MagazinAisle

Category: Entertainment

  • Zurich Film Fest Galas Set for Award Contenders ‘I Play Rocky,’ ‘Possible Love,’ ‘Josephine’

    Zurich Film Fest Galas Set for Award Contenders ‘I Play Rocky,’ ‘Possible Love,’ ‘Josephine’

    The Zurich International Film Festival unveiled highlights from its gala program Thursday, with a selection of “auteur cinema for a broader audience” in the words of festival boss Christian Jungen —that should further cement Zurich’s position as a key international stop for awards season.

    The gala lineup includes several of this year’s buzziest titles, among them Peter Farrelly’s I Play Rocky, Beth de Araújo’s Josephine starring Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan and Possible Love, the new drama from acclaimed Korean director Lee Chang-dong (Burning).

    I Play Rocky, starring Anthony Ippolito as a young Sylvester Stallone, will have its world premiere in Toronto. Netflix title Possible Love premieres in Venice. Josephine screened at Sundance and Berlin.

    Love, After All

    c_Andres_Dresen_Kordes_und-Kordes_Film_Pandora

    Zurich also announced three world premieres. Films from two of Germany’s most acclaimed directors: Love, After All from Andreas Dresen (Cloud 9) and Doris Dörrie’s How Can I Help? will both launch at the Swiss fest — “their films are grounded in everyday life and, with a little wink, reflect on the state of our society,” says Jungen — as will Simon Wallon’s documentary The Hammer, a look a famed auctioneer Simon de Pury.

    How Can I Help?

    Zeitsprung_Pictures_Wild_Bunch_Germany_Mathias_Bothor

    The Hammer

    Kiss__Kill

    Other 2026 Zurich festival galas include 111 – Echoes from Halifax, a true-life drama from Mexican-Swiss director Mauro Mueller about the 1998 crash of Swissair Flight 111 off the coast of Halifax. The film will open this year’s Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax in its world premiere.

    111 – Echoes from Halifax

    Courtesy of the Zurich Film Festival

    Three more Venice titles: Casey Affleck’s Company starring Nick Nolte and Ben Mendelsohn; Nanni Moretti’s It Will Happen Tonight with Louis Garrel and Jasmine Trinca; and the documentary Burgundy from The Truffle Hunters directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw will also screen as Zurich galas.

    The 22nd edition of the Zurich Film Festival runs Sept. 24 – Oct. 4.

  • Andreas Dresen, Doris Dörrie Films to World Premiere at Zurich Film Festival

    The world premieres of two major German films, Andreas Dresen’s “Love, After All” and Doris Dörrie’s “How Can I Help?,” are among 10 titles to feature in the Gala Premieres section of Zurich Film Festival.

    The selection also includes Oscar contenders “I Play Rocky” and “Josephine,” and Switzerland’s most anticipated film, “111 – Echoes From Halifax.”

    Christian Jungen, CEO of the festival, said the section is “dedicated to auteur cinema for a broader audience.”

    “We are particularly delighted that two major figures of German auteur cinema, Andreas Dresen and Doris Dörrie, have entrusted us with the world premieres of their new films,” Jungen said. “Their films are grounded in everyday life and, with a little wink, reflect on the state of our society.”

    He added, “We present films that will play an important role later in the award season, such as ‘I Play Rocky.’” The film tells the story behind the making of the cult classic starring Sylvester Stallone, which won the Academy Award for best picture in 1977.

    Jungen explained that, from a Swiss perspective, “111 – Echoes From Halifax” deserves special mention. “From multiple perspectives, the film sheds light on a major event that shook our nation: the crash of a Swissair aircraft near Halifax,” he said.

    The full program of the 22nd Zurich Film Festival, which runs Sept. 24 to Oct. 4, will be revealed on Sept. 9.

    I PLAY ROCKY
    European Premiere
    Biography
    U.S., 2026
    Director: Peter Farrelly
    Cast: Anthony Ippolito, Matt Dillon, Stephan James, AnnaSophia Robb, PJ Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass
    Unknown actor Sylvester Stallone is writing a screenplay titled “Rocky” that a studio is desperate to acquire. But Stallone refuses to sell the rights – unless he gets to play the lead himself. Despite numerous setbacks and rejections, he remains determined to make his dream a reality: playing Rocky Balboa. The result is the ultimate underdog story behind the legendary underdog film.

