Jeff Garlin Exits 'The Goldbergs' After HR Investigation

►Multiple complaints. Jeff Garlin will not return to ABC’s The Goldbergs. THR's Lesley Goldberg reports that the actor, who had starred as patriarch Murray Goldberg on the ABC comedy from producers Sony Pictures Television for the past eight-plus seasons, has departed the series following an HR investigation that stemmed from multiple complaints about his behavior on set. 

The cast and crew were informed of Garlin’s departure during production Wednesday when a veteran producer informed staff that the decision was a mutual one between the actor and Sony. Garlin, who had been expected to continue filming the current ninth season, will no longer complete work on The Goldbergs. It’s unclear how his absence will be explained on screen. The story.

—👑Sci-fi king.👑 THR's Mia Galuppo had the scoop on Denis Villeneuve's next feature project after Dune Part II, with the Canadian staying with sci-fi to direct a big screen adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama. Alcon Entertainment, who produced Villeneuve's excellent Blade Runner: 2049 and Prisoners, is behind the project with co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove producing alongside Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary. The story.  

—Good news, bad news. The good: CBS has renewed its revival of CSI: Vegas, a week after it completed its 10-episode first season on Dec. 8. The bad: William Petersen’s Gil Grissom won't be returning. Petersen agreed to reprise his onscreen role as franchise icon Grissom only for the 10-episode first season, he will, however, remain an exec producer of the series. The story.

—Whack-a-mole. Sony is moving fast to snuff out leaks of significant segments of Spider-Man: No Way Home that hit YouTube on Wednesday. Large sections of the highly anticipated film began popping up on the video site via innocuous Spider-Man searches; the algorithm naturally then suggested similar pirated footage. The story.  

—Some festive cheer! The leaks and Omicron haven't dented enthusiasm for Spider-Man: No Way Home in the U.K. and Ireland, where the film landed an opening day box office of $10.1 million. The stellar figure is a sizeable jump on the $6.4 million first day recorded by No Time To Die in late September, which was then the biggest in two years. The story.

How 'The Book of Boba Fett' Will Shake Up 'Star Wars'

►"We couldn’t believe what we got to do." Premiering Dec. 29, The Book of Boba Fett is the first of many post-Mandalorian live-action Star Wars series to hit Disney+ and expectations are high. THR's James Hibberd caught up with series director and showrunner Robert Rodriguez who peeled back the curtain on what has been, up to now, an ultra secretive project that has also been afforded a surprising amount of creative freedom. The story. 

—Deal in the offing. UTA is acquiring the media, entertainment and technology strategic advisory firm MediaLink from UK-based Ascential PLC for $125 million in cash. MediaLink founder and CEO Michael Kassan set to become a partner at UTA, with the company bringing its 150+ employees to the agency through the deal. The story.

—Status quo. Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff said the studio has no plans at the moment to change its 2022 theatrical release strategy, despite variants of COVID-19 continuing to impact the movie business. Speaking at a conference, Sarnoff said that despite the challenges the 2021 strategy of releasing movies in theaters and on HBO Max the same day is unlikely to be repeated next year. The story. 

—Casting news. Ben Schwartz has joined the cast of Universal’s monster movie Renfield. Nicholas Hoult is starring as the titular character, the infamous acolyte and henchman of Count Dracula, who will be played by Cage. The Tomorrow War's Chris McKay is directing the feature project, which is due to begin shooting early next year in New Orleans. The story.

—Ted's holiday surprise. ICYMI, a four-minute animated slice of Ted Lasso goodness dropped yesterday. The holiday-themed short that builds upon the stop-motion animated opening credits featured in season two’s beloved Christmas episode. The short features all the lads and lasses at Richmond in search of Ted's moustache. The clip.  

Does Box Office Impact a Film's Oscar Chances?

►The new reality. West Side Story and King Richard's muted debuts at the box office would have been, in previous years, a setback to the Academy Awards chances of those films, but this year, the calculus is more complicated. Writing for THR, Gregg Kilday looks at how box office alone isn’t a deciding factor in determining Oscar viability, especially as moviegoing begins to revive in the wake of 2020’s COVID-19 shutdowns and streaming takes off. The analysis. 

