Farrow Fallout; Will Smith's Power Play; 'Joker' v 'Gemini'; Top Biz Managers

What's news: How Will Smith cracked the code on making money in Hollywood, Ronan Farrow fallout, Joker set to win the weekend box office, Drew Barrymore is getting a daytime talk show, Sony weighs selling Masters of the Universe to streaming, Ubisoft developing kids shows on game IP. Plus: Hollywood's top business managers. --Alex Weprin [The Hollywood Reporter]( [The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment OCTOBER 10, 2019 What's news: How Will Smith cracked the code on making money in Hollywood, Ronan Farrow fallout, Joker set to win the weekend box office, Drew Barrymore is getting a daytime talk show, Sony weighs selling Masters of the Universe to streaming, Ubisoft developing kids shows on game IP. Plus: Hollywood's top business managers. --Alex Weprin What's news: How Will Smith cracked the code on making money in Hollywood, Ronan Farrow fallout, Joker set to win the weekend box office, Drew Barrymore is getting a daytime talk show, Sony weighs selling Masters of the Universe to streaming, Ubisoft developing kids shows on game IP. Plus: Hollywood's top business managers. --Alex Weprin [Will Smith's Power Play] Will Smith's Power Play ►How Will Smith cracked the code on making real money in Hollywood. Tatiana Siegel reports that the Gemini Man star has quietly become one of the most diversified (and wealthy) talents thanks to everything from working with Netflix to maintain his quote, investing in eco-friendly water and growing his digital footprint: "He's unbelievably methodical." Quote: "He has the talent, the charisma and the connection to audiences that's unique to truly global movie stars," says Paramount chief Jim Gianopulos. "I've seen him in big crowds and I've seen him greet little kids and fans. It's always up close and personal." [The story](. ►After unloading Lionsgate stock, where's John Malone placing his bets? Georg Szalai and Etan Vlessing read the tea leaves to try and figure out where the billionaire media mogul will look next, and what it means for Lionsgate. Given his reputation as an astute investor, "when John completely sells out, it is generally not a great sign," says Pivotal Research Group analyst Jeff Wlodarczak. [The story](. ►Farrow fallout: As excerpts from Ronan Farrow's book Catch and Kill spread across the internet Wednesday, pressure built on NBC to respond to the explosive claims made in the book. In a memo to NBC News staff Wednesday afternoon, chairman Andy Lack pushed back on some of the claims made by Farrow: "It disappoints me to say that even with passage of time, Farrow’s account has become neither more accurate, nor more respectful of the dedicated colleagues he worked with here at NBC News. He uses a variety of tactics to paint a fundamentally untrue picture," he wrote. --A spokesperson for Farrow responded with a statement of their own: "The claims by NBC’s senior management about Ronan Farrow’s reporting are simply not true, as his book will methodically demonstrate... Importantly, it documents the lengths to which NBC executives went to thwart the reporting efforts of Ronan and his producer Rich McHugh and why they did so." [The memo]( [and response](. --Brooke Nevils, whose claims ultimately got Matt Lauer fired, released a [statement]( in response to Lauer's open letter, writing “There’s the Matt Lauer that millions of Americans watched on TV every morning for two decades, and there is the Matt Lauer who this morning attempted to bully a former colleague into silence... His open letter was a case study in victim blaming." ►Drew Barrymore's talk show is official. The actress will headline and executive produce a syndicated talk show for CBS Television Distribution, set to launch in the fall of 2020, it was announced Thursday. The news comes after Barrymore, who recently starred on Netflix's zombie comedy Santa Clarita Diet and was one of the judges on CBS' talent competition The World's Best, filmed a pilot for the potential program in August. [The story](. ^Hollywood's top business managers. The entertainment industry's money managers prefer to avoid the limelight. To their chagrin, public documents and insiders help THR spotlight the people who help A-listers build empires and avoid bad investments. [The full list](. +How business manager Lou Taylor is "ferociously" breaking the glass ceiling. Taylor (pictured above), is THR's Business Manager Icon 2019, after having built one of the industry's top firms — safeguarding clients like Steven