Nude Scenes After #MeToo; Netflix Reality Slate; Argento Accuser Speaks; Les' Legal Hire; 'Happytime Murders' Reviews

What's news: Hollywood navigates the new politics of sex scenes in the #MeToo era. Plus: Asia Argento's accuser Jimmy Bennett speaks, Leslie Moonves hires legal superstar for CBS probe and a stunt coordinator's serious injury on the MacGyver set. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( August 23, 2018 What's news: Hollywood navigates the new politics of sex scenes in the #MeToo era. Plus: Asia Argento's accuser Jimmy Bennett speaks, Leslie Moonves hires legal superstar for CBS probe and a stunt coordinator's serious injury on the MacGyver set. — Will Robinson ^Nude scenes after #MeToo: The pressures of shooting in the buff have been slow to change, so lawyers are demanding more specific, ironclad protections in "nudity riders" for actors, including the ability to sue for leaked footage, Tatiana Siegel reports: + Imbalance of on-set power: The amount of talk about making sure actresses feel empowered on set has gone up, and the amount of requested nudity is down. The prevailing wisdom among multiple representatives and filmmakers interviewed is that actresses (and yes, more often these 
days, actors) need more safeguards than ever — and in the #MeToo era they are more willing to demand them. + What's in a "nudity rider": Attorney Jamie Feldman inserts up to 40 extremely specific provisions in a fully negotiated "nudity rider," everything from fluorescent-colored pasties ("It prevents a shot from accidentally capturing something it shouldn't") to the guarantee of a closed set. + Empathetic helmers: Courtney Kemp, who runs Starz's Power, tells THR that she often throws people off her set on sex scene days, asking crew: "Why are you here? What is your function? There are like 10 jobs that are necessary for a sex scene. Other than that, you can go. And I will go around and boot people." + Worry about unused footage: "Things get hacked, things get stolen, so we definitely push for outtakes, trims, deleted scenes, alternative takes — all that stuff — to be destroyed and for the destruction to be confirmed to us in writing," Feldman adds. "And then we have remedies paragraphs — like if despite their best efforts, something leaks. Some intern puts it out. That's up [online] forever. So we need to be able to force the studio to go take that down, or even threaten injunctive relief or liquidated damages." [Full story.]( "Ashamed and Afraid" Argento accuser talks: Jimmy Bennett, the actor who has claimed he was sexually assaulted by Asia Argento when he was 17, is explaining why he never spoke out about his alleged 2013 encounter with the Italian actress, Jackie Strause and Ryan Parker report: + Afraid to share voice: "I did not initially speak out about my story because I chose to handle it in private with the person who wronged me," Bennett said Wednesday in a statement to THR. "My trauma resurfaced as she came out as a victim herself. I have not made a public statement in the past days and hours because I was ashamed and afraid to be part of the public narrative." * The allegations: The New York Times first published a report accusing Argento of secretly paying off Bennett, a former child actor who co-starred in one of her films, after he accused her of sexually assaulting him when she was 37. + Social stigma: "I was underage when the event took place," continued Bennett, now 22, "and I tried to seek justice in a way that made sense to me at the time because I was not ready to deal with the ramifications of my story becoming public. At the time I believed there was still a stigma to being in the situation as a male in our society. I didn't think that people would understand the event that took place from the eyes of a teenage boy." [Full statement.]( + Argento withdraws from Dutch music festival role. "Due to the volatile nature of the accusations surrounding Ms. Argento, she has chosen to withdraw from her curatorship of this year's edition, while these issues remain open," said the festival in a [statement](. Elsewhere in film... ► Second Kevin Spacey sexual assault case being reviewed by L.A. D.A. The initial case was [presented]( April 5 to the district attorney's office by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. It is unclear which law enforcement agency filed the new case. ► John Lithgow to play Roger Ailes in Fox News movie. Lithgow will [play]( the disgraced media mogul in Annapurna's feature that centers on the women who took on the famed toxic male culture of the news network. He joins Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie