Brad Pitt's Plan B Sells Majority Stake; AFI Names Top Film, TV Titles; R. Kelly Album Dropped From Apple, Spotify; Will Sharpe on 'White Lotus' Finale

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( December 10, 2022 What's news: The Mean Girls movie musical finds its cast. Celebrity promoters sued over Bored Ape NFT endorsements. American journalist Grant Wahl, who was covering the World Cup, dies at 48. Nancy Daniels and Jane Latman exit Warner Bros. Discovery as restructuring continues. Elton John leaves Twitter. — [Ryan Gajewski]( Brad Pitt's Plan B Sells Majority Stake ►"This partnership will allow us to create a unique artistic link between Europe and the United States." Plan B Entertainment, the production company owned by actor Brad Pitt, has been sold to French media conglomerate Mediawan, the companies announced Friday afternoon. Pitt will retain a minority stake in the firm, which was behind films like She Said and Moonlight and TV shows like The Underground Railroad and The OA. [The story.]( —🎭 Will "fetch" finally happen? 🎭 The Mean Girls movie musical has found its clique, as Angourie Rice, Auli’i Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey and Reneé Rapp (who starred as Regina George in the Broadway musical) are set to star in the ensemble cast. The Broadway musical adaptation of the 2004 teen comedy is headed to the screen via Paramount, which is planning a Paramount+ debut. [The story.]( —Celebrities sued. Jimmy Fallon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Justin Bieber have been sued in a proposed class action accusing them and other notables who promoted Bored Ape Yacht Club non-fungible tokens of fraud. The suit claims the celebrities misled their followers into buying BAYC NFTs, among other unregistered securities issued by Yuga Labs, to pump up their value. [The story.]( AFI Names Best Film, TV Shows of 2022 ►"They have lifted our spirits through the most challenging of times." The American Film Institute has revealed its picks for the best movies and TV shows of 2022. Among the honored titles are Avatar: The Way of Water, Elvis, Women Talking, The Bear and Mo. [The story.]( —"We need to make additional adjustments." The restructuring at Warner Bros. Discovery continues, with Kathleen Finch's U.S. networks group the latest division to reorganize. A handful of prominent former Discovery execs will depart, including Nancy Daniels, who had been overseeing channels like TNT, TBS and Discovery, and Jane Latman, who had been overseeing Food Network and HGTV. [The story.]( —A candle in the Twittersphere. Elton John is joining a list of prominent Hollywood figures leaving Twitter following Elon Musk's takeover of the social media platform. The "Rocket Man" singer, who joined in August 2010 and has 1.1 million followers, claims his reason for leaving is due to misinformation being allowed to spread. [The story.]( R. Kelly Album 'I Admit It' Removed From Apple, Spotify ►"It's stolen music." R. Kelly's lawyer told THR's [Mesfin Fekadu]( that an album uploaded to Spotify and Apple Music on Friday was not authorized by the singer. The 13-track set called I Admit It was released online Friday — appearing on streaming platforms as a new album. But hours after its release, it was no longer available. [The story.]( —"Alive with movie love." THR's [Sheri Linden]( reviews Last Film Show, the Indian entry for this year's best international feature film Oscar. Bhavin Rabari stars as Samay, a 9-year-old budding filmmaker in the coming-of-age drama. [The review.]( —Tricky business. Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux accidentally topple the presidency in the teaser trailer for White House Plumbers. The HBO limited series from Veep showrunner David Mandel tells the story of E. Howard Hunt (Harrelson) and G. Gordon Liddy (Theroux), the pair who planned the Watergate burglary that eventually brought down President Richard Nixon. [The story.]( Grant Wahl, American Journalist Covering World Cup, Dies at 48 ►"I'm in complete shock." Grant Wahl, an American sports journalist who was in Qatar covering the World Cup, has died. Wahl, who had garnered a reputation as one of the country’s most established soccer journalists, was reporting on the World Cup for his Substack and serving as an analyst for CBS Sports. [The story.]( —"I would never want to just repeat myself." THR's [Brian Davids]( spoke to Smile director Parker Finn about how the film was planned as a Paramount+ exclusive but got a theatrical run mostly due to the first test screening that occurred three months into post-production. Finn also discusses a potential Smile sequel and how it wouldn't take the obvious approach. [The interview.]( —"This is the new reality." Multiple sources tell THR's nicest man [Chris Gardner]( that attendance for some in-person FYC events has plummeted far below prepandemic averages. "It's bad," said an awards veteran of the trend, which is impacting official screenings for the Academy to various guilds. [The story.]( Will Sharpe on 'White Lotus' Finale ►"There are so many different tensions and dynamics firing across the table." THR's man in London [Alex Ritman]( spoke to White Lotus star Will Sharpe, who admits he felt nervous about being just a "random British guy" when flying out to Sicily to star among the hit show's ensemble. The actor and filmmaker talks about the how the mystery surrounding his "enigmatic" Ethan will pay off in the HBO series' season two finale this Sunday. [The interview.]( In other news... —Al Roker "incredibly grateful" [to return home after being readmitted to hospital]( —Kaia Gerber [closes Celine runway show in front of Austin Butler, Priscilla Presley and Doja Cat]( —Million Dollar Listing alums [form new team with Buying Beverly Hills castmembers]( —Ain't No Mo' is set to [close on Broadway less than three weeks after opening]( What else we're reading... —Sarah Shaffi wonders if book buyers have fallen out of love with the celebrity memoir [[Guardian]( —Gia Kourlas examines why Jenna Ortega's Wednesday dance became a viral sensation [[NYT]( —Jeremy Barr on CBS News' decision to hold its Brittney Griner scoop for a full week [[WaPo]( —Fabiola Cineas calls out hip-hop's misogynoir ahead of the trial for rapper Tory Lanez, accused of shooting Megan Thee Stallion [[Vox]( —Derek Lawrence explores how the White Lotus opening credits came to be [[Vanity Fair]( Today... ...in 1978, Warner Bros. unveiled Richard Donner's Superman, which launched a big-screen franchise and earned three Oscar nominations. Christopher Reeve marked his star-making turn as the titular superhero, while Margot Kidder played Lois Lane. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Kenneth Branagh (62), KiKi Layne (31), Melissa Roxburgh (30), Raven-Symoné (37), Emmanuelle Chriqui (47), Patrick John Flueger (39), Nia Peeples (61), Arden Myrin (49), Teyana Taylor (32), Michael Schoeffling (62), Summer Phoenix (44), Fionnula Flanagan (81), Bobby Flay (58), Amanda Anka (54), Kate Reinders (42) Carl Kleinschmitt, the sitcom writer who worked on The Dick Van Dyke Show and M*A*S*H and created two series starring Sandy Duncan and the football comedy 1st and Ten, has died. He was 85. [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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