What's news: Spotify inks deals with Warner Bros. and Kim Kardashian-West, an Emmys expansion, theater owners hope July reopenings stay on course, extras in jeopardy, ABC's "cascading" fall schedule, Amazon picks up Stacey Abrams voting rights doc, Bold and the Beautiful production on pause to ramp up virus testing. Plus: The THR Comedy Actress Roundtable, and THR's film critics pick the best movies of the year so far. --Alex Weprin

 Spotify Continues Dealmaking

►DC superheroes, Warner Bros. IP coming to Spotify via expansive podcast deal. The multiyear, multi-project pact will turn DC superheroes and supervillains into the subjects of a slate of scripted audio shows that will stream exclusively on Spotify. The companies aren’t disclosing whether Batman, Wonder Woman or other premier names will be the focus of the new projects, but indicated that the shows will feature iconic DC characters.

--In addition to DC projects, Warner Bros. will look to turn other characters and franchises from its vast library of IP into Spotify podcasts. The deal also leaves room for the companies to produce new stories together not based on existing IP. The story.

+It's the second major podcast deal in 24 hours for the company. The Wall Street Journal reports that the company also inked a deal with Kim Kardashian-West to produce and host a criminal justice podcast. The company also announced an exclusive deal earlier this month to bring Joe Rogan's podcast to its platform.

 In recognition of the fact that Emmy submissions are up 15% over last season, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has decided to tie the number of nominees to the number of submissions per category. And, using the new math, we can now expect eight, rather than seven, nominees for the two most prominent categories, best drama series and best comedy series, Scott Feinberg writes. The story.

+Santa Barbara Film Fest, major Oscar season campaign stop, pushed back two months. "Like so many other prestigious ceremonies and events, we've had to adjust our plans in this extremely unprecedented era," SBIFF executive director Roger Durling said in a statement. "There has never been a more critical time to celebrate cinema and its ability to get us through extremely challenging circumstances, whether on a personal level or on a global scale, by keeping us entertained, informed and inspired." More.

+Film Academy's gold internship program goes virtual. For 74 young people, 19 of whom will be interning with the Academy itself, the eight-week summer program kicked off on Wednesday. More.

 The Comedy Actress Roundtable

►"We are hilarious and filthy and complicated and interesting": Tiffany Haddish, Elle Fanning and the THR Comedy Actress Roundtable. Jane Levy, Jameela Jamil, Robin Thede and Amy Sedaris also get (very) candid about the shocking roles they’ve passed on ("I don’t want to just be someone’s f*** toy") the perks of playing ugly ("The uglier the better") and, in this moment, the stories that they’re eager to tell.

--Jameela Jamil: "I think the industry as a whole is going to change, not just the way that we make films, especially in the next couple of years, but also the stories that people want to hear. And because the world has come to a standstill, we're hearing more human stories than we have ever heard before. I'm hoping that for women, the material continues to evolve, because that still needs to be done. A lot of men still write more interesting, informative and nuanced roles for extraterrestrials than they do for women."

--Tiffany Haddish: "You know what's been coming my way a lot lately? The mama who's been through something, whose kid ends up being hurt in some way and fighting for justice. And the baby's sick or I'm trying to get out of jail. Like, no, I'm not doing that. I know people who live that, I'm not doing it. Unless it's super, super good. The writing has to be impeccable. A lot of times it's telling these stories that could be powerful, but the writing [turns out to be] garbage."

--Robin Thede: "The interesting thing for me is that I don't think Hollywood does see me, to be honest. I don't get sent scripts. I don't get random calls. I don't audition. I create shows and I act in them. For me, that has been the way it's been for the many, many years I've been in this business. I was never that girl." The roundtable.

►ABC sets "cascading" fall schedule that leans heavy on unscripted. Entertainment president Karey Burke also talks with THR's Lesley Goldberg about the network's contingency plans should the NBA or production be unable to resume amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. "This will be our schedule whenever we're able to get back in production and get on the air. It's our sliding schedule. That said, I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll be able to return these shows if not in mid-September, late-September or early October." The details.

In other TV news...

►Oscar-winning Hair Love filmmaker inks first-look deal with Warner Bros. TV. Matthew A. Cherry has signed a multiple-year first-look deal with Warner Bros. Television, for whom he will create, develop and produce new material for multiple platforms. This marks Cherry's first TV deal. The first-look pact marks an extension of sorts for Cherry with the indie studio for whom he directed episodes of CBS' The Red Line and ABC's Whiskey Cavalier. Cherry will produce all future projects via his Cherry Lane Productions banner. The story.

+Bold and the Beautiful pauses filming to ramp up coronavirus testing. The CBS soap returned to filming Wednesday but will take a break to handle a large volume of testing for its cast and crew. More.

+James McBride adapting Deacon King Kong for TV. The news comes a day after the novel, published in March, was made an official selection to Oprah's Book Club. McBride will pen the script for the potential TV series and exec produce alongside Brian Taylor and Sister's Carolyn Strauss and Kate Fenske, with Jonah Disend of Complementary Colors set to produce. A network is not yet attached. More.

