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…

Happy Wednesday, folks! And apologies for the delayed posting this week…

A few months ago, I saw Meredith Berg’s scrappy sci-fi short Tether on the big screen, and I’m happy to say that following an award-winning run on the festival circuit, the indie labor of love is now streaming on YouTube via the fine folks at Dust. If you’re just so important and busy that you don’t have time to watch a cool short, then you can check out a trailer for the short right here along with some behind-the-scenes footage.

I saw that short film at The Culver Theater, which used to be known as ArcLight Culver City. So it was apropos to learn this week that the ArcLight Hollywood is finally, after six years of collecting dust, coming back — sort of.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has struck a deal with the lease owner, and the Sony-owned Alamo Drafthouse theater chain will take over the 14-screen theater known as the ArcLight Hollywood. As for the Cinerama Dome, it will retain its name, and it will operate differently than the adjoining structure — namely, no food service. That’s what happens when you reach Hollywood Landmark status. That’s when you know you’ve made it as a public movie theater.

The lights are already twinkling on Sunset Blvd… I just hope Sony leaves up the posters for Ben Affleck’s 2020 drama The Way Back, in which he plays an alcoholic basketball coach. Those should be a permanent part of the lobby, just as a gag. I also hope that the Alamo Drafthouse serves nachos at ArcLight Hollywood (I’ll always call it that, like I still call X ‘Twitter'), as the lack of nachos was always a drawback at that theater.

Drive along Sunset long enough, and you’ll no doubt see billboards for The Shards, the new FX series from Ryan Murphy and acclaimed author Bret Easton Ellis, who is played by rising star Igby Rigney. I binge-watched the show this weekend, but sadly, it remains under embargo for a couple more weeks. I’ll have more to say about it next month…

Speaking of FX, I was truly bummed that the network “released the cast” of The Beauty last week, which is industry speak for, “they canceled the show.” I was a big fan of The Beauty — I’ve even been reading the Image comics — and I can exclusively reveal that had Season 2 moved forward as originally planned, EP Ryan Murphy planned to reach out to noted looksmaxxer Clavicular to appear on the show, though it’s unclear whether he would’ve appeared as himself or played an actual character.

Clavicular, for his part, told The InSneider that he has never even heard of The Beauty… which is perhaps why the show was canceled. Very few folks besides yours truly were watching it. But fear not, for I’m sure that ‘Clav’ will make his acting debut soon enough — those cheekbones demand it!

In recent days, I also watched Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea, which is a fairly riveting Netflix documentary about a cruise ship that hit a rock and began to sink. I highly recommend this one — Netflix has been on a roll with docs lately, and I’ll be recommending another one tomorrow — but Shipwrecked ends on a truly bizarre note.

A couple has just finished relaying the harrowing story of how they saved their baby girl, and then there’s an awkward sex joke, and it cuts to credits. There’s no final tribute or text about the lives that were lost. It’s this super serious moment that is marred by the director’s decision to end on a light note, and I can’t stress enough how poor a decision this proves to be. Sadly, I had to dock the film half a star just for that, but I still recommend it.

I also recommend the new Netflix documentary A Toxic Love Story, which is batshit crazy, even by Netflix documentary standards. I loved it, and implore you to put your blind faith in me and watch it without reading anything about it. It’s bonkers. Trust me.

On Monday night, I saw Potsy Ponciroli’s formally audacious action movie Motor City, which likely has less than 50 words of dialogue. It’s a bold experiment featuring a well-cast Alan Ritchson, Shailene Woodley, and Ben Foster, who is pure gold and begging to be cast as a villain in a major franchise. The soundtrack is excellent, and the action is pretty badass, too. So, if you’ve already seen The Odyssey, or you get shut out of your preferred showtime in IMAX 70mm, you should definitely check out Motor City this weekend. It rocks!

And finally, I want to recommend Anya Taylor-Joy’s new Apple TV series Lucky, which co-stars Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant, Drew Starkey, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, William Fichtner, Eric Lange, and Clifton Collins Jr. Uhh… that’s a banger of a cast. The propulsive seven-episode series finds natural-born hustler Lucky (Taylor-Joy) as she tries to track down her man (Starkey) and their money while on the run from his mother (Bening) and the feds (Ellis-Taylor).

