TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews: Hulu

Showing posts with label Hulu. Show all posts

Saturday, March 7, 2026

Review: "WEREWOLVES" is a Crazy Good Monster Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 5 of 2026 (No. 2053) by Leroy Douresseaux

Werewolves (2024)

Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)

Rating: MPA – R for violence, some gore, and language

DIRECTOR: Steven C. Miller

WRITER: Matthew Kennedy

PRODUCERS: Jim Cardwell, Craig Chapman, Sevier Crespo, James Michael Cummings, Steven C. Miller, Myles Nestel, and Luillo Ruiz

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Brandon Cox

EDITOR: Greg MacLennan

COMPOSERS: James Burkholder and The Newton Brothers

SCI-FI/HORROR/ACTION

Starring: Frank Grillo, Katrina Law, Ilfenesh Hadera, Kamdynn Gary, James Michael Cummings, Lou Diamond Phillips, Lydia Styslinger, Daniel Fernandez, Yessenia Medina, Omalik J. Rosado, Travis Johnny Ware, and James Kyson

Werewolves is a 2024 American science fiction, horror, and action film from director Steven C. Miller. Werewolves is set on the day a lunar event that changed the world the previous year is about to happen again, while a small group of scientists attempts an experiment to save humanity.

Werewolves opens as the world prepares for the return of a devastating incident. One year earlier there was a “supermoon” event, but it was unlike any other known supermoon event. Over one billion humans that were exposed to the light from the supermoon were transformed into werewolves after the moonlight triggered a rapid DNA mutation in them.

A year later, Dr. James Aranda (Lou Diamond Phillips) and his Aranda Corp. believe that they have created a cure for the mutation in the form of chemical spray called “Moonscreen.” The spray creates a barrier (of sorts) between moonlight and human DNA. At Aranda's side is Dr. Wesley “Wes” Marshall (Frank Grillo), Aranda's lead molecular biologist and the head of the “Global Rapid Response” team.

As the day winds down, the world prepares for the return of the supermoon, Wes helps his late brother's widow, Lucy Marshall (Ilfenesh Hadera), and daughter, Emma (Kamdynn Gary), fortify their home. Will the home hold? And is “Moonscreen” the salvation that Dr. Aranda hopes? The answer may be behind the howling that will begin as soon as the moon rises.

Artist and illustrator, Carter Allen, my collaborator on the graphic novel, The Wrath of Karapace, likes to say that all movies cannot be hits, which is certainly true. However, director Steven C. Miller's hair-raising, 2024 film, Werewolves, deserved better than it got at the box office.

Werewolves is a true science fiction and horror action movie. It has more in common with sci-fi monster movies like Alien: Romulus (2024) and Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) than it does with most werewolf movies. Miller delivers werewolf action with the same kind of cap-popping audacity and flesh-rending madness as Underworld (2003) and its howling progeny.

With its persistent score, virtuoso editing, and sterling werewolf costumes, make-up, and effects, Werewolves delivers monster madness with the confidence of a major studio big budget event pic while also proudly waving its indie creature feature flag. And I say that as someone who is hella persnickety about werewolf visual effects. Also, I like how this film's script gives the werewolves character and personality. They're shrewd and conniving and move with intelligent purpose like Jurassic Park (1993) and its sequels. It is refreshing that Miller and his collaborators realized that seeing the whole werewolf is cool, but that they could also thrill the audience by focusing on various body parts. They make especially good use of the snout, creating an effect that reminded me of the keen close-ups of the raptors in the original Jurassic Park trilogy.

Werewolves' cast, led by Frank Grillo, Katrina Law, and Ilfenesh Hadera, are all-professional all the time. The cast made me believe that time was indeed running out, that Hell is hot, and that werewolves have brought their hearty appetites to this party.

I have previously stated that 2006's Skinwalkers and 2014's Wolves would have been better off as television series. I think we would be better off with at least a sequel to Werewolves. When it comes to werewolf films, I recommend it without reservation.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Saturday, March 7, 2026

Dear readers, you can stream "WEREWOLVES" on Hulu via the Disney+ app. You can also stream it on Amazon Prime Video via rental or purchase.

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Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 1st to 7th, 2026 - UPDATE #6

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?: There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

HULU - From WorldofReel: Ryan Coogler's reboot of "The X-Files" will begin shooting its pilot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from May to June. The series is slated for Hulu. The early seasons of the original, the former Fox sci-fi drama "The X-Files," was also shot in Vancouver. Danielle Deadwyler is expected to co-lead the new series.

MOVIES - From WorldofReel: Director Andy Serkis' "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum" starts production in May. The film, which reunites much of the original cast of the LOTR films could be the first in a series...

NETFLIX - From WorldofReel: Oscar-winner Denzel Washington will star in a biopic about the legendary general and statesman of the empire of Carthage, Hannibal. Frequent Washington collaborator, Antoine Fuqua, will direct for Netflix. Production is slated to begin in June 2026.

CELEBRITY - From Variety: Actor Bruce Campbell, best known for his role in director Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" films has announced that he has cancer that is "treatable," but not "curable."

AWARDS - From Variety: The winners at the 2026 / 32nd Actor Awards have been announced. "Sinners" won the night's top prize, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture." The film's lead actor, Michael B. Jordan, also won "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Lead Role."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 1/27 to 3/1/2026 weekend box office is Paramount Pictures' "Scream 7" with an estimated gross of 64.1 million dollars.

IMAGE AWARDS - From Forbes: Director Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" dominates at the 2026 / 57th Image Awards. The film wins 13 awards, including "Outstanding Motion Picture" and "Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture" (Ryan Coogler). Michael B. Jordan, who won "Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture" for "Sinners" also won "Entertainer of the Year."

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OSCARS:

From THR: The nominations for the 2026 / 98th Academy Awards have been announced. Director Ryan Coogler's Sinners leads with history-making 16 nominations, including for "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Coogler), and Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan). The winners will be announced March 15, 2026.

