THR at Cannes; Most Powerful People in New York Media; Why the Big Four Broadcasters Are Canceling Fewer Shows; 'Avatar 2' Renews Push for 3D

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( May 17, 2022 What's news: THR kicks off its Cannes coverage. Fox renews 911 and The Resident. Elon Musk raises questions about his Twitter bid. Amber Heard says her Aquaman 2 role was scaled back due to defamation trial. Edie Falco will star in Peacock's Pete Davidson comedy Bupkis. Reba McEntire cast in ABC's Big Sky — [Abid Rahman]( Has the Magic Returned to Cannes? ►Bonjour! THR's crack team is in Cannes for the milestone 75th edition of the famed film festival. As things kick off, or le coup d’envoi as they say in those parts, [Rebecca Keegan]( surveys the mood as buyers and sellers, critics and cinephiles alike hope that 2022 is the year that the Croisette bounces back as a place for art, business and a desperately needed sense of community. [The story.]( —"It’s a return to the stories that he told and the imagery that was present early in his career." THR's [Alex Ritman]( spoke to Viggo Mortensen about his new film, the Cannes competition entry Crimes of the Future. The actor talks about his fourth collaboration with David Cronenberg, and why the Canadian director does not get "his due" at the festival and why Crash was so much better than Titane. [The interview.]( —Don't come knocking. Veteran German director Wim Wenders has signed on to direct a feature about public toilets in Tokyo, Japan. Yes, you read that right, toilets. The fictional film will star Japanese leading man Koji Yakusho and will be set in a public restroom that's part of a real-life urban renewal project. [The story.]( —Pine in the chair. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Ariana DeBose have joined the cast of Poolman, an L.A.-set drama, which will mark the directorial debut of Chris Pine, who co-wrote the film with Ian Gotler. Pine will also star in the film, which is described as a tribute to Los Angeles with nods to iconic movies set in L.A., from Chinatown to La La Land. Annette Benning and Danny DeVito also star. [The story.]( —Queen of Cannes. Léa Seydoux has yet another project announced at Cannes, the French is set to lead upcoming time-skipping sci-fi romance The Beast alongside 1917’s George MacKay. The time-skipping drama from Bertrand Bonello is being launched in the Cannes Marche by Kinology. [The story.]( —Poignant drama. Cannes favorite Tim Roth is teaming with Succession star Hiam Abbass for Come Together, about a white terrorist with amnesia whose life is saved by a Syrian refugee, from South African writer/director Oliver Schmitz. Celsius Entertainment has landed world sales rights. [The story.]( More from Cannes... —Read THR's [Cannes Film Festival day 1 daily]( —Why the race to the [Oscars begins at the Palais]( —The Fifth Element: [How Luc Besson’s space opera conquered Cannes 25 years ago]( —Sony Pictures Classics takes Davy Chou’s [All the People I’ll Never Be]( —War epic 10,000 Nights in the Jungle [sells to Dark Star for U.S.]( —Cannes hidden gem: [Speculative sci-fi gets the social realist treatment in Plan 75]( —Cannes flashback: [David Bowie made his Croisette debut in 1978 with Just a Gigolo]( The 35 Most Powerful People in New York Media 2022 ►Big hitters. THR's annual rundown of the biggest newsmakers-in-news returns for its tenth iteration, as the execs and talent driving ratings, dealmaking and polarizing agendas reveal their dream bookings (paging all autocrats!), advice for Mayor Eric Adams and the business attire they’ve permanently shed thanks to the pandemic. [The list.]( —Deal in jeopardy? Elon Musk’s $44 billion bid for Twitter “cannot move forward” without “proof” for a fake accounts estimate previously disclosed by the social media giant, the Tesla and SpaceX boss tweeted on Tuesday. Musk emphasized that his offer for the social giant “was based on Twitter’s SEC filings being accurate.” [The story.]( —"They basically took a bunch out of my role." Amber Heard says her Aquaman 2 role was reduced in wake of her ongoing legal war with ex-husband Johnny Depp and their mutual abuse allegations. The actress testified at her defamation trial Monday that she “fought really hard to stay in the movie” but that “they didn’t want to include me in the film” and only shot a “very pared down version” of her part as Mera. [The story.]( —"It was very difficult." At a FYC screening, the team behind The Wonder Years remained tight-lipped regarding the recent firing of series executive producer and director Fred Savage, but showrunner Saladin K. Patterson spoke with THR about how the cast and producers have been feeling since Savage was let go. [The story.]( —Scott's first read of the race. After a well-earned rest following one of the most grueling awards season ever, THR's awards expert [Scott Feinberg]( is back with his first forecast on the 17 categories for the Emmys. [The Feinberg Forecast.]( Why the Big Four Broadcasters Are Canceling Fewer Shows ►The devil they know. Last week’s cancellation of Magnum P.I. at CBS was a shock as the show was still ranked in the top 25 entertainment programs in total viewers. THR's [Rick Porter]( writes that another reason why the Magnum P.I. cancellation stuck out was that broadcasters have sharply curtailed the number of cancellations and series endings in the past two years and the data suggests the networks are more likely to stay with shows than they have been in the past decade. [The analysis.]( —Upfront dispatches. The upfront presentations have indeed returned to Manhattan, three solid years after media companies last held their marathon dog-and-pony show in person for the advertising community. Kicking things off was NBCUniversal, and THR's [Mikey O'Connell]( was there to witness a presentation that was big on star power, reboots, snark and streaming talk. [The recap.]( —Better late than never. Fox has renewed its drama series 911 and The Resident for the 2022-23 season. The pickups came as Fox was making its 2022-23 pitch to advertisers Monday afternoon — and hours after the network announced a slate for the coming season that did not include the two dramas. [The story.]