What's news: One of the biggest, and lengthiest, libel trials in Hollywood history begins today. Academy members are reacting to Will Smith's punishment. All Hollywood is cheering Sonic 2's stellar opening weekend numbers. We finally see the exit of Chris Noth's character on CBS' The Equalizer. Plus: Sam Elliott has apologized for his vulgar and homophobic remarks about The Power of the Dog — Abid Rahman
Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard: Dueling Defamation Claims Go to Trial
►"You don’t get these huge libel trials." In December 2018, at the height of the #MeToo movement, Amber Heard published an op-ed calling out societal norms that prop up domestic abusers and knock down their victims. The piece heavily implied that her ex-husband Johnny Depp beat her.
Depp sued Heard for $50 million, accusing her of defaming him by describing herself as a domestic abuse survivor. This was followed by Heard filing a $100 million counterclaim alleging Depp had coordinated a campaign aimed at smearing her. Today, in a court in Fairfax County, Virginia, Depp and Heard renew their legal battle in what is shaping up to be a trial with huge implications for the reputations of both actors. The story.
—"Hopefully, when this case concludes, I can move on and so can Johnny." Amber Heard says she hopes she and Johnny Depp can move on following their dueling defamation cases that start today. The Aquaman star posted a statement to her Instagram on Saturday announcing plans to “go offline for the next several weeks” ahead of the court proceedings. The story.
—Too much, too little, too late. After the Academy revealed Will Smith's punishment for the slap incident during the Oscars, all of Hollywood has been trying to process the penalty. THR's Scott Feinberg and Carolyn Giardina spoke to dozens of Academy members on their assessment of the decision to keep the actor from attending the awards ceremony for the next decade but still be able to compete. The reaction.
—"Is that a punishment?" Saturday Night Live has got a lot of mileage out of Will Smith’s infamous Oscars meltdown and it was the same again in the latest episode that reacted to the star's punishmet from the Academy. During “Weekend Update,” co-host Colin Jost queried the leniency of the punishment: "He can still be nominated. He can even win an award. He can even go to the after-party." The recap.
—An undignified end. Chris Noth hasn’t appeared in The Equalizer in several weeks, but the fate of his character was finally revealed on Sunday night’s episode of the CBS drama. The actor was fired from the show after a THR story detailed allegations of sexual assault against Noth by two women. The story.
'Sonic 2' Opens to a Stellar $71M
►Well, well, wellity, well. In news that will be welcomed across Hollywood, Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 lived up to, and then exceeded, expectations, opening to a huge $71 million in a major boost for the domestic box office. The sequel started off strong with $26.5 million from 4,234 theaters on Friday and kept running over the weekend.
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that nearly 60 percent of the audience were families. Until now, titles largely depending upon kids and parents have struggled to breakout because of the pandemic. Among Sonic 2's bragging rights, it is one of the few films of the COVID era to open ahead of its predecessor, and the biggest launch of all time for a video-game adaptation and also Paramount’s biggest three-day opening since 2014.
Overseas — where it opened in select markets ahead of its domestic launch — Sonic 2 grossed another $37 million from 53 markets for a foreign total of $70 million and $141 million globally. The box office report.
—Mass cinema shutdowns.Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore cruised to an easy win during its opening weekend China, but the prize was smaller than usual. The Harry Potter spinoff sequel earned just $9.7 million, according to data from Artisan Gateway. Thanks to ongoing COVID outbreaks, an estimated 54 percent of China’s cinemas are currently closed. The first Fantastic Beasts film opened to $40.4 million in China in 2016, and the sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, debuted to $36.6 million in 2018. The China box office report.
Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul to Appear in 'Better Call Saul' Final Season
►They're back, bi... Breaking Bad leads Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul are set to appear upcoming final season of Better Call Saul. Co-creator and showrunner Peter Gould first broke the news at a PaleyCenter panel event for the AMC show on Saturday night. Gould was greeted with huge cheers from the crowd upon revealing that Walter White (Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Paul) will appear in Saul’s sixth season, the first half of which is set to premiere April 18. The story.
