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Call the banners and muster the dragons, there is trouble in the kingdoms! HBO’s big-budget fantasy epic House of the Dragon and Amazon’s even bigger-budget fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are encountering a hailstorm of catapulted projectiles. For Rings, the issue was familiar. The $715 million series — which debuted two years ago to strong ratings and fandom discord — unveiled the first four episodes of its new season. The consensus is that this new run is firmly an improvement, but some critics and fans maintain it’s not as strong as it should be (many contrast the show to Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning trilogy — and how can you not? — even though that saga arguably set an impossibly high bar for a prequel series…
Dana Walden Going into the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Disney Entertainment co-chair has momentum: Disney TV has 51 Creative Arts wins; the next highest is Netflix, with 18. Rupert Murdoch The News Corp mogul is challenged by hedge fund Starboard Value over a succession plan that props up son Lachlan’s control over his sprawling empire. Pedro Almodóvar The Spaniard’s first English-language feature, The Room Next Door, received a 17-minute standing ovation in Venice en route to the fest’s Golden Lion best film honor. Francis Ford Coppola After betting $120 million on his epic Megalopolis, the famed director is eyeing a $5 million domestic bow on Sept. 27, according to major tracking firm NRG. Showbiz Stocks $179.55 (+2.9%) AMAZON (AMZN) The tech company cut a deal with the NFL to provide…
Destin Daniel Cretton, the filmmaker behind Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is in talks to direct Spider-Man 4, THR has learned. The move brings an end to speculation of who would spin the web for one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood. Cretton will bring fresh blood to this iteration of Spider-Man, which stars Tom Holland in a co-production between Sony and Disney-owned Marvel Studios. It will make him the fourth director to take on a Spidey solo feature. Jon Watts directed the previous three Holland-starring movies, while Marc Webb helmed the two Amazing Spider-Man installments that starred Andrew Garfield. Sam Raimi directed the trilogy that featured Tobey Maguire. Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers are back for script duties, while Marvel head Kevin Feige and former…
Stephen Curry has four NBA championships, two NBA MVP Awards and an Olympic gold medal, but now the Golden State Warriors star is devoting even more of his time to Hollywood. Curry, 36, is starring alongside Adam Pally and Ego Nwodim on Mr. Throwback, the comedy on NBCUniversal’s Peacock, and his Unanimous Media has projects and concepts in the works meant to turn him into a media mogul, both in front of and behind the camera. Over lunch in New York on Sept. 3, with his gold medal conspicuously sitting next to his plate, Curry discussed plans to transform his shingle into a bona fide entertainment powerhouse. Unanimous Media has expanded recently. How have you tried to grow the business to include bigger, broader genres like scripted comedy? It’s cool…
LEBRON JAMES The SpringHill Co. Founded 2008 CEO Maverick Carter Key projects The Shop (HBO), Shooting Stars (Peacock), Hustle (Netflix), Space Jam: A New Legacy (Warner Bros.), The Crossover (Disney+) PEYTON MANNING Omaha Productions Founded 2020 President Jamie Horowitz Key projects “Manningcast,” (ESPN), the “Places” franchise (ESPN), Quarterback (Netflix), Full Court Press (ESPN+), Kyle Brandt’s Basement (ESPN Podcast) TOM BRADY 199 Productions Founded 2020 Key projects 80 for Brady (Paramount Pictures), untitled John Madden biopic (being shopped), The Tom Brady Roast (Netflix), In the Arena: Serena Williams (ESPN) SERENA WILLIAMS Nine Two Six Productions Founded 2023 President Caroline Currier Key projects In the Arena: Serena Williams (ESPN), Copa 71 (Dogwoof, U.K.) NAOMI OSAKA Hana Kuma Founded 2022 President Stuart Duguid Key projects Mink! (NY Times Docs), Footsteps (self-distributed)…
Late night, it appears, is now firmly in belt-tightening mode. Or, as one veteran producer says, “There’s definitely a new reality when it comes to budgets.” On Sept. 6, NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon announced plans to trim back its production schedule, airing four nights a week instead of five, swapping its Friday edition for a rerun. The network noted that The Tonight Show was the last of the major shows to produce five days a week. Earlier this year, NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers had to drop its house band as part of budget cuts. And last year, CBS decided to end its Late Late Show after James Corden left, opting to replace it with the less expensive After Midnight comedy game show. Now, of course,…
