🎬 Well, We Meet Again

👋 Good morning! Welcome aboard the Dailies.

Whether you're a seasoned subscriber or a new arrival, we're thrilled to have you here. Twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, we'll deliver the most important industry scoops directly to your inbox.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Closeup: The Latest on the SAG Strike

• Drew Barrymore Writers Won’t Return

• Disney Faces New Legal Heat

• Late Night Bounces Back

• Navigating SAG Awards Amid Strike

• Last Looks 👀: Bite-sized scoops on developing stories/projects

• Release Radar: What to watch this weekend

• Video Village 📀

• Martini Shot 🍸

But first, it’s Thursday, so let’s take a look at what people were watching this week… 👀

MOST STREAMED THIS WEEK

Day 83 And Counting…
🪧 The Latest on the SAG Strike 🪧

As the curtain lifts, we find ourselves on day 83 of the SAG-AFTRA strike. While the dust has barely settled from the WGA strike that concluded last week, the actors’ saga continues to unfold.

Now, if you’re thinking, "isn’t this all just a repeat of the WGA strike drama?" Well, sorta… but the plot is a tad different. The nuances between the WGA and SAG-AFTRA negotiations are kind of like comparing a drama to a sci-fi flick - similar yet vastly different. The actors bring to the table a range of concerns that extend to a myriad of performers (from your leading stars to those stunt doubles flipping through explosions💥). Transposing that success onto SAG-AFTRA's situation isn’t as simple as a copy-paste job.

In the Negotiation Room

Cue the intense meeting scenes at SAG-AFTRA’s Wilshire HQ this week, where Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Disney’s Bob Iger, Warner Bros Discovery’s David Zaslav, and NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley were all in attendance to meet with SAG leadership.

Here are the sticking points they’re working to find common ground on:

• Revenue Sharing: 🍰 Compensation tied to streaming viewership and residuals, so actors receive their fair share of the pie.

• AI and Digital Replicas: 🤖 Control over actors’ digital likeness and performance in AI-generated content.

• Wage-rate Increases: 💵 Elevating minimum wages, especially for TV actors, to buffer against inflation and living costs.

• Working Conditions: 🏠 Crafting a healthier, happier backstage environment.

• Self Tapes: 📹 Protection for actors against unreasonable demands for self-tape auditions.

How Far Are We From A Deal?

“Constructive” and “useful” are words whispered through the grapevine about the recent meetings. Insiders hint that despite the chit-chat, a deal could still be weeks away.

The question is, with writers back in action, and Hollywood eager to get back to work after the months-long work stoppage, will the actors feel pressure to compromise on certain points? Some think so.

But SAG membership seems to be rooted in resilience. Fran Drescher, SAG president, said way back in July that the guild would be willing to stay on strike until 2024 if need be. Writers have also joined striking actors on the picket lines this week in solidarity.

SAG and the AMPTP will continue to meet this Friday Oct. 6, and will resume after the weekend on Oct. 9. As always, we’ll keep you updated.

Waiting for SAG Negotiation Updates Be Like…

Drew Barrymore Show Writers Say ‘No’ to a Return After Strike 📝🚫 The bumpy road for ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ continues as it gears up for its return on October 16th, but without three key writers. 📺🔄 Drew faced a bit of a whirlwind last month, announcing the show would return amidst a WGA strike, which sparked quite the backlash and even some guest cancellations! 😬✖️ Following a pause and the strike's end, these three writers, visibly active in protests and integral since season one, have opted not to return, even after an offer post-strike. 🙅‍♀️📜 Despite the drama and being under the scrutiny lens, Drew's initial decision to forge ahead without her writers didn't break any SAG-AFTRA rules, but certainly stirred the pot in the industry and the public eye. 📜👀 Moving forward, the production is on the hunt for new writers while ensuring guild compliance. 🕵️‍♂️📋 The show must go on, but certainly, with a different backstage vibe! 🎬🔄

Disney Faces Legal Heat Over Hulu and ESPN 🔥🏰 Disney, the powerhouse behind our favorite shows and sports content, is facing some legal scuffles regarding Hulu and ESPN. 📺 A federal judge says Disney’s gotta square up against an antitrust lawsuit that’s calling out its ownership and management of these two big players in the TV world. Subscribers from YouTube TV initiated a class-action lawsuit, claiming Disney has been nudging up prices for live-streaming pay TV, especially since they took a majority stake in Hulu back in 2019. 📈 Though the judge pointed out that certain business moves Disney pulled might not be playing nice with competition and could be setting up barriers for other companies, they might not directly violate antitrust laws. 🤔💼 Now, while Disney’s keeping quiet on the subject, the proposed class action is aiming to get them to chill out with any anti-competitive practices moving forward. ⚖️🚫 It’s a winding road of legalities and corporate drama - but eyes are peeled on how the giant will navigate through it! 👀🌀

