Jay Leno, the legendary comedy writer, standup comedian and late night TV host, will be honored at the upcoming Burbank International Film Festival with BIFF’s Vanguard Award, the fest’s organizers announced on Monday.
The celebration will take place during the fest’s awards gala at the Marriott Burbank on Saturday, Aug. 8. It will kick off with the mayor of the city of Burbank, Tamala Takahashi, issuing a special proclamation recognizing Leno’s impact on the city — which is home to NBC Studios, where Leno recorded The Tonight Show for over 20 years, and to Leno’s beloved car garage — and declaring that date ‘Jay Leno Day.’
Leno will then participate in an hourlong career-retrospective conversation — moderated by yours truly, and recorded for subsequent airing as an episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast — after which he will be presented with his award.
Previous recipients of BIFF’s Vanguard Award include Quentin Tarantino, Tim Burton and Paul Feig, all of whom also have ties to Burbank.
“Jay Leno represents the very best of the entertainment industry,” BIFF president Anna Maybury said in a statement. “His contributions to television have shaped generations of comedy and late-night entertainment, while his dedication to philanthropy demonstrates the character and generosity that inspire us all.”
Added BIFF advisory board member Tony Muscio, “We’re proud to honor Jay Leno, who has spent a lifetime making people laugh. His double-denim style, automotive prowess, and dedication to his craft set him apart. He’s even performing at Flappers Comedy Club right after being honored!”
The city of Burbank, nicknamed the “Media Capital of the World,” is home to over 1,000 media companies, including Hollywood giants Warner Bros. Pictures, Walt Disney Company and NBC Studios.
For more information about the 2026 edition of BIFF, click here. And to purchase tickets to the awards gala, which will be emceed by actress Kambra Potter, click here.
ABC has announced its fall premiere dates — along with a small schedule change.
Season five of Celebrity Jeopardy!, which the network announced as part of its fall schedule, is being pushed back to a 2027 premiere. A continuation of the current season of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will go in its place on Wednesday nights beginning Oct. 7.
ABC will start its fall rollout in mid-September with the first Monday Night Football game of the season (simulcast with ESPN) on Sept. 14. Dancing With the Stars, coming off a ratings resurgence last fall, debuts the next night along with the second season of private eye drama R.J. Decker.
The rest of the network’s slate will follow over several weeks. America’s Funniest Home Videos and The Wonderful World of Disney will premiere Sept. 27. Scrubs and Shark Tank will each have two-episode debuts on Sept. 30, with Abbott Elementary and Millionaire joining them the following week. The Thursday trio of 911, 911: Nashville and Grey’s Anatomy will be the last out of the gate on Oct. 15.
ABC is also saving several big shows, including High Potential, The Rookie and Will Trent, for midseason, along with two new series: The Rookie: North and a Grey’s Anatomy spinoff set in Texas.
ABC’s fall premiere dates are below. All times are ET/PT unless noted.
Saturday, Aug. 29 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT: Saturday Night College Football
Monday, Sept. 14 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT: Monday Night Football (also on ESPN)
Tuesday, Sept. 15 8 p.m.: Dancing With the Stars 10 p.m.: R.J. Decker
Friday, Sept. 25 9 p.m.: 20/20
Sunday, Sept. 27 7 p.m.: America’s Funniest Home Videos 8 p.m.: The Wonderful World of Disney
Wednesday, Sept. 30 8 p.m.: Scrubs 9 p.m.: Shark Tank
Friday, Oct. 2 8 p.m.: Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
Wednesday, Oct. 7 8:30 p.m.: Abbott Elementary 9 p.m.: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire 10 p.m.: Shark Tank (regular time)
The stoner icons played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith will star in a new video game called Jay and Silent Bob’s Joint Venture. Both men have been involved in its development.
While Farmville, Stardew Valley and other cozy farming games have been family friendly, this one is described as a raunchy take on the genre, with the trailer teasing that marijuana (naturally) will be a key part of the duo’s crops.
