Hollywood Converges On the (Virtual) Croisette

What's news: Cannes kicks off online, but will there be any buyers? Cannes Hot List, Cineworld CEO talks reopening, Little Women passes a box office milestone, how TV creators adapted to the pandemic, interviews with Alec {NAME} and Jon Favreau, Disneyland Paris sets reopening plans. Plus: THR's TV critics pick the best of 2020 (so far), and can anyone dethrone HBO or FX in the Emmy limited series category? --Alex Weprin [The Hollywood Reporter]( [The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment JUNE 22, 2020 What's news: Cannes kicks off online, but will there be any buyers? Cannes Hot List, Cineworld CEO talks reopening, Little Women passes a box office milestone, how TV creators adapted to the pandemic, interviews with Alec {NAME} and Jon Favreau, Disneyland Paris sets reopening plans. Plus: THR's TV critics pick the best of 2020 (so far), and can anyone dethrone HBO or FX in the Emmy limited series category? --Alex Weprin What's news: Cannes kicks off online, but will there be any buyers? Cannes Hot List, Cineworld CEO talks reopening, Little Women passes a box office milestone, how TV creators adapted to the pandemic, interviews with Alec {NAME} and Jon Favreau, Disneyland Paris sets reopening plans. Plus: THR's TV critics pick the best of 2020 (so far), and can anyone dethrone HBO or FX in the Emmy limited series category? --Alex Weprin [Hollywood Converges On a (Virtual) Croisette] Hollywood Converges On a (Virtual) Croisette Cannes may be a virtual event this year (the yacht parties will, hopefully, return in 2021), but that isn't holding the event back, as filmmakers, dealmakers and industry power players are still throwing their weight behind the online affair, in hopes that theatrical will return this year and that the long-running festival and market can return to some semblance of normality soon. ►Cannes is open for (virtual) business — but will anyone be buying? There will be no dealmaking on the Croisette this year, but global buyers and sellers are making an unprecedented attempt to get business done entirely online amid the COVID-19 lockdown. "This is obviously an experiment," one insider tells Tatiana Siegel and Scott Roxborough. Quote: "For all of us to stay in business we need films to be made and part of the purpose of this virtual market is to galvanize buyers to get back into the market and start things up again," says attorney Lindsay Conner, chair of the entertainment group at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. "The blend of creative optimism and business realism that drives our industry requires compromise, and this year’s unprecedented virtual market will be a master class in compromise." [The story](. ►Cannes regulars reveal what they'll miss most as festival goes virtual. A virtual Cannes means no red carpet, no late-night parties, no 4 a.m. drinks at the Petit Majestic. And while there are some advantages to an online Marché — pants-free meetings, anyone? — some things just can't be replicated on a Zoom call. Here is what producers, financiers and others will miss about not being able to travel to the Croisette in person and instead having a purely virtual experience. [The story](. +Virtual Cannes market day one: 5 things not to miss. Scott Roxborough highlights events, conferences and screenings to build your virtual Cannes schedule around. [The list](. ►The Cannes Hot List: Films debuting at the Virtual Cannes Market range from action to horror, period drama to sci-fi. What unites THR's 2020 Cannes Hot List, below, is the hope behind every film that it can help restart the international film business. [The Hot List](. ►Alec {NAME} on his upcoming western, filmmaking post-pandemic and onscreen versatility: "I'm an actor of the old school." Seven years after he pitched a film in Cannes for the doc Seduced and Abandoned, examining the festival and the inner workings of the industry, the 30 Rock and SNL star has a (genuine) project landing in the Virtual Cannes Market in Rust. [The interview](. +Doc specialist Josh Braun on virtual dealmaking: "We are trying to normalize it." The Submarine co-president on the challenges of generating buzz without a festival, piracy concerns and why he's just starting to get "wistful" for traveling. [The story](. +More Cannes news: Richard Armitage, Paz Vega and John Leguizamo are [set to star](in the theological crime