HBO's Next Steps; Tarantino's Draw; Venice Lineup; A$AP Rocky Charged; Epstein in Jail

What's news: NBCU is targeting an April launch for its streaming offering. Plus: Venice unveils its lineup, A$AP Rocky is charged in Sweden, HBO greets the TV press and Sony bets that Tarantino will have box office staying power. — Erik Hayden July 25, 2019 What's news: NBCU is targeting an April launch for its streaming offering. Plus: Venice unveils its lineup, A$AP Rocky is charged in Sweden, HBO greets the TV press and Sony bets that Tarantino will have box office staying power. — Erik Hayden But Will It Be a Hit? Guessing game: One of the most dramatic moments at the summer box office will unfold this weekend when Once Upon a Time in Hollywood opens, testing the appetite for original Hollywood tentpoles. Pamela McClintock writes: + Sony, along with the major tracking services, are predicting a domestic opening in the $30 million range, but rivals and other box office analysts believe it will come in at $40 million or more. Since adults don't rush out on opening weekend, the bigger question is the movie's staying power. + On Wednesday, ticketing service Fandango said that Once is out-pacing all other Tarantino films. Once cost a reported $90 million before marketing, likely making it the most filmmaker's most expensive movie. [Box office preview.]( Elsewhere in film... ► Venice Film Fest unveils lineup. The competition field includes Hirokazu Kore-eda's The Truth, James Gray's Ad Astra, Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy and Steven Soderbergh's timely Panama Papers comedy The Laundromat. [Full list.]( + Only two female directors in competition lineup. Of the 21 films unveiled Thursday, just two — or less than 10 percent — were directed by women: The Perfect Candidate from Saudi filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour (Wadjda) and Babyteeth, the feature debut of Australian TV director Shannon Murphy (Sisters). [Story.]( + Fest under fire for including Netflix films. Soderbergh’s Laundromat and Baumbach’s Scarlett Johansson starrer Marriage Story are both from the streaming giant, leading to criticism from the International Union of Cinemas (UNIC), which represents cinema operators across 38 European territories. [Statement.]( ► Jennifer Lawrence plans Mob Girl mafia tale. The star and director Paolo Sorrentino have teamed for an adaptation of a true-crime story for Makeready, the content studio founded by Brad Westson. [The plot.]( ^Trailer watch: John Travolta as a stalker of a Hollywood star in [The Fanatic]( (Aug. 30) ... Casey Affleck's post-apocalyptic[Light of My Life]( (Aug. 9). ► MTV plans doc slate with Sheila Nevins. First up is 17 Blocks from Davy Rothbart. The film follows an African-American family living blocks away from the U.S. Capitol. There's also a short titled St. Louis Superman about state Congressman Bruce Franks Jr. [More.]( ► Warner Bros. finds The Batman cinematographer. Greig Fraser, who earned an Oscar nomination for biographical drama Lion, is on board to shoot director Matt Reeves' [new film.]( ► Catherine Hardwicke to direct female-led Viking fantasy. The Twilight helmer has signed to adapt the Vault Comic title Heathen, produced by Constantin and Prime Universe Films. [Story.]( ► Netflix finds star for revenge drama ... In-demand actor Jonathan Majors has booked the lead in the The Harder They Fall. Jeymes Samuel will make his directorial debut with [the project.]( ► ... and lead for musical comedy. Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced the lead in Moana, will lead Netflix's musical comedy Sorta Like a Rock Star. Brett Haley will direct the movie, which is due to begin filming[in October.]( ► Universal/Working Title's Yesterday hits $100 million. The adult-skewing dramedy has passed the milestone at the worldwide box office after staying afloat in a summer where tentpoles have capsized many smaller, [original titles.]( *R.I.P., Rutger Hauer. The rugged Dutch actor who starred as renegade replicant leader Roy Batty in Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner has died. He was 75. [Full obit.]( Amazon scraps traditional release for The Aeronauts. The awards hopeful starring Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne will now only debut in a select number of theaters Dec. 6 before premiering two weeks later on Prime, akin to Netflix's [release pattern.]( HBO's Next Steps Casey Bloys was well-prepared for a Wednesday meeting with TV press. It was the HBO programming president’s first big audience with reporters since a slew of developments. Michael O'Connell writes: + On the forthcoming HBO Max. Bloys described the service being “broader and complementary” to his own programming. “HBO, as it exists, will be the core of any offering,” he said. “And they have given us the funds to assure us of that.” + On Big Little Lies controversy: Bloys tried to clear up what he called "misinformation" about how much control director Andrea Arnold had over the show's second season. "I'd be hard pressed to point to any show that airs a director's cut as its episodes." [More.]