HCA Streaming TV nominees / Depp in "La Favorite" / "Highfire" to Paramount+ / "Battersea Poltergeist" projects

Plus the weekend calendar, "Gilded Age" horse death, Spatial audio on Netflix, Vulture's streaming power rankings, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network July 08, 2022

Apple's "Severance" Apple TV+ leads nominations in both the streaming comedy and drama categories at this year's Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) Awards. The sci-fi drama "Severance" leads all shows with 12 total nominations, followed by the sports comedy "Ted Lasso" with 11. More: The "Lasso" franchise scored an additional nomination for the animated spin-off short: "Ted Lasso Presents: The Missing Christmas Mustache." "Severance" is nominated for best drama series, in all acting categories, and for its writing and directing. Netflix's "Stranger Things" scored 9 nominations, as did "Dopesick" and "Only Murders in the Building," both from Hulu. Other major streaming nominees included Netflix's "Squid Game," Apple's "The Afterparty," Hulu's "The Dropout," HBO Max's "Hacks," Disney+'s "Loki," and the FX-on-Hulu series "Under the Banner of Heaven." The 2nd Annual Broadcast HCAs will be held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on August 13, 2022; the streaming event takes place the following night, on August 14. VARIETY

Johnny Depp's next film, the French period drama "La Favorite," will be partly funded through a Netflix licensing deal. The film is not officially being produced by Netflix, and has not been annoucned as part of the streamer's theatrical slate. More: "La Favorite," from French actress and filmmaker Maiwenn Le Besco, will be released in French theaters in 2023 and then come to Netflix in the country 15 months later. Le Besco stars in the film as Madame Jeanne Bécu du Barry, the third mistress of France's King Louis XV (Depp); she ultimately died by guillotine during the French Revolution. Netflix's license for "La Favorite" only covers France; it's unclear how the film will be distributed in the US and other territories. Depp remains a divisive figure in the US following his defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard. THE VERGE

WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, JULY 8 BLACK BIRD: Crime drama series from creator Dennis Lehane ("The Outsider"), inspired by the 2010 memoir "In with the Devil" by James Keene. Taron Egerton stars as Keene, a convict who's given an opportunity to cut his sentence by befriending a suspected serial killer (Paul Walter Hauser) and eliciting a confession. Ray Liotta co-stars, in one of his final screen performances, alongside Greg Kinnear and Sepideh Moafi. [Apple TV+] DUCK & GOOSE: Debut animated series for young kids, based on the picture books by Tad Hills, about a young duck and goose who are best friends despite seeing the world very differently. [Apple TV+] THE WONDERFUL SUMMER OF MICKEY MOUSE: Third "seasonal" animated special spun off from the series "The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse." In this cartoon, Mickey and friends each recall the events leading up to the Annual Summer Fireworks Spectacular from a different perspective. [Disney+] THE SEA BEAST: This animated adventure film is the directorial debut of Chris Williams, a veteran writer and animator whose work has been featured in the "Frozen" franchise, "Lilo & Stitch," and other Disney favorites. The story centers on the friendship between a legendary sea monster hunter (Karl Urban) and a young girl (Zaris-Angel Hator) who stows away on his ship. The voice cast also features Dan Stevens, Jared Harris, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. [Netflix] BOO, BITCH: Eight-episode teen comedy series from Erin Ehrlich ("Crazy Ex-Girlfriend") and Lauren Iungerich ("On My Block"), starring Lana Condor as a high school senior who makes a pledge to get noticed and live a more exciting life, just before an untimely accident turns her into a ghost. [Netflix] HOW TO BUILD A SEX ROOM: Debut home makeover reality series in which interior designer Melanie Rose helps couples design the bedroom of their fantasies, from secret rock n' roll-themed dungeons to exotic spas. [Netflix] JEWEL: 2022 romantic drama from South Africa, about the romance between a photographer and a local woman she meets while visiting a massacre memorial. Adze Ugah ("Isibaya") co-wrote and directed. [Netflix] RANVEER VS WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS: Hindi-language interactive special -- the first produced specifically for Netflix India -- in which viewers help outdoor adventurer Bear Grylls and Bollywood star Ranveer Singh navigate the Serbian wilderness as they search for a rare flower. [Netflix] CAPITANI: Crime drama series from Luxembourg, produced in a combination of Luxembourgish and French, starring Luc Schiltz as police Captain Luc Capitani. In Season 2, set three years after the action of Season 1, Capitani infiltrates the world of organized crime in Luxembourg City. [Netflix] DANGEROUS LIAISONS (LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES): French teen thriller series based on the iconic 18th Century novel, which has previously inspired a number of films and series. As with 1999's "Cruel Intentions," the new Netflix adaptation re-stages the story about love and betrayal among popular students at an elite high school. Paola Locatelli, Simon Rerolle, and Ella Pellegrini star. [Netflix] INCANTATION: Found footage horror film from Taiwan, in which a mother searches for ways to free her daughter from a terrifying supernatural curse resulting from an ancient cult ritual. Kevin Ko ("Invitation Only") wrote and directed; Hsuan-yen Tsai, Ying-Hsuan Kao and Sean Lin co-star. [Netflix] THE LONGEST NIGHT (LA NOCHE MÁS LARGA): Crime thriller series from Spain about an armed group of mercenaries attempting to kidnap a convicted serial killer (Luis Callejo) from prison, where they run into resistance from the determined warden (Alberto Ammann) and his team of guards. [Netflix] CONJURING KESHA: Debut supernatural investigation show in which the singer-songwriter explores allegedly haunted destinations along with paranormal experts Cindy Kaze and Chip Coffey, and a rotating group of celebrity friends. Season 1 guests include Whitney Cummings, Jojo Fletcher, Betty Who, GaTa, Karen Elson, and Big Freedia. [Discovery+] BEACH COTTAGE CHRONICLES: 12-episode docuseries from Magnolia Network exploring noteworthy beach cottages and lakeside retreats, featuring discussions with the architects, designers, and homeowners. [Discovery+] TRIGGER POINT: Crime thriller series from the UK starring Vicky McClure as an ex-military explosives expert now working for the Metropolitan Police bomb squad in London. The cast also includes Adrian Lester, Tom Stokes, Gavin Sibson, and Cal MacAninch. Season 1 debuted earlier this year on ITV in the UK and hits Peacock in the US on Friday; ITV has ordered a second season. [Peacock] MINAMATA: Biographical drama feature starring Johnny Depp as