First Feinberg Forecast of the Season; Hannah Gadsby Returns to Netflix; Dustin Lance Black Suffers "Serious Head Injury"; Hulu's 'Reasonable Doubt' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( September 27, 2022 What's news: Kevin Feige revealed why Marvel didn't recast T'Challa in Black Panther 2. Meryl Streep paid a gushing tribute to her "beacon" Robert De Niro. Netflix has acquired Sr., the buzzy doc about Robert Downey Sr. The L.A.-based Britannia Awards are no more. Hulu snapped up rights to Aussie drama Vanishing Act — [Abid Rahman]( Feinberg Forecast: Scott's First Read of the Oscars Race ►It begins. THR's executive editor of awards [Scott Feinberg]( is out with his first Feinberg Forecast of the awards season as the race to the 95th Academy Awards begins in earnest. Scott offers his initial assessment of 11 categories and though it's super early, things are looking good for Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans and the Daniels' Everything Everywhere All at Once. [The forecast.]( —"It just felt like it was much too soon." Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has opened up about not recasting the role of T’Challa in the Black Panther sequel Wakanda Forever after Chadwick Boseman’s death. In an interview with Empire, Feige insisted Boseman needed to be honored, not replaced, in Ryan Coogler’s follow-up film. [The story.]( —"This has been a challenging, frightening time." Dustin Lance Black suffered a "serious head injury" last month and the Oscar-winning screenwriter says "the road back will be long." Black revealed the news Monday on Instagram. He did not specify how he was the injury but did note that it put him out of commission hence why he "vanished for a while." [The story.]( —"He's been my beacon for 50 years." Meryl Streep credited Robert De Niro for inspiring her acting career. Streep honored her friend during a gala in Austin for the Harry Ransom Center that paid tribute to De Niro's career. "I don't see him very often. We don't chat. But I know he is, without question, always there for me and he always will be," Streep said. [The story.]( —The shuffle continues. Cheryl Dolins has been named senior vp comedy programming and development at Fox Entertainment, replacing Julia Franz in the role. Franz was at the end of her contract and opted to pursue new opportunities after three years in the role. Sources indicate her decision predates Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier's shock move to Roku. [The story.]( Hannah Gadsby Returns to Netflix With Multiple-Title Pact ►Back in business. Hannah Gadsby, the Tasmanian comic who broke out with the Netflix special Nanette, has returned to the streaming giant with a multiple-title deal. The pact includes Gadsby's third special for the company as well as a multiple-comic special that will showcase "gender-diverse comedians." The deal comes nearly a year after Gadsby blasted Netflix for its controversial Dave Chappelle special The Closer, which was criticized as transphobic. [The story.]( —Snapped up. Netflix has acquired Sr., a documentary feature about the maverick independent filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. THR's [Scott Feinberg]( reports that Netflix will give the doc, directed by Chris Smith and produced by Robert Downey Jr., a full-fledged Oscar push this season. [The story.]( —A Bridgerton too far. Staying with Netflix, the streamer is no longer pursuing a copyright lawsuit against the creators of The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical. Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow, the makers of the musical, and the streamer reached a deal to resolve the suit after the duo canceled a Sept. 20 performance of the musical at Royal Albert Hall in London, according to a court notice filed on Friday. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. [The story.]( Franzese "Conflicted" Over Fraser's 'Whale' Casting ►"Who knows more about being an obese queer man than an obese queer man?" Daniel Franzese says Brendan Fraser is a “lovely” actor but doesn’t understand why the upcoming film The Whale didn’t cast a gay actor with a larger body in the leading role. In a new interview, the Mean Girls star said he felt conflicted about Fraser’s casting in the Darren Aronofsky film that follows a obese gay man trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter. [The story.]( —"In this town, whatever you do first, that's what you do forever." THR's [Brian Davids]( spoke to composer-turned-director Michael Giacchino about his upcoming Marvel Studios TV special Werewolf by Night. Giacchino discusses bucking people's expectations of him as he moved into filmmaking and reveals he thought the special, which debuts on Disney+ Oct. 7 and stars Gael García Bernal, would be rated TV-MA and not TV-14. [The interview.]