Sony-Netflix Mega-Deal; Why Lifetime Is Betting On Black Biopics; GLAAD Media Award Winners

[The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment APRIL 09, 2021 What's news: Sony and Netflix strike a feature mega-deal, why Lifetime is betting on Black biopics, Queer as Folk returns, the GLAAD Media Awards, Tom Holland's new Apple show, a settlement over the "Satan Shoes." Plus: Remembering Prince Philip and Anne Beatts, and an interview with Paris Barclay. --Alex Weprin [A Sony-Netflix Mega-Deal] A Sony-Netflix Mega-Deal ►Netflix and Sony ink streaming feature deal. Unlike Disney, NBCUniversal and ViacomCBS, Sony notably has not launched a direct-to-consumer streaming service to compete with Netflix. Instead, the studio is cementing its future in a major deal with Netflix. --Sony has inked a multi-year, exclusive first pay window licensing deal in the U.S. that will allow Netflix first pay window rights to Sony Pictures titles following their theatrical and home entertainment windows, the studio announced Thursday. (The typical pay one window is 18 months.) Since 2006, Sony's pay-TV partner has been the Lionsgate-owned Starz. --For theatrically released films, the pact will begin with Sony's 2022 film slate, which includes Morbius, Uncharted, Bullet Train, and the sequel to the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. In the future, this will also include installments from major Sony franchises like Jumanji and Bad Boys. [The story](. [Lifetime's Biopic Bet] Lifetime's Biopic Bet ►Why Black biopics reign at Lifetime. From such global icons as Whitney Houston to lesser-known civil rights activists, the network is leading the industry in spotlighting the stories of Black women, Rebecca Sun writes. --"We had been talking about women who have historically made impacts that no one talks about," says head of movies Tanya Lopez of the group's brainstorming sessions. It was programming manager Mekita Faiye who suggested [gospel singer and activist Mahalia] Jackson, and though her pitch was met with unfamiliarity, it wasn't dismissed. "Everyone loses when we don't take the time to understand others' unique experiences, especially when it's due to economic, ethnic or even religious differences," says Faiye, one of six people of color (including Lopez) on the 11-person LOM team. "Fortunately, Lifetime creates a culture of openness and compassion while making a concerted effort to value everyone's voice in the room." [The story](. +Queer as Folk is returning to television. Peacock has handed out an eight-episode, straight-to-series order for a reimagining of creator Russell T. Davies' original groundbreaking British series. The new Queer as Folk is from creator Stephen Dunn (Little America), who has been developing the project since late 2018 when the drama was originally set up at Peacock sibling Bravo. [More](. +Apple is expanding its relationship with Tom Holland. The tech giant and streamer has tapped the Cherry star to topline The Crowded Room, a 10-episode, straight-to-series anthology from writer Akiva Goldsman. [More](. ►Television's 200-episode man: Paris Barclay reflects on his decades-long career. The helmer — the recipient of this year's DGA Honorary Life Member Award — discusses building a small-screen family and digging into the psyche of a showrunner. --"My secret is to use my talents and my experiences to give them their show. I don't try to make my show. There's no Paris Barclay stamp. I try to get into their psyche, as dark or as light as it may be, and say, 'What do they really want?' Dan Fogelman really wants that heart. Ryan [Murphy] wants the flash that reveals the heart, almost like a magic trick. And Kurt [Sutter] wants to go through the brutality of humanity to show the love that's underneath. These are simplifications of it, obviously, but you figure out what they're really after and then you figure out, 'How can I use my skills to get that?'" [The interview](. [GLAAD Media Awards] GLAAD Media Awards ►GLAAD Media Awards: Schitt's Creek continued its dominant awards season haul by picking up another prize, the latest acquired Thursday night during the 32nd annual GLAAD Media Awards. It was the beloved series' second straight award from the media watchdog organization and it follows top prizes at the Emmy Awards, Golden Globes and the recent Screen Actors Guild Awards. --The virtual ceremony, which premiered exclusively on GLAAD's YouTube channel in partnership with Google before streaming later this evening on Hulu, also saw top prizes go to Clea DuVall's Happiest Season, Joe Mantello's The Boys in the Band, Sam Feder's transgender representation documentary Disclosure, the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Discovery and pop star Sam Smith. In total, there were nine competitive categories announced, with the other winners revealed in advance or rolled out today on social media in conjunction with the show. [The winners](. +Honoring Naya Rivera: To pay tribute to the late Rivera, who drowned last July while boating with her son at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California, 16 Glee cast members gathered virtually as part of Thursday's awards ceremony. The organization was a champion of the hit show, honoring it as outstanding comedy series twice in back-to-back ceremonies, in 2010 and 2011. Rivera also hosted the show on two occasions, once by herself and another time opposite Glee co-star Cory Monteith (who also met a tragic fate when he passed away in 2013 as a result of an overdose). [The story](. ►A