WGA Negotiators On Where Talks Broke Down; Striking Writers Blast Studios; Disney's High Stakes Fight With Florida; 'Guardians 3' Kicks off Summer at the Box Office

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( May 03, 2023 What's news: The text that reportedly got Tucker Carlson fired at Fox has been revealed. Late night shows, SNL and The Talk go dark. Jay Leno dropped by the picket to lend his support and offer some donuts. FBoy Island moves to The CW. Michael Douglas is set to receive an honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes. — [Abid Rahman]( "They Really Weren't Interested in Making a Deal" ►Where the talks broke down. In an interview after the studios and streamers and the writers' union failed to reach an agreement on Monday night, WGA negotiators David Goodman, Chris Keyser and Meredith Stiehm spoke to THR's Katie Kilkenny about how the guild came to its first work stoppage in 15 years. [The interview.]( —FYC changes. The Television Academy will be accommodating its “partners” — networks, streamers, etc. — whose Emmy campaign plans are being impacted by the writers strike. THR's Scott Feinberg reports that the TV Academy has decided to modify its guidelines on cancellations and fee refunds in light of the current circumstances. [The story.]( —Will viewers notice? THR's [James Hibberd]( writes that a lot has changed since the last writers strike in 2007, and the very medium that inspired the strike — streaming — may help insulate viewers from the effects of the walkout. [The analysis.]( —Going dark at night. Late night talk shows are among the first to be impacted by the strike. ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CBS’ Late Show, and NBC’s Tonight Show and Late Night are all shutting down and will air reruns for the time being. On cable, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show is also shutting down and will air repeats, and HBO’s Real Time and Last Week Tonight are going dark as well. [The story.]( —The exception. While late night television will be a sea of reruns, the daytime landscape won’t be altered as much. That’s in part because several daytime talk shows don’t employ WGA scribes. One big exception is CBS’ The Talk, which will stop production during the strike. [The story.]( —"SNL will air repeats until further notice." Add Saturday Night Live to the list of shows shutting down because of the strike. The NBC sketch comedy show will go dark on Saturday. The episode was slated to be the hosting debut of former castmember Pete Davidson, with Lil Uzi Vert as the musical guest. [The story.]( Striking Writers Blast Studios as Picketing Starts ►"It’s really dumb to strengthen our resolve on day one." At 10 designated sites across Los Angeles, THR's [Mikey O'Connell]( and [Lesley Goldberg]( spoke to striking WGA members who articulated their many unresolved issues with the AMPTP by calling pay disparity insane and comparing their treatment to that of "cogs in a machine." [The story.]( —"I’ve actually been homeless for four years in between gigs." Lesley spoke to writer Michael Tabb as he returned to the Disney lot in Burbank on Tuesday for what is now his second time hitting the picket lines in support of the WGA. Tabb spoke about his struggles and how the guild has protected him when writing opportunities dried up. [The interview.]( —Strong showing. Over in New York City, the writers strike took over an entire block Tuesday afternoon. Hundreds of writers representing all parts of the WGA East’s membership marched on 5th Avenue, between 37th and 38th streets, blocking the entrance to the Newfront presentation for Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service. [The story.]( —Solidarity and baked goods. History repeated itself Tuesday when Jay Leno visited the striking writers’ picket line to show his support and brought along some donuts (Randy's, in case you're wondering). The former Tonight Show host did something similar in 2007, the last time writers went on strike (Krispy Kremes on that occasion). [The story.]( Disney and Florida Are Now Locked in a High-Stakes Legal Fight ►"We have no choice." Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ hand-picked oversight board will trade blows in different courts in a legal battle for control of the district that oversees development around the company’s theme parks. THR's [Winston Cho]( writes that Disney will likely move to stay the new special district board's suit, filed in state court, until resolution of its case. The judge assigned to the case has ruled against DeSantis in a similar First Amendment case. [The analysis.]( —Dancing no more. Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ is the first casualty of the Tony Awards. The revival of the musical revue, which opened on Broadway on March 23, announced Tuesday evening that it would play its final performance at the Music Box Theatre on May 14. The closing notice comes after the show did not receive any Tony Award nominations Tuesday morning and has seen waning box office numbers. [The story.]( —FPeople never die. FBoy Island has been picked up for a third season by The CW after its cancellation at Max. The Nikki Glaser-hosted reality dating competition series will also spawn a spinoff, FGirl Island, which will also be presented by the comedian. Both unscripted series go into production back-to-back this summer, with FBoy airing in the fall of 2023 and FGirl slated for a midseason debut. [The story.]( Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class 2023 ►Kate! This year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s all-star class of inductees includes Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Sheryl Crow, Rage Against the Machine, The Spinners and Willie Nelson, who celebrated his 90th birthday last week. The icons will officially be anointed as rock ‘n’ roll royalty on Nov. 3 when the 38th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony takes place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. [The story.]( —"Brilliant career." Michael Douglas will receive an honorary Palme d’Or for lifetime achievement at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The Wall Street star will receive the Palme d’or d’honneur at the opening ceremony on May 16. As part of its tribute to Douglas, Cannes will screen the previously-unreleased documentary Michael Douglas, The Prodigal Son by Amine Mesta, on the festival website over two days, from May 14-16. [The story.]