Schwarzenegger Gets Candid on Career, Failures, Aging; THR at Cannes; Disney Hit With Investor Suit; 'High Desert' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( May 16, 2023 What's news: It's magazine day! This week's cover star is the incomparable Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Cannes Film Festival is officially underway. Andrew Niccol's new film will feature an all-Kiwi cast. Comcast's Bob Roberts says Disney will have to pay top dollar for their Hulu stake. The WGA will not picket the Tony Awards. Cynthia Erivo will lead the movie adaptation of Prima Facie. — [Abid Rahman]( Schwarzenegger Gets Candid on Career, Failures, Aging ►On the cover. Action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger — set to make his series TV debut in Netflix’s FUBAR — sounds off to THR's [James Hibberd]( about his Terminator and Conan futures, identity politics and why emotions are overrated: "We have to work our ass off and stop worrying about feelings." [The cover story.]( Bonjour de Cannes! ►THR's crack team is in Cannes for the 76th edition of the famed film festival. [Read our day 1 digital daily here.]( —Big Dave's Big 10. On paper, this year's festival looks like an embarrassment of riches, assembling no shortage of big guns in terms of major-name filmmakers. THR's chief film critic [David Rooney]( lines up his ten most eagerly awaited selections bowing on the Croisette, including new films from Todd Haynes, Wes Anderson and Jonathan Glazer. [The list.]( —Potential contenders. For most of the history of Cannes, relatively few films that premiered at the festival went on to Academy Award recognition. THR's awards expert Scott Feinberg dissects the fest's up-and-down history of launching Oscar contenders and identifies a handful of this year's titles — in and out of competition — to keep an eye on. [The story.]( —Legend of the Croisette. This year's festival is likely the last for Ken Loach. After more than half a century of visits to Cannes, the preeminent auteur of politically engaged social realism and a Palme d'Or joint record holder presents The Old Oak, his final feature (or so he claims) and his 15th film in competition. In a wide ranging conversation with THR's [Alex Ritman]( Loach reflected on his long and storied history with the festival. [The interview.]( Cannes Diary: With Depp Opening, the Fest Steps Back Into Culture Clash ►Controversy from the off. THR's [Rebecca Keegan]( first diary entry for Cannes 2023 takes in the kerfuffle caused by the opening film. Rebecca writes that the decision to kick off with controversial helmer Maïwenn’s period piece Jeanne Du Barry, starring Johnny Depp, offers a virtual case study of the different cultural norms driving the French and American film industries. [The diary.]( —"I don’t know about the image of Johnny Depp in the U.S." As if to emphasize the differences Rebecca writes about, festival director Thierry Fremaux said he didn't see anything controversial about having a Depp film open the biggest film festival in the world. In a press conference on Monday, Fremaux said much of the debate and coverage of scandals associated with the festival was disingenuous. He added he had no interest in Depp’s private life or legal wranglings. [The story.]( —🎭 Kiwis, assemble! 🎭 THR's Alex Ritman has the scoop on Oscar-nominated New Zealand filmmaker Andrew Niccol gathering together an all-Kiwi cast to lead his newly-announced live-action/animated feature I, Object. Melanie Lynsey, Karl Urban, Thomas McKenzie and Jemaine Clement will star in the project about a 10-year-old boy grieving the loss of his father. [The story.]( —🎭 Ka Pai! 🎭 Another scoop from Alex, and it's another one hailing from New Zealand. He reports that the country is getting its very own historical action adventure drama told from the Māori point of view and in the Māori language. Ka Whawhai Tonu was officially unveiled on Monday, and will star Temuera Morrison, Cliff Curtis and Jason Flemyng. Set in Aotearoa in 1864, the film tells the story of a pivotal battle in the country’s first land wars, a battle fought with impossible odds between Māori and the colonial forces. [The story.]( —🎭 Jackie and Stanley back together 🎭 Jackie Chan has signed on to star in a sequel to his 2005 martial arts fantasy-adventure hit The Myth. Titled A Legend and directed by Chan’s longtime collaborator Stanley Tong, the sequel will have a budget of $50m — large for the Chinese film industry — and co-star Yixing Zhang and Coulee Nazha. [The story.]