Layoffs Rattle Fox, Disney; Tucker Ad Exodus; 'Parks & Rec' Reunion; 'Thrones' Health Scare

What's news: The first wave of layoffs shock the Disney and Fox lots. Plus: Turbulence at Fox News, another Netflix exec leaves and Emilia Clarke's life-threatening health scares. — Will Robinson March 22, 2019 What's news: The first wave of layoffs shock the Disney and Fox lots. Plus: Turbulence at Fox News, another Netflix exec leaves and Emilia Clarke's life-threatening health scares. — Will Robinson ^Lack of transparency: Nary a public word was spoken about layoffs, but less than two days after Disney's $71.3 billion deal to buy 21st Century Fox officially closed, it was clear that hitting the ground running means, at least initially, lots of lost jobs, Paul Bond reports: + Part of the frustration, multiple employees tell The Hollywood Reporter, is that Disney has been less than forthcoming about who will be let go and when. Regarding severance, employees have been told they will get two weeks for every year served, capped at two years. * Says one Disney employee: "We feel like we're the ones who have been acquired because the people at Fox know what their severance packages are, if they are going to get let go, and nobody at Disney knows anything. People are panicking — and rightfully so — because nobody is telling them anything." + Closing Fox 2000: One of the biggest surprises Thursday was that Disney said it would shutter Fox 2000, the label famous for mid-budget films like The Devil Wears Prada and Hidden Figures. "I'm honestly angry, shocked and really, really hurt," said Marty Bowen, producer of Fox 2000 titles like Fault in Our Stars and Love, Simon. "As a lifetime fan of all things Disney, this is difficult for me to say but I think the shuttering of Fox 2000 is going to go down as the one big mistake The Mouse has made in an otherwise flawless strategy." [Full story.]( Horn's Team Reset button: After upending the senior leadership ranks at 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn and top lieutenant Alan Bergman have set the reporting structure going forward for the combined movie studios, Pamela McClintock reports: + First step of integration: Marketing staffs will now report to Disney marketing chief Asad Ayaz, who handled the campaigns for a slew of blockbusters, including Captain Marvel. Fox's domestic and international teams will now report to Disney's Cathleen Taff, who was elevated to distribution chief in May 2018. + Cue the fanfare: Horn also officially revealed that films from 20th Century Fox will be released under that banner, one that will now live alongside Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Disney live-action, Disney Animation and Pixar in the Disney stable, all of which are overseen by Horn and Bergman. [Full story.]( -> Before layoffs, Horn tells Fox staff to expect "quite a bit of change": "We want to acknowledge that and assure you we are committed to engaging in this process thoughtfully and communicating changes as we are able – most importantly with respect for all involved," wrote Horn and Bergman. [Read the memo.]( Elsewhere in film... ► WarnerMedia to add chief diversity officer to exec ranks. CEO John Stankey [acknowledged]( that at a company town hall he'd been asked "about the lack of women and diversity onstage," referring to top executives. ► Netflix marketing exec Stephen Bruno moves to MGM as CMO. Bruno [had served]( as Netflix’s vice president of creative marketing since 2015. There, he oversaw the global campaigns for such massive series as Stranger Things, The Crown and Narcos — as well as features Bird Box, Mudbound and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. ► Netflix developing modern Three Musketeers movie with writer Harrison Query. Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless, who produced Bright, will [produce]( with Scott Glassgold. ► Paul Feig moves overall deal to Universal. The Bridesmaids director and his Feigco Entertainment banner were [previously set up]( at Fox. ► Black Mass writer tackling Conan Doyle for the Defense adaptation. The novel, from former New York Times obituary writer and author Margalit Fox, tells the true story of how Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle [took on]( a case of his own. ► Maya Erskine's Plus One goes to RLJE Films. Andrew Rhymer and Jeff Chan's wedding comedy, also toplined by Vinyl star Jack Quaid, was [picked up]( before a world premiere at Tribeca. Casting call... ► Emily Blunt in talks to join Annapurna drama Not Fade Away. The project, produced by David O. Russell and John Krasinski, is [based on]( a memoir about a courageous young woman slowly losing her sight and hearing. ► Bill Nighy, Callum Turner join Emma adaptation. Anya Taylor-Joy [will play]( the title role in the Focus Features project. ► Laura Linney, Hannah Gross, Terry Chen join Viggo Mortensen's family drama. The Green Book star's directorial debut, titled Falling, [is shooting]( in Toronto. ^Hotel Mumbai's tragic relevance: Director Anthony Maras and stars Dev Patel, Nazanin Boniadi and Anupam Kher discuss releasing the film after New Zealand's mass shootings and why the movie about the 2008 violence in Mumbai is unlike other films about extremism, Abbey White reports: + "Unfortunately, I don't think there's ever a good time for a film like this," Maras said about whether he reconsidered the film's release in light of the 50 people killed in a Christchurch mosque. "But I've said it before: I think sunlight is the best disinfectant for these issues. I think the example of the staff and the guests at the Taj hotel are a really worthwhile thing to remember and have discussions about." [Full story.]