( —"Truly such an incredible honor." John C. Reilly will head up the jury for the 2023 Cannes Un Certain Regard sidebar. Joining Reilly on the jury are French Cambodian director and producer Davy Chou, French director and screenwriter Alice Winocour, German actress Paula Beer and Belgian actress Émilie Dequenne. [The story.]( —New additions. The 2023 Tribeca Festival has added panel discussions with David Fincher, Paul McCartney, David Letterman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Billy Porter, Hailee Steinfeld and Patty Jenkins. The festival has also added reunion screenings of New Jack City and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, the latter of which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. [The story.]( Box Office Preview : 'Guardians 3' Kicks Off Summer ►End of an era. James Gunn is bidding farewell to the MCU with the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in theaters across the globe this weekend. THR's [Pamela McClintock]( writes that the movie continues a long tradition of Marvel movies kicking off summer at the box office. Tracking shows Guardians 3 opening in the $120m range domestically, which is notably less than the $146m debut of 2017’s Guardians 2, but ahead of the $94.2m opening of the first Guardians in 2014, not adjusted for inflation. [The box office report.]( —"There was one really extraordinary moment early on around the monitor where we all got a little emotional." THR's [Brian Davids]( spoke to Gunn and Guardians star Chris Pratt about their final MCU film together. The director reflects on the moments he’ll never forget, including several of Pratt’s highly emotional scenes, while the actor discusses dropping Marvel's first on-screen F-bomb. [The interview.]( —"I was crying hysterically and then I was laughing hysterically, and I would just alternate between those emotions." Brian also spoke to Guardians stars Karen Gillan and Pom Klementieff, who offered their thoughts on the final film in their mini Marvel franchise and the mystery of the disturbingly lifelike doll of Pratt’s character Peter Quill. [The interview.]( The Tucker Text that Pushed Fox to Fire Him ►"It’s not how white men fight." A racially charged and bloodthirsty text sent by Tucker Carlson about the assault of a protestor by Trump supporters was reportedly a key factor that precipitated the anchor’s shock exit from Fox News last week. The New York Times reported Tuesday night that the discovery of Carlson’s message, and the language it contained, “set off a panic” amongst Fox executives on the eve of the defamation trial brought by Dominion Voting Systems against the cable news network. [The story.]( —"I wasn’t very happy, if I’m being honest, I think I felt a bit caged." Emma Watson is opening up about why she stepped away from acting. In a new interview, the Harry Potter star reflected on why she hasn’t made a movie since Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, which finished shooting at the end of 2018, revealing that she felt increasingly alienated from projects she felt she had very little control over. [The story.]( —"People are injecting way too many things in their face." Tom Ford has slammed celebrities for using too many cosmetic procedures. In a new interview, the designer and filmmaker said many stars are losing "touch with who they were" and were exhibiting dysmorphia. In the same interview, Ford also opened up about selling his company and new movie projects he's working on. [The story.]( —"No one had any inkling that he was low." Allison Holker Boss, a professional dancer and widow of the late Stephen “tWitch” Boss, says she’s struggled to make sense of her husband’s death. In a new interview, Holker Boss opened up about the impact of tWitch's death by suicide, sharing the “complex” emotions — sorrow, disappointment, love and anger — she’s experienced in the months since. [The story.]( The 'Fatal Attraction' Series Wants You to Forget How the Movie Ended ►"If it makes you ask more questions, I can live with that." THR's queen of chat [Jackie Strause]( spoke to Fatal Attraction showrunner Alexandra Cunningham about the links, or lack of them, between the Paramount+ series and Adrian Lyne's film. Cunningham discusses setting up a murder mystery with her TV adaptation of the iconic 1987 erotic thriller. Warning: Spoilers! [The interview.]( In other news... —Brett Goldstein’s [podcast nabs deal with iHeartMedia, Will Ferrell’s Big Money Players]( —Snapchat [inks content partnerships with Women’s World Cup, NBCUniversal]( —Michelle Yeoh, [Simu Liu, Daniel Dae Kim to headline TAAF Heritage Month summit and celebration]( —Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner [to divorce after 18 years of marriage]( What else we're reading... —Excellent Alissa Wilkinson piece on the looming threat of A.I. to Hollywood, and why it should matter to everyone [[Vox]( —James Poniewozik writes that too many of TV's numerous adaptations promise "faithfulness" when what they really need is a little creative infidelity [[NYT]( —With Citadel and Ghosted both getting mauled by the critics, Tom Nicholson wonders why so many spy franchises are firing blanks [[Esquire]( —After video emerged of Steven Crowder verbally abusing his then heavily pregnant wife, Kirsten Fleming reports that the far right-wing YouTube star also abused his staff [[NY Post]( —Kate Morgan reports that Zoomers are snapping up "dumb" flip phones to break their addiction to smartphones [[WSJ]( Today... ...in 2002, Sony launched Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man into theaters to kick off summer movie season. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Danielle Deadwyler (41), Rachel Zegler (22), Joseph Kosinski (49), Pom Klementieff (37), Christina Hendricks (48), Amy Ryan (55), Rebecca Hall (41), Bobby Cannavale (53), Harvey Guillén (33), Noah Munck (27), Ron Canada (74), [Rob Brydon]( (58🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿), Jessica Sula (29🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿), Emily V. Gordon (44), Dulé Hill (48), Kevin Kilner (65), Mozhan Marnò (43), Maxwell Jenkins (18), Chris Mulkey (75), Meagan Tandy (38), Frankie Valli (89), Cheryl Burke (39) Eileen Saki, who portrayed Rosie, the sassy boss of the popular watering hole that hosted Hawkeye Pierce, Hot Lips Houlihan and others from the 4077th on the legendary series M*A*S*H, has died. She was 79. [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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