Peter Fonda Dead At 79; Kareem On Bruce Lee; Kid Producers; The End Of The G-Rated Movie?

What's news: Peter Fonda has died, the rise of the kid producer, the end of the G-rated movie, Good Boys has a good start at the box office. Plus: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on what Quentin Tarantino got wrong about Bruce Lee. --Alex Weprin [The Hollywood Reporter]( [The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment AUGUST 17, 2019 What's news: Peter Fonda has died, the rise of the kid producer, the end of the G-rated movie, Good Boys has a good start at the box office. Plus: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on what Quentin Tarantino got wrong about Bruce Lee. --Alex Weprin What's news: Peter Fonda has died, the rise of the kid producer, the end of the G-rated movie, Good Boys has a good start at the box office. Plus: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on what Quentin Tarantino got wrong about Bruce Lee. --Alex Weprin [Peter Fonda, 1940-2019] Peter Fonda, 1940-2019 Peter Fonda, who broke out from under the legendary Fonda family name with "Easy Rider," has died. He was 79. ►Fonda, the son of acting legend Henry Fonda, the younger brother of Jane Fonda and the father of Bridget Fonda, died Friday morning at his home in Los Angeles, according to his rep. The cause of death was respiratory failure due to lung cancer. Fonda received an Academy Award nomination as a screenwriter for Easy Rider, which he shared with Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern. Fonda and Hopper dreamed up the idea of two motorcyclists who hit it big with a drug deal and take off across the country, ostensibly to attend Mardi Gras. Their trek was "in search of America," emblematic of the '60s zeitgeist of rebellion and drug experimentation. Featuring Jack Nicholson as their alcoholic, back rider/lawyer, the film was a low-budget, colossal hit. [The obituary](. +Jane Fonda's statement: "I am very sad. He was my sweet-hearted baby brother. The talker of the family. I have had beautiful alone time with him these last days. He went out laughing." +Hollywood pays tribute: Rob Reiner, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nancy Sinatra, Ava DuVernay and Edgar Wright, among other notable Hollywood figures, took to social media on Friday afternoon to remember Fonda after news broke that he had died earlier that morning. [More](. ^In a column for THR, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar writes about his friendship with the late Bruce Lee, and how he believes Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" disrespects the martial arts legend. Quote: "This controversy has left me torn. Tarantino is one of my favorite filmmakers because he is so bold, uncompromising and unpredictable. There’s a giddy energy in his movies of someone who loves movies and wants you to love them, too. I attend each Tarantino film as if it were an event, knowing that his distillation of the ’60s and ’70s action movies will be much more entertaining than a simple homage. That’s what makes the Bruce Lee scenes so disappointing, not so much on a factual basis, but as a lapse of cultural awareness." [The column](. From the magazine: The rise of the kid producer. "Nail-biting parents are routinely seen on the soccer sidelines or in the audience of ballet recitals. And occasionally they turn up in Hollywood pitch meetings. Crystal Grace found herself in a stretch of such meetings early this spring, sweating as she watched her 12-year-old daughter, Captain Marvel star Mckenna Grace, parry queries from film executives four times her age." [The story](. +Also: Big Bang Theory director Mark Cendrowski [reflects]( on the show's emotional final episode... Megan Amram, a writer for NBC's The Good Place, [pens a column]( begging the TV Academy for a short-form Emmy: "Put me out of my misery." ►TV Long View: In this week's column, Rick Porter sizes up Tuesday night for the upcoming broadcast season. "Tuesday is one of the more stable nights on network TV in the fall, with just two new series on the schedule and two networks, CBS and NBC, not making any changes at all from 2018-19. Ratings-wise, that likely means a similar pattern to last season too." [The column](. Pickups and cancelations: Wynonna Earp creator Emily Andras is looking to expand her relationship with Syfy. Andras is teaming with the NBCUniversal-owned cable network [to develop]( Axeholes, a meta drama... Netflix [has ordered](an adult animated show called Agent King, which imagines Elvis Presley trading his white jumpsuit for a jet pack as he's inducted into a secret government spy program...The Superman prequel Krypton [has been canceled]( at Syfy. Additionally, the DC Entertainment-produced spinoff Lobo has also been passed over by the channel... Elsewhere in TV... --Disney Junior's Mickey Mouse series [gets new title](, updated "Hot Dog!" theme song for season three. --Season three of HBO's Silicon Valley [will premiere]( Oct. 27. --Netflix's adaptation of