Hollywood
Tom Hanks to Produce ‘Factory Man’ on HBO
MUMBAI: Tom Hanks’ production company and HBO have bought the broadcasting rights for the bestselling book by journalist Beth Macy ‘Factory Man’ and is planning to develop the story into a miniseries.
Actor Tom Hanks and producer Gary Goetzman plan to co-produce the project through their production company, Playtone, with Steven Shareshian serving as co-executive producer and Peter McGuigan as co-producer. The cast of the miniseries have not been decided yet.
The book follows and chronicles the story of the Basset family in Virginia, who have been running The Basset Furniture Company since the early 1900s and became the world’s largest wood furniture manufacturer. However, in the ’80s, Asian countries and businesses boomed, placing the long-running furniture company in competition with its Asian counterparts. In order to keep up to the times and the demand in furniture at that time, the family was forced to outsource its labour and production overseas which meant that a lot of local Virginians lost their jobs in the process. This changed when John Basset III decided to take a stand and bring back the factory’s production to Virginia. The company currently has more than 700 Virginians working for the Vaughn-Basset Furniture Co. and has sales that total more than $90 million.
This news comes after Hanks’ review of the book on twitter on 24 July, “Great summer reading. I give it 42 stars. No, I give it 142 stars. Yeah, it’s THAT good. Hanx.”
Playtone is currently producing a miniseries based on Elizabeth Strout’s bestselling book Olive Kitteridge, starring Oscar-winner Frances McDormand. Playtone has also produced such Emmy-award winning hits like Band of Brothers, The Pacific and John Adams.
Hollywood
Disney chair confident CEO Josh D’Amaro will ‘rise to the occasion’ in Trump–Kimmel row
Board backs new chief as ABC controversy tests leadership early on
NEW YORK: The Walt Disney Company has placed the responsibility of handling the escalating dispute between Donald Trump and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel squarely on its new chief executive, Josh D’Amaro.
Speaking at a business conference in Oslo, Disney chair James Gorman said it would be up to the CEO and his team to determine the company’s response to the controversy surrounding Jimmy Kimmel Live!. He noted that such challenges are not uncommon for large corporations and require careful handling at the leadership level.
The row intensified after both Donald Trump and Melania Trump publicly called for Kimmel’s dismissal following remarks made on his show. The comments, which referenced the First Lady, sparked backlash in the days leading up to a security incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Kimmel addressed the issue on-air, clarifying that his joke was intended as a reference to the couple’s age difference and not an incitement to violence. He also expressed sympathy for those affected by the incident and reiterated his stance against violent rhetoric.
Despite mounting pressure, Gorman refrained from offering specific guidance on the future of the show or the host. Instead, he voiced confidence in D’Amaro’s leadership, describing him as “world class” and capable of navigating the situation effectively.
The episode presents an early and high-profile test for D’Amaro, who stepped into the top role just last month. How Disney balances editorial independence, public sentiment and political pressure will likely shape not just the outcome of this controversy, but also the tone of its leadership in the months ahead.
