn't take itself too seriously." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Jeymes Samuel's The Book of Clarence. LaKeith Stanfield, stars alongside RJ Cyler, Omar Sy, Alfre Woodard, David Oyelowo and James McAvoy in The Harder They Fall director's Biblical drama. The review.

—"Just dumb enough to be diverting." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews David Ayer's The Beekeeper. Jason Statham, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons and Phylicia Rashad star in this body pileup orchestrated by a retired government killing machine taking down a massive phishing scam. The review. 

—"Too much of an okay thing." THR's Angie Han reviews Peacock's Ted. Seth MacFarlane's prequel to the 2012 film follows the ups and downs of a 16-year-old boy and his best friend, a crass stuffed bear come to life in mid-'90s Massachusetts. The review. 

In other news...

—The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live trailer puts Rick and Michonne in dark places

—A24 reveals Paramore in teaser for Stop Making Sense tribute album

—Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black trailer drops

—Emmy Awards: Complete guide to events and parties

—Simu Liu to host People’s Choice Awards

—Peyton Manning, ESPN pact with Kenny Beecham’s Enjoy Basketball to develop content

—Sale of Kanye “Ye” West’s Malibu home faces new legal challenge with lien filing

—Hollywood’s favorite bakery shutters: RIP Sweet Lady Jane

​​​What else we're reading...

—Kevin T. Dugan lists all the people the far too online billionaire Bill Ackman is currently fighting [Intelligencer]

—Stephen Castle explains how an ITV drama starring Toby Jones, Mr. Bates vs. the Post Office, brought renewed attention to one of the U.K.’s worst miscarriages of justice and forced political action [NYT]

—Lucas Shaw figures there will be more drama in boardrooms than on screens this year, and lays out four ways Hollywood will likely look different in 2024 [Bloomberg]

—Corey Atad can't stop watching Christopher Nolan's Tenet, his obsession fueled by trying to make sense of the film, and he's found there are others like him [Defector]

—Jesse Hassenger runs through all this awards season's most overlooked movie performances, paying tribute to the likes of Penélope Cruz, Teyana Taylor and the shamefully ignored Nicolas Cage [Guardian]

Today...  

...in 2013, Warner Bros. released Ruben Fleischer's Gangster Squad in theaters. The violent 1940s-set melodrama starred Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, and Emma Stone and made $105m at the box office. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Mary J. Blige (53), Amanda Peet (52), Marc Blucas (52), Phyllis Logan (68), Kyle Richards (55), Laysla De Oliveira (32), Devin Ratray (47), Aja Naomi King (39), Derek Riddell (57), Jason Connery (61), Son Ye-jin (42), Rockmond Dunbar (51), Alfonso Arau (92), Tom Ward (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 53), Alyson Reed (66), Sondra Currie (77), Kaliko Kauahi (50), Kim Coles (62), Armand Aucamp (37), Yolanda Hadid (60), Claire Julien (29), Malcolm D. Lee (54)