Apple has been killing it lately, and I haven’t even had time to watch Widow’s Bay yet. But between Season 2 of Your Friends & Neighbors, the series remake of Cape Fear, Tatiana Maslany’s titillating crime series Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, and now Lucky, it’s clear that Apple TV is on quite the winning streak. Kudos to the streamer.

And to Disneyland on that Incredicoaster, which I had the pleasure of riding for the first time on Thursday. ‘Twas a lot of fun.

Today, I’ve got my latest Oscar predictions post-The Odyssey, as well as my Top 10 favorite films, TV shows, movie trailers, and performances from the first half of 2026. Premium subscribers can continue reading for more. Prepare thyselves for lists galore!

Happy Thursday, folks!

Yesterday, Warner Bros. shuffled a bunch of release dates, with J.J. Abrams’ The Great Beyond delayed 11 months, from this November to next October, when it will open in IMAX theaters (in 70mm). The trades did their due diligence (ha!) and carried water for WB, repeating the studio’s BS line about strong test screenings and blah, blah blah.

Personally, I haven’t heard great things about The Great Beyond, and the footage shown at CinemaCon this past April was underwhelming, to say the least. Star Glen Powell can’t afford another flop right now, so the decision was made to kick this can further down the road — WB has a habit of doing this — making Judd Apatow’s country music comedy, The Comeback King, Powell’s big theatrical comeback next year.

Of course, The Great Beyond’s move to October led to yet another delay for The Batman Part II, which flew to February 2028, where the studio will try to take advantage of the four-day holiday weekend tied to Presidents’ Day. Director Matt Reeves released another very cool camera test online, but don’t expect him to address any character rumors online, as WB hopes to keep the surprise until the last possible moment.

In festival news, Danny Boyle’s Ink will open the Venice Film Festival (where you shouldn’t expect Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning, which is currently filming reshoots), while James Gray’s Paper Tiger will open the New York Film Festival.

Not to be outdone, TIFF announced a handful of new titles, including David and Nathan Zellner’s star-studded sci-fi comedy Alpha Gang, Rachel Morrison’s romantic drama Love of Your Life, the Mahershala Ali movie Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, and the psychological thriller The Housewife starring Naomi Watts and Tye Sheridan.

Frankly, I just want to know when and where I Play Rocky will premiere, as that movie looks excellent.

I’m off to Disneyland today, which means that The Hot Mic has again been pushed to Friday, but I’ll be sharing a ton of fresh rumors about a certain comic book movie that has been in the news this week, so be sure to tune in!

For now, I’ve got a cool scoop about Sydney Sweeney’s possible new love interest in The Housemaid sequel. Premium subscribers can continue reading for more…

Well, it’s Wednesday, and tomorrow, the world will feast its eyes on Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey — read my review below if you’re on the fence! And surely, if you’re reading this newsletter, you wouldn’t be.

Let’s see… what’s happening around town? Well, two days after Paramount officially revealed its new genre label, Paramount Primal, which is launching with the elusive rights to Wes Craven’s original script for A Nightmare on Elm Street (side note: wowzer!), studio boss David Ellison and his father, Larry Ellison, are being sued for allegedly conspiring with President Trump to fix their pursuit of Warner Bros. — a pursuit now endangered following lawsuits from multiple state AGs, not to mention the WGA.

Will the PGA, DGA, and gasp, SAG-AFTRA follow suit? Stay tuned…

Over the past 24 hours, I read Ed McBain’s crime novel The Gang’s All Here, which chronicles a single day in the life of a police precinct. I gobbled it up in 3-4 hours — it’s only 200 pages — and absolutely loved it. I think it would make a cool limited series, but it may not be flashy enough to stand out in this day and age. There’s no hook, per se. In fact, it’s kind of like Seinfeld, in that the hook would be that it’s hookless. Hmmm…

I’m planning to read a similar novel soon, All on a Summer’s Day by John Wainwright, whom I wrote about in last week’s newsletter. I’ll keep you posted as I go down that reading rabbit hole.

