Category: 5. Entertainment

Nina White, Isabel Keating, Melody Butiu
(Photos c/o O&M)

The Queen of Versailles, the Stephen Schwartz-scored musical starring Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham as real-life couple Jackie and David Siegel, has completed casting. The production will open on Broadway this fall at the St. James Theatre, beginning previews October 8 with opening night set for November 10.

Reprising their roles from the 2024 world premiere production at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre are Melody Butiu as Sofia, Stephen DeRosa as John, Greg Hildreth as Gary, Tatum Grace Hopkins as Jonquil, Isabel Keating as Debbie and Nina White as Victoria Siegel.

Butiu was last on Broadway with Here Lies Love. Recently seen in BOOP!, DeRosa’s Broadway credits also include Into the Woods, Hairspray and On the Town. Hildreth, seen in last season’s Encores! revival of Urinetown, also starred in the 2021 revival of Company. Keating received a Tony nomination for her performance in The Boy From Oz; her Broadway credits include Hairspray and Wicked. White originated the role of Teresa in Kimberly Akimbo.

The company will also include Yeman Brown, David Aron Damane, Drew Elhamalawy, Christopher Gurr, KJ Hippensteel, Cassondra James, Andrew Kober, Jesse Kovarsky, Pablo David Laucerica, Travis Murad Leland, Ryah Nixon, Shea Renne, Michael McCorry Rose, Grace Slear, Anne Fraser Thomas and Jake Bentley Young.

From computer engineer to Mrs. Florida to billionairess, Jackie Siegel sees herself as the embodiment of the American Dream. She and her husband, David “The Timeshare King” Siegel, invite you to behold their most grandiose venture yet: a $100 million house big enough for her dreams and inspired by the Palace of Versailles. But then Jackie and David’s dreams begin to crumble, along with their lavish lifestyle. The Queen of Versailles explores the true cost of fame, fortune and family.

Based on Lauren Greenfield’s award-winning 2012 documentary film and the life stories of Jackie and David Siegel, The Queen of Versailles features a book by Olivier Award nominee Lindsey Ferrentino, music direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell, choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, and direction by Michael Arden (the Tony-winning director of Maybe Happy Ending and Parade). The show is a reunion for Chenoweth and Schwartz, who are coming together on Broadway for the first time since Wicked premiered in 2003.

The show will include scenic and video design by Dane Laffrey, costume design by Christian Cowan, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by Peter Hylenski, hair and wig design by Cookie Jordan, orchestrations by John Clancy and casting by Stephen Kopel, CSA and Carrie Gardner, CSA at C12 Casting. 

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Angelina Jolie has no plans of spilling all the secrets of her life in a tell-all book.

Following recent reports claiming that the 50-year-old actress was working to put her private life in a book, specifically her legal battles with former husband Brad Pitt, an exclusive source privy to People told the outlet that the reports are not true.

“There’s no truth to this,” The insider told the publisher.

The tattler claimed that the Maleficent star had not given permission for any book to be written about her personal life.

“There is no way she would do this,” the tipster noted.

For the unversed, Jolie and Pitt fought a long court divorce battle which extended for a longer run due to custody of their children and Jolie’s allegation that Pitt grabbed and pushed the Grammy-winning actress during an altercation. The accusation also mentioned that Pitt assaulted two of their kids.

However, in 2021, Pitt denied the claims and they were given joint custody of their minor kids, via BBC.

The former couple remained in a 12-year relationship and two-year marriage, as they parted ways in 2016. Their divorce was finalized in December 2024.

Jolie and Pitt are parents to six kids, including Shiloh, 19, Pax, 21, Maddox, 24, Zahara, 20, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16.

It is pertinent to mention that their legal battle over French winery Château Miraval, still continues.

The new Paramount has officially made its first big talent deal: Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer are moving to the studio.

Paramount and parent company Skydance made the announcement Monday, five days after reports that the brothers were in talks to leave Netflix, where they created the megahit Stranger Things. The Duffers’ deal at Paramount is an exclusive, four-year pact that covers film, TV and streaming projects, with an emphasis on the brothers “fulfill[ing] an ambition to write, produce, and direct large-scale theatrical films.” They’ll move to Paramount following the conclusion of their current Netflix deal in April 2026.

Landing the Duffers is a coup for new CEO David Ellison and his team, who in taking over Paramount pledged to make the studio “the No. 1 destination for the most talented artists and filmmakers in the world.” (Paramount is also in talks with Legendary Pictures about a film output deal, landed rights to the UFC and outbid rivals for High Side, a movie project with Timothee Chalamet and director James Mangold.)

