Hollywood on a Year of Missed Moments; Why Japan Is on the Precipice of a Content Boom; History of Hollywood Honoring Native Talent; 'The Color Purple' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( December 20, 2023 What's news: Ryan Gosling, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt have unveiled Ken The EP. FX's What We Do in the Shadows will end with its upcoming sixth season. Netflix has renewed My Life With the Walter Boys. Adam Sandler's Netflix sci-fi drama Spaceman will have its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. NBCU has purchased land outside London for a potential theme park and resort. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. Hollywood on a Year of Missed Moments ►A most odd year. So much of Hollywood in 2023 was defined by strike rules — what talent could not do. Seth Rogen, Bradley Cooper, Ayo Edebiri, Devery Jacobs, Xolo Maridueña and others reveal how they celebrated big projects — including some big breakouts — away from the spotlight. [The story.]( —"The strike was much larger than Blue Beetle, and Blue Beetle is much larger than the opening weekend." THR's [James Hibberd]( spoke to Blue Beetle star Xolo Maridueña about missing his breakout moment with the DC film. The actor revealed he was being fitted for a suit for the red carpet premiere of the superhero movie when the strike was called. [The interview.]( —'Twas 'the summer of Ayo!' (minus Ayo). THR's Seija Rankin spoke to Ayo Edebiri who had a stellar 2023 with the releases of the films Theater Camp, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and Bottoms as well as all the plaudits she received for her turn in FX's The Bear. Alas, Edebiri had to watch her career-high run from the sidelines. [The interview.]( —"It almost feels like the final season didn’t happen." Reservation Dogs star, writer and director Devery Jacobs talks about being unable to give a proper goodbye to a life-changing show. [The interview.]( —"Why skipping my premiere was one of the best nights of my life." Kevin Biegel, the writer of comedy feature The Machine starring Bert Kreischer, writes that he bailed on his big debut and got yelled at by his mom. He wouldn’t change a thing. [The interview.]( 'What We Do in the Shadows' to End With S6 on FX ►All good things. FX will bring its comedy What We Do in the Shadows to a close with its forthcoming sixth season. The series is entering the back half of a two-season renewal that will take the show to its conclusion. What We Do in the Shadows is the second long-running FX/FXX series to announce an end date recently. FXX’s animated spy comedy Archer wrapped after 14 seasons with a finale event on Dec. 17. [The story.]( —Intense bidding war. Amazon has landed the Skydance TV action-adventure show starring Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer with an eight-episode, straight-to-series order. The untitled show is based on an original idea from Tessa Coates. The series was one of few new original scripted ideas that generated multiple offers in what many Hollywood insiders say has been an unusually quiet marketplace after the writers strike. [The story.]( —Quick as you like. Netflix has handed out a speedy second-season renewal for the series My Life With the Walter Boys. The young adult drama based on the book from author Ali Novak bowed Dec. 7 and is currently the No. 1 show on Netflix’s global English top 10 TV list, with more than 20m views since its debut. The drama about a Manhattan teen who, after the death of her parents, moves to Colorado to live with her godmother and her 10 kids has reached the top 10 in 88 countries on the platform. [The story.]( —🎭 Stellar cast 🎭 Netflix’s limited series Zero Day starring Robert De Niro has added five actors — Angela Bassett, Dan Stevens, Matthew Modine, Bill Camp and McKinley Belcher III — to its ensemble. Clark Gregg, Gaby Hoffmann and Mark Ivanir have also signed on for guest roles. They join a cast headed by De Niro — in the first lead TV role of his career — that also features Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, Joan Allen and Connie Britton. [The story.]