photographer W. Eugene Smith, who traveled to Minamata, Japan, in the 1970s to document the devastating impact of corporate pollution and mercury poisoning on the local population. The film is based on the book by Smith and Aileen Mioko Smith. The cast also includes Akiko Iwase, Katherine Jenkins, Bill Nighy, Minami, and Tadanobu Asano. [Hulu] GENERATION GAP: Debut ABC quiz show from producers Jimmy Kimmel and Mark Burnett, in which family members from different generations must work together to solve pop culture-themed puzzles. Kelly Ripa hosts. New episodes air on ABC on Thursdays and come to Hulu on Fridays. [Hulu] PRESS YOUR LUCK: Elizabeth Banks hosts ABC's revival of the classic '80s game show, in which contestants take spins around the game board trying to answer trivia questions while avoiding "Whammys." Season 4 debuted Thursday night on ABC; new episodes hit Hulu on Fridays. [Hulu] REHEARSALS (HAZAROT): Comedy series from Israel about two theater writers (Noa Koler and Erez Drigues) who are forced to work together on a new stage production -- and collaborate with a pair of egotistical TV actors -- while going through a painful break-up. Season 1 premieres on Hulu in the US on Friday. [Hulu] LAST LOOKS: 2022 crime comedy starring Charlie Hunnam as a disgraced former LAPD detective who teams up with his ex-girlfriend (Morena Baccarin) to investigate a high-profile Hollywood murder. Lucy Fry, Rupert Friend, Clancy Brown, and Mel Gibson co-star. The film is based on novel by Howard Michael Gould, who also wrote the adaptation. [AMC+] WARRIORS ON THE FIELD: Hour-long sports documentary special, produced in collaboration with the Australian Football League, relating the stories of three Indigenous AFL players -- Michael O'Loughlin, Michael Walters, and Tarryn Thomas -- and the unique challenges they've faced in their lives and careers. [Amazon] SATURDAY, JULY 9 GOLD: 2022 survival thriller film from Australian co-writer/director Anthony Hayes. Zac Efron stars as a drifter in a dystopian near-future who discovers an enormous gold nugget in a desert wasteland, then remains behind to protect it while his associate (Hayes) leaves to find excavation equipment. The film debuted earlier this year on the Australian streaming service Stan. [Hulu] SUNDAY, JULY 10 SHARKFEST 2022: National Geographic's 10th annual "Sharkfest" will feature more than 30 hours of original programming dedicated to the iconic apex predator. New shark specials hitting Disney+ throughout this month include "Camo Sharks," investigating reports that great whites can change the color of their skin as a survival tactic; "Jaws vs. Boats," in which researchers look into the cause between an increase in shark attacks on seacraft; and "Shark Side of the Moon," examining the lunar-driven migration patterns of hammerhead sharks. [Disney+] SUPREME TEAM: Three-part docuseries -- co-directed by rapper Nasir "Nas" Jones and Peter J. Scalettar -- about the notorious 1980s New York crime syndicate, which operated out of Queens under the leadership of Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff and his nephew, Gerald "Prince" Miller. Supreme McGriff was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2007 on multiple racketeering charges. [Showtime] THE ANARCHISTS: Six-part original docuseries, produced in collaboration with Blumhouse Television, about the "Anarchapulco" conference, which was held annually in Acapulco, Mexico, beginning in 2015, and was dedicated to absolute individual self-rule with no government or oversight. Todd Schramke directed. [HBO Max] SKYMED: First-year medical drama series from Canada's CBC Television, about nurses and pilots working for an air ambulance service in a remote section of northern Manitoba. Natasha Calis, Morgan Holmstrom, Praneet Akilla, Aason Nadjiwan, Mercedes Morris, Aaron Ashmore, and Thomas Elms co-star. [Paramount+] BRIDGE AND TUNNEL: Comedy-drama series from filmmaker Edward Burns ("Nice Guy Johnny"), about a group of college graduates figuring out what they want to do with their lives in 1980s Long Island. Season 2 debuts Sunday night on Epix. [Epix] WOMEN WHO ROCK: Four-part docuseries profiling women pioneers from throughout musical history, featuring commentary and insights from Norah Jones, Rickie Lee Jones, Kate Pierson, Nancy Wilson, Shania Twain, Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Sheryl Crow, Macy Gray, St. Vincent, Sheila E., and many others. Journalist and former Pitchfork editor Jessica Hopper directed. [Epix] KILLING EVE: The fourth and final season of the British spy thriller series -- based on the "Villanelle" novels by Luke Jennings -- comes to Hulu in the US on Sunday. Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer co-star as a former MI5 analyst and a skilled assassin who develop a deadly mutual obsession. [Hulu]

