Hasan Minhaj Responds to New Yorker Story; Jonathan Majors' Accuser Arrested; Gen Z Wants Less Sex in Movies, TV; 'Leave the World Behind' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( October 26, 2023 What's news: Beyoncé is holding two premieres for her Renaissance concert film. Peacock hits 28m subscribers. Apple TV+ is now $9.99 per month. The Bear creator Christopher Storer has set his next project at FX. Talks between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP resume on Thursday. Amazon MGM Studios is developing a sequel to Samaritan. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. Hasan Minhaj Responds to New Yorker Story ►"It was so needlessly misleading." Hasan Minhaj has mostly stayed quiet about a September New Yorker profile that alleges he fabricated or exaggerated elements of stories he tells in his stand-up comedy, a bombshell story that raised questions about his public persona. Although he gave a statement on Sept. 15 after the article’s publication that said in part, “all my standup stories are based on events that happened to me,” Minhaj hasn’t responded in detail — until now, and in, as the comedian puts it, “in the most Hasan Minhaj way possible: A 20-minute deep dive with graphics and excessive hand motions.” [The story.]( —"We believe an evaluation of strategic alternatives is a prudent approach." Endeavor, the owner of WME, IMG and a majority stake in TKO Group, is going to test the market — and is considering going private. The company said Wednesday that it is initiating “a formal review to evaluate strategic alternatives for the Company.” Endeavor adds that it is not considering a sale of its stake in TKO, which owns and operates the UFC and WWE. [The story.]( —Rescheduled. Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood studios have been rescheduled for Thursday after the performers’ union decided to take more time to offer responses to the companies’ latest proposals. THR's [Katie Kilkenny]( reports that Thursday’s face-to-face gathering will see SAG-AFTRA responding to the companies’ offers after what sources describe as a lackluster return to negotiations on Tuesday. The story. Jonathan Majors Heading to Trial, Accuser Arrested ►Arrested. Grace Jabbari, the woman who has accused Jonathan Majors of attacking her on March 25, has been arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor criminal mischief. Jabbari was arrested at the 10th precinct in Manhattan on Wednesday. She was released on a desk appearance. The DA has said they will not prosecute her on any charges related to the incident. [The story.]( —Motion denied. Earlier on Wednesday, New York Judge Michael Gaffey rejected a motion to dismiss the misdemeanor assault and harassment charges facing Majors, clearing the way for a Nov. 29 trial. The defense additionally filed a motion requesting that certain evidentiary matters continue to be under seal. The defense argued that this evidence contains “sensitive information” that could jeopardize Majors’ right to a fair trial. The state did not take a position on the motion, and Gaffey told press in the courtroom that they could submit papers in opposition by Nov. 6. [The story.]( —Guilty plea. Zachery Ty Bryan appeared in an Oregon court Wednesday afternoon to face charges stemming from a July arrest, which marked the latest in a string of legal issues for the troubled former child star best known for Home Improvement. During today’s proceedings, Bryan, 42, pled guilty to felony assault in the fourth degree constituting domestic violence. [The story.]( Hollywood's Latest Accessory: Military-Grade Security ►"We’ve had a sharp increase in requests from our Jewish clients." Amid the Israel-Hamas war, THR's [Seth Abramovitch]( writes that industry clients are requesting more armed bodyguards and canceling trips as the violence and protests increase. [The story.]( —Oooooof. Apple is hiking the price of Apple TV+ significantly, raising the monthly subscription fee to $9.99 per month from its current $6.99 per month price point. The cost of an annual plan is going from $69 to $99. The change comes a year after Apple last raised prices for the service, from its launch price of $4.99, to $6.99. [The story.]( —Losses narrow. Peacock reached 28m subscribers after adding 4m during the latest quarter, and did so on a narrowed loss of $565m. The streamer lost $614m in the year-ago period. NBCU earlier pointed to “peak losses” at around $3b for Peacock this year. Overall, revenues at Comcast’s content and experiences division, comprising NBCU's TV and streaming business, international networks and Sky Sports channels, and its film studios and theme parks, rose just under 1 percent to $10.5b. [The results.]( Why Netflix Wants to Make It 2013 Again ►The strategy that’s suddenly in vogue. Since 2013, there has been a lot of change in the streaming space. But you might not know it if you look at the streaming ratings charts. Once again, Suits, an NBCUniversal show, is finding new life on Netflix, as the service reestablishes itself as the place to find TV shows and movies from every company. THR's [Alex Weprin]( writes that Ted Sarandos’ back-to-the-future pitch to Hollywood is to license marquee series instead of hoarding them, arguing the service can mint hits from old shows à la Suits. [The analysis.]( —Next up. THR's [Lesley Goldberg]( and [Lacey Rose]( have the scoop on The Bear creator Christopher Storer's next project. Storer and FX, where he keeps an overall deal, have landed rights to Sarah Harman’s upcoming book All the Other Mothers Hate Me following a massive bidding war. Sources say that more than a dozen companies were vying for the author’s debut novel about an American woman who suspects her son may have killed a wealthy student at his West London private school. [The story.]