THR's Late-Night Lately rounds up the best sketches and guests with a look at what's to come next week.Read the full article – Hollywoodreporter.com
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From "Complicit" perfume to a bumbling Eric Trump character, the First Family and Co. continued to make its mark on the NBC late-night staple this year.
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In a skit on 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,' Foster played FBI student Clarice Starling, and Stephen Colbert played Hannibal Lecter, an "old friend of Trump's."
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'Once Upon a Time' Creators Reveal What They've Learned from Season 7 Reboot
The showrunners break down the midseason finale and reveal which new Disney characters will be introduced in 2018.
[Warning: This story contains spoilers from "The Eighth Witch" episode of ABC's Once Upon a Time.]
While the seventh season of Once Upon a Time rebooted the series with a new story, new location, and new cast (only three series regulars returned), it's not the first time the fairy tale series has taken a dramatic turn.
"Every year's a new show for Once Upon a Time," co-creator Edward Kitsis told The Hollywood Reporter. "One year we were in Camelot, one year we were in the Underworld, one we were in Neverland, once we were in New York. So, every year we're kind of recreating a new show."
Now, at midseason, Kitsis and co-creator Adam Horowitz told THR they've begun to work out the kinks in their new format, which saw the characters living in Seattle under a curse that made them forget their fairy tale alter-egos. Slowly some have woken up from the curse, which turned out to be cast by Regina (Lana Parrilla) and not Lady Tremaine (Gabrielle Anwar), Drizella (Adelaide Kane), or Mother Gothel (Emma Booth), as previous episodes led viewers to believe.
The midseason finale revealed that even though Regina is awake, she still can't break the curse—because it means that Henry (Andrew J. West) will die. But if she doesn't find another way to break it, Henry's daughter Lucy (Alison Fernandez) will die. To find a way to break it without anyone dying, she tracked down her sister, Zelena (returning regular Rebecca Mader, who will recur in the second half of the season).
"We love Rebecca. We missed writing for her," Horowitz told THR. Zelena, it turns out, has been living in San Francisco as a spin instructor named Kelly, a character who was originally conceived with an American accent (thanks to a funny impression Mader did over lunch). "We love Zelena," Horowitz continued. "Zelena is a character that does so many different things in that she can be powerful, evil, good, complicated and funny and we wanted to use Rebecca's amazing talent to do everything. We wanted to give her a really fun entrance."
Fun entrance aside, there are some serious implication's to Zelena waking up—namely, she's engaged to be married.
"What that curse life is and was becomes very important and something she has to wrestle with in a serious way," Horowitz said. "The fiance is a real thing. She really does have one and we really will be exploring that in the second half of the season. It is someone from the real world, and that is the one thing we haven't done. We've had people that we thought were from the real world but turned out to be flying monkeys. One of the things we're going to see is she's going to be having this conflicting attitude. She's never had a cursed persona, so there's Kelly and then there's Zelena and then there's this person, and how do you tell somebody that you were once the wicked witch? There's a whole mess of emotional problems that lay ahead for her."
The end of the episode revealed that while Drizella thought it was her plan to curse everyone, Mother Gothel had been pulling the strings the whole time thanks to her "Coven of the Eight," a group of eight witches that Horowitz and Kitsis said we'll meet in the second half of the season. (Regina and Zelena, of course, are two members.)
"We're going to see some witches from Disney lore," Kitsis said. "And at the same time, I think we're seeing that Mother Gothel believes in drawing strength from numbers. So whatever dastardly plan she has for the second half of the season, she's forming a gang."
While Zelena might not want to leave her life as Kelly behind, she'll do anything she can to help Regina figure out how to save Henry and Lucy.
"You've got two lives that hang in the balance and I think it's going to be up to Regina and Zelena, sisters working together, to find the third way to save them both," said Kitsis. "And while they're attempting to save two lives, we also realize we have Gothel putting her plan in motion."
