New 'Game of Thrones' Spinoff in the Works; WWE Inks Deal with X; The Trauma of the Larry David/Elmo Moment

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( February 09, 2024 What's news: The Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Sciences adds a new Oscar category. Hollywood crew union IATSE is planning on a potential strike authorization vote. An upcoming docuseries reveals new allegations against Nickelodean showrunner Dan Schneider. Diablo Cody and Zelda Williams discuss their new horror comedy Lisa Frankenstein. Spike Lee and Denzel Washington team up on a Kurosawa remake. — [Julian Sancton]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. ‘Game of Thrones’ Aegon’s Conquest Spinoff in the Works ► “Back to basics.” THR’s resident Thrones-ologist James Hibberd has the scoop on HBO’s new Game of Thrones spinoff series. Developed by in-demand scribe Mattson Tomlin (The Batman Part II), Aegon’s Conquest — a working title — is basically a direct prequel to the hit House of the Dragon, telling the story of the Targaryen’s bloody and brutal conquest of Westeros. The story follows the invader Aegon Targaryen, who conquered the continent of Westeros with his sister wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, and their dragons. Aegon successfully unified six of the Seven Kingdoms in just two years, with only Dorne able to successfully resist. [The story.]( —Octopus’ garden. James Cameron piped into National Geographic’s Thursday meeting with the Television Critics Association to plug his sixth producorial effort for Disney’s conservation-minded brand in four years: Secrets of the Octopus. “As someone who’s fighting for sustainability and the preservation of nature, this is endless,” said the brand’s “Explorer at Large,” who recruited Paul Rudd to narrate this latest project. “They’re going to have to drag me out kicking and screaming — or show me where the door is because I’ve forgotten — before I stop doing this.” [The story.]( —“Finding grace.” Matt Bomer, who received THR’s Trailblazer award at SCAD TVFest, spoke with Stacey Wilson Hunt about the impact that Ryan Murphy and his Maestro co-star and director Bradley Cooper had on his career. The SAG-nominated star and producer of Fellow Travelers also reflected on parallels he felt with his character in Showtime’s decades-spanning LGTBQ+ love story: “Growing up in a 'Friday Night Lights' Texas town … the stakes of being out were very real.” [The story.]( —“There was a toxic environment. It made me trust people less.” A trailer for Investigation Discovery’s docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV has revealed new allegations against prolific Nickelodeon showrunner Dan Schneider. The four-part series investigates the career of Schneider, who created Nickelodeon hit programs like The Amanda Show, What I Like About You, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, Victorious and Sam & Cat, and who helped launch the careers of Kenan Thompson, Amanda Bynes, Victoria Justice, Miranda Cosgrove, Jennette McCurdy and others. [The story.]( Film Academy Announces New Oscar Category ►Casting call. The Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Sciences has announced that it will soon begin annually presenting an Oscar recognizing achievement in casting. The award, which will first be presented in 2026, will be the first new Oscar introduced since the organization began presenting best animated feature in 2002. In a statement issued Thursday, current Academy president Janet Yang and CEO Bill Kramer declared: “Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognize and celebrate." [The story.]( —Strike 3? The major Hollywood crew union IATSE is planning on a potential strike authorization vote if deals on two major labor contracts are not reached around the time they expire. The crew union says its negotiating committees for two major contracts are "not interested in extending [these agreements] beyond the July 31 expiration," and could either issue a ratification or strike vote around that time. [The story.]( Diablo Cody and Zelda Williams on the R-Rated ‘Lisa Frankenstein’ That Wasn’t ►“It is out there.” In a raucous conversation with Brian Davids about their horror comedy Lisa Frankenstein, screenwriter Diablo Cody and director Zelda Williams discuss (among many other things) the climactic scene in which a group of characters confront each other in a bedroom and bodily appendages go flying courtesy of a hatchet. “In the R-rated version that initially existed, there is a very large, beautifully made prosthetic that you do actually see land in the trash can,” Williams says. “And even while I was filming that, I was like, ‘This is likely not going to wind up in this film.’ But it does exist.” [The story.]( —Kurosawa Got Game. Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are reuniting for High and Low, a thriller that has landed at Apple Original Films. The feature is a partnership between Apple and A24, with the latter to release the High and Low theatrically before a global launch on Apple TV+. Written by Alan Fox and Lee, the project is an English-language reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s crime thriller High and Low. The 1963 Japanese movie told of a shoe executive that was in the middle of a complex corporate takeover when his plans are derailed by the accidental kidnapping and ransom of his chauffeur’s son, instead of his own son. [The story.]( —We need the eggs. Writer-director Leah McKendrick, chronicles her journey to freeze her eggs, which she dramatized in her new film Scrambled: “But in the process of creating what would eventually be called Scrambled— I unearthed a sparkling truth: Brilliant, remarkable, powerful women had done it. Were doing it. Would be doing it. Executives, actors, agents, producers, casting directors, makeup artists … Turns out anyone in Hollywood with eggs was freezing ‘em.” [The story.]