Peter Rice's Next Act; Comedy Actor Roundtable; Hollywood's 50 Forces for Change; 'Succession' Star on Greg's Final Coup; THR Critics Pick Over 'Ted Lasso' Finale

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( June 01, 2023 What's news: Danny Masterson has been found guilt of raping two women. Armie Hammer will not face charges over a 2021 sexual assault allegation. Kim Cattrall will make an appearance in season two of And Just Like That. Thomas Kail will direct Disney's live-action remake of Moana. — [Abid Rahman]( Peter Rice's Next Act ►"I am incredibly excited." THR's [Kim Masters]( [Lesley Goldberg]( and [Mia Galuppo]( have the big scoop on Peter Rice's next gig. The respected exec, who was unceremoniously ousted at Bob Chapek-era Disney, is set to become an independent producer and has partnered with powerhouse A24. Under the producing and co-financing agreement, Rice will have a non-exclusive deal with the studio. [The story.]( —She's back! Sort of. Kim Cattrall will reprise her Sex and the City role in a brief appearance in And Just Like That’s second season. The SATC sequel, which Cattrall famously opted out of, is due to premiere June 22 on Max. The actress will appear as Samantha in the season two finale, having filmed the top-secret cameo in March with limited crew and no interaction with her former co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon or Kristin Davis. [The story.]( —Guilty. That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson was found guilty on Wednesday of raping two women at his Los Angeles home in the early 2000s. But in a split verdict, the jury couldn’t reach a decision on another sexual assault charge relating to ex-girlfriend Chrissie Carnell-Bixler, who has publicly identified herself as one of Masterson’s accusers. The disgraced actor, who was taken into custody, faces 30 years to life in prison. [The story.]( —"There is insufficient evidence." Armie Hammer will not face charges following an investigation by Los Angeles police into an allegation of sexual assault against the actor, the LA District Attorney’s Office said on Wednesday. The LAPD opened an investigation into the allegations in February 2021, after a woman accused Hammer of raping her in 2017. [The story.]( —Rebounding. In the 2022-23 season — Broadway’s first full season since the pandemic began — the industry almost bounced back to pre-COVID levels. THR's [Caitlin Huston]( writes that the total gross for the season reached nearly $1.6b, which is a marked improvement from the previous two seasons but still below the pre-pandemic total of $1.8b in 2018-19. [The story.]( THR Comedy Actor Roundtable ►How to get to that "f*** you, I’ll do what I want" place. THR's award-winning Roundtable series continues. This week Steven Yeun, John Mulaney, Jason Segel, Tyler James Williams and Mo Amer sit down with THR's [Lacey Rose]( for the Comedy Actor Emmy Roundtable. In a wide-ranging conversation, the six stars talk about when to embrace the anxiety hives, buy the BMW and push through that crazy puppet musical idea (even if everyone’s telling you it’s stupid). [The roundtable.]( —"None of us thought it was going to work." Lacey also has the scoop on how Brad Pitt found his way into a guest appearance in the season three finale of FX's Dave. Lacey writes that Pitt’s appearance, which has been shrouded in secrecy for many months, began with a passionate, personal letter from series creator/star Dave Burd to the Oscar winner. [The story.]( —Helmer in place. Thomas Kail, the Tony Award-winning director of Broadway’s Hamilton, has been tapped to direct Disney’s live-action remake of Moana. Dwayne Johnson is set to return to the role of Maui, the demigod of the wind and sea. Jared Bush, who wrote the screenplay for the original movie, penned the remake, along with Dana Ledoux Miller. [The story.]( —New face. CBS News has hired veteran journalist and producer Lisa Ling to serve as a contributor to the network. Ling will report and produce pieces for all CBS News programs and platforms. She was most recently hosted and produced the CNN original series This is Life with Lisa Ling, and hosted and produced the HBO Max docuseries Take Out. [The story.]( —Making moves. ABC News has named Brooke Brower executive producer for its Sunday public affairs show This Week with George Stephanopoulos. She will report to ABC News president Kim Godwin. In addition, Godwin announced that Kendall Heath has been promoted to executive producer of politics. Heath had been serving as the interim EP of This Week since December following the sudden death of its top producer Dax Tejera at age 37. [The story.]