What's news: The coronavirus is impacting the upfronts, Peter Rabbit 2 pushed back, Coachella in postponement talks, Scott Rudin slashes Broadway ticket prices, what was behind Disney's sudden succession move? 2K Sports secures NFL video game rights, 30 Rock team plots a new Netflix comedy. Plus: Quibi's pre-launch lawsuit, and the Real Housewives star taking a sledgehammer to Harvey Weinstein's New York office. --Alex Weprin

 Coronavirus Comes For The Upfronts

►A+E Networks shifts from live to virtual upfronts as coronavirus precaution. A+E Networks had scheduled its upfront for March 25 at New York's Lincoln Center. "The health, safety and well-being of our clients, colleagues and our industry is our top priority. A+E Networks is leaning in to our culture of flexibility — one of the business mandates to operate in today’s world, and certainly a necessity underscored in our current environment." The story.

+Also: AMC Networks, which had its upfront scheduled to take place at The Shed in New York next week, canceled the event. THR is launching a running tally of upfront events, noting which ones have been canceled or postponed and which are still on. The list.

►Will older moviegoers avoid theaters after CDC advisory on crowds? "I’m not sure the theatrical business has been hit much yet. However, if the contagion factor ramps up in weeks to come, no doubt any event that caters to large groups of people in close proximity will take a hit," says Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations. "That’s why it’s no surprise to see many distributors acting in a proactive manner and moving their films towards what will hopefully be less turbulent times." The story.

+Maybe they'll go to Broadway shows instead: In the first concrete sign that Broadway is preparing to take a major financial beating, remaining seats to all of producer Scott Rudin's shows will sell at the flat rate of $50 from Thursday through the end of March. That includes long-running smash The Book of Mormon, blockbuster drama To Kill a Mockingbird and the recently opened revival of West Side Story, which has been pulling capacity crowds. The story.

Other cancelations and precautions spurred on by the growing outbreak...

+Peter Rabbit 2 delayed: Sony has decided to push the release of its Peter Rabbit sequel back by five months, making the film the second major studio release to be impacted by the epidemic after No Time to Die. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, the follow-up to 2018's hugely successful live-action/CGI hybrid Peter Rabbit with James Corden again voicing the famed bunny, was due to launch in the U.K. and other European territories on March 27, rolling out internationally the following week, hitting the U.S. on April 3. The story.

+Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune to film without live audience. Sources familiar with the series confirm that for the time being, both shows will go without a live studio audience as they continue to monitor the situation. Reps for Sony, which produces both, declined to comment. Sources say that Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy are both scheduled to tape to mid-April. The decision to forgo the live studio audience was done as a precaution amid concerns over Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, given that he is battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer and is undergoing treatment and chemotherapy. More.

+SAG-AFTRA cancels most in-person meetings. The move, which also curtails non-essential travel, was disclosed in an email to members that follows a Friday email advising actors to report concerns to on-set medics or the union’s safety hotline. More.

+Quibi cancels April launch event. The event, which was set to take place April 5 at 3Labs in Culver City, would have served as a coming out party for Meg Whitman and Jeffrey Katzenberg's mobile video startup, which is slated to launch April 6. More.

+Coachella postponement imminent: Officials with promoter Goldenvoice are working on a plan to try and move the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, California, to the weekends of Oct. 9 and Oct. 16 in an attempt to save the event from cancellation amid concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. The AEG-owned concert promoter is also working to move the Stagecoach country music festival to October as well, possibly to Oct. 23. More.

+Pearl Jam tour postponed: Pearl Jam was scheduled to kick off its North American tour on March 18, but the four-month long run has been postponed amid coronavirus fears. More.

+In a rare joint statement, MLB, the NBA, the NHL and MLS said: "All team locker rooms and clubhouses will be open only to players and essential employees of teams and team facilities until further notice. Media access will be maintained in designated locations outside of the locker room."

