How ESPN Is Rewriting Its Streaming Playbook; Telluride's Highs and Lows; 'Bachelorette' Finale Comes With a Twist; 'Queer' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( September 04, 2024 What's news: Wasserman has acquired Dan Levitt’s Long Haul. Brian Stelter is rejoining CNN. “Hawk Tuah Girl” has launched a podcast. Barney the T-rex is returning to TV. Atsuko Okatsuka's next special has landed at Hulu. Luca Guadagnino's Queer received a 9-minute ovation in Venice. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. How ESPN Is Rewriting Its Streaming Playbook ►"We need to be everywhere." Over the last year, ESPN has undergone a quietly radical transformation. THR's [Alex Weprin]( writes that the sports network is reorienting itself around streaming in preparation for a “flagship” service launch next year, but it is also reworking its sports rights deals, locking in key partners and cutting others loose, and shifting the mix of its on-air talent and executive ranks. [The analysis.]( —Digging in. DirecTV CFO Ray Carpenter said the company will continue to fight “as long as it needs to” amid a carriage dispute with Disney, which has seen a number of Disney channels, including ESPN, go dark for DirecTV customers. On a call with media and analysts Tuesday, Carpenter said the satellite TV company is pushing for “skinny, genre-based” packages, where customers can choose the kind of content they want to pay for, bundled around genres including news, family and sports, in addition to more flexible choice on what channels would be included and what direct-to-consumer content they may want included in the packages. [The story.]( —Sources say. Brian Stelter is rejoining CNN, taking on a new role of chief media analyst. Stelter, a former host of Reliable Sources, had exited CNN in August 2022 during the tumultuous tenure of former CEO Chris Licht, whose short run at the network lasted 13 months and included numerous on-air lineup changes and uneven programming swings. At the time, Reliable Sources had been a staple on TV since 1993. Stelter is also set to resume overseeing the popular Reliable Sources media industry newsletter. [The story.]( —🤝 Sold! 🤝 Casey Wasserman's sports and talent representation empire is expanding further into the creator space. The mogul’s Westwood-based firm Wasserman has acquired Dan Levitt’s Long Haul, a management company founded in 2013 that counts several well-known basketball culture creators as well as YouTube and gaming clients on its roster. As part of the deal, all 10 members of Long Haul’s staff will move over to the Wasserman Creators division and Levitt will gain the senior vice president title at the company. [The story.]( Trump Ordered to Stop Using Isaac Hayes-Penned Song at Rallies ►Hold on, stop using that song. At an emergency injunction hearing in Atlanta federal court on Tuesday, Donald Trump and his campaign were ordered to stop using a song written by songwriting legend Isaac Hayes that he has played at over 130 rallies. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. issued an injunction as part of a hearing called by attorneys representing Isaac Hayes III, the executor of his father’s estate. Trump is no longer allowed to use the Grammy-winning soul music legend’s song “Hold on, I’m Comin’” at rallies and events. [The story.]( —15 minutes heads into overtime. After making a splash on social media as “Hawk Tuah Girl,” Haliey Welch is continuing to shut down the haters as she lands a new gig. Welch is set to host the podcast Talk Tuah as part of Jake Paul's Betr banner, with the first episode debuting Sept. 10 on social, digital and audio platforms. The weekly podcast will see Welch showcasing her comedic stylings and Southern charm through a blend of interviews, lively discussions and humorous moments. The first episode features guest Whitney Cummings, while later visitors include Josh Richards and Paul. [The story.]( —🎭 Out of this world 🎭 Emmy Rossum and Zoë Winters will star in the Off-Broadway play Walden this fall. The play, written by Amy Berryman and directed by Whitney White, will play the Tony Kiser Theater starting Oct. 16, before an opening night of Nov. 7. Walden is set in the “near future,” and follows Stella (Rossum), with her fiancé Bryan in tow, as she reunites with her estranged twin sister, Cassie (Winters), in a remote cabin, where the two sisters clash over old conflicts. [The story.]( Feinberg and Keegan on Telluride's Highs and Lows ►"[Ralph Fiennes] is certainly the new best actor frontrunner for a career-best turn." In keeping with annual tradition, THR’s executive awards editor Scott Feinberg and senior film editor [Rebecca Keegan]( huddled at the end of this year’s Telluride Film Festival to discuss their Labor Day weekend in the Rockies. Scott and Rebecca discuss Conclave lead Ralph Fiennes, sales title September 5, Netflix's categories dilemma, the controversial The Apprentice and more. [The conversation.]