Nitrate Games is behind the project, which Smith announced Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con. It’s targeting a 2027 release date for PC and Steam, with players getting to interact with characters from Smith’s movies.
“Since Jay and Silent Bob are the stars of this hilarious growing game, I cannot wait to play with myself,” Smith said in a statement. “Many thanks to Nitrate Games for taking my little animals to this crossing and making them Stars Dew a Valley!”
Nitrate, the upstart indie gaming company, just launched, and was founded by Daniel Kendrick, Montana Sommese and Nick Madonna. Among other IPs they are looking to adapt include the cult classic 1978 film Attack of Killer Tomatoes.
Kendrick is known for running IDW Entertainment, working across games and screen on Locke & Key, Wynonna Earp,30 Days of Night, Godzilla and Sonic the Hedgehog. He also co-executive produced Batman Azteca for Warner Bros. Animation, released last year.
Co-founder Sommese has 15 years of experience bringing the worlds of gaming and Hollywood together, working with companies such as Warner Bros. and Fox adapt IP.
And Nitrate head of development Madonna has worked on games for Saber Interactive, Square Enix, & Vivendi Universal. He is also the head of PHL Collective, which works on games for IP such as Star Wars, Justice League and SpongeBob SquarePants.
“Our core mission is to make games that we wish existed when we were kids,” said Kendrick in a statement. “We’re an independent game publisher with an eye toward creating unexpected takes on unique, beloved properties.”
As for the new game, Chase Marotz is the creative director on Jay & Silent Bob’s Joint Venture, while Ernie Altbacker is writing.
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission.
Shaquille O’Neal executive produces ID’s newest true crime offering, a limited series that resurfaces six of the most shocking murders in sports history. Premiering on July 27, and airing over six consecutive Mondays at 10 p.m. PT/ET, Game Day Murders can also be livestreamed on any TV streaming service that carries Investigation Discovery (ID), namely DirecTV (with a five-day free trial), Philo (with a seven-day free trial), Sling and Hulu + Live TV.
Episodes from the Shaq-produced six-parter will also become available on HBO Max, however the streamer does not offer a free trial period.
Game Day Murders airs weekly on ID at 10 p.m. PT/ET, beginning with the premiere on Monday, July 27, 2026.
Where to Stream Game Day Murders Online
Since Game Day Murders airs on Investigation Discovery (ID), it will also be available to watch live on any streaming service that carries the network, including DirecTV (with a five-day free trial), Philo (with a seven-day free trial), Sling and Hulu + Live TV. Episodes will also become available on HBO Max, however the streamer does not offer a free trial period through its site.
More on each live TV streaming option — and their new subscriber discounts — below.
DirecTV
Five-day free trial; packages from $19.99 per month
ID is included in any of DirecTV’s signature packages: Entertainment, Choice, Ultimate or Premier. Plus, DirecTV offers a five-day free trial for its streaming service, meaning new subscribers can tune in at no cost for a limited time.
Learn more about each plan option, including how to build your own channel lineup (starting at just $19.99 per month), at directv.com.
Philo
Philo
Seven-day free trial; packages from $25 per month
Watch ID on Philo, one of the most affordable cable alternatives. Following the Essential plan’s seven-day free trial period, a subscription costs just $25 per month for 70-plus channels.
Sling
Plans from $4.99 per day or $19.99 per month
ID is included in both Sling’s Blue Plan, from $45.99 per month, and Sling’s Orange Plan, from $45.99 per month or $4.99 per day.
For the best bang for your buck, opt for Sling’s Orange & Blue plan, from $60.99 per month, which combines the offerings of both individual packages at a reduced price. Visit Sling.com to check station availability and package options, starting as low as $4.99 per day or $19.99 per month.
Hulu + Live TV
Three-day free trial; packages from $89.99 per month
Watch Investigation Discovery for free with a three-day trial to Hulu + Live TV. Subscriptions come bundled with Disney+ and ESPN+, and start at $89.99 per month.
