'SNL' gets hosts & new cast member
And pay attention to Spielberg & Hanks' new miniseries
What to know
SNL returning Oct 14 with hosts Pete Davidson, Bad Bunny; Chloe Troast joins cast… Saturday Night Live has set its return dates and first two hosts. Ice Spice will be Davidson’s musical guest while Mr. Bunny will pull double duty. The entire cast is returning, plus newcomer Chloe Troast — who specializes in character work and has a killer voice. If you’re keeping score, yes, there are now 2 Chloes on SNL. Last week I wondered if the SNL cast would perform despite the actors strike and yes, they will after getting the full blessing of SAG-AFTRA. The union explained that SNL falls under its Network Code (the same one that allows late night and reality shows to go on) which is not struck, so SAG cast members and hosts can do the show. And it looks like they will. 🗽
Daniel Day-Lewis spotted at NYC premiere of She Comes to Me… If you’re wondering what’s the big deal about an actor being on a red carpet, this is the first time Day-Lewis has been publicly photographed in 4 years after retiring from acting 2 years prior to that. It makes sense that he’d be there for She Comes to Me, because his wife Rebecca Miller directed it. I doubt that this is some kind of return to the industry for him, but one can dream. 😮
Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks’ spiritual sequel series to Band of Brothers and The Pacific premiering January 26 on Apple TV+… It’s called Masters of the Air and is about the Air Force during World War II. Considering how popular Band of Brothers has become on Netflix in recent weeks, it’s possible this could be a big hit for Apple. Considering the pedigree of all those involved—Cary Fukunaga directed a bunch of episodes and it stars Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan—this is definitely one to pay attention to. 🍎
Drew Barrymore’s three writers have quit… Yeah, I mean when she did what she did, I don’t blame them. It’s hard to come back when trust is severed like that. 👋
Roy Wood Jr. is leaving The Daily Show… He has been there 8 years after all. When he started on the show Daniel Day-Lewis was still acting. 📺
SAG negotiations will continue Friday and next week… Who knows maybe the strike will be over before SNL even returns. 🪧
Neon picks up Pamela Adlon’s directorial debut Babes, starring Ilana Glazer and Hasan Minhaj… Nice! 👍
Taylor Swift has already sold $100M in movie tickets worldwide… How high will it go?? 🎸
Chris Rock to direct MLK Jr. film, produced by Spielberg… Intriguing. 🎥
Furiosa prequel to premiere at Cannes in 2024… Let’s go! 🇫🇷
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What’s new
The Exorcist: Believer — Oct 6 | Horror movie in theaters | Ⓜ️ 41
Foe — Oct 6 | Sci fi movie in limited theaters | Ⓜ️ 43
She Came to Me — Oct 6 | Romantic drama/comedy in theaters | Ⓜ️ 53
Returning: Loki s2, Our Flag Means Death s2, Lupin s3
What to watch
It’s been a very good year for Wes Anderson fans. After Asteroid City, the visionary director is back with a collection of 4 short films, now on Netflix, based on some lesser known Roald Dahl stories. Running 90 minutes total, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Poison, The Rat Catcher, and The Swan, essentially add up to another feature-length film—not unlike Anderson’s recent anthology The French Dispatch—and it’s interesting to view them as a unified collection. Anderson brings his signature style to these shorts with its elegant compositions, playful use of mise en place, and fourth-wall breaking — but Roald Dahl’s dark sense of whimsy allows Anderson to go to some bleaker, more menacing places than he has in the past. There are supernatural abilities, grotesque horrors, and violent heartbreak within. He also relies on a smaller group of actors to execute these, namely Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes (who is so good in The Rat Catcher), Dev Patel, Rupert Friend, and Ben Kingsley. Like members of a repertory theater, each actor brings their all, playing multiple roles, sometimes within one short. And like theater or maybe a more apt metaphor is literature considering these are based on short stories, Anderson tows the line between showing and telling, often letting the audience use their imagination to fill in the gaps of what he’s not including in the frame. They say limitations foster creativity and whether it be lower budgets or just Anderson wanting to make something smaller in scale, these shorts are some of his best work because of the constraints.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!