who will play Megyn Kelly, Gretchen Carlson and an associate producer, respectively. ► Lena Dunham joins Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Also [joining]( the cast of Quentin Tarantino's latest is Maya Hawke, the daughter of Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction star Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke. ► The Purge creator alleged of evidence tampering in lawsuit over horror film. Universal wishes to [establish]( writer-director James DeMonaco came up with the movie independently, but another screenwriter who submitted a similar idea is pointing to suspicious emails turned over in the case, Eriq Gardner reports. ► AMC Theatres headed to trial over alleged conspiracy with movie studios. On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Alfred Bennett [rejected]( AMC Entertainment's bid for summary judgment in a lawsuit that alleges the exhibition giant colluded with Disney, Sony and Universal to the disadvantage of an independent theater owner in Houston, Eriq Gardner reports. [Quoted:]( "It's not every day that you compare someone to Satan and they embrace the idea." — Errol Morris, on Steve Bannon, the subject of his documentary American Dharma. ^Will Crazy Rich Asians out-laugh Happytime Murders? The R-rated puppet cop comedy starring Melissa McCarthy is tracking to debut between $13 million and $15 million for STXfilms, just under the projection for Warners' hit rom-com in its second weekend ($16 million to $18 million), Pamela McClintock reports. [Analysis.]( * The Happytime Murders reviews are in. The raunchy puppet movie is having trouble with reviewers, though THR critic Frank Scheck found himself charmed at times: "It's coarse, crude and vulgar and threatens to wear out its welcome despite its brevity. But if you don't find it uproariously funny at times, you must be made of cloth." [Roundup.]( ► Bleecker Street picks up former Weinstein Co. pic Hotel Mumbai. The terrorist drama [starring]( Dev Patel and Armie Hammer will premiere Sept. 7 at the Toronto International Film Festival. ► YA survival thriller picked up by Greg Silverman's Stampede. The newly formed media company founded by the former Warner Bros. Pictures president and former Facebook CFO Gideon Yu has [optioned]( the film rights to When We Were Lost, the new book by British author Kevin Wignall. ► Topic Studios, The Intercept partner for feature & series slate. The slate [includes]( crime series Merchant of Doubt that is based on an article written by Trevor Aaronson and Murtaza Hussain about an informant pinned between federal agencies. Topic is currently in theaters with Debra Granik's Sundance standout Leave No Trace. ► Spike Lee releases music video for Prince's "Mary Don't You Weep." The video for the previously unreleased track features scenes from the prolific director's latest film, BlacKkKlansman. [Watch.]( ► Halloween to premiere at Fantastic Fest. Jamie Lee Curtis will be [on hand]( in Austin, Texas for the U.S. premiere of her upcoming Halloween, in which she reprises her role as Laurie Strode. Jeffrey Wright's Hold the Dark will also make its debut at the Austin festival. ► Netflix picks up Indian drama Garbage. The film [bowed]( at Berlin and is directed by Q, one of India's edgiest filmmakers whose previous film Brahman Naman was snapped up by the video giant following its 2016 Sundance premiere. ► Sundance Selects nabs Paolo Sorrentino's Berlusconi film Loro. The new [movie]( about Italy's former prime minister and his sex scandals will debut at TIFF, ahead of a 2019 theatrical release. ► Venice imposes embargo on journalists to cut down Twitter critics. The Venice Film Festival is now [requesting]( that all journalists hold comments until the first public screening of a festival film. ► Shout! Studios acquires animated Tito and the Birds. The film [debuted]( at Annecy and makes its North American festival premiere at TIFF. The Brazilian film follows Tito, a shy 10-year-old boy who lives in a world on the brink of pandemic, where fear is crippling people, making them sick and transforming them. ► Terminator 2 sound mixer to receive career achievement nod. Lee Orloff — who won an Oscar and BAFTA for James Cameron’s sci-fi action pic — will [receive]( the Cinema Audio Society’s Career Achievement Award, to be presented at the 55th CAS Awards for sound mixing on Feb. 16. Coming attractions... ► Trailer: Joey King steps out of her shell in Summer '03. The coming-of-age movie also stars Andrea Savage, Erin Darke, Paul Scheer and Jack Kilmer. Blue Fox Entertainment is the distributor for the film. [Watch.]