'Yellowstone' Set to End; Studios Fire Back at WGA; AI Decision-Making in Hollywood Is Already Here; 'Silo' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( May 05, 2023 What's news: Paramount has ordered a Yellowstone sequel series. The WGA reacts to the AMPTP's four-page document. Drew Barrymore has dropped out as host of the MTV Movie and TV Awards in solidarity with the writers. WBD has hit 97.6m global streaming subscribers. — [Abid Rahman]( 'Yellowstone' Set to End, Paramount Orders Sequel ►The end and the beginning. Yellowstone will officially come to a close in November, but the Dutton dynasty will live on. The news, which follows a protracted scheduling battle with star Kevin Costner, also includes the formal reveal that Paramount will be moving forward with a sequel to the most-watched show across television. The new installment, which has been given a straight-to-series order and debuts in December, will have Yellowstone in its name, and will stream on Paramount+ and not Peacock, like its predecessor. [The story.]( —"I am humbled and delighted." Babylon director Damien Chazelle will head up the international jury for the 80th Venice International Film Festival. A regular on the Lido, Chazelle premiered both La La Land and the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man in competition in Venice. Saint Omer filmmaker Alice Diop will head up the Venice Debut Film jury, with Italian director Jonas Carpignano president of the jury for the Orizzonti sidebar. [The story.]( —Civil suit. We’re Here star Shangela is denying rape allegations after a former production assistant on the HBO series filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday. The civil suit alleges that in February 2020, while the fifth episode of the series’ first season was being filmed, Darius Jeremy "DJ" Pierce — whose drag name is Shangela — drugged and raped then-production assistant Daniel McGarrigle after a wrap party. In a statement, Pierce denies the allegations, calling them "totally untrue." [The story.]( —Take Ed back to London. A New York jury concluded Thursday that Brit singer Ed Sheeran didn’t steal key components of Marvin Gaye’s classic 1970s tune "Let’s Get It On" when he created his hit song "Thinking Out Loud." The verdict came after a two-week trial that featured a courtroom performance by Sheeran as the singer insisted, sometimes angrily, that the trial was a threat to all musicians who create their own music. [The story.]( Strike: Studios Break Silence on How Talks Broke Down ►Clapping back. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers released a new four-page document on Thursday explaining their position in ongoing negotiations with the WGA and denying the claim that studios and streamers have created a "gig economy." THR's [Katie Kilkenny]( writes that the document explains the AMPTP's view on, among other things, regulating the use of AI and "mini-rooms." [The story.]( —How the studios' retort went over at the picket lines. THR's [Mikey O'Connell]( [Lesley Goldberg]( and [Carolyn Giardina]( met with striking writers in Los Angeles on Thursday to get reaction to the AMPTP's document. Outside the Warner Bros. Discovery lot in Burbank, WGA negotiating committee co-chair David Goodman offered his instant reaction to the studio response and felt references to future use of AI was "very telling." [The story.]( —What writers can work on during the strike. Katie Kilkenny looks into the WGA's rules during the current stoppage and finds that the directives for writers are broad. Penning "spec" scripts and writing for certain markets not covered by its contract are allowed. And podcasts? It's complicated. [The story.]( —"Rewriting is writing! See you at the line, Jenna." Striking Hollywood writers are playfully mocking Wednesday star Jenna Ortega following her controversial comments about the writing on the hit Netflix series. A number of signs calling out Ortega have appeared on the picket line. Some of the actress' fans have pushed back on social media, saying she’s been made a scapegoat for union issues that have nothing to do with her. [The story.]( AI Decision-Making in Hollywood is Already Here ►Now what? For THR, Emmet McDermott writes that chatbots and AI-generated videos show the possibility of the tech. But more insidious are the black box algorithms that decide what's popular — directly influencing which stories to tell and how. In the nonfiction space, the stakes are dire. [The analysis.]( —Not happening. THR's Rick Porter reports that a pair of HBO stars would have closed out Saturday Night Live’s 48th season, had the writers strike not shut it down first. Succession’s Kieran Culkin was booked as the host (it would have been his second turn hosting) for the May 13 episode of NBC’s sketch comedy show, along with musical guest Labrinth. The White Lotus Emmy winner Jennifer Coolidge was set for the season finale, with Foo Fighters as the musical guest. [The story.]( —"I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting." Drew Barrymore has dropped out as host of the MTV Movie and TV Awards, saying she’s doing so in solidarity with striking writers. The awards are still set to air Sunday, but they’ll now go without a host and without any WGA scribes. MTV has also called off the red carpet for the event, which may see other talent pull out as well. [The story.]( —"I have decided to stay home in support of the many hardworking writers." Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent will also no longer attend the MTV Movie and TV Awards in solidarity with striking writers. [The story.]( WBD Swings to $50M Streaming Profit ►"We feel great about the trajectory we are on." Warner Bros. Discovery ended March with 97.6m global streaming subscribers, compared with around 96.1m as of the end of 2022 and ahead of estimates, the entertainment conglomerate disclosed in its Q1 earnings report on Friday. Importantly, WBD's streaming unit swung to a $50m profit, compared with a loss of $654m in the year-ago period and a $217m loss in Q4. [The results.]