( —9-minutes! The Venice Film Festival showered Luca Guadagnino's Queer with lots of love Tuesday night at the film’s world premiere. In particular, the capacity crowd inside Sala Grande went wild for star Daniel Craig, who earned cheers from the capacity crowd that included Pedro Almodóvar. Craig looked emotional at several points as his wife, Rachel Weisz, was beaming and hollering in unison with the crowd while standing on her feet. [The story.]( —Sold! Sony Pictures Classics has swooped in to acquire key world rights to Laura Piani’s debut feature Jane Austen Wrecked My Life ahead of a Sept. 9 world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. The specialty distributor will release the French romantic comedy in North America, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, about an aspiring author, Agathe, who finds herself in romantic entanglements straight from the pages of Jane Austen novels, stars Camille Rutherford, Pablo Pauly, Charlie Anson and Annabelle Lengronne. [The story.]( —"I don’t want Jamie Bond." Jenna Ortega weighed in on the trend of remaking iconic films with female leads. In a new interview, the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice star was asked about her thoughts on potential sequels for other classic Tim Burton movies, Ortega responded, “I love that there’s a lot more female leads nowadays, I think that’s so special, but we should have our own [franchises]." She added, “I don’t like it when it’s like a spinoff — I don’t want to see like ‘Jamie Bond.’ You know? I want to see another badass.” [The story.]( 'Bachelorette' Finale Twist Came After a First-of-Its-Kind Proposal ►"Do I have a choice?" From the first moment of The Bachelorette's season 21 final episode, host Jesse Palmer assured viewers that the next three hours would include something that has never happened before on the show. As the finale unfolded, one thing became clear: the show’s host was not exaggerating. Jenn Tran suffered a teary twist ending after the hit ABC reality series stopped taping, she revealed during the live finale: "That man doesn't exist anymore." [The recap.]( —Barney's back! Barney’s World, Mattel's animated and updated version of the long-running preschool series, is set to return to screens next month. The series will debut Oct. 14 on Max, followed by an Oct. 18 premiere on Cartoon Network. It will also air on Cartoonito and Discovery Kids internationally. Some episodes will also stream on YouTube, beginning with the series premiere on Oct. 11. Mattel announced the relaunch of the character, a kids’ TV staple in the 1990s and 2000s, in early 2023. [The story.]( —📅 Dated 📅 Netflix has revealed the launch date for Ellen DeGeneres’ next standup special, which she insists will be the last of her career. Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, as she’s titled the new hour, will roll out on the platform Sept. 24. It follows her last special, ironically titled Relatable, which was her first in 15 years when it hit the service in 2018. It was part of a pricey two-special deal. DeGeneres’ new hour is being produced by industry “It” guy Ben Winston and his Fulwell 73 Productions, along with DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi. Joel Gallen, who also helmed Chris Rock’s 2023 Selective Outrage special, is directing. [The story.]( —Jumping on the bandwagon. Peacock is now trying its hand at live comedy. The streamer announced Colin Jost & Michael Che Present: New York After Dark, which will have the Saturday Night Live “Weekend Update” duo hosting at The Bell House in Brooklyn. It will stream Sept. 12 at 9 p.m. ET and feature a rotation of the pair’s favorite New York City club comics, including fresh faces and likely some familiar ones as well. Grammy-nominated musical ensemble 1500 or Nothin’ is set to be the house band accompanying comics throughout the hour. [The story.]( —Lineup expansion. Hulu has inked a deal with Atsuko Okatsuka for her second standup special, which will be taped at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre in early November. Though the details are being kept under wraps for the time being, she is joining a roster that also includes Bill Burr, Jim Gaffigan, Roy Wood Jr. and Ilana Glazer. Hulu is also expected to announce new hours from Sebastian Manisculco and Jessica Kirson as well. [The story.]( —🎭 Excelente 🎭 AMC Networks has named the first Spanish castmembers for the third season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, currently shooting in Spain. Eduardo Noriega, Oscar Jaenada and Alexandra Masangkay will be series regulars, as they join Candela Saitta and Hugo Arbues in recurring roles. Their casting follows the world-weary Georgia zombie apocalypse survivor-turned-Europe backpacker Daryl Dixon, played by Norman Reedus, rambling over to Spain for season three of the successful The Walking Dead spinoff. That’s a switch from the show’s first and upcoming second seasons, which are set in France. [The story.]