( ► Trailer: Leven Rambin befriends mysterious abandoned boy in Lost Child. The thriller, directed by Ramaa Mosley (The Brass Teapot), follows an Army veteran who returns home and ends up delving into local folklore involving an evil, life-draining spirit. [Watch.]( Top Gun sequel adds Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, Lewis Pullman. All three of their roles are being kept [secret](. The Tom Cruise sequel is from director Joseph Kosinski, who helmed the star's 2013 sci-fi thriller Oblivion. Other actors already enlisted for the film include Val Kilmer, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly and Glen Powell. 'Big Bang's End CBS plots farewell: The Big Bang Theory, a ratings stalwart for years, will conclude its run after its upcoming season 12, Lesley Goldberg reports: + Historic run ending: Created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, Big Bang Theory will wrap its 12-season run in May as TV's longest-running multicamera comedy in history, with what will be a record 279 episodes. The series finale will air in May. + Parsons' call: Sources told THR that the decision to wrap the series would likely land on the shoulders of its Emmy-winning star Parsons and the entire cast would return if he wanted to do more as well. * Stars sought parity: WBTV inked the cast to new deals last year that sources said were worth $900,000 apiece, plus lucrative points off the show's backend and overall deals. The series' five original stars — Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar — all took $100,000 pay cuts to help bring co-stars Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch to parity. + What was needed for season 13: In May, sources told THR that WBTV and CBS had some conversations about potentially continuing Big Bang Theory beyond season 12, which would require signing the stars to new mega-deals to return to the comedy from Steve Molaro and showrunner Steve Holland. The show continues to be a ratings cash cow, with the network using it to launch prequel spinoff Young Sheldon last season. + WBTV and Chuck Lorre Productions' statement: “We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of The Big Bang Theory during the past twelve seasons. We, along with the cast, writers and crew, are extremely appreciative of the show’s success and aim to deliver a final season, and series finale, that will bring The Big Bang Theory to an epic creative close." [Full story.]( Elsewhere in TV... ► Leslie Moonves hires legal superstar for sexual misconduct probe. Daniel Petrocelli, who represented Donald Trump in the Trump University case and recently defended the AT&T-Time Warner merger, is now [involved]( with the investigation into the CBS chief's alleged sexual misconduct, Eriq Gardner reports. ► MacGyver stunt coordinator seriously injured on set of CBS series. Justin Sundquist, who [sued]( CBS Corp. and CBS TV Studios last year after being injured on the set of Hawaii Five-0, sustained a head injury hurt on the Atlanta set of the network drama, Bryn Elise Sandberg reports. ► Netflix unveils five new unscripted originals. Brandon Riegg at the Edinburgh TV Festival announces a cooking competition and series about magicians who died performing tricks and an English soccer club as he outlines his vision. [Details.]( ► Castle Rock's Jane Levy joins Renee Zellweger in Netflix's What/If. The former Suburgatory star will be a [regular]( on the Mike Kelley-created anthology. The 10-episode What/If is described as a social thriller exploring the ripple effects when acceptable people start doing unacceptable things. ► Netflix renews Easy for final, third season. The individual episodic anthology will [wrap]( its run in 2019. An episode count and specific return date have not yet been determined. While Netflix — like other streamers — does not release viewership information, Easy has been a favorite among critics. ► Millie Bobby Brown teases Stranger Things season three couple. The actress who plays Eleven provides hope about a possible romance between two fan-favorite characters: Joyce (Winona Ryde) and Hopper (David Harbour). [Details.]