'Dune 2' Premieres in London; Jennifer Garner in Talks to Star in Ben Affleck's 'Animals'; 8 Takeaways From TCA Press Tour; 'Small Things Like These' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( February 16, 2024 What's news: The first reactions to Dune: Part Two have hit social media. Jeff Zucker's Redbird IMI has finalized a $1.45b deal to acquire All3Media. OpenAI has unveiled an AI tool capable of creating hyperrealistic videos. Paramount+'s Evil to end with season four. Ridley Scott is making a film about The Bee Gees. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. 'Dune: Part Two' Premieres in London ►The spice must flow! Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two has finally arrived. The cast, with glittering new additions Austin Butler and Florence Pugh joining original stars Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, descended on London’s Leicester Square on Thursday night. Aptly, the remnants of a sandstorm covered the red carpet at one of the biggest premieres the entertainment hotspot has ever seen. Also, Anya Taylor-Joy's appearance confirmed her rumored involvement in the film. [The story.]( —Robot rock. At the Dune: Part Two premiere, Zendaya stunned the crowds in a chrome bodysuit pulled from a 1995 Mugler Couture collection. The sci-fi look featured shiny sleeves, gloves and pants set over clear plastic. She paired the outfit with a heavy diamond necklace. [The look.]( —"Jaw-dropping masterpiece." Following the London premiere, the first reactions to Dune: Part Two started hitting social media. The initial feedback suggests Legendary/Warner Bros. may have an all-timer on their hands, with viewers saying the sequel is even better than Part One: "One of the best sci-fi films for generations." [The reaction.]( Garner in Talks to Star in Affleck's 'Animals' ►A potential first. Jennifer Garner may be joining ex Ben Affleck for his latest movie outing. The actress, who was married to the Oscar-winning filmmaker for 13 years before their divorce in 2018, is in negotiations to star opposite Matt Damon in Animals, a crime thriller set up at Netflix. Affleck is directing the feature and is also producing with Damon via their Artists Equity banner. Garner and Affleck have appeared together in front of the camera in a trio of movies, all made before their marriage in 2005. She has not yet, however, been directed by him. [The story.]( —We should be dancing! Ridley Scott is in talks to direct an untitled movie centering on music group The Bee Gees. The prolific filmmaker, who last was in theaters with Napoleon, is producing alongside Graham King for GK Films (Bohemian Rhapsody, Michael), Stacey Snider, and Michael Pruss for Scott Free. Gladiator scribe John Logan will pen the script. The Bee Gees became one of the top-selling musical acts of all time, and were behind hits such as "Stayin’ Alive" and "Night Fever." Barry Gibb, the only surviving member, will executive produce the film. [The story.]( —🎭 In demand 🎭 Barry Keoghan is set to star in Amo Saddam, the new film from Chernobyl director Johan Renck about the final days of Saddam Hussein. Keoghan will play an American soldier tasked with guarding the ousted Iraqi dictator in the months before his trial and execution. The film is based on Will Bardenwerper’s best-selling book The Prisoner in His Palace: Saddam Hussein, His American Guards, and What History Leaves Unsaid. [The story.]( —Is this love? Bob Marley: One Love lively upped Wednesday domestic box office with $14m, the top midweek opener ever for Valentine’s Day, according to Paramount. The honor previously belonged to 2012’s The Vow ($11.5m). Better yet — and despite “meh” reviews — audiences loved the film and gave it an A CinemaScore. The biopic did more than double the business of Sony’s superhero offering Madame Web, which grossed $6m and got slapped with a C+ CinemaScore. [The box office report.]( The 8 Biggest Takeaways From TCA Press Tour ►Nostalgia, Bachelor fumble and more. From nostalgia (Jon Bon Jovi, Andrew McCarthy) to a push for global programming, THR's [Lesley Goldberg]( has the key points hammered home during two weeks of the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour. [The story.]( —🎭 Latest big name 🎭 Jon Hamm has joined the cast of Taylor Sheridan’s newest show, Landman. Paramount+ says the drama is set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas and is a modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs. Hamm joins a cast that includes Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore, Ali Larter, Michelle Randolph, Jacob Lofland, Kayla Wallace, James Jordan, Mark Collie and Paulina Chávez. [The story.]( —Returning to The Arconia. Meryl Streep has closed a deal to return for the fourth season of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building. The Oscar-winner will again recur and reprise her role as Loretta Durkin, the love interest to Martin Short’s Oliver Putnam. Season three ended (spoiler alert) with Loretta getting an offer to work in Los Angeles. As previously announced, season four of the comedy will begin with a trip to L.A. before the central action returns to its central location, The Arconia. [The story.]