Innholdsfortegnelse for December 16, 2022 i The Hollywood Reporter

Liz Garbus The Meghan & Harry director offers enough new detail in the docuseries to drive a Fleet Street frenzy and Netflix viewership to an internal record for documentaries. Shou Zi Chew The Senate passes a bill banning TikTok from government devices, a signal to the app’s chief that more regulatory scrutiny lies ahead for the China-based firm. Tommy Wirkola & David Harbour The Violent Night director (left) and star lift Universal’s holiday-themed actioner to $28 million domestic as it carves a niche pre-Christmas. Stanley Tucci As part of a larger pullback on originals programming and budget cuts, CNN cancels the actor’s travelogue Searching for Italy, although the show may be shopped elsewhere. Showbiz Stocks $249.01 (+1.8%) MICROSOFT (MSFT) An attempt by the FTC to block the tech giant’s Activision…

SmartLess Media, the company from Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, is releasing its first slate of podcasts in early 2023 with Jameela Jamil, Rex Chapman, Rob Corddry and Eric McCormack. Following cuts of 11 shows from producers Gimlet and Parcast earlier this year, Spotify, led by Daniel Ek, has canceled at least six shows from audio creators that were part of its Spotify Live programming slate. After inking a deal in November, Exactly Right Media ended its pact with the popular podcast Sounds Like a Cult, from Isa Medina and Amanda Montell, “due to unforeseen circumstances.”…

From a Paris Balcony (GRAND CENTRAL, DEC. 13) BY Ella Carey AGENCY Madeleine Milburn Literary Mrs. Harris isn’t the only one who can go to Paris — in this dual-timeline historical fiction, a recently divorced and orphaned Sarah books herself a trip to the City of Light to chase down the real story about a mysterious family ancestor. How to Sell a Haunted House (BERKLEY, JAN. 17) BY Grady Hendrix AGENCY Aperture Entertainment The horror author has four books in various stages of adaptation; his latest follows siblings attempting to sell their childhood home despite the difficulties of long-simmering familial tensions and a pesky evil-puppet (yes, really) infestation.…

When Jack Champion found out five years ago that he was auditioning for James Cameron’s long-awaited Avatar sequel, the actor — then 12 — watched the original 2009 film every day for a month. “Three hours, every day,” says Champion, now 18. “It was one of my favorite movies growing up.” Coming off appearances in the 2018 comedy-horror film The Night Sitter and a small role in Avengers: Endgame, Champion plays Miles “Spider” Socorro in Avatar: The Way of Water. He underwent a lengthy audition process to score the role. “It was four months, starting with self-tapes,” he recalls, “and then I met with the casting director [Margery Simkin] over Skype. It was a lot of auditioning. I never was like, ‘Oh, I’m definitely gonna get the role.’ ” The…

If it’s currently “’tis the season” for having absolutely no idea which wine to choose for a co-worker, client or holiday party, THR is here to help ease the confusion with tips from industry experts. Many highly sought-after wines are particularly hard to find right now. “Whether it’s because people drank through their cellars during lockdown or because of a general sense of impatience, we can’t offer enough library vintages for the demand,” says Vanessa Conlin, one of 53 masters of wine in the U.S. and head of wine for online retailer Wine Access (whose offerings include wine selections from Michelin-starred restaurants). At the same time and likely thanks to inflation, inexpensive wines from overseas also are highly desirable. “People are being more budget-minded these days,” says Chris Lucchese, sommelier…

Where the Crawdads Sing is exactly the sort of movie that isn’t supposed to work anymore on the big screen. Yet the summer release speared more than $140 million globally, including $90 million domestically. That’s a small fortune for a literary adaptation that was made for $30 million — and a big win for Tom Rothman, Sony’s movie studio chief and theatrical evangelist. As 2022 wraps, Rothman, 68, has plenty to celebrate seven years after being asked by Sony chair Tony Vinciquerra to rebuild the studio following its devastating hack. Sony’s Motion Picture Group has swung to three years of record profits. The past fiscal year hit an all-time high, led by Spider-Man: No Way Home, which grossed $1.92 billion globally since its release in mid-December 2021. “I genuinely believe…

