What's news: 2020 may be first summer in the post-Jaws era without any blockbusters, could Broadway be the Next Big Thing in film? Reality TV reckons with race, movie theater owners sue New Jersey over pandemic rules, CBS axes a top showrunner over a toxic work environment, Hair Love becoming an HBO Max series. Plus: Jude Law will play Captain Hook, and Tiffany Haddish's next film project. --Alex Weprin

 A Summer Without Blockbusters?

On the cover: Can the summer box office be saved? Hollywood hinges its hopes on 'Tenet' and 'Mulan.' The supervillain Hollywood never saw coming, the virus has already disrupted the summer movie season, forcing studios to push (and re-push) their lucrative tentpoles while leaving anxious theater owners hopeful for a third-act hero, Rebecca Keegan and Tatiana Siegel report.

--A summer without blockbusters? "If studios are forced to push release dates again, the summer of 2020 would be the first since 1975, when Steven Spielberg's Jaws introduced the concept of the summer megahit, that moviegoing's high season unfolds without a blockbuster. That will bring severe financial consequences: Last year, the season, which runs from the first of May through Labor Day, counted for $4.35 billion, or 38 percent, of the full year's $11.4 billion in ticket sales."

--Going old-school: "Even if the world were normal, it's not a movie that you would release on 3,000 screens," says Tom Rothman, chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Motion Picture Group. "The play on Broken Hearts Gallery is not about a weekend. It's about several months. If there are theaters open, and the safety protocols are in place in Ohio and not in Los Angeles, that's OK. We'll play Ohio and then we'll play L.A. when it opens. That's how movies were released in the pre-Jaws era. They rolled out. If you're the only film in the market, that can be OK, if you're able to be patient."

--The push towards VOD: "We've had a total of nine movies released during this time on PVOD and it's proven to be a very good way for us to get the movies out there," Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman Donna Langley says. "We've made a good amount of incremental revenue. And we got the movies out into the distribution ecosystem, where they can continue to be monetized through home entertainment and eventually our pay windows... None of it is ideal by any stretch, but you just have to be able to get through the fog of war and see to the other side." The cover story.

►Thanks to Hamilton, live capture could be Broadway's next act. The debut of the film version of the musical on Disney+ shines a spotlight on a subgenre poised to explode while the Great White Way is shuttered, Tatiana Siegel reports.

--"For each one of these, you have to approach them differently and with the same care and detail the creators do," says RadicalMedia entertainment president Dave Sirulnick. "You have to respect that level of care that has gone into what is happening on a stage, night after night after night — to merge the world of theater and presentation on a stage in front of hundreds of people in a theater." The story.

 Reality TV's Reckoning Over Race

►Reality TV grapples with racial reckoning amid firings. Producers are being pushed to vet talent and to confront the history of tokenism in the genre, Michael O'Connell reports: "Networks have treated casting diverse groups of people like fulfilling a quota."

Quote: "I can't tell you how many times someone has asked me for the next Kardashians," says producer Jeff Jenkins. "I have brought those families to buyers, families of A-list Black entertainers, and they haven't committed. I wonder if it's because that buyer in the room isn't Black." The story.

►Writers Guild's TV/theatrical deal caps unusual bargaining cycle. Wage, benefit and residuals improvements followed the pattern set by the Directors Guild and mirrored those of SAG-AFTRA, Jonathan Handel reports. Here are the details of the new deal.

 Movie theater giants sue New Jersey over "unconstitutional" COVID-19 closures. AMC, Cinemark and Regal say that if churches are reopening, so must movie houses.

--"COVID-19 represents a serious public health risk, and Plaintiffs support fair and reasonable actions by the government to address that risk. However, the government-mandated total closure of movie theatres is neither fair nor reasonable, and is instead a violation of Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of expression, Equal Protection of the laws, Due Process under the law, and is a Taking of property without just compensation." The story.

+In other movie theater news: Canada's Cineplex has launched a CAN $275 million (US $202 million) debt-securities issue to shore up its balance sheet after its $2.1 billion takeover by Regal owner Cineworld Group was called off. More.

+Column: Dear Johnny Depp, fire your lawyers. On Tuesday, the star actor appeared in a London courtroom to take on the U.K. publisher of The Sun for characterizing him as a "wife beater" in the print edition of an April 27, 2018, online article. Unfortunately for Depp, it seems to be a defamation trial that's a no-win situation, Eriq Gardner writes. The column.

