Spacey Granted Bail in U.K. Sexual Assault Case

►Trial date set. Amid a media scrum outside, Kevin Spacey appeared at a London court on Thursday morning, setting the wheels in motion for the first criminal trial in the U.K. against the actor since allegations of sexual assault first broke in 2017. The judge sent the case to the U.K. Crown Court, with a July 14 start date, granting Spacey unconditional bail. The actor faces four charges of sexual assault. The story.

—Beyhive assemble! On Wednesday night, Beyoncé’s social media channels and website teased details of an imminent new album from the singer. Titled Renaissance, reports suggest the record will feature 16 tracks and will drop on July 29. The album would be the singer's seventh studio release and a followup to 2016's Lemonade. The story. 

—Dismissed. Netflix has settled a potentially precedent-setting lawsuit from Mo’Nique in a case that could have found that the streamer retaliated against the comedian by refusing to engage in good-faith negotiations after she accused the company of discrimination for opening with a low-ball offer. Both sides on Tuesday moved to dismiss the suit, according to a court filing. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The story.

—Ecce homo. A first-look image of Ryan Gosling as Ken in the upcoming Barbie movie has been released and it is both unsettling and alluring in equal measure. Previously, the project released a photo of star Margot Robbie as Barbie. Greta Gerwig's movie features a sprawling supporting cast that includes America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, Ariana Greenblatt, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, Rhea Perlman and Will Ferrell. The first look.

—Perfect Pedro. THR's Alex Weprin has the scoop on CNN scoring Pedro Pascal to lead its next original series, Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World. Chile-born Pascal will narrate the six-part nature docuseries, which uses visual storytelling in the style of programming like Planet Earth to explore the Patagonia region of South America, straddling Chile and Argentina. The series is set to debut July 10. The story.

THR's Comedy Actress Roundtable

►"Hey, we’re dirtbags, too." THR's Emmy roundtable series moves on to the comedy actresses. Black-ish's Tracee Ellis Ross, Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson, Only Murders in the Building’s Selena Gomez, Life & Beth’s Amy Schumer, Somebody Somewhere’s Bridget Everett, and The Other Two and I Love That for You’s Molly Shannon sit down with THR's Lacey Rose to discuss the joy and power of complex female characters, notes the people who encouraged them (thank you, Paul Rudd!) and careens between raunch and responsibility. The roundtable. 

—Rich ensemble. Jerry Seinfeld has assembled an A-list cast for his feature directorial debut, which just so happens to be about the beloved breakfast dessert pastry, Pop-Tarts. Netflix is behind Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story, which will star Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer, Hugh Grant and James Marsden. Rounding out the cast is Jack McBrayer, Tom Lennon, Adrian Martinez, Bobby Moynihan, Max Greenfield, Christian Slater and Sarah Cooper. The story.

—"No, and rightly so." Tom Hanks says he wouldn’t be able to play his Oscar-winning roles in Forrest Gump and Philadelphia today — and “rightly so.” While speaking to the NYT about playing a gay lawyer with AIDS in the 1993 legal drama Philadelphia, Hanks advocates that in the present, straight actors shouldn’t be playing gay characters. The story.

—Move on hold. Disney has pushed back the timeline to relocate thousands of jobs from California to Florida amid its fight over Florida’s so-called Don’t Say Gay bill. The company’s timeline to move around 2,000 workers in its parks, experiences and products division — which includes a number of Imagineering workers, who are responsible for designing and engineering the company’s theme parks and rides — has been pushed to 2026. The story. 

—"There are certain scenes in this fictional series that some viewers may find upsetting." The penultimate episode for Obi-Wan Kenobi opens with a viewer warning. The latest warning was put on the episode for the same reason one was added to the premiere episode that dropped May 27: the episode featured violence against children. Disney+ added the warnings in the wake of the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, last month. The story.

How Many Tentpoles Can Share a Weekend? 

►"This is the first sign of the possibility of a healthier marketplace." The combined strength of Jurassic World Dominion and Top Gun: Maverick allayed fears that the marquee can only support one event pic. THR's Pamela McClintock looks at how a packed June and July of big releases will test whether the still-recovering box office can support more than two films. The analysis. 

—Stellar lineups. The upcoming twin tribute concerts for Foo Fighters’ late drummer Taylor Hawkins will include Miley Cyrus, Liam Gallagher, Joan Jett, Mark Ronson, members of Queen, The Police, Rush, Kiss, The Pretenders, Motley Crue, Queens of the Stone Age, Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Supergrass and comedian Dave Chappelle. The shows will take place Sept. 3 at London’s Wembley Stadium and Sept. 27 at The Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. The story.

—"The first time that I was surprised by Arya." Maisie Williams is revealing that she was a bit taken aback by a certain decision made by her Game of Thrones character during the hit HBO show’s final season. In a video interview, the Brit star said that until a sex scene between her character Arya Stark and Gendry Baratheon she assumed Arya identified as queer. The story. 

