Sundance 2024 Kicks Off; Has Peak TV Peaked?; Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan Team for Secret Movie; 'Freaky Tales' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( January 19, 2024 What's news: The 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival is officially open. Max has canceled Rap Sh!t and Apple has canceled Schmigadoon. Disney Channel is eyeing a Wizards of Waverly Place update. Netflix is taking a stand on net neutrality. WBD Sports is rebranding as TNT Sports. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. Sundance 2024 Kicks Off ►Center of attention. The 2024 Sundance Film Festival officially opened on Thursday, and Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan was honored during the Sundance Institute's opening night gala alongside Kristen Stewart and Past Lives filmmaker Celine Song. THR's nicest man [Chris Gardner]( was inside the room and reports that Nolan, who was bestowed the inaugural Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award, talked passionately about his links to the festival, going back to his film Memento, a big hit in Park City, that would launch his Hollywood career. [The story.]( —"Sundance is the f***ing shit, I love being here." Chris writes that Kristen Stewart landed in Park City with a bang Thursday night, giving a rousing acceptance speech after receiving Sundance's Visionary Award. At 33 years old, Stewart is already a Sundance veteran who has had 10 films screen at the festival over the years, and she’s back this year with two more: Sam and Andy Zuchero’s Love Me opposite Steven Yeun, and Rose Glass’ Love Lies Bleeding. [The story.]( —"It’s at once a love letter to Oakland’s spirit." The premiere of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Freaky Tales officially kicked off the 40th edition of Sundance on Thursday, with the film taking the prime 7 p.m. slot at the Eccles Theater. THR's [Mia Galuppo]( reports that the feature, which stars Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis and Ben Mendelsohn and the review of which is below, received a warm welcome from the festival audience. [The story.]( —What to look out for. No one quite knows what to expect of Sundance this year, the first major fest following the end of the dual Hollywood strikes. The work stoppages hit production during the months when many Sundance features normally film, and have had some impact on the lineup of U.S.-produced titles, which may in turn influence dealmaking at the festival. Despite the issues, Mia has put together a list of the titles most likely to entice buyers out of their post-strike malaise. [The hot list.]( —"We hope you enjoy the film, and it makes you feel a bit less lonely." Malia Obama is bringing her short film The Heart to Sundance. The project is screening as part of the U.S. short fiction films at the festival. Obama, who is credited as Malia Ann, wrote and directed the project, which is about a grieving son, whose mother left him an unusual request in her will. It debuted Wednesday and will screen throughout the week. [The story.]( The End of Peak TV? Premieres Decline in 2023 ►Cost-cutting takes hold. A new report suggests Peak TV may be coming back to earth. In a year of dual labor strikes and ongoing industry belt-tightening, there was considerably less programming for viewers to consume in 2023 than in the recent past. Data firm Luminate’s inaugural year-end film and TV report shows that a total of 1,784 TV programs across all genres and platforms premiered last year. That’s a huge amount of programming, but it’s also 21 percent fewer premieres than in 2022 — a drop of 480. [The story.]( —More bad news. Peak TV has peaked. So says another report, this time from the data crunchers at Ampere Analysis. Ampere’s rather blunt report, published Friday and looking at scripted TV seasons being ordered in the U.S., noted that the volume of U.S. series has nearly halved since 2019. The number of series titles fell to 481 last year, down sharply from the 633 releases in 2022 and 2021 — which Ampere calls the “high watermark” for scripted production. [The story.]( —Stepping up. Netflix is taking a stand on net neutrality. The company was noticeably absent in the fight to preserve net neutrality six years ago when it was struck down by the Trump administration. But as the government prepares to restore the rules, the streaming giant is stepping up on the issue and making its case to the agency. Netflix, in comments to the FCC filed Wednesday, backed proposals to bar internet service providers from imposing additional fees to avoid having their content blocked or throttled. [The story.]