Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on FRIDAY May 14, 2021.

Where it’s a Ferris Bueller approved sunny May Friday in NYC so let’s just get to it - I mean we could be in gym class right now.

And just putting this here if you’re new to THE WAKEUP and would be so kind. I mean it’s basically my marketing budget:

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📽 THE SILVER SCREEN

NETFLIX sets “Enola Holmes” sequel

Millie Bobbie Brown, Henry Cavill returning, as are the writer and director. /Deadline

DISNEY doing the $30 DISNEY+ rental on same day as theatrical release thing with“Jungle Cruise” 

The Dwayne Johnson / Emily Blunt joint hits theaters Fri July 30. Although any chance we can start calling it a Blunt Rock joint? I’d definitely sign up for that. /Deadline

BUT: Ryan Reynolds guy in a video game movie “Free Guy” and MARVEL’s “Shang Chi…” will both go theatrical-only for 45 days on Aug 13 and Sept 3 respectively. Will then hit “on demand and streaming”… but DISNEY didn’t specify if that meant on DISNEY+ or not. #KindaWeird

In today’s edition of NETFLIX “Knives Out 2” casting news: Kathryn Hahn is your latest add

Really? Leaking one cast name a day this week? Not even 2 and 2? /Deadline

ALSO IN MOVIES

• SUNDANCE doing hybrid in-person and online screening thing for 2022 fest from Jan 20-30. Makes sense - online tix are a great new ancillary revenue stream. Plus… if you wanna predict January right now, the floor is yours. /Variety

• BBC sets James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan for covid-lockdown married couple relationship dramedy called “Together”. Directed by Stephen Daldry (“The Crown”, “Billy Elliot”). ENDEAVOR CONTENT handling the sale to territories outside the UK. /Deadline

In the HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVE SUITE

• AMAZON adds another layer of management to PRIME VIDEO/Media division - Jeff Blackburn aka “Jblack” (I swear that’s their internal nickname for him and not mine) is coming back to lead the Global Media & Entertainment group as SVP… just 3 months after leaving a 2 decade AMAZON career for a venture capital firm 🤔.

  • PRIME VIDEO head Mike Hopkins (and all media division heads - AUDIBLE, TWITCH, AMAZON MUSIC etc) will now report into Jblack, who reports into Bezos (til he leaves this Fall, then into new CEO Andy Jassy). /THR

📺 THE TV SET

NETFLIX orders 8 episode comedy “Uncoupled” from Darren Star (“Emily in Paris”, “SATC”)

A 40-something gay man goes thru life crises when his husband leaves him after 17 years.  /Deadline

Kate McKinnon / John Cameron Mitchell “Joe Exotic” limited series now a PEACOCK Original exclusive

Was previously going to have a multi-platform play across NBC and USA. /THR

ALSO: PEACOCK sets… yet more reality/unscripted shows. Today we have spinoffs! /Deadline

• “Baking It” - Amy Poehler produced spinoff of “Making It”. Thinking you get the genre.

• “Below Deck Down Under” - Spinoff of BRAVO show. Thinking you can guess where the boat is.

• “Top Chef Family Style” - I mean I do really appreciate when you get what a show is from the title… kudos on these PEACOCK 👏.

  PEACOCK also ordered a third “Psych” movie. /Variety

ALSO IN TV

• HBO adds Jason Schwartzman, Eric Andre, and Eric Roberts (😳🙌) in recurring roles for “Righteous Gemstones” Season 2. Currently shooting. /Variety

• ABC renews “Idol”, “Shark Tank”, “Supermarket Sweep”, “America’s Funniest Footballs to the Groin Videos” and “Celeb Wheel Of Fortune” for the Fall. /Variety

• PARAMOUNT+ orders 10 episode reboot of “The Game”. Show ran on TheCW & BET for 9 seasons. Most of original cast returning. /TV Line

• TheCW adding Saturday night programming starting this Fall. Because if there was ever a time to expand in linear broadcast television… it’s the year 2022. /Variety

• APPLE TV+ adds Cherry Jones to Hurricane Katrina limited series “Five Days at Memorial”. Set at a hospital in the days after the storm, from John Ridley & Carlton Cuse. /Deadline

• E! orders “Clash of the Cover Bands” music competition show produced by Jimmy Fallon. /Deadline

• EPIX sets newcomer Tom Blyth as the lead for its new “Billy the Kid” series. /Deadline

• ROKU launching QUIBI content as “ROKU Originals” next Thu May 20. Starting with 30 titles that already streamed on QUIBI. Additional 45 to be rolled out over the course of the year. Ads will only be between episodes. Some shows may get a renewal for more eps depending on performance. Trailer preview in the TRAILER HOUSE below. /THR

💻 THE MEDIA BIZ

DISNEY+ hits 103.6 Million subscribers as of April 3

No further update as to where they stand on say.. May 14th? They added 3.5 Million globally in a month from March to April, and 8.7 Million in the first 3 months of the year.

This means growth is slowing down (analysts were expecting 110 Million. then again they are a needy bunch). But - when you’re no longer in the process of materially expanding into a number of new countries anymore, and also raise prices - that’ll happen. As NETFLIX always says, the second 100 Million is always the hardest…

But as DISNEY says, hey we more than doubled NETFLIX’s subscriber adds in Q1. Although their Avg Revenue Per User (ARPU) fell slightly again to $3.99 - this is the main factor that really needs to start turning around. It was $5.63 one year ago. (NETFLIX ARPU is well over $14 in North America).