When Netflix transformed the entertainment business through streaming and binge-watching, it also made a critical decision: It wouldn’t have ads. Executives at the company chalked it up to a premium consumer experience. Fifteen years later, however, the company has changed course and launched an ad-supported tier. “You’re right to say I didn’t believe in the ad-supported tactic for us. And I was wrong about that,” CEO Reed Hastings admitted Nov. 30 at the New York Times DealBook Summit. “Hulu really proved that you could do that at scale and offer consumers lower prices. And that was a better model.” But Netflix isn’t alone. Disney+ also launched without ads, and in early December added them. HBO, like Netflix, never had ads … until HBO Max added them in 2021. Ad-free may…

The economy might be melting down, but private equity’s desire to invest in the celebrity entertainment complex remains red hot. Consider Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The Oscar winners and A-listers launched a production company in November called Artists Equity, in partnership with Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital. Said Cardinale in an MBA-jargonladen talk at the New York Times DealBook Summit, “It was much more of an entrepreneurial, founder conversation about how do we build a term value business that takes advantage of the technology disintermediation that’s going on in content monetization, and create the next new thing.” And while the talent associated with the company will always tout the bigger meaning behind the move (“I want to use the second act of my life to create a meaningful, robust company…

Walt Disney never quite had a “court composer” for his movies, although legends like Leigh Harline, Frank Churchill and Paul J. Smith contributed iconic scores and song melodies to Disney classics from Snow White and Pinocchio to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. But for the past three decades, the music in Walt Disney features — and the features themselves — has been redefined to recapture and rebrand the musical, a medium long thought dead in film and even on the Broadway stage. And if there is one man who is largely responsible for this resurgence, it’s Alan Menken. The composer’s melodies for songs — “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid, the title song to Beauty and the Beast, “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas, “True Love’s Kiss” from Enchanted…

Kathleen Finch CHAIR, WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY U.S. NETWORKS GROUP “Bringing two large, siloed content groups together to form one cohesive team has been both exciting and a little daunting,” says Finch of establishing a new normal at Warner Bros. Discovery, where her group oversees thousands of hours of original content across dozens of networks, including content and talent deals. “We’ve had to learn about new businesses and get to know new colleagues in an extremely short amount of time, but the accelerated pace provided the adrenaline rush that keeps this business fun.” MY 2023 WORK RESOLUTION “To not feel guilty about spending so much time working.” Ken Fox FOUNDER, STRIPES A24, the beloved independent film outfit, has long been at the center of sale speculation, but this year the studio…

Nearly two months after Henry Cavill declared on Instagram that he was back as Superman — “I wanted to make it official,” he said in a Oct. 24 clip — the actor was forced to acknowledge that no, it wasn’t so, as new DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran chart a new course for the Man of Steel in a movie to be written by Gunn that will feature a younger actor in the lead. “I will, after all, not be returning as Superman,” Cavill said in a Dec. 14 post on Instagram. “After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I…

JEFF ZUCKER RETURNS WITH $1B TO BURN: WHO WILL MAKE BANK? Deal of the Week Over the years, Jeff Zucker has become known for his producing skills, but the media executive is also no stranger to dealmaking. As CEO of NBC Universal, he acquired cable channels like Oxygen (for $925million) and The Weather Channel (valued at $3.5 billion), bulking up in cable before it hit its peak. At CNN, he cut smaller deals, seeking digital disrupters like the news reading app Zite (for $20million), the digital news platform Canopy and the Casey Neistat startup Beme (for $25 million). And for his next act, his dealmaking experience, both big and small, is the skill set he will be leaning on, taking a $1 billion war chest from Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital…