Tyler, Florida Georgia Line, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Britney Spears: "I work my ass off 24/7." [The story](. ►South Park takes on Chinese censorship. Trey Parker and Matt Stone made it clear how they feel about South Park being banned in China: "F*ck the Chinese government!" That was the message in Wednesday's new episode titled "SHOTS!!!" — the third of the 23rd season. [More](. +Meanwhile, the South Park episode that got the series banned in China (appropriately titled "Band In China"), was screened on the streets of Hong Kong. [More](. ►Verizon Media is expanding its shortform video business. The company is launching the In the Know Network, which will offer up bite-sized updates on everything from the latest on positive news stories to what new gadgets to buy, Natalie Jarvey reports. The initiative, part of the growth of the existing In the Know brand, is the latest effort by Verizon Media, a division of the telecom giant formerly known as Oath, to build up its video business following a reprioritization around 5G technology and a round of layoffs in January. [The story](. ►Mindy Kaling v. the TV Academy: In a candid interview published Wednesday by Elle, Mindy Kaling called out the Television Academy for trying to strip her of a producer credit on The Office. She claims that during her tenure the Television Academy told her they would drop her from the producers list because there were too many producers listed on the series. The Academy responded in a statement saying "no one person was singled out," spurring another response from Kaling: --"There were other Office writer-performer-producers who were NOT cut from the list. Just me. The most junior person, and woman of color. Easiest to dismiss. Just sayin." [The story](. Elsewhere in TV... --How Luke Perry's death [will affect]( season four of Riverdale. --Ratings: NBC's This Is Us[held onto](its No. 1 ranking among adults 18-49 Tuesday, although it was was off slightly week to week... Late-night numbers [fall to start]( the TV season... --Daniel Fienberg reviews [Hulu's Looking for Alaska](. --Rihanna [confirmed the rumors]( that she turned down the opportunity to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show to stand in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. --Fox News [has cut ties]( with contributor Trey Gowdy, who will join President Trump's legal team. --Sesame Street [will tackle]( the opioid crisis with online-only segments. Will Smith's Power Play ►How Will Smith cracked the code on making real money in Hollywood. Tatiana Siegel reports that the Gemini Man star has quietly become one of the most diversified (and wealthy) talents thanks to everything from working with Netflix to maintain his quote, investing in eco-friendly water and growing his digital footprint: "He's unbelievably methodical." Quote: "He has the talent, the charisma and the connection to audiences that's unique to truly global movie stars," says Paramount chief Jim Gianopulos. "I've seen him in big crowds and I've seen him greet little kids and fans. It's always up close and personal." [The story](. ►After unloading Lionsgate stock, where's John Malone placing his bets? Georg Szalai and Etan Vlessing read the tea leaves to try and figure out where the billionaire media mogul will look next, and what it means for Lionsgate. Given his reputation as an astute investor, "when John completely sells out, it is generally not a great sign," says Pivotal Research Group analyst Jeff Wlodarczak. [The story](. ►Farrow fallout: As excerpts from Ronan Farrow's book Catch and Kill spread across the internet Wednesday, pressure built on NBC to respond to the explosive claims made in the book. In a memo to NBC News staff Wednesday afternoon, chairman Andy Lack pushed back on some of the claims made by Farrow: "It disappoints me to say that even with passage of time, Farrow’s account has become neither more accurate, nor more respectful of the dedicated colleagues he worked with here at NBC News. He uses a variety of tactics to paint a fundamentally untrue picture," he wrote. --A spokesperson for Farrow responded with a statement of their own: "The claims by NBC’s senior management about Ronan Farrow’s reporting are simply not true, as his book will methodically demonstrate... Importantly, it documents the lengths to which NBC executives went to thwart the reporting efforts of Ronan and his producer Rich McHugh and why they did so." [The memo]( [and response](. --Brooke Nevils, whose claims ultimately got Matt Lauer