WGA Reaches Tentative Agreement With AMPTP; Angelica Ross Spills the Tea; 'Expendables 4' Debuts With Franchise Low; 'Krapopolis' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( September 25, 2023 What's news: Sophia Loren underwent emergency surgery after a bad fall at home. The Golden Globes has expelled 3 voters. Max has picked up full-frontal nudity dating show Naked Attraction. Usher will headline the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Oppenheimer edged nearer $60m in China. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. We Have a Deal! WGA Reaches Tentative Agreement With AMPTP ►At long last. After several long consecutive days of negotiations, the WGA and the AMPTP have reached a tentative deal on a new contract in a major development that could precipitate the end of a historic, 146-day writers’ strike. THR's [Katie Kilkenny]( reports that the union emailed strike captains the news on Sunday night, and shortly after, its negotiating committee informed all members. The AMPTP confirmed the news in a joint statement with the WGA about the deal on Sunday. The parties came to terms on a provisional three-year agreement, which will need to be ratified by WGA members to take effect, on Sunday after studios responded to last-minute union asks that day. Specifics of the deal affecting around 11,500 WGA members weren’t available as of press time, though they will emerge in the next few days as the union seeks to sell its members on the pact. [The story.]( —"We did it!" Striking writers are calling the tentative deal reached by the WGA and the AMPTP on Sunday a “victory.” Hollywood is also celebrating an agreement that could not only usher in the end of the writers strike, but will see the AMPTP return to the table with SAG-AFTRA to firm up a deal with the performer’s union and end their more than two months work stoppage. [The reaction.]( Angelica Ross Spills on Emma Roberts, Ryan Murphy and Hollywood Future ►"This is not my first time at the rodeo." After a wild week of tea-spilling in which Angelica Ross called out powerful showrunner Ryan Murphy ("He thought he can control my life like an on-and-off switch") and got an apology from co-star Emma Roberts for misgendering her ("It was a bumpy conversation"), the Pose and American Horror Story breakout spoke to THR's [Seth Abramovitch]( and still had a lot more to reveal — including her next act. [The interview.]( —Hospitalized. Sophia Loren underwent emergency surgery Sunday after suffering several fractures, including one to her femur, after a bad fall at her Swiss home. The Italian acting icon, who turned 89 on Sept. 20, fell in her bathroom and sustained several fractures to her hip, and a serious fracture to her femur which needed surgery, a source close to the actress told THR. There is cautious optimism about the outcome of the operation and Loren’s recovery, which will include a short convalescence and then a long rehabilitation. [The story.]( —Expelled. Dick Clark Productions, the owners of the Golden Globes awards, has expelled three voters for allegedly violating its code of conduct. Howaida Hamdy, Munawar Hosain and Aniko Navai have been removed from the group’s membership ranks following complaints about, and investigations into, their behavior. The next Golden Globes Awards ceremony is set for Jan. 10, 2024. There is no broadcast partner attached yet. [The story.]( —"I will be forever grateful to Skip Gates." Kerry Washington says her feelings of “not quite belonging” in her family that she’s had since childhood were a result of a long-hidden secret that she was conceived using a sperm donor. In new interviews tied to the release of her upcoming memoir Thicker Than Water, Washington says she's had difficult conversations with her parents about the revelation that helped explain a "weird disconnect" she's had with her father. [The story.]( Wall Street Plays Ball: Sports Leagues in Demand for Investors ►"There is clearly scarcity value for premium IP companies." The quest for durable IP is leading more moguls to plunk down cash for pro teams — and there are more opportunities to do so now than in decades. THR's [Alex Weprin]( writes that there are also signs that the exclusivity of investing in sports is beginning to crack, as teams, leagues and owners seek cash from the public markets or other types of investors to pursue growth — or an exit from expensive investments. [The analysis.]