How to Save the Film Academy and the Oscars

►Feinberg's manifesto. With the Academy facing an existential crisis as its president and CEO positions come up for grabs, THR's awards columnist Scott Feinberg suggests 10 ways the organization can dig itself out of the hole it is in — including among other things a special Oscar for commercial films, using a larger venue like the Hollywood Bowl and borrowing live TV techniques from sports — all to avoid the fate that befell the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and its Golden Globe Awards. The 10 point plan. 

—No dice. Michael Shamberg, the Oscar-nominated producer of Erin Brockovich, Contagion and Django Unchained, has lost his bid to force the Academy to vote on his proposal to overhaul the organization’s social media approach. An L.A. judge ruled that the organization did not violate its bylaws by failing to vote on the producer's proposal to modernize its social media strategy. The story. 

—Been too long. After a long hiatus, Nancy Meyers is returning to the director’s chair. The What Women Want filmmaker will write, direct and produce an as yet titled film for Netflix. The logline for the film being kept under wraps but it is a comedy. Meyers last directed the 2015 comedy The Intern, starring Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro. She also produced the 2017 Reese Witherspoon starrer Home Again. The story. 

—Getting the band back together. Huge news for Trekkies everywhere, Star Trek: The Next Generation stars LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis and Brent Spiner are all set to appear alongside Patrick Stewart in the upcoming third and final season of Paramount+'s Picard. The streamer also confirmed that the final season will consist of 10 episodes. The story.

—"It’s really damaging to the songwriting industry." Ed Sheeran won a U.K. copyright battle over his 2017 hit “Shape of You” on Wednesday, then slammed what he described as a “culture” of baseless lawsuits intended to squeeze money out of artists eager to avoid the expense of a trial. The story.

Ann Sarnoff Exiting Warner Bros. When Discovery Deal Closes

►"She has been a passionate and committed steward." Ann Sarnoff, the chair and CEO of WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group, is exiting the company as AT&T spins off its entertainment division to Discovery in a $43 billion mega-merger. WB noted in a statement that Sarnoff’s role will not be filled with an exact replacement when the combined firm unveils its new leadership after the deal officially closes in April. The story. 

—"There’s no retiring in my plans." On Tuesday, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar told staff that he was leaving when the company’s merger with Discovery closes. THR's business editor Georg Szalai spoke to Kilar about the takeaways from his tenure, his take on the future of streaming and disruption and his own future. The interview. 

—Political veteran. The Walt Disney Co. has found its next lead spokesperson. The company has hired Kristina Schake to lead global communications for the company as its executive vp, reporting to chief corporate affairs officer Geoff Morrell. Schake most recently led the national COVID-19 vaccine education campaign for the Biden administration, and before that was global communications director for Instagram. The story.

—Big hires. Peacock has hired away Shannon Willett from Netflix and Brian Henderson from Hulu to lead global marketing and programming, respectively. Willett — most recently Netflix’s vp of global marketing strategy and operations — will be based in Los Angeles and oversee, in part, subscriber growth and content marketing for the streamer. She will be joined by Henderson, who will lead Peacock’s global content strategy as evp programming. The story.  

—"Character-driven narratives that are relatable and reflective." THR's Lesley Goldberg spoke to Freeform's head of alternative development Jihan Robinson, in her first interview since joining the cable network from Quibi, about the younger-skewing channel's move into the nonfiction space for the first time. The interview.

'Sherlock Holmes' TV Universe in the Works at HBO Max  

►The game is afoot. HBO Max is developing not one but two scripted series based on Sherlock Holmes. Robert Downey Jr., who played the detective in the 2009 Guy Ritchie feature film and its 2011 sequel, is on board to exec produce both shows via his Team Downey banner. Lionel Wigram, who received a story credit on the first film and produced both, is also on board as an exec producer. It’s unclear if Downey will reprise his role as Sherlock as both projects remain in the early development stages. The story. 

