HBO Max Sub Numbers Exceed Forecasts; Vanessa Kirby Replaces Jodie Comer In Ridley Scott’s 'Kitbag'; THR's Actor Roundtable

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( January 05, 2022 What's news: It's the first magazine day of 2022! And it's a doozy, with living legend Nicolas Cage plus Andrew Garfield, Peter Dinklage, Simon Rex and Jonathan Majors all gracing the cover. NBCUniversal is launching a new ad tech product. HBO and HBO Max's global sub numbers hit 73.8m. Seth Meyers tested positive for COVID-19. Plus: Gal Gadot admits that infamous cringe "Imagine" video was a bad idea — [Abid Rahman]( THR's Actor Roundtable ►On the cover. THR's [Rebecca Keegan]( sat down with Nicolas Cage (Pig), Peter Dinklage (Cyrano), Andrew Garfield (Tick, Tick … Boom! and The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Jonathan Majors (The Harder They Fall) and Simon Rex (Red Rocket) for our annual Actor Roundtable. The lively discussion includes thoughts on masculinity, dangers on set (including one homicidal horse) and how they these stars themselves. [The cover story.]( —After a global roasting. Gal Gadot has accepted that her infamous star-studded rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine" at the start of the pandemic was not received as she had imagined. Gadot said that although her intentions were "pure," singing the song was "premature" and in "poor taste." [The story.]( —Kilar vindicated? HBO Max and HBO ended 2021 with about 73.8 million global subscribers, exceeding forecasts. WarnerMedia beat its year-end 2021 sub targets due to the “strong” fourth-quarter content slate at HBO Max, that included the films Dune, The Suicide Squad and The Matrix Resurrections, and the series And Just Like That and Succession. [The story.]( —If a tree falls in the forest. The 79th Golden Globe Awards will go ahead on Sunday, but there will be no red carpet, celebrities, non-HFPA members of the press or audience members in attendance at the 90-minute gathering set for the Beverly Hilton. As well as announcing winners, the event will highlight the philanthropic efforts of the embattled HFPA. [The story.]( —Opportunity. NBCUniversal is hoping to seize what it sees as whitespace in the streaming and advanced TV advertising market, launching a first-party identity platform called NBCUnified meant to allow advertisers to track and monitor consumer relationships without the need for cookies or device IDs. [The story.]( Hollywood Braces for Volatile 2022 Box Office ►"It's a leaner, meaner business." The rapid rise in COVID cases due to the Omicron variant is imperiling the fragile box office recovery, and adult skewing movies, in particular, are feeling the brunt of understandable consumer caution. THR's [Pamela McClintock]( looks at how Hollywood studios are adjusting their expectations and recalibrating their release strategies. [The story.]( —Kevin and Tom's deal emporium. Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs’ media company has acquired a minority stake in Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Inc. The Westbrook sale marks the fourth high-profile deal for Candle Media, Mayer and Staggs’ previously unnamed media venture backed by Blackstone. [The story.]( —Smiths Inc. Bloomberg Media Group CEO Justin Smith will step down from the business news giant to launch his own media company. NYT media columnist Ben Smith set to join him as EIC. Scott Havens will succeed Justin Smith as Bloomberg CEO. [The story.]( —It's over. CAA and Worldview Entertainment are walking away from a three-year legal battle. No money will change hands and neither party is admitting liability stemming from a 2018 lawsuit in connection with the embattled financier's investments in projects like The Green Inferno, Wish I Was Here and Rules Don’t Apply. [The story.]( —Trading card trade. Former Walt Disney Co. CEO Michael Eisner is selling Topps, the trading card and collectibles company that he bought in 2007 through his Tornante Company. Topps is selling its trading card business to Fanatics, the sports merchandise and memorabilia giant, in a deal valued at $500 million. [The story.]