Disney Sunday Ticket bid / "Futurama" revival / Tubi growth spike / Netflix's "Adam Project" trailer

Plus today's calendar, "Better Things" S5, "Lord of the Rings" first-look images, "Rebel Moon" update, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network February 10, 2022

During an earnings call with investors on Wednesday, Disney CEO Bob Chapek confirmed that the company is pursuing NFL Sunday Ticket streaming rights. The subscription package from the NFL allows fans to watch any games of their choice, including those featuring out-of-market teams. More: The NFL's current Sunday Ticket deal with DirecTV expires after the 2022 football season; DirecTV is not expected to renew. DirecTV paid about $1.5 billion per year for exclusive Sunday Ticket rights, but unnamed sources within the NFL said they expect a "healthy" increase for the new deal. Disney would almost certainly stream Sunday Ticket through the ESPN+ platform. Disney added 11.8 million subscribers to Disney+ around the globe this past quarter, topping expectations. During the call, Chapek also noted that the studio's animated hit "Encanto" was only a modest box office success, but nonetheless reached a global audience of fans on Disney+. THE WRAP

Hulu ordered a 20-episode revival of the animated sci-fi comedy series "Futurama" from original creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen. Though the majority of the cast plans to return, John DiMaggio -- who voices Bender, among other characters -- has not signed on for the new episodes. More: According to Variety, discussions with DiMaggio are ongoing; many fans on social media have vowed not to support the new series unless the actor returns. Original cast members Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman all signed on for the revival. Production on the new episodes will begin soon for a planned 2023 debut. VARIETY

DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10 KIMI: 2022 thriller from writer David Koepp ("Premium Rush") and director Steven Soderbergh, starring Zoë Kravitz as an agoraphobic data analyst who uncovers recorded evidence of a violent crime. In order to report her findings and bring the killer to justice, she'll have to venture out of her apartment and into the protester-filled streets of Seattle. Erika Christensen, Rita Wilson, India de Beaufort, and Robin Givens co-star. [HBO Max] THE GIRL BEFORE: Four-part British thriller series from creator J.P. Delaney, based on his own 2016 novel. Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars as Jane, a single woman who moves into an extraordinary, minimalist house where a number of strange regulations have been put in place by the original architect (David Oyelowo). Jessica Plummer and Ben Hardy co-star. The series is a co-production of HBO Max and BBC One. [HBO Max] ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Debut game show, reimagining the classic '70s and '80s series "TattleTales," in which celebrity couples join hosts Ayesha and Stephen Curry for a variety of "date night" games and trivia challenges. [HBO Max] JUST CALL OUT MY NAME: CNN documentary feature about the musical partnership of singer-songwriters James Taylor and Carole King, featuring excerpts from their 2010 Troubadour Reunion tour, along with archival footage and new interviews. Frank Marshall ("The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart") directed. [HBO Max] ADVENTURE OF THE RING: Eight-part romantic comedy series from Taiwan, based on the novel "Ring of the Day" by Lai I-Wei. Chris Wang and Allison Lin co-star as a couple whose marriage proposal goes horribly awry when the engagement ring is lost on a train. As the duo re-examines their own future, the show follows the ring through various escapades with other couples. [HBO Max] REAL HUSBANDS OF HOLLYWOOD – MORE KEVIN, MORE PROBLEMS: Six-part revival series reuniting the cast of the reality TV parody "Real Husbands of Hollywood," which wrapped up its 5-season run back in 2016. Kevin Hart, Boris Kodjoe, Duane Martin, JB Smoove, Nelly, Nick Cannon, Robin Thicke, Cynthia McWilliams, and Jackie Long all return for the new episodes, alongside newcomers Michele Weaver and Angela Rye and a line-up of special guest stars. [BET+] NORTH OF THE 10: Original BET+ "bromantic comedy" feature from co-writer/director Rhyan LaMarr about five friends struggling to make it in Chicago's entertainment industry during the early days of social media in 2007. Don Benjamin, Matt Rife, Wesley Armstrong, Tosin Morohunfola, DeStorm Power, Mykelti Williamson, and George Lopez co-star. [BET+] COPSHOP: 2021 action-thriller from co-writer/director Joe Carnahan ("Boss Level"), chronicling the violent conflict between a hitman (Gerard Butler), a rookie cop (Alexis Louder), and a con artist (Frank Grillo) that unfolds at a small-town police station. [Peacock] GULLY: 2021 crime drama following three Los Angeles teenagers (Kelvin Harrison Jr., Jacob Latimore, and Charlie Plummer) from tough backgrounds on a 48-hour binge of drugs and violence. Jonathan Majors, John Gorbett, Robin Givens, Amber Heard, and Terrence Howard co-star. The film is the scripted feature debut of music video director Nabil Elderkin. [Hulu and Paramount+] TO CATCH A SMUGGLER: Reality series from National Geographic chronicling the day-to-day work of US Customs and Border Protection officers working at New York's JFK International Airport. Season 3 comes to Hulu today. [Hulu] PECKHAM'S FINEST: UK reality series following the lives of a diverse and ambitious group of young people living, working, and dating in the eclectic South London neighborhood. Season 1 hits Hulu today. [Hulu] STAYCATION: 2022 romantic comedy feature about a couple on the brink of divorce whose marriage counselor gives them an unexpected challenge: spend three quiet days at home together. Shelton Jolivette and Jennifer Freeman co-star; Aaron and Ali Abdin wrote and directed. [ALLBLK] ALL THE MOONS (ILARGI GUZTIAK): Basque-language fantasy-drama feature -- set in Spain in the late 19th Century -- about a young girl who's rescued from her destroyed orphanage by a mysterious woman who turns out to be a vampire. Haizea Carneros, Josean Bengoetxea, and Itziar Ituño co-star. [Shudder] UNTIL LIFE DO US PART (ATÉ QUE A VIDA NOS SEPARE): Debut Portuguese comedy-drama series about a large family that operates a farm for wedding parties while experiencing romantic trials and tribulations of their own. [Netflix] INTO THE WIND (POD WIATR): 2022 teen romantic drama feature from Poland about a promising young medical student (Sonia Mietielica) who falls for a charming kitesurfing instructor (Jakub Sasak). [Netflix]