Late-Night Bounces Back Post-Strike🌟📺 Late-night hosts have made a vibrant return post a hefty five-month hiatus due to the WGA strike. Seth Meyers, Bill Maher, and Stephen Colbert (among others) are gracing our screens again, mingling heartfelt thanks with their signature humor and political zingers. Colbert's not just back but here to stay until 2026! 📅 And hey, it's not just about the hosts, as acts like John Mayer lighting up 'The Tonight Show' make it a win for us viewers too. 🎸 Welcome back, late-night!

Navigating the SAG Awards During the Strike 🎭🏆 The SAG Awards crew has hashed out how they're going to handle things amid the SAG-AFTRA strike, and here's the scoop: Actors can throw their hat in the ring for award nominations and the committees are gonna check out all the works submitted. But – and it's a hefty but – all the campaigning stuff like "For Your Consideration" events and promo are on a big ol' pause until the strike winds down. 🚫📣 So yes, submissions are a go, but they’re keeping it low-key, ensuring nothing promotional is happening during this tense strike time. Actors can’t get involved in events or activities that feature the content they’re striking against, so it’s awards season with a side of solidarity! 🤝🎞️  

Development 🗒️

• Netflix acquires the drama 'His Three Daughters' for $7M, marking its fourth purchase from the Toronto Film Festival. (more)

• Universal Pictures acquires international rights to Alex Gibney's Elon Musk documentary ‘Musk.’ (more)

• ‘Only Murders in the Building’ is renewed for S4 at Hulu. (more)

• ‘The Alchemist’ feature adaptation gets a new lease on life with Legendary Entertainment and TriStar Pictures. (more)

• Hayao Miyazaki is working on his next film, despite many thinking ‘The Boy and the Heron’ would be his final film. (more)

• Universal has snagged international rights to ‘Michael,’ a Lionsgate-produced biopic exploring Michael Jackson's life. (more)

• ‘iCarly’ reboot is cancelled at Paramount+. (more)

Releases 📅

• The premiere of ‘Dancing With The Stars’ on ABC maintained its viewership, pulling in 6.5M viewers, on par with its 2021 performance. (more)

• Paramount releases ‘Mean Girls’ in 23 parts on TikTok for free. (more)

• Beyoncé's ‘Renaissance’ scores $6M-$7M in first-day presales. (more)

• ‘SNL’ will return on Oct. 14, with support from SAG-AFTRA amid strike. (more)

• ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ sets S5 return. (more)

First Looks 👀

• Todd Philips shares a new image from ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ (check it out 👉here👈)

Business 🤝

• François-Henri Pinault's Artémis officially acquires a majority stake in CAA, with the agency's leadership remaining intact and financials of the deal, previously estimated around $7B, undisclosed. (more)

• Bill Block departs as Miramax CEO as his contract expires. (more)

• Discovery+ hikes price for the first time since its 2021 launch. (more)

• Wasserman wraps up its acquisition of CSM Sport & Entertainment. (more)

• Netflix is planning to increase subscription prices after the conclusion of the actors' strike. (more)

• DirecTV claims the new CNN Max streaming service is too similar to CNN's TV network, potentially breaching their carriage contract with Warner Bros. Discovery. (more)

Strike News 🪧

• WGA has sent out ratification ballots and materials to over 11,000 members for approval of the new studio contract. (more)

• VFX workers at Disney vote unanimously in favor of unionizing with IATSE. (more)

• SAG-AFTRA's Duncan Crabtree-Ireland flies to NY for Comic Con to discuss AI and performers' rights amidst ongoing strike negotiations. (more)

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What to watch this weekend? 👀

THEATRICAL 🎥

• The Exorcist: Believer: The sequel to ‘Exorcist,’ set 50 years after the original 1973 hit film. 👻

• She Came to Me: Peter Dinklage and Anne Hathaway star in this comedy. 🤣

• Foe: Garth Davis’ sci-fi drama starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal. 👽

• The Royal Hotel: Kitty Green’s thriller starring Julia Garner. 🥾

STREAMING 📺

• Fair Play: (Netflix) A thriller by writer/direction Chloe Domont in her feature directorial debut. 🌃

• Desperation Road: (Vudu) Based on the novel by Michael Farris Smith, starring Mel Gibson and Garrett Hedlund. 🕵️‍♂️