Oscar Nominations: Frontrunners, 1sts and Milestones; Village Roadshow v. Warner Bros.; Pandora v. Comedians

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( February 08, 2022 What's news: Award season 2022 kicks into a new gear as Oscar nominations arrive. Plus: Village Roadshow v. Warner Bros., Pandora vs. comedians and the Hollywood publicist backing L.A.'s "Sheriff Trump." — Erik Hayden Oscar Nominations Arrive The Leaderboard The Power of the Dog (12), Dune (10), West Side Story (7), Belfast (7), King Richard (6) [Complete List.]( Tyler Coates writes: Netflix has a potential frontrunner with The Power of the Dog. Its four cast members also received nominations: Benedict Cumberbatch for best actor, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee for best supporting actor and Kirsten Dunst for best supporting actress. Ari Wegner also made history as the second woman to be nominated for best cinematography. [The frontrunner.]( As for Dune, the Legendary and Warner Bros. film dominated in the crafts categories, but the Academy did not recognize Denis Villeneuve for directing. [More.]( The Milestones [4]( - Oscar nominations for Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Drive My Car, a record for Japan. [2]( - Power of the Dog helmer Jane Campion has become the first woman to receive multiple Oscar nominations for best director. [1st]( CODA actor Troy Kotsur has become the first deaf man and the second deaf actor nominated for an Academy Award. [1st]( - Kirsten Stewart earned a nom for Spencer, and is also now among one of only three known openly LGBTQ actors to receive a nomination. [1st]( - Writer-director Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Flee has become the first movie to earn Oscar nominations for best animated feature, documentary feature and international feature (representing Denmark). [More: All the first-time nominees.]( Rebecca Sun writes: The nominations "reveal a gradual trickle-up effect for diversity, with added recognition for women and people from the global majority in both onscreen and behind-the-scenes roles." [Full breakdown.]( Also ... Spider-Man falls short. The blockbuster didn't make the best picture race, but its consolation prize is a nom in the best visual effects category, along with fellow Marvel Studios title Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. [Story.]( Village Roadshow v. Warner Bros. A new blockbuster lawsuit over WarnerMedia's HBO Max day-and-date plan... Winston Cho writes: The VREG lawsuit escalates growing hostility between those in the movie industry who stand to make millions of dollars through big theatrical releases and major media companies that have turned to prioritize growing their streaming services. VREG's claim: A rushed release caused Resurrections to be rampantly pirated, further hurting its box office returns. The complaint argued that the movie’s poor financial performance dilutes the value of the franchise since it now appears that no more installments will be made. Warners retort: "This is a frivolous attempt by Village Roadshow to avoid their contractual commitment to participate in the arbitration that we commenced..." [Story.]( The other big lawsuit to watch: Pandora was sued by the estates of Robin Williams and George Carlin, along with Andrew Dice Clay, Bill Engvall and Ron White, for allegedly shortchanging comedians by neglecting to obtain the proper copyrights to stream their works. [More from THR, Esq.]( Elsewhere in film... ► AMC Theatres latest moves. The exhibition giant has reached lease agreements with property developer Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield to take on the leases of two more former Arclight cinemas in San Diego and Washington. [Story.]( ► Lionsgate plans Michael Jackson film. The studio will team with Bohemian Rhapsody producer Graham King on Michael, which will be produced by the co-executors of the Jackson estate, John Branca and John McClain. [More.]( ► Paramount plots Smurfs cinematic universe. The studio's animation division, along with Nickelodeon, LAFIG Belgium and IMPS, are set to produce multiple films based on the franchise, with Pam Brady writing the [first movie.]( By the numbers: [8]( - Razzie nominations Bruce Willis received this year. [$4.24B]( - Europe box office in 2021, up 45% in 2020, down 57% from 2019. [$100M]( - Offer from right-wing platform Rumble to Joe Rogan to quit Spotify. ► Utopia nabs Lena Dunham's Sundance movie. The distribution and sales firm picked up Sharp Stick with plans to release the Kristine Froseth-starring title in theaters later [this year.]( ► Universal's Oppenheimer rounds out cast. Dane DeHaan has joined Christopher Nolan’s star-stuffed biopic on one of the fathers of the A-bomb. [Cast so far.]