Obamas Readying "Event" for Netflix; Jennifer Lopez, Skydance to Adapt Rodgers & Hammerstein Catalog; 'French Dispatch' Review and Awards Potential

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( July 13, 2021 What's news: The Emmy nominations are out this morning, so expect lots of coverage on the site. Vince Gilligan is the latest big name to extend an overall TV deal and Donald Trump finally wins in court. Plus: ESPN+ is increasing its prices — [Abid Rahman]( Obamas Readying "Event" for Netflix ►Multimedia Blackout. The Obamas' production company Higher Ground and Fatherhood producers Temple Hill are re-teaming for a new project at Netflix. The companies are developing Blackout, a film and TV “event” that is being adapted from six different love stories, each penned by a different writer. The project, Netflix notes, is being developed concurrently as a TV series and film adaptation. That means that some of the six stories could wind up in the film, while others are in the TV show. Sources tell THR's [Lesley Goldberg]( that while this project seems like a franchise in the making, it’s not a “multiverse” that will consist of multiple films and TV shows — at least not right now. [The story](. —Four more years! Vince Gilligan is staying put at Sony Pictures Television. The Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator has renewed his overall deal with the indie studio, signing a four-year extension that is valued in the mid-eight figures. [The story](. —Game changer. Disney stunned rival Hollywood studios and theater owners Sunday when it included premium video on-demand numbers in its box office note for Black Widow, the first time any studio has revealed such data for an opening weekend. The move is sure to put pressure on studios to reveal such information going forward on behalf of filmmakers, talent and agents. [The story](. —Hollywood handout. The entertainment industry could be in line for a significant windfall after a bill was unveiled in the California state legislature Sunday night that would boost the Golden State’s film and television tax credits program by $330 million. [The story](. —Cedric the master of ceremonies. CBS and the Television Academy have tapped The Neighborhood star Cedric the Entertainer to host the 2021 Emmy Awards. [The story](. JLo, Skydance to Adapt Rodgers & Hammerstein Catalog ►All Er Nuthin'. Jennifer Lopez is teaming with Skydance and Concord to develop original content — TV series and films — based on the massive Concord catalog of musicals that includes the works of Rodgers & Hammerstein, among others. As part of the deal, Lopez has an option to star in at least one of the projects. [The story](. —Inflation busting increase. Disney will increase the price of its ESPN+ subscription from $5.99 to $6.99 a month beginning in August. The increase comes on the heels of the streamer paying top dollar for a host of sports rights recently. [The story](. —Netflix Gold. Netflix is ramping up its outreach to audiences of Asian and Pacific Islander descent. The streamer is teaming with nonprofit Gold House to form Netflix Gold, an ongoing partnership to promote all of its API content, including films, series, documentaries and stand-up specials. [The story](. —So much winning. Donald Trump has scored a rare legal win. In a First Amendment "fake news" meme case, in what appears to be a first-of-its-kind ruling, a New York judge finds that a meme of two toddlers was "newsworthy." [The story](. Wes Anderson's 'The French Dispatch' ►"A bumper issue." THR's chief film critic [David Rooney]( reviews Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch. The film stars an ensemble of familiar faces from Anderson's oeuvre, including Bill Murray who plays the editor of a fictitious American magazine in a quaint French town, whose staff assembles to prepare their final issue: "The Searchlight release is a beguiling curio, and one that no other filmmaker could have created." [The review.]( —French Dispatch and the Oscars. THR's [Scott Feinberg]( discusses Wes Anderson's strange history with the Academy, and how voters might respond to his latest work: "For Academy members who enjoy Anderson’s movies, the film will certainly be engaging and amusing — but is it an across-the-board achievement, in the way they seemed to feel The Grand Budapest Hotel was?" [The analysis](. —A staggering change. CBS is changing its premiere strategy. The network has set a staggered return schedule for its scripted originals, with a few launching during the traditional Premiere Week in late September and several others stretching into October. [The story](. —The saga continues. Starz has given an early season two pickup to its third Power series, the prequel Raising Kanan. The renewal for the 1990s-set series comes a week before its July 18 premiere on the premium cable outlet. [The story](. The Story of 'Black Widow' Has Just Begun ►"Not about death, but new life." [Richard Newby]( writes that while Black Widow could be Natasha Romanoff's final appearance, it sets up a potential Russian superteam and positions Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova as a central figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Warning spoilers. [The deep dive](. —FBoy tease. HBO Max has dropped the first trailer for its dating series FBoy Island, where three single women try to find love among 24 bachelors. Half of the men are self-proclaimed "Nice Guys," who are allegedly looking for love, and the other 12 are self-proclaimed "FBoys" who presumably just want to watch the world burn. [The trailer](. —It's not nice! Sacha Baron Cohen is suing a cannabis company for copyright infringement, false advertising and misappropriation of his right of publicity over a Massachusetts interstate billboard depicting his character Borat. [The story](. In other news... —Backstreet Boys announce [Vegas holiday residency](. —Jean Smart joins Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie in Damien Chazelle’s [Babylon](. —Anna Kendrick to star in [Alice, Darling]( thriller for Lionsgate. —Pluto TV nabs Endeavor’s [Pro Bull Riding streaming service](. —[Audible strikes first-look podcast deal]( with Laura Dern and Jayme Lemons’ Jaywalker Pictures. —Mark Millar returning to spy world with graphic novel [King of Spies](. —Zack Stentz to pen script for [Wheel of Time]( film adaptation. —Film review: Netflix's [Gunpowder Milkshake](. —Cannes: [Sharon Stone to return to host amfAR gala]( following a 7-year absence. —Brasserie Les Halles returned to New York for one weekend [to honor Anthony Bourdain](. —Drake Bell receives probation on [child endangerment charge](. —Cannes film review: Eskil Vogt's [The Innocents](. —Cannes film review: Oliver Stone's [JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass](. —Cannes film review: Kirill Serebrennikov's [Petrov’s Flu](. —Cannes film review: Panah Panahi's [Hit the Road]( (Jadde Khaki). What else we're reading... —"Tucker Carlson Is "Furious" At Fox News Executives For Not Supporting His Nsa Spying Claims, Sources Say" [[CNN]( —"Is This the Year Netflix Finally Conquers the Emmys?" [[Vanity Fair]( —"How Gossip Girl Got Creepy" [[The Atlantic]( —"From Gossip Girl to Frasier to Sex And The City: Are Reboots Driven By Nostalgia – Or Desperation?" [[The Guardian]( —"Christine Baranski Knows It’s Good to Be Scared" [[New Yorker]( Today... ... in 2001, MGM brought a breezy comedy to moviegoers nationwide, Legally Blonde. The film went on to gross more than $140 million globally and spawn a sequel. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: [Patrick Stewart]( (81), Harrison Ford (79), Aya Cash (39), Sharon Horgan (51), Ken Jeong (52), Colton Haynes (33), Cameron Crowe (64), Cheech Marin (75), Daphne Reid (73), Geraldine Hakewill (34), Kari Wahlgren (44) Charlie Robinson, the best recognized for his role as Mac Robinson in the long-running NBC sitcom Night Court, has died. He was 75. [The obituary](. This email was sent to {EMAIL} by Penske Media Corporation. Please add email@email.hollywoodreporter.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. Visit the [Preferences Center]( to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive. Copyright © 2021 The Hollywood Reporter, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved. 11175 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90025 [View in Browser]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Your Privacy Rights]( | [Ad Choices]( | [Terms of Use]( | [Unsubscribe](