David Oyelowo On the Will Smith Slap, the Intersection of Race and Bias

►"This incident should not be a springboard for proxy arguments in Hollywood circles about race, respectability and belonging." In a guest column for THR, Selma star David Oyelowo notes how coded language is being used to discuss the Oscar-night incident, and warns Hollywood's inclusion efforts "mustn’t be eroded by those with bad intentions who would seek with relish to weaponize this incident." The guest column.

—"It is in the best interest of all involved for this to be handled in a timely fashion." The Academy board of governors will convene this Friday instead of the previously scheduled April 18 meeting to discuss “possible sanctions” for Will Smith following the slap incident at the Oscars. Following Smith’s resignation of the Academy on April 1, Academy president David Rubin wrote in a letter that "suspension or expulsion are no longer a possibility and the legally prescribed timeline no longer applies." The story.

—Football comes first. The Television Academy and NBC have revealed the date of the 2022 Emmys. The show will air live on Sept. 12, which is a Monday, from 8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT. The ceremony typically takes place on a Sunday except in years when NBC has broadcast rights, as the network airs NFL games on Sunday nights. The story. 

—Stellar replacements. Coachella has quickly tapped a pair of new headliners to replace Kanye West. On Wednesday, organizers announced that The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia will close things down in the Sunday slots. The new topliners will perform alongside fellow headliners Harry Styles and Billie Eilish. The story.

—Tabula rasa. As the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery is expected to close as early as this Friday, nine top corporate executives at WarnerMedia — including HBO Max chief Andy Forssell, CRO Tony Goncalves, CTO Richard Tom and CFO Jennifer Biry — will exit the company. Other top execs leaving include Jim Cummings, executive vp and chief human resources officer; Christy Haubegger, exec vp communications and chief inclusion officer; and Jim Meza, WarnerMedia’s general counsel. The story.  

Rob Lowe — and His Son — to Star in Netflix Comedy

►Family affair. The punchy social media relationship between Rob Lowe and his son, John Owen Lowe, has inspired a Netflix comedy. The father-son duo will star in Unstable, a  straight to series scripted comedy series that follows an introverted son who goes to work for his wildly eccentric father in order to save him from disaster. The story.   

—Orphan back. Five years after it left the air, the world of Orphan Black is returning to television. AMC Networks has greenlit a new series, Orphan Black: Echoes, that’s set in the same fictional world as the BBC America cult favorite that ran from 2013-17. The series, set to debut in 2023 on AMC+ and the company’s linear networks, comes from writer and showrunner Anna Fishko and Boat Rocker Media. The story.

—Better call it home. Bob Odenkirk will stay put at AMC following the end of Better Call Saul. The Emmy winner will star in and exec produce an adaptation of Richard Russo’s novel Straight Man. AMC has fast-tracked the project for a potential 2023 debut. Oscar-winner Peter Farrelly is attached to direct. The story. 

—What about Mike? Better Call Saul's Jonathan Banks has also lined up his next show. The Emmy nominee will star alongside Noomi Rapace in Constellation, a psychological thriller that has been ordered straight to series at Apple TV+. Created by Peter Harness, Constellation is described as a conspiracy-based psychological space adventure. The story. 

—"Unpack more layers of Lumon." Apple TV+ has handed out a second-season renewal for its workplace thriller Severance. The series, created by Dan Erickson that counts Ben Stiller among its exec producers, wraps its freshman run Friday. The thriller starring Adam Scott has been embraced by critics and currently has a 97 percent score among critics and a 91 percent rating with viewers on Rotten Tomatoes. The story. 

—Third season curse strikes! Netflix's Locke & Key will end with its forthcoming third season. The decision was a mutual one between Netflix and co-showrunners Carlton Cuse and Meredith Averill, who had envisioned a three-season arc for the story. The story. 

'Bridgerton' Stars on What Comes Next for Seasons 3 and 4  

►"The payoff of the slow burn I think will continue for the years to come." Bridgerton season two is over, and with eight novels in Julia Quinn’s popular book series, fans are wondering what's going to happen next. THR's Sydney Odman spoke to the cast of Netflix's global megahit about their hopes for the future. The story. 

