Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on THURSDAY May 26, 2022.

Where JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE is $100 Million richer this morning… and I don’t mean in spirit. Although I’m sure that’s doing just fine as well. JT is the latest artist to sell off their song catalog ownership rights to a private-equity backed firm (in this case – popular choice BLACKSTONE) in partnership with music rights manager HIPGNOSIS for a 9-figure fee.

Although of note – this has usually been the domain of older artists whose most profitable years are well in the rear-view: Justin’s is only 41, and this deal doesn’t cover any of JT’s music going forward.

AND: Apparently all the jokes about the Upfronts being Covid super-spreader events last week… are proving to be true this week according to DEADLINE.

ALSO: If you fly DELTA – they’re adding MASTERCLASS videos to the in-flight entertainment systems.

📽 THE SILVER SCREEN

JUST ONE THING

• Brian Tyree Henry (“Atlanta”) to star in “Flint Strong” pic at MGM. It was formerly a UNI project… and formerly starring Ice Cube. They shot 2 days before the pandemic shut everything down, and it’s now returning in this iteration to begin shooting next week. About the first woman to win an OLYMPIC gold medal in boxing. /Deadline

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📺 THE TV SET

AMC NETWORKS buys US rights for Clive Owen series helmed by “Queens Gambit” director

Drama called “Monsieur Spade”, about famous detective “Sam Spade” 🕵️‍♂️ (“The Maltese Falcon” character) living out his golden years in the south of FRANCE … only to find his tranquility interrupted. Damn kids next door 🙄.

Tom Fontana (“Homicide”, “City on the Hill”) and Scott Frank (“The Queen’s Gambit”) co-created, with Frank directing all episodes.

Will shoot in Jersey the French Riviera this Summer 🥖. /THR

APPLE TV+ orders “Speed Racer” TV series, exec produced by JJ Abrams

Hiram Martinez (”Snowpiercer”) and Ron Fitzgerald (“Westworld”) are currently writing scripts centered on a take on the franchise from Hiram… but no specific details on what said take is.

Both guys will be showrunners. WBTV producing. /THR

WBD putting the (Zaslav?) magnifying glass to JJ Abrams’s HBO “Demimonde” series budget

The Sci-fi show… 4 years in the making is still in pre-production, but JJ & team are holding firm to the show’s mid-$200 Million budget for the season… which it sounds like new WBD management may balk on. Oh hi APPLE TV+ 👋, didn’t see ya there.

JJ’s massive WB production deal for his BAD ROBOT outfit is also said to be under scrutiny (can those $$ things be changed??). He’s 3 years into that 5 year deal, signed in the 2019 heyday of big ticket deals at streamers.

When you gotta find the $3 Billion in cost savings… gotta start turning over a lotta rocks to find it. /Deadline

ALSO IN TV

• NBC’s “This Is Us” goes out on Season-high audience with 6.4 Million on Tuesday. Has been the top-rated Broadcast TV drama in 18-49 demo for each of its 6 seasons. /THR

📝 IN OTHER WORDS…

“20 years ago if you complained about something, you get out a pen and paper and go, ‘Dear BBC.’

Now they can fire off a tweet, and the fucking press pick up the tweet. They’ll say, ‘People are mad, said 69341’ … most people aren’t mad. Most people don’t know about it.”

– RICKY GERVAIS on his context of the ‘uproar’ about his new NETFLIX special this week on SIRIUS XM.

💻 THE MEDIA BIZ

NFL launching its own NFL+ mobile streaming service for games this Fall

You’ll only be able to:

• Watch games that are avail on TV in your local area

• But only watch them on your phone or tablet. And you have to ask Siri “please”.

It’s basically similar to their VERIZON & YAHOO deals in the past for the same thing.

So – not a game-changer per se (and yes I feel lame choosing that term), but rather just an on-the-go way to watch NFL games 🏈 if:

• You’re not home to watch via a cable package… or your $25 digital antenna attached to your TV if you’re like me.

• You don’t wan’t to stream on PAR+ or PEACOCK Premium.

• Your team is on FOX (#noStreamingOption). Or if you just love squinting.

Pricing is tentative at $5 a month. /SBJ

ALSO: The NFL is considering scrapping the PRO BOWL since… no one watches, getting hurt in a PRO BOWL is a bad look, and NFL players can afford to send themselves on their own boondoggle to HAWAII after the season if they want. /Sportico

ALSO IN MEDIA

• TWITTER fined $150 Million by FTC for user privacy violations. TW has been expecting the fine for about 2 years now so… it’s nothing new that Elon can use for deal wiggle room. /Variety

  • Essentially ya know the email & phone that TW asked for only in regards to security verification purposes? Yeah they also used it for Ad targeting with 3rd parties.

• Zuck says FACEBOOK will lose “significant” money in the next 3 to 5 years on building the METAVERSE, but eventually will make it back from the ‘creator economy’ that arises upon it. I mean FB’s track record on launching new innovative products speaks for itself so what’s to question really. /Bloomberg

🏦 STOCK NOTES

It was Buy-The-Dip day on Wall Street

AMC THEATERS +14% ($11.88)

SNAP +11% ($14.15)

ALTICE +9% ($11.15)

PINTEREST +9% ($18.90)

ROKU +7% ($84.79)

ROBLOX +7% ($28.93)

DISH +6% ($21.96)

SPOT +5% ($108.79)

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👩‍💻 NEW TO WATCH:

HBOMAX “That Damn Che” Season 2 – STREAM HERE

Final “Ellen” show airs 🪩

LIONSGATE Q1 earnings call late afternoon, #medianerd returns tomorrow with a STARZ breakdown to round out the quarter analysis.

🎥 TRAILER HOUSE

UNI “Beast” trailer – Dris brings his 2 daughters to AFRICA to reconnect with their roots, and they encounter a… well – see title, and must find a way to survive. IN THEATERS AUG 19

BLEECKER STREET “Mr. Malcolm’s List” movie trailer – Freida Pinto and Zawe Ashton (”The Handmaid’s Tale”) star in this London period comedic romance, based on a book. IN THEATERS FRI JULY 1

🎧 PLAYING ME OFF

New SKY FERREIRA “Don’t Forget” – Kinda post-modern pop vibes Sky is known for, for any fellow fans out there.

If you need some new tunes:

Email me anytime – just Reply to this email, or connect here on LINKED IN.

-SEAN MCNULTY

@theseanmac on TWITTER

@TheWakeupNews on INSTAGRAM