Disney Shocker! Peter Rice Ousted in Major Executive Shake-Up

►Seven-minute meeting. Peter Rice, the chairman of Disney’s entertainment and programming, is exiting the company. Sources tell THR's Lesley Goldberg that embattled Disney CEO Bob Chapek summoned Rice to his office Monday and relieved the former Fox exec of his duties. Chapek is said to have felt that Rice was no longer a fit. Industry insiders believe Rice was perceived as angling to replace Chapek.

Rice’s top lieutenant, Dana Walden — who also made the move from Fox to Disney — will be taking over his responsibilities. Chapek announced the news in a memo to staff Thursday. The story. 

—"It's not good for the company. Morale is terrible." Chapek's decision to push out Rice has sent shock waves through Hollywood and led to a stock price hit. Talking to Disney insiders, THR's editor-at-large Kim Masters writes that the decision to fire a well-respected executive in the most unceremonious possible manner set off waves of outrage. The reaction. 

—"It has been such a pleasure and a privilege to work alongside each of you." Peter Rice addressed his team in a farewell message obtained by THR. The ousted Disney exec, who normally sends weekly memos to staff celebrating all things Disney, sent his final missive to the company Thursday. In the message, Rice talked of his pride in the work, the friendships and success he had with his team at Disney and previously at 21st Century Fox. The memo. 

—Backing Bob. Disney's board of directors says that it completely supports CEO Bob Chapek and his executive team, in the wake of the Rice firing. The message of support from the board comes as Chapek’s contract is set to end in about nine months, meaning that the window for the board to negotiate a new deal is open. The story.

—More problems. Staying with Disney, and a possible big problem for Bob Chapek in the coming days, on top of everything else, is the billion dolllar auction for IPL cricket rights in India. THR Asia bureau chief Patrick Brzeski explains how IPL cricket was a key part of Disney's plan to hit 230 million-plus total global streaming subscribers by 2024, but now analysts aren't so sure it's a good idea to drop $6 billion to secure the rights. The story. 

—Another big exit. In all the drama over at Disney, Sony Pictures Television revealed that president Jeff Frost is leaving the indie studio. The exec had led the studio since he and Jason Clodfelter and Chris Parnell were promoted to co-presidents in 2017 following the departures of Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg to Apple. Frost’s exit arrives as Sony TV has faced an uphill battle in an era where networks and streamers alike have prioritized owning their own content. The story.

The Jan. 6 Committee Hearings Are Must-See TV

►"The committee was smart enough to know that words matter, but not as much as pictures." The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol held a prime-time public hearing Thursday. THR critic Frank Scheck writes that the compelling evidence, dramatic testimony and harrowing footage that permeated the opening night suggests the hearings have the potential to be the essential TV event of the summer. The critic's notebook. 

—Finally happening. Marvel Studios is giving the super villain team the Thunderbolts their own film. Robot & Frank filmmaker Jake Schreier has landed the job to direct with Marvel veteran Eric Pearson penning the script. In the comics, the Thunderbolts are a team of supervillains akin to DC's Suicide Squad as that in some versions the team works under government supervision. The story. 

—Sweet stuff. Colin Farrell is set to star in a genre-bending Apple TV+ series called Sugar. Plot details about the series are being kept under wraps but it comes from Mark Protosevich and counts Simon Kinberg as exec producer. This is the second streaming series the Irish actor has signed up for, he will also reprise his role as The Penguin in The Batman spinoff for HBO Max. The story. 

—Steady start. Jurassic World Dominion is headed for a so-so opening day in China of about $15 million, according to early forecasts. The Colin Trevorrow-directed film scored $673,000 in midnight previews Thursday night in the world's biggest movie market and had earned $6.4 million as of midday Friday. The Universal film will easily rank as the biggest Hollywood opening in China this year. The China box office report. 

—Good timing. Less than two months after Netflix announced plans to add ad-supported tiers to its streaming subscription service, the international ad festival Cannes Lions has announced Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos as its Entertainment Person of the Year. The story. 

Britney Spears' Ex-Husband Attempts to Crash Wedding

►"I’m here to crash the wedding." A scene unfolded outside the home of Britney Spears on Thursday afternoon as the singer’s onetime husband, Jason Alexander, was tackled and detained by police for attempting to crash her wedding. Alexander, who married Spears in 2004 in a quickie Las Vegas wedding that lasted only 55 hours before she had it annulled, live-streamed the activity on Instagram. The story. 

—Married. Despite the trouble with her ex, Britney Spears did indeed marry Sam Asghari, in a Los Angeles ceremony, a rep confirmed to THR on Thursday night. The “fairly intimate” ceremony featured 60 guests from their inner circles, with a guest list that included Madonna, Paris Hilton, Drew Barrymore, Donatella Versace and power lawyer Mathew Rosengart, who helped dissolve the singer’s 13-year conservatorship. The story. 

—Starry additions. Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir having joined the cast of Without Blood, Angelina Jolie’s fifth feature as director and her first as part of a new pact with TV giant Fremantle. Production on the film is now underway, with filming in Italy. Also written and produced by Jolie, the film is an adaption of the best-selling novel by Italian author Alessandro Baricco. The story. 

—Four more to devour. Hulu has added four new original food-related series. The streamer announced the launch of Drag Me to Dinner, a drag queen dinner party competition created and executive produced by Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka; Secret Chef, a show from executive producer David Chang in which chefs blindly rank each other’s food; Burning Men, a competition for regional pepper growers and Chefs vs. Wild, in which two world class chefs compete and cook in the wilderness. The story.