Damien Chazelle and producing partner Olivia Hamilton’s Wild Chickens label inked a multiyear, first-look deal with Paramount. Taylor Swift lined up an untitled feature directorial debut at Searchlight from her own original script. Hustlers director Lorene Scafaria (UTA) will direct an untitled Bee Gees movie for Paramount, Amblin, GK Films and Sister. Amandla Stenberg-starrer (UTA) My Animal sold to Paramount ahead of the Jacqueline Castel-directed horror feature’s Sundance debut. Michelle Yeoh (Artist International Group) joined Universal’s Jon M. Chu-directed film adaptation of Wicked as Madame Morrible. Chris Backus (APA) has joined Eva Green and Ruby Rose in Millennium Media’s action thriller Dirty Angels. Writing duo Alex Ankeles and Morgan Jurgenson (Kaplan/Perrone) and producer Beau Flynn sold fantasy pitch Crescenthia to New Line. DIGITAL/TV Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins (CAA)…

Selena Gomez dined with Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz Beckham at Nobu Malibu, where Miley Cyrus was spotted days later. … Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi had a date night at Craig’s. … Chris Pratt lunched with wife Katherine Schwarzenegger and her brother Patrick at A Votre Santé. … Jessica Alba had a night out with the family at Din Tai Fung in Century City. … In New York, Clive Davis shared a meal with Bono at Harry Cipriani. … Matt Damon broke bread at Maison Close. … Machine Gun Kelly stopped by Fig & Olive’s Meatpacking location. … Ralph Macchio paid a visit to Avra Madison. Cork & Batter The Quick Pitch The three-level dining destination is in the heart of Inglewood’s growing sports and entertainment district: across from…

When you’re looking to spread holiday cheer, it’s best to start with some toast — the kind that involves lifting a champagne flute. But with wine store shelves teeming with the stuff this time of year, you’ve got some serious decisions to make. Walton Goggins is here to help. When it comes to sparkling wine, the Righteous Gemstones star admits to being an equal opportunity imbiber, enjoying everything from haute champagnes to affordable proseccos. In fact, he’s most satisfied combining prosecco with his own Mulholland Gin into a French 75 cocktail. “I’m less haughty and more naughty,” he tells THR. “The average drinker isn’t overly fussy, they just want what tastes good. That’s me. Because let’s be real: Bubbles are bubbles — unless you’re scuba diving!” LA GIOIOSA PROSECCO “La…

HOMECOMING QUEEN Michelle Yeoh, who returned to her action-heroine roots with an awards-worthy turn in this year’s most bonkers blockbuster, Everything Everywhere All at Once. HOMECOMING KING Bob Iger. Obviously. CUTEST COUPLE Ari and Elon on vacay! MOST VALUABLE PARDNER The Great American West might as well be renamed the Taylor-verse. Not content to have created the most popular show on TV, Taylor Sheridan launched two Yellowstone prequels (1883 and 1923) for Paramount+ this year, as well the gangster series Tulsa King. Expect more spinoffs, at this rate movie business’ MVP of the pandemic era: one for every year in U.S. history. CLASS CLOWN Dave Chappelle is wildly popular around school for telling jokes about how transgender people are body-liars and Jews really do run the media. Principals Ted Sarandos…

WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY SAYS IT COULD spend as much as $1.1 billion on restructuring charges. AMC Networks says it’s cutting 20 percent of its employees. NBCUniversal is offering early retirement packages in anticipation of cuts in the coming months. Paramount has begun layoffs in key departments like ad sales and TV studios. Disney, under new (old) CEO Bob Iger, is restructuring its distribution division (DMED), and other cuts may follow. “The restructuring and change in business strategy, once determined, could result in impairment charges,” the company warned investors in November. As the media and entertainment sector is beginning to feel the pain of a potential recession, it’s tough to find a media company that’s not handing out pink slips. After years of explosive growth, driven by streaming, it seems the…

