$1B For 'Joker'; 'Ford v Ferrari' Racing To B.O. Win; Disney Schedule Shakeup; Nicolas Cage Gets Meta

What's news: $1 billion for Joker, Ford v Ferrari looks to leave Charlie's Angels in the dust, Disney shuffles release dates, new Oscars producers, a Sin City TV show is in the works. Plus: Nicolas Cage is in talks to play Nicolas Cage in a movie about Nicolas Cage. --Alex Weprin [The Hollywood Reporter]( [The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment NOVEMBER 16, 2019 What's news: $1 billion for Joker, Ford v Ferrari looks to leave Charlie's Angels in the dust, Disney shuffles release dates, new Oscars producers, a Sin City TV show is in the works. Plus: Nicolas Cage is in talks to play Nicolas Cage in a movie about Nicolas Cage. --Alex Weprin What's news: $1 billion for Joker, Ford v Ferrari looks to leave Charlie's Angels in the dust, Disney shuffles release dates, new Oscars producers, a Sin City TV show is in the works. Plus: Nicolas Cage is in talks to play Nicolas Cage in a movie about Nicolas Cage. --Alex Weprin [Another 'Joker' Record] Another 'Joker' Record ►$1 billion for Joker. Against all odds, Warner Bros. and Todd Phillips' R-rated Joker is joining the billion dollar club at the worldwide box office. The subversive, R-rated superhero pic, starring Joaquin Phoenix, is also destined to generate profits of $600 million for Warners and partners Village Roadshow and Bron. The two partners each have a 25 percent stake in the film. Domestically, it has grossed nearly $340 million, while it has cleared $820 million overseas. --Joker will be the fourth DC title to cross $1 billion behind Aquaman ($1.15 billion), The Dark Knight Rises ($1.084 billion) and The Dark Knight ($1.005 billion), not adjusted for inflation. [The story](. Box office: Ford v Ferrari is showing plenty of speed in its North American debut, while Charlie's Angels is having serious trouble taking flight, Pamela McClintock reports. Ford v Ferrari is pacing ahead of expectations and should win the weekend easily, while Charlie's Angels is missing its targets. [The latest](. +In Thursday night previews, Ford v Ferrari revved up $2.1 million, while the Charlie's Angels reboot launched to $900,000. +Sony's marketing campaign for Charlie's Angels includes a hit song collaboration by Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus and a promo spot featuring soccer star Megan Rapinoe. [The details](. +The making of Ford v Ferrari: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, silly fights and real-life racing effects. "Christian played Batman for a decade, and I played Jason Bourne for about the same amount of time," says Damon, 49. "We had to take fights in those films so seriously. This was exactly the opposite. It was completely silly and goofy. They basically stop fighting because they run out of breath." [The story](. ►Lynette Howell Taylor and Stephanie Allain tapped to produce the 92nd Oscars. The Feb. 9 event will be the first Oscar-producing gig for both Taylor and Allain, who both have an extensive film background. [The story](. ►Disney sets release for Ridley Scott's Last Duel, pushes King's Man back seven months. Disney has unveiled a slew of calendar additions and changes, which include a date for Ridley Scott's The Last Duel (Jan. 8, 2021), five untitled Marvel Studios projects and a delay for The King's Man (to Sept. 18, 2020). The Marvel films are set for Oct. 7, 2022, Feb. 17, 2023, May 5, 2023, July 28, 2023 and Nov. 3, 2023. If nothing changes, that means there will be four Marvel Studios films released in 2022, and four released in 2023. [The story.]( Elsewhere in film... --Netflix has [picked up]( an original comedy movie called Most Likely To from writer Charlie Kesslering. --The rise of the feminist musical drama: Judy and other films [spotlight talent]( over romance. --Melina Matsoukas talks "challenging what’s been normalized," authentic storytelling at the [Queen & Slim premiere](. --Knives Out cast talks [bringing the whodunit]( to the Trump era. --Taylor Swift [debuted the song]( "Beautiful Ghosts" and its lyric video, from the upcoming film Cats. Another 'Joker' Record ►$1 billion for Joker. Against all odds, Warner Bros. and Todd Phillips' R-rated Joker is joining the billion dollar club at the worldwide