( Execs: Writers' Shut-It-Down Strategy Has Been Effective ►"We have to make sure that no writing is happening across the board." As the strike extends into its second month, protesters are focusing efforts on stopping in-progress productions. Multiple high-level executives who spoke with THR's [Gary Baum]( [Katie Kilkenny]( and [Lesley Goldberg]( agree that the guerrilla-style tactics are working. [The story.]( —"The bottom line is that our members understand the struggle." Katie Kilkenny spoke to Producers Guild presidents Donald De Line and Stephanie Allain about how the body is backing the writers in its fight against the studios and streamers. After Sean Penn confused the PGA with the AMPTP and called it a “bankers’ guild,” the duo explain how their battles parallel the issues underlying this spring’s strike. [The story.]( —The stoppage spreads. The WGA has opened a new front in its targeted pickets of TV and movie productions: Georgia. Striking writers on Wednesday picketed outside soundstages in Atlanta where Peacock’s upcoming series Hysteria! is in production. The action is the first time striking writers and their allies have used targeted pickets to shut down filming in Georgia. [The story.]( —"This AI storytelling experiment will fail." In a guest column for THR, American Horror Story writer/producer Angela L. Harvey writes that data is invaluable, but it’s not creative, even when it’s generative. Harvey adds that data can’t tell you what people want, because people don’t even know what people want. [The column.]( —"Writers need to remember they were on the precipice of something great before the strike." In a guest column for THR, The West Wing and This Is Us writer Kevin Falls, a veteran of three stoppages, has some funny-but-encouraging advice for first-time strikers and recounts how his first WGA walkout 35 years ago derailed a very big break with Tom Hanks. [The column.]( —"If [the studios] are not restrained by the power of our Guild, they will mandate a future for writers that all too clearly resembles my father’s past." In a guest column for THR, former WGA West president Howard A. Rodman reflects on his late father, the writer Howard Rodman Sr., and argues that "the fight to preserve the writers room is many things," not least "a fight for working conditions that extend and enrich human lives." [The story.]( Raising Our Voices: Hollywood's 50 Forces for Change ►Pathfinders. As part of THR's second annual Raising Our Voices issue, we've put together a list of the creative and business changemakers — including Riz Ahmed, Viola Davis, Sterlin Harjo and Gloria Calderón Kellett — who are continuing to push the industry to be inclusive onscreen and off. [The list.]( —"As you can tell, there’s a writers strike on, so I didn’t write shit." The Raising Our Voices luncheon took place on Wednesday with this week's cover star Taika Waititi as the keynote speaker. Eva Longoria and Niecy Nash-Betts were honored as 2023 Trailblazers and Amber Midthunder, Gloria Calderón Kellett and Sophia Nomvete were among those who took part in the day’s panel conversations. [The recap.]( —"Will you stand up and be counted?" Sharon Stone kicked off the Raising Our Voices luncheon gala with an impassioned speech about her health journey and the challenges she has faced as a result of speaking up for herself. The star, who hosted the event celebrating diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in Hollywood, railed against the "anti-woke bullshit" that's pervading politics at the moment and revealed that speaking up for herself "has caused me a lot of problems in the business." [The story.]( —"Can I invite you to think differently about me?" THR Trailblazers Eva Longoria and Niecy Nash-Betts sat down for a chat in early May to discuss reinvention, the next phase of Hollywood’s inclusion movement, inspiring the next generation and never settling for "no." [The conversation.]( —"In some areas we’re on track, and in some areas we’re still woefully behind." Women In Film, the Hollywood advocacy group founded by former THR editor-in-chief Tichi Wilkerson, turns 50 this year. To mark the milestone, THR's editorial director [Nekesa Mumbi Moody]( sat down with WIF CEO Kirsten Schaffer to talk about the organization's past and present. [The interview.]