Fall's Hot Films; ESPN's Privacy War; Depp's New Legal Drama; Burning Man Turns 30

Ready for fall yet? THR has a nice list of movies that will define the end-of-year season. Meanwhile: Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs is urging Oscar voters to see Birth of a Nation despite the backlash, Leslie Jones' website hack is turned over to Homeland Security and Fox's ousted film chief Jim Gianopulos plots his next move. — Matthew Belloni, Erik Hayden and Jennifer Konerman. [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment] August 26, 2016 Ready for fall yet? THR has a nice list of movies that will define the end-of-year season. Meanwhile: Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs is urging Oscar voters to see Birth of a Nation despite the backlash, Leslie Jones' website hack is turned over to Homeland Security and Fox's ousted film chief Jim Gianopulos plots his next move. — Matthew Belloni, Erik Hayden and Jennifer Konerman. Fall Films to Watch For With summer box office dwindling and fall film season arriving, here's a primer on the [season's most anticipated movies:] A few months out: Doctor Strange, Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Inferno, and Passengers, the space epic starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. Even sooner: Clint Eastwood’s Sully, starring Tom Hanks, and Magnificent Seven, featuring an all-star cast that includes Denzel Washington and Pratt, could turn September into a box office boon. [Full preview.] In theaters today: Sony/Screen Gems' [Don't Breathe] is "a perfectly executed thriller" and may nab $14M. The Weinstein Co.'s Robert De Niro film [Hands of Stone] "punches above its weight." Lionsgate's actioner [Mechanic: Resurrection] "is badly in need of repair" and Obama first date movie[Southside With You] is a "surprisingly engaging account." Elsewhere in film... ► Sam Mendes may helm new James and the Giant Peach. The director is [in early talks] to direct a live-action version of the Roald Dahl title for Disney. Brooklyn scribe Nick Hornby is in negotiations to adapt. ► Disney enlists Helen Mirren for Nutcracker. The actress is [in talks] to join the live-action adaptation of the classic ballet as a character named Mother Ginger. The movie opens Dec. 16. ► Ocean's Eleven spinoff rounds out its ensemble. Sarah Paulson [is joining] the all-female Ocean's Ocho, which also stars Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna and Anne Hathaway. The Gary Ross-helmed heist film is scheduled to begin production in October. ↱[Quoted: Cheryl Boone Isaacs.] The Academy president responds to Birth of a Nation backlash: "The important thing is for people to see it," she told TMZ. "People need to see this movie." Also: Read the letter Penn State alumni wrote [in support of Nate Parker]. ↲ ► Fox's New Mutants nabs Fault in Our Stars writers. Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber are [working] on the script for the studio's X-Men spinoff film. The move re-teams the duo with director Josh Boone, who is helming the project. ► Doctor Who star to lead Bad Samaritan. David Tennant is [attached] to the thriller, which will be directed by Dean Devlin, best known as the writer behind Independence Day. It's set to begin shooting later this year in the greater Portland, Oregon area. ► Demi Moore joins bachelorette comedy. Kate McKinnon, Scarlett Johansson, Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer and Zoe Kravitz also star in [Rock That Body], Sony's R-rated comedy written by Broad City's Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello. ↱ [Trailer watch]: Casey Affleck stars in awards contender [Manchester by the Sea] and Dev Patel tries to find his way home in [Lion], also starring Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara. ↲ Jim Gianopulos plots his next move. The Fox exec has served longer than any of his studio counterparts currently in charge, but that run ends soon when he will be succeeded by his co-chairman, Stacey Snider. Sources say the ousted studio exec is on the radar to run Paramount if there's a regime change. [Other possibilities.] A Tweet That Could Cost ESPN Millions ESPN is facing a trial that has shades of the litigation between Hulk Hogan and Gawker. And the latest invasion of privacy suit could cost the sports network millions, Eriq Gardner [reports:] New York Giants' Jason Pierre-Paul is suing ESPN (represented by the same lawyers that represented Gawker) and reporter Adam Schefter over a tweet that revealed an amputated right finger. The NFL star asserts he suffered damage over the tweet that also showed a copy of Pierre-Paul's medical chart. But despite ESPN's First Amendment arguments, a judge on Thursday rejected ESPN's attempt to dismiss. [Here's why.] Elsewhere in TV... ► Jennifer Lopez is pushing hard into TV development. The actress-producer-singer is teaming with Royal Pains writer Michael Rauch for a drama [set up at CBS]. The untitled drama centers on polar opposite identical twin brothers. ► Britney Spears joins "Carpool Karaoke." The superstar sang a medley of her songs on Thursday's Late Late Show, including "Toxic," "Baby One More Time" and "Oops I Did It Again." [Watch here.] ► A&E sets JonBenet Ramsey doc. The [two-hour special], The Killing of JonBenet: The Truth Uncovered is the fourth project pegged to the 20th anniversary of her slaying. ► Working Title TV producing The Luminaries. Eleanor Catton [will adapt] her book into a six-part project for BBC Two. It is set in the 19th century on the "Wild West Coast" of New Zealand's South Island in the boom years of the 1860s gold rush. ↱ [Podcast: Veep's Matt Walsh] joins Awards Chatter for a 45-minute chat, including the story of why he abandoned a career in psychology for comedy, why he's drawn to improv and what it's like working opposite one of the funniest TV actresses alive today. [Listen here]. ↲ Ryan Lochte finds a sponsor. After losing deals with Speedo and Ralph Lauren for his Rio story (and getting charged for filing a false report), the swimmer got back on the sponsorship wagon with cough drop maker Pine Bros. Lochte: "[I look forward to making you proud.]" Amber Heard-Johnny Depp's New Spat Johnny Depp and Amber Heard just can't go quietly into the night following their ugly, public divorce, staff writer Ashley Cullins [reports:] The soon-to-be-exes reached a divorce settlement earlier this month, but another dust-up has them back in the headlines. It centers on Heard's pledge to donate her $7 million settlement to two charities, the ACLU and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Depp reportedly decided to circumvent Heard entirely and donate the money to the organizations directly — which she interpreted as an attempt to cash in on tax incentives. A member of Heard's team issued a statement on Thursday calling the news "great and unexpected" — but that doesn't mean she's letting him get away with the sneaky financial maneuver, [if that's really what it was.] Elsewhere in THR, Esq... ► Leslie Jones hack update. The investigation into the website hack of the Ghostbuster star, which saw personal info and photos leaked, is currently being handled by Homeland Security. Following outpouring of support for the actress, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton [weighed in]: "@Lesdoggg, no one deserves this—least of all someone who brings us so much joy. I'm with you." ► Hans Zimmer scores win in 12 Years a Slave lawsuit. Composer Richard Friedman sued Zimmer in 2015, claiming the principal music from the Oscar-winning film copied his 2004 work entitled "To Our Fallen." Friedman voluntarily [dismissed his claims] on Tuesday. ► Friday the 13th film rights at stake in new suit. The screams are now coming from a federal court in Connecticut where a lawsuit was filed that will determine who holds rights and may license [new film versions] of the horror film classic. ► Viacom top lawyer's fate highly uncertain. After months of infighting, one of the industry's most influential lawyers, Michael Fricklas, had his loyalties tested in the bitter struggle between Philippe Dauman and Shari and Sumner Redstone. He now finds his own job [hanging by a thread.] ► Weinstein Co. fighting One Chance fraud lawsuit. Director David Frankel is pursuing a fraud claim against the distributor, saying that Weinstein Co. agreed to release the 2014 film on at least 800 screens but instead [buried it]. Hollywood Docket: Chris Brown looks to keep defamation claims out of his legal fight with ex-manager Mike G ... Rolling Stone wants the court to toss University of Virginia dean Nicole Eramo's defamation lawsuit ... Infamous law enforcement series Cops is headed to the big screen — thanks, in part, to a lawyer. [Details here.] Hollywood's "Vacation for the Soul" Your Friday longread: As Burning Man hits 30, industry "burners" open up about the lasting appeal and new challenges facing the wild festival in the desert, contributing editor Degen Pener [observes]: "If you work in a creative industry, this is a must-see," says Amazon Studios head of drama and 13-time attendee Morgan Wandell, who, over the years, has brought along ITV's Adam Sher, Armie Hammer and John Stamos to experience the fun. Says artist Trek Thunder Kelly, who has been going for more than two decades: "Imagine that you've taken the red pill in The Matrix and walked into Alice in Wonderland on the planet Tatooine." In recent years, though, Burning Man has been roiled by growing pains brought on by success. (Tickets, $390 to $1,200, go on sale each year in February and quickly sell out.) What are known as plug-and-play or turnkey camps have sprung up, where people pay thousands of dollars to have everything set up and provided for them when they arrive. Adds House of Cards producer Dana Brunetti: "There are more people who are going more for the scene, which I know Burning Man isn't too keen about. [They don't want what happened to Sundance to][happen there.]" Today's Birthdays: Dylan O'Brien, 25, Macaulay Culkin, 36, Chris Pine, 36, Melissa McCarthy, 46. Follow The News Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.] ©2016 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. [Unsubscribe] | [Manage Preferences] | [Privacy Policy] | [Terms of Use] August 26, 2016