    JOSEPHINE
    Drama
    U.S., 2026
    Director: Beth de Araújo
    Cast: Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Mason Lily Reeves
    When 8-year-old Josephine witnesses a violent crime, her world is out of joint. She is trying to find a way to regain a sense of security. While her emphatic mother (Gemma Chan) wants to help her process what happened, her father (Channing Tatum) believes in preparing Josephine for the harsher realities of life but increasingly finds himself overwhelmed by the situation. With the suspense of a thriller, director Beth de Araújo tells a deeply empathetic family drama about fear and the limits of parental care. Channing Tatum gives one of his strongest performances in this year’s great Sundance Film Festival sensation.

    111 – ECHOES FROM HALIFAX
    European Premiere
    Drama
    Switzerland, Canada, 2026
    Director: Mauro Mueller
    Cast: Ursina Lardi, Kris Holden-Ried, Djebril Zonga, Fathia Youssouf, Natalie Brown
    On Sept. 2, 1998, the crash of Swissair Flight 111 off Halifax changes the lives of many people forever: relatives struggle for certainty about their loved ones, helpers try to offer comfort, and the residents of the Canadian coast are confronted with the traces of tragedy. As time passes and questions remain unanswered, the film shows how grief connects, relationships change, and new perspectives emerge. Mauro Mueller’s film is a quiet, poignant drama about loss, memory and the power of human closeness.

    COMPANY
    Mystery
    Canada, U.S., UAE, 2026
    Director: Casey Affleck
    Cast: Nick Nolte, Ben Mendelsohn, Adelaide Clemens, Scoot McNairy, Emily Alyn Lind, Caylee Cowan
    On a winter night in 1975, a mysterious woman named Evelyn arrives uninvited at a holiday gathering and tells the story of Tom, an aging hermit who rescues a stranded actress during a Colorado blizzard in 1953. To pass the night, the actress recounts an older tale of a farming couple who take in a troubled young drifter as a series of grisly murders spreads fear across the frontier. As the stories intertwine across generations, “Company” becomes a meditation on grief, vengeance, forgiveness and the quiet acts of compassion that can heal even the deepest wounds.

    POSSIBLE LOVE
    Drama
    South Korea, 2026
    Director: Lee Chang-dong
    Cast: Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung, Cho Yeo-jeong
    “Possible Love” follows the intertwined relationship of two married couples facing different paths and hidden desires. Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon) lives quietly with her laid-off husband Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu) and their young son Cheol until a funeral brings them into the orbit of Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong), a documentary filmmaker chronicling laid-off workers, and her husband Sang-woo (Zo In-sung) – a couple whose affluent lifestyle stands in sharp contrast to their own. When Mi-ok agrees to be filmed, she grows close to Ye-ji, and finds herself uneasily drawn to the unreadable Sang-woo. As their worlds collide, fractures begin to appear in their daily existence. Marking his first release in eight years, highly acclaimed director Lee Chang-dong (“Burning,” “Poetry,” “Secret Sunshine”) brings his signature nuance to “Possible Love,” capturing shifting emotions, conflicts, and contrasting outlooks that shape these relationships.

    LOVE, AFTER ALL
    World Premiere
    Tragicomedy
    Germany, 2026
    Director: Andreas Dresen
    Cast: Dagmar Manzel, Joachim Król
    Lore (Dagmar Manzel) and Harry (Joachim Król) have been married for nearly 40 years and there is rarely a moment of silence between them. Old stories, missed chances and the uncertainties of retirement fuel heated discussions. Lore is afraid of growing old and bitter in the garden alongside Harry while he longs for stability and peace. There is only one thing they agree on: Their daughter Gloria has little luck in love. Now, she wants to get married for the third time – this time to a wealthy man who is almost the same age as Harry. A warm-hearted love story inspired by real life, drawing the audience in with its authentic characters and lots of humor.

    IT WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT
    Romance
    Italy, France, Spain, 2026
    Director: Nanni Moretti
    Cast: Louis Garrel, Jasmine Trinca, Hippolyte Girardot, Angela Finocchiaro, Melina Åkerman Kvie, Elena Lietti, Andrea Lattanzi, Antonio De Matteo, Nanni Moretti
    I’ll wait for you, for as long as you want me to. But will it ever happen?