From Truthout: Directed by Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman, the 2025 documentary film, "The Alabama Solution," is one of five nominees in the category of "Best Documentary Feature." The film chronicles the horrific conditions inside the state of Alabama's prisons. The incarcerated men who produced footage for "The Alabama Solution" were abruptly transferred to solitary this month (January).

From TheGuardian: Director Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" earned 16 Oscar nominations at the 98th Academy Awards, the most in the 98-year history of the awards. The previous record is 14, held by "All About Eve" (1950), "Titanic" (1997), and "La La Land" (2016).

From Variety: With her fifth Oscar nomination, for "Best Costume Designer" for "Sinners," Ruth E. Carter is now the most Oscar-nominated Black woman in the history of the Academy Awards.

From Truthout: One of the five nominees for this year's "Best International Feature" Academy Award is "The Voice of Hind Rajab." Representing the nation of Tunisia, the film is a mix of drama and documentary, and it tells the story of Hind Rajab, a five-year old girl who was killed January 29, 2024 by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza strip.

From YahooEntertainment: At the age of 73, actor Delroy Lindo finally gets his first Oscar nomination - in the category of "Best Supporting Actor" for "Sinners." The actor also talks about being "profoundly disappointed" by previous Academy snubs.

From EW: Oscar-nominee Kirsten Dunst is not pleased that her husband, previous Oscar-nominee, Jesse Plemons, was not Oscar-nominated for his work in the recent acclaimed film, "Bugonia."

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Saturday, January 31, 2026

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 25th to 31st, 2026 - UPDATE #11

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?: There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

SCANDAL - From APNews: The Associated Press lets you know "What to know about the civil rights charges Don Lemon faces for covering church protest in Minnesota" Lemon, the former CNN anchor, is among nine people, including another journalist (Georgia Fort), have been charged with violating two different federal laws in connection with the protest that interrupted a worship service at the "Cities Church" in St. Paul.

AWARDS - From THR: The nominations for the 2026 / 79th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) have been announced. "One Battle After Another" leads with 14 nominations. The awards will be handed out at ceremony held on February 22, 2026 at Royal Festival Hall in London.

MOVIES - From WorldofReel: Director Daniel Goldhaber’s “Faces of Death” remake, which has been ready to go since 2024 and was shot in 2023, will reportedly get a nationwide release on April 10, 2026. The film is supposedly a remake of director John Alan Schwartz's notorious 1978 film of the same name.

DISNEY - From Variety: Hulu has set the premiere date for “The Testaments,” the follow-up to the streamer’s hit series adaptation of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The series will see its first three episodes drop on on April 8,2026 with new episodes dropping weekly thereafter. Like “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the new show is based on author Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 1/23 to 1/25/2026 weekend box office is Amazon/MGM Studios' "Mercy" with an estimated take of 11.1 million dollars.

TELEVISION - From THR: Ashton Kutcher talks about returning to television to play a villain in FX's buzzy new series, "The Beauty."

OBITS:

From Deadline: Canadian and American actress, comedian, and screenwriter, Catherine O'Hara, has died at the age of 71, Friday, January 30, 2026. O'Hara first gained prominence for starring in the Canadian sketch-comedy television series, "SCTV." Her most famous film role may be that of "Kate McCallister," the mother of actor Macauley Culkin's character, "Kevin McCallister," in the blockbuster Christmas film, "Home Alone," and it's sequel, "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992). She also appeared in director Christopher Guest's "mockumentary" films: "Waiting for Guffman" (1996), "Best in Show" (2000), and "A Mighty Wind" (2003), and "For Your Consideration" (2006). Other notable film roles include "Beetlejuice" (1988) and its sequel "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" (2024). O'Hara was nominated for ten Primetime Emmy Awards, and she won twice, including "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy" for her role in the Canadian sitcom, "Schitt's Creek."

From Deadline: The site offers a look at the life of Emmy-winning actress Catherine O'Hara, who died today at the age of 71, via a "Career in Pictures."

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From THR: American television actor, ordained minister, and Vietnam veteran, Demond Wilson, has died at the age of 79, Friday, January 30, 2026. Wilson is best known for playing "Lamont Sanford," the son of the late actor Redd Foxx's "Fred G. Sanford," in the former NBC sitcom, "Sanford and Son" (1972-77). Wilson also starred in two short-lived sitcoms, CBS' "Baby... I'm Back" (1978) and ABC's "The New Odd Couple" (1982-83). Wilson served in the United State Army from 1966 to 1968 and served in Vietnam, where he was wounded and earned a "Purple Heart."

From Deadline: Jamaican drummer, songwriter, producer, and recording artist, Sly Dunbar, has died at the age of 73, Monday, January 26, 2026. Dunbar is best known for his work with the late Robbie Shakespeare (1953-2021) to form the reggae rhythm section known as "Sly and Robbie." The hugely influential duo was known for their work with such reggae artists as Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and "Black Uhuru." Their work extended beyond reggae to such rock and pop acts as Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Grace Jones, Cyndi Lauper, and Yoko Ono. Sly and Robbie also released numerous albums of their own, beginning with 1985's "Language Barrier." For his work, Sly was nominated for 15 Grammy Awards, winning twice.

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OSCARS:

From Variety: With her fifth Oscar nomination, for "Best Costume Designer" for "Sinners," Ruth E. Carter is now the most Oscar-nominated Black woman in the history of the Academy Awards.

From EW: Oscar-nominee Kirsten Dunst is not pleased that her husband, previous Oscar-nominee, Jesse Plemons, was not Oscar-nominated for his work in the recent acclaimed film, "Bugonia."

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TIMOTHY BUSFIELD & OTHER SCANDALS:

From AlbuquerqueJournal: A judge has ordered director and Emmy-winning actor Timothy Busfield released from jail as he awaits trial on child sex abuse charges.

From CBS: Director and Emmy-winning actor, Timothy Busfield (Thirtysomething), surrendered to New Mexico authorities in answer to an arrest warrant for child sex abuse charges. The complaint involves twin brothers who claim that Busfield molested them on the set on the former Fox suspense drama, "The Cleaning Lady," for which Busfield was a series director.

