'CODA's Watershed Moment in Representation; Kim Masters on Disney vs. Scarlett Johansson; Gov. Cuomo’s Office Sought Time’s Up Leader’s Advice

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( August 04, 2021 What's news: It's magazine day! This week's cover stars are the actors from Sian Heder's much-anticipated CODA, a landmark film in Hollywood representation. With ad revenue for Big Tech soaring, could ads appear on Netflix sooner rather than later? Peacock's Fresh Prince update Bel-Air loses another showrunner. Plus: Kerry Washington has signed up for a surfing movie — [Abid Rahman]( "We're Not Deaf Actors — We're Actors, Period": 'CODA's Watershed Moment in Representation ►On the cover. This month will see the release of Sian Heder's familial drama CODA, the feature that caused waves at Sundance this year when it was sold to Apple for a record-breaking $25 million. CODA is fronted by three deaf actors, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur and newcomer Daniel Durant, and is primed to become a new cornerstone in what is shaping up to be a watershed moment in disability representation in Hollywood, writes THR's [Mia Galuppo](. "To have a hearing actor put on a deaf character as if it was a costume, I think we’ve moved beyond that point now," says Matlin. "We’re talking about a new generation of viewers." [The cover story.]( —Increasing deaf and disability inclusion. From American Sign Language interpreters at the Oscars, to studio and network pledges to audition disabled actors, here's an accounting of the Hollywood's current efforts to increase inclusion. [The story.]( —"I went through some mental health difficulties." Kit Harington has opened up about the toll Game of Thrones took on his mental health, revealing he had to take a year off after the HBO epic concluded. The 34-year-old actor said the “nature” of the violent, intense, emotional series “directly” broke him down in reality. [The story.]( —"Tasteless." Selena Gomez and her fans are calling out a recent episode of The Good Fight for referencing the former Disney star’s kidney transplant. [The story.]( —Out of this world. Netflix and the team behind The Last Dance are joining to document the first all-civilian mission to orbit the Earth. The five-part series, titled Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space, is slated to premiere in September and will air just before and after the scheduled mission. [The story.]( —Third time's a charm? Bel-Air, Peacock’s Will Smith-produced drama update of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, parted ways with original showrunner Chris Collins in December. Now, Collins' replacement Diane Houston has also departed the series. Taking over as Bel-Air’s third showrunner is writing duo T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson, who were brought in under Houston and exec producer Malcolm Spellman. [The story](. Disney vs. ScarJo: Why "a Ton of Lawsuits" May Be Next ►"Disney is by far the most ridiculous on deals." THR's editor-at-large [Kim Masters]( considers the implications of Disney's strangely personal fight with Scarlett Johansson over her compensation for Black Widow, and the impact it will have not only on the Bob Chapek-led company but creatives and talent across Hollywood who fear the end of massive backend deals: "It’s a huge sea change for everyone. You’ll still get a huge payment up front. It’s just not going to be huge home runs any more. And with time, those fees will get smaller." [The story.]( —Ads on Netflix? As Facebook, Alphabet, Amazon, Twitter and Snap reap major returns from their ad businesses, analysts wonder how long subscriber-focused services like Netflix and Spotify can ignore such revenue. [The story.]( —"Flexible strategy." Sony Pictures saw its fiscal first-quarter profit slip to $232.7 million, a decline of 6 percent from the same period a year ago. Sony Corp. attributed the 1.7 percent decline in earnings at the pictures division, which spans movies, TV networks and TV production, to increased production costs that more than offset higher revenue. [The results.]( —Encore. American Idol is keeping the band together for its fifth season on ABC. Judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan and host Ryan Seacrest have all inked new deals to remain with the singing competition in 2022, which will mark the show’s 20th season overall. [The story.]( —Casting news. Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor and Mustafa Shakir have joined Will Smith in Emancipation, the freedom quest tale being directed by Antoine Fuqua for Apple Studios. [The story](. Gov. Cuomo’s Office Sought Time’s Up Leader’s Advice ►Consulted. Time’s Up has responded after an investigation from New York Attorney General Letitia James reported that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office asked the organization’s chief, Tina Tchen, for guidance as they weighed a public response to sexual harassment allegations leveled by a former Cuomo aide, Lindsay Boylan. [The story.]