Home//The Hollywood Reporter/January 26, 2024/In This Issue
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024AFTER THE NEAR APOCALYPSE OF 2023, A PRESENT FOR HOLLYWOOD: GRATITUDE WITH ATTITUDELet’s not sugarcoat it — 2023 was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year for Hollywood.For starters, obviously, there were the strikes, which for nearly five months turned backlots into ghost towns, costing the industry an estimated $6 billion in lost wages and other collateral economic damage. Then there were the layoffs, beginning at Disney and spreading like an apocalyptic virus to Paramount, Amazon, NBCUniversal, Lionsgate and beyond. Box office, although up a tick from 2022, still lagged far behind pre-pandemic grosses, with even superhero movies like The Marvels tanking. Streamers began pulling back on original content, the incredible shrinking broadcast TV audience continued to miniaturize itself, and there were new fears over the rise of the machines (you know, AI and whether it’ll soon replace your job) —…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024As Stuber Signs Off, Expect Fewer Pricey Swings by NetflixThe end of Scott Stuber’s seven-year tenure as head of film at Netflix did not come as a shock. But it had seemed to be coming for so long that one producer who’s done business with the streamer says when he heard that it had finally happened, he didn’t know whether to believe it. “I sort of tuned out when anyone said Scott was out,” he says, “because I had been hearing that for over two years.”When the time finally came, the most remarkable thing about Stuber’s exit was how it differed from the usual abrupt Netflix defenestration: This time, there was a laudatory press release, Stuber’s company email account still works, and he is supposed to stick around until March.Despite the lack of drama and despite co-CEO Ted Sarandos’…5 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024One More Shot for ‘Oscar Bounce’ in TheatersUsually it’d be impossible for Oscar-nominated films to be rebooked in hundreds, never mind thousands, of theaters. But with theater owners facing a perilous slowdown in tentpole product due to delays from 2023’s strikes, they’re welcoming the latest crop of best picture contenders back into the fold. The only new studio release opening nationwide over the Jan. 27-29 weekend is Amazon MGM’s The Underdoggs. Otherwise, the spotlight will be on the Oscar hopefuls. It could prove an interesting test, considering all but three of the nominees — Amazon and MGM’s American Fiction, A24’s Past Lives and Searchlight’s Poor Things — are available at home. The grosses are only part of the equation, says Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian: “The so-called ‘Oscar bounce’ doesn’t necessarily have to do with revenue but can come…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024EMA AwardsThe Environmental Media Association will once again recognize Hollywood productions for environmental excellence, both onscreen and behind the scenes, at its annual awards gala, to be held Jan. 27 at Los Angeles’ Sunset Las Palmas Studios. Hosted by Lance Bass with entertainment by Samantha Ronson, the event will also present Laura Dern with the EMA Ongoing Commitment Award for her devotion to environmental activism. Netflix leads the way with seven EMA nominations, including those for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, White Noise, Queer Eye and Down to Earth With Zac Efron. Avatar: The Way of Water scored a nom in the features category, and on the TV side, HBO’s The Last of Us, A Black Lady Sketch Show and What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel are among the…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Sundance Film FestivalHollywood took a brief break from awards season to look ahead to a new crop of movies as a star-studded group of projects hit the annual Park City festival. Will Ferrell, Pedro Pascal, Kieran Culkin, Sebastian Stan, Aubrey Plaza, Steven Yeun, Glen Powell, Lionel Richie, Normani and Malia Obama were among those who premiered movies at Sundance, as the festival celebrated 40 years of uplifting independent film. Kristen Stewart, who received the festival’s Visionary Award, declared, “Sundance is the f*cking sh*t,” during her acceptance speech on opening night and explained what makes it special, saying, “I came here for the first time 20 years ago, I realized today. I could barely speak English when spoken to. I got my first pair of Ugg boots, and I actually got to be…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Why Pilates Is Back in Fashion (Again!)Pilates is having a major moment in the zeitgeist — just a handful of years after being counted out by a New York Magazine article that labeled it the “Pilatespocalypse”; proving the age-old adage that everything old becomes new again — with the right branding, of course.Forma Pilates founder Liana Levi — who recently trained Sofia Boutella for director Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon — says it’s not our imagination that the practically ancient exercise is suddenly everywhere. “A new Pilates studio pops up on my Instagram, like, every day,” says the L.A.