WGA to Resume Negotiations With Studios Next Week; Amazon Scraps 'Peripheral,' 'League' Amid Strikes; Disney Doubles Down on Florida Litigation; Review of Sandler's 'Bat Mitzvah'

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( August 19, 2023 What's news: The Snow White live-action remake stirs more debate. A judge's ruling about AI could give Hollywood studios pause. Lawsuits from two Michael Jackson accusers are no longer dismissed. Disney+'s Percy Jackson series has a premiere date and trailer. — [Ryan Gajewski]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. 'Peripheral' Season 2 Scrapped at Amazon ►The first season cost north of $140 million. The Peripheral has had its second season renewal at Amazon's Prime Video undone, putting an end to the Chloë Grace Moretz-led sci-fi series. THR's [Rick Porter]( and [Lesley Goldberg]( report that the un-renewal comes during strikes by Hollywood writers and actors, and sources cite the work stoppages as the reason for The Peripheral not moving ahead with season two. Prime Video had picked up a second season in February. [The story.]( —Another title removed from the scripted lineup. Lesley Goldberg also reports that Amazon has reversed course and canceled the queer-themed A League of Their Own after previously renewing the series for a four-episode second and final season. Sources say Sony Pictures Television, which produces the show, plans to shop League with the hopes that the series can find a new home for season two. [The story.]( —A judge will now reconsider the accusations against Michael Jackson. Lawsuits from two men who accused Michael Jackson of abusing them as children in the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland have been brought back from dismissal. The 2nd District Court of Appeal reversed a ruling from a Los Angeles Superior Court judge dismissing the suits from Wade Robson and James Safechuck. They will be able to proceed with claims that a pair of corporations owned by the singer had a legal duty to protect them from sexual abuse Jackson is alleged to have inflicted on them when they were children. [The story.]( —"Walt [Disney] and [my dad] would be turning in their graves." David Hand, who worked as a designer for Disney in the 1990s and whose father (also named David Hand) was one of the directors of the 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, expressed plenty of criticism for the live-action remake that is due out next year. His comments are the latest element to a culture war surrounding the new film version, entitled Snow White and starring Rachel Zegler, which has yet to release a trailer. [The story.]( Disney Doubles Down on Florida Litigation Against DeSantis' Board ►DeSantis recently urged Disney to "drop the lawsuit." Disney is doubling down on litigation involving Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that may decide whether it retains the power to control development around its sprawling theme park. In the case initiated by the board of supervisors picked by DeSantis to oversee Walt Disney World's special tax district, the entertainment giant filed a series of counterclaims, including for breach of contract and violations of the Florida constitution over its due process and free speech rights. [The story.]( —"Human authorship is a bedrock requirement." A federal judge on Friday upheld a finding from the U.S. Copyright Office that a piece of art created by AI is not open to protection. The ruling was delivered in an order turning down Stephen Thaler's bid challenging the government's position refusing to register works made by AI. [The story.]( —Camp Half-Blood is reopening at the end of 2023. Disney+ announced a premiere date for its Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, based on the beloved (and mega-selling) quintet of novels by Rick Riordan. A new teaser has also dropped for the series that will debut with two episodes, with subsequent installments rolling out weekly. [The story.]( —"You are part private banker, part art curator, part psychiatrist." As part of a new recurring feature called "The Insider's Insider," THR's [Gary Baum]( sits down with Jeff Smith, Hollywood's go-to wine cellar consigliere. Smith — who has helped select vino and manage collections for names including Mel Brooks, Joel McHale and Irving Azoff — shares secrets of the trade and offers his top picks for splurge-worthy Champagnes and Burgundy wines. [The story.]( Box Office: Starless Publicity Campaigns Start to Impact Grosses ►"You lose the cultural impact of having talent talk about the film." The box office is feeling the impact as films open without the full participation of stars and writers. THR's [Pamela McClintock]( talks to several studio sources who say that earnings at the box office for movies like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem could be hurt by as much as 15 percent because of the dramatic falloff in talent-driven publicity. [The story.]( —Hoping to squash the competition. Pamela McClintock reports that the family-friendly Blue Beetle started off its box-office run with $3.3 million in Thursday evening previews. Blue Beetle hopes to open in the $30 million range domestically and could have the bragging rights to toppling Barbie from the top spot after four weekends. [The box office report.]( —"I'm proud, and I'm sad." THR's [Borys Kit]( spends time on the picket line with Blue Beetle scribe Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, who experienced a bittersweet release day for his superhero film. The screenwriter was one of several thousand Latino writers and actors to descend on the Warner Bros. lot on Friday in one of the most active and lively moments of the strike. [The story.]