It’s Labor Day weekend here in the U.S. (finally), so unless you’re in Telluride (like Ankler deputy editor Christopher Rosen) or Venice (like our CEO Janice Min and London correspondent Manori Ravindran), I hope you’re logging some true downtime. With the Toronto Film Festival kicking off in just six days — stay tuned for exclusive interviews and portraits from Ankler Studios at TIFF, helmed by Katey Rich and Chris — Hollywood will officially be back to school.
To help you prep, The Ankler did some math. Our top two stories of the week followed the money — Dealmakers’ Ashley Cullins broke down what VCs want from Hollywood and which firms are placing big bets now.
Subscribers were also hungry for news about another kind of deal: the increasingly rare showrunner overall. Series Business’ Lesley Goldberg looked at how those pacts are being remade, with new intel on Seth MacFarlane’s NBCUniversal terms, plus her scoop about Dungeon Crawler Carl co-showrunner Eric Heisserer:
And for a lighter holiday weekend read, may I recommend Degen Pener’s diverting profile of TJ Wilk, an actor who’s found stardom in vertical dramas (did you catch him in Knocked Up by My Ex’s Billionaire Uncle?) after a long string of showbiz “almosts.”
In Venice, Janice and Manori helped lead a powerful program at Lights! Camera! Impact!, producer and activist Anadil Hossain’s initiative – in partnership with the Human Safety Net and the Van Leer Foundation — to highlight film and TV’s role in driving social change. Janice on Saturday surveyed the landscape for impact films and the producers and founders who are still getting issue-driven movies made in a challenged market, and Manori led a panel on representations of motherhood onscreen, and how Hollywood can offer more nuanced portrayals of parenthood.
On Monday, Janice heads to the Lumière Summit in St.-Paul-de-Vence, France, an intimate forum of 150 entertainment power brokers addressing the forces reshaping the moving image. Co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, the gathering will welcome Donna Langley, Bryan Lourd, Casey Bloys and Ted Sarandos. Janice will take the stage with Letterboxd CEO Matthew Buchanan, AGBO co-founder Anthony Russo, EbonyLife CEO Mo Abudu and more top voices. Follow our Instagram for highlights.
And finally, if you’re still not a paid subscriber to The Ankler, now is the time to upgrade — because through Monday only, we’re offering 25 percent off an annual subscription. Sign up today — click here or use the code LaborDay 2026 — for full access to all of our great journalism, the no-spin intel Hollywood runs on.
Now, ICYMI, the rest of our best of the week:
Series Business
↑ Backrooms Casting Director on Kane Parsons’ Letter to Chiwetel Ejiofor Wittney Horton tells Elaine Low about the advice she gave to the first-time filmmaker that helped him land two Oscar nominees.
YouTube Says Somebody Has to Lose. Britain Is Fighting Back Manori reports on the platform’s standoff with U.K. broadcasters and the BBC boss whose 18 years at Google may give Britain an unusual edge.
TV in 3: Adults Nearly Died. Then John Landgraf Told Them How to Save It The show bosses unpack the FX chief’s redirect for Lesley. Plus: the Matthew Perry doc and Apple TV’s price hike.
Richard Rushfield
↑ 8 Fall Trends I Can’t Ignore Merger mania, a box office Trojan horse and the midterms — Richard reveals what he’s watching (and you should too).
Prestige Junkie
↑ Emmy Boss on Creative Arts Shake-Up: ‘Not Everyone’s Hunky-Dory’ Maury McIntyre tells Katey about the category shifts, unhappy nominees and next broadcast rights deal.
Plus, Chris chats with Jake Johnson about how he juggled three projects this summer by learning to let go:
The Emmy Upset No One Sees Coming Katey and Chris break down the most competitive acting races — and why Constance Zimmer might be this year’s Jeff Hiller.
The Wakeup
Sean McNulty assesses whether Warner Bros. made the right call after all by dumping Coyote vs. Acme — and how the math differs for Ketchup Entertainment:
Podcasts
Ankler Agenda
Elaine and Sean talk to Katey about how the studio calculus on festival season has shifted:
Shows
Monday Morning QBs
Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars opened in 5th place with just $8 million — Sean and Chris dissect the legendary director’s flop:
Rushfield Lunch
There’s a reason Hollywood parents don’t let their kids become stars, says Alison Pill, who sheds light on insiders’ “knowledge of exploitation” and urges the industry to protect child actors:
Like & Subscribe
New from Natalie Jarvey’s creator economy newsletter:
↑ Need Career Advice? Ex-UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer Is Dishing It Out on Twitch
The Optionist
Andy Lewis’ latest IP picks:
↑ Frat Bros Turn Tony Montana; a Flight Attendant-Like Whodunit
Comments
Only Ankler All Access subscribers can comment
Already a subscriber?