Good evening. Sad news tonight in Los Angeles, where an NBC4 helicopter has crashed, leaving multiple people dead and several others injured.

The crash was captured live on camera, and veteran L.A. helicopter reporter Zoey Tur wrote on Twitter that it sounded like NBC4’s helicopter ran out of fuel, likely causing engine failure, though authorities have yet to announce any kind of official cause.

My heart goes out to everyone affected by this seemingly easily preventable tragedy, and I’ll keep them in my prayers tonight.

Last night, Mariska Hargitay hosted the Emmys, and I’ll share my thoughts on the show below the paywall, but first, I saw two movies since we last met — John Carney’s Power Ballad and Padraic McKinley’s upcoming drama The Weight.

I highly recommend both movies.

Power Ballad is one of the best movies of the year, period. Carney, the director of Once and Sing Sing, is a master of the modern musical, and his latest is on nearly the same level. It’s about Rick Power (Paul Rudd), a musician who gave up on his dreams of becoming a rock star to settle down with his family in Ireland and sing in a wedding band. When he meets Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former boy band star desperate to reinvent himself as a solo act, the two hit it off and stay up late one night, drinking and jamming together. Rick even plays Danny one of his songs.

Months later, Rick is in a mall when he hears that same song, which shoots to #1 on the charts and racks up 500 million downloads. Its success prompts Rick to track down Danny and seek proper credit for the song.

Jonas is solid as the global music sensation, but this is one of Rudd’s very best performances — he doesn’t just hide behind his goofball charm; he digs deep and really gets in there, especially during the third act. Meanwhile, Jack Reynor and Peter McDonald are perfect in supporting roles. The music itself isn’t as memorable as the songs in Once and Sing Sing, but Carney really sticks the landing here, as the ending bucks convention and delivers something far better than what you’re expecting.

I loved this movie, and it’s a shame that Lionsgate never quite figured out how to sell it...

I also watched The Weight, which comes out on Friday. Ethan Hawke plays a single father who is ripped away from his young daughter and sent to a labor camp to do hard time — moving rocks and shit. He hits it off with his jailer, played by Russell Crowe, who offers him early release if he leads a dangerous expedition across a forest to transport government gold. And gold, as we all know, will make men do crazy things…

Meanwhile, if Hawke loses a single bar, he’ll have failed in his mission, and he may never see his daughter again, as she’ll be lost to the foster care system forever.

The Weight is basically a modern-day Sorcerer — the William Friedkin movie where the guys have to transport unstable dynamite across the jungle — with the gold standing in for dynamite. It proves to be just as explosive.

Howard Hawks once said that a great movie is “three good scenes and no bad ones.” Well, The Weight fits that description, and while it may be a little too familiar to be “great,” I can promise you this much — it’s “damn good.”

Speaking of damn good, Universal and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster snapped up the rights to Joshua Giuliano’s buzzy slasher movie River, which just premiered in the Midnight section at TIFF. Jane Levy and Jessica Rothe star in the movie, and though I haven’t seen River myself, it drew strong reviews from critics before selling for $10 million. This, after IFC and Shudder already had a deal for the movie, or so I thought. I’m sure Universal paid a pretty premium to pry it away…

The team behind ‘River’ is watching the money flow in the wake of fellow TIFF title ‘Obsession.’

Universal and Blumhouse entered TIFF bullish on this year’s festival after Focus spent $15 million to acquire Obsession last year, and the film went on to gross more than $500 million worldwide. To them, there’s plenty of gold in those horror hills, which get plenty of eyeballs.

Meanwhile, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother played through the roof at TIFF despite its unwieldy title. Bassam Tariq’s new movie stars Mahershala Ali as a Muslim hitman in desperate need of breast milk for his child, and Ali is said to have put his Blade training to good use in this film, which prominently features him with a samurai sword.

John Cho is also said to turn heads with his supporting turn. I’ve been high on this movie since I first saw the trailer at CinemaCon in April, and I can’t wait to see it next week. I just hope it finds an audience, for at least then something good will have come out of the whole Blade mess at Marvel.

Unfortunately, Zack Snyder’s new film, The Last Photograph, was greeted with, um, less enthusiastic reviews, shall we say, though I suspect that Snyder simply shared his film with the wrong audience. I saw lots of critics call it “racist” or “misogynistic,” which aren’t words I’d ever think of lobbing at a movie. Several invoked 2023’s Sound of Freedom, which I happened to enjoy, as I don’t get too caught up in a film’s politics — I care whether it’s entertaining and how well it tells the story it set out to tell.

The critics may very well be correct about The Last Photograph, but until I’ve seen the film myself, I’ll endeavor to keep an open mind, knowing how easily offended some critics can be with their delicate sensibilities. Naturally, Snyder has already responded, claiming critics had their knives out for him this time. Hmmm…

More from TIFF: Judging from thousands of miles away, the festival’s King and Queen this year have to be Anthony Ippolito, who plays Sylvester Stallone in I Play Rocky, and Rosalind Eleazar, who plays the title role in Chris Rock’s A24 movie Misty Green. Sight unseen, I expect both to be nominated for Oscars — and flooded with offers, too.

There’s one in particular that wouldn’t surprise me — Ippolito is Italian, in case you know any prominent Italian directors casting any high-profile movies right now — but whether it happens or not, I think we’re going to be hearing a lot more about Ippolito — and Eleazar — very, very soon.

And before we pivot away from festivals, May el-Toukhy’s drama Woman Unknown won the Golden Lion at Venice, though I’m not sure that’ll matter much when it comes to the Oscars. We’ll see…

Elsewhere, Jeremy Saulnier’s fugitive thriller October has reportedly been retitled Slayground, which is a terrible B-movie title. It feels like the kind of title that might’ve fit that Johnny Depp movie about Notorious B.I.G. back in the day (City of Lies). The film is also said to be 2.5 hours long, though it’s unclear whether Saulnier is still editing it down. This is one of my most anticipated movies of the year (now 2027, I guess), so here’s hoping Saulnier delivers once again, as I don’t think he’s missed yet.

We got some great trailers this week — The Further Mis-adventures of Cliff Booth (since removed), Minotaur, and Mr. Irrelevant, which, like I Play Rocky, is going to surprise a lot of people (not me, obviously), I think. After all, there’s a reason Paramount felt comfortable giving director Jonathan Levine the keys to Days of Thunder 2.

Speaking of ‘90s movies, Vertical is giving Renny Harlin’s new Cliffhanger movie a helping hand, agreeing to take over the distribution rights from the embattled distributor Row K. This is a smart bet from Vertical, which took a similar gamble on the Tom Hardy movie Capone and did very, very well with that film.

WB’s Practical Magic 2, on the other hand, underperformed at the box office this weekend, taking in just $29 million when it had been tracking for $40 million. I don’t think the reviews helped here. We’ll see if they can help WB’s next release, the Tom Cruise movie Digger, an arthouse movie with the budget of a blockbuster. Right now, it’s tracking for a $20 million domestic opening. Not good, Bob!

On the news front, Bob De Niro (just go with it for the sake of the segue) has signed on to play Tommy Lasorda in a new indie movie that reteams him with writer George Gallo, whom he worked with on Midnight Run and last year’s underrated comedy The Comeback Trail.

Speaking of reunions, Searchlight announced a sequel to The Family Stone that will bring back the entire cast and no doubt pay tribute to its late matriarch, Diane Keaton.

Just as I predicted, Amazon MGM Studios is giving Ron Howard’s war drama Alone at Dawn the American Sniper treatment, only the studio is doing it next year. Adam Driver and Anne Hathaway star in the movie, which will open in select theaters on Christmas Day 2027 before going wide in January. Sound familiar?

I’m also high on a pair of indies that were announced this week — Cory Finley’s Reasonable People, which will pair Paul Rudd and Sam Rockwell; and Ramin Bahrani’s Last Meals, which will star Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook, Tessa Thompson, and Michael Shannon.

Finally, Skydance Animation and Netflix have ended their distribution pact, so John Lasseter’s Cosmic Motors — described as “Cars in space” — will now be released by Paramount, though Netflix will still release Brad Bird’s animated film Ray Gunn in November.

Oh, and Paramount’s mountain of lawyers will sit down with California A.G. Rob Bonta to discuss a possible settlement on Oct. 14 and 15, with billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of potential jobs at stake.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in that room! I wonder where they’ll order lunch from…

Besides Bonta’s lunch order, I’m working on a few scoops for later this month. However, we must first put a bow on the recent TV season and dive into the Emmys.

Despite being known as a film guy, I watch as much TV as anyone; I just don’t watch a lot of popular shows like Game of Thrones, Bridgerton, or Abbott Elementary. Perhaps that’s why I’ve never been terribly invested in the Emmys, which — not to be a movie snob — will never be the Oscars in my eyes. That’s because it’s impossible to watch every contender, unlike in film, where that mission is a bit more manageable.

Premium subscribers can continue reading for more thoughts on the Emmys, including Taylor Swift’s pre-taped skit with the SVU squad.

Welcome back, everyone, and thanks for sticking around. I know it’s a somber day today, with it being the 25th anniversary of 9/11, which I wrote about in yesterday’s newsletter.

It’s a tough day for a lot of people, and if anyone needs to talk, I’m available. It’s the least I can do after so many of you reached out this week with words of support, which I truly appreciated.

This weekend, I plan to cozy up with a good book and a screener for the new Ethan Hawke-Russell Crowe movie The Weight, which is higher on my list than the new Paul Greengrass movie The Uprising, now in theaters with mixed reviews. The latter film stars Andrew Garfield, who was aboard a plane full of industry peeps that had to make an emergency landing this week. Thank god everyone is alright…

I just wish I could say the same for The Human Centipede director Tom Six, who gave THR’s Gustavo Turner what he calls “the final interview” of his life as he succumbs to the pain of MS. I spent an afternoon with Six once, and I found his last words to be inspiring, as he goes off on the woke scolds who have become enemies of art. Who am I to argue with a dying man? Six came out of nowhere to make an indelible impression in the genre community, and I hope his final days are as comfortable as possible.

Sandra Bullock is looking comfortable at the box office, which is poised to have a new champ this weekend. WB’s Practical Magic 2 is looking at a $40 million weekend despite some rough reviews, but hey, that’s the power of Sandy, who has been dutifully playing the PR game in support of the sequel.

Speaking of PR games, though the Paramount-WB circus continues, there may be an end in sight, as California AG Rob Bonta has agreed to sit down and discuss a settlement with David Ellison’s lawyers next month. Again, I predict Paramount will prevail, no matter how much Netflix is posturing otherwise. The streamer announced this week that it will report box office, which is the latest step in Netflix’s not-so-secret quest to make its previously sworn enemy — movie theaters — part of its business strategy, as I wrote months ago when I saw the writing on the wall.

