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Is Trump Libel-Proof?; Billy Bush Lawyers Up; Chris Rock's $40M Netflix Deal; 'Doctor Strange' Tracking

October 14, 2016

What's news: If Donald Trump sues the media, could he actually win? Plus: Chris Rock signs a record-setting Netflix deal, Disney preps a Don Quixote film, Fantastic Beasts goes from three movies to five and Doctor Strange looks to light up the holiday box office. — Matthew Belloni, Erik Hayden and Jennifer Konerman.

Really, Jon Voight? Trump's arguably highest-profile Hollywood backer posted a three-minute video titled "Plea to Save America" last night. The actor's political rant singled out Robert De Niro and doubled down on his Trump endorsement: "May God protect the real truth and may Donald Trump win this presidency. He will save our America, and he will certainly make it great again." Watch here.

Across town: Hillary Clinton held court last night at the L.A. home of Casey and Laura Wasserman. At the event, per Chris Gardner: Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg, Haim and Cheryl Saban, Thomas and Alba Tull, Sean and Alexandra Parker and more. Tickets started at $33,400 and went as high as $100,000. Elton John: "We need a humanitarian in the White House, not a barbarian."

Meanwhile, In Trumpland..

► Trump vs. New York Times and People. Ashley Cullins writes: If the candidate does sue the Times over a story that his campaign called "coordinated character assassination," he'll face an uphill battle because as a public figure he'd have to prove the newspaper acted with actual malice — either knowing that the statements printed within the article were false or acting with reckless disregard for the truth. Is Trump libel proof? I Trump's lawyer's letter I NYT lawyer's letter: See you in court.

Or: Change the law? Eriq Gardner writes: It is now time to meet Trump's gambit with a legal reform that would forever make it more difficult for those in the midst of a hissy fit to punish free speech.

Latest unearthed Trump quotes: "Psychologists will tell you that some women want to be treated with respect," Trump told Nancy Collins in a never-released 1994 transcript from ABC’s Primetime Live. "I tell friends who treat their wives magnificently, get treated like crap in return, 'Be rougher and you’ll see a different relationship.'"

► As for Billy Bush... Matt writes: The Today show host hired prominent litigator Marshall Grossman to help work out his separation from the network — and that lawyer is going on the attack.

Key Quote: "If Billy had been passive or responded 'Shut the f— up' to Trump, Billy would have been out of a job the next day," Grossman, a partner at Orrick in Los Angeles, said. Bush's legal team I How his Today exit may play out.

► It's been a cable news feeding frenzy. Michael O'Connell writes: The past few weeks, anchored by boffo performances during the first two debates, have offered a break from the typical rankings among the big three networks. CNN, for example, enjoyed two full weeks at No. 1 in the key demo of adults 25-54 since Sept. 26.

Who's winning: As accusations of sexual misconduct poured in against Donald Trump on Wednesday night, all three were quite evenly matched in the demo — with Fox News Channel averaging 634,000 to MSNBC's 619,000 and CNN's 522,000.

Chris Rock's $40M Netflix Deal

Chris Rock is making his return to TV as a stand-up comic, and he's being paid a king's ransom for his efforts, Lesley Goldberg reports:

After an eight-year absence, the comedian has signed a massive pact with Netflix for two stand-up specials. Sources say Rock has secured a whopping $40 million for the specials, which sets a new high mark for a stand-up comic (more than Louis C.K., Jerry Seinfeld and Amy Schumer have commanded).

Given Rock's recent Emmy nomination for directing HBO's Schumer special, the deal at Netflix should be considered a big win for the streaming giant, which landed the in-demand comedian's specials following a multiple-network bidding war. The move also is a blow to HBO, where Rock has had a 20-year history with the premium cable network that previously aired his specials.

Elsewhere in TV...

► War of the Worlds series in the works at MTV. With the end of Teen Wolf in sight, the show's creator Jeff Davis is reteaming with writer Andrew Cochran to adapt H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds. The news comes as ABC is poised to debut Time After Time, which follows the adventures of a young H.G. Wells.

► Lifetime picks up doctor-assisted-suicide drama. Mary Kills People is a six-episode drama that will bow on Lifetime in 2017. Created by Tara Armstrong, Caroline Dhavernas stars as a doctor who helps people in need end their lives with dignity.

► NBC orders new musical competition. The Stream is a social media-driven contest based on a Norwegian format, which skirts traditional auditions in favor of hopefuls submitting their own performance videos to a dedicated platform.

