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Inside the 'Superman: Legacy' Screen Tests; Angela Bassett, Mel Brooks to Receive Honorary Oscars; Drescher Backed for SAG-AFTRA Reelection; Critics Pick 2023's 10 Best TV Shows

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June 27, 2023

What's news: Roku is moving into live sports following Formula E deal. Titanic is returning to Netflix and some people aren't happy about it. Columbia Pictures has filed a suit to reassert its rights to the Bad Boys franchise. Josh Gad says the Honey I Shrunk the Kids reboot isn't happening. — Abid Rahman

Inside the 'Superman: Legacy' Screen Tests

►Edging closer. With The Flash not proving to be the box office savior Warner Bros. was anticipating, the pressure on new DC Studios’ heads James Gunn and Peter Safran has increased exponentially. THR's Borys Kit reports that the screen tests for Superman: Legacy have dragged into their second week, with Gunn pairing six hopefuls for Clark Kent and Lois Lane over the June 17 weekend — with Nicholas Hoult and Rachel Brosnahan, Tom Brittney and Phoebe Dynevor, and David Corenswet and Emma Mackey each filming together. The story.

—"The timing is so wrong." Netflix is set to stream James Cameron’s Titanic from July 1 in the U.S. and Canada. The announcement is making headlines given the Titan submersible tragedy that riveted the world last week and resulted in the death of five people. In addition, the streamer put out a trailer for a doc about free diving, The Deepest Breath. Both titles are getting some backlash on social media, with some accusing the streamer of being insensitive. The story.

—Suit filed. Columbia Pictures is suing George Gallo, who wrote the story that was developed into the 1995 action hit Bad Boys, to reassert its rights to the movie franchise. In a complaint filed in California federal court Friday, the studio argues that Gallo can’t exploit a provision in copyright law that allows authors to claw back ownership of their works after a certain period of time. Columbia is asking the court for a declaration that Gallo penned the story as a work made for hire, which would make it ineligible for termination. The story.

Oscars: Angela Bassett and Mel Brooks Tapped for Honorary Awards

►Finally. Actress Angela Bassett, writer-director-actor-songwriter Mel Brooks and film editor Carol Littleton have been tapped to receive honorary Oscars, while former Sundance Institute chief Michelle Satter will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2023 Governors Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday. The 14th annual honors will be presented at a ceremony at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on Nov. 18. The story.

—"A big new step for us." Live sports are coming to Roku with the streamer and CBS Sports inking a deal to become the exclusive U.S. media partners for Formula E, the motorsport series featuring electric racing cars. The deal expands CBS’ prior deal with Formula E, and will include five races per season on CBS, which will also stream on Paramount+. Roku will stream 11 races per season on the Roku Channel. Both the Paramount+ and Roku Channel races will be accessible through Roku’s recently-launched sports experience. The story.

—"Excessive." Billionaire Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan took the stand for a second day on Monday in Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial, acknowledging that the long list of champagne, cigars and jewelry he systematically gave to the Israeli prime minister may have been excessive. Milchan, whose production credits include Pretty Woman, 12 Years a Slave and Bohemian Rhapsody, is a key witness in one of three fraud cases brought against Netanyahu. The story.

Emmys: TV Academy Unveils Statuette Remodel

►The 48th proposal. The iconic Emmy statuette is getting a rare tweak. The TV Academy unveiled on Tuesday a subtle new look for this year’s Emmy statuette: an inscription of “75” at the base of the figurine. The enhancement will be added to the statuette for this year only amid the 75th anniversary of the award ceremony that celebrates and honors the best in television. The story.

—Wait, what? Netflix has quietly removed its $9.99 basic subscription option from its pricing plans for new or reconnecting customers in Canada as it continues to refine its overall product mix and pricing worldwide. A spokesperson for Netflix Canada declined direct comment on the phasing out of the basic ad-free subscriber plan north of the border. And there’s no indication that the end of the basic ad-free streaming package in Canada will in time spread elsewhere, including to the U.S. market. The story.