It’s hard to predict how 2023 will go for the entertainment industry. It’s also hard to pitch a movie. But that’s never stopped anyone in this town from doing both with total confidence. Including me. Here we go … So it’s a two-hander, a buddy comedy, kind of King of Comedy meets The Odd Couple — but it’s in 3D, like all the movies are now since Avatar: The Way of Water made you forget that it doesn’t work for anything but Avatars. We open with a crane shot on a crowded theme park. From behind, we see a man waiting in a long line with his four grandkids, miserable because his Disney Genie+ card is stamped “inactive.” We close in to see that it’s former Disney CEO Bob Chapek…

Comedies and comedy-dramas swept the Golden Globe nominations, which were announced Dec. 12, with The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once and Babylon scoring eight, six and five nods, respectively, in the best motion picture musical or comedy category. Elvis, a musical drama about the life and career of Elvis Presley, was not nominated in the category, instead being placed in the best motion picture, drama, category alongside films like The Fabelmans (which scored five nominations) and Tár (three nods in total). Steven Spielberg’s latest also netted him his 14th career Globe nomination for best director and his second for best screenplay (which he shares with co-writer Tony Kushner). Michelle Williams was also nominated for her leading role in the Universal film, as was the director’s frequent collaborator…

The 15-title shortlist for the international feature category will be announced Dec. 21, with 92 titles vying for a featured spot ahead of the Oscar voting period that begins Jan. 12. In the past five years, four countries have earned three mentions on the shortlist: Denmark, Germany, Mexico and Russia. If those countries’ past luck with the Academy is an indication of this year’s shortlist, then voters may have a chance to honor Denmark’s Holy Spider, Germany’s All Quiet on the Western Front and Mexico’s Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths. (The Russian Film Academy announced Sept. 26 that it would not submit a film for consideration.) Other major contenders this season are Austria’s Corsage (which won actress Vicky Krieps the Un Certain Regard award for best performance…

Benjamin Kramer and Roeg Sutherland CAA “The changing landscape of the theatrical business” has created a challenge in the past year, Kramer says. Yet he and Sutherland, CAA’s media finance co-chiefs, led deals including a $60 million pact for Sony to pick up Tom Hanks’ A Man Called Otto, a $50 million deal with Netflix for David Yates’ Pain Hustlers, and a $30 million deal for Focus to buy Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, as well as landing financing for Sony’s $90 million-budgeted Whitney Houston feature I Wanna Dance With Somebody. THE TICKER Apple, Focus, Sony Andrew Thau UTA “Coming out of the pandemic, our goal was to be as strong and proactive as possible,” the UTA COO says. That led to an acquisitive year for the Beverly Hills-based agency, which…

Back in 2017, though Grammy voters expressed their love of Beyoncé’s Lemonade with an album of the year nomination, it was Adele’s grand album 25 that won the ultimate honor. It sold 10 million copies within a year in the U.S. alone (unprecedentedly selling 3.38 million units in its first week) — in a climate where hitting 1 million was heroic. “Hello,” indeed! That storyline could be repeated at the 2023 Grammys, where Beyoncé’s Renaissance and Adele’s 30 again will go head-to-head for album of the year. But there are other heavyweights ready to disrupt the night: Like Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar may finally win his first top album trophy thanks to the success of his fifth release, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti is…

The Film Academy’s Oscars and its “related activities” revenue totaled $137 million in fiscal 2022 (which ended June 30), up nearly $20 million from 2021. And while its Academy Museum brought in earned revenue of $23.6 million, the September 2021 launch caused expenses to skyrocket to $93.5 million in expenditures during the year. Overall revenue was up substantially from 2021, but its increase in net assets fell, largely due to losses in its investments, which reflected the difficult stock market this year. TOTAL REVENUE $287M +37% year-over-year MAJOR DRIVERS • Academy Awards $137M • Contributions $41M • Academy Museum $23.6M TOTAL EXPENSES $224M +84% year-over-year MAJOR COSTS • Academy Awards $57M • Academy Museum $93M • Preservation operations $21M INVESTMENT RETURN 2022 -$45M 2021 +$70M Source: AMPAS filing with Municipal…

