Sean McNulty noted this week it felt things were getting back to normal, with a steady flow of deals, events and big moves in the news. One big difference post-strike? The brave new world of “synthetic” actors. Following her podcast interview with Fran Drescher and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, Elaine Low interviewed two SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee members, Picard’s Michelle Hurd and actor Kevin E. West, about what AI performances mean for studios and actors — and how the new deal will help talent get paid, even when not physically reporting to work. Wild stuff.
Later this month: Janice interviews honorees Celine Song and Greta Lee of A24’s Past Lives onstage at Women in Film on Nov. 30. Tickets here.
DEAL TALK
Elaine Low and Claire Atkinson detail the long and winding road of rejection before the troubled Globes found its new home:
Peter Kiefer broke open details on the scramble among A-list producers, including Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Shonda Rhimes, for the option on Britney Spears’ runaway memoir, The Woman in Me, as well as the $40 million documentary rights rush:
NETFLIX’S VEGAS STUNT
Richard hit the first annual Netflix Cup. What’s that, you say? He has all the kooky details and admits a sense of begrudging admiration. Also: his short talk with Netflix’s Bela Bajaria about the state of the industry and streamer:
NOT MARVEL-OUS
Richard looks at the landscape of superhero movies dated ahead as Marvel misses and the era of the $200 million film now seems more perilous than ever for our already shaky legacy studios:
☀️THE WAKEUP
🎧 PODCASTS
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THE ANKLER
The team talks the week’s headlines:
MARTINI SHOT
Rob Long on the slow slip down that happens to everyone — and the symbols we cling to because of that:
👓 THE OPTIONIST
IP Picks🔎: A ‘Footloose’ for the Trans Age Plus, a mercenary’s memoir and a fun soapy murder mystery set in a tech startup