( —Stellar numbers. After teeing up Wall Street for a difficult fiscal second quarter, Apple beat analyst expectations for the quarter, delivering revenue of $94.8b (expectations were for $92.9b), down 3 percent year over year. Apple’s services segment, which includes Apple TV+, Apple Music, Apple Arcade and other offerings, continues to grow at a rapid clip, reporting revenue of $20.9b, a new record. [The results.]( —Renewed optimism. AMC Entertainment Holdings, the parent of AMC Theatres, saw its Q4 revenues rise and its net loss narrow as James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water helped bring people back to the cinemas. On Tuesday, Q4 revenues grew 21 percent to $954.4m, and the fourth-quarter loss came to $235.5m, which narrowed from the loss of $337.4m in 2022. [The results.]( —On the up. Demand for concerts continues rising and bolstering the revenue of ticket seller and concert promoter and operator Live Nation. The company reported total first-quarter revenue of $3.1b, up from $1.8b a year earlier and above analyst expectations. Concerts brought in $2.3b of that revenue, up from $1.2b, while ticketing increased to $678m, from $480m. [The results.]( 'Maisel' Star on Joel's Sacrifice for Midge ►"He did it to protect her." THR's [Christy Piña]( spoke to actor Michael Zegen about episode six of the fifth and final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, "The Testi-Roastial." Zegen opens up about Joel's motivations for what transpires in the episode. Warning: Spoilers! [The interview.]( —"I felt so grateful to be trusted with working with [Sophie Nélisse]." THR's queen of chat [Jackie Strause]( spoke to filmmaker Liz Garbus about the Yellowjackets season two episode she directed. The director goes inside the pivotal episode, "Qui," to share behind-the-scenes details, explain why a “Lottie-level miracle” couldn’t have saved the baby and why it’s time to “demystify” childbirth in the post-Roe era. Warning: Spoilers! [The interview.]( TV Review: 'Silo' ►"Solid world-building overcomes spotty narrative momentum." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Apple TV+'s Silo. Graham Yost's adaptation of Hugh Howey's books features Rebecca Ferguson as a mechanic looking for answers about her dystopian society, with David Oyelowo, Rashida Jones, Tim Robbins and Common in supporting roles. [The review.]( —Prime Beef. Netflix’s dark comedy Beef enjoyed a strong first week in Nielsen’s streaming rankings, coming close to the billion-minute mark in viewing time. The Night Agent cooled off some but spent a third week at No. 1 overall, and The Mandalorian improved for the second week in a row. Beef, starring Ali Wong and Steven Yeun, drew 962m minutes of viewing time for the week of April 3-9 (it premiered April 6). [The streaming rankings.]( Thank Pod It's Friday ► All the latest content from THR's podcast studio. —TV's Top 5. THR's [Lesley Goldberg]( and [Dan Fienberg]( break down the latest TV news. This week's episode is a writers strike special. There is a segment that breaks down the key issues at play between writers and the studios and another on the impact of the stoppage. Lesley went out to the picket lines and interviewed WGA members and showrunners, including Brett Goldstein, Yvette Foy, Zack Bornstein, Eliza Clark and Stephen Falk. And Dan reviews Peacock’s Bupkis , Apple’s Silo, Hulu’s Taste the Nation, FX’s Class of ’09 and Netflix's Queen Charlotte. [Listen here.]( —Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this live episode, Scott spoke to Taron Egerton 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿. The Welsh star reflects on the importance to his career of Matthew Vaughn and Dexter Fletcher; the running thread that Elton John played in his life even prior to playing him in Rocketman; and why he relished the opportunity to do longform television for the first time in Apple TV+'s Black Bird. [Listen here.]( In other news... —Feinberg Forecast: [Scott’s updated Emmys projections as race enters May]( —Russell Crowe [to receive Karlovy Vary lifetime honor]( —John Goodman [named jury president at 2023 Monte-Carlo TV Festival]( —Drake [letting go of his $88m Beverly Hills estate]( What else we're reading... —David Sims writes that Ted Lasso has lost its way in season 3 and has become a bloated prestige drama [[Atlantic]( —Isaiah Colbert reports on the bizarre trend of super fans of Netflix's Shadow and Bone "grinding" — that is, repeatedly bingeing — to make sure the streamer doesn't cancel the fantasy drama [[Kotaku]( —Pauline McLean looks at why Robin Hardy's The Wicker Man has divided opinion for 50 years [[BBC]( —Amy X. Wang looks at the meteoric rise of "super fake" handbags that are so good that it's almost impossible to tell [[NYT]( ​​ —Here's your Friday list: "All Vin Diesel’s film performances – ranked!" [[Guardian]( Today... ...in 2000, Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe unveiled their R-rated Roman epic, Gladiator, in theaters nationwide. The film claimed five Oscars at the 73rd Academy Awards, including best picture. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Adele (35), Henry Cavill (40), Lance Henriksen (83), Danielle Fishel (42), Richard E. Grant (66), Vincent Kartheiser (44), John Rhys-Davies (79🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿), Virginie Efira (46), Kurt Sutter (63), [Michael Palin]( (80), Zach McGowan (43), Santiago Cabrera (45), Clark Duke (38), Jenna Davis (19), Lisa Eilbacher (67), Marion Bailey (72), Tina Yothers (50), Samantha Cope (36), Gabrielle Nevaeh (18), Chelsea Clark (25), Brooke Hogan (35), Peter Howitt (66) Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](mailto:tips@thr.com?subject=). 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. 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