Innholdsfortegnelse for January 27, 2023 i The Hollywood Reporter

Tech Musk in Court Investors take on the Tesla mogul p. 16 Film Sundance Is Back Behind the biggest deals in Park City this year p. 18 Alexi Hawley The creator’s spy series The Recruit gets renewed at Netflix as his ABC procedural The Rookie jumps 35 percent in same-day audience after moving to Tuesday nights. Sundar Pichai The Google CEO cuts 12,000 jobs after saying “we hired for a different economic reality than the one we face today,” then faces a DOJ antitrust lawsuit over digital ads. David Eilenberg The former ITV America exec, who joined Roku last year, is promoted by president Charlie Collier to oversee content across the company’s media division. Christopher Ruddy Despite rallying conservative lawmakers in protest, the Newsmax chief sees the network dropped from…

Saudi Arabia and its sovereign wealth fund have quietly — and in some cases not so quietly — built a multi-billiondollar foothold in Hollywood, four years after much of the industry cut ties with the country in response to the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. This time around, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, overseen by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and other Saudi-affiliated firms appear to be betting that live entertainment, rich financial investments and sports can be the gateway to the American market. In January alone, the PIF-backed LIV Golf scored a critical U.S. broadcast TV agreement with The CW, while the government-owned Middle East broadcast giant MBC Group cut a deal with Vice Media to create Arabic-language content. Earlier, Saudi soccer team Al Nassr signed…

In October, Rupert Murdoch launched a trial balloon to reunite his News Corp. and Fox Corp. companies to bring publishing assets like The Wall Street Journal together with TV properties like Fox News for the first time since the 2013 split. That effort was officially scuttled Jan. 24, when the elder Murdoch called a deal “not optimal” for shareholders. Through his family trust, Rupert has effective control over the companies — with Fox Corp. run by son Lachlan — but a merger would require approval from a majority of non-Murdoch-affiliated shareholders. Major shareholders, such as T. Rowe Price and Irenic Capital Management, expressed concerns about the proposed transaction and its potential valuation. And, sources tell THR, so did Murdoch’s other son, James, in letters to both firms’ boards. “We believe…

Lee Edward Colston II is difficult to neatly define, and that’s by design. A former prison guard and MMA fighter who graduated from Juilliard’s inaugural acting MFA program in 2016, Colston has since pivoted to being an actor, writer, director and teacher. Now his play The First Deep Breath, a family drama set in Philadelphia that explores grief and the winding path toward healing, is making its West Coast debut Feb. 1 at the Geffen Playhouse. The inspiration for the play — a drama about a Baptist pastor and his family — was a true story he read about: A family in Philadelphia, some 12 years ago, was plagued by tragedy during the holidays when a firearm the son had purchased for his father as a gift accidentally went off,…

THR held its inaugural Miami Palm Beach Power Broker Awards at Miami Beach’s Faena Theater on Jan. 17. Spotted in the crowd were those on THR’s debut list of South Florida’s top-selling agents (edited by deputy editor Degen Pener), including Tal and Oren Alexander of Official and Douglas Elliman’s Chris Leavitt, former star of Million Dollar Listing Miami. Among the winners: Jill Hertzberg and Jill Eber of Coldwell Banker’s Jills Zeder Team and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty’s Ashley Cusack (the three shared the Stratospheric Sale award for 2022’s $107 million Arsht Estate deal) and Douglas Elliman’s Dina Goldentayer, winner of the Media Maverick award. Fredrik Eklund of Douglas Elliman’s Eklund | Gomes Team emceed. Got tips? Email rambling@thr.com…

West Hollywood has become a nexus for high-end weed shops thanks partly to a welcoming city government. Here are three of the city’s top pot spots, including the only two consumption lounges in the L.A. area: THE ARTIST TREE A cannabis retail, delivery service, art gallery and smoking lounge, The Artist Tree offers edible dining and other consumption events, wellness classes, as well as live music and art experiences. “Budtenders” are on site to help guests select the best products for their needs. 8625 Santa Monica Blvd., theartisttree.com URBN LEAF The first cannabis dispensary on the Sunset Strip, Urbn Leaf follows the chain’s other locations in San Diego and central California. Created in partnership with Sol Yamini, the owner of convenience and alcohol delivery outfit Pink Dot, Urban Leaf offers…

Ten episodes into production of the Apple TV+ grief comedy Shrinking, co-creator Brett Goldstein insists the cast and crew were still asking, “How the fuck is Harrison Ford here?” In truth, Goldstein (aka Roy Kent of Ted Lasso) has often wondered it too, incredulous that the Indiana Jones star agreed to make his comedy debut in the small-screen ensemble rolling out Jan. 27. But there he is, playing a gruff shrink opposite Jason Segel’s grieving, widowed therapist in the half-hour series from Segel, Goldstein and his former Ted Lasso showrunner Bill Lawrence. The trio — Segel and Goldstein in person, Lawrence later by phone — joined THR in late January to preview the show that’s as likely to make viewers laugh as it is to make them cry. Like many…

