TV, Film & Media Industry News Roundup, Friday 14 June 2024

Unauthorised "Blair Witch" audio; Showmax losses; SPA urges streamer rules; MacLaine film chaos; Graham's lecture; Carano lawsuit; Mendes's career; animation woes; "Tokyo Vice" hope; Obama's pivot.

Today’s Highlights:

• Blair Witch Project Audio Controversy: Heather Donahue confirmed the unauthorised use of audio from "Blair Witch Project" in Todd Field's "TÁR," which led to legal action by Lionsgate.

• Showmax's Annual Loss: Showmax's losses widen due to investment in a Peacock-powered relaunch despite 22% revenue growth.

• SPA Calls for Streamer Regulation: Screen Producers Australia urges streamer regulation ahead of changes to Australian production incentives, including increased tax rebates and new training obligations.

• Shirley MacLaine Film Chaos: An independent film starring Shirley MacLaine faces chaos due to a director-financier feud and unpaid crew.

• James Graham's MacTaggart Lecture: Playwright James Graham will deliver the James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture at the 2024 Edinburgh TV Festival.

• Gina Carano's Lawsuit: Gina Carano's lawsuit against Disney over her firing from "The Mandalorian" proceeds as a judge allows discovery.

• Camila Mendes's Career Move: Camila Mendes discusses her transition from "Riverdale" to producing and starring in Prime Video films "Música" and "Upgraded."

• Animation Industry Challenges: The animation industry faces a mix of hope and anxiety amid AI concerns, a contracting landscape, and layoffs.

• Tokyo Vice Cancellation: "Tokyo Vice" creators hold out hope for a potential season 3 despite Max's cancellation.

• Michelle Obama's Hollywood Pivot: At the 2024 CAA Amplify summit, Michelle Obama discussed her family's move into Hollywood and the importance of meeting people where they are.

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NEWS

Yes, the ‘Blair Witch Project’ Scream Was Used in ‘TÁR,’ and Actress Says It Wasn’t Authorised

"Blair Witch Project" actress Heather Donahue confirmed that audio from the movie's ending featured without permission in Todd Field's "TÁR," leading Lionsgate to pursue a settlement from Focus Features.

From: IndieWire

African Streamer Showmax’s Annual Loss Widens Amid Investment for Peacock-Powered Relaunch

But the group, 70 per cent owned by South African pay-TV giant MultiChoice and 30 per cent by Comcast's NBCUniversal, had forecast a bigger loss and grew its revenue by 22 per cent.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

SPA pushes for streamer regulation ahead of changes to Oz production offsets

Screen Producers Australia (SPA) has called for action on streamer regulation as the local industry prepares for a raft of changes to Australian production incentives. Under a bill that is currently subject to a government inquiry, the tax rebate will increase to 30%, while new training obligations will be included in the Location Offset in a bid to increase industry contributions to training and upskilling the sector.

From: C21

Shirley MacLaine Film Descends Into Chaos as Director Feuds With Financier and Crew Goes Unpaid

The first couple of times, he said no. But like most people in the entertainment industry, Andy Zolot wasn’t working much. So he agreed when the offer came around again to work on an independent film starring Shirley MacLaine.

From: Variety

James Graham To Deliver MacTaggart Lecture

British playwright and dramatist James Graham (Sherwood, The Way, Quiz, Dear England, Tammy Faye) has been selected to deliver the James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture at the 2024 Edinburgh TV Festival.

From: TV Drama

‘Mandalorian’ Firing Lawsuit: How Gina Carano’s Team and Disney Are Battling In Court

At a Wednesday hearing, a judge expressed scepticism that Carano's lawsuit should be tossed before discovery is allowed to take place.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

INSIGHTS

How Camila Mendes Proved to Herself and Others ‘I Actually Really Know What I’m Talking About’

Fresh off the final season of "Riverdale," the actress came into her power by producing Prime Video films "Música" and "Upgraded," two Outstanding TV Movie Emmy contenders that she also stars in.

From: IndieWire

Animation at a Crossroads as Hope Mixes with Anxiety

It's one of the animation industry's biggest weeks of the year, with the Annecy Fest in full swing and 'Inside Out 2' hitting theatres, but concerns still loom over AI, a contracting landscape and recent layoffs.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

Watch the ‘Gentleman in Moscow’ Team Discuss How They Showed 32 Years Pass: We Never Wanted ‘Oh, My God, What’s Ewan Look Like?’

Creator/EP/writer Ben Vanstone, editor Tim Murrell, and hair and makeup designer Jacqueline Fowler on how they dealt with time itself being a character.

