DC at a Turning Point as Walter Hamada Exits; What Xi's Third Term Means for China's Film Market; HBO's 'Year One: A Political Odyssey' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( October 18, 2022 What's news: Ezra Miller pleaded not guilty to a felony burglary charge. Harrison Ford is joining the MCU. Fox has renewed upcoming animated series Grimsburg for a second season. WBD Sports has signed up the Inside the NBA team to long term deals. Brandon Liebman has left WME. Comcast is shuttering gaming network G4. — [Abid Rahman]( DC at a Turning Point ►💥 KAPOW!!! 💥 With DC Films head Walter Hamada quietly ending his tenure in the coming days, THR's [Borys Kit]( reports that the leadership vacuum is leading to a secret, but dramatic land grab involving some of the biggest players in Hollywood. Amongst several scoops, Borys reveals that James Gunn is angling for his own new DC project (or two), Dwayne Johnson is moving heaven and earth to develop a Black Adam vs. Superman movie and The Batman filmmaker Matt Reeves is expanding his own Gotham City universe. [The story.]( —Another franchise play. Harrison Ford is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, taking on the role of General Ross, previously played by the late William Hurt. Ford will appear as Ross in Captain America: New World Order, as well as Thunderbolts, the film about the titular team of supervillains. [The story.]( —Vote of confidence. Fox has handed out a (very) early renewal to Grimsburg, an animated comedy starring Jon Hamm as a down-on-his-luck detective. The series, an in-house production from Fox Entertainment and animation studio Bento Box that the network ordered a year ago, is set to premiere sometime in 2023. [The story.]( —The real Dream Team remains intact. Warner Bros. Discovery has signed long-term deals with Inside the NBA hosts Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal. Terms weren’t disclosed, but WBD Sports said in announcing the deals that the new contracts will keep the quartet together "for many years to come." [The story.]( —Big departure. Brandon Liebman has departed WME, where the talent agent was a partner. During his time at the agency, Liebman worked with a client list that included Tom Hiddleston, Pedro Pascal, and a scandal-plagued Armie Hammer. Liebman was representing Hammer when anonymous allegations of sexual misconduct and assault emerged against the actor, circulating online. [The story.]( Wilde Muses on Directing Career Amid 'Darling' Drama ►"It's tempting to excuse ourselves from the burning hellfire of misogyny." Olivia Wilde was honored as one of Elle's Women in Hollywood at the magazine’s celebration event in Los Angeles on Monday night, and during her speech opened up about her career as an actor, producer and now director. Wilde also spoke frankly about some of her negative experiences during the Don’t Worry Darling press tour and its aftermath. [The story.]( —Latest developments. Kevin Spacey testified in a New York courtroom Monday that he never made a sexual pass at the actor Anthony Rapp, who has sued for millions of dollars in damages. Spacey also said he regretted revealing that he was gay after Rapp went public with the sexual assault allegations in 2017, saying the timing led to backlash from people who thought the actor was using the announcement to deflect. [The story.]( —Not guilty plea. Ezra Miller pleaded not guilty Monday to stealing bottles of liquor from a neighbor’s home, one of a string of arrests and reports of erratic behavior by the Flash actor that stretch from Hawaii to Vermont. Miller appeared with their lawyer remotely for the arraignment in Bennington on a felony burglary charge. They agreed to conditions that they not have any contact with the homeowner or go to the residence. [The story.]( —"I am still healing." Abigail Breslin has revealed she was previously in "a very abusive relationship for close to two years." In an Instagram post, the Stillwater actress wrote that she was “beaten on a regular basis, locked into rooms and raced to pretend everything was ok and normal while dealing with intense injuries.” Breslin added that she “wanted to share a little bit of my story” during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. [The story.]( Xi's Extended Rule Casts Shadow Over China's Film Market ►Ever-tightening grip on power. As Xi Jinping prepares to accept a groundbreaking third term as China’s leader, THR's Asia bureau chief Patrick Brzeski looks at what it means for the country's film market, the world's biggest in terms of revenue in 2021. Patrick writes that regulators in the country have already clamped down on Hollywood imports and narrowed the range of Chinese films deemed politically acceptable, and that is likely to continue. [The analysis.]( —New feature. Netflix is rolling out a profile transfer feature that will allow users to port over their viewer profiles — complete with personalized recommendations, viewing history and “my list” settings — over to a new membership account. The feature update seems part of the streamer’s latest crackdown on account sharing. [The story.]( —Ramping up. YouTube’s latest expansion of its podcasting efforts will see the streaming video giant roll out audio ads globally and allow marketers to target users who are listening and watching podcasts on the platform. The audio ads, available in 15-second spots, are available on Google Ads and Display & Video 360 with the same CPM and audience-targeting options as ads on YouTube videos. [The story.]( —Why now? On Oct. 14, the Murdoch's revealed their plan to remerge Fox Corp. and News Corp. THR's business editor [Georg Szalai]( canvassed opinion on Wall Street about the driving forces to recombine the empire and whether other similar deals could be in the works. [The analysis.]