Inside Hollywood's Frenzy to Get Nolan's Next Film; CBS’ 'The Activist' Retooled After Backlash; Why Netflix Really Saved ‘Manifest’

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( September 16, 2021 What's news: The details of Christopher Nolan's move to Universal have been revealed and they will certainly raise a Roger Moore-style eyebrow. Alison Mack begins her prison sentence. CBS is playing manic cleanup with The Activist. Plus: Ted Lasso scores at TCA awards — [Abid Rahman]( Inside the Studios' (And Apple's) Frenzy to Get Nolan's Next Film ►Kissing the ring. THR's [Borys Kit]( has the goods on the hyper competitive battle amongst Hollywood studios, including streamer Apple, to secure the rights to Christopher Nolan's next film, a movie about J. Robert Oppenheimer. After a trek to the Brit director's Hollywood Hills compound, Universal, Sony and Apple learned he wanted total creative control, at least a 100-day theatrical window, around a $100 million budget, equal marketing spend, 20 percent of first-dollar gross, and a blackout period where the studio would not release another movie for three weeks before and after the feature. [The story](. —Jailed. Allison Mack has begun her three-year prison sentence for racketeering and conspiracy related to her involvement in the NXIVM sex cult. The former Smallville star is now in the custody of the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. [The story](. —Hat-trick. Ted Lasso led all winners at the 37th annual Television Critics Association’s 2021 Awards. The Apple comedy earned victory in all three of the TCA’s biggest categories: program of the year, new program and achievement in comedy. [The story](. —Vaccine requirements, ahoy! Customers and employees of bars, wineries, breweries, nightclubs and lounges will soon have to provide proof of vaccination under an imminent order from L.A. County’s Department of Public Health. [The story.]( —Breakthrough case. Wendy Williams has tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19, delaying the 13th season of The Wendy Williams Show. The new season, which was scheduled to air Sept. 20, will now start on Oct. 4. [The story](. CBS Scrambles to Retool 'The Activist' After Backlash ►Volte-face. CBS’ is retooling its progressive-minded reality series The Activist before it even airs. The five-week series that was poised to be a (big yikes) reality competition show is now being creatively refashioned as a docuseries, following a huge backlash. The Activist is no longer scheduled to air as originally planned Oct. 22. A new date for what CBS, producers Global Citizen and Live Nation have dubbed in a joint statement Wednesday as a “documentary special.” [The story](. —"I had never experienced hate from my own community." When actor Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman landed a judging spot on the reality show Canada’s Drag Race, it was a dream come true — until a cadre of hateful fans turned it into a nightmare. Breaking his silence, Bowyer-Chapman speaks to THR's [Seth Abramovitch]( about the racist cyberbullying he faced. [The story.]( —Hollywood sighs a breath of relief. As California Gov. Gavin Newsom basks in his resounding win the ultimately ridiculous and wasteful recall election, the politician — and the Hollywood power brokers that boosted his fortunes in the campaign — aim to get back on track to tackle COVID-19, homelessness and other issues. [The story.]( —Failing upwards. Piers Morgan is back in business with Rupert Murdoch. The former CNN and Good Morning Britain host has signed a global deal with both Fox News and News Corp., a deal that will see him host a daily TV program that will air in the U.S., U.K. and Australia, publish columns in Murdoch’s newspapers and release books through the HarperCollins imprint. [The story.]