The Oscar Issue; The Second Coming of Megan Ellison; Bad News From Hollywood Crews; 'Shōgun' Star-Producer on Epic's Long Journey to TV

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( March 06, 2024 What's news: It's magazine day! This week's cover star is fair Oscar ahead of his big night on Sunday. Bob Iger has pushed back against the idea of "superhero fatigue." Vince McMahon has sold a significant chunk of his stake in TKO. CBS has ordered a spinoff of Young Sheldon. Regé-Jean Page will star in Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag. Amazon has renewed The Bad Guy. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. The Oscar Issue ►On the cover. With the 96th Academy Awards only days away, THR delves into the hoopla surrounding Hollywood's biggest night. Brutally Honest Ballots, how to Feng Shui your statuette, why host Jimmy Kimmel misses Donald Trump and more awards related content is included in our annual Oscars issue. [The cover story.]( —Who will win, who should win. THR's awards expert Scott Feinberg and chief film critic [David Rooney]( hash out the likely winners versus the most deserving ahead of Sunday's Academy Awards. [The story.]( —And what does the math say? For THR, Ben Zauzmer, author of Oscarmetrics: The Math Behind the Biggest Night in Hollywood, offers his annual prediction of the 2024 Oscar winners using just math. Ben is high on Oppenheimer, suggesting the film has a 78 percent chance to claim best picture, per his mathematical model. [The story.]( —More big names. On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences added another round of presenters for the Oscars. Emily Blunt, Cynthia Erivo, America Ferrera, Sally Field, Ryan Gosling, Ariana Grande, Ben Kingsley, Melissa McCarthy, Issa Rae, Tim Robbins, Steven Spielberg, Mary Steenburgen, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlize Theron, Christoph Waltz and Forest Whitaker round out the list of presenters. [The story.]( "The Industry Is Not Back": Bad News From Hollywood Crews ►"Everybody’s waiting to see what the new normal is." On March 4, major Hollywood crew unions began negotiating their health and pension benefits with studios and streamers, with Hollywood Teamsters head Lindsay Dougherty saying, “We will strike if we have to” during the talks. But some Los Angeles-area crewmembers tell THR's [Katie Kilkenny]( that, in the aftermath of the writers’ and actors’ walkouts in 2023, there doesn’t seem to be that much work to halt if their own stoppage is called. [The story.]( —"We’ve killed a few projects already that we just didn’t feel were strong enough." Amid a challenging year for Disney’s movie slate, CEO Bob Iger says he is pursuing a major overhaul of the company’s film output. Speaking at a Morgan Stanley conference on Tuesday, Iger said that "we’re doing a lot" to turn around Disney’s feature film business, which "hit on hard times that needed addressing." The exec pushed back on the idea of "superhero fatigue" which has hit Marvel hard, but admitted the company is reducing output to improve quality. [The story.]( —"There’s some rationalization more focused on quality versus just overall volume." Hollywood may be seeing fewer tentpoles hitting theaters after the strikes, but Cinemark CEO Sean Gamble argued the big screen is back coming out of the pandemic during the Morgan Stanley conference. Gamble said that studios are refocusing on theatrical releases as they pull back on streaming content expenditures. [The story.]( —Money in the bank. WWE founder Vince McMahon, who stepped down from his posts as executive chairman and board member of TKO Group amid renewed scrutiny around sexual misconduct, is selling a substantial chunk of his stake in the company. According to a securities filing Tuesday, McMahon plans to sell 5.4m shares in TKO, which comes out to roughly $412m. The sale, which comprise roughly 25 percent of his remaining stake in TKO, follows former WWE employee Janel Grant suing McMahon for sex trafficking and battery. [The story.]( The Second Coming of Megan Ellison ►"Everybody hopes she gets back in the game. It comes down to: Does she still have money to make things?" With her billionaire father's backing and taste that money can’t buy, Megan Ellison emerged as Hollywood's most celebrated champion of prestige filmmakers — then vanished after a run of bad bets and erratic behavior. THR's [Mia Galuppo]( and [Rebecca Keegan]( write that now Ellison is back with the Oscar-nominated animated feature Nimona , will Hollywood’s most elusive producer stick around? [The story.]( —🎭 Deep in his bag 🎭 Regé-Jean Page will star in Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag. Focus Features acquired the project last month, after THR broke the news that the filmmaker was shopping the package with Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender attached to star. Jurassic Park scribe David Koepp penned the script, which is described as a spy thriller. [The story.]