HBO, HBO MAX 7 episodes 10.1M average viewers The White Lotus season two put up strong numbers — and like some other HBO series, the overwhelming majority of its audience watched by means other than tuning in at 9 p.m. on Sunday nights. HBO says crossplatform viewing jumped 50 percent compared with the first season to 10.1 million viewers over the show’s seven-week run. The audience for the first airing on the HBO cable channel, however, was only up about 4 percent to 564,000 viewers. Most of the remaining folks watched via HBO Max, a pattern also followed by House of the Dragon and Euphoria. The Dec. 11 season finale drew 4.1 million first-night viewers, more than double the audience for the end of season one (1.9 million).…

SNAPPING UP THEATER LOCATIONS Another new lease on life for AMC came by using its rising share price and cash reserves to go on a movie theater acquisition binge. That includes taking on the leases of sites formerly owned by Pacific Theatres (L.A.’s Grove and Americana), ArcLight and Bow Tie Cinemas. PITCHING ZOOM ROOMS Why Zoom at home when you can do it in a theater? AMC is turning select theaters in 17 of its U.S. markets into Zoom conference rooms. The idea is meant to help corporations hold virtual events across multiple theaters. LAUNCHING A CREDIT CARD Its most recent venture is a credit card set to launch in early 2023 in partnership with Visa and Deserve. Cardholders will earn extra points on purchases toward its membership arm, AMC…

Big Deal The streaming wars have a new battleground: What platform will emerge as the biggest middleman, connecting consumers with their services? It’s an area now dominated by the likes of Roku and Amazon, but Verizon believes it has a shot at being a contender. On Dec. 14, the Hans Vestberg-run telecom revealed the beta launch of its streaming hub +play, which lets users search, subscribe and pay for a variety of streaming offerings in one place, all connected to their existing cellphone or home internet bill. And to entice users to give it a try, Verizon says it is partnering with Netflix to give users a free year of Netflix Premium (which normally costs $19.99 a month) if they subscribe to another service through the hub. At launch, +play…

Big Number Ill-gotten profits alleged by the SEC, which charged eight Twitter influencers with attempting to manipulate stock market prices. Rep Sheet White Lotus star Murray Bartlett signed at WME. Terrifier 2 filmmaker Damien Leone is now at WME. Comedian Loni Love left UTA for APA. The Hills alum Audrina Patridge signed with A3. Comedian Matt Rife inked with CAA. The McFarlands, a family of TikTok influencers, signed with CAA. THR, Esq. SETTLED Taylor Swift “Shake It Off” lawsuit. WHY IT MATTERS Heading off a trial set to start Jan. 17, a copyright suit against Swift from songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler accusing her of lifting the lyrics to her 2014 hit single has been dropped. A federal judge dismissed the case after the sides agreed to resolve the…

“I’m happy in space. I’ve always been happy in space.”ZOE SALDAÑA The actress, to Deadline, walking back comments that she felt “stuck” in film franchises such as Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Trek. “These are not sustainable models, and the old models were pretty damn good.”BRYAN LOURD The CAA co-chair, to Variety, bemoaning the financials for talent and producers now that streaming has eliminated syndication sales for TV shows. “An early Christmas gift.”MARIAH CAREY The singer, on Twitter, reacting to “All I Want for Christmas Is You” again reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — the fourth year it’s done so since its original 1994 release. “You know, I’ve got a phone.”ROBERT DOWNEY JR. The actor, speaking with THR’s Scott Feinberg during Awards Chatter Live at…

