Twitter Agrees to Sell Itself to Elon Musk

►Goodbye content moderation, hello plutocracy. It’s official: Elon Musk will buy Twitter. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO and the social media firm unveiled the deal Monday, with the company accepting an offer that values it at about $44 billion. Once the deal is completed, the richest person in the world will own arguably the most influential social platform in the world. The story. 

—Now what? Musk says he doesn't care about making money with Twitter, so what will he do as the all-powerful owner. THR's media reporter Alex Weprin writes that the billionaire now gets his chance to play wizard and ban bots, authenticate users and create his version of a free-speech utopia. The analysis. 

—"This is the right path." Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey appropriately took to the social media platform to endorse Musk’s takeover of the company he described as the "closest thing we have to a global consciousness." Dorsey added that in principle he didn't believe "anyone should own or run Twitter" but that Musk's solution to the platform's problems and future was a "singular solution I trust." The story. 

—"Global consciousness" pays. Staying with Dorsey, the former Twitter CEO, his successor Parag Agrawal and a number of top execs are set for huge paydays when the deal is completed. Dorsey is set for a $978 million cash payout, Agrawal and CFO Ned Segal would be in line for a $38.7 million and $25.5 million packages, respectively, if they have their employment terminated. The story. 

—It's not all roses for Elon. The New York Times Presents doc series is digging into Elon Musk’s claims about Tesla’s self-driving technology. "Elon Musk’s Crash Course," a new installment in the series that airs on FX, will investigate the effects of Musk’s aspirations for self-driving technology and Tesla’s Autopilot system. The story. 

Sony Shows Out at CinemaCon  

►Tom's time to shine. Basking in the glory of the massive theatrical success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Sony Pictures boss Tom Rothman gave a confident presentation at CinemaCon on Monday. The studio teased its upcoming slate with impressive footage from Bullet Train and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Sony also confirmed Venom 3, another Ghostbusters film as well as an El Muerto movie, based on the Marvel character with pop superstar Bad Bunny set to play the lead. The story. 

—💰💯💯 💰Comedian Kevin Hart will launch new media company HARTBEAT with a $100 million investment from private equity firm Abry Partners. The new venture is a combination of his two production companies, Laugh Out Loud and HartBeat Productions. Hart plans to use the investment to hire more employees, grow the existing brands within the new enterprise and develop new content. The story. 

—Roll out. David Hollander, recently fired as showrunner on Showtime’s American Gigolo update following a misconduct investigation, will also not return for a potential second season of CBS’ How We Roll. Sources tell THR's Lesley Goldberg that season one of the bowling comedy has already wrapped production and, should the series earn a renewal, Hollander will no longer be an exec producer on the show. The story.

—Roku making moves. Lionsgate has signed a film output deal with The Roku Channel that will see movies like the upcoming John Wick 4 headed to the streaming platform. The multiyear agreement will see Lionsgate’s 2022 releases receive two separate windows for each film. The first will provide Roku with exclusive rights to the studio’s film slate immediately after the first pay theatrical window on Starz. The story.

—Getting in on the act. Warner Music Group has launched a podcast network that will include a slate of shows hosted by Lupita Nyong’o, Jason Derulo and Billy Mann. Called Interval Presents, the network is led by Allan Coye, WMG’s svp digital strategy and business development, and will focus on developing podcasts with subjects at the intersections of music, pop culture and social impact. The story. 

—Start those engines. J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot is set to produce a Hot Wheels movie in conjunction with Mattel Films and Warner Bros. Plot details are scant but the movie is based on Mattel's iconic car-centric toy line. Kevin McKeon and Andrew Scannell will lead the project for Mattel Films, along with Peter Dodd for Warner Bros. Pictures. Hannah Minghella and Jon Cohen will oversee for Bad Robot. The story.

If Jerry West Sued Over 'Winning Time,' Legal Case May Face Uphill Battle

►"This series is a dramatization of certain facts and events." After former Lakers head coach and general manager Jerry West, through his lawyers, said his depiction in the HBO series Winning Time is defamatory, there was speculation about whether he would file a lawsuit. THR's Winston Cho writes that recent defamation cases have shown that the odds might be stacked against West if he did choose to sue. The analysis. 

—"Aligned on a new creative direction." An HBO music-industry drama from Grammy winner The Weeknd and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson is getting an overhaul. HBO says the series, titled The Idol and ordered to series in November, will “adjust” its cast and crew to fit a new creative direction for the show. The story. 

