Variety 12/15/2021

It’s always so jarring and upsetting to learn that someone you have greatly admired has died — no matter how old they are. Italian writer-director Lina Wertmüller, who passed away last week at age 93, was one of those industry icons whom I had hoped to one day reconnect with. I had the honor of first meeting her two years ago when she was in Los Angeles at a luncheon given in her honor by Women in Film. I remember at the time being struck by how healthy and vibrant Wertmüller still was for her age — a dynamo packed into a petite frame with her trademark white plastic glasses and striking white hair. I wrote about our encounter in my Oct. 29, 2019, editor’s letter, recounting how I talked…

REMEMBERED Actor Giancarlo Giannini’s collaboration with writer-director Lina Wertmüller, who died Dec. 9 at age 93, spans nine films, including raucous sex comedy and social satire “The Seduction of Mimì” — his first leading role in a Wertmüller movie — which brought them both their first taste of international fame. Giannini spoke to Variety by phone from Rome about their symbiotic relationship and unique rapport. “Keeping control of a set is tough enough for a man. For a woman it was harder. But Lina had such a strong personality and was often quite brash.”─Giancarlo Giannini • How did you and Lina first intersect? I was studying acting at the National Academy in Rome. She came to see two plays I was in — one was by Molière — and offered…

“Goonies never say die” is a memorable catchphrase from that fan-favorite 1980s film. But it could also describe Warner Bros. TV’s recent strategic efforts to keep some of its series alive through crafty dealmaking. And those, coincidentally, include “The Goonies,” which had been adapted by writer Sarah Watson into a drama pilot for Fox about a teacher who helps her students re-create, shot-for-shot, the original movie. Fox passed on it — it ultimately skewed too young for the network — but Variety can exclusively report that the series, which now has the title “Our Time,” is being redeveloped at Disney Plus. Other recent examples of Warner Bros. TV breathing new life into programs include several series that wound up on the cancellation heap — but were soon revived at new…

What’s the economic value of a global smash hit? “Squid Game,” for which Netflix paid $21.4 million (per leaked company documents), delivered an astounding 4:1 budget-to-engagement ratio, according to content analytics firm Diesel Labs. That’s an order of magnitude better than 2021’s “Dune” (90:1) or Amazon fantasy series “The Wheel of Time” (300:1). A caveat: Diesel Labs’ estimates aren’t based on viewing behavior; rather, the firm analyzes consumer engagement with content across major social and video platforms like YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. Also note that the long-term value of a given movie or TV title is not fully reflected by initial popularity. ESTIMATED BUDGET-TO-EARNED-ENGAGEMENT RATIO 4:1 “Squid Game” (Netflix) 90:1 “Dune” (Warner Bros.) 90:1 “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (Disney/Marvel) 300:1 “The Wheel of Time”…

Like so many, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers grew up loving Spider-Man — from the animated TV series to the action figures to, as they became adults, Sam Raimi’s live-action movies starring Tobey Maguire. But when the screenwriting team (“The Lego Batman Movie,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”) were recruited to work on 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” with Tom Holland roughly six weeks before production, their attention wasn’t on the web-slinger. It was on the film’s villain, Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton). “I think everyone knew that the villain needed some help,” says Sommers. “We definitely worked on that quite a bit.” Thankfully, McKenna and Sommers’ efforts on “Homecoming” ended up becoming a five-year odyssey with Spider-Man. They’re the sole credited screenwriters on 2019’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and the hotly anticipated…

It doesn’t get more ironic than the hand that’s been dealt the U.K.’s Channel 4. The publicly owned broadcaster set up by then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher — and known overseas as the creative incubator of shows like “Derry Girls” and “It’s a Sin” — is facing a potential sale by Boris Johnson’s government at the exact moment it delivers the highest content budget in its 39-year history and eyes a record-breaking £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in revenues for 2021. Ian Katz, chief content officer, tells Variety that £700 million is earmarked for new shows in 2022 — a cash infusion that will only build on what he brands as an auspicious “purple patch” for the channel. The broadcaster has had a bumper year, delivering the hard-won free-to-air premieres of British…