'Joker' Looks To Slay B.O. Record; Disney Pulls Plug On Netflix Ads; Maddow Joins 'Batwoman'; Remembering Diahann Carroll

What's news: Joker tracking to set a new October box office record, there's a live-action Inspector Gadget movie in the works, Disney pulls the plug on Netflix ads, Rachel Maddow will have a recurring role on The CW's Batwoman, and the latest from New York Comic Con. Plus: Remembering Diahann Carroll. --Alex Weprin [The Hollywood Reporter]( [The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment OCTOBER 05, 2019 What's news: Joker tracking to set a new October box office record, there's a live-action Inspector Gadget movie in the works, Disney pulls the plug on Netflix ads, Rachel Maddow will have a recurring role on The CW's Batwoman, and the latest from New York Comic Con. Plus: Remembering Diahann Carroll. --Alex Weprin What's news: Joker tracking to set a new October box office record, there's a live-action Inspector Gadget movie in the works, Disney pulls the plug on Netflix ads, Rachel Maddow will have a recurring role on The CW's Batwoman, and the latest from New York Comic Con. Plus: Remembering Diahann Carroll. --Alex Weprin ['Joker' Aims For October Box Office Record] 'Joker' Aims For October Box Office Record ►Box office: Joker is running wild this weekend. The dark, violent supervillain film from Warner Bros. is on track to set a new record for an October opening, potentially topping $90 million based on early returns. The previous record-holder was another supervillain film: Sony's Venom, which earned $80.3 million last October. Joker also earned an impressive $13.3 million in Thursday previews. [The story](. +Context: Joker is succeeding at the box office despite controversy over the film's dark content, and concerns from some law enforcement. Similarly, while the film has garnered some strong praise, other reviewers have criticized it for being irredeemably dark and violent. +Critic's notebook: The Joker's unsettling journey from campy villain to serial killer. Simi Horwitz compares and contrasts the different iterations of the DC Comics villain, and finds that "as embodied by Joaquin Phoenix, the title figure of Todd Phillips’ new film differs from the Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger interpretations in crucial and unsettling ways." [The notebook](. +Also: A Huntington Beach, California, theater showing Joker closed Thursday after the venue received what police believed to be a credible threat. [More](... How Joker [sets up]( a different kind of Batman... ►Go Go Gadget movie: Disney is developing a new live-action take on the 1980s animated series Inspector Gadget, centering on the clumsy cyborg police inspector, hiring Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell, best known as writers on Saturday Night Live, to pen the script. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, who produced the billion dollar-grossing live-action Aladdin remake, are producing Gadget via their Rideback banner. [The details](. Elsewhere in film... --John Turturro’s new film The Jesus Rolls will [have its world premiere]( at the Rome Film Fest. --Fox Searchlight bosses say Disney [had no problems]( with Jojo Rabbit. --Dolemite: How Eddie Murphy [transformed into](a "pimp on steroids." --Entertainment industry mega-mergers and the impact of Brexit were [among the topics]( in focus at Winston Baker's inaugural U.K. Summit in London on Friday. --The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled its [annual list]( of winning Nicholl Fellowship screenwriters on Friday 'Joker' Aims For October Box Office Record ►Box office: Joker is running wild this weekend. The dark, violent supervillain film from Warner Bros. is on track to set a new record for an October opening, potentially topping $90 million based on early returns. The previous record-holder was another supervillain film: Sony's Venom, which earned $80.3 million last October. Joker also earned an impressive $13.3 million in Thursday previews. [The story](. +Context: Joker is succeeding at the box office despite controversy over the film's dark content, and concerns from some law enforcement. Similarly, while the film has garnered some strong praise, other reviewers have criticized it for being irredeemably dark and violent. +Critic's notebook: The Joker's unsettling journey from campy villain to serial killer. Simi Horwitz compares and contrasts the different iterations of the DC Comics villain, and finds that "as embodied by Joaquin Phoenix, the title figure of Todd Phillips’ new film differs from the Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger interpretations in crucial and unsettling ways." [The notebook](. +Also: A Huntington Beach, California, theater showing Joker closed Thursday after the venue received what police believed to be a credible threat. [More](... How Joker [sets up]( a different kind of Batman... ►Go Go Gadget movie: Disney is developing a new live-action take on the 1980s animated series Inspector Gadget, centering on the clumsy cyborg police inspector, hiring Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell, best known as writers on Saturday Night Live, to pen the script. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, who produced the billion dollar-grossing live-action Aladdin remake, are producing Gadget via their Rideback banner. [The details](. Elsewhere in film... --John Turturro’s new film The Jesus Rolls will [have its world premiere]( at the Rome Film Fest. --Fox Searchlight bosses say Disney [had no problems]( with Jojo Rabbit. --Dolemite: How Eddie Murphy [transformed into](a "pimp on steroids." --Entertainment industry mega-mergers and the impact of Brexit were [among the topics]( in focus at Winston Baker's inaugural U.K. Summit in London on Friday. --The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled its [annual list]( of winning Nicholl Fellowship screenwriters on Friday [Disney Pulls Plug On Netflix Ads] Disney Pulls Plug On Netflix Ads ►Disney drops Netflix ads. Disney will no longer accept ads from the streaming giant Netflix on its entertainment networks like ABC and Freeform, changing its advertising policy as the company makes a major push into the streaming space. Disney is not abandoning all ad revenue from Netflix, however. The company will continue to accept ads from the streamer on ESPN. +The decision will also likely mean the end of Netflix's commercials during the Oscars broadcast, which airs on ABC. The streamer used this past year's awards broadcast to tease Martin Scorsese's The Irishman. [The story](. Casting roundup: MSNBC host Rachel Maddow [will play]( Vesper Fairchild in The CW's Batwoman series... Harry Shum Jr. [will star]( in Universal's All My Life, inspired by the life of Jenn Carter and her husband Solomon Chau... ►New York Comic Con: Damon Lindelof [suggests]( his Watchmen HBO series may last only one season... Lucasfilm [shares more details]( about its mysterious Star Wars "Project Luminous"... DC unveils a[new timeline]( for its comic book universe... Marvel [will relaunch]( comics for Iron Man, Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy in 2020... Random House [previews]( its graphic novel plans... The 2019 Harvey Awards [were given out]( at a ceremony during New York Comic Con Friday night... ►"Ninja" doesn't deliver Mixer boost. In August, streaming platform Twitch lost its biggest star: Tyler "Ninja" Blevins. After years on the Amazon-owned streaming platform cultivating an audience of more than 14 million followers, Blevins opted to jump ship for Microsoft's Mixer as part of an exclusive deal worth an undisclosed amount. New data from StreamElements however suggests that the breakup had no impact on Twitch's viewership. [More](. ►TV Long View: In this week's column, Rick Porter examines the "ever-expanding world of ratings data," defining key terms like a "share" and "C7," while exploring newer developments like streaming measurement, and social engagement. [The column](. +Premiere week delayed viewing ratings: The fall shows with the largest boosts are concentrated in the early part of the week, and the first set of rankings favors veteran shows. [The numbers](. Elsewhere in TV... --has given a [script commitment]( to The Vault, a drama from writer Jesse Lasky (Code Black), sister studio Universal TV and Keshet Studios. --Netflix [has renewed]( the Spanish teen drama Elite for a third season. --Producers for Access Hollywood [apologized to Cardi B]( and removed a video interview featuring her, after she went on an expletive-filled social media rant criticizing the segment. --The Russian government says it will [rush legislation]( restricting operations of foreign video services to protect local competitors from Apple TV+, which launches on Nov. 1 and is expected to offer much lower rates for online video streaming. --Ratings: CBS' trio of new series [held steady](in their second week on the air, as comedies The Unicorn and Carol's Second Act and drama Evil all matched their premiere ratings in adults 18-49. Disney Pulls Plug On Netflix Ads ►Disney drops Netflix ads. Disney will no longer accept ads from the streaming giant Netflix on its entertainment networks like ABC and Freeform, changing