‘A Real Pain’ comes to Hulu, ‘The Last of Us’ returns to HBO, Golden Globe ratings, and more of today’s top stories

Gold Derby’s top news stories for Jan. 6, 2025.

A Real Pain comes to Hulu

One day after winning a Golden Globe, Searchlight Pictures’ A Real Pain now has a real plan for streaming. The dramedy film from writer-director-producer-actor Jesse Eisenberg, which won the Globe for supporting player Kieran Culkin, is coming to Hulu on Thursday, Jan. 16. Hulu and Searchlight — formerly Fox Searchlight — are both owned by Disney, so Hulu has become the home of a number of Searchlight titles, also including Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness, and Nightbitch.

A Real Pain made its first splash at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where Eisenberg won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Since being picked up by Searchlight and released to general audiences in November, the film has been named one of the top 10 films of the year by the American Film Institute and received a long string of plaudits for Culkin. In addition to the Globe, he won critics prizes from Los Angeles, New York, and National Society journos, and is nominated for a Critics Choice Award this coming weekend.

The Last of Us Season 2 announces April premiere with new teaser

The wait is almost over! The eight-time Emmy-winning zombie horror series The Last of Us has announced that it will return to HBO and Max in April for a seven-episode second season. “It doesn’t matter if you have a code like me,” says a speaker in voice-over accompanying scenes of fear, violence, and mayhem. “There are just some things everyone agrees are just wrong.”

The logline for Season 2: “Five years after the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.” The incoming new cast includes Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Young Mazino, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord, Danny Ramirez, and Jeffrey Wright, with Catherine O’Hara set to guest star. And of course Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will be back as Joel and Ellie.

Golden Globe ratings revealed

Dick Clark Productions reports that the Golden Globes telecast on CBS averaged 10.1 million viewers, despite being up against Sunday Night Football on NBC. The live-streaming audience on Paramount+ and the CBS app was also up 9% year over year. And the show got people talking online, increasing its social engagement by 124% from last year.

Those viewers watched and discussed Emilia Pérez winning four awards including Best Film Comedy/Musical, Best Film Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña, and Best Original Song for “El Mal.” The Brutalist was the top drama film in addition to winning Best Film Drama Actor (Adrien Brody) and Best Film Director (Brady Corbet). On the small screen, the historical epic Shōgun dominated, winning all four of its nominations including Best Drama Series, Best TV Drama Actor (Hiroyuki Sanada), and Best TV Drama Actress (Anna Sawai).

Dick Clark Productions is owned by Penske Media Corporation, in a subsidiary joint venture between Penske Media and Eldridge. Penske also owns Gold Derby.

Aubrey Plaza issues statement following husband’s sudden death

Plaza’s husband, indie film writer and director Jeff Baena, died by suicide on Jan. 3. He was 47 years old. “This is an unimaginable tragedy,” Plaza said to People. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.” Baena’s filmography included Life After Beth, The Little Hours, and Horse Girl. Brady Corbet also shared his condolences from the Globes stage upon accepting his Best Director honor.

Will Smith in a new Matrix movie?

Actor Will Smith shared a mysterious message on Instagram that read, “In 1997, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in The Matrix. Smith turned it down. He chose Wild Wild West, believing it was a better fit for him at the time. But the question remains: What would The Matrix have been like with Will Smith as Neo?”

Does that mean Smith is about to star in a new Matrix movie? The original 1999 film was a pop culture phenomenon, winning four Oscars including Best Visual Effects and launching a live-action film franchise that included The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), and most recently The Matrix Resurrections (2021), all of which starred Keanu Reeves in the role of Neo. An animated anthology film, The Animatrix (2003) was also released.