Newsom Vetoes WGA, SAG-Backed Relief Bill; U2 Opens Vegas Sphere With Visual Feast; 'Sex Education' Creator on "Cathartic" Ending; 'Paw Patrol 2' Beats 'Saw X'; 'Foe' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( October 02, 2023 What's news: John Oliver slammed the studios for prolonging the WGA strike. Ed Sheeran's new album with have no singles or music videos. Russell Brand is now being investigated by two police forces in the U.K. The Saw franchise has now grossed more than $1b worldwide. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. Newsom Vetoes WGA and SAG-AFTRA-Backed Strike Relief Bill ►"Now is not the time to increase costs or incur this sizable debt." California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill Saturday that would have given unemployment benefits to workers on strike. Newsom said he rejected the bill, which was backed by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, because the fund that the state uses to pay unemployment benefits is projected to be nearly $20b in debt by the end of the year and "could jeopardize California’s Benefit Cost Ratio add-on waiver application, significantly increasing taxed on employers." [The story.]( —"It took the studios 148 days to achieve a deal that they could have offered on day f***ing one." John Oliver had a lot of news to catch up on in Sunday’s Last Week Tonight — five months, in fact. During the first 15 minutes or so of his first show back since the WGA strike ended, he blazed through the biggest news stories that happened during the 148-day strike. And he saved his ire for the studios for prolonging the writers strike. [The recap.]( —ICYMI. On Friday night, Bill Maher returned to HBO’s Real Time following some of his recent controversy amid the WGA strike. Though he didn’t directly address the backlash, he did briefly express his appreciation for his writers, staff members and the WGA. [The recap.]( —"I find it personally disturbing." Robin Williams' daughter Zelda is speaking out against the use of AI to recreate the sound of her late father’s voice. Her comments come on the heels of the WGA’s strike against the studios over issues that included the use of AI, among other sticking points. SAG-AFTRA is still currently on strike over the use of AI and other issues. [The story.]( —"I have nothing to do with it." Tom Hanks is warning fans about an-AI produced video of him circulating online. The Oscar-winning actor took to his Instagram on Sunday to give his fans a heads-up that anything they may see about him online linked to a dental plan was not actually him. [The story.]( NBC's Coverage of Chiefs Game Puts Taylor Swift in Spotlight ►Taylor made. During Sunday night's big NFL game, NBC didn’t waste any opportunity to put the spotlight on the Kansas City Chiefs’ most famous fan up in the suites. Taylor Swift was at her second consecutive NFL game on Sunday, once again cheering on Kansas, amid rumors that she and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce have started up a romance. NBC cameras caught her in a suite alongside other famous faces, including Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman, Sophie Turner and filmmaker Shawn Levy. [The story.]( —Stripped down. Ed Sheeran shared that there will be no singles or music videos to go along with his latest album, Autumn Variations. The Brit singer-songwriter revealed the news during an appearance on CBS Mornings on Friday, the same day the album was released. Autumn Variations marks the English singer’s second album released this year, after dropping his sixth studio album − (pronounced subtract) in May. This project is also his first independent release on Gingerbread Man Records, which he founded. [The story.]( —🏆 Zorionak! 🏆 Local Basque filmmaker Jaione Camborda took the top prize, the Golden Shell for best film, at the 71st San Sebastián Film Festival on Sunday. San Sebastián-born Camborda won for her film The Rye Horn, a 1970s-set drama about a midwife forced to flee to Portugal when a teenage mother asked her for an abortion. J.A. Bayona's Netflix drama Society Of The Snow won the overall audience award and Matteo Garrone's refugee drama Io Capitano won for best European film. [The story.]( U2 Opens Vegas Sphere With Visual Feast ►Even better than the real thing. In front of 18,000 awestruck fans, U2 opened the $2.3b Sphere in Las Vegas on Friday with the band's most ambitious and transportive live show ever. THR's [Carolyn Giardina]( reports that the show was an electrifying live performance and visual odyssey that unfolded on the Sphere’s enveloping 160,000 square foot wraparound interior LED display. [The story.]( —"This is arguably the greatest music venue on the planet." Hollywood was out in force at the Sphere in on Friday night. Oprah, Jeff Bezos, Paul McCartney, LeBron James, Jon Hamm, Aaron Paul, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Banks and Darren Aronofsky were among the big names who attended the venue's opening night. [The story.]( —Second investigation. Russell Brand is now being investigated by two police forces in the U.K. following the allegations of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse against the actor and comedian that were revealed in a joint investigation by Channel 4, The Sunday Times and The Times. On Monday, Thames Valley Police said a woman contacted the force two weeks ago with “new information” in relation to reports of "harassment and stalking." [The story.]( —"I have only my word to defend myself." French actor Gérard Depardieu has denied rape and sexual assault allegations made against him, publishing an open letter in French newspaper Le Figaro. Earlier this year, Depardieu was hit with fresh allegations of sexual assault or harassment by 13 women. [The story.]( 'Sex Education' Creator on "Cathartic" Ending ►"I haven’t had the last two years to process the fact that it’s coming to an end. I’m just sort of coming to terms with it now." THR's [Christy Piña]( spoke to Sex Education creator Laurie Nunn about the end of the popular Netflix drama. Nunn reveals what the series was really all about, discusses the series finale, spinoffs she may be interested in down the line and how it feels to be promoting a show following the end of the WGA strike. Warning: Spoilers! [The interview.]