Analysts on Netflix-Microsoft / Reeves' F1 series / "Dr. Death" Season 2 / "Love is Blind" lawsuit latest

Plus the weekend calendar, "Gangnam Style" turns 10, "The Patient" trailer, HBO Max grabs "Uptown Bodega," and more

Inside.com Part of   Network July 15, 2022

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The Netflix-Microsoft collaboration on ad sales could be the first step in a potential acquisition deal, according to Needham senior analyst Laura Martin. During a discussion with Yahoo Finance Live on Thursday, Martin noted that Microsoft was the only potential ad partner with the ability to potentially purchase Netflix outright, both due to its hefty $100 billion price tag as well as likely regulatory constraints. More: Martin suggests that, once Microsoft completes its absorption of Activision, it may begin moving forward with a Netflix deal. Netflix's lower-cost ad-supported tier will likely not debut before the second half of 2023. In a note to clients published on Thursday, Goldman Sachs maintained a "Sell" rating on Netflix shares, calling the company's fate a "show-me story" for the next few quarters at least. YAHOO FINANCE

Actor Keanu Reeves will host a four-part docuseries about Formula One racing for Disney+. The still-untitled series will profile Ross Brawn, the British engineer and managing director of the Brawn GP racing team. More: Reeves has already started conducting interviews in association with the project; potential subjects include Brawn himself along with former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo and drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. Reeves is himself a racing enthusiast and owns a motorcycle collection. According to Variety, the series will likely debut in fall 2023. Studios and streamers have a number of Formula One-related projects in the works; Brad Pitt is developing a film about the sport for Apple, while an eight-part docuseries about racing mastermind Bernie Ecclestone is also in production. VARIETY

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WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, JULY 15 THE REHEARSAL: Debut experimental comedy series from "Nathan for You" creator and star Nathan Fielder, in which he helps six people plan out important moments in their lives via strange and immersive simulations. [HBO Max] KUNG FU: The CW martial arts action series stars Olivia Liang as Nicky Shen, who uses her mastery of kung fu and Shaolin philosophy to protect her neighborhood. Season 2 aired on TV earlier this year and hits HBO Max today; the show has been renewed for a third season. [HBO Max] PERSUASION: Theater veteran Carrie Cracknell makes her feature directorial debut with this modernized adaptation of the 1817 Jane Austen novel, the last work the author completed. Dakota Johnson stars as Anne Elliott, who is convinced by family and friends to break off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), then re-encounters him seven years later by chance. Henry Golding, Richard E. Grant, and Nikki Amuka-Bird co-star. [Netflix] UNCHARTED: Big-screen action-adventure film, based on the Sony PlayStation video game series. Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg co-star as Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan, fortune hunters on a global search for the lost treasure of Magellan. Antonio Banderas, Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle, and Rudy Pankow co-star; Ruben Fleischer ("Zombieland") directed. [Netflix] FARZAR: Debut animated sci-fi comedy series for adults from "Brickleberry" and "Paradise PD" masterminds Roger Black and Waco O'Guin. The story concerns a hapless prince (Dana Snyder) who hopes to improve his status by defending his peace-loving planet from alien invaders. The voice cast also includes Lance Reddick, Grey Griffin, David Kaye, Carlos Alazraqui, Jerry Minor, and Kari Wahlgren. [Netflix] REMARRIAGE & DESIRES: Romantic thriller series from South Korea set within the world of elite matchmaking services for the wealthy, known locally as "marriage information companies." Kim Hee-sun stars as an ordinary housewife from Gangnam who utilizes one of these services as part of an elaborate revenge plot. [Netflix] MOM, DON'T DO THAT!: Romantic comedy series from Taiwan starring Billie Wang as a widow who sets out to find a new husband, over the objections of her cynical, perpetually single daughters. [Netflix] COUNTRY QUEEN: Drama series from Kenya, produced in a mix of English and Swahili, starring Melissa Kiplagat as an ambitious executive in Nairobi who returns to her small country village to stop an incursion by an aggressive mining company. [Netflix] ALBA: Crime drama series from Spain, based on a Turkish original. Elena Rivera stars as a university student who is raped by a group of multiple young men, some of whom grew up in the same small beach community with her boyfriend (Eric Masip). [Netflix] LOVE GOALS (JAADUGAR): Hindi-language romantic comedy feature from India about an amateur magician with no interest in soccer who nonetheless must lead his local team to glory in order to win over the girl of his dreams. [Netflix] EXPLORER: THE DEEPEST CAVE: Documentary from National Geographic and ABC Studios following 68-year-old adventurer Bill Stone as he and his team explores Chave Cave in Mexico, and attempt to set a world record by finding a route more than 7,208 feet below the Earth's surface. (The three-month journey has been compared to scaling Everest in reverse.) [Disney+] ZOMBIES 3: The third (and reportedly final) film in Disney Channel's "Zombies" musical comedy franchise debuts exclusively on Disney+ on Friday. Once divided over the issue of accepting monsters, Seabrook High is now challenged with yet another group of incoming students: aliens. [Disney+] DON'T MAKE ME GO: 2022 comedy-drama feature from director Hannah Marks ("Banana Split"), starring John Cho as a single father who's diagnosed with a terminal illness, then takes his daughter (Mia Isaac) on a road trip to find her estranged mother. Kaya Scodelario, Josh Thomson, Stefania LaVie Owen, and Jemaine Clement co-star. The film debuted earlier this year at the Tribeca festival. [Amazon] 1UP: Teen comedy feature from director Kyle Newman ("Fanboys"), produced by Lionsgate and BuzzFeed Studios. Paris Berelc stars as a champion competitive gamer who encounters sexism upon joining her university's male-dominated esports team, prompting her to form her own all-girl squad. Ruby Rose, Taylor Zakhar Perez, and Hari Nef co-star. [Amazon] JAMES MAY: OUR MAN IN ITALY: 6-episode travel docuseries following the "Top Gear" host on a tour around Italy, which will take him up and down the entire country, to nearly every region. [Amazon] FOREVER SUMMER: HAMPTONS: Coming-of-age "docu-soap" (in the style of "Laguna Beach" or "Summer House") following a group of young people from different backgrounds as they spend the ultimate summer together in The Hamptons, a playground for the rich and famous on New York's Long Island. [Amazon] LOVE ACCIDENTALLY: Romantic comedy feature starring Brenda Song as Alexa, who embarks on an exciting new relationship with Jason (Aaron O'Connell) after accidentally sending him a text meant for her friend. Denise Richards, Maxwell Caulfield, and Brooke Newton co-star. [Freevee] SATURDAY, JULY 16 UMMA: 2022 supernatural horror film from first-time writer/director Iris K. Shim, starring Sandra Oh as a single mother living on an isolated farm who believes she's being haunted by her dead mother's ghost. Fivel Stewart, Dermot Mulroney, Odeya Rush, and MeeWha Alana Lee co-star. [Netflix] NIKKI GLASER: GOOD CLEAN FILTH: The comedian's new HBO special covers topics a variety of salacious and intimate topics about dating and sexuality. [HBO Max] SUNDAY, JULY 17 BLOOD & TREASURE: The CBS action drama series moves to Paramount+ exclusively for its second season. It centers on an international terrorist funding his crimes via stolen art, and the antiquities expert and former art thief who team up to stop him. Matt Barr, Sofia Pernas, James Callis, and Katia Winter co-star. [Paramount+] RAT IN THE KITCHEN: TBS cooking competition series in which a group of contestants prepares dishes in an effort to impress celebrity chef Ludo Lefebvre, while an undercover mole attempts to ruin their efforts and sabotage their food. Natasha Leggero hosts. Season 1 premieres on HBO Max today. [HBO Max] THE HATER: Indie political comedy from writer/director and star Joey Ally. She plays a liberal speechwriter who returns to her conservative Texas hometown and sets out to sabotage the upstart political career of her staunchly conservative childhood bully. [Hulu]