Veteran actor Keith David voices the titular commander in chief on President Curtis, the Rick and Morty spinoff that premiered Sunday on Adult Swim following the season nine finale for the flagship series. Stephanie Beatriz and Jim Rash round out the cast for the new project that centers on the leader of the free world and his quirky staff as they navigate an array of unusual crises.
David originated the role of President Andre Curtis during a season two episode of Rick and Morty back in 2015 and has continued to return periodically throughout the series. President Curtis co-creator James Siciliano recalls talk of a spinoff happening as a natural extension of the Rick and Morty team working on the Thanksgiving episode for season five, with Rick seeking a presidential turkey pardon.
“We started to see a more dialed-in world for Curtis there, with spider-FDR, the French assassin hidden in the Statue of Liberty — the National Treasure element of that stuff,” Siciliano, a longtime member of the Rick and Morty staff, tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We could see more of an X Files world that could be built out and wouldn’t necessarily be redundant with the Rick and Morty universe.”
President Curtis
Courtesy of Adult Swim
Siciliano and fellow President Curtis series creator Dan Harmon recall the writing team initially suggesting qualities that have cemented previous real-life U.S. presidents as particularly memorable. Harmon notes that he personally has been fascinated by Harry S. Truman, while other writers brought up Teddy Roosevelt — and, of course, Donald Trump and Barack Obama.
“The conversations about Obama and Trump were inevitable,” Harmon admits. “Curtis has a naïveté that you could overlap with Trump, who is like, ‘I’m an outsider, and I consider this job simple, and I don’t care about the bureaucracy of it.’ On the Obama side, it’s the charmer and the guy who gets organic joy in being liked — that whole rock star aspect of Obama. But mostly just more legendary aspects of presidents from the past, all Serpentor’d into a test tube baby that then becomes our version of maybe Martin Sheen in West Wing, where it’s our fantasy president, warts and all.”
For fans hoping to catch Rick and Morty popping up on President Curtis (mild spoilers ahead), rest assured that the adventure-seeking duo are indeed part of the pilot, although they will not appear again in the first season. Luckily, there is more President Curtis to come, as the show’s team announced Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con that the spinoff had scored an early renewal for a second season.
Rick and Morty
Everett
“If we didn’t do that, people would be waiting for it,” Siciliano says of writing Rick and Morty into the President Curtis pilot. “In the first season, that’s their only appearance, but that’s not to say that we have anything against them appearing in the future. We really wanted to have this show just be able to get its own identity and breathe a little bit, so that people felt like it was its own show.”
Harmon concurs: “If the show has a life of its own, then we can go Dick Wolf nuts with the crossovers and have Detective Munch all over SVU. But we look forward to earning that.”
The President Curtis launch arrives just weeks after Rick and Morty landed its third Emmy Award nomination for best animated series, having won in 2018 and 2020. This year marks the show’s first such nomination after a turbulent stretch in recent years that saw Justin Roiland (who co-created the series with Harmon) exit following felony domestic abuse charges that have since been dismissed. The titular voice roles were recast in light of Roiland’s firing, with Ian Cardoni replacing him as inventor Rick Sanchez, while Harry Belden took over as teen grandson Morty.
“It is an incredibly important nomination for us because the show has gone through transitions of such peril,” Harmon candidly shares. “To me, it feels like we are an athlete back on a field after a major injury, and so it is an honor to be nominated. It is all I need. I’m happy to go and watch Smiling Friends win or whatever the case, but I’m so grateful for that nomination.”
President Curtis
Courtesy of Adult Swim
President Curtis is not the only potential opportunity for expansion for the Rick and Morty world. THR recently reported that supervising director Jacob Hair was in talks to helm an animated feature version of the series for Warner Bros.
Although the possible film does not yet have a script, Harmon notes that it does have “a technically approved idea that we’re dreaming away on.” He was late to checking out Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films but reveals that they now might serve as inspiration: “I just watched the Dune movies because of messing around with the Rick and Morty movie script. I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m so late to Dune.’ It’s so rad.”