The Duffers will develop their Paramount slate via their Upside Down Pictures banner, led by president Hilary Leavitt. The deal reunites them with Cindy Holland, chair of direct-to-consumer at Paramount, and Paramount TV Studios president Matt Thunell, both of whom worked with the Duffers at Netflix.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be joining the Paramount family. David, Josh [Greenstein], and Dana [Goldberg] are passionate about bringing bold, original films to the big screen. To be part of that mission is not just exciting — it’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream,” Matt and Ross Duffer said in a statement. “To do so at a studio with such a storied Hollywood legacy is a privilege we don’t take lightly. We’re also excited to reunite with our friends Cindy and Matt, who were among the very first to believe in us and an unusual little script we wrote that became Stranger Things. They took a chance on us in 2015, and they’re taking a chance again — we can’t wait to create new stories together.”

The chance to mount theatrical films was a key draw for the brothers in departing Netflix. A number of Stranger Things episodes, particularly in 2022’s fourth season, have had the scale (and run time) of feature films; the final season of the series is set to premiere Nov. 26. The Duffers also had kind words for the streamer, saying in their statement, “Our time at Netflix has been incredible. Ted [Sarandos], Bela [Bajaria], and Peter [Friedlander] have given us the kind of creative freedom and support that artists dream of but so rarely receive. A decade in, they are family. We’re excited to continue collaborating — not only on the upcoming release of Stranger Things 5, but also on shows we’re deeply proud to be producing, including Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen and The Boroughs. And we look forward to building out the future of Stranger Things together — there are many more stories to tell beyond Hawkins, and we can’t wait to share them.”

Following the end of their Netflix deal, the Duffers will remain involved as executive producers of The Boroughs, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen and any Stranger Things offshoots at Netflix. Their focus at Paramount will be on new material.

“I’ve had the privilege of knowing Matt and Ross for over a decade and worked with them from their earliest stages through their deserving global success,” said Holland. “We have seen firsthand their extraordinary creative vision and exceptional gift for storytelling. We couldn’t be more excited to reunite and welcome them to Paramount.”

Added Goldberg, co-chair of Paramount Pictures and chair of Paramount Television, and Greenstein, co-chair of Paramount Pictures and vice chair of platforms, “We are thrilled that the incomparable Duffer Brothers are joining our Paramount family. Their singular talent for creating stories and worlds that shape culture sets them apart, and this partnership is a great example of the new Paramount in action — our film, television, and streaming businesses united to offer Matt and Ross the full power of our platforms to tell their best and most ambitious stories yet.”

Tom Cruise is known for suffering for his art, but just how much is revealed in a bonus feature as part of the digital release of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.” The A-list actor and his director, Christopher McQuarrie, reveal during the movie’s climactic plane sequence that the joints in Cruise’s fingers separated from the sheer force the actor had to battle while dangling off the side of a biplane and holding onto the strap of a seat belt.

“Oh, this almost broke my back,” Cruise says in the commentary as the scene plays out (via Entertainment Weekly) as McQuarrie adds: “You’re talking about a lot of pain here.”

“Now watch this: The thing we haven’t talked about, holding on to this belt,” McQuarrie points out as Cruise is seen in the film holding onto a seatbelt strap as the biplane flips upside down. Cruise notes, “Oh God, that was brutal.”

“This separated the joints in Tom’s fingers from the force, so by the time we finished this sequence, your hands were absolutely swollen — oh my God, it was so painful to watch,” McQuarrie added.

“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” opened in theaters in May after a splashy premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie, touted as Cruise’s final outing in his long-running action franchise, opened to $200 million globally, marking the franchise’s biggest start.

“This weekend was one for the history books!” Cruise reacted at the time. “Congratulations and thank you to every filmmaker, every artist, every crew member and every single person who works at the studios. To every theater and every employee who helps bring these stories to audiences, thank you. To everyone that works at Paramount Pictures and Skydance, thank you for your many years of partnership and unwavering support. And most of all, THANK YOU to audiences everywhere for whom we all serve and for whom we all LOVE to entertain. Sincerely, Tom.”

“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” has since earned $596 million at the worldwide box office. Despite being touted as the last “Mission: Impossible” movie, Cruise would not go on the record confirming whether or not his tenure as Ethan Hunt is actually over or not.

“I’d rather just people see it and enjoy and we’ve had an amazing time doing it and it’s been a lot of fun and I just want you all to enjoy it,” the actor said when asked about his future with the franchise. “Enjoy this and know everything is the culmination has come to this moment right now.”

“Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” is now available to watch from home via PVOD platforms and arrives on 4k Ultra HD, DVD and Blu-ray on Oct. 14.

Aclara Resources CFO Francois Motte is pushing to ink deals with automakers and other companies eager for rare earth minerals — key components of such industrial goods as electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics and cell phones. 

The finance chief of the Canada-based miner since 2021, Motte is navigating a tricky path: He aims to close contracts in order to convince lenders to provide more than $1 billion in financing to develop South American pilot projects.

If all goes well, Motte hopes his Toronto, Canada-based firm will have the capital to ultimately deliver the products in 2028 and realize positive cash flow in 2029. The company, which has not yet signed any offtake agreements, needs one big customer or approximately 50% of the production committed to proceed with its plans.

Part of the challenge of reaching an agreement with future customers is that the pricing of rare earths, a market long dominated by China that has been whipsawed by tariffs, and is more volatile than established and liquid commodities such as gold, he said.

“It’s not easy,” Motte said in an interview, but added that asking bankers for financing before having contracts to sell the products doesn’t make sense. “If I go to a bank or a financial institution the first thing they’re going to say is, ‘Do you have a commercial contract?’” 

The company is poised to potentially benefit from a tariff tailwind. In April, China suspended exports of a wide range of the critical minerals in response to President Donald Trump’s sharp increase in levies, The New York Times reported. While controls on Chinese rare-earth exports have since eased in the wake of a trade agreement, some auto parts plants have suspended output. 

Focus shifts from pricing

The resulting uncertainty about China’s export volumes has sharpened manufacturers’ appetite for alternative sources of rare earths located outside of China, Motte said. “Western customers have decided to create an alternative supply chain,” Motte said, noting that many prospective customers are doing whatever they can to find new sources for the minerals that go into their products to avoid production stoppages.

“Price has become a little bit of a secondary priority for them,” he said. “The main priority is that you can show them you can execute on what you are doing.” 

Rare earths, a group of 17 metals used in magnets that turn power into motion, are also getting some love from the Trump administration, with top White House officials telling a group of executives last month that it wants to expand price supports and quickly boost U.S. rare earths mining, processing and recycling in a manner similar to 2020’s Operations Warp Speed, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources.     

Aclara, which is majority owned by the Hochschild Group and listed on the Toronto stock exchange, has rare earth projects it is developing in Brazil and Chile. It is also zeroing in on serving the domestic U.S. rare earth demand: Earlier this month it announced a partnership with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to operate the pilot separation plant in Blacksburg, Virginia.

The facility, which is expected to open this fall, will take feedstock from the company’s Carina project in Brazil and extract light and heavy rare earth elements, such as didymium, terbium, and dysprosium, according to a Virginia Tech report.  

CFO Motte believes one of his roles is to communicate to potential buyers the strengths of his company. For example, the company has developed a mining process that does not leave an open pit and is less disruptive to communities and recycles waste water.

“My job is to portray all of this to customers and say, ‘We’re expensive but look at this,’” Motte said.  

Tariff headwinds

Motte has spent much of his career in mining, working for nearly a decade at Hochschild, including as controller of the Immaculada gold and silver project in Peru during its construction in 2015 and 2016.

At Aclara, he helped raise $100 million with the initial public offering in 2021 but, shortly thereafter, Gabriel Boric was elected president of Chile and the subsequently company learned that they would not be able to get a project’s permit approved.

That was a tough setback for the company, but it pushed Aclara to expand into Brazil, where Motte says it has successfully grown. It also gave Motte experience with risks posed by changes in government policy.  

Is The Bear a comedy or a drama? We may never know!

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Ayo Edebiri spoke about the ongoing debate on her hit show’s genre, specifically whether The Bear is considered a comedy or drama.

“My feeling is that that is a question that is honestly above my pay grade. That’s a question for the studios,” Edebiri said. “We get asked a lot about it as actors and they don’t ask the producer, so that’s kind of my answer to that.”

While many of the series’ viewers — and some of its castmembers — consider the show to be a drama, it’s taken home awards for best comedy series at several award shows, including the 2024 Golden Globes and the 2024 Emmy Awards. There, The Bear earned the title of the most-nominated comedy series in a single year with 23 nods. In 2023, Edebiri won an Emmy for best supporting actress in a comedy series.

Outside of acting, Edebiri has lent her talents to behind-the-camera work. The actress made her directorial debut for the episode Napkins in season three.

