Nicole Kidman says she and her “Lioness” castmates, including Morgan Freeman, have developed a demanding pre-scene ritual to keep up with the density of the scripts Taylor Sheridan writes for the CIA thriller, running through their lines together and quizzing each other on the meaning of nearly every word before cameras start rolling.

Speaking at Paramount+’s “The Icons of Taylor Sheridan’s Universe” event in April, Kidman described the sheer level of preparation required to make Sheridan’s dialogue feel natural on screen. “We have to understand every single thing we’re saying,” Kidman said, describing the scripts as dense and the process of fully absorbing them as a significant undertaking each episode.

Kidman said that before filming key scenes, she, Freeman and co-star Michael Kelly regularly run their lines together, then work through the material further to make sure every term and reference actually makes sense to them. She described the process as needing to become second nature, saying dialogue has to come across as though it’s language the actors would naturally use every day, even though much of the show’s specialized CIA and military terminology is far from their normal vocabulary. Kidman said she and her castmates work through that material by repeatedly asking each other to define and clarify terms until the meaning is fully locked in.

Beyond the line-running sessions with her co-stars, Kidman has said she works with a dedicated research team to help her understand every specific term she uses on screen, supplementing the fact-checking work Sheridan does himself as the show’s creator and primary writer. Kidman has previously compared the overall experience of preparing for the role to writing a thesis on the CIA, given the depth of research required to keep up with the show’s rapidly evolving, topical storylines. She said the show’s third season in particular has felt especially urgent and relevant, describing the experience of filming it as constantly navigating difficult, high-stakes subject matter that requires the cast to stay sharp scene to scene.

Freeman, 89, has offered his own praise for Sheridan’s writing style in a separate interview with The New York Times, crediting the creator’s ability to center the human experience within high-stakes, geopolitically charged storylines. Sheridan’s work, Freeman said, “has to do more with the human experience, what people are actually going through,” pointing to the emotional realism he says has defined Sheridan’s writing across multiple projects, including “Yellowstone.” Freeman specifically highlighted the character arc of Zoe Saldaña’s Joe McNamara within “Lioness,” noting the personal stakes involved for a woman balancing a dangerous covert career with a husband and children at home, and praising Sheridan for having what he called the courage to write honestly about those kinds of difficult, high-pressure personal decisions.

“Lioness,” which returned for its third season August 2 on Paramount+, follows Joe as she leads the CIA’s Lioness undercover program while navigating threats that increasingly bleed into her personal life. According to the show’s official logline, unseen forces circle Joe’s world throughout the new season as patterns emerge, names vanish and paths rearrange, forcing her to confront enemies operating in the shadows while managing a growing conflict between her professional duty and her home life. Kidman plays CIA supervisor Kaitlyn Meade, Kelly plays CIA Deputy Director of Operations Byron Westfield, and Freeman plays Secretary of State Edwin Mullins, rounding out the trio of senior officials who guide Joe’s missions from Washington.

Season three consists of eight episodes, released weekly on Sundays, following the same episode-count structure as the show’s first two seasons. The series, created by Sheridan and based loosely on a real CIA program, launched in 2023 and has grown into one of several Sheridan-created shows currently airing across Paramount+, alongside projects including “Yellowstone,” “Landman,” “Mayor of Kingstown” and “Tulsa King.”

Both Kidman and Saldaña serve as executive producers on the series in addition to their on-screen roles, giving them a hand in shaping the show’s direction behind the scenes as well. The extensive preparation Kidman has described, running lines, defining unfamiliar terminology and consulting outside research, reflects the broader approach the cast has taken toward capturing the technical authenticity that has become a hallmark of Sheridan’s high-profile television projects.

With new episodes continuing to release weekly through late September, “Lioness” remains one of the most closely watched entries in Sheridan’s expanding television universe, with Kidman, Freeman and the rest of the ensemble cast continuing to lean on their behind-the-scenes preparation routine to keep pace with the show’s dense, fast-moving scripts.