( + On subscriber discrepancy. Bloys clarified that HBO the network added subscribers in Q2. It was the larger umbrella of Home Box Office that saw declines, and that was on account of Cinemax’s declining reach. “Cinemax, which is being repackaged, that’s where the losses were." [Full story.]( - HBO's Demimonde showrunner exits. Bash Doran, who was hired as showrunner for the J.J. Abrams sci-fi drama a year ago, has exited the project. A search for a replacement is [underway.]( - HBO renews Los Espookys. The cabler has ordered a second season of the mostly Spanish-language comedy co-created by Fred Armisen and produced by Lorne Michaels' Broadway Video. [Story.]( Elsewhere in TV... ► NBCU eyes April streaming service launch. CEO Steve Burke said Thursday. He said the service would initially mostly live off licensed content and only some original programming, making it ["very different" from Netflix.]( ► Netflix cancels a drama and a comedy. The streamer axed Designated Survivor after a three-season run and rookie animated Tuca and Bertie. The company is increasingly [weighing its bets.]( ► Hulu plans Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Carlton Cuse and Jason Fuchs are collaborating on the project, which comes from ABC Signature (Disney owns rights to the franchise). [Details.]( [^Quoted:]( "What in 2019 is the equivalent of the nuclear standoff of the Russians in the United States?" Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof asked at TCA. "And it just felt like it was undeniably race and policing in America." ► Amazon gives John Krasinski a new deal. The Jack Ryan star and A Quiet Place writer-director will develop projects for the tech giant's Prime Video platform via his Sunday Night banner. [More.]( ► ABC Studios inks deal with Marc Webb. Under the pact, the 500 Days of Summer helmer will direct pilots and, via his Black Lamb banner, develop new projects for the studio across [all platforms.]( ► TNT renews Animal Kingdom for season five. It is averaging 5.5 million viewers per episode, and it ranks as a top 10 among cable dramas among adults 18-49 in Nielsen's live plus seven-day [ratings.]( ► TV Land renews Younger for season seven. The current run of the Darren Star comedy is pacing ahead of 2018’s, with the premiere up 24 percent for a total of 1.3 million [viewers.]( In THR, Esq: Disney settles Home Improvement profits lawsuit. The studio has struck a settlement with the creators of the hit series to put an end to a six-year-old lawsuit that resulted in a consequential appellate ruling and was within weeks of [going to trial.]( Kamala's Hollywood Help Among 2020 contributions made by members of the annual Hollywood Reporter 100 list, nearly half went to the California Senator's bid since donations began. Jeremy Barr reports: + Some 48 percent of the 2020 donations made by members of the THR 100 list — an annual ranking of the most powerful people in the entertainment industry — have gone to Harris' campaign, amounting to $73,580, according to Federal Election Commission data disclosures. + Joe Biden's presidential bid is in second place, bringing in $22,400, or 15 percent of the total 2020 donation pool. The campaigns of Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker have received a similar share of the contributions, amounting to just over $10,000 each. [Story.]( More... — "Jeffrey Epstein injured in jail cell." Theresa Waldrop and Shimon Prokupecz report: "It is not clear to jail officials if the injuries were self-inflicted or the result of an assault, the source said." [[CNN](] — "A$AP Rocky charged with assault over fight in Sweden." David Keyton reports: The Swedish prosecutor stated, "It is worth noting that I have had access to a greater amount of material than that which has previously been available on the internet." [[AP](] Last night on late night... + "Danny McBride’s crazy day with Kanye West." [[Kimmel](] + Danielle Brooks on the last season of OITNB. [[Meyers](] + "Eddie Izzard is seriously seeking public office." [[Corden](] + "Jamie Bell: England's new prime minister is a clown." [[Colbert](] + Sam Bee's audition for Cats. [[Sam Bee](] From the archives... + Today in '97: On July 25, 1997, Sony unveiled the Harrison Ford actioner Air Force One in theaters - "Should prove cathartic for mainstream viewers who yearn for a decisive, gutsy executive branch of government." [Flashback review.]( Today's birthdays: Juan Pablo Di Pace, 40, Jay R. Ferguson, 45, David Denman, 46, Miriam Shor, 48, D.B. Woodside, 50, Matt LeBlanc, 52, Illeana Douglas, 54, Darren Star, 58. 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]( July 25, 2019