Chris Rock to Direct Universal's MLK Biopic; Bryan Fuller Accused of Sexual Harassment; Swift Film Advance Ticket Sales Surpass $100M; 'Totally Killer' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( October 06, 2023 What's news: Singer Emaza Gibson is suing Jason Derulo for sexual harassment. New Line has hired Blair Butler to write Occupant. Cate Blanchett will star in Guy Maddin’s indie dramedy Rumors. The first two parts of Kevin Costner's western epic Horizon: An American Saga will bow next summer. CBC/Max's Sort Of will end with the upcoming third season. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. Chris Rock to Direct Universal's MLK Biopic ►Spielberg's on board. Chris Rock is in final negotiations to direct and produce a biopic of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. Universal is behind the project and has optioned the rights to Jonathan Eig’s biography, King: A Life. Steven Spielberg will executive produce the project via his Amblin Partners, with Kristie Macosko Krieger producing. Rock previously directed and starred in the well received Top Five (2014). He also directed Head of State (2003) and I Think I Love My Wife (2007). [The story.]( —Cast Keanu! Video game producer CD Projekt Red is teaming with Anonymous Content to develop a live-action work set within the universe of Cyberpunk 2077. The project, which will feature an all new story set in the world of the game, is still in the early development stages and currently looking for a screenwriter. CD Projekt Red, which is also behind the acclaimed The Witcher game series, revealed the project will be developed in close collaboration with the Cyberpunk 2077 creative team. [The story.]( —"It’s been such an incredible privilege to make this show for these last three years." The creators of the Peabody Award-winning Sort Of are bringing their show to a close. Bilal Baig (who also stars in the series) and Fab Filippo announced in an Instagram post Thursday that the forthcoming third season of Sort Of will be its last on Canada’s CBC and streamer Max. Season three is set to premiere Nov. 17 in Canada and early next year on Max. [The story.]( —The summer of Suits. Legal drama Suits set a streaming chart record for most weeks as the No. 1 overall title. The former USA series, which streams on Netflix and Peacock, spent its 12th consecutive week at the top of Nielsen’s rankings, which go back three years. It had 2.36b minutes of viewing for the week of Sept. 4-10, falling by only 4 percent from the previous week. Suits‘ 12th week at No. 1 overall broke a tie with Netflix’s Ozark, which had 11 weeks at No. 1 over several seasons. [The streaming rankings.]( Bryan Fuller Accused of Sexual Harassment ►Alleged hostile work environment. Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller has been sued for alleged sexual assault and harassment. In a lawsuit filed by Samuel Wineman, AMC Networks, Shudder and Steakhaus Productions are also accused of ignoring and facilitating a hostile work environment on the set of Queer for Fear, a docuseries about the relationship between queer audiences and horror. Wineman alleges he was prematurely terminated by Fuller, who also allegedly reduced Wineman’s credits on Queer for Fear "as a final act of retaliation." [The story.]( —"I’m traumatized." Singer Emaza Gibson is suing R&B star Jason Derulo for sexual harassment, alleging that he dropped her from his label after she refused to have sex with him. In a complaint filed Thursday, Gibson claims that during her time working with Derulo he repeatedly pressured her to drink and have sex with him, alleging there was an “explicit demand for sex-in-exchange-for-success.” In a statement, Derulo said the "claims are completely false and hurtful." [The story.]( —"There’s no denying discrimination, harassment and other misconduct still run rampant." Sexual abuse and harassment of employees remains pervasive in Hollywood, but progress has been made, says a survey by WIF (formerly known as Women in Film). The polling was completed last month to coincide with the sixth anniversary of The New York Times exposé on Harvey Weinstein that ignited the #MeToo movement and revealed abuse and assault were endemic in Hollywood. [The story.]( Swift Concert Film Advance Ticket Sales Surpass $100M ►Monster hit incoming. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour has seen advance global ticket sales cross the $100m mark a week before the concert film opens in over 8,500 theaters worldwide on Oct. 13, AMC Theatres said on Thursday. AMC added that advance ticket sales are strong across the U.S. market, and especially for premium large-screen formats like Imax, Dolby Cinema, PRIME at AMC and other premium film venues. In North America, the film is set to play in 4,000 movie theaters. [The box office report.]( —Scribe in place. THR's [Borys Kit]( has the scoop on New Line hiring Blair Butler to write Occupant, the adaptation of a short story by Victor Sweetser. Zach Cregger, the filmmaker behind the critically adored 2022 horror movie Barbarian, is producing the supernatural thriller with frequent collaborator Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment. The project was the subject of a heated bidding war in February with New Line winning it with a six-figure outright buy. [The story.]( —Indie queen. Cate Blanchett has boarded arthouse favorite Guy Maddin’s latest movie, Rumors, which is set to start shooting on Oct. 9. Details are scant, but the indie dramedy has been written and will be directed by Maddin with longtime collaborators Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson. The production has understood to have signed an interim agreement with SAG-AFTRA to allow Blanchett to appear in the project without breaching the actors' strike restrictions. [The story.]( —Anime fans rejoice! Sony's Crunchyroll has acquired the North American rights to the upcoming Japanese anime feature The Concierge, with plans for a theatrical release early next year. The film is a feature adaptation of Tsuchika Nishimura’s beloved manga series The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store, which follows Akino, a trainee concierge, who works at a special store where the customers are all animals and the most valued among them are extinct species. [The story.]( Netflix Plans IRL 'Squid Game' Immersive Experience in L.A. ►No gory deaths, natch. Netflix is opening an immersive experience in Los Angeles called Squid Game: The Trials, combining a live high-intensity competition for participants, as well a “Night Market” offering Korean food, drinks, a Squid Game store and photo-ops. Chef Katianna Hong, of the Korean-Americana restaurant YANGBAN, is curating the food and beverage offerings. The experience will open at the Television City complex Dec. 6, with tickets opening up for purchase on Oct. 11. [The story.]( —"What’s all this stuff about ageism in Hollywood? How did I get left out of it?" Ellen Burstyn is busier than she has ever been, and she has no idea why. In a new interview, the 90-year-old The Exorcist: Believer star said she finds it “so bizarre” how many roles she has landed in the past few years. [The story.]( —Labor of love. Kevin Costner's next western epic is carving out real estate for next summer. The first two installments of the Yellowstone star’s Horizon: An American Saga will bow in June and August next year. Warner Bros. has dated Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 for a June 28, 2024 theatrical release. It will be followed two months later by Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 2 on Aug. 16, 2024. According to Costner’s court filings during his recent divorce proceedings, he contributed at least $20m to the budget of the saga, which is expected to span four films. [The story.]( —Sold! Priscilla, Sofia Coppola's Priscilla Presley biopic that was one of the buzziest films to premiere at the Venice Film Festival (where lead star Cailee Spaeny won the Coppa Volpi for best actress), has sold around the world for The Match Factory. Priscilla has its North American premiere on Friday at the New York Film Festival. A24 will distribute in the U.S. [The story.]( Why 'Morning Show' Revisited the Jan. 6 Insurrection ►"It's the lie she carries the entire season." THR's queen of chat [Jackie Strause]( spoke to The Morning Show director and executive producer Mimi Leder and producer Michael Ellenberg about the season three episode, "Love Island." Leder and Ellenberg discuss how the Jan. 6-related reveal for Reese Witherspoon's character is driving the third season of the Apple TV+ drama. Warning: Spoilers! [The interview.]