Weinstein's Dismissal Bid; CBS Culture Claims; Affleck & Damon's $1M Story Buy; 'MI:6' Edging 'Christopher Robin'; FX at TCA

What's news: Harvey Weinstein officially filed a motion to dismiss his criminal case. Plus: Christopher Robin wanes to Mission: Impossible — Fallout in early returns, FX paces the day at TCA and Disney's fight with Turner over Star Wars broadcast rights. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( August 04, 2018 What's news: Harvey Weinstein officially filed a motion to dismiss his criminal case. Plus: Christopher Robin wanes to Mission: Impossible — Fallout in early returns, FX paces the day at TCA and Disney's fight with Turner over Star Wars broadcast rights. — Will Robinson ^Corrupt culture: CBS CEO Leslie Moonves' allegations of sexual misconduct has trickled down into other levels of CBS, noted in investigations into former NCIS: New Orleans showrunner Brad Kern, Maureen Ryan reports in Vulture. + Kern's claim: "[The] CBS showrunner repeatedly talked about an actress he hoped to cast mainly because an important executive at the network wanted 'to fuck her,'" Ryan reports. "According to multiple witnesses who heard showrunner Brad Kern make that statement a couple of years ago, the executive in the anecdote — the one who wanted the actress cast so he could sleep with her — was [Moonves]." CBS denied the statement's merit. * Emblematic of the environment: “When he was not fired once I told this to HR, and others told this to HR, it seemed to me that Les must be enabling this kind of behavior,” one of the witnesses told Vulture. + Moonves' mindset: "According to a well-placed source with direct knowledge of the situation, Moonves is defiant, rejects the Farrow story as lies, and is determined to hang on," Ryan reports. "And he has many supporters inside CBS." [[Vulture](] + The difference in this #MeToo: William D. Cohan writes: "Those who would prefer that Moonves just vacate Black Rock immediately are getting a chilling lesson in how Wall Street works. Someone who has earned between $60 million and $70 million a year for a decade, and whose CBS stock is worth around $175 million, probably won’t ignore a potential $200 million payout." [[Vanity Fair](] + Monthslong probe: CNN's Dylan Byers reported in the Pacific newsletter that "sources at CBS [anticipate]( their investigation will last into the fall because it involves a review of the entire CBS culture, not just the company's CEO." Motion to Dismiss Bid for dismissal: Harvey Weinstein presented his case to a New York Judge on Friday to dismiss the "political" criminal case against him that includes three women accusing him of sexual assault, Eriq Gardner reports: + Hasty prosecution: In a 159-page court brief, the movie mogul takes aim at a "flawed" prosecution that could send him to jail for the rest of his life. He presents Manhattan D.A. Cy Vance as bowing to political pressure and not allowing him sufficient opportunity to testify before a grand jury, as well as misrepresenting his relationship with one of the three women accusing him of rape. + Emails allegedly detail a relationship: The movie mogul denies non-consensual sex with the three women — Lucia Evans, Mimi Haleyi and a third woman described in the brief as "CW-1" — and Weinstein's lawyer Benjamin Brafman stresses that he sought adjournment of Weinstein's scheduled appearance before the grand jury so as to obtain the exculpatory email, which purportedly undercuts the allegation of a March 2013 rape. + Grand jury presentation lacked info: From the brief: "This flawed presentation, we submit, knowingly allowed the Grand Jury to receive a materially incomplete picture of the evidence known to exist in this case, namely the long-term, consensual, intimate relationship between CW-1 (the alleged victim) and Mr. Weinstein." [Details.]( Elsewhere in film... ► Disney's fight with Turner for Star Wars rights. Disney is seeking to re-buy the rights to broadcast the franchise's movies from Turner, which bought them in 2016 for $275 million, Lucas Shaw reports. However, Turner is reportedly not strongly inclined to sell them back, given the performance of the films, and reportedly seeks monetary compensation and replacement programming. Turner's deal expires in 2024. [[Bloomberg](] ► Chloe Sevigny embodies infamous murderess in Lizzie trailer. The Saban Films and Roadside Attractions film explores Lizzie Borden's relationship with houseguest Bridget Sullivan (played by Kristen Stewart) and how their secret intimacy possibly sparked an unthinkable act: the 1892 axe murders of her father, Andrew, and stepmother, Abby. [Watch.]