Lesley's Broadcast TV Scorecard 2022

►What’s new, renewed and canceled (so far). THR's Lesley Goldberg has released her handy broadcast TV scorecard for 2022, so make sure to bookmark this continually updated page and follow along through May’s upfront presentations as the 2022-23 scripted schedules come into focus for ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and The CW. The scorecard. 

—Canceled. Axed. Nixed. Fox has canceled the freshman dramedy The Big Leap starring Scott Foley while NBC has axed the sliding doors drama Ordinary Joe starring James Wolk. The Big Leap, Fox’s first cancellation of the season, wrapped its 11-episode run in December with a same-day viewership of only 1.27 million total viewers. Ordinary Joe, meanwhile, ranked as NBC’s lowest-rated original scripted series. The story. 

—Next up for Milo. This Is Us star Milo Ventimiglia is headed to ABC for his follow-up role. The three-time Emmy-nominated actor has signed on to star and exec produce drama The Company You Keep, which has received a formal pilot order at the network. The story. 

—Island life. NBC is taking on Survivor by announcing an island survival reality show that ups the ante. The network has announced adventure competition series Million Dollar Island from Studio Lambert and Talpa. A whopping 100 contestants will compete over 50 days on a remote island for a $1 million prize. The story. 

—Least surprising news, ever. NBCUniversal has terminated its content-sharing deal with Hulu as the company redirects its shows to its own, rival streaming service, Peacock. Starting this fall, new episodes of NBCU shows like SNL, The Voice and American Auto will no longer be available to stream on Hulu the day after they air. The story. 

'I Am Legend' Sequel in the Works With Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan

►Legends never die. Will Smith is attached to star in a sequel to I Am Legend, the actor's much-loved post-apocalyptic 2007 film. Michael B. Jordan is also attached to star in the feature, which will be written by the original film’s co-writer Akiva Goldsman for Warner Bros. Smith and Jordan are producing. A sequel has long been bandied about, with a version of the project discussed as far back as 2012. The story. 

—Big deal. Angelina Jolie is set to make feature films, docs and series for TV giant Fremantle. In a three-year deal, the Oscar winner — who made her directorial debut with the 2007 doc A Place in Time, followed by the feature In the Land of Blood and Honey in 2011 — will team with Fremantle to develop what the company describes as a “sophisticated, powerful and internationally focused” slate of projects, which Jolie will produce, direct and/or star in. The story. 

—History repeating itself, allegedly. THR's Winston Cho writes that a consultant is suing Endeavor claiming he gave the company the blueprint to salvage its debut on the public market, which led to a successful $10.3 billion IPO, but he wasn’t compensated or given credit. David Carde began his complaint by comparing this alleged theft to when the founders of Endeavor left ICM in 1995 and in the middle of the night “stole a bunch of client files and stuffed them into a SUV parked by a freight elevator.” The story.

—"Advertisers have been clamoring for the opportunity." Disney+ is about to get less expensive, with the streamer adding a less-expensive ad-supported tier starting later this year, with plans to launch an international option in 2023. Disney’s head of ad sales, Rita Ferro, said that she will share more about the plan at the company’s upfront presentation in May. The story.

—Standouts. Flee and Summer of Soul topped the IDA Documentary Awards on Friday night. Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Flee, which is also nominated for the best doc Oscar, won the top prize of best feature. Fellow Oscar nominated doc Summer of Soul won three awards: best director for Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, best music doc and best editing. The winners list. 

—Racking up the prizes. Dune and West Side Story were big winners at the Advanced Imaging Society’s Lumiere Awards on Friday. Denis Villeneuve was on hand to accept the trophy as Dune was named best live action feature, while the sci-fi epic also earned the award for best use of HDR in a live action feature. WSS was recognized for best motion picture – musical, and best musical scene or sequence for the dance challenge in the gymnasium. The winners list.

Fede Álvarez to Write, Direct New 'Alien' Film 

►On Hulu, no one can here you scream. THR's Borys Kit has the huge scoop on Fede Álvarez, the Uruguayan filmmaker behind Don’t Breathe and the Evil Dead remake, being tapped to write and direct an original stand-alone Alien feature for 20th Century Studios. Ridley Scott will produce via his Scott Free banner. The project is being made for Hulu as part of 20th’s plan to make more than 10 movies a year for the streamer. The story. 

