THR Producer Roundtable; 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Review; Brian Cox Talks 'Succession' S3 Finale; THR Critics' Best Films of 2021

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( December 14, 2021 What's news: Disney and Google's dispute over carriage fees for YouTube TV has gone public. Former General Hospital star Ingo Rademacher is suing ABC over his dismissal. Warner Bros. has pushed back the release of Colin Firth film Operation Mincemeat due to soaring COVID-19 cases. The Critics Choice nominees have been revealed. Plus: The CW is serving up more DC fare with a Gotham Knights series in the works — [Abid Rahman]( Review: 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' ►"Catnip for hardcore Spidey-heads, but less fun than its predecessors." THR film critic John DeFore reviews Sony/Marvel's Spider-Man: No Way Home. Director Jon Watts’ third instalment of the current iteration of Spider-Man finds Tom Holland’s web-slinger fighting a bunch of familiar faces. [The review.]( —Worrying sign. THR's [Alex Ritman]( has the scoop on Operation Mincemeat, the upcoming WWII drama from Shakespeare in Love director John Madden and starring Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden and Jason Isaacs, has been pushed back more by than three months in the U.K. amid soaring Omicron variant cases of COVID-19. Warner Bros. is moving the movie from Jan. 14 to April 22. [The story.]( —More worrying signs. Amid the struggling box office recovery, Universal has decided to give Marry Me, starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson, a dual release in theaters and on sister streamer Peacock on Valentine’s Day. [The story.]( —Legal action. Ingo Rademacher, a long-running actor on General Hospital, is now suing ABC after being dismissed from the soap for his refusal to be vaccinated for COVID-19. According to a complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, the network refused to accommodate his religious objections. Rademacher says he requested a religious exemption to the mandate only to be subjected to "half an hour of cross-examination about his religious beliefs." [The story.]( —ICYMI. California is bringing back a rule requiring people to wear masks indoors, a move aimed at containing a new type of the coronavirus as people gather with family and friends during the holidays. [The story.]( —Shot across the bows. Disney warned that its networks could be pulled from Google’s YouTube TV streaming service this week, as the two sides are in the midst of a dispute over carriage fees. If the two companies don’t come to new terms by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 17, Disney’s channels including ABC, ESPN, Freeform and FX could be pulled from YouTube TV. [The story.]( —The critics have their say. Steven Spielberg's West Side Story and Kenneth Branagh's Belfast lead the film nominations for the 2022 Critics Choice Awards with 11 each, and Dune and The Power of the Dog follow in second place with 10 nods apiece. [The full list of nominees.]( THR Producer Roundtable ►"We are not meant to be isolated." Producers Denis Villeneuve (Dune), Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Rebecca Hall (Passing), Tim White (King Richard), Laura Berwick (Belfast) and Tanya Seghatchian (The Power of the Dog) speak to THR's [Tatiana Siegel]( about gun safety on sets after the Rust tragedy, the impact of the pandemic, the continued importance of the theatrical experience and whether cinemas emerge stronger in a post-COVID future or cede more territory to the streamers. [The roundtable.]( —Cancer diagnosis. South Korean actress Park So Dam, one of the leads of Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar-winning film Parasite, has been diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. The 30-year-old actress’ agency said that she had been diagnosed with cancer following a regular health check and that she has undergone surgery and is now recovering. [The story.]( —Not a spinoff. The CW is developing a drama titled Gotham Knights from Batwoman writers Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux and Natalie Abrams. The project is not a Batwoman spinoff, however; it’s based on characters from DC Comics created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. Like the other DC series on the network, Gotham Knights will be produced by Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions. [The story.]( —New deal. New Regency, the production entity behind Little Women, Bohemian Rhapsody and The Revenant, has extended a film distribution deal with Disney. The long-term renewal deal will see Disney market and distribute the company's new theatrical releases across multiple platforms, with the first title to be an original film from David O. Russell, currently in postproduction. [The story.]( —Buzzy projects. The Black List has announced its 2021 list of best-unproduced screenplays. This year’s selection includes stories about prominent figures like Kanye West, director Michael Bay, Shania Twain, and “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli. [The full list.]( About Town ►Musk holds court. THR media and business writer [Alex Weprin]( writes: Time feted its Person of the Year at a reception in midtown Manhattan Monday night, with Elon Musk attending in person for an interview with Time CEO and EIC Edward Felsenthal. With his 16 month son X on his lap, Musk let loose a bit of media criticism. "We have a little bit of bias toward negative news... It’s more important to now that there’s a lion over there rather than a fruit tree… And if we step back and realize we have that bias, maybe we can correct for it," he said. Seated in the front row, Martha Stewart was curious when Tesla's Cybertruck would hit the streets. "Thanks for the CBD," Musk said to Stewart, before adding that it would be about a year. Also spotted or said to be attending: Full Frontal host Samanta Bee and husband Jason Jones, Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, CDC director Rochelle Walensky, CNBC's Jim Cramer, model (and Elon's mom) Maye Musk, Alicia Keys, CNN's Sam Feist, former ESPN content chief Connor Schell. THR Critics Pick the Best Films of 2021 ►Hamaguchi's banner year. THR film critics David Rooney, Lovia Gyarkye, Jon Frosch and Sheri Linden reveal their ten best features of 2021 which include a Japanese meditation on grief and art, a psychosexual Western chamber piece, a splashy movie-musical makeover from Steven Spielberg and striking directorial debuts from Maggie Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Hall. [The best films of the year.]