    BURGUNDY
    Documentary
    France, 2026
    Director: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
    Cast: Enzo Ferraroli, Céleste Kalis, Eric Goettelmann, Patrick Maniere, Guillaume Baroin, Bertrand Devillard
    Burgundy is one of the world’s most famous wine regions. Through the eyes of novices in hospitality and viticulture, the film offers a fascinating glimpse into its unique wine culture, where time-honored traditions live on in rituals centered on luxury and indulgence. Blending documentary and fictional elements, directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw pay homage to the remarkable and charming people whose zest for life shapes and preserves this unique region and its centuries-old culture.

    HOW CAN I HELP?
    World Premiere
    Drama/Comedy
    Germany, 2026
    Director: Doris Dörrie
    Cast: Angela Winkler, Laura Tonke, Josef Ellers, Via Jikeli, Eugene Boateng, Zoë Baier
    Mrs. Winkler has a fall and becomes a nursing case. Her daughter, overwhelmed by her needs, hires a care robot. After some initial resistance, Mrs. Winkler grows quite fond of him. He takes perfect care of her and keeps her entertained – except that he is also supposed to kill her in case her condition deteriorates further…

    THE HAMMER
    World Premiere
    Documentary
    France, U.S., 2026
    Director: Simon Wallon
    Cast: Simon de Pury, Jeff Koons, Marina Abramović, Chloe Wise, Lou Zhenggang
    A documentary portrait of famed auctioneer Simon de Pury, whose career saw him leading auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Phillips, being the curator of major world collections, an artist, even a DJ, and always being an unavoidable personality “the Mick Jagger of auctions” takes us behind the curtain of the extravagant art market. Art fairs, collectors’ homes, artists’ studios, galas… The film is a welcoming and entertaining dive amongst the 1% and explores the complicated relationship between artists and commerce. Ultimately, it questions what it means to be an artist today. It was shot between New York, Tokyo, London, Cannes, Miami and Monaco.

  • Ritchie Blackmore Performs With Deep Purple for First Time Since Acrimonious Split in Early ’90s, After Warning Fans: ‘I Have Not Played Rock Music in 25 Years’

    Most Deep Purple fans had long since given up any hope of seeing the band ever share a stage with founding guitarist Ritchie Blackmore again, due to a well-know, decades-long estrangement. But that’s exactly what took place near the end of the group’s show Wednesday night at Jones Beach in New York, as hatchets were buried and Blackmore rejoined his old mates for a rendition of the group’s most famous song, “Smoke on the Water.”

    “It’s gonna be interesting,” Blackmore said in a podcast appearance the night before the show, in which the 81-year-old guitar legend leaked news of his imminent appearance. “i have not played rock music in 25 years.”

    At the conclusion of “Smoke in the Water” Wednesday, singer Ian Gillan showered praise on his ex-bandmate before he left the stage. “A couple of days ago I got a message from a local lad… saying ‘I only live around the corner, do you mind if I come and jam with you?’ It was an absolute pleasure to have back on stage the founding member, the great legend,”the immortal Ritchie Blackmore. Thanks, Ritchie. i have to say, it was a great pleasure. I’ll see you in the bar.”

    Probably few in the audience were taken by complete surprise by Blackmore’s cameo, since the previous night, the guitarist had spilled some of the beans in a livestream conversation with his wife, singer Candice Night, the evening before the Jones Beach gig. Blackmore said on Tuesday’s live podcast that he was revealing the secret in advance because he wanted fans who had waited for this moment for decades to at least have a shot at making it to New York in time for Wednesday’s show.

    Blackmore, who co-founded Deep Purple in 1968, had a fallout with other members in 1993 that resulted in him leaving the lineup in 1993 for the second and last time. The fallout was bad enough that Blackmore did not show up at the band’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2016, after being told that the currently touring lineup — which still includes three original or near-original members in Gillan, drummer Ian Paice and bassist Roger Glover — would not reunite with him under any circumstances, even for a short, one-off performance at the ceremony.

    So hell seemed to have frozen over when Gillan recently sent a message gingerly asking if he could come up on stage for one number at a tour date… and the band proved surprisingly agreeable to that notion, after so much water under the bridge.

    “it is a secret and i don’t want anybody to know, but I’m probably going to go up and do an encore with the band, Deep Purple,” Blackmore blurted about eight minutes into the livestream with his wife, singer Candice Night. “But you can’t tell anybody, and I know this will be kept a secret. won’t it?” he joked, even as the web lit up with the news quickly being spread among hard rock buffs.

