'Cursed Child' Star Fired Following Conduct Complaint; 'Spider-Man' Moves to No. 6 All-Time; 'Ozark' Showrunner on S4 Surprises; Latest Sundance Reviews

View on web New reader? Subscribe January 24, 2022 What's news: Trouble at the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as lead actor James Snyder is fired. Billions premiere draws Peloton into another indirect controversy. CBS News is overhauling its streaming service. Plus: Kevin Macdonald will direct a doc about fashion legend John Galliano — Abid Rahman 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' Star Fired Following Conduct Complaint  ►Terminated. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child star James Snyder has been fired from the Broadway show following an independent investigation sparked by a complaint from his co-star. Producers said Sunday that they received a complaint about Snyder, who plays Harry Potter in the show, from Diane Davis, who plays Harry’s wife, Ginny, on Nov. 19 about his “conduct.” The story.  —There's no such thing as bad publicity, right? Right?? Peloton is trending for all the wrong reasons again, after the season six premiere of Showtime's Billions featured the company's bike involved in a heart attack afflicting a character. Peloton clarified that it "did not agree" to feature its products in the show. This is the second time that Peloton's equipment has been at the center of a controversial scene, following And Just Like That killing off Mr. Big in a similar scenario. The story.  —"Tip of the spear." CBS News is rebooting its streaming service by overhauling its entire programming slate. Some classic CBS News programming is being revived for the streaming service, Person-To-Person, the interview series launched by Edward R. Murrow, will be brought back with Norah O’Donnell at the helm. Also coming back is CBS Reports. The story.  —"We are going to address it." Andrew Georgiou, Discovery's president of sports said the company won’t shy away from human rights issues in China when the Beijing Winter Olympics open next month. Georgiou made the comments while unveiling the company's TV and digital coverage plans for the increasingly controversy-plagued event. The story.  'Ozark' Showrunner on S4 Surprises ►"I always want closure. I don’t want to feel messed with." THR's James Hibberd spoke to Ozark showrunner Chris Mundy about the fourth season of Netflix's hit crime drama. The writer-producer discusses some major plot points from the first half of the final season and teases what's to come in the last batch of episodes. The interview.   —"Moral degradation." Perfect Strangers, Netflix’s first Arabic original feature, has come under intense fire from conservatives across the Middle East within days of its launch on Jan. 20. The film is getting criticized by an Egyptian politician and accused of, among other things, perversion, promoting homosexuality and infidelity and even being part of a plot to disrupt Arab society. The story. —ICYMI. Saturday Night Live’s latest cold open featured Kate McKinnon’s Laura Ingraham and nods to Novak Djokovic, Wordle, How I Met Your Father, Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet, the green M&M and, of course, Donald Trump. The recap.  —"We’d be crazy to get someone this charismatic and just kill them." THR's second-nicest man Aaron Couch spoke to Radio Silence, the creative team behind Scream that includes co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and exec producer Chad Villella. The trio talk the film's twists and turns, what it would take to make a sixth Scream film, those Rian Johnson references and spending time on the Scream subreddit. The interview.  'Spider-Man' Moves to No.6 on All-Time List ►Quiet weekend. Holdovers Spider-Man: No Way Home and Scream led the U.S. box office amid the ongoing omicron surge and a lack of high-profile new movies. Still, No Way Home made headlines on the global stage as it passed up 2019’s The Lion King ($1.66 billion) and 2015’s Jurassic World ($1.67 billion) to become the No. 6 film of all time worldwide with $1.69 billion in worldwide ticket sales through Sunday, not adjusted for inflation. The box office report.  —All about John. Touching the Void filmmaker Kevin Macdonald will direct a new documentary on the life and career of acclaimed British fashion designer John Galliano. The project from French group Newen comes amid an investment boost from partner Anton. The story.  —Indie film champion. Irwin Young, owner of DuArt Film & Video and a producer on a number of independent films, died on Jan. 20. He was 94. As an indie film producer, Young's credits include Alambrista!, which won the Golden Camera award at Cannes in 1978. Young served as a mentor for directors including Spike Lee and Joel and Ethan Coen. The obituary.  —Awards talk. The Art Directors Guild announced the nominations for its 26th Excellence in Production Design Awards and Disney's Cruella and A24's The Green Knight were in the mix. Adam Stockhausen earned a pair of nominations in the period film category, for The French Dispatch and West Side Story. The nominations.  Sundance review: 'jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy' ►"More for Yeezy lovers than haters." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Netflix’s jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy. The three-part documentary, composed of behind-the-scenes footage shot by co-director Clarence "Coodie" Simmons, premiered its first act in Sundance. The review.  —"Sex-positive and positively sexy." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Sophie Hyde's Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. Emma Thompson stars as a repressed widow who hires a sex worker to help her discover what all the fuss over orgasms is about in this comedy-drama. The review. —"A survivor speaks eloquently." Leslie also reviews Amy Berg’s Evan Rachel Wood/Marilyn Manson doc Phoenix Rising — Part One: Don’t Fall. The actress gives a detailed account of an abusive relationship with her famous former fiancé in this first installment of a two-part HBO series. The review.  —"A bright and piercing take on the belly laughs and the heartbreak." THR's Sheri Linden reviews Amy Poehler’s Lucy and Desi. In her first stint as a director of nonfiction, Poehler explores the marriage and professional partnership of sitcom trailblazers Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The review.  —"Bold, messy and singular." THR critic Jourdain Searles reviews Lena Dunham’s Sharp Stick. The Girls star-creator's new film focuses on a sexually inexperienced young Los Angeles woman having an affair with her older employer. The review.  —"A tense drama that shines in its quieter moments." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Julian Higgins’ God’s Country. Emmy award-winning actress Thandiwe Newton stars in this thriller about a college professor’s escalating feud with two hunters. The review.  —"A confident step in a burgeoning career." THR's John DeFore reviews Cooper Raiff’s Cha Cha Real Smooth. The writer-director-actor's sophomore feature pairs him with Dakota Johnson for a maybe/maybe-not love story. The review.  The latest reviews from Sundance... —Adamma Ebo's Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul —Simon Lereng Wilmont's A House Made of Splinters —Rachel Lears' To the End —Shalini Kantayya's TikTok, Boom —Chloe Okuno's Watcher —Rita Baghdadi's Sirens —Riley Stearns' Dual —Krystin Ver Linden's Alice —Goran Stolevski's You Won’t Be Alone —Andrew Semans' Resurrection —James Ponsoldt's Summering —Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Utama —Megan Smaker's Jihad Rehab —Ramin Bahrani's 2nd Chance —Nina Menkes' Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power —Hanna Bergholm’s Hatching (Pahanhautoja) What else we're reading... —How the movie Sideways may have made pinot noir worse [Axios] —Wordle’s creator thinks he knows why the game has gone so viral [Slate] —Kellen Browning on the real reason Microsoft is looking to buy Activision-Blizzard [NYT] —Actors and their agents are warning that the use of NDAs in casting is a huge and increasing problem [BBC] —Matt Zoller Seitz: Honoring his mother was Louie Anderson’s life’s work [Vulture] Today...  Today's birthdays: Daveed Diggs (40), Carrie Coon (41), Matthew Lillard (52), Kristen Schaal (44), Mischa Barton (36), Ed Helms (48), Nastassja Kinski (61), Tatyana Ali (43), Julie Dreyfus (56), Karin Viard (56), Adrian Edmondson (65), Kenya Moore (51), Daniel Auteuil (72), Neil Diamond (81) Thierry Mugler, the avant-garde French fashion designer famed for his extravagant runway shows and for dressing the likes of Grace Jones, Demi Moore, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Céline Dion and Kim Kardashian West has died. He was 73. The obituary.  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 © 2022 The Hollywood Reporter, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, 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