( —🎭 Fog clears 🎭 Jake Abel, Briana Hildebrand and John Cusack are set to lead spy thriller Fog of War, the latest project from Yale Entertainment. Michael Day is directing from a screenplay by Luke Langsdale. Set in the closing months of WWII, the film tells the story of an injured American pilot and his OSS agent fiancée as they retreat to a remote estate in Massachusetts to stay with a distant uncle, who is hiding some secrets. [The story.]( More from the first day of the Cannes Film Festival... —Cannes’ [most iconic hotel, the Carlton, gets a chic makeover]( —Cannes hidden gem: [Taking on the patriarchy with Jordan’s Inshallah a Boy]( —Cannes flashback: [25 years ago, Johnny Depp brought Fear and Loathing to the Croisette]( —Julianne Moore’s [best Cannes red carpet style]( —John Wick [heavies Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror join Diablo]( Disney Hit With Investor Suit Over Streaming Growth ►Suit filed. Disney’s lofty subscriber growth and profitability targets for its streaming service Disney+ have drawn a lawsuit from investors who claim that the entertainment giant misled them about the extent of its losses. THR's [Winston Cho]( reports that suit filed in California federal court accuses Disney of engaging in a fraudulent scheme designed to hide Disney+ costs and make forecasts that it would be profitable by 2024 believable. In particular, it takes aim at ousted CEO Bob Chapek’s alleged "cost-shifting scheme." [The story.]( —"I think we have a very valuable position." Disney is likely to have to write a big check to buy Comcast’s one-third stake in Hulu, CEO Bob Roberts hinted on Tuesday. Roberts predicted Comcast shareholders will do well from a possible sale of the Hulu stake. “I’m pretty certain that when we sell our Hulu stake, it’ll be for more than what we have in it. In fact, that’s contractually certain,” Roberts said. [The story.]( —Solidarity. The Writers Guild of America will not picket the 2023 Tony Awards, the union announced Monday. In a statement, the WGA said that it will not negotiate an interim agreement or a waiver for the Tony Awards, as previously reported, but that it will not picket this year’s show in whatever form it does move forward. [The story.]( —🎭 Stage to screen 🎭 Cynthia Erivo will star in a film adaptation of Suzie Miller’s play, Prima Facie, which is currently playing on Broadway with Jodie Comer as the lead. Our Kind of Traitor filmmaker Susanna White will direct with Miller adapting the screenplay for the screen. Erivo will take on the role of Tessa, a young barrister who finds herself fighting against the same legal system that had supported her. [The story.]( —🎭 Drax all folks 🎭 After bidding adieu to the Guardians of the Galaxy, Dave Bautista has set his next movie: action-comedy The Killer’s Game. Lionsgate has come aboard the long-in-development project, acquiring worldwide distribution rights and setting J.J. Perry, the stuntman who made his directorial debut with Day Shift, to helm the feature. [The story.]( Anonymous Strike Diary: The Eastside Agitator ►"It’s a marathon, not a sprint." In the latest in THR's series of frank accounts of the strike, a mid-career drama writer offers a brutally honest account of the opening weeks of the stoppage. The writer discusses how they came to terms with the fact that "this is going to be a long one" and their anxiety about the Directors Guild solidarity: "It’s hard not to fear we’re just Charlie Brown and they’re Lucy with the football — because that’s how it’s usually been." [The diary.]( —Detective Dee. ABC is moving forward with one of its six pilots — with more a possibility at a later date. The network has handed out a series order to its Drew Goddard drama, which now has a title: High Potential. The drama starring It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Kaitlin Olson is based on the French series Haut Potentiel Intellectuel, and revolves around a single mom with an exceptional mind and an unconventional knack for solving crimes. [The story.]( —No surprises here. A pair of comedies and a passel of unscripted series have secured places on ABC for the 2023-24 TV season. The broadcaster has renewed The Conners for a sixth season and Not Dead Yet for a second. The bulk of ABC’s in-season unscripted lineup — America’s Funniest Home Videos, American Idol, The Bachelor, Bachelor in Paradise, Celebrity Jeopardy!, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and Shark Tank — is also set to return. [The story.]