🎬 Gathering Dust

👋 Good morning! YouTube just claimed the crown for most-watched TV platform, and it wasn't even close. The streaming giant grabbed an unprecedented 11.1% of all TV viewing in December, while Netflix trailed at 8.5%, according to Nielsen's The Gauge report. The platform that started with cat videos is now eating traditional TV's lunch.

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:

• Hungarian AI Goes Hollywood

• Netflix Earnings Recap

• Scoring Stages Go Silent

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

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Martini Shot 🍸

CLOSEUP
🎬 Should AI-enhanced performances get awards?

That’s what some industry veterans are asking after ‘The Brutalist’ editor Dávid Jancsó revealed the Golden Globe-winning film used AI to enhance its stars' Hungarian dialogue.

The scoop from Jancsó's RedShark News interview reverberated through Hollywood: The $10M period piece, starring heavyweights Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones as Hungarian refugees, incorporated AI assistance for accent refinement. After traditional ADR (re-recording dialogue) proved insufficient, they partnered with Ukrainian tech outfit Respeecher. Here are the details:

• Used AI to "enhance specific vowels and letters" in Hungarian dialogue

• Jancsó's own voice was mixed into the AI model for accuracy

• Additional AI was used for some 1980s-style architectural renderings

Director Brady Corbet jumped in with some damage control, laying out the facts:

• Both leads worked for months with dialect coach Tanera Marshall

• The AI tweaks were purely technical, focusing on Hungarian pronunciation

• No English dialogue was touched

• All building designs were hand-drawn by the production design team

• Any AI-generated content was limited to background elements meant to look like vintage '80s renders

The timing's raising eyebrows—Brody just secured a Golden Globe, and Oscar buzz has been steadily building. Now the industry's grappling with a fundamental question: Should AI-enhanced performances be eligible for prestigious awards consideration?

Turns out 'The Brutalist' has company—fellow Oscar contender 'Emilia Pérez' is in the same boat, having tapped Respeecher's AI magic to boost Karla Sofia Gascón's singing voice beyond its natural limits.

The bigger picture? Hollywood's split on this one. Critics say AI-enhanced performances compromise acting authenticity, while others see it as just another production tool, not unlike CGI or motion tracking. Some industry veterans point out that the term "AI" itself has become problematic in these discussions—there's quite a gap between "AI generates entire films" and "AI helps clean up dialogue." They're concerned this blurred understanding could make it tougher for mid-budget films to utilize cost-effective technology.

Looking ahead... There are whispers that the whole controversy might give Timothée Chalamet's Bob Dylan portrayal in 'A Complete Unknown' an unexpected boost—after all, he performed all the songs himself au naturel. In this tight Best Actor race between Brody and Chalamet, the AI revelation could just tip the scales toward Team Timothée.

WIDESHOTS
🎬 Netflix earnings and empty scoring stages…

📈🔥 Netflix just delivered its biggest subscriber haul ever and is celebrating with price hikes. The streaming giant revealed its Q4 2024 earnings yesterday—the last time it'll focus on subscriber numbers in its quarterly reports. Starting next quarter, Netflix will instead spotlight how much time people spend watching its content, only announcing subscriber totals when they hit major milestones. Here are some highlights:

• Added a record-breaking 18.9M subscribers in Q4—double what analysts expected—pushing past 300M total subscribers and generating $10.2B in revenue.

• Raising subscription prices across major markets, with US subscribers soon paying $7.99 for ad-supported viewing (up $1), $17.99 for Standard (up $2.50), and $24.99 for Premium (up $2).

• Hit content drove growth, with ‘Squid Game's’ return and surprise success in live programming (NFL games, Paul-Tyson fight) keeping viewers hooked.

• The streamer will stick to its streaming-first philosophy despite plans to show Greta Gerwig's upcoming ‘Narnia’ in IMAX theaters. Co-CEO Sarandos calls the two-week theatrical run just a "release tactic," not a strategy shift.

• Committed to keeping LA production on schedule despite recent wildfires, with Sarandos pledging support for affected crew members and emphasizing the importance of maintaining momentum after "a really tough couple of years" in Hollywood.

