'Beef' Creators Address David Choe Controversy; Paramount Settles Shareholder Suit; 'Lilo & Stitch' Casts Final Key Role; Dexter Fletcher Talks 'Ghosted'

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( April 22, 2023 What's news: Disney+ cancels its National Treasure series. Snowfall star Damson Idris pays tribute to John Singleton. Mod Squad writer Rita Lakin dies at 93. The Free Solo directors discuss their new film, Wild Life, and the "profound contraction" in the documentary space. — [Ryan Gajewski]( 'Beef' Creators Break Silence on David Choe Controversy ►"We do not condone this story in any way." Beef creator Lee Sung Jin and fellow executive producers Ali Wong and Steven Yeun have finally responded to the brewing controversy surrounding co-star David Choe a week after Choe's comments from a 2014 podcast about sexual assault resurfaced and went viral online. Up until now, the only response from any of the parties involved appeared to be copyright claims from Choe's foundation requesting that clips of the podcast episode be removed from social media. [The story.]( —The hunt is over. Disney+ has canceled its series National Treasure: Edge of History after a single season. The news comes more than two months after the 10-episode series wrapped in early February. [The story.]( —"It's a huge privilege to even be invited." The University of Southern California's (USC) School of Cinematic Arts announced the creation of the John Singleton Lounge during a special screening of the series finale of FX's Snowfall, Singleton's final work. Star Damson Idris and others from the drama series, which was co-created by the late filmmaker, paid tribute to him in a panel. [The story.]( 'Lilo & Stitch' to Return Key Castmember for Live-Action Film ►Back to make another splash. THR's [Beatrice Verhoeven]( has the scoop that Chris Sanders is in final negotiations to voice the character of Stitch in Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch. Sanders voiced the creature, which he also created, in the original 2002 film and Lilo & Stitch: The Series. [The story.]( —The company recently settled a different merger-related suit. Another lawsuit connected to the 2019 merger of CBS and Viacom has been settled. According to a securities filing, Paramount will be paid $167.5 million to settle the suit. It is separate from a settlement revealed in March, in which former Viacom shareholders received $122.5 million from the company. [The story.]( —"To take on a film, it’s like getting married again." THR's [Katie Kilkenny]( interviews filmmakers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi about their new documentary Wild Life. The Free Solo directors discuss their latest title that focuses on former Patagonia CEO and conservationist Kris Tompkins, and they also weigh in on the "profound contraction" in the nonfiction space. [The interview.]( Celebrate Earth Day With THR's Sustainability Issue ►"For Hollywood to truly heed the crisis call for our planet, every level must be involved." THR's 2023 Sustainability Issue celebrates what the entertainment industry is doing to address the climate crisis and examines what more can be done. [The issue.]( —On the cover. Sienna Miller, Meryl Streep, Gemma Chan, Forest Whitaker and Kit Harington are among the international cast of Apple TV+'s Extrapolations, which asks what happens to humanity in the near future amid an unavoidable global warming crisis. For THR, [Brande Victorian]( goes inside the making of the star-studded climate drama. [The cover story.]( —Messages, rather than carbon offsets. THR's [Alex Weprin]( looks at how Hollywood is courting Wall Street's ESG investors. He writes that the likes of Disney, Comcast, Paramount and Fox are aiming for a piece of $150 billion in annual eco-friendly investments as sustainability content has proven itself an opportunity to show that they care. [The analysis.]( —"If you fuck with nature, nature will fuck with you right back." THR critic [Robyn Bahr]( highlights 10 groundbreaking films that explore nature in all its awesome — and occasionally terrifying — weirdness. From Fire of Love to Grizzly Man, the documentaries listed here showcase not only the grand scale of Earth but also demonstrate the refinement of our microcosmic communities. [The list.]( 'Ghosted' Director Dexter Fletcher Talks A-List Cameos, Chris Evans' Prank ►"[Chris] Evans slammed the trunk and locked me in there." THR's [Brian Davids]( interviews filmmaker Dexter Fletcher about directing longtime friends Chris Evans and Ana de Armas in Apple TV+'s Ghosted. Fletcher reflects on Evans' set prank, Taron Egerton's Rocketman Oscar snub and working on Bohemian Rhapsody. [The interview.]( —"Charlotte is very much a character who knows her own mind." The cast and crew for Netflix's Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story spoke to THR at a special screening in London's Leicester Square. The team behind the prequel series discussed what makes creator Shonda Rhimes' storytelling so special and what fans can expect when the series launches May 4. [The story.]( —She met Dick Wolf in the early '90s. Jessica Burstein, a veteran photographer who helped capture the Law & Order franchise, has died following a battle with lung cancer, according to her sister. She was 76. [The obituary.]( This Week's Must Reads ►"I couldn't walk for six weeks." In case you missed it, THR's nicest man [Chris Gardner]( has been asking a big question of actors at red carpet events over the past several months: What's the most you've ever suffered — physically, emotionally or spiritually — to get in character? Colin Farrell, Angela Bassett, Joshua Jackson, Stephanie Hsu and Betty Gilpin are among those sharing their battle scars. [The story.]( —"It takes a long time to get people to see you as anything else." THR's [Mikey O'Connell]( talks to Ray Romano about making his directorial debut with Somewhere in Queens. The Everybody Loves Raymond alum discusses first-time director anxiety, bombing on Star Search and the trouble with second acts. [The interview.]( —"Fox News isn't out of the woods yet." Daniel Novack writes for THR about Fox News' nine-figure settlement with Dominion. According to the attorney, the cable network agreeing to the settlement isn't a surprise to many, but waiting until a lunch break after a jury was selected to seal the deal was an interesting choice. [The story.]( —"It's been a constant battle." THR's [J. Clara Chan]( explores why social media impostors pose a constant battle for stars. As she writes, flushing out fakes on social media remains an impossible game of whack-a-mole — especially when experts say platforms "want to have more accounts up, not less." [The story.]( In other news... —[NAB wrap]( Artificial intelligence, virtual production and the future of broadcasting in focus —Melanie Lynskey says "it was so painful" growing [apart from friend and former co-star Kate Winslet]( —Michelle Yeoh tries to save the world [in the full American Born Chinese trailer]( What else we're reading... —Jaya Saxena explores the surprising buzz one can get from watching livestreams of bars [[Punch]( —Jeff Weiss explores what Frank Ocean's Coachella performance says about artistry in an increasingly algorithmic and AI-generated world [[Ringer]( —According to Stuart Heritage, tracking down and photographing retired stars is a gross and uneasy trend [[Guardian]( —Charles Pulliam-Moore explains why calling this season of The Mandalorian a failure is a bit of an overstatement [[Verge]( —With Snowfall over, Monique Judge writes that John Singleton's final gift to us was his greatest [[Andscape]( Today... …in 2011, Fox unveiled the Reese Witherspoon-Robert Pattinson drama Water for Elephants in theaters. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Jack Nicholson (86), John Waters (77), Sherri Shepherd (56), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (57), Amber Heard (37), Colson Baker (33), Malcolm Barrett (43), Catherine Mary Stewart (64), Michelle Ryan (39), Cassidy Freeman (41), Roman Coppola (58), Violet McGraw (12), Marshawn Lynch (37), Meng'er Zhang (36) Rita Lakin, the boundary-pushing TV writer and showrunner who worked on Peyton Place, The Doctors and Mod Squad and created series including The Rookies and Flamingo Road, has died. She was 93. [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. Visit the [Preferences Center]( to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive. 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