+On a positive note: The stock market rebounded in early trading, rising 600 points and providing a needed boost to media and entertainment firms that suffered during the massive sell-off that took place Monday.

►NBCUniversal quietly sold $500 million stake in Snapchat. Despite the previously unreported sale late last year, NBCU says it's committed to the Snap relationship, and is producing more programming than ever for the platform. The sale is just one of many nine and 10 figure sales entertainment giants are making to increase liquidity and invest in streaming platforms. The story.



^30 Rock bosses reteam for Netflix animated comedy series. Tina Fey and Robert Carlock have landed a 20-episode, straight-to-series order from the streamer for animated comedy Mulligan. The comedy explores what happens after an alien attack destroys the Earth and how what remains of humanity has the chance to start society over from scratch. The story.

+Also at Netflix: The streaming giant has handed out a third — and final — season renewal to its Lost in Space revival and signed showrunner Zack Estrin to a multiple-year overall deal. The story.

+And: Netflix has teamed with Star Wars alumnus John Boyega as it eyes Africa as its next major source of content. The streamer, which debuted its first African original Queen Sono last month, has signed a development deal with Boyega’s U.K.-based UpperRoom Productions, with a specific focus on non-English language films from West and East Africa. More.

Elsewhere in TV...

--The Property Brothers book Brad Pitt and other A-listers for a new HGTV series Celebrity IOU.

--Pete Buttigieg is set to guest host Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday.

--ABC has made a late addition to its roster of comedy pilots, ordering a multi-camera project from Friends veteran Shana Goldberg-Meehan.

--The Bachelor ends on a cliffhanger heading into live finale.

--Better Call Saul veteran on his journey from Breaking Bad PA to "Namaste" director.

--For the second time in three weeks, ABC's The Rookie scored its biggest same-day audience of the season. American Idol also improved in total viewers, and the network scored a victory in primetime among adults 18-49.

 Bob Iger's Long Handoff

►Why did Bob Iger’s Disney announcement feel so rushed? As the company elevates Bob Chapek to the top job amid coronavirus fears and economic turmoil, his predecessor will still hold the creative reins "like a CEO but without the stress," Kim Masters reports.

Quote: "We have to imagine that every employee was worried about what impact the closure of U.S. parks would have on the company's stock price and finances — not to mention what happens if movie theaters in the U.S. and globally have to shut down," Wall Street analyst Rich Greenfield says. So, he wonders, "Did that play into Iger's thinking in terms of timing? Was that an accelerant to his departure?" The story.

+Bob Iger's next priority? streamline Disney+ development. In his new role "getting everything right creatively," the former CEO is likely to tackle the streaming service, which, despite its booming subscriber numbers, is suffering from a dearth of original series, brand identity issues and stars pleading to move their shows to Hulu, Natalie Jarvey writes. The story.

Elsewhere in film...

--Here are the first reactions from Disney's Mulan premiere, which was held last night.

--Vertical Entertainment has nabbed the U.S. and UK distribution rights to Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Chelsea Peretti's Spinster comedy from director Andrea Dorfman and Sea Green Pictures.

--Fork Films— the New York-based production company founded by Abigail Disney— has announced the doc film recipients of over $400,000 in grant funding.

--Leslie Felperin reviews Misbehaviour.

--John Krasinski on why he decided to make A Quiet Place Part II.

 Quibi's Pre-Launch Lawsuit

 Quibi is asking a California judge to end "a campaign of threats and harassment" ahead of its April 6 launch. Interactive media company Eko has accused Quibi of patent infringement and stealing trade secrets, according to a complaint filed Monday in California federal court. The dispute centers on the fledgling streamer's "Turnstyle" — a feature that detects the orientation of a user's smartphone to determine whether they see a video in landscape or portrait mode. The story.