Peacock ordered a second season for the drama series "Dr. Death," which will serve as a true crime anthology about cases involving medical malpractice. Season 2 will center on the case of Paolo Macchiarina, an Italian surgeon once known as the "Miracle Man" who was accused of serial negligence, research fraud, and manipulative behavior. More: Season 1 of "Dr. Death" starred Joshua Jackson as disgraced neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, who was investigated by colleagues (Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin) after permanently mutilating and killing multiple patients. Season 1 showrunner Patrick Macmanus will remain on as an executive producer, while "The Girl from Plainville" vet Ashley Michel Hoban takes over writing and showrunning duties. Both seasons of "Dr. Death" are based on the Wondery podcast of the same title. TV LINE

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Kinetic Content, the production company named as a defendant in "Love is Blind" contestant Jeremy Hartwell's lawsuit against the reality dating series, denied his allegations of inhumane working conditions in a statement to Variety. Kinetic wrote: "While we will not speculate as to his motives for filing the lawsuit, there is absolutely no merit to Mr. Hartwell’s allegations, and we will vigorously defend against his claims." More: According to Kinetic, Hartwell's participation in "Love is Blind" Season 2 lasted for less than one week, as he "failed to develop a significant connection with any other participant." Hartwell is suing Kinetic, Netflix, and casting company Delirium TV in California Superior Court, alleging that cast members were paid less than minimum wage, and deprived of food and water while being plied with alcohol. Hartwell is seeking class-action status to sue on behalf of all "Love is Blind" participants, as well as contestants on other non-scripted productions created by Kinetic; the studio also produces the Netflix reality series "The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On," as well as the Lifetime series "Married at First Sight." VARIETY

