'Black Adam 2' Not Happening; David Nevins' Exit Interview; How Latin Execs Are Fighting for More Representation; 'Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( December 21, 2022 What's news: Avatar 2's global box office total crosses $500m today. Universal/Amblin's Twister sequel has a release date. The 2022 World Cup final enjoyed record ratings in the U.S. Gabriel Byrne has joined Lionsgate's John Wick spinoff movie. — [Abid Rahman]( 'Black Adam 2' Not Moving Forward ►Total DC reset incoming. A sequel to Black Adam, the DC superhero movie that Dwayne Johnson starred in and produced and that was supposed to have launched a new franchise, will not be moving forward, the actor announced Tuesday. The move comes as new DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran, installed just weeks after Black Adam's October release, reshape the entire slate, with projects such as Man of Steel 2 and Wonder Woman 3 falling by the wayside. [The story.]( —"He cannot hurt people anymore." Following Harvey Weinstein’s conviction of rape by an L.A. jury on Monday, some of his accusers, other actresses and activists took to social media to react to the verdict. Rowena Chiu, Lauren O’Connor, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Mira Sorvino were among the women who responded to the decision that saw Weinstein guilty of three counts. [The reaction.]( —Stretching those legs. As Christmas week got underway, Avatar: The Way of Water collected $16.2m Monday at the domestic box office, on par with the first film 13 years ago and with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in 2016. The Way of Water finished Monday — its fourth day in action — with a domestic total of $150.3m. Its Monday international haul was $38.8m. Globally, it will cross $500m on Tuesday after finishing Monday with a tally of $497.1m. [The box office report.]( David Nevins' Exit Interview ►"I like not being the most expensive guy on the block." In the latest Table for Two column, outgoing Paramount Global exec David Nevins explains to THR's [Lacey Rose]( why the coming industry pain will be bad but brief ("We’re paying too much for the return on investment"), admits he didn’t initially see the value of Yellowjackets and reflects on lessons learned. [The interview.]( —The funniest girl. The Lea Michele-led Broadway revival of Funny Girl broke a box office record at the August Wilson Theatre. The production brought in more than $2m across eight shows last week, which also marked a record gross for the revival. Michele joined Funny Girl in September, following the departure of Beanie Feldstein, in a move to help boost grosses for the then-struggling production. [The story.]( —Storm forecast. Universal and Amblin Entertainment have wasted no time in dating Twisters, a follow-up to the classic 1996 film Twister. The stormy sequel will swirl into theaters July 19, 2024. Word broke last week that the Oscar-nominated Lee Isaac Chung, best known for directing Minari, was closing a deal to helm the pic. [The story.]( How Hollywood's Latin Execs Are Fighting for More Representation ►"We don’t all fit neatly inside a box." An 80-strong Latina Squad and more top executives discuss with THR's [Christy Piña]( the challenges with representation in Hollywood, how they use their power to greenlight authentic projects and their hopes for the next group of leaders coming up behind them. [The conversation.]( —Fake news. South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have spun out a new company called Deep Voodoo from their Park County holding firm, hoping to create a new platform for artists, creators, producers and others in the industry to incorporate deepfake technology into their work. Deep Voodoo has raised $20m in a new funding round led by Connect Ventures, the joint partnership between CAA and VC firm New Enterprise Associates. [The story.]( —The people's game. The incredible final of the 2022 men’s World Cup drew one of the biggest audiences ever for a soccer match in the U.S. Argentina’s shootout victory over France averaged 25.78m viewers Sunday morning, the most ever for a men’s match in the U.S. Fox Sports drew 16.78m viewers, and Telemundo’s Spanish-language telecast, which also streamed on Peacock, had 9m cross-platform viewers. [The ratings.]( How Alan Menken Transformed Movie Music ►"One of my abilities is being kind of a chameleon." In a career that has spanned over 50 years, composer Alan Menken has written the music for classic Disney blockbusters The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Pocahontas — winning successive Oscars for each film. For THR, Jeff Bond profiles the man who turned the Disney musical into a global institution and wrote "the musical DNA of a generation." [The profile.]