General
A.I. Robot Cast In Lead Role of $70M Sci-Fi Film
Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter
The feature, financed by the backers of ‘To the Bone’ and ‘Loving Vincent,’ is said to be the first to rely on an artificially intelligent actor.
Disneyland Unions Plan Protest at Theme Park Over “Rapid Timetable” to Reopen
Ryan Parker, The Hollywood Reporter
The demonstration comes a week after the group sent an open letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
MGM Roaring Back Under Michael De Luca With High-Profile Projects From Ryan Gosling, Lady Gaga
Brent Lang, Justin Kroll, Variety
Paramount was worried. The budget for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” a historical epic about a conspiracy to steal oil rights from Osage Native Americans, had ballooned to $200 million.
Black writers are getting hired. But they aren’t getting promoted
Anousha Sakouista, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles-based writer Kirk Moore got his break into television in 2014 through NBC’s Writers on the Verge talent program.
Chuck E. Cheese Parent Files for Bankruptcy, Hit by Pandemic
Katherine Doherty, Bloomberg
CEC Entertainment Inc., the parent of Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper Pizza, filed for bankruptcy protection after the coronavirus pandemic shuttered its locations and kept families at home.
Six Flags Hires Finance Chief as Parks Company Looks to Emerge From Pandemic
Micah Maidenberg, The Wall Street Journal
Former Guess Inc. CFO steps into the role.
LeBron James Gets $100 Million Investment to Build Media Empire
Jason Kelly, Bloomberg
The King and his longtime business partner Maverick Carter have formed a new company with an unapologetic agenda.
Harry and Meghan’s next move: Signing with speaking agency that reps Obamas, Clintons
Anousha Sakouista, Los Angeles Times
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are settling into life in Los Angeles, have signed on with the New York-based Harry Walker Agency for speaking engagements, according to a person familiar with their plans.
Film
Miramax COO Bob Osher to Exit
Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter
The executive, who was also general counsel, will leave after the completion of ViacomCBS/Paramount’s acquisition of almost half of the film company.
Will Smith sued over film based on father of Serena and Venus Williams
Alexandra Steigrad, New York Post
The father of tennis powerhouses Serena and Venus Williams cut a deal to be portrayed in the upcoming “King Richard” biopic by actor Will Smith after he’d already sold his life rights to someone else, according to a new lawsuit.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to Check Temperatures in Many Locations
Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter
The safety measure is among numerous precautions the maverick Texas-based theater chain will take when reopening next month amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Face Masks, Temperature Checks and More at First Red Carpet Premiere in Pandemic
Marc Malkin, Variety
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and reports that cases were on the rise once again in California, a red carpet movie premiere took place in Hollywood on Wednesday night.
One of America’s Fiercest Media Critics Is Back With a Warning
David Sims, The Atlantic
Jon Stewart on his new satirical film, Irresistible, and the simplistic narratives that fuel the U.S. political system.
Animated Film ‘Moonbound’ Sells to Multiple Territories
Leo Barraclough, Variety
Solveig Langeland’s Stuttgart-based sales agency Sola Media has sold CGI animated feature film “Moonbound” to multiple territories.
Television
ESPN Is Finally Coming to FuboTV Lineup
Todd Spangler, Variety
ESPN at long last will be coming to FuboTV, which launched more than five years ago as a sports-centric streaming service in the U.S.
In Reversal, Trump-Comey Mini-Series Will Now Air Before Election Day
Rachel Abrams, The New York Times
The series director criticized ViacomCBS’s announcement that it would broadcast “The Comey Rule” in late November. On Wednesday, the air date was moved to September.
Peacock Adds Vizio and LG for National Rollout
Jon Lafayette, Broadcasting & Cable
NBCUniversal made a deal that puts its Peacock streaming service on smart TV sets made by Vizio and LG when it rolls out nationally on July 15.
Three ‘Scrubs’ Episodes Featuring Blackface Pulled From Streaming
Reid Nakamura and Tony Maglio, The Wrap
Hulu has removed three episodes of “Scrubs” which feature blackface from its platform by request of the show’s producers and ABC Studios, TheWrap has learned.
MSNBC Expected to Tap Joy Reid to Anchor Daily News and Opinion Program
Joe Flint, The Wall Street Journal
MSNBC is expected to tap political analyst Joy Reid to anchor a 7 p.m. daily news and opinion program, people familiar with the matter said, filling the vacancy created at the cable news channel when Chris Matthews resigned abruptly in March.
Technology and New Media
TikTok launches TikTok For Business for marketers, takes on Snapchat with new AR ads
Sarah Perez, TechCrunch
TikTok is announcing to advertisers that it’s open for business. The company is today officially introducing a new brand and platform called “TikTok For Business” that will serve as the home for all its current and future marketing solutions for brands.
Amazon Says It’s Not Doing Anything New with Live and Linear Video
Daniel Frankel, Next TV
Company claims its only adding to teams that already support live broadcast affiliate streams for Amazon Prime Channels partners including CBS All Access.
Google will start paying publishers to license content
Sara Fischer, Axios
In a major departure from its long-standing practice of not paying publishers directly to distribute their work, Google executives tell Axios that the search giant is creating a licensing program to pay publishers “for high-quality content” as a part of a new news product launching later this year.
‘Fortnite’ Will Livestream Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception,’ Two Other Movies for Free
Todd Spangler, Variety
Movie theaters closed? No problem: “Fortnite,” the massively popular battle royale game, is hosting virtual screenings of three Christopher Nolan films this Friday, June 26.
With Eurovision canceled, Netflix offers fans a Will Ferrell comedy
Dave Gregorio, Reuters
With the coronavirus pandemic forcing cancellation of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, actors Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams hope fans can get their fix by watching their madcap Netflix comedy about a duo from Iceland who compete in the event.
Welcome to ‘Fortnite’—Enjoy the Concert
Sarah E. Needleman, The Wall Street Journal
Josh Julien-Richards has been hibernating at home for months during the pandemic, but that didn’t stop the teenager from attending a Travis Scott concert in April. He watched the rapper’s show from inside the videogame “Fortnite,” along with more than 12 million other people.
“I’m Done”: Right-Wing Personalities Ditching Twitter for Parler Over Claims of Censorship
Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter
Billed as a free-speech alternative to Big Tech, a number of big names in conservative media have touted the social network, including Donald Trump Jr., Candace Owens, Dan Bongino, Rudy Giuliani and InfoWars’ Alex Jones.
Good vibrations: how Bandcamp became the heroes of streaming
Chal Ravens, The Guardian
They waive their fees, raise cash for Juneteenth and champion everything from vaporwave to eco-grime. Founder Ethan Diamond explains how he did it.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
Netflix leads its rivals in original TV shows by a wide margin in both quantity and quality, according to new data analysis
Travis Clark, Business Insider
Netflix has the most original TV shows of any major streaming service with 674, according to an analysis by the streaming search engine Reelgood.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: An oral history of Edgar Wright’s super-powered cult classic
Clark Collis, Entertainment Weekly
Lesbian ninjas! Superpowered vegans! Chris Evans and Brie Larson pre-MCU! Scott Pilgrim vs. the World had it all — it just took 10 years for (some of) us to notice.
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