Innholdsfortegnelse for April 7, 2021 i The Hollywood Reporter

Lil Nas X The artist’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” hits No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 46.9 million streams in the U.S. in the week ending April 1, per MRC Data. Gabrielle Carteris The SAG-AFTRA CEO sees the union’s televised SAG Awards fall 52 percent year-over-year, reaching 957,000 viewers on TNT and TBS on April 4. Guy Fieri Discovery’s Food Network signs the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives host and reality TV chef — on the air since 2006 — to a new, exclusive three-year deal. Mark Zuckerberg The Facebook CEO grapples with a new disclosure from a cyber intelligence firm of a data breach of 533 million accounts in 2019, exposing users’ phone numbers. Showbiz Stocks $1.50 (+4.9%) CINEWORLD (CNNWF) Godzilla vs. Kong’s bow sparked the…

Big Deal On April 1, Lionsgate shifted its streaming strategy, selling its 75 percent stake in Latino-centric service Pantaya for $124 million to Hemisphere Media, a Miami-based publicly traded firm focused on Hispanic markets. The sale allows Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer to focus on the Starz brand as it looks to grow the service, which has 27 million subscribers, globally. Meanwhile, Hemisphere, which held a 25 percent stake in Pantaya since its launch in 2017, will add the service’s 900,000 subscribers to its portfolio of platforms like Cinelatino and news station WAPA, with the goal of building subscribers to between 2.5 million and 3 million in the U.S. and Puerto Rico by 2025. “When they [Netflix, Amazon] bring Spanish-language content stateside, they can’t do what we do to promote these…

Court Date Set for Placement of Marilyn Monroe Statue Marilyn Monroe’s windblown dress in Billy Wilder’s The Seven Year Itch is one of cinema’s most iconic images, one that is captured in a 26-foot-tall, 30,000-pound statue by John Seward Johnson II — now the subject of furor in Palm Springs. A lawsuit filed by a citizens’ group led by designer Trina Turk opposes its placement outside the Palm Springs Art Museum, where visitors would be greeted by the statue’s panty-clad backside. An April 9 hearing is scheduled; a GoFundMe campaign backed by 300-plus donors has raised more than $62,000 to go toward legal expenses for the group. “We do not want her on Museum Way,” Turk tells THR, adding that its original locale, an adjacent park, is preferred. The statue…

The Tropicale “Super-fun vibe with festive patio seating and excellent food and drinks. Recommendation: Do yourself a favor and try their famous coconut martini.” 330 E. Amado Road Eight4Nine “Classic dishes reinvented and always delicious. The Irish Stew Pie is gigantic (and yummy), and their decadent desserts also don’t disappoint.” 849 N. Palm Canyon Drive Pinocchio in the Desert “Casual vibe for a big brunch with bottomless champagne for $5. Myriad juices by the carafe for mimosas of any variety.” 134 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way High Bar at The Rowan “Rooftop bar with specialty cocktails, light bites and fun food on the pool deck of The Rowan Hotel. Great for day or evening.” 100 W. Tahquitz Canyon Way Moxie Palm Springs “All your favorite bar foods (sliders, nachos). Pre-COVID, they…

During Hollywood’s pandemic shutdowns in 2020, one market stayed bustling: media rights sales. That has been a boon to some authors and agents who were able to get book-to-film or TV packages sold during a quieter time for the industry. “We felt like we had to make the most of opportunities during this period — otherwise, it would be very shortsighted of us,” says CAA books agent Michelle Kroes of the uptick in interest in the rights market. The top four agencies’ divisions that handle media rights have been doing more business since the start of the pandemic as compared to the same time period the previous year, with CAA and UTA each pegging their deal totals at more than 250. The growth in streaming deals and interest in diverse…

