Moonves Reprieve; Colbert Reacts; MoviePass Death Watch; Screenwriter Scams; Film Diversity Stagnant

What's news: CBS's board decides to keep Leslie Moonves as CEO while an outside investigation takes place. Plus: The Guardians stand up for James Gunn, MoviePass' dire future and the latest Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study is released. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( July 31, 2018 What's news: CBS's board decides to keep Leslie Moonves as CEO while an outside investigation takes place. Plus: The Guardians stand up for James Gunn, MoviePass' dire future and the latest Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study is released. — Will Robinson Moonves Stays (For Now) Moonves remains: Embattled CBS Corp. chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves, who has run the company since 2003, will keep his role as an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct gets underway, Georg Szalai and Paul Bond report: + CBS's statement after the meeting: "Its Board of Directors is in the process of selecting outside counsel to conduct an independent investigation. No other action was taken on this matter at today’s board meeting. Additionally, the Board determined to postpone CBS Corporation’s 2018 annual meeting of stockholders that was previously scheduled to be held on August 10, 2018." + Financial importance: Though stock dipped Monday morning with Moonves' uncertain future, Wall Street analysts have credited Moonves with overseeing CBS's creative and financial success for more than a decade. [Full story.]( + Julie Chen on The Talk: Moonves' wife began the daytime talk show with a brief statement [reaffirming]( her support of her husband: "Some of you may be aware of what’s been going on in my life the past few days. I issued the one and only statement I will ever make on this topic on Twitter. And I will stand by that statement today, tomorrow, forever." + Colbert addressed it head on: The Late Show host made jokes about the situation during his monologue ("Ronan [Farrow] isn’t exactly known for his puff pieces about glamping," Colbert quipped). After the first commercial break, Colbert addressed Moonves and the #MeToo movement at large. "It's strange to have to say this, but powerful men taking advantage of relatively powerless employees is wrong," he said. "We know it's wrong now, and we knew it was wrong then. How do we know? Because the men tried to keep the story from coming out then." * Colbert continued: "I believe in accountability. Everybody believes in accountability until it’s their guy, and make no mistake: Les Moonves is my guy," he said. "Accountability is meaningless unless it's for everybody, whether it's the leader of a network or the leader of the free world." [Full comments.]( + The familiarity fallacy: Megan Garber writes on Moonves' coworkers defending him: "The impulse, of course, is understandable, even as it throws into relief the human complexity that underscores every #MeToo story shared in the media: It’s human to want to defend the person you know. ... And yet. That kind of familiarity doesn’t scale to a defense." [[The Atlantic](] + Alma mater stands up: Bucknell University, where Moonves graduated in 1971, [released]( a statement Friday condemning Moonves for the allegations levied against him. Bucknell also removed Moonves from the school's list of donors on its website. Elsewhere in TV... ► HBO orders Euphoria to series. In addition to ordering the teen drama, HBO [added]( Drake as an executive producer of the A24 series. The hip-hop star's manager, Future the Prince, will also be an EP. Euphoria, starring Zendaya, is based on a 2012 Israeli series of the same name and follows a group of high school students as they "navigate drugs, sex, identity, trauma, social media, love and friendship." Sam Levinson (HBO's Wizard of Lies) adapted the show and is writing all 10 episodes. ► Fox weighing 24 prequel. Sources tell THR that the next installment in the 24 franchise will be an ongoing prequel series that [tells]( the origin story of how Jack Bauer became Jack Bauer. Original series creators Joel Surnow and Bob Cochran are said to be teaming on an idea for the character originally played by Kiefer Sutherland. Executive producer Howard Gordon is attached to the project. ► PBS names new programming chief. Former BBC America executive Perry Simon has been [tapped]( as chief programming executive and general manager at PBS. Simon replaces Beth Hoppe, who left earlier this year to take on a production role at ABC News. A veteran production executive, Simon also has occupied roles at Vulcan Productions, Viacom Productions and NBC Entertainment. He’ll oversee all non-children’s programming at PBS. ► Showtime orders drama pilot Queen Fur. The premium cable network has [handed out]( a pilot order to the drama, written and exec produced by Eileen Myers (Masters of Sex) and starring Lily Mae Harrington (Some Freaks and a Glee Project finalist). Sian Heder (Orange Is the New Black) will direct the pilot, which counts