( ► Hugh Laurie to star in HBO space comedy from Veep creator. Avenue 5, which currently has a pilot commitment and [order]( for backup scripts, is set in the future, mostly in space. Laurie will take on the role of Ryan Clark, the charming and in-control American captain of the Avenue 5. ► Hawaiian family drama from Viola Davis, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen set at ABC. Former Time journalist Lisa Takeuchi Cullen will [write]( Ohana, based on Kiana Davenport's 1994 novel Shark Dialogues. ► Kim Dickens heads to Showtime after Fear the Walking Dead exit. The actress has been [tapped]( to star in the premium cable network's hourlong drama pilot Queen Fur, set in a small town in Central Florida — a place where beauty pageants, gun culture, Cuban revolutionaries and Southern hospitality co-exist and collide. ► Simon Cowell extends term as America's Got Talent judge. The new agreement will [extend]( Cowell's time as a judge on the series, which began with its 11th season in 2016. The series is currently in season 13, and while NBC has yet to renew it beyond that, Cowell's deal and AGT's reign as the top-rated summer show on network TV likely make that just a formality. [Quoted:]( "It's part of a wider conversation and one hopes it's ignited a seed in all of us that are in this industry and not just this industry, but across all industries, to reevaluate the way that we remunerate people." — Matt Smith, on effect of The Crown pay discrepancy between him and star Claire Foy. ^Superman, Lois Lane join The CW's DC crossover event. Tyler Hoechlin will [reprise]( his role on The Flash, Supergirl and Arrow, while the role of Lois Lane has yet to be cast. The three episodes will air in December. ► Trump campaign demands ESPN air national anthem during MNF. An email [signed]( by the president with a petition to supporters was sent in the midst of the news that his former campaign manager was found guilty of tax evasion and bank fraud and his former personal lawyer pleaded guilty to campaign violations. ► Steven Tyler threatens Trump with legal action over Aerosmith music. The Aerosmith frontman on Wednesday [sent]( a cease and desist letter to Trump after "Livin' on the Edge" was played at a Tuesday rally at the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia. Tyler in 2015 sent then-candidate Trump two letters demanding he stop playing "Dream On" at his events. ► CNN suspends contributor Paris Dennard following sexual misconduct report. The Washington Post on Wednesday night [reported]( that Dennard was fired from a previous job at Arizona State University for "making sexually explicit comments and gestures toward women, according to documents and a university official." ► Paramount Network renews Lip Sync Battle. The cable channel has [re-upped]( the not-really-singing competition for a fifth season to air in 2019. The new run will consist of 12 episodes, the shortest order for the show to date. Previous seasons have all had at least 16 episodes. ► YouTube to release 50 original shows in 2019. The online video platform's head of originals for EMEA [touted]( its upcoming lineup — including sci-fi drama Origin — at the Edinburgh TV Festival. ► American Music Awards partners with YouTube Music. Dick Clark Productions has [inked]( a multiyear partnership between the American Music Awards and YouTube Music, making the latter the first-ever presenting partner for the music awards ceremony. The ceremony is set to air live from Los Angeles' Microsoft Theater on ABC on Tuesday, Oct. 9. ► Chad Hodge inks overall deal with Tomorrow Studios. Under the pact, Hodge will create and [develop]( new series for the studio while also supervising development of other writers. The pact expands the Good Behavior creator's relationship with Marty Adelstein. ► Black Mirror star Michaela Coel says she was sexually assaulted while writing Chewing Gum. The rising British star made the [revelation]( while giving the keynote lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival, detailing how working late one night turned into being assaulted by strangers. ► Jessica Alba's Honest Company inks SAG-AFTRA commercials contract. After facing a SAG-AFTRA do not work order, the company has [signed on]( to union wages and working conditions. ► Anthony Bregman inks first-look TV deal with Anonymous Content. The news [arrives]( as Bregman's Likely Story is executive producing Netflix's comedy Living With Yourself, starring Paul Rudd. The deal reunites Bregman with Anonymous Content's Steve Golin after the duo previously collaborated on the Oscar-winning Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. ► Sky U.K. content boss touts ratings growth for originals. The pay TV giant, for which Comcast and Fox have been bidding, [wants]( more "cinematic" dramas, Zai Bennett tells the Edinburgh TV Festival. ► Nicki Minaj scraps North American tour with Future. Minaj has [decided]( to “re-evaluate elements “of its production, according to a statement issued late Tuesday. Minaj’s NickiHndrxx co-headlining tour alongside Future was due to kick off Sept. 21 in Baltimore. ► Facebook partnerships exec Dan Rose to depart. The executive, who has been with the company since 2006, said in a Facebook post that he is [moving]( to Hawaii to be with his family. ► Pose breakout Indya Moore signs with WME. The Bronx-born model already is [repped]( by the agency's sister firm IMG Models. ► SVU 20th-season premiere, Ullman-Streep highlights Tribeca TV Festival. The second annual edition of the small-screen event will also feature a look back at 10 years of Shark Tank and premiere screenings of Madam Secretary, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Ray Donovan and Nat Geo's Valley of the Boom series about the dot-com bubble. [Lineup.]