Kristin Hannah's Firefly Lane [has found]( its co-lead. Sarah Chalke will star alongside Katherine Heigl in the 10-episode drama. Peter Fonda, 1940-2019 Peter Fonda, who broke out from under the legendary Fonda family name with "Easy Rider," has died. He was 79. ►Fonda, the son of acting legend Henry Fonda, the younger brother of Jane Fonda and the father of Bridget Fonda, died Friday morning at his home in Los Angeles, according to his rep. The cause of death was respiratory failure due to lung cancer. Fonda received an Academy Award nomination as a screenwriter for Easy Rider, which he shared with Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern. Fonda and Hopper dreamed up the idea of two motorcyclists who hit it big with a drug deal and take off across the country, ostensibly to attend Mardi Gras. Their trek was "in search of America," emblematic of the '60s zeitgeist of rebellion and drug experimentation. Featuring Jack Nicholson as their alcoholic, back rider/lawyer, the film was a low-budget, colossal hit. [The obituary](. +Jane Fonda's statement: "I am very sad. He was my sweet-hearted baby brother. The talker of the family. I have had beautiful alone time with him these last days. He went out laughing." +Hollywood pays tribute: Rob Reiner, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nancy Sinatra, Ava DuVernay and Edgar Wright, among other notable Hollywood figures, took to social media on Friday afternoon to remember Fonda after news broke that he had died earlier that morning. [More](. ^In a column for THR, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar writes about his friendship with the late Bruce Lee, and how he believes Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" disrespects the martial arts legend. Quote: "This controversy has left me torn. Tarantino is one of my favorite filmmakers because he is so bold, uncompromising and unpredictable. There’s a giddy energy in his movies of someone who loves movies and wants you to love them, too. I attend each Tarantino film as if it were an event, knowing that his distillation of the ’60s and ’70s action movies will be much more entertaining than a simple homage. That’s what makes the Bruce Lee scenes so disappointing, not so much on a factual basis, but as a lapse of cultural awareness." [The column](. From the magazine: The rise of the kid producer. "Nail-biting parents are routinely seen on the soccer sidelines or in the audience of ballet recitals. And occasionally they turn up in Hollywood pitch meetings. Crystal Grace found herself in a stretch of such meetings early this spring, sweating as she watched her 12-year-old daughter, Captain Marvel star Mckenna Grace, parry queries from film executives four times her age." [The story](. +Also: Big Bang Theory director Mark Cendrowski [reflects]( on the show's emotional final episode... Megan Amram, a writer for NBC's The Good Place, [pens a column]( begging the TV Academy for a short-form Emmy: "Put me out of my misery." ►TV Long View: In this week's column, Rick Porter sizes up Tuesday night for the upcoming broadcast season. "Tuesday is one of the more stable nights on network TV in the fall, with just two new series on the schedule and two networks, CBS and NBC, not making any changes at all from 2018-19. Ratings-wise, that likely means a similar pattern to last season too." [The column](. Pickups and cancelations: Wynonna Earp creator Emily Andras is looking to expand her relationship with Syfy. Andras is teaming with the NBCUniversal-owned cable network [to develop]( Axeholes, a meta drama... Netflix [has ordered](an adult animated show called Agent King, which imagines Elvis Presley trading his white jumpsuit for a jet pack as he's inducted into a secret government spy program...The Superman prequel Krypton [has been canceled]( at Syfy. Additionally, the DC Entertainment-produced spinoff Lobo has also been passed over by the channel... Elsewhere in TV... --Disney Junior's Mickey Mouse series [gets new title](, updated "Hot Dog!" theme song for season three. --Season three of HBO's Silicon Valley [will premiere]( Oct. 27. --Netflix's adaptation of Kristin Hannah's Firefly Lane [has found]( its co-lead. Sarah Chalke will star alongside Katherine Heigl in the 10-episode drama. [Is The End Near For The G-Rated Movie?] Is The End Near For The G-Rated Movie? ►The death of the G rating. Disney is the last major Hollywood studio still actively in the G, or "general audience," business, Rebecca Keegan writes. While still common for documentaries, the rating hasn't been applied to another studio's wide release since Fox's The Peanuts Movie made $246 million in 2015 — and it hasn't gone to a live-action film since Fox's live-action/animation hybrid Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked made $343 million in 2011. While the original Lion King was rated G, this year's remake secured a PG rating. [The story](. ►The Boss hits the big screen. Western Stars, the Bruce Springsteen documentary that also acts as the directorial