On Jan. 23, as Spotify staff learned of plans to lay off 6 percent of the company, or about 600 people, top podcast executives at the audio giant went into damage-control mode. Most notable among the departures was Dawn Ostroff, the chief content and advertising business officer who was hired in 2018 to build out Spotify’s podcasting ambitions and, as one top dealmaker describes it, “represented Hollywood and talent from a creative perspective” for the Sweden-based company. With Ostroff set to exit and hand over leadership of content to Alex Nörstrom, a business executive who oversaw Spotify’s freemium model, the podcast execs quickly scheduled calls with outside partners, agents and managers to reassure them of Spotify’s commitment to existing deals. Ostroff’s departure was a surprise to some observers, given that…

On Jan. 24, India had three reasons to celebrate: an original song Oscar nomination for “Naatu Naatu,” the showstopping tune featured in the film RRR; a documentary feature nom for All That Breathes; and a documentary short nom for The Elephant Whisperers — a respectable showing for a country that takes great pride in its cinematic output. But if leaders of the nation’s film industry had played their cards differently a few months earlier when deciding which film should represent India in the best international feature Oscar competition, there could have been even more cause for celebration. For that Oscar category, a country can submit only one title. There are no exceptions for countries with vibrant film industries that produce multiple worthy candidates each year because, as it is, Academy…

In a brief scene in her new movie 80 for Brady, Jane Fonda appears onscreen without her makeup or hair done, a collection of flowing blond wigs hung conspicuously on a rack behind her. It’s a surprisingly vulnerable moment in an otherwise broad studio comedy and a scene that Fonda specifically requested. In most of the rest of the movie, her character, Trish — a former beauty queen who now writes football-inspired erotica — is impeccably coiffed and hyper-feminine. “It’s an exaggerated form of how I used to be,” Fonda says of Trish. “Please the guys. She’s had face-lifts.” Fonda wanted to reveal another layer to the character. “I wanted the audience to see her not done. What is it she’s covering up? All of us, we go home and…

M. Night Shyamalan thought his career was over. In the mid-to late-’90s, he was trapped at Miramax, and his littleseen second film, 1998’s Wide Awake, had been put through the Harvey Weinstein wringer. His dreams of being a working Hollywood director were fading day by day until his reps at UTA found a crack in his otherwise ironclad Miramax contract. The company may have owned his ability to direct, but it did not control his ability to write. So Shyamalan opted to pen the best screenplay he possibly could in order to leverage its demand and escape the clutches of Miramax. That script became The Sixth Sense, and Disney (which then owned Miramax) soon bought the rights with Shyamalan on board as director. The early struggles of the India-born, Philadelphia-raised…

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt Poet-turned-filmmaker Raven Jackson uses elegantly composed vignettes, minimal dialogue and an immersive style to explore the life of a Black woman in the rural South in her eloquent feature, produced by Barry Jenkins. The story follows Mack (Charleen McClure) across several decades, the fragments of her life coming together in a risky, beautifully realized film. — CARYN JAMES Cassandro Gael García Bernal nails his best role in years as groundbreaking lucha libre wrestler Saúl Armendáriz, his performance steeped in cheeky humor, resilience and radical self-belief — not to mention some amazingly nimble moves. Roger Ross Williams’ assured narrative is an exhilarating exploration of fearless queer identity in a macho environment. — DAVID ROONEY The Deepest Breath Filled with eye-popping visuals, thrilling competitions and a…

ALL HAIL QUEEN BEY Beyoncé already has 28 Grammys, and if she wins four more, she will become the most decorated act in the history of the music awards show. She’s nominated for nine honors, giving her a strong chance to surpass the record set by late conductor Georg Solti, who has won 31 Grammys. A SUPREME JOURNEY Diana Ross is on track to earn her second lifetime achievement award, but she’s still never won a competitive Grammy. That could change: The icon is up for best pop vocal album with her latest album, Thank You, marking her first nomination in 40 years. VIOLA ‘EGOT’ DAVIS? She’s got an Oscar, Emmy and two Tonys, and a Grammy could be next: Davis is nominated for best audiobook, narration and storytelling recording…

In what’s beginning to be a trend for a belt-tight-ening era in Hollywood, studios and streamers — from AMC+ to Paramount+ and Disney to HBO Max — have been unloading or writing off completed TV projects rather than releasing them. Now THR has learned of two completed Netflix feature films, The Inheritance and House/Wife, that no longer will be distributed by the streamer, with filmmakers shopping them elsewhere for distribution. The Inheritance, directed by Alejandro Brugués and produced by Paul Schiff, and House/Wife, from director Danis Goulet and producers Tripp Vinson and Daniel Bekerman, are both horror films that were set to be released by Netflix, which will not be moving forward with the movies. In the summer, HBO Max disclosed that the DC feature film Batgirl and the animated…

