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    WarnerMedia Chief Has Become a Movie Villain to Some in Hollywood

    AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyWarnerMedia Chief Has Become a Movie Villain to Some in HollywoodJason Kilar’s decision to release 2021 movies simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max has angered many in the industry, including some of the star filmmakers his company relies on.Jason Kilar, WarnerMedia’s chief executive since May, has been criticized by agents, theater owners and filmmakers in recent days.Credit…Allison V. Smith for The New York TimesDec. 13, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ETLOS ANGELES — When Jason Kilar began his tenure as the chief executive of Hulu in July 2007, some competitors considered the streaming service so likely to fail that they nicknamed it Clown Co. Yet Mr. Kilar, armed with both the conviction that there was a better way to watch television and the backing of two powerful corporate parents — NBCUniversal and News Corp — sequestered himself and his team in an empty Santa Monica office and got to work. He covered all the windows with newspapers, emphasizing the point that naysayers were to be ignored.“Sometimes in life, blocking out that outside noise is a really good thing to do,” he said in a recent interview.Hulu did not fail, and 13 years later Mr. Kilar (the first syllable rhymes with “sky”) is the chief executive of WarnerMedia. Suddenly, he has a lot of noise he needs to ignore.This month, Warner Bros. announced that its 17 films scheduled for 2021 — including big-budget offerings like “Dune” and “The Matrix 4” — would be released simultaneously in theaters and on the company’s struggling streaming service, HBO Max. The move, orchestrated to deal with the continuing challenges brought on by the pandemic, upended decades of precedent for the way the movie industry does business and sent Hollywood into a frenzy.Powerful talent agents and theater executives publicly blasted it. Perhaps most important, some high-profile filmmakers who have worked with Warner Bros. — and whom the studio is counting on working with again — were sharply critical. Christopher Nolan, whose “Tenet” is just the latest of his movies released by Warner, told The Hollywood Reporter, “Some of our industry’s biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service.”Denis Villeneuve, the director of “Dune,” wrote in Variety that “Warner Bros. might just have killed the ‘Dune’ franchise.” (“Dune” covers only half of the novel by Frank Herbert. The plan was for Mr. Villeneuve to complete the sci-fi tale in a sequel.) Neither Mr. Nolan nor Mr. Villeneuve, nor most of Hollywood, had been told of Warner’s plans before they were announced.The director Christopher Nolan, whose film “Tenet” was released by Warner Bros. this year, has been a fierce defender of movie theaters. Credit…Melinda Sue Gordon/Warner Bros. Entertainment, via Associated PressMr. Kilar, 49, called the pointed criticisms “painful,” adding, “We clearly have more work to do as we navigate this pandemic and the future alongside them.” But he has spent his career pushing against entrenched systems and was somewhat prepared for the outrage.“There is no situation where everyone is going to stand up and applaud,” he said. “That’s not the way innovation plays out. This is not easy, nor is it intended to be easy. When you are trying something new, you have to expect and be ready for some people who are not comfortable with change. That’s OK.”Mr. Kilar’s boss, John Stankey, the chief executive of Warner’s parent company, AT&T, also defended the strategy, calling it a “win-win-win” at a recent investor conference.Earnest and approachable, Mr. Kilar, who took over WarnerMedia in May, comes across more as an eager do-gooder than a ruthless disrupter. Both the childhood stories he tells about rushing home from school in Pennsylvania to watch “Speed Racer” and the enthusiasm he shows for upcoming projects — he called the adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In the Heights” “life affirming” — seem aimed at deflecting the growing narrative that he is the evil villain at the center of a plot to dismantle the very act of going to a theater to watch a movie. (In email exchanges after the interview, he shared a list of movies he had paid to watch in theaters before the pandemic shut things down, writing, “Movie theaters are where I have had some of my most transcendent experiences.”)WarnerMedia’s upcoming film “In the Heights,” which Mr. Kilar called “life affirming.” Credit…Macall Polay/Warner Bros. Entertainment, via Associated PressMr. Kilar has positioned WarnerMedia’s decision to release films in theaters and on streaming as a reaction to the struggles caused by the pandemic, which has shut down the majority of American theaters and prompted most studios to delay releases into next year. (One notable exception to the delay is Warner’s “Wonder Woman 1984,” which will be released in theaters and on HBO Max on Christmas Day.) He has also called the decision an accommodation for audiences, who have become more accustomed to watching films in their living rooms.But Mr. Kilar joined WarnerMedia just two months before the lackluster debut of HBO Max, and it is his job to make the service successful.There are serious challenges. HBO Max is more expensive than other streamers ($15 a month) and has been criticized for lacking any “must see” content. (The mini-series “The Flight Attendant” has recently created some buzz.) Its