Behind the Scenes Buzz with Idris Elba and Disney
TRAILER FOR HOLLYWOOD DROPS: Fans are getting their first look at Ryan Murphy‘s limited series, Hollywood, set for Netflix. The show follows aspiring actors and filmmakers in Tinseltown right after World War II. Hollywood stars David Corenswet as Jack, Darren Criss as Raymond, Jeremy Pope as Archie, Laura Harrier as Camille, Samara Weaving as Claire, Dylan McDermott as Ernie, and many others. The seven-episode series will bow May 1.
IDRIS ELBA AND WIFE LAUNCH $40M FUND: Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba are launching a $40 million fund for farmers and food producers impacted by the coronavirus after contracting the illness themselves. “People forget that 80 percent of the poor population live in these rural areas.” Dhowre Elba said. “What we are really worried about at the moment, and why we are launching this fund is that those people are being forgotten.” They are both U.N. Goodwill Ambassadors, and are joining forces with the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on the initiative.
DISNEY FURLOUGHS 100,000: Disney‘s stock dropped more than 3% in early trading Monday after two analysts issued downgrades on its shares. This setback comes after Disney furloughed 100,000 employees in theme parks. The move is expected to save the House of Mouse $500 million a month.
VENICE FILM FESTIVAL TO LAUNCH: Plans are underway for the Venice Film Festival, with plans for it to bow as usual in September at Lido. The president of the festival’s organization, the Venice Biennale, said they are set for September 2-12th. Robert Cicutto added that they are open to working with Cannes, which has been pushed several times as France clamps down on public events. “Since the beginning of the crisis, we have raised the possibility of doing something together if Cannes was canceled. We’re continuing to discuss it.” Cicutto said: “With Cannes, everything is possible, but I find it disconcerting that Thierry Fremaux keeps saying he is continuing to examine the situation and does not say what he wants to do.”