Michael Morris Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Just as this summer’s New York City wildfire smoke, LA hurricane and sneaker-melting heat have brought home the reality of climate change, the Disney-Charter carriage battle is foregrounding the fragility of the pay-TV bundle.

Bridget Jones is back to write in her diary once again. Renée Zellweger will be returning for the fourth installment of the iconic romantic comedy franchise.The film, titled “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” is set to premiere in theaters and on Peacock come Valentine’s Day 2025.

Katcy Stephan Two-time Oscar winner Renée Zellweger is set to return to one of her most beloved roles in Universal Pictures’ and Working Title’s “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” an adaptation of Helen Fielding’s best-selling novel. Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson are confirmed to return alongside franchise newcomers Chiwetel Ejiofor and Leo Woodall. The film will be directed by Michael Morris (“To Leslie,” “Better Call Saul”).

After six seasons and 53 Emmy nominations, including seven for Outstanding Drama Series, Better Call Saul has left us without a single win.

Netflix’s resurgent stock rose another 3% through mid-day Tuesday, continuing to recoup losses from a major 2022 correction as several Wall Street analysts upgraded their outlook on the company.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The TV Academy better call Rhea when Emmy nominations are announced. The acclaimed actress has chosen to submit in the supporting drama actress category for the second half of the final season of “Better Call Saul,” Variety has learned exclusively. The actress joins her co-star, Carol Burnett, who will also vie for a nomination in the same category. Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Emmy predictions in all categories. Despite the AMC “Breaking Bad” spin-off series airing last summer, it’s eligible for this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards, where it hopes to finally take home statuettes after being shut out for each of its six seasons.

EXCLUSIVE: CAA on Tuesday announced its signing of Allison Janney — the Academy Award-winning actress who has also been recognized over the course of her career with six Emmys, a Golden Globe, 7 SAG Awards, 2 Critics’ Choice Awards, a BAFTA, an Independent Spirit Award and other accolades.

A huge surprise. Andrea Riseborough scored an Oscar nomination in January 2023 for her performance in To Leslie — and her unexpected Best Actress in a Leading Role nod quickly led to an investigation.

Andrea Riseborough’s late blooming word-of-mouth awards campaign for her title role in To Leslie has resulted in the British star’s first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, upending received wisdom about the direction of travel for this year’s race. Riseborough now joins Cate Blanchett, Ana de Armas, Michelle Williams and Michelle Yeoh to make up this year’s Oscar Best Actress list.

After entering the smart-TV sector years ago by licensing its interface and brand, Roku now plans to design and manufacture its own line of TV sets.

Andrea Riseborough’s acclaimed performance as the title character in To Leslie might be something of an underdog this season, but a recent Independent Spirit Award nomination for the actress suggests it is finding its audience, and that the plaudits are well-deserved. Directed by Michael Morris, the film tells the story of a woman struggling with an addiction to alcohol, a decade after winning — and promptly wasting — a small fortune in the state lottery. As she struggles to find her feet, her resolve is strengthened by her love for her son James (Owen Teague), with whom she’s desperate to reunite.

EXCLUSIVE: Andrea Riseborough, who is coming off an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her lead role in To Leslie, has been cast opposite Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts in HBO’s limited series The Palace, from Succession duo Will Tracy and Frank Rich and The Queen director Stephen Frears.

Disney stock has fallen more than 11% today on double its normal trading volume, as investors recalibrate their expectations in light of a shaky quarterly earnings report.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Momentum Pictures has purchased the North American and U.K. rights to Michael Morris’ “To Leslie,” a drama with Andrea Riseborough that had its world premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival. The film will be released in theaters and on VOD on Oct. 7. Riseborough starts as a West Texas mother who wins the lottery and drinks it away just as fast, leaving behind a world of heartbreak. She comes home in the hopes of achieving redemption. Riseborough leads an ensemble that includes Oscar-winner Allison Janney (“I, Tonya”), Marc Maron (“Maron”), Owen Teague (‘The Stand”), James Landry Hebert (“Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”), Andre Royo (“The Wire”) and Stephen Root (“Barry”).

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains details of tonight’s Better Call Saul‘s “Breaking Bad” episode. Let’s just say, the title is a bit of a giveaway.

After Netflix’s better-than-expected second quarter earnings yesterday, the company’s shares continued their recent upturn as Wall Street analysts took sides on the takeaway from the report.

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains details of tonight’s “Fun and Games” episode of the final season of Better Call Saul.

Netflix will reveal its financial results from the second quarter on Tuesday afternoon, and the outcome is expected to set the tone for one of the most anxious and uncertain earnings seasons in years.

“Better Call Saul” as a guest star for the second half of the final season.Burnett will play a character named Marion, and that’s all Sony Pictures Television and AMC have revealed about her character.“I’m thrilled to be a part of my favorite show,” Burnett said in a statement.“Better Call Saul” Season 6 was split in half, with the first batch of episodes completing their run in May.

The opening credit sequence of Michael Morris’ “To Leslie” is a real roller coaster ride, and thus appropriate preparation for the emotional turmoil to follow. We meet the title character (Andrea Riseborough) via a series of photos, mostly family snapshots: happy memories, a young woman coming of age, getting married, having a baby.

The meat of this melancholy, live-action country ballad is left up to the imagination, somewhere in the missing years between the title credits and the point at which Michael Morris’s feature debut actually starts. It’s probably just as well, since To Leslie is a hard enough watch as it is, not because it’s significantly depressing (redemption is suggested in myriad moments in its two-hour running time) but because it’s a testament to Andrea Riseborough’s never less than committed performance that it’s hard to see such a sad and vulnerable woman snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at every turn. There are no indications on screen, but anecdotal reports that screenwriter Ryan Binaco based the script on his own mother seem pretty credible.

Guggenheim Securities analyst Michael Morris used a Wednesday report to raise his stock price target on the Walt Disney Co.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorGuggenheim Securities analyst Michael Morris has boosted his 12-month price targets for six internet companies he covers, upgraded Snap Inc. and initiated coverage of Pinterest with a buy rating.In a report summarizing the sweeping adjustments Monday, Morris cited an effort to shift analysis of the companies to bring it more in line with that of software companies, a group led by Microsoft.Snapchat parent Snap Inc.

Mike Fleming Jr Co-Editor-in-Chief, FilmThe pandemic continues to realign the agency landscape. Mint Talent Group formed today, with WME agent C.J.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorC.J. Strock, formerly of William Morris Endeavor, joins Patrick McAuliff and Phil Egenthal, formerly of Paradigm Talent Agency to form Mint Talent Group, the new company announced early Tuesday.

Mister Smith Entertainment, which shared details of the film’s now-finished casting with Variety.Jonathan Tucker, Andre Royo and Owen Teague will join previously announced cast members Andrea Riseborough, Allison Janney and John Hawkes.Claude Dal Farra and Brian Keady from BCDF are producing alongside Kelsey Law of Clair de Lune Entertainment. Michael Morris (“Bloodline,” “Better Call Saul”) will direct from Ryan Bianco’s screenplay.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorJohn Hawkes (The Sessions) and Oscar-winner Allison Janney (I, Tonya) have come on board for roles in the real-life-inspired feature To Leslie with Andrea Riseborough (Birdman).Mister Smith has also boarded the project for international sales ahead of the Cannes virtual market. UTA Independent Film Group is repping domestic.Michael Morris (Better Call Saul) will direct the screenplay written by Ryan Binaco (3022).