Murdoch Steps Down as Fox, News Corp. Chairman; Studio CEOs Attend WGA Bargaining Session; Britney Takes on Taylor With 'Crossroads' Rerelease; COVID Surge Leads to Show Cancellations; 'The Continental' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( September 21, 2023 What's news: The U.K. picks The Zone of Interest as its Oscar submission. George R.R. Martin, Jonathan Franzen and John Grisham are among the big name authors suing OpenAI. Nippon TV has acquired a 42.3 percent stake in Studio Ghibli. Michael Caine has revealed he is more or less retired from acting. MGM+ is the new home of sci-fi series Beacon 23. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. Murdoch Steps Down as Fox, News Corp. Chairman ►Succession complete. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as the chairman of his empire. Fox Corp. and News Corp. said Thursday that Murdoch would step aside as chairman of both companies, effective as of the annual meetings in November. Lachlan Murdoch will continue to lead the two companies. “On behalf of the Fox and News Corp boards of directors, leadership teams, and all the shareholders who have benefited from his hard work, I congratulate my father on his remarkable 70-year career,” said Lachlan Murdoch in a statement. [The story.]( Studio CEOs Attend WGA Bargaining Session ►Highly unusual move. Confirming the feeling of urgency taking hold around Hollywood to resolve the historic, ongoing writers strike, THR's [Katie Kilkenny]( and [Lesley Goldberg]( report that a group of top CEOs attended Wednesday’s bargaining session between the WGA and the AMPTP. Disney CEO Bob Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and NBCUniversal Studio Group chairman and chief content officer Donna Langley were all present at the meeting. [The story.]( —"This feels different from before." After Wednesday's meeting, the WGA and AMPTP issued a rare joint statement — the first time that both parties have done so in this contentious negotiations cycle. The union and reps for the studios and streamers are set to meet again today. A studio-side source told THR that Zaslav, Sarandos, Iger and Langley are also set to return to the bargaining table Thursday. [The story.]( COVID Surge Leads to Show Cancellations ►Not again. A handful of upcoming shows in Las Vegas and elswhere have been canceled or postponed due to COVID-19. Virus cases in U.S. have been on the rise in recent weeks, due largely to a new variant of the virus (updated booster vaccines became available this week). This weekend’s planned live Strike Force podcast recording has been canceled after ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel came down with the virus. Kimmel was set to co-host the live taping alongside fellow late night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert on Sept. 23 to raise money for their TV staffs. Later Wednesday, Steve Martin took to social media to announce that his and Martin Short’s You Won’t Believe What They Look Like Today! show, which was scheduled for Friday and Saturday, has been postponed due to COVID. [The story.]( —"I am absolutely heartbroken." Sherri Shepherd tested positive for COVID, causing a temporary halt to taping of her daytime talk show, Sherri. The show announced Shepherd’s positive test in an Instagram post Wednesday. [The story.]( Britney Takes on Taylor With 'Crossroads' Rerelease ►The new Barbenheimer? Britney Spears' film Crossroads is set to be rereleased in cinemas. The 2002 teen dramedy will hit theaters around the globe on Oct. 23 and Oct. 25 timed to the publication of her new tell-all memoir, The Woman In Me, which arrives Oct. 24. Crossroads will go up against Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which opens on Oct. 13. However, Taylor Swift's concert film will be playing in thousands of theaters across North America, while Crossroads' location count is roughly 875 theaters. [The story.]( —Mystery solved. Staying with Swift, the pop superstar finally revealed the titles of the bonus songs as well as the complete tracklist of her upcoming 1989 (Taylor’s Version) album. The surprise track titles are “Is It Over Now?,” “Say Don’t Go,” “Now That We Don’t Talk” and “Suburban Legends.” A fifth, and as of now unnamed, song will also be featured on 1989 (Taylor’s Version) as well as a Target-exclusive track that has yet to be announced. [The story.]