THR's Women in Entertainment Power 100; Nicole Kidman Exposed; The NFL Is Ready to Take Over Hollywood Now; 'Black Doves' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( December 04, 2024 What's news: It's magazine day! This week's cover star is the ever-busy Nicole Kidman. Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown will debut a week early in Imax theaters. Peacock has renewed Bel-Air for a fourth and final season. The New York Film Critics Circle named The Brutalist best picture. Broadway had its highest grossing and best attended Thanksgiving week in history. The Joe Rogan Experience is Spotify's top podcast for a fifth consecutive year. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. THR's 2024 Women in Entertainment Power 100 ►"Women are quite literally kicking ass in male genres — but when we give women roles exploring the female experience in female genres, we will come in droves to see it." Was it the best year for Hollywood? Not exactly. But the women at the top of their fields kept this industry going. In THR’s annual survey of the most powerful women in entertainment, this year’s honorees reveal their predictions for 2025, Hollywood lessons from the election, the phone calls they’re still waiting on and much, much more. [The list.]( Nicole Kidman Exposed ►On the cover. Nicole Kidman is Hollywood's inexhaustible star and is fronting six major projects this year including the soapy Netflix murder mystery The Perfect Couple, which became the most watched original streaming series in the U.S. in September; the Taylor Sheridan spy thriller series Lioness on Paramount+; and Lulu Wang’s prestige drama series for Amazon Prime Video, Expats. On the features side, there's also a voice role in Netflix's animated feature Spellbound, the Netflix rom-com A Family Affair and the startlingly hypersexual role in Halina Reijn's Babygirl. Kidman, who is being honored with THR ’s Sherry Lansing Leadership Award for her professional and philanthropic contributions, paused her breakneck schedule to talk with [Rebecca Keegan]( from her home in Nashville. [The cover story.]( The NFL Is Ready to Take Over Hollywood Now ►"The relationship we started with Peyton and Eli [Manning] doing those shows, working with talent is something really new and exciting for us that I think has inspired invigorated a lot of our producers here." As pro athletes become regulars on TV and streaming (hello Jason Kelce late-night show), THR's [Alex Weprin]( reports that the NFL's film unit is ramping up its production, and pushing the boundaries of the sports doc format it pioneered with a new divisional concept for Hard Knocks. [The analysis.]( —🤝 Sports expansion 🤝 The Gersh Agency said Tuesday it is acquiring Madrid-based sports and entertainment agency You First in a major foray to establish a foothold in the lucrative pro athlete space. As part of the deal to buy the Juan Aísa-led representation and consulting firm, Gersh will double its employee headcount to around 600 staffers as it bolts on an agency that already operates in 13 countries and touts a client roster of around 1,000. The newly titled division, Gersh Sports, will be led by Steve Gersh, the grandson of the agency’s founder, Phil Gersh, while Aísa will join the board. [The story.]( —Mixed bag. This year’s Academy Awards broadcast on ABC saw its TV ratings surge to a post-pandemic high of 21m viewers, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences was a major beneficiary, new financial statements indicate. According to financial statements filed by AMPAS with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, revenue from the Oscars and “related activities” rose to $146.6m in its fiscal 2024, which ended June 30. That is up slightly from $143.5m in fiscal 2023, with the Academy taking in $137.1m in fiscal 2022. Academy Museum “earned revenues” were $15.3m in 2024, down from $18m a year earlier. Earned revenues include ticket sales, sponsorships and events revenue. Membership revenues rose slightly from $4.9m to $5.5m. [The results.]( —🤝 It's on 🤝 Less than a month after Amazon Prime Video made its advertising tier the default for its subscribers in January, major retail rival Walmart unveiled a deal to buy smart TV maker Vizio to help power its own foray into raking in connected TV ad dollars. Now, following a monthslong regulatory waiting period, that $2.3b-dollar buy closed on Tuesday. As for the deal rationale, it sets up the Doug McMillon-run Walmart to be a bigger player in the advertising world that is being increasingly reshaped by Amazon. [The story.]( —Moving forward. Fast food giant McDonald’s will face a trial over accusations it discriminates against Black-owned media companies. U.S. District Judge Fernando Olguin found that McDonald’s may have violated civil rights laws by relegating Byron Allen‘s networks to meager advertising tiers specifically reserved for companies that produce content targeted to Black audiences. Though it was a “close call,” he ruled that there’s enough evidence indicating that Entertainment Studios and The Weather Channel were shut out of McDonald's much larger general market budget for a jury to consider the case. [The story.]