FILM Steven Yeun (CAA, Principal/Gotham, Hansen Jacobson) is in talks to join Keke Palmer for Jordan Peele’s latest directorial effort at Universal. In the Heights’ Anthony Ramos (CAA, Door 24, Modest, Paul Hastings) is in final talks to lead the next Transformers film, being directed by Creed II’s Steven Caple Jr. Jeremy Strong (WME, Sugar 23, Hansen Jacobson) will play Jonas Salk, the virologist behind the polio vaccine, in feature Splendid Solution from Bron Studios and 21 Laps. Woody Harrelson (Jeremy Plager) will play real-life physician and Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler in World War II thriller The Man With the Miraculous Hands. Randall Park (UTA, Artists First, Myman Greenspan) will make his feature directorial debut adapting graphic novel Shortcomings. Dianna Agron (Grandview, Hansen Jacobson) has joined Dustin Hoffman in indie…

Water Memory (THOMAS & MERCER, FEBRUARY 2021) BY Daniel Pyne AGENCY WME The first book in the Aubrey Sentro series focuses on a spy, plagued by concussions, who goes undercover on a cargo ship as it is attacked by pirates. The thriller has franchise potential in the vein of Jason Bourne or Jack Reacher features. Kisses and Croissants (DELACORTE PRESS, APRIL 2021) BY Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau AGENCY Alloy Entertainment The U.S. debut for the author is a France-set YA that is To All the Boys meets Emily in Paris. It follows a teenage American ballerina at an elite ballet program in Paris, and features a misunderstood frenemy and a romance with a coach’s son.…

“There is value in sticking the landing.”REGÉ-JEAN PAGEThe breakout star of Netflix’s Bridgerton, to Variety, after his surprise departure from the series after just one season. “It’s painful, because they fear being found out.”KATE WINSLETThe actress, to The Sunday Times, revealing that she knows several actors who hide their sexuality because of persistent homophobia in Hollywood. “It may go down as one of the biggest and most important trials in U.S. history to air on television.”SCOTT TUFTSThe Court TV senior vp, to the Los Angeles Times, emphasizing the impact of the Derek Chauvin trial on the relaunch of the courtroom broadcast outlet. “I’m taking back what’s mine.”THANDIWE NEWTONThe actress, for the May 2021 cover of British Vogue, reclaiming the correct spelling of her name after a misspelling on her first…

When the idea of making a biopic about Mahalia Jackson first came up, about half the members of Lifetime’s Original Movies group hadn’t heard of the gospel legend and civil rights leader — which, for that team, was a selling point. “We had been talking about women who have historically made impacts that no one talks about,” says head of movies Tanya Lopez of the group’s brainstorming sessions. It was programming manager Mekita Faiye who suggested Jackson, and though her pitch was met with unfamiliarity, it wasn’t dismissed. “Everyone loses when we don’t take the time to understand others’ unique experiences, especially when it’s due to economic, ethnic or even religious differences,” says Faiye, one of six people of color (including Lopez) on the 11-person LOM team. “Fortunately, Lifetime creates…

1. The Levy Family in Prada, Monique Lhuillier and The Row The show was a family affair for the winning Schitt’s Creek clan: Dad Eugene Levy donned a Prada suit, daughter Sarah Levy wore a chic gown by Monique Lhuillier, while son Dan Levy accessorized his suit by The Row (which he called a “custom cream dream”) with a vintage Cartier brooch. 2. Catherine O’Hara in Thom Browne The Schitt’s Creek best actress winner’s modern update on a tuxedo was crafted of a full-length dress featuring a corset, trompe l’oeil tux shirt and sequined skirt, worn with a matching jacket and Chopard jewels. 3. Carey Mulligan in Prada The Promising Young Woman nominee opted for sleek style in a custom cream satin apron, black satin skirt and crystal-embellished sandals by…

On a brisk Halloween day in 2012, the thin facade of normalcy at Scott Rudin Productions shattered. Literally. At about 4:15 p.m. — more than 10 hours into a typical Rudin day that began at 6 and never wrapped before 8 — the Oscar-winning producer was enraged that one of his assistants failed to get him a seat on a sold-out flight. In a fit of fury, he allegedly smashed an Apple computer monitor on the assistant’s hand. The screen shattered, leaving the young man bleeding and in need of immediate medical attention. One person in the office at the time described the incident as sounding like a car crash: a cacophonous collision of metal, glass and limb. The wounded assistant headed to the emergency room, and Rudin called his…