↱ Jimmy Kimmel gets Simpsons treatment. The late-night host visited Springfield on his Thursday show, and is planning a live post-debate show on Oct. 19, with online favorite Ken Bone as his debate correspondent. ↲

► Harry Treadaway to replace Anton Yelchin in Mr. Mercedes. Penny Dreadful grad Treadaway will s tar in the AT&T Audience Network drama. Mr. Mercedes, based on Stephen King's 2014 book, which follows a demented killer who taunts a retired police detective.

► Logo's Finding Prince Charming renewed. The dating competition series has performed well for Logo, averaging 3.4 million total viewers. The season finale is Nov. 3 and casting for season two of the dating competition series, hosted by Lance Bass, has already begun.

↱ "Why the Beverly Hills Hotel Boycott Still Matters." A new protest is planned: "Is having your McCarthy Salad really more important than the brutal torture and murder of innocent people in Brunei?" asks columnist James Duke Mason. ↲

The 20 most powerful women in global TV. THR presents the innovators reprogramming the industry by amplifying a world of rich, creative cultures and changing what the world watches (from The Great British Bake Off to the Chinese Voice). Complete list.

Box Office: Tracking 'Doctor Strange'

How will Marvel Studios' latest hero fare at the holiday box office? Pamela McClintock's forecast:

Doctor Strange is projected to open anywhere between $50 million and $75 million in its North American debut, and most box-office observers and tracking services expect it beat the $57 million bow of fellow Marvel Studios movie Ant-Man, which likewise featured a lesser-known superhero.

The film's tracking came Thursday, three weeks before it rolls out in theaters and ahead of Disney's final major marketing push. Still, if the title opens below $55 million, it would mark the lowest start for any film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (One of the major tracking services shows Doctor Strange debuting to $64 million or better, according to those with access to the data.)

This weekend: Ben Affleck's The Accountant has "lots of potential, mostly wasted" and may open in the $15M-$20M range. Stand-up special Kevin Hart: What Now? is "plenty funny" and may open to $13M-$15M.

Elsewhere in film...

► Don Quixote movie in the works at Disney. The studio is developing an adaptation of the classic Spanish novel, with Gordon Gray and Billy Ray producing. Sources say the plan is to adapt the work in a tone similar to the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

► The Wolf Man taps Expendables writer. Dave Callaham will rewrite the script for the studio's launch of the monsters universe to hit theaters on Jun 9, 2017. Dracula, Frankenstein, the Invisible Man and Bride of Frankenstein will also be included in the new universe.

► Fantastic Beasts expanding to 5 films. J.K. Rowling revealed yesterday that she has finished the plot for five films in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, expanding it from the trilogy it was originally planned as. She also shared footage from the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, hitting theaters Nov. 18.

↱ New York Film Fest gems. Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea will deservedly soak up the spotlight, but lower-profile titles including I Am Not Your Negro and The Ornithologist also are standouts from THR critics. Complete list. ↲

► Disney's live-action Lion King finds its writer. Jeff Nathanson is in early talks to pen the live-action take, which the studio has fast-tracked. Nathanson wrote Disney’s upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, set to be released in May.

► Computer science pioneer biopic in the works. Monumental Pictures is set to make a big-screen feature about Victorian mathematician and computer science icon Ada Lovelace, the daughter of notorious poet Lord Byron.

Hollywood Problems: What do I say when I run into someone who just got fired? A manners expert advises not trying to avoid the elephant in the room: "You never want to shun. Bad news travels quickly in this town, and you can't hide the obvious." Full column.

Today in 1994: 'Pulp Fiction' Hits Theaters

Yep, it's been that long: On October 14, 1994, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, the frenetic follow-up to his debut feature Reservoir Dogs, hit theaters. An excerpt from The Hollywood Reporter's original review:

"Some of Tarantino’s lines are so pure, you could mix ‘em with 80 percent talcum powder and still make a big haul by selling in an alley somewhere. Visually, Tarantino’s got the thing covered too. The thing comes at you in even crazier ways than you’d expect from a room full of head cases.

When you get to the fine slice on Pulp, what you’ve got is a lot of lethal lines all smartly wired together and detonated by a combustive slew of sounds. It’s a smart, low amusement, but on the Q.T. (and don’t go making too much of the initials here), someone’s got to be laughing all the way to the bank for pawning off his old wares."