fired, released a [statement]( in response to Lauer's open letter, writing “There’s the Matt Lauer that millions of Americans watched on TV every morning for two decades, and there is the Matt Lauer who this morning attempted to bully a former colleague into silence... His open letter was a case study in victim blaming." ►Drew Barrymore's talk show is official. The actress will headline and executive produce a syndicated talk show for CBS Television Distribution, set to launch in the fall of 2020, it was announced Thursday. The news comes after Barrymore, who recently starred on Netflix's zombie comedy Santa Clarita Diet and was one of the judges on CBS' talent competition The World's Best, filmed a pilot for the potential program in August. [The story](. ^Hollywood's top business managers. The entertainment industry's money managers prefer to avoid the limelight. To their chagrin, public documents and insiders help THR spotlight the people who help A-listers build empires and avoid bad investments. [The full list](. +How business manager Lou Taylor is "ferociously" breaking the glass ceiling. Taylor (pictured above), is THR's Business Manager Icon 2019, after having built one of the industry's top firms — safeguarding clients like Steven Tyler, Florida Georgia Line, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Britney Spears: "I work my ass off 24/7." [The story](. ►South Park takes on Chinese censorship. Trey Parker and Matt Stone made it clear how they feel about South Park being banned in China: "F*ck the Chinese government!" That was the message in Wednesday's new episode titled "SHOTS!!!" — the third of the 23rd season. [More](. +Meanwhile, the South Park episode that got the series banned in China (appropriately titled "Band In China"), was screened on the streets of Hong Kong. [More](. ►Verizon Media is expanding its shortform video business. The company is launching the In the Know Network, which will offer up bite-sized updates on everything from the latest on positive news stories to what new gadgets to buy, Natalie Jarvey reports. The initiative, part of the growth of the existing In the Know brand, is the latest effort by Verizon Media, a division of the telecom giant formerly known as Oath, to build up its video business following a reprioritization around 5G technology and a round of layoffs in January. [The story](. ►Mindy Kaling v. the TV Academy: In a candid interview published Wednesday by Elle, Mindy Kaling called out the Television Academy for trying to strip her of a producer credit on The Office. She claims that during her tenure the Television Academy told her they would drop her from the producers list because there were too many producers listed on the series. The Academy responded in a statement saying "no one person was singled out," spurring another response from Kaling: --"There were other Office writer-performer-producers who were NOT cut from the list. Just me. The most junior person, and woman of color. Easiest to dismiss. Just sayin." [The story](. Elsewhere in TV... --How Luke Perry's death [will affect]( season four of Riverdale. --Ratings: NBC's This Is Us[held onto](its No. 1 ranking among adults 18-49 Tuesday, although it was was off slightly week to week... Late-night numbers [fall to start]( the TV season... --Daniel Fienberg reviews [Hulu's Looking for Alaska](. --Rihanna [confirmed the rumors]( that she turned down the opportunity to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show to stand in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. --Fox News [has cut ties]( with contributor Trey Gowdy, who will join President Trump's legal team. --Sesame Street [will tackle]( the opioid crisis with online-only segments. ['Joker' To Run Wild At Box Office Again] 'Joker' To Run Wild At Box Office Again ►Box office: Todd Phillips' R-rated Joker is expected to stay atop the chart in its second weekend, while Ang Lee's big-budget spectacle Gemini Man, starring Will Smith, could find itself in a tight race for No. 2 with early Halloween family entry The Addams Family, Pamela McClintock reports. +The numbers: Joker is pacing to earn $40 million or more in its sophomore outing after clearing $300 million globally by mid-week. Gemini Man is tracking to open in the mid-$20 million range domestically, while The Addams Family is also tracking to a similar mid-$20 million domestic debut. [More](. +How Martin Scorsese paved the way for Joker. Martin Scorsese raised the hackles of Marvel fans when he criticized superhero movies, but it turns out he saw cinematic potential in the DC Universe. Scorsese was originally attached as a producer on Joker, and a source close to Scorsese told THR's Tatiana Siegel that he originally viewed the film as a potential directing vehicle before Todd Phillips approached the studio with his own take on the nihilistic villain.