( —"I don't want to go back to the other way of doing a big film." THR's [Brian Davids]( spoke to Gareth Edwards about his visually stunning new film The Creator. With his film costing $80m to make, the Brit director discusses how big-budget franchise movies can adopt his more affordable filmmaking approach and also explains why the escalating resentment towards AI worked to his film’s early advantage. [The interview.]( —"I was just trying to do my own thing, and the book, to me, is what was sacred. So I just treated that as my North Star." Brian also spoke to Lindsey Anderson Beer about her directorial debut Pet Sematary: Bloodlines. The screenwriter-turned-director discusses creating the prequel to Stephen King’s classic horror novel Pet Sematary. [The interview.]( Film Review: 'Totally Killer' ►"A surprisingly sweet genre mash-up." THR's [Angie Han]( reviews Nahnatchka Khan's Totally Killer. Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt and Charlie Gillespie star in Blumhouse's horror-comedy about a Gen Z teen who accidentally time-travels to the 1980s, where she tries to stop a serial killer's spree before it ever begins. [The review.]( Thank Pod It's Friday ► All the latest content from THR's podcast studio. —TV's Top 5. THR's [Lesley Goldberg]( and [Dan Fienberg]( break down the latest TV news. This week's episode begins with the mailbag followed by a preview of October TV. There's a segment on the flurry of recent cancellations including iCarly and the end of Sort Of. THR TV critics Angie Han and Robyn Bahr drop by to discuss our just released 50 best TV shows of the 20th century list. And Dan reviews Disney+'s Loki, Max's Our Flag Means Death , Paramount+'s Bargain, and NBC's Found. [Listen here.]( In other news... —Amazon's [James Bond game show hosted by Brian Cox releases teaser trailer]( —Savannah Film Fest: [Ava DuVernay, Todd Haynes and Emerald Fennell among 13 set for special honors]( —San Vicente Bungalows [to host pop-up of Amalfi Coast restaurant Lo Scoglio]( —Ireland's [Tara Studios opens its doors]( —Kygo’s manager, [Myles Shear, buys $8.6m waterfront Miami Beach house]( —Jason T. Reed [named head of Skydance Sports]( —CJ ENM hires [Elsie Choi to lead U.S. scripted TV team]( —[Ron Haffkine]( Dr. Hook producer and manager, dies at 84 —[Keith Jefferson]( Hateful Eight and Django Unchained actor, dies at 53 —[Paul Noble]( top marketing exec at Sony Pictures Entertainment, dies at 51 What else we're reading... —Brett Pulley goes inside Tyler Perry's sprawling entertainment empire, and looks at how the media mogul has helped transform Atlanta into a production hub [[Bloomberg]( —Claire McNear fears that Apple's The Morning Show has crossed the cringe Rubicon and is "veering into the dangerous, overearnest waters of The Newsroom" [[Ringer]( —Sam Adams waxes lyrical about Wes Anderson's four short and delightful Roald Dahl adaptations and wants Netflix and other streamers to embrace "work outside the constraints of feature film running times" [[Slate]( —Vanessa Friedman answers the age-old question of why runway models always look so grumpy [[NYT]( —Here's your Friday list: "The Hollywood Reporter critics pick the 50 best TV shows of the 21st century (so far)" [[THR]( Today... ...in 1959, Rock Hudson and Doris Day’s Pillow Talk premiered in New York theaters. The film went on to be nominated for five Oscars at the 32nd Academy Awards, winning for its screenplay. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Olivia Thirlby (37), Addison Rae (23), Elisabeth Shue (60), James Downey (71), Emily Mortimer (52), [Ioan Gruffudd]( (50🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ), Brett Gelman (47), Melia Kreiling (33), John Knoll (61), Stefanie Martini (33), Amy Jo Johnson (53), Jeremy Sisto (49), Britt Ekland (81), Jacqueline Obradors (57), Alexis Georgoulis (49), Luisa d'Oliveira (37), Scarlett Hefner (33), Matt Cornett (25), Ida Engvoll (38), Cheryl Texiera (41), Rafferty Law (27), Aya Asahina (30), Rhyon Nicole Brown (31), Jessica Hausner (51), Jazz Jennings (23), Michael Tollin (68), Kevin Cronin (72), Richard Hissong (76) Dick Butkus, the ferocious Chicago Bears middle linebacker who brought his reputation as an NFL barbarian to Hollywood for Miller Lite commercials, sitcoms and films, has died. He was 80. [The obituary.]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} by The Hollywood Reporter. 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