Speaking of which, a few weeks back, I promised to tell you about the hottest book of the summer… I just didn’t tell you which summer. So allow me to spill the tea.

In April, Simon & Schuster nabbed the publishing rights to a book called Pool Service by Nick Waters. Set in South Florida, the book follows a “pool guy” who services both pools and wives, and gets caught up in one woman’s murderous plans.

The book will be released in Summer 2027, but look for a movie or TV deal to be announced well before then, as I know that multiple buyers are circling the rights to this one, which is going to spark a major bidding war. Just watch… and when it does, remember where you heard it first.

Premium subscribers can continue reading for my review of The Odyssey and my updated rankings of Christopher Nolan’s 13 movies. Also, make sure to come back tomorrow morning for a hot scoop!

Happy Tuesday, folks!

Last night, I saw Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey in glorious 70mm, and I’m writing up a review for tomorrow, so be sure to subscribe so you can read that one.

Over the weekend, I saw Evil Dead Burn, which was okay. I wasn’t quite sure what the film was trying to say about domestic abuse, but it certainly had some gnarly gore. It wasn’t a top-tier entry in the franchise for me, but I did like Burn more than Evil Dead 2, which I watched for the first time as well and didn’t really care for, given its goofier, more comedic tone.

Speaking of old comedies, I also rewatched My Cousin Vinny, which still holds up 34 years later — a true testament to good writing and characters who you care about, brought to life by talented performers such as Joe Pesci, Oscar winner Marisa Tomei, and a supporting cast of killer character actors, including Fred Gwynne, Lane Smith, Bruce McGill, Austin Pendleton, James Rebhorn, and Chris Ellis, among others.

What I did not go see, and what my nieces did not go see, was Disney’s live-action Moana, which grossed $43 million this weekend on a reported production budget of $250 million. Ouch!

What went wrong, and where does Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson go from here? Every outlet on the planet is asking those same questions today, but none of them have blunt answers from six industry insiders and a test screening report about Jumanji: Open World, which is slated to hit theaters in December — at least for now.

Premium subscribers can continue reading for more juice… but first, a quick shoutout to Sam Neill, who passed away at age 78 this week. Neill was an essential part of the magic of Jurassic Park, and a clear inspiration for Johnson’s Jumanji character. R.I.P.

Happy Thursday, folks!

A quick reminder before I get started today — I have a MERCH STORE! I’ve got hats, sweatshirts, t-shirts, stickers, and more! Heck, I can make you InSneider-branded anal beads, if that’s what floats your boat. Click on the link above and be the coolest-looking person in your next Zoom meeting.

Anyway, I’m back in Los Angeles following three weeks in Boston with the family, and not more than eight hours after I got home, I was in a movie theater watching Olivia Wilde’s The Invite, which lived up to the hype and proved to be an absolutely devastating portrait of love and marriage. The final 15 minutes hit me like a punch in the gut, and I sobbed through the entire credits. Bravo, I say!

The adapted screenplay by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack is an absolute lock for an Oscar nomination, and the performers will all be in the conversation as well, though I must say… I was most impressed by Wilde, which is not something I thought I’d say. Everyone was excellent, but she blew me away with her work both in front of and behind the camera. It’s a remarkable comeback following the muddled mess that was Don’t Worry Darling. I can’t wait to see what Wilde does next…

Anyway, this morning, I saw Deadline report that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is looking at a domestic opening between $180 million and $190 million, per (useless) tracking services, and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Right now, the new Spider-Man movie is actually poised to open between $225 million and $245 million, but that figure is steadily rising. Could Brand New Day somehow top the $260.1 million that Spider-Man: No Way Home opened to in 2021? Yes, possibly...

I think that Stranger Things star Sadie Sink is a significant draw here, and while the terminally online have a good idea of who she’s likely playing, I have to commend Sony and Marvel for maintaining the mystery officially, at least as far as the film’s marketing goes. There’s a curiosity factor in play here that rarely exists when it comes to comic book movies, whose trailers tend to give away everything but the cameos, and I think people are going to want to scratch that itch.