( —Shakeup. WWE SmackDown will leave Fox and jump to USA Network, beginning in October 2024. In addition, the WWE will produce four primetime specials per year, which will air in primetime on the NBC broadcast network beginning in the 2024-2025 season. The new TV deal is for five years. [The story.]( —Third time's a charm. Beacon 23, the sci-fi drama starring Lena Headey, will bow in November on MGM+. The premium cable network formerly known as Epix landed the series after it was originally poised to air on Spectrum and, later, AMC. The eight-episode series based on Hugh Howey’s book of the same name will launch Nov. 12 at 9 p.m. with its first two episodes. [The story.]( Top Authors Join Lawsuit Against OpenAI ►"Systematic course of mass-scale copyright infringement." The leading trade group for authors has entered a legal battle against OpenAI over its human-mimicking chatbot in a case that could decide the legality of using copyrighted works to train AI systems. The Authors Guild — led by prominent fiction authors including George R.R. Martin, Jonathan Franzen and John Grisham — on Tuesday sued OpenAI, accusing the company of engaging in massive copyright infringement. [The story.]( —House arrest. Kenneth Petty, the husband of rapper Nicki Minaj, has been ordered to serve 120 days of home detention after violating the terms of his probation by threatening Cardi B's husband, the rapper Offset. In a video clip that went viral on social media on Sept. 16, Petty and some of his entourage are seen making threats outside Offset's hotel in New York City. Petty was sentenced to three years probation in July 2022 after failing to register as a sex offender in the state of California. [The story.]( —"I will leave the line open to follow up on your desire to do better." Emma Roberts has apologized for a transphobic comment she made to Angelica Ross, who accused her former American Horror Story: 1984 co-star of intentionally misgendering her while filming the season. Less than a day after Ross posted an Instagram Live alleging Roberts implied she was a man while the duo was in between takes on set, Roberts called Ross to apologize. [The story.]( —"It’s easier said than done to leave an abusive relationship." In Apple TV+’s new docuseries The Super Models, Linda Evangelista reflects on being in an “abusive relationship.” In the third episode of the four-part series focused on Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington’s rise to power, Evangelista recalls that difficult time as images appear on the screen of her marriage to Elite Model Management executive Gérald Marie between 1987 and 1993. [The story.]( —"I sort of am retired now." Michael Caine is reflecting on his extraordinary life and career ahead of the release of what he has implied might be his last film. In a new interview, the 90-year-old Oscar-winner said that his role in The Great Escaper, in which Caine stars opposite the late Glenda Jackson, might be his last as he "can’t walk properly and all that." [The story.]( The Sphere: A Vision of the Future of Entertainment ►"Revolutionizing the way artists and audiences connect." The Sphere in Las Vegas, the largest spherical structure in the world, opens Sept. 29 with a series of performances by U2 and later, a custom film by Darren Aronofsky. Ahead of its grand opening, THR's [Carolyn Giardina]( and [Alex Weprin]( go inside the $2.3b mega project that has the potential to upend experiential entertainment. [The story.]( —"People are following the events on their phones." Alex reports that Paramount Advertising, the division of Paramount Global focusing on ad sales and brand partnerships, is launching the CBS Sports Creator Studio. The studio will pair advertisers with creators, who will create custom content or provide behind the scenes access to CBS Sports events or programs. [The story.]( —🤝 Equity stake 🤝 Studio Ghibli, the famed Japanese animation studio of Hayao Miyazaki, will become a subsidiary of Nippon Television Network. Succession worries had been a priority at Ghibli, as Miyazaki has turned 82, and producer Toshio Suzuki is 75, the companies said in a joint statement. Financial details were not given, but Nippon TV will become Ghibli’s top shareholder, with a 42.3 percent stake. [The story.]( Oscars: U.K., Italy, Spain Select International Film Contenders ►Now or never, innit. The U.K. has given itself arguably the best chance of landing its first-ever Oscar for best international feature film, having selected The Zone of Interest as its submission. Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust drama, which was one of the buzziest titles in Cannes where it won the Grand Prix and FIPRESCI prize, has been chosen by BAFTA to represent the U.K. in the category formerly known as best foreign language film. [The story.]( —🤌 Scelta eccellente 🤌 Italy has picked Matteo Garrone’s moving migration drama Io Capitano to represent the country in the best international film category. The feature, which follows the trials of two Senegalese teenagers trying to make it from Dakar to Italy, premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the best director Silver Lion for Garrone and the best new actor prize for lead Seydou Sarr. [The story.]( —Hungry for success. J.A. Bayona’s real-life disaster thriller Society of the Snow has been selected by Spain as its submission for the best international feature category. The Netflix film — about the Uruguayan 1972 Andes flight disaster and based on Pablo Vierci’s book — becomes Bayona’s second time representing Spain in this category after his 2007 breakout The Orphanage, which was also his last film in Spanish. Society of the Snow had its world premiere as the closing feature of this year's Venice Film Festival. [The story.]( TV Review: 'The Continental' ►"Decent, but for that unbearable casting choice." THR's [Angie Han]( reviews Peacock's The Continental: From the World of John Wick. Mel Gibson plays the villain in a prequel spinoff chronicling the rise of Winston Scott (Colin Woodell), future hotelier to elite assassins, through the criminal underground of 1970s New York. [The review.]( —"Never fully capitalizes on its smart premise." THR's [Lovia Gyarkye]( reviews Bishal Dutta's It Lives Inside. A teenager races against time to save an old friend from ancient demonic forces in Dutta's feature debut. The review. [The review.]( In other news... —Sofia Vergara [transforms into cartel boss the Godmother in Griselda teaser trailer]( —Montclair Film Fest [sets Dream Scenario and Eileen as opening and closing film]( —Disney+ [renews Japanese psychothriller Gannibal for second season]( —Second Stage Theater co-founder [Carole Rothman to depart after 45-year tenure]( —Million Dollar Listing's [Josh Flagg launches media company spotlighting property content creators]( —[Rose Gregorio]( Tony nominee for The Shadow Box and actress on ER, dies at 97 What else we're reading... —Using facts, figures and logic, curmudgeon Will Leitch writes that the Deion Sanders hype train is probably about to derail [[Intelligencer]( —With the merger of UFC and WWE complete, Stacy Perman goes behind the scenes of scandal-plagued Vince McMahon's last stand [[LAT]( —In the wake of the Hasan Minhaj revelations, Jason Zinoman writes that though lying in comedy is common, Minhaj crossed the line with his claims [[NYT]( —Phil Rosen reports that 95 percent of NFTs are now probably worthless [[Yahoo Finance]( —Daniela Sirtori-Cortina reveals why the waiting times at Starbucks have become so long and how the company plans to fix things [[Bloomberg]( Today... ...in 1993, ABC unveiled Steve Bochco and David Milch’s NYPD Blue to TV audiences during the 10 p.m. hour. The police procedural went on to have a 12-season run at the network. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Jerry Bruckheimer (80), Billy Porter (54), Stephen King (76), Ethan Coen (66), Kareena Kapoor (43), [Alfonso Ribeiro]( (52), Maggie Grace (40), Shelley Conn (47), Bill Murray (73), Ahna O'Reilly (39), Luke Wilson (52), Christian Serratos (33), Joseph Mazzello (40), Nancy Travis (62), Scott Evans (40), David Wenham (58), Faith Hill (56), Rob Morrow (61), Angus Macfadyen (60), Kristine Froseth (28), David James Elliott (63), Paulo Costanzo (45), Jessica St. Clair (47), Rob Benedict (53), Dave Coulier (64), Ricki Lake (55), Ben Bailey Smith (46), Rudy Youngblood (41), James Lesure (53), Nick Castle (76), François Cluzet (68) Fred Gallo, who served as an assistant director on films including the Oscar best picture winners The Godfather, Rocky and Annie Hall before becoming a top production executive at Paramount Pictures, has died. He was 78. [The obituary.]( 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. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 11175 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90025 [View in Browser]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Your Privacy Rights]( | [Ad Choices]( | [Terms of Use]( | [Unsubscribe](