debut for the singer, has been acquired by Warner Bros. The studio will release the film in theaters this fall, following its world premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. [More](. +Will Springsteen help reel in moviegoers to Blinded by the Light? Chris Thilk looks at the marketing strategy for the film, which takes full advantage of The Boss’s position as the story’s inciting incident to create a campaign celebrating the freedom of inspiration. [More](. Box office: Universal's Good Boys is headed for a better-than-expected $20 million debut at the North American box office, where it's easily laughing past the competition, according to early Friday returns. If that number bears out, it will mark the first time that a R-rated comedy has come in No. 1 since The Boss in April 2016. To boot, the Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg-produced pic is on course to score the best opening of the year for any comedy in a much-needed win for the genre. [More](. Elsewhere in film... --Quentin Tarantino makes [surprise appearance]( at Tarantina burlesque show. --With the CBS-Viacom merger, [what will happen]( to the Star Trek franchise on the big screen? --From Leaving Neverland to The Inventor: [Docs unmask]( the biggest frauds onscreen. --New Line's Mortal Kombat movie is lining up its fighters. Mehcad Brooks, Tadanobu Asano, Sisi Stringer and Ludi Lin [are joining]( the project, which is based on the iconic video game. --What [will inspire]( the in-the-works Obi-Wan Kenobi series for Disney+? ^How Olivier Rousteing and the Homecoming costume team created 60 different looks for Beyoncé. The Balmain creative director, who collaborated with Beyonce’s longtime styling team, Marni Senofonte and Timothy White, tells Laurie Brookins the work for her Coachella concert was "the biggest challenge of my life." [The story](. "Just weeks before Harvey Weinstein's sex-abuse trial is set to be begin, New York City prosecutors are going back to a grand jury for a superseding indictment," Eriq Gardner writes. "The purpose, as revealed in new court filings, is so that prosecutors can call an additional witness — one they present as 'significant.'" [The story](. In other legal news... --Brian Karem, a CNN political analyst and White House correspondent for Playboy magazine, announced on Friday that he will sue the administration after learning that his press pass will be suspended for 30 days. [More](. --The Trump administration is picking a side in Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" copyright fight. The U.S. government is standing behind Led Zeppelin in its ongoing legal fight with heirs of a guy nicknamed Randy California. [More](. --NLRB to investigate Barstool Sports founder's tweets. Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, will have to answer to answer to charges that his recent tweets amounted to an illegal effort to discourage his employees from joining a union. [The story.]( --Jeffrey Epstein autopsy confirms suicide by hanging. The New York City Medical Examiner's office released the results Friday afternoon. [More](. --Heather Locklear has pleaded no contest to charges that she fought with first responders during two visits to her Southern California home last year. [More](. Revolving door: Alexis Martin Woodall [has been promoted]( to president of Ryan Murphy Productions... John Wick director Chad Stahelski will [oversee]( new action scenes for Birds of Prey... Academy Award-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson has [signed on]( to shoot Venom 2... Schooled co-creator and showrunner Marc Firek [has exited]( the sophomore comedy. The Kids Are Alright creator Tim Doyle will take over as showrunner... Esports team Echo Fox [has laid off]( all League of Legends players amid financial dispute... What else we're reading... --"Why Disneyland is wasted on the kids" [[FT](] --"YouTube is hiring specialists to talk to conservative and progressive video makers" [[CNBC](] --"Netflix’s ‘bloodbath’ reputation for canceling shows? It’s overblown" [[Bloomberg](] --"LA Opera declines details on Placido Domingo investigation" [[Washington Post](] --"Director of M.I.T. Media Lab apologizes for ties to Jeffrey Epstein" [[NY Times](] From the archives... On August 17, 1979, the Monty Python team brought religious satire Life of Brian to theaters. The Hollywood Reporter's [original review]( of the comedy. Today's birthdays: Anthony Zuiker, 51, Austin Butler, 28, Donnie Wahlberg, 50, Giuliana Rancic, 45, Jessi Klein, 44, Julian Fellowes, 70, Robert De Niro, 76, Sean Penn, 59. Have a wonderful weekend... Is The End Near For The G-Rated Movie? ►The death of the G rating. Disney is the last major Hollywood studio still actively in the G, or "general audience," business, Rebecca Keegan writes. While still common for documentaries, the rating hasn't been applied to another studio's wide release since Fox's The Peanuts Movie made $246 million in 2015 — and it hasn't gone to a live-action film since Fox's live-action/animation