TV, Film & Media Industry News Roundup, Weekend 15-16 June 2024

"Griffin in Summer" triumphs at Tribeca; "Madame Web" tops Netflix; Animation+ to launch originals; Drone crews gain union cover; "The Lost King" defamation trial; Paramount faces Skydance fallout.

Today’s Highlights:

• Griffin In Summer Wins Big at Tribeca Festival Nicholas Colia's "Griffin in Summer" sweeps the narrative features awards at the 2024 Tribeca Festival.

• Nielsen Streaming Top 10 Highlights "Madame Web" debuts on Netflix with 1.7 billion minutes watched, securing third place in the Nielsen Streaming Top 10.

• Animation+ Original Content Plans New streamer Animation+ aims to launch original series and feature projects on Samsung TV Plus by 2025.

• Union Agreement for Drone Camera Crews Following arbitration decisions, Hollywood studios agree to cover drone camera crews under the IATSE Local 600 Agreement.

• Defamation Trial for 'The Lost King' A UK high court judge ruled that the portrayal of a real-life character in "The Lost King" was defamatory, leading to a trial.

• Columbia Pictures Settles' Bad Boys' Copyright Lawsuit Columbia Pictures settled a lawsuit filed against George Gallo over the rights to the "Bad Boys" story.

• Paramount Global's Skydance Deal Collapse Paramount Global faces pressure as the Skydance deal falls through, affecting the company's future and share prices.

• Anthony Mackie's Career Highlights Anthony Mackie reflects on his career journey from "8 Mile" to starring in "Captain America: Brave New World" and "Twisted Metal."

• Economic Impact of 'Bridgerton' Netflix's "Bridgerton" has added over £250 million to the UK economy, benefiting nearly 5,000 local businesses.

• Lulu Wang and Nicole Kidman's Collaboration on 'Expats' How Nicole Kidman convinced Lulu Wang to direct the Prime Video series "Expats," based on Janice Y.K. Lee's novel.

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NEWS

‘Griffin In Summer’, ‘Bikechess’, ‘Hacking Hate’ Take Top Awards At Tribeca Festival

Nicholas Colia’s Griffin in Summer swept the narrative features award categories at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, nabbing honours for best U.S. film and screenplay and a special jury mention for the new narrative director.

From: Deadline

Nielsen Streaming Top 10: ‘Madame Web’ Opens in Third Place With 1.7 Billion Minutes Watched as ‘Bridgerton’ Leads

“Madame Web” was the No. 3 most-watched title of the May 13-19 viewing window, making its Netflix debut on May 14 after a theatrical run earlier this year. The Dakota Johnson-led superhero flick was watched for 1.7 billion minutes in its first six days of streaming, only 3,000 minutes behind “Grey’s Anatomy,” the week’s No. 2 title. The medical drama is a Nielsen heavyweight that’s begun charting even higher than normal after its addition to Hulu.

From: Variety

New streamer Animation+ targets originals following launch on Samsung TV Plus

Animation+, the animated comedy streamer recently launched exclusively on Samsung’s free TV streaming service, Samsung TV Plus, is developing a slate of originals. Animation+ Studios, the studio arm of Animation+, plans to launch a premium service with 10+ original half-hour series, 11-minute series, feature-length projects, and video games targeted for 2025 premieres.

From: C21

Hollywood Studios to Cover Drone Camera Crews Under Union Agreement

After two arbitration decisions favouring the International Cinematographers Guild, major entertainment companies "will cover drone camera crews under the Local 600 Agreement," according to the IATSE Local.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

Steve Coogan, Baby Cow, Pathe to face trial for “defamatory” portrayal of the character in ‘The Lost King’

A UK high court judge ruled the portrayal of a real-life character in Stephen Frears’ 2022 film The Lost King is defamatory at a preliminary hearing on Friday (June 14).

From: Screen Daily

Columbia Pictures Settles Copyright Lawsuit Over Rights to ‘Bad Boys’ Story

In a lawsuit filed last year, the studio argued that George Gallo couldn’t exploit a copyright law provision allowing authors to claw back ownership of their works after a certain period.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

INSIGHTS

Peter Bart: Paramount Global’s Skydance Rejection Puts Heavy Pressure On Shari Redstone To Sort Shaky Future

Sumner Redstone earned renown as both a dealmaker and a dealbreaker (he once said he’d fired Tom Cruise). His daughter, Shari, seems to have inherited only part of his skill set.

From: Deadline

Paramount Has Been On The Ropes Before; A Reminder How Creative Courage & A Suave Front Man Saved The Sinking Studio

The implosion of talks between David Ellison’s Skydance and Shari Redstone has cast a pall on the town. Beyond Paramount Global’s share price inching to below $10 a share, enthusiasm does not seem high over the rival bidders or Redstone relying on a troika of George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins, who are proposing $500 million in cuts as a remedy. That won’t strengthen the asset and hasn’t stopped the stock slide, as many fear another deal might lead to Paramount Global being stripped down and sold for parts, including its historic lot.

From: Deadline

Writers Behind ‘Expats,’ ‘Masters of the Air,’ ‘The Sympathizer’ and More Break Down Inspirations and Working with Authors to Develop Limited Series

While in development for the Amazon Prime drama “Expats,” creator, writer and director Lulu Wang knew she had to pay tribute to the lives lost during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Having been in China at that time as a child, she remembers how scared she was when her father nearly left to join the protest, which ultimately led to the death of hundreds.