—Shrinking expanding. Apple’s Shrinking has added Jessica Williams to the cast. The pair join the comedy series starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford. Additionally, James Ponsoldt has signed on to direct multiple installments of the 10-episode series, including the pilot. Shrinking is written by Segel and Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence and Emmy winner Brett Goldstein. The story. 

—Wan making moves. Aquaman director James Wan is diving headfirst into the unscripted genre. Wan and his Atomic Monster banner are teaming with Ink Master producers Truly Original for a new unscripted partnership. The two companies are said to have multiple projects in various stages of development in a number of different unscripted genres. The story.

—"Within five pages, I was in love with this novel." The first acquisition made by Gillian Flynn’s publishing imprint is heading to the small screen. Stone Village Television is set to adapt author Margot Douaihy’s forthcoming novel, Scorched Grace. Scott Steindorff, Dylan Russell and Zhara Astra will executive produce the series. Stone Village head of development Shannon Kobler will co-produce. The story. 

—How volatile will Twitter become? THR's Georg Szalai and J. Clara Chan look into the ramifications of Elon Musk ascending to Twitter's board of directors following his purchase of 9.2 percent of the company last week. Questions arise as to what Musk, an erratic and eccentric personality at the best of times, is trying to do. The analysis. 

TV Review: 'The First Lady'   

►"A staid hagiography, times three." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews Showtime's The First Lady. Aaron Cooley's historical drama weaves together the lives and legacies of three first ladies: Michelle Obama (Viola Davis), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson). The review. 

—"Spy vs. spy, over dinner." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Janus Metz's All the Old Knives. Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton star in this romantic espionage thriller about a former couple at the center of a CIA investigation, also featuring Laurence Fishburne and Jonathan Pryce. The review. 

—"Heavy metal in theory, easy listening in practice." THR film critic John DeFore reviews Peter Sollett's Metal Lords. Jaeden Martell and Adrian Greensmith star as teen outcasts bonding over Satan-lovin' music in Sollett's return to features, written by Game of Thrones scribe D.B. Weiss. The review.

In other news...

—Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness clip teases an emotional toll for Marvel characters

—Kourtney Kardashian confirms “practice” Las Vegas wedding to Travis Barker  

—Nielsen rival EDO raises $80m from Shamrock Capital

—Fremantle buys majority stake in U.K. TV producer Dancing Ledge

—Israeli drama The Lesson wins best series at Canneseries Festival

—Hackman Capital to develop largest studio complex in Ireland

—Paramount promotes Pam Kaufman to president, consumer products and experiences

—Lily-Rose Depp, Hoyeon, Renate Reinsve to star in The Governesses

—Penelope Cruz launches production company Moonlyon with Spain’s Mediapro

—Kevin Costner, wife Christine honored at OmniPeace Foundation event

—CAA acquires full ownership of CAA-GBG Global Brand Management Group

—Cinemark CEO Sean Gamble’s pay rose to $3.1M in 2021

—Eric Boehlert, media critic, killed in New Jersey bike crash at 57

—Nehemiah Persoff, actor in Some Like It Hot, On the Waterfront and Yentl, dies at 102

What else we're reading...

—Ann Lee on actors going meta and why they love playing versions of themselves [Guardian]

—Marissa Martinelli on the surprisingly controversial legacy of Fabio [Slate]

—Kyndall Cunningham on Hollywood's double standard over its treatment of Ezra Miller and Will Smith [Daily Beast]

—James Poniewozik's gushing tribute to ABC's Abbott Elementary [NYT]

—As part of Vulture's excellent week-long celebration of erotic thrillers, here's a list of 19 steamy films you can stream right now [Vulture]

Today...  

...in 1993, 20th Century Fox introduced the PG-rated family baseball drama The Sandlot in theaters, where it would go on to gross $32 million stateside. The coming-of-age film would later become a cult favorite and spawn a direct-to-video sequel in 2005. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Francis Ford Coppola (83), Russell Crowe (58), Jackie Chan (68), Anna Konkle (35), Clarke Peters (70), Paul Raci (74), Sian Clifford (40), Jennifer Schwalbach Smith (51), Grace Hightower (67), Eric Wareheim (46), Jennifer Lynch (54), Ted Kotcheff (91), Sandy Powell (62), Jeetendra (80), John Oates (74)