Weddings Artists First manager Casey Neumeier married Grace Kelly, a writer and luxury travel professional, on Nov. 12 at Ingleside Inn in Palm Springs, followed by an afterparty at the Casablanca Lounge inside Melvyn’s. Births WME partner Allysa Mahler and husband Scott Mahler welcomed son Brooks Caleb Mahler on Oct. 3 at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. Congrats Michelle Brattson was hired as executive vp physical production for Amblin Partners on Dec. 6. Allison Wallach was upped to president of unscripted programming at Fox Entertainment on Dec. 8. Fifth Season (formerly known as Endeavor Content) hired Jill Arthur and promoted Noah Greenshner, both to executive vp TV development and production posts, Dec. 12. Vox Media upped Ray Chao to senior vp and GM of audio and digital video and…

When Shark Tank guest shark Emma Grede — the co-founder of Kim Kardashian’s Skims and Khloé Kardashian’s Good American brands — celebrated her 40th birthday in October, she chose to do it at Promontory winery in Napa Valley. Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner and designer Peter Dundas were among the guests at the lavish festivities, which were catered by Mother Wolf and Felix chef Evan Funke. Founded in 2008, Promontory is one of the hottest California wine labels among stars and industry players. Part of the illustrious Harlan family portfolio (alongside Harlan Estate, BOND and The Mascot), it’s revered for its 100 percent cabernet sauvignon wines, priced between $700 and $900 (depending on the vintage). LeBron James is a fan, as is WME partner John Marx. “I have been growing my…

The country’s most daring and promising young fighter pilot takes part in a top-secret testing program for the military’s most advanced fighter jets. Logline sound familiar? With hot young Chinese test pilots and heart-stopping aerial acrobatics, Born to Fly was supposed to be China’s answer to Top Gun: Maverick. The wildly anticipated action flick stars Wang Yibo, a pop star turned actor (think China’s Harry Styles), and was written and directed by Liu Xiaoshi, who cut his teeth making popular promotional videos for the Chinese military. Produced in full cooperation with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force — much as Maverick was with the U.S. Navy — the film showcases China’s most advanced stealth fighter jet, the J-20. So, when Born to Fly was officially scheduled for release on Sept.…

Damon LINDELOF Writer-producer (Watchmen, The Leftovers) A reality show that’s a mix of The White Lotus (because it’s self-aware) and Love Island (because sex) where all the entertainment CEOs get drunk and flirt with one another until they all hook up and pair off into new mega-conglomerates like DisFlix and AppleCast. Patton OSWALT Actor-comedian A Dr. Strangelovestyle limited series about a collapsing streamer that announces a “reboot” of a franchise that never existed and uses existing social media (Twitter, YouTube, Insta) to start planting “clips” of the franchise (a supernatural horror action-comedy) into the mass mind, creating a general “false memory” of this beloved property before unveiling its shiny new reboot. Problem is, they do such a good job “meme-ing” this false memory into people’s brains that it triggers a…

Among the Globes’ TV categories, Quinta Brunson’s Abbott Elementary scored the most noms with five overall, while Netflix’s The Crown, Netflix’s Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building followed closely behind with four nods each. Hulu’s Pam & Tommy and HBO’s The White Lotus (season two) also scored four noms each. HBO/HBO Max and Netflix tied with the most nominations for a platform, receiving a whopping 14 each. Hulu scored 10 nods, while FX came in at nine, and ABC and Apple TV+ at six. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association likes to champion new shows, as well as shows that premiered after the Emmys. That includes Dahmer, Apple TV+’s Black Bird (three noms), FX/Hulu’s The Bear (two), HBO’s House of the Dragon (two),…

If any group truly has a grasp on the pulse of Hollywood deals, it’s the investment banks that give incalculably valuable financial advice to entertainment’s elite — and there are three companies that insiders say rise above the rest (and their client lists show it) ARYEH BOURKOFF LIONTREE ADVISES AT&T, MGM, ViacomCBS, Apollo Global Management ABOUT As the co-founder and CEO of the small but very mighty boutique investment bank LionTree, Bourkoff has become a trusted and well-known name in the M&A space, gaining the ear of executives such as Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, even after he had represented AT&T on the opposite side of the merger. In his 2021 year-end letter, he predicted 2022 would be a “year of adjustment,” adding that “the most successful companies will…