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In July, Lionsgate executives gathered for a routine greenlight meeting. On the agenda, however, was not a typical project. The studio was looking at Rush Hour 4, the long-talked-about next installment in the action comedy franchise. In different times, it might have seemed like an attractive idea for Lionsgate — which has an interest in building franchises to complement its John Wick series — or any studio looking to capitalize on audience nostalgia with well-known IP. But doing the movie would potentially mean working with franchise filmmaker Brett Ratner, who, according to a source, was a part of the pitch as the project’s possible director and producer, despite having not worked in Hollywood for the past seven years after he faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment in 2017.…
Alex Cooper The Call Her Daddy host and podcaster leaves Spotify to ink a multiyear pact with satellite radio giant SiriusXM that’s worth $125 million. Leslye Headland Despite hints of an open-ended story, Lucasfilm cancels the showrunner’s The Acolyte after it clocks in at No. 10 on Nielsen’s originals chart the week of its finale. Henry Selick Laika’s 15th anniversary rerelease of the director’s stop-motion animated film Coraline nabs $20 million in global grosses and hits No. 5 domestically. Sam Ponder and Robert Griffin III ESPN shakes up its on-air talent and lets go of the host and football analyst while bringing in morning-show guy Mike Greenberg as its Sunday NFL Countdown successor. Showbiz Stocks $1.94 (+51%) FUBOTV (FUBO) Shares in the streaming startup spiked after it won in court…
Under ordinary circumstances, a sequel to the female-focused drama It Ends With Us would be a no-brainer. The $25 million-budgeted Sony Pictures film has collected more than $180 million globally since opening Aug. 9, and author Colleen Hoover already published a best-selling sequel, the 2022 novel It Starts With Us. But the well-publicized rift between star-producer Blake Lively and director-star Justin Baldoni has observers now wondering whether a sequel is viable, at least with both of them involved. Both Lively’s flower shop owner Lily and Baldoni’s abusive neurosurgeon Ryle are in the book sequel. Further complicating matters: Baldoni developed It Ends With Us from the ground up after acquiring the rights from Hoover five years ago via Wayfarer Studios, which he co-founded with billionaire Steve Sarowitz and runs with Jamey…
Paramount Global’s decision to shutter its namesake TV studio means the loss of dozens of jobs, the shifting of several series to another banner and a consolidation of power within the company’s two remaining TV studios — at least until a potential Skydance-Paramount merger is complete. Paramount TV Studios ceased operations Aug. 16 as part of heavy layoffs at the parent company. Paramount is cutting 15 percent of its U.S.-based employees in an effort to lop $500 million off its balance sheet. The studio’s current productions, including the Prime Video hit Reacher and Apple TV+’s Time Bandits, along with upcoming shows Cross (Prime Video), Before and Murderbot (both at Apple TV+) and any projects in development, will move to corporate sibling CBS Studios. What the shutdown won’t affect, at least…
The campaign did not specify how much it’s spending by battleground state. But, as far as relative size of spending compared with Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign, the Harris team wrote, “We are investing twice as much in TV in Pennsylvania, more than twice as much in Wisconsin, four times as much in Georgia and nearly six times as much in Nevada.” Source: Harris-Walz campaign strategy memo (Aug. 17).…
The Rotten Tomatoes “Certified Fresh” badge has become online shorthand for checking the quality of films, a sign that professional critics — or at least a large percentage of them — think that a movie is worth watching. Now, the Comcast-owned digital movie site is making a significant addition to its film rankings, unveiling a new “Verified Hot” badge on Aug. 21 meant to reflect the views of average moviegoers. In order for a film to receive the Verified Hot designation, it needs to have a Verified Audience Score of 90 percent or higher on its Popcornmeter, among other eligibility requirements. Rotten Tomatoes will only use audience reviews from people whom it has verified as having purchased a ticket to that film via sister company Fandango, the ticketing firm also…