( ► RIP Brian Murray. The veteran Broadway actor and director known for his performances in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Crucible, The Little Foxes and Da died Monday. He was 80. [Obit.]( Honest Trailers creator sues Defy Media over "reckless" firing. Andy Signore also [claims]( Defy's high-level management and shareholders were engaged in "sexual and otherwise personal" relationships with employees, interns and fans — and claims the leadership "fostered a company culture of profanity and obscenity," Ashley Cullins reports. Crazy Text Chain Tight-knit cast: A group chat that at one point included more than 60 people celebrated birthdays and even featured videos of members singing Backstreet Boys songs, Chris Gardner reports: + Active chatters: Gemma Chan reveals that the group has an official title: Crazy Rich House of [red heart emoji]: “I occasionally mute the group and then check back in. Is that bad to say? You can’t keep up!” + Unique group: “This is an exception,” Michelle Yeoh explains. “This is a very international cast from Australia, England, Asia, Singapore, Malaysia, America, and we just bonded. We exchanged stories about how difficult it is to make movies and to be Asian-American. The WhatsApp group helps us stay connected, and this will last for a long, long time.” * Birthday wishes: On Aug. 6, Yeoh celebrated her 56th birthday and the group chat lit up. “They went crazy,” she says. “I was inundated in the best possible way.” (Yeoh says she also has a similar WhatsApp group with her Star Trek: Discovery family.) [Full details.]( What else we're reading... — "Nobody Trusts Facebook. Twitter Is a Hot Mess. What Is Snapchat Doing?" Sarah Frier explores: "Snapchat would appear to be well-positioned as an alternative. There’s no fake news, and the company’s emphasis on disappearing content means it stores much less data than its ­competitors do. And yet, daily usage has started to decline." [[Bloomberg](] — "Guy Pearce on fame, family pressures and fatherhood at 50." Emine Saner profiles: “Even though [Memento] was received really well, I felt like all my own insecurities and my own difficulties were not being addressed. I was kind of going: ‘I’ve got this [success], why do I still feel like this?’” [[The Guardian](] — "An Oral History of GoldenEye 007 on the N64." Quinn Myers' reports: "From the multiplayer being added as an afterthought to the game almost having every Bond actor ever, the game you and your buddies logged hours on — paintballing in the Stack or shooting Boris in the balls — was almost something very, very different." [[MEL Magazine](] — "The Frustration of Crazy Rich Asians Through a Lens of Whiteness." Soraya Nadia McDonald writes: "How many times do well-executed majority-minority films have to do well for their success to be discussed as a matter of course rather than a surprise?" [[The Undefeated](] — "Jimmy Kimmel Doesn't Want to 'Appeal' to Trump Fans." Matt Wilstein interviews the late-night host: "And if there is anything good about Donald Trump, it’s that people are paying attention to what’s going on in the White House." [[The Daily Beast](] What else we're watching... + "Ainsley Earhardt interviews President Donald Trump." [[Fox & Friends](] From the archives... + On Aug. 23, 1946, Humphrey Bogart starred as Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep. The Raymond Chandler adaptation was penned by Nobel Prize laureate William Faulkner, Leigh Bracket and Jules Furthman. Though tepidly received at the time, it aged into appreciation: "It is one of the great film noirs, a black-and-white symphony that exactly reproduces Chandler's ability, on the page, to find a tone of voice that keeps its distance, and yet is wry and humorous and cares." [[Roger Ebert](] Today's birthdays: Andrew Rannells, 40, Ray Park, 44, Jay Mohr, 48, Chan-wook Park, 55, Chris Potter, 58, Shelley Long, 69, Rick Springfield, 69, Barbara Eden, 87, Vera Miles, 89. 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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