Pandora's Box, page 45
23. “He knows what he doesn’t know”: Lucia Moes, “How David Zaslav is transforming Warner Bros. Discovery, from layoffs and a major reorg to launching a new mega-streaming app, Max,” Insider, April 13, 2023, https://www.businessinsider.com/warner-bros-discovery-merger-compete-netflix-disney-streaming-david-zaslav.
24. “on Airbnb”: Matthew Belloni, “Hollywood’s Worsening Catch-22,” Puck, November 3, 2022, https://puck.news/hollywoods-worsening-catch-22.
25. “This is going to be about finding”: Matthew Belloni, What I’m Hearing . . . (newsletter), Puck, August 14, 2022, https://puck.news/newsletters/what-im-hearing.
26. “hateful bill”: Kim Masters, “Why Disney Won’t Say Much About Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill,” Hollywood Reporter, March 2, 2022, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/disney-florida-dont-say-gay-bill-1235103165.
27. “political football”: Ryan Faughnder, “As Chapek Weathers Disney Drama, Board Gathers in Florida,” Los Angeles Times, June 26, 2022, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-06-26/after-a-rocky-tenure-disney-board-must-weigh-chapeks-future.
28. donating to the war chest: Andrew Stanton, “Disney Gave at Least $250K to Senators That Voted for ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill,” Newsweek, March 8, 2022, https://www.newsweek.com/disney-gave-least-250k-senators-that-voted-dont-say-gay-bill-1686128.
29. “Disney Censors Same-Sex Affection”: Adam B. Vary and Angelique Jackson, “Disney Censors Same-Sex Affection in Pixar Films, According to Letter From Employees,” Variety, March 9, 2022, https://variety.com/2022/film/news/disney-pixar-same-sex-affection-censorship-dont-say-gay-bill-1235200582.
30. “to find therapists!”: Jedd Legum, Tesnim Zekeria, and Rebecca Crosby, “The inside story of how Disney turned its back on the LGBTQ community,” Popular Information, March 8, 2022.
31. “We were opposed to the bill”: Sarah Whitten, “Disney CEO Says Company Opposes ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill in Florida, Seeks Meeting with DeSantis,” CNBC, March 9, 2022, https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/09/disney-ceo-says-company-opposes-dont-say-gay-law-in-florida.html.
32. “I am sorry”: Ryan Faughnder, “Disney Is Not Alone. Young Employees in Revolt Are Holding Bosses’ Feet to the Fire,” Los Angeles Times, March 12, 2022, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-03-12/employees-demand-social-activism-disney-spotify-netflix-chappelle.
33. “should not be used to determine”: Kara Swisher, “Disney’s Former C.E.O. Gave Me the Exit Interview I Asked For,” Sway, podcast, New York Times, December 27, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/27/opinion/sway-kara-swisher-bob-iger.html.
34. “magical memories”: Brooks Barnes, Benjamin Mullin, and James B. Stewart, “Iger’s Sudden Return to Disney Shocks a Discontented Kingdom,” New York Times, November 21, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/21/business/media/disney-bob-iger.html.
35. “Daddy’s back!”: Ibid.
36. “This is a fifty-year-old company”: Michael Fuchs, in discussion with the author, May 8, 2022.
37. “The thesis was”: Jay Stowe, “On Succession, a Media Mogul Gets the Conniving Family He Deserves,” New York Times, May 30, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/30/arts/television/succession-hbo-jesse-armstrong-brian-cox.html.
38. “Since the 1980s, we as a country”: Ibid.
39. “At HBO, we make our own stars”: Mary McNamara, “HBO’s Casey Bloys Isn’t Worried About AT&T, Netflix or the End of Game of Thrones,” Los Angeles Times, August 9, 2019, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2019-08-09/hbo-casey-bloys-game-of-thrones-netflix.
40. “There’s another . . . succession”: Bryn Sandberg, “Succession Showrunner Talks HBO Show’s ‘Dramatic’ Finale, Season 2 Plans,” Hollywood Reporter, August 5, 2018, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/succession-showrunner-talks-hbo-shows-dramatic-finale-season-2-plans-1132215.
41. “the big news companies”: Ibid.
