Berlin 2024 Kicks Off

►THR's crack team of reporters and reviewers are on the ground in Berlin as the 74th Berlinale opens its doors today. Click here to read our Berlin Day 1 Digital Fest Daily.

—What a mess! Weeks before opening, the Berlin Film Festival was mired in a self-inflicted political scandal. Amid growing anti-immigrant sentiment in Germany, the festival first invited, then dis-invited members of the far-right AfD party, to its opening night gala Thursday night. The late U-turn dodged a red carpet scandal but has sparked broader political debate and hasn't stymied the backlash. The story. 

—Berlin hot list. THR's Scott Roxborough (a die hard 1. FC Köln fan... up The Billy Goats!) is out with his annual pick of the buzziest new projects at Berlin's European Film Market, which runs Feb. 15 to Feb. 21. Among the highlights are a David Mackenzie crime thriller starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and a reteaming of Bob Odenkirk with Nobody and John Wick screenwriter Derek Kolstad as well as new films from Margot Robbie, Cillian Murphy, Dave Bautista and Tilda Swinton. The hot list. 

—"On the page, it is a tiny, tiny story, but it’s grappling with these huge themes." THR's Mia Galuppo spoke to Cillian Murphy about his Berlin opening night film Small Things Like These. Hot off the blockbuster success of Oppenheimer, the best-actor Oscar nominee does an about-face, headlining a searing, intimate Tim Mielants drama about a man confronting abuse in the Catholic Church in mid-’80s Ireland. The interview.  

—🎭 Sweet stuff 🎭 Will Smith is attached to star in action-thriller Sugar Bandits, yet another buzzy project at EFM. The logline is under wraps for the crime film that is based on author Chuck Hogan’s novel Devils in Exile. AGC Studios is financing the movie that does not yet have a director attached and will be shopped this month in Berlin. Smith and Jon Mone are producing for Westbrook Studios, and Ryan Shimazaki is overseeing the project. The story. 

—🎭 Back in action 🎭 Michelle Yeoh is set to star in the action thriller The Mother. The Oscar winner will play Ann, an immigrant mother and businesswoman happily living in Boston, but when her two teenage sons stumble into trouble with a dirty cop and a crime ring, she's called into action to save them. Melanie Laurent will direct the movie being shopped to international buyers in Berlin at EFM. Stuart Ford will exec produce for AGC Studios alongside 30WEST, which is financing the pic. The story. 

Disney+ Readies Its Password Crackdown Era

►Farewell freeloaders. Disney is the latest streaming giant to jump into a password-sharing crackdown, with its efforts to make money from the effort set to begin in earnest this summer. THR's Caitlin Huston writes that the media giant has already updated its subscriber agreement for Disney+, as well as Hulu, to ban account sharing for new subscribers starting Jan. 25, 2024 and for existing subscribers starting on March 14. The story.

—New news chief. ABC is further reorganizing some of its business, moving the network’s news division into a group that also includes local stations and business operations. Longtime Disney exec Debra OConnell will lead the new division as president news group and networks for Disney Entertainment. ABC News president Kim Godwin and Chad Matthews, president of ABC Owned Television Stations, will report to her. The story. 

—Breach of contract claim. Priscilla Presley is mired in a legal battle with a company that claims it has the exclusive right to exploit her name, image and likeness. Priscilla Presley Partners, a firm started by Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, claimed that it helped broker a deal for the A24 movie adaptation of Presley’s memoir — as well as a settlement of an estate dispute challenging the will of her late daughter, Lisa Marie — and has sued to enforce its rights. The story. 

Marvel's 'Fantastic Four' Cast Revealed

►🎭 Final Four 🎭 After years of speculation and fan wish casting, Marvel Studios has finally found its Fantastic Four. Pedro Pascal will star as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby will star as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn will play Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will star as Ben Grimm/The Thing. The Fantastic Four feature now has a new release date of July 25, 2025, and hails from WandaVision director Matt Shakman. The story. 

—🎭 Trust issues 🎭 Sophie Turner will star in the psychological thriller Trust from director Carlson Young and Saw outfit Twisted Pictures. Gigi Levangie penned the screenplay, though plot details for the project are being kept under wraps. Young most recently directed the popular Amazon rom-com Upgraded, her sophomore feature following her debut Blazing World, which premiered at Sundance in 2021. Republic Pictures has acquired the worldwide rights to the feature project. The story. 