• Big plans for 2025: doubling down on advertising, maintaining an $18B content budget, and aiming for $43.5B in revenue—all while keeping Wall Street happy by retiring those subscriber updates.

🎼🚨 Hollywood's scoring stages are gathering dust. Oscar-winning contractor Peter Rotter (‘Avatar,’ ‘Frozen’) has penned an open letter warning that LA's recording industry is about to go quiet—permanently. Only three major studios still maintain scoring facilities, and most stages sit empty for weeks at a time, forcing crews to pick up side gigs. Call it a perfect storm: the one-two punch of COVID-19 and Hollywood strikes, topped off with wildfires and productions chasing tax breaks elsewhere, has left the city's stages collecting cobwebs. It's not just the music biz feeling the pinch—post-production work is scattering across the globe as companies dodge union costs and residuals. Rotter's rallying cry calls for a triple play: loosening union rules, fresh business models, and local tax credits before Hollywood loses its soundtrack.

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LAST LOOKS
Development 🗒️

• A24 sets April 11 for the nationwide release of Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s Iraq War film ‘Warfare.’ (more)

• Sydney Sweeney is in talks to star in A24 and Picturestart’s ‘The Masque of the Red Death.’ (more)

• Magnolia Pictures acquires Kevin Macdonald’s ‘One to One: John & Yoko,’ set for an April 11 IMAX release. (more)

• Tobias Menzies joins Ruben Östlund’s social satire ‘The Entertainment System Is Down,’ replacing Joel Edgerton. (more)

• Colman Domingo joins Gus Van Sant’s hostage thriller ‘Dead Man’s Wire’ alongside Bill Skarsgard. (more)

• Uma Thurman joins Michael C. Hall in Showtime’s ‘Dexter: Resurrection.’ (more)

• Lee Isaac Chung is set to direct Skydance’s ‘The Traveler,’ a sci-fi family drama based on Joseph Eckert’s novel. (more)

• Theo Rossi joins Adam Scott and Danielle Deadwyler in dark comedic thriller ‘The Saviors.’ (more)

• Netflix’s ‘Run Away,’ based on Harlan Coben’s novel, casts James Nesbitt, Ruth Jones, Minnie Driver, and more. (more)

• Ryan Gosling is in talks to star in a Shawn Levy-directed ‘Star Wars’ film currently in development. (more)

• Wattpad Webtoon Studios and LuckyChap are adapting the hit webcomic ‘Stagtown’ into a horror film directed by Benjamin Brewer. (more)

• John Ridley is developing and directing a film adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi novel ‘The Caves of Steel’ for 20th Century Studios. (more)

• Tom Blyth joins Mia McKenna-Bruce, Matt Dillon, and Isaach De Bankolé in Claire Denis’ drama ‘The Cry of the Guards.’ (more)

• ‘The Toxic Avenger,’ a reimagining of the 1984 cult classic starring Peter Dinklage, is set for an unrated theatrical release in 2025. (more)

Renewed & Canceled ✅ ❌

• ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ is renewed for S4 by Netflix. (more)

• ‘Abbott Elementary’ is renewed for S5 by ABC. (more)

• ‘High Potential’ is renewed at ABC. (more)

Business 🤝

• IMDb marks its 35th anniversary with Nikki Santoro stepping in as CEO, while founder Col Needham transitions to executive chair. (more)

• Patrick Wachsberger and Legendary Entertainment launch 193, a standalone film production and sales venture focused on global distribution and high-quality independent films. (more)

• Keith Le Goy is promoted to Chairman of Sony Pictures Television, expanding his oversight to include all domestic and international production. (more)

Other News 🚨

• The 2025 Berlin Film Festival unveils its featuring new films from Richard Linklater, Jessica Chastain, A$AP Rocky, and Marion Cotillard. (more)

• YouTube set a new milestone in December, claiming 11.1% of TV usage, the highest share among all platforms. (more)

• Trevor Noah will host the Grammy Awards for the fifth consecutive year on Feb. 2, 2025, at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. (more)

• S1 of ‘Severance’ has generated over $200M for Apple TV+, with S2 poised for breakout success following its weekly release strategy. (more)

VIDEO VILLAGE
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