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'Spider-Verse' Among Delayed Titles Amid Strikes; 'Barbie' to Surpass $700M Globally; Radford Lot Allows Picketing After Legal Threat; 'Crowded Room' Creator Talks Finale

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July 29, 2023

What's news: A writer for The Witcher deletes tweets about the show after blowback amid the strike. At the Just for Laughs festival, Rainn Wilson addresses his recent headline-making interview. Funko undergoes major layoffs due to restructuring. An FX series starring Emma Corrin has pushed back its launch. — Ryan Gajewski

Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com.

'Spider-Verse' Among First Major Theatrical Titles Delayed Amid Strikes

►Sony made a slew of changes to its release calendar. The dominos started falling as Sony took Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse off its spring 2024 date amid the actors and writers strikes. The studio also shifted its release plans for August racing pic Gran Turismo as it scrambles to figure out another way to market the movie without stars such as Orlando Bloom and David Harbour promoting it. Further out, the studio relocated Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Kraven the Hunter from October. The story.

—"There are people right now who are ready to hire me." THR's Alex Ritman explores whether Kevin Spacey can resurrect his Hollywood career after he was legally exonerated of sexual assault charges in two courts. As one former studio chief notes, "Not going to prison doesn’t qualify as an indicator of someone’s exciting career prospects." The story.

—It's one of two cases that will decide the company's authority to oversee development around Disney World. Disney has lost a bid to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the validity of a development agreement that transferred the powers of its now-dissolved special district back to the company before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis assumed control of the board. A Florida judge rejected Disney's arguments that the suit was made moot by a state law and that it shouldn't be allowed to move forward until another case dealing with the legality of the agreement in federal court is resolved. The story.

'Barbie' to Blast Past $700M Globally After Record Week

►Dream becomes reality. THR's Pamela McClintock reports that Greta Gerwig's Barbie will finish Sunday with well more than $700 million in worldwide ticket sales at the box office after serving up the biggest week in history for a Warner Bros. movie with $578.5 million. The pic is now assured of joining the billion-dollar club globally, as well as becoming the top-grossing movie ever for a solo female director, not adjusted for inflation. Friday traffic also suggests Oppenheimer will enjoy a spectacular hold in its second weekend. The box office report.

—"I can also understand how they can offend others and appear as a lapse in solidarity." The Witcher executive producer and writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach received blowback after tweeting about the Netflix show's new episodes. Although the posts did not break WGA rules amid the strike, he deleted his tweets and offered an explanation. The story.

—"Dozens and dozens of outrage-inducing clickbait articles for digital surfing pleasure." THR's Etan Vlessing reports that The Office star Rainn Wilson came to the Just for Laughs comedy festival to talk seriously about spiritual suffering and "anxious discontent" people feel everywhere. He wasted no time before addressing the recent media storm he caused when he shared during an interview with Bill Maher that he felt "mostly unhappy" while starring as Dwight Schrute on the NBC sitcom for nine seasons. The story.

After Unions' Legal Threat, Radford Studio Center Allows Picketing

►"We have won a huge victory in the battle of Radford." One day after THR's Gary Baum published an examination of a private equity giant's obstinacy about picketing at its studio lot amid the ongoing actors and writers strike, the company has relented. Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA officials have alleged they'd been unfairly relegated by Radford Studio Center's owner, Hackman Capital Partners, to a rear entrance of the facility, along a dangerously busy thoroughfare with no shade in the midst of a heat wave. The story.

—Major layoffs. Funko, the toy and collectibles company focused on selling items with connections to pop culture, is undergoing a significant restructuring. The company disclosed in a securities filing that it will lay off between 180-200 employees, representing about 12-13 percent of its workforce. Funko said it expected to incur charges of up to $2.8 million associated with the layoffs, but that it will result in $20 million to $22 million of annualized run rate cash savings. The story.

—The first example of a series impacted by Hollywood's labor strife. FX's A Murder at the End of the World, a limited series from the creators of The O.A. starring Emma Corrin, has become the first TV series to be pushed back from its premiere amid Hollywood's historic dual strike. Originally scheduled to bow Aug. 29, the seven-episode murder-mystery series starring Clive Owen will now arrive at a date to be determined in November. The story.