-based trainer who works with “It” girls like Hailey Bieber, Kaia Gerber and Kendall Jenner. “There was a big surge in the Pilates world during COVID.” She credits the power of social media with leading to a renewed interest…5 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 202450 Reasons We (Still) Love HollywoodNo 1 We Give Social Media Something to Fight About (That Isn’t Politics) BY PETER BISKINDSince the silent era, a century’s worth of movies has told us how to love, how to die, how to dress, how to behave. But things have changed a lot since the silent era, which raises the question: Are movies still vital to our lives? Are they still at the core of our cultural life? Do they still matter?Beyond Hollywood’s scrambled economics, one of the biggest threats to its hegemony is social media — TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X-formerly-known-as-Twitter — with which it has always had an uncomfortable relationship, alternately its victim or master. Thanks to the gravitational pull of social media, as well as the pandemic and two strikes, the studios and theaters have…44 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Heat Index↑ TVThe Prodigal HostHow The Daily Show got Jon Stewart back p. 14FilmStuber Signs OffBehind the exit of Netflix’s movie chief p. 13Brian RobertsYes, Peaco*ck lost $825 million in its latest quarter, but the Comcast CEO beat Street estimates for overall revenue and profit — with its parks business a bright spot.Shari RedstoneAs chatter heats up about a Paramount sale, the mogul’s call to remerge Viacom and CBS in 2019 will be second-guessed: Were the assets worth more separately?Tessa ThompsonThe Creed franchise star inks a first-look film deal with Amazon MGM Studios for her banner Viva Maude to develop new projects.Patrick Soon-ShiongWhile cutting 115 staffers, the Los Angeles Times owner also loses multiple masthead editors as the paper tries to stem annual losses it reported as $30 million to $40…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Inside the Top-Secret Plan to Bring Back Jon StewartShortly after Trevor Noah abruptly announced he’d be leaving The Daily Show in late 2022, Paramount’s Chris McCarthy knew he needed allies.There was “a lot of pressure to just choose someone,” he told THR early last year, though he resisted naming an immediate replacement. Instead, his team, led by longtime showrunner Jen Flanz, lined up a stable of guest hosts, a mix of boldfaced names like Sarah Silverman and Chelsea Handler as well as correspondents from the show. McCarthy also sought the counsel of James “Babydoll” Dixon, manager of late night hosts Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel and a previous Daily Show producer himself. In fact, early in the transition, McCarthy “spent a lot of time with Babydoll,” he said, “and we called Jon a couple times, too.”Stewart…4 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Contenders’ (First) Big Moment of Truth ArrivesBEST PICTUREAnatomy of a FallSeven BAFTA noms (including best film, director and actress) presaged five Oscar noms (including those same three), a formidable showing for the film. France must regret not submitting it for the international feature Oscar; The Taste of Things wasn’t nominated.The Color PurpleDespite producer Oprah Winfrey’s best efforts to boost Blitz Bazawule’s film, this musical version of Alice Walker’s novel, which was made into a nonmusical film that received 11 Oscar noms 37 years ago, landed just one this cycle: best supporting actress, for Danielle Brooks.OppenheimerChristopher Nolan’s masterpiece, on the heels of landing a field-leading 13 BAFTA nominations, garnered the same number of Oscar noms (a number exceeded only by All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land, which each received 14), cementing it as the formidable…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Yes, I Did Say That!“My boobs opened a lot of doors for me.” SOFÍA VERGARA The Griselda actress, in El País, suggesting that her looks may have helped launch her career but have not been what has sustained it: “I’m still here because I’m not afraid of taking a risk, and I work harder than anyone.”“I thought they had endless resources.” SOFIA COPPOLA The filmmaker, in The New Yorker, lamenting Apple’s decision to nix her planned adaptation of Edith Wharton’s The Custom of the Country over budget concerns.