THR's Drama Actor Roundtable

►On the cover. THR's Emmy roundtable series moves on to the drama actors, with Lacey Rose sitting down with Samuel L. Jackson (The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey), Michael Keaton (Dopesick), Oscar Isaac (Scenes From a Marriage, Moon Knight), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Brian Cox (Succession) and Quincy Isaiah (Winning Time) who open up about insane fan requests, keeping boundaries and the opportunity and anxiety of Marvel: "Just the level of embarrassment that it would be, once you throw on a cape." The roundtable.

—Broadway in the time of COVID. Also out today is THR's Tony Awards nominees roundtable. Contenders Hugh Jackman, Ruth Negga, Jesse Williams, Mary-Louise Parker and Sam Rockwell speak to Scott Feinberg about the impact of the pandemic on Broadway, the challenges and rewards of doing eight shows a week, how to address exorbitant ticket prices, unruly audience members and more. The roundtable. 

—It's happening. Joker director Todd Phillips officially confirmed he has completed a script for a sequel to his 2019 film. Phillips shared a cover page to the script, co-written with Joker collaborator Scott Silver, along with a photo of star Joaquin Phoenix reading its pages. Phillips also revealed the working title is Joker: Folie à deux, a reference to a medical term for a mental disorder that affects two or more individuals. The story.

—Has Madonna found her Madonna? Julia Garner is the frontrunner to land the role of the pop icon in the biopic from Universal that will be directed by Madonna herself. Other actresses who were considered for the role included Florence Pugh, Odessa Young and Alexa Demie. Amy Pascal is set to produce the movie, which was co-written by Secretary writer Erin Cressida Wilson. The story. 

Masters: As Zaslav Reshapes WB, Are His New Film Execs on the Same Page?

►"The idea of fiscal responsibility and creative freedom? Someone’s head’s going to pop off." Incoming Warner Bros. film studio heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy built their reputations with a relationship-driven, filmmaker-friendly approach. THR's editor-at-large Kim Masters, who first broke the news of De Luca and Abdy's move to Warners, writes that the duo's spend-happy style might be at odds with Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav's imperative to save money. The story.  

—Sure-fire winner. Sony Pictures has landed Run, Rose, Run, the planned adaptation of the book from Dolly Parton and James Patterson that also has Parton attached to star. The book centers on a young woman who heads to Nashville to pursue her music-making dreams. Reese Witherspoon is set to produce via her Hello Sunshine banner, which worked with the studio on the upcoming adaption of bestseller Where the Crawdads Sing. The story.

—Tokyo twice. HBO Max has handed out a second-season renewal to the crime drama Tokyo Vice. The series, starring Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe, boasts an 86 percent and 89 percent rating among critics and viewers, respectively, on Rotten Tomatoes but has come under fire over the validity of its source material. The story.

—The truth will out. George Clooney and HBO are teaming up to tell the story of a decades-long sexual abuse scandal at Ohio State University. HBO has joined Clooney and Grant Heslov’s Smokehouse Pictures, Sports Illustrated Studios and 101 Studios on the project, which will premiere on the cable network and stream on HBO Max. Oscar and Emmy winner Eva Orner will direct. The story. 

—A legend returns. Carol Burnett is returning to television with the beloved entertainer booking a starring role, opposite Kristen Wiig, in the Apple TV+ scripted comedy series Mrs. American Pie. Created by Abe Sylvia, the comedy is set in the early 1970s and revolves around Maxine Simmons’ (Wiig) attempt to secure her seat at America’s most exclusive table: Palm Beach high society. The story. 

J.J. Abrams' 'Demimonde' Dead at HBO

►Not good. Bad Robot's Demimonde will not be moving forward at HBO. The series, which marked the first original created by J.J. Abrams since Fringe in 2008, has officially been passed over by the premium cable network following issues surrounding the show’s sprawling budget. The series starring Danielle Deadwyler will be shopped to streamers. 

Sources tell THR's Lesley Goldberg that Abrams made a last-ditch plea to HBO/HBO Max boss Casey Bloys to spare the drama from cancellation. Bloys took the week to do so but ultimately the decision was made to part ways with the series for which Abrams had sought a budget north of $200 million, more than the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. The story. 

—Blow for Broadway. Dear Evan Hansen will close on Sept. 18 after six years on Broadway. The production, which won the 2017 Tony Award for best musical, reopened in December 2021, after the pandemic-related closure of theaters but struggled to return to the regular sell-outs it enjoyed before COVID. Also on Tuesday, it was announced that Tina: The Tina Turner Musical will close on Aug. 14. The story. 

—Heading for a run-off. Rep. Karen Bass and billionaire local developer Rick Caruso are headed to a November run-off election for the Los Angeles mayoralty after the AP called the race on Tuesday night. Their candidacies — which divided Hollywood loyalties during the open primary — each promised solutions for a city grappling with deep anxiety over homelessness, housing affordability and crime. The story. 

