logo
The Studio scrapped an entire episode because they couldn't land the perfect Hollywood cameo

The Studio scrapped an entire episode because they couldn't land the perfect Hollywood cameo

Yahoo06-05-2025
Apple TV+'s The Studio is a strange blend of very real Hollywood touchstones and some blatant fan-fiction stuff that seems to exist largely to make actual film executives paranoid. (THR ran a piece recently purporting to name which real-world executives Seth Rogen's Matt Remick and his fellow suits are most likely to be based on, and it's a pretty ridiculous pile of guesswork and names you've only dimly glimpsed in credits; take it as read that they're mostly all just an amalgamation of every soulless or stupid thing anyone in power at a studio has ever said to Rogen or his friends.) All of the creatives that pop up in the show, though, are real: No fake actors, writers, or directors, just actual people playing themselves. It's what gives the show some of its fascinating sense of outrageousness—where else are you going to see Martin Scorsese break down sobbing, or Ron Howard playing a mean-spirited tyrant?—but it also imposes some pretty serious restrictions on how the show gets made.
Per IndieWire, Rogen and co-creator Evan Goldberg got into the topic of hyper-specific cameos on a recent episode of the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, noting, for instance, that the selection of directors Owen Kline and Parker Finn for a recent episode—where both are in contention for a an obvious cheap knock-off of Finn's Smile movies—wasn't just a matter of finding some vaguely known names to slot into the script. 'Not only are they famous people, but the role they occupy in Hollywood is very specific for each person,' Rogen noted, saying that, with Finn, 'There's him and no one else. We needed the director of a horror franchise that is replicable in another, shittier way. And we were like, who does Smile? Parker Finn! We thought, M3GAN maybe, but it's not quite the same thing. What we liked about Smile is that he kept doing them. If Parker Finn had said no, I don't know what we would have done. But that happened a lot — there were a lot of people who, if they said no, we'd have to reimagine the whole episode to some degree.'
That is some incredibly narrow casting, and it's reportedly caused a couple of problems for the series, even though most people Rogen and Goldberg have approached have been game. 'The only people we didn't get,' Goldberg noted, 'Were [due to] a couple scheduling issues, and then there were two people who just fundamentally were not interested in playing themselves.' Still, there's at least one script for the series that had to be just straight-up tossed out (or at least held in reserve for season 2), for no other reason than the perfect celebrities weren't available. 'None of them could do it when we needed them,' Rogen revealed. 'So we literally didn't shoot the episode.'
More from A.V. Club
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Here's what Ted Lasso season 4 needs to do to succeed
Here's what Ted Lasso season 4 needs to do to succeed

Digital Trends

time25 minutes ago

  • Digital Trends

Here's what Ted Lasso season 4 needs to do to succeed

Filming for the fourth season of the hit Apple TV+ series, Ted Lasso, has finally begun, building hype for what the show has in store for audiences with its new episodes. It has already been revealed that Ted Lasso season 4 will see the titular character reunite with his pals at AFC Richmond and return to London to coach a women's football team. This upcoming season will mark a long-awaited return to one of the most beloved TV shows in recent memory. It's anyone's guess how Ted Lasso will continue the stories of Ted and his friends at Richmond, especially since the season 3 conclusion — the original series finale — seemingly wrapped everything up. It's unknown how the fourth season and its new story will rank amongst the rest of this Emmy Award-winning series. Whatever happens, Ted Lasso season 4 needs to accomplish a lot to improve upon the show's past mistakes, appeal to longtime fans, and succeed once more on streaming. Ted Lasso needs a focused narrative When Ted Lasso began, the show's primary focus was on the development of Ted, Rebecca, Nate, Keeley, Roy, and Jamie. As the series progressed, it focused on many more supporting characters in AFC Richmond and gave them more prominent roles in the story. With its third season, Ted Lasso explored too many characters and plotlines separate from the main arc. Consequently, the show veered off in many directions. Some episodes showed very little of Ted Lasso. Recommended Videos That isn't to say that this approach hasn't worked in the past. The season 2 episode Beard After Hours dedicated roughly 40 minutes to Coach Beard, exploring his mysterious and surreal private life with a tone and style that fit the character and provided an interesting change of scenery. However, these kinds of tangent stories became more prevalent in the third season, to the point that Ted Lasso seemed to be presenting many different shows in one. Ted Lasso season 4 should go back to basics by focusing on Ted and the returning characters trying to connect with their new football team. While the show will focus on multiple characters and their arcs, it should ensure that these subplots don't stray too far from the main path. This could make the new season especially jarring for audiences accustomed to the characters and story from the show's first three seasons. The show must balance new and old characters Ted Lasso season 3 presented multiple arcs for the characters at AFC Richmond and their loved ones. This approach fleshed out a lot of the show's world and helped bring some closure for everyone by the time the season ended. Nevertheless, the way season 3 tried to resolve every storyline within the time it had, particularly in the finale, felt rushed and unearned. In addition to not juggling too many storylines at once, Ted Lasso needs to make sure its characters develop at a natural pace. Storylines should not be forced. Since season 3 was meant to wrap up the characters' journeys together, their actions in season 4 shouldn't be made just for the sake of continuing the series. Season 4 must feature steady storylines Ted Lasso season 3 presented multiple arcs for the characters at AFC Richmond and their loved ones. This approach fleshed out a lot of the show's world and helped bring some closure for everyone by the time the season ended. Nevertheless, the way this season tried to resolve all these storylines with the time it had, particularly in the finale, came across as rushed and unearned. In addition to not juggling too many storylines at once, Ted Lasso needs to make sure its characters develop at a natural pace. Their storylines also shouldn't be forced upon them with this series renewal. Since season 3 was meant to wrap up the characters' journeys together, their actions in season 4 shouldn't be made just for the sake of continuing the series. The show must maintain its sense of hope and optimism When it first aired in 2020, Ted Lasso shared a heartwarming message about the importance of love, faith, friendship, and self-care. This made it a beloved, much-needed show after COVID brought so much death, isolation, and hardship. Though the show's later seasons got more intense with how it explored mental illness, trauma, and parental abuse, the characters became more engaging and relatable. Given how depressing the modern world still is since the end of season 3, it seems more crucial than ever for Ted Lasso to come back with more uplifting stories to inspire audiences and help them believe in themselves and the show. Stream Ted Lasso on Apple TV+.

