IATSE Members Await Fine Print of Studio Deal

►"Emotions are running high." It went down to the wire, but an entertainment industry strike was averted after IATSE and the studios came to a tentative contract deal on the weekend. However, without seeing the fine print, the reaction has been decidedly mixed with some members of the union concerned that the agreement doesn’t bring the sweeping changes they felt were needed and a few vocal members already calling loudly for people to vote “no” on ratification of the three-year Basic Agreement. The story.  

—Global inspiration. The dealmaking that saw IATSE come to an agreement with the studios, tentative though it is, is proving to be an inspiration around the world with rank-and-file entertainment workers outside the U.S. hoping for similar progress on working conditions as labor talks heat up, particularly in the U.K. and Germany. The story. 

—New dawn. The Academy's CEO Dawn Hudson, who has presided over a decade of controversial transformational change at the organization, will be vacating her position when her current contract expires in 2023. The story.  

—A twist we didn't see coming. M. Night Shyamalan is the surprise choice to head up the international competition jury for the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival. Shyamalan's appointment may come as a surprise for Berlinale watchers who see the German festival as a bastion of high-minded arthouse cinema, though the filmmaker is indisputably a champion of indie film. The story. 

—All change. Disney has made a number of changes to Marvel’s release calendar that will see titles delayed by several months or more. The Black Panther sequel moves from July 8, 2022, to Nov. 11, 2022 and there's shifts for Doctor Strange 2, Thor 4, Ant-Man 3 and The Marvels. Disney's Indiana Jones 5 is also moving and will now open in the summer of 2023. Other studios took advantage of the changes, with Paramount moving romantic action-adventure The Lost City. The story. 

Why 'Y: The Last Man' Was Canceled 

►A confluence of factors. THR's Lesley Goldberg reports on the complex reasons FX on Hulu abruptly canceled the drama Y: The Last Man on Sunday, after airing only seven of its planned 10 episodes.

The decision to cancel is something that rarely happens at FX that tends to announce final seasons for its scripted originals, particularly at a network where creator-friendly execs usually opt to wait to gather data for things like delayed viewing and digital returns. But that oddly wasn’t what transpired with Y: The Last Man. The story. 

—Spinoff coming soon. Netflix's To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before will continue on with a new spinoff series, XO, Kitty. After word leaked earlier this year that an offshoot starring Anna Cathcart was in the works, the streamer on Monday officially handed out a 10-episode series order for the half-hour comedy featuring the actress reprising her role as Kitty Song Covey. The story. 

—Series high ratings. The third season premiere of Succession was the show’s biggest first-night audience ever. The HBO series debuted to 1.4 million viewers across platforms on Sunday, a same-day high for the show. It beat the previous mark of 1.2 million for the second-season premiere in August 2019. The story.

—Checking in. Starz and Lionsgate’s long-developing John Wick prequel series, The Continental, has its first actor booked: Mel Gibson. The Oscar winner has signed on to the series, which is set 40 years before the events of the film series starring Keanu Reeves. It’s set at the titular hotel, a gathering place for international assassins. The story.

—Sale. Sony Pictures Entertainment will sell its video game studio GSN Games to the mobile gaming firm Scopely in a deal valued at $1 billion. The deal, which is a 50-50 mix of cash and Scopely stock, will make Sony a significant minority shareholder in the gaming company. GSN CEO Mark Feldman will continue to oversee GSN Games under the Scopely umbrella. The story. 

Review: ABC's 'Queens'  

►"A stellar cast makes for catchy music and juicy drama." THR critic Angie Han reviews ABC's new musical drama series Queens. Eve, Brandy, Naturi Naughton and Nadine Velazquez star as members of a hip-hop group who reunite to restart their music career, two decades after they peaked in the late '90s. The review.

—What's in a name? Kanye West has succeeded in legally changing his name to just “Ye,” thanks to a Monday order from a California state court that granted formal approval to the star’s short new name. The story.

—Arnie is back. Corbin Bernsen has boarded the L.A. Law sequel at ABC, joining his fellow original star Blair Underwood. Bernsen played Arnie Becker in all eight seasons and the movie of L.A. Law, and for the sequel his character is now described as a "former lothario who hasn’t changed since the 1980s" who is struggling to adapt to the "rapidly shifting sexual and political landscape." The story. 