42. “After taking a backseat”: Seth Abramovitch, “Media, Money and Murdochs: How Succession Became the Perfect Show for the Trump Era,” Hollywood Reporter, July 31, 2019, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/how-hbos-succession-became-perfect-show-trump-age-1227997.
43. “The beginning is inevitable”: Brian Cox, in discussion with the author, September 4, 2021.
44. “from a roar to whisper”: Brian Cox, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat (New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2022), chap. 32, iBooks.
45. “It’s wonderful when you see an actor”: Brian Cox, in discussion with the author, September 4, 2021.
46. “The cast, as veteran a unit as you could find”: Ibid.
47. “[Kieran] is an actor”: Brian Cox, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat (New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2022), chap. 41, iBooks.
48. “a writers’ show”: Brian Cox, in discussion with the author, September 4, 2021.
49. “If I wanted to change a word”: Brian Cox, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat (New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2022), 204.
50. “nancy,” he recalls: Brian Cox, in discussion with the author, September 4, 2021.
51. “Who gives a shit about these rich”: Seth Abramovitch, “Media, Money and Murdochs: How Succession Became the Perfect Show for the Trump Era,” Hollywood Reporter, July 31, 2019, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/how-hbos-succession-became-perfect-show-trump-age-1227997.
52. “we live in this age of wealth”: Brian Cox, in discussion with the author, September 4, 2021.
53. “White, essentially male”: Ibid.
54. “the show sans Logan”: Brian Cox, in discussion with the author, April 11, 2023.
55. “all the work I’ve done”: Christi Carras, “Brian Cox hasn’t seen the ‘Succession’ finale: ‘When I’m over, it’s over,’” Los Angeles Times, June 4, 2023, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2023-06-04/brian-cox-succession-finale-didnt-watch-logan-roy.
56. “Made a lot of news”: James Poniewozik, “In ‘Succession,’ Democracy Goes Up in Smoke,” New York Times, May 15, 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/15/arts/television/succession-election.html.
57. “corrupted our political economy”: Kurt Andersen, “‘Succession’ Nailed the Unreal Way We Live Now,” New York Times, May 29, 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/29/opinion/succession-finale.html.
58. “In my opinion, they’re not likely”: Kevin Reilly, in discussion with the author, August 13, 2021.
59. “HBO, if people haven’t noticed”: Angelique Jackson, “Issa Rae’s Next Chapter: How Insecure Creator is Becoming a Media Mogul With Production Banner Hoorae,” Variety, March 24, 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/issa-rae-insecure-hbo-hoorae-1234936020.
60. “no idea this council”: Michaela Coel, “Michaela Coel: MacTaggart Lecture in Full,” Broadcast, August 23, 2018, https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcasters/michaela-coel-mactaggart-lecture-in-full/5131910.article.
61. “We were one of four black families”: Ibid.
62. “elephant in the room”: Ibid.
63. “Oh yes, nice to meet you”: Ibid.
64. “looking like a privileged piggy”: Ibid.
65. “important that the voices”: Sonia Rao, “Michaela Coel Is in Control,” Washington Post, July 21, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/07/21/michaela-coel-i-may-destroy-you-interview.
66. “And when the answer was”: Lanre Bakare, “Michaela Coel on MacTaggart Lecture: ‘I Feel Better Having Shared,’” Guardian, August 23, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/aug/23/michaela-coel-on-mactaggart-lecture-i-feel-better-having-shared; E. Alex Jung, “Michaela the Destroyer,” Vulture, July 6, 2020, https://www.vulture.com/article/michaela-coel-i-may-destroy-you.html.
67. “mesmerizing”: Doreen St. Félix, “Michaela Coel’s Chaos and Charisma in I May Destroy You,” New Yorker, June 29, 2020, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/07/06/michaela-coels-chaos-and-charisma-in-i-may-destroy-you.
68. “This woman [is] at the mercy”: Meredith Blake, “How ‘House of the Dragon’ Pulled Off the Premiere’s ‘Extreme’ Childbirth Scene,” Los Angeles Times, August 21, 2022, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-08-21/house-of-the-dragon-childbirth-scene-aemma-viserys-targaryen.
69. “franchise extinction event”: Meredith Blake and Mary McNamara, “How Terrible Is the Sex and the City Reboot? We Duke It Out,” Los Angeles Times, December 10, 2021, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-12-10/sex-and-the-city-and-just-like-that-hbo-max.