( Why Japan Is on the Precipice of a Content Boom ►"There has never been more global curiosity and love for Japanese culture." With Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron and Toho's Godzilla Minus One performing wonders at the global box office, and a raft of streaming shows finding audiences the world over, Japan's entertainment sector in the midst of a creative renaissance. Looking to cash in on the boom times, THR's Patrick Brzeski writes that the streaming giants are investing heavily in a market that has plenty of room for growth. [The analysis.]( —Sandman goes to Germany. New films featuring Carey Mulligan, Adam Sandler, Amanda Seyfried, Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough are among 2024 Berlinale Specials lineup, the out-of-competition gala presentations at next year’s Berlin International Film Festival. Among the standouts, Sandler's Spaceman, a Netflix sci-fi drama from Chernobyl director Johan Renck, will have its world premiere in Berlin. [The story.]( —Stiffed. China’s Hainan International Film Festival has been accused of not paying prize money to past winners, as well as staff working for the event. Chinese producer Yini Qian’s film Drop Your Cat won the festival’s 2020 Hainan Choice Award, which included a $212,000 production-support prize. But the filmmaker says only $32,000 was paid — and not until June 2021. Repeated attempts by Yini and her partners to follow up on the unpaid award have yielded nothing. [The story.]( Gosling Unveils 'Ken The EP,' 3 New Versions of "I'm Just Ken" ►We can never get (K)enough. Barbie star Ryan Gosling, along with composers Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, have unveiled Ken The EP just in time for the holidays. The EP features the original "I’m Just Ken" from the record-breaking Barbie movie as well as three new versions including "I’m Just Ken (Merry Kristmas Barbie)," "I’m Just Ken (In My Feelings Acoustic)" and "I’m Just Ken (Purple Disco Machine Remix)." [The story.]( —"What pains me is that she’s always been disciplined. She’s always worked hard." Celine Dion's sister Claudette Dion shared a new update on the singer’s health amid her struggles with Stiff-Person Syndrome. In a new interview, Claudette said the 55-year-old "is working hard [to battle through her disorder], but she doesn’t have control of her muscles." [The story.]( —"We were constantly on the phone with each other crying." Sydney Sweeney has spoken of her "shock" and sadness at the unexpected and tragic death of her Euphoria co-star Angus Cloud, who died in July after an accidental overdose. In a new interview, Sweeney opened up about the loss and got candid about what she and her Euphoria castmembers went through after Cloud's death, admitted she doesn't think the loss will really hit her until they begin filming season three in 2024. [The story.]( —Move to dismiss. When Julia Ormond sued CAA faulting the agency for encouraging her to take a meeting with Harvey Weinstein that eventually led to her being assaulted, the suit asked a pivotal question that may decide the case: When did CAA’s top agents discover his history of sexual misconduct? The answer to that question, the agency says, is not too long ago. Moving to dismiss the suit, CAA argues in a motion filed Tuesday that it learned of Weinstein’s crimes when the rest of the world did in 2017 and not before Ormond was allegedly assaulted in 1995. [The story.]( A Brief History of Hollywood Honoring Native Talent ►"The journey for Native actresses has been slow." For THR, Hollywood's Native Americans: Stories of Identity and Resistance author Angela Aleiss writes that Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone could reset the record if she earns an Oscar nomination — and can raise awareness of Indigenous actresses who came before her. [The story.]( —"We implore the Television Academy to do the right thing." The WGA is escalating its pressure on the Television Academy after the organization removed the outstanding writing for a variety series/special award from the Emmys telecast. On Tuesday the union sent a letter from major variety series and specials hosts and a petition signed by more than 1,400 members to Television Academy chairman Cris Abrego, calling on the organization to reinstate the category in the awards ceremony primetime broadcast. [The story.]