MIPTV is determined to put on a show, despite COVID-19. Cannes’ spring global television market was one of the first industry events to be canceled last year because of the global pandemic. But, if anything, the pandemic has helped the international TV business. Small-screen consumption is booming worldwide, and with streaming platforms both old (Netflix, Amazon) and new (Disney+, HBO Max) hungry for content, demand for the next big thing has never been higher. The Croisette will be empty, but organizer Reed MIDEM is going ahead with an online-only version of MIPTV from April 12 to April 16 and has lined up an impressive group of onscreen talent to present. Music superstar Marc Anthony, who stars in this summer’s feature adaptation of In the Heights, will host a virtual keynote…

When Endeavor filed to go public March 31, nearly two years after its first try, it made a subtle but notable change in its pitch to investors. In its first filing on May 23, 2019, the opening line in its prospectus read, “Endeavor is a global entertainment, sports and content company.” In its second attempt, on March 31, the opening line in its prospectus read, “Endeavor is a premium intellectual property, content, events and experiences company.” In 2019, the company’s talent representation business was front and center, but, in 2021, Endeavor pitches itself as an intellectual property owner. The profound impact of the pandemic on Endeavor’s business has led to a reorganizing of its focus, with sports and events now at the forefront, and with fighting league UFC and Professional…

Before Hollywood’s workforce was temporarily sidelined by the pandemic, it was California’s AB 5 law that was a hot topic among studio executives worrying about their bottom lines. The bill, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in September 2019, reclassified many independent contractors as employees — or, at least, it aimed to do so before waves of litigation and lobbying caused the state to dole out exemptions as if they were Ugg boots on a TV segment of “Oprah’s Favorite Things.” Now, worker classification legislation has gone national. In California, AB 5 codified a test used by the state’s supreme court in a dispute involving trucking company Dynamex. Under that ABC test, a worker is presumed to be an employee unless they meet three criteria — one of which…

Deal of the Week Just over a year ago, it looked like an open-and-shut case. In February 2020, Lionsgate disclosed that it was moving ahead on a sequel to Knives Out, the box office and critical smash whodunit starring Daniel Craig and written and directed by Rian Johnson. But on March 31, in a twist worthy of Agatha Christie, came the reveal that Lionsgate would not be releasing the sequel at all. Instead, two sequels would be made by Netflix, which inked a dagger-driving $469million deal with Johnson and his producing partner at T-Street, Ram Bergman, both of whom are represented by CAA. Deal points were noteworthy: The pact gave Johnson immense creative control, sources tell THR. He doesn’t have to take notes from the streamer. The contingencies are that…

DEC. 3, 2020 “A win-win for film lovers and exhibitors.”ANN SARNOFFThe WarnerMedia chair and CEO said in December that Warner Bros.’ 2021 release slate would debut simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. On March 31, the studio’s Godzilla vs. Kong still managed to open to box office numbers comparable to 2019 figures, which Wall Street analyst Eric Wold says is “a clear indication that consumers want to return to theaters.”…

Weddings E! host Erin Lim married creative director and designer Joshua Rhodes in her parents’ Los Angeles backyard Jan. 21. The couple wed in front of their immediate families and celebrated with margaritas, mules and barbecue from Bludso’s. Births Amy McGee Loureiro, video marketer at Apple, and Fernando Loureiro, producer and owner of Exhibit, welcomed second son George Joaquim Loureiro on Jan. 19 at Providence Saint John’s Heath Center in Santa Monica. Leslie Odom Jr. and his wife, actress Nicolette Robinson, welcomed son Able Phineas on March 25. Congrats Marci Proietto was tapped to lead Disney’s 20th Television Animation division March 30. Former Endeavor Content partner Lorenzo De Maio launched production venture De Maio Entertainment on March 29. Zennen Clifton joined Apple TV+ as a creative executive March 31. Chet…