box office. The subversive, R-rated superhero pic, starring Joaquin Phoenix, is also destined to generate profits of $600 million for Warners and partners Village Roadshow and Bron. The two partners each have a 25 percent stake in the film. Domestically, it has grossed nearly $340 million, while it has cleared $820 million overseas. --Joker will be the fourth DC title to cross $1 billion behind Aquaman ($1.15 billion), The Dark Knight Rises ($1.084 billion) and The Dark Knight ($1.005 billion), not adjusted for inflation. [The story](. Box office: Ford v Ferrari is showing plenty of speed in its North American debut, while Charlie's Angels is having serious trouble taking flight, Pamela McClintock reports. Ford v Ferrari is pacing ahead of expectations and should win the weekend easily, while Charlie's Angels is missing its targets. [The latest](. +In Thursday night previews, Ford v Ferrari revved up $2.1 million, while the Charlie's Angels reboot launched to $900,000. +Sony's marketing campaign for Charlie's Angels includes a hit song collaboration by Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus and a promo spot featuring soccer star Megan Rapinoe. [The details](. +The making of Ford v Ferrari: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, silly fights and real-life racing effects. "Christian played Batman for a decade, and I played Jason Bourne for about the same amount of time," says Damon, 49. "We had to take fights in those films so seriously. This was exactly the opposite. It was completely silly and goofy. They basically stop fighting because they run out of breath." [The story](. ►Lynette Howell Taylor and Stephanie Allain tapped to produce the 92nd Oscars. The Feb. 9 event will be the first Oscar-producing gig for both Taylor and Allain, who both have an extensive film background. [The story](. ►Disney sets release for Ridley Scott's Last Duel, pushes King's Man back seven months. Disney has unveiled a slew of calendar additions and changes, which include a date for Ridley Scott's The Last Duel (Jan. 8, 2021), five untitled Marvel Studios projects and a delay for The King's Man (to Sept. 18, 2020). The Marvel films are set for Oct. 7, 2022, Feb. 17, 2023, May 5, 2023, July 28, 2023 and Nov. 3, 2023. If nothing changes, that means there will be four Marvel Studios films released in 2022, and four released in 2023. [The story.]( Elsewhere in film... --Netflix has [picked up]( an original comedy movie called Most Likely To from writer Charlie Kesslering. --The rise of the feminist musical drama: Judy and other films [spotlight talent]( over romance. --Melina Matsoukas talks "challenging what’s been normalized," authentic storytelling at the [Queen & Slim premiere](. --Knives Out cast talks [bringing the whodunit]( to the Trump era. --Taylor Swift [debuted the song]( "Beautiful Ghosts" and its lyric video, from the upcoming film Cats. [Nicolas Cage's Nicolas Cage Movie] Nicolas Cage's Nicolas Cage Movie Nicolas Cage [is in talks to star]( as Nicolas Cage in a new meta drama. Lionsgate, beating out several suitors such as HBO Max and Paramount, is in final negotiations to pick up The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. The meta movie project has a script by Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten, with Gormican attached to direct. +Also: Amblin Partners has [picked up the movie rights]( to Cheshire Crossing, a graphic novel by The Martian author Andy Weir, setting Erin Cressida Wilson to write the script... The Mandalorian moment [that caused]( Werner Herzog to call his bosses "cowards"... In business news... +Viacom and CBS chair Shari Redstone is positioning the soon-to-be-merged companies as a content-driven powerhouse, willing to go direct-to-consumer, but also willing to sell their shows and movies to all the companies looking to grow their content coffers. “My objective is to be the number one content creation company, and to be everywhere consumers want us to be, whenever they want us to be there,” she said Friday. [The story](. +Hulu raises live TV bundle price by 22 percent. The streamer is raising the price of its bundle to $55 per month beginning on Dec. 18, it revealed in a blog post on Friday morning. "The new price better reflects the substantial value of Hulu + Live TV and allows us to continue offering all of the popular live news, sports and entertainment programming included in the plan," the company wrote. When Hulu first launchd its live TV offering in 2017, it cost just $40 per month. But the price has slowly crept up as the company has added more channels to the lineup. [The story](. +Why Mediaset upped its stake in ProSiebenSat.1, but ruled out a full takeover. Italian media giant Mediaset could further raise its stake in ProSiebenSat.1 to 20 percent, but has no plans to pursue a full takeover of the German TV giant, Mediaset CFO Marco Giordani said Friday. His comments came as industry analysts have been discussing the company's pan-European dreams and strategy behind the moves. [The story.]( ►Sin City TV series in the works. Legendary TV has struck a deal with Sin City author Frank Miller to adapt the comics as a TV series. The deal gives Legendary the rights to develop a series based on Miller's film noir-influenced comics, with the indie studio guaranteeing a first season for the show pending distribution with a network or streaming outlet. Robert Rodriguez, who directed the 2005 movie based on the comics, is close to a deal to executive produce. [The story](. TV Long view: This week Rick Porter defends same-day ratings, a metric that is "incomplete," but also part of a larger picture. Quote: "Some of the allure of same-day ratings also comes from the twin forces of habit and need for information. It's only in the last decade or so that delayed-view ratings have even existed, let alone had a meaningful impact on the TV landscape as a whole. The numbers that came through each morning pretty well told the whole story. Even though they don't now, there's still a desire from a lot of TV watchers (professional and otherwise) to see those first results, compare trend lines and get a sense of how shows are stacking up relative to each other." [The column](. Elsewhere in TV... --The Office and Parks and Recreation will [remain on Viacom networks](through the middle of the next decade thanks to a new deal. --SNL director Don Roy King [reflects on standout sketches](: "The ones that didn't get any laughs at all." --Quibi has [given a series order]( to an update of the 1999 high school football movie Varsity Blues. --Ratings: CBS' Young Sheldon recorded [same-day season highs](in both adults 18-49 and total viewers Thursday. Fox also got strong numbers from its Thursday Night Football broadcast, which delivered its best preliminary numbers in five weeks. Univision also had a big night with its broadcast of the Latin Grammy Awards. Nicolas Cage's Nicolas Cage Movie Nicolas Cage [is in talks to star]( as Nicolas Cage in a new meta drama. Lionsgate, beating out several suitors such as HBO Max and Paramount, is in final negotiations to pick up The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. The meta movie project has a script by Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten, with Gormican attached to direct. +Also: Amblin Partners has [picked up the movie rights]( to Cheshire Crossing, a graphic novel by The Martian author Andy Weir, setting Erin Cressida Wilson to write the script... The Mandalorian moment [that caused]( Werner Herzog to call his bosses "cowards"... In business news... +Viacom and CBS chair Shari Redstone is positioning the soon-to-be-merged companies as a content-driven powerhouse, willing to go direct-to-consumer, but also willing to sell their shows and movies to all the companies looking to grow their content coffers. “My objective is to be the number one content creation company, and to be everywhere consumers want us to be, whenever they want us to be there,” she said Friday. [The story](. +Hulu raises live TV bundle price by 22 percent. The streamer is raising the price of its bundle to $55 per month beginning on Dec. 18, it revealed in a blog post on Friday morning. "The new price better reflects the substantial value of Hulu + Live TV and allows us to continue offering all of the popular live news, sports and entertainment programming included in the plan," the company wrote. When Hulu first launchd its live TV offering in 2017, it cost just $40 per month. But the price has slowly crept up as the company has added more channels to the lineup. [The story](. +Why Mediaset upped its stake in ProSiebenSat.1, but ruled out a full takeover. Italian media giant Mediaset could further raise its stake in ProSiebenSat.1 to 20 percent, but has no plans to pursue a full takeover of the German TV giant, Mediaset CFO Marco Giordani said Friday. His comments came as industry analysts have been discussing the company's pan-European dreams and strategy behind the moves. [The story.]