From: IndieWire

GoQuest touts AI tools in helping to create local versions of scripted formats

International distributors like India’s GoQuest Media use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help shop remake rights to scripted formats.

From: C21

Anthony Mackie, Ricky Martin and Four Other Comedy Kingpins Open Up About Power, Pressure (and Puking) on THR’s Roundtable

John Goodman, Kelsey Grammer, Theo James and Bowen Yang on overcoming fears, subverting expectations and the emojis that define them: “High five, feet and peach,” says Martin.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

The Slow Death of a Fabled Media Empire

Once upon a time, CBS News, Showtime, Comedy Central and MTV were forces to be reckoned with. Not so much anymore.

From: The New York Times

Advice From An Acting Coach During Hollywood Contraction: Don’t Fall For Programs Promising “Secrets” On How To Book Roles – Guest Column

Sam Stiglitz — a former casting director who now coaches by professional referral only — weighs in on the lack of roles and how actors should protect themselves.

From: Deadline

The Pros and Cons of Streaming Bundles: A Q&A With Deloitte’s Head of Media Research

Paul Lee explains why streaming subscriber churn is "really, really corrosive" and why it is all about ensuring an excellent consumer experience.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

‘Brats’ Director Andrew McCarthy: ‘We Were Kryptonite to Each Other’ After Being Dubbed the ‘Brat Pack’

According to the " Pretty in Pink " star, “The minute we were labelled, people stopped doing those ensemble films.”

From: The Wrap

‘Tokyo Vice’ Bosses on Max Cancellation and Holding Out Hope for a Potential Season 3: ‘We Don’t Accept the Condolences Yet’

When the news broke earlier this month that the Japan-set crime drama Tokyo Vice had been cancelled, it came as a blow to fans, but it was not exactly a surprise.

From: Variety

Michelle Obama on the First Family’s Hollywood Pivot: “You’ve Got to Meet People Where They Are”

Agent Maha Dakhil provided opening remarks for the 2024 CAA Amplify summit, whose speakers also included Padma Lakshmi and Ricky Martin.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

Hannah Jones: “We Need to Provide Cinemas With A Rich Catalog Of Our Familiar Classics”

Magic Light Pictures is a prolific film and TV series producer and distributor that also distributes titles for theatrical release. Hannah Jones, Senior Distribution Manager, discusses children's engagement with the big screen and reveals Magic Light's 360-degree strategy for each movie.

From: Señal News

How ‘Becoming Karl Lagerfeld’ Captured the Spirit of the Enigmatic Fashion Titan

The Hulu series, from 'Hannibal' producers Gaumont, stars Daniel Brühl as the mercurial German fashion designer who, despite a mountain of insecurities and a feud with his rival (and lover) Yves Saint Laurent, steadily makes a name for himself in 1970s Paris: "His best creation was himself."

From: The Hollywood Reporter

New food formats off the menu as commissioning rates plunge, says Ampere

UK-based research firm Ampere Analysis said greenlights for culinary-themed shows were down 26% in the UK in 2023 compared with the previous year. The situation is only marginally less severe in the US, which suffered a sharp 21% decrease in the same genre.

From: C21

International Disruptors: Fabian Gasmia Of Seven Elephants On Making Lena Dunham & Stephen Fry Starrer ‘Treasure’, His “Special Relationship” With France & Why German Cinema Is Having A “Renaissance”

Gasmia, who set up the production banner Seven Elephants in 2018 with directors Julia von Heinz, Erik Schmitt and David Wnendt, talks us through building that outfit, his “special relationship” with France and why he thinks German cinema is having a “renaissance.”

From: Deadline

Shining bright

Blue Lights star Siân Brooke reflects on the BBC police drama’s second season and the return of Apple TV+ comedy Trying, discusses her “pick ‘n’ mix” approach to roles and reveals why working with Mike Leigh was a “game-changing” moment.

From: Drama Quarterly

TV5MONDE’s Yves Bigot & Patrice Courtaban

This January marked 40 years since TV5MONDE began broadcasting content about the Francophone culture across continents. There have been many milestones along the way, including the launch of TV5MONDE USA and TVMonaco coming on board as a new shareholder, to name but a few. While its programming mix features a broad range of French-language programs, including dramas, comedies, and lifestyle fare, news and sports coverage are two stalwart genres.

From: World Screen

GroupM North America CEO Sharb Farjami On Streaming, Ad Disruption And His Unplanned Path From Rugby Pitch To Corner Office – Deadline Q&A

At an age when most teenagers are trying to master basic hygiene, Sharb Farjami was working full-time in the advertising business. Today, roughly three decades after that early start, he has risen to one of the top posts in the industry as CEO of GroupM North America. As the media buying arm of giant holding company WPP, GroupM controls billions of dollars in annual ad spending.