( ► Anya Taylor-Joy starring in Irish drama. The Split star [joins]( Here Are the Young Men, flanking Dean-Charles Chapman (Game of Thrones), Finn Cole (Peaky Blinders) and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (Sing Street). Lola Petticrew and Conleth Hill are also set to star. ► Deauville Film Festival Honors honoring Kate Beckinsale, Elle Fanning. Beckinsale will [follow]( in the footsteps of Cate Blanchett and Jessica Chastain with the festival’s talent award, while Fanning and Shailene Woodley are set for the Hollywood Rising Star prize. The French festival runs Aug. 31 to Sept. 9. [Quoted:]( "I was able to channel all that energy and that sadness — that depression that I felt in the moment of Trump and Pence winning — into exactly where Cameron was in therapy." — Chloe Grace Moretz, on crescendo of The Miseducation of Cameron Post. ^Oh, bother. Paramount's Mission: Impossible — Fallout is [pacing]( to gross $30 million or more in its second weekend, while Disney's new family offering, Christopher Robin is projected to earn $25 million-$30 million in its domestic debut, according to early Friday returns. ► Bille August heading Cairo Film Festival jury. The two-time Palme d'Or-winning Danish director will [head up]( the jury for the 40th edition of the Egyptian event. August also won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for best foreign language film in 1989 for his landmark movie Pelle the Conqueror. Cairo runs Nov. 20-29. ► Switzerland picks Oscar contender. Markus Imhoof’s doc Eldorado will be its official foreign-language [entry]( for the 2019 Academy Awards. The film, which premiered earlier this year, draws parallels between the perilous journeys refugees take to reach Europe today and Imhoof’s own encounter with Giovanna, a refugee child taken in by his family during World War II. ► RIP Moshe Mizrahi. The Israeli director co-wrote and [helmed]( three Oscar-nominated foreign-language dramas in the 1970s, including the winning Madame Rosa, starring Simone Signoret. He died Friday at 86. ► Twin Peaks star joins Rudolph Valentino biopic. Sherilyn Fenn will [star]( as silent film star Alla Nazimova in Silent Life. The fantasy biopic of silent era film star Rudolph Valentino will be directed by Vladislav Kozlov, who will also star as Valentino. The Darkest Minds' marketing play. To counter possible market malaise, Fox has [mounted]( a campaign that plays up the emotional aspect to the YA pic's dystopian story. The "Gilded" Age of TV Landgraf steps up: FX and CEO John Landgraf were the stars of Day 10 of the Television Critics Association's summer press tour, coming with a rosy outlook of the network while expressing no desire to mimic Netflix's volume model. Daniel Fienberg, current TCA president, emails in his three Friday takeaways: 1. The TV boom isn't ready to bust. Several years ago, when FX's John Landgraf helped shape the definition of what we call Peak TV, Landgraf suggested that eventually the explosion of programming would slow. In this summer's exec session, he [admitted]( that the slowing hasn't occurred as soon as he expected. So if you meet a TV critic, give them a hug. They're probably very tired. 2. Sunny is back, but Fat Mac may be gone forever. After a long hiatus to let people do other things, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia will be back on Sept. 5. Sadly, the comic genius of Fat Mac isn't back and probably won't be back. Instead, co-star/co-creator Rob McElhenney is almost impossibly ripped. One thing McElhenney was at pains to emphasize at press tour is the responsibility he and the show feel in the aftermath of Mac's long-speculated-on coming out last season. An episode read and screened for the critics was driven by Mac's ongoing self-discovery and showcased a skill fans won't necessarily expect from McElhenney. 3. Jessica Lange is returning to American Horror Story. A segment of Ryan Murphy's AHS ensemble took to the TCA stage on Friday to talk about the upcoming Apocalypse season. Unfortunately, other than [teasing]( the return of Jessica Lange for at least one episode and admitting their characters all have names, nobody could spoil much of anything. That's not much of a takeaway, is it? Elsewhere in TV... ► FX pulled plug on Charles & Diana Feud. Landgraf [tells]( THR that the network didn't feel like they "had the material right" for the second season of the Ryan Murphy-produced anthology, even with the Matthew Goode and Rosamund Pike already cast as the leads. ► Chris Rock starring in Fargo season four. The comedian, former Oscar host