( ►Sin City TV series in the works. Legendary TV has struck a deal with Sin City author Frank Miller to adapt the comics as a TV series. The deal gives Legendary the rights to develop a series based on Miller's film noir-influenced comics, with the indie studio guaranteeing a first season for the show pending distribution with a network or streaming outlet. Robert Rodriguez, who directed the 2005 movie based on the comics, is close to a deal to executive produce. [The story](. TV Long view: This week Rick Porter defends same-day ratings, a metric that is "incomplete," but also part of a larger picture. Quote: "Some of the allure of same-day ratings also comes from the twin forces of habit and need for information. It's only in the last decade or so that delayed-view ratings have even existed, let alone had a meaningful impact on the TV landscape as a whole. The numbers that came through each morning pretty well told the whole story. Even though they don't now, there's still a desire from a lot of TV watchers (professional and otherwise) to see those first results, compare trend lines and get a sense of how shows are stacking up relative to each other." [The column](. Elsewhere in TV... --The Office and Parks and Recreation will [remain on Viacom networks](through the middle of the next decade thanks to a new deal. --SNL director Don Roy King [reflects on standout sketches](: "The ones that didn't get any laughs at all." --Quibi has [given a series order]( to an update of the 1999 high school football movie Varsity Blues. --Ratings: CBS' Young Sheldon recorded [same-day season highs](in both adults 18-49 and total viewers Thursday. Fox also got strong numbers from its Thursday Night Football broadcast, which delivered its best preliminary numbers in five weeks. Univision also had a big night with its broadcast of the Latin Grammy Awards. [A Pre-Oscars Awards Boost?] A Pre-Oscars Awards Boost? Can a SAG Awards or Golden Globes nomination give a bubble film an Oscars boost? As the awards race starts to take shape, a few films that are on the fence (from indies like Honey Boy to studio fare like Queen & Slim) could gain some momentum for the Academy Awards if they can get recognition from one of the other groups, Scott Feinberg writes.[The story](. +TV Academy will vet membership to thin Emmy-voting pool. Leadership Frank Scherma and Maury McIntyre informed membership of a new vetting process, which goes into effect January 2020, in a Friday memo — announcing the Academy will limit Emmy voting to only active members with recent credits. Of the 25,000-plus members in the TV Academy, less than 10 percent are likely to fall into the new “associate” non-voting. [The details](. +Also: Billboard's 14th annual Women in Music event is returning to Los Angeles, and [this year's honorees]( are Alanis Morissette, Nicki Minaj, Brandi Carlile and Roc Nation chief operating officer Desiree Perez... Honorees from the Time 100 Next list spoke to THR's Christy Piña about[inspiring future generations](... On Thursday, Disney and Redbox informed a California federal judge that it had come to a settlement to end a two-year-old lawsuit that raised novel issues regarding sales and licensing restrictions in the digital age. [The story](. +Jane Fonda continued her crusade in Washington, D.C. on Friday, leading a protest over climate change at the U.S. Capitol, marking the actress' sixth "Fire Drill Friday." This time, she was joined by Abigail Disney and Robert Kennedy, Jr., among others, including actresses June Diane Raphael and Marg Helgenberger for a sit-in. [More](. ►Why nostalgia appeals to younger audiences. In a guest column, Valence Media (that's the parent company of THR) executive vp consumer insights and brand strategy Gabriella Mirabelli explores why nostalgia endures, even with generations that never experienced the original