'Rings of Power' Showrunners on Backlash, Sauron and S2; Comedy Central Finds Itself In Crisis Mode; Constance Wu on Her New Book; 'Hellraiser' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( October 05, 2022 What's news: It's magazine day! This week's cover stars are Rings of Power showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne. Angelina Jolie has alleged Brad Pitt physically assaulted her and some of their children in a 2016 altercation. Elon Musk will, finally, buy Twitter. Chuck Lorre has set a new comedy at HBO Max. Jonás Cuarón will direct Sony's El Muerto. — [Abid Rahman]( 'Rings of Power' Showrunners on Backlash, Sauron and S2 ►On the cover. Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, two first-time showrunners who were handed the keys to TV’s biggest series in Amazon's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, give THR's [James Hibberd]( a behind-the-scenes tour as they navigate challenges even scarier than Mordor — from "patently evil" and often racist online trolling to massive industry expectations. [The cover story.]( —More tossed salad and scrambled eggs on its way. Paramount+ has given a series order to the long-developing revival of Frasier, with Kelsey Grammer once again playing the title role. The series pickup comes some 19 months after the streamer announced it was developing a follow-up to the 1993-2004 NBC series. [The story.]( —🤝 The saga is almost over 🤝 Elon Musk will go through with his $44b acquisition of Twitter. According to an SEC filing, Musk’s team sent a letter to Twitter Monday saying that the Tesla CEO intends to complete the deal and also asks for a stay of action in Twitter’s legal proceedings against him and for an adjournment of the trial. Twitter responded Tuesday saying it also intends to proceed with the sale. [The story.]( —Looking good. If tracking is correct, Black Adam should bestow Dwayne Johnson with the biggest box office opening of his career, outside the main Fast & Furious franchise. The DC superhero pic is pacing to debut anywhere between $70m to $75m in its domestic debut over the Oct. 21-23 weekend — if not higher. [The box office report.]( —First for kids. THR's [Pamela McClintock]( has the scoop on Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Harden’s Hello Sunshine and Build-A-Bear Entertainment partnering to develop a reimagination of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The movie — which marks the first feature from Hello Sunshine’s kids and animation division — will be a modern take on the classic tale that leans into the title character as a powerful female protagonist. [The story.]( Jolie Alleges Pitt Physically Abused Her, Children In 2016 ►Allegedly "physically and emotionally" abusive. Angelina Jolie has sued ex-husband Brad Pitt, detailing in public court filings for the first time abuse by him of her and their children that she says led to their divorce. In a legal dispute over a winery they once owned together, Jolie details in a countersuit filed Tuesday an altercation in 2016 on a private plane during which she says Pitt “choked one of the children” and “struck another in the face” while verbally assaulting them. "Pitt grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her, and then grabbed her shoulders and shook her again before pushing her into the bathroom wall," states the complaint. [The story.]( —"It's a balancing act of what's real and what's self-serving." THR's [Ashley Cullins]( writes that a change in the domestic violence law is impacting Hollywood divorces. According to divorce lawyers, a well-intended new family law standard meant to enhance protections for abuse survivors might be used as leverage in contentious, high-profile splits. [The analysis.]( —"My ultimate goal is to open up a firm that hires formerly incarcerated people." THR's [Lacey Rose]( spoke to Kim Kardashian about her new Spotify podcast, Kim Kardashian’s The System: The Case of Kevin Keith, and her lofty legal ambitions. The reality star also dishes about her controversial White House photos and her eponymous Hulu show. [The interview.]( Comedy Central Finds Itself In Crisis Mode ►"There’s more DNA of Comedy Central on HBO Max than on Paramount+." After Trevor Noah's shock departure from The Daily Show, THR's [Lacey Rose]( and [Lesley Goldberg]( write that the exit leaves Comedy Central in an unfunny place, lacking vision for the streaming era under leadership that partners claim is more interested in squeezing margins. [The analysis.]( —Solid bet. Comedy veteran Chuck Lorre — creator of CBS’ Two and a Half Men, Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon, among others — has set up How to be a Bookie at HBO Max. The single-camera comedy is set to star Sebastian Maniscalco and has been picked up with an eight-episode, straight-to-series order. Lorre and Nick Bakay will co-write the series and exec produce it alongside Maniscalco and Judi Marmel. [The story.]( —🤝 Long-term deal 🤝 Kevin Beggs, one of the longest-tenured studio executives, has signed a new deal to remain at the top of Lionsgate TV Group. Beggs has led the studio for two decades and will remain chair and chief content integration officer. [The story.]( —"We have all the scale to do what we need to do." NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell was interviewed on CNBC on Tuesday morning, and in a wide-ranging chat he addressed continued interest in the potential of industry consolidation, NBC weighing whether to cut the 10 p.m. hour and Peacock's subscriber numbers jumping to 15m. [The story.]