—"That will resonate with me for the rest of my life." At that same Better Call Saul panel at Paleyfest, the cast and co-creator Peter Gould talked about crafting the final season and how they navigated star Bob Odenkirk’s on-set heart attack. The story.
—"Welcome to the family." Vin Diesel took to Instagram on Saturday to introduce the newest member of the Fast & Furious family, Oscar winner Brie Larson. Franchise mainstays Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and Sung Kang will return, and Charlize Theron is expected to appear as well. THR previously reported that Jason Momoa is set to join the 10th installment, directed by Justin Lin and scheduled for release on May 19, 2023. The story.
—Trouble in paradise. Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal said Sunday night that Elon Musk has decided not to join the social media platform’s board of directors. Musk had informed the Twitter board on April 9 that he wouldn't be joining. Also on Sunday, Musk cryptically tweeted the 🤭 emoji. This is the world we live in. The story.
—"I said some things that hurt people." Sam Elliott has apologized for controversial comments he made about the Western The Power of the Dog last month. Speaking Sunday on a panel to promote his Paramount+ series 1883, Elliott said sorry for calling the Oscar-nominated film a "piece of shit" and added that he didn't articulate his opinion very well. The story.
TV Review: 'Roar'
►"Awfully tame, despite its ferocious title." THR critic Angie Han reviews Apple TV+'s Roar. Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo, Issa Rae, Alison Brie and more appear in this anthology series combining drama, comedy and magical realism to tell eight standalone fables about womanhood today. The review.
—"This is not a simple impersonation, as text and performance suggest a slightly different Trump."THR's Demetrios Matheou reviews Mike Bartlett's play The 47th. Tony and Olivier Award winner Bertie Carvel plays Donald Trump, opposite Tamara Tunie’s Kamala Harris, in Bartlett’s Shakespearean take on the next U.S. presidential election, directed by Rupert Goold. The review.
—Middle finger salute. John Oliver isn’t done sticking it to AT&T. As of last Friday, HBO is officially no longer owned by the company — which he condescendingly refers to as “Business Daddy” — after the closure of the WarnerMedia and Discovery merger, and Oliver couldn’t resist taking another job on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight.The story.
—Darling of the West End. The London revival of the 1966 musical Cabaret triumphed with seven trophies at the Laurence Olivier Awards, the UK's top theater prizes. There were emotional wins for Cabaret's lead actors Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley. Meanwhile, Life of Pi was honored in 5 categories. The winners.
—Henry Patterson, author who wrote The Eagle Has Landed under pseudonym Jack Higgins, dies at 92
—Dwayne Haskins, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, dies at 24
What else we're reading...
—David Sims on Ambulance, a film he describes as a strong entry in Michael Bay’s maximalist canon [Atlantic]
—Michael Paulson on the busiest, and perhaps most important, April for Broadway openings in more than a decade [NYT]
—A run through of the best streaming services for every kind of sports fan [Vulture]
—Profile on Mads Mikkelsen, including his thoughts on replacing Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts and his hatred of method acting [GQ]
—Interesting story on the trend of big fashion houses trademarking colors with Pantone [WSJ]
Today...
...in 2003, Columbia Pictures unveiled the Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson comedy Anger Management in theaters nationwide. Peter Segal's film would go on to make $196 million at the box office and spawn a TV series starring Charlie Sheen that lasted two seasons. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Jennifer Esposito (49), Tricia Helfer (48), Kelli Garner (38), Dakota Blue Richards (28), Morgan Lily (22), Matt Ryan (41), Vincent Gallo (61), Peter Riegert (75), John Milius (78), Joss Stone (35), Carl Franklin (73), Uli Edel (75), Gloria Calderón Kellett (47), Lisa Stansfield (56)
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