The Man Behind Writers' War; Replacing Georgia; 'X-Men' Panned; Pitt's 'Ad Astra' Trailer; Actor Roundtable Cover

What's news: States race to poach projects that had planned to film in Georgia. Plus: PwC unveils a detail-rich entertainment revenue report, Fox's Dark Phoenix gets panned and a close look at the man at the middle of the writers' war. — Erik Hayden June 05, 2019 What's news: States race to poach projects that had planned to film in Georgia. Plus: PwC unveils a detail-rich entertainment revenue report, Fox's Dark Phoenix gets panned and a close look at the man at the middle of the writers' war. — Erik Hayden [On the cover:]( Hugh Grant, Richard Madden, Billy Porter, Stephan James, Diego Luna and Sam Rockwell open up to Lacey Rose about why they'd rather play the villain and the upside of failure... Q: At this stage of your collective careers, what are the roles you're each tired of being approached for? MADDEN "I played Romeo for about 10 years in different ways. Literally, I played it when I was 21 and when I was 30. I've checked that box. I'm done playing good guys that bad things happen to." PORTER "I was labeled very early the flamboyant clown, and I fought that for decades. Nobody minds stopping a show, let's get that straight — it's fun and fabulous — but I'm finally in this moment in my life where I'm able to play that character as a fully developed human being and not just the two-dimensional version that is set up to entertain. And to have lived long enough to see that happen on my terms is fabulous." Top TV actors on challenges of fame. From an invitation to the White House to a tuxedo-dress turn on the Oscar red carpet, the stars all weighed in on the moments and choices that make or break a career. [Full Drama Actor Roundtable.]( Middle of the Writers' War Among WGA West executive director David Young's more miraculous accomplishments in Hollywood has been uniting bitter rivals at competing agencies in agreement on one fact: They can't stand him. Rebecca Keegan's profile: + Young's supporters call him a brilliant tactician whose indifference to Hollywood niceties is an asset. + His detractors — including a quietly frustrated but increasingly organized wing of his own guild — say Young is a hothead who relishes creating chaos and can't close a deal. *The WGA organizer's bare-knuckle negotiating style has rattled the industry's most powerful dealmakers, challenged decades-old business practices and brought long-simmering tensions between writers and agents to a boil. [Full story.]( Also: A group of showrunners, feature writers and directors are meeting in an online forum — set up by one of their kids — to communicate their concerns about the situation. [Details.]( Cancellation flurry... ► Fox's Empire moves on without Jussie Smollett. Co-creator Lee Daniels tweeted in response to a report which stated that the show's writers were preparing for his return. Daniels: "This is not factual. Jussie will NOT be [returning."]( ► Amazon cancels Sneaky Pete. It was one of few remaining shows (running three seasons) picked up under the Roy Price regime. Chief Jennifer Salke, who joined Amazon last year, is making a push for broader-focused [fare.]( ► Netflix ends The Ranch. The show will have completed 80 episodes when it ends in 2020, more than most other Netflix originals. That's because of its supersized 20-episode, per-season order, that's said to be financially [appealing.]( ► Syfy is cleaning house. The cabler has canceled the dramas Happy (after two seasons) and Deadly Class (after one season). Options on the casts of both shows were up at the end of the month. Both series will be [shopped.]( Elsewhere in TV... ^Netflix's Black Mirror season five (premiering tonight), reviewed. Tim Goodman writes: "Two new episodes prove that creator Charlie Brooker is still filled with creative surprises, though the third one will feed detractors." [More.]( ► AMC simulcast pays off for Killing Eve. The series got a double run on BBC America and AMC for season two. The exposure served the show well — it posted the largest year-to-year growth of any returning series in the past [three years.]( ► FX's Mrs. America adds to star-studded roster. Elizabeth Banks has joined the limited series about efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. The nine-episode project also features Cate Blanchett, Uzo Aduba, Rose Byrne [and more.]( ► UCP plans Punky Brewster TV sequel. The 1980s NBC sitcom about a young girl who is raised by a foster parent, is being revived with original star Soleil Moon Frye set to reprise her role as the titular character. A network is not yet [attached.]( ► Netflix orders dramedy from Anke Engelke. The streamer greenlit the six-part German-language series The Last Word, in which Engelke will star as a funeral eulogy speaker who loses faith in her work and loses control over her [family.]( ► Quibi revives a couple MTV shows. The Viacom unit has licensed Punk'd and Singled Out to Jeffrey Katzenberg's new venture as shortform revivals. Each unscripted series will feature 20 new episodes — each under [10 minutes in length.]( ► Showtime's The Affair parts ways with Joshua Jackson. The actor had been contemplating an exit from the series after its fourth season wrapped in 2018. His character, Cole, reached something of a natural endpoint [last season](. Netflix series ignites backlash against Central Park Five prosecutor. Linda Fairstein resigned from the boards of the nonprofit Safe Horizon and Vassar College over the reaction to the depiction of her role in the infamous case. [Details.]