Elsewhere, there’s a report making the rounds about WB taking a “pause” on development of a planned Wonder Woman movie, which is plausible, due to both the pending Paramount-Skydance deal and Supergirl’s underperformance at the box office.

However, I wonder if it’s less a “pause” than a recalibration of sorts…

I still think there’s a way to make a Wonder Woman movie for a responsible number, and I think the answer is right there in the title. Whoever directs this movie needs to balance “wonder” with what makes this character distinctly feminine.

This movie needs to explore sisterhood and depict a world where women have each other’s backs. Who needs Mr. Terrific and Guy Gardner when you’ve got Mom on your side? This is a movie that needs to be grounded and show how the women in our lives — our mothers, sisters, wives, etc. — are the true superheroes. Because that theme is universal, and this version of Wonder Woman can’t simply be a variation on what we’ve seen before; it demands a unique take.

By the way, Being Heumann premiered at TIFF last night to warm, respectful reviews from critics, and its protagonist, Judy Heumann (played by real-life wheelchair user Ruth Madeley), is exactly the kind of character who should be backing up Wonder Woman, should she require her own version of a Justice Gang.

In a way, Heumann is Wonder Woman herself, for strength comes in many different shapes and sizes.

It’s not always about punching a villain through a building. Sometimes it’s about just getting out of bed in the morning, or facing a world that doesn’t want you in it and makes no accommodations for your existence.

I can’t wait to see Being Heumann this November, and regardless of when we see Wonder Woman’s next solo movie, I hope DC strives to think outside of the box, as there are real-life heroes among us, and Wonder Woman’s true power is one we all share — the ability to make a difference.

Anyway, the Emmy Awards are Monday evening, and the show will honor this year’s difference makers in the world of television.

Despite being known as a film guy, I watch as much TV as anyone, if not more, as I’m someone who is drawn to stories, regardless of the medium. I’m still reading books, people! I’m ancient.

As someone who ingests a fair amount of television each year, I have my thoughts about who is deserving and who isn’t, and for the most part, Emmy voters get things right. I’ve just never been that invested in the Emmys, because you get the same statue as a lead that you do for a seven-minute guest appearance.

There are just too many awards, too many categories, too many nominees, and, let’s face it, voters only watch a very narrow swath of shows, because they have busy lives. That’s how you get four or five nominees from the same show in one category — most voters watch the same shows they’re being told to watch, either by the trades, the almighty algorithm, or FYC consultants bombarding them with links and mailers.

Nonetheless, I am sharing my Final Emmy Predictions with my premium subscribers, just in case they want to head to Kalshi and place some bets — excuse me, make some predictions.

Have a great weekend, everyone, and may your favorite NFL team fare better than mine did in Week 1!

It’s Thursday, folks, and the Rams just got smashed by the 49ers in a battle of California’s finest football teams (the Chargers are still in ‘prove it’ mode, and don’t get me started on the Raiders).

Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11, which is crazy to think about. I was a high school senior at the time, one who dreamed of attending New York University, so I was pretty shell-shocked when the Twin Towers fell one after the other.

I can’t imagine how I would’ve felt had 9/11 happened just one year later, and I’d actually been in the city. I don’t think my mother would’ve let me stay if we’re being honest.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to deal with the horror of that day in person, nor did my mother, to her credit, allow such an unprecedented attack on American soil to deter her first-born from attending NYU when he was finally accepted. In some ways, New York was the safest place in the world in 2002. There was no way anything would happen there again. I was appropriately wary of the big city, but I wasn’t afraid of it, and I’m grateful to my mother for putting her own fears aside to support my dreams.

Of course, in the fall of 2002, when I first matriculated at NYU, the city was still reeling from 9/11. The wound was still fresh. In some ways, it will always be fresh, perhaps because it is seared into our collective memories. My heart forever goes out to all the families who lost loved ones that day, and to the first responders whose lives were cut short because they ran towards the debris while everyone else ran away.

I hope to never witness another 9/11 in my lifetime, and if history does repeat itself, I pray it’s far, far away from my family and me, for I can’t imagine having the strength to go on. But people did find the strength, and they still do — every day. God bless ‘em. That’s the American spirit for you. It’s unbreakable.

Speaking of unbreakable spirit, I saw Guns N’ Roses rock out at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday night, and it was a pretty epic three-hour show featuring roughly an hour of pure shredding. Axl Rose’s voice may not be what it used to be, but he’s still a genuine one-name-only rock star. Imagine having two of those people in one band?

Yes, Slash is still crushing it on guitar, and he looks the exact same at 61 as he did at 31. Slash is probably one of the top five most talented human beings to ever hold a guitar, so it was pretty cool watching him do his thing last weekend — like watching Michael Jordan play basketball, or Richard Pryor do stand-up comedy.

Last night, I saw Na Hong-jin’s Korean creature feature Hope, which was a wild, overlong ride at 157 minutes (three minutes shorter than the version that screened as a work-in-progress at Cannes). The first 40 minutes and the last 40 minutes of this movie are fairly gripping extended action sequences, if a bit repetitive and monotonous. But there’s an hour in the middle of this movie that drags, and you never quite bond with the characters like you do in, say, Bong Joon Ho’s monster movie The Host.

The performances are fine… I just couldn’t get too attached to the characters, and I think part of the problem is that the humor in this movie is a little uneven, and it’s used to keep the audience at arm’s length.

Having said that, Na Hong-jin absolutely crushes the action sequence in this movie, to the point where I think he should be high on certain lists at Marvel Studios. Hope is a rollicking, kinetic thrill ride that doesn’t let up and offers a huge canvas for its characters to play on. The director’s sense of space and his use of space in this movie is seriously something to behold.

The movie may be flawed, and perhaps limited by its budget, but this is nonetheless a directorial feat that should result in studios offering Na Hong-jin multiple English-language projects. Whether he wants to “go Hollywood” is another story, and entirely up to him, but those opportunities will start to materialize after this.

Let’s just hope that if the director does, uh, “go Hollywood,” he doesn’t wind up making forgettable B-movies like The Mongoose, one of two new Liam Neeson movies debuting this fall.

Neeson has a small role in The Fix, which opens this weekend, but he’s very much front-and-center and in the driver’s seat in The Mongoose, in which he plays a military veteran named Fang who is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and forced to go on the run to prove his innocence with the help of his military buddies, including Ving Rhames. The whole time, law enforcement, personified by Michael Chiklis, is in hot pursuit, while his ex-wife (helpfully labeled as such in his phone), Marisa Tomei, watches news reports on TV and talks to him on the phone during breaks in the action.

The Mongoose is strangely watchable — such is the nature of movie stars doing what we love — but it’s also instantly forgettable, and I doubt anyone will be clamoring for a sequel here. Though when it comes to this side of the business, you never know.

The Fix actually fares a bit better, as Zachary Levi (Shazam!) makes a surprisingly effective action hero. He plays the leader of a special ops group (including Quincy Isaiah, who played Magic Johnson in HBO’s Winning Time) that heads back to Tehran on an off-the-books mission to retrieve $25 million in cash hidden in the walls of a hotel room — at least, that’s according to Levi’s former CIA handler (Neeson), who, by the way, has dementia.

Does Neeson remember correctly? Is he flat-out wrong? Or is he playing another game? Perhaps there’s something even more valuable than money hidden in those walls…

Throughout the movie, Levi’s character is haunted by what he must do in the film’s opening sequence — shoot an asset who has been kidnapped to spare him a worse fate. It’s a solid sequence, and most of the action sequences work here courtesy of director Guy Moshe, who served in the Israeli Army, but at 142 minutes, the film grows sluggish. It simply doesn’t earn that absurdly luxurious running time.

As soon as I saw that this movie was 142 minutes, I knew it would be a problem. This is why Hollywood needs a VP of Common Sense. Maybe they could help run my Twitter account…

Finally, on Tuesday night, I saw By Any Means, which has been getting middling reviews — one critic called it the single most crass movie of the year behind Melania — but I happened to enjoy it.

Mark Wahlberg plays a mob-adjacent tough guy from Brooklyn who isn’t afraid to swing a baseball bat at a kneecap or shoot a cop during an unwarranted traffic stop. He’s paired with a straight-laced FBI agent (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who learns that if he really wants justice, he may need to crack some heads to get it.

I don’t care how ridiculous Wahlberg looks with a prosthetic nose; he’s absolutely delicious in this movie. You have to buy him as a stone-cold killer, but something of a teddy bear deep down, and Wahlberg walks that fine line between menacing and maniac. You root for him, and Abdul-Mateen II continues to show new sides of himself s a leading man.

I was a big fan of Elegance Bratton’s LGBTQ drama The Inspection, and while By Any Means isn’t quite as refined, it’s still an interesting story told in an entertaining way. I just wish the main villain (Ethan Embry) got what was coming to him. It took 30 years for the long arm of the law to catch up with him, but catch up with him it finally did.

On the news side, THR reports that Asa Germann (Scream 7) has been cast as Angel in Marvel’s X-Men movie after initially auditioning for Cyclops, and he certainly looks the part with that baby face, while Deadline reports Sacha Baron Cohen has landed one of the leads in Quentin Tarantino’s new stage play, The Popinjay Cavalier. If you’ll recall, Baron Cohen was poised to co-star in Django Unchained as a man from Broomhilde’s past, but he was forced to drop out due to a scheduling conflict with The Dictator, and the scene was ultimately cut prior to filming.

I suppose if you’re making a British comedy, and you’re Tarantino, who lives in Israel, it makes sense that Baron Cohen would be among the first people you’d call. I just wish I lived in London so I could see this in person. The first time I ever saw Tarantino was in person in a stage adaptation of Wait Until Dark (he played the Alan Arkin role).

Tomorrow, I’ll share my Final Emmy Predictions, but first, today marks the start of the Toronto International Film Festival, and I’m bummed I can’t be there. I simply had too much going on this year — apologies.

I hope everyone making the trek north of the border has a great time and sees some great movies, but I’ve got 14 questions ahead of the festival, which should provide a clearer picture of the Oscar race in the days ahead.

Premium subscribers may now enter the Sneider-Verse to continue reading and find out what’s on my mind as I put TIFF’s presumed awards contenders under a magnifying glass…

Happy Tuesday, folks! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday weekend and walked away from your fantasy football drafts satisfied.

It was a crazy weekend for yours truly, who lost nearly 900 followers on Twitter in the dumbest “controversy” of all time before gaining most of them back in a wild, well-timed twist after the Telluride Film Festival revealed Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, You Can See Everything, as its secret screening.

The reviews have been ecstatic, and I hope A24 will still have me at an upcoming screening after the dumb stunt I pulled this weekend.

Regardless, it’s true that this tiny, little newsletter that has zero advertising, even though everyone in town reads it, was the only outlet in the world to report on this top-secret project, which I first announced way back in March 2025.

Call me crazy, folks… just call me good, too.

