🎬 Did They Use AI? 🤔

👋 Good morning! Denis Villeneuve has stirred the pot in recent press for ‘Dune: Part Two.’ He says, “frankly, I hate dialog. I don’t remember movies because of a good line, I remember movies because of a strong image.” The hot take has Twitter users riled up and weighing in. What are your thoughts?

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:

• ‘Roadhouse’ Drama Continues

• Greenbaum Takes the Reins

• Steaming to Surpass Pay TV

• Hollywood's Mid-Sized Movie Renaissance

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

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Martini Shot 🍸

🎬🤖 ‘Roadhouse’ Drama Continues: R. Lance Hill (pen name David Lee Henry) the original writer of ‘Road House,’ has filed a lawsuit against Amazon Studios and MGM. Hill alleges that Amazon disregarded his right to regain control of his 1986 screenplay while they proceeded with a remake starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Hill expected to regain his copyright by November 2023 and accuses Amazon of using AI to replicate actors' voices during last year's SAG strike in an attempt to beat that November deadline. Despite using the futuristic shortcut, Hill’s suit claims that Amazon crossed the finish line late, with a film that echoes his storyline a bit too closely for comfort. On the flip side, studio insiders say they the studios didn’t use AI for actor voices. They mentioned that if AI was used, it was only by the filmmakers for tweaking early versions of the film, and the studio had nothing to do with it. Hill’s standing firm, demanding the film's distribution be blocked, while Amazon's not buying the whole copyright issue, and is ready to fight back hard.

🎥👑 Greenbaum Takes the Reins at Disney: Sean Bailey, the mastermind who transformed Disney’s animated classics into a live-action goldmine, is saying goodbye to his role as President of Walt Disney Motion Picture Studios after a 15-year run. Bailey's departure marks the end of a profitable era. Aside from some recent box office stumbles, Disney raked in $7B globally under his leadership with hits like ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ Stepping into his massive shoes is Searchlight's own David Greenbaum. Hailed for his creative prowess and leadership, Greenbaum will take on a newly minted role overseeing both the live-action division and 20th Century Studios. This strategic merge aims to blend Disney's classic remakes and the rich legacy of 20th Century under one roof. Greenbaum’s track record with auteurs and his knack for original content could herald a more diverse, risk-taking approach at Disney. Despite Bailey's departure, he's not leaving Disney's universe entirely, and will remain a producer for ‘Tron: Ares’ among other projects.

📺🚀 Streaming to Surpass Pay TV: Streaming is about to leapfrog over pay TV in the earnings race by Q3 2024. Ampere Analysis predicts that streaming's value will skyrocket as pay TV's expected to shrink to half of its 2017 peak by 2028. Even though streaming services have had more subscribers than pay TV since 2016, they've been making a lot less per user—until now. Enter ad-supported options, like the recently-added Prime Video tier, set to boost streaming's cash flow to over $9B in the States. This mirrors a broader trend: pay TV's grip is expected to loosen everywhere by 2025. But it's not all doom and gloom for traditional TV. Deals like Disney and Charter's show a potential win-win, mixing old-school and streaming to keep viewers glued and happy.

🎬✨ Hollywood's Mid-Sized Movie Renaissance: At Berlin's European Film Market (EFM), the film industry witnessed a vibrant resurgence of interest in mid-sized movies. Movies with mid-range budgets ($20M-$50M) and stars like Margot Robbie, Will Smith, and Dave Bautista received a lot of love. The market's shift from cautious optimism to a more confident outlook was palpable. Unlike Sundance, which leaned towards smaller films, Berlin highlighted a robust appetite for bigger-budgeted indie movies. With major deals being made and Cannes just around the corner, it looks like a bright year for the indie world.

Development 🗒️

• Al Pacino and Jessica Chastain are set to star in Bernard Rose's Shakespeare adaptation ‘Lear Rex.’ (more)

• Cush Jumbo confirms 'Criminal Record' S2 is in development for Apple TV+. (more)

• Amazon orders ‘The Runarounds,’ a music drama by ‘Outer Banks’ creators. (more)

• Michael Fassbender is in talks to lead George Clooney's espionage thriller series ‘The Department’ for Showtime. (more)

• Luis Gerardo Méndez is set to direct and star in 'Technoboys' for Netflix. (more)

• Netflix expands its collaboration with Shane Gillis, acquiring his scripted series 'Tires' and commissioning a new stand-up special. (more)

• Amazon Prime Video orders Benito Skinner‘s comedy series ‘Overcompensating.’ (more)

• Eugene Levy joins the cast of ‘Only Murders in the Building’ for S4. (more)

• Diego Boneta is set to star in Prime Video's new bilingual drama series ‘El Gato.’ (more)

• Naomi Watts and Bill Murray reunite in the dramedy 'The Friend.’ (more)

• Mattel's ‘Bob the Builder’ animated feature, produced by Jennifer Lopez and Anthony Ramos, sparks a bidding war between Netflix, Amazon MGM, and DreamWorks Animation.(more)

• ‘Beef’ S2 is eyeing a star-studded cast including Charles Melton, Cailee Spaeny, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Anne Hathaway. (more)

• Aubrey Plaza is set to lead in John Waters' ‘Liarmouth,’ marking his first film in nearly two decades. (more)

• Jimmy Fallon’s music-themed game show, ‘That’s My Jam’ pauses production. (more)

• ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ receives one of California's largest tax credits for filming entirely in the state. (more)

• Paramount+ greenlights UK thriller series ‘Curfew.’ (more)

✅ Renewed & Cancelled ❌

• ‘The Young and the Restless’ is renewed for four more seasons. (more)

Business 🤝

• Netflix is expected to raise its prices again in 2024. (more)

• Warner Bros. Discovery halts merger discussions with Paramount Global, with no current interest from Comcast in acquiring Paramount assets. (more)

• IMAX’s Q4 revenues drop 12% to $86M amid a box office downturn. (more)

• Sony lays off 900 employees in their gaming division. (more)

• Fifth Season is selling more than $1B worth of AppleTV+ content. (more)

• Whoopi Goldberg invests in BLKFAM, a new Black-owned family streaming service launched by Larry Adams. (more)

Other News 🚨

• ‘Dune: Part Two’ is poised to rejuvenate the box office with an estimated $80M debut, potentially marking the biggest opening weekend since last Oct. (more)

• The Academy creates separate Animation and Short Films Branches to better represent their growing and diverse communities within the film industry. (more)

• Jon Stewart's return to ‘The Daily Show’ significantly boosts ratings, drawing 2.44M viewers for his latest appearance, a 48% increase from the previous week. (more)

• CNN settles with Don Lemon for $24.5M following his departure. (more)