( ► Being shopped: An Anna Nicole Smith biopic. The film comes from Killing Eve director Francesca Gregorini, while Holly Hunter is in talks to join the cast. Sierra/Affinity is handling int'l sales, will make the movie available to [buyers at EFM](. ► Remembering Chris Huvane. The partner at Management 360, who died at age 47, was a beloved figure in the industry who was passionate about artists, motorcycles, cars and boxing. [Full obit.]( Review: Death on the Nile [72%]( RT Score I [51%]( Metacritic I Feb. 11 Release "The film is satisfying enough, though more so as glossy, old-school entertainment than diabolically clever mystery." — [THR']( David Rooney](. Introducing: Jabari Banks Abbey White's profile: Jabari Banks calls his road to Bel-Air, Peacock’s dramatic take on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a combination of hard work and “just being lucky.” “As soon as I learned I booked the show, I was in California in two days. After that week, we flew to Philly and we started filming. I’ve been filming ever since,” says the 23-year-old, who calls the part a “blessing.” [Full story.]( Elsewhere in TV... ► Amazon reups Reacher. The streamer has given a speedy renewal to the Alan Ritchson-starring show days after its Feb. 4 premiere. Prime Video claims the show is among its top five series [launches.]( ► Apple readies new comedy. Kirsten Wiig and Laura Dern are set to star in Mrs. American Pie, based on the novel of the same name by Juliet McDaniel. [10-episode order.]( ► Nat Geo's new Will Smith adventure. The actor will star in a series titled Pole to Pole, following Smith and his film crew as they go on a [26,000-mile trek.]( ► Sky Studios chief content officer stepping down. Sky CEO Cécile Frot-Coutaz said that Jane Millichip was exiting to “seek new challenges.” [Story.]( ► ViacomCBS promotes Alex Berkett. The veteran dealmaker will now have the role of chief corporate development and strategy officer and will serve on the company’s senior leadership [team.]( Bookmark This: Broadcast TV's 2022 Scorecard Lesley Goldberg writes: While the volume of unscripted shows on the five English language networks isn’t quite as high as it was a year ago, ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox and NBC will still air more than 40 titles before 2022 concludes. [Full coverage.]( The Publicist and "Sheriff Trump" How fear and frustration over the city’s homelessness crisis turned one veteran flack into a political operative... Gary Baum's latest: Jessica Meisels, who’s not formally a member of Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s re-election campaign staff, has quickly become something of a secret weapon. Speaking from the West Hollywood offices of her 19-year-old firm Fingerprint Communications, Meisels touted a “deep network that can potentially help move change.” [Story.]( What else we're reading... — "How Hollywood has kept one step ahead of regulators." "Long before the M&A wave initiated by the streaming wars, the major studios aimed to corner the market for production and distribution." [[THR]( — "Amazon is raising base salary cap to $350,000 from $160,000." The company "decided to make meaningfully bigger increases to our compensation levels than we do in a typical year." [[Bloomberg]( — "Facebook’s faceplant on Wall Street could be just the beginning for some tech stocks." "End of free money has investors rethinking what’s safe — and what isn’t." [[Washington Post]( — "How China captured Hollywood." A new excerpt from Erich Schwartzel's Red Carpet: Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy. [[The Atlantic]( — "Peloton CEO John Foley to step down, firm to cut 2,800 jobs." "Exercise-equipment maker to name former Spotify CFO Barry McCarthy as successor, overhaul board and cut costs." [[Wall Street Journal]( — "How did the Bored Ape Yacht Club get so popular?" "It has nothing to do with art. It’s a gimmick, plain and simple." [[Wired]( — "A controversial home-ownership model is gaining steam again in L.A. — with a twist." "Now, an L.A. developer has a new approach to the so-called tenancy-in-common, or TIC, model." [[Los Angeles Times]( Today in 1991... On Feb. 8, 1991, Tri-Star unveiled the zany [L.A. Story]( in theaters nationwide, featuring Steve Martin as an existential local weatherman. Today's birthdays: Cecily Strong, 38, Seth Green, 48, Mary Steenburgen, 69, Creed Bratton, 79, Nick Nolte, 81, John Williams, 90. This email was sent to {EMAIL} by Penske Media Corporation. Please add email@email.hollywoodreporter.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. Visit the [Preferences Center]( to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive. Copyright © 2022 The Hollywood Reporter, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved. 11175 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90025 [View in Browser]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Your Privacy Rights]( | [Ad Choices]( | [Terms of Use]( | [Unsubscribe](