Netflix Picks Microsoft As Ad Partner   

►"The flexibility to innovate over time on both the technology and sales side." Microsoft will be Netflix’s global advertising technology and sales partner, the streaming service said Wednesday. The deal with will allow Netflix to enter the ad space quickly, though the company cautioned that it is still “early days” for its ad-supported offering. The story. 

—The winning package. THR's Alex Weprin looks at why Netflix chose Microsoft to power its advertising ambitions. The ability to provide privacy, combined with an established ad tech stack through Xandr, and a strong ability to iterate quickly, helped push the computing giant over the finish line. The analysis.

—Date set. Kevin Spacey’s trial in the U.K. over multiple sexual assault allegations is set to begin on June 6, 2023. The two-time Oscar winner appeared at London’s historic Central Criminal Court on Thursday morning, his second U.K. court appearance in less than a month, where for the first time he formally pleaded not guilty to all five charges against him. The story.

—Unsealed. A state appeals court Wednesday ordered the unsealing of a former prosecutor’s testimony in the criminal case against Roman Polanski. The ruling could eventually draw to a close the 45-year-old legal saga. The order was issued after the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office lifted its opposition to unseal transcripts of closed-door testimony from retired prosecutor Roger Gunson. The story. 

—Returning to the studio fold. Katherine Pope has been tapped to replace Jeff Frost as president of Sony Pictures Television Studios. The seasoned executive, who most recently headed originals at Charter Communications, begins her new role Aug. 22 and reports to Ravi Ahuja, chairman of global television studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment corporate development. The story.

'Funny Girl' Producers Deny They Were "Blindsided"   

►"The producers were aware of and in support of her decision." The drama over Beanie Feldstein’s exit from the Broadway revival of Funny Girl has set social media alight in recent days, particularly over speculation that the producers may have been blindsided by her decision to leave. On Wednesday, the producers and a rep for Feldstein released a joint statement looking to set the record straight. The story. 

—FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, CAST HUGH GRANT! Prince Andrew’s appearance on BBC’s Newsnight in 2019, which became one of the most significant, notorious and ridiculed interviews in recent years and was a major factor in the royal’s dramatic fall from grace, is to become a feature film. Scoop, created and written by Peter Moffat, will tell the inside story behind Andrew’s bombshell hour-long interview with journalist Emily Maitlis. The story.  

—The summer's breakout hit. FX has handed out a speedy season two renewal for its critically acclaimed dark comedy The Bear, starring Jeremy Allen White. The series, which launched all eight episodes June 23 on FX’s hub on Hulu, has an impressive 100 percent rating among critics and 92 percent score with viewers on Rotten Tomatoes. The story. 

—Lineup revealed. Gutsy, the Apple TV+ docuseries hosted by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, has unveiled its star-studded guest list ahead of its Sept. 9 debut. Set to sit down for “intimate conversations” with the mother-daughter duo are Kim Kardashian, Megan Thee Stallion, Dr. Jane Goodall, Gloria Steinem, Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson, among others. The story.  

—Cameron defeated at last. Top Gun: Maverick broke another record as it flew past $600m at the domestic box office. The sequel is now Paramount’s highest ever earner at the North American box office on its initial release, surpassing the $600.7m Titanic made in 1997. To date, Top Gun 2 has earned nearly $1.2b globally. The story. 

Daniel Kaluuya Not Returning for 'Black Panther 2'

►Shocker. Daniel Kaluuya will not be in the Black Panther sequel. Kaluuya, who will soon be seen in the Jordan Peele thriller Nope, played W’Kabi, the best friend to T’Challa/Black Panther and the husband of Okoye, played by Danai Gurira, who is expected to return for the sequel, Wakanda Forever. Kaluuya had to back out due to scheduling conflicts with Peele’s movie. The story. 

—Farewell Lily. Sex Education is losing another fan favorite. Actress Tanya Reynolds, who for three seasons played the alien-loving Lily on the Netflix dramedy, will not return for the show’s upcoming fourth season. The decision, which sources say was made months ago, comes as part of a creative reset for the series following the closing of the show’s Moordale High School at the end of season three. The story.

—Twin films, kinda. Apple TV+ has given a straight to series order to Ferrari, a series based on the life of automaker Enzo Ferrari, from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight and Sicario: Day of the Soldado director Stefano Sollima. The show is inspired by the best-selling biography by Luca Dal Monte. The Apple series is one of two big projects about Enzo Ferrari in the works, with Michael Mann directing a feature film also titled Ferrari. The story. 

—Is it the same without Spence? A revival of Criminal Minds is once again on the board at Paramount+. Almost a year and a half after the project was first announced, the streamer has given a series order to the show, which will reunite cast members Joe Mantegna, Kirsten Vangsness, Adam Rodriguez, A.J. Cook, Aisha Tyler and Paget Brewster. Long-time showrunner Erica Messer is also on board, though cast members Matthew Gray Gubler and Daniel Henney won’t return. The story. 