thriller The Man from Rome, based on the bestselling book of the same name... Gerard Butler is [adding another action thriller]( to his belt, reuniting with his Angel Has Fallen and Greenland director Ric Roman Waugh on Kandahar... +And: A Cannes first look: Bruce Willis [suits up for alien war]( in Cosmic Sin... A Cannes hidden gem: [Slow burn horror]( in female werewolf tale Bloodthirsty... Cohen Media Group and Curzon [have acquired]( Fernando Trueba's Forgotten We'll Be for North America and the U.K... Hollywood Converges On a (Virtual) Croisette Cannes may be a virtual event this year (the yacht parties will, hopefully, return in 2021), but that isn't holding the event back, as filmmakers, dealmakers and industry power players are still throwing their weight behind the online affair, in hopes that theatrical will return this year and that the long-running festival and market can return to some semblance of normality soon. ►Cannes is open for (virtual) business — but will anyone be buying? There will be no dealmaking on the Croisette this year, but global buyers and sellers are making an unprecedented attempt to get business done entirely online amid the COVID-19 lockdown. "This is obviously an experiment," one insider tells Tatiana Siegel and Scott Roxborough. Quote: "For all of us to stay in business we need films to be made and part of the purpose of this virtual market is to galvanize buyers to get back into the market and start things up again," says attorney Lindsay Conner, chair of the entertainment group at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. "The blend of creative optimism and business realism that drives our industry requires compromise, and this year’s unprecedented virtual market will be a master class in compromise." [The story](. ►Cannes regulars reveal what they'll miss most as festival goes virtual. A virtual Cannes means no red carpet, no late-night parties, no 4 a.m. drinks at the Petit Majestic. And while there are some advantages to an online Marché — pants-free meetings, anyone? — some things just can't be replicated on a Zoom call. Here is what producers, financiers and others will miss about not being able to travel to the Croisette in person and instead having a purely virtual experience. [The story](. +Virtual Cannes market day one: 5 things not to miss. Scott Roxborough highlights events, conferences and screenings to build your virtual Cannes schedule around. [The list](. ►The Cannes Hot List: Films debuting at the Virtual Cannes Market range from action to horror, period drama to sci-fi. What unites THR's 2020 Cannes Hot List, below, is the hope behind every film that it can help restart the international film business. [The Hot List](. ►Alec {NAME} on his upcoming western, filmmaking post-pandemic and onscreen versatility: "I'm an actor of the old school." Seven years after he pitched a film in Cannes for the doc Seduced and Abandoned, examining the festival and the inner workings of the industry, the 30 Rock and SNL star has a (genuine) project landing in the Virtual Cannes Market in Rust. [The interview](. +Doc specialist Josh Braun on virtual dealmaking: "We are trying to normalize it." The Submarine co-president on the challenges of generating buzz without a festival, piracy concerns and why he's just starting to get "wistful" for traveling. [The story](. +More Cannes news: Richard Armitage, Paz Vega and John Leguizamo are [set to star](in the theological crime thriller The Man from Rome, based on the bestselling book of the same name... Gerard Butler is [adding another action thriller]( to his belt, reuniting with his Angel Has Fallen and Greenland director Ric Roman Waugh on Kandahar... +And: A Cannes first look: Bruce Willis [suits up for alien war]( in Cosmic Sin... A Cannes hidden gem: [Slow burn horror]( in female werewolf tale Bloodthirsty... Cohen Media Group and Curzon [have acquired]( Fernando Trueba's Forgotten We'll Be for North America and the U.K... [Cineworld CEO Talks Reopening] Cineworld CEO Talks Reopening ►Cineworld CEO Mooky Greidinger on why his reopened cinemas will need to be at least half-full. The owner of the second-largest chain in the world, including Regal, discusses preparations for the grand reopening, no longer accepting window-breaking films and more in a Creative Space interview. --"We are sure that once people will see the measurements and once people will get more confident, on