As for his hopes with the Rick and Morty film, Harmon adds, “It would be my goal, however self-destructive, to make it the greatest movie ever to exist. That might make it hard to write. It would probably be a sci-fi epic, transcending time and space, but not in a way that was unsatisfying. It would probably blend colors as varied in its palette as Lethal Weapon 2 and Dune 2: Toon, as well as Indiana Jones and everything. One could argue that it’s a concept that would be my undoing and the franchise’s as well, since me having permission to think about stuff is not the recipe for success that people would think. It’s more of a trailhead to hell, traditionally.”
Ready for a bit of Swiss bliss on the big screen? The 79th edition of Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival is set to be a showcase of adventurous new cinema from around the globe, including homegrown productions from Swiss filmmakers and/or producers.
Various sections of the fest, running Aug. 5-16, will serve up homemade cinematic fare. In addition, the popular “Panorama Suisse” section will put the spotlight on “Swiss films that have enjoyed success at festivals, found an audience in cinemas, or are currently released in the country.” Plus, the Locarno Kids Screenings program also includes two titles with Swiss participation.
For those looking for some Swiss cinematic bliss and trying to avoid having Swiss cheese-sized holes in their Locarno schedules, THR is below highlighting a selection of Swiss treats screening at Locarno79.
The Chilean Director: Sergio Castro-San Martín Piazza Grande International sales: Fandango
A political thriller telling the story of a fugitive is ready to explode onto Locarno’s screens. The big-screen epic The Chilean is a co-production between Italy, Chile and Switzerland that starts off in 1976 Chile.
Amid mining protests, Aldo, skilled in explosives, is forced into exile, leaving his wife and newborn child behind. He moves to Italy, where he must survive on menial jobs in Torino and where people simply call him Il Cileno, The Chilean. But everything changes when he meets Luciana, a doctor involved with anarchist groups. She offers him the chance to reunite with his family. But in exchange, he must return to his old trade – making bombs for revolutionary groups.
“Reconstructing an era means not only designing its atmosphere, but understanding the personalities that embody it,” the director says about The Chilean. “The exiled Aldo Marín leads us to one of the most pressing issues: immigration, omnipresent in the film.”
Happiness Is So Close! Director: François-Christophe Marzal Out of Competition International sales: Point Productions
Jean-Luc, an actor in his 80s, is set to play Don Quixote in a prestigious theater. It is the big role that he has been waiting for to bid farewell to the stage. But his health problems make rehearsals difficult, so the production team hires an understudy in case he is unable to perform. The result is paranoia. Says a synopsis: “Jean-Luc gradually sinks into an obsessive delusion, convinced that his understudy will take his place until he disappears completely.”
Jean-Luc Bideau, Gilles Privat and Aurore Clément star in the Swiss production, written by the director and Nicolas Frey, who also served as the editor.
Ahead of the Aug. 9 world premiere of Happiness Is So Close!, Bideau will receive a special honorary Leopard at Locarno.
Small Talk Director: Matteo Yberra Filmmakers of the Presence Competition International sales: Urban Sales
‘Small Talk,’ courtesy of Locarno Film Festival
How’s this tease for the hybrid feature that serves up a peek behind the curtain of an elite institution? “Hoping to launch a career in the luxury world, Charlie enrolls at Institut Villa Pierrefeu – the last finishing school still operating in Switzerland. Here, women from all over the world are prepared to move within the circles of the international elite.” Over the course of a summer, their daily life is all about lessons in elegance, protocol and the art of conversation.
Written by the director, the actress, along with Louis Rebetez, Hélène Bares, Milan Alfonsi,, the film features actress Hélène Bares.
Says the director: “By working with an actress within a real educational setting, the film explores the porous boundary between performance and social behavior, questioning how identity is shaped by learned codes and expectations.”