Deb Spera (Army Wives) as an exec producer. ► Charter loses 57,000 pay TV subscribers in second quarter. The cable giant [reports]( higher earnings and improved video trends, with CEO Tom Rutledge reiterating it is not pursuing any acquisitions of content companies despite "a lot of" approaches. Charter said its total customer relationships increased 196,000, compared to a 213,000 gain during the second quarter of 2017. Charter's second-quarter earnings of $273 million compared with a year-ago profit of $139 million. Revenue rose 4.8 percent to $10.9 billion. ^Alex Trebek sees retirement in near future. The Jeopardy host told TMZ's Harvey Levin that his [chances]( of leaving the game show are more than “50/50” once his contract expires in 2020, with sportscaster Alex Fraust as his replacement choice. ► DC's Doom Patrol adds Orange Is The New Black star. Diane Guerrero has [joined]( the live-action cast of the SVOD service's Doom Patrol series. Guerrero, who has played Maritza Ramos in multiple seasons of the Netflix dramedy, will co-star as Crazy Jane in the Greg Berlanti-produced drama opposite April Bowlby. ► Alan Alda reveals Parkinson's diagnosis. The actor, best known for his role on M*A*S*H, [spoke]( about living with the disease for the last three-and-a-half years on Tuesday's CBS This Morning. "It hasn't stopped my life at all," he said. "I've had a richer life than I've had up until now." ► TCA honoring Friends, Rita Moreno. The Television Critics Association's summer press tour will [fete]( the One Day at a Time star and the iconic TV show at its 34th annual awards on Aug. 4. ► RIP Doug Grindstaff. A five-Time Emmy winner, Grindstaff came up with Tribble coos, communicator beeps and the whoosh of Enterprise bridge doors opening and closing. He [died]( July 23 in Peoria, Arizona at 87, his family announced. ► MTV International orders The Royal World. The reality series will [boast]( six hourlong episodes and will follow nine "young royals and aristocrats," it said, promising "an original format that invites viewers inside the exclusive, unfiltered lives of young royals and aristocrats from around the globe as their worlds collide in a British countryside mansion." ► Spotify's global head of creator services leaving. Troy Carter, who has held the role since June 2016, will be [leaving]( the company in early September. Following his departure, Carter will remain as an advisor with the world's largest streaming service. Nick Holmsten, currently Spotify's head of shows and editorial, which includes its playlists, will take over Carter's role. ► ITV, Liberty Global's Virgin Media strike new U.K. carriage deal. ITV argued it should be paid U.S.-style retransmission fees for its flagship network, while the cable giant balked at that demand. Nevertheless, a three-year deal was [struck](. Bill Cosby tells Supreme Court to reject review of #MeToo defamation suit. The embattled entertainer [says]( that Katherine McKee, one Cosby's many accusers of sexual assault, used her celebrity to speak to the media — and that as a result, the high court shouldn't upset "long-standing principles" concerning public figures in defamation fights, Eriq Gardner reports. Gunn's Defense The Guardians speak: The cast of Disney's Guardians of the Galaxy penned an open letter supporting ousted director James Gunn, with Chris Pratt wishing he hopes Gunn is reinstated, Aaron Couch reports: + The opening: "We fully support James Gunn. We were all shocked by his abrupt firing last week and have intentionally waited these ten days to respond in order to think, pray, listen, and discuss," began the letter, signed by Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn and Pom Klementieff. "In that time we have been encouraged by the outpouring of support from fans and members of the media who wish to see James reinstated as director of Volume 3, as well as discouraged by those who were so easily duped into believing the many outlandish conspiracy theories around him." + Critical of Twitter outing: "There is little due process in the court of public opinion. James is likely not the last good person to be put on trial. Given the growing political divide in this country, it's safe to say instances like this will continue, although we hope American from across the political spectrum can ease up on the character assassinations and stop weaponizing mob mentality." [Full statement.]( * Gunn's firing: The director was fired by Disney on July 20 after old offensive tweets were resurfaced by conservative personalities. With the firing, Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn said, "The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James' Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio's values, and we have severed our business relationship with him." Elsewhere in film... ► Venom unleashed. The new Venom trailer shows off much more of Tom Hardy's take on the Marvel anti-hero, who is product of an alien symbiote that bonds with Eddie Brock to become something new. [Watch.]