From: Variety

How ‘I’m Gonna Git You Sucka’ & ‘In Living Color’ Sparked ‘Captain America’ & ‘Twisted Metal’s Anthony Mackie: The Film That Lit My Fuse

From the moment he exploded onscreen mano a mano against Eminem in 8 Mile, Anthony Mackie has been on a steady course to a career peak where he will carry his first major Marvel film, playing the title character in Captain America: Brave New World. He is also getting some awards buzz as the star and executive producer of Twisted Metal, the madcap Peacock series adaptation of the Sony PlayStation game.

From: Deadline

Lily Gladstone Did More Than Just Lend Her Name to ‘Jazzy’: She Wants to Help the Movie ‘Find Its Family’

The Oscar-nominated actress and filmmaker Morrisa Maltz unpack their contributions and hopes for the spiritual sequel to "The Unknown Country."

From: IndieWire

Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa talks remaking crime thriller ‘Serpent’s Path’ in France

Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa has revealed why he decided to remake his 1998 thriller Serpent’s Path in France and the differences he encountered in the filmmaking cultures.

From: Screen Daily

‘Bridgerton’ Has Added Over £250 Million to the U.K. Economy, Netflix Says

According to Netflix, the Shonda Rhimes-produced universe –including Seasons 1-3 and spinoff “Queen Charlotte” — has added over a quarter of a billion pounds to the U.K. economy since its launch in December 2020, benefitting nearly 5,000 local businesses.

From: Variety

How UK Indie Exhibitors are engaging Younger audiences with Arthouse Cinema

The industry is used to stories about UK cinema­going declining since the pandemic and younger viewers finding other ways to spend their leisure time. However, several independent exhibitors counter that narrative based on their own experiences. While none downplay the struggles that arthouse cinema releases still face at the UK box office, many also highlight reasons for optimism.

From: Screen Daily

The Partnership: How Nicole Kidman Convinced A Hesitant Lulu Wang To Take The Helm In Prime Video’s ‘Expats’

Lulu Wang remembers Nicole Kidman spiralling down a psychological rabbit hole in Jonathan Glazer’s 2004 dream-like masterpiece Birth, where a woman believes that a 10-year-old boy is the reincarnation of her dead husband. “That’s my favourite,” Wang declares, much to Kidman’s delight — and surprise. While making Prime Video’s Expats drama series, based on Janice Y.K. Lee’s second novel, The Expatriates, published in early 2016, they both discovered they had the same ‘get up and do it’ sensibility.

From: Deadline

‘Under The Bridge’: Riley Keough Explains Why She Was “A Little Bit Apprehensive” About True-Crime Series

In the Hulu limited series Under the Bridge, adapted from the book by Rebecca Godfrey, Riley Keough plays journalist Godfrey as she returns to her hometown to look into the real-life murder of a local girl, 14-year-old Reena Virk. Opposite Keough, Lily Gladstone stars as investigating police officer Cam Bentland, with whom Godfrey has a complicated history. Here, Keough explains how, together, the actors explored Godfrey’s “radical empathy” around the murder and how Keough and her producing partner Gina Gammell collaborated with creator Quinn Shephard and showrunner Samir Mehta to tell a complex and nuanced story.

From: Deadline

From ‘Bad Boys’ to “Baby Boy”: Sean Paul on Collaborating With Will Smith and Beyoncé

The reggae artist recalls topping the charts with Queen Bey in 2003 and recording a song for 'Bad Boys 4' with the actor-rapper as he marks a comeback: "When you give people the benefit of the doubt ... [they] rise like the phoenix."

From: The Hollywood Reporter

Noah Hawley’s Coens Obsession Still Fuels ‘Fargo’

FX's popular anthology series has always drawn audiences, but the showrunner scored big with Season 5 and is happy to do more.

From: IndieWire

Writers From ‘Young Sheldon,’ ‘Hacks’ and More Reveal Why Comedies Also Make the Best Dramas at Variety’s A Night in the Writers’ Room Panel

“Palm Royale” showrunner Abe Sylvia relied on his “guru” Joni Mitchell (via her song “People’s Parties”) when figuring out the tone for his Apple TV+ comedy: “Laughing and crying are the same release.”

From: Variety

‘Love Is Blind’ Team Details Rigorous Casting Process: Outreach, Social Media Cross-Checks and Why ‘Influencers and Actors Are Off the Table’

Dramatic. Conniving. Fame-seeking. If you turn on many reality TV shows today, these descriptors may come to mind when thinking about the cast members. The team behind Netflix’s “Love Is Blind” ensures that the people they choose to go through the experiment are quite the opposite of those unflattering adjectives.

From: Variety

Hannah Einbinder and Chloe Fineman on ‘Creepy’ Open Mics, Meeting Francis Ford Coppola and Making Women ‘Feel Seen’ With Comedy

Here, the two discuss how “Hacks” deals with aging in a scene where Smart’s character, Deborah, takes a bad fall, how Fineman’s Melania Trump impression got her cast in “Megalopolis”, and what it means that comedy is “dying.”

From: Variety

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