O Jacaré Director: Basil Da Cunha International competition International sales: Thera Production
‘O Jacaré,’ courtesy of Locarno Film Festival
Director Basil Da Cunha has dual Swiss and Portuguese citizenship, which explains this co-production and its elements that don’t sound quintessential Swiss: such as alligators and its setting, namely Reboleira, a suburb of Lisbon.
The haul from a robbery has mysteriously disappeared. Within the area sealed off by the police, rumors spread and speculation runs wild. Among the residents, a whole cast of colorful characters dream of getting their hands on the loot. But who will be first to find it?
For the filmmaker, who also wrote the script for the movie, the production marks a farewell of sorts. “For the past 15 years, I have been filming the Reboleira neighborhood, which is due to be demolished,” he explains. “O Jacaré is like a final dance before its disappearance: a vibrant, light-hearted film, infused with comedy and a sense of freedom.”
The AngelMaker Director: Marina Klauser Out of competition International sales: tellfilm
‘The Angel Maker,’ courtesy of Locarno Film Festival
This four-part documentary series from Switzerland, written and directed by Klauser, is not for the faint of heart, but it will appeal to fans of true-crime and cult stories and audiences beyond that.
After all, the series tells the story of “the Swiss religious community of Methernitha, which still exists today, its founder Paul Baumann — the inventor of a mysterious energy machine — and the young women who brought him down on charges of child abuse,” as a synopsis reads.
Klauser has previously written and directed short films and served as head writer of the writers’ room for the dramedy series How to Be Sad – The Right Way.
Frank & Louis Director: Petra Volpe Piazza Grande International sales: TrustNordisk
Kingsley Ben-Adir (left) and Rob Morgan in ‘Frank and Louis.’
Rob Baker Ashton/Courtesy Sundance
Last but not least, Locarno will showcase a well-established Swiss cinematic voice’s latest movie, but not in a world premiere, which happened at Sundance. But the film will still get a big square screening at the festival.
Swiss-Italian writer-director Petra Volpe followed up her box office and critical successLate Shift with Frank & Louis, her English-language debut, putting a spotlight on another often-overlooked care issue: the care needs of the aging incarcerated. Set within the walls of a U.S. prison, it Frank, portrayed by Kingsley Ben-Adir, who is serving a life sentence and takes on a caretaking role for aging inmates suffering from memory loss. Rob Morgan stars as one of those inmates, Louis.
“The theme of care and caretaking, what that means and how we all need it, is such an important societal issue,” Volpe told THR about her motivation for the film in a previous interview. “We take for granted that there are people who take care of us. It’s also a taboo, because nobody wants to think about being old and sick and needy. And especially in the context of prison, we never really think about it deeply.”
The U.K. culture secretary Lisa Nandy — who has remained in her post amid a cabinet reshuffle with new Prime Minister Andy Burnham taking office — has previously said she was “minded to intervene” in the $111 billion mega-deal that, if successful, will undoubtedly change not just Hollywood, but the global film and TV industry.
Among a host of issues, the actors cite concerns over the livelihoods of British film and TV crews, independent film financing, and losing public service broadcaster Channel 5 to Hollywood ownership.
“As actors and public figures who have spent our careers in the arts in Britain — working with British crews, on British stages and sets — we have a responsibility to the public who support, enjoy and consume the art we make,” wrote the famed Marvel actors (Cumberbatch and Wong), as well as Cummng (The Traitors), on Monday in a piece titled “A TV and cinema calamity could be disastrous for what you watch and what you know. Act now to stop that.”
“The U.K. is being threatened by a media merger that would harm our workers, our culture and the public — but we can stop it.” They mention that they are encouraged by Nandy’s statements that she wants to investigate the threat to public interest, and acknowledge that she is not acting alone. This month, 12 U.S. states, led by California, sued in federal court to block the merger, warning that it would “raise prices, shrink the number of films made and degrade the quality of what audiences see,” said the men. And over the weekend, news broke that Larry Ellison’s Paramount agreed not to close the takeover until the court decides whether the deal violates antitrust laws.