( —🎭 The devil himself 🎭 Kevin Spacey’s ongoing efforts to resurrect his career have taken him to Italy. Seven years after his career imploded amid dozens of sexual misconduct accusations, the two-time Oscar winner is playing the devil in The Contract, one of three projects that involves Italian producer Massimiliano Caroletti and his wife, the former porn star Eva Henger. The project, which recently wrapped shooting in Rome, is being directed by Massimo Paolucci. [The story.]( —🎭 Circling 🎭 Cameron Diaz in talks to star opposite Keanu Reeves in the dark comedy Outcome, which Jonah Hill will direct and also star in. The Apple Studios pic will center on Reeves as Reef, a damaged Hollywood star who must dive into the dark depths of his past to confront his demons and make amends after he is extorted with a mysterious video clip from his past. Outcome is also being written by Hill along with Ezra Woods. [The story.]( —🤝 First-look 🤝 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem filmmaker Jeff Rowe has signed a multi-year first-look development deal with Paramount, covering his pursuits in directing, development, producing and executive producing on animated and live-action titles. Rowe is currently at work for the studio on directing the sequel to Mutant Mayhem, set for release on Oct. 9, 2026. [The story.]( —"I’ll never do anything like it again." Dakota Johnson is continuing to share her candid feelings about Madame Web. The actress detailed her feelings about the Sony-Marvel film flopping at the box office and getting bashed by critics and fans as one of the worst modern superhero films ever made. In a new interview, Johnson said, "it's not nice to be a part of something that's ripped to shreds, but I can't say that I don't understand." [The story.]( —🎭 Reimagining 🎭 Dark Winds star Kiowa Gordon and Outlander's Sera-Lys McArthur have joined the cast of Many Wounds, a contemporary reimagining of Lee Tamahori’s ground-breaking 1994 Maori film Once Were Warriors, set among indigenous communities in Canada. Skye Pelletier stars as Mashka, a young teenager on the cusp of being swallowed up by a colonial system meant to further the goals of assimilation who becomes a warrior to protect his family. [The story.]( 'Shōgun' Star-Producer on Epic's Long Journey to TV ►"No one knows what's going to happen next." For THR, Josh Wigler spoke to Shōgun's leading man and producer Hiroyuki Sanada about FX's ambitious Japanese period drama. Sanada reveals more about the long process involved in bringing the Japanese epic to life on TV, how his work as producer informed his work on camera, possible pathways forward for future seasons, and why he feels Shōgun is a crucial step toward inclusivity industrywide. [The interview.]( —Big Bang Theory universe expanding. CBS has formally ordered a spinoff of Young Sheldon that will focus on Georgie (Montana Jordan), Sheldon’s older brother, and his fiancée, Mandy (Emily Osment), as they raise their young family in Texas. The project has been in the works since January, and a straight-to-series order was expected after deals closed. Young Sheldon EPs Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro and Steve Holland will continue in their roles on the new series, which will be part of CBS’ 2024-25 slate. Warner Bros. TV is producing. [The story.]( —Top tier talent. Paramount+’s spy thriller The Department is starting to fill out its creative ranks. The drama series, based on the French hit Le Bureau des Legendes, has tapped Atonement filmmaker Joe Wright as director of the first two episodes and Edge of Tomorrow scribes Jez and John-Henry Butterworth to write all 10 installments. The series, which comes from Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios, is aiming for a premiere date later this year on Paramount+ With Showtime. [The story.]( —Sky high blues. Netflix has picked up the six-part docuseries Together: Treble Winners, which follows English Premier League giants Manchester City during their historic championship 2022-2023 season. The series had cameras rolling when star Erling Haaland arrived with the team, and during its preseason in the U.S., all the way through the final weeks of the season, the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium and the club’s first Champions League Final victory in Istanbul. [The story.]( —🎭 Rounded out 🎭 The BBC and Netflix has added a host of actors to its upcoming six-episode series Lockerbie, about the December 1988 terrorist attack on Pan Am Flight 103. Patrick J. Adams, Connor Swindells, Merritt Wever, Eddie Marsan, Peter Mullan, Tony Curran, Lauren Lyle, Andrew Rothney, Phyllis Logan, Parker Sawyers, James Harkness, Khalid Laith and Amanda Drew are joining the drama. The series, led by Colin Firth and Catherine McCormack, is based on the book The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father’s Search for Justice. [The story.]( —Bad guys always win. Amazon Prime Video has renewed Italian original drama The Bad Guy for a second season. The crime series, starring Luigi Lo Cascio and Claudia Pandolfi, has been a hit with audiences and critics. Stefano Accorsi will join the cast for season two, alongside returning cast members including Selene Caramazza, Giulia Maenza and Antonio Catania. The next season will be shot on location in Lazio, Emilia Romagna and Sicily. [The story.]