Likewise, I think people are curious as to what this movie is really up to, and what it’s ultimately about. It’s wild that I, Jeff Sneider, film reporter extraordinaire, am in the dark on that front. I’m open to being pleasantly surprised regarding the story, though it wouldn’t surprise me if this movie had no story, like so many other Marvel movies.

I do think there’s a bit of comic book movie fatigue out there, but naturally, the quoted “experts” are all wrong about why. I recently saw one quote about how Gen Z doesn’t care about comic book movies, but I think the performance of Brand New Day will show that they do care about comic book movies — they’re just a more discerning audience than Millennials. So despite that fatigue, there actually is pent-up demand for real comic book movie events, which Brand New Day certainly qualifies as.

Likewise, I think that The Odyssey coming out two weeks before this movie is both a benefit and a drawback. On one hand, I think a hit like The Odyssey gets people excited to come back to a movie theater. If people have a good experience, they typically try to repeat that experience. However, I worry that the proximity of Brand New Day’s release to The Odyssey could hurt the new Spider-Man movie — not that the franchise hasn’t overcome competition in the past en route to setting box office records. I’m just trying to explain why Brand New Day might not open to No Way Home numbers.

Keep in mind that audiences were frothing at the mouth to return to theaters after more than a year of being cooped up at home due to the pandemic, and No Way Home gave people the excuse they needed to finally get off their couches and brave the real world again — at least to some extent.

Will Tom Holland’s fourth solo outing as Spidey feel a bit “been there, done that,” or will audiences see it as a vital prelude to Avengers: Doomsday, which is slated to release its first trailer later this month following its debut at San Diego Comic-Con? We’ll see in just a few short weeks… when Holland’s stock will be sky-high in the wake of his turn as Telemachus in The Odyssey.

And now for something that isn’t “odd to see” at all here at The InSneider — another exclusive! And a DC Studios one, at that. But only premium subscribers can continue reading.

What are you waiting for? An invitation from the Queen? This is it, my friends…

Happy Wednesday, folks!

I’ve got a red-hot DC rumor this morning, but only premium subscribers can continue reading. Lucky them, right?

Happy Tuesday, folks!

After a lovely vacation with the fam, including a couple of days down the Cape, I’m back from the holiday break with a cool update.

Three years ago, Daniel Richtman reported on a new Ali G movie from English provocateur Sacha Baron Cohen that was either in the works or had been in the works prior to the dual strikes of 2023. I’m hearing that such a project has now been completed. It’s unclear whether the new Ali G movie is being shopped to buyers right now or if it already has a home, but it’s my understanding that it’s in the can.

Cohen was reportedly spotted in character in and around Oxfordshire, England, in July and September of 2025, though I believe Ali G also spends a good deal of time in the circus that is America in this mysterious new project, which remains untitled and has no release date as of now. A representative for Cohen declined to comment on Monday.

This weekend, I finished reading John Wainwright’s 1979 novel Brainwash, which isn’t the sort of book I typically read (it was very British), but I really liked it, and I think I’m going to dive into more of Wainwright’s bibliography in the months ahead.

Brainwash led me to watch the 1981 French film Garde à Vue (aka The Inquisitor, aka The Grilling) and another adaptation, the 2000 thriller Under Suspicion, starring Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman. Under Suspicion was ultimately better thanks to its two leads, who really sink their teeth into the material, but it’s 25 minutes longer than Garde à Vue, and it would’ve benefited from a more judicious edit.

As for the weekend box office, I’m not going to pour any more salt in Supergirl’s wound, but you should head to THR for a thoughtful post-mortem from Borys Kit. I’m more interested in the underperformance of Minions and Monsters, which grossed just $61.4 million at the domestic box office over the 5-day weekend, and whether Universal is starting to panic about The Odyssey, as clearly, there are folks with an axe to grind when it comes to Christopher Nolan’s epic, which has become a target of small-minded conservatives.

Today brings the final entries from the 19-page document listing Studio Mandates for this summer — a pretty interesting document that I have shared in its entirety in recent weeks.