    Blackmore explained the genesis of this unexpected reunion: “I sent my AI pigeon to Ian Gillan in Portugal, where he lives at the moment, and I said, ‘How would you feel if I got up just for an encore on one of the songs. Don’t want to intrude.’ And I said, ‘No pressure, just kind of old times’ sake.’ You know, I’m 81 now. So (Gillan) seemed to li0e the idea, put it to the band, got a thumbs up, and it looks like we might be doing that.”

    The guitarist admitted he was hardly in practice for a performance with Deep Purple, given the drift in his musical focus since 1993, as he moved on to gentler brand of folk-rock with Blackmore’s Night, the band fronted by his wife.

    “I changed my strings on my Strat, which i haven’t done in over 25 years,” he revealed. “It’s kind of frightening. I haven’t played rock in 25 years. I’ve been playing acoustic guitar for 25 years. And at first i was very uncomfortable playing (acoustic guitar), but i got used to it, and now I’m more used to playing the acoustic, more so than the electric.”

    He said he needed some medical assistance in being able to withstand “Smoke on the Water.”

    “I did have my injection in my lumbar area yesterday,” he explained on the podcast, of needing a steroid shot. “it’s a special injection i have that enables me to stand in one spot, because if I’m playing a Strat, i have a hard time… I have four herniated discs, if anybody wants them. And I had my injection yesterday of a steroid which helps me get through standing on stage. But I have kind of a stool there, just in case I start toppling over or something.”

    Of his reasons for giving fans 24 hours’ notice, he said he “wanted to warn the people living in Romania, so they could fly over… Not really. I just thought it might be an idea to let a few people know because I think a lot of people would like to see that.”

    His announcement of sitting in with the group concluded with the thoughts: “I hope people enjoy it.” And: “it will be good to see the old guys again.”

    Fans from afar turned to the web to look for footage of the show. Perrin Wolfson and Jimmy Kay of the Metal Voice podcast livestreame through the latter part of Deep Purple’s set, waiting for confirmation that it had gone down, and putting up photos and video that were shared with them from inside the show. “History has been made,” Wolfson and Kay crowed as they first got word “Smoke in the Water” was in progress with Blackmore aboard. “I feel like we just walked on the moon.”

  • ‘SNL UK’ Sets Season 2 Return on Sky

    ‘SNL UK’ Sets Season 2 Return on Sky

    Saturday Night Live UK has set its return on Sky and NOW.

    After a well-performing inaugural season earlier this year, the live comedy sensation returns on Sept. 12 with six brand-new episodes, the trailer for which was released Wednesday. Additional episodes are planned for early 2027.

    Broadcast live each week, the U.K. spinoff of NBC’s hit sketch series will once again welcome a different celebrity host and musical guest for every episode, alongside topical sketches, live music performances and a British take on the iconic Weekend Update segment. Last season’s celebrity hosts included Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Riz Ahmed, Jack Whitehall, Nicola Coughlan, Aimee Lou Wood, Hannah Waddingham, and Ncuti Gatwa.

    Fey’s episode was watched on Sky by over 220,000 people in Britain — though episode ratings trailed off after that — as the cast made use of our over-performing rolodex of U.K. talent. U.S. viewers were able to watch the episodes on Peacock.

    Returning for the second season are all 11 members of the inaugural cast: Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi and Paddy Young.

    On the production side, Laura Claxton has been promoted to co-head Writer, joining existing head writer Jonno Johnson. Liz Clare returns as director. Heather MacVean joins as costume designer and Sinead Oldnall is heading up the U.K. talent team as director of onscreen Talent.

    Lorne Michaels serves as executive producer on the show and James Longman is lead producer.

    “I’m incredibly proud of our team and the show,” said Michaels when the show was renewed. “It keeps getting better every week. I’m grateful to Dana Strong and Sky for believing in and supporting SNL U.K. I’m excited for the season ahead.”

    Watch the trailer for the new season below.

  • ‘Demons’ Explores the Russia-Ukraine Relationship via Borscht, Blood and Graves (Exclusive Trailer)

    ‘Demons’ Explores the Russia-Ukraine Relationship via Borscht, Blood and Graves (Exclusive Trailer)

    A homeless drifter from Russia with a mysterious past arrives in a remote village in central Ukraine in writer-director Natalka Vorozhbyt’s (Bad Roads) metaphorical film Demons, which world-premieres at the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival on Friday, Aug. 13.

    The drifter’s name is Slavik, and he seems to be the embodiment of Russia. In the village, he meets Nina, who represents post-Soviet Ukraine and the country’s independence.