( On the festival circuit... ► Toronto promotes programmer to battle Venice. Diana Sanchez, the festival's Spanish-language film picker, [could help]( TIFF wrest more world premieres for Oscar contenders away from the Lido. Book report... ► Call Me by Your Name book sequel to arrive in the fall. The sequel, titled Find Me, will pick up after Elio's father, Samuel, has divorced. He [travels]( from Florence to Rome to visit Elio. From the stage... ► Harvey Fierstein to return to stage playing Bella Abzug. The four-time Tony Award winner [will star]( as the political firebrand on the eve of her bid to become New York State's first female Senator in his new solo show, Bella Bella. Welcome to the world... Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach welcome first child together. Baumbach is already a dad to son Rohmer with his ex-wife, actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, while this is Gerwig's [first child](. Enjoy reading this? Six days a week, look for Today in Entertainment in your inbox to stay up-to-date on the industry. Sign up for this newsletter (and others) at [THR.com/Newsletters](. Tucker's Changes Response to backlash: As blue-chip advertisers have abandoned Tucker Carlson's well-rated primetime show, his network has recently opted to keep things in the family, broadcasting a growing and increasingly sizable number of "house ads" for Fox TV properties, Jeremy Barr reports: + The effect: In the two weeks leading up to Dec. 13, when Carlson said that immigration makes America "dirtier," Tucker Carlson Tonight averaged 1.33 house ads per show, or 3.7 percent of show's advertising spots in that period. In the weeks that followed, Carlson's show lost at least 26 major advertisers. Since progressive advocacy group Media Matters for America published the first batch of resurfaced inappropriate comments, on March 10, the nine episodes of Tucker Carlson Tonight that have aired have included 6.2 house ads per show. Ads for Fox programming have made up 34.8 percent of the show's advertising spots in that period. + How Fox News handles this: While this might work in the short-term, "if this is a prolonged 'boycott' of the show, at some point Fox News might be forced to consider other options," said industry analyst Brad Adgate. "It's on primetime, one of the most watched shows on Fox News, and to have it filled with mostly promos and direct-response ads is resulting in lost revenue for the newer Fox company." [Full story.]( In the Fox orbit... ► Former News Corp. exec left over anti-Muslim coverage. "Scaring people. Demonizing immigrants. Creating, like, a fervor — or an anxiety about what was happening in our country," former News Corp. svp Joseph Azam told David Folkenflik. "It fundamentally bothered me on a lot of days and I think I probably wasn't the only one," he says. [[NPR](] ► Jeanine Pirro's Fox News show won't air for second week. The network's lineup says that her show, Justice w/ Judge Jeanine, will be [pre-empted]( again after her still-unannounced suspension. ► Lachlan Murdoch says all Fox Corp. employees will get stock. The younger Murdoch also [referred]( to Fox as a "startup" company that is well-funded and will be "fun" to work for. Elsewhere in TV... ► Viacom talent urge people to call AT&T, DirecTV amid contract negotiations. The conglomerates' current carriage agreement is set to expire on Friday at midnight. [Tweets + Videos]( ► Drew Goddard inks rich overall deal with Disney's 20th TV. The four-year, eight-figure pact will see the Daredevil and Lost alum [return]( to the Disney fold. ► The Conners renewal more likely as stars near deals. Sara Gilbert, John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf [will likely re-up]( with the ABC series, making a pickup that much more probable, Rick Porter reports. ► Schitt's Creek ending with season six on Pop, CBC. The cult comedy [will air]( its final, 14-episode season in 2020. Casting call... ► Amazon's Dark Tower adaptation casts lead roles. Sam Strike and Jasper Paakkonen [will star]( in the project based on Stephen King's novel. ► Josh Charles joins Showtime's Roger Ailes limited series. The former Good Wife star [will play]( Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson's husband in The Loudest Voice. ► Nicole Richie joins Fox comedy from Grace and Frankie EP. The Great News actress [will join]( Thomas Lennon and Wendie Malick in Richard Lovely. [Quoted:]( "Here's the mistake I made: I stayed on television way too long. It turns out that nobody had the guts to fire me, and I should've left 10 years ago. You want to make sure you have some energy to direct toward other things." — David Letterman, on the last part of his Late Show tenure. ^Parks and Recreation cast reunites at PaleyFest: Creator Mike Schur, stars Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman and others said at their PaleyFest reunion that a revival or a reboot could only happen if one very specific set of circumstances is met, Jean Bentley reports: + A story worth telling: "There was nothing I loved more than working on this show. It felt like the most important thing that I would ever do," Schur said. "I would never ever, ever say never. I