This article was written by

Follow

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of RIET, HOMZ, IRET, ALL HOLDINGS IN THE IREIT+HOYA PORTFOLIOS either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Hoya Capital Research & Index Innovations (“Hoya Capital”) is an affiliate of Hoya Capital Real Estate, a registered investment advisory firm based in Rowayton, Connecticut, that provides investment advisory services to ETFs, individuals, and institutions. Hoya Capital Research & Index Innovations provides non-advisory services, including market commentary, research, and index administration focused on publicly traded securities in the real estate industry. This published commentary is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing on this site nor any commentary published by Hoya Capital is intended to be investment, tax, or legal advice or an offer to buy or sell securities. This commentary is impersonal and should not be considered a recommendation that any particular security, portfolio of securities, or investment strategy is suitable for any specific individual, nor should it be viewed as a solicitation or offer for any advisory service offered by Hoya Capital Real Estate. Please consult with your investment, tax, or legal adviser regarding your individual circumstances before investing. The views and opinions in all published commentary are as of the date of publication and are subject to change without notice. Information presented is believed to be factual and up-to-date, but we do not guarantee its accuracy, and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. Any market data quoted represents past performance, which is no guarantee of future results. There is no guarantee that any historical trend illustrated herein will be repeated in the future, and there is no way to predict precisely when such a trend will begin. There is no guarantee that any outlook made in this commentary will be realized. Readers should understand that investing involves risk, and loss of principal is possible. Investments in real estate companies and/or housing industry companies involve unique risks, as do investments in ETFs. The information presented does not reflect the performance of any fund or other account managed or serviced by Hoya Capital Real Estate. An investor cannot invest directly in an index, and index performance does not reflect the deduction of any fees, expenses, or taxes. Hoya Capital Real Estate and Hoya Capital Research & Index Innovations have no business relationship with any company discussed or mentioned and never receive compensation from any company discussed or mentioned. Hoya Capital Real Estate, its affiliates, and/or its clients and/or its employees may hold positions in securities or funds discussed on this website and in our published commentary. A complete list of holdings and additional important disclosures is available at www.HoyaCapital.com.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

LeBron James has officially entered the world of golf content creation, launching a new YouTube channel dedicated to documenting his ongoing journey with the sport, with the debut episode built around a reunion trip to Scotland with his 2016 championship-winning Cleveland Cavaliers teammates.

James announced the channel’s launch Saturday in a post on X, writing simply, “Welcome to my YouTube channel! My life on and around the course. Let’s go!!!” The channel, which carries the simple name “LeBron James,” is hosted on a personal YouTube account that had otherwise remained inactive prior to Saturday’s debut.

The first episode features James alongside former Cavaliers teammates Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Richard Jefferson, Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye, marking the 10-year anniversary of the team’s historic 2016 NBA Finals comeback, in which Cleveland rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the 73-win Golden State Warriors and deliver the franchise’s first championship. The video documents the group playing a golf scramble format on courses in Scotland, split into two teams, with James, Smith and Frye continuing play into a second morning after rain cut the first day’s session short.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, which was given early access to details about the channel, James and his friends will play rounds at some of the world’s most renowned golf courses, dine at local restaurants, and enjoy various off-course experiences throughout each episode. New episodes are planned to release monthly, always on a Saturday, chronicling what the outlet described as James’ ongoing journey with the sport.

James, 41, has spoken openly in the past about how much golf content he consumes, telling reporters at points during his career that he was more inclined to discuss golf than basketball when given the choice. He has previously appeared as a guest on other creators’ golf channels, including an appearance on the popular “Bob Does Sports” channel earlier this year, an experience that reportedly helped spark his interest in launching a channel of his own. James told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the launch that he currently plays to roughly a 22 handicap, describing golf as a pursuit that has given him the kind of ongoing competitive challenge he continues to crave even as his basketball career enters its later stages.

The channel’s debut arrives just weeks after James signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, ending an eight-year run with the Los Angeles Lakers and beginning what is expected to be the final chapter of his 24th NBA season. During the free agency process that preceded his decision, multiple private country clubs reportedly offered James complimentary memberships in an effort to help sway his choice of destination, a detail that underscored just how central golf has become to his life away from basketball in recent years.

James’ new venture also follows a separate, widely shared moment from earlier this month, when six-time major champion Rory McIlroy said during a press conference at the FedEx St. Jude Championship that he would love the opportunity to give James a golf lesson, describing him as an extraordinarily gifted athlete whose ability doesn’t always translate to the course. James responded almost immediately on social media, writing that he was “in for that lesson FOR SURE,” a public exchange that added further momentum to the growing attention around James’ golf pursuits just ahead of his channel’s launch.

The move places James within a rapidly growing corner of online content built around golf, a space that has produced massive audiences in recent years through channels and personalities including Rick Shiels, Grant Horvat, Good Good and Paige Spiranac, among others. The PGA Tour has increasingly embraced that shift as well, loosening its own social media policies to encourage players to build more personal online followings, and launching its own Creator Classic event to further bridge professional golf with the creator economy. Even against that already crowded landscape, few, if any, of golf’s existing online personalities carry the built-in name recognition and audience reach James brings as one of basketball’s most decorated and widely followed athletes.

