Selling 'Joker'; Phillips Defends; How Spidey Saved Spidey; Top 50 Showrunners

What's news: How Warner Bros. is marketing a monster in Joker, a slew of 1980's film franchises may be up for grabs, Sam Esmail's plans for Battlestar Galactica, how Tom Holland saved Sony and Marvel's Spider-Man, Plus: THR's Power List of TV's top showrunners. --Alex Weprin [The Hollywood Reporter]( [The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment OCTOBER 03, 2019 What's news: How Warner Bros. is marketing a monster in Joker, a slew of 1980's film franchises may be up for grabs, Sam Esmail's plans for Battlestar Galactica, how Tom Holland saved Sony and Marvel's Spider-Man, Plus: THR's Power List of TV's top showrunners. --Alex Weprin What's news: How Warner Bros. is marketing a monster in Joker, a slew of 1980's film franchises may be up for grabs, Sam Esmail's plans for Battlestar Galactica, how Tom Holland saved Sony and Marvel's Spider-Man, Plus: THR's Power List of TV's top showrunners. --Alex Weprin [Selling 'Joker'] Selling 'Joker' ►Marketing a supervillain: How Warner Bros. is tackling Joker. As prestigious as it is controversial and potentially lucrative, Todd Phillips’ hard-R drama presents the studio with a unique challenge: how to lure audiences to a disturbing and acclaimed movie in a country where mass shootings are commonplace. [The story](. +In a Q&A session after a screening at the New York Film Festival last night, Phillips argued that the gritty, realistic violence in the film was necessary "to make it feel real and make it have weight and implication." Quote: "To me, I thought, isn’t it a good thing to put real-world implications on violence? Isn’t it a good thing to take away the cartoon element of violence that we’ve become so immune to?" Phillips said. [The story](. +Behind the Screen podcast: Joker cinematographer Lawrence Sher is the guest on the latest episode of THR's Behind the Screen podcast series. Sher discusses a range of topics including Joker’s cinematography, its story, the pre-release headlines, and how art is perceived by audiences. [Listen](. ►How Tom Holland helped save the Sony/Marvel Spider-Man deal. "Sources say the star, 23, made multiple appeals to Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger and Sony film chairman Tom Rothman to reach a resolution, announced Sept. 27, for Marvel to produce a third Spider-Man movie for Sony, and for the character to appear in at least one additional Disney-Marvel film," Tatiana Siegel and Borys Kit report. [The details](. ^Real-life Terminator: Major studios face sweeping loss of iconic '80s film franchise rights. Warner Bros., Disney and Skydance receive copyright termination notices over existing IP, potentially giving other studios an in, Eriq Gardner reports. Gale Ann Hurd, who wrote the original Terminator, has moved to terminate the film's copyright grant. And she's not alone: Die Hard, Nightmare on Elm Street, Beetlejuice and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? were also subject to termination notices. [The story](. +In other legal news: Government investigators into the 2017 motorcycle stunt person death on the set of Deadpool 2 have concluded the fatality was due to inadequate planning and other safety violations by the filmmakers and not rider error. [More](. Elsewhere in film... --Universal Pictures [is developing]( Treasure Island, an action-adventure inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, with Dean DeBlois set to direct. --Veep creator Armando Iannucci's David Copperfield [raises the curtain]( on the London Film Festival. --Guy Ritchie is going back to his roots in [the first trailer]( for The Gentlemen, a crime thriller whose cast includes Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Hugh Grant and Henry Golding. --A selection of 13 films, 8 of them by women film-makers, [form the lineup]( of the international competition section of the 21st Mumbai Film Festival. --Steven Spielberg's West Side Story film [has wrapped](, with new photos shared from the set. Selling 'Joker' ►Marketing a supervillain: How Warner Bros. is tackling Joker. As prestigious as it is controversial and potentially lucrative, Todd Phillips’ hard-R drama presents the studio with a unique challenge: how to lure audiences to a disturbing and acclaimed movie in a country where mass shootings are commonplace. [The story](. +In a Q&A session after a screening at the New York Film Festival last night, Phillips argued that the gritty, realistic violence in the film was necessary "to make it feel real and make it have weight and implication." Quote: "To me, I thought, isn’t it a good thing to put real-world implications on violence? Isn’t it a good thing to take away the cartoon element of violence that we’ve become so immune to?" Phillips said. [The story](. +Behind the Screen podcast: Joker cinematographer Lawrence Sher is the guest on the latest episode of THR's Behind the Screen podcast series. Sher discusses a range of topics including Joker’s cinematography, its story, the pre-release headlines, and how art is perceived by audiences. [Listen](. ►How Tom Holland helped save the Sony/Marvel Spider-Man deal. "Sources say the star, 23, made multiple appeals to Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger and Sony film chairman Tom Rothman to reach a resolution, announced Sept. 27, for Marvel to produce a third Spider-Man movie for Sony, and for the character to appear in at least one additional Disney-Marvel film," Tatiana Siegel and