—Art and life merging. HBO has grabbed rights to Dave Eggers’ novel The Every and is developing a series based on the book. Rachel Axler is adapting the novel, which is a sequel to Eggers’ 2013 book The Circle. The potential series will follow what happens when the world’s largest tech company merges with the planet’s dominant e-commerce site, creating the richest and most dangerous — and, oddly enough, the most beloved — monopoly ever known. The story.

—It's-a-date change! Illumination and Universal are pushing back the theatrical release of Super Mario Bros. from Dec. 21, 2022 to April 7, 2023. Universal isn’t giving up the prime December date. Shortly after Mario’s move was announced, the studio said that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish will now open on Dec. 21. The story. 

—"I’m the victim. I’m not defending myself against anything. Something happened to me!" CBS Mornings revealed Gayle King’s full chat with Megan Thee Stallion on Monday. The rapper provided details of a harrowing 2020 shooting incident involving fellow performer Tory Lanez and how Lanez offered her $1 million to keep quiet about it after. The story.

—Zap! Pow! Thunk! An ingenious fan has mashed together Adam West's campy '60's Batman with Matt Reeves' grim-dark The Batman, and the results are, well, something. The trailer video, created by YouTube's Corridor channel, has raked in more than 800,000 views in 24 hours and was among the top trending videos on the site Monday. The video.

—"I felt it was my duty to express my concerns." Kylie Jenner testified Monday that she expressed concerns to her brother Rob Kardashian about his new girlfriend and soon-to-be reality TV co-star Blac Chyna, because she had heard Chyna had a tendency to abuse drugs and alcohol and become violent and had gotten a possible glimpse of it herself. The story.

TV Review: 'The Offer'  

►"Mostly refusable." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Paramount+'s The Offer. The tumultuous production of The Godfather gets limited-series treatment by creator Michael Tolkin, with a sprawling cast led by Miles Teller. The review.

—"A powerful portrait of violence and faith." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews FX's Under the Banner of Heaven. Andrew Garfield leads Dustin Lance Black's adaptation of Jon Krakauer's true-crime bestseller about a grisly double murder that rocked an insular Mormon community in 1980s Utah. The review. 

—"At this point, strictly for the faithful." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Simon Curtis' Downton Abbey: A New Era. Familiar characters from the long-running Yorkshire country house saga are joined by new faces as a film shoot comes to the estate and an inheritance stirs up mysteries from the Dowager Countess’ past. The review. 

In other news...

—Webby Awards: Drew Barrymore, Adam Scott, Megan Thee Stallion among honorees

—Writers Guild of Canada Awards: Sort Of, Pretty Hard Cases among winners

—John Cho to speak at L.A. Uprising 30th anniversary event from Korean American leaders of Hollywood

—Operation Mincemeat producer Archery acquires TV rights to Ned Beauman’s Venomous Lumpsucker

—$9.4m Beverly Hills house listing comes with home in the metaverse

What else we're reading...

—Nick Bilton asks whether Musk will regret buying Twitter, given that managing a tech platform is about a lot more than shitposting through the culture wars [VF]

—"Twitter employees’ reactions to Musk takeover: Humor, fear and hope" [WSJ]

—Sarah Perez on whether advertizers will flee Musk's "free speech" Twitter [Techcrunch]

—"Disney’s $578 million tax break left untouched in DeSantis feud" [Bloomberg]

—Did Shakespeare rip off the plot of Cymbeline? New evidence suggests the cheeky scamp may have [Guardian]

Today...  

...in 1995, New Line Cinema unveiled F. Gary Gray's Friday in theaters, where the comedy grossed $27 million domestically and launched two sequels. Written and starring Ice Cube, the film co-starred Chris Tucker in a breakout role as Smokey. The film would become a cult hit and inspire a number of enduring memes. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Channing Tatum (42), Jet Li (59), Pablo Schreiber (44), Giancarlo Esposito (64), Stana Katic (44), Tom Welling (45), Ivana Milicevic (48), Jordana Brewster (42), Jemima Kirke (37), Emily Wickersham (38), Riley Voelkel (32), Amber Midthunder (26), Kevin James (57), Luke Bracey (33), Carol Burnett (89), Joan Chen (61), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (55), McKenzie Westmore (45), Nyambi Nyambi (43), Dominic Sena (73)