"The Eighth Witch" introduced another new aspect of Zelena's life—her grown-up daughter, Robin (played by Riverdale's Tiera Skovbye)—who turned out to be in love with Alice (Rose Reynolds) in the fairy tale realm but hasn't yet been seen in Hyperion Heights. Horowitz and Kitsis told THR that more of Robin's story will be told in upcoming episodes.
"We wanted to, in this episode, take a time jump and let everybody know who cast the curse and where everybody was before it," Horowitz said. "The second half of the season will lead up to a lot of these moments. For instance, we're going to see how Robin and Alice meet, fall in love and end up at that point. She's definitely coming back. There's a lot of Robin."
At the season's midpoint, Horowitz and Kitsis told THR that they're realizing what has and hasn't been working with the new storylines, and that they're hoping to continue balancing the new characters with the returning ones.
"I think the people that have been very open to this new scenario have really liked it and liked the new energy of the storytelling," Kitsis said. "We knew going in, of course, people are going to miss the cast that they've loved for six years. So for us, I guess it's the same learning lesson every year, which is some things work better than others. You just try to keep moving toward your goal and hopefully entertaining people. It's always a balance between your plans and the realities of how production works. We have a lot of new locations and we're in the city, so there's a lot of figuring out what kinds of stories we could tell versus what our plans were. That's always a balancing act."
He continued, "There are things that we think we can get better at, and I feel like every episode you're seeing that. So every episode from the very first one is us adjusting towards the things we think work. In the second half of the season, we continue to balance between the characters we knew and the new characters, especially the ones that we feel like people are really gravitating towards. As always, we're going to introduce some new people, but I think that we've started to work out some of the kinks of the new season. I think people will see in the second half of the season it finds its groove even more."
Added Horowitz, "the thing about self-criticism is we do it all the time. We try to hold every story and every script and every episode up to the highest standards. I really do think there is no tougher critic on the show than ourselves. …As the show comes along, we discover what works and what doesn't work and try to play to our strengths and keep improving the show. I think that's been true every year. As long as we're doing this show, it's something we always strive to do. We know nothing is ever perfect, but we try to always push it as far [as we can]."
Once Upon a Time returns in 2018.
Once Upon a TimeRead the full article – Hollywoodreporter.com
Watergate Series From George Clooney in the Works at Netflix
The limited series is being written by 'Bridge of Spies' scribe Matt Charman.
Netflix is eyeing the Watergate scandal as the subject of its next high-profile miniseries.
A drama titled Watergate is being developed by George Clooney and Bridge of Spies writer Matt Charman. Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures will produce the eight-episode limited series, with the film star and his partner Grant Heslov serving as executive producers. Charman is writing the script for the project, which also hails from Sonar Entertainment (which signed a first-look deal with Smokehouse last year). Netflix declined to comment.
Watergate, which sources say will focus on the chief figures wrapped up in the scandal, is one of two big limited series to emerge recently from Smokehouse. Clooney also has a Catch-22 adaptation, based on Joseph Heller’s classic novel, from Paramount Television and Anonymous Content in which he's set to star in and direct. The six-episode mini is being penned by Lion's Luke Davis and War Machine's David Michod.
Charman, who nabbed an Oscar nomination for his Bridge of Spies screenplay, is producing the World War II film Liberty Road. He also is working with Bridge of Spies director Steven Spielberg and producer Marc Platt on a feature about legendary newscaster Walter Cronkite for Amblin Partners.
The Watergate scandal began in June 1972 when five men were arrested for breaking into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate complex in Washington. What followed was an investigation that revealed a cover-up by high-ranking White House officials that resulted in the resignation of President Richard Nixon two years later.
Clooney and his Smokehouse Pictures are repped by CAA; Charman is repped by CAA, Michael McCoy, Jeffrey Silver and attorneys Gretchen Rush and Dan Fox.
Margot Robbie’s Production Company Inks First-Look Deal With Warner Bros. TV
She has already set up a Wall Street drama at NBC under the two-year pact.