And kudos to Fielder and Oppenheim for keeping this pretty quiet otherwise. A24 did a great job of surprising festgoers, and the studio could wind up making history for its troubles, as there’s buzz that You Can See Everything could become the first documentary nominated for Best Picture.

A24 has a stacked slate this fall, so we’ll see if one film emerges from the pack, though Jesse Eisenberg’s The Debut seems poised to be the chosen one. We’ll see…

You Can See Everything wasn’t the only¹ awards contender to drop a teaser this weekend, as we also caught our first glimpse of Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial. Meanwhile, WB released a teaser for its supernatural romance Remain, which is a collaboration between Oscar-nominated director M. Night Shyamalan and bestselling author Nicholas Sparks. Both teasers, I must say, were a little underwhelming.

Last night, I watched the upcoming Netflix documentary The Widower, though that remains under embargo until the end of the month, so come back then. Of course, as with most Netflix documentaries, it’s best not to read much about this documentary beforehand, lest you spoil any twists and turns for yourself. I also watched the first four episodes of Season 3 of Nobody Wants This, and Apple’s Neuromancer pilot starring Callum Turner — though again, both remain under embargo.

Today, I’ve got some Summer Movie Awards to hand out — just brace yourselves for brutal honesty below. I feel bad about this weekend’s blow-up, but brutal honesty remains the brand, so if you’ve got the stomach — and a premium subscription — then enter the Sneider-Verse to continue reading…

Happy Friday, folks! TGIF, am I right?

You may have seen me trending on Twitter today. Yet another “controversy,” it seems. Must be a day that ends in the letter “Y.” I’ll address the situation below the paywall, so if you want the tea, you’ll have to pay for it. Sorry! Blame Jay Penske…

Last night, I saw Adam Wingard’s Onslaught, which was like a cross between The Guest and You’re Next, except for one important thing — it wasn’t good. Like, at all.

Adria Arjona is fine as the film’s badass momma bear — she has a daughter that she needs to protect — but I wouldn’t call this her finest moment. This movie is basically about a guy she once kicked in the nuts who became a super soldier and gets turned loose in her trailer park with two of his buddies. Everyone is dressed like something out of Splinter Cell, and none of them have an off switch. There’s a government agent (Drew Starkey) on MDMA who seems to be two steps behind at all times. In other words, the script is terrible.

I’m a big fan of Wingard’s early films, but Onslaught is nakedly lazy — the kind of B-movie you could write on a rainy afternoon. In this case, the “B” stands for “brainless.”

Speaking of brainless movies, I’ve got two more for you — The Runner and Runner. Yes, you read that right. No, you are not having a stroke.

Runner is an action movie from Angel Studios starring Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson, and while I can’t complain about said action — Act of Valor director Scott Waugh delivers on that front — the story is way too formulaic, and nearly every actor plays a stock character.

Ritchson plays a courier who must transport a valuable liver to a little girl with an ultra-rare blood type. Wilson plays the guy responsible for overseeing the transfer. Rodrigo Santoro (300) is actually pretty good as the persistent villain, who needs the liver for his ailing mother. It’s a scenery-chewing performance, to be sure, but at least he’s livening up the proceedings. Frankly, I enjoyed Santoro’s work here.

The beauty of Ritchson’s performance as Jack Reacher is his fuck-you attitude, but in Runner, Ritchson’s personality is reduced to “Recovering Alcoholic Turned Boy Scout.” His edge is so sanded down that he’s just playing a heroic archetype, and that’s boring. And that was my main problem with this movie — it was just a little too generic for its own good.

But I get it! This is a movie from Angel Studios, which targets a faith-based audience, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. In an effort to play to that crowd, the filmmakers played it safe — they were careful not to offend anyone with too much swearing or blood. Like, there is blood in this movie, but given the level of violence, I found it curiously bloodless. To be fair to Runner, it’ll probably appeal to action aficionados who appreciate a short movie about dudes with guns chasing each other, but I would’ve added a cool twist late in the game.

Speaking of which, I watched Gal Gadot’s The Runner this week, and that wasn’t very good, either, though it also wasn’t “9% on Rotten Tomatoes” bad. That’s why expectations are everything. I watched this movie thinking it would be a piece of shit, and it wasn’t — it just wasn’t very good. Hardly Gadot’s worst streaming movie, though.

Director Kevin MacDonald keeps the energy up, and Gadot makes a decent action star/desperate mom — she just shouldn’t be on the phone for an entire movie. In fact, she’s one of the last actresses who should be on the phone for an entire movie. But I do believe there’s a place for her in Hollywood post-Wonder Woman.

Falling somewhere in between The Runner and Runner was The Whisper Man, one of two new movies I watched on Netflix this week. I read The Whisper Man last year, and I thought the book was good but not great, though I was impressed when Netflix landed actors like Robert De Niro, Michael Keaton, and Michelle Monaghan for the movie.

That’s not to say I don’t like Adam Scott, because I do — I’m just not sure I like him in dramatic roles like this movie and Hokum. He’s a much, much better comedic actor. So right away, this movie is at a disadvantage. Next, De Niro is sleepwalking through this movie. Like, I don’t even know if he is awake — no disrespect to a legend.

The Whisper Man comes alive once Keaton enters the frame, and I won’t spoil the third act, but I like the younger actor it centers around. The movie is pretty dull and dreary for the first hour or so, but if you can push through it, you might find a few small pleasures late in the game. Overall, however, this is another disappointing AGBO production.

Director James Ashcroft made one of the best genre films of the past decade, Coming Home in the Dark, but I must say that he’s now 1-for-3 in my book, as The Rule of Jenny Pen also let me down.

My final note on all three of these movies? We need better child actors. God, I’m brutal today. I’m sorry. Perhaps I was just spoiled growing up. We had Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood trying to kill each other, and Culkin kissing Anna Chlumsky, and Christina Ricci kissing everyone. The ‘90s — what a time to be alive!

Let’s end this intro on a positive note. That other Netflix movie that I watched? It’s called Facing El Chapo, and I thought it was very well made by director Chava Cartas, who should absolutely be signed by a major agency. Are you listening, Hollywood?

The film stars Alfonso Herrera and Noe Hernandez as the federal cops who unexpectedly captured El Chapo (Hector Kotsifakis) and put up a hell of a fight to do so.

I actually stumbled upon this movie via the 90-second preview that Netflix runs whenever you land on a tile, and I’m glad I gave it a chance, because once it sinks its hooks in, it doesn’t let go. It runs a tight 90 minutes, the stakes are high, and there’s real suspense. Take my word for it — watch Facing El Chapo. And keep your eye on Cartas, who will almost certainly sign with a notable agency in the days ahead.

On the news side, set photos from the Daniels’ new movie vindicated my reporting about a heavy Power Rangers influence; Puck’s Matt Belloni confirmed my report from last week that called out the BS surrounding the James Bond casting search; and directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley confirmed my scoop that Training Day is among the main inspirations for the new Star Trek movie they’re developing.

Tom Cruise lent his support to the Paramount-WB merger, saying with confidence that the combined entity will release 30 films per year, something that I feel is easily attainable, and which my podcast co-host thinks is impossible. We’ll see on that front…

In terms of casting, Billy Barratt will play young Voldemort in HBO’s Harry Potter series, which dropped a new trailer, while trained ballet dancers Monica Barbaro and Margaret Qualley are reportedly the two finalists to play Fred Astaire’s sister opposite Tom Holland in a new biopic about the screen icon from Wonka director Paul King. Naturally, both actresses are coming off August bombs, but hey, bad movies gotta come out some time, right?

Oh, and Noah Jupe joined Avengers: Secret Wars in a top-secret role. Will he be playing Young Doom? What about Young Reed? Or, gasp, Franklin Richards? Stay tuned…

Speaking of top-secret, the Telluride Film Festival finally announced its lineup, which includes Wild Horse Nine, a film currently earning raves at Venice, where Werner Herzog’s Bucking Fastard landed with a predictable thud. Danny Boyle’s Ink earned mixed-positive reviews at Venice, while early word on Paul Greengrass’ The Uprising, which avoided all fall fests, is not very encouraging.

At the box office, The Odyssey finally clawed back the top spot from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and the horror movie Buddy proved to be a hit with arthouse audiences even though it wasn’t my cup of tea, grossing $5.4 million on just 1200 screens, with an expansion to come this weekend.

Apologies for the long intro, but I’ve been MIA all week. I’m back with a vengeance, though, as today’s newsletter examines the controversy that has engulfed Twitter these past 24 hours, starring yours truly and Inde Navarrette.

Actually, it has nothing to do with Navarrette, and everything to do with her reps, but only premium subscribers can enter the Sneider-Verse to read more. May the rest of you have a great Labor Day Weekend!

Happy Friday, folks!

Not much time for a big wind-up this evening, as I’m off to a fancy soiree — and available for your private function, too!

Last night, I saw Macon Blair’s new comedy Idiots, which was another letdown, though I probably should’ve seen this coming, given that the film was released during the last week of August. Blair wastes decent performances from his three leads — Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Mason Thames — because he doesn’t know what kind of movie he’s making. When Thames’ character bites a woman and reveals himself to be an actually bad person, the movie stops being fun and instead becomes mean-spirited. I didn’t care for the ending, either, which felt like it was ripped out of another movie altogether.

I really wanted to like Idiots, but alas, I’m not an idiot, myself. I think. Opinions may vary on that one!

Elsewhere, there’s a movie in the works about the creation of the Hooters “restaurant” chain, and I use the term “restaurant” lightly. Frankly, this is a genius idea, and I’m shocked it took people this long to think of it following the success of movies such as Air and Blackberry. This is an easy lay-up as far as movie concepts go — now let’s see if the producers can secure a release in IMAX and other PLF theaters. Better yet, 4DX!

On that note, this weekend, I plan to check out Robert De Niro’s new thriller The Whisper Man on Netflix. Reviews have been mixed, but I dug the book and was a big fan of the director’s first film, Coming Home in the Dark.

And speaking of whispers, I’ve got a hot rumor to share tonight about Eddie Murphy, who may be heading back to television from the sound of it.

I’m wishing all of you a great weekend, but only premium subscribers get to enter the Sneider-Verse to read more…

Happy Wednesday, folks! Apologies for the late send this week…

Today, Netflix released another brief teaser for David Fincher’s follow-up to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which apparently remains on track for an IMAX release on Nov. 25. It has also been retitled The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth.

Now, we’ve presumed that Cliff Booth would be an Oscar contender all along, and I told you what I said about Fincher being unhappy with the movie as it was currently constituted — something that is apparently par for the course on every one of his movies.

However, I later heard that screenwriter Quentin Tarantino also expressed disappointment with the current cut, which makes sense, given that he’s an extremely particular filmmaker, and for as great as Fincher is, he and Tarantino are very different directors. It should be a fun press tour!