From NBCNews: Already facing charges related to claims that he molested twin brothers on the set of a TV series where he was a director, Emmy-winner Timothy Busfield is also facing accusations that he kissed and inappropriately touch a 16-year-old girl years ago.

From THR: In the wake of his arrest on child sex abuse charges, Timothy Busfield finds himself without a talent agency The Santa Monica-based agency, "Innovative Artists," has ceased working actor and director.

From Deadline: Daniel Stern ("Home Alone") is no longer part of ABC‘s comedy pilot, "Do You Want Kids?," which is set to star Rachel Bloom and Rory Scovel. ABC and the producing studio, 20th Television, will be recasting the series-regular role that Stern was supposed to play. Stern was recently arrested on a misdemeanor charge of soliciting a prostitute.

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Saturday, May 24, 2025

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 18th to 24th, 2025 - UPDATE #11

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?: There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

CANNES 2025:

From Variety: Iranian director, Jafar Panahi, won the top prize at the 2025 / 78th Cannes Film Festival, the "Palme d'Or," for his film, "It Was Just an Accident." This is the sixth consecutive year that U.S. distributor, Neon, has the distribution rights to the "Palme d'Or" winner.

From Deadline: Oscar-winner Denzel Washington arrived at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 for the premiere of his collaboration with director, Spike Lee, the upcoming film, "Highest 2 Lowest." There, he was surprised with an "Honorary Palme d'Or."

MOVIES - From Deadline: There are updates on the third "Downton Abbey" feature film.

STREAMING - From Deadline: Prime Video will not be renewing its fantasy series, "The Wheel of Time" for a fourth season. This announcement comes over a month after the Season 3 finale debuted April 17th, 2025.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Andrew Koji, Jason Momoa, Noah Centineo, and Roman Reigns are in talks to star in Legendary Entertainment’s live-action "Street Fighter" movie, based on the Capcom video games, sources tell Deadline. There have been three previous live-action "Street Fighter" films, including the infamous 1994 movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: Shemar Moore addressed the fact that he is the only actor from CBS' recently ended series, "S.W.A.T." (2017-25), that will be moving over to the new series, "S.W.A.T. Exiles." Moore says, "I'm the quarterback."

SCANDAL - From Deadline: Stunt performer, Casey Michaels, was working on the final season of "Game of Thrones" when she shattered her left ankle performing a stunt she argues was not designed competently by the coordinators on-set. Her career ended, Michaels sued HBO, claiming she had been robbed of a promising career. HBO eventually paid her $9.3 million, including legal costs, as part of a settlement in 2023, with the company’s lawyers apologizing. Michaels has given an interview to "Deadline" because she believes her experience exposes everything that’s wrong with her profession.

DISNEY/ANIMATION - From ComicBook: The Cartoon Network's former animated series, "The Amazing World of Gumball," is returning in a new animated series, "The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball." It will debut on Disney+ and Hulu later this year and on Cartoon Network internationally.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 5/16 to 5/18/2025 weekend box office is Warner Bros./New Line Cinema's "Final Destination: Bloodlines" with an estimated take of 51 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Deadline: A new Tom Cruise project with director Doug Liman and costar Ana De Armas looks to be pricey.

OBITS:

From Deadline: American television producer and director, Jeff Margolis, has died at the age of 78, Friday, May 23, 2025. He was a prolific producer and/or director of numerous award shows, live events, specials, and variety show. His career as a TV director began in the mid-70s and including directing two episodes of the former CBS variety series, "Tony Orlando and Dawn." Margolis was nominated for eight "Primetime Emmy Awards," and won twice: "Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special" for "Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration" and "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Music or Variety Program" for "The 67th Annual Academy Awards."

From Deadline: American film and television actor, George Wendt, has died at the age of 76, Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Wendt was best known for the role of "Norm Peterson" on the former NBC sitcom, "Cheers" (1982-93). He was nominated six times in the Primetime Emmy Awards category, "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series." Wendt's passing reportedly coincides with the 32nd anniversary of the "Cheers" finale episode.

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Sunday, March 2, 2025

Winners and Nominees at the 2025 / 97th Academy Awards (March 2nd, 2025)

The 97th Academy Awards | 2025

Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood – Sunday, March 2, 2025

Honoring movies released in 2024

The 97th Academy Awards will air live Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET/4 PT, on ABC. Viewers can also stream the awards ceremony live on ABC.com, the ABC app, Hulu, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV.

Best Picture

Nominees

Anora-WINNER

Alex Coco, Samantha Quan and Sean Baker, Producers

The Brutalist

Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, D.J. Gugenheim and Brady Corbet, Producers

A Complete Unknown

Fred Berger, James Mangold and Alex Heineman, Producers

Conclave

Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell and Michael A. Jackman, Producers

Dune: Part Two

Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe and Denis Villeneuve, Producers

Emilia Pérez

Pascal Caucheteux and Jacques Audiard, Producers

I'm Still Here

Maria Carlota Bruno and Rodrigo Teixeira, Producers

Nickel Boys

Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Joslyn Barnes, Producers

The Substance

Coralie Fargeat and Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Producers

Wicked

Marc Platt, Producer

Directing

Nominees

Anora-WINNER

Sean Baker

The Brutalist

Brady Corbet

A Complete Unknown

James Mangold

Emilia Pérez

Jacques Audiard

The Substance

Coralie Fargeat

Actor in a Leading Role

Nominees

Adrien Brody-WINNER

The Brutalist

Timothée Chalamet

A Complete Unknown

Colman Domingo

Sing Sing

Ralph Fiennes

Conclave

Sebastian Stan

The Apprentice

Actor in a Supporting Role

Nominees

Yura Borisov

Anora

Kieran Culkin - WINNER

A Real Pain

Edward Norton

A Complete Unknown

Guy Pearce

The Brutalist

Jeremy Strong

The Apprentice

Actress in a Leading Role

Nominees

Cynthia Erivo

Wicked

Karla Sofía Gascón

Emilia Pérez

Mikey Madison-WINNER

Anora

Demi Moore

The Substance

Fernanda Torres

I'm Still Here

Actress in a Supporting Role

Nominees

Monica Barbaro

A Complete Unknown

Ariana Grande

Wicked

Felicity Jones

The Brutalist

Isabella Rossellini

Conclave

Zoe Saldaña-WINNER

Emilia Pérez

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Nominees

A Complete Unknown

Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks

Conclave-WINNER

Screenplay by Peter Straughan

Emilia Pérez

Screenplay by Jacques Audiard; In collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi

Nickel Boys

Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes

Sing Sing

Screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John "Divine G" Whitfield

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Nominees

Anora-WINNER

Written by Sean Baker

The Brutalist

Written by Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold

A Real Pain

Written by Jesse Eisenberg

September 5

Written by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; Co-Written by Alex David

The Substance

Written by Coralie Fargeat

Animated Feature Film

Nominees

Flow - WINNER

Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens and Gregory Zalcman

Inside Out 2

Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen

Memoir of a Snail

Adam Elliot and Liz Kearney

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham and Richard Beek

The Wild Robot

Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann

Animated Short Film

Nominees

Beautiful Men

Nicolas Keppens and Brecht Van Elslande

In the Shadow of the Cypress-WINNER

Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi

Magic Candies

Daisuke Nishio and Takashi Washio

Wander to Wonder

Nina Gantz and Stienette Bosklopper

Yuck!

Loïc Espuche and Juliette Marquet

Cinematography

Nominees

The Brutalist-WINNER

Lol Crawley

Dune: Part Two

Greig Fraser

Emilia Pérez

Paul Guilhaume

Maria

Ed Lachman

Nosferatu

Jarin Blaschke

Costume Design

Nominees

A Complete Unknown

Arianne Phillips

Conclave

Lisy Christl

Gladiator II

Janty Yates and Dave Crossman

Nosferatu

Linda Muir

Wicked-WINNER

Paul Tazewell

Documentary Feature Film

Nominees

Black Box Diaries

Shiori Ito, Eric Nyari and Hanna Aqvilin

No Other Land-WINNER

Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham

Porcelain War

Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, Aniela Sidorska and Paula DuPre' Pesmen

Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

Johan Grimonprez, Daan Milius and Rémi Grellety

Sugarcane

Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie and Kellen Quinn

Documentary Short Film

Nominees

Death by Numbers

Kim A. Snyder and Janique L. Robillard

I Am Ready, Warden

Smriti Mundhra and Maya Gnyp

Incident

Bill Morrison and Jamie Kalven

Instruments of a Beating Heart

Ema Ryan Yamazaki and Eric Nyari

The Only Girl in the Orchestra-WINNER

Molly O’Brien and Lisa Remington

Film Editing

Nominees

Anora-WINNER

Sean Baker

The Brutalist

David Jancso

Conclave

Nick Emerson

Emilia Pérez

Juliette Welfling

Wicked

Myron Kerstein

International Feature Film

Nominees

Brazil

I'm Still Here-WINNER

Denmark

The Girl with the Needle

France

Emilia Pérez

Germany

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Latvia

Flow

Makeup and Hairstyling

Nominees

A Different Man

Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado

Emilia Pérez

Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini

Nosferatu

David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton

The Substance-WINNER

Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli

Wicked

Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth

Music (Original Score)

Nominees

The Brutalist-WINNER

Daniel Blumberg

Conclave

Volker Bertelmann

Emilia Pérez

Clément Ducol and Camille

Wicked

John Powell and Stephen Schwartz

The Wild Robot

Kris Bowers

Music (Original Song)

Nominees

“El Mal”-WINNER

from Emilia Pérez; Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard

“The Journey”

from The Six Triple Eight; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren

“Like A Bird”

from Sing Sing; Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada

“Mi Camino”

from Emilia Pérez; Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol

“Never Too Late”

from Elton John: Never Too Late; Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin

Production Design

Nominees

The Brutalist

Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia

Conclave

Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter

Dune: Part Two

Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau

Nosferatu

Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová

Wicked-WINNER

Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Live Action Short Film

Nominees

A Lien

Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz

Anuja

Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai

I'm Not a Robot-WINNER

Victoria Warmerdam and Trent

The Last Ranger

Cindy Lee and Darwin Shaw

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Nebojša Slijepčević and Danijel Pek

Sound

Nominees

A Complete Unknown

Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco

Dune: Part Two-WINNER

Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill

Emilia Pérez

Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta

Wicked

Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis

The Wild Robot

Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo and Leff Lefferts

Visual Effects

Nominees

Alien: Romulus

Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan

Better Man

Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs

Dune: Part Two-WINNER

Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke

Wicked

Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould

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Saturday, March 1, 2025

"Conclave" and "Say Nothing" Top 2025 Scripter Awards

Writers of “Conclave,” “Say Nothing” Win 37th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Awards

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The authors and screenwriters behind the film “Conclave” and the series “Say Nothing” won the 37th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Awards on the evening of Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. Selection committee chair Howard Rodman announced the winners at a black-tie ceremony at USC’s Town and Gown ballroom.

“You start off with a book that you love, you read it again and again, and then you end up throwing it over your shoulder”

The Scripter Awards recognize the year’s most accomplished adaptations of the written word for the screen, including both feature-length films and episodic series.

Novelist Robert Harris and screenwriter Peter Straughan took home the award for “Conclave.”

In accepting the award, Straughan said “Adaptation is a really strange process, you’re very much the servant of two masters. In a way it’s an act of betrayal of one master for the other.” He joked that “You start off with a book that you love, you read it again and again, and then you end up throwing it over your shoulder,” crediting author Robert Harris for being “so kind, so generous, so open throughout.”

In the episodic series category, Joshua Zetumer and Patrick Radden Keefe won for the episode “The People in the Dirt” from the limited series “Say Nothing,” which Zetumer adapted from Keefe’s nonfiction book about the Troubles in Ireland.