—Bigger than Real Madrid. THR's Etan Vlessing has the scoop Kylian Mbappé, the World Cup-winner and star forward for French soccer club PSG, signing with WME Sports and also launching his own production banner. L.A.-based Zebra Valley is looking to make scripted, non-scripted and animation content focusing on sports, music, art, technology, gaming, consumer products and youth culture. The story. 

—A singular talent. Scoop machine Etan has another, well, scoop, this time the news of a documentary on Canadian filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée, who died in December aged 58. Marie-Julie Dallaire will direct Cut Print Thank You Bye, which has the support of and participation from Vallée's family. Item 7, the producer of Vallée’s breakout movie C.R.A.Z.Y., is producing the project. The story. 

Hannah Gadsby on Ricky Gervais and Ted Sarandos

►"You don’t cuddle up to power." Aussie stand-up Hannah Gadsby, who turned comedy on its head with 2017's Nanette, is back with a new, "feel-good" show, Body of Work. Ahead of her return to L.A. as part of her tour, she spoke to THR's Seth Abramovitch about what she’d like to say (or not say) to Ricky Gervais, and whether she’ll have time for a power lunch with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos while she’s in town. The interview.

—Huge news. Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon are planning three films based in the world of the popular series Avatar: The Last Airbender, the first such projects from the recently established Avatar Studios. Lauren Montgomery is attached to direct the first of the three films in development, which is currently untitled. All three films are planned as theatrical releases. The story. 

—Rare TV role. Billy Crystal will star on the Apple TV+ limited series Before. Crystal will exec produce the series that hails from Paramount Television Studios, which also marks a reunion with his Analyze That producer Barry Levinson. Crystal will play a child psychiatrist who recently lost his wife when he encounters a troubled young boy. The story.

—Breaking out. Cobra Kai star Peyton List is going to topline her own show for Paramount+. The streamer has handed out an eight-episode, straight-to-series order for School Spirits, a young adult drama based on the upcoming graphic novel by Nate and Megan Trinrud and Maria Nguyen. The story.

Film Review: 'Jerry & Marge Go Large'

►"Actually, they go small and flat." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews David Frankel's Jerry & Marge Go Large. A Michigan retiree with mad math skills finds a loophole in the lottery and uses the winnings to resuscitate his struggling small town in this Paramount+ comedy starring Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening, based on a true story. The review. 

—"A detailed and personal dual portrait that will be a must-see for a certain audience." THR's Dan Fienberg reviews Lizzie Gottlieb's Turn Every Page. The filmmaker documents the six-decade working relationship between acclaimed biographer Robert Caro and legendary editor Robert Gottlieb. The review.

—"More mildly amusing padded ad for esports than satire." Dan reviews Paramount+’s Players. Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda's American Vandal follow-up is a serious-minded mockumentary about League of Legends and the competitive esports world. The review. 

—"A sweeter, steadier sophomore outing." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews season two of Peacock’s Rutherford Falls. The comedy series returns to find Reagan (Jana Schmieding), Nathan (Ed Helms) and Terry (Michael Greyeyes) dealing with a town-wide revamp, a mayoral election, romantic complications and more. The review.

In other news...

—Feinberg Forecast: Updated projections on eve of nomination voting

—Harry Styles starrer My Policeman drops teaser trailer

—Hunger Games prequel enlists West Side Story star Josh Andrés Rivera

—YouTube Shorts, taking aim at TikTok, hits 1.5b monthly viewers

—Tom Hiddleston confirms engagement to Zawe Ashton

—Japan increases legal punishment for cyberbullying after death of Terrace House star

—Startup Australian studio Dreamchaser signs producer partnerships 

—Elsa Majimbo signs with IMG Models, WME

What else we're reading...

—A Joe Palazzolo and Ted Mann scoop on WWE head honcho Vince McMahon is facing a probe from the board over a secret affair and a $3m payoff [WSJ]

—Shawn McCreesh's profile of Tribeca Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal is a distracting read [NY Mag]

—Nicole Sperling has an interview with the always charming Emma Thompson who talks about getting naked at 63 in her new film, and why it was the most difficult thing she's ever done [NYT]

—Julie Miller spoke to Michael Peterson and daughter Margaret, who feel their nightmare continues with HBO Max's The Staircase [VF]

—Michael Hogan on the explosion of TV shows featuring Groundhog Day-esque time loops [Guardian]

Today...  

...in 1960, Alfred Hitchcock premiered his iconic mystery thriller Psycho in New York. Based on Robert Bloch's novel, the film would be a huge hit scoring $50m at the box office. After Hitchcock's death, Universal would mine the film for three sequels, a near shot-for-shot remake, a TV movie and a prequel series. The original review. 

Today's birthdays: Laurie Metcalf (67), John Cho (50), Daniel Brühl (44), Clifton Collins Jr. (52), Abby Elliott (35), K.J. Apa (24), Jessica McNamee (36), Missy Peregrym (40), Verónica Echegui (39), Arnold Vosloo (60), Eddie Cibrian (49), Bill Cobbs (88), Mithun Chakraborty (72), Andy Weir (50), Daniel Zelman (55), Scott Alexander (59), Tommy Tiernan (53), Charlotte Kirk (30), Camila Morrone (25)