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'Ben-Hur' $120M Bust; Matt Lauer Ripped; Toronto's 'Magnificent' Kickoff; Colbert's Year-One Ratings; Will 'Sully' Fly?

September 08, 2016

What's news: All eyes are on Antoine Fuqua's Magnificent Seven as it kicks off the Toronto film fest. Plus: Summer bomb Ben-Hur may lose an epic $120M, Matt Lauer gets panned as a political moderator and a close look at how late-night ratings stack up a year after Stephen Colbert's CBS move. — Matthew Belloni, Erik Hayden and Jennifer Konerman.

Toronto's 'Magnificent' Kickoff

Opening night spotlight: Magnificent Seven kicks off the Toronto Film Festival tonight. Ahead of the premiere, an in-depth chat with director Antoine Fuqua by film reporter Rebecca Ford. An excerpt of the Q&A:

Many remakes haven't worked at the box office, as recently as Ben-Hur a few weeks ago. Was that on your mind when you took on this project?

FUQUA: "When I first said yes, it was on my mind. Absolutely. But once you go in, you just go in. You just say, "OK, I'm going do it and make my version of it." My big lesson so far is that when you do that you have to respect the film's DNA and you have to respect certain elements of the film because when you respect that you're respecting the people that love the film."

What do you find challenging about the studio system?

FUQUA: "The challenge for a director, and I think a lot of directors feel the same way, is that today we have to put on a producer's hat too. Meaning, you have to sometimes think of it being 'business show,' not just 'show business.' They're not making as many movies as they used to. I think you have to be a little more cognizant of that. And I think that diversity is an obvious thing. I think that's a change that's coming. That has to change. So, I think the studio system is slowly starting to adjust to the changing times."

► All Toronto news I Red carpet rules I Buyers guide I Market preview.

Awards watch: Ryan Coogler declines Academy invite. The filmmaker, whose 2015 film Creed many thought was overlooked, has yet to send in his acceptance letter, and sources tell THR he's not interested in joining.

Box Office: Will 'Sully' Soar?

The first fall box office hit? Warner Bros. and Clint Eastwood's Sully, starring Tom Hanks, looks to dominate the skies this weekend in what Hollywood hopes is a strong start to the season, senior writer Pamela McClintock forecasts:

Sully is pacing to open between $20M-$25M, possibly matching the opening of Hanks' 2013 fall drama Captain Phillips. Sully, which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival over Labor Day weekend, currently sports a 78 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Also opening: Sony/Screen Gems' thriller When the Bough Breaks may gross in the $10M-$12M range. At the 11th hour, Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media has decided to open The Disappointments Room in conjunction with a major VOD push. It's the first title Relativity has released since emerging from bankruptcy and is tracking to gross $2M.

Elsewhere in film...

► Summer's biggest box-office bust. Paramount/MGM's Ben-Hur is now on track to lose $120M or more, according to sources close to the film and multiple box-office analysts consulted by THR. MGM will take the majority of the financial hit.

► Johnny Depp joins Tupac thriller. The actor is set to play the detective who investigated the murders of rappers Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur in Labyrinth, a project being shopped in Toronto. Brad Furman, Lincoln Lawyer helmer, is directing.

► Michael Cera joins Jessica Chastain in Molly's Game. Screenwriter/director Aaron Sorkin has enlisted the actors for his new poker drama. Cera will portray a character named Player X, an elite celebrity player. A November start date is planned.

► Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling to lead A Wrinkle in Time. Ava DuVernay has cast the duo to star in Disney’s adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s book, also starring Oprah Winfrey. Witherspoon will play Mrs. Whatsit and Kaling will play Mrs. Who.

↱ Exec Suite, Roger Birnbaum. The former co-CEO of MGM and current Magnificent Seven producer invites executive features editor Stephen Galloway to his Beverly Hills office and opens up about walking away from his studio job and how cancer changed him: "When do you just live your life the way you really want to live it, before it's over?" Full interview. ↲

► Julianne Moore, Ken Watanabe to topline hostage drama. They join Demian Bichir in Bel Canto, helmed by Paul Weitz from his adapted script, based on Ann Patchett’s book of the same name.

► Indie Untogether sets starry cast. Jamie Dornan, Jemima Kirke, Lola Kirke and Ben Mendelsohn will star in relationship drama. Author Emma Forrest will direct based on her own screenplay. Production is slated to begin in October.