From: Deadline

Kyra Sedgwick on Finding Freedom in Directing, Plans to Make a Horror Movie With Her Family, and That One Time She Was Jealous of Kevin Bacon

In 2022, she made her feature film directing debut with “Space Oddity,” which follows a young man who books a ticket to Mars and explores familial guilt and environmental responsibility. She’d done a lot of directing to get to that point, overseeing episodes of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Ray Donovan,” as well as the Lifetime movie “Story of a Girl,” which earned her a DGA Award nomination.

From: Variety

Brie Larson and Andrew Scott Get Honest About Playing Iconic Characters and Struggling Through ‘Lessons of Chemistry’: ‘I Felt Very Lost With It’

Halfway through their Actors on Actors conversation, Brie Larson and Andrew Scott discover something they have in common: Neither of them is a trained actor.

From: Variety

Gillian Anderson On ‘Scoop’, Battling Insecurity, And Finding Her Voice: “Maybe I Need To Go Out Of My Comfort Zone”

Gillian Anderson has been a British national treasure for many years. This may seem incongruous to state definitively of a Chicago-born actress who first rose to prominence playing an FBI agent on a hit network show, but it is what it is.

From: Deadline

Shonda Rhimes Plans to Return to Her TV Roots — She Just Hasn’t Told Netflix Yet

Now settled on the East Coast, Rhimes opens up about the pains of being a global brand, her 12-year-old’s reaction to 'Grey’s Anatomy' and the reason she keeps her opinions to herself on set.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

‘Alan’s Universe’: How The Creator & Stars Of Hit YouTube Series Are Drawing 250M Viewers As Streamers & Cinemas Vie For Audiences – Crew Call Podcast

As studio and network executives try to understand what the under-25 demographic craves, multihyphenate creator and actor Alan Chikin Chow, who is behind the YouTube hit series Alan’s Universe, and his cast of Chelsea Sik, Michelle Park, and Haven Everly, have already figured it out.

From: Deadline

‘Fallout’ Star Walton Goggins On His Dual Role As Cooper Howard And The Ghoul & His Time In The Makeup Chair

Walton Goggins often portrays characters who transcend time and place, whether in modern-day Kentucky, like in FX’s Justified, as career criminal Boyd Crowder, or in Civil War-era Wyoming in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, as plucky sheriff Billy Crash.

From: Deadline

A story huntress, a new kind of cop, a food tastemaker...

Power doesn't travel in a straight line. These power brokers connect the dots.

From: Los Angeles Times

It Starts On The Page: Read ‘Expats’ Episode 5 Script “Central” By Lulu Wang

In Prime Video‘s limited series Expats, based on the novel The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee, creator Lulu Wang shines a light on an expatriate community in Hong Kong with a focus on three women, Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue), and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo), whose destinies are intertwined.

From: Deadline & Read the Script

‘Transformers One,’ ‘The Smurfs Movie’ Makers on Expanding Franchises: You Have to Show Audiences ‘Something They Don’t Know They Want to See’

When taking on established animated franchises, you can’t just “listen to nostalgia,” according to Jeff Rowe, director of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.”

From: Variety

Emmy Entries Plummet This Year, Dropping Almost 40% in Key Categories

Fewer submissions will mean fewer nominees in most of the acting categories

From: The Wrap

‘Under Paris’ Director on Whether Netflix’s Shark Hit Will Get a Sequel and How the Movie Takes Aim at the Olympics

French shark movie Under Paris made a sneak underwater attack on worldwide streaming last week, scoring the best launch for a non-English-language film on Netflix with 41 million views in its first five days on the service.

From: Variety

How Little Marvin Rebooted ‘THEM’ Into a Certified Fresh Horror Anthology

In Season 2, "Them: The Scare" shifts to '90s Los Angeles for a family mystery full of terrifying twists.

From: IndieWire

Hulu’s ‘Under the Bridge’ Tells the Story of Reena Virk — and The Notorious B.I.G.

The pop culture figure's presence and music are featured throughout the scripted series starring Lily Gladstone and Riley Keough, showcasing how the rapper and hip-hop are integral to the story of a young girl trying to fit into society in the late '90s.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

'3 Body Problem' Showrunners on Adapting the Unadaptable | Book to Screen

The Netflix sci-fi series “3 Body Problem” presented several challenges for its creators, but one of the biggest – and simplest – was merely adapting the complicated books at the root of its source material. Author Liu Cixin’s series of books was a smash hit when they were released between 2006 and 2010, winning awards and earning a spot on President Obama’s coveted reading list, but the trilogy is a dense tome that was very much written to be read, not made in real life.

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