+Michael Keaton to star in opioid crisis drama Dopesick at Hulu. The eight-episode limited series is based on the Beth Macy book and hails from showrunner Danny Strong and director Barry Levinson. Empire co-creator Danny Strong is on board to pen the scripts and serve as showrunner, with Barry Levinson (Rain Man) set to direct. More.

+Bette Midler to star in remotely shot HBO special from Jay Roach. The special, Coastal Elites, will star Bette Midler, Kaitlyn Dever, Issa Rae, Dan Levy and Sarah Paulson. Produced entirely under quarantine, it will feature characters from New York and Los Angeles who are coping with politics and the coronavirus pandemic and tell stories of breaking down and breaking through in the summer of 2020. It's set to premiere in September. More.

+Life and Times of Tim, Adult Swim vets set animated series at HBO Max. Steve Dildiarian and Nick Weidenfeld will collaborate on 10-Year-Old Tom, about a boy who's constantly let down by the adults in his life. More.

+Sherman's Showcase renewed, will air on AMC and IFC. AMC Networks has renewed the comedy from Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle for a second season. The six new episodes are set to debut in 2021. More.



^Movie theater chains hopeful that July release calendar will hold. "Given that this situation is changing on an almost daily basis, it is difficult if not impossible to make any definitive pronouncements about the release dates for movies," says Paul Dergarabedian of Comscore. "Studios are faced with an ever-changing set of circumstances with many moving parts including health concerns, the competitive landscape, their support of movie theaters and ultimately what is the best course of action to ensure success for their highest profile titles." The story.

►Village Roadshow CEO teases future of Matrix franchise, Joker sequel. Steve Mosko also discusses the upside of working from home and how the coronavirus pandemic will change the movie business forever in a Creative Space interview.

Quote: "My hope would be that this [the Matrix films] continues for a long, long time. Four and beyond would be very exciting. Village Roadshow has the ability to opt in to any future Matrix movies, period." The interview.

In other film news...

►Stacey Abrams voting rights doc lands at Amazon. The untitled doc prominently features insights from the politician, lawyer and author. Oscar nominees Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortés, whose collective credits include What Happened Miss Simone? and The Apollo, direct. Currently in post-production, the feature is slated for a theatrical and streaming release this year. More.

+Kristen Stewart to play Princess Diana in Pablo Larrain's Spencer. The project from CAA Finance and FilmNation Entertainment is written by Steven Knight. Spencer will portray the late Princess deciding over the course of her Christmas holidays with the Royal Family at Sandringham estate to leave her marriage to Prince Charles. More.

+Pete Davidson, Colin Jost to star in wedding comedy Worst Man. The project, written by Jost, Matthew Bass and Theodore Bressman, will be produced by SNL creator Lorne Michaels. More.

+Meet The Miracle Club. Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Laura Linney are teaming up for Irish drama The Miracle Club from director Thaddeus O’Sullivan. The film will follow the journey of a group of working class Dubliners on a pilgrimage to France. More.

+Constance Wu, Sam Heughan join Mr. Malcolm's List rom-com. The film is based on a short film set in early 19th century England that formed a prequel to the feature now in the works and already set to star Freida Pinto, Sope Dirisu and Oliver Jackson-Cohen. More.

 YouTube alleged to racially profile via artificial intelligence, algorithms. A group of African American content creators has launched a putative class action against YouTube and its Alphabet parent company for allegedly violating various laws intended to prevent racial discrimination. The lawsuit represents the latest courtroom attack on the increasingly controversial immunities afforded digital services under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The story.

+Section 230 is also under attack from Congress and the DOJ. The DOJ is recommending that legislators make changes to the law addressing algorithms, "good faith" enforcement of terms of service, and other issues.

+Fox News argues viewers don't assume Tucker Carlson reports facts. "What we’re talking about here, it’s not the front page of the New York Times. It’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, which is a commentary show,” a lawyer for Fox News argued while defending a lawsuit from Karen McDougal. McDougal claims Carlson defamed her and accused her of a crime in a segment that also discussed Stormy Daniels. More.

 The End of the Extra?

►Extras fear extinction amid COVID-19 safety guidelines: "Nobody wants what I'm selling." As film and TV shows aim to restart production with set protocols, background actors and casting agencies may see a sharp decline in job opportunities, Seth Abramovitch reports: "It's physically impossible."

Quote: "How do you do that in a [transportation] van — bring one passenger per trip?" background coordinator Lisa Marie Boiko asks. "I work with groups of 50 background actors or more. The holding areas we use are not very big. Renting out a hangar to spread them out will cost a lot more money." The story.

►Four TV and documentary projects in the works on 1921 Tulsa race massacre. LeBron James, Dream Hampton, Russell Westbrook and a slew of production companies are aiming to mark the centennial of the landmark event next year, Borys Kit reports. The story.