—Turning a debacle into a learning opportunity. THR's D&I editor Rebecca Sun reflects on the social media furor of a viral tweet claiming gay Asian rom-com Fire Island failed the Bechdel Test. Rebecca writes that the incident is a useful object lesson about how ideals about inclusion can be misapplied or even weaponized. The story.

Behind Apple's Megadeal for Brad Pitt's F1 Film

►Potential game-changer. Apple won the race to acquire an untitled Formula One racing movie that has Top Gun: Maverick filmmaker Joseph Kosinski directing and Brad Pitt attached to star. THR's Borys Kit goes inside the unique deal for the film, which calls for a wide theatrical release with a meaningful window, and will have the creative team paid three ways: their upfront fees, hefty buyout fees and the theatrical backend. The story.

—Second round. The 2022 Peabody Awards have announced the second round of winners, which includes My Name is Pauli Murray in the documentary category and Hacks in the entertainment category. The New York Times’ Day of Rage: How Trump Supporters Took the U.S. Capitol won in the news category alongside PBS NewsHour’s January 6th reporting. The winners.

—"Justice is blind as to your fame, your fortune, and your position." Todd and Julie Chrisley, stars of the USA reality television show Chrisley Knows Best, were found guilty Tuesday in Atlanta on federal charges including more than $30m worth of bank fraud. They were also found guilty of conspiring to defraud the IRS and tax evasion, and Julie Chrisley was convicted of wire fraud and obstruction of justice. Sentencing is set for Oct. 6. The story. 

TV Review: 'The Old Man'

►"More compelling as an actors' showcase than as a thriller." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews FX's The Old Man. Jeff Bridges plays a former intelligence operative forced out of hiding when a government agent (John Lithgow) pursues him in a series adaptation of Thomas Perry's novel. The review. 

—Pulled. A film about the daughter of the prophet Muhammad has been pulled from the cinemas of one of the U.K.’s biggest chains following protests accusing the feature of blasphemy. Cineworld, which also owns the Regal chain in the U.S., said it was canceling all upcoming screenings of The Lady of Heaven “due to related incidents” and to “ensure the safety of our staff and customers.” 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 premiere of Ms. Marvel on Disney+, AMC's long-awaited and pricey crime drama Dark Winds and Peacock’s new take on Queer as Folk, as well as the return of Apple's critical favorite For All Mankind. The full guide. 

In other news...

—Dwayne Johnson unveils first Black Adam trailer

—Prey drops intense, intriguing Predator prequel trailer

—Bullet Train drops new trailer with more action and Brad Pitt humor

—TV ratings: NBA Finals steady for game two

—Elizabeth Vargas to host syndicated crime show

—Tabitha Jackson exiting post as Sundance Fest director

—Kara Swisher to exit NYT for Vox Media

—Sky Studios names Meghan Lyvers director of original drama, U.K. and Ireland

—High rises are out, campuses are in as L.A. office real estate market recovers

—New Ontario backlot rises from Amazon’s Reacher set

—Producer Ross Dinerstein and Campfire Studios sign with UTA

—Joseph David-Jones signs with APA

—Man arrested in shooting death of Atlanta rapper Trouble

—Former Sony CEO Nobuyuki Idei dies at 84

—Jim Formanek, veteran executive at the Jim Henson Co., dies at 50

What else we're reading...

—Scott Mendelson has a great take on how Top Gun: Maverick massive success starkly illustrates Hollywood's failure to nurture new movie stars [Forbes]

—Kurt Wagner and Maxwell Adler write that Elon Musk’s buyer’s remorse won’t get him out of Twitter deal [Bloomberg]

—Andrew Crump on how David Cronenberg’s 2012 film Cosmopolis redefined Robert Pattinson’s career [NYT]

—Coleman Spilde posits the notion that Vanessa Hudgens may actually be the most powerful person in Hollywood [Daily Beast]

—Anthony Breznican has a fun interview with living legend Julie Andrews (sadly there's no mention of Dick Van Dyke's cockney accent) [VF]

Today...  

...in 1984, America met the Ghostbusters, as the Ivan Reitman comedy hit theaters nationwide. Written by stars Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, and also starring Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson, the Columbia film was a massive hit, making $295m at the box office. It would go on to spawn a franchise, including two sequels, a reboot and various animated series. The original review. 

Today's birthdays: Ye (45), Julianna Margulies (56), Keenen Ivory Wayans (64), Frank Grillo (57), Lexa Doig (49), Maria Menounos (44), Eion Bailey (46), Torrey DeVitto (38), Kelli Williams (52), Kathy Baker (72), Dan Futterman (55), Florence Faivre (39), Sônia Braga (72), Erica Schmidt (47), Nancy Sinatra (82), Josh Pence (40), Dimple Kapadia (65), Troy Duffy (51)