( —Tying up loose ends. Psychological mystery drama Evil is set to end with season four on Paramount+. The streamer has ordered four additional episodes for the final season, so creators Robert and Michelle King can give the drama a sense of conclusion. The show will return for its final run in May, with filming to begin soon in New York on the four bonus episodes. [The story.]( —Back to live action. Tig Notaro is heading back to Amazon for her latest comedy special. Prime Video will debut Tig Notaro: Hello Again this March. The new hour marks Notaro’s first project at Amazon since the end of her two-season Prime Video comedy One Mississippi in 2017 and her first flesh-and-blood taping in nearly six years. Her last special, Tig Notaro: Drawn, made history as the first fully animated stand-up special when it landed on HBO in 2022. [The story.]( —Unicorse FTW. The week of Jan. 15-21 was a big one for streaming. Seven titles — three original series, three acquired shows and one movie — each drew more than 1b minutes of viewing for the week, the most that have ever hit that mark in the four-year history of Nielsen’s streaming charts. The previous high was six, which has happened four times. Kids’ favorite Bluey was the overall No. 1, with just over 1.5b minutes on Disney+. Reacher (1.23b) reclaimed the top spot among original shows. [The story.]( OpenAI Marches on Hollywood With Video Creation Tool ►Do not praise the machine. OpenAI has unveiled a generative artificial intelligence tool capable of creating hyperrealistic videos, marking the San Francisco startup’s first major encroachment onto Hollywood. The system can seemingly produce videos of complex scenes with multiple characters, an array of different types of shots and mostly accurate details of subjects in relation to their backgrounds. [The story.]( —🤝 Deal done 🤝 Jeff Zucker and Gerry Cardinale’s Redbird IMI has finalized a $1.45b deal to acquire production powerhouse All3Media, the largest TV producer in the U.K., from owners Warner Bros. Discovery and Liberty Global. The deal gives Redbird IMI control over a big production business across scripted and unscripted series as well as theatrical movie titles. Earlier this year, Redbird acquired a stake in Media Res, the studio behind the Apple TV+ shows The Morning Show and Pachinko. [The story.]( —Not great. Paramount Global's stock price slid on Thursday after Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway reported that it had trimmed its position in the entertainment giant. Berkshire Hathaway in a securities filing late Wednesday said it had sold 30.4 million shares in Paramount Global, or around a third of its investment stake, during its fourth quarter to Dec. 31, 2023. [The story.]( —Shuttering. Noggin, Paramount Global's subscription video-on-demand service targeted at young kids, is shutting down. The platform is a casualty of a round of layoffs that saw 800 staffers across Paramount lose their jobs. CEO Bob Bakish said the layoffs are part of “streamlining costs” at the conglomerate. Noggin’s entire staff is among the 800 layoffs. [The story.]( —Jumping on the ad-wagon. SkyShowtime, the European streaming joint venture of Comcast and Paramount Global, will introduce an ad-supported tier in April. The new Standard with Ads plan will be offered alongside its existing ad-free tier, which will be renamed Standard Plus. The ad-supported service plan will be available from April 23 and roll out across all of SkyShowtime’s more than 20 markets, including in Eastern and Central Europe, the Nordics, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. [The story.]( —Another rival falls. Alexei Navalny, the fiercest foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests, died in prison Friday, Russia’s prison agency said. He was 47. Daniel Roher's 2022 documentary Navalny told the story of the opposition leader’s battle against Putin. It won the Academy Award for best documentary in 2023. [The obituary.]( —Legal problems mount. Russell Simmons has been sued for defamation for allegedly trying to undermine sexual assault accusations made against him. Drew Dixon, a former Def Jam Recordings executive, targets statements from Simmons in a December podcast interview in which he allegedly attempted to discredit rape accusations against him from six women. [The story.]( Recreating 'The New Look' Fashion ►"Dior was very generous in opening up its archives to us." Fashion fans are sure to be scrutinizing every detail of The New Look, the 10-episode Apple TV+ drama series that tells the story of Christian Dior (played by Ben Mendelsohn) launching his eponymous Paris label with the now-legendary 1947 New Look collection. For THR, Laurie Brookins spoke to series costume designer Karen Serreau on their approach to recreating Dior's seminal post-World War II designs. [The interview.]( —Met Gala co-chairs revealed. The Metropolitan Museum of Art revealed on Feb. 15 that Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Chris Hemsworth will serve as the Costume Institute Benefit event’s co-chairs. Honorary chairs are Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. This year will mark Bad Bunny’s third year at the Met Gala, while Hemsworth will attend his first as a co-host. Zendaya has attended the event five times, and Lopez is a 13-time attendee. [The story.]