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Fox News' Bad Day; 'Birth of a Nation' PR Blitz; NBCU vs NBCU; Miss Universe Host Talks Trump Taunts

October 06, 2016

What's news: Did Sean Hannity declare war on fellow Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly? Plus: Battle lines are drawn as Birth of a Nation arrives, the Han Solo movie is getting closer to casting its female lead, Alicia Machado's Miss Universe host speaks out on Trump and Florida theaters brace for Hurricane Matthew. — Matthew Belloni, Erik Hayden and Jennifer Konerman.

Birth of a Nation's PR blitz: With the controversial Sundance hit one day away from its release, Fox Searchlight is ramping up its marketing efforts, Nate Parker is hitting multiple morning shows, and "Nat Turner Lives" skywriting is appearing above the Hollywood sign. The latest:

► Parker on coverage of rape trial scandal. Speaking with Steve Harvey, the filmmaker elaborated on the revived controversy: "What are these journalists trying to do? Do they care about anyone involved? Do they care about what we’ve been talking about?' I think it’s been a tragedy on so many levels."

► Rape activist group plans sit-in. The group F**k Rape Culture organized a candlelit sit-in for a Thursday screening at ArcLight Cinemas' Hollywood: "We recognize the need to hold space for those celebrating the advancement of people of color in Hollywood while continuing to fight for the victims of sexual assault and rape around the world."

► Nat Geo plans Nat Turner special. Parker is exec producing Rise Up: The Legacy of Nat Turner, which centers on the historical figure at the center of Birth of a Nation. The hourlong doc will premiere Friday on Nat Geo (sister company to Fox Searchlight) as the film opens in theaters.

► A.O. Scott weighs in. The New York Times reviewer, in his take today, writes: "I believe in the moral force of art — and in the special power of film to write history in lightning — and also in the ethical responsibilities of artists and audiences.

But my job is not to be your surrogate conscience, to tell you either that seeing this movie will affirm your abolitionist bona fides or that skipping it will affirm your solidarity with victims of sexual violence. Nor is it my job to judge Mr. Parker, except as the author and star of this film."

'Girl on the Train' Gets Rolling

Box office: Will Emily Blunt's thriller be a breakout hit that the fall needs? Pamela McClintock's weekend forecast:

Girl on the Train, which cost DreamWorks under $50M to make, is hoping to mimic the success of Fox's Gone Girl and open in the mid-$20M range.

Expectations are high: Gone Girl debuted to $37M on the same weekend in 2014 on its way to earning nearly $370M worldwide.

And despite this week's PR blitz, Birth of a Nation is predicted to open in the $7M-$8M range in 2,100 theaters, a muted start considering the film was the darling of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, where a fierce bidding war resulted in a record $17.5M sale to Fox Searchlight.

A question mark for all films: Hurricane Matthew, which is bearing down on Florida and other coastal cities in the southeastern United States.

Elsewhere in film...

► Han Solo spinoff's search for female lead. Creed star Tessa Thompson, Divergent actress Zoe Kravitz and Naomi Scott, who appears in the upcoming Power Rangers have tested this week for the project. Also still to be cast? Young Lando Calrissian.

► Ocean's 8 gets summer 2018 release. The spinoff stars Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling and Awkwafina. The Gary Ross-helmed film is scheduled to begin production this month in New York.

► Suicide Squad extended cut to be released after all. Writer-director David Ayer previously suggested that the version that hit theaters is the only cut that would see the light of day. But Warner Bros.' has now released a trailer for the extended cut for fans.

↱ Trailer watch: Jackie, Natalie Portman is a melancholy First Lady in the biopic, which hits theaters Dec. 2. Meanwhile, a new trailer for Allied, Robert Zemeckis' WWII romance-thriller starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard, shows the pair as dueling intelligence officers. ↲

► Hurricane Matthew sparks widespread theater closures. South Florida theaters will be closed Thursday because of the strongest storm to threaten the area in years. Exhibitors and studios aren't yet ready to predict how much the weekend box office will be impacted by Matthew.

► Theater chief takes issue with Netflix's same-day cinema release plan. "Tread lightly," said NATO head John Fithian, in response to news that the upscale theater chain iPic will break from tradition and carry Netflix titles on the same date they debut on the streaming service.

► Gears of War movie in the works. Universal Pictures has optioned the movie rights to Microsoft's successful video game. Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark will produce the adaptation via their Universal-based production company, Bluegrass Films.

Reporter vs. junket censorship. KTLA's Sam Rubin won't accept the level of oversight he saw at Ben Affleck's Accountant press junket. He complained of restrictions on his questions and claimed journalists' interviews with Affleck were edited without their knowledge.

Fox News' Brewing War

Yikes! Things are getting downright awkward at Fox News....