►Michael Bay on his new pandemic movie: "We'll literally be the first film to shoot in L.A." The thriller Songbird — set two years in the future, when a virus vaccine remains elusive — is poised to be the first movie to shoot in L.A. since the global pandemic brought production to a halt. The film, which was slapped with a "Do Not Work" notice by SAG-AFTRA on July 2 that was immediately rescinded, has been capturing footage in the weeks before shooting began July 6 with the cast, which includes Demi Moore, Craig Robinson and Peter Stormare.

--"We worked out the safety issues months ago, and we resolved [the latest issue with the unions] over the weekend," says Bay, who is producing alongside Adam Goodman. "I don't even think it was a safety issue. It was a money thing," he says, referring to actor compensation. "But we are literally going to be the first film shooting in L.A. And we have a kind of special sauce with how we're doing it where there's zero contact." The story.

+Netflix's Adam Sandler movie Hubie Halloween plans film shoot in L.A. The upcoming film, directed by Steven Brill, is planning a day of pick-up shots in the city on July 11 amid a surge of COVID cases. According to a source, the scenes center on Julie Bowen, who stars in the comedy film along with Sandler, Kevin James, Maya Rudolph, Ray Liotta, Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider, Michael Chiklis and Kenan Thompson. More.

 CBS Axes 'MacGyver' Showrunner

►MacGyver, Magnum P.I. boss Peter Lenkov fired at CBS. The network has parted ways with one of its top showrunners following an investigation into what sources say were multiple claims that he created a toxic work environment. Monica Macer will be the showrunner on MacGyver and Eric Guggenheim will run Magnum P.I. Both are currently executive producers on their respective series.

--"Now is the time to listen and I am listening. It’s difficult to hear that the working environment I ran was not the working environment my colleagues deserved, and for that, I am deeply sorry," Lenkov said in a statement. "I accept responsibility for what I am hearing and am committed to doing the work that is required to do better and be better." The story.

+Top NBCUniversal exec outlines plans to "prevent discrimination and harassment." NBCUniversal TV and Streaming chairman Mark Lazarus is bolstering the company's efforts to create a safe workplace environment. In a companywide memo he sent Tuesday, the executive — who oversees NBC Entertainment, streamer Peacock and multiple cable networks including USA and Syfy — detailed expanded protections for employees both on programming that's produced in-house and from third-party suppliers. Read the memo.

+Also at NBCU: News chairman Cesar Conde sent a memo to staff outlining a goal to have a staff that was 50% diverse. “We want to increase diversity and inclusion both in front of and behind the camera, and earn the trust of every community in America that relies on us for exceptional journalism,” Conde said.

In other TV news...

►Matthew Cherry’s Hair Love becoming HBO Max animated series Young Love. Based on the Oscar-winning short, Cherry will showrun the series with Carl Jones. It will be executive produced by Blue Key Entertainment's Monica A. Young along with Lion Forge Animation's David Steward II and Carl Reed. The story.

+Elisabeth Moss lines up next TV role as real-life killer Candy Montgomery. The Emmy winner has been tapped to star in limited series Candy, based on the true story of killer Candy Montgomery and her victim, Betty Gore. A network is not yet attached. The series is being developed by Universal Content Productions, with the studio planning to shop the drama to premium cable networks and streaming services. The story.

+Matthew Weiner dramedy in the works at FX. Details are being kept quiet, but the potential show will contain mystery elements. Weiner will write, direct and executive produce the project, which is set up at the Disney-owned cable network's in-house FX Productions. More.

+FX, The New York Times to produce Breonna Taylor doc as part of new series. FX's docuseries The Weekly, produced by The New York Times, is going away — but the partnership between the two companies will continue. The Disney-owned cable network and the newspaper are teaming up for a new series called The New York Times Presents, which is set to premiere July 10. FX has ordered 10 episodes of the show, which will air monthly and premiere simultaneously on FX and Hulu on Friday nights. More.

+James Corden, Ben Winston ink Nickelodeon multi-platform deal. The duo's Fulwell 73 will produce an animated series and feature film based on the children's book Real Pigeons Fight Crime. More.

In movie news...



^Tiffany Haddish, Amblin team for comedy Homecoming Queen. Raamla Mohamed, a writer on Scandal and a co-executive producer on Little Fires Everywhere, will pen the script.Haddish is attached to star and will produce. The project is inspired by the true story of when Haddish traveled to Africa thinking she was royalty, only to find out that that designation means something completely different there. More.

+Jude Law to play Captain Hook in Disney's live-action Peter Pan & Wendy. David Lowery, who directed Pete’s Dragon for the studio, is on board to helm Peter Pan & Wendy and co-wrote the script with Toby Halbrooks. More.

