Chris Albrecht Placed on Leave at Legendary; Why Are the Try Guys So Angry?; Hulu's 'Devil in the White City' Falling Apart; Branagh's 'A Haunting in Venice' Cast Revealed

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( October 11, 2022 What's news: More layoffs are coming to Warner Bros. Discovery. Elon Musk spoke to Kanye West about his antisemitic tweet. Showtime has declined to renew The Man Who Fell to Earth for a second season. Hulu's Devil in the White City has lost its director. John Fithian is stepping down as president of NATO. — [Abid Rahman]( Chris Albrecht Placed on Leave at Legendary ►Historical allegations. THR's [Lesley Goldberg]( has the scoop on Legendary Television president, and former HBO chief, Chris Albrecht being placed on administrative leave. The suspension comes as a forthcoming book, It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO by Felix Gillette and John Koblin, reveals new details about how Albrecht allegedly disparaged a staffer who exited HBO following a settlement after he choked her. Albrecht's rep denies the allegation. [The story.]( —"We all ultimately decided to embrace it as a one-season story well told." Lesley also has the scoop that Showtime is declining the chance to renew The Man Who Fell to Earth for a second season. Sources say the decision predates the recent executive change at Paramount Global that saw David Nevins — who led a portfolio that included Showtime — depart, and oversight of the network given to Chris McCarthy. [The story.]( —More bad news. Another round of layoffs is coming Tuesday at Warner Bros. Discovery as the company looks to find $3b in post-merger cost savings. Among the units expected to be impacted are Channing Dungey’s Warner Bros. Television Group (which includes scripted, unscripted and alternative studios); possibly DC Comics, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. [The story.]( —"Time is right for a change." After a more than two-decade run, Brooke Karzen is stepping down from her role as exec vp and head of Warner Horizon Unscripted Television. Karzen, who reported to president of WBTV unscripted and alternative Mike Darnell, announced her departure in a memo to staff Monday, saying she plans on taking some time to consider new opportunities. [The story.]( —"We think this will have attraction to streamers." THR's [Alex Weprin]( has the scoop on Meadowlark Media, the content studio founded by former ESPN president John Skipper and ESPN radio host Dan Le Batard, launching a sports content franchise, a multi-platform series called Sports Explains the World. Skipper says the company is hoping the franchise will be a "bold statement" and rival ESPN's 30 for 30 with appeal to major streaming services. [The story.]( Todd Field Departs 'Devil in the White City' ►Back to square one. Hulu’s Devil in the White City continues to fall apart. Days after leading man Keanu Reeves departed the limited series from Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, director Todd Field (Tár, Little Children) has also parted ways with the project. Sources say Hulu is now searching for a new star as well as a new helmer for the series, which has been in various stages of development for more than a decade. [The story.]( —Highly personal approach to content moderation. Elon Musk, the prospective new owner of Twitter, has spoken to Kanye “Ye” West about a tweet the rapper-turned-fashion mogul sent on Saturday that has been widely condemned as antisemitic. Musk tweeted that he expressed his "concerns" about the tweet to West. [The story.]( —Coming forward. Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and actor who is married to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, is among the accusers of Harvey Weinstein who will testify at his rape and sexual assault trial. Newsom first wrote about her experience with Weinstein in a 2017 essay in the Huffington Post. [The story.]( —"Truly ashamed." L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez has resigned her position following accusations she made racist comments in a conversation with three other city leaders. Martinez resigned her post as president but did not give up her seat on the council. In leaked audio of the conversation, the group can be heard allegedly discussing Councilman Mike Bonin’s child. Bonan is white, and his son is Black. [The story.]( Why Are the Try Guys So Angry? ►$6m a year in clicks at risk. THR's [Seth Abramovitch]( digs deep into the Try Guys drama to ask experts what's at stake and what comes next in the ongoing saga that's captivated everything from Twitter to Saturday Night Live. [The analysis.]( —"John’s impact on the movie theater industry is profound and lasting." John Fithian, the president of the National Association of Theatre Owners, is stepping down from his post on May 1, 2023 after a lengthy term running the top lobbying and trade association. Fithian’s retirement marks the end of thirty years of service to the organization. NATO’s Executive Board has begun a search process for Fithian’s successor. [The story.]