any way of life, they will go back to the cinema. We need to remember that cinema going is the most affordable entertainment. People will not be traveling long distances in the very close future, so going to the movies is a safe and affordable entertainment for everyone." [The interview](. +Cineworld is boosting its liquidity: Early on Monday the company said it has agreed with a group of private institutional investors on the terms of a new $250 million secured debt facility that matures in 2023. [More](. ►Box Office Milestone: Little Women crosses $100 million overseas as moviegoing resumes. Greta Gerwig's Oscar-nominated film has crossed the $100 million mark at the international box office in a welcome sign as cinemas begin to reopen around the globe after shuttering three months ago due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. --The Sony and New Regency film pulled in $475K from 472 screens in 12 foreign markets, led by Japan — where it opened last weekend — with $300K for a two-week total of $1.3 million. Little Women also opened recently in Denmark, where it earned $170K over the weekend for a territory total of $1 million. [The story](. ►3,500 U.K. creatives sign open letter calling for action against "systemic racism" in British Film, TV industries. "Your messages in support of Black Lives Matter are a first step. But after decades of enabling racism in your ranks and beyond, it is time to do more," says the letter, signed by the likes of David Oyelowo, Chiwitel Ejiofor, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jane Featherstone and Colin Firth. [More](. +BBC commits $124 million to diverse productions, talent. The U.K. public broadcaster is also putting into place a mandatory 20-percent diverse-talent target for all new commissions as it plans "bold steps that will help make the BBC an instrument of real change." [More](. ►Just in: The Walt Disney Co. will begin to open Disneyland Paris in phases starting July 15. Expect similar measures to those being instituted at Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida, both of which will also open in mid-July. ►Big week ahead: It isn't just Cannes. The IAB will host its virtual NewFronts event, with YouTube, Hulu, TikTok and others set to present... Apple will kick off its Worldwide Developer Conference and announce new products... The Daytime Emmy Awards and BET Awards will each air on CBS... Cineworld CEO Talks Reopening ►Cineworld CEO Mooky Greidinger on why his reopened cinemas will need to be at least half-full. The owner of the second-largest chain in the world, including Regal, discusses preparations for the grand reopening, no longer accepting window-breaking films and more in a Creative Space interview. --"We are sure that once people will see the measurements and once people will get more confident, on any way of life, they will go back to the cinema. We need to remember that cinema going is the most affordable entertainment. People will not be traveling long distances in the very close future, so going to the movies is a safe and affordable entertainment for everyone." [The interview](. +Cineworld is boosting its liquidity: Early on Monday the company said it has agreed with a group of private institutional investors on the terms of a new $250 million secured debt facility that matures in 2023. [More](. ►Box Office Milestone: Little Women crosses $100 million overseas as moviegoing resumes. Greta Gerwig's Oscar-nominated film has crossed the $100 million mark at the international box office in a welcome sign as cinemas begin to reopen around the globe after shuttering three months ago due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. --The Sony and New Regency film pulled in $475K from 472 screens in 12 foreign markets, led by Japan — where it opened last weekend — with $300K for a two-week total of $1.3 million. Little Women also opened recently in Denmark, where it earned $170K over the weekend for a territory total of $1 million. [The story](. ►3,500 U.K. creatives sign open letter calling for action against "systemic racism" in British Film, TV industries. "Your messages in support of Black Lives Matter are a first step. But after decades of enabling racism in your ranks and beyond, it is time to do more," says the letter, signed by the likes of David Oyelowo, Chiwitel Ejiofor, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jane Featherstone