James is no stranger to media production, having co-founded production company SpringHill Entertainment alongside longtime business partner Maverick Carter in 2007. That company became part of the broader SpringHill Company in 2020, which also includes a marketing agency the two co-founded, giving James an existing infrastructure of content experience to draw on as he now turns some of that focus toward his own on-camera golf journey.

With new episodes planned monthly and James still adjusting to his new team in Philadelphia, the channel offers fans an additional, more personal way to follow one of basketball’s biggest stars as he balances the final stretch of his playing career with an increasingly public embrace of his newest hobby.

SpaceX set a new company record Saturday evening, launching two Falcon 9 rockets from opposite coasts of the United States just 38 minutes and 31 seconds apart, the shortest gap between orbital launches in the company’s history.

The first liftoff occurred at 9:12 p.m. Eastern time from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying eight satellites into low Earth orbit for Louisiana-based telecommunications company Globalstar as part of a mission known as Globalstar 2-R. SpaceX confirmed via social media that all eight spacecraft were deployed successfully, separating from the rocket’s upper stage over a six-minute span beginning roughly 56.5 minutes after launch.

While that first rocket was still making its way toward orbit, a second Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on California’s central coast at 9:50 p.m. Eastern time, or 6:50 p.m. local time. That launch carried a classified payload for the U.S. Space Force under a mission designated USSF-366.

Saturday’s 38-minute, 31-second turnaround broke SpaceX’s previous record for the shortest interval between two of its orbital launches, a mark set on August 31, 2024, during a pair of back-to-back Starlink missions. The new record beat that previous benchmark by 27 minutes, underscoring the increasingly rapid launch cadence SpaceX has achieved as it continues to expand its Falcon 9 operations across multiple launch sites simultaneously.

Details about the USSF-366 mission’s specific payload remain undisclosed, consistent with standard practice for U.S. national security launches. SpaceX ended its public livestream of the mission shortly after the rocket’s first-stage booster landed, a routine step the company typically takes to keep classified payload deployment details out of public view. Even so, independent rocket-tracking analysts have offered some informed speculation about the mission’s likely purpose. NextSpaceflight.com, a spaceflight tracking website, wrote in its mission description that the payload is possibly a batch of classified low Earth orbit satellites built on SpaceX’s Starshield satellite bus, a variant of the company’s Starlink spacecraft platform modified specifically to carry out national security missions for the U.S. government. The site based that assessment on the rocket’s stage drop zones, which it said closely matched the drop zones used during earlier Starlink Group 15 launches.

Both of Saturday’s missions concluded with successful first-stage booster landings, continuing SpaceX’s now-routine practice of recovering and reusing its Falcon 9 rockets. The booster that launched the Globalstar mission returned to a touchdown at Cape Canaveral approximately eight minutes after liftoff, marking that particular booster’s 14th flight. The booster used for the USSF-366 mission landed on SpaceX’s droneship “Of Course I Still Love You,” stationed in the Pacific Ocean, roughly 8.5 minutes after its own launch, completing its 18th flight. According to reporting on the missions, the two successful recoveries pushed SpaceX’s all-time total of successful booster landings to 650.

Saturday’s dual launch brought SpaceX’s total number of Falcon 9 launches in 2026 to 96, with roughly 75% of those missions dedicated to deploying satellites for the company’s own Starlink broadband internet constellation. Starlink has grown into the largest satellite constellation ever assembled, now consisting of nearly 11,000 satellites in orbit, according to Space.com’s reporting, and continues to expand as SpaceX launches additional batches of satellites on a near-weekly basis alongside its other commercial and government missions.

The record-setting doubleheader adds to a string of operational milestones SpaceX has posted throughout 2026 as the company continues pushing the boundaries of its launch cadence. The company has separately marked notable individual booster reuse records this year, including boosters completing their 35th and 36th flights, reflecting SpaceX’s continued efforts to drive down launch costs and increase flight frequency through extensive rocket reusability.

SpaceX’s rapid pace of launches has increasingly relied on the company’s ability to operate simultaneously across multiple launch sites, including Cape Canaveral and the nearby Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as well as Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. That geographic flexibility allows the company to prepare and execute missions on both coasts in parallel, a capability that proved central to achieving Saturday’s record-breaking turnaround between launches.

With SpaceX continuing to launch at a pace unmatched by any other rocket company in the world, industry observers expect the company to keep setting new operational records throughout the remainder of 2026, as it works to sustain both its expanding Starlink constellation and its growing roster of government and commercial satellite contracts.

This article was written by

Follow

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of LB, TPL either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.