( ► Priyanka Chopra nabs female lead opposite Chris Pratt in Cowboy Ninja Viking. The Quantico star will [play]( the love interest of Pratt in Universal's big-budget tentpole that is in preproduction. The film is being directed by Michelle MacLaren (Game of Thrones) from a screenplay by Dan Mazeau, Ryan Engle, Craig Mazin, Paul Wernick and David Reese. ► Vivendi selling up to 50 percent of Universal Music Group. The conglomerate [nixed]( an expected IPO and instead is looking to sell up to 50 percent of UMG “to one or more strategic partners” and will begin that search soon. It is looking to seal the deal quickly, seeking out a buyer this fall and completing the deal within the next 18 months. ► Sony Pictures quarterly loss narrows to $68 million. The loss in Sony Pictures' fiscal first quarter, which ran April to June, [improved]( compared to an $87 million loss in the same period last year, conglomerate Sony reported in Tokyo on Tuesday. Film unit revenue was down 15 percent, or 14 percent on a dollar basis, affected by lower theatrical revenue in the absence of any major movie releases during the quarter, as well as lower advertising revenue and television production sales. ► Disney seeks out of class action over Weinstein misconduct. Disney contends that allegations only serve to [highlight]( Harvey Weinstein's "autonomy" when Miramax was a subsidiary, Eriq Gardner reports. On Friday, the studio giant argued that the suing women haven't sufficiently detailed the case for Disney's liability. ► Jordan Peele fills out Us cast. Shahadi Wright Joseph, who will voice Young Nala in Disney's upcoming Lion King remake, has [joined]( the Universal feature, along with Evan Alex, Madison Curry, Cali Sheldon and Noelle Sheldon. They join stars Lupita Nyong'o and Elisabeth Moss. ^MoviePass's parent company sees stock plummet. Stock in Helios and Matheson Analytics [fell]( $1.20, or 60 percent, on Monday to close on the NASDAQ Exchange at 80 cents, before continuing to slide in after-hours trading. Having gone under $1, shares in Helios and Matheson now risk a delisting on the NASDAQ. MoviePass users on Monday faced a black screen with an "error" message when trying to use their subscription cards to acquire movie tickets. * Major release ban. MoviePass chief Mitch Lowe reportedly told staff that other major new releases, such as Disney's Christopher Robin, which debuts Friday, and Warner Bros.' shark movie The Meg, opening Aug. 10, may likewise be off-limits going forward, according to [Business Insider](. * Lasting impact. Rob Harvilla believes that should MoviePass die, its subscription model will change going to the movies forever. [[The Ringer](] ► Fauda star joins Ryan Reynolds in Michael Bay's latest. Lior Raz, the co-creator and star of the acclaimed Israeli TV political thriller, is [joining]( the action pic Six Underground. Netflix and Skydance are behind the project, which is scheduled to begin shooting August in locales such as Italy and United Arab Emirates. The project has been described as being in the tone of Deadpool meets Mission: Impossible. ► SPE taps Erik Moreno to lead deal-making. The former Time Inc. and Fox Network Group exec [becomes]( executive vp, corporate development after the studio rejiggered its TV group and film marketing. Moreno is set to join SPE on Aug. 8 and will report to chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra and CFO Philip Rowley. ► Fifty First Dates director tackling Dave Bautista action-comedy. Peter Segal has been [tapped]( to helm My Spy, STXfilms’ action-comedy starring Bautista. My Spy will tell the story of a hardened CIA operative (Bautista) who finds himself at the mercy of a precocious 9-year-old girl, having been sent undercover to surveil her family. ► Indecent Proposal remake in the works. Paramount Players is getting into bed with Girl on the Train writer Erin Cressida Wilson for a [remake]( of the 1993 steamy drama, which starred Robert Redford, Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson. In the original, a billionaire, played by Redford, offers a couple $1 million for a night with the wife. ► Kesha unveils self-directed doc trailer. The singer shared a look at Rainbow - The Film, a documentary [detailing]( the singer's trying times, particularly during her legal battle with producer Dr. Luke. The doc premieres Aug. 10 on Apple Music. ► Marvel's Victoria Alonso to be honored by HPA. Alonso, producer and executive vp of production at Marvel Studios, will [receive]( the Hollywood Professional Association's Charles S. Swartz Award for her impact on the industry. It will be presented at the annual HPA Awards, Nov. 15 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. ► Women's march set for TIFF. The Share Her Journey rally on Sept. 8 will be [held]( on King Street as a host of celebrity actresses and women directors descend on Toronto. The sisters march is meant to spotlight "systemic inequality" faced by women in the film industry for TIFF's upcoming 43rd edition. ► RIP Nick Raynes. Raynes, a grandson of former 20th Century Fox owner Marvin Davis and a nephew