—Casting news. Danny DeVito has joined the cast of Haunted Mansion, Disney’s ghostly family adventure based on the theme park ride. DeVito boards a project that already has LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson and Rosario Dawson on the call sheet. The story. 

—Roku making moves. Roku has acquired Children Ruin Everything, a forthcoming eight-episode series created by Schitt’s Creek co-executive producer Kurt Smeaton, for an exclusive U.S. streaming release. Children Ruin Everything is the first half-hour comedy acquired by Roku after its takeover of the Quibi library earlier this year. The story.

Early Reactions to Marvel's 'Eternals' 

►"Eternals is surprising, epic, beautiful yet dense." After a pandemic-enforced delay of almost a year, Marvel’s Eternals was finally unveiled to its first audience following its world premiere at the iconic El Capitan Theatre in L.A. on Monday night. The official review embargo for the Chloé Zhao-directed 26th entry into the MCU lifts on Sunday, but the social media embargo for early reactions lifted after the premiere. The reaction.    

—First-look deal for The Big Ticket. NBA champion Kevin Garnett and his Content Cartel Studios have inked a first-look development deal with Village Roadshow Entertainment Group. The deal covers scripted and unscripted projects for television, film and digital. The story. 

—On a roll. Iceland has picked A24's Lamb, a folkloric horror film starring Noomi Rapace, to represent the country in the best international feature Oscar category. The film, from first-time director Valdimar Johannsson, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes this year, where it won a special prize for originality. It also won best feature at Sitges. The story. 

—Three season rule strikes again. Comedy Family Reunion is coming to an end at Netflix. The streaming giant has handed out a third and final season renewal for the show starring Loretta Devine and Tia Mowry-Hardrict. The abbreviated final season will consist of 10 episodes, down from 20 and 15 in seasons one and two, respectively. The story. 

—"The story is going to be told accurately." THR's Kirsten Chuba speaks to Bachelorette star Michelle Young on why she returned to the show, how the franchise is moving forward under Jodi Baskerville, the show's first Black executive producer, as well as what lies ahead as she hands out the roses. The interview. 

In other news... 

—Netflix releases action-filled Cowboy Bebop teaser scene.

—Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter: Olivia Colman becomes fixated with a mother and child in first trailer.

—Sarah Snook reveals she secretly wed comedian Dave Lawson.

—HBO Max names Canal+ executive head of French originals.

—Steve McQueen’s Small Axe to get first European Film Award for Innovative Storytelling.

—MTV to counter Hungary’s anti-gay law as EMAs in Budapest will “stand in solidarity” with LGBTQ+ community.

—Gotham Awards: Cast of The Harder They Fall to receive ensemble tribute.

—Lady Gaga returns to Las Vegas residency “652 days” since last show.

—ABC taps Brianna Bennett to head drama development.

—Critics Choice Documentary Awards: Summer of Soul and Ascension lead with 6 nominations each.

—Sundance Institute launches new fellowship for transgender storytellers of the global majority.

—Kumail Nanjiani on how his mom helped pull together Eternals red carpet look. 

What else we're reading...

—"Microsoft Executives Told Bill Gates to Stop Emailing a Female Staffer Years Ago" [Wall Street Journal]

—"Jamie Lee Curtis and Melanie Griffith on Finding Love and Horror in Hollywood" [Interview Magazine]

—"Michael Caine On Brexit, Boris Johnson And Big Breaks: "I’ve Done 150 Movies. I Think That’s Enough"' [The Guardian]

—"The Bizarre and Unsettling Rise of True-Crime Makeup Videos on YouTube and TikTok" [Daily Beast]

—"The Last Duel Is More Than Just Unsuccessful Oscar Bait" [The Ringer]

Today... 

...in 1979, Columbia unveiled Norman Jewison's R-rated legal drama …And Justice for All in theaters. The film went on to earn two Oscar nominations at the 52nd Academy Awards, for its screenplay and for Al "You're out of order!" Pacino in the lead actor category. The original review. 

Today's birthdays: Rebecca Ferguson (38), Oh Yeong-su (77), Trey Parker (52), Lee Isaac Chung (43), Gillian Jacobs (39), Jon Favreau (55), Katja Herbers (41), Michael Gambon (81), John Lithgow (76), Jason Reitman (44), Silje Torp (47), Chris Kattan (51), Omar Gooding (45), Sunny Deol (65), Irene Escolar (33)