Paramount Goes All In on Cruise at CinemaCon

►The last movie star. Despite the in-person absence of stars in Paramount's CinemaCon presentation on Thursday, the studio still managed to pack plenty of Tom Cruise into proceedings. Paramount offered up the first 13 minutes of Top Gun: Maverick as well as a lengthy featurette detailing what Mission: Impossible filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie called their most dangerous stunt ever.

Cruise trained for a year to perfect the stunt, which was filmed on day one of principal photography and featured him jumping a motorbike off a massive cliff into a remote valley in Norway. The story. 

—"I'm not a fan of day-and-date and I hope to avoid it forever." Speaking at a CinemaCon confab, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins urged Hollywood studios to commit to the big screen experience as they emerge from the pandemic. The story.

—Cage watch! Lionsgate closed out CinemaCon with help from Nicolas Cage in his most Nicolas Cage role yet. The studio showed off the first footage from The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, the meta-comedy in which Cage plays a version of himself. Studio also offered a first look at Moonfall, the disaster pic Roland Emmerich. The story.  

Kanye Courts Controversy for Inviting Marilyn Manson, DaBaby to 'Donda' Listening Party

►Beyond the pale. Kanye West returned to his hometown of Chicago for his third Donda listening party at Soldier Field on Thursday. As the event kicked off, West was accompanied by rapper DaBaby, currently embroiled in a controversy over homophobic remarks, and singer Marilyn Manson, accused of sexual assault by multiple women. The story.

—Erased. A-list Chinese actress turned billionaire business mogul Zhao Wei has had all her film and TV work removed from streaming sites in the country and her name censored and scrubbed from social media on the orders China's broadcasting regulator. Actress Zheng Shuang was also slapped with a $46 million tax bill as Beijing continues its crackdown on the entertainment industry. The story.

—Gen Z legends. Suni Lee and JoJo Siwa have joined the cast of Dancing With the Stars. The Olympic gold medalist and pop star are the first celebrities to be announced for the upcoming 30th season of the dancing competition series. The story.

—Stacked cast. Dustin Lance Black and FX on Hulu have rounded out the cast for Under the Banner of Heaven. Wyatt Russell and Sam Worthington are among 10 new faces tapped to join leads Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones in the limited series adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s best-seller. The story. 

—Re-up. Starz has renewed its comedy Run the World for a second season and is bringing on a new showrunner to steer the series. Rachelle Williams (HBO Max’s Love Life, ABC’s Mixed-ish) will take the reins from Yvette Lee Bowser. The story. 

—Martin Henderson's slipping. The premiere of Outer Banks' second season and the Netflix debut of All American's third season pushed the two shows to the top of Nielsen’s streaming rankings for the final week of July. The rankings. 

Spike Lee Removes Conspiracy Theories From 9/11 Doc Final Chapter  

►Removed. Spike Lee’s re-edited version of the final chapter of his four-part HBO docuseries NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021½ has removed footage featuring 9/11 conspiracy theories. The final chapter is now 30 minutes shorter than previously planned. The story. 

—"You honor the franchise you are bringing back." Emmy-nominated Cobra Kai co-creator and showrunner Hayden Schlossberg reveals his rules for successfully rebooting classic IP including not relying on nostalgia or arguing with your fans. The guest column.

—Team up. Brit production house Warp Films and European financier/producer Anton are teaming up to develop a slate of TV series and feature films. The story. 

—Best film. Korean director Hong Eui-jeong’s indie crime drama Voice of Silence has picked up the Cheval Noir best film prize at the Fantasia Film Festival, which wrapped on Wednesday. The story.

—Red hot real estate play. The studio lot industry is riding high on private equity money as Wall Street investors bet that the busy facilities boosted by streaming projects will offer better returns than office towers. The story. 

—First look. Sky Studios and Canal+ have given us a first look at Django, their high profile and high concept reimagining of the classic Spaghetti Western. The 10-episode series stars Euro stars Matthias Schoenaerts, Noomi Rapace, Nicholas Pinnock and Lisa Vicari. The story.

Thank Pod It's Friday

In other news...

—Film review: Addison Rae in Netflix's He's All That.

—Film review: Lil Rel Howery and John Cena in Hulu's Vacation Friends. 

—Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog teaser trailer. 

—Cannes winner Titane leads Oldenburg Film Festival lineup.

—Bill McGoldrick joins Chernin Entertainment in film and TV expansion.

—Queens drops extended trailer for musical drama starring Eve and Brandy.

—Hollywood flashback: Jason Sudeikis scored as Saturday Night Live utility player in 2006.

—Apple to make changes to app store regulations in settlement with U.S. developers.

—Steve Harvey to host primetime ABC court show.

—Kiss concert canceled after Paul Stanley tests positive for COVID-19. 

—Netflix had Hustle plot changed for brand purposes, Adam Sandler says.

—Lionsgate sets football drama American Underdog for Christmas.

—The Goldbergs to honor George Segal in season premiere.

What else we're reading...

—"How Did Ted Lasso Become Such a Lightning Rod?" [The Ringer]

—"Inside Fortnite's Disastrous Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute" [Daily Beast]

—"NFL Broadcasters Face Crucial $105 Billion Stress Test as New Season Kicks Off" [Bloomberg]

—"The New Candyman Escapes the Traps of Black Horror" [The Atlantic]

—"Jane Campion Finally Made a New Movie. She Gave It “Everything”" [Vanity Fair]

Today... 

... 1964, Disney unveiled its 139-minute family film Mary Poppins at its Los Angeles premiere. The blockbuster went on to earn 13 Oscar nominations at the 37th Academy Awards, winning 5 honors including best actress for Julie Andrews. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Suranne Jones (43), Peter Stormare (68), Aaron Paul (42), Tiffany Boone (34), Sarah Chalke (45), Alexa PenaVega (33), Patrick J. Adams (40), Peter Mensah (62), Tuesday Weld (78), Jessie Mei Li (26), Barbara Bach (74), Chandra Wilson (52), Dean Devlin (59), Tom Ford (60)