'Crowded Room' Creator Akiva Goldsman Talks Finale

►"Trauma's like time travel — it freezes the mind and the heart." THR's Christy Piña talks to The Crowded Room creator Akiva Goldsman about the Apple TV+ series' finale. The showrunner explains why star Tom Holland is a "miracle" and opens up about basing Amanda Seyfried's Rya on his own mother. The interview.

—"It's still open to interpretation." THR's Brian Davids interviews Secret Invasion diector Ali Selim about the Marvel show's finale. The filmmaker reveals how a key MCU actor responded to a seismic revelation about their character, and notes there was never a post-credit scene he was aware of. The interview.

—"It made me really excited to fully indulge." THR's Seth Abramovitch speaks to John Wilson about the debut of How to With John Wilson's final season. Wilson discusses his creative process, his ongoing feud with the sex-cult NXIVM and the origins of his signature stammer. The interview.

This Week's Must Reads

►"He has never felt this level of stress in his career." THR's editor-at-large Kim Masters writes that many in Hollywood hoped re-upped Disney CEO Bob Iger, long considered the corporate leader most in tune with talent, would emerge as a levelheaded mediator who could end the labor impasse. And then he spoke his mind. The story.

—"To be in Hollywood is to be gaslit." THR's Mikey O'Connell spoke to Justin Simien about his new film Haunted Mansion. "Too Black" or "too queer" for some and not enough for others, the Dear White People filmmaker gets real on those Bob Iger comments, streaming budgets and his cast not being able to promote alongside him: "This is going to hurt." The interview.

—"Nothing is going to stop technological advancement." The specter of AI over Hollywood has become a staple of SAG-AFTRA and WGA picket signs, and with good reason. THR's Alex Weprin writes that Netflix is looking to hire a $900,000 per year AI product manager, Disney is looking for generative AI specialists and Sony is seeking an AI ethics expert, making it clear that the major studios and streaming services are intrigued by the technology. The story.

—Anonymous strike diary. THR's series of frank accounts of the writers strike continues. The Disillusioned EP returns, explaining that WGA strikers were tired, sweaty, self-doubting. In other words, they were writers. Then the actors joined the fight and rekindled the fire. The diary entry.

In other news...

—Michelle Yeoh and Jean Todt marry 19 years after engagement

—After Comic-Con, cosplayers get greater clarity on SAG-AFTRA's strike guidelines

—Up Here canceled after single season on Hulu

—Events of the week: Back to the Future: The Musical, Ping Pong 4 Purpose and more

What else we're reading...

—Nate Jones assesses the Oscar chances for Barbenheimer — and notes why Barbie could win best picture [Vulture]

—Michael Andor Brodeur explains why marketing jingles are out, and "sonic identities" — like Netflix's "ta-dum" — are in [WaPo]

—Mary McNamara writes that Kevin Spacey's acquittal doesn't mean he should be uncanceled [LAT]

—Sam Adams examines the hit Netflix documentary that plays a real-life tragedy as a twist [Slate]

—Marie Lodi reports that Hollywood patients are rushing to get plastic surgery before the strikes end [VF]

Today...

…in 1983, Warner Bros. unveiled the Harold Ramis-directed comedy National Lampoon's Vacation, which would go on to launch a franchise of sequels and spinoffs. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Ken Burns (70), Tim Gunn (70), Genesis Rodriguez (36), Wil Wheaton (51), Alexandra Paul (60), Stephen Dorff (50), Leslie Easterbrook (74), Josh Radnor (49), Mike Starr (73), Ato Essandoh (51), Maestro Harrell (32), Sanjay Dutt (64), Delia Sheppard (62), Jeannetta Arnette (69), T.J. McGibbon (18), Miki Ishikawa (32), Dileep Rao (50), Ophélie Bau (31)

Inga Swenson, the two-time Tony-nominated singer and actress who as the dictatorial German cook Gretchen Kraus sparred with Robert Guillaume's character on the 1980s ABC sitcom Benson, has died. She was 90. The obituary.

Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com.

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Written by José Vizcarra
on Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 7:01 AM.

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