—"The well-being of cast and crew on our productions is always a top priority." HBO is defending its hit high-school drama Euphoria. Following the season two finale, the Daily Beast published claims of a “toxic production,” following up on an earlier Feb. 23 report detailing “messy behind-the-scenes drama.” In a statement to THR on Friday, HBO said no formal inquiries were raised during filming. The story.

—Censorship crackdown. CNN says it will step broadcasting within Russia after the country’s national parliament passed a new law Friday that will make it a criminal act to call the war in Ukraine a war. Earlier, the BBC pulled its reporters from the country in the wake of the legislation passing. The story. 

—Information war. Russia’s communications agency Roskomnadzor said on Friday that it will block access to Facebook in the country due to restrictions the social platform has placed on state-owned media outlets like Russia Today and Sputnik in the European Union. The story. 

—"Kids with firecrackers." THR's Julian Sancton looks into the theft on the set of Netflix hit Lupin, that saw $330,000 worth of equipment and personal belongings stolen. The incident, in which teenage thieves raided the Paris-area set, caused "general panic," says a local extra whose restaurant was used as a shooting location (and who sheltered star Omar Sy in his office during the attack). The story. 

Box Office: 'The Batman' Bites Off Big $21.6M in Previews

►Looking good. Matt Reeves' The Batman took flight at the domestic box office with $21.6 million in previews. That includes Thursday night shows, and limited Tuesday and Wednesday Imax sneaks. The $200 million event pic is widely expected to zoom past $100 million by Sunday and score the second-best opening of the pandemic era behind Spider-Man: No Way Home. The early box office report. 

—"I looked at the current mayor of New York City, Eric Adams." THR's Brian Davids spoke to The Batman star Jeffrey Wright on the influences on his portrayal of Commissioner Gordon and how he and star Robert Pattinson pulled off the intimate, yet distant, relationship between their two characters. He also talked his farewell to the Bond franchise. The interview.  

—"Not scary, not funny, but sometimes oddly insightful." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Starz's Shining Vale. Jeff Astrof and Sharon Horgan's horror-comedy follows a family led by Courteney Cox and Greg Kinnear as they move into a Connecticut house that might be haunted by ghosts, demons or just an extended metaphor. The review. 

—Almost perfect. Peacock’s Pitch Perfect TV series has rounded out its cast with Modern Family grad Sarah Hyland, The Good Place’s Jameela Jamil and Anna star Lera Abova. The trio join previously announced regulars Adam Devine, who reprises his role as Bumper Allen, and Flula Borg, who returns as Piëter Krämer. The story. 

—Dog bites man. Randall Park has joined Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx and Will Forte in Strays, the live-action/CGI hybrid being directed by Josh Greenbaum. The adult-skewing comedy is the filmmaker’s first follow-up after his feature breakout, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. The story.

In other news...

—Nolan's Oppenheimer casts No Exit star David Rysdahl

—Acapulco comedy renewed for season 2 at Apple TV+

—Suspect in fatal shooting of Jacqueline Avant pleads guilty

—Roku names David Eilenberg head of original content

—Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul gets Labor Day theatrical and Peacock release

—Kevin Smith to launch Dark Horse comic book line 

—Mitchell Ryan, actor in Lethal Weapon and Dharma & Greg, dies at 88

—Billy Watson, child actor in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and In Old Chicago, dies at 98

—Tim Considine, actor on My Three Sons and Spin and Marty, dies at 81

What else we're reading...

—Facebook won’t let Russian advertisers create or make run ads "anywhere in the world" [Verge]

—20 of the best films to help understand what’s happening in Ukraine [Guardian]

—Citing Lady Gaga, Amanda Seyfried, Julia Garner and others, Laura Bradley writes that we are in the golden age of actors doing wild accents [Daily Beast]

—Mikael Wood on Kanye's increasingly problematic legacy as Coachella approaches [LAT]

—YouTube is jacking up its podcasting efforts by offering up to $300k to get podcasters to make videos [Bloomberg]

Today...  

...in 1999, Warner Bros. brought Harold Ramis’ mobster comedy Analyze This, starring Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro, to theaters nationwide, where it would go on to gross $176 million globally in its theatrical run. The original review. 

Today's birthdays: Eva Mendes (48), Jolene Blalock (47), Hanna Alström (41), Jake Lloyd (33), Talia Balsam (63), Kevin Connolly (48), Matt Lucas (48), Roman Griffin Davis (15), Aasif Mandvi (56), Paul Blackthorne (53), Fred Williamson (84), Kiell Smith-Bynoe (33), Mercy Malick (50), Penn Jillette (67), Elaine Paige (74)