Will Packer Explains Why Will Smith Wasn't Removed From the Oscars

►"Once I saw Will yelling at the stage with such vitriol, my heart dropped." Oscars producer Will Packer is shedding light on what happened behind-the-scenes after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage. Packer sat down with Good Morning America for an interview this morning, where he responded to swirling questions about why Smith wasn’t escorted out of the show following the onstage assault and shared his fascinating backstage conversations with Rock and the LAPD. The story.

—Messy. On Thursday, THR's Beatrice Verhoeven and Pamela McClintock reported that Will Smith was not formally asked to leave the Oscars ceremony Sunday after slapping Chris Rock onstage, contrary to the Academy saying he was, according to sources close to the situation. Insiders say that instead, Oscars producer Will Packer told Smith to stay and there was never a chance for Smith to “refuse” to leave. The story.

Embattled 'Grey's Anatomy' Writer Takes Leave of Absence 

►"As hard as it is to take some time away right now, I know it is more important that I focus on my own family and my health." THR's Lesley Goldberg reports that Grey’s Anatomy writer Elisabeth Finch has taken a personal leave of absence from the ABC show. Sources tell Lesley that Finch is no longer under investigation by Disney following concerns that elements of her personal journey and health issues such as her cancer diagnosis and abortion while undergoing chemotherapy — some of which she wrote into the show — were allegedly fabricated. The story. 

—Apple starting to flex. Newly minted best picture winner Apple has landed the hot film package Project Artemis. The space race-related film will star Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans, and be directed by Jason Bateman with a script from Rose Gilroy. This is the second film in the works for Apple and Johansson, with Bride also in development. The story.

—Back in the director's chair. THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Kathryn Bigelow's next feature project, an adaptation of David Koepp's upcoming book for Netflix. The Oscar-winning director's long-awaited followup to 2017's Detroit will be titled Aurora, Koepp will write the screenplay. Aurora follows the events of a solar storm that knocks out most of the world's power grids and focuses on the personal story of a divorced mother and her family. The story. 

—Clear contrast. Former Disney chief Bob Iger addressed Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill on Thursday when he joined anchor Chris Wallace on his new CNN+ interview series. Iger weighed in on whether major companies should address matters of extreme public interest and concern, noting that a lot of these issues, such as the bill, are “not necessarily political,” but Iger emphasized: "It’s about right and wrong." The story. 

—"We acknowledge that it is not appropriate." The Razzies is rescinding a “worst performance” honor given to Bruce Willis earlier this month following the news of the actor's aphasia diagnosis. Willis' turn in Cosmic Sin was given a prize in the now-removed category of "worst performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 movie." The Razzies had nominated Willis for seven other roles, making the "worst performance" category completely focused on the actor. The story. 

—Maverick to buzz the Croisette. The Cannes Film Festival confirmed the worst-kept secret of this year’s edition: that Top Gun: Maverick will screen as part of Cannes’ 75th-anniversary edition. Tom Cruise will also get a special career tribute and will have an on-stage conversation with journalist Didier Allouch in the afternoon of May 18. The story. 

Does Hollywood Need to Rethink Its China Strategy?

►"China seems to have turned its back on Hollywood." As China's domestic film market mostly thrives, the disappointing box office for Warner Bros.' The Batman (opening to just $12.1 million) and other recent releases suggests a continuing decline in audience enthusiasm for U.S. tentpoles, writes THR's Asia bureau chief Patrick Brzeski. The analysis. 

—Wu-Tang is for the children. THR's Alex Ritman has the scoop on an Ol’ Dirty Bastard documentary getting the greenlight at A&E. The two-hour film has the full backing of the late rapper's estate. The doc will focus on the Wu-Tang Clan founding member's hip hop legacy as well as all the wild stories from his personal life. The story. 

—Star Wars vs. Marvel. THR's Rick Porter went deep into Nielsen's Disney+ viewership data to divine which of the streamer's shows are the most popular, and the numbers show that those Marvel and Star Wars series are indisputably the biggest draws among originals. Unsurprisingly, The Mandalorian is the clear leader, while Loki had the highest average watch time of any Marvel or Lucasfilm series. The analysis.