marketing has confused customers trying to determine the difference between it and platforms like HBO Go and HBO Now. The subscriber total stands at 12.6 million, far behind Netflix (195 million worldwide subscribers) and Disney+ (87 million). Only 30 percent of HBO subscribers have signed up.On top of that, AT&T’s balance sheet features close to $170 billion in debt, prompting some in Hollywood to wonder if the company can invest enough in content to make its objectives a reality.So it’s helpful that beneath that “Ah, shucks, I’m just a kid from Pittsburgh” veneer is a relentlessly ambitious executive who in 2011 wrote, on a Hulu blog, a widely read manifesto that criticized the television business — and that most likely played a significant role in landing him his current job. In his short time, Mr. Kilar has restructured WarnerMedia, laid off about 1,000 employees and begun ridding the company of decades-old fiefs.Business & EconomyLatest UpdatesUpdated Dec. 11, 2020, 6:16 p.m. ETSilicon Valley giant Oracle will move its headquarters to Texas.A surprise savior for Britain’s pubs: Scotch eggs.Stocks dip as Brexit and U.S. stimulus talks remain stuck with time running out.Some employees appreciate his clear direction and focused approach, while others chafe at what they see is a lack of respect for Hollywood tradition. He has become known for sending long emails, often late at night or on weekends, explaining his thinking.“If you were going to design an executive for this day and age on paper, Jason Kilar is the ideal person for the job,” Jeff Shell, the chief executive of NBCUniversal, said in an interview. The two got to know each other this past year while hashing out a deal over the “Harry Potter” series of films that Warner produced and Universal licensed for its various channels.“While it’s well known that he knows tech,” Mr. Shell added, “I do think he has both a respect for content and a relentless desire to pursue where the consumer is going. It was refreshing to see him do such a bold thing.”Mr. Kilar had never run an organization the size of WarnerMedia, nor did he deal directly with talent and other artists in his past work experience.For instance, when asked before Mr. Nolan’s public criticism how he thought the filmmaker, a fierce defender of the theatrical experience, might react to Warner’s move, Mr. Kilar was positive.“I think he would say that this is a company so thoroughly dedicated to the storyteller and the fan that they will stop at nothing to make sure they are going as far as possible to help both the storyteller and fan,” Mr. Kilar said.Whoops.Mr. Kilar does admit that the company should have been more sensitive to how its announcement would be received by actors and filmmakers. “A very important point to make — something I should have made a central part of our original communication — is we are thoughtfully approaching the economics of this situation with a guiding principle of generosity,” he said. That blind spot when dealing with creative talent may point to Mr. Kilar’s emphasis on serving the audience above all else. When making the announcement about “Wonder Woman 1984,” he wrote a memo that used the word “fan” or “fans” 13 times. His most recent one, announcing the 17-picture deal, was titled “Some Big 2021 News for Fans.”Mr. Kilar says that this commitment to the customer took hold during a childhood trip to Disney World. As his story goes, Mr. Kilar, the fourth of six children, was wowed by the company’s attention to detail, from the pristine landscaping to the lack of chewing gum on the sidewalk.A young Mr. Kilar near the entrance of Tomorrowland on a trip to Disney World. “It moved me in ways I had not been moved before,” he said.From there, Mr. Kilar became an expert on all things Walt Disney. He read the biographies, scoured the libraries for more material and finally landed an internship at the company after drawing a comic strip when his letters generated no response. He was most interested in Mr. Disney’s entrepreneurial spirit, a quality Mr. Kilar defines as “the relentless pursuit of better ways.”He sees a direct line from that childhood obsession to his decision as the chief of WarnerMedia to elevate streaming to the level of a theatrical release.The broader movie industry is not as romantic about it. Mr. Kilar’s primary mistake, as the town sees it, is not the deal itself — after all, filmmakers have been making deals with Netflix for years — but rather the nerve to ignore the other stakeholders when making the company’s decision. He is still viewed as an outsider, one who is discussing revolution but, perhaps, really just trying to prop up a faltering streaming product that needs to gain subscribers quickly to earn Wall Street’s approval.“There are some things that you can talk and talk and talk about, but it doesn’t necessarily change the outcome,” Mr. Kilar said. “I don’t think this would have been possible if we had taken months and months with conversations with every constituent. At a certain point you do need to lead. And lead with the customer top of mind and make decisions on their behalf.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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    Gabrielle Union Lands Lead Role in 'Cheaper by the Dozen' Remake

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    The former ‘America’s Got Talent’ judge has secured one of the lead roles in the upcoming revamp of the classic family comedy originally starring Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy.