“I don’t know how good I would have been.” JODIE FOSTER The actress and director, on The Tonight Show, revealing that she was offered the Princess Leia role in Star Wars before Carrie Fisher but had a scheduling conflict.“I’m not a big internet guy.” MATTHEW VAUGHN The…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Power DiningJim Carrey celebrated his birthday alongside Adam Sandler, Jimmy Kimmel and Bill Burr at the San Vicente Bungalows. … Chris Evans and his wife, Alba Baptista, had a night out with Robert Pattinson, Suki Waterhouse, Adrien Brody and Georgina Chapman at Funke. … Mila Kunis stopped by Beverly Glen Deli. … Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart had a date night at Giorgio Baldi. … Dua Lipa and Callum Turner dined at R+D Kitchen. … Charlie Hunnam visited Gigi’s. … Jason Momoa and Dave Chappelle were (separately) spotted at The Bird Streets Club.HOT NEW RESTAURANTUchiThe Quick PitchTyson Cole — founder of this neo-Japanese endeavor in Austin (one of SXSW’s hottest tables) — has already expanded to Dallas, Houston, Miami and Denver; now he’s aiming to compete in L.A., where the blend…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Gus Van Sant Isn’t Mellow — He’s Just ThinkingGus Van Sant has taken on a few superlatives over the course of his 40-year career: indie provocateur, Palme d’Or-winning filmmaker and, per the late Robin Williams, “mellowest man in Hollywood.”A label that long eluded the 71-year-old director, despite his line of work, was Angeleno. Van Sant built one of the more eclectic résumés in modern cinema while living in Oregon, his chosen home until just a few years ago. “There were a lot of water issues near the end — tsunami years at the beach house, flooding on the river in Portland,” he says, now safely 700-plus feet above sea level in the unassuming Hollywood Hills mid-century home that he now calls his primary residence. “Finally, I just sold it all and kind of never went back.”Van Sant’s artistic…10 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Fit, Fabulous, Over 50: Meet Their Hollywood TrainerIn a town focused on the fountain of youth, personal trainer Malin Svensson has made a career out of catering to the 50-plus. With clients who include Maria Shriver, Barbara Handler (daughter of Barbie doll creator Ruth Handler), Jamie Lee Curtis and even ’80s fitness icon Jane Fonda, the Marina del Rey-based Nordic Body founder has a refreshing fitness philosophy and approach to life.“Age is just a chronological number. It doesn’t say who you are, how young you are at heart and how good of shape you are in,” says Svensson. “I’m empowering the 50-plus crowd to live a fun, healthy and fulfilling life. We want to not only be able to look good, but we want to continue with all the activities that we used to do in our…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024THAT’S SNOW BUSINESS!SUNDANCE PORTFOLIO 20241 Pedro PascalFreaky TalesThe actor says the indie, a genre-bending story about punks, Nazis and rappers in 1987 Oakland, felt much more intimate than his experience making big-budget projects like The Last of Us and The Mandalorian. “You’re fast-tracking a connection to one another,” he tells THR.2 Chiwetel Ejiofor (left), Camila Cabello, Jay WillRob PeaceEjiofor wrote, directed and acted in this real-life story about a Yale student (Will) who begins selling weed on campus in an effort to help free his incarcerated father. “A lot of people reached into their own understandings of these circ*mstances and their full lives lived,” he says of the performances, which also include Mary J. Blige as Rob’s mother. “And Jay [as Rob] for me, he made the film make sense. He held…4 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024AND, FINALLY, THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS …Universal’s Oppenheimer leads the pack among the 96th Academy Award nominations with 13. Two other best picture-nominated titles scored noms in the double digits: Searchlight’s Poor Things (11) and Apple’s Killers of the Flower Moon (10).All three earned acting nods across the lead and supporting categories (including Cillian Murphy for best actor, Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone for actress, and Robert De Niro and Robert Downey Jr. for supporting actor), while those films’ helmers — Christopher Nolan, Yorgos Lanthimos and Martin Scorsese, respectively — nabbed best director noms. So did Anatomy of a Fall’s Justine Triet (the eighth woman to do so) and The Zone of Interest’s Jonathan Glazer (whose film is also up for international feature). Anatomy, despite winning last year’s Palme d’Or, was not selected by France as…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024The Best of SundanceA DIFFERENT MANWriter-director Aaron Schimberg offers an endearingly twisted take on actors, playwrights, egos and the plight of the disfigured. The provocative, dark A24 comedy centers on an aspiring