The all-new Hollywood Reporter offers unprecedented access to the people, studios, networks and agencies that create the magic in Hollywood. Published weekly, the oversized format includes exceptional photography and rich features.
Rachel Maddow Amid deal talks about her future at MSNBC, the anchor prevails in court over a lawsuit from OAN about her claim that the network aired “paid Russian propaganda.” Ted Sarandos Even as Netflix, led by its co-CEO, pays $300 million to Ryan Murphy for originals, the megaproducer strengthens ties with Disney for two more American Story spinoffs. Steve Huffman As ad revenue hits $100 million in its latest quarter, the Reddit CEO plans to raise $700 million from investors at a valuation of $10 billion for the platform. David Kenny Under fire from TV networks over the accuracy of its data, Nielsen, led by its CEO, puts on “hiatus” the credentialing process for its national ratings service to address “concerns.” Showbiz Stocks $150.19 (+2.8%) APPLE (APPL) September is…
Hopes were running relatively high on studio lots across Hollywood in June. A true box office recovery seemed within sight. Executives could feel some confidence about their fall releases after having to rearrange their entire calendars at the beginning of the pandemic in spring 2020 and then again during last winter’s surge of COVID-19 cases. But the sense of calm wasn’t to last. The aggressive delta variant sparked a spike in COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles, some Southern states and now nationwide. Moviegoing comfort levels plummeted in a matter of weeks, according to polls conducted by the National Research Group, waylaying the recovery indefinitely. Overall comfort had been running at a pandemic-era record of 81 percent in early July; now it has fallen to 64-or-so percent. The response was swift…
With sitting SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris opting not to seek reelection this year after five years in the role (secretary-treasurer Camryn Manheim also won’t be running again for her position), the performers’ union is bound for a leadership shake-up when 2021 national election votes are tabulated Sept. 2. And the four candidates now vying for the high-ranking roles are locked in a contentious battle for support — with diverging views about how best to lead the union’s 160,000 members during a tumultuous time in Hollywood. At the top of the ticket for the Unite for Strength party, affiliated with Carteris and Manheim, are veteran activists Fran Drescher (star of The Nanny, who is running for president) and Anthony Rapp (of Star Trek: Discovery and vying for secretary-treasurer). Rival group Membership…
Earlier this year, Netflix announced that Bridgerton, a show I created and ran, was the streaming giant’s biggest series debut ever. I was astounded. How could this Regency period piece that had consumed the better part of the last three years of my life be capturing the zeitgeist in such a big way? I’m convinced it’s due in no small part to the show’s intentionally inclusive world — one where every viewer, no matter who they are, could see themselves onscreen. A world that’s not color-blind, as some have suggested, but one that’s color-conscious. My pitch for Bridgerton was straightforward: I wanted to turn the period genre on its head and reimagine it in a new and exciting way. One that included characters of different colors and backgrounds. One that…
FILM Mulan actor Yoson An (CAA, Silver Lining, Jackoway Austen) is joining Lionsgate thriller The Plane, which began filming in August in Puerto Rico. Idris Elba (M88, WME, Artists Partnership, Ziffren Brittenham) will voice Knuckles in Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Scarlett Johansson (CAA, Morris Yorn), Rupert Friend (Grandview, Hansen Jacobson) and Jason Schwartzman (WME, Sloane Offer) have joined Wes Anderson’s new movie, an untitled project not yet set up at a studio. Brian Tucker (Verve, David Fox) has been hired to write the script for Blumhouse’s new Spawn feature from director Todd McFarlane. TELEVISION Wyatt Cenac (UTA, Avalon, Jared Levine) extended his relationship with WarnerMedia and signed a cross-studio overall deal with Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios. HBO ordered a second season of satirical limited series The White…
Deal of the Week On Aug. 13, one day after Disney CEO Bob Chapek deflected criticism over a profits lawsuit from Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson by telling investors that “by and large” talent deals had gone “very smoothly,” the executive locked in another franchise star for a sequel. Sources tell THR that Emma Stone scored a low-eight-figure payday for the sequel to Cruella, which was released May 28 both in theaters and on Disney+ via Premier Access for $30. (One big unknown: It’s unclear what the profit participation structure is for the sequel. Disney declined to comment.) While Disney’s top brass avoided another contentious lawsuit — Johansson claims the studio sacrificed Black Widow box office in order to grow Disney+ subscriptions — backend and buyout payments will be an ongoing…