Is this still my #1 most anticipated movie of the year, if not all time, given the Fincher-Tarantino pairing? Yes! Absolutely. But I wouldn’t be doing my duty to you, dear reader, if I didn’t pass along what I hear, which is the whole point of today’s newsletter.

For example, I hear that Danny Boyle’s new movie Ink, whose star, Jack O’Connell, currently graces the cover of Variety, is good, but hardly the stuff that Best Picture nominees are made of.

So, my question to you is, will this year be yet another year of Netflix misallocating its resources, and backing the wrong movies simply because they’re made by A-list filmmakers?

It seems to me like Los Javis’ Cannes hit, La Bola Negra, is poised to be Netflix’s top contender this year, and to be fair, the streamer is committing to a 47-day theatrical release, which is a big deal. I just hope it doesn’t take a back seat to Cliff Booth and Ink, because I’ve heard it’s the real deal.

Meanwhile, as you’ll read below, I’m hearing really good things about Peter Berg’s war movie/sports drama The Mosquito Bowl, which offers a different kind of contender that may appeal to a different kind of voter — the kind that propelled Green Book to a (well-deserved, in my opinion) Best Picture winner not too long ago. From what I hear, Netflix may want to consider putting more money behind campaigns for this movie…

Finally, I have to say that last night, I watched Julia Hart and Jordan Horowitz’s new movie Don’t Say Good Luck, and it was fucking devastating. I loved it. One of the best films of the year. Sunny Sandler shouldn’t have to wait for her father to get a greenlight at Netflix anymore. She should be on studio lists all around town, because she’s a genuine talent and a rising star. Anyone who calls her a “nepo baby” is completely blind to what she brings to the table.

This movie has no shot at a nomination, largely because I don’t think it received any kind of theatrical release, but if this were a Sony Classics title, it’s the kind of thing that could resonate with people of all ages. Leaving the god damn Oscars aside for a minute, this is a must-watch movie… even if it’ll be a very tough sit for some of you. I’m here for you, though, just as you’ve been there for me these past few years, so just email me if you need to chat after. Watch it with tissues…

Speaking of tissues, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the momentous passing of Dolly Parton, a legend in so many ways, and a true trailblazer for women in entertainment. I was always partial to Dolly’s country music hit “Jolene,” which has been covered by countless artists over the years. Perhaps we’ll see Sydney Sweeney in a Dolly biopic one day, though Parton was certainly more than her world-famous bust, as it was her generosity that knew no bounds.

You know who else was generous? Tim Curry, who passed away at 80 — the same age as Parton. He was a generous scene partner in movies ranging from Annie, Legend, and Clue in the ‘80s to Home Alone 2 and Loaded Weapon 1 in the ‘90s.

But it was two other roles that people most closely identified with Curry — Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which has proven to be an enduring cult classic, and Pennywise the Clown in the original miniseries based on Stephen King’s It, which is one of the most terrifying performances I’ve ever seen. He had tremendous range, and I hope he passed knowing how much he was loved by movie fans.

R.I.P. Tim and Dolly — both of whom were one of a kind.

On the news front this week, Nicholas Hoult dropped out of Season 2 of HBO’s Harry Potter, which replaced him with Kit Harington (yikes). Was he bullied off the project by the very loud critics of author J.K. Rowling, or was he faced with a legitimate scheduling conflict? After all, Days of Thunder 2 star Tom Cruise has been trying to work with Hoult for years; Dan Stevens has been cast in Amazon’s RoboCop series (a great call); Sacha Baron Cohen has released a trailer for his new Ali G movie; Paramount is developing a sequel to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days with Kate Hudson; Ryan Gosling is producing a live-action Flintstones movie centered around a grown-up Bam-Bam; Focus Features has awkwardly grafted “Robin Hood” onto the title of Paul Greengrass’ new movie The Uprising; and writer-director Richard Kelly is going back to the Donnie Darko well with an 800-page novel that will serve as a proof of concept for a sequel that will never get made without Jake Gyllenhaal’s character returning from the dead. Oh, and Meghan Markle was cast and then immediately uncast from Season 3 of The Gentlemen, though she could always be recast down the line. Stay tuned… LOL.

Premium subscribers may now enter the Sneider-Verse to read my take on today’s hot James Bond headlines. Plus, I’ve got a pair of test screening reviews for two war movies — Ron Howard’s Alone at Dawn and Peter Berg’s The Mosquito Bowl, both of which I’m looking forward to myself.

P.S. Hit the Merch store and buy a hat or a hoodie. I just heard a crazy story about a guy in L.A. who wore one of my hats to a screening at the AMC Burbank, where a producer friend of mine noticed his hat and struck up a conversation with him. Cut to: the producer is now reading the guy’s script! All because of an InSneider hat! Wild…

Happy Friday, folks!

Last night, I took a break from watching Mike Flanagan’s upcoming Carrie series and Netflix’s upcoming Sam Bankman-Fried series The Altruists — both of which remain under embargo — and headed to a theater for my last chance to see Andrew Patterson’s honey-dipped crime movie, The Rivals of Amziah King, on the big screen.

Matthew McConaughey and Angelina LookingGlass star in this sticky-fingered caper, which features one of the worst titles I’ve ever seen. Hats off to the financiers who took a flyer on that one!

To be fair, Amziah King is a flavorful tale with real soul, and though it tells a fairly standard revenge story, it does so in a unique world we haven’t really seen before. The movie is full of musical sequences that help lift the energy, though in the end, the tone is kind of all over the place, and Patterson doesn’t quite get this story to the emotional place it needs to go. I found it a mixed bag, and I’m not sure I’d recommend it to everyone, but it’s worth a look on VOD — just be warned that your mileage may vary.

I also caught the new Jason Statham action movie Mutiny, which delivers exactly what you’d expect from a new Jason Statham action movie — namely, Jason Statham kicking ass and saying very little. This time, he’s on a cargo ship whose captain (Roland Møller) is tied up in human trafficking. Statham teams up with a blonde lady (Annabelle Wallis) to take down the bad guys, and he’s as vicious as ever. One guy gets both a metal lock and a knife through the same cheek.

The meat-and-potatoes film hails from director Jean-François Richet (Assault on Precinct 13), and it’s the very definition of a guilty pleasure. If you know what you’re getting into, you won’t be disappointed, though Mutiny doesn’t stand out like The Beekeeper or the Crank movies, either.

Statham’s next movie should follow him as he tracks down who accidentally uploaded a pristine copy of the movie on Prime Video this week, several days ahead of its theatrical release. Was it a clever PR ploy, or a costly mistake that distributors are going to have to pay for even though this error appears to have been Amazon’s fault? Stay tuned…

As tough as Statham may be, he won’t pose any threat at the box office to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is expected to defeat Sony’s own Insidious sequel this weekend, though kudos to Blumhouse for keeping that franchise alive, as it still performs well ($25 million domestic opening).

Moving on, I have a quick update on Wednesday night’s newsletter, in which I wrote about two hot packages that were making the Hollywood rounds of late. Yesterday, Deadline reported that one of those projects, Dolly All the Time, had landed at Sony’s 3000 Pictures. The trade also confirmed the attachments I reported — Temple Hill and screenwriter Gemma Burgess.

No credit from Deadline, of course, but that’s not why I do this, folks. I do it for you guys. Besides, the trade broke the Sony element fair and square. So, Dolly fans, who do you think should play the protagonist? If you’ve read the book, email me your thoughts… and I’m also curious who you think should direct WB’s adaptation of Theo of Golden, which will star two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks. That’s a plum gig right there!

Elsewhere, Michael B. Jordan isn’t the only one getting a love interest in Miami Vice ‘85, as Deadline’s Justin Kroll reports that Camila Morrone will romance Austin Butler in Universal’s big-budget crime film. I was a big fan of Morrone’s work in the Netflix series Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, so I love this choice, and can easily see her opposite Butler.

In addition to celebrating The Odyssey as the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, Universal also landed the sci-fi movie Paradox Inc. from Tuner director Daniel Roher and producers Lord & Miller.

Based on the upcoming book by author Forrest Brazeal, Paradox Inc. concerns the race to create the first time machine for consumers — though in Big Tech’s haste, the technology doesn’t behave as expected. The premise sounds interesting enough, and Roher is a director to watch, or at the very least, listen to, given the way he used sound design to help tell the story in Tuner, which I liked but didn’t quite love.

What else happened since I last saw you? A24 has started screening Adam Wingard’s Onslaught for a lucky group of select critics. No invite for me, even though I’m an OG Wingard fan, but that’s okay — I’ll live.

It sounds like Charles Melton can live without the X-Men movie, which he has shunned in favor of a mentor role in Destin Daniel Cretton’s live-action Naruto movie. Meanwhile, Netflix pushed his Greg Kwedar movie Saturn Return to 2027. Rachel Brosnahan and Will Poulter co-star in that one, which sounds promising.

We’ve also seen a lot of movie trailers this week, from Dune: Part Three and Whalefall to Jordan Firstman’s A24 movie Club Kid and Angelina Jolie’s revenge thriller Without Blood. But none of them, for my money, was as effective as the trailer that Warner Bros. Clockwork released for its restoration of Ken Russell’s The Devils, which will go out with an NC-17 rating this fall. This is one of the best trailers of the year, and if this is what we can expect from Clockwork, then I say bring it!

Speaking of bringing it, physical media maestro Bill Hunt is the Magic Man today, reporting that Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days — one of my all-time favorite movies — is finally getting a 4K release after being largely unavailable on physical media for years. If you haven’t seen it yet, this is your chance! Co-written by none other than James Cameron, this film was way ahead of its time…

Premium subscribers may now enter the Sneider-Verse to read a little bit of gossip regarding Season 6 of Fargo, which I haven’t forgotten about — and fortunately, neither have Noah Hawley and FX.

Happy Wednesday, folks!

Yesterday, I woke up to the news that Sebastian Stan had seemingly confirmed his role in The Batman Part II — as Harvey Dent, no less. Hmmm… that would be bad for me! Fortunately, it turned out that the interview was from a French journalist (first red flag), it took place during the Cannes Film Festival (second red flag) before I reported Stan’s real role as Victor Zsasz in mid-June, and by the end of the day, Stan’s team was reaching out to the trades to say he’d been misquoted. This morning, the French journalist deleted their tweet and removed Dent from their story. Womp womp — nothing to see here, folks! Just poor critical thinking skills from the internet’s many editors…

Next, Page Six Hollywood reveals that Obsession breakout Inde Navarrette was forced to turn down a role in Heat 2 to play Rogue in Marvel’s X-Men movie. That’s kind of a bummer, as I think Navarrette could’ve learned something from Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, and director Michael Mann, but she knows what’s best for her career, and Marvel is the gift that keeps on giving, whereas a supporting role in Heat 2 might have been too thin on the page. Then again, DiCaprio himself eschewed superhero movies early in his career, as has Timothée Chalamet, who could’ve taken the easy money in the wake of Call Me By Your Name, but decided to forge his own path instead.