    Dec 13, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Gabrielle Union is to lead the cast of a “Cheaper by the Dozen” revamp created by “Black-ish” producer Kenya Barris.
    She’ll play the matriarch of a blended family of 12 – a role that has previously been played onscreen by Bonnie Hunt and Myrna Loy.
    The film, based on a real family, first hit the screen in 1950 with Loy and Clifton Webb. A 2003 remake, starring Steve Martin and Hunt, spawned a 2005 sequel.
    The new version will debut on the Disney+ streaming site in 2022.

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    Gabrielle Union was last seen on the big screen in 2018 with drama “The Public” and action thriller “Breaking In”. On TV, she’s one of the regulars on “L.A.’s Finest”, a spinoff of the “Bad Boys” franchise.
    The actress also served as a judge on “America’s Got Talent” last year. Her contract was not renewed after one season and it ended with a fallout as she accused the producers of racism, which led to an inquiry by NBC.
    She then filed a harassment complaint against the Peacock, claiming the network’s entertainment chief, Paul Telegdy, tried to silence her reports of racism. She called the company “a snake pit of racial offences” and alleged that representatives for the organisation had threatened her agent.
    After months of drama, both parties eventually reached an “amicable resolution” in September this year. Details of the deal were not disclosed but the star reportedly received “significant” compensation.

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    Christoph Waltz Joins Michael Douglas in 'Reagan and Gorbachev' Movie

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    The long-gestating true-story movie has finally found its Mikhail Gorbachev and recruited ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ helmer James Foley to sit behind the lens.

    Dec 13, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Michael Douglas and Christoph Waltz are stepping into politics to portray Cold War leaders Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in a new drama series.
    “Fifty Shades Darker” director James Foley will take charge of the project, which will be based on the 2014 book Reagan at “Reykjavik: Forty-Eight Hours That Ended the Cold War”, written by the 40th U.S. president’s former arms control director Ken Adelman.
    “Reagan & Gorbachev” will be a dramatised version of Reagan’s 1986 meeting with then-Soviet Union President Gorbachev in the Icelandic capital, a key turning point in the nuclear weapons race.

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    The Paramount TV Studios show will be adapted by B. Garida, and co-executive produced by Douglas, Waltz, and Foley, reports Deadline.
    The project has been in development for a long time. At one point, “Blade Runner” director Ridley Scott was rumored to sit behind the lens while Michael Douglas has been attached to the true-story movie since 2012 when “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” helmer Mike Newell was courted to direct the film.
    Michael Douglas was last seen on the big screen in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame”. He also stars on web dramedy TV series Chuck Lorre’s “The Kominsky Method” and lends his voice to an animated character on Dr. Seuss adaptation “Green Eggs and Ham”. He will next take part in Marvel’s new series “What If…?” starring Jeffrey Wright.
    Meanwhile, Christoph Waltz starred in “Alita: Battle Angel” and “Georgetown” last year. His new movie “Rifkin’s Festival” premiered at San Sebastian International Film Festival this year. He will next be seen in new James Bond film “No Time to Die” and lend his voice to a new “Pinocchio” movie. He also recently starred on Quibi’s series “Most Dangerous Game”.

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    Chris Evans Joins Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio in Adam McKay's Star-Studded Movie

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    The ‘Captain America’ actor is officially added to the ‘Don’t Look Up’ star-studded ensemble that also includes Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Ariana Grande, and Jonah Hill.

    Dec 13, 2020
    AceShowbiz – “Captain America” hunk Chris Evans has joined Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo Dicaprio, Meryl Streep, and Cate Blanchett in director Adam McKay’s latest star-studded movie.
    The as-yet-untitled project, about two astronomers who try to warn people about an asteroid hurtling towards Earth, also boasts Timothee Chalamet, Jonah Hill, Matthew Perry, Kid Cudi, and Ariana Grande, and now Evans has joined in the fun, according to Deadline.
    The actor won’t have to travel far for his new role – production is already underway in his hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.