and Colin Firth. [More](. +BBC commits $124 million to diverse productions, talent. The U.K. public broadcaster is also putting into place a mandatory 20-percent diverse-talent target for all new commissions as it plans "bold steps that will help make the BBC an instrument of real change." [More](. ►Just in: The Walt Disney Co. will begin to open Disneyland Paris in phases starting July 15. Expect similar measures to those being instituted at Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida, both of which will also open in mid-July. ►Big week ahead: It isn't just Cannes. The IAB will host its virtual NewFronts event, with YouTube, Hulu, TikTok and others set to present... Apple will kick off its Worldwide Developer Conference and announce new products... The Daytime Emmy Awards and BET Awards will each air on CBS... [TV Creators Get Creative Amid the Pandemic] TV Creators Get Creative Amid the Pandemic ►How TV creators forged ahead — and got creative — amid pandemic. Though the pandemic has led to production shutdowns, the teams behind shows from Saturday Night Live to All Rise found inventive ways to produce episodes that are now Emmy eligible, Scott Feinberg writes. [The story](. ►On the set of The Mandalorian: How Jon Favreau brought the first Star Wars live-action TV series to screen. The executive producer, along with director Taika Waititi and more, weigh in on the on-set charm of Baby Yoda and creating the first major scripted series for streaming initiative Disney+. Quote: "The fact of the matter is, as much as we love working on Star Wars, we love even more making Star Wars for other people," says Favreau. "And when other people are excited by it, dig what we're doing and are appreciative, that's as good as it gets for us." [The story](. +Emmys: Can this year's limited series contenders dethrone HBO and FX? Scoring a nomination for limited series is tough, but winning seems downright impossible — unless you're backed by HBO or FX. Could that change this year, with its most crowded field to date, Michael O'Connell asks? [The story](. +Also: Sacha Baron Cohen on [taking on a serious role]( for The Spy: It's "something I've been reluctant to do"... Mark Ruffalo, Stephen James and [more drama actors]( on "falling through the unknown" with their dark characters... Tituss Burgess [reflects on filming]( interactive Kimmy Schmidt special and potential spinoff... Sex Education star Asa Butterfield [says working with]( intimacy coordinator helped cast "find our boundaries"... On the set of Normal People: Cast, crew [on creating]( "close, intimate" places for an on-again, off-again romance... ►Awards Chatter podcast: Scott Feinberg speaks with #BlackAF and Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, reflects on race and class, #BlackLivesMatter and Juneteenth, and his unlikely journey from the streets to a $100 million Netflix deal. [Listen](. ►CBS This Morning returns to the studio. This morning Gayle King and Anthony Mason anchored the morning show from Studio 57 at the CBS Broadcast Center, with Tony Dokoupil continuing to host from home. it has been nearly 100 days since the show left the studio, first for the Ed Sullivan Theater, and then to the host's homes. "I couldn't sleep last night. I'm either nervous or excited. I'm not nervous so I know I'm very excited to be here," King said this morning. ►THR TV critics pick the 10 best shows of 2020 so far. Michaela Coel’s bracing HBO vehicle, a stunning miniseries about an anti-feminist crusader, a poignant food travelogue and new seasons of old faves (think shows that start with "Better") are among highlights from the first half of the year, Daniel Fienberg and Inkoo Kang write. [The list](. +TV review: Inkoo Kang reviews the HBO docuseries I'll Be Gone in the Dark, writing "in one crucial way, this version of I'll Be Gone in the Dark wildly succeeds. Garbus seizes the torch that McNamara left behind in focusing on the survivors — how they might have been better protected, and how they suffered for decades." [The review](. +Film review: Caryn James reviews the documentary Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President, writing that the film "delivers on the promise of its title, with a fresh, buoyant look at the importance of music in the former president's personal and political life." [The review](. In other news... --Julianne Moore [will play a con artist]( in the latest team-up