( Fox's X-Men Panned It's at [17 percent](on Rotten Tomatoes so far: With over 53 critics' reviews in, Fox's Dark Phoenix (opening on Friday) is getting heavily mixed reviews ahead of its stateside bow... + THR chief film critic Todd McCarthy: "After 12 installments spread out over two decades, the X-Men franchise stumbles toward its close in Dark Phoenix." + "Played at an unmodulated level of subdued excitement that never quickens the pulse, longtime series producer Simon Kinberg's directorial debut lacks the exclamation point fans have justifiably been hoping for." [Full review.]( First look: PwC's annual report... + The headline: China film market to eclipse U.S. next year. This year, the U.S. box office may end up at $12.11 billion compared to China's $11.05 billion, according to PwC. + In 2020, China's fast-growing sales at the box office will exceed that of the U.S., $12.28 billion to $11.93 billion — and the country will dominate for the foreseeable future. + The theatrical industry overall will still grow through 2023 — 4 percent annually worldwide and 1 percent yearly in the U.S. "With on-demand home video, there were a lot of folks who thought cinema would die," says PwC analyst C.J. Bangah. "But tickets, admissions and screens are all projected to rise." [More charts + full story.]( Meanwhile... [Quoted:]( "So you'll likely have to stay up late on Dec. 31 to not only welcome the New Year, but see if we nip over the $12 billion benchmark." — AMC Entertainment CFO Craig Ramsey, predicting Hollywood box office could set another domestic record in 2019, but it may all come down to how fans embrace Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. ^Fox unveils Brad Pitt's Ad Astra trailer. Based on the two-and-a-half minute trailer, the James Gray film (out Sept. 20) looks like a space drama in the Interstellar mode. [Watch.]( Elsewhere in film... ► Bond 25 accident leaves crewmember injured. A controlled explosion went wrong, resulting in damage to the exterior of the stage at Pinewood. According to the production, a crewmember outside the stage suffered a["minor injury."]( ► Woody Allen plans next film. The movie, working title WASP2019, will star Christoph Waltz, Gina Gershon and Wallace Shawn. The project will be co-produced by Spain's MediaPro Studio. Amazon declined to release his [prior film.]( ► New Regency picks up Hawkline Monster rights. The late Hal Ashby tried to adapt the Western with Clint Eastwood and Dustin Hoffman. Now it will be up to producers Roy Lee, Andrew Trapani and Steven Schneider to finish [the job.]( ► STX Films finds I Wanna F*** Your Brother lead. Melissa Stack will direct Glen Powell in the movie about a lawyer who gets her black sheep younger brother a summer job at her New York law firm. It reworks a [Black List script.]( ► RLJE Films nabs Fangoria horror comedy. Satanic Panic, about a pizza delivery girl fighting off high-society Satanists in need of a virgin sacrifice, is set for a theatrical and VOD release[Sept. 6.]( Netflix hires Fox exec Spencer Klein to bolster film division. The move signals that Netflix might be looking to duplicate what Amazon already has done in creating a proper film distribution division that can rely on internal talent rather than so-called "four-walling" a movie whereby it rents out a theater. [Details.]( Race for Georgia Projects With a $9.5  billion industry on the line over an abortion law, other states are scrambling to find ways to poach Georgia’s lucrative film and television business, Bryn Elise Sandberg writes: + California: Assembly member Luz Rivas is crafting a bill that aims to give additional tax incentives to productions that relocate to California from a state that has pending or existing abortion bans. + New York’s Hudson Valley Film Commission pitched itself as an alternative, noting its support of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements and including a long list of female directors with whom it has worked. + In Illinois, which offers a competitive tax credit, film commissioner Peter Hawley is getting the word out about his state’s recently passed abortion protection law. “We stand in solidarity with the actors, producers and crew who are denouncing these draconian efforts to strip away women’s hard-won constitutional rights,” says Hawley. [And more.]( What else we're reading... *[Q&A:]( Last Black Man in San Francisco breakout Jonathan Majors on depicting black masculinity onscreen. — "Jeff Bezos buys Fifth Avenue condo spread for around $80 million." Katherine Clarke reports: "Mr. Bezos is buying a penthouse and two units directly beneath it at 212 Fifth Avenue." [[Wall Street Journal](] — "Apple, Facebook and Google have lost the monopoly argument." Lionel Laurent writes: "Even the Americans have woken up to the need to stop Big Tech snapping up any promising rivals. But big fines are more likely." [[Bloomberg](] — "Quibi will be exclusively mobile, dropping early plans for TV apps." Sahil Patel reports: "Quibi’s strategy has shifted to where the company is going all-in on a 'mobile-only' product, according to sources." [[Digiday](] — "What James Holzhauer’s Jeopardy streak meant." Former champ Ken Jennings writes: "For a while, it was as if the show’s laws of mathematics had been repealed, but defeat is always a bad break or two away." [[The Atlantic](] — "Your Instagram feed is about to have more ads." Emily S. Rueb notes that the strategy "would allow brands to promote influencer-created content in people’s feeds, even if those people do not follow the influencer’s account." [[New York Times](] Last night on late night... + "How Emma Thompson prepared for Late Night." [[Colbert](] + "Jimmy Kimmel interviews Dark Phoenix cast." [[Kimmel](] In THR, Esq: Bill Cosby is dropping his defamation counterclaims in a legal fight with several accusers ... Kanye West and EMI appear to be nearing a settlement of their dispute ... Madonna can't reclaim personal memorabilia that was auctioned by her former friend. [Docket.]( Follow The News Is this email not displaying correctly? 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