+With prosecutors seeking a severe punishment for Harvey Weinstein in his landmark #MeToo case, his lawyers argued on Monday that he deserves mercy for his already "historic fall from grace" and serious health issues. In a letter filed in advance of Weinstein’s sentencing on Wednesday for his New York City rape conviction, his defense team asked Judge James Burke to give him to only five years behind bars — a far cry from the potential 29-year maximum term allowed by law. More.

+Led Zeppelin wins "Stairway to Heaven" copyright fight upon appellate replay. The Ninth Circuit reverses a prior opinion that a new trial is required to determine whether Led Zeppelin's most popular hit infringed Spirit's "Taurus." The story.

►Real Housewives star takes sledgehammer to Harvey Weinstein's New York offices. "Demolition is crucial for starting over," says Barbara Kavovit, whose Evergreen construction firm was awarded the contract to demolish, renovate and occupy the former Weinstein Co. headquarters in Tribeca: "I've had a lot of Harveys in my life." The story.

►Gaming shocker: The NFL has entered into a new multi-year partnership with video game publisher 2K Games which will encompass multiple upcoming titles. The partnership returns NFL games to 2K, which is behind the NBA 2K and WWE 2K franchises, for the first time in over 15 years. 2K previously published the NFL 2K series from 1999-2004. The NFL has had a deal with Electronic Arts' EA Sports publishing label, which releases the iconic Madden gaming franchise, dating back to 2004. The story.

+Call of Duty launches its Fortnite competitor. Activision unveiled the long-rumored Battle Royale multiplayer mode for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on Monday morning. Titled Warzone, the new free-to-play mode pits 150 players against one another in groups of three on a shrinking map, akin to similar Battle Royale offerings such as Fortnite and Apex Legends. The story.

+In other gaming news: Video game consultancy and talent agency Digital Development Management has acquired Digi-Capital, a video game analytics company that provides investment data for the industry... Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has joined GameStop's board of directors...

Casting roundup: ABC's vampire drama The Brides has found its Dracula. Former ER and Timeless star Goran Višnjić will play the iconic character in the pilot... NBC's untitled Dan Goor/Phil Augusta Jackson comedy pilot is rounding out its cast. Nicole Byer and Aaron Jennings have joined the ensemble comedy about a group of black friends...

Revolving door: Former Dexter showrunner Clyde Phillips has signed an overall deal with Showtime as well as CBS Television Studios... Unscripted producer and executive Jonathan Hausfater has signed an overall deal with Boardwalk Pictures, the company behind Netflix's breakout docuseries Cheer... UTA has signed multi-platinum recording artist Offset for worldwide in all areas... CAA has signed Bee Gees frontman and co-founder Sir Barry Gibb... ICM motion picture agent Andrew Murphy has joined Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment as a manager...

Obituaries: Earl Pomerantz, a two-time Emmy winner who wrote and produced for such comedies as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Cosby Show, Taxi and The Larry Sanders Show, has died. He was 75... Mart Crowley, the writer of The Boys in the Band, the pioneering 1968 play about a group of openly gay and bisexual friends in New York City, has died. He was 84...

What else we're reading...

--"Inside Quibi's advertising strategy" [Axios]

--A.O. Scott will become critic-at-large for the NY Times, stepping back from his movie critic duties. [NY Times]

--"With Onward, Disney continues its token LGBTQ representation. We’re ready for more" [LA Times]

--"For me, rewatching Contagion was fun, until it wasn't" [NY Times]

--"ESPN’s Manfred interview highlights network’s content strategy for platforms" [Front Office Sports]

From the archives...

On March 10, 1995, Warner Bros. unveiled Wolfgang Petersen's Outbreak in theaters nationwide. The drama, in which Dustin Hoffman stars as an Army doctor who must thwart a deadly virus that has infested a small California town before the virulent organism destroys the entire country, would go on to gross $189 million globally by the end of its theatrical run. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Chuck Norris, 80, Sepp Blatter, 84, Sharon Stone, 62, Jon Hamm, 49, Robin Thicke, 43.