( —"The network has not achieved sustainable financial results." Comcast is shuttering gaming network G4 for a second time. In a memo sent Sunday, Dave Scott, chairman and CEO of Comcast Spectacor, the cable network’s sports and esports division, said the company was shutting down the network “effective immediately” due to low viewership numbers. [The story.]( Clooney on What 'Ticket to Paradise' Early Success Means for Rom-coms ►"Universal did a very brave thing." THR's nicest man [Chris Gardner]( managed to collar George Clooney and Julia Roberts at the Ticket to Paradise U.S. premiere on Monday night. The actors and fast friends talked about the enjoyment of working together for the sixth time. Clooney also opined on the theatrical potential of romantic comedies in light of recent debate about the genre. [The story.]( —"Quite a week on Broadway." Patti LuPone says she has resigned from Actors’ Equity. The three-time Tony Award winner tweeted the news Monday, writing, "Gave up my Equity card; no longer part of that circus." The actor later clarified via a spokesperson that she had resigned from the union after the run of Company, which closed on Broadway on July 31. A union membership is required to perform in any Broadway production and most professional theaters in the U.S. [The story.]( —🎭 Casting news 🎭 ABC is rounding out the cast of its live Beauty and the Beast special. The Dec. 15 special has added Martin Short, David Alan Grier, Shania Twain, Rizwan Manji, Jon Jon Briones and Leo Abelo Perry to its cast. They join an ensemble led by Grammy winner H.E.R. as Belle and Josh Groban as the Beast; Joshua Henry also stars, and Rita Moreno will narrate the special. [The story.]( —🎭 More casting news 🎭 Dan Levy has set the cast for his feature directorial debut, Good Grief, tapping Oscar nominee Ruth Negga, Himesh Patel, Luke Evans and Celia Imrie. Arnaud Valois, David Bradley and Jamael Westman will also appear in the Netflix project that was written and directed by Levy, who will also star. [The story.]( 'She-Hulk' Star Tatiana Maslany Talks the Finale's Big Swing ►"It felt like we were making something really juicy and something that would very much hit people." THR's [Brian Davids]( spoke to She-Hulk: Attorney at Law star Tatiana Maslany about the big swings the Marvel and Disney+ series took during its first season and its much talked about season finale. The Canadian actor also reveals she has been lobbying Charlie Cox to reunite with him on the upcoming Disney+ show Daredevil: Born Again. [The interview.]( —G.I. Jin. The members of K-pop band BTS will serve their mandatory military duties under South Korean law, their management company said Monday, effectively ending a debate on whether they should be granted exemptions because of their artistic accomplishments. Big Hit Music said the band’s oldest member, Jin, will revoke his request to delay his conscription at the end of the month and undertake the required steps. [The story.]( —And that's a record. Glass Animals' “Heat Waves” is now the longest charting song in the Billboard Hot 100’s 64-year history, as it tallies a record-breaking 91st week on the latest Oct. 22-dated survey. Ranking at No. 21 on the newest Hot 100, “Heat Waves” surpasses The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” which logged 90 weeks on the chart in 2019-21. [The story.]( TV Review: 'Year One: A Political Odyssey' ►"Barely a jaunt, much less an odyssey." THR's chief TV critic [Dan Fienberg]( reviews HBO's Year One: A Political Odyssey. John Maggio's documentary examines some of the adversity faced by Joe Biden in his first year in the White House. [The review.]( In other news... —A.V. Rockwell [movie A Thousand And One lands March 2023 release]( —Tom Hanks’ [A Man Called Otto delays nationwide release to January 2023]( —Soska Sisters [drop first look at psychosexual thriller On The Edge]( —Fire of Love, Good Night Oppy [lead Critics Choice Documentary Awards]( —Netflix, HBO and HBO Max [lead TV noms for Casting Society Artios Awards]( —FuboTV [to shutter online sports betting division]( What else we're reading... —Sarah Krouse and Jessica Toonkel have the scoop on Netflix seeking ways to make subscribers visit the platform more frequently [[WSJ]( —Columnist Eugene Robinson writes that Kanye West’s antisemitism has no deeper meaning and people need to stop looking [[WaPo]( —Elaine Low reports that creatives have big doubts over the future of WBD's shuttered then reinstated TV writers workshop [[Insider]( —Ashley Lee reports on the national tour of the latest, and edgiest, Broadway revival of Oklahoma! The production has thus far elicited boos, walkouts and, in one case, vomiting [[LAT]( —Roxana Hadadi writes that Austin Powers references are comedy’s hottest mini-trend [[Vulture]( Today... ...in 1922, Hollywood unrolled what has been cited as the inaugural modern movie premiere and red carpet proceeding. At the opening night of the Egyptian Theatre, heralding the silent film Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood, showman Sid Grauman set out to conjure movie magic before the reel ever started rolling. [The story.]( Today's birthdays: Zac Efron (35), Barry Keoghan (30), Freida Pinto (38), [Jean-Claude Van Damme]( (62), Chuck Lorre (70), Pam Dawber (71), Corinne Bohrer (64), Jordan Calloway (32), Tyler Posey (31), Nicola Posener (35), Joanna Vanderham (31), Toby Regbo (31), Joy Bryant (48), Joe Morton (75), Natasha Rothwell (42), Howard Shore (76), Graham Moore (41), Peter Sohn (45), Carly Schroeder (32), Nic Pizzolatto (47), Gloria Garayua (44), David Twohy (67) Musician Mike Schank, best known for his good guy role in the cult award-winning documentary film American Movie, has died. He was 53. [The obituary.]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](mailto:tips@thr.com?subject=) 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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