( —Moderators set. NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt and Meet the Press host Kristen Welker have been tapped as moderators of the third GOP primary debate in Miami next month. They will be joined by Hugh Hewitt, host of The Hugh Hewitt Show on Salem Radio Network. [The story.]( Gen Z Wants Less Sex in Movies, TV ►Shifting attitudes. A new study conducted by UCLA found that American viewers between the ages of 10 and 24 wanted to see less sex onscreen. In fact, a slight majority (51 percent of the 1,500 surveyed) said they wanted to see more content about platonic relationships and friendships. While 47.5 percent said sex “isn’t needed” for most TV shows and movies, with 44 percent feeling romance is “overused.” Also, 44 percent say agree with a statement saying they “would rather clean the toilet” than go on an online date. [The study.]( —🏆 Winner, winner, Chicken for Linda! 🏆 Indie feature Chicken For Linda!, directed by Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach, claimed the grand prize and audience award for the sixth edition of the Animation Is Film Festival, which wrapped last weekend in Hollywood. Also announced on Wednesday, Robot Dreams, which will be released by Neon, took home the special jury prize. For the shorts section, Letter to a Pig won the Grand Prize and Wild Summon earned the Special Jury Prize. [The winners.]( —Needs a turtleneck and chain. The Musée Grévin in France unveiled its redo of Dwayne Johnson's wax figure statue after the actor’s fans — and Johnson himself — criticized the oddly smooth, fair-skinned original. The new version has darker skin and the 51-year-old Johnson’s face isn’t quite as Botoxed. [The story.]( 'Renaissance' Film to Premiere in London and L.A. ►Doubling up. THR's [Mesfin Fekadu]( has the scoop on Beyoncé holding two premieres for her highly anticipated concert film Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé. The international premiere will take place in London on Nov. 30 and the U.S. premiere will be held in L.A. on Nov. 25. The events will take place days before Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment and AMC Entertainment debut the film in theaters on Dec. 1. Tickets for international territories — including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America and the Caribbean — will go on sale Nov. 9. [The story.]( —The coming concert film boom. After a history of what sources call “poor execution” in the space, THR's [Mia Galuppo]( writes that concert films that fill a need for "alternative content" in theaters are a hot commodity — from big contemporary stars to posthumous performances like a rumored 1970s David Bowie concert. [The analysis.]( —Back for seconds. THR's [Borys Kit]( has the scoop on Amazon MGM Studios developing a sequel to Samaritan, its 2022 action movie starring Sylvester Stallone. The studio has hired Bragi F. Schut, who wrote the first film, to pen the script. Stallone is returning as producer, as is his Balboa Productions partner Braden Aftergood. Stallone is also reprising his starring role with a deal made prior to the actors strike. [The story.]( Film Review: 'Leave the World Behind' ►"High-class horror offers a few jolts but little fresh insight." THR's Stephen Farber reviews Sam Esmail's Leave the World Behind. Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke star in this Netflix dystopian drama, based on the suspense novel by Rumaan Alam. [The review.]( —"A strong cast and setting overcome murky dramatics." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Gao Peng's A Long Shot. Peng’s first feature, a 1990s China-set thriller, stars Zu Feng as a former professional sharpshooter who guards a waning metal foundry beset by theft and corruption. [The review.]( In other news... —Freud’s Last Session trailer: [Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode debate the existence of god as Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis]( —Maestro [trailer chronicles the price of being in Leonard Bernstein’s orbit]( —Fargo S5 [trailer starring Juno Temple and Jon Hamm released by FX]( —In Love and Deep Water [trailer sees love blossom amid murder in Yuji Sakamoto’s Netflix drama]( —Doctor Who [60th anniversary specials get Disney+ premiere dates, new trailer]( —Darren Aronofsky’s [Protozoa Pictures and Los Angeles Media Fund launch theater venture]( ​​​What else we're reading... —Cecilia D'Anastasio reports that Twitch and YouTube are pulling back from big-money deals with gaming talent, despite rival Kick forging ahead with such pacts [[Bloomberg]( —Annie Karni writes that by voting for Mike Johnson, House Republicans have elevated someone who opposes abortion rights and gay marriage [[NYT]( —Aja Romano looks at why Jonathan Majors’s assault arrest is so disturbing — and so complicated [[Vox]( —Molly Fitzpatrick profiles Gerry Turner and writes that he may be the best thing ever to happen to The Bachelor franchise [[Vulture]( —As Microsoft Word turns 40, Victoria Woollaston looks at how the ubiquitous software has changed the way we use language [[BBC]( ​​ Today... ...in 1984, a new sci-fi franchise was launched with the U.S. theatrical debut of The Terminator. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Seth MacFarlane (50), Rita Wilson (67), Dylan McDermott (62), James Pickens Jr. (69), Julian Schnabel (72), Keith Urban (56), Pat Sajak (77), Cary Elwes (61), Rosemarie DeWitt (52), [Jon Heder]( (46), Anthony Rapp (52), Tom Cavanagh (60), Zoë Tapper (42), Steve Valentine (57), Jaclyn Smith (78), Dana Kimmell (64), Charles Parnell (59), Morgan Saylor (29), Lisa Ryder (53), Wynn Everett (45), Kelly Rowan (58), Tom Brittney (33), Mahesh Jadu (41), Samantha Isler (25), Patrick Breen (63), Florence Kasumba (47), Brian Bovell (64), François Chau (64), Beulah Koale (31) 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. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. 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