( —Shakeup. The TV Academy has unveiled notable rule changes for the 2023 Emmy Awards, including a shakeup in the variety categories that will likely pit a pair of perennial winners against each other: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and Saturday Night Live. The most notable changes will see the variety talk and variety sketch awards replaced with two new categories: outstanding talk series and outstanding scripted variety series. [The story.]( —🎭 Byrne notice 🎭 Gabriel Byrne has joined Lionsgate’s Ballerina, a spinoff movie set in the John Wick universe. The Irish actor is the latest name to join the feature that is toplined by Ana de Armas and directed by Len Wiseman. The ensemble cast includes Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Norman Reedus. [The story.]( Mike Hodges 1932 - 2022 ►"Sinners interest me more than saints." Mike Hodges, who made his feature debut by writing and directing the seminal British gangster film Get Carter, starring Michael Caine, then replaced Nicolas Roeg to helm the cult sci-fi hit Flash Gordon, has died. He was 90. [The obituary.]( —Latest additions. The Berlin Film Festival has unveiled a number of films, and one series, that will screen out of competition at next year’s event. Among the highlights are the world premieres of Brandon Cronenberg's Infinity Pool, Robert Schwentke's Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes and Alex Gibney’s as-yet-untitled documentary on disgraced former tennis champion Boris Becker. [The story.]( —"Well-being in all forms is really, really important." Hugh Jackman has opened up about mental health and the toll of filming his movie The Son. In a new interview, the Aussie actor revealed that the film’s producers hired psychiatrists to stay on set for the cast and crew if they needed to talk, something he had never seen before and something he now wholeheartedly supports. [The story.]( Film Review: 'Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody' ►"Higher love." THR's chief film critic [David Rooney]( reviews Kasi Lemmons' Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody, starring Naomi Ackie. One of the all-time greatest female pop artists gets a bittersweet salute in this account of her triumphant three-decade career and the forces that dragged her down. [The review.]( —"An end striving for the energy of the beginning." THR's [Lovia Gyarkye]( reviews Malcolm D. Lee's The Best Man: The Final Chapters. Taye Diggs, Morris Chestnut, Terrence Howard and Harold Perrineau reprise their The Best Man roles in a show about the friends navigating the adventures of middle age. [The review.]( In other news... —Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey [question the value of marriage in Maybe I Do trailer]( —Brendan Fraser [to receive Palm Springs Film Fest Spotlight Award]( —Robert A. Fishman [to receive DGA Lifetime Achievement Award]( —Critics Choice Awards: [Janelle Monáe to receive SeeHer Award]( —TikTok [adds feature to explain why videos are recommended]( —Lionsgate [general counsel Corii Berg resigns]( —Rumer Willis [expecting first child with boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas]( What else we're reading... —Nate Jones has a genuinely incredible piece mapping Hollywood's nepotism baby "nepo-verse" [[Vulture]( —Samantha Chery writes that indigenous people are slamming Avatar (again) for tropes and inaccuracies [[WaPo]( —Alistair Gray reports that media groups have shed $500b in value as shares head for a historic drop [[FT]( —Spencer Soper reports that Amazon's Ring cameras are being used in a nationwide ‘swatting’ spree [[Bloomberg]( —Whizy Kim writes that 2022 was the year the billionaires showed who they really are [[Vox]( Today... ...in 1967, Mike Nichols unveiled The Graduate in theaters, launching the career of Dustin Hoffman. The film was nominated for seven Oscars at the 40th Academy Awards, and won one in the directing category. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: [Quinta Brunson]( (33), Steven Yeun (39), Jane Fonda (85), Samuel L. Jackson (74), Tom Sturridge (37), Kiefer Sutherland (56), Kaitlyn Dever (26), Madelyn Cline (25), Amanda Drew (53), Mandeep Dhillon (32), Teresa Ruiz (34), Jane Kaczmarek (67), Julie Delpy (53), Ray Romano (65), Michelle Hurd (56), Tom Payne (40), Rutina Wesley (44), Dennis Boutsikaris (70), Phil Donahue (87), Michael Horse (73), Govinda (59) Sonya Eddy, an actress best known for starring on the long-running soap opera General Hospital, has died. She was 55. [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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