    What kind of adventure and drama can the protagonists and viewers expect? “Nina, a strong and independent woman much older than Slavik, takes the stranger into her home,” teases a synopsis. “At first, their strange companionship resembles an unlikely love story. But as their relationship unfolds, love turns into betrayal, and the village begins to reveal its hidden rules.” Those rules are summarized this way: “A place where witches may live next door, and the dead sometimes speak with the living.”

    Vorozhbyt says that Demons and the relationship at its core unfolds on several levels. One is socio-political, where the relationship “becomes a metaphor for the relationship between Russia and Ukraine,” she explains.

    The cast includes Ruslana Pysanka, Aleksey Mitin, Tatiana Stepanova, Ruslan Garmash and Mykola Ponomarenko. Demons features cinematography by Volodymyr Ivanov, with editing by Milenia Fiedler and Andriy Gulyanych. Celluloid Dreams is handling international sales.

    THR can now exclusively premiere the trailer for Demons. You may want to mentally prepare for borscht, a flying vehicle, violence against a TV set blood and graves – and much more.

  • ‘SNL U.K.’ Season 2 Sets September Date

    ‘SNL U.K.’ Season 2 Sets September Date

    “Saturday Night Live U.K.” will launch its second season on Sky and Now starting Sept. 12, the broadcaster announced, kicking off a run of six new episodes following the show’s debut season earlier this year.

    A trailer for the new season has been released, and additional episodes are planned for early 2027 beyond the initial six-episode run. As in the debut season, every episode will pair a new celebrity host with a musical guest, alongside topical sketches, live musical performances and a British spin on “Weekend Update.”

    Audience tickets will open through a ballot on Aug. 14.

    The six confirmed episodes are set to air on Sept. 12, Sept. 19, Sept. 26, Oct. 10, Oct. 17 and Oct. 24.

    All 11 cast members from the inaugural season are returning: Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi and Paddy Young.

    There are several changes behind the scenes for the new season. Laura Claxton steps up to co-head writer alongside Jonno Johnson, who remains head writer. Director Liz Clare is back for a second season, costume designer Heather MacVean joins the team for the first time, and Sinead Oldnall takes charge of onscreen talent for the U.K. production.

    Universal Television Alternative Studio’s U.K. arm and Broadway Video produce the series for Sky and NOW, with Lorne Michaels executive producing and James Longman leading production. Helen Kruger Bratt heads UTAS U.K. Productions as managing director, with Andy Charles Smith producing for the label, Shanna Baynard overseeing production and Hannah Peddar serving as production executive.

    Phil Edgar-Jones, Sky’s executive director of unscripted originals, commissioned the series, with Alex Moody, the broadcaster’s head of comedy commissioning, handling the second-season order for Sky Studios CEO and chief content officer Cecile Frot-Coutaz.

    Watch the triler here:

  • Alex Cooper’s Unwell Receives Investment From Patrick Whitesell’s Firm at $500 Million Valuation

    Alex Cooper’s Unwell Receives Investment From Patrick Whitesell’s Firm at $500 Million Valuation

    WTSL, the Silver Lake-backed firm led by Patrick Whitesell, has made a strategic investment in Alex Cooper’s Unwell media company. 

    The exact figure was not disclosed, but the funding values the business, which includes Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast and other media, at $500 million. The plan is to use the investment to grow the company, including through acquisition. 

    “Trust has become the ultimate distribution channel and seventy million women a month tune-into Unwell,” Cooper said. “We’re scaling on all fronts, combining nimbleness, social-first premium content, and our understanding of culture to serve this highly influential audience. With WTSL’s backing, the company is now also poised to accelerate our media platform’s growth through acquisitions and investments.”

    WTSL, which is led by Whitesell and Jason Lublin with clients including Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, will also lend expertise and industry relationships. This is the first outside investment the company has taken, a person familiar with the matter tells The Hollywood Reporter. Unwell has been profitable for the past three years since it launched, this source says.

    “Alex, Matt, and the team have demonstrated an exceptional ability to anticipate where audiences are headed and create entertainment experiences that resonate deeply,” Whitesell said. “The company’s growth, audience connection, and cultural relevance set it apart, and we believe Unwell is uniquely positioned to help define the present and future of media.”

    Cooper founded Unwell with her husband, Matt Kaplan in 2023. In addition to Cooper’s top-charting show and several other podcasts, including Madeline Argy’s Pretty Lonesome, the company includes branded merchandise and beverages, live events and a film and TV production arm that includes projects such as the documentary Call Her Alex, dating reality series Love Overboard and  Let’s Marry Harry, and the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special. All ventures are focused on a Gen Z audience. 