—From the Gram to TV. The My Therapist Says Instagram account is getting the TV treatment. Kenan Thompson and John Ryan Jr.’s Artists for Artists banner is teaming with the viral account’s co-founders, Lola Tash and Nicole Argiris, to adapt it as a live-action, scripted television series. A platform is not yet attached. The popular account launched in 2015 and features amusing memes focused on mental health. The story.

'Black Mirror' S6 Rounds Out Cast

►Stacked. The upcoming sixth season of Black Mirror, which has yet to set a premiere date, is rounding out its cast. Zazie Beetz, Paapa Essiedu, Josh Hartnett, Aaron Paul, Kate Mara, Danny Ramirez, Clara Rugaard, Auden Thornton and Anjana Vasan are set to appear in the new episodes. Season six is expected to have more episodes than the previous season, which had three installments, and will continue the show’s trend of producing longer and more cinematic stories. The story. 

—Fresh Prince reunion. Dancing With the Stars will look very similar when it returns for its 31st season in the fall on its new home on Disney+. Tyra Banks will return for her third season as host and be joined by former DWTS winner Alfonso Ribeiro, who will serve as co-host. Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough will all return as judges for the forthcoming season, whose premiere date will be announced later. The story. 

—Can't stop, won't stop. Julie Plec, in the wake of the surprising Legacies cancellation, is putting her energy into a sprawling development slate for Universal Television. The prolific showrunner, who already has Vampire Academy due in September on Peacock, has unveiled five new scripted shows in development at the studio where her My So-Called Company has been based since mid-2020. The story.

—🤝 Overall deal news 🤝 Ellen Rapoport, the creator of HBO Max’s well-reviewed comedy Minx, has signed an overall deal with Lionsgate Television, the studio behind the series. Under the pact, Rapoport will create new scripted projects for the studio while also continuing to serve as showrunner on the previously renewed Minx. The story.

—🤝 More deal news 🤝 Phoebe Robinson, the creator and star of Freeform's Everything’s Trash, has extended her overall deal with ABC Signature. Separately, Jonathan Groff — who’s serving as showrunner for Everything’s Trash — has also re-upped with the studio. Both signed multi-year extensions. The story. 

Film Review: 'The Gray Man' 

►"An overstuffed spy tale partly redeemed by its leads." THR film critic John DeFore reviews Anthony Russo and Joe Russo's The Gray Man. The Russo brothers go big again with a spy-vs-spy thriller for Netflix starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas. The review.

—"A tangle of interesting ideas and good intentions." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews Matt Tyrnauer's Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons. This Hulu three-part docuseries digs deep on the once-dominant lingerie brand, its place in culture, its parent company founder Les Wexner, his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and more. The review. 

—"Kung Fu Canine." THR film critic Frank Scheck reviews Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier and Chris Bailey's Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. A hapless canine is recruited to protect a village of hostile cats in this animated reimagining of 'Blazing Saddles' voiced by Samuel L. Jackson, Michelle Yeoh, Michael Cera and Ricky Gervais. The review. 

In other news...

—Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power releases second teaser trailer

—Idina Menzel, Sarah Sherman set for bat mitzvah comedy for Netflix, Adam Sandler's Happy Madison

—Universal boss Donna Langley made a dame by Prince Charles

—The Simpsons star Yeardley Smith marries former detective she met during Springfield appearance

—Ryan Gosling’s blond hair for Barbie movie sparked Tag Heuer ad campaign debate

—Song Exploder creator Hrishikesh Hirway signs with CAA

—Kris Jenner joins MasterClass to teach course on personal branding

—Khloé Kardashian expecting second child with ex Tristan Thompson via surrogate

What else we're reading...

—Ellen Gamerman writes that Natalie Portman’s arms are the breakout stars of Thor: Love and Thunder [WSJ]

—Alexis Soloski interviews Phoebe Robinson, the creator and star of Freeform's buzzy new show Everything’s Trash [NYT]

—David Canfield writes that too much TV this past spring meant that Emmy voters mostly ignored it, going with the popular stuff [VF]

—Jeffrey Goldberg reports that Where the Crawdads Sing author Delia Owens is wanted for questioning in a murder case from the 1990s [Atlantic]

—Kyndall Cunningham reports on a new doc that looks at the way TikTok corrupted the Depp-Heard Trial [Daily Beast]

Today...  

...in 1969, Columbia brought Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda’s Easy Rider to the big screen at the Beekman in New York. The film went on to be nominated for two Oscars at the 42nd Academy Awards, for Jack Nicholson’s supporting role and for the screenplay. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Phoebe Waller-Bridge (37), Jane Lynch (62), Jackie Earle Haley (61), Scott Porter (43), Matthew Fox (56), Nina Siemaszko (52), Maxine Peake (48), Vincent Pastore (76), Alisha Wainwright (33), Stan Shaw (70), David Mitchell (48),  Kyle Gass (62), Loni Love (51), Joel Silver (70), Eric Laneuville (70), Roosevelt Grier (90), Gail Mancuso (64), Jane Espenson (58), Kevin Connor (85)