Twitter Surge; Regal Sub Plan; WGA's Agency Wins; What's Real in 'Hollywood'; Mayor Pete Hits LA

What's news: Who will nab a deal with the Game of Thrones creators? Plus: Regal unveils its own theater subscription plan, WGA signs up another agency and Tarantino takes over Hollywood for the weekend. — Erik Hayden July 26, 2019 What's news: Who will nab a deal with the Game of Thrones creators? Plus: Regal unveils its own theater subscription plan, WGA signs up another agency and Tarantino takes over Hollywood for the weekend. — Erik Hayden 'GoT' Creators Deal Race An update: David Benioff and Dan Weiss are plotting their departure from HBO, their home for a decade, as they seek a sprawling pact that may include film and TV. Lesley Goldberg writes: + Sources say Benioff and Weiss have had meetings for a sizable overall deal with Amazon Studios, Netflix and, more recently, Disney/FX. Representatives for all media companies declined comment, as a deal is far from done. + The duo are said to be are seeking a deal worth as much as $200 million as they attempt to surpass the $150 million pact Westworld creators Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan signed with Amazon in April. [More details.]( WGA vs. ATA update... + Writers gaining momentum. Mid-tier talent agency Buchwald has become the second literary agency to break ranks with the Association of Talent Agents and sign a so-called franchise agreement with the Writers Guild of America. Jonathan Handel notes: Now the question turns to remaining mid-tier holdouts, such as Paradigm, APA, Gersh and Abrams, the last of which tried unsuccessfully several weeks ago to reach a deal with the guild based on the 1976 agreement. [Full story.]( Elsewhere in TV... *New podcast: This week on TV's Top 5, hosts Daniel Fienberg and Lesley Goldberg welcome comedian Robin Thede to the show for an interview about her career and upcoming comedy.[Listen.]( ^HGTV assembles Brady Bunch for house series. Discovery wants to turn the show into a programming event, with the Sept. 9 premiere running 90 minutes. [Cast talks about the return.]( ► FX lands Jeff Bridges for CIA drama. The Oscar winner is making his series-regular debut and will star in The Old Man. Jon Steinberg and Robert Levine will pen [the script.]( ► NBC ends Will and Grace revival. The third season will consist of another round of 18 episodes. The comedy lost nearly half its viewers among adults 18-49 demo [last season.]( ► Showtime's Kidding adds to cast. Eric Roberts and Mae Whitman will both appear as guest stars on the Jim Carrey-led dramedy, which is due to return in [the fall.]( ► Netflix launches OITNB criminal justice reform fund. The Poussey Washington Fund, which will play out in fictional version on the final season of the series, targets a range of real-life issues. [More.]( ► AMC plans first projects from inclusiveness effort. They are Farmhand from Rob Guillory, about a farmer who grows plant-based organ transplants, and Of Two Minds from Morgan Dover-Pearl, about a woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury. [Details.]( Earnings notes... ► Charter keeps losing pay TV subscribers. It lost 141,000 video subscribers, compared with a loss of 57,000 in the year-ago period. As of June 30, Charter had 16.3 million residential and small and medium business video customers. [The trend.]( ► Universal Music Group powers Vivendi revenue. Revenues at the music division were up 18.4 percent, to $3.7 billion, with significant growth in subscription and streaming services. [Offset download decline.]( ► Twitter stock surges as daily users rise to 139 Million. Total advertising revenue was up 21 percent to $727 million as the company faces off with Snapchat and Facebook in the war for online advertising. [More.]( In THR, Esq: Writer takes aim at packaging fees amid fight with CAA. John Musero, a writer suing CAA and claiming the agency gave his idea for a drama series about the U.S. Attorney General to a bigger client without paying him, is defending[his lawsuit.]( Regal's Subscription Bet New competitor: Regal Cinemas has finally unveiled its monthly subscription plan, and it is the most aggressive offering yet among the top three circuits in the U.S. Pamela McClintock writes: + Regal's plan: Patrons willing to shell out $18 to $23.50 per month, along with a 12-month commitment, can view as many movies as they want on a standard format screen. The bigger the city, the more expensive it will be, such as in Los Angeles and New York. + Increasingly crowded: AMC Theatres, the largest U.S. chain, allows moviegoers to see three films a week for $20 to $24 a month. For $10 a month, Cinemark, the third-biggest chain behind AMC and Regal, offers one free ticket per month and discounts on concessions, among other perks.