thespian with neurofibromatosis (played with tongue-in-cheek gravitas by Sebastian Stan) who finds a cure, only to long for the life he had when his face was still deformed. Renate Reinsve and Adam Pearson (who has neurofibromatosis himself) shine in key supporting roles. — JORDAN MINTZEREXHIBITING FORGIVENESSArtist Titus Kaphar’s tender directorial debut feature is bolstered by a stellar André Holland as a painter who attempts to reconcile with his father (the wonderful John Earl Jelks) at the urging of his mother (an always invaluable Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor). Preoccupied by questions of love and attachment — and flaunting a breathtaking sense of composition —…6 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Netflix Won the Streaming Wars. What’s Next?In Netflix’s global smash hit Squid Game, the penultimate challenge sees the last few surviving competitors make their way across a glass bridge. One wrong move, and the player falls to their demise.But as the players progressed, they hit upon a revelation: Yes, there will only be one winner of the final game, but if they work together, they can cross the chasm and survive for one more day.Netflix, led by co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, has won the streaming wars (Morgan Stanley proclaimed it “The Undisputed” in a Jan. 23 research note, and the next day Bernstein declared the company “clearly the winner in streaming”), and Netflix and Wall Street see plenty more room to grow.But even as Netflix appears poised to reign as the streaming champion, it…7 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Art House Movies Having Their TikTok MomentWrestling drama The Iron Claw has quietly grossed $31.5 million domestically at the box office since its Christmas launch, a veritable fortune for an independent film in the post-pandemic age and one of the best showings ever for distributor A24. And it isn’t the only specialty movie doing impressive business these days thanks to a powerful new ally: younger adults.For years, art house movies relied on the “elderverse,” as one indie executive puts it — i.e., moviegoers over age 35 or 40. But that relationship collapsed during the COVID-19 crisis and has yet to be fully restored. At the same time, the 18-to-34 crowd started snubbing once surefire genres like superhero fare.“This is the strongest I can remember seeing this kind of turnout since the early 2000s,” says Lisa Bunnell,…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Taking On Malcolm X and MufasaCome Feb. 1, Aaron Pierre joins the ranks of storied British thespians — Daniel Day-Lewis, Cynthia Erivo, David Oyelowo — to play icons of U.S. history. This trend has rankled some American performers in the past. But, as the 29-year-old sees it, he’s just as qualified as any Black actor to tackle Malcolm X.“My perspective has always been that we are one diaspora,” says Pierre, who stars as Malcolm X in National Geographic’s Genius: MLK/X. “I have always been somebody who’s felt a deep emotional response to any hardships experienced by someone who has the same skin as me. And Malcolm’s legacy, his tremendous ability to empower and his skill as an orator, that found its way to where I grew up.”Where Pierre grew up and first dabbled in theater…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Rambling ReporterAfter Dave Chappelle ‘Punches Down’ in The Dreamer, Trace Lysette Jabs BackOn his new Netflix comedy special, The Dreamer, Dave Chappellewades into familiar territory, making a handful of cracks about the trans community. “I love punching down,” he jokes about his gleeful violation of one of comedy’s cardinal rules. The blows have been returned by Trace Lysette, among Hollywood’s highest-profile trans stars. The Monica actress went viral on TikTok by throwing shade at Chappelle’s fixation: “I don’t know what doll hurt Dave Chappelle, I really don’t, but it’s giving disgruntled client. It’s giving angry trick,” she said, suggesting (in a satirical way) that he was somehow burned by a sex worker. In another clip, Lysette points out some alleged makeup mishaps from certain angles of The Dreamer. When Rambling Reporter…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Hitched, Hatched, HiredWeddingsID publicist Montana Rispoli married Elias Loucagos, manager of technical operations at Thermo Fisher Scientific, in Kalamata, Greece, on Aug. 25. His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco wed the couple of nine years in a Greek Orthodox ceremony in front of 130 guests.BirthsWeston Garret Gonzalez, owner and creative director of westhaus, and Miles Guidon, president of Hollywood 3D Printing, welcomed Willa Heywood Guidon-Gonzalez on Jan. 4 at Loma Linda University Medical Center.CongratsCourtney Sanchez joined Tubi as chief strategy officer and executive vp operations