NBCU "Optimistic" About Olympics; 'Thrones' Animated Series; Chateau Marmont Hit With Lawsuits; Daveed Diggs On Keeping it "Weird"

[The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment JANUARY 28, 2021 What's news: NBCU's Peacock passes 33 million sign-ups, a Game of Thrones animated series in the works, Shrill's next season will be its last, Cannes pushed back, Netflix sets animated musical The Witch Boy, Golden Globes will honor Norman Lear, Chateau Marmont hit with lawsuits, remembering Cloris Leachman. Plus: Daveed Diggs on keeping it "weird," and an oral history of the Friends Super Bowl episode. --Alex Weprin [Peacock Pride] Peacock Pride ►NBCUniversal streaming service Peacock has reached 33 million sign-ups, parent company Comcast said on Thursday in its latest earnings update. The cable giant on Thursday reported lower fourth-quarter financials for its entertainment arm NBCU, with adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) down 21 percent to $1.6 billion on an 18 percent revenue drop to $7.5 billion, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to weigh on its results, especially in its theme parks division, even though the firm lauded its Orlando and Osaka, Japan parks for reaching breakeven in the period. Its film and cable networks units recorded higher quarterly profits though. --CEO Brian Roberts cited exclusivity of The Office has a boost for Peacock. [The story](. +As for the 2020 (now 2021) Tokyo Olympics: "Sitting here today, I believe there will be an Olympics. I hope there will be an Olympics," Roberts said. He argued that the event could be done "in a variety of ways" as sports events worldwide have shown, including with limited or no audiences. NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell added that advertisers were also looking forward to the big event, adding the company was "pretty confident that the Olympics are going to happen," and "advertisers are also optimistic the Olympics are coming.” [The story](. --He also said the recent decision to release theatrical movies direct to consumers "had proven to be profitable and the right move for us." "While we look forward to when we can enjoy the theatrical release of franchise films...we will continue lean into what has become a successful hybrid model," Roberts added during comments made during his company's fourth-quarter earnings conference call. [More](. ►The next Game of Thrones chapter could be animated. An animated Game of Thrones drama is in the early stages of development at HBO Max, multiple sources tell THR's Lesley Goldberg. Meetings with writers for the adult-leaning project, which would be similar in tone to HBO's Emmy-winning flagship, are already under way. No deals have been made and there's still a possibility that the animated series never comes to fruition. [The details](. +Seth MacFarlane continues to add to his increasingly prolific slate at NBCUniversal. The Family Guy creator is teaming with This Is Us writer Elan Mastai to adapt the latter's best-selling novel All Our Wrong Todays for Peacock. The drama, which is currently in the development stage, is based on the time-traveling love story that explores alternate versions of ourselves in dramatically surprising and unexpected ways. [The story](. +Shrill's upcoming season will be its last. The news comes as the Aidy Bryant comedy readies its [third and now final season]( for release on Hulu this spring. The critically-praised half-hour, produced by Warner Bros. Television, is inspired by Lindy West's book Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman. Bryant stars in addition to writing and producing. [More](. +Fox is tuning up for a second season of I Can See Your Voice. The broadcaster has renewed the unscripted series hosted by Ken Jeong following a solid debut run in the fall. Jeong, who's also an executive producer, and judges Cheryl Hines and Adrienne Bailon-Houghton are set to return. [More](. +Netflix says it has a new most-watched series in Bridgerton — although The Witcher might still have a claim to that throne as well. The streamer had earlier estimated that 63 million member accounts would check out the Shonda Rhimes-produced period drama over its first 28 days of release. Now that 28 days have actually passed since the show's Dec. 25 premiere, however, that projection turned out to be way off: Netflix says 82 million member households have viewed the show. [The numbers](. +The Bold Type's end is in sight. Freeform has handed out a fifth and final season renewal for its signature drama starring Katie Stevens. The final season, which will air this year, will consist of six episodes. That's down from 16 in season four and 10 apiece in its first three cycles. Additionally, Nikohl Boosheri will return to reprise her role as fan favorite Adena El-Amin. [More](. +Casting news: Netflix has revealed the cast for its big-budget adaptation of Neil Gaiman's beloved Sandman. Tom Sturridge will topline the drama based on Gaiman's DC Comics series, playing Dream, the Lord of the Dreaming. Gwendoline Christie co-stars as Lucifer, Ruller of Hell. Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Asim Chaudhry and Sanjeeve Bhaskar round out the dark fantasy drama. [More](... Dylan McDermott will star opposite Christopher Meloni in Law & Order: Organized Crime. [More](... +Also: The infamous News International phone-hacking scandal that led to the closure of British tabloid newspaper The News of the World in 2011 and saw Rupert Murdoch summoned to give evidence in a public hearing, is being dramatized for television. [More](. [Cannes Pushed] Cannes Pushed ►Cannes, delayed: The Cannes Film Festival has bowed to the inevitable, announcing Wednesday that it will move this year's event from May to July, due to safety concerns around the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The move, while expected, will have a domino effect across the festival circuit. The Venice Film Festival is scheduled to kick off on Sept. 1. Cannes' new dates mean there will be less than two months between Europe's number one and number two festivals. The move sets up a potential confrontation between Cannes and Venice as the two events compete for the world premieres and red carpet star power. [The story](. +Speaking of film festivals, here's THR's Sundance Hot List: With fewer projects on offer, online dealmaking and more first-time filmmakers than ever, buyers and sellers brace for a virtual Sundance market filled with unknowns, but a pandemic-fueled need for content bodes well for business, Mia Galuppo writes. [The list](. In other film news... ►Netflix announced production on The Witch Boy, an animated musical feature based on the graphic novel series of the same title by Molly Knox Ostertag. It will be directed by Minkyu Lee from a screenplay by Maria Melnik (Escape Room), and feature original music from three-time Grammy nominated band Haim. The Witch Boy will be produced by Roy Lee, Miri Yoon and Ryan Harris through Vertigo Entertainment and released by Netflix. [The story](. +Universal Pictures has signed a first-look production deal with Dan Lin and Rideback, the production company behind the billion dollar-grossing live-action remake of Aladdin and Oscar-nominated drama The Two Popes. Details of the deal were not disclosed but it is understood that Lin, who runs Rideback’s movie arm with film president Jonathan Eirich, will bring to the table his ability to produce across various genres. [The story](. +Dennis Quaid has boarded MGM and LightWorkers’ airplane survival drama On A Wing And A Prayer. Quaid will star in the faith-based family film about a small-town pilot who dies unexpectedly while flying a plane, forcing passenger Doug White (Quaid) to land the plane safely in order to save his entire family. Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer) will direct the film written by Brian Egeston, with Roma Downey and Autumn Bailey-Ford producing and Mark Burnett executive producing. [More](. +Why video on demand data won’t be public any time soon. While Comscore, Nielsen and Screen Engine/ASI are now tracking SVOD performance (mostly for clients), studios don’t yet have an incentive to share numbers like they do for box office returns. [More](. +Ruby Rose has joined Paris Berelc in 1Up, the underdog comedy set in the world of esports that Kyle Newman is directing for Lionsgate and BuzzFeed. The move occurs as Elliot Page, who was previously tapped to star with Berelc in the project, steps away from the picture, now in production in Toronto. [More](. +Discovery+ has made a major doc acquisition. Francesco, a documentary feature about Pope Francis that premiered at last October's Rome Film Festival to strong notices and had the whole world talking about the pontiff's comments regarding gay Catholics, has been acquired by discovery+. The film will be released in virtual cinemas ahead of its debut on discovery+ on Sunday, March 28, which marks the start of Holy Week. [More](. ►The Golden Globes will honor Norman Lear. Lear, the legendary TV creator and activist, will become the only third-ever recipient of the Carol Burnett Award during the all-virtual 78th Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Feb. 28, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced on Thursday. The HFPA's highest honor for work in TV has previously been awarded to Burnett herself (2019) and Ellen DeGeneres (2020). [More](. ►FilmLA is offering a more complete picture of how the pandemic has impacted filming in Los Angeles. The organization's [latest reports]( found that production activity picked up considerably in the fourth quarter of last year to reach 7,34 shoot days — but that compared with the same period in the prior year (9,839 shoot days), overall fourth quarter production was down 25 percent. [The story](. [An Oral History of the 'Friends' Super Bowl Episode] An Oral History of the 'Friends' Super Bowl Episode ►"The One We Wouldn't Normally Do": The uncensored story of the Friends Super Bowl episode. In honor of the episode's 25th anniversary, Friends creators, writers and some of its iconic guest stars recount the touchdowns and fumbles associated with the 1996 two-parter, "The One After the Superbowl." --Warren Littlefield: "We told them it had to be an hour because we weren’t going to turn the extra time back to the affiliates. And we figured that people had been watching TV for eight hours at this point so it shouldn’t be the subtlest episode. They had to go for it and have fun." --Brooke Shields: "People talk to me all the time about that appearance. It’s extraordinary. Personally, I’d always believed I had a comic instinct but I was never given a chance to put it out there. I’ve called Marta and thanked her for trusting me, because it changed my life." [The oral history](. ►Telemundo is revamping its morning news programming. The NBCUniversal Spanish-language broadcaster is set to launch hoy Día on Feb. 15, replacing Un Nuevo Día. The new show will take a more news-heavy approach, with a trio of news anchors — Arantxa Loizaga, Nacho Lozano and Nicole Suárez — hosting the