—Comedy or drama? It doesn't matter! THR's Mikey O'Connell spoke to Succession star Sarah Snook about the rollercoaster third season of the HBO show. The Aussie actress talks about the various attempts to find that final shot, the ongoing debate over whether her show is a drama or a comedy and if anybody really needs to like the Roys in order to root from them. Warning spoilers. The interview. 

—Icon. French actress Isabelle Huppert will receive the lifetime achievement award of the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival, the Golden Bear, as well as a career homage for the 72nd edition of the festival, which runs Feb. 10-20. The story. 

—"A real actor’s actor." Penélope Cruz was honored Tuesday night by the Museum of Modern Art in New York as part of a career tribute featuring frequent collaborator Pedro Almodóvar alongside fellow stars Lupita Nyong’o, Rebecca Hall and singer Rosalía. The story. 

—Appellate judges raise doubts. A New York appeals court blasted Manhattan prosecutors for filling out Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial last year with what one judge deemed “incredibly prejudicial testimony” from women whose allegations weren’t part of the criminal charges against him — a strategy that now has the potential to jeopardize the disgraced movie mogul’s conviction. The story. 

Studios Eye 2022 Theatrical Slates 

►"Windowing is getting very tricky." Amid a growing gulf between the haves (anything Marvel) and the have-nots (most recently West Side Story), THR's Pamela McClintock writes that studio distribution chiefs are making difficult calls on which titles to send to streaming as early as 45 days after a theatrical run begins. The story.

—Dan's faves. THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg lists his best shows from 2021 and his favorites include two satires of the filthy rich, alt-histories about the space race and Russian royalty, and a pandemic-set drama that you've probably never heard of. The list.
 
—"The MacGruber cult is strong, but this won't sway new converts." Dan reviews Peacock's MacGruber. Will Forte, Jorma Taccone and John Solomon's action-comedy franchise continues its progression from Saturday Night Live sketch to feature film to streaming TV series. The review. 

—This Week in TV. THR's Rick Porter runs down the TV premieres, returns and specials over the next seven days. Among the things to look out for over the coming week include the return of The Witcher and Emily in Paris on Netflix, a Yellowstone prequel on Paramount+, Peacock's MacGruber and HBO Max’s critically acclaimed Station Eleven. The full guide.

In other news... 

—Aline film, "freely inspired by life of Celine Dion," debuts trailer

—J.K. Rowling credit is nearly invisible in new Fantastic Beasts 3 trailer

—Lord of the Rings cast team up with Killer Mike and Method Man for 20th anniversary rap on Late Show 

—Amazon signs first content deal with African studio, teaming with Nigeria’s Inkblot

—Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival wraps star-studded first edition

—Why Women Kill returning for season 3 on Paramount+ 

—Filmmakers discuss 10 of 2021’s top docs to watch at Savannah Film Festival

—Vodeo Games voluntarily recognizes worker union

—BAFTA hires Luke Hebblethwaite as head of games

—Clara Sola leads Swedish Film Awards nominations, Nomadland among int’l contenders

—Joe Siegman, producer of Celebrity Bowling and The Comedy Shop, dies at 86

What else we're reading...

—Why Leonardo Dicaprio and Jennifer Lawrence Couldn’t Say No to Netflix Comedy Don’t Look Up [Los Angeles Times]

—Succession Creator Jesse Armstrong On Its Thunderous Finale: "That Might Be As Good As I’ve Got" [The Guardian]

—How West Side Story’s Anybodys Went From Tomboy to Trans Character [Slate]

—Netflix’s Selling Tampa Is Selling Sunset With 10 Times the Drama [Daily Beast]

—Hawkeye Is A Pandemic Fable [Salon]

Today... 

...in 2009, Fox Searchlight released Scott Cooper's Crazy Heart into theaters. The film, an adaptation of Thomas Cobb’s downbeat novel, starred Jeff Bridges as an alcoholic country musician seeking redemption in a performance that won him the Academy Award for best actor. The original review. 

Today's birthdays: Miranda Otto (54), Krysten Ritter (40), Theo James (37), J.B. Smoove (56), Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (43), Shane Black (60), Benjamin Bratt (58), James Mangold (58), Anna Popplewell (33), Hallee Hirsh (34), Melanie Smith (59), Olive Gray (27), Alison La Placa (62)