Long before Elon Musk became the self-described “chief twit,” he was a prolific Twitter user. Among his 22,000-and-counting tweets, there’s one thread that has given him financial and legal headaches for years. On Aug. 7, 2018, Musk posted this message on Twitter: “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.” That tweet, and a handful of others, have already cost him $20 million in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission — which found it to be a series of materially false and misleading statements about the company that caused the stock price to jump — and that tab could increase depending on the jury verdict in the ongoing securities class action, not to mention his mounting legal fees. (Tesla had to pay an additional $20 million to…

Park City Edition Have Sundance-Goers Forgotten How to Sundance? The Sundance Film Festival made a triumphant in-person return to Park City after being held online the past two years because of the pandemic. In the interim, some attendees seem to have misplaced their festival manners. Case in point: At the midnight screening of Laura Moss’ horror film Birth/Rebirth — a twisted look at the extremes of motherhood — one male guest brought in a full rack of barbecue ribs from the Fresh Market next door and proceeded to dig into it (with a fork and knife, bizarrely), unbothered by the stomach-churning, bloody birth scenes onscreen. Ribs aside, the overall vibes on the ground were undeniably celebratory, as hordes of film lovers flocked to theaters all over town. But catch any…

Anniversaries Actor Anthony Marciona and husband Joseph Lo Bue, a former Macy’s executive buyer, celebrated a 25th anniversary vow renewal Dec. 31 at the top of the Aerial Tramway in Palm Springs. Births Actors Erin Carufel and Scott Connors welcomed daughter Presley Rose Yusah on Nov. 17 at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. Congrats Alex Garcia joined Get Me Out Productions as senior vp development and content licensing Jan. 19. Former Wall Street Journal CMO Suzi Watford was tapped as senior vp and chief growth officer for SiriusXM on Jan. 17. Rafael Macias joined Universal Products and Experiences as executive vp global commercial officer of consumer products Jan. 23. Walter Hamada’s new 18hz Productions added Nathan Samdahl as senior vp and Nick Romano as creative executive Jan. 17. Former Scripps Networks…

Alot has changed in Domee Shi’s life since she won an Oscar for her 2018 Pixar short Bao, which follows a Chinese Canadian mother with empty-nest syndrome and a sentient steamed bun. Shi, who began as a story intern at Pixar in 2011 before being hired as a story artist on mentor Pete Docter’s Inside Out, is herself Chinese Canadian with immigrant parents and has learned to embrace her real-life background as inspiration for stories. That included her debut animated feature, Turning Red, for which she just earned her second Oscar nom. “Four or five years ago, I couldn’t have imagined being here — directing a feature, nominated against Guillermo del Toro and other amazing animation directors and peers,” says Shi. “I learned so much from this experience. I’ve definitely…

Being stoned can improve certain activities, such as auditioning for a Takis commercial. Other situations are best avoided, such as legal depositions or, one would think, working out. So I was suspicious when a friend told me that he prefers lifting weights when high. As does Joe Rogan. They claim that being baked helps improve their form by allowing them to feel how specific muscles engage — instead of trying to figure it out by looking in a mirror, which you cannot do while high due to giggling. To find out if this really works, I emailed Morgan English, the Jane Fonda of weed workouts. Morgan, a professional cannabis photographer, founded Stoned + Toned in 2019. Stoned + Toned offers 30-minute online prerecorded “smoke-and-sweat sessions” ($9.99 a month, stonedandtoned.com). But…

Two years ago, the list of BAFTA nominations was rightly cheered (although perhaps not by those who missed out) for being the most diverse in the awards’ history. Coming 12 months after the ignominy of the #BAFTAsSoWhite controversy and a grueling review process, the British Academy appeared to have put the scandal behind it, with four female filmmakers nominated for director and such talent as Wunmi Mosaku and Bukky Bakray vying for leading actress — names that also gave the BAFTAs a more defined (and British) identity after so long spent largely mirroring the Oscars. When it came to the eventual winners, however, honors across almost every category were identical to the Academy Awards. The following year, a division between arguably the two biggest film awards on the planet became…

Apple TV+’s Shrinking is built around a familiar irony: Jason Segel’s Jimmy is a therapist who, as evidenced in an opening that sees him downing pills and booze with sex workers, could use some healing himself. That his acting-out is an expression of unresolved grief gives the dramedy, created by Segel and Ted Lasso’s Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, enough heft to draw a few tears, while his fumbling attempts to get his life back on track prove good for some giggles. But over the course of its 10-episode season (nine half-hours of which were sent to critics), Shrinking reveals itself to be what a therapist like Jimmy might pinpoint as a people pleaser: too eager to be liked to risk being honest, even at the expense of undermining its…