The Future of the 'SNL' Cast After Key Departures; 'Downton Abbey 2' Opens to $16M; Conan O'Brien Sells Podcast Empire for $150M; 'Stranger Things' S4 Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( May 23, 2022 What's news: The official Mission: Impossible 7 trailer dropped this morning. Doctor Strange 2 sailed past $800m at the global box office. Take Two has completed its $12.7b acquisition of Zynga. Vanessa Hudgens will host the MTV Movie & TV Awards. Ruben Ostlund's Triangle of Sadness received a 7-minute ovation at the Cannes Film Festival — [Abid Rahman]( Big 'SNL' Departures Will Test the Show's Depth ►Deep roster of talent. THR's chief TV critic [Dan Fienberg]( gives his take on the departures of Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney and Pete Davidson from Saturday Night Live. Dan writes that the mass evacuations are an accepted part of the show's ecosystem doesn’t mean that these aren’t serious losses for the show. [The critic's notebook.]( —"Memories that will last a lifetime." ICYMI, Saturday Night Live’s season 47 finale provided opportunities for departing castmembers Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney to make a final impression as show regulars. In the cold open, McKinnon reprised her fan-favorite character Ms. Rafferty. Davidson returned to the “Weekend Update” desk that helped the star establish his voice over the past eight seasons. [The recap.]( —"He marched on the capital on Jan. 6, something which has become a weird point of pride for Republicans." On Sunday's episode of HBO's Last Week Tonight, John Oliver scorched Doug Mastriano, the GOP's election denying, Christian nationalist candidate for the Pennsylvania governor race, and took particular umbrage with the pol's choice of neckwear. [The recap.]( —The real thing. After an apparent leak over the weekend, the official trailer for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One dropped on Monday morning. In keeping with the franchise, the seventh entry is bursting at the seams with explosive action and eye-popping stunts that make you wonder how Tom Cruise is still with us. [The trailer.]( Box Office: 'Doctor Strange 2' Beats 'Downton Abbey 2' ►Older demo struggles. Focus Features' Downton Abbey: A New Era opened to $16 million from 3,815 locations this weekend, only good enough to grab second place at the domestic box office. Julian Fellowes’ followup to 2019's Downton Abbey, the first big screen adaptation of the hit Brit period drama series, opened behind the first film which scored a $31 million opening in pre-pandemic times. THR's [Pamela McClintock]( writes that Downton Abbey 2's more subdued showing, in comparison to the first film, was down to the continued reticence of people 45 or older to return to theaters in the era of COVID-19, particularly older females. Overseas, the well-reviewed film has earned north of $35 million. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had no trouble staying atop the chart in its third weekend with $31.6 million for a domestic total of $342.1 million. [The box office report.]( —Milestone reached. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has raced past the $800 million mark at the global box office. Sam Raimi’s film finished Sunday with $803.2 million in worldwide ticket sales to rank as the No. 2 Hollywood film of the pandemic era behind Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.89 billion) after passing up No Time to Die ($774.2 million) and The Batman ($768.5 million). [The story.]( —Deal done. Take-Two Interactive has officially acquired social and mobile gaming company Zynga. The $12.7 billion acquisition, announced in January, was completed Monday. The combined company will bring a new slate of popular games to Take-Two, including Zynga’s Farmville, Words with Friends and Zynga Poker. [The story.]( —Coco's big payday. Conan O’Brien has sold his podcast and digital media business Team Coco to the satellite radio giant SiriusXM. The $150m deal will see O’Brien’s popular interview podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, as well as Team Coco’s 10 other podcasts join the SiriusXM podcast network. [The story.]( 'Top Gun 2' Director Talks Volleyball, F-18s and Tom Cruise ►"I actually built a real airplane after my senior year of college." Ahead of Top Gun: Maverick opening this week, THR's [Mia Galuppo]( spoke to director Joseph Kosinski about working with the tireless Tom Cruise, adding women to the cockpit and fitting cameras into F-18s. [The interview.]( —"It means a lot to my dad." Val Kilmer reprises his character Tom “Iceman” Kazansky from Top Gun in the upcoming sequel, and the shoot was a special time for his family. In a recent interview, the actor's daughter Mercedes Kilmer said she got to watch her dad film his emotional scene in Joseph Kosinski’s movie. [The story.]( —"Get down on your knees, boys." Gold House, the Asian Pacific Islander leadership collective, honored Michelle Yeoh at its inaugural Gold Gala on Saturday night. The Everything Everywhere All at Once was honored by SeeHer because of how her onscreen roles and offscreen advocacy align with the organization’s mission to promote accurate depictions of women and girls in media and advertising. [The story.]