( —Lovely jubbly. NBCUniversal is considering whether to bring its theme parks business to the U.K. A spokesperson for Universal Destinations & Experiences confirms to THR that the company has purchased land in Bedford, about 45 minutes outside of London, and a stone’s throw from Luton Airport. The move — if it does come to fruition — would mark a further expansion of Universal’s theme parks business, and comes as the company is in the middle of building two new parks: Epic Universe in Orlando, and Universal Kids in Frisco, Texas. [The story.]( Film Review: 'The Color Purple' ►"Something to sing about." THR's chief film critic [David Rooney]( reviews Blitz Bazawule’s The Color Purple. Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks and Colman Domingo star in this musical retelling of the beloved Alice Walker novel, adapted from the Tony-winning Broadway show. [The review.]( —"Low bar, but better than the films." THR's chief TV critic [Dan Fienberg]( reviews Disney+'s Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Over a decade after the big-screen adaptations, Rick Riordan tackles his book series about a kid who learns that Greek mythology was all real, and he is, in fact, the son of a god. [The review.]( —"A high-energy, low-impact romp." THR film critic [Sheri Linden]( reviews François Ozon's The Crime Is Mine. Isabelle Huppert leads a stellar supporting cast in a ’30s-set comedy toplined by Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Rebecca Marder, as roommates who find a daring way to launch their careers. [The review.]( —"As it subverts tradition, Appropriate also insists on the truth that all American stories are inherently racialized." THR's [Lovia Gyarkye]( reviews Brenden Jacobs-Jenkins' Appropriate. Sarah Paulson stars alongside Corey Stoll and Elle Fanning in this acerbic play about three estranged siblings wrestling with dark secrets after the death of their father. [The review.]( In other news... —Expats [trailer sees Nicole Kidman’s privileged life in Hong Kong spiral out of control]( —Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian [find love and vengeance in trailer for A24's Love Lies Bleeding]( —Walter Murch, Kate Amend [to receive ACE Editors Career Achievement Awards]( —Charles D. King [to receive Milestone Award at 2024 PGA Awards]( —Fox News [promotes Gillian Turner to anchor, state department and foreign policy correspondent]( —ESPN promotes [Josh Krulewitz to head of communications]( —Kanye “Ye” West [gutted this Tadao Ando house. Now he wants $53m for it]( —[Josh Kramer]( veteran executive and producer of Roman Polanski’s Death and the Maiden, dies at 67 ​​​What else we're reading... —Marshall Cohen has the top takeaways from Colorado’s historic ruling that Trump is constitutionally ineligible to run in 2024 [[CNN]( —Clayton Ashley wonders whether Alex Garland’s Civil War can somehow be apolitical [[Polygon]( —Victoria Song reports on why the Apple Watch is being banned — and how Apple can avoid it [[Verge]( —Meredith Haggerty tries to decipher why Christmas movies are all about kissing [[Vox]( —Paige Darrah profiles Tommy José Stathes, the man who may have the largest collection of vintage animated films in the world stuffed into a storage unit in Queens [[NYT]( Today... ...in 1990, Francis Ford Coppola unveiled The Godfather: Part III at its premiere at the Academy Theater in Beverly Hills. The film went on to gross $136m globally and nab seven Oscar nominations at the 63rd Academy Awards. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: [Dick Wolf]( (77), Jonah Hill (40), Todd Phillips (53), Ramón Rodríguez (44), JoJo (33), Joe Cornish (55), Louise Linton (43), Bugzy Malone (33), Brian O'Halloran (54), Eduardo Sánchez (55), Tim Bevan (66), Terry George (71), Jenny Agutter (71), Melanie Scrofano (42), Nicole de Boer (53), Bob Morley (39), Michele Marsh (77), Colin Woodell (32), Joyce Hyser (66), Dylan Wang (25), Blanche Baker (67), Conner O'Malley (37), Jang Hyuk (47), Alexandre Willaume (51), Allan Hyde (34), Jillian Rose Reed (32), Amanda Swisten (45), Iqbal Theba (60), Nadia Farès (55), Alison Luff (35), Sohail Khan (53) Norma Barzman, an admired screenwriter of 1940s films whose career was derailed by the Hollywood blacklist and who was one of its last survivors, died Sunday. She was 103. [The obituary.]( 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. 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