( Danielle Deadwyler Talks 'The Piano Lesson' ►"She holds so much power in her silence, she commands the screen when she speaks." For THR, Lola Ogunnaike profiles the irrepressible Danielle Deadwyler. The former schoolteacher-turned-actors' actor discusses her new film, the big screen adaptation of August Wilson's play The Piano Lesson, that may finally get Deadwyler the awards recognition her talent deserves. [The profile.]( —"Believe and listen to women, particularly with this film, Black women." For THR, Brande Victorian spoke to actress Andra Day about her new film, The Deliverance. Day reveals she almost turned down the lead role in Lee Daniels' horror feature that is inspired by the true story of an Indiana mother who claimed she and her children were possessed by demons. Warning: Spoilers! [The interview.]( —"Right now, arts funding is a huge piece." THR's [Caitlin Huston]( spoke to Brooke Shields about being elected the president of Actors’ Equity. Shields opens up about why she chose to add the role, an unpaid, volunteer position, into the mix of her busy life, which includes a new business, new book and acting gigs, and her priorities for her four-year term. [The interview.]( Film Review: 'Queer' ►"Drifts hypnotically between realism and hallucination." THR's chief film critic [David Rooney]( reviews Luca Guadagnino's Venice competition entry, Queer. Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Jason Schwartzman and Lesley Manville star in this adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ semi-autobiographical novel, which travels from postwar Mexico City to the Amazon. [The review.]( —"Smells like stifled teen spirit." David reviews Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma's Venice competition entry, And Their Children After Them. The film adapts Nicolas Mathieu’s Prix Goncourt-winning novel about an awkward blue-collar kid observed over four summers. [The review.]( —"A risky, energetic head-scratcher." THR's Stephen Farber reviews Michael Gracey's Better Man. The Greatest Showman filmmaker directs a Robbie Williams biopic with a twist, the lead character is a computer-generated monkey. [The review.]( —"Traffic for the opioid age." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews John Swab's King Ivory. Ben Foster, James Badge Dale and Melissa Leo co-lead the ensemble in this fentanyl-era Oklahoma-set story, which follows several characters facing off in a brutal drug war. [The review.]( In other news... —Amy Adams [turns into a dog in Nightbitch trailer]( —London Film Festival [unveils full program]( —BTS Leader’s doc [RM: Right People, Wrong Place to premiere at Busan Fest]( —Antognolla Golf Course [is a blend of the old, the new and the luxury]( ​​​What else we're reading... —Mike Allen reports on JD Vance's odd, and rather counterproductive, "anytime, anywhere" media strategy [[Axios]( —A compelling essay by Ted Chiang on generative artificial intelligence and art, and why he thinks AI will never make true art [[New Yorker]( —With Adele set to take a long break from music, Jeffrey Ingold wonders if the era of the "larger-than-life, huge-voiced, huge-haired female singers may be ending" [[Guardian]( —Joe Coscarelli spoke to Amy Allen, the songwriter behind the Sabrina Carpenter hits "Please Please Please" and "Espresso" and who has become the go-to person for the next gen of popstars [[NYT]( —Leah Sarnoff reports that Phoenix's streak of over 100-degree temperatures has stretched to a quite ludicrous 100 days [[ABC News]( Today... ...in 2015, EuropaCorp released The Transporter Refueled in theaters. Luc Besson's attempt to reboot The Transporter franchise by replacing Jason Statham with Ed Skrein proved to be a dud with critics but a moderate box office success. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Beyoncé (43), Victoria Moroles (28), Wes Bentley (46), Damon Wayans (64), Whitney Cummings (42), Jennifer Salt (80), John DiMaggio (56), Kyle Mooney (40), Max Greenfield (45), [Noah Taylor]( (55), Tilda Cobham-Hervey (30), Ione Skye (54), Michael Berryman (76), Khandi Alexander (67), Judith Ivey (73), Ruby Stokes (24), Park Eun-bin (32), Richard Speight Jr. (55), Françoise Yip (52), Charlotte Le Bon (38), Kristen Wilson (55), Mitzi Gaynor (93), Talitha Eliana Bateman (23), Patricia Tallman (67), Mo Brings Plenty (55), Sarah Solemani (42), Carlos Ponce (52), Tenzing Norgay Trainor (23), Todd Sherry (63), Nona Gaye (50), Valyn Hall (39), Livia Giuggioli (55), Carter Jenkins (33), Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (71), Alan Blumenfeld (72), Sara Thompson (29), Ainsley Seiger (26), Andrew Levitas (47), Ellie Darcey-Alden (25), James Monroe Iglehart (50) This email was sent to {EMAIL} by The Hollywood Reporter. 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