( —You miss 100% of the shots you don't take part I. Jamie Lee Curtis has her sights set on a specific role on Netflix’s One Piece, and the show’s team appears hopeful about making it happen. Curtis took to Instagram on Friday to address fans pushing for the Oscar-winner to be cast as Dr. Kureha in the live-action project. This led Matt Owens, who is the series’ co-showrunner alongside Steven Maeda, to write in the comments section, "Mommy dearest, that’s why we sent you that figure! No need to lobby." [The story.]( —You miss 100% of the shots you don't take part II. Pauly Shore said he is hoping for Richard Simmons’ blessing to portray the ’80s fitness guru in a biopic. The Encino Man star took to social media Thursday to share that he has reached out to Simmons to discuss a potential film. “I’ve noticed all the reactions to me playing Richard Simmons in a new biopic,” he wrote. “I heard he’s living deep in Big Bear. We’ve been playing phone tag (yes, he still has a phone). I’m trying to make it happen for you guys. Be optimistic.” [The story.]( —What could have been. It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Christian Bale in the Batsuit for Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, but screenwriter David S. Goyer revealed that Jake Gyllenhaal was considered for the role. In a podcast interview, Goyer, who helped develop the trilogy’s story and co-wrote 2005’s Batman Begins, said that after a number of people screen-tested for the part of Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, in the first film, he "advocated for Gyllenhaal." [The story.]( —They got some bad ideas in their head. Robert De Niro will be doing an Uber U.K. ad campaign, but it will not be tied to his memorable Taxi Driver role. Reports earlier this week suggested that the Oscar-winning actor would be bringing one of his most memorable roles, Travis Bickle, to the commercial space. The ads were allegedly set to feature the actor uttering the famous line, “You talkin’ to me?” Reps for De Niro denied that the actor would be uttering the line or that the ad has anything to do with Travis Bickle. [The story.]( 'Naked Attraction': Max Adds Full-Frontal Nude Dating Show ►"The most utterly stupid dating show on TV." One of the U.K.’s most infamous dating shows was quietly added to the Max streaming service last week. The streamer has imported six seasons of Naked Attraction, a game show that promises to “start where a good date often ends — naked.” In each episode, a single “chooser” critiques and eliminates six potential dates standing on a stage by scrutinizing their fully nude bodies, which are gradually revealed one part at a time (faces are revealed last). [The story.]( —Streaming exclusive. CNN is bringing back the interview series Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace for a fourth season, but this time the show will be exclusive to the streaming platform Max. New episodes will become available to stream on CNN Max, the streaming news hub within the Max platform. Episodes will drop on Fridays, beginning with an interview with director Oliver Stone, which will debut Sep. 29. Other guests booked for the new season include musician Jon Batiste, sportscaster Al Michaels, and finance guru Suze Orman. [The story.]( —Calendar shakeup. Paramount has set a release date of Oct. 18, 2024 for its untitled sequel to the surprise horror hit Smile. The studio also set a date for the musical adaptation of Mean Girls, which will bow on Jan. 12, 2024. It previously was intended for Paramount+ but has been moved to theatrical. The animated Tiger’s Apprentice was initially intended for theaters but will now bow on Paramount+. The studio also pushed back Bob Marley: One Love one month to Feb. 14, 2024. [The story.]( —Golden goodbye. Rupert Murdoch and son Lachlan received $22.9m and $21.7m in compensation packages from Fox Corp. in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2023, the parent company of Fox News has revealed. It will be the final full year in which Rupert Murdoch led the company as chairman, as he will step down and become chairman emeritus effective Nov. 17, the day of the company’s annual meeting. [The story.]( —ICYMI. Usher is set to headline the 2024 Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show. The NFL, Roc Nation and Apple Music made the announcement on Sunday. This will mark Usher’s second Super Bowl appearance. The Grammy-winner performed — and saved the day — alongside the Black Eyed Peas when the pop group headlined the game in 2011. The big game will air live on CBS and take place on Feb. 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, just outside of Las Vegas. [The story.]