( WWE Inks Deal With X to Stream ‘Speed’ Matches ►If you smell what Elon is cooking… X, the Elon Musk-owned social platform, previously known as Twitter, has signed a two-year deal with the WWE for a new exclusive weekly video series. Called WWE Speed, the concept will feature timed wrestling matches meant to be completed in five minutes or less. The series, which is planned to be live to tape, will debut this spring, and will feature WWE superstars from across its roster. The content will be exclusive (the matches will not be repurposed from other WWE programming), with new episodes debuting 52 weeks per year. [The story.]( —This relationship will self-destruct. In a surprising move, Mission: Impossible filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie has parted ways with his entire representation team. He has cut ties with his agents at CAA, Key Creatives manager Ken Kamins and attorney David Fox, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. He is now repped by Matt Galsor of Greenberg Glusker, who also happens to be Tom Cruise’s attorney. [The story.]( Christian Bale Breaks Ground on 16-Year Passion Project ►"We must help our children.” In the Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles, Oscar winner Christian Bale was joined by wife Sibi, a group of elected officials and tight-knit supporters to break ground on an ambitious project 16 years in the making, that will feature 12 homes, two studio apartments (for transitional housing) and a 7,000-square-foot community center. The blueprints reflect a village community that will operate with a singular goal: to keep siblings in the foster care system together and under the same roof. Bale tells THR’s [Chris Gardner]( about how he was inspired by his father’s altruism: “We were always having other people coming and living in our house who didn’t have homes, etcetera. That’s just the guy that he was.” [The story.]( —“Appalling, unforgivable, despicable.” Actor Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation) posted an intense 900-word essay on Facebook about Larry David’s viral on-air attack on beloved Sesame Street puppet Elmo, live on NBC’s Today, during a segment on mental health. David was prodded into apologizing for the incident, but he did so seemingly reluctantly and with a smile. Wheaton had a strong reaction to the footage and revealed he was abused in a similar way growing up. His rant has made some re-examine last week’s incident — which was largely greeted with amusement online — while others are mocking the actor as “profanely oversensitive.” [The story.]( Movie Review: ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ ►“Never truly soars.” Lovia Gyarke reviews the biopic Bob Marley: One Love, helmed by King Richard director Reinaldo Marcus Green, and starring Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch. While the film “tends unevenly” to the reggae master’s politics, Gyarke writes, “One Love finds its footing in the music. Shooting the concert sequences with original tracks activates the nostalgic potential of the film. Green’s direction is at its most dynamic when focused on Marley and the Wailers’ electric stage presence and chemistry.” [The review.]( —“Captivating and razor-sharp.” Sheri Linden reviews Vera, by directors Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, starring actor (and reality star, stripper and lion tamer) Vera Gemma as a version of herself. “Austria’s refreshingly outré official submission to this year’s Oscars race (it didn’t advance to the shortlist) is a captivating exploration of glamour, schmoozing and the soul-draining superficialities of what Joni Mitchell called the star-making machinery.” [The review.]( Thank Pod It's Friday ►Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott spoke to Jon Batiste. The Grammy-winning songwriter and Oscar-winning composer reflects on his legendary New Orleans music family, waging war against genres and being featured in and writing an original song that is now nominated for an Oscar, "It Never Went Away," for American Symphony, Matthew Heineman's Netflix documentary on him and his wife, Suleika Jaouad. [The episode.]( —TV's Top 5. THR's Lesley Goldberg and Dan Fienberg break down the latest TV news. This week's episode begins with the headlines with news on Sam Waterston's Law & Order departure, Taylor Sheridan's new drama Landman, Don Cheadle joining the cast of Fight Night, and more. THR Media & Business writer Alex Weprin breaks down the new Super Sports Streamer collab between Disney, Netflix and Fox. There's a section on the backlash to Nikki Haley's SNL appearance. And Dan Fienberg reviews Tracker and One Day. [The episode.]( In other news... —Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost [to headline]( 2024 White House Correspondents Dinner. —- Why Bob Iger is [so high on Moana 2]( and what it means for the live-action pic. —Usher says his Super Bowl Halftime show [will reflect his Vegas residency](. —Barbie The Movie: In Concert [coming to the Hollywood Bowl]( this summer. ​​​What else we're reading... —Melena Ryzik investigated Jonathan Majors’s past relationship for more than four months, revealing a pattern of alleged emotional and physical abuse. [[New York Times]( —Jesse Walker offers an explanation for why so many people believe Taylor Swift is an Op. [[Atlantic]( —Rhett Allain breaks down the physics behind Bruce Lee’s “superhuman” one-inch punch. [[Wired]( —An excerpt from Kurt Wagner’s new book on Twitter, Battle for the Bird, reveals how Jack Dorsey fumbled the handoff of the social network to Elon Musk. [[Boomberg]( —Robert Badinter, who abolished the death penalty in France, has died. Obituary by Bertrand Le Gendre and Franck Johannès. [[Le Monde]( Today... ...in 1954, THR's Milton Luban reviewed Creature from the Black Lagoon. A few weeks later, Universal’s 79-minute monster thriller opened at the Vogue and Ritz theaters in Los Angeles. "Too much time is wasted on underwater shots which are neither novel or dramatic enough to hold interest for the entire footage." [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: [Michael B. Jordan]( (37), Rose Leslie (37), Tom Hiddleston (43), Ciarán Hinds (71), Charlie Day (48), Joe Pesci (81), Zhang Ziyi (45), Judith Light (75), Mia Farrow (79), David Hayman (76), Carole King (82), Alice Walker (80), Amber Valletta (50), Colin Egglesfield (51), Vladimir Guerrero (48) 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. 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