'House of the Dragon': Inside the Battle to Replace 'Game of Thrones'; Casey Bloys Signs New 5-Year Deal; 'Desus & Mero' Done at Showtime; HBO Max's 'Rap Sh!t' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( July 19, 2022 What's news: It's (an early) magazine day! On the cover this week are the leads and creatives from HBO's hotly anticipated Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon. Casey Bloys inks a new 5 year contract HBO/HBO Max. UTA has secured major private equity funding. FX has renewed Breeders. Desus & Mero will not be returning after the hosts fell out — [Abid Rahman]( 'House of the Dragon': Inside the Battle to Replace 'Game of Thrones' ►On the cover. In July 2016, HBO announced that Game of Thrones, its crown jewel, would end with an eighth and final season. Network execs then immediately pivoted to plan out how it would follow the most Emmy-winning drama of all time with more stories from Westeros. Except HBO had never made a single spinoff series in its then four-decade history — let alone a sprawling creative universe. The first follow-up to what was arguably the biggest television hit of the 21st century is House of the Dragon. Premiering on Aug. 21, the Thrones prequel series is based on George R.R. Martin’s 700-page book Fire & Blood, which chronicles the history of House Targaryen and its dragon-riding royal family. In an epic two-part feature, THR's [James Hibberd]( chronicles the behind-the-scenes moves of HBO’s years-long campaign to franchise its biggest hit of all time, featuring warring pitches, an abandoned pilot and the Martin superfan who earned the keys to the kingdom. [The cover story.]( Casey Bloys Signs New 5-Year Deal at HBO/HBO Max ►The Bloys of summer. Flush with the success of all those Emmy noms, Casey Bloys' July keeps getting better with the chief content officer for HBO and HBO Max renewing his deal with Warner Bros. Discovery for five more years. Significantly, Bloys reupping his contract stands in contrast to a slew of WarnerMedia execs who departed ahead of or after the WBD merger being completed. Bloys became HBO programming chief in May 2016 and in August 2020 took over original content duties for HBO Max. [The story.]( —As you were. THR's [Rick Porter]( reflects on the news of Casey Bloys reupping at HBO/HBO Max, writing that the deal is a both vote of confidence in Bloys and signals that cost conscious WBD chief David Zaslav isn't going to mess with what’s working. A five-year deal also assures the creative community that not too much will change at the new company. [The analysis.]( —Turbocharging growth. A fund operated by the private equity firm EQT Partners has made a strategic investment in talent agency UTA, in a deal the agency says "will help fuel the next phase of investments in talent, innovation and international expansion." EQT will become the largest outside shareholder in UTA in the acquisition. [The story.]( —Put it in the diary. The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics kicked off a six-year countdown on Monday with the announcement of the dates for the Games’ return to the city. The opening ceremony will be July 14. Competition will run through July 30. The Paralympic Games will be Aug. 15-27. [The story.]( —Taking action. The Directors Guild of America is ramping up their union health plan’s coverage of abortion services in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe. The latest amendments to the DGA–Producer Pension and Health Plans cover participants' dependent children and travel costs for abortion services. [The story.]( —Birthing a fourth. FX has renewed Brit comedy Breeders for a fourth season. The comedy starring Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard earned a renewal a day after its third season concluded. The show is also about to add more international viewers as it becomes available on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ under the Star banner elsewhere in the world. It streams on Hulu in the U.S. and airs on Sky One in the U.K. [The story.]( 'Desus & Mero' Done at Showtime as Pair Splits ►😭😭😭 The brand is no longer strong. Late-night show Desus & Mero is no more at Showtime. The news comes amid reports of a falling out between the two hosts Desus Nice and The Kid Mero. Showtime confirmed the show will not be returning for a fifth season and that the final episode aired June 23, adding that the pair "will be pursuing separate creative endeavors moving forward." [The story.]( —"It's remarkable that I'm able to speak." Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke has opened up about the impact on her brain, life and acting career from enduring two life-threatening aneurysms. In an interview with the BBC, Clarke said the aneurysms eliminated portions of her brain as revealed by a scan and that her lead role on GOT was helpful in giving her purpose as she recovered. [The story.]( —Unsealed. A Los Angeles judge privately told lawyers he would renege on a promise and imprison Roman Polanski for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl in 1977, a former prosecutor testified, setting the stage for the director to flee the U.S. as a fugitive. A previously sealed transcript of testimony by retired Deputy District Attorney Roger Gunson supports Polanski's claim that he fled on the eve of sentencing in 1978 because he didn't think he was getting a fair deal. [The story.]( —"What these children experienced is unacceptable." Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, has responded to a viral video that appears to depict an incident of racial bias that occurred at Sesame Place Philadelphia over the weekend. A video posted by digital strategist Leslie Mac shows a costumed character appearing to snub two Black children at the theme park. [The story.]( —"The District of Columbia is declining to prosecute the case." Nine staffers who work for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, including comedian Robert Smigel and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, won’t be prosecuted for a June incident at the U.S. Capitol that resulted in charges of unlawful entry. The group was arrested on June 16 while filming a skit. [The story.]( 'Saul' Star Rhea Seehorn On Game-Changing Episode and Emmy Noms ►"She's imploding, and she’s absolutely desperate." THR's [Brian Davids]( spoke to Rhea Seehorn about the pivotal Better Call Saul season six episode "Fun and Games." Seehorn elaborates on Kim Wexler’s game-changing decisions and also reacted to her paid of Emmy nominations. Warning spoilers. [The interview.]( —Stellar addition. Lionsgate has cast Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom, dean of the Academy, in the upcoming prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Dinklage will star in the film opposite Tom Blyth, who will play the young Coriolanus Snow, and Rachel Zegler, as tribute Lucy Gray Baird. [The story.]( —Release the McCracken. New versions of beloved Cartoon Network shows The Powerpuff Girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends are in development, with creator Craig McCracken on board guiding both of them. Reboots are in the works at Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. [The story.]( —New shingle just dropped. Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy has launched a production banner. Levy is partnering with long-time publicist Megan Zehmer to create Not A Real Production Company. Levy begins a new overall television deal with Netflix, where he also has a first-look pact on the features side. Zehmer will serve as president of film and television. [The story.]( —All change. Amazon will launch a major redesign of Prime Video this week that includes a clearer emphasis on Amazon Originals, live programming and the streamer’s most-watched titles on the home page. The redesign, which Amazon said was in the works for 18 months, will roll out later this week on connected living room devices and Android devices worldwide, with web and iOS to follow at a later date. [The story.]( TV Review: 'Rap Sh!t' ►"Fire up the group chats." THR critic [Lovia Gyarkye]( reviews HBO Max’s Rap Sh!t. Insecure creator Issa Rae returns with a new series about two estranged friends who start a rap group in Miami. [The review.]( —"A delightful expansion of the rom-com genre." Lovia reviews Billy Porter’s Anything’s Possible. The Pose star’s feature directorial debut for Amazon is a tender trans teen romance and love letter to Pittsburgh. [The review.]( —"Bland and bloated." THR's chief TV critic [Dan Fienberg]( reviews Randy Wilkins' The Captain. The seven-hour ESPN documentary focuses on Derek Jeter and the Yankees '90s and '00s baseball dynasty, featuring Spike Lee among its executive producers. [The review.]( In other news... —Steve Martin’s Only Murders in the Building song [“Angel in Flip-Flops” gets a colorfully trippy music video]( —Madam Secretary star [Erich Bergen joins Broadway’s Chicago as Billy Flynn]( —Steve Nash’s CTRL Media to [co-produce reality series about East Asia Super League’s inaugural basketball season]( —Daniel Batista [hired as chief digital officer of Exile Content Studio]( —Inventing Anna actor [James Cusati-Moyer signs with IMG Models]( —Pixar’s [Pete Docter to become an honorary member of the Visual Effects Society]( —Hong Kong Film Awards: [Benny Chan wins posthumous best director prize]( —The Locarno Film Festival [returns to pre-pandemic glory for its diamond anniversary]( What else we're reading... —Another banger from Tatiana Siegel, she reports that fake accounts and bots underpinned the whole #ReleaseTheSnyderCut frenzy [[RS]( —Nicole Sperling on Netflix betting big on The Gray Man [[NYT]( —Stuart Heritage on the frankly insane story of Terrence Howard supposedly developing new hydrogen technology for Uganda [[Guardian]( —Benjamin Katz and Alison Sider explain why air travel is broken [[WSJ]( —Confused why Twitter accounts for established brands are getting horny? Nathan Allebach reflects on this troubling trend [[Vulture]( Today... ...in 2007, AMC introduced Don Draper and Mad Men to America. Created by Matthew Weiner, the series lasted for seven seasons and collected 16 Emmys and made star Jon Hamm a household name. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Benedict Cumberbatch (46), Anthony Edwards (60), [Abel Ferrara]( (71), Saïd Taghmaoui (49), Nancy Carell (56), Campbell Scott (61), Jared Padalecki (40), Vinessa Shaw (46), Erin Cummings (45), Chris Sullivan (42), Cherami Leigh (34), Angela Trimbur (41), Steven Anthony Lawrence (32), George Dzundza (77), Josh Fadem (42), Kiyoshi Kurosawa (67), Atom Egoyan (62), Ramin Djawadi (48), Matthew Libatique (54) Mickey Rooney Jr., an original Mouseketeer, musician and actor who was the first of screen legend Mickey Rooney's nine children, has died. He was 77. [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. All rights reserved. 11175 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90025 [View in Browser]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Your Privacy Rights]( | [Ad Choices]( | [Terms of Use]( | [Unsubscribe](