Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on MONDAY August 9, 2021.

Where Kanye once again delayed the release of his new album “Donda”… declining to drop it on Friday as planned. Now - maybe it’ll be this Friday, but it’s really starting to feel like maybe there isn’t a master plan here… 🤔

ALSO: A congrats to Allyson Felix who became the most decorated US OLYMPIC TRACK athlete ever, with 11 total medals, incl 7 gold. So Carl Lewis will have to settle for #2. Or make one hell of a comeback in 2024.

📽 THE SILVER SCREEN

Jennifer Lawrence as 1970’s A-list talent agent Sue Mengers movie package being shopped

Sue represented a variety of big talent in the 70’s like Cher and Michael Caine, but was pretty much edged out of the business in the 80’s with the rise of CAA and 80’s cutthroat male-dominated agent culture and the like.

Project is currently out buyers with roughly an $80 Million pricetag, Paolo Sorrentino (HBO’s “The Young Pope”) directing, and a script by John Logan (“Gladiator”, “Skyfall”).

APPLE TV & NETFLIX both in the running according to Matt Belloni’s What I’m Hearing email.

Though at an $80 Million pricetag they may be the only folks willing to write a check that large for a 70’s biopic of someone no one outside of the Hollywood Executive Suite has ever heard of… unless Mike DeLuca steps up with a big AMAZON-backed MGM check.

BOX OFFICE

1. “The Suicide Squad” : $26.5 Million ($35 Million Intl, $72 Million total so far)

   • Opening is not too far ahead of other R-rated titles “Mortal Kombat” ($23 Mil) and the latest “Conjuring” movie ($24 Mil), despite DC having arguably a bit of a larger fanbase…

   • Question being - is this less-than-expected opening a sign of: A) increasing covid-wariness to go to theaters, B) a victim of HBOMAX at-home viewing… and pirating given the fanbase, or C) just malaise for a take-two on a movie that just came out 4 years ago? Likely… a combination of all 3 but I’m sure you’ll see many takes out there today making a case for each one. Either way - #NotGreatBob

2. “Jungle Cruise” : $15.7 Million ($15 Million int’l, $121 Million global box office total).

   • 55% decline from US opening weekend

3. “Old” : $4.1 Million ($38.5 Million US)

4. “Black Widow” : $4 Million ($174 Million US)

5. “Stillwater” : $2.9 Million ($10 Million US)

   • A decent hold for a film that opened to $5 Million.

“F9” looks like it’ll close its US run with about $175-$180 Million. The 8th installment closed with $225 Million US, but “F9” is about equal with the US performance of “Hobbs & Shaw”. But globally… it’s dragging. Will probably top out around $700 Million total, under “Hobbs & Shaw” $760 Million, and way under Fast 8’s $1.2 Billion.

ALSO IN MOVIES

Just a pretty great interview with “South Park” co-creator Matt Stone in Lucas Shaw’s Screentime newsletter, after they closed their $900 Million deal to extend the show thru 2026 and for 14 new movies at PARAMOUNT+ : “I haven’t watched a lot of Paramount+, but looking at the ads, it looks okay.”

📺 THE TV SET

NBC cuts bait on their “Slip N Slide” show

They were hoping to pick up / finish shooting the show after a poop-based parasite caused illness among some involved in the production earlier this Summer, but now they’re just gonna cut their losses. Kinda proud of myself I didn’t make a flushing pun there, but not by much. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER apparently didn’t take the same POV.

ALSO IN TV

• Minka Kelly joining HBO’s “Euphoria” for Season 2. No official details but said to be playing a ”jaded, drugged-out suburban housewife”. Oh Lyla… /THR

• NETFLIX sets Luis Guzman as “Gomez” for their new “Addams Family” series “Wednesday”, directed by Tim Burton. /Variety

• HULU orders show starring comedian Chris Estrada, called “This Fool”. Follows a guy who works at a gang rehab center in LA as he navigates his working-class LA life with his family. Fred Armisen among exec producers. /THR

• Charlamagne Tha God sets showrunning team for his weekly COMEDY CENTRAL show premiering next month, mostly folks from his old MTV2 series “Uncommon Sense”. /THR

• AMAZON PRIME cancels YA drama series “Panic” after one season. /Deadline

💻 THE MEDIA BIZ

JUST A COUPLE THINGS

• RGIII joins ESPN as an NFL & College Football analyst this Fall. /Washington Times

• Even FOX NEWS is now cutting out Trump’s continued election fraud lies from their content. The FOX NEWS YouTube version of his Dan Bongino interview this weekend dropped the 45 seconds where the Donald reiterated his BS claims about a rigged election. Then again - an impending $2.7 Billion libel lawsuit with a lot of merit from a voting machines company can have surprising effects on a network’s content policies. /Mediaite

🏦 STOCK NOTES:

AMC NETWORKS +6% on their earnings call info of increased revenue, even though it only matched what they made in 2019.

VIMEO -17% on their earnings call info. Mainly due to a bigger $$ quarterly loss than expected, despite increasing paid subscribers 17% from this time last year.

👩‍💻 NEW TO WATCH:

FX ON HULU “Reservation Dogs” - Comedy set around four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma trying to steal their way to California. Watch or add to your list here

AMC MOVIE THEATERS report earnings late afternoon.

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🕵️ PAGE SEVEN

Jen Aniston keeping a strict vaxxed only circle of friends, and apparently some people didn’t make the cut according to her new IN STYLE cover story.

Sceney Sunset Tower in LA having to deal with increase in rude guests post-pandemic.

Joel Kinnaman (“The Suicide Squad”) issues temp restraining order against Sweedish model who has been threatening extortion and harassing he and his family.

Bennifer 2.0 hits the town in LA this weekend. I mean it’s no Italian yacht but…

🎥 TRAILER HOUSE

HULU “Dopesick” limited sereies 90 second teaser. Multi-angle story of the Oxycontin scourge, with Michael Keaton, Rosario Dawson, Kaitlyn Dever, and Michael Stuhlbarg among others. Directed by Barry Levinson. Premieres Fri Oct 13.

HULU “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” Season 2 trailer. Premieres Wed Sept 8

NETFLIX “Dear White People” Season 4 brief teaser. The final season will premiere Wed Sept 22, and be a musical. Also show creator Justin Simien set a 3 year overall production deal with PARAMOUNT TV.

HULU“Vacation Friends” trailer. John Cena and Lil Rel Howery, R rated comedy about friends you make on vacation… that follow you home. Premieres Fri Aug 27

🕵️‍♂️ THE WEEK AHEAD

TUE - “Hard Knocks” with the DALLAS COWBOYS hits HBO

WED - “Cribs” returns to MTV. Eagle Eye Cherry does not

THU - “Brooklyn NineNine” returns for final season on NBC; DISNEY reports earnings late afternoon, including updated DIS+ numbers

FRI - Lotta big movies hit (“Free Guy”, “Respect”, “CODA”), UK PREMIERE LEAGUE new season kicks off; New LIZZO!

🎧 PLAYING ME OFF

TOM MORELLO “Highway to Hell” - with Springsteen & Vedder from Tom’s forthcoming solo album “The Atlas Underground Fire” in October. This is great.

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