Margot Robbie’s production company LuckyChap Entertainment has inked a two-year first-look deal with Warner Bros. Television. As part of the pact, she has already sold her first project, a drama about Wall Street called Shattered Glass, to NBC.
Created and written by Kat Blasband Page, Shattered Glass is described as House of Cards meets Revenge. An empowering post-feminist revenge fantasy set in the world of Wall Street, the project follows a trio of modern women who come together to shatter their respective glass ceilings, taking no prisoners along the way.
Robbie and Brett Hedblom will executive produce for LuckyChap along with Patti Carr, who will serve as showrunner. Page will co-exec produce the series.
“We are so excited by this new relationship with Warner Brothers Television,” LuckyChap principals Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara said Friday in a joint statement. “It has come after a great year for LuckyChap in which we have gradually been building a television slate overseen by our executive Brett Hedblom. We continue to strive to tell female stories in both film and TV, and are immensely proud that our first two shows are created by, written by and starring women.”
In addition to Shattered Glass, LuckyChap recently sold to Hulu a comedy starring Kat Dennings called Dollface, which was created and written by Jordan Weiss. Meanwhile on the film side, the company already has a first-look deal with Warner Bros., which produced I, Tonya and the upcoming indie Dreamland.
LuckyChap is repped by Management 360, CAA and attorney Jeff Bernstein. Page is repped by CAA, Grandview Management and attorney Tara Kole. Carr is repped by CAA and attorney Patti Felker.
'Mr. Robot' Season 3 Finale: Martin Wallström Surveys Stage 2 Fallout
"I always have a sense of where this is going — and it always turns out to be the wrong direction," the erstwhile Tyrell Wellick tells THR about his theories for season four.
[Warning: this story contains spoilers through the season three finale of USA Network's Mr. Robot.]
"Bonsoir, Elliot."
Two of the most iconic words in Mr. Robot lore, uttered in the closing moments of both the season one and two premieres, by the man who at the time stood out as the most menacing figure in the life of Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek) — the most menacing figure who wasn't a figment of Elliot's imagination, anyway: Tyrell Wellick, the Swedish shark in a suit with an eye on becoming nothing less than a God, let alone the youngest CTO in E Corp history.
Played by Martin Wallström, Tyrell represented everything that Elliot stood against — until the stars and their purposes aligned, as Tyrell became an instrumental player in the revolution kickstarted by Elliot's darker alter ego, the titular Mr. Robot (Christian Slater). Throughout the second season of the USA Network series, Elliot and viewers alike were uncertain about Tyrell's fate until the final episode of the year, so much so that Wallström only appeared in a handful of episodes. Perhaps that's why the actor refers to himself as little more than "a small part" in the overall scheme of Mr. Robot, even if the notion is perplexing from the outside looking in.
"But there were many characters this season who had so much of an effect on the story," Wallström tells The Hollywood Reporter in a special edition of our Mr. Robot podcast with Post Show Recaps. "You look at Leon (Joey Badass) and Irving (Bobby Cannavale), Whiterose (BD Wong) and Grant (Grant Chang) and Angela (Portia Doubleday) — everybody affects the story in major ways now. Sure, in season one's first episodes, you could feel that Tyrell was affecting Elliot. But now, we're all pawns affecting each other."
Wallström points at the final moments of season three as a further example of his point: Fernando Vera (Elliot Villar), returning to the Mr. Robot universe for the first time since season one. While Vera has little to do with the greater narrative of Elliot versus the top one percent (including BD Wong's Whiterose and Michael Christofer's Phillip Price), Vera forever changed the Mr. Robot protagonist by murdering his girlfriend Shayla (played by SMILF creator and star Frankie Shaw) at the midpoint of the first season. Now, he stands ready to impact Elliot and the rest of the Mr. Robot roster in greater ways moving forward.