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    McKay is directing and co-producing the film from a script he wrote for Netflix.
    Chris Evans is also set to lend his voice to Buzz Lightyear in a new Pixar movie. Titled “Lightyear”, the upcoming movie is a prequel to the “Toy Story” film series. “Just to be clear, this isn’t Buzz Lightyear the toy. This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on,” the actor explained.
    He also insisted he wasn’t replacing Tim Allen in the film. “Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear, and no one could ever touch his performance,” he said. “I needed to know how this character was different and why this story was worth telling. I can say 2 things with absolute confidence: 1.. I didn’t stop smiling through the ENTIRE pitch. Ear to ear. 2. Everyone can rest easy. And get very excited.”
    The Marvel star was last seen on the big screen in 2019’s “Knives Out”. He also starred on miniseries “Defending Jacob” last year. His other next projects include “The Gray Man” which will reunite him with “Captain America” director, the Russo brothers.

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    Ray Fisher Grateful for Fans' Support as 'Justice League' Investigation Concludes

    WENN

    The Cyborg actor thanks fans for their support as movie studio Warner Bros. has concluded inquiry into his accusations of director Joss Whedon’s alleged misconduct.

    Dec 13, 2020
    AceShowbiz – “Justice League” star Ray Fisher has thanked fans for their support after Warner Bros. announced it had concluded its enquiry into accusations of abusive conduct by the film’s director Joss Whedon.
    Back in July (20), Fisher aired his grievances against the filmmaker during reshoots for the film, accusing him of “abusive and unprofessional” behaviour.
    The Cyborg actor’s claims prompted a misconduct investigation into Whedon, Geoff Johns, and Jon Berg, producers of the 2017 flick.

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    And months after he spoke up about alleged abuse during 2017 reshoots of “Justice League” and aired claims that sparked a public row between the star and studio Warner Bros., WarnerMedia has concluded an investigation into Fisher’s allegations.
    “WarnerMedia’s investigation into the Justice League movie has concluded and remedial action has been taken,” WarnerMedia said in a brief statement on Friday (11Dec20) night, reported The Hollywood Reporter. No details were provided of what actions were taken.
    Fisher shared his own cautious statement on Twitter shortly after, writing, “There are still conversations that need to be had and resolutions that need to be found. Thank you all for your support and encouragement on this journey. We are on our way.”
    Last month (Nov20) Whedon announced he was stepping down from “The Nevers”, a series he was working on with WarnerMedia’s HBO, saying in a statement, “I am genuinely exhausted, and am stepping back to martial my energy towards my own life, which is also at the brink of exciting change.”

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    Kerry Washington Gets Candid Why She Considers Her Villain Role in 'The Prom' A Good Exercise

    Netflix

    When promoting Ryan Murphy’s new movie musical, the actress playing Mrs. Greene believes it has plenty of important lessons for its audience, including encouragement to understand each other.

    Dec 12, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Scandal star Kerry Washington loved sinking her teeth into new movie musical “The Prom” because for once, she got to play “the villain”.
    Kerry is known for her charitable and human rights endeavours, as well as her positive onscreen characters, but she quickly signed on to director Ryan Murphy’s project, also starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and James Corden, because she wanted to switch things up and play the “bad guy”.
    “(‘The Prom’) is about these two girls who want to go to prom together because they’re in love, and the head of the PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) cancels the prom because she does not believe two girls should be allowed to go together,” she tells America’s “Live with Kelly and Ryan”.
    “And I play the president of the PTA so I’m basically the bad guy in this movie. I’m the villain who will not accept love is love.”
    Kerry’s character is mum to one of the lesbian schoolgirls, and though the activist would have no problem accepting her own child’s sexuality, she had to approach the role with real “compassion”.

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    “I do have a really progressive ideology,” she continues. “I’m very inclusive and believe in human rights across the board, and freedom around who you should love and who you are. But it was really a good exercise for me to not have judgement with this mum who is struggling with her daughter’s identity, and to try to put myself into her shoes.”
    “She does love her child and she’s trying to do what is best for her child, so what is she afraid of? What is she struggling with? So (I had to) try and come at it with more compassion and understanding.”
    [embedded content]
    And she thinks “The Prom” has plenty of important lessons for its audience, especially in America as the country remains divided following the election of President-elect Joe Biden last month (Nov20) to replace incumbent leader Donald Trump when he leaves the White House in January (21).
    “We have to try to understand each other,” Washington adds. “That’s how we’re going to heal this country – if we really do a better job of trying to understand each other.”