hybrid Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked made $343 million in 2011. While the original Lion King was rated G, this year's remake secured a PG rating. [The story](. ►The Boss hits the big screen. Western Stars, the Bruce Springsteen documentary that also acts as the directorial debut for the singer, has been acquired by Warner Bros. The studio will release the film in theaters this fall, following its world premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. [More](. +Will Springsteen help reel in moviegoers to Blinded by the Light? Chris Thilk looks at the marketing strategy for the film, which takes full advantage of The Boss’s position as the story’s inciting incident to create a campaign celebrating the freedom of inspiration. [More](. Box office: Universal's Good Boys is headed for a better-than-expected $20 million debut at the North American box office, where it's easily laughing past the competition, according to early Friday returns. If that number bears out, it will mark the first time that a R-rated comedy has come in No. 1 since The Boss in April 2016. To boot, the Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg-produced pic is on course to score the best opening of the year for any comedy in a much-needed win for the genre. [More](. Elsewhere in film... --Quentin Tarantino makes [surprise appearance]( at Tarantina burlesque show. --With the CBS-Viacom merger, [what will happen]( to the Star Trek franchise on the big screen? --From Leaving Neverland to The Inventor: [Docs unmask]( the biggest frauds onscreen. --New Line's Mortal Kombat movie is lining up its fighters. Mehcad Brooks, Tadanobu Asano, Sisi Stringer and Ludi Lin [are joining]( the project, which is based on the iconic video game. --What [will inspire]( the in-the-works Obi-Wan Kenobi series for Disney+? ^How Olivier Rousteing and the Homecoming costume team created 60 different looks for Beyoncé. The Balmain creative director, who collaborated with Beyonce’s longtime styling team, Marni Senofonte and Timothy White, tells Laurie Brookins the work for her Coachella concert was "the biggest challenge of my life." [The story](. "Just weeks before Harvey Weinstein's sex-abuse trial is set to be begin, New York City prosecutors are going back to a grand jury for a superseding indictment," Eriq Gardner writes. "The purpose, as revealed in new court filings, is so that prosecutors can call an additional witness — one they present as 'significant.'" [The story](. In other legal news... --Brian Karem, a CNN political analyst and White House correspondent for Playboy magazine, announced on Friday that he will sue the administration after learning that his press pass will be suspended for 30 days. [More](. --The Trump administration is picking a side in Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" copyright fight. The U.S. government is standing behind Led Zeppelin in its ongoing legal fight with heirs of a guy nicknamed Randy California. [More](. --NLRB to investigate Barstool Sports founder's tweets. Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, will have to answer to answer to charges that his recent tweets amounted to an illegal effort to discourage his employees from joining a union. [The story.]( --Jeffrey Epstein autopsy confirms suicide by hanging. The New York City Medical Examiner's office released the results Friday afternoon. [More](. --Heather Locklear has pleaded no contest to charges that she fought with first responders during two visits to her Southern California home last year. [More](. Revolving door: Alexis Martin Woodall [has been promoted]( to president of Ryan Murphy Productions... John Wick director Chad Stahelski will [oversee]( new action scenes for Birds of Prey... Academy Award-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson has [signed on]( to shoot Venom 2... Schooled co-creator and showrunner Marc Firek [has exited]( the sophomore comedy. The Kids Are Alright creator Tim Doyle will take over as showrunner... Esports team Echo Fox [has laid off]( all League of Legends players amid financial dispute... What else we're reading... --"Why Disneyland is wasted on the kids" [[FT](] --"YouTube is hiring specialists to talk to conservative and progressive video makers" [[CNBC](] --"Netflix’s ‘bloodbath’ reputation for canceling shows? It’s overblown" [[Bloomberg](] --"LA Opera declines details on Placido Domingo investigation" [[Washington Post](] --"Director of M.I.T. Media Lab apologizes for ties to Jeffrey Epstein" [[NY Times](] From the archives... On August 17, 1979, the Monty Python team brought religious satire Life of Brian to theaters. The Hollywood Reporter's [original review]( of the comedy. Today's birthdays: Anthony Zuiker, 51, Austin Butler, 28, Donnie Wahlberg, 50, Giuliana Rancic, 45, Jessi Klein, 44, Julian Fellowes, 70, Robert De Niro, 76, Sean Penn, 59. Have a wonderful weekend... [Image] [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? 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