( —Return to comedy. Emmy-winning Nurse Jackie alum Edie Falco has been tapped to star opposite Pete Davidson in the Peacock series Bupkis. The half-hour, live-action comedy was picked up straight to series following a bidding war in April and is described as a heightened, fictionalized version of Davidson’s real life. [The story.]( —Sky's the limit. Country legend Reba McEntire is joining the cast of ABC drama series Big Sky. The casting marks the singer and actress’ return to the network, for whom she starred in the short-lived sitcom Malibu Country. McEntire is also well-known for her for former WB Network/CW comedy Reba, which ran for more than 125 episodes during its six-season run. [The story.]( —"Yasmin can change the Whoniverse!" Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney has joined BBC’s Doctor Who to play the character of Rose. Finney, who is also a transgender actress, boards the popular series after Sex Education's Ncuti Gatwa was named as the new Doctor. [The story.]( 'Avatar 2' Renews Push for 3D Format in Movie Theaters ►"Warming up 3D has to be done thoughtfully and carefully." No film exemplified the promise of 3D more than 2009’s Avatar, which, with $2.8 billion in global ticket sales, remains the top-grossing film of all time. THR's [Carolyn Giardina]( and [Pamela McClintock]( write that Disney and 20th Century (and their rivals) hope that James Cameron's long-awaited sequel Avatar: The Way of Water revives the format as a key differentiator. [The story.]( —Whop bop b-luma b-lop bam bom! CNN Films and HBO Max have commissioned a documentary feature on the late rock icon Little Richard. Little Richard: I Am Everything is set to be directed by Lisa Cortés and produced by Mudbound filmmaker Dee Rees. The doc will premiere on CNN, with streaming rights held by HBO Max. [The story.]( —Earth, wind and fire (and water). Disney/Pixar have set a summer 2023 release date for Elemental. The animated feature based on director Peter Sohn’s childhood in New York will hit theaters June 16, 2023. Produced by Denise Ream, Elemental journeys alongside an unlikely pair, Ember and Wade, in a city where fire, water, land and air residents live together. [The story.]( —Back for more. THR's [Borys Kit]( has the scoop on Mike Tyson is trying his hand at acting again, joining Sean Penn and Tye Sheridan in Black Flies, a dramatic thriller being directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire. An adaptation of the novel by Shannon Burke, the story is set in the high-wire world of New York City paramedics and takes a look at the toll the job inflicts on their lives. [The story.]( —Young Snow. Tom Blyth, who stars in Epix’s Western series Billy the Kid, is the first actor to officially sign up for Lionsgate’s prequel to The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Blyth will play the young Snow, who was portrayed by Donald Sutherland in the original movies. [The story.]( —Change of strategy. Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives, about the 2018 rescue of the Thai soccer team trapped in a cave, is set for a streaming push. The film was intended to open nationwide in theaters on Nov. 18, but now will instead have a limited theatrical release before debuting on Amazon Prime Video as part of the streamer's summer event movie strategy. The film stars Colin Farrell and Viggo Mortensen. [The story.]( How Japanese Anime Became the World's Most Bankable Genre ►"A borderless form of mass entertainment." Japanese anime was once considered a niche genre just for hard-core fans, but streaming has helped turn it into a globally popular juggernaut. THR's Patrick Brzeski writes that now the Japanese animation industry is scrambling to meet an almost insatiable demand. [The analysis.]( In other news... —The Boys drops [season 3 official trailer: "There’s something wrong with Homelander"]( —For All Mankind [season 3 trailer attacks Mars]( —Top Chef leads [Critics Choice Real TV Awards nominations]( —Blumhouse names Universal exec [Abhijay Prakash as president]( —Mac Miller drug supplier gets [17 years in prison for selling fatal pills]( —American Cinematheque adds Warner Bros. Discovery CEO [David Zaslav as new board member]( —L.A. dealer David Kordansky realizes a years-old dream: Opening in New York —Marketing agency [Cashmere promotes five senior executives]( What else we're reading... —Critic Lorraine Ali writes that Tucker Carlson has hit a dangerous new low in his response to the Buffalo shooting [[LAT]( —Kyle Buchanan has a great interview with filmmaker Alex Garland, who despite making some absolute gems isn't all that fond of directing [[NYT]( —Gerry Smith on how baseball’s streaming push is leaving fans scrambling to find games [[Bloomberg]( —Ammar Kalia's wide-ranging interview with John Legend which covers the fight to preserve abortion rights and his relationship with Kanye [[Guardian]( —Charlotte Klein profiles Mark Meadows' protege Farah Griffin who scored a CNN gig and is auditioning to fill Meghan McCain’s old seat on The View [[VF]( Today... ...in 1991, Buena Vista took the Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss gonzo comedy What About Bob? to theaters nationwide. Directed by Frank Oz, the film was a critical hit and moderate box office success despite production difficulties stemming from a feud between the two leads. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Lena Waithe (38), Hannah Dodd (27), Hill Harper (56), [Trent Reznor]( (57), Kat Foster (44), Paige Turco (57), Craig Ferguson (60), Sasha Alexander (49), Karrueche Tran (34), Tahj Mowry (36), Sendhil Ramamurthy (48), Erin Richards (36), Leven Rambin (32), Nikki Reed (34), Sophie McShera (37), Lyne Renée (43), Ross Butler (32), Corey Johnson (61), Peter Gerety (82), Derek Hough (37), Alik Sakharov (63), Kandi Burruss (46) Maggie Peterson, the singer and actress known for her recurring role on The Andy Griffith Show as Charlene Darling, the only daughter of a bluegrass-loving mountain family, has died. She was 81. [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. 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