Borys Kit report. [The details](. ^Real-life Terminator: Major studios face sweeping loss of iconic '80s film franchise rights. Warner Bros., Disney and Skydance receive copyright termination notices over existing IP, potentially giving other studios an in, Eriq Gardner reports. Gale Ann Hurd, who wrote the original Terminator, has moved to terminate the film's copyright grant. And she's not alone: Die Hard, Nightmare on Elm Street, Beetlejuice and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? were also subject to termination notices. [The story](. +In other legal news: Government investigators into the 2017 motorcycle stunt person death on the set of Deadpool 2 have concluded the fatality was due to inadequate planning and other safety violations by the filmmakers and not rider error. [More](. Elsewhere in film... --Universal Pictures [is developing]( Treasure Island, an action-adventure inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, with Dean DeBlois set to direct. --Veep creator Armando Iannucci's David Copperfield [raises the curtain]( on the London Film Festival. --Guy Ritchie is going back to his roots in [the first trailer]( for The Gentlemen, a crime thriller whose cast includes Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Hugh Grant and Henry Golding. --A selection of 13 films, 8 of them by women film-makers, [form the lineup]( of the international competition section of the 21st Mumbai Film Festival. --Steven Spielberg's West Side Story film [has wrapped](, with new photos shared from the set. [THR Power List: TV's Top Showrunners] THR Power List: TV's Top Showrunners In a television economy where a producer can net a $400 million deal just to go steady with one studio and a sitcom writer stands to make a piece of $600 million for letting a streamer air repeats of one defunct series, it’s become clear who wields the creative power. Call them showrunners, call them writer-producers — just know that the top players in TV are the ones calling the shots in an escalating content war that's drafting more talent to the front lines each year. ►The showrunners on the list divulge what they watch when they aren't working (Succession), what they think of life without agents and the peer they're most envious of (Surprise! It's Phoebe Waller-Bridge). +The names: Newly-minted Emmy winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge shares space with household names like J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele, and icons including Dick Wolf, Chuck Lorre and David E. Kelley. [The full list](. +What's next for 9 of TV's top showrunners. These mega-producers didn't technically meet the parameters for THR's 2019 Power List — but their big deals and buzzy next acts makes most of them locks for 2020. Updates on Shonda Rhimes, Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, and David Mandel, among others. [The list](. ^Sam Esmail on Battlestar Galactica and life after Mr. Robot. In a Creative Space interview, the writer-producer talks about how he decided it was time to end the USA series, future collaborations with Rami Malek, and why his Battlestar will not be a reboot of Ronald Moore's 2004 version of the show. Quote: I talked to him [Moore] and said, 'A, are you OK with this? And B, if you are, how do we proceed?' He said he was OK with it as long as it wasn't a reboot — which was in line with what I was thinking. But the world of Battlestar Galactica is so rich, the mythology is so interesting, that I think there is a lot to pick from and explore." [The interview](. ►Nancy Lesser out at HBO. The PR executive, who has been with the premium cable network for 35 years, is leaving following a realignment at parent company WarnerMedia. Lesser announced her departure in a heartfelt memo to staff Wednesday. [More](. Revolving door, part one: ABC Studios has named a new head of comedy in the wake of longtime executive Amy Hartwick's exit. Melanie Frankel [will take over]( the position at the Disney-owned studio... CAA has [landed](Simu Liu, star of Marvel's upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings... The Avalon Group, the talent agency and producer of shows including HBO's Last Week Tonight and Amazon's Catastrophe, [has appointed]( Laura Kennedy as its CEO... ►Snowpiercer about-face. Five months after announcing that long-delayed series Snowpiercer would move to the then-comedy-focused TBS, WarnerMedia on Wednesday announced that the drama — which has already gone through two showrunners and two directors — is now returning to its original home at TNT. The series has already been renewed for a second season. A formal premiere date in spring 2020 has not been determined. [The story](. In development: TBS [has given]( a 10-episode, straight-to-series order to Obliterated, an action drama from Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald and Sony Pictures TV... Netflix [has ordered]( a sketch-comedy series from Iliza Shlesinger... Tyler Perry [is developing]( a family comedy for Nickelodeon. The live-action series will feature 10-year-old rapper Young Dylan... The studio behind cable hit Yellowstone [is developing]( a series about the family behind Budweiser beer. Under the Influence, from 101 Studios, will chronicle the dramatic rise and fall of the Busch family. Elsewhere in TV... --The [story behind]( Phoebe Waller-Bridge's viral Emmys photo. --Tim Goodman reviews the [Netflix drama Raising Dion](. --Dear White People [has been renewed]( for a fourth and final season on