—🎭 Yard work 🎭 Till's Danielle Deadwyler will star in and executive produce Blumhouse thriller The Woman in the Yard. Details on the film are scant, but Black Adam filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra is directing from a script by Sam Stefanak. The film has been dated for Jan. 10, 2025 and will be released via Universal, where Blumhouse has its longtime deal. In a twinned move, Universal announced it was pushing M3GAN 2.0 from Jan. 17 to May 16, 2025. The story. 

—Shooting for the moon. Bleecker Street has picked up the U.S. rights to Mikael Håfström’s sci-fi thriller Slingshot, which stars Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne and Emily Beecham. Bleecker plans a 2024 wide theatrical release for the film about an astronaut struggling to retain his grip on reality on a possibly fatally compromised space mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan. R. Scott Adams and Nathan Parker (Moon) penned the screenplay. The story. 

Stewart Draws Liberal Anger For Biden Criticism 

►"I’ll never forgive you." With his very first episode back, Jon Stewart has successfully returned The Daily Show to the cultural conversation — by drawing fire from Democrats. During his opening monologue, Stewart mocked the current president after his disastrous press conference last week that raised questions about his mental fitness. The backlash was swift, with the likes of Keith Olbermann and Michael J. Elston slamming Stewart, but the host also provoked praise from Elon Musk, of all people. The reaction.

—Curry from deep. Peacock is bulking up its scripted roster. On Wednesday, the streamer announced series orders for four new scripted originals, including Mr. Throwback, a mockumentary starring NBA legend Steph Curry and an untitled James Wan thriller with Simu Liu set to topline the drama. Also ordered to series are Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy from the creators of Dr. Death and All Her Fault, a suburban thriller based on the novel by Andrea Mara. The news was announced during Peacock’s time at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour. The story. 

—Return dates set. Syfy has renewed horror drama SurrealEstate for a third season while also setting return dates for Chucky, Reginald the Vampire and The Ark. SurrealEstate, which revolves around realtors who handled haunted and possessed houses, stars Tim Rozon and Sarah Levy. Season two of the series ranked as cable’s No. 2 scripted in its time slot among total viewers and 18-49. The story.

—Fool's errand. Hulu has opted to cancel This Fool after a two-season run. Chris Estrada created the series and starred as Julio Lopez, a 30-year-old who lives with his family and works at a gang rehab center. Sources say This Fool will remain on Hulu’s platform after the streamer put a big marketing push behind both seasons of the series, which, despite strong reviews, failed to find an audience large enough to justify a third season. The story. 

—Third move's a charm. The Jeff Daniels drama American Rust is returning for its second season — on its third platform. Amazon announced that the sophomore run — titled American Rust: Broken Justice — will premiere on its Prime Video platform rather than the previously announced ad-supported service Freevee. All 10 episodes of the season will debut in a binge drop on March 28. The drama was originally developed for Showtime, which canceled the show after its first season aired. The story. 

—The rise of the House of Usher. The music of Usher will form the basis for a drama series in the works at Universal Studio Group’s UCP. The untitled drama will be set in Atlanta and will focus on “Black love and individuals looking to find a place to call home. The series will explore music, style, sex, romance and secrets that threaten to tear relationships apart,” according to its logline. Usher will executive produce alongside Selwyn Seyfu Hinds and Katie Zucker of Mad Massive and Kenny Meiselas of KMei Productions. The story.

—Sound, innit. Tubi, Fox’s ad-supported streaming service, has landed the U.S. and Canada rights to the upcoming British comedy thriller Dead Hot. The Liverpool-set series tells the story of two best friends grieving the loss of a loved one. Dead Hot is created, written and executive produced by Charlotte Coben, daughter of author Harlan Coben and a producer and writer on Netflix’s popular Coben adaptations The Stranger, Stay Close, Shelter and Fool Me Once. The story. 

—Another punt. NBC is adding to its pilot roster with a drama from Good Girls executive producers Jenna Bans and Bill Krebs. Like Good Girls, the new project from the pair, titled Grosse Pointe Garden Society, will focus on a group of women caught up in a crime — murder, in this case. The story. 

Does LACMA Have a Looted Art Problem?