( JonBenét Doc Director Responds to Police Statement ►"The Ramsey family is owed direct and specific communication." One week after the release of Netflix’s Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey docuseries, the Boulder Police Department is responding to claims that it failed to properly investigate the 1996 murder of the 6-year-old pageant queen that remains unsolved nearly 30 years later. "We are committed to following up on every lead and we are continuing to work with DNA experts and our law enforcement partners around the country until this tragic case is solved," BPD Chief Steve Redfearn said in a statement to THR. In response to the BPD's comments, doc director and EP Joe Berlinger released a statement exclusively to THR calling on police to communicate directly with the Ramsey family, whom he says have been kept in the dark regarding any progress on the case. [The story.]( —"I lament contributing to the hurt that you have endured." Geraldo Rivera is taking partial accountability for the role he played in bolstering public suspicion that John and Patsy Ramsey were responsible for the murder of JonBenét. John Ramsey and Rivera appeared live together, via Zoom, on Monday night for a NewsNation segment facilitated by host Chris Cuomo. Rivera expressed regret for his role in feeding into the negative narrative surrounding the Ramseys and their assumed involvement in their daughter’s death. [The story.]( —"I have nowhere else to go and I need help." Jack Veal, a 17-year-old actor who appeared in season one of Loki , took to TikTok to share that he’s currently homeless. The actor, who played Kid Loki in the Tom Hiddleston-led Marvel show, posted a series of videos on the social platform in recent days, noting that he’s in search of housing accommodations near London and suggesting that his home life was impacted by "physical violence, emotional abuse." After the initial video went viral, earning 200,000-plus views, Veal posted several follow-up videos expressing his appreciation for all the support he had received. On Tuesday, he also shared that social services reached out to him about setting up a meeting to potentially help with accommodations and place him in foster care. [The story.]( —Big name addition. The prosecution team pursuing sex trafficking and racketeering charges against Sean “Diddy” Combs is shoring up its ranks. Maurene Comey on Monday notified the court that she’s joined the case. The lawyer, daughter of former FBI director James Comey, is best known as one of the three lead prosecutors who secured a conviction in 2021 against Ghislaine Maxwell for conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse and traffick minors. The nine-year veteran of the office of U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York steps into the case after prosecutors prevailed in keeping Combs detained in prison as he awaits trial. [The story.]( —Wrapped. Taylor Swift was the most streamed artist globally on Spotify in 2024, while Joe Rogan and Alex Cooper topped the platform’s podcast charts. This is the fifth consecutive year The Joe Rogan Experience has been the top podcast on Spotify and comes after he interviewed Donald Trump on his show leading up to the election. Cooper, who hosts Call Her Daddy, interviewed Kamala Harris on her show and took the second place slot for the second year in a row. [The story.]( Netflix, WWE Execs Preview 'RAW' Streaming Move ►"If it blinks a couple of times, and we do 60m [viewers], I’m good with that." Ahead of the debut of WWE Monday Night RAW on Netflix on Jan. 6, the streamer's chief content officer Bela Bejaria and WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque held a small press event on Tuesday at Netflix HQ that addressed past livestream issues, most notably the glitches during the Mike Tyson - Jake Paul fight. “Whenever we do any live event, we want it to go smoothly for every single one of our members,” said Bejaria. “But you can’t learn these things until you take a big swing. We learned and have done a lot to get ready for the NFL and Beyoncé at halftime. We’re totally ready and excited for WWE.” [The story.]( —The end is nigh. Peacock will return to Bel-Air for one last time. The streamer has renewed the dramatic take on Will Smith’s 1990s NBC comedy The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for a fourth and final season. The renewal comes about three months after season three concluded. The series, which counts Smith among its executive producers, grew out of a YouTube video by Morgan Cooper that reimagined the sitcom as a gritty drama. Peacock ran with the idea and gave the project a two-season order in September 2020; Bel-Air premiered in February 2022. [The story.]