The same preamble applies. This is an external document compiled by an agency or management company, and I’m presenting these entries pretty much exactly how they are in the document, with a few formatting and content tweaks based on reporting. That said, I’m “sharing” this stuff more than I am “reporting” it, and I offer my own analysis below as well.

Keep in mind that studio mandates change week-to-week, if not day-to-day, but generally speaking, this document has been spot-on, based on the feedback I’ve received.

Today’s focus is on Apple, Netflix, Amazon, United Artists, and Amazon AI Creative Studio. Premium subscribers may now continue reading…

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Happy Tuesday, folks!

This weekend, Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl tanked at the box office, grossing $37 million Stateside. Yikes! This is the last shot I’ll take at James Gunn on this issue, but maybe don’t talk about how you only plan to greenlight great scripts, since we all know that the odds of anyone being 100% from the field are zero, because no one has a perfect track record in this town. Again, a little humility goes a long way with fans, and Gunn’s critics won’t be able to shove such quotes in his face if he stops giving them.

To be clear, I’d like to reiterate that I’m not worried about the overall health of the DCU, as Clayface is going to be a big hit in just four short months from now. And I know that can be a long wait for an exec on the perceived hot seat, but Gunn has weathered fiercer storms before. He’ll be just fine…

Anyway, I didn’t see Supergirl over the weekend. Instead, I took my two young nieces to see Toy Story 5 (another winner from Pixar), I showed my old man M. Night Shyamalan’s masterpiece Unbreakable (he didn’t understand the twist ending), and I watched Vincent Grashaw’s indie crime movie Gangland all by my lonesome.

The latter film stars Lou Diamond Phillips as a tribal cop trying to keep the peace and stop the deadly cycle of violence on a rural Indigenous reservation where gangs have run amok. Phillips is his typically sturdy self in the role, and the supporting cast lends authenticity to the suspenseful proceedings.

Due in select theaters and on VOD on July 10, Gangland is another really well-observed tale from Grashaw, whose career I’ve followed since he co-produced, co-edited, and co-starred in the 2011 indie Bellflower. Since then, he has really made a name for himself as an indie filmmaker, leaving me impressed with both his terrifying feature directorial debut, Coldwater, and 2024’s Tim Blake Nelson vehicle, Bang Bang.

Gangland’s original title was Keep Quiet, and I won’t be keeping quiet today, as I have the latest pages from the 19-page document listing Studio Mandates for this summer — a pretty interesting document that I’ve been sharing in its entirety in recent weeks.

The same preamble applies. This is an external document compiled by an agency or management company, and I’m presenting these entries pretty much exactly how they are in the document, with a few formatting and content tweaks based on reporting. That said, I’m “sharing” this stuff more than I am “reporting” it, and I offer my own analysis below as well.

Keep in mind that studio mandates change week-to-week, if not day-to-day, but generally speaking, this document has been spot-on, based on the feedback I’ve received.

This series will conclude with a bang later this week — Amazon MGM, Amazon AI Creative Studio, United Artists, Apple, and Netflix — though I may split that issue into two parts, just to milk this thing — because it’s Hollywood, baby! No one does it better…

However, today, I focus on eight indie studios — A24, The Arena, Artists Equity, Fifth Season, Legendary Miramax, Studiocanal, and Working Title. If you’re wondering where Neon or MUBI are, they weren’t included in the document, so they have been spared — this time. Mwahahaha…

Premium subscribers may now continue reading.

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Happy Friday, folks!

I’d like to begin with a note of kudos to Universal and Christopher Nolan, who have decided not to screen The Odyssey for so-called influencers, who, I assure you, don’t move the needle in any way, shape, or form. Most of them are annoying industry parasites whose reviews can’t be trusted because they’re largely bought and paid for.

I hate to be accused by the kiddos of “gatekeeping,” but it’s high time that studios abandon this practice and get back to screening their films for professionals who show up to reckon with a piece of art, not take photos of the screen for clout.