[The story](. +A Cal State Long Beach student has been banned from AMC Theaters for life over a prank involving Joker and a fake flyer about a "no singles policy." [More](. ►The dawn of the de-aged actor: Carolyn Giardina explores how technology is changing the way actors and filmmakers explore roles. "It was time to try a digital human," says Ang Lee of the steep challenge of creating a young Will Smith as Gemini Man and Martin Scorsese's The Irishman push new boundaries of VFX, budgets and, say some, ethics. [The story](. ►Studio dilemma: Risk a box office flop, or sell to Netflix? Like all the major studios, Sony Pictures is questing for new franchises — and after years of development, it might have one with the He-Man movie Masters of the Universe. But while the picture is on the calendar for release in March 2021, sources tell Kim Masters that studio chairman Tom Rothman is exploring the prospect of getting risk-free cash for the pricey project by making it for Netflix instead. [The story](. Elsewhere in film... --Warner Bros. [declined to screen]( Oliver Stone's "more violent" cut of Natural Born Killers for anniversary. --Robert Redford [will receive](the Artistic Excellence Award at the 17th edition of the Morelia Film Fest. --Scott Feinberg has filed his latest "[Feinberg Forecast](" for the Oscars. --Jon Voight talks [Angelina Jolie's acting]( and Trump's 2020 campaign: "He's going to win again." 'Joker' To Run Wild At Box Office Again ►Box office: Todd Phillips' R-rated Joker is expected to stay atop the chart in its second weekend, while Ang Lee's big-budget spectacle Gemini Man, starring Will Smith, could find itself in a tight race for No. 2 with early Halloween family entry The Addams Family, Pamela McClintock reports. +The numbers: Joker is pacing to earn $40 million or more in its sophomore outing after clearing $300 million globally by mid-week. Gemini Man is tracking to open in the mid-$20 million range domestically, while The Addams Family is also tracking to a similar mid-$20 million domestic debut. [More](. +How Martin Scorsese paved the way for Joker. Martin Scorsese raised the hackles of Marvel fans when he criticized superhero movies, but it turns out he saw cinematic potential in the DC Universe. Scorsese was originally attached as a producer on Joker, and a source close to Scorsese told THR's Tatiana Siegel that he originally viewed the film as a potential directing vehicle before Todd Phillips approached the studio with his own take on the nihilistic villain.[The story](. +A Cal State Long Beach student has been banned from AMC Theaters for life over a prank involving Joker and a fake flyer about a "no singles policy." [More](. ►The dawn of the de-aged actor: Carolyn Giardina explores how technology is changing the way actors and filmmakers explore roles. "It was time to try a digital human," says Ang Lee of the steep challenge of creating a young Will Smith as Gemini Man and Martin Scorsese's The Irishman push new boundaries of VFX, budgets and, say some, ethics. [The story](. ►Studio dilemma: Risk a box office flop, or sell to Netflix? Like all the major studios, Sony Pictures is questing for new franchises — and after years of development, it might have one with the He-Man movie Masters of the Universe. But while the picture is on the calendar for release in March 2021, sources tell Kim Masters that studio chairman Tom Rothman is exploring the prospect of getting risk-free cash for the pricey project by making it for Netflix instead. [The story](. Elsewhere in film... --Warner Bros. [declined to screen]( Oliver Stone's "more violent" cut of Natural Born Killers for anniversary. --Robert Redford [will receive](the Artistic Excellence Award at the 17th edition of the Morelia Film Fest. --Scott Feinberg has filed his latest "[Feinberg Forecast](" for the Oscars. --Jon Voight talks [Angelina Jolie's acting]( and Trump's 2020 campaign: "He's going to win again." [Ubisoft's TV Play] Ubisoft's TV Play ►Ubisoft is planning animated TV adaptations of its popular game franchises. The Paris-based company’s film and television division is developing a slate of animated series inspired by its existing IP. First up: a Mars-set Rabbids Invasion special, after four