HULU the SVOD streaming service now has 37.8 Million subscribers, and an ARPU of $12.

However HULU LIVE TV (the $65 streaming bundle) is losing subscribers, now at 3.8 Million. While that’s up 500k from this time last year… it’s down almost 200k from January. Still the largest streaming bundle service ahead of YOUTUBE TV.

ESPN+ now has 13.8 Million subscribers, adding 1.7 Million from Jan thru Apr 3, up 14%. And we’ll finish out with a couple of deal notes there:

• ESPN extends MLB deal to 2028. Gets 30 baseball games a year (mostly for Sunday Night Baseball) plus Wild Card rounds and a few other perks like Derek Jeter’s home number. No price disclosed. /ESPN

  • ESPN+ is the new home of Spain’s soccer league LA LIGA (Real Madrid et al). 380 Games a season. No price disclosed.

ALSO IN MEDIA

• LOLLAPALOOZA gets green light from Chitown for a near-to-full capacity 4 day festival in Grant Park, starting July 29. No acts announced yet. /Variety

• “CBS This Morning” adding celebrity guest hosts in the 8am hour starting next week while Tony Dokopul is out on paternity leave, including Drew Barrymore, Jon Batiste, Ashley Graham and LeVar Burton. /LA Times

• NBCU signs Steve Kornacki to 4 year, multi-million dollar deal. Will develop a game show to host and add an official role at NBC Sports in addition to his NBC News/MSNBC duties. Can’t wait til PEACOCK adds that “Shoppable” feature so I can buy his exact khaki style right there in the app 🤞. /LA TIMES

🏦 STOCK NOTES:

AMC THEATERS +24%. The retail/REDDIT/ROBINHOOD stock traders lit up one of their favorite stocks once again, upon news AMC sold a bunch of new shares to raise $$… Yeah it doesn’t make much sense.

🎥 TRAILER HOUSE

HBOMAX “Friends” reunion… They call this a Tease, but it’s really just a one shot “save the date” promo. Will hit HBOMAX Thu May 27, which is probably just about a year to the day from its original intended date. Ton of guest stars from people who were on the show (Tom Selleck, Reese Witherspoon)…. to people who were born the year the show started (Justin Bieber).

ROKU Originals sizzle trailer. 30 Series premiere on The ROKU CHANNEL Thu May 20.

FOCUS FEATURES “The Sparks Brothers” trailer. Docu about the band directed by Edgar Wright. Hits theaters June 18.

👩‍💻 THE FSS FEED:

(new Stuff to Watch this weekend)

FRIDAY:

IN THEATERS:

WB / HBOMAX “Those Who Wish Me Dead” - Angelina Jolie as a fire watchtower deputy trying to save a kid being hunted in her forest. Go to the movies or stay home and watch it here.

LIONSGATE “Spiral” - Chris Rock/Sam Jackson“SAW” movie hits theaters.

NETFLIX “Army of the Dead” - Movie is getting released in a surprising 600 US theaters in the US today ahead of its NETFLIX premiere next Fri.  But… it won’t be in the 2 biggest chains: AMC and REGAL, who still refuse to show NETFLIX movies.  When they literally haven’t had a new major movie to show in over 3 weeks.  Way to keep it real ya’ll.

STREAMING:

NETFLIX “Halston” - Limited series starring Ewan McGregor. Watch or Add to your List here

AMAZON ”Underground Railroad” - Directed by Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”), 10 episodes based on Colson Whitehead’s book. Watch or Add to your List here

NETFLIX “The Woman in the Window” - Amy Adams thriller. Also infamously cited in many Scott Rudin abuse articles as his next movie. Note: it’s a former FOX movie. Watch or Add to your List here

DISNEY+ “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: Season 2”. Watch or Add to your List here

ON TV:

No “Bill Maher” on HBO tonight - He tested positive for covid (he’s fully vaccinated, an a asymptomatic case discovered during usual on-set testing yesterday).

FX “Pride” - 6 part docuseries about the fight for LGBTQ rights from the 1950’s thru today.  First 3 parts air tonight starting at 8pm, the final 3 air next Friday.

SATURDAY:

NBC - The Preakness horse race. 4 hours of pre-game, 2 minutes of racing (that happens around 645p).

SNL - Keegan-Michael Key and Olivia Rodrigo.

SUNDAY

“MTV Movie & TV Awards” in LA at 8p

STARZ “Run The World” - a group of successful, fiercely loyal 30-something women living in Harlem. Premieres at 830p

STARZ “Death and Nightingales” - 3 part Northern Irish forbidden love period drama. Premieres at 10p

And remember… the TV Upfronts/Fall Schedule announcements begin on Monday with NBC and FOX.

If you were forwarded “THE WAKEUP”… Hit Subscribe and it’ll magically appear in your inbox weekdays by 830am EST (spoiler: it’s not really magic, I just hit send):

🎧 PLAYING ME OFF

THE BLACK KEYS dropped a new album of Southern Rock covers called DELTA KREME

Listen to the album here on Spotify or here’s a song “Coal Black Mattie” that I was digging this morning:

Have the finest of fine Spring weekends ya’ll! Email me anytime - just reply to this email, or connect here on LINKED IN.

-Sean McNulty

@theseanmac on TWITTER or also here on CLUBHOUSE or on IG @TheWakeupNews