According to Deadline, the series adaptation of author Eoin Colfer's thriller novel "Highfire" has moved from Amazon to Paramount+. The story -- described as a mix between "True Detective" and "Pete's Dragon" -- centers on a vodka-swilling dragon who lives in a shack in a Louisiana swamp and gets mixed up with the local mob. More: Nicolas Cage has been tapped to provide the voice of the dragon, named Highfire. Cage previously planned to star as Joe Exotic in an Amazon series based on "Tiger King," but the project was ultimately shelved; this will now be his first major scripted TV role. Davey Holmes, who previously created the "Get Shorty" TV series for Epix, is developing the new series and writing the adaptation. DEADLINE

Peacock entered development on two different series -- one scripted and the other unscripted -- based on the BBC Radio 4 podcast "The Battersea Poltergeist." The podcast examines strange, possibly paranormal events that occurred in the Battersea neighborhood of South London starting in 1956. More: The incidents began after a 15-year-old named Shirley Hitchings claimed she was being terrorized by a powerful, unseen force; incidents were investigated and documented over a 12-year period. Blumhouse TV will produce the series; it's the first project in a planned anthology, tentatively titled "Blumhouse's Ghost Story." Podcast writer and host Danny Robbins will executive produce both series. VARIETY

PETA has called for an investigation into the death of a horse on the set of HBO's period drama "The Gilded Age." The horse died last week during production of the show's second season in New York's Nassau County; it apparently sustained head trauma and was seen "frothing at the mouth," according to a PETA whistleblower. More: A statement from HBO noted that the horse "collapsed and died, likely of natural causes," citing a veterinarian's findings. Sources close to the production told Deadline that the animal was 22 years old, and had just started filming 15 minutes before the incident after an hour-long rest period. Three horses died on the set of the 2012 HBO drama series "Luck"; the series was canceled after one season due to animal safety concerns. In a letter to HBO Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys from PETA, the animal rights organization argues that "horses aren't props" and "should not be used in film or television productions at all." DEADLINE

Netflix added support for spatial audio to several of its original shows and films. Sometimes known as "3D audio," the system creates a "sphere of sound," causing noises and effects to emerge from "specific locations" rather than just from the right or left stereo channels. More: "Spatial Audio" does not require a special speaker set-up to use; the feature is available for traditional speaker set-ups, regular TVs, and even headphones. Netflix worked with audio production and design company Sennheiser on the spatial audio feature. Spatial Audio is now available on "Stranger Things," "The Witcher," "The Adam Project," the "Fear Street" films, and "Castlevania." To find more films and shows utilizing the feature, users can simply type "Spatial Audio" into the Netflix search bar. IGN

QUICK HITS Expense management slowly killing you? Get $100 to see how painless it should be.* Vulture published its annual "power rankings" of streaming services; HBO Max grabbed the top spot on the list for the first time, based on the "buzz" around its content from both industry insiders and critics. Shira Haas ("Unorthodox") and Stephen Graham ("The Irishman") will co-star in Netflix's series adaptation of the Si Spencer graphic novel "Bodies"; the show will follow four London detectives in four different time periods investigating the same string of murders. AMC posted one last "Better Call Saul" teaser, for the second half of the show's sixth and final season; the remaining episodes debut July 11 on AMC and AMC+. HBO canceled the period drama series "Gentleman Jack" -- a co-production with The BBC, based on the real diaries of English landowner Anne Lister -- after two seasons. Apple dropped a trailer for the feature "Luck," its first collaboration with Skydance Animation, about an unlucky girl who goes to great lengths to retrieve a magic penny that brings good fortune; the film premieres on August 5. Actor and comedian Jerrod Carmichael signed a two-year overall deal to produce new programming for HBO, including his fourth stand-up special for the network. The new four-part Discovery+ docuseries "The Bond" centers on unique relationships between humans and animals, including profiles of a woman who runs a kangaroo sanctuary, a man who befriends a bottlenose dolphin, and a couple traveling around the world with their goat friend, Frankie; the series debuts on July 14. Popular game streamer LilyPichu announced a new exclusive deal with YouTube, starting Friday; previously, she built up an audience of over 2.5 million followers on Twitch. Netflix dropped a teaser for the upcoming Korean action film "Carter," from "The Villainess" director Jung Byung-gil and star Joo Won; the film debuts on August 5. WB Discovery plans to skip the upcoming Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour to focus on continuing its integration process; this will be the first time in decades that HBO has not participated in the event. A new Netflix featurette teases some of the monsters appearing in the new live-action "Resident Evil" series, arriving next week. *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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