Matt writes: Conservative host Sean Hannity lashed out at fellow anchor Megyn Kelly last night on Twitter, saying she "clearly" supports Hillary Clinton. It was something of a retort. After the first presidential debate last week, Kelly jabbed at Hannity, who has become Donald Trump's favorite (and recently only) TV interviewer. Kelly pondered on the air if Trump would also choose to talk to any "journalists." Hope they don't see each other at the Fox News coffee machine today.

And about Chinatown: Hannity-Kelly wasn't the only Fox News scrape. In an O'Reilly Factor segment in New York's Chinatown that aired Monday but made the rounds online yesterday, Jesse Watters asked residents about karate, bowing and stolen watches.

Many viewers called it racist, prompting a nonapology apology of sorts. "My man-on-the-street interviews are meant to be taken as tongue-in-cheek and I regret if anyone found offense," Watters tweeted Wednesday.

Elsewhere in TV...

↱ Full VP ratings breakdown: Tuesday's debate pulled under 40M viewers, drawing nowhere near the audience of Joe Biden and Sarah Palin — or even Biden and Paul Ryan four years ago. NBC led the night with 7.03M, followed by CBS (6.46M), ABC (6.15M), Fox News (6.08M), CNN (4.17M) and MSNBC (3.13M). ↲

► Netflix hires ex-Universal TV exec. Four months after she was ousted as president at Universal Television, Bela Bajaria is headed for Netflix. The well-liked executive joined as vp content, leading a team focused on TV and film licensing from U.S. studios.

► BBC orders comedy Motherland. The series order for BBC Two comes after strong ratings for a half-hour pilot that starred Anna Maxwell Martin, Diane Morgan and Lucy Punch. It's written by Catastrophe star Sharon Horgan, who is also behind the HBO series Divorce.

► The Mentalist to get Russian remake. The CBS hit series is getting an adaptation for Russia and Ukraine by production company Star Media. The 16-part series will be directed by Alexei Muradov.

► In Treatment creator returns to HBO. An untitled series, which has earned a 10-episode commitment, hails from Hagai Levi and Noah Stollman, with Joseph Cedar on board to direct. The drama will be filmed in Israel with production starting next summer.

↱ Gilmore Girls anniversary: Netflix pulled out all the stops for the 16th anniversary of the show's premiere, with a new featurette and free coffee at Luke's Diner popups around the country. ↲

► USA's Damnation finds new leading man. Irish actor Killian Scott has signed on to star in the drama pilot in the role formerly belonging to Rectify star Aden Young, who abruptly exited the pilot days before production was set to begin on Oct. 3.

► ABC extends relationship with Julianne Hough. The Dancing With the Stars judge has been tapped to guest star in the network's freshman comedy Speechless.

► Empire cast votes Hillary. A new Lee Daniels-directed ad aired last night with the Fox cast voicing their support for Hillary Clinton and distaste for Trump's "nasty rhetoric." Missing: Star Terrence Howard. Watch here.

► Miss Universe 1996 host breaks silence on Trump. Bob Goen was the co-host the year of Alicia Machado's coronation and says Trump's comments about her weight (calling her an "eating machine" and later "Miss Piggy") were "self-serving." Full interview.

In THR, Esq... Fox News' Harris Faulkner settles suit over Hasbro's toy hamster with same name ... Midnight Rider insurer tells a judge it doesn't have to cover criminal acts ... NBCUniversal sues company for infringing on "NBCU" trademark ... Bill Cosby plans to argue his due process rights are being violated.

The Ghost of John Gotti...

All in the same story: A murder in Howard Beach, the ghost of John Gotti and John Travolta in a wig. After an August killing had all of Queens talking, the mob boss is once again a hot topic as a new film shoots, Dana Kennedy reports:

The recent brutal slaying of a 30-year-old white woman, Karina Vetrano, has some in Howard Beach longing for the law and order days of John Gotti, as Travolta looks to bring the mob boss back to life on the big screen.

With provocative photos of Karina all over the front pages of the tabloids, the still-unsolved killing has had a retro, late 1970s-in-New York vibe and ironically occurred just a week after filming began on The Life and Death of John Gotti, a John Travolta movie that largely takes place in Howard Beach.

“It’s been like the Son of Sam summer around here with this murder,” said longtime resident Anthony Russo, 61. “But now it’s turning more into the JonBenet [Ramsey] case because they can’t find the killer. This never would have happened if John Gotti were still alive.”

// 10 years ago, today: On Oct. 6, 2006, Martin Scorsese's star-studded, crowd-pleasing gangster film The Departed hit theaters, eventually grossing more than $280 million worldwide and claiming the best picture Oscar at the 79th Academy Awards. THR's original review: "Thank God we have Martin Scorsese back." //