and actor has signed on to star in the officially [greenlit]( next season of Noah Hawley's FX anthology. The role marks his first full-time TV gig since UPN's Everybody Hates Chris. ► FX picks up Devs to series. The cabler [handed out]( an eight-episode limited series order for the Silicon Valley drama. FX on Friday also announced that Sonoya Mizuno (Crazy Rich Asians) will take on the lead role. Nick Offerman, Jin Ha, Zach Grenier, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Cailee Spaeny and Alison Pill round out the cast. ► AHS officially on for season 10. Despite co-creator Ryan Murphy's move to Netflix, his FX series isn't going away anytime soon: Landgraf [confirmed]( that, ahead of season eight, AHS has been picked up for a tenth season. The show ranks as one of the cable network's most valued and most watched series. ► FX orders Shogun limited series. The 10-episode series will be [based on]( James Clavell's novel, which previously inspired a 1980 NBC miniseries. Ronan Bennett (Public Enemies) and Rachel Bennette (NW) are writing the series and will executive produce with Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich of DNA TV. ► Damon Wayans opens up about Lethal Weapon without Clayne Crawford. "I wish him the best. Onward and upward for everybody," he says of Crawford, [describing]( a different set through one episode of season three: "It's a lot looser. Nobody is overthinking; we're just doing and we're having fun trying to get home." [Quoted:]( "Whenever there's a company in transition, there's a kind of anxiety among the employees. But I'm a bit of an optimist, and I feel that same optimism from my teams. Usually when there's change, there's opportunity. So our attitude is, we're the only independent network, we can use this to our advantage." — Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn, on the network's new position in the TV landscape. ^Edge of freedom. After six seasons on Orange Is the New Black, star Taylor Schilling tells THR she's "getting ready to say goodbye" as she heads into season seven of the acclaimed Netflix prison dramedy. [Spoiler-filled interview.]( ► Ava DuVernay's Central Park Five series adds Niecy Nash, Storm Reid. The Netflix series also added Aunjanue Ellis (Quantico) and Marsha Stephanie Blake (Crown Heights) to the four-episode run, which will chronicle the notorious case of five teenagers of color who were convicted of a rape they did not commit. ► Sony rebooting Facts of Life. Sony Pictures TV is in early talks to [reboot]( the Diff'rent Strokes spinoff that originally aired on NBC for nine seasons. Sources say Leonardo DiCaprio and Jessica Biel are in early talks to exec the reboot. ► Can Brit hit Love Island work in the U.S.? ITV's soapy reality format has been a [huge hit]( in Britain and has domestic buyers circling, but will American viewers go for its trashy mix of sun, sand, sex and romance? Scott Roxborough details potential roadblocks. ► Joanna Coles reportedly leaving Hearst. The current chief content officer previously [served]( as editor-in-chief of women's magazines Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire before taking on her current role overseeing all Hearst publications. Her life inspired the Freeform TV show The Bold Type, about three women navigating their work at a glossy magazine that resembles Cosmo. ► Bachelorette star denies sexual harassment claims. Leo Dottavio [wrote]( a statement on his Instagram: "No one has ever accused me of sexual harassment. No one has ever come to me in any way and told me I made them feel uncomfortable. However, I am not a perfect person nor have I ever claimed to be. ... I want to take this as an opportunity to better myself and the treatment of women in my life." ► Maker Studios vet running content at Zillow Group. The real estate firm has [tapped]( former Maker content exec Matt Sims to spearhead its effort to co-develop and sell projects to TV and digital distributors. ► RIP Shelly Cohen. Cohen, who [served]( for nearly three decades as the assistant musical director during Johnny Carson's entire run on The Tonight Show — and even got to lead the band on the air once in a while — died July 25 of pneumonia. He was 84. ►RIP Vincenzo Labella. The Emmy-winning producer behind the epic miniseries Jesus of Nazareth, Marco Polo and Moses the Lawgiver [died]( July 28. He was 93. Drama Showrunners Roundtable. Dan Futterman (The Looming Tower), Courtney Kemp (Power), Peter Morgan (The Crown), Bruce Miller (The Handmaid's Tale), David Shore (The Good Doctor) and Lena Waithe (The Chi) will star on this week's Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter, which airs every Sunday on SundanceTV. [Details.]