Inside the WGA-AMPTP Meeting; Why 'Barbie 2' Isn't a Done Deal; NBCU Accused of Reality TV Mistreatment; Jeff Rowe Talks 'Ninja Turtles'

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( August 05, 2023 What's news: Barbie zooms past $400 million domestically in historic fashion. Bryan Cranston remembers Breaking Bad co-star Mark Margolis. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass offers her help in resolving the Hollywood work stoppage. Zachary Levi clarifies his viral comments about the actors strike. — [Ryan Gajewski]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. Why 'Barbie 2' Isn't a Done Deal ►Is one film Kenough? THR's [Borys Kit]( reports that Warner Bros.' smash hit Barbie has no sequel in sight, despite being on the verge of cracking the $1 billion mark globally. Borys writes that filmmaker Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are not obligated to return for a Barbie 2, with dual strikes complicating matters for the studio. [The story.]( —"As of now, there is no agreement." THR's [Katie Kilkenny]( and [Lesley Goldberg]( report that representatives for major studios and streamers met with the WGA for the first time since their stalled negotiations led to a strike on May 2 — a meeting that the WGA negotiating committee says produced "no agreement" on the issues. AMPTP president Carol Lombardini and AMPTP staffers as well as WGA West assistant executive director and chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman and general counsel Tony Segall were present at the meeting to confer about a resumption of negotiations. [The story.]( —"Brilliant, funny, a raconteur with a million stories." Mark Margolis, the journeyman actor who turned in a commanding performance as the vindictive drug runner Hector Salamanca, a man of few words and a bell, on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, has died at age 83. Bryan Cranston and Breaking Bad writer-producer Peter Gould were among those remembering Margolis. [The obituary.]( —"An offhand remark I made in jest last weekend is being taken out of context." Zachary Levi is clarifying his viral comments about the SAG-AFTRA strike. The Shazam! star's jokes from a fan event got attention after he called the guild's restrictions on promoting studio content "so dumb." [The story.]( NBCU Accused of Mistreatment on Reality TV Series ►The letter alleges castmembers are fueled with alcohol while lacking food and sleep. NBCUniversal's general counsel received a letter from top Hollywood lawyers alleging that "a day of reckoning" is coming because of the "sordid and dark underbelly" of the media giant's reality television empire. According to the letter, veteran entertainment attorneys Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos together represent "a significant number" of people employed by or contracted with Bravo Media, E! and CNBC, specifically "current and former cast members and crewmembers on some of NBC's most lucrative reality TV shows." [The story.]( —The dream continues. THR's [Pamela McClintock]( reports that Greta Gerwig's Barbie cleared the $400 million mark at the domestic box office on Thursday, its 14th day in release, making this the fastest that a Warner Bros. movie has ever hit the milestone. Globally, Barbie has now amassed north of $900 million in ticket sales, and will join the billion-dollar club by Sunday or early next week. Its top competition this weekend includes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Meg 2: The Trench and, of course, Oppenheimer. [The box office report.]( —"It is critical that this gets resolved immediately." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says she's willing to "personally engage" with the AMPTP and the Writers Guild as they work to reach an agreement amid the ongoing strike. Bass released a statement committing herself to assist with the ongoing negotiation, which came on the same day the WGA and AMPTP returned to the negotiating table since contract talks deteriorated in May over a multitude of issues. [The story.]( Hollywood Food Insecurity Spikes Amid Strikes ►"There's a great deal of suffering that’s happening." THR's [Gary Baum]( and [Katie Kilkenny]( report that the entertainment industry's most vulnerable workers are increasingly unable to feed themselves amid the double strike, according to non-profits tasked with addressing the food insecurity crisis. Insiders describe Hollywood's ongoing work stoppage as a humanitarian emergency broadly affecting the community, not just striking union members. [The story.]( —The move has nothing to do with the contents of the film. Australian supernatural horror film Talk to Me has been blocked from release in Kuwait, which is considered to be the region's strictest market when it comes to censors. THR's [Alex Ritman]( reports that the decision to ban the A24 movie, which has been both a critical and commercial hit internationally, concerns the identity of its star Zoe Terakes, who identifies as nonbinary and trans masculine. [The story.]