Anyway, last night, I paid to see Jackass: Best and Last, and I fucking loved it. I was smiling from ear to ear pretty much the entire time. No one has sacrificed more for their art than Johnny Knoxville and Co. For 25 years, they’ve laid their bodies on the line for our amusement, and I can’t thank them enough for making me laugh over and over again since I was a teenager. They did it with the dumbest shit imaginable, and it worked because it was clear how much love there was among that group of merry pranksters. See this movie!

I haven’t seen DC’s Supergirl movie, and to be honest, I’m not so sure that I will in the wake of the terrible reviews. I have to say, I think this humbling experience will serve as a valuable lesson for DC boss James Gunn, not that I think he’s to blame, since he didn’t write or direct Supergirl and has stayed out of the marketing. But ultimately, he’s responsible for this comic book universe.

I do think that DC’s Clayface movie is going to be a giant hit this fall, so Gunn’s instincts will prove right on that front, especially at such a modest budget level. However, I fear that the takeaway from Supergirl will be a decision to focus strictly on the Big 3 going forward — Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, who is almost definitely being played by Adria Arjona in Man of Tomorrow, Maxima rumors be damned.

But that’s Tomorrow. Today, I have the latest pages from the 19-page document listing Studio Mandates for this summer — a pretty interesting document that I’ve been sharing in its entirety.

Now, I want to be clear about a few things: this is an external document compiled by an agency or management company, and I’m presenting these entries pretty much exactly how they are in the document, with a few formatting and content tweaks based on reporting. That said, I’m “sharing” this stuff more than I am “reporting” it, and I offer my own analysis below as well.

Keep in mind that studio mandates change week-to-week, if not day-to-day, but generally speaking, this document has been spot-on, based on the feedback I’ve received.

Up next will be the town’s major indies — A24, Arena SNK, Artists Equity, Fifth Season, Legendary, Miramax, Studiocanal, Working Title — and the series will conclude with a bang — Amazon MGM, Amazon AI Creative Studio, United Artists, Apple, and Netflix. We’ll see if I break that last entry up into two parts, which would be a very Hollywood thing to do…

However, today, I focus on Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Focus Features, and Lionsgate, which is coming off its biggest box office hit ever in Michael.

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

Happy Wednesday, folks!

I’ve got a monster scoop this morning — one of the biggest movie rumors to ever hit the internet.

Premium subscribers can continue reading…

Happy Monday, folks!

I hope everyone enjoyed the long holiday weekend. I know the folks at Disney and Pixar did, as Toy Story 5 opened to $160 million at the domestic box office — a new record for the beloved animated franchise.

I’m waiting for the kiddie crowds to thin out before catching up with Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the Toy Story gang. Instead, I saw Neon’s latest horror movie, Leviticus, this weekend, which I found a little underwhelming, if I’m being honest. It was okay, don’t get me wrong, and I think Stacy Clausen has got something, but I never really bought the central romance, and I thought the movie would be a whole lot scarier.

I still need to catch up with Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers, but so far, Neon’s slate this year — Alpha, Hokum, I Love Boosters — has been pretty disappointing, and I’m doubtful that Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell will turn things around.

Here’s hoping that Neon’s Cannes titles, such as Hope, Fjord, and Paper Tiger, deliver the goods. I’m also looking forward to Chloe Domont’s thriller A Place in Hell, which is expected to debut at one of the fall festivals.

This weekend brings DC’s Supergirl, which should open to roughly half of what Superman grossed last summer ($125 million). Warner Bros. has to be hoping for north of $60 million, but there will be stiff competition for men thanks to Jackass: Best and Last, while A24 is dropping its buzzy Sundance sex comedy The Invite starring Seth Rogen. Plus, Netflix has a new John Cena-Eric Andre comedy, which could convince some teenage boys to stay home altogether.

I’ll be back soon with the next entry in my Studio Mandate series, but today, I’ve got a hot scoop about what could be the next huge horror movie a la Obsession…

Premium subscribers can continue reading. The rest of you are, sadly, out of luck! Lucky for you, there is a way to fix that…

Happy Saturday, folks!