“Their lawsuit confirms the danger; it cannot, however, do the U.K.’s work for it,” continue Cumberbatch, Cumming and Wong, who add that the EU has conditionally backed the merger and makes its own decisions. “The fight against this merger now runs on two fronts, and Nandy commands one of them. Should her department decide to intervene, it may prove one of the most important decisions any culture secretary has taken for U.K. film, television and media in a generation,” they explain.
“This is why. We have spent our lives working in this industry. We know what it looks like from the inside: the sound stages at Leavesden [studio], the crews who move from production to production, the editors and camera operators and costume designers whose names scroll past in the credits at the end of a film. These are our cherished friends and colleagues, who create the shows we all love, who produce the news that educates the public and film the sport events we enjoy together,” write the actors.
The men say that U.K. film and TV are not just “images on your screens; they are lives and livelihoods of thousands of workers and families, whose work supports local economies.” They cite buoying figures, such as the 180,000 jobs supported through the industry and the £6.8 billion production spend reported last year. “It is one of the things the U.K. still does better than almost anyone, and a cultural heritage we must protect,” they say.
They add that they have watched “with growing alarm” what consolidation does to the “breadth and depth of the work we produce,” before recognizing that independent film acquisitions at the leading independent film festival, Sundance, fell by half between 2019 and 2025. “Award-winning documentaries – films that won Oscars and topped festival juries – have struggled to find commercial distribution because they touched subjects the remaining handful of buyers found inconvenient. Every merger of this kind narrows the funnel through which stories can reach audiences.”
To service Warner Bros.’ estimated $84 billion in debt, executives have promised investors around $6bn in “synergies,” Cumberbatch, Cumming and Wong mention. “In plain English, that means redundancies, cancelled productions, fewer films commissioned and fewer risks taken,” they add.
“That is precisely what makes the Paramount-WBD merger so dangerous,” they write, adding that it has happened so many times before, such as Discovery’s merging with WarnerMedia in 2022, which led to the shelving of finished films and thousands of job losses, or Skydance’s merger with Paramount last year when around 2,000 people were laid off.
They admit they are extremely concerned about Paramount’s acquisition of Channel 5, one of the U.K.’s public service broadcasters, as well as CNN International. “The CNN and CBS news archives [are] among the world’s most important broadcast news collections, with more than 4.25m videos, images and media spanning nearly half a century of history. If one commercially interested owner controls access to both, they control the raw material of our historical memory… Fold those newsrooms into a single company, and one boardroom’s commercial anxieties — or political debts — determine what millions of people see and what they never learn existed.”
“And we know something about this particular proprietor’s intentions. Paramount’s chief executive reportedly told Donald Trump that he would make ‘sweeping changes’ to CNN if the deal went through,” they add.
“Actors are often told to stay out of legal arguments,” write Cumberbatch, Cumming and Wong. “We understand the instinct. But we have spent our lives on enough U.K. sets, worked alongside enough U.K. crews and watched enough brilliant work from the U.K. struggle to find a buyer to know that this is not someone else’s argument. It is ours.”
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission.
Shark Week returns with its most sweeping schedule to date, starting off Sunday, July 26 with a KPop Demon Hunters-meets-documentary special, K-Pop Shark Heroes, starring actor and comedian Ken Jeong and singer Rei Ami, two of the film’s voice actors. Kicking off at 8 p.m. PT/ET on Discovery, the 38th annual week-long event can be livestreamed on any streaming service that carries said network, namely DirecTV (with a five-day free trial), Philo (with a seven-day free trial), Sling and Hulu + Live TV.
Shark Week 2026 begins on Sunday, July 26 and runs through Saturday, Aug. 1 on Discovery Channel. Three back-to-back hour-long specials will air each night between 8 p.m. PT/ET and 11 p.m. PT/ET, except for the final night, Aug. 1, which includes two specials, concluding at 10 p.m. PT/ET that evening.
More on each live TV streaming option — and their new subscriber discounts — below.