for Apple and A24. Based on a spec script from Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, Sharper follows a con artist in the world of Manhattan’s billionaire echelon. --Dwayne Johnson is set to [host a concert special]( put on by Global Citizen and the European Commission to highlight the disproportionate effect COVID-19 has had on marginalized communities. --Comcast-owned pay TV giant Sky [has added disclaimers]( to some movie titles available on its Sky Cinema service, including The Jungle Book, the 1992 animated Aladdin, Flash Gordon, The Last Samurai and Breakfast at Tiffany's, that "this film has outdated attitudes, language and cultural depiction, which may cause offense today." --Comedian D.L. Hughley [was hospitalized]( Friday night after he passed out onstage during a stand-up performance at Nashville’s Zanies comedy club. After initially being treated with exhaustion and dehydration, he was diagnosed with COVID-19. --Comcast-owned European pay TV giant Sky and Discovery [have struck](a new and expanded multi-year carriage deal covering the U.K., Ireland, Germany and Austria. --Following the accusations on Wednesday that comic and actor Chris D'Elia sexually harassed underage girls, his former co-star Whitney Cummings [issued a statement]( via social media referencing a "pattern of predatory behavior" and an abuse of power that is "enabled by silence." --Ansel Elgort [responded on Saturday]( to an accusation of sexual assault that surfaced on social media earlier this week from a woman who identified herself just by her first name, Gabby. --Justin Bieber [has refuted]( allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman going by the name of "Danielle" in 2014. --Disney+ on Sunday [released the first trailer]( for the filmed version of the Hamilton stage show. What else we're reading... --"TikTok teens and K-Pop stans say they sank Trump rally" [[NY Times](] --"Madison Avenue’s latest diversity promises hinge on accountability" [[WSJ](] --"What’s Facebook’s deal with Donald Trump?" [[NY Times](] --"Hulu, Condé Nast, Roku and YouTube execs on being flexible with marketers during pandemic" [[AdWeek](] --"Google's U.S. ad revenue is expected to decline in 2020, eMarketer says" [[WSJ](] --"TV stations ask FCC to revive item regulating OTT" [[NextTV](] --"I am a 38-year-old man who had never watched a minute of Star Wars — until I binged all of them on Disney+ over quarantine" [[CNBC](] Today's birthdays: Erin Brockovich, 60, Meryl Streep, 71, Cyndi Lauper, 67, Dianne Feinstein, 87, Elizabeth Warren, 71. TV Creators Get Creative Amid the Pandemic ►How TV creators forged ahead — and got creative — amid pandemic. Though the pandemic has led to production shutdowns, the teams behind shows from Saturday Night Live to All Rise found inventive ways to produce episodes that are now Emmy eligible, Scott Feinberg writes. [The story](. ►On the set of The Mandalorian: How Jon Favreau brought the first Star Wars live-action TV series to screen. The executive producer, along with director Taika Waititi and more, weigh in on the on-set charm of Baby Yoda and creating the first major scripted series for streaming initiative Disney+. Quote: "The fact of the matter is, as much as we love working on Star Wars, we love even more making Star Wars for other people," says Favreau. "And when other people are excited by it, dig what we're doing and are appreciative, that's as good as it gets for us." [The story](. +Emmys: Can this year's limited series contenders dethrone HBO and FX? Scoring a nomination for limited series is tough, but winning seems downright impossible — unless you're backed by HBO or FX. Could that change this year, with its most crowded field to date, Michael O'Connell asks? [The story](. +Also: Sacha Baron Cohen on [taking on a serious role]( for The Spy: It's "something I've been reluctant to do"... Mark Ruffalo, Stephen James and [more drama actors]( on "falling through the unknown" with their dark characters... Tituss Burgess [reflects on filming]( interactive Kimmy Schmidt special and potential spinoff... Sex Education star Asa Butterfield [says working with]( intimacy coordinator helped cast "find our boundaries"... On the set of Normal People: Cast, crew [on creating]( "close, intimate" places for an on-again, off-again romance... ►Awards Chatter podcast: Scott Feinberg speaks with #BlackAF and Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, reflects