Hollywood Bidding War for Clooney-Pitt Project; Marvel Sues to Keep Rights to 'Avengers' Characters; Russell T. Davies Returns to 'Doctor Who'

View on web New reader? Subscribe September 25, 2021 What's news: The shake-up at Paramount continues with Emma Watts exiting and Daria Cercek and Mike Ireland moving up. Studios and streamers are falling over themselves to nab a new Clooney-Pitt film project. Michael K. Williams' death has been ruled an accidental overdose. Plus: Bond fever grips the U.K. as Daniel Craig reveals he left the role of a lifetime on his own terms —  Abid Rahman Hollywood Bidding War for Clooney-Pitt-Watts Movie ►Frenzy. THR's Borys Kit has the huge scoop on one of the biggest bidding wars to hit Hollywood this year. Sony, Lionsgate, Apple, Netflix are all vying for a movie package that has George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts attached. Amazon, Annapurna, Universal, MGM, and Warner Bros. are also said to be in the mix. Watts will write, direct and produce the thriller with Clooney and Pitt starring. The two A-listers will also produce via their respective production labels, Smokehouse Pictures and Plan B Entertainment. Much of the details are being kept under wraps, but it is understood to tell the tale of two lone-wolf fixers assigned to the same job. The story.   —Death ruled an accident. Michael K. Williams’ death in early September was due to an accidental overdose of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin and cocaine, the New York City medical examiner’s office said on Friday. The story.   —Sexual harassment accusation. Shelley Ross, a former executive producer at ABC News and CBS News, writes in a column for the NYT that CNN's Chris Cuomo sexually harassed her when they were both working at ABC. According to Ross, Cuomo engaged in inappropriate behavior at a 2005 work party in front of their ABC colleagues and Ross’ husband. The story. —No mention. Cuomo did not address Ross' sexual harassment allegation against him during Friday’s episode of CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time. The story. —Executive shake-up. Paramount execs Daria Cercek and Mike Ireland will become the new co-heads of the studio in the wake of the exit of motion group president Emma Watts. The pair have been co-presidents of film since January and both reported to Watts. The two have been overseeing the latest Transformers film, Sandra Bullock’s The Lost City, Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, and a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog. The story.  Marvel Sues to Keep Rights to 'Avengers' Characters ►Blockbuster lawsuit. THR's Eriq Gardner writes that Marvel is suing to hold on to full control of Avengers characters including Iron Man, Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Falcon, Thor and others. The complaints come against the heirs of some late comic book geniuses including Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and Gene Colan. The suits seek declaratory relief that these blockbuster characters are ineligible for copyright termination as works made for hire. If Marvel loses, Disney would have to share ownership of characters worth billions. The story.  —The universe is in balance once more. Russell T. Davies — who was instrumental in helping to revive Doctor Who in 2005 — is set to make a sensational return to the BBC’s cult sci-fi series. The acclaimed Welsh TV creator is taking over from outgoing showrunner Chris Chibnall, taking the reins for Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary and beyond. The story. —"It’s been unbearable." Sarah Jessica Parker took to Instagram to remember Willie Garson, her friend of more than 30 years and co-star from the HBO hit Sex and the City who died Tuesday from pancreatic cancer at 57. In an emotional post, Parker wrote about all the ways she will “miss everything” about Garson. The story. —Bond fever. The 25th James Bond film No Time To Die has its world premiere on Sept. 28 at London's famed Royal Albert Hall and 007's much-delayed return to the big screen couldn't come quick enough for his home market. With ticket presales in the U.K. running at pre-pandemic levels, touching Avengers: Endgame territory, theater operators are pulling out all the stops to give the film the best possible chance to aid their recovery. The story.  —"I’m glad I am ending it on my own terms." On the subject of Bond, Daniel Craig says he's happy he was able to say goodbye to 007 in his own way, which he did not think was going to happen. In a recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Craig said that for a while, he believed 2015’s Spectre would be his final time playing to iconic secret agent. The story.  Review: 'The Tragedy of Macbeth' ►"Blood will have blood." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews the hotly anticipated The Tragedy of Macbeth, Joel Coen's take on the Scottish play. A first-rate cast, that's led by Denzil Washington and Frances McDormand, and stunning craftsmanship bring surging vitality to Shakespeare’s political thriller about an ambitious couple whose murderous power grab sends them spiraling into madness. The review.  —Why Mitch is back. The Morning Show showrunner Kerry Ehrin and star Jennifer Aniston talk to THR's Jackie Strause about the story they are aiming to tell with disgraced morning news anchor Mitch Kessler, played by returning star Steve Carell. Warning spoilers. The story. —Casting the net wide. The cast of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has gotten a little deeper. Jani Zhao, Indya Moore and Vincent Regan have joined the DC sequel that is now in production. Randall Park will also return to reprise his role from the first film. The story.  —Crying wolf. MTV’s Teen Wolf is being revived with a new sequel movie coming to Paramount+. The show’s creator, writer and producer, Jeff Davis, has made a new multiyear overall deal with the streamer that includes a movie following up on the 2011 show’s six seasons. Talks are underway with the show’s original cast which included Tyler Posey, Crystal Reed and Dylan O’Brien. The story. 'Controlling Britney Spears' Doc Revelations ►Insiders tell-all. The FX and Hulu doc Controlling Britney Spears dropped Friday with some shocking revelations from a host of people inside Britney Spears' circle who discuss how the conservatorship controlled her life and how the singer’s private conversations were recorded and monitored. The story.  —More than optics? On Sept. 22, News Corp made a change to its corporate governance, with the board of directors capping the voting stake of the Murdoch family at 44 percent. The move, says one analyst, allows "potential aggressor to agitate for change given sufficient capital and/or support from other investors." The story. —Move over Garfield. Legendary has picked up the feature and TV rights to Heathcliff, the eponymous comic strip featuring the cocky and street-smart cat about town. The company plans to develop both simultaneously. The story.  —Renewal. HBO Max has renewed the critically acclaimed comedy The Other Two for a third season. The news comes on the heels of the season two finale debuting Thursday on HBO Max, which picked up the show from Comedy Central. The story. In other news... —TIFF film review: Haya Waseem’s Quickening.  —Film review: Tom Skerritt in East of the Mountains.  —Tonys: Predicting the musical winners using math. —Tonys: Predicting the play winners using math. —Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda reteam for Moving On comedy. —John Cena, Kathy Bates join political thriller The Independent. —Night Court sequel books series order at NBC. —The Flight Attendant adds trio of regulars to season 2 cast. —"Artists are here to disturb the peace": Madonna and Madame X directors on the doc’s message. —Anderson Cooper recalls late mother Gloria Vanderbilt offering to be his surrogate on Late Show. —Netflix communications vp to exit after 4 years with streamer. —Bob Iger and Willow Bay honored at the YES 20th Anniversary Celebration Gala. —Geffen Playhouse welcomes in-person audience for opening night of David Kwong's The Enigmatist. —Nobu expands partnership with Caesars, adds new restaurants and hotels. —Frank Miller unveils Sin City NFTs. What else we're reading... —"Jared Harris Is (and Isn’t) His Father’s Son" [New York Times] —"A Love Letter to Paul Walter Hauser" [Gawker] —"How Chippendales’ Male-Stripping Empire Ended in Bloody Murder" [Daily Beast] —"Anti-Vaxx Celebrities Are Coming Out of the Woodwork" [The Cut] —"TikTokers Are Now Highlighting Missing People Of Color After The Gabby Petito Case" [BuzzFeed News] Today...   ...in 1999, NBC introduced Freaks and Geeks during the 8 p.m. hour. Created by Paul Feig and executive-produced by Judd Apatow the show only lasted 18 episodes before cancelation but quickly became a cult hit and several of its stars, including James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Martin Starr and Busy Philipps, went on to greater success. The original review.  Today's birthdays: Catherine Zeta-Jones (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿52), Michael Douglas (77), Will Smith (53), Mark Hamill (70), Clea DuVall (44), Pedro Almodóvar (72), Donald Glover (38), Heather Locklear (60), Michael Madsen (64), Jason Flemyng (55), David Benioff (51), Zach Woods (37), Aida Turturro (59), Bridgette Wilson-Sampras (48) This email was sent to facestuffs.aaaaa@blogger.com by Penske Media Corporation. 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 © 2021 The Hollywood Reporter, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. 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