'Deadpool 3' Lands Jennifer Garner; Twitter Firing Spree Haunts Musk; Patrick Wilson Talks 'Insidious 5'; 23 Stars Reveal Wildest Fan Stories

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( July 08, 2023 What's news: ABC Signature president Jonnie Davis steps down. The Wire creator David Simon asks for leniency for a man charged in Michael K. Williams' death. Writers Guild East pickets are canceled due to heat. The title of "chief content officer" is the new go-to for Hollywood executives. — [Ryan Gajewski]( Jennifer Garner Returning as Elektra for 'Deadpool 3' ►Picking up Elektra's sai once again. THR's [Borys Kit]( and [Aaron Couch]( have the scoop on Jennifer Garner returning after a nearly 20-year hiatus to the role of Marvel Comics' assassin antiheroine for Deadpool 3. The Marvel Studios production is currently shooting, with Ryan Reynolds reprising his fan-favorite part of the fourth wall-breaking Merc with a Mouth. [The story.]( —East Coast writers (briefly) put down their picket signs. The Writers Guild of America East canceled its planned demonstrations on Friday due to "the high heat index," with heat indices peaking in the mid-90s in the tri-state area, according to the National Weather Service. Pickets are scheduled to pick up again on Monday in Upper Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Hudson Valley, northern New Jersey, Queens and The Bronx. [The story.]( —"A fantastic creative partner, collaborator and friend." Jonnie Davis, a longtime studio fixture at Fox and Disney, is stepping down from his role as president of ABC Signature. Davis informed his Disney colleagues in a staff memo of his decision to depart the studio behind Grey's Anatomy, with the recently installed Disney Television Studios president Eric Schrier sending an internal note of his own to thank Davis for his contributions. [The story.]( —The blurring of film and TV businesses has spurred the rise of a new exec title. NBCUniversal's elevation of Donna Langley heralds a corporate leadership era that signals a top exec is needed to oversee complex programming slates across film and TV divisions. THR's [Alex Weprin]( reports that a number of industry companies have opted to put all their entertainment eggs in one basket, with a single leader to oversee them all: the chief content officer. [The story.]( Elon Musk's Firing Spree Haunts Twitter ►Twitter has threatened litigation against Meta. After taking the helm at Twitter, Elon Musk proceeded to clean house by ousting several executives and roughly half of its employees. Less than a year later, the move has resulted in millions in legal fees and may have helped Meta create a competing text-based social media platform. Twitter, in a cease-and-desist sent to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, accused the company of hiring dozens of former employees to create a "copycat" app. [The story.]( —"Meta's business model could be under threat [in Europe]." Threads, Meta's new micro-blogging app, launched worldwide this week — with the very prominent exception of the countries of the European Union, where strict data protection laws make it unclear when, or if, the Twitter rival app will see the light of day. THR's [Scott Roxborough]( reports that Meta is holding back on launching Threads in the EU until it can be sure the app won't fall foul of European law, as Meta's other platforms — including Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp — have in the past. [The story.]( —"Caught up in the diaspora of addiction himself." The Wire creator David Simon has taken the unusual step of asking for mercy for a man who's charged in connection with the death of Michael K. Williams, the late actor from Simon's acclaimed HBO drama. Williams perished in 2021 from an overdose of fentanyl-laced heroin. Last year, four men were charged in a Manhattan federal court in association with his death. [The story.]( Patrick Wilson on Starring in and Directing 'Insidious: The Red Door' ►"I didn't want anything to be boring." THR's [Brian Davids]( interviews Insidious: The Red Door star-director Patrick Wilson about returning to the horror franchise. Wilson discusses having to learn to compromise as a director and his experience while shooting Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is out later this year. [The interview.]( —👻 Scaring up a strong start 👻 THR's [Pamela McClintock]( reports that Insidious: The Red Door rattled up a hefty $5 million in Thursday previews at the North American box office, followed by $1.1 million for the R-rated raunchy comedy Joy Ride. The pair of genre pics are going up against the second weekend of summer tentpole Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which earned an estimated $5.2 million on Thursday. [The report.]( —"A powerful act of reclamation." THR critic [Angie Han]( reviews Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York. The HBO true-crime docuseries chronicles a string of murders that targeted gay men in 1990s Manhattan. [The review.]( 23 Likely Emmy Nominees on Their Wildest Fan Interactions ►"People were super into taking selfies with their thumbs in my eyes." As part of THR's Emmy Roundtable series this year, [Lacey Rose]( asked every participant what they typically hear when fans approach them on the street and how they regularly respond. The answers varied significantly, including standout responses from Pedro Pascal, Jenna Ortega, Kieran Culkin and Sheryl Lee Ralph. [The story.]