—Fatal overdose. A coroner’s investigation into the death of Adam Rich determined the Eight Is Enough child star died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl. Rich, the former ’70s and ’80s child star best known for his page-boy haircut and role on the ABC dramedy, died five months ago, on Jan. 7, at age 54, and his body was discovered at his Los Angeles residence. The story.

—All change. Fox News has blown up its primetime lineup in a dramatic reset following the ouster of Tucker Carlson in April. The new lineup will see Fox News move Jesse Watters to 8 p.m., effectively replacing Carlson. Laura Ingraham, formerly the 10 p.m. host, will shift to 7 p.m.; and Greg Gutfeld will move to 10 p.m. Sean Hannity will remain at 9 p.m. In addition, the 11 p.m. hour will now be the home to Fox News @ Night, the news program anchored by Trace Gallagher, which previously ran at midnight. The story.

—"[The] budget got the best of us." Josh Gad offered an update on the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids reboot, Shrunk, in which he was set to co-star alongside original franchise star Rick Moranis. The actor tweeted that the production was close to starting but the pandemic and budget issues scuppered the creative team's plans. Gad suggested if people want to see the reboot come to life, they should reach out to Disney and let the company know they’re interested in it. The story.

—"My life would’ve been totally different." Jennifer Lawrence opened up about how she auditioned for Twilight and was turned down “immediately,” only to land The Hunger Games a year later. In a new interview, the No Hard Feelings actress explained that she didn’t even get a callback for the role of Bella Swan, which eventually went to Kristen Stewart. But she’s glad she didn’t. The story.

How Aronofsky Plans to Immerse Audiences at MSG Sphere

►"Sci-fi journey deep into our future." Director Darren Aronofsky will premiere the first immersive production made for the MSG Sphere, the uniquely constructed, sphere-shaped venue that opens this fall in Las Vegas. In his first interview about the inventive project, Aronofsky talks to THR's Carolyn Giardina about Postcard From Earth, the production he created, directed and produced for the Sphere and the potential of the 160,000-square-foot, 16K-by-16K wraparound LED display. The interview.

—"I’d long been a fan of the book." John Legend is writing the score to a stage adaptation of the 1959 film Imitation of Life. The musical, which is in development and aiming for Broadway, features a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage (Sweat, Ruined) and direction by Liesl Tommy (Eclipsed). Universal Theatrical Group and Legend's Get Lifted Film Co. are producing. The story.

—"Stan Lee was the one who had a vision of a Marvel Universe." In a guest column for THR, prolific writer and former Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas addresses the debate over David Gelb's the new Stan Lee Disney+ documentary. In a thoughtful piece, Thomas, who was hired by Lee in 1965, looks at the question of credit for creating the Marvel Universe. The column.

—"It felt appropriate as the villain in this piece to explore the antisocial personality disorder side of things." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Kingsley Ben-Adir about playing a complicated villain in Disney+'s new Marvel show Secret Invasion. The Brit actor discusses fighting Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury and opens up about the inspiration that Amazon’s crime series ZeroZeroZero had on the creation of his character Gravik. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.

—"We all have some Cootie in us." For THR, Demetrius Patterson spoke to Jharrel Jerome about his new Amazon Prime Video show I’m a Virgo. The actor, who plays a 13-foot sheltered teen in the Boots Riley-created limited series, discusses the genre-mixing storytelling of the surreal drama and the finale. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.

Drescher Backed for Reelection by Both SAG-AFTRA Parties

►Unity candidate. THR's Katie Kilkenny reports that Fran Drescher, who is running for reelection for SAG-AFTRA president, has managed to garner the endorsement of both of the union’s major political parties, which are typically bitter rivals. Unite for Strength and Membership First, the union’s top political groups, announced Monday that they have joined forces in 2023 to support The Nanny star’s candidacy, disrupting the recent dynamic of the union’s elections. The story.

