| |
| Hello again and thanks for opening our newsletter! Marvel Studios continues struggling, as a new report suggests that executives are unhappy with the "Daredevil" revival series, and will rework the project with a new creative team. It's only been a few years since Kevin Feige and the Marvel machine could essentially DO NO WRONG. Films like "Black Panther," "Captain Marvel," "Avengers: Infinity War," and "Avengers: Endgame" were all monster hits around the globe, and the first big Disney+ series -- "WandaVision" -- proved considerably popular with fans and newcomers alike. So the general lack of audience interest around more recent fare like "Ms. Marvel," "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," "Secret Invasion," and "Moon Knight" has been a sudden and precipitous shift. There's clearly still time to right the ship. "Guardians Vol. 3" was a hit just this summer, and there's a big new sequel to billion-dollar grosser and "WandaVision" spinoff "Captain Marvel" right around the corner. Perhaps adopting more conventional TV processes like show bibles and showrunners and pilot season really will help Marvel churn out higher-quality shows more regularly, with fewer missteps and chaotic behind-the-scenes productions. It's a system that has worked for others in the past. Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Studios embarked on an overall creative reboot for its upcoming "Daredevil" Disney+ revival series. THR reports that Marvel has dismissed head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman, along with the first season's line-up of directors, and will rework the project with a new creative team. More: - Marvel Studios initially started producing TV for Disney+ utilizing a unique development process of its own design, shooting entire seasons without pilots and eschewing showrunners in favor of direct oversight from its film executive team, while relying on reshoots and post-production to fix problems.
- A number of Marvel shows have faced creative challenges, staffing shake-ups and other issues during production; both "Moon Knight" and "She-Hulk" also had their original creators sidelined in favor of new teams.
- The recent limited series "Secret Invasion" also switched writers, producers, and directors during preproduction; it's currently the studio's worst-reviewed series.
- "Daredevil" originally debuted on Netflix; the revival, subtitled "Born Again," will be Disney+'s first Marvel series to be brought over from a different platform.
|     | |
| 2 | | In its latest cover story, The Hollywood Reporter lists five crises that Hollywood will need to confront, even after the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Many insiders suggest that post-strike Hollywood will be "leaner" with a greater focus on budgets and "quality." More: - THR suggests that streaming is fundamentally a "lousy business," and legacy entertainment companies pivoted to it in a panic in 2017 and 2018, after seeing Netflix's success on Wall Street.
- The piece suggests that questions still remain about whether or not streaming will ever be a viable business model, even if streamers manage to slash costs.
- THR also predicts that, just as the "Peak TV" era for creative development has ended, so has the peak era for writer/producer mega-deals; rather than locking up big names in overall multi-year deals, it's likely studios and streamers will focus more on productivity and success on an individual show basis.
- The theatrical movie business also apparently faces long-term challenges; a significant chunk of the audience simply has not returned to movie theaters since the start of the pandemic, and may never be back.
| | | |
| A message from our sponsor, Thematic. |  | | You want to increase customer value by improving experiences, but getting alignment from stakeholders is hard! Thematic's Calculating the ROI of CX will help you prove the value of your CX programs so you can get executive buy-in. The included spreadsheet template can help you make your own calculations based on your own data, offering you: - A better understanding of the nuances in CX ROI and why it can be more difficult to calculate than other ROI calculations
- The ability to calculate the impact of NPS on revenue and the impact of NPS on Customer Acquisition Costs
- A way to prove to the c-suite the value of your CX program with real ROI predictions
Industry leaders like Google, DoorDash and LinkedIn rely on Thematic to deliver faster, informed decisions across the organization into the voice of the customer. Download Now | |
|
| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11 MESSI MEETS AMERICA: Six-part docuseries chronicling international soccer star Lionel Messi's journey to the US to play for Major League Soccer's Inter Miami CF. The series features insights from Messi himself along with David Beckham and others. [Apple TV+] CRIMEFEED: Debut weekly true-crime docuseries from Investigation Discovery, examining topical stories as they're still unfolding. Nancy Grace hosts; correspondents include Mara S. Campo and Derrick Levesseur. [Max] THE GREATEST SHOW NEVER MADE: Three-part docuseries from the UK about a proposed 2002 reality series that promised contestants a shot at a £100,000 grand prize if they willingly dedicated one year of their lives. But after a number of people quit their jobs, relationships, and more to participate, the project quickly fell apart. [Amazon] AWARENESS: Sci-fi thriller film from Spain about a teen (Carlos Scholz) with the ability to generate visual illusions that can fool anyone around him. After using his skills to pull small scams, he's publicly exposed, bringing him unwanted attention. Daniel Benmayor ("Xtreme") co-wrote and directed. [Amazon] BIG VAPE: THE RISE AND FALL OF JUUL: Four-part docuseries chronicling the history of the nicotine e-cigarette brand from Silicon Valley tech company Pax Labs, which was once valued at $38 billion. It's based on a book by Time health correspondent Jamie Ducharme. R.J. Cutler ("Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry") directed. [Netflix] ONCE UPON A STAR (MON RAK NAK PAK): Period drama feature from Thailand about a traveling pharma-cinema troupe in 1970, screening 16mm films in villages and small towns while providing live dubbing in place of conventional audio. During mid-film breaks, the team also pauses to sell pharmaceutical products. Nonzee Nimibutr ("Bad Romeo") directs. [Netflix] PACT OF SILENCE (PACTO DE SILENCIO): Debut Spanish-language drama series from Mexico, starring Camila Valero as a social media influencer plotting revenge against the mother who abandoned her at birth. [Netflix] COOPER'S BAR: The IFC comedy series, which features quick 10-minute episodes, is back for a second season this week on both cable and AMC+. It's set at a backyard Tiki bar that serves as a much-needed oasis for a collective of Hollywood wannabes. Rhea Seehorn and Louis Mustillo co-star. [AMC+] HEARTLAND DOCS, DVM: The Nat Geo Wild reality series centers on husband-and-wife veterinary team Drs. Ben and Erin Schroeder, and their rural Nebraska clinic. Season 5 debuted over the weekend on cable, and will stream on both Hulu and Disney+. [Hulu and Disney+] NADA: Limited comedy-drama series from Argentina, produced in a variety of languages, starring Luis Brandoni as an aging playboy and food critic whose long-time maid and caretaker dies, leaving him clueless and without resources. Robert De Niro co-stars. [Hulu] 4EVER: Debut Spanish-language musical drama series starring members of the real Latin boy band CNCO -- Christopher Vélez, Erick Brian Colón, Zabdiel De Jesús, and Richard Camacho -- in their acting debuts. It's about four young musicians who meet up by chance and decide to form a band while also searching for a valuable missing guitar. [Disney+] THE SIMPSONS: The Fox animated sitcom's 34th season aired last year on TV and comes to Disney+ in its entirety today. Season 35 debuted last week on Fox and Hulu. [Disney+] ALICE'S WONDERLAND BAKERY: Animated Disney Junior series in which the great-granddaughter of the original 1950s Disney Alice opens up an enchanted bakery in Wonderland. Seven new episodes from the show's second season hit Disney+ today. [Disney+] BROKEN KARAOKE: Animated shorts produced for the Disney Channel featuring the network's characters performing song parodies. Three new season 2 episodes hit Disney+ today. [Disney+] ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? The rebooted YA horror anthology series from Nickelodeon features spooky stories as related by members of the Midnight Society. Season 3 aired in 2022 on cable and comes to Paramount+ today in the US. [Paramount+] | | | |
| 4 | | The animated kids series "Star Trek: Prodigy" will jump from Paramount+ to Netflix for its second season. The show, developed by the Nickelodeon cable network, debuted on Paramount+ in 2021; it was renewed for a second season, but these plans were scrapped in June. More: - Paramount also removed the first season of the series from the Paramount+ platform, in anticipation of its move to a different streamer.
- Season 1 of "Prodigy" will hit Netflix later this year; Season 2 is slated to arrive in 2024.
- This will be the first "Trek" series to debut outside of Paramount's suite of cable networks and streamers since it relaunched the franchise with "Star Trek: Discovery" in 2017.
- "Prodigy" follows a crew of young aliens who commandeer a starship and embark on adventures together; the voice cast includes Kate Mulgrew, Brett Gray, Ella Purnell, Rylee Alazraqui, Angus Imrie, and Jason Mantzoukas.
| | | |
| A message from our sponsor, Cord. |  | | Deprioritized: Your users. Again. Features like in-app commenting, notifications, and live chat don’t belong in your backlog. These are the things that make good products great. The features that drive acquisition, retention, and expansion. Just look at Figma. And Notion. And Airtable. But, alas. Every quarter, they’re deprioritized. Why? Over-crowded roadmap? Lack of in-house know-how? Companies like monday.com, BILL, and ThoughtSpot found a shortcut: Cord’s SDK. Yep, a stellar UX - the one you (and your customers…) have been dreaming of - in just a few lines of code. Get started now, and get $2,500 in credits. Get started | |
|
| 5 | | Sony's anime-focused Crunchyroll service announced a new free, ad-supported streaming channel, coming to a variety of platforms. The Crunchyroll FAST channel hits LG Channels, Roku, and Vizio's WatchFree+ platform on October 11; Amazon's Freevee service will follow on October 17. More: - The 24/7 streaming channel is a joint venture between Crunchyroll and Game Show Network (GSN), which is also owned by Sony.
- The channel will feature classic anime shows that have been dubbed into English; launch titles include "Horimiya," "Moriarty the Patriot," "To Your Eternity," and "Code Geass."
- According to Crunchyroll, the channel is aimed at introducing new viewers to "the world of anime."