( —"This will greatly damage our ability to provide the accountability journalism." In response to "significant" planned layoffs, unionized staffers at the Los Angeles Times are launching a one-day strike on Friday. The walkout — which the Los Angeles Times Guild is calling the first newsroom union strike in the paper’s history — is taking place in response to layoffs that management announced on Thursday as a means of reducing the paper’s 2024 budget. Staff members nationwide will be participating, the union said. [The story.]( —What's in a name? Warner Bros. Discovery is rebranding its WBD Sports division as TNT Sports, embracing the name of one of its biggest cable channels (and its home for the NBA), and unifying its global sports brands under one name (the company has already rebranded its U.K. and Latin America sports channels as TNT Sports). The newly named TNT Sports has some of the biggest sports rights outside of ESPN. [The story.]( —A sign of things to come. Canada’s Telus has reworked its Stream+ bundle to now package Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video in one offering for its mobile phone customers. Telus is betting that, with over 60 percent of Canadians currently subscribing to Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video separately as stand-alone subscriptions, they will be able to cut their monthly streaming subscription costs by taking a single bundled offering. [The story.]( 'Rap Sh!t' Canceled at Max ►Sh!t news. Max has canceled Rap Sh!t, the scripted comedy series created by Issa Rae and starring Aida Osman, after a two-season run. The show becomes the latest scripted series to be canceled recently at Max, joining Julia and Our Flag Means Death, both of which were also axed after two seasons. Rap Sh!t is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 100 percent score among critics. Viewers, however, aren’t as high on the comedy as the show sits with a 65 percent rating. [The story.]( —Cancellations continue. Apple TV+ has canceled its musical comedy Schmigadoon after a two-season run, co-creator Cinco Paul shared on social media Thursday. The show was an expensive effort for Apple, which paid Universal TV a licensing fee to air the star-studded fantasy comedy/musical. While the streamer does not release viewership data, Schmigadoon clicked with critics and the series has an impressive 93 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, as audiences also voted favorably with an 86 percent rating. [The story.]( —Heading back to Waverly Place. Disney Channel is looking at a revival of its comedy Wizards of Waverly Place, ordering a pilot for an updated take on the 2007-12 series. Original series stars Selena Gomez and David Henrie will be executive producers of the project, with Henrie also attached as a series regular. Gomez will make a guest appearance in the pilot. The show helped launch Gomez’s career and was part of the heyday of Disney Channel sitcoms, along with Hannah Montana, Lizzie McGuire, That’s So Raven and other shows. [The story.]( —Big get. The next television series from Moving writer Kang Full has landed at Disney+. Mystery drama Light Shop is set to debut on the streamer in the second half of 2024. The series is an adaptation of Kang’s popular webtoon of the same name, and tells the story of a group of strangers, each struggling to come to terms with a traumatic event in their past. Kang's Moving, an action-packed drama about teens discovering they have superpowers, became Disney+/Hulu’s most-watched K-drama ever when it was launched last year. [The story.]( —Sisters are doin' it for themselves. Attica and Tembi Locke are re-teaming for another TV series. The siblings, who adapted Tembi’s memoir as the Netflix series From Scratch, have signed an overall deal with Universal Television and set up their first project under the pact: an adaptation of Attica’s novel Bluebird, Bluebird. The drama, which does not yet have a network/platform attached, revolves around Darren Mathews, a Black Texas Ranger who is deeply ambivalent about growing up Black in the lone star state. [The story.]( —Godlike start. Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, based on Rick Riordan’s best-selling books, opened to a good-sized audience in the week before Christmas. The first two episodes, which debuted the evening of Dec. 19, drew about 572m minutes of watch time, according to Nielsen’s streaming ratings. Young Sheldon moved back to the overall top spot for the week of Dec. 18-24 with 1.41b minutes of viewing on Max and (mostly) Netflix. [The streaming rankings.]