successful seasons of the France 3/Netflix/Nickelodeon kids show. Other family-friendly programs in the works include a comedy-adventure inspired by the popular Rayman franchise and Hungry Shark Squad, based on the mobile game Hungry Shark. [The story](. +Gaming review: Jason Fanelli [reviews Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint](. +In other gaming news: A gunman that shot and killed at least two people in Germany [streamed the shooting]( live on Twitch... Rockstar Games [is offering]( an exclusive Red Dead Redemption 2 PC bundle on the company's digital storefront... Mike Ybarra, a near-20-year vet and current corporate vp at Microsoft, [has departed]( the company... ^The executive stylists roundtable. THR convened seven stylists that are experts in making executives look like stars. Between Rupert Murdoch’s fatwa against office athleisure and outdoing stars on the red carpet lies appropriate power dressing: "What you wear changes your ability to level up." [The roundtable](. +In other style news: Directors Jon M. Chu and Paul Feig reveal their style secrets and fashion weapons. [More](... Power glam squads: who Oprah and other Hollywood execs trust for boardroom-worthy blowouts. [More](. Awards Chatter podcast: In the latest episode, Scot Feinberg speaks with singer-songwriter-composer Randy Newman. [Listen](. Casting roundup: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who played Black Manta in Aquaman, [is in talks]( for the leading role in the new Matrix movie... Jenna Dewan [will host]( the Fox dating show Flirty Dancing... What else we're reading... --"Why Netflix isn’t worried about the streaming wars" [[LA Times](] --"Inside Fox News: How the impeachment fight is opening fresh divisions in the newsroom" [[Washington Post](] --"ESPN draws heat for displaying disputed map of China" [[Sports Business Daily](] --"Behind Amazon's sudden change in its film strategy" [[NY Times](] Today's birthdays: Mario Lopez, 46, Bradley Whitford, 60, David Lee Roth, 65, Wendi McLendon-Covey, 50. Ubisoft's TV Play ►Ubisoft is planning animated TV adaptations of its popular game franchises. The Paris-based company’s film and television division is developing a slate of animated series inspired by its existing IP. First up: a Mars-set Rabbids Invasion special, after four successful seasons of the France 3/Netflix/Nickelodeon kids show. Other family-friendly programs in the works include a comedy-adventure inspired by the popular Rayman franchise and Hungry Shark Squad, based on the mobile game Hungry Shark. [The story](. +Gaming review: Jason Fanelli [reviews Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint](. +In other gaming news: A gunman that shot and killed at least two people in Germany [streamed the shooting]( live on Twitch... Rockstar Games [is offering]( an exclusive Red Dead Redemption 2 PC bundle on the company's digital storefront... Mike Ybarra, a near-20-year vet and current corporate vp at Microsoft, [has departed]( the company... ^The executive stylists roundtable. THR convened seven stylists that are experts in making executives look like stars. Between Rupert Murdoch’s fatwa against office athleisure and outdoing stars on the red carpet lies appropriate power dressing: "What you wear changes your ability to level up." [The roundtable](. +In other style news: Directors Jon M. Chu and Paul Feig reveal their style secrets and fashion weapons. [More](... Power glam squads: who Oprah and other Hollywood execs trust for boardroom-worthy blowouts. [More](. Awards Chatter podcast: In the latest episode, Scot Feinberg speaks with singer-songwriter-composer Randy Newman. [Listen](. Casting roundup: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who played Black Manta in Aquaman, [is in talks]( for the leading role in the new Matrix movie... Jenna Dewan [will host]( the Fox dating show Flirty Dancing... What else we're reading... --"Why Netflix isn’t worried about the streaming wars" [[LA Times](] --"Inside Fox News: How the impeachment fight is opening fresh divisions in the newsroom" [[Washington Post](] --"ESPN draws heat for displaying disputed map of China" [[Sports Business Daily](] --"Behind Amazon's sudden change in its film strategy" [[NY Times](] Today's birthdays: Mario Lopez, 46, Bradley Whitford, 60, David Lee Roth, 65, Wendi McLendon-Covey, 50. [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 10, 2019 [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [MANAGE PREFERENCES]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [TERMS OF USE](