Exclusive: Stein & Lipovsky to Direct 'Desperation' for Searchlight as Stephen King & Sam Raimi Unite for First Time Ever

Happy Thursday, folks!

I just want to say hello to the newbies and thank everyone for all the kind messages I received following last night’s story and vulnerable social media posting. They meant the world…

Moving on, as we must, I’m not sure what’s crazier — Marvel canceling Wonder Man after just one wonderful season (more on that soon), or Netflix having an entire Nicolas Cage movie stolen from one of its offices, as if it were a pen or something.

Meanwhile, the HFPA is suing Jay Penske, who is a completely legitimate businessman, while Penske argues that the HFPA is full of racist jerks, so who cares what they have to say? Will Hollywood ever work up the nerve to say goodbye to the Golden Globes, or will it continue to support this sadly growing joke of an awards show? I think I already know the answer to that one, sadly…

Elsewhere, Paramount+ picked up the Clueless series that Peacock passed on (yeesh!), Heat 3 is already in the works according to a cool report from TheWrap, and WB appears to be digging itself a hole with each giant shovel it commissions on behalf of Digger, whose trailer has yet to crack the 5 million view mark on YouTube. But hey, at least Tom Cruise has Straw Hat Goofy in his corner. He’s the new Pauline Kael, according to Page Six Hollywood.

Excuse me while I leap off a balcony…

There’s totally a place for influencers in this business, but I don’t think it helps to have mainstream media lionizing these folks for clicks. As a P6H (please no) source correctly points out, the trades amplifying the early reactions of influencers is only leading to their own demise.

The editors are trading short-term traffic for long-term influence, but I suppose no one knows if they’re going to be around for the long term anymore, so they make short-term decisions. That’s the real problem with this town — the lack of security and how it backfires on both employers and their audiences/customers.

I respect my audience, and even though I’ve technically been keeping this next story from you guys for many, many months, I think it’s ultimately a stronger story for it. Contrary to public belief, I am willing to hold stories — if there’s a good reason.

And a better story for you guys is as good a reason as any, right?

At long last, the story of Desperation can be told… and I’m not talking about Deadline’s Mike Fleming ripping off last night’s scoop and slapping an exclusive tag on it, though I completely understand if you thought that’s what I was talking about when I mentioned Desperation. I got a good laugh out of that one, and a good scare, too. I saw Fleming’s byline and thought I’d seen a ghost!

Hopefully, this next scoop will scare you even more. Premium subscribers can continue reading…

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