( Constance Wu on Writing Personal Pain In New Book ►"I thought I'd closed that chapter of my life." THR's Seija Rankin spoke to Constance Wu ahead of the release of her much talked about essay collection Making a Scene. Wu discusses sharing personal memories, and Hollywood workplace traumas, in her book. [The interview.]( —Helmer in place. Jonás Cuarón is set to direct Sony Pictures' superhero movie El Muerto, which will star Grammy-winning artist Bad Bunny. Cuarón, the son of filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, made his directorial debut with the immigration thriller Desierto. Gareth Dunnet Alcocer (Blue Beetle) is writing the script for El Muerto, about a wrestler with superpowers passed down from generation to generation. [The story.]( —🎭 Casting news 🎭 Hitman, the upcoming action comedy from Richard Linklater starring Glen Powell and Adria Arjona, has started shooting in New Orleans and has bolstered its ensemble cast. Joining Austin Amelio, who was added earlier this week, are Retta and Molly Bernard. [The story.]( —"She plans to continue making films." Abigail Disney’s Fork Films, the production company and funder that has backed titles including The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales, Crip Camp and The Tale, has closed its doors. A handful of staff positions (fewer than 10) at the company, which put an emphasis on impact-driven documentary projects, have been terminated as a result of the closure. [The story.]( Loretta Lynn 1932 - 2022 ►"A great artist, a strong and resilient country music pioneer and a precious friend." Loretta Lynn, the acclaimed singer and songwriter whose ascent from a small Kentucky coal-mining community to national country music stardom became the stuff of Hollywood legend, has died. She was 90. Lynn’s family said she died Tuesday at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. In May 2017, she suffered a stroke that ended her touring career. [The obituary.]( —"Today, my world changed, and it will never be the same again." Sissy Spacek, Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire were among those in Hollywood and the music industry who shared their remembrances, tributes and condolences Tuesday following the death of Loretta Lynn. [The reaction.]( Film Review: 'Hellraiser' ►"You can't keep a good Pinhead down." THR film critic Frank Scheck reviews David Bruckner's Hellraiser. The Night House filmmaker directs this reboot of the venerable Clive Barker franchise, premiering on Hulu and starring Jamie Clayton as the first female Pinhead. [The review.]( —"An uninspired twist on the vampire genre." THR TV critic [Angie Han]( reviews Syfy's Reginald the Vampire. Jacob Batalon leads the series as a freshly turned vampire whose sweet personality and fat body make him an anomaly — and ultimately a target — within the hyper-vain, ultra-exclusionary world of bloodsuckers. [The review.]( In other news... —Till trailer: [Danielle Deadwyler shows mother’s heartbreak, defiance over son’s murder]( —Feinberg Forecast: [Updated Oscar projections mid-New York Film Festival]( —TV ratings: [NCIS, 911, Chicago PD lead premiere week seven-day gains]( —Facebook [to shutter Substack rival Bulletin by early 2023]( —Bentonville Film Festival [announces 2023 dates, new animation category]( —Epix veteran [Phil Oppenheim named chief content officer at Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment]( —Composer and Werewolf by Night director [Michael Giacchino signs with CAA]( —Dr. David Sinclair, celebrity chef [Serena Poon sign with WME]( —Former Netflix exec [Lee Schroder joins CAA motion picture marketing]( —[Charles Fuller]( playwright and screenwriter behind A Soldier’s Play, dies at 83 —[Joan Hotchkis]( actress in The Odd Couple and Ode to Billie Joe, dies at 95 What else we're reading... —Inject this Andrew Beaton and Joshua Robinson story straight into my veins: "Chess investigation finds that U.S. Grandmaster "likely cheated" more than 100 times" [[WSJ]( —Donald Liebenson has an oral history on the Glengarry Glen Ross "coffee is for closers" scene with input from Alec {NAME}, James Foley, and more [[VF]( —Rachel Syme on how Drew Barrymore became a bizarro fixture of daytime TV [[New Yorker]( —Katharine Gammon wonders whether TV shows adequately reflect the climate crisis [[Guardian]( —Coral Davenport writes about the Netflix kids cartoon Octonauts: Above and Beyond which talks to preschoolers about climate crisis [[NYT]( Today... ...in 2001, Wes Anderson’s whimsical ensemble comedy The Royal Tenenbaums hit theaters, eventually nabbing more than $70m worldwide and a best original screenplay Oscar nomination. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Kate Winslet (47), Ti West (42), Guy Pearce (55), Jacob Tremblay (16), Jesse Eisenberg (39), Clive Barker (70), Karen Allen (71), Diane Morgan (47), Parminder Nagra (47), Virginia Kull (41), Josie Bissett (52), Taylour Paige (32), Tom Hooper (50), Cassandra Jean Amell (37), Neil deGrasse Tyson (64), Heather Headley (48), Kara Royster (29), Bob Geldof (71), John Seale (80), Ehren Kruger (50), [Harold Faltermeyer]( (70), Ron Nyswaner (66) Douglas Kirkland, the legendary photographer who trained his lens on the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Brigitte Bardot, Mick Jagger, Catherine Deneuve, Kim Basinger, Angelina Jolie and so many others, has died. He was 88. [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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