—Ko-opted. The Handmaid’s Tale is adding Dave star Christine Ko to its cast for season five. She’ll play a character named Lily, a Gilead refugee who now is a leader in the Canada-based resistance movement. The Handmaid’s Tale is the second Hulu series Ko has booked recently; she’ll also be part of the second season of Only Murders in the Building. The story.

—Another Taylor Sheridan project. Paramount+ has picked up the rights to crime drama Finestkind, written and directed by Brian Helgeland. The fishing port-set feature stars Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster, Toby Wallace and Jenna Ortega. The film is produced by Gary Foster, Russ Krasnoff, David C. Glasser and Paramount fave Taylor Sheridan. The story. 

—Hot project alert. In a preemptive sale, Universal has picked up Batshit, a spec script by rising scribes Ryan Belenzon and Jeff Gelber. The project is described as an action-thriller about a new “bounty app” that encourages reckless behavior. Jon Silk, who worked on It and White Boy Rick, is producing via his newly formed Silk Mass banner. The story. 

—Nearing a deal. SAG-AFTRA and the Joint Policy Committee, which bargains on behalf of advertisers and advertising agencies, have reached a tentative agreement on successors to their commercials contracts. The tentative agreement will now go to the SAG-AFTRA National Board for approval; the Board is set to meet April 9. The story. 

TV review: 'Tokyo Vice'   

►"Avoids some stranger-in-a-strange-land clichés, but suffers from a milquetoast centerpiece." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews HBO Max's Tokyo Vice. This adaptation of Jake Adelstein's memoir about working as a journalist in Tokyo features Ansel Elgort in a leading role and Michael Mann behind the camera for the pilot. The review. 

—Franklin's last stand. FX renewed crime drama Snowfall for a sixth and final season to air next year. The announcement comes as the show’s fifth season — currently the most watched drama on FX — enters its home stretch, with the finale set for April 20. The story. 

—Trump, Nazis, Qanon and antivaxxers to be allowed back? Just one day after Elon Musk disclosed that he had purchased a more than 9 percent stake in Twitter for about $2.9 billion, the billionaire is joining the company's board of directors. In exchange for the board seat, Musk agreed not to acquire more than 14.9 percent of Twitter's stock. The story. 

—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 returns of A Black Lady Sketch Show to HBO and the grown-up iCarly to Paramount+ and the finale of ABC's breakout comedy Abbott Elementary. Netflix debuts new dating show The Ultimatum and HBO Max premieres the intriguing Tokyo Vice. The full guide. 

In other news...

—Matthew Broderick tests positive for COVID, will miss Broadway performances of Plaza Suite

—Sky orders Benito Mussolini drama series M. Son of the Century

—Damon Wayans, Pam Grier join Cinnamon thriller for Village Roadshow

—Viola Davis’ JuVee Productions teams with Flavourworks for interactive live-action experience

—Royal reboot Sisi sells wide, gets second season greenlight

—BET+ sets premiere date for The Porter civil rights drama

—Immersive Frida Kahlo exhibit opens on Sunset Boulevard

—Talent agent Phoebe Burnham joins APA

What else we're reading...

—All about incredible profiles today and this one from Dave Itzkoff of Molly Shannon is a great read [NYT]

—Another excellent profile of Everything Everywhere All at Once star Ke Huy Quan, who has come a long way from Short Round and Data [NYT]

—Rachel Syme's profile of Russian Doll actress, writer, director and now showrunner Natasha Lyonne [New Yorker]

—When Nicolas Cage became the biggest action star of the ’90s [Ringer]

—Binge Sesh podcast on Winning Time and why Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the most misunderstood player in Lakers history [LAT]

Today...  

Today's birthdays: Paul Rudd (53, apparently), Billy Dee Williams (85), Barry Levinson (80), Steven Levitan (60), Peyton List (24), Zach Braff (47), Michael Rooker (67), Lauren Ridloff (44), Eliza Coupe (41), Candace Cameron Bure (46), John Ratzenberger (75), Miguel Ángel Silvestre (40), Jason Hervey (50), Doug Ellin (54), Diora Baird (39), Marilu Henner (70), Judi Bowker (68), Patrick Doyle (69), Clark Spencer (59)