on Jan. 18.Jeff Collins was tapped to take over as head of Fox Corp. ad sales, after Marianne Gambelli’s retirement, on Jan. 22.Anne Globe was hired as chief marketing officer for Imax on Jan. 16.Terry Press was named president of strategy and communications for Amblin Partners…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Issa Rae and the Rap sh*t Cast Predict the 2024 Grammy WinnersMusic elevates the storytelling of everything,” says Issa Rae, whose shows Insecure and the all-too-short-lived Rap sh*t (which was abruptly canceled in January after two critically acclaimed seasons) regularly drew attention for their expertly curated needle drops. “There are so many songs that I associate with specific scenes that have also, in turn, affected my life and my memories, and it just adds an extra feeling to that song. So, they really work hand in hand beautifully.”Rae is so connected to music that it’s hard to not think of her when you look at the nominees at the 2024 Grammy Awards. SZA, the top contender with nine nominations, was featured throughout season two of Insecure. Other nominees whose tracks have been heard on Rae’s shows include Victoria Monét, 6lack, SiR,…8 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024The Matchy-Matchy Styles of Manhattan’s Society SwansBabe Paley, Slim Keith and C.Z. Guest are a few of the iconic jet-set women who conjure images of wealth, glamour, high society … and Truman Capote. Known as “The Swans,” they dominated New York society, with the acclaimed author of Breakfast at Tiffany’s a part of their inner circle.Ryan Murphy’s second installment of his Feud anthology, FX’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (see page 26 for an interview with series director Gus Van Sant) centers on the author’s complex relationship with the socialites, which was upended with his 1975 Esquire article “La Côte Basque, 1965.” Capote’s exposure of their secrets — including intimating that Babe Paley’s husband, CBS’ Bill Paley, had an affair with the wife of New York’s governor — led to a fallout and Capote’s subsequent tumble…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024TRAINWRECK? THE MOGUL VS THE METROFRED ROSEN DOESN’T MIND IF PEOPLE CONSIDER HIM A VILLAIN.He made that clear during his fortune-making run at Ticketmaster, which he turned into a polarizing behemoth. “I was running ‘the evil empire’? I was running a business. You know who liked me? My clients. Did I love being called an asshole? Not particularly. Could I live with it? Sure.” He adds, “You can’t build a business without pissing somebody off.”The same attitude prevails in his current venture: attempting to kill a proposed subway through his Bel-Air neighborhood. “You have to come to grips with the fact that not everyone’s going to like you,” he says.Rosen, an 80-year-old grandfather, is aware of his pugnacious intensity. “Guys like me make coffee nervous,” he jokes during lunch in a booth at his “commissary,”…13 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024THE BRIT FLICKS YOU WON’T SEE AT THE OSCARSALL OF US STRANGERSAndrew Haigh’s haunting drama starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal received six BAFTA nominations: In addition to best British film, the drama also scored nods for direction, casting, adapted screenplay and supporting actor (Mescal) and actress (Claire Foy). The film, which stars Scott as a struggling screenwriter who visits his childhood home — only to find his long-deceased parents living there, at the ages they were when they died in a car accident — earned a Golden Globe nomination for Scott and a Critics Choice nom for Haigh’s screenplay, and was named a top independent film by the National Board of Review.HOW TO HAVE SEXThe drama about three British girls (Mia McKenna-Bruce, Lara Peake and Enva Lewis) who go on a rites-of-passage vacation was nominated in three…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|January 26, 2024Dr. Strangelove Showed the Folly of Nuclear WarOn Jan. 29, 1964, a triple premiere in New York, London and Toronto launched one of Stanley Kubrick’s masterpieces into the chilly Cold War atmosphere: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Kubrick described it as a “nightmare comedy,” and 60 years later, the immediacy of the nightmare might be missed. Shot at Shepperton Studios outside London in 1963, Dr. Strangelove was created in the shadow of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which unfolded over 13 terrifying days in October 1962 as President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premiere Nikita Khrushchev played a deadly game of chicken before stepping back from the precipice.Kubrick, who subscribed to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and voraciously read nuclear warfare literature, had long been interested in the theme…2 min