Chapter 13: Cash Is King
1. “TV is analogous to some”: John Landgraf, in discussion with the author, July 25, 2018.
2. “a fax machine five years”: Cydney Contreras, “Andy Samberg and John Mulaney to Fill In for Jimmy Kimmel as Host Recovers from COVID,” NBC10 Boston, May 18, 2022, https://www.nbcboston.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/andy-samberg-and-john-mulaney-to-fill-in-for-jimmy-kimmel-as-host-recovers-from-covid/2724122.
3. primetime grid: Matt Brennan, “Don’t Think of This as the End of Our TV Listings. Think of It as a New Beginning,” Los Angeles Times, May 2, 2022, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-05-02/tv-listings-a-note-to-readers.
4. “I hope so”: Maureen Dowd, “Ted Sarandos Talks About That Stock Drop, Backing Dave Chappelle, and Hollywood Schadenfreude,” New York Times, May 28, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/28/style/ted-sarandos-netflix.html.
5. “It is true that, not just Apple”: Casey Bloys, in discussion with the author, November 1, 2021.
6. “We’ve been . . . raped”: Lacey Rose, “HBO Boss on Big Little Lies Impact, ‘Earned’ Raises and Addressing Pay Parity,” Hollywood Reporter, April 9, 2018, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/hbo-boss-big-little-lies-impact-earned-raises-addressing-pay-parity-1100847.
7. “Some day The Crown”: Alex Ritman, “Reed Hastings Says Amazon Outbid Netflix for Fleabag,” Hollywood Reporter, September 20, 2019, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/reed-hastings-says-amazon-outbid-netflix-fleabag-1241322.
8. “Disney and Apple are pushing”: Adam Epstein, “Disney and Apple are Pushing Us into the Era of the $25 Million TV Episode,” Quartz, October 26, 2019, https://qz.com/1735700/apple-and-disney-are-creating-an-explosion-of-tv-series-budgets.
9. “We’re paying too much for the return”: Lacey Rose, “David Nevins: The Paramount Global Chief’s Exit Interview,” Hollywood Reporter, December 20, 2022, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/david-nevins-paramount-global-chief-exit-interview-1235283199.
10. “You don’t make art”: John Landgraf, in discussion with the author, July 25, 2018.
11. He’s entering his sixties: Matthew Belloni, What I’m Hearing . . . (newsletter), Puck, August 14, 2022, https://puck.news/newsletters/what-im-hearing.
12. “Multiple worlds are”: Brian Hiatt, “An Endless Supply of Spider-Men: Why the Multiverse Is Taking Over Hollywood,” Rolling Stone, July 7, 2022, https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/multiverse-dr-strange-everything-everywhere-flash-ezra-miller-recast-across-the-spiderverse-1371253.
13. “more widely engaging stories”: Anthony D’Alessandro, “Amazon Ups Julie Rapaport to Co-head of Movies as Studio Looks to Build Wide Audience Feature Slate,” Yahoo! Finance, September 26, 2018, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-ups-julie-rapaport-co-180435368.html.
14. “The official word from Netflix”: Josef Adalian, “Netflix Just Disrupted Itself. Why?,” Vulture, September 10, 2020, https://www.vulture.com/2020/09/netflix-executive-changes.html.
15. “That service was built on the back”: Kim Masters, “Netflix’s Big Wake-Up Call: The Power Clash Behind the Crash,” Hollywood Reporter, April 27, 2022, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/netflixs-big-wake-up-call-the-power-clash-behind-the-crash-1235136004.
16. “She would call Ted out”: Lesley Goldberg, Natalie Jarvey, and Kim Masters, “Inside Netflix’s Surprising TV Chief Shake-Up,” Hollywood Reporter, September 10, 2020, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/inside-netflixs-surprising-tv-chief-shake-up-4058148.
17. “works well peer to peer”: Confidential source, in discussion with the author.
18. “It’s not easy for Ted to admit”: Ibid.
19. “is aiming straight for what the old-line”: Nicole Sperling, “Netflix Turns Its Attention to Films It Hopes Everyone Wants to See,” New York Times, November 22, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/22/business/media/netflix-movies-theaters.html.
