First-time Oscars producer Will Packer defends the decision to cut screen-time for certain categories; Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon watch their Spider-Man: Homecoming audition tapes; Daniel Radcliffe will not be returning to the Potterverse — at least for now. All in today’s Movie News Rundown.
Out Today: The new movie The Outfit, starring Zoey Deutch and Mark Rylance, is a gangster film set entirely in one location. Writer-director Graham Moore tells our own Caleb Hammond that the idea to set the entire movie in a tailor shop started out as “a lark” — but ended up serving the story.
Oscars Producer’s Defense: Will Packer, the first-time Oscars producer who has caught flack for cutting screen time for some of the less-star-studded awards, says he was prepared for blowback. “When I stepped into the ring, I knew I was going to get hit,” he told the Los Angeles Times. The edits are part of an effort to bring up ratings, which hit an all-time low last year. He also says the Academy gave him its blessing to go big: “So they were saying, ‘Think big. Take swings.’ I said, ‘That’s the only way I know how to think. I don’t take swings — I take wild swings.’ And they said, ‘Well, bring it on.'”
Steven Spielberg: Is among those who are super disappointed that the Oscars for film editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, production design, sound, documentary short subject, animated short and live-action short are going to be handed out in the hour before the live broadcast and then somehow feathered into the program.
Nine Days: Is how long we have until the March 27 ceremony. I will be wearing my favorite awards-season T-shirt, which says “Nominated For Nothing, Winner of No Awards,” in the hopes that someone will finally laugh. Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, and Regina Hall are hosting.
Derry Girls Fans, Rejoice: But also, it’s okay to feel a little bittersweet. The popular series, which stars Bridgerton‘s Nicola Mary Coughlan and follows a group of teen girls navigating tumultuous 1990s Northern Ireland, is coming back for its third and final season later this year. Though it gained popularity on Netflix, Season 3 is on the UK’s Channel 4. Here’s the trailer:
Jared Leto Defends Lady Gaga: In his new Variety cover story for his role as Dr. Michael Morbius in Daniel Espinosa’s Marvel movie Morbius, Jared Leto says it was “a shock and a surprise” his House of Gucci co-star Lady Gaga was also snubbed by the Oscars. This is simply not acceptable to Leto and he would like everyone to know that Lady Gaga deserves to attend every Oscars ceremony forever, in perpetuity, because of all she brings.
Daniel Radcliffe Says No: He’s not returning to the Potterverse for a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie. “It’s not something I’m really interested in doing right now,” he told The New York Times during an interview for his new movie The Lost City, in which he stars opposite Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum.
And This Is Why: “This isn’t the answer that anybody’s going to want, but I think I was so able to go back and enjoy it because it’s not a part of my day-to-day life anymore,” he told The Times of the beloved Harry Potter reunion special that recently streamed on HBO Max. (It’s worth watching, and yes, I cried). “I’m getting to a point where I feel like I made it out of Potter OK and I’m really happy with where I am now, and to go back would be such a massive change to my life. I’m never going to say never, but the Star Wars guys had like 30, 40 years before they went back. For me, it’s only been 10.”
Spider-Man Auditions: Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon all sat down and watched back each other’s auditions for Spider-Man: Homecoming, and it’s extremely adorable. Just look at Tom Holland do a backflip! Listen to Zendaya’s giggles! Some things in this world are still good.
Main Image: Tom Holland as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming — courtesy of Columbia Pictures
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