Zetumer referenced this year’s extraordinary group of Scripter finalists, saying “Projects like these reminded me of why I wanted to become a writer when I was sitting in USC’s Leavey Library dreaming of becoming a screenwriter. If you fell in love with movies, or fell in love with TV, chances are you fell in love with something dangerous.”

Special guest for the evening, actress and producer Jennifer Beals, shared her thoughts on the impact of libraries. “If ever you are at a loss wondering if there is good in the world,” she said, “you have only to go to a library. There you will find shelf upon shelf of books where authors have poured their knowledge, their stories, their creativity on page after page...if a library is not the very best of what society has to offer, I don't know what is.”

Earlier in the evening, Howard Rodman accepted the Ex Libris Award, which honors exceptional commitment to the USC Libraries. Rodman has been the chair of the Scripter Selection Committee for the past twelve years. Presenting him with the award was celebrated novelist Walter Mosley who credited Rodman for being an influence on thousands of writers, producers, editors, directors, and “a gardener of revelation for those of us who didn’t know where we were going or even when we had arrived.”

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Friday, January 24, 2025

USC Libraries Announces Finalists for the 2025 Scripter Awards

USC Libraries Name Finalists for 37th-Annual Scripter Awards

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The USC Libraries named the finalists for the 37th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Awards, which honor the writers of the year’s most accomplished film and episodic series adaptations, as well as the writers of the works on which they are based.

The finalist writers for film adaptation are, in alphabetical order by film title:

-- James Mangold and Jay Cocks for “A Complete Unknown” based on the nonfiction book “Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties” by Elijah Wald

Peter Straughan for “Conclave” based on the novel by Robert Harris

-- RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes for “Nickel Boys” based on the book “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead

-- Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar (screenplay and story) and Clarence Maclin and John “Divine G” Whitfield (story) for “Sing Sing” based on the “Esquire” magazine article “The Sing Sing Follies” by John H. Richardson

-- Screenwriter Chris Sanders and novelist Peter Brown for “The Wild Robot”

The finalist writers for episodic series are, in alphabetical order by series title:

-- Richard Gadd for the sixth episode of “Baby Reindeer,” based on his stage play of the same name

-- Steven Zaillian for “V Lucio,” the fifth episode of “Ripley,” based on “The Talented Mr. Ripley” by Patricia Highsmith

-- Joshua Zetumer for the episode “The People in the Dirt” from “Say Nothing,” based on the nonfiction book “Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland” by Patrick Radden Keefe

-- Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks for “Anjin,” the first episode of “Shōgun,” based on the novel by James Clavell

-- Will Smith for the episode “Hello Goodbye,” from “Slow Horses,” based on the novel “Spook Street” by Mick Herron

The 2025 Scripter selection committee selected the finalists from a field of 42 film and 66 episodic series adaptations. Howard Rodman, USC professor and Vice President/Secretary of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, chairs the 2025 committee.

The studios distributing the finalist films and current publishers of the printed works are:

“A Complete Unknown”—Searchlight Pictures and Dey Street Books

“Conclave”—Focus Features and Vintage Books

“Nickel Boys”—Amazon MGM Studios and Vintage Books

“Sing Sing”—A24 and Esquire

“The Wild Robot”—Universal Pictures and Little, Brown and Company

The networks and streaming platforms broadcasting the finalist episodic series and current publishers of the works are:

“Baby Reindeer”—Netflix and Methuen Drama

“Ripley”—Netflix and Vintage Books

“Say Nothing”—FX/Hulu and Vintage Books

“Shōgun”—FX/Hulu and Blackstone Publishing

“Slow Horses”—Apple TV+ and Soho Crime

The USC Libraries will announce the winning authors and screenwriters at a black-tie ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in the Town & Gown ballroom at the University of Southern California.

Since 1988, Scripter has honored the authors of original works alongside the screenwriters who adapt their stories. For more information about Scripter, including ticket availability, please email scripter@usc.edu or visit scripter.usc.edu.

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Saturday, August 10, 2024

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 1st to 10th, 2024 - UPDATE #11

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

DISNEY - From Deadline: The official title for "Avatar 3" is "Avatar: Fire and Ash." Disney annual "D23" event also revealed a first-look at the film.

ANIMATON - BleedingCool: After 26 years, the "Cartoon Network" website (cartoonnetwork.com) is no more. Now, cartoonnetwork.com takes visitors to a "max.com" page.

BUSINESS - From Deadline: Paramount Global prepares for another round of layoffs.

POLITICS/TIM WALZ - From YahooNYT: "19 Facts to Know About Tim Walz, Harris' Pick for Vice President"

DISNEY - From Deadline: Disney finally turned a streaming profit, thanks to ESPN+, as Disney+ and Hulu still lost a combined 19 million dollars on 5.8 billion dollars in revenue.

EMMYS - From Deadline: The Emmy-winning father-son team of Eugene Levy and Dan Levy are in talks with ABC to host its telecast of the 2024 Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 15th.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are in early talks to star in A24's "The Drama," from director Kristoffer Borgli.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 8/2 to 8/4/2024 weekend box office is Disney/Marvel's Deadpool & Wolverine with an estimated take of 97 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Idris Elba has been allocated some land in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region in the East African nation of Tanzania, in which to build a film studio. Zanzibar's investment minister calls it "Zollywood."

CELEBRITY - From TheRoot: Kit Harrington isn't hearing your complaints about "Black out" nights at the West End production of Jeremy O. Harris' drama, "Slave Play."

OBITS:

From Deadline: Former Major League Baseball player, Billy Bean, has died at the age of 60, Tuesday, August 6, 2024. Bean was the second MLB player to come out as gay (after Glenn Burke of the Los
Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletic). Bean played for Detroit Tigers, Dodgers, San Diego Padres before retiring in 1995. He had been an MLB executive in the areas of includes and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) since 2014.

From YahooEntertainment: South African television and film star, Connie Chiume, has died at the age of 72, Tuesday, August 6, 2024. Chiume is best known outside of South Africa her roles in Disney/Marvel Studios "Black Panther" (2018) and "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (2022). She also starred in Beyonce's "Black is King."