+Academy Award winner Paulo Sorrentino is set to return to his home city of Naples for the upcoming Netflix feature The Hand of God. The film — for which little information is available — is being produced by Lorenzo Mieli for The Apartment Pictures, a Fremantle company, and Sorrentino, who will write and direct. More.

►Which struggling Hollywood stocks have an upside this year? Despite large losses, Wall Street analysts are giving 'buy' or 'outperform' forecasts for Fox Corp., Comcast, Disney and Lionsgate. More.

►Podcast news: Longtime friends Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes are launching a podcast. Smartless is an interview show with a twist. On each episode, one of the hosts will reveal his mystery guest to the other two hosts, provoking an off-the-cuff conversation... Bethenny Frankel has teamed with Endeavor Content for Just B, a podcast devoted to being a self-made mogul in business, lifestyle and beyond...

►TV ratings: Monday's broadcast ratings were pretty consistent with recent weeks, with NBC — led by The Titan Games — topping the adults 18-49 rankings and CBS' The Neighborhood leading in total viewers. The numbers.

►TV review: Daniel Fienberg reviews the animated HBO Max comedy Close Enough, writing that the series "manages to be both completely familiar and yet slightly distinctive. Does it fully justify its necessity in an already crowded animation landscape? Not quite, but, um, close enough." The review.

►Lena Waithe on Black TV's Emmy problem: Don't call us "long shots." After the creator of Twenties and The Chi voiced her frustration with a Hollywood Reporter piece on awards contenders, THR asked her to elaborate: "It's time to remind voters that there are other shows out there they should be paying attention to." The column.

►Remembering Carl Reiner: James Burrows — the legendary TV director and go-to guy for sitcom pilots like Taxi, Cheers (which he co-created), Frasier, Friends and Will & Grace — reflects on on Reiner's outsized impact on comedy as creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show... Screenwriter Michael Elias, who co-wrote 1979's The Jerk, reflects on lessons learned from Reiner on everything from TV to film, food — and toupees...

►Remembering Nick Cordero: Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal praise their star of Broadway's Bronx Tale, who died July 5 of COVID-19 complications at age 41: "We were just blown away by how beautiful his voice was."...

Revolving door: AT&T's WarnerMedia unit on Wednesday promoted Whit Richardson to the role of president, WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks, Latin America... WWE is getting a new CFO: Kristina M. Salen will join the company in August... AT&T's WarnerMedia has tapped former Hulu executive Johannes Larcher to oversee the global rollout of its HBO Max streaming service... Dylan O’Brien is in negotiations to lead Peter Farrelly’s Vietnam War movie, joining Green Book actor Viggo Mortensen, who has a supporting role in the film...

In other news...

--Indie distributor GKIDS has acquired the North American distribution rights for Earwig and The Witch, the latest feature from Hayao Miyazaki-founded animation house Studio Ghibli.

--Software developer Adobe is getting ready to launch its first virtual Stock Film Fest, which was formed amid the novel coronavirus pandemic to demonstrate "resourcefulness, innovation" and that "creativity never stops, regardless of circumstance."

--Nielsen will cut up to 3,500 jobs as part of a restructuring of its businesses to save money and focus on its core holdings. The data company and TV ratings provider says the moves are part of a "broad-based optimization plan" to cut costs and make the remaining assets more efficient, as well as making Nielsen more profitable.

--Comcast-owned Sky and Sony Pictures Television have struck a new long-term content partnership across the U.K. and Ireland, Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.

--In a candid conversation with THR editorial director Nekesa Moody on Promax Virtual, CNN anchor Don Lemon opened up about how the pandemic has helped the Black Lives Matter movement remain prominent and keep conversations constant.

--Studio operator William F. White International has opened the doors on its third Toronto facility, Century Studio. The company is eyeing as possible long-term tenants Hollywood studios or streamers whose back-to-work plans amid the pandemic involve Canada.

--On the set of The Great: Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult take on a "bonkers" telling of Catherine the Great's rise to power.

What else we're reading...

--"Kanye West says he’s done with Trump—opens up about White House bid, damaging Biden and everything in between" [Forbes]

--"What counts as a streaming hit? A start-up may have answers" [NY Times]

--"Spotify and Omnicom strike $20 million podcast advertising deal" [Axios]

--"'Weaponized' Facebook fails to protect civil rights, audit says" [Reuters]

--"How Amazon is winning the war for CTV attribution" [AdExchanger]

Today's birthdays: Kevin Bacon, 62, Jaden Smith, 22, Beck, 50, Anjelica Huston, 69, Wolfgang Puck, 71.