Britney's Father Agrees to Step Down as Conservator, Timing Unclear

►"Another step toward justice." Britney Spears' father Jamie Spears has agreed to step away from his role as conservator of her estate just weeks after her new legal team filed a petition to remove him and replace him with a CPA, but the exact timing of that transition remains unclear. The story. 

—First to blink? Sony’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage is on the move. The studio announced that the sequel is being pushed from Sept. 24 to Oct. 15. The decision comes amid a surge in COVID-19 cases due in large part to the delta variant. The story. 

—Edging closer to reality. Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender is coming into focus. Albert Kim has been tapped to take over as showrunner on the series with Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley and Dallas Liu cast as the four leads. The story.

—First trailer. We finally get a proper look at Ryan Murphy's Impeachment: American Crime Story, the third season of FX's anthology series, after the first trailer dropped on Thursday. Starring Clive Owen and Beanie Feldstein, this chapter will chronicle the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. The trailer.  

—On the move? MSNBC’s top primetime host, Rachel Maddow, has brought on Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel and president Mark Shapiro to help represent her in contract talks with the network and parent company NBCUniversal. The story. 

Disney Beats Wall Street Expectations, Hits 116M Disney+ Subscribers 

►Up and up. Despite the delta variant of COVID-19 dampening enthusiasm for moviegoing and live events, Disney nonetheless beat Wall Street estimates, reporting revenue of $17 billion. 

The company also gave updated subscriber figures for Disney+, reporting that the streaming service added 13 million subscribers for a total of 116 million.

In fact, all of Disney’s streaming services grew significantly, with Hulu topping 39 million SVOD subs (up 22 percent year over year), and ESPN+ hitting 14.9 million subscribers (up 75 percent year over year). The full results.  

—"We've found ways to fairly compensate our talent." Citing the ongoing pandemic, Disney chief Bob Chapek on Thursday defended his company’s decision to release certain films, notably Black Widow, simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access. The story. 

—Park life. In announcing its results, Disney revealed that the company’s theme parks made a profit for the first time since the pandemic rocked the globe last year. Disney Parks, Experiences and Products swung to $356 million profit in the quarter ending July 3, compared with a $1.87 billion loss in the same period in 2020. The story. 

—Buyout. Disney will pay the NHL $350 million to buy the league’s 10 percent stake in Disney Streaming Services, the company's subsidiary that manages the technology platforms that power the company’s streaming services, like Disney+ and ESPN+. The story.

—Room to grow. Disney+ will launch in South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan in November 2021. The addition of the three mature Asian markets should provide yet another subscriber uptick for the streaming service. The story. 

'LOTR' S2 N.Z. > U.K. 

►Going home. Amazon's billion dollar series The Lord of the Rings is moving from New Zealand to the United Kingdom for season two. The decision represents a dramatic location swap that takes the event series out of the country that was famously used for Peter Jackson’s LOTR and The Hobbit trilogies and into the land that originally inspired saga author J.R.R. Tolkien. The story.  

—All the boys to the yard. Netflix's action-thriller Gunpowder Milkshake, starring Karen Gillan as a young assassin who must team up with her estranged mother and fellow assassin Lena Headey, shot to the top of Nielsen’s latest movie streaming chart after its debut on Aug. 14. The streaming ratings. 

—He's a cool dude. Billy Zane is joining the cast of the MacGruber TV series. Zane, who really should be in more things, has joined the upcoming eight-episode Peacock series that’s based on the iconic SNL sketch (and subsequent 2010 film). The story.  

—"We’re shooting the final days of my life." Selma Blair is offering a more intimate and emotional look at living with multiple sclerosis in the first trailer for Introducing, Selma Blair. The trailer.

—Why Netflix is targeting Japan. THR's Asia bureau chief Patrick Brzeski looks at how Netflix has refocused its efforts on Japan. With little room to grow in the West, the streaming giant is spending big on originals in one of the most coveted regions in Asia: "We’re looking for stories that haven’t been told." The story. 

Thank Pod It's Friday

In other news...

—Film review: Don’t Breathe 2.

—Film review: Zeros and Ones.

—TV review: Netflix's Brand New Cherry Flavor.

—Sean Penn has a message for unvaccinated moviegoers: "Don’t go to the cinemas."

—Canada's Cineplex launches $10-per-month movie ticket program as losses widen.

—Tom Hanks sci-fi movie Finch gets release date from Apple.

—Gerard Butler Lionsgate thriller The Plane rounds out cast.

—ABC’s Big Sky moving from Vancouver to New Mexico.

—Una Stubbs, Sherlock and Till Death Us Do Part actress, dies at 84.

—Tony Awards sets new venue for show honoring 2019-20 season. 

What else we're reading...

—"Tom Hardy in Pieces: An Encounter With a Singular Movie Star in One Winnebago and Five Parts" [Esquire] 

—"Inside HBO Max’s Scramble to Fix Its Glitchy App" [Vulture]

—"Rachel Maddow Seriously Considers Leaving MSNBC" [Daily Beast]

—"Messi’s Twitch Interview Shows How Social Media Is Conquering Sport" [Bloomberg]

—"CODA’s Emilia Jones Is Ready to Transform" [Vanity Fair]

Today... 

... in 1997, Comedy Central introduced Matt Stone and Trey Parker's anarchic animated show South Park to America. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Sebastian Stan (39), Debi Mazar (57), John Slattery (59), Paul Greengrass (66), Danny Bonaduce (62), David Crane (62), Eli Brown (22), Kasia Smutniak (42), Deborah Ayorinde (34), Dawnn Lewis (60), Sara Serraiocco (31), Lennon Stella (22)