Last night, I spent an hour showing my family various movie trailers — they’re looking forward to Wildwood and the Brad Pitt movie Heart of the Beast — and today, I’m planning to check out a matinee showing of Leviticus, for which I have high hopes.

I’ll be back next week to wrap up my Studio Mandate series, which has been driving a ton of subscriptions, so thank you. I’ll also be dropping a hot casting scoop on Monday morning, too, so be sure to come back then!

For now, I’ve got a hot scoop about one of the world’s most beloved children’s properties.

That’s right… I can finally tell you how to get to Sesame Street — but only if you’re a premium subscriber. If not, do yourself a favor and take the plunge today!

Happy Wednesday, folks!

It was a game of musical chairs today in Hollywood, as Ryan Coogler moved his TV operations from Disney to Netflix, while Quinta Brunson moved her company from WB to Disney. WB walked away with nothing today, though I’m willing to sign a deal with the studio right now, just so they don’t feel left out.

Today, I assure you, they won’t.

See, last week, I received a 19-page document listing Studio Mandates for this summer, and there was some pretty interesting info in the document, which I’m sharing in its entirety over the next several days.

Now, I want to be clear about two things: this is an external document compiled by an agency or management company, and I’m presenting these entries pretty much exactly how they are in the document, with a few formatting and content tweaks since I spent most of Wednesday afternoon fact-checking, etc.

Apparently, I was so good at it that — paging Dr. Seuss — I forced Survivor host Jeff Probst to post a video announcing a new animated Survivor movie that’s in the works at Paramount Animation, something I discussed with the studio’s publicist just hours earlier, as the document in question references said project.

Can you say frustrating?

Disney did not get a heads-up. Searchlight did not get a heads-up. 20th Century Studios did not get a heads-up, and I adore Steve Asbell. But if your PR peeps don’t play ball with The InSneider, then The InSneider does not play ball with your PR peeps. It’s as simple as that, really.

Yesterday, I played ball with Paramount, and it bit me in the ass… but don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you premium subscribers, since you deserve to be spoiled for all that you do… keeping me alive and such. I’m confident that I’ll kiss and make up with Paramount, but the bruise will linger all the same. Sigh…

Keep in mind that I’m not necessarily “reporting” any of this stuff, I’m merely “sharing” it. I offer my own analysis after, as well as some creative pitches that studio execs and producers should really consider. I know… my ego knows no bounds.

The other thing to keep in mind is that Paramount is on the verge of buying Warner Bros., after which, all bets are off. These mandates will be largely moot by that point, for as much as David Ellison has said he won’t mess too much with how WB operates, there’s no question that there will need to be more synergy between the two studios regarding the types of movies they’ll be making and when they’ll be released.

If I’m not mistaken, Paramount is projecting a July 15 date for closing the WB deal, though some continue to see that as an aggressive target. We’ll see…

We’ll also see which studios I’ll be writing about next, as I still don’t know myself.

But today, I focus on Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Skydance Sports, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, and New Line Cinema.

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

Good afternoon, West Coast, and good evening to those on the East Coast.

Last week, I received a 19-page document listing Studio Mandates for this summer, and there was some pretty interesting info in the document, which I have decided to share in its entirety over the next several days.

Now, I want to be clear that I’m presenting these entries pretty much exactly how they are in the document, with a few formatting and content tweaks.

For example, there was a really juicy nugget in this external document about future TV plans for Star Wars, but, after checking in with insiders, I learned it was inaccurate, so I pulled it, as there’s no point in getting you nerds excited about something that, in all likelihood, isn’t going to happen.

Keep in mind that I’m not necessarily “reporting” any of this stuff, I’m merely “sharing” it. I offer my own analysis after, as well as some creative pitches that studio execs and producers should really consider. I know… my ego knows no bounds.

I don’t know which studios I’ll be writing about next, but I do know that if you’re a studio publicist who’s nervous about this document that’s making the rounds, give me a call, and I’m happy to discuss your studio’s real mandates, whatever they may be.

Those publicists who aren’t subscribed to this newsletter may pay the price for their foolish decision.

Today, I focus on Disney, 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, and Lucasfilm.

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