I think Navarrette is better than a role in Marvel’s X-Men ensemble, but I understand why she said ‘Yes’ to that giant blockbuster, which will keep her relevant — and employed — for years to come. Trust me, she’ll have plenty more opportunities to star in prestige projects. I just wish we didn’t lose so many talented young actors to the Marvel Machine, which requires that they sign years of their life away. Sigh…

Elsewhere, Cinemark, the country’s third-largest theater chain, is now supporting the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. What do these theater owners know that California A.G. Rob Bonta doesn’t? A lot? Oh, okay…

And finally, I want to tell Hollywood about an exciting new band, Angine de Poitrine, though I suspect they’re already on the industry’s radar, given their unique sense of showmanship.

Back in March, I started the process of playing the journalist card for a ticket to the band’s L.A. debut on Monday night, and hours before showtime, their PR team came through with a ticket.

Now, you can’t play the journalist card for tickets that often. It’s like a superpower that should only be used sparingly, as it’s an easy privilege to abuse, especially if you’re from a legitimate outlet like, say, Variety, as I used to be. These days, I can only hope that game recognizes game.

As true industry folks know, something special better be happening if you want people to brave downtown Los Angeles, and Angine de Poitrine certainly qualified. Tickets started at $35 and wound up reselling on StubHub for over $500. This was a genuine event.

The band chose to play at the Teragram Ballroom, a small, intimate venue that holds roughly 600-625 people and was absolutely packed, to the point that I could barely move in the center of the room. I actually got claustrophobic during the opening song and moved to the back of the venue so I could move enough to dance in place, which is kind of the whole point of attending a concert.

The Canadian jam band consists of Khn de Poitrine and Klek de Poitrine, who wear elaborate polka-dot-covered costumes while they play a double-necked guitar and the drums, respectively. Khn’s white nose sticks straight out like Pinocchio’s, while Klek’s black nose hangs limp and flops around as he pounds the drums. Their costumes also light up — a triangle illuminates over Khn’s head, while Klek’s eyes flash yellow.

The crowd offered a sea of bearded white guys in polka dots and glasses — I don’t even wear glasses, but I wore a fake pair on Monday night for some reason — most of whom were as high as the energy in the room, where joints were passed around like Bonnie Blue on a shoot day.

When they weren’t batting around beach balls in the form of giant dice (staying on theme with the polka dots), folks in the crowd often held up their hands to form a triangle, which reminded me of when I’d make the Weezer ‘W’ with my fingers as a teen… but it all felt very weird and cult-y. 

JJUUJJUU opened the concert on Monday night, and Angine de Poitrine were joined by Population II on Tuesday night. Khn and Klek took the stage a few minutes after 9 p.m. and wrapped up roughly 65 minutes later, playing the same eight-song setlist at each show.

They opened with “Angor,” the closing track on their new album, Vol. II, which features shifting time signatures around 6/8 and 4/4 structures. This let the crowd know just what they were in for — loud, fast computer rock.

Angine de Poitrine’s viral hit “Sarniezz” predictably drew the biggest applause of the night, though the live version of “Angor” really turned me on to that song.

That said, this music isn’t for everyone. If you strip away the artifice of the costumes and the weird shtick, the songs are hit-or-miss. There’s no question that Angine de Poutine would be far less successful as a traditional jam band. It’s their very weirdness that makes them cool, along with how committed Khn and Klek are to the bit.

I had a good time watching Angine de Poitrine do their thing, but without lyrics to hold on to, I’m not sure I could’ve stayed for another hour. The eight-song setlist proved to be the perfect amount of microtonal guitar, loops, and drums for one evening.

As far as Hollywood is concerned, I absolutely think that Angine de Poutine’s music could prove to be very popular in commercials and comedic trailers, and I do think the band could score a movie — it’d just have to be the right one. Personally, I think they could be a strong fit for something like the Daniels’ new film or Amazon MGM’s reboot of The Pink Panther with Eddie Murphy. They’re a fun, funky group, and they make upbeat music that sticks in your head like an earworm.

Angine de Poitrine will return to Los Angeles in December. Be sure to check them out at the Wiltern, which holds 3-4 times as many people as the Teragram Ballroom.

I was planning a cool comedy scoop for you guys this week, but I’m going to keep holding that one for a beat. Instead, tonight I bring word of Two Hot Packages making the rounds — one on the film side and one on the TV side. Will either one sell? We’ll see…

Premium subscribers may now enter the Sneider-Verse to read more… and don’t forget to hit THE MERCH STORE before the end of the year for cool swag from yours truly.

It’s a sad Monday in Hollywood, which is mourning the tragic loss of Heroes star Hayden Panettiere, who died on Sunday at age 36 from what appears to be a drug overdose after years of struggling with addiction. She was a true talent who was put through the wringer in this town, and sadly, despite her best efforts, she never quite recovered. May her memory be a blessing, and her story be a cautionary tale. R.I.P.

Before being stunned by the awful news on Sunday night, I spent the weekend in Joshua Tree dominating the pickleball court and avoiding the internet for my own mental health after that X-Men casting rumor about Storm blew up in my face. I’ll be addressing it later this week on The Hot Mic podcast, but I’d like to apologize to Suzy Bemba — not for posting a rumor about her that didn’t pan out (that’s part of the gig) but for setting her up for a tidal wave of hate that she didn’t deserve from the internet, which was absolutely vicious. I was left pretty disappointed in humanity.

The truth is that casting rumors never hurt anyone, and for the first time since Poor Things, people were talking about Suzy Bemba again, so the rumor put more eyes on her work. But in the end, she merely proved to be one of several finalists, as the role of Storm went to newcomer Maya Boyd, a stage actress best known for the Broadway play & Juliet. I’d never even heard of Boyd before Friday night and hadn’t seen anyone mention her, either. I was just glad that the internet was thwarted in its attempt to force the casting of Jayme Lawson.

Congratulations to Boyd, to Christopher Abbott and Adam Driver (whose castings I tipped before D23), and to Obsession star Inde Navarette, who telegraphed her X-Men casting in such an obvious manner that I thought she must be joking, but as it turns out, she was not. I thought for sure she’d be playing Mystique, not Rogue, but as it turns out, Freaky Nikki got the last laugh. The joke was on me…

Does this mean that Navarette will turn up in Michael Mann’s Heat 2, for which Driver has also been rumored? Perhaps… though their ability to do both projects will depend on scheduling. And the Heat 2 schedule depends on one man — Leonardo DiCaprio.

Speaking of DiCaprio, did you know that Whitney Peak nearly played his daughter in One Battle After Another? As I like to say, the right actor — Chase Infiniti — ultimately landed that plum part, but Peak is no slouch herself, having just landed the female lead opposite Michael B. Jordan in Miami Vice ‘85. If you’re keeping track at home, that’s her second major blockbuster following the next Hunger Games movie due in November. Take note — she’s a major star on the rise…

And speaking of the new Miami Vice movie, I’m told that Alden Ehrenreich won’t be playing the villain in the film, which supposedly has dark vibes in the vein of Nightcrawler. That’s what I heard, at least. On the flip side of that coin, I’m told that Charles Melton will be a villain of sorts in the Daniels’ new movie, which is currently filming with Matt Damon in the lead role.

This weekend, I fell further in love with Quincy Tyler Bernstine’s ferocious performance in the Hulu series Furious, though I must report that I found the new season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia to be a tad disappointing, even though I loved the Ren Faire episode, which ends on a hilarious note. David Hornsby’s s Rickety Cricket is a supporting player, though he’s the season’s MVP nonetheless.

I’ve got an interesting comedy scoop coming later this week, but tonight belongs to the genre fans out there. Premium subscribers who love horror movies may now enter the Sneider-Verse to read more… and don’t forget to hit THE MERCH STORE before the end of the year for limited-edition swag from yours truly.

Happy Friday, folks!

Let’s see, where to begin? Well, for starters, Disney+ will not be moving forward with a live-action Power Rangers series.

I have no idea why that is, but part of me wonders if the studio has heard the same rumors I have about the Daniels’ untitled new movie — yes, the one with Matt Damon and Sandra Oh.

From what I hear, it’s basically a Power Rangers movie… without the name. It follows a young cast in color-coded costumes who team up to fight kaiju with the help of a superhero-esque character played by Damon, who has a Jarvis-like AI assistant played (not just voiced) by Oh. The wholly original movie has no official connection to Power Rangers, but I’m told it’s a pretty clear influence and that comparisons will definitely be made.

In other news, the internet had a meltdown over a Supergirl BTS video that WB put online yesterday. It showed director Craig Gillespie showing Jason Momoa a bunch of different looks of him as Lobo… with the help of AI. Naturally, people were horrified — because they have nothing better to do than overreact to pretty harmless headlines.

The idea that WB should be paying an artist or graphic designer to sit there and come up with 20 different looks is absurd. Who gives a shit? I hate AI; I don’t use it AT ALL to write this newsletter; and I don’t want to see AI actors or read AI books. But seriously, pick your battles, people! Meanwhile, why WB is paying some social media grunt to spend one more second uploading BTS Supergirl videos on YouTube is completely beyond me. The studio is just wasting more precious resources on an absolute stinkbomb of a movie — the lowest-grossing DC title since Catwoman. Just move on and don’t even mention it again.

And I have a right to say that… because I’m an American and I’m constitutionally protected by the First Amendment. Our founding fathers made it the First Amendment because it’s pretty fucking important. But not to Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor! She thinks the First Amendment shouldn’t protect assholes. Earth to Aunjanue — that’s literally who the First Amendment is designed to protect. Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. We can’t go around demanding that rights are stripped from people we don’t like or disagree with. I shouldn’t have to explain this to a 57-year-old artist.

Finally, there’s a brand new episode of FYC today, in which I discuss The Odyssey’s Oscar chances with my esteemed co-hosts Perri Nemiroff and Scott Mantz. We all think Christopher Nolan’s epic will be nominated for a different number of Oscars, so tune in to find out its awards floor and ceiling.

Premium subscribers may now enter the Sneider-Verse to read more…

Happy Wednesday, folks!

Forget all the WB-Paramount drama; how about the big DC Studios update from The Ankler’s Lesley Goldberg and Variety’s alarming report about Barbie 2?

I’m not surprised that DC has canceled Waller and Paradise Lost, as I told you when James Gunn and Peter Safran did their big dog-and-pony show for the media that it’d be a miracle if we saw 40% of the projects they announced that day — such is the nature of development. Waller felt like an ancient relic from a past iteration of the DCU, and there’s no point in doing Paradise Lost before introducing Wonder Woman… unless her introduction is coming sooner than we think. Either way, this is part of a larger industry shift, and studios not feeling the need to greenlight a ton of superhero TV shows, as the unintended consequence is that they make the movies feel less special.