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Review: "PREY" is the Best "Predator" Sequel to Date

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 55 of 2023 (No. 1944) by Leroy Douresseaux

Prey (2022)

Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)

MPAA – R for strong bloody violence

DIRECTOR: Dan Trachtenberg

WRITERS: Patrick Aison; from a story by Patrick Aison and Dan Trachtenberg (based on the characters created by Jim Thomas and John Thomas)

PRODUCERS: John Davis, Marty Ewing, and Jhane Myers,

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jeff Cutter (D.o.P.)

EDITORS: Claudia Castello and Angela M. Catanzaro

COMPOSER: Sarah Schachner

SCI-FI/THRILLER

Starring: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro, Stormee Kipp, Michelle Thrush, Julian Black Antelope, Stefany Mathias, Bennett Taylor, and Mike Paterson

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REVIEW SUMMARY:

--Prey is by far the best Predator sequel, and it is one of 2022's best films.

--The Canadian landscape where this movie was filmed is an equal character in the story while offering magnificent vistas and breathtaking beauty.

--The first half of the film is a tense suspense thriller that builds a sense of mystery similar to that of the original Predator film.

--The second half of the film is an explosion of brutal violence and heart-stopping duels that leads to a showstopping finale. I highly-recommend it.

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Prey is a 2022 science fiction thriller film directed by Dan Trachtenberg. It is the fifth film in the main Predator film franchise, which began with the 1987 film, Predator, and the seventh in the overall franchise (when the “AvP” films are counted). Prey is a prequel to the four main Predator movies, and it is a direct-to-streaming film that was released as a “Hulu original film.” Prey is set in the early 18th century and pits a young Comanche woman who wants to prove that she is a warrior by taking on a mysterious creature that slaughters everything in its path.

Prey opens in the Northern Great Plains in September 1719. Naru (Amber Midthunder), a young Comanche woman, has trained as a healer, but she wants to be a hunter like her older brother, Taabe (Dakota Beavers). To that end, Naru wants to embark on a “kühtaamia,” which requires her to hunt something that is hunting her.

While tracking deer, Naru witnesses strange lights in the sky, which she believes to be a “Thunderbird,” the legendary creature of Native American folklore. However, the strange lights are actually an alien ship dropping a Predator (Dane DiLiegro), something her people have never encountered. Now, Naru, Taabe, and their tribe's other hunters must take on a Predator that is the ultimate hunter. If she cannot defeat the Predator, she will lose her life and her tribe will fall as well.

I have been interested in seeing Prey since I first heard about it, but I wasn't subscribing to Hulu when it debuted, nor do I currently subscribe to it. However, my friend and collaborator, Carter Allen, an illustrator, concept designer, and comic book creator, sent me a copy of the 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray edition via Amazon.

Now, having seen it, I think it is a shame that Prey did not receive a theatrical release. It's cinematography captures the beautiful vast forest locations outside Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where this movie was shot, in a way that should be seen on a big screen. The landscape is an equal character in the film, even more so than it has been in previous Predator films. Prey's director, Dan Trachtenberg, uses the landscape to make his film feel real and to have weight and depth and not come across as if it were some kind of action or video game fantasy.

Prey is the best sequel to 1987's Predator, easily surpassing what I think is the previous best sequel, 2010's Predators. In some ways, the combatants in Prey seem more authentic and the action more visceral than in the first film. The fights are brutal and up-close-and-personal. Flesh is slashed and chopped into raw meat, and bodies are pierced, penetrated, and ruptured with artistic precision. Heads are lopped off, and limbs aren't far behind. The Predator of Prey does not kill from on high, shooting death rays as the original Predator did. In Prey, the Predator moves in for the kill in a way that is similar to what Logan/Wolverine did to the mercenaries in the X-Men film, X2 (2003). Also, the costume and creature design for Prey's Predator is as much horror movie killer as it is sci-fi monster. In some ways, he seems garbed as a super-villain.

Amber Midthunder as Naru and Dakota Beavers as Taabe give outstanding performances. Their characters are well written, and Patrick Aison's script is ambitious enough to give the actors the opportunity to explore their characters, which they do. Midthunder is mesmerizing and fierce as Naru, and she makes me care about her journey every step of the way.

I'm surprised. Prey easily exceeded my expectations. I hope that future Predator films are as ambitious as this one. In the meantime, I pray for a sequel to Prey.

9 of 10

A+

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

You can buy a copy of the PREY Blu-ray at AMAZON.

Discover Carter Allen's latest graphic novel, Ectyron vs. Des Moines here.

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Saturday, November 18, 2023

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Nov. 12th to 18th, 2023 - Update #19

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

STREAMING - From Deadline: Recent horror movie hit, "The Exorcist: Believer" (the sequel to the 1973 hit, "The Exorcist"), will begin streaming on Peacock December 1st.

BOND - From BritishVogue: Oscar-winning actress, Olivia Colman ("The Favourite"), says she wants to play the new "M" in the next James Bond film.

MOVIES - From Variety: Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio says that he has thanked Oscar-nominee Sharon Stone for paying his salary in order for him to be in director Sam Raimi's revisionist Western, "The Quick and the Dead" (1995). At the time, Stone wanted DiCaprio in the film, but the studio, TriStar Pictures, refused to cast him.

MOVIES - From Deadline: "Dune: Part Two" moves up its release date to March 1st, 2024 from March 15th. The sequel to 2021's Oscar-winning Dune was originally slated to be released earlier this month (November).

TELEVISION - From Deadline: ABC has announced its post-strike midseason broadcast schedule. Everything kicks off Jan. 22nd with a two-hour premiere of "The Bachelor."

STREAMING - From Deadline: Paramount+ is ending its drama "SEAL Team" after the upcoming seventh season. The series originated on CBS, where it remained for five seasons before moving to Paramount+ for Season 6.