( —"We tried to push an original U.S. series in the past. Now, who knows, on the back of this [success], it might happen." THR's [James Hibberd]( spoke to Naked Attraction executive producer Darrell Olsen about the storm of controversy the U.K. dating show has caused since it debuted on Max. Olsen reveals what it's really like behind the scenes of the all-nude dating show and explains the casting process. [The interview.]( —"I get to make stuff that I love and stand by and find quite enjoyable." THR's [Brian Davids]( spoke to John Carney about his new film Flora and Son. The Irish director defends the casting of Eve Hewson, daughter of U2 frontman Bono, as Flora. Carney, known for Once, Begin Again and Sing Street, also explains why he is content to avoid the hangups of the studio system. [The interview.]( —"[Dumb Money] is so well-timed in that it is the story of an everyman fighting against what is perceived as seemingly unfair odds and living with corporate greed." Brian also spoke to veteran producer Aaron Ryder about his new film Dumb Money. Ryder talks landing the highly sought-after rights to Ben Mezrich’s GameStop book, and also discusses the battle for Christopher Nolan’s Memento to land a distributor, and his memories from Denis Villeneuve's Arrival. [The interview.]( Saw Patrol Starts Off Strong ►Pups to the rescue. Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie scared off Saw X and The Creator at the domestic box office this weekend with $23m from 3,989 theaters in a needed win for the family marketplace. The news was just as good overseas, where the sequel flexed its muscle in opening to $23.1m from 45 markets for a global bow of $46.1m, a 70 percent uptick over the last pic. Parents and kids made up 90 percent of the Paw Patrol 2 audience in North America, where the sequel over-indexed in most regions save for the western part of the U.S. THR's [Pamela McClintock]( writes that Paw Patrol 2, which cost a lean $30m to produce before marketing, follows the success of 2021’s Paw Patrol: The Movie that helped solidify Paramount chief Brian Robbins’ standing. Saw X placed second in North America with $18m from 3,262 locations. While that’s hardly a bad start for a film that cost $13m to make before marketing, it had hoped to silence Paw Patrol 2 and come in No. 1. The optimism wasn’t unwarranted; Saw X landed the best reviews of any film in the series. Audiences gave the film a B CinemaScore, which is considered a relatively good mark for the genre. Overseas, Saw X opened to $11.3m from 50 markets for a global bow of $29.3m. The Saw franchise has now grossed more than $1b worldwide. The Creator followed in third place domestically with a muted $14m from 3,680 cinemas. The $80m original sci-fi epic, directed by Rogue One's Gareth Edwards, was the biggest swing of the weekend and hopes to make up ground overseas, where it started off with $18.3m from 48 markets for a $32.3m global opening. [The box office report.]( —The year of Zhang. Crime drama Under the Light, Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou's 26th feature, topped ticket sales during China’s Mid-Autumn Festival holiday over the past four days, opening to $62.6m. The 73-year-old director is having a huge year after his previous feature, the historical mystery thriller Full River Red, dominated China’s previous big holiday release window, the Lunar New Year in January, with a whopping $673m tally. [The China box office report.]( Film Review: 'Foe' ►"Fee Fie Foe Fumble." THR's chief film critic [David Rooney]( reviews Garth Davis' Foe. Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal star in this Amazon horror-tinged psychological sci-fi feature, also starring Aaron Pierre as a corporate rep conscripting space colonists and sowing division in a young couple's marriage. [The review.]( —"Waiting for more dynamic drama." David reviews James Marsh's Dance First. Gabriel Byrne, Fionn O’Shea, Sandrine Bonnaire and Aidan Gillen star in this fragmented account of Irish existentialist writer Samuel Beckett's life, framed by his reluctant acceptance of the Nobel Prize for Literature. [The review.]( —"A confident debut with a too-opaque protagonist." THR's [Lovia Gyarkye]( reviews Luis De Filippis' Something You Said Last Night. A young trans woman goes on vacation with her caring but overbearing Italian family in De Filippis' debut feature, executive produced by Julia Fox. [The review.]( In other news... —Beyoncé [releases trailer for Renaissance concert film]( —Toxic Avenger [reveals bloody teaser for Peter Dinklage-led reboot]( —Amazon Prime Video’s [new releases coming in October 2023]( —SpringHill names [Geraldine Pamphile executive vp international]( —Sunset Tower [introduces fleet of vintage wheels for guests]( What else we're reading... —Fabiola Cineas look into whether The Blind Side’s white savior narrative was built on a lie [[Vox]( —Hannah Murphy considers whether Linda Yaccarino can survive as the CEO of X after a calamitous start to her tenure [[FT]( —Ashley Carman writes that fans attending Beyoncé and Taylor Swift's tours are skipping band t-shirts for friendship bracelets and chrome everything [[Bloomberg]( —Austin Considine goes behind the scenes at DogTV (the pay-TV service designed especially for dogs) and talks to the humans who have been beguiled by the content [[NYT]( —Kieran Press-Reynolds and Andrew Lloyd do the Lord's work and explain who Bobbi Althoff is and why she's all over TikTok [[Insider]( Today... ...in 1999, Warner Bros. unveiled David O. Russell's Middle East actioner Three Kings in theaters, where it would go on to gross $107m globally. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Lorraine Bracco (69), Kelly Ripa (53), [Sting]( (72), Trace Lysette (36), Terence Winter (63), Angelyne (73), Tiffany (52), Maribel Verdú (53), Ian McNeice (73), Jeff Bennett (61), Joe Walker (60), Camilla Belle (37), Michelle Krusiec (49), Brianna Brown (44), Jamie Neumann (42), Natasha Little (54), Avery Brooks (75), Joey Slotnick (55), Lucy Cohu (55), Wyatt Nash (35), Filip Berg (37), Michele Nordin (43), Brendan Meyer (29), Elizabeth McLaughlin (30), Akira Akbar (17), Castille Landon (32), Anders Engström (60) 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. 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