( Coogler, Jordan Reunite for Secret Genre Movie ►Dream team. THR's [Borys Kit]( has the scoop on a reunion between filmmaker Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan for a feature film project that has studio and streaming execs buzzing. Coogler wrote and will direct the untitled project with Jordan set to star. The project is operating under such a veil of secrecy that little is known about it. In fact, executives and buyers were forced to make the pilgrimage to the offices of WME, the agency that represents Coogler and Jordan, in order to take a gander at the script and get details. [The story.]( —🎭 Young Michael 🎭 Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, has cast 9-year-old Juliano Krue Valdi to play the singer while he was a boy and rose to fame with his brothers as part of the Jackson 5. Valdi will appear in the Antoine Fuqua-directed film alongside the late music legend’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, who will play the older Jackson. [The story.]( —First look. Images of have been released of Johnny Depp from the set of Modi, his first directorial effort in over two decades. The film, a biopic of the Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani which stars Al Pacino, recently wrapped production. Depp is behind the camera after years of legal wrangling and a messy divorce with ex-wife Amber Heard, which included allegations of domestic violence and two high-profile defamation lawsuits. [The story.]( —"Ihr sollt die Ersten sein, die es erfahren!" Constantin Film has greenlit a sequel to Manitou’s Shoe, the 2001 Western comedy from Michael “Bully” Herbig and one of the most successful German movies of all time. Herbig broke the news Thursday night, confirming he was returning to direct and star in the sequel, The Canoe of Manitou. He also confirmed that the movie will hit theaters next year. Herbig will reprise his role as Apache chief Abahachi, with the original co-stars Christian Tramitz and Rick Kavanian returning to play Ranger and Dimitri. [The story.]( Hollywood Ghostwriters Tell All (Including Their Names) ►"I’m almost like a music producer. I know how to make an album. You wouldn’t shame a musician for having a producer on their album." You don’t know their names, and you certainly wouldn’t recognize their faces — even if their eyes weren’t shaded out — but chances are you’ve read stacks and stacks of their books. For THR, Joel Stein sits down with six of the top ghostwriters in the celebrity memoir business. [The story.]( —Is Biden still a blockbuster in Hollywood? Joe Biden won’t have to sweat the election results in Los Angeles and across California, but some might be wishing for an alternative to the president. For THR, Jon Regardie writes that as the election approaches, most of Hollywood's big political players (from Jeffrey Katzenberg to Casey Wasserman) are lining up behind Biden — and opening up their checkbooks: "The majority of people that I get the most complaints from have never written a check in their life." [The story.]( Movie Review: 'Freaky Tales' ►"Lives up to the title and then some." THR's chief film critic [David Rooney]( reviews Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Freaky Tales. Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn and Jay Ellis star in this gonzo action comedy feature that's an electrifying salute to late '80s Oakland pop culture and comprises four interconnected stories built around the underdog theme. [The review.]( —"Silver power." David reviews Josh Margolin’s Thelma. June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Clark Gregg, Parker Posey and the late Richard Roundtree star in this story of an elderly widow going after the scammer who duped her. [The review.]( —"Busy but thin." David reviews Theda Hammel's Sundance U.S. dramatic competition entry Stress Positions. The writer-director-costar casts a satirical gaze at Millennial existential crisis in this film, set in Brooklyn during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. [The review.]( —"An uneven but still crowdpleasing successor." THR's Dan Fienberg reviews Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss' Girls State. The filmmakers follow their 2020 Sundance favorite Boys State by spending a week with the young women of Missouri Girls State. [The review.]