Amazon's Freevee Revives 'American Rust' 

►Off the scrap heap. The canceled Showtime series American Rust is getting a new life. Freevee, the free, ad-supported streaming service from Amazon, has revived the drama starring Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney. Both are slated to return for the show’s second season, as is executive producer and writer Dan Futterman. It’s likely that season one of the series will also stream on Freevee, though no deals are in place yet. The story. 

—Deal done. Oscar-winning actress and producer Octavia Spencer has signed a development and production deal with ID, discovery+ and October Films to create premium unscripted true crime TV content. The pact will kick of with two projects now in production. The first has the working title Highway 20, and is an event series that begins with the case of a missing 13-year-old girl. The story. 

—Still got it. Starz’s P-Valley had a big return for the start of its second season, driven by record growth on the premium cable outlet’s streaming app. The June 3 premiere for the critical favorite, created by Katori Hall, gathered 4.5 million viewers across platforms in the U.S. over its first three days, Starz says. The story. 

Tribeca Film Review: 'Corner Office' 

►"More fun in theory than execution." THR critic Frank Scheck reviews Joachim Back's Corner Office. Mad Men star Jon Hamm returns to office life in this Kafkaesque satire adapted from Jonas Karlsson's acclaimed novel. The review. 

—"A scary enough tale without the musical numbers." Frank reviews Jed Rothstein's Rudy! A Documusical. This documentary chronicles the downward trajectory of Rudy Giuliani, using mock Broadway-style musical numbers to make satirical points. The review. 

—"Thin but compelling." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Robert Machoian's The Integrity of Joseph Chambers. The writer-director and star Clayne Crawford reteam after The Killing of Two Lovers on another slow-burn study of a family man pushed to his limits. The review. 

—"Fine, but probably could have gone twice as high." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb's Butterfly in the Sky. LeVar Burton and his PBS favorite Reading Rainbow get the documentary retrospective treatment. The review. 

—"An enjoyable, if not entirely satisfying, look at a strange cinematic affinity." THR film critic John DeFore reviews Alexandre O. Philippe's Lynch/Oz. The doc explores some of the ways The Wizard of Oz helped shape the Lynchian universe. The review. 

—"Sweet, but not quite addictive." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews Netflix's First Kill. The series revolves around two teenagers — a vampire and a vampire hunter — who inconveniently fall in love after meeting at school. 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. The guys begin by running through the week's headline makers, that includes, for good or bad, J.J. Abrams, Colin Farrell, Kathryn Hahn, Carol Burnett, Jon Hamm and Juno Temple. Yes, they also managed to cover the Peter Rice bombshell at Disney. There's a section dedicated to the Peabody winners. Queer as Folk creator Stephen Dunn drops by for a chat. And Dan reviews Disney+'s Ms. Marvel, Apple's For All Mankind, Paramount+'s Evil and FX's The Old Man. Listen here. 
 
—Awards Chatter. Awards analyst Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott speaks to Léa Seydoux. The French actress reflects on the unrequited crush that led her to acting, the differences between European and Hollywood filmmaking and being the first actress to appear in multiple installments of the 007 franchise as the same Bond girl. Listen here.

—Behind the Screen. Tech editor Carolyn Giardina's podcast focuses on the filmmaking crafts. In this episode, Carolyn and Aaron Couch speak to Top Gun (1986) editors Chris Lebenzon and Billy Weber who reveal that director Tony Scott almost got fired over the volleyball scene. They also open up about adding the love scene during reshoots, capturing the dogfights, the original ending and more. Listen here.

In other news...

—Feinberg Forecast: The Emmys landscape with one week until nominations voting

—Final Nope trailer reveals far more about Jordan Peele’s upcoming sci-fi horror

—HBO’s The Last of Us releases first-look photo

—Jennifer Lopez to serve as ambassador for Grameen America to empower Latina entrepreneurs

—Emily in Paris official cookbook highlights French cuisine and show-inspired favorites

—Eiza Gonzalez signs with CAA

—WBD taps TelevisaUnivision exec Luis Silberwasser as CEO of sports business

—Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions strikes content deal with Caesars

—Directors Dea Kulumbegashvili, Visar Morina win Baumi Script Development Award

What else we're reading...

—If you're wondering what the devil is going on at the Washington Post, Charlotte Klein has a great recap [VF]

—Critic James Poniewozik praises the Apple's "refreshingly retro" space thriller For All Mankind [NYT]

—Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg and Lillian Rizzo write that Gen Z have discovered a hot new writer — Agatha Christie [WSJ]

—Isaac Stone Fish on how Top Gun: Maverick illustrates the subtle and not so subtle ways Hollywood self-censors itself because of China [BBC]

—And here's your Friday list: "Every Laura Dern role, ranked" [Vulture]

Today...  

...in 1994, 20th Century Fox revved up actioner Speed in theaters, where it would go on to be a summer hit grossing $120 million-plus stateside. Jan De Bont's debut feature, which starred Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, would go on to spawn a 1997 sequel Speed 2: Cruise Control. The original review. 

Today's birthdays: Gina Prince-Bythewood (53), Elizabeth Hurley (57), Gina Gershon (60), Jeanne Tripplehorn (59), Faith Evans (49), Leelee Sobieski (39), Tristin Mays (32), Bill Burr (54), DJ Qualls (44), Nick Adams (39), Kate Upton (30), Frankie Faison (73), Dustin Lance Black (48), Jürgen Prochnow (81), Titus Makin Jr. (33), Laura Silverman (56), Andrew Niccol (58), Randee Heller (75), Jeremy Saulnier (46),  Timothy Van Patten (63), Matt Spicer (38)