- Crunchyroll merged with rival anime streamer Funimation last year, and currently has over 10 million paying subscribers.
| | | |
| 6 | | "Faraway Downs," the new epic romance miniseries from filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, was produced by recutting his 2008 theatrical film "Australia." Luhrmann will screen "Faraway Downs" on the closing night of the upcoming SXSW Sydney Screen Festival. More: - In a statement, Luhrmann said he decided to recut "Australia" into a series because of "the way episodic storytelling has been reinvigorated by the streaming world."
- More than two million feet of film were originally shot for "Australia" back in the mid '00s; Luhrmann and his team reconsidered the project from scratch for the new interpretation.
- Nicole Kidman stars as an English aristocrat in 1939 who travels to Australia following the death of her husband; once there, she gets into a dispute with a ruthless cattle baron and falls in love with a local ranch hand, played by Hugh Jackman.
- The original film had a 165-minute running time; "Faraway Downs" is a six-part series.
- The full series hits Hulu in the US on November 26; it will stream on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ elsewhere.
| | | |
| 7 | | Netflix dropped a fresh trailer for "Pain Hustlers," its upcoming drama feature exploring the opioid crisis. The film, inspired by real events, stars Emily Blunt and Chris Evans as pharmaceutical sales reps. More: - Blunt plays a blue-collar single mom who scores a job earning commissions on drug prescriptions; before long, she finds herself under investigation by the FBI.
- Andy Garcia and Chloe Coleman co-star; "Fantastic Beasts" veteran David Yates directs.
- The movie is based on a 2018 article from The New York Times Magazine and a subsequent book by journalist Evan Hughes.
- Netflix grabbed the rights to the film in a deal signed at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
- "Pain Hustlers" will get a limited theatrical release on October 20, before hitting Netflix on October 27.
| | | |
| 8 | | QUICK HITS - Unlock your perfect customers using BiglySales.com's data solutions and AI emailer.*
- Documentary profile "Beckham" was Netflix's top English-language series in its debut week, scoring 12.4 million views according to the streamer's internal figures; the latest installment of French crime series "Lupin" was the most-watched international show.
- Kayvan Novak reprises his role as Fabian Kingsworth for this week's "Archer" series finale; the last episode airs Thursday on FXX and streams on Hulu starting Friday.
- During her keynote at the MIA Market event, Paramount+ original scripted series president Nicole Clemens explained that the streamer is seeking "populist" dramas with the potential to run for multiple seasons, as opposed to "shows that just play to New York and Los Angeles."
- Five new FAST channels are coming to Amazon Freevee via BBC Studios; they are BBC Comedy, BBC Gameshows, BBC Sci-fi, BBC Travel, and a crime drama channel featuring episodes of "Silent Witness" and "New Tricks."
- "The Insurrectionist Next Door," a new documentary from filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi about the January 6th attack on the US Capitol, hits HBO and Max on October 15; Pelosi is the daughter of US Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
- Amazon will quietly release the French drama series "Alphonse" this week on Prime Video in the US; director Nicolas Bedos has been arrested for sexual assault in France, and could face up to five years in prison.
- Jason Isaacs stars as Cary Grant in the scripted ITVX biographical series "Archie"; the four-part series will stream on BritBox in the US.
- YouTube launched its Primetime Channels platform in the UK, after previous launches in Germany and the US; the service, similar to Amazon Prime Channels, allows users to subscribe to third-party streamers without leaving YouTube's ecosystem.
- At the MIA Market in Rome, Netflix and the European Women's Audiovisual Network (EWA) launched a new accelerator program for film producers looking to make a move into scripted TV; select participants in the three-part workshop will receive a $5,300 grant.
- monday.com and BILL drove acquisition, engagement, and retention by adding Cord's SDK to their product. You can, too.*
*This is sponsored content | | | |
| Upcoming Events | | OCT
16 | | Meet Our Fund 5, Building and Investing in AI | | | | | | | OCT
30 | | Discover the latest digital experience innovations, updates, and breakthroughs at Opticon Online.* | | | | | | | NOV
17 | | Join the Docker AI/ML Hackathon to help shape the exciting new frontier of AI and have a chance to win cool prizes!* | | | | | | * This is a sponsored event | | | |
Term of the Day Accredited investor: Individuals who are eligible to invest in early-stage startups are known as accredited investors. Question of the Week What perks would convince you to return to the office? Join the conversation Today's Knowledge Hub Is Brought To You By Symon.AI - The All-in-One Data Tool for Startups. Start your free trial here.* |
INSIDE STREAMING LEADERBOARD (ALL-TIME) |
 | Writer | | 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." | | This newsletter was edited by Lon Harris | |
| |
 | Thematic is the fastest, easiest way for understand the voice of the customer from feedback at scale. | |
|
 | Cord powers comments & notifications in products like monday.com and ThoughtSpot. Get $2500 off now. | |
|
| |
Comments
Post a Comment