    Unwell has also struck a number of partnerships, including a multiyear creative and media partnership with Google, which also coincided with the launch of the company’s own advertising agency, The Unwell Creative Agency. Cooper also struck a $125 million deal with SiriusXM for Call Her Daddy and her podcast network. 

    The company has met some controversy recently, after Bloomberg and Vanity Fair both reported claims about staff turnover and uneasiness among the staff.

  • AI Music Generator Suno Strikes Licensing Deal With BMG as It Preps New Label-Backed Models

    AI Music Generator Suno Strikes Licensing Deal With BMG as It Preps New Label-Backed Models

    Suno, the AI music generator that’s managed to both rankle the music industry and lure some of its biggest talent to its side, has added music company BMG as its latest licensing partner as it prepares new models powered by licensed work.

    The partnership will see Suno pay for BMG’s repertoire of recordings from its artists, while also covering the use of any BMG songs to train Suno’s past models. BMG joins Warner Music Group in settling with the music-generation company, which has been the target of a series of lawsuits alleging unauthorized use of audio recordings to train its data.

    “We believe the future of music will be more participatory, creating entirely new ways for artists and fans to connect,” Suno CEO and co-founder Mikey Shulman said in a statement. “Building that future responsibly means working directly with the people who make music and the companies that represent them. Together with BMG, we can develop new experiences that give artists and songwriters real choice, generate new revenue, and make music a bigger part of people’s lives.”

    Celine Joshua, BMG’s executive vice president of global marketing and streaming, framed music’s future as one where artists and songwriters “share in the value” platforms such as Suno may create.

    “Choice is the guiding principle,” Joshua said. “This agreement establishes strong protections, clear economics, and new creative possibilities for artists and their fans. As we enter the era of creation, we look forward to shaping that future together with our creators and Suno.” 

    The settlement marks BMG’s most notable acceptance of AI’s role in music since the generative era began. It sued Anthropic in California federal court earlier this year for allegedly using its copyrighted works, including songs by the likes of Bruno Mars and the Rolling Stones, to train its models in what it called a scheme of “widespread and systematic infringement.” The case, similar to one brought by other music publishers in 2023, is ongoing.

    BMG also joined a collection of other music labels and companies last month, including WMG, Universal Music Group and Sony Music, in proposing a new set of guidelines for how AI-generated music could chart on music tracking lists, specifying that only tracks that were “substantially human made” qualify for the industry’s measure of success.

    The deal with BMG also gives Suno another layer of legitimacy as it prepares its new industry-backed models, which Suno said on Monday would come soon. Last week, Suno said it would begin watermarking songs downloaded from the platform to help signify the use of AI and limit song downloads for its three usage tiers to combat slop, efforts the company is taking to further legitimize its outputs among the music industry.

    Still, Suno is facing ongoing lawsuits from UMG and Sony Music for copyright infringement, and last month a German court found that the company was violating U.S. and German copyright laws.

     

  • Alex Cooper and Matt Kaplan’s Unwell Media Company Valued at $500 Million After Investment From Patrick Whitesell’s WTSL

    Alex Cooper and Matt Kaplan’s Unwell Media Company Valued at $500 Million After Investment From Patrick Whitesell’s WTSL

    Unwell, the media company co-founded by married couple Alex Cooper and Matt Kaplan, has landed its first outside investor: Patrick Whitesell, co-founder of WME and former executive chairman of successor company Endeavor.

    Whitesell’s WTSL, an investment firm focused on media, entertainment and sports he launched after exiting Endeavor and WME last year, has invested an undisclosed sum in Unwell that values the business at $500 million, according to Unwell. Cooper and Kaplan, who self-funded the company targeting Gen Z women audiences, retain a majority ownership stake. Formed in 2023, Unwell says it has been profitable from day one and sees the WTSL investment as growth capital.

    Unwell said that in addition to the funding, WTSL brings “deep strategic expertise, industry relationships and a proven track record of supporting some of the most innovative companies and storytellers in media,” including Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions.

    “Trust has become the ultimate distribution channel and 70 million women a month tune into Unwell,” Cooper, whose “Call Her Daddy” podcast remains the company’s tentpole franchise. “We’re scaling on all fronts, combining nimbleness, social-first premium content, and our understanding of culture to serve this highly influential audience. With WTSL’s backing, the company is now also poised to accelerate our media platform’s growth through acquisitions and investments.”