incarnation of the product. [The column](. Casting roundup: Clive Owen [will play]( President Bill Clinton for FX's Impeachment: American Crime Story... Bill Murray and Alyssa Milano have [joined the cast]( of the Farrelly brothers' The Now at Quibi... What else we're reading... --"Daniel Craig wants Knives Out to fuel your Thanksgiving arguments" [[Vanity Fair](] --"Can FaZe Clan build a billion-dollar business?" [[NY Times](] --"Louis C.K. is on a bizarre comeback tour. But he’s afraid you’ll find out about his post-#MeToo jokes" [[LA Times](] --"An ode to Ford v Ferrari and Dad Cinema" [[The Ringer](] From the archive... On Nov. 16, 2001, Warner Bros. launched J.K. Rowling's wizarding universe in wide release with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which grossed more than $970 million worldwide. [The Hollywood Reporter's original review](. Today's birthdays: Danny Wallace, 43, Dean McDermott, 53, Maggie Gyllenhaal, 42, Marg Helgenberger, 61, Martha Plimpton, 49, Pete Davidson, 26, Shigeru Miyamoto, 67. Have a nice weekend... A Pre-Oscars Awards Boost? Can a SAG Awards or Golden Globes nomination give a bubble film an Oscars boost? As the awards race starts to take shape, a few films that are on the fence (from indies like Honey Boy to studio fare like Queen & Slim) could gain some momentum for the Academy Awards if they can get recognition from one of the other groups, Scott Feinberg writes.[The story](. +TV Academy will vet membership to thin Emmy-voting pool. Leadership Frank Scherma and Maury McIntyre informed membership of a new vetting process, which goes into effect January 2020, in a Friday memo — announcing the Academy will limit Emmy voting to only active members with recent credits. Of the 25,000-plus members in the TV Academy, less than 10 percent are likely to fall into the new “associate” non-voting. [The details](. +Also: Billboard's 14th annual Women in Music event is returning to Los Angeles, and [this year's honorees]( are Alanis Morissette, Nicki Minaj, Brandi Carlile and Roc Nation chief operating officer Desiree Perez... Honorees from the Time 100 Next list spoke to THR's Christy Piña about[inspiring future generations](... On Thursday, Disney and Redbox informed a California federal judge that it had come to a settlement to end a two-year-old lawsuit that raised novel issues regarding sales and licensing restrictions in the digital age. [The story](. +Jane Fonda continued her crusade in Washington, D.C. on Friday, leading a protest over climate change at the U.S. Capitol, marking the actress' sixth "Fire Drill Friday." This time, she was joined by Abigail Disney and Robert Kennedy, Jr., among others, including actresses June Diane Raphael and Marg Helgenberger for a sit-in. [More](. ►Why nostalgia appeals to younger audiences. In a guest column, Valence Media (that's the parent company of THR) executive vp consumer insights and brand strategy Gabriella Mirabelli explores why nostalgia endures, even with generations that never experienced the original incarnation of the product. [The column](. Casting roundup: Clive Owen [will play]( President Bill Clinton for FX's Impeachment: American Crime Story... Bill Murray and Alyssa Milano have [joined the cast]( of the Farrelly brothers' The Now at Quibi... What else we're reading... --"Daniel Craig wants Knives Out to fuel your Thanksgiving arguments" [[Vanity Fair](] --"Can FaZe Clan build a billion-dollar business?" [[NY Times](] --"Louis C.K. is on a bizarre comeback tour. But he’s afraid you’ll find out about his post-#MeToo jokes" [[LA Times](] --"An ode to Ford v Ferrari and Dad Cinema" [[The Ringer](] From the archive... On Nov. 16, 2001, Warner Bros. launched J.K. Rowling's wizarding universe in wide release with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which grossed more than $970 million worldwide. [The Hollywood Reporter's original review](. Today's birthdays: Danny Wallace, 43, Dean McDermott, 53, Maggie Gyllenhaal, 42, Marg Helgenberger, 61, Martha Plimpton, 49, Pete Davidson, 26, Shigeru Miyamoto, 67. Have a nice 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. NOVEMBER 16, 2019 [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [MANAGE PREFERENCES]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [TERMS OF USE](