( 'Expendables 4' Debuts With Franchise Low ►Yikes. During what is expected to be the worst weekend for theatrical ticket sales so far this year, Expend4bles landed $8.3m in its opening weekend, representing the worst opening for a film in the Jason Statham-fronted franchise. It was narrowly bested by The Nun II, which continues its reign at the September box office. Lionsgate and Millennium’s Expend4bles, played at 3,400 theaters and was estimated to earn in the $15m range heading into the weekend before dropping off. The film is the first entry in the franchise in nearly a decade after 2014’s The Expendables 3, which grossed $15.8m in its opening weekend and went on to earn a total of $214m at the global box office. THR's [Pamela McClintock]( writes that 2010 franchise starter opened with $35 million and The Expendables 2 opened with $28m. The first three Expendables outings have collectively grossed an impressive $800m at the global box office. Topping Expend4bles is box office holdover New Line/Warner’s The Nun II, which in its third weekend added a projected $8.4m for a domestic haul to date of nearly $70m. Globally, the film will cross $200m, following an international gross of $20.8m. Other holdovers include Disney’s A Haunting in Venice. The latest installment in Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie-inspired movie series has a cume of $25m after its second weekend in theaters, where it netted $6.3m. Globally, the film sits at $71m. [The box office report.]( —Considerable legs. Oppenheimer nudged near the $60m mark in China during a somewhat downbeat weekend in the world’s second-largest movie market. Christopher Nolan’s film added $2.5m from Friday to Sunday, taking its total to $58.1m. Oppenheimer has been huge on Imax in China, with the film earning $740,000 this past weekend for a $17m total in the format, which is a whopping 30 percent of its nationwide cume to date. [The China box office report.]( TV Review: 'Krapopolis' ►"Not 'Krap'py, but surprisingly uninteresting." THR's chief TV critic [Dan Fienberg]( reviews Fox's Krapopolis. Set in the semi-mythological world of Ancient Greece on the eve of civilization, the Dan Harmon animated comedy show has a vocal cast including Richard Ayoade, Matt Berry, Pam Murphy and Duncan Trussell. [The review.]( In other news... —Doctor Who 60th anniversary special trailer: [David Tennant takes on Neil Patrick Harris]( —Amazon Prime Video [takes The Swarm for Africa]( —Federation Studios [acquires French animation group Go-N Productions]( —Patrick Schweitzer [named CEO of Studiocanal’s Red]( —Rick Cordella [named president of NBC Sports]( —Tokyo Film Festival: [Xiaogang Gu and Mouly Surya to receive Kurosawa Akira Award]( —Why [Mark Wahlberg and the CSI creator are buying into Vegas’ luxury real estate boom]( What else we're reading... —Critic Alison Willmore writes that she's filled with dread whenever Netflix buys a movie she loves [[Vulture]( —Twenty years after the release of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, Paul Thompson looks into the making of Outkast's seminal fifth studio album, that was the beginning of the end for the rap duo [[Ringer]( —Gerry Smith and Christopher Palmeri write that number one boy Lachlan Murdoch inherits a media empire and a daunting task as his father retires [[Bloomberg]( —Esteban L. Hernandez and Russell Contreras dive into 'Deionomics' and write that Coach Prime continues to be big business in Colorado [[Axios]( —Alexander Smith writes that the Russell Brand allegations have sparked a long-due reckoning about the toxic 'noughties’ in the U.K. [[NBC News]( Today... ...in 1999, NBC introduced teen dramedy series Freaks and Geeks during the 8 p.m. hour. The series, created by Paul Feig and executive-produced by Judd Apatow, lasted only 18 episodes but became a cult classic and was the launching pad for a number of young actors including James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Philipps, John Francis Daley and Martin Starr. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Will Smith (55), Catherine Zeta-Jones (54🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ), Michael Douglas (79), Donald Glover (40), Pedro Almodóvar (74), [Mark Hamill]( (72), Heather Locklear (62), David Benioff (53), Clea DuVall (46), Bridgette Wilson-Sampras (50), Michael Madsen (66), Tate Donovan (60), Zach Woods (39), Maria Doyle Kennedy (59), Jason Flemyng (57), Joel David Moore (46), Keely Shaye Brosnan (60), Beth Toussaint (61), Lee Norris (42), Chris Owen (43), Antonia Gentry (26), Charlotte Ayanna (47), Melissa De Sousa (56), Matt Battaglia (58), Dan Mintz (42), Anson Williams (74) 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. 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