Exclusive: 'Nosferatu’s Robert Eggers to Write and Direct New 'Labyrinth' Movie for Sony and Jim Henson Co.

Happy Thursday, folks!

In accordance with it being the season of giving, Sean Baker is giving props to Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, calling it the best film of the year, while James Cameron is out there stumping for Emilia Perez, which he has seen three times.

I decided to give myself a bit of a break earlier this week, as it seemed like all anyone wanted to talk about was Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni. In fact, it seems like that’s still all that anyone wants to talk about, and this isn’t really that kind of newsletter.

But having said that, I think the whole circus goes to show you how publicists — even people I’ve never heard of like Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan — control the narrative. And how do they do that? By controlling the media. And how are they able to do that? Because the media allows itself to be controlled by well-paid people in those high-powered positions.

When the media grows a pair of balls and takes back its own power, you’ll have the media you need and deserve, but until then, you’re stuck with me.

Now, I’ve heard a lot about this situation, and I’d rather not wade into the he-said/she-said of it all, because he still hasn’t publicly addressed the allegations, which are ugly. But I do have to wonder, “Where is the line between “the truth” and a “coordinated smear campaign?” — and I ask that of both sides here.

I haven’t heard a peep about Lively’s own publicity team, and that’s probably because the contents of their phones haven’t been spilled across the internet for everyone to read. But I’m willing to bet they engaged in a coordinated campaign of their own, no?

WME, for its part, surely dropped Baldoni because Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, pays them $10 million+ a year in commissions. Reynolds can’t stand Baldoni and, being protective of his wife, likely said it’s him or me — leaving the agency with an easy decision to make.

At the end of the day, these kinds of lawsuits — or threats of lawsuits — are all about money and control. Baldoni controls the sequel rights to It Ends With Us, which Lively desperately wants, likely because she wants to direct it herself following a behind-the-scenes battle for creative control on the first film.

I think Baldoni is willing to go away, but he wants a payday, and she doesn’t want to give him one because she’s the one who thinks she’s entitled to a payday for sexual harassment — though I bet she’d settle for those sure-to-be lucrative rights! Either way, don’t expect to see Baldoni involved with the sequel after this mess, though it’s possible he’ll work out a deal to retain a financial stake in the sequel. Stay tuned…

Speaking of easy decisions, kudos to Sony CEO Tony Vinciquerra for deciding to put a pause on all of the studio’s Spider-Man spinoffs that feature a bunch of Spidey villains, but not the web-slinger himself. I still don’t think he understands why movies like Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter didn’t work at the box office — by all accounts, they weren’t good — but he has mercifully pulled the plug on that experiment, for now.

I wonder if Vinciquerra will ever sell the Spider-Man franchise back to Marvel, no doubt reaping billions in the process. I know Spidey is the studio’s biggest franchise, but it might be worth it in the long run, especially with reports of creative discord surrounding Spider-Man 4. I’d always said that Beyond the Spider-Verse wouldn’t hit theaters until 2027 because Sony wouldn’t want to release that film and Spidey 4 in the same calendar year, but I’m starting to wonder if the Spider-Verse finale will arrive in 2026, and Spidey 4 will crawl to 2027. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…

In tonight’s newsletter, you’ll read even more about Sony, but instead of fallout from the production of It Ends With Us and behind-the-scenes drama on Spider-Man 4, it’s actually good news for a change — Robert Eggers has come aboard the studio’s new Labyrinth movie.

There are also items about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, a new Treasure Island remake at Disney, the latest Dexter spinoff, and new films from Clint Eastwood as well as many more top directors Plus, there are reviews of Los Frikis, The Wild Robot, and Universal Language, and I weigh in on Netflix’s well-timed teaser for Happy Gilmore 2.

Oh, and if you haven’t seen Wicked yet, it’ll be available on VOD starting Dec. 31, and the digital release comes with 10 deleted and extended scenes. But will it include a teaser for the sequel? That’s what fans really want, after all…

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