Netflix. --Heads up: NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt interviewed Amanda Knox, in an interview to air tonight. It will be Knox's first interview since returning to Italy to speak before the Italy Innocence Project. --Ratings: This Is Us and NCIS both [remained pretty steady]( in the ratings with their second episodes of the fall — and thus stayed at the top of the rankings in primetime. ABC's two first-year shows, however, came down some from their series premieres last week. THR Power List: TV's Top Showrunners In a television economy where a producer can net a $400 million deal just to go steady with one studio and a sitcom writer stands to make a piece of $600 million for letting a streamer air repeats of one defunct series, it’s become clear who wields the creative power. Call them showrunners, call them writer-producers — just know that the top players in TV are the ones calling the shots in an escalating content war that's drafting more talent to the front lines each year. ►The showrunners on the list divulge what they watch when they aren't working (Succession), what they think of life without agents and the peer they're most envious of (Surprise! It's Phoebe Waller-Bridge). +The names: Newly-minted Emmy winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge shares space with household names like J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele, and icons including Dick Wolf, Chuck Lorre and David E. Kelley. [The full list](. +What's next for 9 of TV's top showrunners. These mega-producers didn't technically meet the parameters for THR's 2019 Power List — but their big deals and buzzy next acts makes most of them locks for 2020. Updates on Shonda Rhimes, Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, and David Mandel, among others. [The list](. ^Sam Esmail on Battlestar Galactica and life after Mr. Robot. In a Creative Space interview, the writer-producer talks about how he decided it was time to end the USA series, future collaborations with Rami Malek, and why his Battlestar will not be a reboot of Ronald Moore's 2004 version of the show. Quote: I talked to him [Moore] and said, 'A, are you OK with this? And B, if you are, how do we proceed?' He said he was OK with it as long as it wasn't a reboot — which was in line with what I was thinking. But the world of Battlestar Galactica is so rich, the mythology is so interesting, that I think there is a lot to pick from and explore." [The interview](. ►Nancy Lesser out at HBO. The PR executive, who has been with the premium cable network for 35 years, is leaving following a realignment at parent company WarnerMedia. Lesser announced her departure in a heartfelt memo to staff Wednesday. [More](. Revolving door, part one: ABC Studios has named a new head of comedy in the wake of longtime executive Amy Hartwick's exit. Melanie Frankel [will take over]( the position at the Disney-owned studio... CAA has [landed](Simu Liu, star of Marvel's upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings... The Avalon Group, the talent agency and producer of shows including HBO's Last Week Tonight and Amazon's Catastrophe, [has appointed]( Laura Kennedy as its CEO... ►Snowpiercer about-face. Five months after announcing that long-delayed series Snowpiercer would move to the then-comedy-focused TBS, WarnerMedia on Wednesday announced that the drama — which has already gone through two showrunners and two directors — is now returning to its original home at TNT. The series has already been renewed for a second season. A formal premiere date in spring 2020 has not been determined. [The story](. In development: TBS [has given]( a 10-episode, straight-to-series order to Obliterated, an action drama from Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald and Sony Pictures TV... Netflix [has ordered]( a sketch-comedy series from Iliza Shlesinger... Tyler Perry [is developing]( a family comedy for Nickelodeon. The live-action series will feature 10-year-old rapper Young Dylan... The studio behind cable hit Yellowstone [is developing]( a series about the family behind Budweiser beer. Under the Influence, from 101 Studios, will chronicle the dramatic rise and fall of the Busch family. Elsewhere in TV... --The [story behind]( Phoebe Waller-Bridge's viral Emmys photo. --Tim Goodman reviews the [Netflix drama Raising Dion](. --Dear White People [has been renewed]( for a fourth and final season on Netflix. --Heads up: NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt interviewed Amanda Knox, in an interview to air tonight. It will be Knox's first interview since returning to Italy to speak before the Italy Innocence Project. --Ratings: This Is Us and NCIS both [remained pretty steady]( in the ratings with their second episodes of the fall — and thus stayed at the top of the rankings in primetime. ABC's two first-year shows, however, came down some from their series premieres last week. [Vice/Refinery29 Have a Deal] Vice/Refinery29 Have a Deal In business news... ►Vice Media has agreed to acquire Refinery29 in another major consolidation move within the media industry. The deal, which has been in the works for a few months, will bring together Vice's edgy, male-skewing take on news and culture with Refinery29's female-centric lifestyle brand. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Rebranding as Vice Media Group with the deal, the Nancy Dubuc-led business will continue to operate Refinery29 as a standalone brand. [The story](. +Management-production company Artists First, production banner Propagate and model management agency network Elite World Group have struck an innovative three-way strategic partnership. [More](. In other news... --Opera star Placido Domingo [has resigned]( as general director of the Los Angeles Opera following multiple allegations of sexual harassment reported by The Associated Press. --E.U. courts [can order]( Facebook to remove illegal comments worldwide. --Italian prosecutors [have opened]( a probe into alleged tax evasion by streaming giant Netflix. --Frank Scheck reviews the Broadway improv production [Freestyle Love Supreme](. In book news: Jim Carrey has [written a novel]( called Memoirs and Misinformation, Alfred A. Knopf announced Wednesday. Along with co-author Dana Vachon, Carrey will take on celebrity, acting, romance and some other subjects he's familiar with... Celadon Books announced Wednesday that the "Barefoot Contessa," Ina Garten, is [working on a memoir](, not yet titled. It's tentatively scheduled for 2023... Revolving door, part two: Lionsgate CFO James Barge [has extended]( his contract with the Hollywood studio through 2023... Spring Aspers has [been promoted]( to president of music at Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group... California-based comic book publisher IDW Publishing [is undergoing]( a significant shake-up, with hires across its sales, marketing, operations and design division... Lionsgate [has signed]( a first-look film development and production deal with indie producer Stephen “Dr.” Love.... Lisa Cholodenko [will helm]( the Showtime pilot Rita, which stars Lena Headey as a teacher... What else we're reading... --"For the first time Shari Redstone tells her side of the battle to merge Viacom and CBS" [[Forbes](] --"He’s still here: On Joaquin Phoenix, serious actor" [[The Ringer](] --"Fox News changes election brand, rolls out new campaign that doesn’t include on-air talent" [[Ad Week](] --"What the Taboola-Outbrain combination means for publishers" [[Digiday](] --"How Lana Del Rey reinvented herself ... and modern-day rock stardom" [[LA Times](] From the archives... On Oct. 3, 2006, NBC debuted a new football drama, Friday Night Lights, that went on to run for five seasons and nab 13 Emmy nominations. [The Hollywood Reporter's original review](. Today's birthdays: Lena Headey, 46, Al Sharpton, 65, A$AP Rocky, 35, Clive Owen, 55, Gwen Stefani, 50, Neve Campbell, 46. Vice/Refinery29 Have a Deal In business news... ►Vice Media has agreed to acquire Refinery29 in another major consolidation move within the media industry. The deal, which has been in the works for a few months, will bring together Vice's edgy, male-skewing take on news and culture with Refinery29's female-centric lifestyle brand. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Rebranding as Vice Media Group with the deal, the Nancy Dubuc-led business will continue to operate Refinery29 as a standalone brand. [The story](. +Management-production company Artists First, production banner Propagate and model management agency network Elite World Group have struck an innovative three-way strategic partnership. [More](. In other news... --Opera star Placido Domingo [has resigned]( as general director of the Los Angeles Opera following multiple allegations of sexual harassment reported by The Associated Press. --E.U. courts [can order]( Facebook to remove illegal comments worldwide. --Italian prosecutors [have opened]( a probe into alleged tax evasion by streaming giant Netflix. --Frank Scheck reviews the Broadway improv production [Freestyle Love Supreme](. In book news: Jim Carrey has [written a novel]( called Memoirs and Misinformation, Alfred A. Knopf announced Wednesday. Along with co-author Dana Vachon, Carrey will take on celebrity, acting, romance and some other subjects he's familiar with... Celadon Books announced Wednesday that the "Barefoot Contessa," Ina Garten, is [working on a memoir](, not yet titled. It's tentatively scheduled for 2023... Revolving door, part two: Lionsgate CFO James Barge [has extended]( his contract with the Hollywood studio through 2023... Spring Aspers has [been promoted]( to president of music at Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group... California-based comic book publisher IDW Publishing [is undergoing]( a significant shake-up, with hires across its sales, marketing, operations and design division... Lionsgate [has signed]( a first-look film development and production deal with indie producer Stephen “Dr.” Love.... Lisa Cholodenko [will helm]( the Showtime pilot Rita, which stars Lena Headey as a teacher... What else we're reading... --"For the first time Shari Redstone tells her side of the battle to merge Viacom and CBS" [[Forbes](] --"He’s still here: On Joaquin Phoenix, serious actor" [[The Ringer](] --"Fox News changes election brand, rolls out new campaign that doesn’t include on-air talent" [[Ad Week](] --"What the Taboola-Outbrain combination means for publishers" [[Digiday](] --"How Lana Del Rey reinvented herself ... and modern-day rock stardom" [[LA Times](] From the archives... On Oct. 3, 2006, NBC debuted a new football drama, Friday Night Lights, that went on to run for five seasons and nab 13 Emmy nominations. [The Hollywood Reporter's original review](. Today's birthdays: Lena Headey, 46, Al Sharpton, 65, A$AP Rocky, 35, Clive Owen, 55, Gwen Stefani, 50, Neve Campbell, 46. [Image] [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? 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