( Camps for a Cause Hollywood-aided non-profit camps: Stars in the industry are giving back by contributing to sleepaway camps to help kids with different socioeconomic backgrounds or medical conditions, Lindsay Weinberg reports: + Aiding low-income families: Glendale’s Camp Bob Waldorf provides a nonprofit camp experience for kids age 9 to 17 at about a quarter of the typical residential cost, allowing children from low income communities to attend. Manager Richard Feldstein took his son Jonah Hill to the camp for a day: “We spent a full day there with him, telling them about his life as an actor and the red carpet and all that stuff that the kids were interested in. I think he probably got more out of it than the kids did." * High-profile donors: Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke, Mindy Kaling, Yara Shahidi, president at ABC Studios Patrick Moran, Sony Pictures TV’s Holly Jacobs, Sherry Lansing and Nick Cannon have all benefited Camp Bob Waldorf's parent company, the Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters agency. + A-listers' benefit concert: Painted Turtle hosts children with serious medical conditions. Part of Paul Newman’s renowned SeriousFun Camps, The Painted Turtle has welcomed tens of thousands of children and family members since 2004. Julia Roberts, Bruce Willis and Tom Hanks have attended Newman's concert series to benefit the camp, with performances by Katy Perry and John Legend. [How to help.]( What to watch this weekend... THR critic Daniel Fienberg sends his recommendation: THR's TV critics went into depth on some of the [best shows]( of the summer, including completed seasons like FX's Pose or one-off specials like Netflix's Nanette. But for this weekend, it's the perfect time to catch up on the darkly vicious family comedy of HBO's Succession. The finale is Sunday, and there are only nine episodes to binge. That's easy. The first couple episodes take their time establishing the awful people at the center of the series' media mogul family and then that set-up begins paying off big time from the fourth episode on. What else we're reading... — "Ben Affleck, Matt Damon Paid $1M for McDonald's Monopoly Scam Story." Seth Abramovitch speaks to Jeff Maysh, the original story's reporter: "The bidding war that erupted over a Daily Beast story published July 28 about a decadelong scam involving the McDonald's Monopoly contest has resulted in one of the most lucrative rights deals for a single article." [[THR](] — "Plane Jumps in the Movies." Mekado Murphy featured directors breaking down recent aerial leaps. [[New York Times](] — "What Makes a Hit." Colin Morris' visualization of a Columbia University report: "Pop music is often derided as insipid and endlessly recycled, and critics of the Top 40 often suggest that the key to making a hit is to copy and paste an earlier success with nothing more than some superficial variation. But recent research suggests that the opposite may be true." [[Columbia Business School](] — "How Recaps Changed the Way We Watch Television." Alison Herman analyzes: "The sheer volume of Peak TV has winnowed the number of shows with a following large and dedicated enough to merit a recap down to a handful of blockbusters and prestige stalwarts." [[The Ringer](] — "A Candid Conversation With Vince Gilligan on Better Call Saul." Alan Sepinwall chats with the co-creator: "[Showrunner Peter Gould and I] both wanted it to not be AfterM*A*S*H. That’s about as high as we had set our sights: We wanted to not embarrass ourselves." [[Rolling Stone](] What else we're watching... + "Rob Reiner has some acting notes for Trump." [[Late Show](] From the archives... + On Aug. 4, 1967, Bonnie and Clyde began their crime spree. The Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway two-hander was a landmark film and ushered in a new era. And it still holds up, Todd McCarthy contends: "To see it today ... is to bear witness to the birth of the new, a recognizable moment when the style, mix of moods and presentation of violence in American films radically changed. The year 1967 was when the nature and look of Hollywood films began to pivot, and this movie was a main instigator." [Retrospective review.]( Today's birthdays: Cole Sprause, 26, Dylan Sprause, 26, Sam Underwood, 31, Greta Gerwig, 35, Meghan Markle, 37, Abigail Spencer, 37, Daniel Dae Kim, 50, Dennis Lehane, 53, Barack Obama, 57, Billy Bob Thornton, 63, Richard Belzer, 74. 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