of producer John Davis, [died]( Friday morning in New York City at 33. Raynes was a movie producer and actor who worked on short films and documentaries. He was said to be producing a biopic of jazz legend Miles Davis that was to be directed by Soul Food's George Tillman Jr. McQuarrie goes deep. Mission: Impossible — Fallout director Christopher McQuarrie [speaks]( in depth about his blockbuster, including the cut dark plotline and the complicated relationship between Ethan Hunt and Ilsa Faust. Progress Slows Struggle for inclusion: Despite notable hits in 2017 from Wonder Woman to Get Out, USC's Annenberg Inclusion Initiative's latest study shows no significant improvement of representation of women, people of color, LBGT characters or characters with disability over the past decade, Rebecca Sun reports: + Gender gap: Although women represent 50.8 percent of the U.S. population, they represented just 31.8 percent of speaking characters last year, a disparity of almost 20 percentage points. * Different lifespans: One major reason for this gender disparity is that women have a much shorter onscreen "lifespan" than men: There tends to be gender balance among child characters (52.7 percent male to 47.3 percent female in 2017), with the gap slightly widening in the teens (55.3 percent to 44.7 percent). But by age 40, 75.4 percent of characters were male. + Racial divide: 70.7 percent of the 4,454 speaking characters were white, 12.1 percent were black, 6.2 percent were Hispanic, 4.8 percent were Asian, 3.9 percent were mixed-race, 1.7 percent were of Middle Eastern descent and less than 1 percent each were coded as Native American or Native Hawaiian. + Minimal LGBTQ showing: More than 99 percent of the speaking characters in 2017's films were straight and cisgender, and 81 out of the 100 movies had no lesbian, gay or bisexual characters at all. Only one transgender character has appeared onscreen in the top 400 movies since 2014. + Conclusion: "We're not seeing an interesting trend either downward or upward across multiple years to suggest there's a concerted effort to be inclusive," AII founding director Stacy L. Smith tells THR. [Full details.]( What else we're reading... — "Why Are So Many Wannabe Screenwriters Getting Scammed?" Stephen Galloway reports: "From ‘pitch fests’ to online script coaches, an entire cottage industry has sprung up to help aspiring scribes crack the movie business, and while some offerings are legit, many are schemes designed to prey on the Hollywood dreams of gullible strivers." [[THR](] — "God’s Lonely Men: Taxi Driver in the Age of the Incels." Lindsay Zoladz writes: "Although Martin Scorsese’s movie is more than 40 years old, it is eerily alive to this moment, horrific for reasons beyond what its creators could have imagined." [[The Ringer](] — "Purple Pain." Matthew Miles Goodrich opines on Prince and opioids: "I couldn’t remember where I had been before landing inside the CAT scan machine, but I could tell you the song that had been rattling around my concussed head. It was Prince’s 'Purple Rain.'" [[Longreads](] — "Two Researchers Paid Price for Challenging Scientific Study On Violent Video Games." Alison McCook reports: "After [Malte] Elson and [Patrick] Markey raised their concerns with the authors, journal, and the institution, in 2015, OSU determined the study was problematic, and initiated a misconduct probe into the first author, Whitaker. Then, in December 2016, the tables turned on Elson and Markey." [[Motheboard](] — "Do Superhero Films Have a Sidekick Race Problem?" Steve Rose considers: "If you look through recent film history, the civilian sidekick’s role is really to point up the superhero’s 'alpha' qualities by displaying some 'beta' attributes of their own, so putting 'non-whiteness' into that category is one of those little ways in which mainstream movies, whether consciously or not, transmit racial hierarchies." [[The Guardian](] What else we're watching... + "Judd Apatow vs. Colbert: The Run Off." [[Late Show](] + "Mila Kunis spent honeymoon in an RV park with Ashton Kutcher's parents." [[Tonight Show](] + "Armie Hammer reveals the unique way he learns his lines." [[Late Show](] From the archives... + On July 31, 1999, the game-changing animated pic The Iron Giant premiered in Los Angeles. While a box office disappointment, its excellence was still noted: "Warner Bros.' outstanding The Iron Giant is a giant leap for the studio and robotkind. And with the steady erosion of the Disney monopoly in animation, the Aug. 6 [wide] release is a potential sleeper hit for kids and adults." [Flashback review.]( Today's birthdays: Rico Rodriguez, 20, Ruby Modine, 28, Alexis Knapp, 29, Zelda Williams, 29, Jessica Williams, 29, B.J. Novak, 39, Annie Parisse, 43, J.K. Rowling, 53, Wesley Snipes, 56, Mark Cuban, 60, Michael Biehn, 62, Geraldine Chaplin, 74, France Nuyan, 79. Follow The News Is this email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2018 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. 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