"Suddenly, we have a character stepping in now at the end of episode ten who had a great impact in the past," says Wallström. "For most of the characters, we are small parts in this story. We all have the ability to do big stuff with it. With Tyrell, he's made his plan. He did something very big that affected everybody else. We all have that ability."
Indeed, Tyrell made the extent of his powers known midway into season three, when he organized the Dark Army's horrific Cyber Bombings, which killed thousands of people across the country in one fell swoop. In the aftermath, Tyrell — already a fugitive due to his role in the Five/Nine Hacks — was thrust back into the national spotlight, under the fabricated guise of a hero who tried to prevent the attacks. As a result, Tyrell finally earned the thing he wanted all along, becoming the youngest CTO in E Corp history — but only after getting so much blood on his hands, not to mention the death of his wife Joanna (Stephanie Corneliussen) and a seemingly permanent separation from his newborn son.
"It's like the genie in the bottle: be careful what you wish for," Wallström says about his character's arc this season. "I was pretty surprised he was willing to go to such an extent to get what he wanted. I'm really curious to see where this will take him. I don't know how much else he has to lose at this moment."
A Tyrell Wellick with nothing to lose is a scary prospect indeed, and one that Wallström can only speculate about at this stage, given that the recently announced season four is just now entering the writing phase.
"We now have a very clear picture of who his enemies are. It's the first time he might have someone specific to aim all of that [rage] towards. But who knows what's going to happen? Maybe he'll go to Tibet and find himself in monastery. You never know," he jokes. "I always have a sense of where this is going — and it always turns out to be the wrong direction. The writers are so clever. I'm eager to see what's going to happen. I've been wrong every time I've guessed, which I think people should be very glad for."
Listen to our full Post Show Recaps podcast conversation with Martin Wallström for his thoughts on playing Tyrell, his experience in season three (including growing a full beard and once again donning the character's signature blue murder gloves), hopes for season four, and much more.
Follow THR.com/MrRobot for all of our coverage of the USA Network drama.
"She was not fighting for black people in the White House," said 'Daily Show' host Trevor Noah.
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Judd Apatow's 'Love' to End With Season 3 on Netflix (Exclusive)
The decision to wrap the comedy starring Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust comes as the streaming giant is starting to refine its scripted roster.
The upcoming third season of Judd Apatow's Netflix comedy Love will be its last.
The prolific producer and the streaming giant have agreed to end the Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust series after three seasons. The global return date for season three, which was announced in February ahead of its sophomore launch, is set for March 9.
"I am really excited about the third season of Love," said Apatow, who co-created the series with Girls alum Lesley Arfin and Rust. "I think it is our sweetest, funniest season and ends our story in a beautiful way."
The decision to end Love comes as Apatow recently bid farewell to HBO's Girls, which he executive produced alongside star Lena Dunham. He also exec produces HBO's Pete Holmes comedy Crashing.
“We couldn’t have hoped for better companions to go on this journey of Love with than the incomparable Judd Apatow, Gillian Jacobs, Paul Rust, Lesley Arfin and the rest of the fantastic cast and crew who have brought this special series to life," said Netflix vp original series Cindy Holland. "Over three seasons, viewers around the world have laughed, cringed and cried with Mickey and Gus, and we are excited to share this concluding journey with their fans."
While Netflix (like Amazon and Hulu) does not release ratings information, the streamer said in October that Love was among its top 20 original series to be binged within their first 24 hours. (Love ranked 17th, ahead of Jenji Kohan-produced GLOW and critical favorite Master of None.)
The forthcoming end of Love — produced by Legendary Television — arrives as Netflix has begun to better curate its roster of scripted originals. The streamer recently canceled comedy Haters Back Off after two seasons, which followed cancellations of Naomi Watts starrer Gypsy, Girlboss, pricey drama The Get Down and Sense8, among others.
Tycoon Alisher Usmanov exits the broadcasting company UTH, which owns an 80 percent stake in the network.
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