The Great is about to make its great return.

The Emmy-winning series will return to Hulu on Friday, May 12. Starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, the third season follows Catherine (Fanning) and Peter (Hoult) as they attempt to make their marriage work after some seemingly insurmountable problems. Peter witnessed his own attempted murder at Catherine’s hands and she also imprisoned all of his friends.

On top of this, Peter is at a loose end playing First Husband to Catherine’s reign, so he busies himself with fathering, hunting and salty culinary ventures. But they’re not enough to keep him contented as visions of his late father (played by Jason Isaacs), get in his head about his failures as Peter the Great’s son. Catherine the Great starts making a name for herself beyond her borders and inspired by a visit from the US ambassador, sets up a conference where peasants, nobles and merchants can all give their input on developing a new Russia. She learns that even the best political leaders sometimes need to make compromises in order to progress.

Fanning announced the show’s return on her Instagram page.

The Great is created, written and executive produced by Tony McNamara and executive produced by Marian Macgowan, Mark Winemaker, Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Echo Lake’s Brittany Kahan Ward, Doug Mankoffand Andrew Spaulding, Thruline’s Ron West and Josh Kesselman.

The project is produced by Civic Center Media in association with MRC Television. [Source]

Melissa McCarthy, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Tamron Hall are among the high-profile women being honored by the 2022 Gracie Awards.

The 47th annual event, presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, will honor talented women in TV, radio and digital media.

Additional honorees include Kelly Clarkson, Elle Fanning, Kaitlyn Dever, Ellen K, Angie Martinez and Dana Cortez. This year’s awards will also recognize entertainment and news programming that highlighted female-driven stories and culturally relevant topics including 48 Hours, 60 Minutes, NBC Nightly News, The New York Times Presents, Pose and Maid.

“Throughout this past year we have seen a number of remarkable projects by and about inspirational women. We are honored to shine a spotlight on these women, whose stories have driven cultural awareness, offered entertainment that has made us laugh, cry and everything in between,” Alliance for Women in Media Foundation president Becky Brooks said in a statement. “This year, we will be returning to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and are delighted to return to an in-person format so that we can properly celebrate together.”

The 47th Annual Gracie Awards are set to take on May 24, 2022 in Los Angeles. Local and student award winners will be honored at the Gracie Awards Luncheon on June 22 in New York City. [Source]

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The Great-est Panel You’ve Ever Seen

That’s right, we’re bringing together Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult for a great panel about The Great. You’ll want to dress to impress for this evening of sipping cocktails with two of television’s most gorgeous royals. (Powdered wigs and gowns are recommended but not required.) And yes, the last time we saw them, they were trying to kill each other onscreen. So it’ll be nice to see them getting along in person. [Source]

Elle Fanning, star and executive producer of Civic Center Media/MRC Television’s Hulu series The Great, is expanding her relationship with the indie studio partnership. She and her sister Dakota Fanning have teamed to launch Lewellen Pictures production company and have entered a first-look television deal with the studio, a joint venture between UTA and MRC. The Fanning sisters plan to develop feature film and television projects, as well as other forms of media, including podcasts.

Their first project under the pact is an adaptation of Megan Miranda’s bestselling novel The Last House Guest, which is being developed as a crime thriller series. Sarah Walker (The Secrets She Keeps, Wentworth) will write and executive produce the series. It centers on an intimate friendship between two girls who fall violently in love with each other’s differences, which, in the end, create doubt, betrayal and tragedy. The Fannings will executive produce alongside Brittany Kahan Ward and Mary Jane Skalski for Echo Lake Entertainment.

“Elle has brought such perspective and thoughtfulness as an executive producer on The Great,” said Elise Henderson, President of MRC Television. “We are excited by the vision she and Dakota have for Lewellen Pictures and for MRC Television to provide a home for the stories they will tell.”

Elle Fanning has received Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award nominations for her work on The Great, which is now in production on its second season for Hulu. She recently starred in Sally Potter’s The Roads Not Taken and Netflix’s All The Bright Places, the latter of which she also produced.

Dakota Fanning was recently was seen in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and TNT’s Angel of Darkness. She will next star in The First Lady for Showtime.

The siblings will star together for the first time in the feature film adaptation of The Nightingale for Tristar and director Melanie Laurent. Continue reading  »