DISNEY - From Variety: Disney CEO Bob Iger says that "Frozen 3" in in the works and that there might be a "Frozen 4." The films would be the second and third sequels to the Oscar-winning 2013 film, Frozen.

MOVIES - From Variety: Christopher Nolan suggests his recent acclaimed hit film, "Oppenheimer," on Blu-ray and own it at home and put it on a shelf "so no evil streaming service can come steal it from you." "Oppenheimer" arrives on Blu-ray Nov. 21st.

TELEVISION - From Variety: CBS is bringing its hit sitcom, "Young Sheldon," to an end with the series upcoming seventh season. "Young Sheldon" Season 7 will debut Feb. 15th and will end with a one-hour series finale set for May 16th, 2023.

From Deadline: The cast of the CBS sitcom, "Young Sheldon," reacts to the news that the upcoming seventh season will be the series' last.

DISNEY - From Variety: Disney is merging Disney+ and Hulu into one application sometime in late March 2024. Customers who have the current Disney+/Hulu bundle will be able to beta test the new merged app beginning in December.

SCANDAL - From Deadline: Samuel Haskell IV, the 35-year-old son of prominent television producer, Sam Haskell, has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a headless torso was found several miles from his Los Angeles home. He has been charged with three counts of murder for the deaths of his wife and her parents.

STAGE - From Variety: Oscar-nominee Steve Carell will make his Broadway debut playing the title character in a revival of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” (1897). The production, which will be performed at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater, will begin previews April 2, 2024, and open on April 24, 2024.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: CBS has unveiled its mid-season 2023-24 schedule, which will feature new and returning series arriving mid-Feb. 2024. Two planned new 2023-24 series, the "Matlock" reboot and Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans, Jr.'s "Poppa's House," will now debut in the 2024-25 season.

NETFLIX - From Deadline: Netflix has attached Denzel Washington to play the ancient Carthaginian general, Hannibal, in an untitled epic drama that will reteam Washington with his frequent collaborator, director Antoine Fuqua. John Logan will write the screenplay.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 11/10 to 11/12/2023 weekend box office is Disney/Marvel Studios' "The Marvels" with an estimated take of 47 million dollars.

From Here: A review of "The Marvels" by Leroy Douresseaux.

DISNEY - From Deadline: The first trailer for Disney/Pixar's "Inside Out 2" has set a viewership record for Disney films. It has had 157 million views in 24 hours. The film is set for a June 14, 2024 debut in theaters.

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ACTORS STRIKE:

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA has produced a summary of its "2023 Tentative Agreement" that ended the 118-day long actors' strike. SAG-AFTRA members can begin voting on the agreement tomorrow, Tues., Nov. 14th. The voting can continue until the first week of December.

From IndieWire: The site takes a look at the details of the tentative agreement between SAG-AFTRA (the actors' union) and the AMPTP (the Hollywood studios) that ended the 118-day actors' strike.

From Deadline: The SAG-AFTRA national board, by a majority vote, approved the tentative agreement reached with the AMPTP to end the actors' strike. Now, the actors vote...

From Variety: The Hollywood studios have agreed to adjust language on artificial intelligence (AI) in their contract negotiations with SAG-AFTRA to end the 117-day actors' strike.

From THR: SAG-AFTRA is evaluating the studios' "last, best and final offer" to end the actors' strike.

From Deadline: The studios have delivered a new contract deal to SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union, and more strike talks are scheduled to be held this weekend.

From Deadline: Striking actors are set to meet the studios today for Halloween negotiations, but they are still "far apart on key issues."

From Variety: SAG-AFTRA (actors) and AMPTP (studios) will resume strike negotiations tomorrow (Tues., Oct. 24th).

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher says that the offer from top-earning Hollywood actors to chip in some money to help end the strike "isn't legally compatible with the union's contract.

From Deadline: Top earning Hollywood actors want to chip in some money to end the SAG-AFTRA strike.

From Deadline: George Clooney, Emma Stone, Ben Affleck, Tyler Perry and Scarlett Johansson were among a group of top talent guild members that spoke Tuesday (Oct. 17th) with guild president Fran Drescher and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland for a detailed debrief, we hear.

From Deadline: The movie studios via AMPTP have suspended their talks with striking actors via SAG-AFTRA. The snag seems to be that actors want "2 precent of potential profits" on streaming.

From Variety: SAG-AFTRA (the actors) and AMPTP (the studios) are to resume strike talks Wed., Oct. 11th, as the actors strike enters Day 88.

From Deadline: The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Hollywood studios CEOs met for strike talks for the first time since the actors went on strike July 14th. They plan to meet again, Wed., Oct. 4th.

BREAKING - From Deadline: The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to end its strike after nearly five months. The parties finalized the framework of the deal Sunday when they were able to untangle their stalemate over AI and writing room staffing levels.

From WGAContract: The WGA contract page has additional information on the settlement.

From WGAContract: A summary of the new agreement.

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From Deadline: The actors’ strike is now in its 63rd day. Now, SAG-AFTRA leaders are ramping up their rhetoric against the studio heads, accusing them in the latest issue of the "SAG-AFTRA Magazine" of “behaving like petty tyrants,” “would-be feudal lords” and “land barons in feudal times.”

From Deadline: Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra says that Hollywood unions need to embrace AI.

From Deadline: Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav says the industry must focus and fight to resolve the writers and actors strikes.

From Deadline: Hollywood’s superstars are answering the call from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, donating $1 million or more each to help their fellow performers during the ongoing actors and writers strikes. Among the big donors are Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

From Deadline: If you are interested, here is a list of the film and TV productions SAG-AFTRA has granted waivers to continue filming.

From Variety: International superstar, Dwayne Johnson, makes a seven-figure contribution to the "SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund." Foundation president, actor Courtney B. Vance, says the amount will remain confidential.

From Variety: Why haven't A-list stars joined the SAG-AFTRA picket line?, asks "Variety."

From Deadline: Author George R.R. Martin, whose works were the basis for HBO's "Game of Thrones," says the strikes will be long and bitter.