As for Barbie, let me tell you something — this movie is definitely going to happen. Because when you’re spending nearly $100 million on The Bride! and more than $100 million on Mickey 17, spending $200-250 million on a Barbie sequel that will likely gross a billion dollars is a no-brainer — even if the sequel underperforms the first film.

Everyone forgets the negotiations for The Hangover Part II, and how the three leads — and director Todd Phillips — wanted a major pay bump. For a while, it looked like the guys’ trip to Thailand wasn’t going to happen. That is, until WB’s Alan Horn stepped in and made it happen. Now, David Zaslav is no Alan Horn, but I predict that he’ll close this deal, and honestly, why wouldn’t he? I know it’s being reported that he’s balking at the outrageous salary demands of Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and Greta Gerwig, but it’s not like these deals are going to be his problem in a few years. Spend $100 million to bring the three of them back, spend less money on the supporting cast, and get it done. After all, WB could use some good headlines to distract from the miserable box office year they’re having — the result of kicking multiple cans down the road during last year’s charmed box office run.

Yesterday, I finished watching the BBC miniseries The Bombing of Pan Am 103 on Netflix, and I thought it was pretty damn good. Not Chernobyl-level great, but a very affecting drama featuring a solid performance from a 29-year-old English actor by the name of Connor Swindells, who looks like a young John Cena.

Best known for the Netflix series Sex Education, Swindells appeared in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and will soon be seen in Ruben Ostlund’s The Entertainment System Is Down. I bring him up because watching the Pan Am series, it’s clear that he had something special — a certain presence.

I’m not sure if Swindells is James Bond material, or more like the Rory Kinnear, head-of-MI6 type, but if Amazon isn’t dead-set on casting a “name” actor as 007, he’d be a pretty interesting choice, in my opinion. I’m just saying… I was impressed by his performance.

I also binged Netflix’s stomach-churning documentary The Predator of Seville, about a tour guide who raped dozens of tourists who trusted him to keep them safe. It’s not as strong as the streamer’s recent run of true-crime documentaries, but it’s worth a watch, if only to see how this group of women came together from around the world to demand justice. You’ll have to watch the three-part docuseries to find out whether they get it.

I wasn’t invited to see The End of Oak Street this week, so I have no idea whether the buzz is legit, but if it is, then I’m happy for Ewan McGregor and director David Robert Mitchell, both of whom could use a hit. I’m looking forward to seeing that one in theaters, and Matthew McConaughey’s honey-flavored crime movie The Rivals of Amziah King as well. Perhaps I’ll make it a McGregor-McConaughey doubleheader!

Tonight, I weigh in with my thoughts on the escalating battle between Rob Bonta, the attorney general of California, and the state’s native son, David Ellison, the head of Paramount who has threatened to flee the Golden State unless his merger with Warner Bros. is approved.

Premium subscribers may now enter the Sneider-Verse to read more — a lot more, as there are nearly 4,000 words below. Buckle up!

Happy Monday, folks!

I had a pretty low-key weekend, as I hung in on Saturday night and rewatched two ‘90s classics — Martin Scorsese’s Casino and David Fincher’s Seven. Both are examples of god-tier cinema. I also watched the remake of That Darn Cat with Christina Ricci — don’t judge me. I’m a man of many layers and tastes. You know, like a gobstopper.

I also finished watching Season 2 of The Agency, which was absolutely dynamite. I had a blast with the finale, and I’m glad I stuck with that spy series, which absolutely fills the void left by Homeland so many years ago. Oh, and I watched the latest episode of Emmy Rossum’s Hulu show Furious, which is really, really good, and I’m glad that the streamer is releasing the show one week at a time vs. all at once.

In today’s news, Deadline reported that Jacob Elordi is in early talks to join Scarlett Johansson in Ari Aster’s new A24 movie, Scapegoat. We also got a glimpse at Johansson’s upcoming turn alongside Adam Driver and Miles Teller in James Gray’s crime drama Paper Tiger, which looks excellent.

Elsewhere, Alfonso Cuarón is returning to Apple TV after Disclaimer for a new horror series starring Caitriona Balfe, Indiewire embarrassed itself by naming Magic Mike XXL the greatest sequel of all time, and Variety’s Clayton Davis did the hard work of investigating the various questions marks hovering over this awards season and explaining which movies are more likely to debut in 2027. It sounds like Denzel and Robert Pattinson are going to have to get in line behind Danny Boyle and wait their turn…

Oh, and Brad Pitt is drinking again, and heralding AI as a potential savior of the mid-budget movie — because it’s not like he’s going to take a pay cut. If a production has to save $10 million, Pitt would much rather see the crew lose their jobs to robots than have it come out of his pocket. Those French vineyards don’t pay for themselves, folks!

Speaking of French vineyards, brothers Kieran and Brennan O’Dea might be able to afford one after selling their spec script The Ballad of the Ember Knight to Sony for nearly seven figures. I first read about this 190-page spec on ScriptShadow, whose Carson Reeves is always on the ball — just like yours truly. Congrats to the two first-time writers. I could barely write a best man speech with my brothers…

Finally, Spider-Man: Brand New Dollars continued to dominate the domestic box office, where One Night Only barely registered with audiences — something I warned would happen back in April at CinemaCon, where I first saw that terrible, chemistry-free trailer. Callum Turner as James Bond? Please give me whatever drugs you’re smoking…

I’m just kidding. I’m heading to Joshua Tree with the boys this weekend, so I’m all stocked up. I do have some fun scoops coming later this week before I venture off to the desert, though, so stay tuned…

For now, however, premium subscribers can enter the Sneider-Verse for an update on the future of Off-Campus, and the Season 4 premiere of Elsbeth on CBS. Hey, don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it…

Happy Friday, folks!

The X-Men rumors continue to fly as Marvel hurries to close deals ahead of D23. As THR noted this evening, Christopher Abbott is high on the list for Professor X, and I know Marvel is high on him, as they’ve tested him for several roles in the MCU over the years, including the role of Reed Richards in last year’s Fantastic Four movie. Nothing official yet, so stay tuned…

Last night, I saw Jane Schoenbrun’s queer slasher movie Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, which was borderline unwatchable and a fairly notable step down from their debut, I Saw the TV Glow.

I recognize that neither of Schoenbrun’s films is technically supposed to be “for me,” and that there is definitely an audience for what they’re selling, but I found the movie to be preachy, boring, and ultimately, a confusing and confused queer riff on Adaptation. It’s basically for people who have never had an orgasm or never given anyone an orgasm.

Oddly enough, I really enjoyed the Hollywood Zoom call in the middle of the movie, as it reminded me of the Robert McKee scene in Adaptation. I’d like to see Hannah Einbinder in something else because I loved her work on Hacks, but Schoenbrun’s messy script leaves Einbinder stranded here. And the less said about Gillian Anderson’s campy turn, the better. This one is strictly for the diehards, I’m afraid…

I’ve got a pretty interesting update on a hot TV project tonight, as well as my personal picks to direct Spider-Man 5, Jurassic World 5, Michael 2, and Lionsgate’s reboots of Saw and American Psycho. Don’t worry, Luca Guadagnino is still attached to direct the latter — the question is for how much longer.

Speaking of which, I’m told that Jason Reitman’s live-action Astro Boy movie will not be moving forward at Sony. The project could, of course, be resurrected by someone else down the line, but it seemed like a passion project for Reitman, so this may be the end of the line on that one. Apologies to all the Astro Boy fans out there…

Premium subscribers may not enter the Sneider-Verse to continue reading, but premium or not, I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend. Thank you for your patronage. I appreciate it…

Happy Thursday, folks, and apologies for the delayed send this week.

Today, THR confirmed what I reported last November — that Gareth Edwards was fully expected to return for Universal’s sequel to Jurassic World Rebirth. The problem is that eight months later, Edwards came to a creative impasse with the studio, and he has now walked away due to those creative differences. Universal is bringing back David Koepp to write the script (really?), and the studio is once again on the hunt for a new director. Part of me wonders if Steven Spielberg will turn to Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky, who are developing Long Lost with Amblin and Universal, and writing Gremlins 3 for Amblin and WB. Then again, they have a ton of irons in the fire, and it’d be cool to see Brian Duffield take a stab at this franchise, as his upcoming movie Whalefall is generating great buzz within industry circles.

By the way, if you paid attention to WB’s earnings call, the studio tubthumped a bunch of upcoming movies, including The Batman Part II, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, the Game of Thrones movie Aegon’s Conquest, and a new Matrix film. One movie that wasn’t mentioned was Gremlins 3, and that’s because it’s extremely unlikely to make its November 2027 release date. I know there was chatter that the sequel could start filming early next year, but I doubt that’ll be the case. Then again, we’ve been waiting since 1990 for a new Gremlins movie, so one more year won’t hurt anyone…

Elsewhere, on Tuesday night, I got word that Kit Connor (Heartstopper) was the choice for Cyclops, and I stupidly thought it might hold until today’s episode of The Hot Mic, but my pal at Justin Kroll at Deadline promised one of his patented #KrollBombs this morning, and sure enough, I got scooped. Drats! I hate it when that happens…

Naturally, now that the role has been cast, sources have come out of the woodwork to tell me how it all went down. Apparently, Drew Starkey was an early contender for Cyclops, and the “big brother” thing was a concern that Marvel ultimately looked past, but he wasn’t among the finalists who have been testing for the role since July 4th. I’ll have to have a word with one of my sources, who insisted he was the “favorite” last month.

Cooper Hoffman did test for the role… but I’m told that the test didn’t go so well, and in the end, believe it or not, it’s my understanding that the runner-up for the role was none other than Asa Butterfield (Hugo). How about that?

There are rumors flying all over the place for X-Men as reps try to position their clients for roles, and I’m not so sure about those Cailee Spaeny and Tom Pelphrey rumors anymore, either. I’m getting the sense that both are old info that’s simply resurfacing. I don’t even know if Rogue is in the movie at this point. If she is, she may have a smaller role than some are expecting. But as most of you know, I don’t know the X-Men comics as well as, well, you guys do, so I guess we’ll see…

Instead of brushing up on those comics, as I should, I’ve been busy watching a ton of stuff this week, so let me give you the rundown.