( —"Can we all stop saying, ‘I need to do my own research?’" Day 3 of #Ballgate, you know the whole thing about Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend in Trinidad with the swollen testicles, was addressed by Trevor Noah on The Daily Show as well as Trinidad & Tobago's health minister (yes really). [The story](. Why Netflix Really Saved 'Manifest' ►It wasn't the tweets, lads. THR's [James Hibberd]( goes inside Netflix's decision to salvage Manifest, the surprise summer sensation that was initially canceled by NBC after three seasons in June. Despite lacklustre ratings, the first two seasons of the show did gangbusters on Netflix. What really saved Manifest? It was the numbers, innit. Netflix reveals to THR that 25 million accounts in the U.S. and Canada watched the show within its first 28 days of streaming. Moreover, Manifest relentlessly stuck around in the service’s Top 10 for 71 days since its debut and was No. 1 in the U.S. for 19 days. [The story](. —Casting up. Michael Mann’s HBO Max yakuza crime series Tokyo Vice is filling out its cast. Series leads Ansel Elgort, Ken Watanabe, as well as the previously announced Rachel Keller, Ella Rumpf and Rinko Kikuchi, are joined by Japanese actors Hideaki Ito, Show Kasamatsu and Tomohisa Yamashita. [The story](. —The devil and Miss Deschanel. Emily Deschanel has been tapped to star in the limited series Devil in Ohio, based on the book of the same name by Daria Polatin. Netflix has handed out an eight-episode series order for the drama that will see Polatin adapt the thriller and serve as showrunner. [The story](. —Reba rescue. Reba McEntire was rescued from a second-story window by firefighters after a building’s stairwell collapsed. According to local news reports, the singer was touring a historic building in Atoka, Oklahoma when the incident happened. [The story](. Review: ABC's 'The Wonder Years' ►"A winning and worthy reboot." THR critic [Angie Han]( reviews ABC's The Wonder Years, Saladin K. Patterson's reboot of the classic sitcom that retains the voiceover narration, coming-of-age tropes and 1960s setting, but revolves around a new family — the Williamses, a Black middle-class household in Montgomery, Alabama. [The review](. —This Week in TV. THR's [Rick Porter]( runs down the TV premieres, returns and specials over the next seven days. Fall officially arrives on Wednesday, the big thing to look out for in TV land over the coming week is 73rd Primetime Emmys on Monday. Brooklyn Nine-Nine comes to an end with an hour-long finale Thursday on NBC. Ken Burns’ latest PBS doc Muhammad Ali debuts on Sunday. Apple's The Morning Show returns for its second season on Friday. [The full guide](. —Getting the band back together. Chris Pratt is teaming with Sam Richardson, his co-star of The Tomorrow War, for an action-comedy set up at Universal. Pratt will produce Stranded Asset, a feature written by Jen D’Angelo and Richardson, who will also star in the project. [The story](. In other news... —Film review: Clint Eastwood’s [Cry Macho](. —TV review: Peacock’s [Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol](. —TV review: Paramount+'s [The Harper House](. —TIFF film review: Sigourney Weaver in [The Good House](. —Venice film review: Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov's [Captain Volkonogov Escaped.]( —Oldenberg film review: Jack Fessenden’s [Foxhole](. —Oldenberg film review: Torsten Ruether's [Uppercut]( (Leberhaken). —Film review: Justin Long and Christian Long's [Lady of the Manor](. —Jim Carrey shares [intricate scare prank pulled on Norm Macdonald]( at Universal Studios. —BBC Studios, Malaysia’s Astro [expand their partnership](. —Tabu, Ali Fazal to star in Netflix’s Indian espionage film [Khufiya](. —Kirk Acevedo [signs with APA](. —Hollywood’s [top 30 real estate agents](. What else we're reading... —"The Unique Genius of Norm Macdonald" [[Vulture]( —"Disney+ Is Killing the Blockbuster Movie With Its Identikit Mega-hits" [[The Guardian]( —"Regina King in Her Element" [[Vanity Fair]( —"Seeing The Eyes Of Tammy Faye Through A Feminist Lens" [[Washington Post]( —"The Evolution of Matt Damon" [[GQ]( Today... Today's birthdays: [Mickey 'The Legend' Rourke]( (69), Jennifer Tilly (63), Molly Shannon (57), Amy Poehler (50), Nick Jonas (29), Ed Begley Jr. (72), Fan Bingbing (40), Marc Anthony (53), Danny John-Jules (61), Richard Marx (58), Chase Stokes (29), Alexis Bledel (40), Max Minghella (36) 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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