its advertising policy as the company makes a major push into the streaming space. Disney is not abandoning all ad revenue from Netflix, however. The company will continue to accept ads from the streamer on ESPN. +The decision will also likely mean the end of Netflix's commercials during the Oscars broadcast, which airs on ABC. The streamer used this past year's awards broadcast to tease Martin Scorsese's The Irishman. [The story](. Casting roundup: MSNBC host Rachel Maddow [will play]( Vesper Fairchild in The CW's Batwoman series... Harry Shum Jr. [will star]( in Universal's All My Life, inspired by the life of Jenn Carter and her husband Solomon Chau... ►New York Comic Con: Damon Lindelof [suggests]( his Watchmen HBO series may last only one season... Lucasfilm [shares more details]( about its mysterious Star Wars "Project Luminous"... DC unveils a[new timeline]( for its comic book universe... Marvel [will relaunch]( comics for Iron Man, Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy in 2020... Random House [previews]( its graphic novel plans... The 2019 Harvey Awards [were given out]( at a ceremony during New York Comic Con Friday night... ►"Ninja" doesn't deliver Mixer boost. In August, streaming platform Twitch lost its biggest star: Tyler "Ninja" Blevins. After years on the Amazon-owned streaming platform cultivating an audience of more than 14 million followers, Blevins opted to jump ship for Microsoft's Mixer as part of an exclusive deal worth an undisclosed amount. New data from StreamElements however suggests that the breakup had no impact on Twitch's viewership. [More](. ►TV Long View: In this week's column, Rick Porter examines the "ever-expanding world of ratings data," defining key terms like a "share" and "C7," while exploring newer developments like streaming measurement, and social engagement. [The column](. +Premiere week delayed viewing ratings: The fall shows with the largest boosts are concentrated in the early part of the week, and the first set of rankings favors veteran shows. [The numbers](. Elsewhere in TV... --has given a [script commitment]( to The Vault, a drama from writer Jesse Lasky (Code Black), sister studio Universal TV and Keshet Studios. --Netflix [has renewed]( the Spanish teen drama Elite for a third season. --Producers for Access Hollywood [apologized to Cardi B]( and removed a video interview featuring her, after she went on an expletive-filled social media rant criticizing the segment. --The Russian government says it will [rush legislation]( restricting operations of foreign video services to protect local competitors from Apple TV+, which launches on Nov. 1 and is expected to offer much lower rates for online video streaming. --Ratings: CBS' trio of new series [held steady](in their second week on the air, as comedies The Unicorn and Carol's Second Act and drama Evil all matched their premiere ratings in adults 18-49. [Diahann Carroll Dead At 84] Diahann Carroll Dead At 84 ►Diahann Carroll dies at 84. the captivating singer and actress who came from the Bronx to win a Tony Award, receive an Oscar nomination and make television history with her turns on Julia and Dynasty, died Friday. Carroll died at her home in Los Angeles after a long bout with cancer, her daughter, producer-journalist Suzanne Kay. [The obituary](. +Hollywood stars including Oprah, Ava DuVernay, Lee Daniels and Debbie Allen took to social media Friday to pay tribute to Carroll. [The tributes](. A French court has reopened the investigation of rape charges against Luc Besson, following an appeal by the plaintiff. Belgian-Dutch actress Sand Van Roy had originally filed a complaint in May 2018 accusing the Lucy director of raping her at a Paris hotel. Besson was not questioned until months later, on Oct. 2 and Dec. 11, 2018. Prosecutors had dropped the case in February citing lack of evidence. [More](. +Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, the Hollywood production services provider that had been backed by billionaire Ron Perelman, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday. [More](. +A court has agreed to put a temporary stop to pricey real estate seminars fronted by HGTV stars after the Federal Trade Commission said promises that the classes could make people rich were "misleading" and "bogus." [More](. +Jersey Shore star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro was arrested early Friday on suspicion of kidnapping in Los Angeles and had to be shocked with a stun gun while being taken into custody, police said. [More](. Revolving door: Peter Morgan, the creator and showrunner behind the streamer's award-winning