MON: Harrison Ford + Phoebe Waller-Bridge for INDY JONES 5
Timberlake playing GONG SHOW host / MAGIC MIKE goes unscripted / TOP GUN leaves July 4th for November
Mornin! Here’s the Hollywood + Media news roundup from the weekend for MONDAY April 12, 2021.
Where a congrats goes out to Hideki Matsuyama, who became the first male Japanese champion of a major golf tournament yesterday - and THE MASTERS is good one to start with 👏⛳️. So, as he’s just 29 years old… definitely get to know the name Matsuyama.
Continuing the weekend of winners theme: Here’s the DGA AWARD WINNERS List, where Chloe Zhao became the 2nd woman to ever win the film award.
And the BAFTA AWARD WINNERS List… where, well - see above.
ALSO : A proper rest in peace goes out to DMX, who died at the age of 50 on Friday afternoon. And, a poignant 4 minute goodbye video from Fareed Zakaria on his CNN show last night, saying goodbye to his mother who died from covid in India last week.
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
“Top Gun: Maverick” leaves July 4th for November
Something about Maverick abandoning America’s birthday just seems wrong but… business is business. It’ll now hit theaters in the pre-Thanksgiving weekend.
SONY also moved “Peter Rabbit 2” up two weeks to June 18, so July 4th weekend now belongs to Chris Pratt’s “The Tomorrow War”… streaming at home on AMAZON.
Although UNIVERSAL also moved “The Forever Purge” up to July 2 if you’d still like to take part in what is traditionally one of the biggest movie-going weekends of the year in America.
Otherwise, “Mission Impossible 7” leaves November for Memorial Day 2022.
GI JOE spinoff with Henry Golding “Snake Eyes” moves up to July 23. ”Jackass 4” moved back to Oct 21. /Deadline
Phoebe Waller-Bridge + Harrison Ford for 5th “Indiana Jones” movie
James Mangold directing, Spielberg still producing, no word on plot or character for Phoebe.
Movie has a July 29, 2022 release date. 2 weeks after Harrison turns 80 years-old. /THR
BOX OFFICE
“Godzilla vs Kong” : $13 Million ($69 Mil US)
About a 60% drop from it’s opening weekend.
Now at $358 Million globally after 3 weeks: $165 Million is from China.
Just $30 Million away from total global box office of 2019’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”.
“Nobody” : $2.6 Million ($15 Million US, $29 Million globally)
“The Unholy” : $2.4 Million ($7 Million US)
“Raya & the Last Dragon” : $2.1 Million ($35 Million US)
“Voyagers” : $1.4 Million
ALSO IN MOVIES
Screenwriter John Logan (“Gladiator”, “The Aviator”) sets directorial debut at BLUMHOUSE, with horror movie “Whistler Camp” set at a gay conversion camp. /Deadline
APPLE TV+ hires former head of HBOMAX Original Films, Jesse Henderson. /The Information
📺 THE TV SET
HBOMAX orders “Magic Mike” unscripted series
Called “The Real Magic Mike” and… pretty sure you get the gist. 10 guys compete to appear in the Vegas stage show “Magic Mike Live”. Quite frankly I’m surprised the show concept took this long to enter the world, but looking forward to some fun promos. /THR
APPLE TV+ sets Justin Timberlake to play “Gong Show” host Chuck Barris
Based on Barris’s memoir “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”… where he also claimed to be a CIA Assassin. Clooney previously directed a film version in 2002 with Sam Rockwell in the lead role.
Still being written, no episode count given or indication if it’ll be limited or ongoing… so not looking like a 💯 series order just yet. /Deadline
NETFLIX takes “The 39 Steps” reboot with Benedict Cumberbatch
Limited series based on the book & 1930’s Hitchcock movie. Ordinary guy becomes a pawn in a conspiracy to reset the world order 🥸.
Edward Berger (SHOWTIME’s “Patrick Melrose”) directing and Mark L Smith (NETFLIX’s “The Midnight Sun”) writing. Will shoot next year TBD. /Deadline
💻 THE MEDIA BIZ
VOX MEDIA buys Preet Bharara’s podcast company
Called CAFE STUDIOS, price was not disclosed. VOX (parent co of Recode, Eater, Vulture and more) reportedly most interested because CAFE also has built a sizable paid subscription for their podcasts (Preet’s “Stay Tuned with Preet” being the flagship). /WSJ
🏦 STOCK NOTES:
Quiet Friday.
🎥 TRAILER HOUSE
SHOWTIME “Ziwe” - New late-night talk & variety show launches Sun May 9.
👩💻 NEW TO WATCH:
I hear Monday is great for reading books 🤷♂️.
Although “60 Minutes” bounced back from their… less than stellar Florida vaccine distribution story last weekend, with 3 great and varied segments last night : The 2021 Economy ahead with the Fed Chairman, How the Pentagon invests in risky moonshot biology investments that paid off during Covid, and Prince’s “lost” album coming out this summer.
Also a happy Ramadan to those who observe! The month-long event begins this evening for the Muslim religion.
🎧 PLAYING ME OFF
LEON BRIDGES & KRHUANGBIN - “C-Side”- This isn’t a new song… but came on my radar this week and just has the perfect cool chill Monday vibes with a little funk to start the week, so let’s vibe:
Listen on Spotify / Watch on YouTube
If you need new tunes:
If you’re new to THE WAKEUP and know someone who would dig it:
Have a great Monday! Email me anytime - just reply to this email, or my name below goes to my LinkedIn.