( Vanessa Kirby Replaces Jodie Comer In Ridley Scott's Napoleon Drama 'Kitbag' ►The old switcheroo. Jodie Comer has dropped out of Kitbag, Ridley Scott's epic drama centered on the French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte, which is set up at Apple. Comer's exit was precipitated by scheduling issues created by the pandemic. Fellow Brit actress Vanessa Kirby is taking over the plumb role of Josephine and will now star opposite Joaquin Phoenix’s Bonaparte. [The story.]( —"Have you ever seen the scenes in Gringotts Bank?" Jon Stewart has accused author J.K. Rowling of dealing in anti-Semitic tropes in her Harry Potter franchise. The former Daily Show host called out the fantasy franchise’s goblin banker characters as resembling Jewish caricatures. [The story.]( —"This is probably the toughest thing because I don’t live in my past." NFL legend Joe Montana is the subject of Peacock's new six-part docuseries Cool Under Pressure, and he tells THR's [Ryan Parker]( that revisiting his life and celebrated career for the project proved quite difficult for him. [The interview.]( —In the mix. Composers Nicholas Britell and Jonny Greenwood and songwriter Diane Warren are among the multiple nominees for the third annual Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards, to be held at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 1. [The nominations.]( —"Thanks vaccines and booster!" Seth Meyers on Tuesday announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was canceling his Late Night shows for the upcoming week. In a message posted to Twitter, the host said he was feeling fine and would have a show update next Monday. [The story.]( 'This Is Us' Boss On Final Season Telling a Complete Story ►"I think we’re going to very directly tell people what happened." This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman talks to THR's [Jackie Strause]( about the premiere and how answers to all of the questions posed over six seasons of the emotional family drama will result in a "beautiful and quiet" but also optimistic ending. [The interview.]( —"My heart was genuine." Jackie also found the time to speak to lantern jawed former NFL athlete Clayton Echard on why he was picked as the leading man for latest season of The Bachelor and his experiences and what he learned from appearing on The Bachelorette. [The interview.]( —Swinging in. Tom Holland appeared at Sony’s CES press conference to help film-studio chair Tom Rothman preview Uncharted, which stars Holland as video game adventurer Nathan Drake. During his appearance, the actor introduced a new death-defying clip from the movie. [The story.]( In other news... —[Feinberg Forecast:]( First Oscar projections of 2022 —Asking $295 million, [Bel Air’s "The One" mega-mansion is finally slated for auction]( —[Justin Long, Augustus Prew, Andrea Bang join Dear David]( movie produced by BuzzFeed, Lionsgate —Capri, Hollywood Film Fest: [Power of the Dog named best picture]( —UTA’s Independent Film Group [hires agents Jake Carter and Travis Tammero]( —Jan. 6 panel [seeks interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity]( —Where podcast producers [may turn for deals in 2022]( —Cinemark adds [new CEO to board of directors]( —[Consumer tech sales to hit $505b in 2022]( CES owner forecasts —[Jay Wolpert]( Price Is Right producer turned Pirates of the Caribbean screenwriter, dies at 79 What else we're reading... —Bring On the Six-Hour-Long Movies – It’s Grandeur And Scale We Want Now [[The Guardian]( —Matt Damon’s Viral Crypto Ad Is an Embarrassing Cash Grab [[Daily Beast]( —The Subversive Playfulness of the The Matrix [[The Ringer]( —Queer Eye Forgot to Check The Yelp Reviews On This Honky-tonk Woman [[Gawker]( —They Screamed, We Screamed. Now They’re in Scream Again [[New York Times]( Today... Today's birthdays: Diane Keaton (76), Robert Duvall (91), [Hayao Miyazaki]( (81), Bradley Cooper (47), Clancy Brown (63), January Jones (44), Deepika Padukone (36), Suki Waterhouse (30), Shea Whigham (53), Vinnie Jones (57), Maxim Baldry (26), Olunike Adeliyi (45), Wen Jiang (59), Roger Spottiswoode (77) Joan Copeland, the actress and sister of legendary playwright Arthur Miller whose six-decade Broadway career included performances in Detective Story and Pal Joey, has died. She was 99. [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 © 2022 The Hollywood Reporter, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. 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