Updated: L.A.'s Power Dining heat index. In the latest monthly ranking of the city's hottest restaurants by senior writer Gary Baum, say hello to Miro, 71Above, Cassia and Kettle Black as the buzziest dining spots. What made the cut.

Colbert Year One: The Ratings

Today marks the one-year anniversary of CBS' Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and one thing remains constant: There's no touching Jimmy Fallon, senior writer Michael O'Connell reports:

On the eve of the new fall season, NBC's The Tonight Show bested competition from CBS' Stephen Colbert and ABC's Jimmy Kimmel combined. (Fallon took a 0.81 rating among adults 18-49 to Kimmel's .41 and Colbert's .39.) Fallon typically holds a healthy lead, but the last time his show had that status was over nine months ago.

Colbert heads into his second year as the only host having improved his time slot. The Late Show is up a modest 5 percent since the final year of David Letterman. But year over year, the 12:34 a.m. shows have a decidedly different narrative.

Elsewhere in TV...

► Matt Lauer gets thumbs-down for Clinton-Trump forum. The two candidates sat down for their first joint event of the general election on NBC, and, in the end, it was moderator Lauer who faced the most backlash.

► FX sets end of the road for Tyrant. Last night's season three finale will be its series finale. "We feel the show is a gem and we’d love to find a way to keep it in production. That said, we want to be realistic about its prospects," Fox 21 president Bert Salke said.

► Jessica Biel plots return to television. USA has ordered a pilot for the drama The Sinner, starring and exec produced by the actress. Based on Petra Hammesfahr’s book, the project centers on a mother who is overcome by an inexplicable fit of rage.

► Narcos' Wagner Moura talks life after Pablo Escobar. The departing star of the Netflix series opened up to THR about hanging up the villain he lived with for two years: "I feel relieved. I feel that I’m free."

► Kevin Connolly penciled into Pitch lineup. The Entourage grad has booked a recurring role on the Fox drama. The show, produced in partnership with the MLB, centers on a young female pitcher who defies the odds to play in the majors.

↱ Baking is a big TV business : The Great British Bake Off now ranks among the biggest shows in U.K. history, drawing a whopping 10.4 million live viewers for a 47.5 share during its seventh season premiere last month — that's higher than the Rio Olympics. The show's growth brings hope to American reality execs. What U.S. TV can learn. ↲

► Michael Vartan weighs in on potential Alias movie. "I'm not sure if there would be an audience for it, to be honest with you," he told a small group of reporters on the set of his new E! series The Arrangement.

► Lee Daniels' Star showrunner exits. Charles Murray has departed Fox's Lee Daniels- and Tom Donaghy-created midseason drama Star, an Atlanta-set drama that follows three girls who form a band. Benjamin Bratt and Queen Latifah headline the series.

► Tim Cook does Carpool Karaoke. The Apple CEO appeared in his own version of "Carpool Karaoke" to open the company's showcase event. The Late Late Show segment's spinoff series will stream exclusively to subscribers of Apple Music.

► ABC Studios taps Patrick Moran as president. Most recently Moran served as executive vp of ABC Studios, involved in ABC series including Scandal, Quantico, Black-ish and American Crime. He will continue to report to Ben Sherwood.

Deal of the day: John Malone's Liberty nabs Formula One. Former 21st Century Fox president and COO Chase Carey will become chairman of the global motor sports business, which was valued at $4.4 billion.

Rob Reiner Won't Do Remakes

After 50 years in Hollywood: Rob Reiner discusses Trump, his new film LBJ and why he won't go into film remakes (sorry, When Harry Met Sally fans) with film editor Gregg Kilday. An excerpt from the Q&A:

If All in the Family were on the air today, would Archie be a Trump supporter?

"Absolutely, 100 percent. Trump is from Queens. Archie is born and raised in Queens. They have the same kind of mentality. Archie was a bigot, and the things that come out of Trump's mouth are totally bigoted. So yeah, he definitely would be."

Are any of your movies ripe for remakes or sequels?

"People are always saying When Harry Met Sally …, you want to do another Spinal Tap? But to me, it's like I've done these things already. I did it. I'm going to be 70 next year. You start seeing that you have a limited amount of time. I want to do something that's different."

► Timeline: Rob Reiner's Career | Billy Crystal on Their Bromance