( Movie Review: 'Frida' ►"A rich, intoxicating brew." THR's [Sheri Linden]( reviews Carla Gutiérrez's Sundance U.S. documentary competition entry Frida. The debut doc by editor Gutiérrez explores the great Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's life and work through her own words. [The review.]( —"Heartfelt but shallow." THR's Caryn James reviews Lucy Lawless' Sundance world cinema documentary competition entry, Never Look Away. In her directorial debut, the Xena: Warrior Princess actress creates a sketchy portrait of the fearless late Kiwi war reporter Margaret Moth. [The review.]( —"Beauty and the Beast meets Theater Camp." Caryn reviews Caroline Lindy's Your Monster. Melissa Barrera stars in Lindy's first feature, a genre-blending take on love and revenge that's screening during Sundance's Midnight section. [The review.]( —"Overcomes its clichés and contrivances with heart and humor." THR's [Jon Frosch]( reviews Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson's Ghostlight. The latest from the Saint Frances filmmakers revolves around a construction worker who finds comfort in a local production of Romeo and Juliet. [The review.]( Thank Pod It's Friday ►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio. —TV's Top 5. THR's [Lesley Goldberg]( and [Dan Fienberg]( break down the latest TV news. This week's episode begins with the headlines and there's news about Young Sheldon, The White Lotus, Schmigadoon and Rap Sh!t There's a section reviewing the 75th Emmys winners and the telecast itself. Rolling Stone chief TV critic Alan Sepinwall drops by to review the television season just gone, including a look back at FX’s Fargo , Apple’s For All Mankind and Showtime’s The Curse. And Dan reviews Amazon’s Hazbin Hotel and Hulu’s Death and Other Details. [Listen here.]( —Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this live episode, Scott spoke to Billie Eilish and Finneas. The sibling singer/songwriters return to the podcast to take questions from Scott and Chapman University students about their path to music, why they love writing songs for movies and how "What Was I Made For?," their Oscar-shortlisted tune for Barbie, came to be. [Listen here.]( In other news... —Amy Schumer and Michael Cera [try to start a family in Life & Beth S2 trailer]( —Perimeter trailer: [1990s Atlanta is the backdrop for new BET+ drama]( —Jon Hamm [plays emotionally unavailable boyfriend in singer Leslie Stevens’ new music video]( —Arnold Schwarzenegger [stopped by German customs over luxury watch]( —Christian Wikander [out as head of global scripted at Banijay]( —WME Independent agent [Will Maxfield promoted to partner]( —Peabody Awards [reveal date for 2024 ceremony, new board members]( ​​​What else we're reading... —Maury Brown unpacks what Amazon’s deal with Bally Sports RSNs means and how it impacts the NBA, NHL and MLB [[Forbes]( —Interesting (and worrying) Erin Woo piece on Snapchat's $3.99 subscription service, with features like Friend Solar System, that tap into the insecurities of its young users [[Information]( —Spencer Kornhaber writes that the problems at Pitchfork are a dark omen for the future of music journalism [[Atlantic]( —Ishaan Tharoor writes that restive borderlands are at the heart of escalating tensions between Pakistan and Iran [[WaPo]( —Here's your Friday list: "The 12 most anticipated new and returning K-drama series of 2024" [[SCMP]( Today... ...in 2018, STX released Christian Gudegast's underrated crime drama Den of Thieves. The film, starring Pablo Schreiber, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and a very grimy Gerard Butler, would make $80m worldwide and will see a sequel released this year. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Dolly Parton (78), [Rob Delaney]( (47), Tippi Hedren (94), Damien Chazelle (39), Katey Sagal (70), Simone Missick (42), Larry Clark (81), Lisa Lu (97), Logan Lerman (32), Drea de Matteo (52), Marsha Thomason (48), Essie Davis (54), Jodie Sweetin (42), Nash Edgerton (51), Luke Macfarlane (44), Wendy Moniz (55), Elizabeth Tulloch (43), Natassia Malthe (50), Shaunette Renée Wilson (34), Esther Acebo (41), Paul McCrane (63), Benjamin Ayres (47), Drew Powell (48), Mickey Sumner (40), William Ragsdale (63), Nadiuska (72), Veanne Cox (61), Shawn Wayans (53) Maureen “Mo” Henry, the veteran negative cutter and a giant in Hollywood's postproduction community, died Sunday of complications from liver failure in Los Angeles. She was 67. 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