( —A first. Following on from a similar deal struck in the U.S., Netflix's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will have a theatrical release with Britain's biggest exhibitors, screening at select Vue and Cineworld venues. Discussions are also underway to bring the Knives Out sequel to Vue-owned locations in Italy and Germany. [The story.]( —🎭 Casting news 🎭 Kenneth Branagh has found the suspects for his latest Agatha Christie adaptation, A Haunting in Venice. Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Michelle Yeoh, Jude Hill and Kelly Reilly have been recruited for the all-star ensemble, with Emma Laird, Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Ali Khan and Riccardo Scamarcio also on the call sheet. Branagh is back starring as detective Hercule Poirot and returns as director for what will be the third Christie mystery movie from 20th Century Studios. [The story.]( Alison Lohman On Why She Left Hollywood ►"I just want to be me." White Oleander star Alison Lohman rarely gets recognized anymore, and that’s just the way she likes it. THR's nicest man [Chris Gardner]( spoke to Lohman about her career, her meteoric rise after landing the part in a film that changed her life (in spite of a bad wig), a performance she wishes she could take back, and why she walked away from fame. [The interview.]( —Pilot planned. Jessica Simpson’s memoir, Open Book, is getting the TV treatment. Freevee, the ad-supported streamer backed by Amazon, has handed out a pilot order for Open Book. The half-hour scripted comedy will star singer, songwriter and actress Katelyn Tarver and John Stamos. [The story.]( —More please. NBC's Quantum Leap has earned an additional order for six more episodes at the broadcast network, bringing its season one tally to 18 episodes. Quantum Leap becomes the first freshman series of the 2022-23 broadcast season to extend its season. The series launched Sept. 19 to 3.35m viewers. [The story.]( —Still in play. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s time at Lionsgate Television may have come to an end, but the prolific producer still has a few shows remaining in the works at the independent studio. Jackson and his G-Unit Film & TV banner has set up unscripted show Property Players at A&E, for the basic cable network’s Home.Made.Nation lifestyle block. [The story.]( Film Review: 'Unrest' ►"Subtle, meticulous and fascinating." THR critic Jordan Mintzer reviews Cyril Schäublin's Unrest. The second feature by the Swiss director behind Those Who Are Fine premiered earlier this year at the Berlinale and made its U.S. debut at the New York Film Festival. [The review.]( In other news... —Doom Patrol [S4 trailer teases "Music Man" number and a battle with Were-Butts]( —Elton John [to perform at LACMA’s Art+Film gala]( —Classic Korean film Nakdong River — previously feared lost — [is rediscovered and restored]( —Netflix [unveils slate of six originals from Thailand]( —[Art Laboe]( DJ known for playing “Oldies but Goodies,” dies at 97 —[Eileen Ryan]( actress and mother of Sean Penn, dies at 94 What else we're reading... —Will Oremus and Cristiano Lima write that Kanye West’s antisemitic tweet could be a preview of social media’s future [[WaPo]( —Rebecca Ford speaks to the women behind She Said, the big-screen adaptation of the groundbreaking investigation into Harvey Weinstein [[VF]( —Amanda Wicks wasn't a fan of SNL's Try Guys sketch and feels the show needs to stop rehashing internet culture [[Atlantic]( —Imogen West-Knights saw Louis C.K. perform a gig on the fifth anniversary of #MeToo, and wrote down the things she learned [[Slate]( —Hadley Freeman interviews Ryan Phillippe, who opens up on co-parenting with Reese Witherspoon [[Guardian]( Today... ...in 2006, NBC introduced Liz Lemon, Jack Donaghy and Tracy Jordan during the 8 p.m. hour with 30 Rock. The sitcom ran for seven seasons and was nominated for 103 Emmy Awards, winning 16. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Amitabh Bachchan (80), Cardi B (30), [Justin Lin]( (51), Emily Deschanel (46), Matt Bomer (45), Michelle Trachtenberg (37), Trevor Donovan (44), Claudia Black (50), Brandon Flynn (29), Joan Cusack (60), Constance Zimmer (52), Sean Patrick Flanery (57), Jane Krakowski (54), Nat Faxon (47), Raffiella Chapman (15), David Morse (69), Stephen Moyer (53), Brett Morgen (54), Bae Doona (43), Julie McNiven (42), Lennie James (57), Kristy Wu (40), Takeshi Kaneshiro (49), Shawn Ryan (56) Austin Stoker, the actor from Trinidad who starred as the heroic cop battling a band of marauding gang members inside a decommissioned police station in the John Carpenter thriller Assault on Precinct 13, has died. He was 92. [The obituary.]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} by Penske Media Corporation. 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