( —"You basically can't afford to go to the very movie you wrote." Screenwriter Todd Robinson, whose home was destroyed by a wildfire during the guild's last standoff with the studios, stresses the urgency of meaningful change in the next contract. In a piece for THR, he breaks down the math of what, on the outside, looks like an enviable salary. [The essay.]( Film Review: Adam Sandler in 'You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah' ►"A sweet, amusing film geared toward younger audiences." THR critic Frank Scheck reviews Sammi Cohen's You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah. Adam Sandler co-stars with his wife and two daughters in this Netflix teen comedy based on Fiona Rosenbloom's YA novel. [The review.]( —"Despite some amusing moments, it never really takes off." Frank Scheck also reviews Chris Spencer's feature Back on the Strip. Wesley Snipes, Tiffany Haddish and Kevin Hart are among the castmembers in this comedy about the reunion of a Black male stripper troupe. [The review.]( —"I have Will Ferrell running around my house at all times." THR's [Brian Davids]( interviews filmmaker Josh Greenbaum about the Universal canine-centric comedy Strays that features the voice talents of Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx. Greenbaum discusses the ins and outs of how he shot Strays with real dogs and how he accounted for the dog dialogue on set despite not having a voice cast until halfway through filming. [The interview.]( —"Nothing lasts forever, including summer love." THR's [Carly Thomas]( interviews The Summer I Turned Pretty creator Jenny Han about the Prime Video series' second season. The author and showrunner talks about wanting to satisfy readers with the TV adaptation, while sharing her finale takeaways and teasing what fans can expect from Belly in season three. [The interview.]( This Week's Must Reads ►On the cover. In June, acting icon Annette Bening assumed the post of chair of the board of the Entertainment Community Fund, formerly known as the Actors Fund. A month later, SAG-AFTRA went on strike, leading Bening to depart the Australia set of the limited series Apples Never Fall. She made the trek back to L.A., where she wasted no time hitting the picket lines and using her platform to illuminate the mission of ECF. THR's nicest man [Chris Gardner]( spoke to Bening about the precarious times facing performers and her hopes for post-strike unity: "We will move forward." [The cover story.]( —"The thing about my life is that there's too much." [Mikey O'Connell]( spoke to THR Icon Cher, who reveals she's heading back to the studio, still writing that memoir, rethinking her biopic and, yes, starting a gelato empire — but, at 77, the world’s most recognizable mononym is primarily concerned with liberating Billy, a pachyderm at the L.A. Zoo. [The interview.]( —"We've laid out our vision to HBO for how this series should lay out across not one season, but multiple seasons." THR's [James Hibberd]( spoke to The Last of Us co-creator and showrunner Craig Mazin about the plans for season two of the hit HBO drama. Mazin discusses the casting of Abby, his favorite scene and some of the most challenging and emotional moments of the show's first season. [The interview.]( —"I don't think a lot of Hollywood knows what I've been doing, to be honest." THR's [Seth Abramovitch]( looks into how ex-Hollywood journalist Anita Busch — whose career was derailed by the infamous Hollywood P.I. Anthony Pellicano and who survived a brutal sexual assault — has quietly re-emerged as an advocate for mass shooting victims: "I said, 'If I get strong again, I will never stop helping.'" [The story.]( In other news... —Don Lemon says he [feels "vindicated" after Chris Licht's CNN exit]( —Painkiller author on the [20-year road to a Netflix series]( and why he doesn't expect Richard Sackler to watch —Elon Musk suggests block button [may be next feature on the chopping block at X]( —Britney Spears [speaks out following split with husband Sam Asghari]( What else we're reading... —In light of Uma Thurman's Southern drawl for Red, White & Royal Blue, Kyle Buchanan explores why there's no such thing as a bad movie accent [[NYT]( —Natalie Jarvey and Joe Pompeo dissect the bad-PR summer for Iger, Sarandos and Zaslav [[VF]( —Charles Bramesco ranks the 25 best dogs in movies [[Vulture]( —Adam Nayman writes that, amid the Barbeheimer hoopla, an entire cycle of 2023 movies has come and gone without anybody really noticing [[Ringer]( —With the Eras Tour having wrapped up its U.S. dates, Emily Yahr explains that if you were surprised by its dominance, you weren't paying attention [[WaPo]( Today... …in 1973, Warner Bros. unveiled Enter the Dragon in theaters just weeks after star Bruce Lee's death at age 32. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: John Stamos (60), Kyra Sedgwick (58), Manny Jacinto (36), Matthew Perry (54), Erika Christensen (41), Peter Gallagher (68), Melissa Fumero (41), Jonathan Frakes (71), Ethan Cutkosky (24), Gerald McRaney (76), Tracie Thoms (48), Tammin Sursok (40), Fat Joe (53), Kevin Dillon (58), Michelle Borth (45), Greg Bryk (51), Kirk Cousins (35) 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 The Hollywood Reporter. 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. Copyright © 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. 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