The Business

This week, Kim Masters sits down with veteran Hollywood marketing executive Gerry Rich to talk about his memoir, Chasing Hollywood. Rich recalls the nightmare of working for Harvey Weinstein at Miramax, helping launch Iron Man before Marvel became part of the Disney empire, and getting a crash course in Amazon’s bizarre corporate culture after it acquired MGM. He also revisits a bitter Paramount power struggle involving Josh Greenstein, who now co-chairs Skydance’s film group overseeing Paramount and Warner Bros.   Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni break down yet another round of Hollywood layoffs, this time at Netflix. The banter partners discuss the streamer's decision to cut 1,000 jobs amid slower-than-expected growth and what the latest reductions signal for the streaming business.  

This week, Kim Masters speaks with actor Malcolm McDowell about his six-decade career and the long journey to finally making his latest film, the western Last Train to Fortune. McDowell reflects on his friendship with mentor and director Lindsay Anderson, shares stories from the set of Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, and looks back at the chaotic production of Caligula, including how Penthouse founder Bob Guccione took control of the film and added unsimulated material in post production. Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni share the latest WarnerMount updates, including former Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz joining David Ellison to run the new studio, Cindy Holland’s departure as Casey Bloys prepares to lead its streaming division, and the latest questions surrounding the fate of CNN.  

This week, Kim Masters reports on the newly formed U.S. Film and Television Production Coalition and its push for a federal tax incentive to stem the loss of production overseas. Members representing studios, producers and unions lay out the industry’s unusually unified campaign, the backing of President Donald Trump, and the details that still have to survive Congress. Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni give a brief update on the rollout of Bari Weiss’s new 60 Minutes. Spoiler: the early ratings are not good. The banter partners also turn to a pair of surprises from the documentary world, including reports that Universal considered holding back Alex Gibney’s upcoming Elon Musk documentary from a global theatrical release, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu escalating threats against the directors of NAZA following the film’s Venice debut.  

This week, Kim Masters speaks with director Kirk Jones and actor Robert Aramayo about I Swear, the BAFTA winning film about Tourette’s advocate John Davidson. Jones talks about using his own life savings to self-finance the project after potential backers pushed him to tone down the film’s language, and how that decision allowed him to cast Aramayo in the lead without studio oversight. Aramayo discusses the physical and emotional demands of portraying Davidson, a role that required extensive preparation and ultimately earned him a BAFTA. They also reflect on the widely publicized moment at the BAFTA ceremony that brought renewed attention to Tourette’s syndrome. Plus, in the aftermath of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Kim Masters and Matt Belloni unpack the FCC scrutiny facing The Walt Disney Company over a recent late-night jab from Jimmy Kimmel. The duo also explore the unexpected box office strength of a controversial Michael Jackson biopic and the delicate balancing act at Lionsgate as it weighs a potential sequel amid ongoing public backlash.