devilish settlement: The devil is in the details, but very little information is being shared about a settlement between Nike and MSCHF over the unauthorized sale of 666 pairs of satanic-themed Air Max 97 shoes. As part of the pact, MSCHF is going to ask customers who bought the Satan Shoes — and a previously-released line of Jesus-themed kicks — to voluntarily return them and get their money back. [The story](. Obituaries... +Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, has passed away at the age of 99. Buckingham Palace confirmed the Duke's passing. "It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle," a Palace statement said. [The obituary](. +Anne Beatts, the creator of CBS sitcom Square Pegs and an original writer of Saturday Night Live, has died. She was 74. The recipient of two Emmy Awards, Beatts co-created several SNL characters alongside her writing partner Rosie Shuster, including Todd and Lisa Lupner, Irwin Mainway, Fred Garvin and Uncle Roy. Alongside creating and producing Square Pegs and her work on SNL, the writer-producer also wrote for The Stephanie Miller Show (on which she was additionally an executive producer) and Committed and co-executive produced A Different World from 1987 to 1988. [The obituary](. ►Guild of Music Supervisors honoree Maureen Crowe sounds off on importance of her profession amid a changing industry. The Guild's founding member and president, who will receive the organization’s Legacy Award at its 11th annual awards ceremony on April 11, discusses the Guild’s origins, its relevance to an industry increasingly reliant on the use of music in all of its forms, and its goals going forward. [The interview](. Casting roundup/Revolving door: Bodhi Sabongui [has joined]( the high-flying cast of New Line and DC's Black Adam, the action-adventure superhero feature starring Dwayne Johnson... Paul Dano [is joining]( Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming drama that is loosely based on the filmmaker’s childhood... Fox News [has hired]( former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to a contributor role... Adepero Oduye [has joined]( Vera Farmiga in the Apple drama Five Days at Memorial... Hip-hop artist 2 Chainz, who released his sixth studio album in November, [has signed]( with APA for representation in all areas... ►Film review: Sheri Linden reviews Thunder Force, writing that the comedy "wobbles between half-baked comic-strip sendup and half-hearted valentine. The latest feature from writer-director Ben Falcone, [Melissa] McCarthy's husband and producing partner, is also the latest in a string of underwhelming comedy vehicles for her exceptional talent." [The review](. ►TV review: Lovia Gyarkye reviews the Amazon anthology Them, writing "Unfortunately, unlike Jordan Peele’s Get Out or Us (to which the show has drawn comparisons because of the title and the presence of the gifted Joseph), Them neither taps fully into the shivery potential of traditional horror nor adds much to what many viewers already know about racial terror in the United States." [The review](. ►TV's Top 5: During this week's podcast, hosts Lesley Goldberg and Daniel Fienberg are joined by showrunner Christina Lee to discuss HBO Max's Cristin Milioti dark comedy Made For Love, and break down the latest on the Bridgerton bombshell. Plus James Hibberd pops in to discuss Game of Thrones at 10. [Listen](. In other news... --Gemma Chan, A-Major Media and M88 are [coming together to produce a podcast]( about Asian American civil rights and an eventual Hold Still, Vincent feature film that they hope to sell, based on the murder of Vincent Chin. --Focus Features [has picked up]( Silent Twins, starring Black Panther break-out Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance. --Taylor Swift has [released the first]( of her re-recorded albums. On Thursday, the singer released her new version of her sophomore album, Fearless. --Streaming ratings: Coming 2 America [became the first Amazon title]( to finish first in Nielsen's overall streaming rankings in the week of March 1-7. A week later, it became the first feature film from any of the four platforms Nielsen regularly measures to repeat as No. 1. --Film Independent [has revealed more]( information about what the 2021 Independent Spirit Awards will look like as awards shows continue to seek out innovative ways to hold their annual events amid the COVID-19 pandemic. --Sean Combs, in an open letter posted to the website of his Revolt TV channel, [called out]( large corporations for failing to commit meaningful advertising dollars to Black-owned media companies. --Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Dae Kim are [among the stars]( picking sides in the NYC mayor's race. What else we're reading... --"The rise and rise of Amanda Gorman" [[Vogue](] --"WWE is fully converted to Peacock, now it wants to make more content" [[CNBC](] --"Twitter integrates with Nielsen in bid for TV dollars" [[AdExchanger](] --"This is what Disney parks of the future will look like" [[CNN Business](] Today's birthdays: Dennis Quaid, 67, Kristen Stewart, 31, Cynthia Nixon, 55, Elle Fanning, 23, Lil Nas X, 22. [Image] [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2021 The Hollywood Reporter, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. 11175 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, CA, 90025 All rights reserved. APRIL 09, 2021 [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [MANAGE PREFERENCES]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [TERMS OF USE](