—The messaging war. As the writers strike hits its ninth week, the conventional wisdom is that the PR war has been decisively won by the Writers Guild of American. THR's Katie Kilkenny and Gary Baum write that WGA's communications dominance is down to its hands-off approach to its rank-and-file’s social media notes, and that the battle lines in the guild's impasse with the AMPTP are being largely shaped by members, not leadership. The analysis.

—Fund in place. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters union is allocating $2m to aid members that are in financial straits amid the ongoing writers’ strike. The labor organization, which represents drivers, location managers and casting directors, among others in entertainment, will be creating a fund to assist members in need after its general executive board unanimously approved the action. The story.

25 Queer Films That Emerged From Sundance

►"Sundance occupies a very meaningful place for me in terms of queer cinema." Many of the most important queer films in cinema history share a birthplace: the Sundance Film Festival. Over the years, Park City has hosted the U.S. premieres of films as important as Jennie Livingston's Paris Is Burning, Donna Deitch’s Desert Hearts and Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name. As the festival celebrates its 40th anniversary, Hilton Dresden spoke to Kim Yutani, director of programming at Sundance, about some of the most important LGBTQIA+ films to debut there. The interview.

—"The very content you profit from is in violation of your own terms of service." GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign have teamed to issue a public letter signed by more than 250 notable names — including Elliot Page, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Dan Levy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Amy Landecker and Amy Schumer — that urges CEOs of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Twitter to help curb anti-LGBTQ hate on their platforms by better enforcing policies that protect that community. GLAAD collaborated with writer, performer and influencer ALOK on outreach for the letter. The story.

THR Critics Pick the 10 Best TV Shows of 2023 So Far

►HBO dominates once more. THR’s TV reviewers Angie Han and Daniel Fienberg choose their faves from the first half of the year, including the brilliant final chapter in the Roy family saga, a controversy-stained Netflix standout and an eye-opening (and mouth-watering) food show. The list.

In other news...

—Amazon drops Prime membership pricing to $2 ahead of Prime Day

—BAFTA formally announces Sara Putt as new chair

—Jon Hamm marries Anna Osceola at site of Mad Men finale

—Steve Goldman, former president of domestic television at Paramount, dies at 81

What else we're reading...

—David K. Li reports on the Iowa meteorologist who quit his TV career due to harassment over his coverage of the climate crisis [NBC News]

—Max Tani reports on the great podcasting correction with audio giants moving away from Hollywood stars and looking for specialist talent [Semafor]

—Alejandra Gularte writes that we need a podcast for the Meghan and Harry podcast drama [Vulture]

—Lia Picard writes that this summer's hottest trend in home décor and interior design is Barbiecore [NYT]

—Thoroughly depressing story from Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris about how review-bombing on Goodreads can tank a book before it’s even published [NYT]

Today...

...in 2008, Pixar unveiled WALL-E, a sci-fi adventure that would become a summer hit with critics and audiences. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Tony Leung Chiu-wai (61), J.J. Abrams (57), Sam Claflin (37), Emma D'Arcy (31), Tobey Maguire (48), Wagner Moura (47), Jeremy Swift (63), Joseph Sikora (47), Martin Sensmeier (38), Isabelle Adjani (68), Chandler Riggs (24), Alanna Masterson (35), Julia Duffy (72), Janusz Kaminski (64), Khloé Kardashian (39), Yancey Arias (52), Kimiko Glenn (34), Courtney Ford (45), Christian Kane (51), Oliver Stark (32), Madylin Sweeten (32), India de Beaufort (36), Matthew Lewis (34), Sistine Rose Stallone (25), Kelley Jakle (34), Anthony Howell (52), Emma Lahana (39), Martina García (42), Ken Marshall (73), Mitchell Hope (29), Ravi Kapoor (54), Sam Hoare (42), Meera Syal (62)

Lew Palter, the veteran character actor and admired CalArts School of Theater faculty member who portrayed the department store magnate Isidor Straus in James Cameron’s Titanic, has died. He was 94. The obituary.

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Written by José Vizcarra
on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at 7:06 AM.

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