( —"Almost too incredible to believe." Hulu has picked up U.S. rights to the Australian series Vanishing Act, a mystery crime drama based on the real-life disappearance of Aussie high-roller and Ponzi scheme mastermind Melissa Caddick. The three-part series, produced by Screentime Banijay for Nine Network Australia, stars Kate Atkinson as Caddick, alongside Colin Friels, Jerome Velinksy and Maya Stange. [The story.]( —The end is the beginning. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which has long honored filmmakers in Los Angeles at its Britannia Awards ceremony (last held in 2019), is ending that event and will henceforth present BAFTA Special Awards at bespoke events throughout the year. [The story.]( —ICYMI. Disney and the NFL are expanding their relationship with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, tapping the former quarterback’s production company to help “shape programming” for a completely reimagined Pro Bowl. ESPN and ABC will air the culminating event, which will be a flag football game, replacing the more traditional Pro Bowl tackle competition. [The story.]( Italy's Entertainment Industry Reacts to Far-Right Election Victory ►"Today is a sad day for my country." Italy, and all of Europe, awoke Monday to a new political reality after far-right politician Giorgia Meloni claimed victory in Italy’s snap elections. THR's [Scott Roxborough]( writes that a handful of prominent media figures, including the rock band Maneskin, have publicly decried the results of Sunday's vote. [The reaction.]( —Scelta eccellente. In more cheery news from Italy, the country has picked Nostalgia, a Naples-set drama from director Mario Martone, as its best international feature Oscars submission. The film, a modern-day adaptation of the Ermanno Rea novel, premiered to critical acclaim in Cannes this year. [The story.]( —"Hear their blood drumming in your ears, pounding through your heart, bursting through your chest!" Welsh national treasure Michael Sheen has gone viral on social media for the second time in as many weeks for his rousing pre-tournament pep talks for the Wales men’s national soccer team as they enter final preparations for the 2022 World Cup. After riffing a speech on a quiz show a few weeks ago, Sheen was invited to address the team directly and boy did he get the heart pumping. Come on Wales! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 [The story.]( —"He doesn’t realize the truth." The Polish city of Kraków cancelled gigs by Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters because of his sympathetic stance toward Russia in its war against Ukraine, a local councilman said Monday. A Kraków official invited the singer to visit Ukraine with him to see the extent of Russian crimes. [The story.]( —Don't **** with the Peaky dancers. The hit BBC series Peaky Blinders has been adapted into a contemporary dance stage show. The show, Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, had its world premiere at the Birmingham Hippodrome on Tuesday before touring around the U.K. and has the blessing of series creator Steven Knight. [The story.]( TV Review: 'Reasonable Doubt' ►"Solid, sudsy fun." THR TV critic [Angie Han]( reviews Hulu's Reasonable Doubt. Emayatzy Corinealdi plays an elite Los Angeles defense attorney juggling family struggles, romantic possibilities and the highest-profile murder case of her career. [The review.]( In other news... —HBO’s Last of Us [series releases bleak first teaser]( —American French Film Festival [embraces diversity, cultural exchange in first year since rebranding]( What else we're reading... —Scott Mendelson writes that Avatar's box office returns last weekend proved that audiences still care about the franchise [[Forbes]( —Critic Roxana Hadadi writes that Confess, Fletch is the first project to get Jon Hamm’s appeal since Mad Men [[Vulture]( —Rachel Pronger lauds Tilda Swinton's 1992 film Orlando, which she describes as "the most subversive history film ever made" [[BBC]( —This Sean Williams story about stone skipper Kurt Steiner is truly wonderful writing and someone in Hollywood should option it asap — you can thank me later! [[Outside]( —Eve Peyser reports on the grim news of the Saudi Arabian government paying social media influencers to vacation in the country [[Air Mail]( Today... ...in 1968, ABC launched the half-hour comedy show The Don Rickles Show. The variety show, starring popular comedian Don Rickles, proved to be short-lived, lasting 17 episodes. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Gwyneth Paltrow (50), Marc Maron (59), Tamara Taylor (52), Jenna Ortega (20), Avril Lavigne (38), Indira Varma (49), [Carrie Brownstein]( (48), Anna Camp (40), Thomas Mann (31), Sofia Milos (53), Amanda Detmer (51), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (72), Sam Lerner (30), Liz Torres (75), Phil Tippett (71), Shaun Cassidy (64), Patrick Muldoon (54), Scott Lawrence (59), Tod Williams (54), Andy Lau (61), Maria Schrader (57), Irvine Welsh (64) 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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