🎬 Pay Day 💰

👋 Good morning! Meme stock madness is back… kind of. AMC Theatres' stock soared on Monday when "Roaring Kitty," also known as Keith Gill, resurfaced on Twitter/X after a three-year break. Back in 2021, Gill ignited a stock trading frenzy that sent GameStop shares through the roof, and it looks like he's at it again but this time with AMC among others. Capitalizing on this surge, AMC announced it raised $250M due to the stock price jump from $3 to $5 per share. Ironically, while this cash boost helps the company, it also dilutes the value of shares currently held by speculators.

Welcome aboard the Dailies. As you sip your morning brew, we’ll get you caught up with the fast-paced world of Hollywood - no need to chase down a newsstand, we’ve got everything you need right here.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• IATSE’s Transparency Tensions

• Disney and Amazon Upfronts Recap

• Pay Day Innovations

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

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Martini Shot 🍸

🎥🗣️ IATSE’s Transparency Tensions: As IATSE aims to wrap up its Basic Agreement negotiations by this Thursday, it’s not just juggling talks with the AMPTP—it’s also facing a chorus of voices from within, demanding more transparency. Members have been passing around a petition calling for more detailed updates on negotiation proposals and responses. An apparent lack of info has left many IATSE members discontented. So far, the talks have been tackling hot-button issues like artificial intelligence and streaming residuals without major drama, but this internal push for openness is stealing the spotlight. It's a reflection of a broader concern about presenting a united front—especially after the 2021 contract ratification, when both the Hollywood Basic Agreement and the Area Standards Agreement barely passed amid considerable internal dissent.

🎥📺 Disney and Amazon Upfronts Recap: Yesterday, Disney and Amazon held their upfront presentations, pitching their latest content and strategies to advertisers at prominent venues, with Disney at the Javits Center and Amazon at Pier 36 in New York.

• Disney: Under the leadership of CEO Bob Iger, Disney is increasingly embracing edgier, more mature content across platforms like Hulu, FX, and Disney+. The presentation highlighted an upcoming lineup of shows and movies with adult themes and humor, showcasing a strategic shift from Disney's traditionally family-oriented image. The aim was to promote a unified, diverse portfolio that spans a wide array of entertainment offerings.

• Amazon: Amazon’s star-studded inaugural presentation announced a robust investment in live sports, notably NFL's Thursday Night Football, alongside exciting new projects like a Nicolas Cage-led Spider-Man noir and a ’Jeopardy!’ spinoff. The renewal of some of its popular shows underscores its commitment to proven IPs. Amazon's diverse content slate, aimed at capturing a broad audience, reinforces its expansive approach to cater to all viewer preferences.

🎬💸 Payday Innovations: In response to last year’s strikes, Amazon, Apple, and Netflix are thinking of ways to disrupt the way they pay their creative talent. Amazon’s flirting with a performance-based back-end pay model, where talent earnings are tied to the success of their films or series. Similarly, Apple might introduce bonuses for talent based on Apple TV+ sign-ups and viewer engagement, with top shows possibly earning a hefty bonus of up to $10.5M per season. Netflix, meanwhile, focuses solely on film, looking to shift its compensation structure as well. These changes primarily impact actors, directors, writers, and producers creating exclusive content for these platforms, potentially earning them more or less depending on their project's success. This shift away from the traditional fixed-pay model could influence other streaming services to follow suit, redefining industry norms and intensifying the competition for top-tier talent.

Development 🗒️

• Omar Sy lands the lead in Netflix's romantic comedy 'French Lover.’ (more)

• Sydney Sweeney is set to star in a new 'Barbarella' film, with Jane Goldman and Honey Ross writing and Edgar Wright potentially directing. (more)

• Prime Video orders ‘Legally Blonde’ centered on Elle Woods' high school years in the '90s. (more)

• A sequel to ‘Road House’ starring Jake Gyllenhaal is in the works. (more)

• Selena Gomez announces 'Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,' set to premiere on Disney Channel and Disney+ later this year. (more)

• Plan B Entertainment secures Molly Manning Walker's new comedy project, fresh off her Cannes and BAFTA accolades. (more)

• Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé will join ‘The Voice’ as coaches for S26. (more)

• Ed Harris directs and co-stars with Bill Murray, Owen Teague, and Nick Nolte in 'The Ploughmen.’ (more)

• James Franco and Tommy Lee Jones star in 'The Razor's Edge.’ (more)

• Andrew Garfield set to join Julia Roberts in Luca Guadagnino’s thriller 'After The Hunt,' produced by Imagine and Amazon MGM Studios. (more)

• Stefano Sollima is set to direct Will Smith in the action-thriller 'Sugar Bandits' for Westbrook & AGC. (more)

• Tim Roth is set to play Henry Kissinger in political satire ‘Kissinger Takes Paris.’ (more)

• Joan Vassos, alum of ‘The Golden Bachelor,’ set to star as the first ‘Golden Bachelorette,’ premiering this fall on ABC. (more)

• Phoebe Waller-Bridge is set to write and executive produce Amazon Prime Video's ‘Tomb Raider’ series. (more)

• Neon acquires Julia Ducournau's next film 'Alpha,' continuing their collaboration after the Palme d'Or-winning 'Titane.' (more)

• Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie reunite for a new reality series on Peacock, reviving their on-screen partnership over two decades after 'The Simple Life.' (more)

• Molly Gordon to direct 'Small Parts,' a reimagining of the 1987 comedy 'Outrageous Fortune.' (more)

• Hulu expands into stand-up comedy, launching Jim Gaffigan's new special ‘The Skinny’ as the first of its monthly ‘Hulu's Laughing Now’ comedy series starting November 22. (more)

• Guy Ritchie's new project 'Wife And Dog,' launches at Cannes Market with Black Bear, with casting underway. (more)

• Kirsten Dunst and Daniel Brühl join Keanu Reeves in Ruben Östlund's new film ‘The Entertainment System Is Down.’ (more)

• Apple Original Films acquires global rights to ‘Tenzing,’ a biopic starring Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe, depicting Sherpa Tenzing Norgay's historic Everest summit. (more)

✅ Renewed & Cancelled ❌

• ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ is renewed for S2 at Prime Video. (more)

• ‘The Boys’ is renewed for S5 at Prime Video. (more)

• Seth Meyers will continue hosting ‘Late Night’ through 2028. (more)

• ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ is renewed for S35 at ABC. (more)

• ‘Coach Prime’ is renewed for S3 at Amazon. (more)

• ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ is renewed for S4 at FX. (more)

Business 🤝

• Former Sony executive Doug Belgrad joins Netflix as Vice President of Film. (more)

• Lionsgate Studios debuts on Nasdaq under ticker symbol LION, advancing its separation from STARZ with a $4.6B valuation. (more)

• Paramount stock falls following reports that Sony is rethinking its $26B bid. (more)

• Roku secures a multiyear deal with Major League Baseball to stream exclusive ‘Sunday Leadoff’ games for free on The Roku Channel. (more)

• Comcast introduces 'ScreenSaver,' a new streaming bundle with Peacock, Netflix, and Apple TV+. (more)

Other News 🚨

• The MTV Movie & TV Awards are on hold for 2024, set to return in 2025 with a revamped format after skipping this year's event. (more)

• Disney leads TV viewing in the U.S. for April, capturing 11.5% of all TV usage, followed closely by YouTube at 9.6%. (more)