►"You’re asking the fox to declare the henhouse is safe." Hollywood helped LACMA build a world-class Asian art collection. But with scholars raising questions about the origins of some priceless works, THR's Gary Baum writes that the institution's curators are wondering how much they’ll have to send back. The story. 

—"We’ve entered into this notion that criminal activity can somehow be explained away and accepted." After 27 floors of the unfinished Oceanwide Plaza in Los Angeles were tagged by street artists and was on display during the Grammys, THR's Seth Abramovitch writes that the city is split on how to proceed as finger-pointing begins. Rick Caruso, the billionaire developer of The Grove, the Americana and Palisades Village and a former L.A. mayoral candidate, scoffs at the city’s strategy in handling the graffiti. The story. 

—"The system is not made for those in the gig economy." A new community survey from Humanitas is offering a first-of-its-kind look into the state of food insecurity among Hollywood writers. Over 500 respondents working in TV and film screenwriting reveal how financial hardship affected their access to food before and during the 2023 strike, as well as flaws in assistance programs designed to help. The survey. 

Film Review: 'This Is Me…Now: A Love Story'

►"Too much and not enough." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Dave Meyers' This Is Me…Now: A Love Story. To coincide with the release of her latest album, Jennifer Lopez offers fans an Amazon Prime Video original feature project about a woman struggling with self-love. The review. 

—"A low-maintenance winner." Lovia reviews Trish Sie's Players. Gina Rodriguez plays a New York sportswriter trying to turn a one-night stand into a serious relationship in a Netflix film co-starring Damon Wayans Jr. The review. 

—"A promising work-in-progress, except that it's 'limited.'" THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Netflix's The Vince Staples Show. Abbott Elementary guest star and rapper Vince Staples gets a five-episode showcase in the Curb Your Enthusiasm semi-autobiographical vein. The review. 

—"For when one Hemsworth just isn't enough." THR's Frank Scheck reviews William Eubank's Land of Bad. A remote drone pilot attempts to help a Delta Forces soldier trapped behind enemy lines in this action thriller starring Liam Hemsworth, Russell Crowe, Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle and Milo Ventimiglia. The review.

In other news...

—Romance sizzles between Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in new look at Joker: Folie à Deux

—Michael Keaton, James Marsden share a deadly bond in Knox Goes Away trailer

—Giannis Antetokounmpo tells a true American immigrant tale in The Marvelous Journey trailer

—Geraldo Rivera joins NewsNation

—Nickelback Hate to Love doc lands special two-night theatrical release

—After Spotify deal ends, Brené Brown moves podcasts to Vox Media

—Lupita Nyong’o set for CinemaCon Star of the Year award

—New LGBTQ movie distribution label Pride Pictures launches

​​​What else we're reading...

—Charlotte O'Sullivan looks into why the first Wicked trailer has elicited fury in some quarters of social media over what many consider "CGI sludge" [BBC]

—Though he feels True Detective: Night Country started strong, Daniel Chin writes that, with one episode left, the show's mysteries still don’t seem close to satisfying solutions [Ringer]

—Julia Davis reports that Vladimir Putin was not impressed by Tucker Carlson and "didn’t fully enjoy this interview" [Daily Beast]

—Mark Gurman writes that Apple's Vision Pro is a potential iPad killer, but not anytime soon [Bloomberg]

—Justin McCurry reports that Japan has officially lost its status as the world's third-largest economy to Germany, as the country slips into recession [Guardian]

Today...  

Today's birthdays: Megan Thee Stallion (29), Jane Seymour (73), Alex Borstein (53), Matt and Ross Duffer (40), Miranda July (50), Matt Groening (70), Christopher McDonald (69), Callum Turner (34), Natalie Morales (39), Jessica De Gouw (36), Megan Dodds (54), Renée O'Connor (53), Zachary Gordon (26), Claire Bloom (93), Sarah Wynter (51), Renee Props (62), Lynn Whitfield (71), Joseph R. Gannascoli (65), Marisa Berenson (77), Greer Grammer (32), Maddie Baillio (28), Shaun Toub (66), Clemens Schick (52), Go Min-si (29), Brea Bee (49), Tara Holt (36), Steven Michael Quezada (61), Kimberly Quinn (54), Kurt McKinney (62), Amber Riley (38), Florinda Bolkan (83)