RAY FISHER IS READY TO TALK. Ever since June 2020, when he fired off a tweet accusing Joss Whedon of “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” conduct on the set of Justice League, the 33-year-old actor has used social media and a series of interviews to lob serious allegations of racist behavior and a cover-up at Warner Bros. For Fisher, who plays Cyborg in the film, the issue is no longer so much what happened on the set in 2017, after director Zack Snyder was replaced by Joss Whedon, though he’s ready to explain that, too. His unrelenting focus in recent months has been the way executives, first at the Warner film studio and then at its parent, WarnerMedia, handled allegations raised by himself and others. WarnerMedia has previously said that…

For the titular character’s return to America in Amazon’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, 14 years after the smash success of 2006’s Borat, satirist Sacha Baron Cohen recruited eight writers to craft the film’s screenplay. Some of those writers — including Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham and Dan Mazer — received an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay alongside Baron Cohen for the 2006 film; joining the writing team for the Oscar-nominated sequel are Dan Swimer and Lee Kern (who worked on Baron Cohen’s Showtime series Who Is America?), as well as Erica Rivinoja, Jena Friedman and Nina Pedrad. But what does a screenplay look like for a largely improvised film in which its lead actors interact with unwitting scene partners who believe they are participating in a documentary? According to head…

In Easttown, Pennsylvania — where most everybody is on a first-name basis with everybody else — young women keep disappearing. The familiarity among residents isn’t reliably friendly; if someone knows the tragedies you’ve been through, they’re as likely to exploit them as they are to empathize with you. That’s a lesson Dawn Bailey (Enid Graham), the cancer-stricken mother of a missing girl, learns the hard way. After she goes on TV to lambaste the town’s cops for failing to find her daughter when she vanished years ago, a stranger calls Dawn demanding a king’s ransom for Katie’s whereabouts — a transparent bid at a shakedown only she can’t see. Sometimes the young women return. More often, they stay disappeared, leaving behind mourning moms, broken families, confused kids and a town…

Sure, nothing can beat hands-on experience, but learning the basics and technology of costume design can offer the skills to meet the unique demands of virtually any type of project. Just ask Emmy Award-winning costume designer Jane Petrie (The Crown, French Exit), who credits her alma mater for giving her a leg up. “I left Wimbledon Art School in 1992 with the practical skills I needed to become a trainee in the costume department of a film or theater production,” she says. “The confidence I’d gained through practice meant I could do an alteration under pressure on the set or dye and break down a garment to support the storytelling on camera.” That kind of participatory learning continued over the past pandemic year, even as most design schools adapted to…

BETTY THOMAS Robert B. Aldrich Award The DGA’s current secretary-treasurer, Thomas is being honored for her decades of work. Her helming credits include The Brady Bunch Movie, Private Parts, Doctor Dolittle and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. BRIAN E. FRANKISH Frank Capra Achievement Award He started out as a PA on films like 1972’s Play It Again, Sam and rose through the ranks to become a prolific unit production manager with such credits as Field of Dreams, Flight of the Intruder, Righteous Kill and Stuart Little. JOYCE THOMAS Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award Thomas, now an associate director/technical manager for CBS’ Media Distribution Center, has worked at the network for more than 30 years. She has been a DGA associate national board member since 2011.…

Lil Nas X’s video for “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” — with its glistening pole to hell and sexy satanic lap dance — has reignited the culture wars in ways not seen since the 1980s. Back then, Madonna’s video for “Like a Prayer” was the controversy to beat. It featured the singer, then 30, dancing in front of burning crosses, experiencing stigmata and kissing a statue of a Black Jesus who comes to life in a church. (The “Saint,” as he was described in the script to appease production executives, was portrayed by actor Leon, who also plays a young man wrongly accused of a crime in the piece.) The video debuted on MTV on Feb. 23, 1989 and was the fifth that Mary Lambert had conceived and directed…