mean, the chance to do it again, should it arise, would be incredible, but I think we'd only do it if we all felt like there was some compelling [reason to do it](." Digital digest... -> A look at Apple's streaming plans. "Apple’s main focus — at least for now — will be helping other people sell streaming video subscriptions, and taking a cut of the transaction. Apple may also sell its own shows, at least as part of a bundle of other services. But for now, Apple’s original shows and movies should be considered very expensive giveaways." [[Recode](] ► Millions of Facebook users' passwords were accessible by employees. "Facebook estimated it will notify hundreds of millions of Facebook Lite users, tens of millions of other Facebook users, and tens of thousands of Instagram users." [[The Wall Street Journal](] ► Comcast launches streaming video platform Xfinity Flex. Flex will cost $5 for people who [already subscribe]( to Comcast's internet offering. It'll allow customers to stream content from subscription services like Netflix and Amazon's Prime Video or free, ad-supported programming from YouTube, Tubi and others. ► Sports streamer DAZN doubling monthly price. The effort is to try to lure people to sign up for the much cheaper annual subscription ($99.99) against the monthly one ($19.99), Eben Novy-Williams reports. [[Bloomberg](] ► Gawker names new EIC. Dan Peres, former editor of Details magazine, will try to resuscitate the site bought by Bustle's Bryan Goldberg, Julia Jacobs reports. [[The New York Times](] Ratings notes... ► Survivor ties all-time low. The CBS stalwart averaged a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demo for a two-hour installment, matching a series low set twice during its fall 2018 run. On a soft night across the board, however, Survivor was good enough [to snag]( the evening's top demo rating. Netflix asks judge to dismiss "Choose Your Own Adventure" lawsuit. The streaming giant defends Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, telling a court, "The idea of a narrative storytelling device in which readers or viewers make their own choices is [not protected]( by trademark law." Clarke's Health Scares Fight of her life: Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke revealed that she has survived two life-threatening aneurysms in the early days of playing her breakout role: + First appearance: Clarke recalls feeling lightheaded and fainting throughout her life but experienced the first aneurysm and surgery in February 2011, after wrapping season one of the HBO hit: "I immediately felt as though an elastic band were squeezing my brain. I tried to ignore the pain and push through it, but I just couldn't." + Darkest moment: When her second health scare popped up in 2013, Clarke details her mental and physical anguish: "I felt like a shell of myself. So much so that I now have a hard time remembering those dark days in much detail. My mind has blocked them out. But I do remember being convinced that I wasn't going to live." * Making a difference: In her essay, Clarke announced the creation of charity SameYou, whose goal is to provide treatment for people recovering from strokes and brain injuries. [[The New Yorker](] What else we're reading... — "Can Netflix Take Over the World Without Turning Evil?" Nick Bilton considers: "While Netflix is clearly a tech company first, and a content outlet second, the company isn’t selling your data to advertisers or the Trump campaign or—god forbid—the Russians. Its relationship with consumers is holistic, and mostly wholesome." [[Vanity Fair](] — "Why Jordan Peele Is the New Master of Suspense." Sean Fennessey writes: "He’s not a difficult artist or a mysterious Oz pulling levers behind a curtain. Like Hitchcock or Serling, he’s a showman." [[The Ringer](] — "In Praise of Jason Clarke, Hollywood’s Go-to Cuckold." Nate Jones hails: "There aren’t many actors out there comfortable taking that kind of unglamorous supporting role. So here’s to you, Jason Clarke." [[Vulture](] — "From Dresden on the 50th Anniversary of Slaughterhouse-Five." Malcolm Jack reports: "Whether he knew it or not, [Kurt] Vonnegut was improvising a self-help manual for psychic pain at a time when many young Americans needed it most." [[The New York Times](] Last night, on late night... + "AOC responds to Fox News' weird obsession with her." [[Late Night](] + "Sean Penn reveals why he loves A Star is Born." [[Jimmy Kimmel](] + "Veep made Julia Louis-Dreyfus comfortable with swearing." [[Tonight Show](] + "John Mulaney was an offputting & strange child." [[Conan](] From the archives... + Today in 1936: MGM premiered its new musical The Great Ziegfeld at Los Angeles' Carthay Circle Theatre. The pseudo-biopic about Flo Ziegfeld won best picture at the 9th Academy Awards: "If the picture overcrowds its screen, at least we must admit it is an impressive kaleidoscope; and probably nothing short of that could reflect the gaudy career of America's foremost showman." [[The New York Times](] Today's birthdays: Constance Wu, 37, Reese Witherspoon, 43, Cole Hauser, 44, Keegan-Michael Key, 48, Nicole Holofcener, 59, Matthew Modine, 60, Carlton Cuse, 60, Andrew Lloyd Webber, 71, Eric Roth, 74, William Shatner, 88. Follow The News Is this email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2019 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Preferences]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Use]( March 22, 2019