( 'Succession' Star Nicholas Braun on Greg's Final Coup ►"I think Greg has become a serious person." THR's queen of chat [Jackie Strause]( spoke to Succession star Nicholas Braun about the series finale of the HBO show. The actor shares his take on the tragic endings for the Roy siblings and explains why there won’t be a Cousin Greg spinoff. Warning: Spoilers! [The interview.]( —"I don’t think any of us are ready to say goodbye to that world, because it’s been such a happy world for all of us, on and off-screen." THR's [Rick Porter]( spoke to Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham about the season three, possibly series, finale of the Apple comedy. The Emmy-winning actress opens up about how playing team owner Rebecca Welton was "life-changing" and why she's not quite ready to say goodbye to her character just yet. Warning: Spoilers! [The interview.]( —"There’s major sequel or spinoff potential." THR's Seija Rankin spoke to Manifest star Josh Dallas about the coming end of the Netflix hit series and its potential future. The actor shares his thoughts on the death of TV series longevity and the pressure to promote the show in place of striking showrunner Jeff Rake. [The interview.]( 'Ted Lasso' — Farewell, Good Riddance or Come Back Soon? ►"A season that retained all the wrong lessons from the praise it garnered in the first two." Ted Lasso's messy, oversized, emotional third season finished with a messy, oversized, emotional last episode (which may or may not also be The Last Episode). THR's TV critics [Dan Fienberg]( and [Angie Han]( pick over the finale episode, "So Long, Farewell," and wonder what went awry with the show that once could do no wrong. [The critics' conversation.]( —"Love triumphs over a hairy situation." THR's [Leslie Felperin]( reviews Stephanie di Giusto's Cannes Un Certain Regard selection Rosalie. The French period film stars Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Benoît Magimel as partners in a marriage tested by the bride's unusual physical condition. [The review.]( In other news... —Timothy Olyphant [returns as Raylan Givens in Justified: City Primeval trailer]( —Charlie Harper, [romance movie starring Emilia Jones, sells wide]( —Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Christopher Doyle [team for culinary thriller Morte Cucina]( —David Leavy [tapped as COO of CNN]( —Singer [Coco Jones signs with WME]( —Kansas City Chiefs star [Travis Kelce signs with CAA]( —American Film Institute [sets 2023 AFI Awards date]( —Chanel and Tribeca Fest [unveil works selected for 2023 Artist Awards Program]( What else we're reading... —Zach Baron's delightful profile of Ryan Gosling includes lots of Ken-related bon mots [[GQ]( —Delia Casadei talked to Succession composer Nicholas Britell who revealed the hidden messages in the score and sound design of the show [[Slate]( —Now that Ted Lasso has seemingly come to an end, Sian Cain unloads on the Apple comedy, describing it as "utterly dreadful television" [[Guardian]( —Laura Pitcher looks at the rise of "Europecore" fashion and why it perfectly encapsulates American notions of escapism [[Nylon]( —J. D. Biersdorfer digs into the growing popularity of apps like Photocircle and Kin that let you create small and very private social media networks [[NYT]( Today... ...in 1956, Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much, featuring James Stewart and Doris Day, hit theaters stateside. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Morgan Freeman (86), [Brian Cox]( (77), Tom Holland (27), Amy Schumer (42), Nikki Glaser (39), Zazie Beetz (32), Gareth Edwards (48), Jonathan Pryce (76🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿), Heidi Klum (50), Alanis Morissette (49), Pat Boone (89), Teri Polo (54), Paula Malcomson (53), Sylvia Hoeks (40), Sarah Wayne Callies (46), Rick Gomez (51), Willow Shields (23), Adam Garcia (50), Brian Goodman (60), Danielle Harris (46), Taylor Handley (39), Sofia Hublitz (24), Robert Powell (79), Johnny Pemberton (42), Andrea Bogart (46), Kate Magowan (48) Sergio Calderón, the amiable Mexican character actor who made his mark in such notable films as The In-Laws, Men in Black and Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End, has died. He was 77. [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. 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