From Variety: Halted film productions due to the writers and actors strikes are costing each Hollywood studio at least 600,000 dollars per week.

From Variety: Said at a strike meeting: “Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession will no longer be an option for future generations of performers, and actors already working in the industry will need to pursue other careers in order to survive.”

From Deadline: If you are a "social media influencer" who is NOT a member of SAG-AFTRA, you can be barred from future membership for promoting a film or television series during the actors' strike.

From Variety: The SAG/AFTRA strike begins in New York and Los Angeles. Hollywood actors began striking today, Fri., July 14th.

From Deadline: The site has the video of the powerful strike speech given by SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, the actress best known for CBS' former sitcom, "The Nanny."

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA is already preparing strike picket signs in case the actors' strike begins next week.

From Deadline: The Hollywood studios via the AMPTP has given Canadian actors a new contract, including a 5 percent raise.

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Saturday, November 11, 2023

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Nov. 1st to 11th, 2023 - Updated #25

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

GRAMMYS - From Deadline: The nominations for the 2024 / 66th annual Grammy Awards have been announced. The "Barbie" soundtrack leads with 11 nominations, while SZA leads individual artists with nine nominations. The winners will be announced Feb. 4th, 2024.

ANIMATION - From THR: Just as it shelved the "Batgirl" movie last year, Warner Bros. is shelving its live-action/animation hybrid, "Coyote Vs. Ace," which finished principal photography in New Mexico last year. The films stars John Cena.

DISNEY/NETFLIX - From Deadline: Disney CEO Bob Iger says that he won't "chase bucks" by licensing its "core brands" (Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars) to its rival, Netflix. However, it is in talks with Netflix over other titles.

STRIKE - From Deadline: The actors' strike is over. SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, have agreed to a new three-year deal with the Hollywood studios. The strike will officially be over 12.01 a.m. Pacific Time (PT).

MOVIES - From Deadline: Sony is co-financing with Nintendo a live-action movie based on the video game franchise, "The Legend of Zelda." Wes Ball of "The Maze Runner" franchise is set to direct.

AMAZON - From Variety: Amazon Prime Video has dropped a new trailer for the second season of its popular "Reacher" series. Prime will drop three of the new season's episodes on Dec. 15th.

MOVIE - From Variety: What Ridley Scott had to say to a television historian about "historical inaccuracies in his new film, "Napoleon" (starring Joaquin Phoenix), and what he'll say to the Oscars if he ever wins.

CELEBRITY - From Variety: Jeremy Renner says that he has tried every type of therapy to heal from his near-fatal snow plow accident back in January (2023).

MOVIES - From Deadline: Paramount is remaking its 1974 Burt Reynolds prison football movie, "The Longest Yard," again. This time it will be written by Rodney Barnes, who executive produced and wrote HBO's "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty." Barnes is also the writer of the comic book, Killadelphia, with artist Jason Shawn Alexander. The film was remade in 2005 with Adam Sandler in the lead.

DISNEY - From THR: FX has renewed its drama, "The Bear," for a third season. The series air exclusively on Hulu.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 11/3 to 11/5/2023 weekend box office is Universal Pictures' "Five Nights at Freddy's" with an estimated take of 19.4 million dollars.

MARVEL - From Variety: What comes after the Marvel Cinematic Universe? What will dominate in its place? It's not likely to be high-falutin' says Variety's Owen Gleiberman.

CELEBRITY - From Deadline: "Friends" actor, Matthew Perry, was laid to rest Friday afternoon at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles near Warner Bros Studios. His "Friends" co-stars: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer attended the service. Perry died Oct. 28th at his home in Los Angeles.

MOVIES - From Deadline: DreamWorks Animation has changed the release date of its live-action version of its hit 2010 animated film, How to Train Your Dragon. The new release date is June 13, 2025, moved up from March 14, 2025.

ANIMATION - From IndieWire: GKIDS has released the official English-dub trailer for "The Boy and the Heron," the new film from the legendary Japanese director, Hayao Miyazaki.

EMMYS - From THR: The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) announced on today (Thurs., Nov. 2nd) the nominees for the 2nd Annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards. Disney leads with 92 nominations. The date for the awards ceremony will be announced at a later date.

DISNEY - From Deadline: Disney is going to pay Comcast 8.61 billion dollars for its remaining 33 percent stake in the streaming service, Hulu.

MOVIES - From TheAtlantic: This link leads to an excerpt from David Grann's non-fiction work, "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the F.B.I." The book is the source material for Martin Scorsese's new film, "Killers of the Flower Moon."

CULTURE - From NYT: Maine resident and legendary novelist, Stephen King, wrote a piece about the mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine. He starts by writing "There is no solution to the gun problem..."

TELEVISION - From THR: Seasame Workshop has announced that "Sesame Street" is set to undergo some major renovations. The long-running PBS children’s series will be getting a creative overhaul for its 56th season, which will debut in 2025.

OBITS:

From Deadline: Television and film actor, Peter White, has died at the age of 86, Wednesday, November 1, 2023. White was best known roles on such daytime soap operas as "All My Children" and "Love is a Many Splendored Thing." White was one of the original cast members of the hit off-Broadway play, "The Boys in the Band" (1968), and he reprised his role in the play in the 1970 film adaptation directed by William Friedkin.

From THR: American television writer-producer, Peter S. Fischer, has died at the age of 88, Monday, October 30, 2023. He co-created the former CBS television mystery series, "Murder, She Wrote" (1984-96) with the late television producing partners, Richard Levinson and William Link. Fischer executive produced the series first seven seasons and wrote nearly three dozen of its episodes. Fischer also wrote multiple episodes of such series as "Marcus Welby," "Columbo," and "Ellery Queen," to name a few. He shared three "Outstanding Drama Series" Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his work on "Murder, She Wrote."

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ACTORS STRIKE:

From Deadline: The SAG-AFTRA national board unanimously approved the tentative agreement reached with the AMPTP to end the actors' strike. Now, the actors vote...