Matt Johnson’s Tony: I really liked this portrait of young Anthony Bourdain, who isn’t fully formed yet, which is why the film is called Tony. He hasn’t yet grown into Anthony, and this summer is when he grows. It’s when he gets hit in the face and experiences heartache, and most importantly, he falls in love with using food to make people happy. As a frequent visitor to Cape Cod, let me tell you that I could smell this movie. Dominic Sessa is good as Tony, but not quite great, at least compared to Antonio Banderas’ spry turn as Chef and Leo Woodall’s chippy turn as a kitchen rascal. I've been in those kitchens, having spent several years running the Waiters program at summer camp. Laugh all you want, but I had 33 15-year-old waiters serving 200+ people three meals a day. Ever try to run a restaurant, more or less, with 33 15-year-old waiters? Didn’t think so. Anyway, the problem with Tony is that it runs out of steam in its third act, as Bourdain can’t get out of his own way, and Woodall’s character resurfaces when he probably shouldn’t have. This is a very good movie, and Johnson continues to grow as a director. I would buy a ticket to a movie based on his name alone at this point. But Tony could’ve been a great movie, and it’s not quite there. But I’m down to watch it a second time, and I can pay it no higher compliment than that… Grade: B+

Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man: I thought this might be a return to form for my pal Eli Roth, but I was sorely mistaken. Listen, if you’re a gorehound, a few creative kills in this movie yield some fun blood and guts, but the script and the acting are downright embarrassing. The only performance I enjoyed came courtesy of Dylan Hawco, who seemed to understand what Roth was going for here. This felt like a wannabe Terrifier movie, and if Roth keeps this up, he may not be making movies much longer. Grade: D

FX’s The Shards: Listen, I’m the guy who loved The Idol and Season 3 of Euphoria, so you may want to take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I loved half of The Shards, and I liked the other half of it. So what did I hate about it? It ends on an absurd cliffhanger it doesn’t earn. FX gave us critics access to 9 episodes, so I just figured that the network was holding back the 10th and final episode to keep the identity of the show’s serial killer a mystery. But I’m reading these trade reviews, and apparently, nope! That’s it! I thought this was a limited series, but apparently, EP Ryan Murphy has three seasons in mind, and we won’t find out who the Trawler is until Season 2… if we’re lucky. I’m sorry, but what? If that’s the plan, fine, but I must tell you then that the Season 1 finale is pretty unsatisfying, and thus, I can only recommend this series to diehard fans of author Bret Easton Ellis, whose disaffected voice is captured so perfectly by talented young actor Igby Rigney. The entire cast is, what do they call it? Delicious. Hayes Warner is a star. Sign her up for the royal treatment. Same with Kaia Gerber, who is the spitting image of her mother, Cindy Crawford. In no way does she resemble a high school student, but who gives a shit, right? Homer Gere — another star. Wes Bentley? Absolutely eating in this series. Owen Painter and Ivy Wolk? Interesting young character actors, and we definitely need more of those. Jordan Roth? Google searches about to skyrocket. This is a fun show that starts off hot and then dicks around while stalling until its non-conclusion. I kinda loved it… but now that I know this is how it ends… and now that I know that FX will cancel shows like this after one season (cough, The Beauty, cough)… I kinda hate it. Does that make sense? By the way, the fact that I haven’t interviewed Ellis yet, or vice versa, is insane, as I’m obviously the most interesting entertainment journalist in this godforsaken city, and I wear women’s shoes, which I think he’d appreciate. Grade: B

The Agency Season 2 on Paramount+ - I’m late to the game and six episodes deep, but John Magaro has really stood out this season. He’s always good, but it’s nice to see him get a juicy role like this one. Jeffrey Wright has also been excellent this season as a high-ranking CIA official wary of his authority being usurped, and I’ve always been a fan of Clayne Crawford, who radiates intensity and deserves to be cast in other mainstream projects. Michael Fassbender is still one of the best we’ve got. Grade: B+

I also binged the new season of FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, though that remains under embargo. And I’ll write about the new season of Ted Lasso in an upcoming newsletter, as I want to watch one more episode on Apple TV’s press site.

In terms of movies, I watched The Devil’s Mouth on Prime Video. It was about as good as I was expecting, which is to say, it wasn’t good. And I know the whole movie takes place in a cave, but did it have to be so dark in there? It was tough to see anything, though that may have been the point given the VFX budget that director Jeff Wadlow had to work with. Grade: C-

Finally, last night I watched Blumhouse’s Soulm8te, and I don’t really understand why this movie didn’t merit a theatrical release. It was better than some of the terrible horror movies I’ve seen on the big screen over the last few years, and with a modest marketing push, I think it would’ve found success. But what do I know? I’m just a guy who watches all of these movies and then writes about them for a living! Thanks for nothing, M3GAN 2.0. Grade: C+

Today, I take a look at my most anticipated movie of the year, which hails from my two favorite filmmakers — director David Fincher and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino.

Fincher’s follow-up to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is bound for IMAX screens this fall before its final destination on Netflix, but we still don’t have a title or a real trailer, and I’m starting to worry about that release date, too, for as we all know, Fincher rushes for no one.

It’s The Curious Case of Cliff Booth, and it’s only for premium subscribers, who may now continue reading…

Happy Friday, folks!

I have to run to a screening of Tony at the Aero, so no big wind-up tonight, though I am rooting for Paramount Primal’s take on A Nightmare on Elm Street over WB’s take. Not only does it come with the endorsement of Wes Craven’s estate, but they have the domestic rights… and last time I checked, I live in America.

Also, Lee Cronin (The Mummy) isn’t a bad director or anything, but he’s a weak choice for Elm Street on WB’s part, and if that’s the movie they want to rush into production, well, no thank you. I’ll have more to say about this one soon, don’t worry…

Tonight, a special report on Marvel Studios in the wake of Comic-Con and the run-up to D23. Plus, my thoughts on Spider-Man: Brand New Day and my updated Spidey rankings! Premium subscribers may not enter the Sneider-Verse to read more…

Happy Thursday, folks!

I just want to say hello to the newbies and thank everyone for all the kind messages I received following last night’s story and vulnerable social media posting. They meant the world…

Moving on, as we must, I’m not sure what’s crazier — Marvel canceling Wonder Man after just one wonderful season (more on that soon), or Netflix having an entire Nicolas Cage movie stolen from one of its offices, as if it were a pen or something.

Meanwhile, the HFPA is suing Jay Penske, who is a completely legitimate businessman, while Penske argues that the HFPA is full of racist jerks, so who cares what they have to say? Will Hollywood ever work up the nerve to say goodbye to the Golden Globes, or will it continue to support this sadly growing joke of an awards show? I think I already know the answer to that one, sadly…

Elsewhere, Paramount+ picked up the Clueless series that Peacock passed on (yeesh!), Heat 3 is already in the works according to a cool report from TheWrap, and WB appears to be digging itself a hole with each giant shovel it commissions on behalf of Digger, whose trailer has yet to crack the 5 million view mark on YouTube. But hey, at least Tom Cruise has Straw Hat Goofy in his corner. He’s the new Pauline Kael, according to Page Six Hollywood.

Excuse me while I leap off a balcony…

There’s totally a place for influencers in this business, but I don’t think it helps to have mainstream media lionizing these folks for clicks. As a P6H (please no) source correctly points out, the trades amplifying the early reactions of influencers is only leading to their own demise.

The editors are trading short-term traffic for long-term influence, but I suppose no one knows if they’re going to be around for the long term anymore, so they make short-term decisions. That’s the real problem with this town — the lack of security and how it backfires on both employers and their audiences/customers.

I respect my audience, and even though I’ve technically been keeping this next story from you guys for many, many months, I think it’s ultimately a stronger story for it. Contrary to public belief, I am willing to hold stories — if there’s a good reason.

And a better story for you guys is as good a reason as any, right?

At long last, the story of Desperation can be told… and I’m not talking about Deadline’s Mike Fleming ripping off last night’s scoop and slapping an exclusive tag on it, though I completely understand if you thought that’s what I was talking about when I mentioned Desperation. I got a good laugh out of that one, and a good scare, too. I saw Fleming’s byline and thought I’d seen a ghost!

Hopefully, this next scoop will scare you even more. Premium subscribers can continue reading…

Happy Wednesday, folks — and apologies to everyone waiting for my review of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. I know you’re on pins and needles awaiting my verdict so you can decide whether or not to buy a ticket (LOL, good luck!), but you’ll have to wait just a little while longer, as I’ve got some massive news to share.

This story involves a young Black author, and the timing is quite a coincidence, as it arrives on the heels of a wave of stories about another young Black author, Tomi Adeyemi, who is distancing herself from Paramount’s blockbuster adaptation of her bestselling novel, Children of Blood and Bone.

Today, Adeyemi released a five-minute video referencing — but not identifying — the terrible things that she suffered through and “endured” during the making of Children of Blood and Bone.

I don’t know where Adeyemi’s team is, but they have failed her by allowing her to post this video, which makes her seem entitled, ungrateful, and completely clueless regarding the collaborative process of making movies in Hollywood.

Welcome to showbiz, Tomi! If Paramount making a $100 million adaptation of your book is the worst thing you’ve “ever had to live through,“ I’d tell you to count your blessings. Because in Hollywood, once you take the money, you give up control.

At least Adeyemi still has her fortune. This other author may not be so lucky, from what I hear…

Premium subscribers can continue reading for more — and trust me — you’re going to want to hear this one, as this story is going to make major headlines in the days ahead.

Exclusive: AI Scandal Rocks Publishing World — Will Hollywood Care or Keep Pursuing Hottest Book in Town?

Everything you were afraid was going to happen with the rise of AI… just happened. Or did it?

A massive scandal is currently unfolding in the publishing world, and trust me, Hollywood is going to be paying close attention to this one, as this story is one of the first of its kind, though it certainly will not be the last.

Let’s start at the beginning, with an up-and-coming author from overseas, who, for the purposes of this story, I will refer to as Michael.

It was never reported, but Michael inked one of the biggest publishing deals of the year for his debut crime novel, which recently became a genuine phenomenon in the publishing world — albeit under the radar.

Industry trade publication Publisher’s Weekly hasn’t even written about it.

I’m told that Michael, a first-time author, inked a two-book deal with Minotaur Books, an imprint of mega-publisher Macmillan, for at least $2.5 million — and possibly as much as $4 million. Either way, life-changing money for a young man.

For the purposes of this story, I am going to call Michael’s book Crime Novel. The book follows a Winston Wolf-type fixer (Harvey Keitel’s character in Pulp Fiction) whom you might call if you needed a crime scene cleaned up.

The story lends itself to a crime-of-the-week type of TV show, one with international flair, and sure enough, Hollywood quickly came calling.

I’m told that over the past few months, Michael has met with dozens of top Hollywood producers and executives, with the town frothing at the mouth to lock down the TV rights to Crime Novel.

I understand that UTA’s Jason Richman has been quarterbacking the massive TV auction.

There’s just one problem… Crime Novel may never see the light of day. At least not from a major publisher.

On Wednesday evening, Michael’s UK book agent, Sandy Hodgman of Hodgman Literary, sent an email on behalf of his U.S. book agent, Marc Gerald of Europa Content (who counts Kevin Hart among his literary clients), that featured a truly extraordinary admission.

Here is the email, reprinted as it was sent:

“[Michael] produced an incredible manuscript that dazzled us and the top publishing professionals around the world. Unfortunately, we are no longer able to authenticate how the manuscript fully evolved from origin to completion. 

