Your 2019 Theatre World Award winners are…
Theater awards season is in a dead heat and, in addition to this week’s Tony nominations, the Theatre World Awards also announced its 2019 crop of recipients. The honors, recognizing outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway debuts, will this year recognize Phoebe Waller-Bridge for “Fleabag,” Jeremy Pope for “Choir Boy,” Gbenga Akinnagbe for “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Paddy Considine for “The Ferryman,” and more. The 75th annual ceremony will be held June 3. (Playbill)
READ: Here Are Your 2019 Tony Nominees
Highest expectations weren’t high enough for ‘Avengers: Endgame.’
“Avengers: Endgame” this week became the eighth highest-grossing global film of all time—and that’s after less than a week in theaters. Worldwide, the film has taken in nearly $1.5 billion, surpassing films like “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt.2.” Expect to see these statistics continually rise in the coming weeks. (Deadline)
Walt Disney Studios announces new co-chairmen.
Current President of Walt Disney Studios, Alan Bergman, has been named co-chairman of WDS, alongside Alan Horn, who will also serve as Chief Content Officer. Bergman was a key player in the merges of Pixar, Marvel, and 20th Century Fox. Know within the industry as “The Alans,” the co-chairmen will oversee all products coming out of Walt Disney Studios, from film to global communications. (Variety)
SAG-AFTRA approves a three year commercial contract.
The SAG-AFTRA board has unanimously approved a three year contract deal with the Joint Policy Committee. As part of the ongoing “Ads Go Union” campaign, the television and audio commercials contract is designed to allow for adaptation to an industry quickly changing with new media. Union members have until May 8 to vote to pass the new contract, which, if approved, would be enacted through March 31, 2022. (Backstage)
Obamas announce their Netflix production slate.
Higher Ground, the production company owned by little-known couple Barack and Michelle Obama, has released its projects slated for Netflix this year, featuring a variety of fiction, documentaries, and more. The former president and first lady founded the production unit last year, with the goal of sponsoring projects “celebrating the human spirit through struggles and triumph; facing adversity through resilience, determination, and hope; lifting up new voices and stories to bring about change; and transcending divides to bring us together.” (Deadline)
“Veronica Mars” is back in action in a new Hulu reboot.
Hulu has released the trailer for their reboot of “Veronica Mars,” the continuation of the much-beloved early aughts series. Plot details are scarce, however, the series will center around deaths over spring break in sunny Neptune, California. Kristen Bell will be returning to her star-making title role for this fourth season, which will premiere on July 26. (Vulture)
Hulu has renewed three of its brand new comedies—and one hefty drama.
After rapturously acclaimed first seasons, Hulu has renewed “Pen15,” “Ramy,” and “Shrill” for second seasons. “Pen15” will return with a 14-episode offering while “Ramy” will follow with 10. Additionally, the show’s anchor hit “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the drama that notched the streaming service its first best series Emmy, has also been renewed for a fourth season (the third premieres in June). (Variety)
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