( Drake Bell Set to Allege Abuse From Brian Peck in Doc ►Harrowing testimony. Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell will be sharing publicly for the first time his story of alleged abuse at the hands of Brian Peck, his former dialogue coach, in the upcoming docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. A new clip for the ID four-parter, released Tuesday along with a press release, suggests that Bell will speak about his alleged abuse by Peck while he was still a child actor. The four-part series is billed as investigating toxic environment claims on ’90s sets run by Dan Schneider. [The story.]( —"Oh my God. This sounds terrible." Kate Winslet has revealed she overcame an eating disorder earlier in her career, saying she didn’t speak to anyone about the affliction at the time. In a new interview, the Oscar and Emmy-winning actress said she was horrified to learn about the oft-discussed weight loss drug Ozempic and added she doesn't allow anyone to speak about her weight now, in good or bad terms. [The story.]( —"There’s definitely less good roles for women my age." Kirsten Dunst has spoken out about ageism in Hollywood and revealed why she hasn’t been working as much lately. In a new interview, the Oscar-nominated actress explained that following her role in 2021’s The Power of the Dog, she was only being offered one kind of role: "the sad mom." So, instead of taking on any project, Dunst stepped back from acting for two years after the Jane Campion film because she wasn’t being offered the meaty roles she wanted, which she could get lost in and felt were worth her time. [The story.]( A 'Star Wars' Actor Says Goodbye (to His Memorabilia) ►"I have lived with these items for 50 years." THR's [Borys Kit]( spoke to Anthony Daniels, the British actor who has played and voiced robot C-3PO in the Star Wars franchise for over 40 years, about auctioning off his collection of memorabilia from the film series. Daniels' collection includes a screen-matched light-up head that the actor wore in 1983’s Return of the Jedi that could fetch anywhere from $500,000 to $1m. [The interview.]( —Jukebox not included. A lucky Sopranos fan shelled out over $82,000 for the booth from Tony Soprano’s last supper. The owners of Broomfield, NJ ice cream parlor Holsten's put the booth featured in the hit HBO series’ 2007 finale up for auction, as the 88-year-old shop is being remodeled. After four days on eBay, the bidding war closed at $82,600 on Monday. The winner doesn’t just get the table and seats, they also receive the divider wall, which features a plaque that reads, “This booth reserved for the Soprano family.” [The story.]( In other news... —Colin Farrell [is a private investigator on a mission in Sugar trailer]( —Kit Harington, Scoot McNairy [get caught up in drug trafficking in Blood for Dust trailer]( —Queen Latifah [to return as host of NAACP Image Awards]( —New Balance [signs with CAA]( —Tareasa “Reesa Teesa” Johnson [signs with CAA]( —[Garrison Brown]( son of Sister Wives stars Janelle and Kody Brown, dies at 25 ​​​What else we're reading... —James Balmont takes a closer look at the brutal Japanese history that inspired FX's Shōgun [[BBC]( —As Bobby Berk exits Queer Eye, Cheyenne Roundtree reports on the long simmering tensions amongst the original Fab Five, including allegations of Jonathan Van Ness' "rage issues" [[Rolling Stone]( —Mary McNamara writes that in Dune: Part One, Denis Villeneuve had created an all-time movie mom with Rebecca Ferguson's Lady Jessica. However, with Part Two, he ruined her [[LAT]( —A 100 years after Greta Garbo's screen debut in The Saga of Gösta Berling, Ella Dorn reflects on the icon's career and how Hollywood missed out on her range, especially her ability with comedy [[Guardian]( —Leslie Kaufman, Saijel Kishan and Nadia Lopez have an important, if scary, report on the growing crisis in the U.S. insurance industry in places prone to wildfires, flooding and hurricanes [[Bloomberg]( Today... ...in 1998, the Coen brothers unleashed The Big Lebowski in theaters, where it would become a cult hit and gross $46m globally. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: [Rob Reiner]( (77), Connie Britton (57), Martin Kove (78), Millicent Simmonds (21), Shaquille O'Neal (52), Tyler the Creator (33), D.L. Hughley (61), David Gilmour (78), Tyler Gillett (42), Andrzej Bartkowiak (74), Moira Kelly (56), Milo Manheim (23), Amy Pietz (55), Shaun Evans (44), Tom Arnold (65), Ellen Muth (43), Yael Stone (39), Jacob Bertrand (24), Elise Eberle (31), Alan Davies (58), Ren Watabe (25), Anna Maria Horsford (76), Rosie Day (29), James Saito (69), Clara Lago (34), Dillon Freasier (28), Amy Okuda (35), Leïla Bekhti (40), Paris Jefferson (54), Vincent Gale (56), Dylan Schmid (25), Paloma Bloyd (36), Sebastian Siegel (50), Shane Brolly (54), Birgundi Baker (32), Meghan Falcone (39), Richard Schenkman (66) Janice Burgess, the two-time Daytime Emmy winner who created the beloved animated musical series The Backyardigans for Nickelodeon, has died. She was 72. [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