( —Cinematic treasures. Strangers on a Train, Pink Flamingos, Cooley High, Return of the Jedi, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Selena are among the movies chosen this year for the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, it was announced Tuesday. [The full list.]( —"Both shows have lots of potential but need fine-tuning." THR TV critic [Angie Han]( reviews NBC comedies American Auto and Grand Crew. The network's new workplace comedy focuses on the executive suite of a struggling Detroit automobile company, while their latest hangout sitcom follows a tight-knit group of Black 30-somethings in L.A. [The reviews.]( —40 percent rebate. Saudi Arabia is throwing its considerable financial resources at attracting big-budget international productions to the country and boosting local filmmaking. The kingdom, which only opened its first cinema in 2018 after a 35-year ban, unveiled a healthy incentives package for features, documentaries and animation, including a highly competitive cash rebate equal to 40 percent of total qualifying spend. [The story.]( —Deal done. Fox Entertainment has acquired MarVista Entertainment, a leading independent producer of TV movies, in part to bolster original programming for its Tubi streaming service. MarVista has produced and distributed hundreds of TV movies, including a host of holiday films for the likes of Netflix, Lifetime and Hallmark. [The story.]( —End of an era. The Dr. Oz Show will end after 13 seasons on the air amid host Dr. Mehmet Oz running for a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania. The long-running syndicated health and wellness series will be replaced by a spinoff co-hosted by The Chew veteran and Oz’s daughter, Daphne Oz, titled The Good Dish. [The story.]( Brian Cox Talks 'Succession' S3 Finale ►"You have to plan for all eventualities." THR's [Katie Kilkenny]( speaks to Succession star Brian Cox about the jaw-dropping season three finale and explains how the show is able to remain unpredictable. The ​actor behind the series' central media mogul also discusses his Golden Globe nomination, whether his character really wants another child and why love is a "root of great pain" for Logan Roy. Warning spoilers. [The interview.]( —Streaming wars get heated in India. Netflix has slashed its subscription prices significantly in India, a vital market for growth among the major U.S. streaming services. The cheapest Netflix plan — the mobile-only option, which allows lower resolution consumption on tablets and smartphones — now costs just $1.96 (149 rupees) in India. That’s down 25 percent from the former price of 199 rupees, or $2.62. [The story.]( —Overall deal news. Reservation Dogs boss Sterlin Harjo has signed a multiple-year overall deal with the FX. Harjo will create and develop new projects for FX in addition to serving as showrunner on the second season of Reservation Dogs. Under the pact, Harjo is already developing an untitled limited series that he will direct and co-write with best-selling novelist Jonathan Lee. [The story.]( —"This was a pivotal moment in my life." Starz is teaming with exec producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson to develop a potential second season of the upcoming anthology, A Moment in Time. The project, called Murder Was the Case, centers on Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus, who in 1993 was charged with first-degree murder for the shooting of Philip Woldemariam. [The story.]( —Serving up some more. Apple TV+ has renewed the psychological thriller Servant, which counts M. Night Shyamalan among its executive producers, for a fourth season. The pickup comes a month and change ahead of Servant‘s third season premiere, which is scheduled for Jan. 21. [The story.]( In other news... —Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore [trailer returns to Hogwarts]( —Star Trek: Discovery writer [Kalinda Vazquez inks Netflix overall deal]( —[BritBox to launch in Scandinavia]( with C More —[BBC Studios buys full control]( of Brexit: The Uncivil War producer House —Diary of a Future President [canceled at Disney+]( —Aaron Baiers replaces Heather Kadin as [head of Alex Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout]( —[Verve launches audio division]( with former Serial business manager as agent —MGM Resorts sells [Las Vegas’ Mirage Hotel for $1b]( —5 questions with [Netflix’s head of Asian original documentaries]( —[Where to celebrate the holidays]( out and about in Los Angeles What else we're reading... —Why is Vox Media buying Group Nine? [[Vox]( —The Year Jamie Dornan Leveled Up [[The Ringer]( —Josh Duggar’s Shame and Ours: Why Did America Fall In Love With A Family Of Extremists? [[New York Magazine]( —Cable News Talent Wars Are Shifting to Streaming Platforms [[Axios]( —Here’s How Instagram Fails to Protect People At Risk For Eating Disorders From Pro-Anorexia Messaging [[BuzzFeed]( Today... ...in 1984, Universal and Dino De Laurentiis unveiled a divisive $40 million 140-minute epic based on Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic, Dune, to mixed results in theaters. David Lynch's film starred Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides, Francesca Annis as Lady Jessica and the scantily clad Sting as Feyd-Rautha with music from Toto and Brian Eno. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Vanessa Hudgens (33), Natascha McElhone (52), Miranda Hart (49), Tori Kelly (29), Jackson Rathbone (37), KaDee Strickland (46), Ted Raimi (56), Celia Weston (70), Jane Birkin (75), Vicki Michelle (71), [Dino Stamatopoulos]( (57), Héctor Jiménez (48) This email was sent to {EMAIL} by Penske Media Corporation. 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