In its annual report, released during a Fox earnings call, Tubi reported that it had streamed 3.6 billion hours of content in 2021, a 40% increase over the prior year. The Tubi report relied largely on data from the research firm MarketCast. More: Overall, MarketCast found that the subscription VOD audience grew by about 8% in 2021, while the ad-supported VOD audience jumped by 16%. Ad revenue from connected TVs and ad-supported streaming services climbed by 34% in 2021, compared to a 7% gain for broadcast TV and cable. 71% of Tubi users say they don't pay for cable TV; 56% reported not watching linear television at all. Fox purchased Tubi for $440 million in 2020. DEADLINE

"The Adam Project" NEW TRAILERS ICAHN: THE RESTLESS BILLIONAIRE: Documentary profile of financier and activist investor Carl Icahn from filmmaker Bruce David Klein ("Roar: The Most Dangerous Movie Ever Made"). The film features a new interview with Icahn and members of his family, along with insights from Bill Gates, Oliver Stone, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Bryan Burrough, and others. It arrives on February 15. [HBO Max] BETTER THINGS: The fifth and final season of the FX comedy series debuts on February 28 on both TV and Hulu. Creator Pamela Adlon (who also produces and directed 44 episodes) stars as single mom and working actor Sam Fox. [FX / Hulu] THE WEEKEND AWAY: Thriller film, based on the novel by Sarah Alderson, who wrote the adaptation herself. Leighton Meester stars as an American tourist who's accused of murdering her best friend (Christina Wolfe) while the pair are on vacation in Croatia. Kim Farrant ("Strangerland") directed. The film debuts on March 3. [Netflix] THE ADAM PROJECT: Ryan Reynolds stars as a time-traveling fighter pilot who returns to the year 2022 and pairs up with his 12-year-old self (Walker Scobell) in this sci-fi adventure from "Free Guy" director Shawn Levy. Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner co-star as young Adam's parents, while Zoe Saldana plays his adult girlfriend, Laura. The film arrives on March 11. [Netflix]