( —"The ladder is disintegrating as we climb it." THR's [Rebecca Sun]( reports that the Think Tank for Inclusion and Equity hosted a picket at the Disney lot to show solidarity and build awareness for how the deal points at stake in the Writers Guild's MBA particularly affect writers from historically excluded backgrounds. Sun talks to leadership from TTIE, which is steadily increasing its footprint since it quietly came together six years ago and then in 2019 published the first of its now-annual reports on the behind-the-scenes experiences of historically excluded writers. [The story.]( Director Jeff Rowe Talks 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem' ►"I felt how people probably felt watching Robin Williams do Genie for Aladdin." THR's [Brian Davids]( interviews filmmaker Jeff Rowe about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Rowe discusses rejecting the "grounded" trend, why Shredder is being saved for a sequel and that Avengers reference. [The interview.]( —"We are letting the show change and evolve." THR's [Lacey Rose]( chats with Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman about the Netflix queer drama series' second season. Oseman talks about those somewhat perplexing Euphoria comparisons and the value of showcasing mental health and asexuality. [The interview.]( —"A handsome and perceptive feature." THR critic [Sheri Linden]( reviews Laura Luchetti's The Beautiful Summer. Premiering at the Locarno Film Festival, the feature adaptation of a novel by Cesare Pavese centers on a young woman’s sexual awakening. [The film review.]( This Week's Must Reads ►"It seems like the game is rigged against average working people." SAG-AFTRA and the WGA didn't strike because of eight-figure C-suite pay packets, of course, but the optics of such disparity are fueling the flames. THR's [Ashley Cullins]( writes that most entertainment giants won't have to face a shareholder Say on Pay vote until early next year, but the striking unions have effectively drawn attention to the massive paychecks of top Hollywood executives. [The story.]( —"It's been brutal." THR's [Ryan Gajewski]( writes that many thought the halt of scripted programming would lead to a reality TV boom, but even as fall schedules rely heavily on unscripted, workers still grapple with diminished job opportunities, long hours and a lack of union support: "We get starved out all the time." [The story.]( —"What upsets people is the coded language and coded pictures." "Try That In a Small Town" has become Jason Aldean's biggest hit on the pop charts and his first No. 1 on the country charts since 2014. But while it's having a historic run, the song has divided people, with some calling it a pro-lynching anthem and anti-Black. THR's [Mesfin Fekadu]( looks at how the song came to be and the barely concealed dog whistles found within it. [The story.]( —Anonymous strike diary. THR's series of frank accounts of the writers strike continues. The Eastside Warrior returns to weigh in on the announcement that the deadlocked WGA and the AMPTP would convene to discuss a path forward: "Lock everyone up in a small windowless office with a bathroom and a take-out menu from California Pizza Kitchen until they come up with a deal." [The diary entry.]( In other news... —[The surprising connection]( between Pee-wee's Playhouse and Boyz n the Hood —Steven Soderbergh: Streaming data [transparency a bigger worry than AI]( —Blues Brothers withdraw from [fundraiser performances amid actors strike]( —James Wan shares medical [update amid recovery after hospitalization]( —[Events of the week]( Jersey Shore Family Vacation, Project Angel Food and more What else we're reading... —Jada Yuan writes that the actors strike could be a roadblock to the Oscars [[WaPo]( —Ed Power wonders why Hollywood keeps disrespecting Henry Cavill [[Telegraph]( —Simran Hans watches the first four episodes of Heartstopper's new season with London teens — and the reactions include giggling and more than a little eye-rolling [[NYT]( —Nick Schager spotlights the timely new documentary that he calls the perfect chaser to Oppenheimer [[Daily Beast]( —ESPN's team predicts the winners of every round-of-16 game in the Women's World Cup [[ESPN]( Today... …in 2011, Universal released David Dobkin's body-switch comedy The Change-Up, starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: James Gunn (57), Mark Strong (60), Jesse Williams (42), Olivia Holt (26), Maureen McCormick (67), Janet McTeer (62), Sophie Winkleman (43), Stephanie Szostak (48), Josie Totah (22), Scott William Winters (58), Bruce Horak (49), Ray Fearon (50), Mimi Keene (25), Kajol (49), Yungblud (26), Jonathan Silverman (57) Clifton Oliver, who starred on Broadway as Simba in The Lion King and as Benny in In the Heights, has died. He was 47. [The obituary.]( 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 The Hollywood Reporter. 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 © 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. 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