20. “We were a business that was”: Nicole Sperling, “Netflix, Still Reeling, Bets Big on The Grey Man,” New York Times, July 17, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/17/business/media/netflix-the-gray-man-subscribers.html.
21. “theatrically, is impossible”: Steven Soderbergh, in discussion with the author, April 4, 2023.
22. “In fact,” the source continues: Confidential source, in discussion with the author.
23. “ten times as much great art”: Steven Soderbergh, interview, April 4, 2023.
24. “It’s much better for us that movies”: Casey Bloys, in discussion with the author, November 1, 2021.
25. “Streaming first”: Pamela McClintock, “Cinema Owners Blindsided by Ted Sarandos Comments Diminishing Netflix’s Theatrical Ambitions,” Hollywood Reporter, October 20, 2022, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/knives-out-drama-theater-owners-blindsided-netflix-1235245506.
26. “couldn’t care less about exhibition”: Ibid.
27. “This is probably one of the biggest gaffes”: Wendy Lee, “Should Netflix’s Glass Onion Stay in Theaters Longer?,” Los Angeles Times, November 29, 2022, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-11-29/netflix-glass-onion-movie-theaters.
28. “Releasing a new season of a new show”: Casey Bloys, in discussion with the author, November 1, 2021.
29. “There’s millions of people”: Wendy Lee and Ryan Faughner, “Layoffs at Netflix Have Some Staffers Questioning Company Strategy and Culture,” Los Angeles Times, April 29, 2022, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-04-29/netflixs-turmoil-causes-staffers-to-question-its-culture.
30. “There’s an entire ecosystem”: Casey Bloys, in discussion with the author, November 1, 2021.
31. “a world of hurt”: Natalie Jarvey, “High Anxiety in Hollywood: ‘Everyone Is Totally Drained and Burnt Out,’” Vanity Fair, September 28, 2022, https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/high-anxiety-in-hollywood-warner-bros-discovery.
32. “These companies are absolutely destroying”: John Koblin and Brooks Barnes, “Hollywood Writers Go on Strike, Halting Production,” New York Times, May 2, 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/business/media/hollywood-writers-strike.html.
33. “You’ve just blown out”: Yvonne Villarreal, Sonaiya Kelley, and Nicholas Ducassi, “‘It’s just pure chaos’: Top Hollywood showrunners explain the writers’ strike,” Los Angeles Times, May 2, 2023, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-05-02/television-showrunners-writers-strike.
34. “puppy named “Maxi”: Angela Watercutter, “HBO Continues to Have the Worst Timing,” Wired, May 19, 2023, https://www.wired.com/story/hbo-max-launch-bad-timing-wga-strike.
35. “It’s not right”: Graham Yost, in discussion with the author, October 26, 2022.
36. “Every broadcaster is grappling”: Bob Greenblatt, in discussion with the author, July 15, 2021.
37. “familiar archetypes, paint-by-numbers”: Matt Brennan and Meredith Blake, “‘Yummie Mummies with Predatory Husbands’ Took Over TV. Blame David E. Kelley,” Los Angeles Times, April 15, 2022, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-04-15/anatomy-of-a-scandal-netflix-sienna-miller-ruper-friend-michelle-dockery-david-e-kelley.
38. “Big Little Lies Lite”: Brian Lowry, “‘The Undoing’ features Nicole Kidman in a mystery that feels like ‘Big Little Lies Lite,’” CNN Entertainment, November 23, 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/23/entertainment/the-undoing-review/index.html.
39. “blander and grayer”: Judy Berman, “ABC’s Twisty, Mountainous Thriller Big Sky Is No Prestige Masterpiece, But It’s Still a Lot of Fun,” Time, November 17, 2020, https://time.com/5912447/big-sky-abc-review.
40. “We’re sort of doing a streaming”: Kate Aurthur, “As Evil Moves to Paramount Plus, Creators Robert and Michelle King Give Season 2 a More Sinful Spin,” Variety, June 17, 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/evil-paramount-plus-robert-and-michelle-king-1234998707.
41. “feels fresher than a lot of the buzzy”: Doreen St. Félix, “Bel-Air and Abbott Elementary Reboot and Revive the Network Sitcom,” New Yorker, March 14, 2022, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/03/21/bel-air-and-abbott-elementary-reboot-and-revive-the-network-sitcom.
