🎬 The Internet's Freaking Out

👋 Good morning! Joachim Trier's ‘Sentimental Value’ scored a marathon 19-minute standing ovation at Cannes Wednesday night, making it this year's applause champion and putting it just three minutes behind the all-time record holder, Guillermo del Toro's ‘Pan's Labyrinth’ from 2006 (22 minutes). As Cannes wraps tomorrow, we'll see whether all that standing and clapping translates into who actually takes home the hardware.

Welcome aboard the Dailies. Memorial Day weekend's calling, but first—let's get you caught up on the latest Hollywood news. Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Top Streamed

• YouTube-to-Hollywood Pipeline

• Google’s Newest AI is “Usable”

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

• Release Radar: What to watch this weekend

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Martini Shot 🍸

TOP STREAMED
📊 What U.S. audiences were watching this week…

WIDESHOT
📺 YouTube is becoming Hollywood’s unofficial R&D lab…

Two teenagers uploaded homemade videos to YouTube from their bedrooms. Now Hollywood's biggest names are throwing millions at their ideas, complete with A-list stars and Oscar-winning producers. The YouTube-to-Hollywood pipeline is stronger than ever—here are the latest proof points:

• Kane Parsons was just 17 when he uploaded ‘The Backrooms,’ a 9-minute horror short, to YouTube in 2022. Now he's 19 and directing an A24 feature with Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor reportedly close to signing on and Cristin Milioti in discussions to co-star. The project has heavyweight producers attached: James Wan (Atomic Monster), Shawn Levy (21 Laps), and Chernin Entertainment are all backing the teen filmmaker.

• Michael Bay is tackling ‘Skibidi Toilet’ after the bizarre series—created by Georgia-based animator Alexey Gerasimov from his literal nightmares about heads popping out of toilets—exploded from an 11-second YouTube short into a viral phenomenon with 35B+ collective views. It's fitting Bay got the gig since his ‘Transformers’ movies inspired Gerasimov’s series to begin with.

The bigger picture: YouTube's massive audience (which captured 12.4% of all TV viewing in April according to Nielsen) combined with its algorithm has turned it into Hollywood's ultimate IP testing lab, allowing new IP to skip the traditional development pipeline entirely. Smart studios are catching on: Nickelodeon is currently test-driving ‘Kid Cowboy’ on YouTube for free to gauge franchise potential before deciding whether to roll it out to cable. Why blow millions on something that might tank when you can cherry-pick concepts that have already racked up billions of views?

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CLOSEUP
📺 The internet’s freaking out over Flow…

Social media had a collective meltdown this week after Google unveiled Flow, an AI platform that's generating the most realistic, consistent video content anyone's seen from AI. Demo clips racked up hundreds of thousands of views within hours, with comments ranging from "this blew my mind" to variations of "we're all doomed."

What is Flow? Google's new filmmaking tool combines several of its AI systems to create 8-second video clips from simple text prompts. Users can upload their own "ingredients"—think character faces, locations, random objects—and maintain consistency across scenes, then Frankenstein everything together into longer sequences. Why the strong reactions?

• It talks: Veo 3, Google’s latest video model, can now generate dialogue and environmental sounds directly with video (goodbye, awkward silent AI movies)

• It remembers: Previous tools would give your main character a completely different face mid-scene—Flow actually maintains visual continuity

• It's actually usable: For the first time, creators are calling AI video outputs genuinely usable (though that familiar uncanny valley vibe hasn't totally disappeared)

Reality check: Don't panic just yet. Flow still spits out 8-second clips that require serious editing wizardry to become anything watchable. Some are pointing out that AI video might actually boost demand for premium content as generated nonsense floods the internet.

Darren Aronofsky has entered the chat: In parallel with Google's announcement, acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky revealed Primordial Soup, a new studio partnering with Google DeepMind to produce three AI-assisted short films using tools like Flow. Their first project, Eliza McNitt's ‘Ancestra,’ premieres at Tribeca next month using AI alongside traditional crews and SAG actors.

LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• Kieran Culkin will play Caesar Flickerman in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’. (more)

• A24 and Alex Garland are developing a live-action ‘Elden Ring’ movie based on the hit game by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. (more)

• Apple TV+ is producing ‘Mr. Scorsese,’ a five-part docuseries offering a decades-spanning portrait of the legendary filmmaker. (more)

• Dwayne Johnson is set to star in A24’s psychological thriller ‘Breakthrough,’ marking his latest turn toward darker, dramatic roles. (more)

• Vertical has acquired ‘Griffin in Summer,’ Tribeca’s prize-winning coming-of-age comedy from Nicholas Colia, for a theatrical release this summer. (more)

• Andrew Koji, Jason Momoa, Noah Centineo, and Roman Reigns are in talks to star in Legendary’s live-action ‘Street Fighter’ adaptation. (more)

• Alan Ritchson, Jerry Bruckheimer, and the ‘Minecraft’ writers are teaming up for ‘Fortune,’ a high-stakes adventure film in the works at Skydance. (more)

• Marvel has delayed ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ to Dec. 18, 2026, and ‘Secret Wars’ to Dec. 17, 2027, to allow more production time. (more)

TV Development 📺

• Blumhouse Television has acquired Clémence Michallon’s upcoming novel ‘Our Last Resort’ for a series adaptation. (more)

• Josh Hartnett will star in and EP Netflix’s Newfoundland-set sea creature thriller. (more)

• Zach Braff is set to reprise his role in ABC’s ‘Scrubs’ reboot. (more)

• Netflix has ordered a new ‘Robert Langdon’ series based on Dan Brown’s upcoming novel, with Carlton Cuse onboard as showrunner. (more)

Cannes 🇫🇷

• Neon and Mubi have acquired Cannes thriller ‘The Secret Agent’, starring Wagner Moura, with Neon taking North America and Mubi landing U.K., India, and most of Latin America. (more)

• Neon has acquired North American rights to Jafar Panahi’s Cannes competition film ‘It Was Just an Accident.’ (more)

• Mubi has acquired Mascha Schilinski’s Cannes competition film ‘Sound of Falling’ for North America, the U.K., Ireland, Turkey, and India. (more)

Business 🤝

• Alexandra Loewy has been named President of Film at ‘Miramax,’ marking a full-circle return to the studio where she began her career. (more)

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RELEASE RADAR
📅 What to watch this weekend?

🎥 THEATRICAL

• Lilo & Stitch: Live-action remake of Disney's 2002 animated classic.

• Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning: Eighth installment in the franchise starring Tom Cruise and directed by Christopher McQuarrie.

• The Last Rodeo: Bull riding drama from Angel Studios starring Neal McDonough.

• Friendship: Dark buddy comedy starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd goes wide.

📺 STREAMING

• Fear Street: Prom Queen: (Netflix) Slasher horror set in 1988, a standalone film following the original ‘Fear Street’ trilogy.

• Fountain of Youth: (Apple TV+) Heist adventure film starring John Krasinski and Natalie Portman, directed by Guy Ritchie.

• She the People: (Netflix) Political comedy series created by Tyler Perry starring Terri J. Vaughn.

• Nine Perfect Strangers: (Hulu) S2 of the mystery thriller anthology starring Nicole Kidman with a new ensemble cast set in the Swiss Alps.

🔮 BOX OFFICE PREVIEW

Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to be absolutely massive. ‘Lilo & Stitch’ is looking at projections of ~$165M over four days, while ‘Mission: Impossible’ is tracking for a franchise best of ~$80M. Combine those with strong holdovers, and the total weekend haul could easily pass $350M—which would obliterate 2013's all-time Memorial Day record of $306M. It’s a welcome turnaround from last year’s dismal ‘Furiosa’ holiday frame, which was one of the weakest Memorial Day performances in decades.

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest trends & viral moments