DirecTV
Five-day free trial; packages from $19.99 per month
Discovery is included in any of DirecTV’s signature packages: Entertainment, Choice, Ultimate or Premier. Plus, DirecTV offers a five-day free trial for its streaming service, meaning new subscribers can tune in to nearly all of the 2026 Shark Week programming at no cost.
Learn more about each plan option, including how to build your own channel lineup (starting at just $19.99 per month), at directv.com.
Philo
Philo
Seven-day free trial; packages from $25 per month
Watch Discovery on Philo, one of the most affordable cable alternatives. Following the Essential plan’s seven-day free trial period, a subscription costs just $25 per month for 70-plus channels.
Sling
Plans from $4.99 per day or $19.99 per month
Discovery is included in Sling’s Blue Plan, from $45.99 per month, and Sling’s Orange & Blue plan, from $60.99 per month. That said, local channel availability depends on your TV market. Visit Sling.com to check station availability and package options, starting as low as $4.99 per day or $19.99 per month.
Hulu + Live TV
Three-day free trial; packages from $89.99 per month
Watch Discovery for free with a three-day trial to Hulu + Live TV. Subscriptions come bundled with Disney+ and ESPN+, and start at $89.99 per month.
Shark Week Schedule 2026
See below for the complete Shark Week 2026 television schedule.
Martin Scorsese took a break from the director’s chair to step in front of the camera for a change for Lavazza’s new branded miniseries Family Blend celebrating “the magic of coffee.” True to its title, Scorsese isn’t alone in the project as it’s directed by and co-starring his daughter, Francesca Scorsese. A few other famous faces help fill out the five-episode project, including Jason Biggs and Adrien Brody.
There’s a lot of blending going on, too, in the locations and content as Francesca filmed the branded series in places that have helped shape her father’s life and creative efforts, like the Little Italy neighborhood in New York and his own virtual production center in Brooklyn. Per Lavazza, the series is meant to explore “the deep bond, shared memories and passing of the torch between two artistic visions” with coffee playing a prominent role. But they also get a playful assist from familial banter.
“The Family Blend series shows how coffee acts as a universal bridge, bringing together different stories and creative visions,” said Lavazza Group chief marketing officer Carlo Colpo of the project, which aligns with the brand’s communication platform “Pleasure Makes Us Human.” “With this project, we are thrilled to portray coffee as a cultural gesture that spans generations and languages, serving as a meeting point for creativity and identity. The collaboration with Martin and Francesca Scorsese brings to life a unique dialogue that blends the depth of cinematic language with modern digital formats.”
Credit for Family Blend goes to Romilda De Luca of RDL Worldwide/Publicis Group and Lisa Frechette of Sikelia Productions. Propagate Content produced the series with Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens and Drew Buckley producing on behalf of that company. Maruri Group helped develop the creative vision with support from Joey Payne.
The first episode dropped earlier this week, with new installments rolling out once a month through November on the brand’s and talents’ global social channels. See the first one, “But First … Coffee,” below. It was filmed at Martin Scorsese NYU Virtual Production Center in Brooklyn, New York, a site launched in fall 2024 by NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
“Elizabeth Street,” which drops in August, features a nostalgic walk down the street where Martin grew up with his parents amid the “relentless chaos of New York constantly interrupting their talk.” “Back to Tisch,” releasing in September, finds the father and daughter returning to their alma mater, NYU, in the 1960s. The October release of “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” finds Francesca offering a tour inside Di Palo’s Fine Foods in Little Italy while waiting on her father. Lastly, in November comes “But Last … Coffee,” a finale set in an iconic New York cafe where Francesca (joined by Biggs) challenges her father to break his strict black coffee routine and try new blends and modern preparations.
Francesca previously directed the shorts Crimson Ties and Fish Out of Water and an episode of Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints.