( —Entering the "Danger Zone." FX has confirmed that its animated comedy Archer is coming back for a 14th and final season on FXX. The series will begin its farewell with two episodes starting at 10 p.m., with both available the following day on Hulu. Archer joins the previously announced 16th season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on FX/FXX this summer. Also on Monday, FX revealed premiere dates for season five of What We Do in the Shadows, season three of Reservation Dogs and the debut date of Justified: City Primeval. [The story.]( —Another streaming first. The NFL has granted Peacock the first streaming-exclusive playoff game. The Peacock telecast is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Jan. 13, 2024, during the wild card round. It will mark the first time an NFL postseason game has been exclusive to a streaming platform for a national audience. [The story.]( TV Review: 'High Desert' ►"An appealingly shaggy detective comedy." THR's [Angie Han]( reviews Apple TV+'s High Desert. In this comic series, Patricia Arquette plays a recovering addict who takes on a new job assisting a private investigator after the death of her mother (Bernadette Peters). [The review.]( —"We still don't really know her, and probably never will." Angie reviews Netflix's Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me. Ursula Macfarlane directs a documentary about the life and untimely death of the model turned tabloid fixture, using archival footage and interviews with friends and family. [The review.]( —"A buddy comedy worth spending time with." Angie again, this time she reviews Apple TV+'s Platonic. Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne reteam with Neighbors director Nicholas Stoller for a series about two former besties whose rekindled bond upends both their lives. [The review.]( —"The satire needs refining, but it's a fine showcase for its writer-stars." THR's chief TV critic [Dan Fienberg]( reviews IFC's SisterS. Barry's Sarah Goldberg and Susan Stanley are the creators and stars of this series about long-lost half-sisters who bond on a road trip through Ireland. [The review.]( In other news... —The Bear S2 trailer: [New menu, same intensity]( —Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina [are in over their heads in Based on a True Story trailer]( —Chris Hemsworth [is back from the dead in Extraction 2 trailer]( —Film Independent [Spirit Awards set 2024 date]( —Shondaland [unveils Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte inspired bridal gown collection]( What else we're reading... —Mike Ryan talks to Fast X filmmaker Louis Leterrier, and they cover some fascinating ground, including the immediate aftermath of Justin Lin's shock exit from the film [[Uproxx]( —With The CW effectively gutting its scripted programming, Alex Zalben looks back fondly at the network's output and considers its legacy [[Decider]( —Lachlan Cartwright and Justin Baragona spoke to insiders at CNN who are alarmed by the dressing down media reporter Oliver Darcy was given by CEO Chris Licht in the aftermath of the town hall fiasco [[Daily Beast]( —Alaina Demopoulos looks into why so many young Americans are adopting fake British accents [[Guardian]( —With the "stealth wealth" trend all over TikTok, and inspiring quite a few columns in newspapers, Amanda Mull calls bullshit and suggests it's not real [[Atlantic]( Today... ...in 2002, George Lucas unveiled Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones in theaters, where it would go on to gross $645m globally. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Janet Jackson (57), Melanie Lynskey (46), Megan Fox (37), [Pierce Brosnan]( (70), Debra Winger (68), David Boreanaz (54), Danny Trejo (79), Jim Sturgess (45), Vincent Regan (58🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿), Tori Spelling (50), Laurette Spang (72), Stephen Mangan (55), Brían F. O'Byrne (56), Lynn Collins (46), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (33), Joseph Morgan (42), Tiya Sircar (41), Mare Winningham (64), Khary Payton (51), Tracey Gold (54), Alice Wetterlund (42), Ramon Tikaram (56), Ji-eun Lee (30), Rebecca Front (59), Peter Onorati (70), Kevin McDonald (62), Josefine Lindegaard (25), Danielle Spencer (54), Aleyse Shannon (27) 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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