—By Odin's beard. Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla saw a sizable increase in its viewing time during its first full week on the streamer, according to Nielsen's latest streaming rankings. But Valhalla's didn't do enough to dethrone Inventing Anna from the top spot. Netflix also got a strong showing from its docuseries Worst Roommate Ever, and Hulu’s limited series The Dropout debuted in the top 10 originals. The streaming rankings. 

—Been so long. NBC has set its lineup of summer unscripted series, and it includes usual suspects America’s Got Talent and American Ninja Warrior — along with a show that last aired on the network a decade ago. Who Do You Think You Are?, the genealogy series will premiere Sunday, July 10 — 10 years and two months after it last aired on NBC. The story.

—Staples. CBS will move forward with the NCIS franchise as currently constituted for the 2022-23 season. The network has picked up all three series — NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: Hawai’i — for next season. NCIS will hit its landmark 20th season in 2022-23, while Los Angeles will enter its 14th season and Hawai’i its second. The story.

Film review: 'The Bubble' 

►"Bursts on arrival." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Judd Apatow's The Bubble. David Duchovny, Pedro Pascal, Keegan-Michael Key and Kate McKinnon are among the large ensemble cast in this Netflix parody of a sci-fi shoot ruled by pandemic protocols. The review.

—"Clearly flawed, but likable enough that you might not mind." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews Amazon's The Outlaws. Seven strangers in Bristol form an unlikely bond after being sentenced to community service together in this comedy thriller by Stephen Merchant and Elgin James. The review. 

Thank Pod It's Friday

►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.

—TV's Top 5. Lesley Goldberg and Dan Fienberg break down the latest TV news. This week the guys begin by running through the headlines starting with The Slap, of course. There's talk about the Streaming Wars hotting up with big shows dropping on the horizon and they preview April TV. Chris Keyser, the showrunner of HBO Max’s Julia, drops by for a chat. And Dan offers reviews of Disney+'s Moon Knight, Apple’s Slow Horses , Ken Burns’ latest for PBS and much more. Listen here.

—Awards Chatter. Awards analyst Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott speaks to Liv Ullmann. The legendary Norwegian actress, who recently received her honorary Oscar, reflects on her personal and professional life with Ingmar Bergman that included 12 movie collaborations, how Persona changed her life and career and her mixed feelings about Hollywood. Listen here. 

In other news...

—Netflix’s White Hot trailer follows Abercrombie & Fitch’s rise and fall

—Universal Music Group nominates Nicole Avant, Sherry Lansing as new board members

—Fox News hires Caitlyn Jenner as a contributor

—Rich Roll, podcast host and athlete, signs with CAA

—BAFTA CEO Amanda Berry to head up Prince William’s charitable foundation

—Range Media, FilmNation ink film co-production pact

—Outfest to honor Sandra Oh and Stephanie Beatriz at Fusion gala

—E3 2022 fully canceled, will return in 2023 with “reinvigorated showcase”

What else we're reading...

—Story on why Reels, Meta's TikTok clone, is the so central to the company's future [Vox]

—Julie Miller's charming interview with Christopher Walken, who has two big shows on streamers at the moment [VF]

— Josef Adalian's take on CNN+, which "in its formative phase feels somewhat like the Quibi of streaming news" [Vulture]

—Already at loggerheads over retail in India, Amazon and Reliance look likely to enter $7b+ bidding war for IPL cricket rights [Bloomberg]

—Incredible reporting about Shanghai's COVID outbreak being much worse, with more deaths, than CCP officials are letting on, all of which is likely terrible news for the global economy [WSJ]

Today...   

...in 1983, 20th Century Fox unveiled the racing biopic Heart Like a Wheel in theaters. Starring Bonnie Bedelia as racer Shirley Muldowney, the film went on to earn an Oscar nomination for costume design at the 56th Academy Awards. The original review.

Today's birthdays: David Oyelowo (46), Boots Riley (51), Barry Sonnenfeld (69), Mackenzie Davis (35), Asa Butterfield (25), Taran Killam (40), Ali MacGraw (83), Jane Adams (57), Anamaria Marinca (44), JJ Feild (44), Logan Paul (27), Tomas Alfredson (57), Albert Hughes (50), Deborah Kaplan (52)