( —Blimey! The Day of the Jackal is officially the biggest new series to ever launch on Comcast's U.K. broadcaster Sky. With the first episode reaching a U.K. audience of 4.5m after 26 viewing days, it makes the thriller series — starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch — the most popular Sky Original launch ever, scripted or unscripted. Day of the Jackal was renewed for a second season last month. On Comcast's streamer Peacock, the show ranked among the top five original streaming series in the U.S. for its opening weekend, based on preliminary Nielsen data. [The story.]( —🎭 Sky's the limit 🎭 Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jonny Lee Miller, Sheldon Shepherd and Bel Powley will star in a new Sky Original thriller Inheritance. From writer-actor Karla Crome and set in Bristol, U.K. and Jamaica, Inheritance is a five-part limited event series directed by Storm Saulter and produced by Snowed-In Productions in association with Sky Studios. The show tells the story of Claudia (Mbatha-Raw), an ambitious young lawyer, embarks on a journey to Jamaica to challenge an inheritance claim filed by an unknown local resident, Cudjoe East (Shepherd), against Oliver Connaught (Lee Miller), a wealthy white aristocrat. [The story.]( —Rhiannon's coming back! Sweetpea, the British comedy revenge thriller series starring Fallout’s Ella Purnell, will return for a second season, Sky and Starz unveiled on Tuesday. The “coming-of-rage” show is produced by See-Saw Films and Fanboy in association with Sky Studios. Season two “will see Rhiannon Lewis (Purnell) return with a vengeance as her killer secret continues to spiral, and she becomes more twisted than ever,” Starz said in a statement. [The story.]( —Optioned! Liza Minnelli is bringing her life story to both the page and, potentially, the TV screen. Magnolia Hill Productions has optioned a forthcoming memoir from the iconic entertainer for a television adaptation through Warner Bros. TV. The memoir, to be published by Grand Central Publishing in 2026, stems from 15 years of recorded conversations between Minnelli and her friend and long-time creative partner Michael Feinstein. Journalists and authors Josh Getlin and Heidi Evans are also collaborating on the book. [The story.]( —Yet more Love Island? A third Love Island spinoff might be in the works with ITV America and Peacock. At Content London on Tuesday, ITV America CEO David George spoke about the hit reality series, whose format made it to CBS from the U.K. in 2018 with Love Island USA. George was a key player in the sale and highlighted the success of the existing spin-offs Love Island: All Stars and Love Island Games. George hinted more spinoffs might be incoming as the last season of Love Island USA was the most successful series to date, and was the most-watched streaming original series in the U.S. at points during the summer. [The story.]( 'A Complete Unknown' to Screen Early In Imax Theaters ►📅 Imax move 📅 Searchlight Pictures and Imax are teaming to host special screenings of awards hopeful A Complete Unknown a week ahead of its nationwide release on Christmas Day. The James Mangold-directed Bob Dylan biopic stars Timothée Chalamet as the legendary musical artist. The exclusive early access screenings in more than 30 Imax locations will commence on Dec. 18. Searchlight says seeing the specialty film in Imax will showcase the film’s groundbreaking visuals and immersive sound, and that the large-format technology will allow audiences to fully engage with the film’s cinematic scope and depth. [The story.]( —🏆 Bada bing! 🏆 The New York Film Critics Circle has named The Brutalist as its pick for the best film of 2024. Adrien Brody, who stars in the Brady Corbet-directed film, also won best actor for his performance as a Hungarian Jewish architect who immigrates to the U.S. after World War II to build a new life. Nickel Boys also won two awards, for best director (RaMell Ross) and cinematography (Jomo Fray). Best actress went to Hard Truths' Marianne Jean-Baptiste, while A Real Pain‘s Kieran Culkin was named best supporting actor and Between the Temples‘ Carol Kane won best supporting actress. [The winners.]( —🎭 Blessed 🎭 Italian auteur Paolo Sorrentino is reteaming with Neapolitan actor Toni Servillo, star of Sorrentino’s Oscar-winning The Great Beauty, for his next feature, titled La Grazia. Details of the new film are being kept under wraps, but it is said to be a love story. Sorrentino, who also wrote the script, is set to begin shooting next Spring. Annamaria Morelli, head of Fremantle-owned The Apartment will proceed together with Sorrentino’s shingle Numero 10, in association with PiperFilm, which will release the movie in Italy. [The story.]( —🎭 Brotherly love 🎭 John Cena and Eric André are ready to test their bond in a new Netflix comedy film. The streaming giant is in early development on Little Brother, which has the two stars attached. The writing team of Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel penned the script for the movie that counts David Bernad and Ruben Fleischer as producers. A director has not yet been announced, nor has a planned release date. Little Brother centers on a well-known real estate agent whose meticulously planned life is shaken up when his quirky “little brother” suddenly resurfaces. [The story.]