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WIRE Buzz: Netflix cancels 'Away'; AMC renting out theaters; and Peanuts to Apple TV+
Away is going away because Netflix has decided to cancel the astronaut drama series after just one season, Variety confirmed early this morning. The news comes only four weeks after the show's first 10 episodes made their debut on the streaming service. It joins a growing list of Netflix cancellations that include: GLOW, Teenage Bounty Hunters, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Altered Carbon, The Society, and I Am Not Okay With This.
Created by Andrew Hinderaker, Away takes inspiration from an Esquire article written by Chris Jones and centers around a female astronaut (played by Hilary Swank) leading humanity's first manned mission to Mars.
"Whether we're telling a story of the families on Earth, whether we're telling a story between the crewmates in space or telling those stories between space and Earth, you're really just trying to tap into human, messy relationships between people that, depending on the people and the relationship, involve this trust and love and fear and betrayal and all of those qualities," Hinderaker told SYFY WIRE in early September.
The cast also featured Josh Charles, Vivian Wu, Mark Ivanir, Ato Essandoh, Ray Panthaki, and Talitha Bateman, Monique Gabriela Curnen, Michael Patrick Thornton, Martin Cummins, Gabrielle Rose, Brian Markinson, Fiona Fu, Nadia Hatta, Alessandro Juliani, Felicia Patti, Veena Sood, Anthony F. Ingram, Adam Irigoyen, Diana Bang, John Murphy, Derrick Su, and Olena Medwid.
Jason Katims (Parenthood), Matt Reeves (The Batman), and Edward Zwick (Defiance) served as executive producers.
As the U.S. box office continues to get pummeled by declining sales caused by COVID-19, major theater chains like AMC and Alamo Drafthouse are allowing customers to rent out entire theaters for $100 - $150.
For Alamo, there's also an additional ticketing fee and the expectation of purchasing snacks, but the deal is rather affordable. Sure, it's a pretty gonzo strategy, but at the same time, it offers better peace of mind for anyone still worried about visiting a theater amid the pandemic.
If you want to see Tenet or The New Mutants in an AMC auditorium, however, you'll be asked to shell out between $150 and $350 (before tax) depending on the theater's location, writes Gizmodo. Of course, that could just be the reservation fee, with additional payments required for each person attending and a "food minimum."
With most major releases pushed to 2021, theater companies are scrambling to stay afloat. Cineworld, the owner of Regal in the U.S., decided to temporarily shut down its locations across America and the U.K. There is some hope that the situation will start to improve once New York theaters outside of Manhattan resume operations this Friday (Oct. 23). Along with Los Angeles and San Francisco, New York accounts for the brunt of ticket sales in the United States.
Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, and the rest of the Peanuts gang have found an exclusive streaming home on Apple TV+, the platform announced Monday. In addition to nabbing the original series and holiday specials, Apple is also working with Peanuts Worldwide and Lee Mendelson Film Productions to produce more Peanuts content like a second season of Snoopy in Space and more specials centered around Mother’s Day, Earth Day, New Year’s Eve, and going back to school.
"It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is now streaming on Apple TV+ and will be free to watch between Oct. 30 - Nov. 1. "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" makes its debut Nov. 18 and will be free to watch between Nov. 25 - 27. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" arrives Dec. 4 and will be free to watch between Dec. 11 - 13.
Previously announced Peanuts projects include: The Snoopy Show, a 70th-anniversary documentary feature (produced by Imagine Documentaries and WildBrain), and the Daytime Emmy Award-winning Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10.
