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The Report
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 28 MARCH 26, 2020
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AGES.Separation Anxiety (HARPERCOLLINS, MARCH 3)
BY Laura Zigman AGENCY WME
As a means of coping with an apathetic teen son and an estranged
husband, a failed children’s book author begins to wear her dog in
a baby sling. The novel is reminiscent of character-driven dram-
edies like Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale.You and Me and Us (WILLIAM MORROW, APRIL 7)
BY Alison Hammer AGENCY Gersh
Comparable to the sentimental work of oft-adapted Me Before You
author Jojo Moyes, Hammer’s debut novel follows a working mom
trying to reconnect with her teenage daughter after her stay-at-
home husband is diagnosed with terminal cancer.Rights Available! Hot new books with Hollywood appeal BY MIA GALUPPO
FILM
Woody Harrelson (CAA)
has replaced Jason
Statham in Columbia
Pictures’ action comedy
The Man From Toronto.Ready or Not directors
Matthew Bettinelli-Olpin
and Tyler Gillett (U TA,
Brillstein, Gang Tyre) will
helm a Scream reboot for
Spyglass Media.Disney has acquired
worldwide rights to Peter
Jackson’s documentary
The Beatles: Get Back.TELEVISION
Andy Garcia (CAA,
Brillstein, Loeb & Loeb) will
star opposite Katey Sagal
in ABC’s Erin Brockovich
drama pilot Rebel.Jon Bernthal (WME, Dani
Bernfeld, Sloane Offer)
will star in and produce
Showtime’s long-gestating
present-day update of theOver the past 15 months,
legacy media companies
have invested nearly
$1 billion in ad-supported
streaming video plat-
forms, taking Pluto TV (ViacomCBS),
Xumo (Comcast) and, as of March 17, Tubi
(Fox Corp.) off the market.
“Tubi provides a substantial base from
which we will drive long-term growth in
the direct-to-consumer arena,” Fox CEO
Lachlan Murdoch said in noting the
company’s strategic imperative amid the
streaming market boom. Fox is payingFox Joins the Ad-Supported Streaming Stampede
$440 million in cash (partially funded by
selling its 5 percent stake in Roku) for
Tubi, which will continue to be led by CEO
Farhad Massoudi.
But Brian Wieser, president of
business intelligence for media
investment firm GroupM, says
these deals are more about helping
companies quickly scale up their
advertising inventory, as each
of these services comes with licensing
deals to stream thousands of hours of old
TV shows and movies that are ripe to be
advertised against. “It’s inventory that’sreasonably inexpensive,” explains Wieser.
“The math works in that you can justify
the cost [of the deals] without fretting
too much.”
Still, being able to offer custom-
ers a free, ad-supported alternative
amid the glut of subscription video
offerings also is valuable, especially
during the pandemic-induced
economic downturn. If ViacomCBS’
2019 marketing blitz for PlutoTV is any
model, people will soon be learning a lot
more about Tubi, now that it is under the
Fox umbrella. — NATALIE JARVEYTV’S PLAN: ‘SHOWS YOU WOULD HAVE
SAID NO TO ARE NOW LOOKING GOOD’
As production grinds to a halt amid a global pan-
demic, television, like nearly every other industry, is
navigating uncharted territory. And at least for now,
there are many more questions than answers.
Resuming production, for instance, won’t be as
easy as it sounds. Given the demands of the Peak TV
era, soundstages and crews are booked out several
months, even years, in advance; and the same is true
of writers, directors and stars, who increasingly
commit to other projects during their hiatuses. To
accommodate, studios are in talks about extend-
ing the standard June 30 expiration date for cast
options for bubble shows and network pilots.
Hardest hit, at least in the near term, are those
broadcast networks, which are still tethered to a
pilot system and a September-to-May schedule.
Some networks are currently toying with adoptingmore of a cable/streaming model, which would
allow them to pick up high-profile pilots straight to
series based on the collective strength of a script,
auspices and cast. Another option being discussed
is ordering showrunners to open virtual rooms in
an effort to get ahead on scripts and, in success, be
able to begin production as soon as it’s considered
safe. (Some already had begun stockpiling scripts
in preparation for a potential writers strike.) Funds
that previously were earmarked for production
could be redirected to pay for additional scripts.
As for what will fill network schedules, many
expect bubble shows will now have a big advantage.
After all, these are projects that nets already have
spent millions to license and market, and, nearly
as crucial, see as known quantities. “Shows you
would have said no to are now looking good because
[they’re] stability in a time of change,” says a net-
work insider. Another option likely to be considered,
if it comes to it, is having unscripted shows previ-
ously earmarked for summer held for fall.
The one thing everyone seems to agree on: If the
shutdown lingers for more than a few months, TV
production will be the least of anyone’s concerns.
“Three months, we can keep development robust,”
says an exec, one of many now fielding pitches over
virtual conference calls. “If this is an eight-month
scenario, then we’re all living in The Walking Dead,
and it’s subsistence living.” — LESLEY GOLDBERGUma
ThurmanRiverdale was
among the
first shows to
shutter, after
a crewmember
had contact
with a patient.Massoudi10rep_deals_L [P]{Print}_53676846.indd 28 3/24/20 7:18 PM