Friday, July 15 marks the 10th anniversary of "Gangnam Style" being uploaded to YouTube. The absurdly humorous music video from Korean pop star Psy ranks among YouTube's most-watched clips of all time, with over 4.47 billion views to date. More: "Gangnam Style" was the very first YouTube video in history to reach the 1 billion view milestone. In a statement provided by YouTube, Psy said: "Being the first artist to reach 1 billion views on YouTube was an extraordinary feeling 10 years ago and it still is today." Since Psy first broke the billion view mark, a number of other videos and musical artists have followed; YouTube's most-watched music video to date is Luis Fonsi's "Despacito" featuring Daddy Yankee, which has over 7.8 billion views. VARIETY

FX posted a trailer for the 10-episode limited series "The Patient," from "The Americans" co-creators Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg. Steve Carell stars as a therapist who's held hostage by a serial killer (Domhnall Gleeson) seeking a cure for his dark compulsions. More: Linda Edmond, David Alan Grier, Laura Niemi, and Andrew Leeds co-star in the series. Carell recently starred on the Netflix comedy series "Space Force" and Apple's "The Morning Show"; Gleeson is a co-creator and actor on the UK comedy "Frank of Ireland." "The Patient" hits Hulu on August 30. EW

Rodriguez and Andersen HBO Max grabbed the rights to the adult animated series "Uptown Bodega" following a bidding war with other networks and streamers. The series comes from "Saturday Night Live" director Oz Rodriguez and poet and actor Lemon Andersen. More: The series centers on a woman named Tati Cruz who inherits her father's New York bodega and attempts to keep it running along with her husband, three kids, and cat, Rocky. Peter Murrieta ("Mr. Iglesias") is helping to develop the script and will produce the project. Rodriguez won an Emmy for his work on SNL's "Digital Shorts" and later won again for the behind-the-scenes series "Creating Saturday Night Live"; he has also worked on the series "Kevin Can F**k Himself," "AP Bio," "Shrill," and "Mixed-ish." DEADLINE

Speaking with Variety at the premiere of his latest film, "The Gray Man," "Bridgerton" actor Regé-Jean Page said he'd be okay with Netflix recasting his role for future seasons. Page starred as the Duke of Hastings on the period drama's debut season but opted not to return for the follow-up. More: Page also confessed that he has yet to watch "Bridgerton" Season 2. Each season of "Bridgerton" revolves around a different central romance; nonetheless, Phoebe Dynevor, who plays the Duke's wife Daphne, did return for a supporting role in Season 2. Action-thriller "The Gray Man" is now in theaters in the US and begins streaming on Netflix on July 22. DEADLINE

QUICK HITS Elon Musk gave a shout out to Boxabl calling it a “cool product.” Invest in Boxabl today with over 15,000+ investors!* Diane Lane will co-star opposite Jeff Daniels in the Netflix limited series "A Man in Full," based on the novel by Tom Wolfe; Regina King with direct and co-produce along with David E. Kelley. Amazon's college-set "The Boys" spin-off series will be titled "Gen V"; Prime Video released a title announcement video featuring a number of cast members, including Lizzie Broadway and Chance Perdomo. Martin Lawrence joined the cast of the AMC half-hour comedy sci-fi series "Demascus" in a recurring role; Okieriete Onaodowan stars as a scientist who develops technology allowing him to experience alternate versions of his own life. "Drive My Car" vet Hidetoshi Nishijima joined the cast of Apple TV+'s dark comedy series "Sunny"; Rashida Jones stars as an American woman living in Japan who befriends a domestic robot after her husband (Nishijima) and son disappear in a mysterious plane crash. Hulu released a new trailer for Season 5 of "The Handmaid's Tale," premiering on September 14. Andrew Garfield is in negotiations to star as billionaire Richard Branson in the limited series "Hot Air" for Universal International; the series is based on the book "Dirty Tricks: British Airways' Secret War Against Virgin Atlantic" by journalist Martyn Gregory. During a discussion with Variety, actor Noah Schnapp confirmed that his "Stranger Things" character Will Byers is gay and in love with his best friend, Mike, conceding that "it was a slow arc." A number of actors joined the cast of director Lee Daniels' upcoming Netflix exorcism thriller "The Deliverance," including Omar Epps, Demi Singleton, Miss Lawrence, and Anthony B. Jenkins. Peacock greenlit a third season of the reality series "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip"; the new episodes follows returning Housewives including Candiace Dillard Bassett, Alexia Echevarria, Heather Gay, Porsha Williams and others on a vacation in Thailand. While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, "House of the Dragon" co-showrunner Ryan Condal said that the show's creators purposefully set out to make a series with a more diverse ensemble than "Game of Thrones," noting "it was very important for [co-showrunner Miguel Spochnik] and I to create a show that was not another bunch of white people on the screen." Shudder will release the Senegalese horror film "Saloum" for a limited theatrical run before its September 8 streaming debut; the film follows three mercenaries hiding out in a holiday campground who discover they have been brought there purposefully as part of a revenge plot. Fatigued? Gaining weight? Hyper stressed? Uncover the root cause by testing hormone/nutrient levels with an at-home lab kit. Code INSIDE for 20% off.* *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 and editor who lives in Los Angeles.

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