( —"I was like, 'What is he thinking?'" THR's Brian Davids, who is a foremost authority on all things Breaking Bad, chats with Aaron Paul about the star's live-action debut on Black Mirror being five-and-a-half years in the making. Paul shares his casting story involving creator Charlie Brooker and discusses his reaction to Bryan Cranston's recent retirement talk. [The interview.]( —He was part of Broadway's Richard Burton-starring Camelot revival. John Deyle, who appeared in four Broadway musicals, in more than 100 commercials and as the inept Mr. Science on the first season of Late Night With Conan O'Brien, has died. He was 68. [The obituary.]( This Week's Must Reads ►"If we turn on each other, the AMPTP wins." THR's [Lesley Goldberg]( has the scoop on Ryan Murphy threatening litigation against Warren Leight, a WGA East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee member who has subsequently forfeited those positions. The flap started June 21, when Leight alleged in a tweet that crewmembers on Murphy's American Horror Story had told him that they'll be blackballed if they don't cross the picket lines. At the time, a spokesperson for Murphy called Leight's tweet "absolute nonsense" and "categorically false." [The story.]( —"I have a problem with the stealing of my material." THR's [Winston Cho]( talks to Hollywood insiders about the evolving feelings surrounding the use of artificial intelligence. As industry execs begin to test AI, from using the tech to de-age actors to partnering with companies in the field to create tech-composed music, key players in the industry are pushing for regulations — or lawsuits. [The story.]( —"I know that Marion was much more involved in the story at that juncture." THR's Brian Davids speaks to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny star Karen Allen about her feelings around the conclusion of Indy and her character Marion's long-running relationship. The actress also reveals she expected to be a bigger part of the fifth film — back when Steven Spielberg planned on directing. [The interview.]( —"It's a little disturbing." THR's music editor [Mesfin Fekadu]( chats with Kelly Clarkson, Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and Justin Timberlake's security specialist Todd Dukes about the recent spate of incidents that have seen fans throw objects at Bebe Rexha, Ava Max, Pink and Lil Nas X during concerts. [The story.]( —"You are not separated from who you are and your lived experience." THR's [Abbey White]( interviews Jim LeBrecht about hosting the Film Academy original podcast The Art of Documentary. LeBrecht, who co-directed the Oscar-nominated film Crip Camp, discusses his approach to choosing a diverse slate of established and newer creatives, along with how the series reflects the medium's shift from exploitation to agency and inclusion. [The interview.]( —"The best gift ever." For THR, Brande Victorian speaks to The Bear star Ayo Edebiri and her on-screen father, Robert Townsend. The actors reveal how their mutual admiration for one another translated into moving scenes in season two of the hit FX/Hulu series. [The interview.]( In other news... —Blake Lively's It Ends With Us adaptation [sets 2024 release date]( —How the FBI worked with Hollywood to [build the crime genre's early years in film and TV]( —Diablo Cody says canned Barbie movie starring Amy Schumer was [trying to have a "girl-boss feminist twist"]( —[Events of the week:]( Theater Camp, Essence Festival and more What else we're reading... —According to Laura Snapes, Taylor Swift's re-recording project is beginning to feel wearying and pointless [[Guardian]( —With Joy Ride hitting theaters, Matt Stevens explores why playing a hot mess is liberating for Asian American actors [[NYT]( —Samantha Nelson talks to Chicago restaurant legend Donnie Madia about his involvement with the new season of The Bear [[Eater]( —Ann Hornaday examines why film audiences have remained true to Tom Cruise over the decades [[WaPo]( —Jason P. Frank hears from movie fans on both sides of the aisle in the lead-up to this month's box office showdown known as Barbenheimer [[Vulture]( Today... …in 2011, Sony unveiled Kevin James' talking-animal magnum opus Zookeeper, and the world was never the same. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Anjelica Huston (72), Maya Hawke (25), Kevin Bacon (65), David Corenswet (30), Jaden Smith (25), Sophia Bush (41), Milo Ventimiglia (46), Jake McDorman (37), Alexis Dziena (39), Isabella Sermon (17), Billy Crudup (55), Robert Knepper (64), Kim Darby (76), Beck (53), Lee Tergesen (58), Sky Ferreira (31), Wally Pfister (62), Alicia Vela-Bailey (41), Pendleton Ward (40) Betta St. John, who portrayed the lovely island girl Liat in the original Broadway production of South Pacific and starred as a princess alongside Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in the MGM romantic comedy Dream Wife, has died. She was 93. [The obituary.]( Do you have THR's next big story? 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