During the submission process we vetted the manuscript with [Michael] for AI and felt trusting in his reassurance that it was written without utilizing AI as a resource in the writing or editorial process. We can no longer substantiate that, and we are withdrawing the book.

This raises so many questions about authorship and what AI means for this industry but those are questions for another day. We regret that our enthusiasm led to this outcome and we apologize to our publishing partners.”

It’s my understanding that some publishing world insiders who read the manuscript (which I have obtained a copy of) had early suspicions that Michael employed the use of AI, at least to some extent, but I’m told that those suspicions may have been dismissed by Minotaur (and other hopeful publishers) because Michael is from overseas, so any confusion was chalked up to a possible language barrier, or something to that effect.

I’m told that Michael is now going to be forced to return the money to Minotaur, as the book deal is likely to be canceled, and that Richman plans to update everyone waiting on pins and needles in Hollywood as soon as he returns from a trip to London.

“The accusations are wrong, and I am completely innocent,” Michael told me by phone on Wednesday night.

“I was on the verge of success, and then all of a sudden, there were rumors, but no one asked me anything. I don’t know why my agency did not have my back,” said Michael, who noted that the book’s publisher is still willing to listen to his side of the story.

“When something like this happens, everyone tries to protect themselves and their own reputations. If it was really AI, would the top publishers in the world have participated in the auction? I have a feeling this is a disgruntled agent or someone who started this rumor in a bid to save themselves,” said Michael, who declined to identify the agent or comment on either financial figures or which Hollywood luminaries he has interacted with in recent weeks.

“My book deals… everything was literally gone within a matter of hours, and no one cared about my side of the story. I have evidence, for crying out loud. You can check the metadata,” Michael insisted.

“There are times I’ve checked manuscripts I’ve written in the past, as far back as 2017, and it’ll say it was generated by AI, when AI wasn’t even available to the public like it is now,” he added.

“Just because I say I’m not guilty doesn’t mean people will believe it. Think about it. A Black man from [redacted] signed a life-changing contract, and then what happened? Someone started spreading rumors, and boom. All of these things happened within the past six hours. How is this not a coordinated thing? I mean, come on…

“I’ve lost so much already. I have no one to call… no friends in this industry. I don’t know anything. I simply wrote my manuscript, and it sparked crazy bidding wars across multiple countries.

“I don’t care what other reporters write; I care about what you, Jeff, actually think about me. I could’ve told you ‘No Comment,’ or not said anything without a lawyer, but I have no one to help me prove my innocence.”

Truthfully, I’m not here to prove Michael’s innocence… or to rubber-stamp his book agent’s email and call him “guilty,” which is a pretty heavy word.

I point you to the case of Mia Ballard, whose horror novel Shy Girl was canceled by Hachette Book Group this past March following widespread allegations online that the author relied heavily on AI to write the book, per the New York Times.

Ballard denied using AI herself, contending that she hired an acquaintance to edit the self-published version of the novel, and that person likely used AI without Ballard even knowing.

“This controversy has changed my life in many ways and my mental health is at an all time low and my name is ruined for something I didn’t even personally do,” Ballard wrote in an email to the Times.

That’s why I ultimately decided not to use Michael’s real name — to help him preserve what’s left of his mental health.

But, as the Times noted, publishers have held a firm line on AI-generated text. It’s a big no-no in the publishing world.

But what about in Hollywood?

The question is whether the town’s interest will wane, forcing network/streaming execs to stand down, or if they won’t even care. After all, a good TV show is a good TV show… so who cares if AI had a hand in it?

Look at A Million Little Pieces, the self-proclaimed “memoir” from fabulist author James Frey that turned out to be a bunch of BS. Oprah stumped for that 2003 book, and when Frey made her look like a fool on national TV, she brought him back on her show to rake him over the coals.

Nonetheless, A Million Little Pieces was turned into a 2018 movie starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, while Frey landed countless other writing gigs, recently publishing his 12th book last year.

We’ll see whether Hollywood continues to pursue Crime Novel, which might be available for a fraction of the price after this story. But one thing is clear — using AI and trying to pass the work off as your own is going to start catching up with artists, and it could very well cost some people their careers.

In America, you’re innocent until proven guilty. But in the cutthroat worlds of publishing and television, sometimes, you’re presumed guilty until proven innocent. That sucks, but it’s the way of the world.

Michael will either become a cautionary tale, or he’ll find a way to prove his innocence and vindicate himself.

I was prepared to publish a very different version of this story before Michael responded to a request for comment, begging me to keep his real name out of it, as he’s currently a scholarship student somewhere in America.

In other words, a young man’s future is at stake, and I don’t take that lightly.

I told him I had to think about it and that I would call him on Thursday morning. I called my friend at the New York Times, my former editor at Variety and TheWrap, and two of my best friends (one with a journalism background himself) to get their advice on what to do with this story, which is outside of my typical wheelhouse.

After much internal debate, I decided to publish the story on Wednesday night and give him a pseudonym — a compromise of sorts.

I get to publish, while he gets his name kept out of the story.

If someone else decides to publish Michael’s real name, there’s nothing I can do. This story was coming out one way or the other.

But Michael appealed to my humanity as a journalist, and I must admit, I found his story compelling and could hear the pain in his voice.

I hope that he feels like I did right by him in not using his name, while acknowledging my responsibility as a journalist to tell this story, which has far larger ramifications than his personal book/TV deals.

Speaking of which, Richman did not respond to a request for comment late on Wednesday.

Follow TheInSneider on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Got a hot tip or an interesting pitch? Want to buy an ad? Email me at theinsneider@gmail.com.

Happy Monday, folks — unless you saw Nicolas Winding Refn’s new movie Her Private Hell over the weekend.

What. The Fuck. Was That?

I’m not even going to dignify this flaming turd by giving it space in my newsletter. You can find my review on Twitter, where no one brings the knives out like yours truly. And to the “If Jeff thinks it sucks, it must be great” crowd, aka my haters, I dare you to see this movie. It would delight me to have you waste two hours of your life, as I did.

Suffice to say, the film grossed $530,000 from 675 theaters — that’s $785 per theater. I don’t know if this film will be the nail in the coffin of Refn’s career, but hopefully it will prompt him to reflect, and maybe to seek out a screenwriter to collaborate with.

On the bright side, I thoroughly enjoyed my streaming comedy doubleheader of Jake Johnson’s pickleball movie The Dink on Apple TV, followed by Kevin Hart’s bachelor party romp 72 Hours on Netflix. Both were better than I expected, and I actually found The Dink kind of moving, driven by a great performance from Johnson (who’d make a good villain in something) and a game supporting cast. Kudos to director Josh Greenbaum and writer Sean Clements.

And because I found myself with some extra TV time this weekend, I also binged Season 4 of Reacher, which returns to Prime Video next month — when I’ll be able to write about it.

On the reading front — remember that — I just started reading John Wainwright’s novel A Ripple of Murders after finishing Cul-De-Sac this week.

The latter concerns a couple who go for a walk along a cliff, and the wife falls to her death. The husband says it was a tragic accident, but a meek witness claims otherwise — he saw the man push his wife to her death. Whose account do the police believe, and what does justice ultimately look like? A streaming service with a knack for mysteries could make a tight 90-minute thriller out of this one.

There’s potential in A Ripple of Murders as well. It’s one of those stories where a madman threatens to kill a random stranger unless a ransom is paid. The police believe the threat to be a hoax, but sure enough, the next day, a man is gunned down in broad daylight, and there aren’t any witnesses. Should the police have taken the threat more seriously, or was the shooting merely a coincidence? Hmmm…

Two months ago, I’d never heard of Wainwright. Now, I’ve read three of his crime novels. Could he be a rival streamer's answer to Netflix's wildly popular Harlan Coben machine? The material is there…

Elsewhere, there are now trailers for the Johnny Depp movie Ebenezer and the Prime Video series Blade Runner 2099 available online. Neither looks like appointment viewing to me, but we’ll see… You know what would be appointment viewing? Brad Bird’s 1906, which has been a passion project of his for years, and which he now thinks could make for a riveting eight-episode limited series. It would chronicle the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. For more, head over to World of Reel.

Tonight, I’m seeing Spider-Man: Brand New Day, so I’ll be back tomorrow with a full review, as well as my thoughts on Marvel’s Hall H panel.

But first, I’ve got a hot scoop about Obsession star Michael Johnston. These days, everyone online is obsessed with what Inde Navarette is doing next, but Johnston seems to have slipped under the radar. Not my radar, though! Aren’t you lucky?

Premium subscribers can continue reading for more…

Happy Thursday, folks!

Yesterday, I began watching Season 4 of Reacher, which is under embargo for a little while longer. Amazon also sent over screeners for the new Reacher spinoff, Neagley, though I’m torn on whether I’ll actually watch it. I’ve always liked Maria Sten in Reacher; I’m just not sure the character merits having her own series. Then again, it could prove to be even better than the new season of Reacher. We’ll see…

I also loved the Misty Green trailer that A24 dropped yesterday. I was a big fan of Chris Rock’s Top Five, which hit theaters way back in 2014, and this is his first movie since then. That’s wild! I already figured Rosalind Eleazar for a surprise Best Actress nomination, but watching the trailer again this morning, I started to wonder if Daniel Kaluuya could receive another Oscar nomination. He looks dynamite, but when doesn’t he?

The new trailers for Resident Evil and Clayface also slapped this morning. I’m pretty pumped for both of those genre films, which I expect to perform very, very well despite the stiff competition this fall.

The second half of the year is, indeed, quite stacked, though this morning’s announcement about the Venice Film Festival lineup was a little underwhelming, according to seasoned festgoers. I don’t really care either way, as I’ve never been to Venice and will probably never be able to afford to go, but for those who do pay attention to such matters, let’s say there was a feeling of widespread disappointment this morning. Click over to World of Reel for more…

By the way, the fall will now include a new Ali G movie starring Sacha Baron Cohen, whose team gave me a “No Comment” just a few weeks ago. You’ve gotta love the game, folks! Otherwise, why bother even playing it?

And finally, some quick hits from yesterday. Thumbs up on Jonathan Levine directing Days of Thunder 2 for Paramount. I’ve been a fan of his since the Mandy Lane days. I wouldn’t have thought of him for the racing sequel, but I’m happy for him all the same; I’m also happy about Glen Powell reuniting with Richard Linklater on a Lou Gehrig movie at Universal. That sounds like a great role for Powell, who tends to be in good hands with Linklater. However, I’m afraid I’m skeptical of Sony signing up for a Treasure Island movie from Ridley Scott and Hugh Jackman. Didn’t anyone see Pan? Not every big splashy agency package needs to sell…

I’ll be writing about one of my favorite franchises soon, but today, I’ve got a little scoop about a new Netflix project that the streamer is developing with Today host Jenna Bush Hager. Premium subscribers can continue reading for more…