    Whitesell said in a statement, “Alex, Matt and the team have demonstrated an exceptional ability to anticipate where audiences are headed and create entertainment experiences that resonate deeply,” he said. “The company’s growth, audience connection and cultural relevance set it apart, and we believe Unwell is uniquely positioned to help define the present and future of media.”

    Alex Cooper and Patrick Whitesell

    Photo credit: Michela Pini/Unwell

    News of the funding from Whitesell’s WTSL comes after a pair of recent exposés alleging behind-the-scenes chaos at Unwell. According to a Vanity Fair story in June, one Unwell freelancer alleged that Kaplan “creates the most toxic work environment that I’ve ever seen”; anonymous sources also said Kaplan had questioned employees about their sex lives and commented on their physical appearance. In April, Bloomberg reported that Kaplan “has earned a reputation for frequently yelling at staff members” and said Unwell’s employees were “looking for the exit.”

    Cooper, in an interview at Cannes Lions this June with the Wall Street Journal, was asked about the allegations. “I will just kind of leave it at ‘Don’t believe everything that you read on the internet’ — but I think everyone knows that at this point,” she said. Cooper also said, “I think that we have done a really incredible job at Unwell, and I think if you walk the halls, there are so many people that are so happy to work at this company. … I think, unfortunately, being a woman in this industry is extremely difficult because you’re held to a completely different standard. Whether it’s a smear campaign being created for someone’s narrative, whatever it be.”

    Kaplan is the founder of ACE Entertainment, whose credits include “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” one of Netflix’s most-watched original films to date, and popular Gen Z series “XO, Kitty” (also for Netflix).

    “As the premier media company for women, we’re collaborating with some of the biggest brands in the world on creator-led strategies,” Kaplan said in a statement. “Brands realize buying paid ads or influence just isn’t enough in such a disparate media landscape. And, it’s difficult to find a platform like Unwell that meets Gen Z where they are on their terms. That’s something legacy media still hasn’t unlocked.”

    Unwell says its audience is 89% female, with 72% between the ages of 18 and 35. The company claims to have nearly 100 million followers across platforms and generated more than 1.7 trillion earned media impressions in 2025 alone. Its podcast network of more than a dozen shows is supported by a “significant” SiriusXM partnership and video engagement on YouTube. In 2024, Cooper inked a three-year deal with SiriusXM worth as much as $125 million over the course of the agreement.

    Beyond podcasting, Unwell has expanded into series for premium streaming services and YouTube as well as live events.

    The company produced the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special” on Disney +; partnered with Peacock on live programming from the Paris Olympics; launched reality series “Love Overboard” with Hulu, and has a slate of shows with Netflix, including “Let’s Marry Harry” and “Icebreaker,” set to shoot this fall. Unwell also has a growing portfolio of YouTube-native series announced earlier this year at the streaming giant’s Brandcast event.

    Unwell also has staged nationwide tours, spring break experiences, SXSW activations and other live events (which the company estimates have been attended by more than 150,000 fans in person). The company also has a consumer products business spanning energy drinks, hydration products and stick packs.

  • Paramount Has Spent 100 Years in Hollywood. David Ellison Loved That. Until He Didn’t

    Paramount Has Spent 100 Years in Hollywood. David Ellison Loved That. Until He Didn’t

    “Paramount has deep roots in Southern California. My vision is to stay true to our roots,” wrote David Ellison in a letter to lawmakers representing the state in February.

    What a difference a few months makes. Now the mogul is locked in a protracted legal battle with the attorneys general of California and 11 other states as he attempts to consummate a $111 billion mega-merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. And he’s in a race against time before a ticking fee penalty of $7 million a day kicks in at the start of October if the deal isn’t done.

    And each week, it seems, there’s a new leak suggesting the Paramount CEO may be exploring other options to move his company’s headquarters — and taking the idea seriously.

    On Monday, it was Puck that kicked off another cycle when reporting that Ellison told staffers in a senior leadership meeting he plans to move the company headquarters out of state if the antitrust suit isn’t settled by Oct. 1, when that penalty fee begins. This leak underscores that urgent timetable and could be seen as both a negotiating tactic and a real consideration to pull up anchor for new shores.