( Film Review: 'Small Things Like These' ►"This is how you follow a brainy blockbuster." THR's chief film critic [David Rooney]( reviews Tim Mielants' Berlinale competition entry Small Things Like These. Cillian Murphy and Emily Watson star in this film, adapted from the novella by Claire Keegan, which deals with intergenerational trauma and the Catholic Church-sanctioned cruelty of Ireland’s past. [The review.]( —"Eloquent and affecting." David reviews Levan Akin's Crossing. The Swedish filmmaker's follow-up to And Then We Danced is a drama that draws from his dual ancestry, traveling from the Black Sea coast of Georgia to Istanbul. [The review.]( —"God help us." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Dan Partland's God & Country. This Rob Reiner-produced documentary examines the rise of Christian Nationalism as a political movement in America. [The review.]( —"Endearing and eye-opening." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Nicolas Philibert's At Averroes and Rosa Parks. The French director follows up On the Adamant, which won Berlin's Golden Bear prize last year, with another deep dive into a psychiatric facility. [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 with news on the Super Bowl and the reported demise of Peak TV. 20th Television president Karey Burke joins the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the industry-wide contraction. And in Critic’s Corner, Dan reviews of Apple’s The New Look, Netflix’s The Vince Staples Show and season two of Hulu’s Life and Beth. [Listen here.]( —Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott spoke to Cillian Murphy. The Oscar-nominated Irish actor reflects on his unexpected shift from making music to acting, what led him to the beloved drama series Peaky Blinders and what is at the center of his special six-film, 20-year collaboration with Christopher Nolan. [Listen here.]( —It Happened in Hollywood. THR senior writer [Seth Abramovitch]( goes behind the scenes of the pop culture moments that shaped Hollywood history. In this episode, Seth spoke to Ed Zwick, who discusses his new memoir Hits, Flops and Other Illusions and working on The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise. [Listen here.]( In other news... —Girls5eva S3 trailer: [The band books a gig on Jimmy Fallon]( —The Sympathizer [gets new trailer, premiere date on HBO]( —First look at [Kate Mara in sci-fi thriller The Astronaut]( —TCM Classic Film Festival [to open with Pulp Fiction]( —John Wick Experience [tourist attraction to open in Las Vegas]( —Former studio exec [Chris Petrikin joins Actum as managing director]( —Wasserman launches nonfiction business, [hires Zoe Rogovin as head]( —Kannie Yu LaPack [promoted to exec vp publicity, public affairs and social media at A+E Networks]( —Multihouse [names marketing exec Kali Mutty as president, adds 3 to advisory board]( ​​​What else we're reading... —A quite incredible piece from Charlotte Cowles, The Cut's financial advice columnist, where she reveals she was scammed out of $50,000 [[The Cut]( —In the era of 'content,' Kyle Chayka attempts to explain the perplexing existence of a film like Argylle that is a sort of "I.P. ouroboros" [[New Yorker]( —With the release of Bob Marley: One Love, Arimeta Diop has the real story on Rita and Bob's marriage which is at the center of the biopic [[Vanity Fair]( —Ben Sisario reports that Apple Music removed, then restored, Kanye "Ye" West's new album on Thursday without an explanation [[NYT]( —Here's your Friday list: "The top 30 Netflix original shows of all time, ranked" [[Complex]( Today... ...in 2018, Marvel Studios released Black Panther in theaters. Ryan Coogler's film, the 18th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was a critical and commercial smash hit, earning $1.35b in global box office and became the first superhero film to be nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Mahershala Ali (50), Elizabeth Olsen (35), The Weeknd (34), LeVar Burton (67), [Ice-T]( (66), Christopher Eccleston (60), Faran Tahir (61), John Magaro (41), Lizze Broadway (26), Sarah Clarke (52), Jimmy Tatro (32), William Katt (73), Janet Varney (48), Eric Ladin (46), Kim Soo-hyun (36), Chloe East (23), Pasha D. Lychnikoff (57), Agyness Deyn (41), Skyh Black (36), Alex Aiono (28), Robin Laing (48), Alicia Dea Josipovic (33), Danielle Haim (35), Kandis Fay (39), Colm McCarthy (51) Alec Mills, who served as a camera operator on five James Bond films before graduating to cinematographer on the Timothy Dalton-starring The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill, has died. He was 91. [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. 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. © 2024 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 11175 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90025 [View in Browser]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Your Privacy Rights]( | [Ad Choices]( | [Terms of Use]( | [Unsubscribe](                              Â