Look: Jason Clarke thriller 'Last Frontier' gets teaser, Oct. premiere date
Look: Jason Clarke thriller 'Last Frontier' gets teaser, Oct. premiere date

UPI

time26 minutes ago

  • UPI

Look: Jason Clarke thriller 'Last Frontier' gets teaser, Oct. premiere date

1 of 3 | Apple TV+ is previewing "The Last Frontier." Photo courtesy of Apple TV+ July 24 (UPI) -- Apple TV+ is teasing the action thriller series The Last Frontier, starring Jason Clarke. The drama stars Clarke as Frank Remnick, a U.S. marshal who presides over "the quiet, rugged barrens of Alaska," per an official synopsis. "Remnick's jurisdiction is turned upside down when a prison transport plane crashes in the remote wilderness, setting free dozens of violent inmates," an official synopsis reads. The teaser released Thursday shows the handcuffed inmates in the plane as it starts to go down. "Tasked with protecting the town he's vowed to keep safe, he (Clarke) begins to suspect the crash wasn't an accident, but the first step of a well-crafted plan with far-reaching and devastating implications," the description continues. Dominic Cooper, Haley Bennett, Simone Kessell, Dallas Goldtooth, Tait Blum and Alfre Woodard star. The Last Frontier is co-created by Jon Bokenkamp and Richard D'Ovidio, and will see its first two episodes premiere on the streamer Oct. 10.

Sony makes one of the best OLED TVs, this deal makes it $900 more affordable
Sony makes one of the best OLED TVs, this deal makes it $900 more affordable

Digital Trends

time2 hours ago

  • Digital Trends

Sony makes one of the best OLED TVs, this deal makes it $900 more affordable

Every day we find incredible TV deals, so there's never really a point in buying a TV at the regular price. That is, unless you want one of the best TVs all around, which have more of a reason to not go on sale frequently. They already get lots of attention and have the chops to justify high prices. However, from time to time we do find a great deal on one of our favored TVs. This time around we're see a $900 discount on the 65-inch Sony Bravia 8 OLED, one of our picks for the best OLED TVs. Getting the TV now, which you can do simply by tapping the button below, will only cost you $1,900 instead of the usual $2,800. Read on to learn why the TV is so great, as well as to see the special reason why it's included in our list of OLED TVs. Why you should buy the Sony Bravia 8 OLED The Sony Bravia 8 OLED is a brilliant TV for your living room or gathering area. It's a weird thing to say, but a lot of TVs have a sort of 'hermit' personality and are really best enjoyed with a small group in a dark room. Not the Sony Bravia 8 OLED, with its wide viewing angle and ability to stand up to ambient lighting. This is a TV to grab the crew around and watch some ball or have in your living room to give you some company while you watch the kids. It's a TV to enhance your life with, but it doesn't have to So, why did this TV make it on our OLED shortlist? It happens to be the best Sony OLED for the price. And, of course, by this we mean its standard price. The quality is simply there; it has rich colors and black levels that make things pop, whether you're in the living room or not. So, why not grab it while it is $900 cheaper and you can get it for $1,900 instead of the usual $2,800.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store