'Captain America 4' Finds Its Director

►Helmer in place. THR scoop machine Borys Kit has the big exclusive on Captain America 4 finding a director. Nigerian-American filmmaker Julius Onah will sit in the director's chair for Marvel Studios. Anthony Mackie is starring in the feature, reprising his long-time character of Sam Wilson, but not the hero alter ego, Falcon. In the Disney+ series Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Wilson finally accepts the shield and mantle of Captain America. The story.

—"False and misleading representations." Elon Musk told Twitter on Friday that he is “terminating” his proposed acquisition of the social media company, arguing in a letter that the company was in “breach” of the merger agreement. In turn, Twitter said it will pursue legal action against Musk to ensure the deal goes through at the agreed upon terms. The story. 

—Rest and recuperate. Out of an “abundance of caution for the artist’s health,” Carlos Santana’s management company announced late Friday that the 74-year-old guitar legend will postpone his next six concerts. Santana received onstage medical attention earlier this week during a performance in Michigan. The story. 

—"This breaks my heart." Shawn Mendes has announced that he is postponing his Wonder world tour amid mental health concerns. In a statement shared on his Instagram Friday, the singer explained that despite feeling ready to tour again after taking a few years off amid the pandemic, the decision was “premature” and he’s “hit a breaking point.” The story. 

Why Hollywood Hasn't Begun Boycotting States Over Abortion Access   

►"Once you boycott one, some folks may see it as a slippery slope." THR's Winston Cho writes that thirty-six states offer some form of film and TV tax breaks to the industry. Two of them — Georgia and Louisiana — are major players in entertainment and are likely to or have already passed laws banning abortions. The analysis.  

—"Now we’ve got to think more inclusively." The recent backlash Bette Midler faced for using language like "birthing people" and "menstruators" in a tweet, illustrated the often polarizing debate around abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Despite the noise, THR's Evan Nicole Brown writes that a growing number of organizations are using gender-neutral language as the default in conversations about abortion rights and access for all people. The story.

—"The challenge is go out and vote." President Joe Biden on Friday condemned the “extreme” Supreme Court majority that ended a constitutional right to abortion and delivered an impassioned plea for Americans upset by the decision to “vote, vote, vote vote” in November. Under mounting pressure from fellow Democrats to be more forceful in response to the ruling, he signed an executive order to try to protect access to the procedure. The story. 

'Thor 4' Heads for $135M-$145M Opening

►Hammer time. Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder, started off its North American box office run with a Friday haul of $69.5m, including a mighty $29.6m in Thursday previews. Most pundits believe Thor 4 will earn $140m to $145m for the weekend. Disney is being more cautious and saying $135m to $145m. Either way, that is ahead of the $122m opening of Thor: Ragnarok.

THR's Pamela McClintock writes that the superhero movie is also making a major push overseas, where it began rolling out midweek and earned $48.6m through Friday from its first 42 markets. The box office report. 

—"Everyone’s kids were on set all the time, so it was just a really joyful experience." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Thor: Love and Thunder star Tessa Thompson on her friendship with Natalie Portman and the night-and-day difference between the Marvel film's set and their last go-round together on Alex Garland’s Annihilation. Thompson also dispels some popular misconceptions about the way Christian Bale and Westworld co-star Ed Harris work. The interview. 

—In demand. THR's Lesley Goldberg has the double scoop on Love, Victor star Michael Cimino joining the fourth and final season of Netflix’s Never Have I Ever and booking the lead role opposite Cobra Kai’s Peyton List in the HBO Max romantic special B-Loved. In Never Have I Ever, Cimino will play Ethan, a skater and new heartthrob at Sherman Oaks High. The story. 

—All aboard. Dan Stevens and Jessica Henwick have jumped on board writer-director Tilman Singer’s horror pic Cuckoo for Neon, which has just wrapped shooting in Germany. The project is led by Euphoria star Hunter Schafer, with Gemma Chan, Marton Csókás, Greta Fernández and Sofia Boutella also starring. The story.

—Dispute. THR's Katie Kilkenny has the scoop on the Writers Guild of America East filing a grievance with CBS News over alleged unpaid backpay nearly two months after members ratified a new three-year contract with the division. According to the union, most staffers at the company have not received their retroactive pay, dating back to April 3, that their new contract calls for. The story. 

Tony Sirico 1942-2022

►"Tony was like no one else." Tony Sirico, best known for his role as “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri on The Sopranos, has died. He was 79. Sirico passed away Friday at an assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., according to his manager of 25 years Bob McGowan. No cause of death was revealed but Sirico had been suffering from dementia for the past couple years. The obituary. 

—"One of the only times an actor influenced a change in the script." The late Tony Sirico had a couple of firm rules when it came to his beloved Sopranos character Paulie Walnuts, and he would not compromise. In fact, co-stars Steve Schirripa and Michael Imperioli revealed that he was so upset over one word in a script for the HBO classic series that he lobbied for a rare script change. The story. 

—"Who says I’m dumb?!" Larry Storch, the manic comic actor who starred as the bumbling sidekick Corporal Randolph Agarn on the 1960s ABC sitcom F Troop, has died. He was 99. The obituary.

In other news...

—Bill Skarsgard horror movie Barbarian moves release from August to September

—Inside the real Only Murders in the Building building in Manhattan

—Idris and Sabrina Elba launch S’able Labs skin care line

—Kirsten Dunst marries Jesse Plemons

—Aaron Taylor-Johnson to receive Locarno’s Excellence Award

—Lenny Von Dohlen, best known for playing Harold Smith in Twin Peaks, dies at 64

What else we're reading...

— Michael Hiltzik on why Elon Musk walking away from the Twitter deal was so predictable [LAT]

—Scott Mendelson writes that the boffo box office success of Top Gun 2 and Jurassic World 3 shows you don't need China [Forbes]

—Michelle Toh looks at why Hollywood is unwilling to bow to Chinese censors any longer [CNN]

—The stuff in here is wild, even for Vince McMahon: "WWE’s Vince McMahon agreed to pay $12 million in hush money to four women" [WSJ]

—To mark Frenzy's 50th anniversary, Mark Allison reflects on the most graphic and violent film Alfred Hitchcock ever made [BBC]

Today...  

...in 1999, Universal released the R-rated teen comedy American Pie in theaters, where it would go on to gross $235m worldwide and kickstart a franchise. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Tom Hanks (66), Chris Cooper (71), Kelly McGillis (65), Jimmy Smits (67), Pamela Adlon (56), Courtney Love (58), Jack White (47), Toby Kebbell (40), Adaku Ononogbo (43), Douglas Booth (30), Enrique Murciano (49), Raymond Cruz (61), Linda Park (44), David O'Hara (57), Elnaaz Norouzi (30), Richard Roundtree (80), Christina Haack (39), Harald Kloser (66)