The Crown [has signed]( an overall deal to remain in business with Netflix... WarnerMedia has upped three veteran HBO communications executives to new roles within the company. Karen Jones [will lead]( HBO's PR team, and Ronni Cobern-Basis and Laura Young take on roles in the WarnerMedia Entertainment group... Universal Television [has named]( Erik Rechsteiner senior vp of current series and Kristen Del Pero senior vp of current series and international development... What else we're reading... --"Trump impeachment hearings will be a really big show for TV news" [[LA Times](] --"The American sitcom queen behind Peaky Blinders" [[The Atlantic](] --"Joker is both a superhero movie and Oscar bait" [[The Ringer](] --"What's really driving the increasingly bitter war between Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and the British tabloids" [[Vanity Fair](] From the archives... On Oct. 5, 2001, Wes Anderson's whimsical ensemble comedy The Royal Tenenbaums hit theaters, eventually nabbing more than $70 million worldwide and a best original screenplay Oscar nomination. [The Hollywood Reporter's original review](. Today's birthdays: Daniel {NAME}, 59, Guy Pearce, 52, Jacob Tremblay, 13, Jesse Eisenberg, 36, Kate Winslet, 44, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, 61. Have a great weekend... Diahann Carroll Dead At 84 ►Diahann Carroll dies at 84. the captivating singer and actress who came from the Bronx to win a Tony Award, receive an Oscar nomination and make television history with her turns on Julia and Dynasty, died Friday. Carroll died at her home in Los Angeles after a long bout with cancer, her daughter, producer-journalist Suzanne Kay. [The obituary](. +Hollywood stars including Oprah, Ava DuVernay, Lee Daniels and Debbie Allen took to social media Friday to pay tribute to Carroll. [The tributes](. A French court has reopened the investigation of rape charges against Luc Besson, following an appeal by the plaintiff. Belgian-Dutch actress Sand Van Roy had originally filed a complaint in May 2018 accusing the Lucy director of raping her at a Paris hotel. Besson was not questioned until months later, on Oct. 2 and Dec. 11, 2018. Prosecutors had dropped the case in February citing lack of evidence. [More](. +Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, the Hollywood production services provider that had been backed by billionaire Ron Perelman, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday. [More](. +A court has agreed to put a temporary stop to pricey real estate seminars fronted by HGTV stars after the Federal Trade Commission said promises that the classes could make people rich were "misleading" and "bogus." [More](. +Jersey Shore star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro was arrested early Friday on suspicion of kidnapping in Los Angeles and had to be shocked with a stun gun while being taken into custody, police said. [More](. Revolving door: Peter Morgan, the creator and showrunner behind the streamer's award-winning The Crown [has signed]( an overall deal to remain in business with Netflix... WarnerMedia has upped three veteran HBO communications executives to new roles within the company. Karen Jones [will lead]( HBO's PR team, and Ronni Cobern-Basis and Laura Young take on roles in the WarnerMedia Entertainment group... Universal Television [has named]( Erik Rechsteiner senior vp of current series and Kristen Del Pero senior vp of current series and international development... What else we're reading... --"Trump impeachment hearings will be a really big show for TV news" [[LA Times](] --"The American sitcom queen behind Peaky Blinders" [[The Atlantic](] --"Joker is both a superhero movie and Oscar bait" [[The Ringer](] --"What's really driving the increasingly bitter war between Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and the British tabloids" [[Vanity Fair](] From the archives... On Oct. 5, 2001, Wes Anderson's whimsical ensemble comedy The Royal Tenenbaums hit theaters, eventually nabbing more than $70 million worldwide and a best original screenplay Oscar nomination. [The Hollywood Reporter's original review](. Today's birthdays: Daniel {NAME}, 59, Guy Pearce, 52, Jacob Tremblay, 13, Jesse Eisenberg, 36, Kate Winslet, 44, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, 61. Have a great weekend... [Image] [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2019 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. OCTOBER 05, 2019 [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [MANAGE PREFERENCES]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [TERMS OF USE](