( —Conflicted. CNN anchor Chris Cuomo did not address Letitia James' investigation into his brother Gov. Cuomo, during his primetime cable news program Tuesday. Cuomo instead opened the show by saying "we’re focused on COVID here," leading into segments about the pandemic. [The story.]( —Mandates incoming. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday morning that proof of vaccination will be required to participate in indoor activities, including live performances and entertainment, a first-of-its-kind program in the U.S. [The story.]( —What of L.A.? On the heels of news that New York would soon be requiring proof of vaccination for all residents to participate in indoor activities, a rep for L.A. County’s Department of Public Health says the office "is is not requiring proof of vaccination for customers to enter specific businesses at this point in time." [The story.]( —Fully vaxxed. The Sundance Film Festival will demand that everyone attending its upcoming 2022 festival in Park City, Utah provide proof of vaccinations: "We will be requiring all participants attending the festival, or Sundance-affiliated events, in person in Utah to be fully vaccinated." [The story.]( Ken Burns Responds to Diversity Criticism ►"Our crew, the people that we work with, are as diverse as you could have." Ken Burns, a PBS mainstay and award-winning documentarian, has responded to criticism around his relationship with the public broadcaster and diversity within the larger documentary community, especially concerns over him telling stories about BIPOC subjects as a white filmmaker. [The story.]( —NYFF closing film. Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers (Madres Paralelas) will receive its North American premiere as the closing night screening at the 2021 New York Film Festival. [The story](. —London calling. The 65th BFI London Film Festival has set the world premiere of Netflix’s The Harder They Fall, directed by Londoner Jeymes Samuel, as its opening-night film. [The story.]( —Skip to my lou. Spotify is testing an ad-supported subscription tier, Spotify Plus, that will allow users to play songs of their choice, with unlimited skips, for $0.99 a month. [The story.]( —Kerry Slater. Kerry Washington is attached to star in and prodcue a feature adaptation of Diane Cardwell’s memoir Rockaway. Washington will play a Manhattan journalist who unexpectedly discovers the power of surfing. [The story.]( In other news... —TV review: Netflix's [Cooking With Paris](. —TV review: Apple TV+’s [Mr. Corman](. —Jeffrey Wright on [What If…?]( the "brilliant"]( Batman.]( —[DaBaby dropped]( from iHeart Radio, Austin City Limits music festivals. —Camila Cabello’s chasing dresses and dreams in [the trailer for Amazon’s Cinderella](. —[Fandango merges on-demand streaming platform]( with Vudu. —Biz Markie’s friends and family [celebrate life of late rapper at funeral](. —Nicholas Hoult to star in Universal monster movie [Renfield](. —Mike Colter joining Gerard Butler in Lionsgate’s [The Plane](. —Greta Thunberg, Neil Gaiman, Steve Coogan [added to Edinburgh TV Festival](. —Emma Roberts drama starring Grace Van Patten [nabs Hulu series pickup](. —NEP acquires Lux Machina, Halon, Prysm Collective to [launch virtual production business](. What else we're reading... —"The Case for Speed-Watching: How I Came To Love Watching TV Shows Really Fast" [[Vulture]( —"Cecily Strong Is Starting a New Conversation" [[New York Times]( —"The Girlboss Apologia Era Is Upon Us" [[Vanity Fair]( —"In The Green Knight, Chivalry Was Always Dead" [[New Yorker]( —"Jack Antonoff, Polarizing Nice Guy" [[Pitchfork]( Today... ... in 1967, Bonnie and Clyde, a Warren Beatty film described by one critic as “part black comedy and part elegy,” held its premiere. The highly influential movie went on to be nominated for 10 Academy Awards and claimed two wins. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Barack Obama (60), Daniel Dae Kim (53), Meghan Markle (40), Greta Gerwig (38), Abigail Spencer (40), Cole Sprouse (29), Dylan Sprouse (29), Billy Bob Thornton (66), [Chet Hanks]( (31), Sebastian Roché (57), Jojo Moyes (52), Marques Houston (40), Dennis Lehane (56) Marcia Nasatir, the groundbreaking studio executive who shattered Hollywood’s glass ceiling in the 1970s and helped develop such notable films as Rocky, Coming Home and The Big Chill, died Tuesday. She was 95. [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. 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