    As The Hollywood Reporter reported in July, Tennessee has been one of the states courting Paramount. Now add Texas, Georgia or another state to the list. The insinuation is that even if the merger eventually goes through, the two historic Hollywood studios could (theoretically) be moving out of their historic homes.

    So the notion that Ellison would abandon Paramount’s historic place in Hollywood (literally: Paramount’s 65-acre lot, parts of it a century old, is the only big studio in the neighborhood, after all) to finalize his mega-merger isn’t a new one. But this narrative also represents a notable change in tune from Ellison, a California native himself and the product of two California universities, who not long ago was courting state politicians to win their approval for his mega-transaction. In the same letter where he laid out his vision for Paramount staying “true to our roots,” he pointed out that it was his regime that relocated the company’s headquarters from New York to the Paramount studio lot in L.A. Paramount also made a commitment to produce more movies for theatrical release, “all of which means more activity in Hollywood and local jobs,” he claimed.

    The letter was sent to lawmakers Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Laura Friedman in response to their concerns about what the merger would mean for jobs in the state. “Our pledge to continue to license Paramount and Warner Bros. film and shows means there will be additional opportunities available for creative talent in Los Angeles,” Ellison continued. “Our pledge to continue to be active buyers of content from third-party studios and independent producers also means more good-paying jobs in Los Angeles.”

    For the politicians who received that February letter, the threat to leave the state is prompting a bit of whiplash. “The reason Paramount has been an entertainment powerhouse for over a century is the crews, the writers, the artists, and the local businesses in my district. They are the best in the world at what they do,” said Friedman in a statement to THR. “It would be a massive mistake for Paramount to leave them behind, and it’s wrong to treat the workforce that built Paramount as a bargaining chip in a legal matter.”

    In his own statement, Schiff said his “north star” was to “protect the jobs of the hardworking Californians” in entertainment. “I hope that Paramount will stick to their commitments to build a stronger Hollywood and keep production here,” he added.

    And Ellison isn’t the only one at Paramount to have paid lip service to the virtues of working in California. Two of Paramount+’s major upcoming new shows, the Clueless sequel starring Alicia Silverstone and the original series Ascent starring Viola Davis, are filming in L.A. They’re joining other series under the Paramount corporate umbrella, like Matlock, Tracker and NCIS: Origins, that already shoot in the state. As a result, Paramount landed more than $37 million in the last round of California film and television tax credits.

    “We’re proud to continue investing in the local creative community and production talent who bring our stories to life,” said CBS Studios president David Stapf in a statement on Monday, before the latest reports of Paramount’s roving eyes emerged.

    How real is the threat to flee the state, then, or is this a laughable pressure tactic? As THR has previously reported, it’s not impossible to imagine Ellison relocating the company headquarters, but the rubber would meet the road on attempting to persuade executives to move their studio work to, say, Nashville or Austin or Atlanta. All told, about 17 percent of the Paramount’s workforce is based in L.A. alone, according to a study from CVL Economics, while 13 percent of Warner Bros. Discovery is based in the area. Good luck to those Paramount execs trying to meet an up-and-coming writer-creator for a casual coffee on Music Row or convincing anyone major other than Taylor Sheridan (who is soon to bid goodbye to the studio anyway) to briefly pop by for a meeting in Texas.

    That’s not to mention the significant ill will that would be produced by kicking a local industry while it’s down, all while Ellison’s representatives have been presenting him for some time as the savior of Hollywood and its jobs, if only his deal goes through. (“We will continue to fight against any attempt to derail a deal that plainly benefits consumers, creators, and the industry as a whole,” a Paramount spokesperson said in response to a town hall where Hollywood workers aired concerns about job loss as a result of the mega-merger.)

    The production downturn in California has been so severe that it’s created a grassroots movement to improve production conditions and become a major campaign narrative for L.A.’s mayoral candidates. “Paramount has been an iconic part of Los Angeles for more than a century, and we will work to ensure that Paramount remains rooted in Los Angeles, continues to invest in our city, and continues to support good-paying jobs for Angelenos,” Mayor Karen Bass, who is running for re-election, said in a statement to THR about the company’s latest rattle of the chains. It’s become a marketing tactic for television series and films to flaunt that they were made locally, rather than in, say, Romania or Australia.

    For now, Ellison is attempting to ward off a trial with a stick, rather than a carrot, but the message keeps shifting. Maybe we should take his word for it that he means business on leaving California. But he said the opposite not too long ago.

    Aug. 11, 8:48 p.m. Added a statement from L.A. Mayor Karen Bass.