Polo legend Nacho Figueras says the centuries-old horseback sport could finally be poised for a mainstream breakthrough thanks to the recent success of the World Cup.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter at The St. Regis British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup in the UK last weekend, Figueras says the resounding buzz and fan engagement around the World Cup has him believing that polo could find a similar audience.
“I think it’s been an incredible moment for sports in America,” he says, also citing the New York Knicks’ recent NBA championship win. “People are learning to love sports events, especially when it’s very well put together, and polo, I think, has all the ingredients to be the next big thing.”
While Figueras appeared in the 2024 Prince Harry-produced Netflix documentary, Polo, the Argentine sporting icon says he’s working on his own real-life project to “bring polo to the cities.” Describing it as “Formula 1 meets Sail GP meets Padal [and] mixed with the Longines equestrian series,” the polo star says he envisions events that will be “like the F1 version of polo,” complete with a film crew to capture how it all comes together.
“The idea is to do a Drive to Survive-type thing, because I think that giving people access to our kitchen and the kitchens of the athletes, really helps you feel connected to the person on the horse,” he says. Plus, he adds, “Polo has horses, good looking men and women, athleticism and beautiful spots [where the matches take place]. What else could you want?”
Assouline
ASSOULINE CLASSICS COLLECTION
Polo Heritage
Co-written by Figueras
Figueras was among the VIP guests taking in the Cowdray Gold Cup in West Sussex last weekend from the St. Regis tent. As the official “St. Regis Connoisseur,” the athlete and model got to enjoy a rare day off from the polo field, instead watching the proceedings alongside stars like Andrew Scott, Gwendoline Christie, British designer Giles Deacon and writer Jack Guinness, who all enjoyed storied St. Regis rituals like a champagne sabrage, and sips of the brand’s signature Bloody Mary (the tomato-based cocktail was said to have originated in the U.S. at the King Cole Room inside the St. Regis Hotel in New York in 1934).
Giles Deacon, Gwendoline Christie, Jack Guinness and Andrew Scott at the St. Regis British Open for The Cowdrey Gold Cup Polo Final at Cowdray Park Polo Club on July 19, 2026 in Midhurst, England.
Photo by Dave Benett
Guests at the polo event also got a preview of the St. Regis London, expected to open in the city’s Mayfair neighborhood this fall. Occupying the former Westbury Hotel location at the intersection of Bond Street and Conduit Street, the new property will feature 193 guest rooms inspired by its Savile Row and luxury fashion house and auction house surroundings. The property will also open with Le Perroquet, a French brasserie-style restaurant from acclaimed Chef Daniel Rose, best known for La Bourse et La Vie in Paris and the Michelin-starred Le Coucou in New York.
“St. Regis is an old brand with heritage, with family values, and with an actual history and connection to polo,” Figueras says, noting that the hotel chain’s founding family, the Astors, were a prominent fixture at polo matches on New York’s Governors Island. “This event and this partnership just makes sense.”
Agata Noweta Studio
The Gaston Polo Team, led by Chilean patron Jean Paul Luksic, was crowned Cowdray Gold Cup champions after a nail-biting 9-8 victory over the previously unbeaten Dubai Polo Team. While Figueras was mum on who he was cheering for — explaining that he has friends and fellow Argentine players on both teams — he says the weekend event in England was further proof that the sport is ready for a U.S. invasion. And in addition to his planned polo event series and documentary, Figueras says he has one other idea he’d like to pitch.
“I feel very bullish about doing a scripted thing,” the memorable Gossip Girl guest star says, noting that, “what Yellowstone did for Western was incredible. I would love to work with a guy like Taylor Sheridan, who is really one of the most incredible storytellers out there and who loves horses, and say, ‘Hey, I think that polo could be a perfect anchor for one of your amazing shows.”
“I also love Succession,” Figueras adds, “so I believe that this polo show could be the perfect marriage between Yellowstone and Succession.”
Has he been in touch with Sheridan?
“No, I don’t know him, so maybe this [article] will help,” the dashing polo star says with his magazine-cover smile. “Taylor when you read this, please get in touch.”