on race and class, #BlackLivesMatter and Juneteenth, and his unlikely journey from the streets to a $100 million Netflix deal. [Listen](. ►CBS This Morning returns to the studio. This morning Gayle King and Anthony Mason anchored the morning show from Studio 57 at the CBS Broadcast Center, with Tony Dokoupil continuing to host from home. it has been nearly 100 days since the show left the studio, first for the Ed Sullivan Theater, and then to the host's homes. "I couldn't sleep last night. I'm either nervous or excited. I'm not nervous so I know I'm very excited to be here," King said this morning. ►THR TV critics pick the 10 best shows of 2020 so far. Michaela Coel’s bracing HBO vehicle, a stunning miniseries about an anti-feminist crusader, a poignant food travelogue and new seasons of old faves (think shows that start with "Better") are among highlights from the first half of the year, Daniel Fienberg and Inkoo Kang write. [The list](. +TV review: Inkoo Kang reviews the HBO docuseries I'll Be Gone in the Dark, writing "in one crucial way, this version of I'll Be Gone in the Dark wildly succeeds. Garbus seizes the torch that McNamara left behind in focusing on the survivors — how they might have been better protected, and how they suffered for decades." [The review](. +Film review: Caryn James reviews the documentary Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President, writing that the film "delivers on the promise of its title, with a fresh, buoyant look at the importance of music in the former president's personal and political life." [The review](. In other news... --Julianne Moore [will play a con artist]( in the latest team-up for Apple and A24. Based on a spec script from Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, Sharper follows a con artist in the world of Manhattan’s billionaire echelon. --Dwayne Johnson is set to [host a concert special]( put on by Global Citizen and the European Commission to highlight the disproportionate effect COVID-19 has had on marginalized communities. --Comcast-owned pay TV giant Sky [has added disclaimers]( to some movie titles available on its Sky Cinema service, including The Jungle Book, the 1992 animated Aladdin, Flash Gordon, The Last Samurai and Breakfast at Tiffany's, that "this film has outdated attitudes, language and cultural depiction, which may cause offense today." --Comedian D.L. Hughley [was hospitalized]( Friday night after he passed out onstage during a stand-up performance at Nashville’s Zanies comedy club. After initially being treated with exhaustion and dehydration, he was diagnosed with COVID-19. --Comcast-owned European pay TV giant Sky and Discovery [have struck](a new and expanded multi-year carriage deal covering the U.K., Ireland, Germany and Austria. --Following the accusations on Wednesday that comic and actor Chris D'Elia sexually harassed underage girls, his former co-star Whitney Cummings [issued a statement]( via social media referencing a "pattern of predatory behavior" and an abuse of power that is "enabled by silence." --Ansel Elgort [responded on Saturday]( to an accusation of sexual assault that surfaced on social media earlier this week from a woman who identified herself just by her first name, Gabby. --Justin Bieber [has refuted]( allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman going by the name of "Danielle" in 2014. --Disney+ on Sunday [released the first trailer]( for the filmed version of the Hamilton stage show. What else we're reading... --"TikTok teens and K-Pop stans say they sank Trump rally" [[NY Times](] --"Madison Avenue’s latest diversity promises hinge on accountability" [[WSJ](] --"What’s Facebook’s deal with Donald Trump?" [[NY Times](] --"Hulu, Condé Nast, Roku and YouTube execs on being flexible with marketers during pandemic" [[AdWeek](] --"Google's U.S. ad revenue is expected to decline in 2020, eMarketer says" [[WSJ](] --"TV stations ask FCC to revive item regulating OTT" [[NextTV](] --"I am a 38-year-old man who had never watched a minute of Star Wars — until I binged all of them on Disney+ over quarantine" [[CNBC](] Today's birthdays: Erin Brockovich, 60, Meryl Streep, 71, Cyndi Lauper, 67, Dianne Feinstein, 87, Elizabeth Warren, 71. [Image] [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2020 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. 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