Hulu reportedly plunks down huge check for Ben Stiller family comedy ‘Nutcrackers’
Stiller and Green (standing) with ‘Nutcrackers’ cast — Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for IMDb
Hulu has reportedly shelled out major cash to bring the Ben Stiller family comedy Nutcrackers to the streaming service.
According to Deadline, the movie, which just debuted at the Toronto Film Festival, was worth eight figures for Hulu to stream exclusively.
The Righteous Gemstones veteran David Gordon Green directed the comedy, which also stars Dead to Me‘s Linda Cardellini and the Fatal Attraction remake’s Toby Huss.
The film has Stiller’s “city slicker” character having to relocate to rural Ohio to tend to his late sister’s four kids. According to the festival’s website, it is a “fish-out-of-water comedy that speaks to the hidden talents in each of us just waiting for a chance to shine.”
Nutcrackers will debut on Hulu around Christmas, according to the trade.
In a summer of twisters, animated emotions and, of course, superheroes, the modestly budgeted film Blink Twice has performed well and gotten strong reviews.
Many have praised first-time director and writer Zoë Kravitz’s handling of the intriguing thriller about a couple of women who think they’re on a dream vacation on a billionaire’s private island, but soon find it’s too good to be true.
Kravitz’s real-life boyfriend, Channing Tatum, plays Slater, the cad in question.
One of those praising Zoë is Adria Arjona (AH-dree-ah are-HO-nah), who tells ABC Audio, “This is a hard movie, I think, for any director to direct, let alone the first-time director.”
She says Zoë “just was a pro at nailing the tone and finding the satire and the comedy and the darkness and the excitement and the element of fun that this island … embodies.”
Adria plays Sarah, one of the beauties on the island competing for Slater’s attention. “I mean, a woman competing with another woman — that’s, like, so gross,” Adria says.
“Like, there’s nothing uglier than a woman competing with another woman. I read it and I was like, ‘Oof.’ But again, that was the part that kind of challenged me.”
Arjona recently starred in the Netflix action-comedy Hit Man opposite Glen Powell; she’s part of the cast of the acclaimed Disney+ Star Wars series Andor; and she has four other films in the works. “It’s really exciting that I get to reach so many people, and people are excited to watch me,” she says.
That said, she adds, “I’m having really interesting conversations with strangers. Sometimes that can get scary. I’m not gonna lie. … Yeah, it’s really exciting.”
Dancing with the Stars announced the star-studded cast of season 33 of the reality competition series on Wednesday. Among the contestants are Olympian and pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik, Bachelor Nation leads Joey Graziadei and Jenn Tran, and notorious “fake heiress” Anna Delvey. But if host Julianne Hough could pick a dream contestant, who would it be?
“Chris Hemsworth actually won the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars. And I’m just saying, you know, you got to do the American one if you’re going to really claim being the Dancing with the Stars champ,” Hough told ABC Audio at the Disney Upfront event in May.
“I would come back and dance for that,” Hough said. “Could I dance and host at the same time?”
As for what fans can expect this season, Hough says get ready for “nostalgia and the familiarity of why Dancing with the Stars is so special,” along with some surprises.
“We already have such a tight family that anybody who comes in, hopefully they feel supported and excited,” Hough said.
The host and two-time winner also described why she thinks the show is so beloved and has lasted for 33 seasons.
“It’s multigenerational,” Hough said. “You can watch it with your kids and your grandparents and your parents and bring the friends over. It’s something that brings joy and harmony and something that, like, yes, we’re competitive by nature and this is what this show’s about, but we’re also rooting for each other. And I think just in the climate of life right now, I think we just need something that feels joyful and hopeful and that we can compete … but at the same time support each other.”
Have no fear, your reality roundup is here! Here’s a look at what happened in the world of reality television this week:
The Bachelorette(ABC) In a since-deleted video, Devin Strader sought to defend himself after it was revealed he abruptly called off his engagement to Jenn Tran once the cameras stopped rolling. He refuted claims that he broke up with Jenn over a “two-minute phone call” and that he refused to see a counselor, showing screenshots of private text messages and call logs from that time. On an episode of The Viall Files Thursday, Jenn said she felt “betrayed” and “disrespected” that Devin released the texts.
Big Brother(CBS) Host Julie Chen Moonves was absent from the show’s live eviction episode Thursday night after she tested positive for COVID. The Talk co-host Jerry O’Connell stepped in for her. Chen Moonves, who used to co-host The Talk, called into to the show Thursday and gave O’Connell some tips. “When you go into my dressing room, go into the bathroom, on the second drawer to the left, there is a corset. I’m telling you Jerry, there is no way you’re going to fit into my dress tonight,” she joked. It’s the first time she hasn’t hosted since the show started in 2000.
Selling Sunset(Netflix) The sun has set on a Selling Sunset season 8 reunion. Variety reports there will not be a reunion episode this season amid cast drama. There are numerous feuds between cast members — including one involving Chrishell Stause hitting back at castmate Nicole Young for spreading cheating rumors about Stause’s close friend Emma Hernan. Stause even criticized the show’s producers for airing the rumors without giving Hernan a chance to defend herself.