►That '70s Show star Danny Masterson charged with raping three women. Masterson is accused of raping a 23-year-old woman between January and December 2001. The actor is alleged to have raped a 28-year-old woman in April 2003. And, sometime between October and December of 2003, according to authorities, the actor is accused of raping a 23-year-old woman who he had invited to his Hollywood Hills home. The story.

►Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo director on Boogaloo extremists: "A surrealistic situation." The pro-Civil War group behind two killings takes its name from the cult '80s breakdancing film. More.

►IAB sets virtual NewFronts schedule. The annual pitchfest, in which digital brands present their businesses to advertisers, will run for five days in late June, giving companies like Hulu, Snap, YouTube, Facebook and TikTok the opportunity to host digital-first showcases — albeit significantly shorter ones —amid the global coronavirus pandemic. The schedule.



^THR film critics pick the 10 best movies of 2020 so far. New gems from Spike Lee and Kelly Reichardt, a stunning drama about an unplanned pregnancy, a winning Judd Apatow/Pete Davidson collaboration and docs grappling with art, sexual assault and the disability rights movement are among faves from the first half of the year. The list.

►John Ridley contrasts 1992 L.A. uprising to today: "There are coalitions building." The Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave writer and director of 2017 doc Let It Fall — about the civil unrest after the Rodney King trial — explains why today’s protests are different than those 28  years ago in a guest column for THR. The column.

+Producer Effie Brown: "People didn't want to work with me" after calling out Matt Damon on Project Greenlight diversity issues. The Gamechanger Films CEO reflects on the backlash she received following a controversial conversation she had on the HBO reality competition in 2015: "I spoke up and got summarily smacked back down." The column.

+No more excuses: 5 ways showrunners can increase Black representation now. In a guest column, S.W.A.T. writer A.C. Allen outlines how to create a more diverse writers room, including establishing HBCU internships. More.

►Revolving door: CBS News D.C. bureau chief Chris Isham will step down from that role to become executive producer of the network's 2020 election coverage, after which he will depart the network. meanwhile, Lorna Jones will be promoted from her role as managing editor to deputy bureau chief for the Washington bureau... KC Sullivan will lead NBCUniversal and Sky's global advertising & partnerships team as president & managing director... Brittany Myers Adams has joined Artists First as a brand manager... Michael Pack, the new chief of U.S.-funded international broadcasting on Wednesday fired the heads of at least two outlets he oversees and replaced their boards with allies...

►Film review: John DeFore reviews You Should Have Left, writing that "the result would be a perfectly fine popcorn-flick on a normal Friday night at a multiplex playing only one or two other thrillers, if that. But offer it as a twenty-dollar on-demand experience, as Universal is doing, and the sofa-bound viewer is forced to point out how very many scarier films are available, for free, just a click of the remote away." The review.

►Broadcast TV ratings: America's Got Talent and World of Dance once again carried NBC to the top of Tuesday's ratings, as the network led all three hours of primetime among total viewers, adults 18-49 and other key demographics. ABC also got decent returns from a re-airing of John Ridley's documentary Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992, drawing a slightly larger audience than for its premiere in 2017. The numbers.

In other news...

--MGM has preemptively picked up Lost Sun, a spec script from newcomer Peter Barnes. Jonathan Glickman, the former film president of MGM, will produce the high-concept thriller along with Sukee Chew of Hopscotch Pictures. 

--Chris D'Elia on Wednesday denied multiple claims of sexual misconduct which were posted by alleged victims on social media. The 40-year-old comic and actor has been accused of sexually harassing underaged girls.

--Some of London's biggest West End shows, including Hamilton and The Phantom of the Opera, won't reopen until next year, producers announced Wednesday, as arts bodies warned that Britain faces a "cultural catastrophe" because of the coronavirus pandemic.

--In the latest deal in the burgeoning podcasting business, audio entertainment giant SiriusXM has acquired Simplecast, a platform that enables podcasters to publish, manage and measure their content.

--Hong Kong's Filmart, Asia's largest film and television content market, is going virtual.

--Justin Simien on Dear White People boost amid current events: "It's complicated."

--The Pokémon Co. revealed during a video presentation Wednesday that Bandai Namco is developing New Pokémon Snap, which will debut on the Nintendo Switch gaming system.

--Video game marketing and consulting firm Mobile Game Partners and video game agency Digital Development Management unveiled Wednesday the formation of ChargeUp Games, a new mobile publisher.

What else we're reading...

--"Going broke in Hollywood: TV’s overworked assistants reel from pandemic pay cuts" [Vanity Fair]

--"TikTok’s U.S. revenues expected to hit $500 million this year" [The Information]

--"How to cover the protests? For L.A.'s top Black radio hosts, you make noise, and listen" [LA Times]

--"Rob Lowe's surprising friendship with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas" [CNN]

Todays birthdays: Paul McCartney, 78, Isabella Rossellini, 68, Trippie Redd, 21, Takeoff, 26, Blake Shelton, 44.