Today In Entertainment

APRIL 13, 2021

What's news: The pandemic shutters ArcLight and Pacific Theaters, Netflix renews Bridgerton for two more seasons, Oscars producers reveal "ensemble cast," Netflix goes Gundam, a Perestroika in Paris animated feature, unions "demand action" on harassment following THR report. Plus: A Charlie Rose update, and David Beckham's Disney+ show. --Alex Weprin

 The Pandemic Claims Another Theater Chain

►Lights out for ArcLight: In a blow for California moviegoers — and Los Angeles in particular — the ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres are closing all of their locations after seeing business decimated by the pandemic. Arclight's stable includes the prized Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. "This was not the outcome anyone wanted, but despite a huge effort that exhausted all potential options, the company does not have a viable way forward," said a statement issued by the Decurion Corporation, which operated the theaters. The story.

+Who could be a buyer? Would a tech company like Netflix or Apple swoop in to save the day? Netflix already stepped in to buy Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre, but these companies appear to have little interest in operating a full-time cinema. One obvious option: AMC Theatres asked shareholders last week for permission to authorize hundreds of millions of new shares, in part to fund "strategic acquisitions"...

►For the third year in a row, it appears, the Oscars will not have a traditional host or hosts. Instead, there will be an "ensemble cast" of presenters, according to the producers of the April 25 ceremony. "In keeping with our awards-show-as-a-movie approach, we've assembled a truly stellar cast of stars," Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh said in a statement. "There's so much wattage here, sunglasses may be required."

--Among those slated to be part of the multi-venue ceremony will be last year's winners of all four acting Oscars, Joaquin Phoenix, Renee Zellweger, Brad Pitt and Laura Dern, as well as best picture, director and original screenplay winner Bong Joon Ho. The story.

In other film news...

+Producer Frank Marshall and director Barry Sonnenfeld have teamed up to adapt Perestroika in Paris, the latest novel from Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Jane Smiley. Sonnenfeld is attached to direct while Marshall, the producer behind Jurassic World and Bourne Identity franchises, will produce via his banner, Kennedy/Marshall Company. The intent is to adapt the novel, which features a stable’s worth of talking animals, into a traditional, 2D animated feature a la The Triplets of Belville. The story.

+Netflix has landed Legendary's planned live-action Gundam, now with Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and Brian K. Vaughan attached. Vogt-Roberts will produce and direct from a script by Vaughan, who will also executive produce. The story.

+Neon has landed the North American rights to the Ryan Gosling starrer The Actor. Duke Johnson is behind the movie based on Memory by Donald E. Westlake. More.

 Netflix Is In 'The Bridgerton Business'

►Netflix is officially returning to Bridgerton for two more seasons. The streaming giant has handed out a third and fourth season renewal for the period drama from executive producer Shonda Rhimes. The pickup arrives after the drama, based on Julia Quinn's best-selling novels, has the second season in production and remains in keeping with the novels, tells a new romance story of Lord Anthony Bridgerton's quest for love.

--"They have some exciting plans for the future, and we think audiences will continue to swoon for this show. We’re planning to be in the Bridgerton business for a long time to come," Bela Bajaria, vp of global TV at Netflix said in a statement. The story.

+David Beckham is joining the Disney+ team. As part of its ongoing European expansions, Disney+ is working with the global soccer icon and former Manchester United star on the factual series, Save Our Squad. Co-produced by BAFTA-winning production company Twenty Twenty and Beckhan's own Studio 99, Save Our Squad will see Beckham return to the east London soccer pitches where he played as a child, where he will mentor a young grassroots side who are struggling to survive in the league. The story.

+American Idol judge Luke Bryan will miss Monday's live broadcast after testing positive for COVID. The ABC series has tapped an original Idol judge to fill in for him. Paula Abdul will fill Bryan's spot at the judges' table on Monday, marking her first appearance on the show since it moved to ABC from Fox. The story.

 Unions 'Demand Action' On Harassment

►Performers' unions denounce workplace harassment, "demand action" on "credible" allegations. Five days after THR published an exposé of mega-producer Scott Rudin's alleged workplace misconduct, performers' unions SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity and the American Federation of Musicians Local 802 have condemned illegal harassment and harassment that creates a toxic work environment for entertainment employees. More.

►A Charlie Rose update: As part of an ongoing suit from three former employees who accuse Charlie Rose of gender discrimination and harassment, the ousted CBS This Morning anchor will have to answer questions about other women in the workplace who made similar complaints — even though they're not involved in this litigation — a New York judge has ruled. The story.

+Will R2-D2 and WALL-E help define intellectual property for robots? In an international legal battle over the alleged infringement of robots powered by artificial intelligence, both sides are pointing to robotic legends of the silver screen, Eriq Gardner writes. The story.

►Obituary: Richard Rush, the writer, director and producer who earned two Oscar nominations for his work on the deliciously dark Peter O'Toole comedy The Stunt Man, has died. He was 91. Rush died Thursday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, his wife, Claude, told THR. He demonstrated an incredible "will to live" and survived 18 years with a heart transplant, she noted. The obituary.

Casting roundup: Michael Cera is returning to television. The Arrested Development grad has boarded Hulu's Life & Beth and will star opposite Amy Schumer in the straight-to-series comedy...Lucy Liu is joining the cast of New Line’s big-budget DC movie, Shazam! Fury of the Gods... FilmRise and FirstLookTV have unveiled plans for Meet, Marry, Murder hosted by Michelle Trachtenberg, a true-crime docu-series that explores tragic love stories that lead to murder... Janina Gavankar is set to enter the world of Borderlands... Amazon has greenlit a Canadian version of LOL, to be hosted by Jay Baruchel and based on the Japanese format Hitoshi Matsumoto Presents Documental...

►TV review: Daniel Fienberg reviews Disney+'s Big Shot, writing "As a sucker for underdog sports dramas, I found Big Shot reasonably effective, while at the same time feeling that it was more of an outline for a TV series than a show with a world of actually developed characters." The review.

In other news...

--Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein appears headed back to California to face charges of sex abuse.

--Canadian industry leaders talk Georgia boycott, COVID-19 third wave, rapid testing.

--Star Trek showrunner Akiva Goldsman discusses Strange New Worlds plan, and evolving Q For Picard.

--Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, Foo Fighters and H.E.R. are joining forces with Global Citizen for a multi-network broadcast and streaming special designed to inspire confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine and support equitable vaccine distribution.

--Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard will tell their family story in a new memoir.

--The BBC's decision to cut into its television and radio schedule and devote wall-to-wall coverage of the death of Prince Philip last Friday led to over 110,000 complaints from the public.

--How Pinocchio turned a real boy into a puppet who longs to be a real boy.

What else we're reading...

--"Tinopolis restructuring angers hit TV producers" [Financial Times]

--"DraftKings readies major media push" [Axios]

--"Fox has no problem with Tucker Carlson's 'replacement theory' remarks, says Lachlan Murdoch" [CNN]

--"I used to mock L.A. nostalgia — until the ArcLight closed. Now I want to howl at the sky" [LA Times]

Today's birthdays: Ron Perlman, 71, Caroline Rhea, 57, Allison Williams, 33, Al Green, 75, Jimmy Destri, 67.

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APRIL 13, 2021

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