Amazon’s Altman Sacrifice & YouTube-NFL Rumors

Trump in Versailles, Victoria’s Secret Renaissance, Matt’s Hollywood Mailbag

Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon guide to Puck’s best new reporting. Here’s what you need to know… and stick around for more on Matt’s Amazon-Altman scoop.

What I’m Hearing: Amazon is shelving Artificial—its nearly finished Luca Guadagnino film starring Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman—and shopping it to other distributors. Matt breaks the news and digs into the many questions it raises. [Read More]
What I’m Hearing: Meanwhile, Matt’s latest Hollywood mailbag issue was overflowing with burning reader questions: Is UTA out of the running for Wasserman? Has Netflix lost its invincibility aura? What’s the real price of a Walk of Fame star? And much more… [Read More]
The Best & The Brightest: Hawkish Republicans are furious over Trump’s hastily signed Iran deal, which falls far short of his original demand for “unconditional surrender.” Julia Ioffe reports on the bipartisan anger—and how J.D. Vance got stuck holding the bag. [Read More]
The Varsity: YouTube has lost several bids for sports rights packages, and insiders are wondering how much C.E.O. Neal Mohan actually wants live sports. John Ourand assesses the misfires and YouTube’s unique advantages in the sports space. [Inner Circle Exclusive]

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

For your awards consideration, HBO Max presents ROOSTER. Starring Steve Carell, this new comedy series focuses on the complicated relationship between a successful author and his daughter. Don't miss the series IGN called “HILARIOUS & BRILLIANT”. ROOSTER is now streaming on HBO MAX.

Line Sheet: Victoria’s Secret has roared back to life under C.E.O. Hillary Super, with sales surging and the stock nearing all-time highs. Malique Morris illuminates Super’s strategy and some of the key figures behind the scenes. [Inner Circle Exclusive]
The Hidden Layer: Hollywood’s relationship with A.I. has mostly been anxiety-based, but some filmmakers are finding that precise applications can supercharge their creative process. Ian Krietzberg and Google DeepMind’s Márcia Mayer discuss the lab’s A.I.-assisted short that’s become the talk of Tribeca. [Read More]

Meanwhile, on the pods…

The Powers That Be: Malique joins Peter Hamby to break down Target’s big bet on Isaac Mizrahi, and whether the creative director can revive the “Tarjay” magic of yore. [Listen Here or Watch Here]

And now, a little more on Amazon’s Altman about-face…

HOLLYWOOD

Amazon Is Dumping Its Sam Altman Movie

Amazon, which made headlines earlier this year by spending $75 million to make and market a fawning Melania Trump documentary, is now doing the opposite: dumping a nearly finished film that paints a powerful tech figure and Trump ally in a negative light. Last night, Amazon confirmed to Matt that Artificial, its high-profile movie about OpenAI C.E.O. Sam Altman, will not be released as planned and is being shopped to other distributors. The decision was made by Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, who informed filmmaker Luca Guadagnino and the rest of the producing team.

Obviously, the move raises many questions—including whether Amazon was afraid to poke a bear like Altman. Earlier this year, Amazon and OpenAI announced a massive strategic partnership, including a $50 billion investment in OpenAI by Amazon. Altman has also cultivated a relationship with Trump and the current administration at a time when Amazon and its founder, Jeff Bezos, have also curried favor with the White House. In any case, CAA is now trying to find a new home for Artificial, and held a couple secret screenings over the past few days for potential distributors. The reception was said to be warm, so hopefully the movie finds a home.

Click here to read Matt’s full story.

HOLLYWOOD

Matthew Belloni

Netflix’s Invincible Era Ends & More Burning Questions in Hollywood

Did Quinta Brunson balk at the prospect of the Ellisons? Where are we on a Wasserman deal? Is Tom Hardy really trying to get back into MobLand? And more of readers’ hottest queries answered.

WASHINGTON

Julia Ioffe

Trump’s Surrender at Versailles

Hawkish Republicans are apoplectic over the president’s hastily signed deal with Iran—an agreement that falls far short of his original demand for “unconditional surrender.” Meanwhile, Trump’s capitulation leaves J.D. Vance holding the bag.

SPORTS

John Ourand

YouTube’s Skinny Sports Rights Diet

For a while, it seemed as though YouTube was coming to eat everyone’s lunch in the sports media business. But after its recent miss on a suite of NFL games, many media insiders are wondering how much the Google guys really want to be in on the actual game action—and if they need the league at all.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

For your awards consideration, HBO Max presents: HACKS - the Emmy® Award-winning HBO Original series starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder. In the aftermath of mistaken news reports that Deborah passed away, she and Ava return to Las Vegas, determined to secure Deborah’s legacy as a comedian. Don't miss the series Variety is calling “ONE OF TV’S BEST COMEDIES EVER”. HACKS is now streaming on HBO MAX.

FASHION

Malique Morris

What’s Victoria’s Secret’s Secret?

All but left for dead in the final years of Les Wexner’s reign, the intimates behemoth has regained its footing, reengaged customers, and is posting enviable turnaround numbers. How is C.E.O. Hillary Super doing it? And can she keep this up?

A.I.

Ian Krietzberg

The Ex-Pixar Producer Who’s All In on A.I.

A captivating conversation with Márcia Mayer, a former Pixar producer who now works at Google DeepMind, about the lab’s new A.I.-assisted short film that’s become the talk of Tribeca.

FASHION

Peter Hamby

Malique Morris

The Powers that Be Daily, Starring Peter Hamby

Tarjay or Not Tarjay

Malique Morris joins Peter to discuss Target’s big bet on bringing Isaac Mizrahi back as creative director at large, in hopes that his playful, kitschy sensibility can revive the “Tarjay” magic as Amazon, Walmart, and Quince push in. Then they get into Net-a-Porter’s shrink-to-grow overhaul under Mytheresa’s new ownership.

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