“The writing was just so beautiful. I remember reading it and seeing it in my mind, like really clearly,” she told Vanity Fair. “There was a real advantage because it was not only a standalone episode of a character that we hadn’t really gotten to see, but it got to be outside of the restaurant. It got to be in the past, and then it also got to connect before the show had even started, but the feeling of the first season, I just felt like it was really gonna be fertile, visually. And that I was going to be able to do a little bit of my own thing.”

The experience led her to realize that she loves to direct and hopes to make her feature directorial debut one day. “I think I will eventually direct a feature. I know that I will, but I feel no real rush,” she said. “I’m writing right now as well and that’s its own process.”

The show is nominated for best comedy series at the 2025 Emmy Awards. The ceremony takes place on Sept. 14.

Slow Horses, as the show’s executive producer Doug Urbanski is keen to say, is not your grandfather’s spy show. The Apple TV+ hit — up for five Emmys, including best drama series for its fourth season — takes the cloak-and-dagger espionage of a John le Carré thriller and squeezes it through the tea-stained filter of snarky British comedy (lead writer Will Smith cut his teeth on Armando Iannucci’s caustic pre-Veep political satire The Thick of It).

In place of a debonair James Bond superspy, we have Jackson Lamb, the slovenly, flatulent remnant of a once-great MI5 agent. Played with shambolic brilliance by Gary Oldman, Lamb oversees a team at Slough House, a shabby off-site dumping ground for disgraced and rejected agents.

The series is based on the novels by Mick Herron, with each book as one six-episode season. From an appropriately languid start — the first two seasons gathered critical acclaim but mostly flew under the radar — Slow Horses has steadily gained recognition. Season three, which scored nine Emmy nominations and one writing win for Smith, marked its official mainstream breakout.

Urbanski spoke to THR about how applying old-school studio discipline to keep “the trains running on time and budget” has kept the show — and everyone involved — on track, and how one perfectly timed fart helped redefine the modern spy drama.

What’s the Slow Horses origin story?

Gary Oldman and I initially wanted to do a sequel to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy [the 2011 le Carré adaptation Urbanski produced starring Oldman]. But the le Carré estate didn’t want Gary to play [the lead character George] Smiley again. Eventually, Gary said, “Can’t we find something for me with no prosthetics, no accent, no wig, where I can use my own accent — preferably in the spy genre?” Soon after, his agent called asking whether I would consider a television series, and I said yes.

We shot Slow Horses during the pandemic, which was very odd. We couldn’t travel freely, so I watched a lot of Columbo and Perry Mason. Those shows are consistently good. They knew how to keep stories engaging with character and pace. That inspired how we approached Slow Horses. From the start, we wanted it to feel like a six-hour movie, not traditional episodic TV. We shoot it like one long movie and then break it into episodes.

Apple TV+ has confirmed there will be a season seven, but since you do two seasons back-to-back, should we assume season eight is also confirmed?

You might think so. I couldn’t possibly comment.

Why has it resonated more than other spy genre entries?

Wonderful source material helps, but it doesn’t guarantee a good product. You need to get into the DNA of it. Mick Herron’s books are irreverent but dark. It’s a nearly impossible tonal balance — like Killing Eve did well for a couple seasons. The first thing we had to say was: This is not your grandfather’s spy show. This is not James Bond, it’s not John le Carré. It’s not Austin Powers, either. It’s going to be its own thing. The key thing is, we’re not making a spy show with characters thrown in. We’re making a character study that happens to have thrills and chases. That shift in focus makes the audience fall in love with the characters. They’re flawed. They drink; gamble; lose their temper. It resonates. It’s human.

Was Jackson Lamb’s infamous character introduction in episode one, when he farts himself awake, always part of the show?

That came later. We had about 28 cuts of episode one, season one. Something was missing. I called [Apple TV+ Europe boss] Jay Hunt and said, “It’s context.” She agreed. I told Gary, and he said, “I’ve got the perfect thing: Lamb waking himself up with a fart.” It was our way of telling viewers, “This is not your grandfather’s spy show.”

Do you feel a responsibility to keep the show going because Gary Oldman has said he might retire after it ends?

I had a recent conversation with Gary. He asked, “How long do you think this will go?” I told him, “As long as we can keep it good. If it ever starts getting stupid, we’ll stop.” But he has told me he would like to do a new show immediately after this one. We may have found something. If so, we’d bring it to Apple first. But first, our job is to finish what we’ve committed to. 

This story first appeared in an August stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.