[Story.]( Elsewhere in film... ► Sony's latest Spider-Man hits $1B milestone. Far From Home has swung past the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office, becoming the first installment in the franchise[to do so.]( ► STXfilms and Jennifer Lopez reteam for crime film. The singer-actress may make her directorial debut with The Godmother, based on the true-life Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco. [Details.]( ► Andrew Lincoln joins Naomi Watts in drama. The Walking Dead alum will star in an adaptation of Penguin Bloom. Glendyn Ivin will direct. Filming begins in Australia [in August.]( [Quoted:]( "This year we received more than 1800 films. Only 23 percent of the films submitted were directed by women." — Venice Film Fest chief Alberto Barbera. ^Trailer watch: Sony unveils sequel Zombieland: Double Tap (Oct. 18).[Full clip.]( ► How Sony is selling Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. A close look at the posters, trailers, outdoor advertising, billboards and promotional campaign for the tentpole. [Full story.]( ► Marvel takes Thor 4 shoot to Australia. Love and Thunder will be filmed in Sydney, with the Australian and NSW governments providing over $16.7 million [in incentives.]( ► MPAA unveils new promotions amid policy push. Patrick Kilcur has been elevated to executive vp, and Urmila Venugopalan has been upped to executive vp, strategy and global operations. [Memo.]( ► Disney, Fox settle billion-dollar dispute over Malaysian theme park. Genting Malaysia Berhad will move forward with developing a park just outside Kuala Lumpur after coming to a [settlement.]( ► New Republic Pictures options YA novel. Brian Oliver's company, which has a first-look deal with Paramount, optioned YA novel Chester and Gus, from HarperCollins. [More.]( *R.I.P., Karen Golden. The script supervisor, who worked on eight films directed by Michael Bay and six helmed by Ron Shelton, has died. She was 78. [Full obit.]( SAG Awards changes date, avoids Grammys. The ceremony will move from Jan. 26 to Jan. 19. Organizers also said they have extended their deal with TNT and TBS to broadcast the live event. [Details.]( Tarantino's Time Capsule About the movie itself: The filmmaker’s latest brings the viewer inside a transitional moment that altered Hollywood — both the town and the industry — for good. Chief film critic Todd McCarthy writes: + "Some charter member Tarantino fans, of whom I am one, might complain that he's gone a bit soft. I say he's maturing. I also suggest that he should abandon his announced plans to soon call it a career." [Critic's notebook.]( + What's real in the film? The filmmaker’s latest piece of historical fiction recreates a 1969 night that shook the nation — with some fantastical twists. [Spoilers here.]( + How it was shot. Three-time Oscar winning cinematographer Robert Richardson talks about his work on Once on the Behind the Screen podcast. [Listen.]( + Meet Zoë Bell. The actor and stunt performer talks Tarantino in the latest installment of video series The Magic Hour. [Watch.]( What else we're reading... — "Chris Hughes worked to create Facebook. Now, he is working to break it up." Steve Lohr reports: He has met with several agencies to lay out "a potential antitrust case." [[New York Times](] — "Amazon’s struggles to make its mark in Hollywood." Beejoli Shah and Tom Dotan: "Current and former studio employees say the budget crunch was caused by Ms. Salke going on a spending spree last year." [[The Information](] — "Beyoncé remixed the meaning of The Lion King." Spencer Kornhaber asks: "The Gift ... sees the superstar connecting to “something way bigger.” What is it?" [[The Atlantic](] — "What’s behind Apple’s podcast strategy?" Nicholas Quah writes: it "seems to fit more broadly with the company’s moves in other content arenas." [[New York](] — "Netflix doc on Cambridge Analytica doubles as a mystery." Deepa Seetharaman notes that the "film highlights how impact of Facebook data mining on U.S. politics is still poorly understood." [[Wall Street Journal](] Last night on late night... + "Jeff Goldblum was saved by summer camp." [[Colbert](] + "Zachary Quinto got caught by paparazzi." [[Fallon](] + "Bernie Sanders is ready to defeat Trump." [[Kimmel](] *Also: Ben Platt performs "Somewhere" at fundraiser capping off Mayor Pete Buttigieg's [L.A. blitz.]( Today's birthdays: Eve Myles, 41, Kate Beckinsale, 46, Olivia Williams, 51, Jason Statham, 52, Sandra Bullock, 55, Helen Mirren, 74, Mick Jagger, 76. Follow The News Is this email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2019 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Preferences]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Use]( July 26, 2019