show. [More](. ►Apple's services division hit an all-time revenue high during the final three months of the year. The group, which accounts for sales from Apple Music, Apple TV+, iCloud, App Store and other software products, had fiscal first quarter revenue of nearly $15.8 billion, up 24 percent from the $12.7 billion it brought in during the same period a year earlier. [The story](. ►Chateau Marmont hit by multiple lawsuits in wake of racial discrimination, sexual misconduct claims. This past September, dozens of Chateau Marmont employees broke the hospitality industry’s code of silence. They [alleged]( to THR's Gary Baum that the landmark hotel, a fabled industry hangout, is rife with racial discrimination and sexual misconduct, perpetuated by complicit management and ownership. Now two civil actions, both brought by actor-staffers who lost their jobs when the pandemic devastated the lodging sector, seek to make the case in court. [The story](. ►Daveed Diggs on keeping it "weird": I can't "become somebody else — I'm just not very good at that." Before his string of mainstream success — Hamilton, Snowpiercer, that Hanukkah song about puppies — the actor, writer and rapper was perfectly content making genre-bending art that "no one liked" (until we all caught up, that is). --"As the cast readied for Broadway, Diggs signed with a Hollywood manager, who took over his nightly allotment of tickets. She'd be trading them for favors, she told him: Anyone who was going to see Hamilton on one of Diggs' tickets would need to meet with him, too. 'I thought it sounded like the ravings of a lunatic. Like, it's a play,' says Diggs. 'But her black-market ticket exchange is how I met Tina Fey and Kenya Barris and all these people who'd eventually give me jobs. And it was because she'd set these meetings for after the show, and people were so intoxicated by it. It was the craziest thing I'd ever seen.'" [The story](. ►RIP Cloris Leachman: Leachman, the Miss America contestant who won an Oscar for her work in The Last Picture Show, then collected two of her record nine Emmys for playing the quirky Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, has died. She was 94. [The obituary](. +Mel Brooks, Ed Asner, Steve Martin and more pay tribute to Cloris Leachman: "She was a comedic genius." [The tributes](. Revolving door: Roc Nation Sports, the sports-focused division of Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter's Roc Nation, [has hired]( former New York Mets general manager and CAA agent Brodie Van Wagenen to serve as COO and head of strategy and business development... The Disney group overseeing kids and family programming [has added]( 20th Television executive Reena Singh to its executive ranks. Singh is joining Disney Branded Television in the newly created role of senior vp development and current series... In other news... --Paramount and WWE Studios' animated feature Rumble is the latest studio pic[to push back]( its release date in theaters due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. --Focus Features is teaming with Participant to release the late director Luke Holland's documentary Final Account. Wednesday's announcement coincided with International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The film, which premiered at the 2020 Venice Film Festival, [will be released]( in U.S. theaters on May 21. --A year-and-a-half after announcing that he would form a coalition to protect the environment, Robert Downey Jr. is [offering more details]( about how he'll achieve that goal. The Iron Man actor is launching FootPrint Coalition Ventures to invest in sustainable technologies, he revealed Wednesday at the World Economic Forum. --Oscar and Emmy winning make-up artist Matthew Mungle and Emmy-winning hair stylist Terry Baliel [will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards]( at the 8th annual Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards (IATSE Local 706), which will be presented as a virtual celebration on April 3. --Gravitas Ventures has [acquired the North American rights]( to the romantic drama Sometime Other Than Now, written and directed by Dylan McCormick. --Sacha Baron Cohen [has been named]( Outstanding Performer of the Year by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival... George Clooney, as a 59-year-old, is AARP-eligible — eligibility begins at 50 — and on Sunday, March 28, he will [receive a career achievement honor]( from the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards... --Downtown Disney will once again be offering outdoor dining after Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday lifted regional stay-at-home orders across the state. And thanks to that move, more than 200 Disney union employees [are being recalled](. --Seth Rogen is ready to bring the funny in his first published book. The comedian [will release]( his Yearbook this May, Crown, an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, announced Wednesday. What else we're reading... --"Op-Ed: I called Arizona for Biden on Fox News. Here’s what I learned" [[LA Times](] --"An oral history of Disney's The Emperor's New Groove" [[Vulture](] --"Sun Records, stories early rock label, sells its high-wattage catalog" [[NY Times](] --"Sinclair to rebrand some Fox Sports networks as Bally Sports" [[The Athletic](] --"Walmart revamps its ad sals business to expand its reach" [[WSJ](] Today's birthdays: J. Cole, 36, Joey Fatone, 44, Nick Carter, 41, Alan Alda, 85, Ariel Winter, 23. 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