WB sets SHARON STONE as villain in new DC pic

CHRIS ROCK tix 8X in price / 33% of US NETFLIX users share passwords in new study / PLAYSTATION’s new subscription service

Mar 30, 2022

Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on WEDNESDAY March 30, 2022.

Where - sorry selfies, apparently autographs are back! THR reports that A-List celebrities are now making several hundred thousand dollars to 7-figures by sitting in a room for a day or 2 and signing memorabilia ✍️ without having to deal with fans - items are sent ahead of time by folks for signature through a verified company.

No in person interaction… no having to go to a ‘con’… literally clear your day, go to a location with a few sharpies 🖊 and collect a few hundred bucks a signature. 💰💰

I feel like I should find this a reassuring sign in an increasingly digital age instead of… the feeling I’m actually having.

also precludes these kind of situations. via Giphy

ALSO: Sam Jackson & John David Washington are doing August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” on BROADWAY this September. Directed by TONY nominee LaTanya Richardson, first time a woman is directing a Wilson play on BROADWAY, and will be Washington’s BROADWAY debut.

AND: The FOO FIGHTERS have understandably cancelled all 2022 tour dates.

PLUS: Alec & Hilaria Baldwin are having a…. 7th child.

🤫: Tiger Woods played a practice round of golf at AUGUSTA on Tuesday according to ESPN. ⛳️

ONE MORE: Chris Rock plays Boston tonight, as part of a 38 city tour where ticket prices thru brokers have 8X’d since Sunday… while THE ACADEMY board meets later today to begin discussing actions later today.

📽 THE SILVER SCREEN

looking back she really shoulda used a cutting board here - that could have really murdered her tile. ok yeah that wasn’t my best. via giphy

WB sets Sharon Stone to play the villain in DC pic “Blue Beetle”

Will play “Victoria Kord”, a new character created for the movie and wife of “Ted Kord” if that does anything for fans of the comic. “Ted” eventually becomes part of the JUSTICE LEAGUE.

Pic originally was for HBOMAX but moved to theatrical, with an Aug 2023 release slated. /Deadline

ALSO IN MOVIES

Half of NETFLIX’s all time most-watched Original Films have now starred cast members of “The Proposal”. Ok yes, mainly Sandra and Ryan. 💍 /THR

📺 THE TV SET

APPLE TV+ sets Joel Edgerton to lead drama “Dark Matter”

9 episodes, based on a book by Blake Crouch who will also showrun the series.

About a physicist who is abducted and brought into an alternate version of his life, causing him to journey through a multiverse of alternate lives to try and get back to his family in his original one. And also figure out which one he left his iPhone in. 🤦‍♂️

Louis Leterrier (“Now You See Me”, “Lupin”) directing the first 4 episodes. /THR

ALSO IN TV

OSCARS audience climbs a million in final tally to 16.6 Million. /Deadline
Danny Boyle’s SEX PISTOLS limited series “Pistol” will drop Tue May 31 on HULU. 🎤
HULU cast’s Victoria Pedretti (“You”) to lead “Saint X” series. 8 episodes based on a novel about a young woman murdered on a Carribbean vacation but told through various perspectives and timelines. /Variety

HOLLYWOOD TV BUSINESS AFFAIRS

ANONYMOUS CONTENT and ENDEAVOR CONTENT (now only 20% owned by ENDEAVOR) form partnership to produce TV projects. The JV will be co-led by ANONYMOUS CCO David Levine, and ENDEAVOR EVP Joe Hipps. ENDEAVOR CONTENT has other partnerships with companies in the UK, BRAZIL, and the NORDICS. /Deadline
AMAZON STUDIOS sets first look deal with Carlton Cuse (“Lost”, “Locke & Key”, “Bates Motel”). Comes over from deal at ABC SIGNATURE, but was at AMAZON prior where he launched “Jack Ryan”. /Deadline
NETFLIX sets 2 year TV production deal with Gillian Anderson, no initial projects indicated. /Variety

💻 THE MEDIA BIZ

About 1/3 of US NETFLIX subscribers share their passwords

At least according to new study of 4400 users from LEICHTMAN RESEARCH GROUP. But this tracks with another recent survey putting the number in the mid 30’s% as well. 🤝 /Deadline

SONY announced that new PLAYSTATION gaming subscription plan

$15 / month “Plus Extra” service gives access to 400 games, with a higher $18 tier for access to more games and cloud gaming access.

Their current “Plus” service gives access to 2 games a month and a few other perks for $10 a month, and has 25 Million subscribers. #upsell /The Verge

ALSO IN MEDIA

MORNING BREW crossed 4 Million subscribers, +1 Million in the past 8 months. Did $50 Mil in revenue for 2021. For reference THE SKIMM has roughly 7 Million. This newsletter… does not 😕. /CNBC
CBS NEWS hires former Trump CHIEF OF STAFF Mick Mulvaney as a contributor. He’s also memorable (?) for doing a bang-up job running the Budget office under Trump prior to running his office and generally spewing a lot of BS in his time there. Yeah this is an off-brand hire. /Deadline
Advertising rates on HULU, DISC+, and PLUTO are about half the cost of HBOMAX and PEACOCK. /Digiday
DR SEUSS book sales were up 35% last year. /Axios
NETFLIX sets Central + Eastern EUROPE production home in Warsaw, POLAND. Will service productions in HUNGARY, ROMANIA, POLAND, CROATIA, CZECH REPUBLIC and let’s hope once again in UKRAINE. /THR

🏦 STOCK NOTES:

ROKU +7% ($137.56)

Otherwise a generally somewhat up day for most.

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👩‍💻 NEW TO WATCH:

DISNEY+ “Moon Knight” - STREAM HERE

HULU “Death on the Nile” - STREAM HERE

🎥 TRAILER HOUSE

PARAMOUNT PICS “Top Gun: Maverick” new trailer - Little more plot in this one, and think we’ll just count this as another 2022 win for PAR already. Seems almost like a crime not to watch this movie on the big screen. In Theaters May 27

NETFLIX “Ozark” final trailer - Last episodes drop Fri April 29

HBOMAX “The Staircase” limited series trailer - Colin Firth and Toni Collette lead a cast jam-packed with talent. Based on a true story about a man suspected of killing his wife. Could definitely see this taking off with “The Undoing” crowd… Premieres Thu May 5.

APPLE TV+ “Shining Girls” series trailer - Elizabeth Moss stars as a woman who’s attacked by a serial killer but survives and… Jamie Bell seems to be the killer… and yeah I really have no idea what’s going on here tbh. Premieres Fri Apr 29.

🎧 PLAYING ME OFF

Brand new CANNONS album dropped this past week, really been digging this song “Tunnel of You”. Kinda MAZZY STAR plus KACEY MUSGRAVES with a little sleek funk thrown in.

If you need some new tunes:

THE WAKEUP Spotify playlist

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-SEAN MCNULTY

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