Morfydd Clark as Galadriel Vanity Fair posted some first-look images from the upcoming Amazon "Lord of the Rings" series, "The Rings of Power." The series debuts on Prime Video on September 2. More: The series is set thousands of years before the events of "The Hobbit" or "Lord of the Rings," and was inspired by various Middle-earth stories from author J.R.R. Tolkien. Amazon plans to spend around $1 billion on the series over the course of five seasons. According to co-showrunner Patrick McKay, the show's events largely center around the forging of the Rings of Power, including the One Ring used by Sauron to deceive the races of elves, dwarves, and men. The show features 22 main characters, with storylines set in multiple locations around Middle-earth, including the elven kingdom of Lindon, the dwarf mines of the Misty Mountains, and the lost human civilization of Númenor. VANITY FAIR

Hunnam, Hounsou, Fisher, and Bae Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Ray Fisher and Doona Bae joined the upcoming Netflix sci-fi epic "Rebel Moon," from co-writer/director Zack Snyder. The ensemble already includes Sofia Boutella, Jena Malone, Staz Nair, E. Duffy, Charlotte Maggi, and Sky Yang. More: The film concerns a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy that's threatened by the expanding empire of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius, and seeks out help from neighboring planets. The film was inspired by a pitch Snyder once made to Lucasfilm, for what he described as a "mature" take on "Star Wars." Snyder reteamed with writers Shay Hatten ("Army of the Dead") and Kurt Johnstad ("300") on the screenplay. Fisher previously starred as Cyborg in Snyder's "Justice League" film. DEADLINE

Universal International Studios is developing a limited series based on the Liane Moriarty novel "Apples Never Fall" for Peacock. The book was published in September 2021 and has already sold over 1 million copies. More: Moriarty's work previously inspired the shows "Big Little Lies" and "Nine Perfect Strangers." The new series centers on a group of siblings who are forced to re-evaluate their aging parents' lives and marriage after their mother Joy goes missing. Melanie Marnich ("The Affair") will write the adaptation and serve as showrunner; Moriarty is on board as an executive producer. VARIETY

Spectrum Originals renewed "Joe Pickett," its most popular original series to date, for a second season. The cable provider also locked in a deal to stream the series on Paramount+. More: The series stars Michael Dornan as a devoted game warden living with his family in a small Wyoming town on the verge of economic collapse. It's based on a novel by C.J. Box, whose work also inspired the ABC series "Big Sky." According to Spectrum Originals, over 1 million households watched "Joe Pickett" in the month after its December launch. The show comes from "Waco" creators John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle. DEADLINE

QUICK HITS 3D technology is changing the future of eCommerce. Threedium has just launched the most powerful low-code 3D & AR engine in the world.* The US Justice Department declined to challenge the proposed merger between Discovery and WarnerMedia, bringing the mega-deal one step closer to completion. The upcoming fourth season of Amazon's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" will be the show's first to abandon the "binge" model; two new episodes will hit the streamer each Friday, starting on February 18. Netflix acquired the rights to the short story "Backwards" by mother-son team Julianna Baggott and Finneas Scott, following a 6-way bidding war; "Free Guy" vet Shawn Levy is attached to direct. According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times, former "Cheer" star Jerry Harris plans to plead guilty on Thursday to federal sex crimes, relating to his 2020 arrest on child pornography charges. "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" vet Aline Brosh McKenna is developing a new series based on the Jessica Olien novel "The Golden Spoon" for Hulu and ABC Signature. The fourth season of the biker drama "Mayans M.C." debuts on FX on April 19; episodes will air on Tuesdays, then come to Hulu on Wednesdays. Writer/producer Maggie Mull signed an overall deal to develop both live-action and animated comedies for 20th Television; the "Family Guy" vet created the upcoming Hulu comedy series "Maggie." Showtime entertainment president Gary Levine spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the decision to bring back "Dexter," the breakout success of "Yellowjackets," and why he wasn't too upset to lose the "Halo" adaptation to Paramount+. Hundreds of thousands of investors are automating their money with this fintech platform.* *This is sponsored content

Lon Harris is the writer and editor of Inside Streaming and was the very first person to ever write an Inside newsletter. He lives in Los Angeles, California, and also writes about TV and film for Fandom, Screen Junkies, Rotten Tomatoes, Gamma Ray and others. Plus he has a Game of Thrones podcast called "Casterly Talk" and competes on The Movie Trivia Schmoedown as "The Professor." Editor Jonathan Harris is a writer for Inside.com. Previously, he wrote for The Huffington Post, TakePart.com, and the YouTube channel What’s Trending.

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