Ayo Edebiri Is Suddenly Everywhere; Is Iger Lining Up a Disney Sale to Apple?; 'Sound of Freedom' Studio Deflects Criticism; 'Gran Turismo' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( August 09, 2023 What's news: It's magazine day! This week's cover star is the outrageously talented and hilarious Ayo Edebiri. The strikes will cost Endeavor $25m a month. Wonya Lucas is stepping down as CEO of Hallmark Channel. A24 has confirmed a sequel to Talk to Me. Bill Maher really doesn't like Barbie. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. Ayo Edebiri Is Suddenly Everywhere ►On the cover. Before she was striking, actor-writer Ayo Edebiri was working — a ton. Now The Bear star is hitting screens in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and two buzzy indie comedies — Theater Camp and Bottoms — made a memorable appearance in the Black Mirror episode "Joan Is Awful" and is sitting front row at Paris Fashion Week. Next up, is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Thunderbolts. Before SAG-AFTRA called a strike, THR's Seija Rankin spoke to Edebiri about her rapid rise to prominence in Hollywood. [The cover story.]( —"It’s an anniversary of shame for the AMPTP." As the writers strike hits 100 days, THR's [Lesley Goldberg]( spoke to Chris Keyser, the co-chair of the Writers Guild of America’s negotiating committee. Keyser discusses why the DGA deal won’t work for writers, the mood inside the room ("professional, coldly professional") and potential points of compromise: "We have said to the companies that the solutions to these problems can be negotiable." [The interview.]( —A first. Taylor Swift and SZA are the leading contenders at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, where female nominees dominate the top category for the first time in the show’s history. Swift’s “Anti-Hero” and SZA’s “Kill Bill” will compete for video of the year alongside Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl,” Olivia Rodrigo’s “vampire,” Doja Cat’s “Attention” and “Unholy” by Kim Petras and Sam Smith (who identifies as nonbinary). [The nominees.]( —"Actions have consequences, and there are no winners in this case." A judge sentenced rapper Tory Lanez to 10 years in prison Tuesday for shooting and wounding Megan Thee Stallion. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford handed down the sentence to Lanez, who was convicted in December of three felonies: assault with a semiautomatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. [The story.]( —A "preachy, man-hating zombie lie." Bill Maher saw Barbie and he really didn't like it. The Real Time host posted a lengthy critique of filmmaker Greta Gerwig’s summer sensation, which just crossed the $1b global mark at the box office. Maher took particular issue with the depiction of an all-white male Mattel board in the film, and how that didn't reflect the reality. The comedian protested: "I'm not the one who's out of step." [The story.]( A Disney Sale to Apple? Don't Count It Out This Time ►"If you see Bob start to divest things … that feels like he’s prepping for a sale." Facing the staggering problems afflicting all legacy studios, is Bob Iger contemplating a once-unthinkable option? THR's editor-at-large [Kim Masters]( and [Alex Weprin]( write that the signals the Disney CEO sent in Sun Valley suggest that it could happen. [The story.]( —"To hear Bob Iger say that our demands for a living wage are unrealistic? … I don’t have any words for it, but: f*** you." Amid the strikes, Billy Porter has revealed that he has been hit hard by the work stoppage. In a new interview, the Pose star said that he will have to sell his house after some of his upcoming projects were put on pause. Porter also had choice words for Disney boss Bob Iger, directly calling him out for comments he made about union demands. [The story.]( —Safe bet. In a major sports betting move, ESPN has cut a $2b deal with casino owner Penn Entertainment to launch ESPN Bet, a branded sportsbook. ESPN Bet will launch this fall in the 16 states where Penn has sports betting licenses. It will replace the Barstool Sportsbook. Penn is paying ESPN $1.5b in cash over the 10-year term, with another $500m in warrants that will vest over the term “in exchange for media, marketing services, brand and other rights provided by ESPN.” [The story.]( —Not great. Several law firms are investigating whether Live Nation lied to investors by failing to disclose the scope of its legal vulnerability for allegedly abusing its power in the live music industry. New York-based firm Bernstein Liebhard sent out a notice on Tuesday soliciting investors to join a lawsuit that was filed last week against Live Nation, with three others already having done the same in the wake of reports that the DOJ plans to sue the company for antitrust violations. [The story.]( Strikes to Cost Endeavor $25M a Month ►"We continue to stand with our clients." On the company’s Q2 earnings call Tuesday, Endeavor CFO Jason Lublin said that the company expects the strikes to cost its talent agency WME about $25m per month in revenue. Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel added that his company continues to be aligned with its actor and writer clients, but that it will be “months, not days” before the business picks back up. [The story.]( —About those Q2 results. Endeavor saw its revenues rise and delivered a healthy profit in Q2, with each of its divisions posting improvements from the prior year. Total revenue was $1.436b, with net income of $666.5m. That was due to the growth in its divisions, as well as the $1.25b sale of IMG Academy. The company also said that the upcoming spin out and merger of the UFC and WWE is expected to close next month. It will also commence a $300m share repurchase plan. [The results.]( —Spider-bounce. Sony Pictures saw its fiscal Q1 bottom line drop to a profit of $115m, down 68 percent from the $394m it reported during the same period in 2022. While theatrical sales were up, revenue from new TV series and streaming licensing were down. Promotional costs also increased. Meanwhile, revenue in the film and TV division was down 6 percent to $2.3b. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was its biggest earner, taking $591m globally, while The Pope’s Exorcist logged $75m. [The results.]( —Slaves to analytics. The CW continues to lose money, with a net loss of $78m in Q2, however its finances are improving, as executives at Nexstar appear increasingly confident in their strategy to turn the network around. In Nexstar’s Q2 earnings report, the local TV station giant spent some time discussing its plan for The CW. The strategy is to take a “Moneyball” approach to content, meaning fewer big-budget superhero shows, more reality programming and more sports. [The results.]( The Friedkin I Knew: Feisty, Opinionated and Open to Others ►"Unlike so many older filmmakers, he had no envy of a younger generation that was having its moment in the sun." In a guest column for THR, Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University film school (and a THR alum) who wrote a biography of William Friedkin's wife Sherry Lansing, remembers his Oscar-winning friend, who died Monday at the age of 87. [The column.]( —"Beneath the unsentimental toughness, a wellspring of soul and sensitivity." In a guest column for THR, Armageddon Time filmmaker James Gray remembers Friedkin as a director whose uncompromising films, unabashed honesty and personal friendship left an indelible mark on him. [The column.]( 'Sound of Freedom' Studio Deflects Criticism ►"The vast majority of tickets are being bought by everyday people." Angel Studios, the company behind surprise box office hit Sound of Freedom, won't say how much of the film's $164m domestic take comes from donated tickets or those bought directly by a moviegoer. THR's [Pamela McClintock]( writes that Angel's results are staggering enough that it inspired one major Hollywood studio to commission a survey examining its success. [The analysis.]( —"I am honored to have led this company and am tremendously proud of the progress we’ve made." Wonya Lucas is set to step down as Hallmark Channel CEO at year’s end. The company said Hallmark Companies CEO Mike Perry will work with Lucas and the Hallmark Media team to guide the platform through her transition. During her three-year run, Lucas transformed Hallmark to better reflect society with more diverse and inclusive storylines, characters and programming. [The story.]( —More tumult. Veteran Warner Bros. Discovery exec Priya Dogra is leaving the company after 14 years. Dogra was only promoted to the role of president and managing director of Europe, the Middle East and Africa less than 16 months ago, as part of WBD's post-merger leadership shuffle. In a memo, WBD international president Gerhard Zeiler said the surprise decision was mutually agreed. [The story.]( Let's Talk About Sex, Just Don't Show It ►"What happened to make American movies so desexualized?" THR's chief film critic [David Rooney]( writes that the NC-17 rating slapped on Ira Sachs’ Passages and breathless talk about a few scenes in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer have renewed questions of whether — or why — American movies seem more sexually uptight than ever. [The critic's notebook.]( —Shock cancellation. Jay-Z’s annual Made in America musical festival, which Lizzo and SZA were set to headline, has been canceled this year. The festival shared in a statement on its social media that "due to severe circumstances outside of production control" the 2023 edition of the festival will no longer be taking place. Though the festival didn’t expand on the reason for the cancellation, it comes a week after three former dancers filed a lawsuit accusing Lizzo of creating a hostile work environment. [The story.]( —Golden handshake. A24 is reteaming with Aussie filmmaking brothers Danny and Michael Philippou for the sequel to their horror breakout film Talk to Me. The sequel, cunningly titled Talk 2 Me, will be written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, and is set to be directed by the brothers. Talk to Me, which has made over $26m at the global box office, world premiered at Sundance during the Midnight Selections sidebar and was picked up by A24 coming out of the festival. [The story.]( Film Review: 'Gran Turismo' ►"Not a world champion, but clearly a contender." THR critic Justin Lowe reviews Neill Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo. Archie Madekwe co-stars alongside Orlando Bloom, David Harbour, Djimon Hounsou and Geri Halliwell Horner in this 'based on a true story' racing feature sourced from the archives of Sony’s long-running PlayStation video game franchise. [The review.]( —"Sweet but slight." THR's [Angie Han]( reviews Apple TV+'s Strange Planet. Nathan W. Pyle and Dan Harmon's animated comedy series tackles the joys, tragedies and absurdities of everyday existence through gently comic tales set on a planet of blue humanoid beings. [The review.]( In other news... —Alden Ehrenreich, Phoebe Dynevor’s [secret romance turns chaotic in Netflix’s Fair Play trailer]( —The Changeling [trailer sees LaKeith Stanfield trapped in a fairy tale-turned-horror story]( —Sylvester Stallone [Netflix doc Sly to close Toronto Film Festival]( —Jennifer Esposito [signs with WME]( —Ciara, Russell Wilson [expecting third child]( —Hillary Povar [promoted to CCO at boutique PR firm Smithhouse]( —BuzzFeed [ad revenue declines amid increased competition]( What else we're reading... —Mikael Wood talks to Ice-T about playing a cop in the classic crime drama New Jack City, with the rapper revealing he thought it was "career suicide" at the time [[LAT]( —Sofia Andrade and Janay Kingsberry write that some of the audience bad behavior seen during screenings of Barbie and Oppenheimer suggests people have forgotten how to go to the cinema [[WaPo]( —Anna Merlan reports that trafficking survivors and advocates are being harassed by fans of the film Sound of Freedom [[Vice]( —In a surprise to absolutely no one, Jeffrey S. Solochek reports that concerns over sex content is leading Florida schools to pull Shakespeare [[Tampa Bay Times]( —On the 25th anniversary of Michael Cunningham's 1998 novel The Hours, which later became an Oscar-winning film, Lillian Crawford looks at how the book changed the way we see author Virginia Woolf [[BBC]( Today... 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