( —Host revealed. THR's [Hilary Lewis]( has the scoop on Vanessa Hudgens nabbing hosting duties for the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards. The Tick, Tick…Boom! actress will emcee the ceremony, airing live from Barker Hangar on Sunday, June 5. [The story.]( —A big hit. Triangle of Sadness, a new social satire from The Square director Ruben Östlund (review below), made its debut at Cannes on Saturday to a rousing reception. The movie, starring Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean and Woody Harrelson, earned a standing ovation that lasted 7-plus minutes, with one of the biggest cheers for actress Dolly De Leon. [The story.]( TV Review: 'Stranger Things' S4 ►"Sacrifices some charm in a bigger, more ambitious run." THR's chief TV critic [Dan Fienberg]( reviews season four of Netflix’s Stranger Things. The Emmy-winning homage to early Steven Spielberg and Stephen King returns with seven overstuffed episodes of monsters, mayhem, scientific exploration and coming-of-age comedy. [The review.]( —"Vikander is a treat in a cleverly and (exhaustingly) meta series." Dan also reviews HBO’s Irma Vep. OK, Alicia Vikander plays an actress joining a limited series remake of the French classic Les Vampires in Olivier Assayas' limited series remake of his 1996 film about an actress joining a film remake of the French classic Les Vampires. Got that? [The review.]( —"A piercing slow-burn drama that’s both layered and abstruse." THR critic Jordan Mintzer reviews Cristian Mungiu's Cannes Competition entry R.M.N. The Romanian filmmaker behind 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, the 2007 Palme d'Or winner, returns to competition with a small-town drama where questions of national identity take center stage. [The review.]( —"A ruthless serial killer story set in a twisted place." Jordan reviews Ali Abbasi's Cannes Competition entry Holy Spider. The Border writer-director’s third feature tells the true story of Saeed "Spider Killer" Hanaei, who preyed on women in Iran at the start of the 21st century. [The review.]( —"Nearly all-performance doc captures the Killer at his best." THR critic John DeFore reviews Ethan Coen’s Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind. Coen's first film without brother Joel is a performance-centered look at Jerry Lee Lewis' varied career. [The review.]( —"More smugness than sadness." THR's chief film critic [David Rooney]( reviews Ruben Ostlund’s Cannes Competion selection Triangle of Sadness. Harris Dickinson and screen newcomer Charlbi Dean play fashion model influencers whose Instagram-friendly invite on a luxury cruise turns disastrous in the Palme d’Or winner’s class satire, also featuring Woody Harrelson. [The review.]( —"There will be a burning car." THR critic [Leslie Felperin]( reviews Thomas M. Wright's Cannes Un Certain Regard selection The Stranger. Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris star in this contemporary true crime-based drama set in Outback Australia about low-level gangsters who are not all they seem. [The review.]( —"Not your grandfather’s movie-star biography." THR critic [Sheri Linden]( reviews Ethan Hawke’s The Last Movie Stars. The Cannes Film Festival is premiering two episodes of the six-part portrait of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, who both won acting awards at the festival. [The review.]( In other news... —Cannes film review: Saim Sadiq’s [Joyland]( —Cannes film review: Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor's [De Humani Corporis Fabrica]( —Cannes film review: Léa Mysius' [The Five Devils]( —Cannes film review: Cédric Jimenez's [November]( —Cannes film review: Emily Atef's [More Than Ever]( —AT&T CEO [John Stankey warns of inflation threat]( —Wall Street hits the Croisette: [Why private equity investors are bullish on indie film]( —Jennifer Lawrence used to [pretend Ellen DeGeneres was interviewing her on the toilet]( —Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker get [married, again, this time in Italy]( —Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger [welcome second daughter]( What else we're reading... —Lucas Shaw's compelling analysis of the short and medium future of streaming with layoffs and cost cuts incoming [[Bloomberg]( —Rebecca Ford has a great story on Top Gun 2 star Glen Powell, who had to wait over 2 years for his big breakout movie moment [[VF]( —Coinciding with Alien 3's 30th anniversary, Noah Gittell looks back at David Fincher’s divisive threequel [[Guardian]( —Amanda Wicks laments the departure of Kate McKinnon from SNL, the biggest loss from the big names leaving [[Atlantic]( —I'm late to this but this long-read on the price Haiti had to pay for its freedom from colonial rule is incredible [[NYT]( Today... Today's birthdays: Ryan Coogler (36), Jewel (48), Melissa McBride (57), Ken Jennings (48), [Richard Ayoade]( (45), Joan Collins (89), H. Jon Benjamin (56), LaMonica Garrett (47), Lea DeLaria (64), Karen Duffy (60), John Ortiz (54), Alberto Frezza (33), Drew Carey (64), Laurel Holloman (51), Mark Arnold (65), Tom Tykwer (57), Kelly Monaco (46), Bob Mortimer (63), John Pollono (50), Gracie Otto (35), Ann Hui (75) Colin Cantwell, the concept artist who designed iconic Star Wars spacecraft, including the X-wing Starfighter, TIE fighter and Death Star, died Saturday at his Colorado home. He was 90. [The obituary.]( 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](