( —🎭 One more 🎭 Tulsa King actor Martin Starr has joined the cast of 20th Century Studios’ remake of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Maika Monroe and Mary Elizabeth Winstead are toplining the thriller that will have Michelle Garza Cervera behind the camera when production begins later this month in Los Angeles. Raúl Castillo is also on the call sheet. The feature project adapts the 1992 thriller originally distributed by Buena Vista Pictures and directed by Curtis Hanson. Rebecca De Mornay starred as a twisted widow who, distraught over losing her own baby, insinuates herself into a family as their nanny, with the ultimate goal of taking the kids and the husband for herself. Annabella Sciorra played the mother. [The story.]( Broadway Box Office: 'Wicked' Leads Biggest Thanksgiving On Record ►Boffo. Broadway had its highest grossing and best attended Thanksgiving week in history. Overall industry gross was up 23 percent from the prior week, to reach $46m, with attendance up 1.53 percent to reach 312,143. Last year, Thanksgiving week on Broadway brought in $34.5m, with attendance at 228,711. Wicked was the top-grossing show in the industry last week, bringing in close to $3m, amid buzz for the movie and the lucrative holiday week. The musical is typically one of the top grossing shows each week, but during Thanksgiving week brought in close to $400,000 more than the prior week to reach $2.93m. [The Broadway box office report.]( —🎭 Oh Betty! 🎭 Betty Gilpin will take over the lead role in Oh, Mary! on Broadway this winter. Gilpin, an Emmy nominee for her role in Netflix’s Glow, takes over the role of Mary Todd Lincoln from Cole Escola starting Jan. 21 for an eight-week run through March 16. The play has also released a new block of tickets, extending the Broadway run through at least June 28, 2025. Escola wrote the play and has starred in the show since its off-Broadway run, which began in January 2024. The play, directed by Sam Pinkleton, reimagines Mary Todd Lincoln as a petulant, wannabe cabaret star dreaming to get away from her husband and the White House. [The story.]( TV Review: 'Black Doves' ►"Uneven but also clever, violent, passionate and thrilling." THR's chief TV critic [Daniel Fienberg]( reviews Netflix's Black Doves. Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw star in a spy thriller series about a group of operatives working for private espionage organizations attempting to prevent an international incident around the holidays, in a six-episode drama created by Joe Barton (Giri/Haji). [The review.]( In other news... —Disney's Snow White trailer: [Rachel Zegler regains kingdom from Gal Gadot’s evil queen]( —The Recruit S2 first-look images: [Noah Centineo has new friends (and foes)]( —Kendrick Lamar, SZA [set 2025 North American stadium tour]( —Cara Donatto [named evp of media strategy for Atlantic Music Group]( —Jay-Z to [release new coffee table book]( —Loewe creative director [Jonathan Anderson signs with UTA]( —[Scott L. Schwartz]( actor-wrestler best known for Ocean’s Eleven franchise, dies at 65 —[Debbie Nelson]( rapper Eminem’s mother, dies at 69 ​​​What else we're reading... —Emily Kirkpatrick looks at how Bravo's brand of reality TV became a template for real life [[Ssense]( —Lucas Shaw and Thomas Buckley report on what will happen to Paramount's executive ranks after the Skydance merger is complete [[Bloomberg]( —Former Boston Globe writer Patrick Fealey offers a haunting personal account of being homeless in America [[Esquire]( —Chloe Melas, Courtney Kube and Sarah Fitzpatrick report on Pete Hesgeth's problems with alcohol and how it worried colleagues at Fox News [[NBC News]( —Ben Berkowitz breaks down an Empower survey that shows Gen Z's lofty salary goal of nearly $600,000 a year underlies a generational shift to the political right [[Axios]( Today... ...in 1997, Steven Spielberg unveiled historical drama Amistad at its premiere in Washington, D.C. The film went on to gross $44m and nab four Oscar nominations at the 70th Academy Awards, including for cinematography, score, costume design and supporting actor for Anthony Hopkins’ role. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Marisa Tomei (60), Jeff Bridges (75), Jay-Z (55), Fred Armisen (58), [Tyra Banks]( (51), Jelly Roll (40), Scarlett Estevez (17), Nafessa Williams (35), Gemma Jones (82), Kevin Sussman (54), Pamela Stephenson (75), Jin Maley (38), Chelsea Noble (60), Gaia Wise (25), Patricia Wettig (73), Fay DeWitt (90), Thomas Craig (62), Alec Secareanu (40), Orli Gottesman (18), Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (39), Dree Hemingway (37), Álex de la Iglesia (59), Anthony DeSando (59), Norma Kuhling (34), Christopher B. Duncan (60), Rochelle Swanson (61), Ellen Dorrit Petersen (49) ADVERTISEMENT 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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