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    Ray Fisher Reacts After 'Justice League' Investigation Concludes With 'Remedial Action' Taken

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    The Cyborg depicter relays a message from Warner Media addressing the conclusion of its investigation into the actor’s allegations of abusive behavior against director Joss Whedon.

    Dec 12, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Ray Fisher has scored a victory following months-long back and forth between him and Joss Whedon regarding his allegations of toxic work environment on the set of “Justice League”. Warner Bros. launched an investigation into the actor’s claims and on Friday, December 11, it announced that it has concluded the investigation.
    “WarnerMedia’s investigation into the Justice League movie has concluded and remedial action has been taken,” the studio said in a statement, while remaining tight-lipped on the findings and the repercussion to those involved in the allegations. Fisher, however, believed that Whedon’s recent exit from HBO’s “The Nevers” had something to do with the investigation.
    Meanwhile, Fisher seemed to be rather pleased with the results. Relaying a message he received from Warner Media, he tweeted, “The following was relayed to me on behalf of @WarnerMedia at 5pm EST today: – The investigation of Justice League is now complete.”
    “It has lead to remedial action (Some we’ve seen, and some that is still to come),” read the second point. “And this statement (which truly belongs to ALL who participated in the investigation): ‘WarnerMedia appreciates you having the courage to come forward and assist the company with creating an inclusive and equitable work environment for it’s employees and partners.’ ”

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    Regardless the conclusion of the investigation, the Cyborg depicter said, “There are still conversations that need to be had and resolutions that need to be found.” He expressed his gratitude to those who have been supporting him as writing, “Thank you all for your support and encouragement on this journey,” before concluding with, “We are on our way. More soon.”

    Ray Fisher reacted to end of ‘Justice League’ investigation.
    Fisher first came with the allegations against Whedon, who took over the directing role from Zack Snyder during the pre-production of “Justice League”, in July. In an interview with Forbes, he claimed to have heard “blatantly racist conversations” among studio executives. He also complained about “massive blowups, threats, coercion, taunting, unsafe work conditions, belittling, and gaslighting like you wouldn’t believe” on the set.
    Jason Momoa, Fisher’s co-star in the 2017 movie, publicly supported the 33-year-old actor and demanded proper investigation into Fisher’s claims. “THIS S**T HAS TO STOP AND NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT @ray8fisher AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO EXPERIENCED WHAT HAPPEN UNDER THE WATCH OF @wbpictures NEEDS PROPER INVESTIGATION,” he tweeted in September, before confirming Fisher’s claims about “the s**tty way we were treated on Justice League reshoots.”

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    Chris Evans Can't Stop Smiling Over Buzz Lightyear Role in 'Toy Story' Prequel

    WENN/Pixar Animation Studios/Jaime Espinoza

    The ‘Avengers: Endgame’ actor also clarifies that his character in an upcoming Pixar film is different from the one voiced by Tim Allen, claiming, ‘This one is gonna special.’

    Dec 12, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Chris Evans has landed a new role post-his Captain America days. The actor has been announced to voice Buzz Lightyear in a new Pixar movie. Titled “Lightyear”, the upcoming movie will tell the origin story of the original astronaut whom the toy in the “Toy Story” film series is based on.
    Retweeting Pixar’s post of a teaser of “Lightyear” that appears to show a brief intergalactic voyage before featuring the film’s title, he wrote on Thursday, December 10, “I don’t even have the words.” He added in another tweet, “And just to be clear, this isn’t Buzz Lightyear the toy. This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on.”

    Chris Evans tweeted about his Buzz Lightyear role.
    Evans also shared his excitement about scoring the voice role on his Instagram page. Along with a picture of the character, he wrote, “Working with Pixar is a dream come true. I’ve been a massive fan of their films since the very beginning. My team could barely contain their excitement when they told me that Pixar had a pitch for me. All they said was ‘Buzz Lightyear’.”

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    Assuring that he isn’t replacing Tim Allen, who originated the character in the “Toy Story” movies, he continued, “I didn’t know what that meant, since Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear, and no one could ever touch his performance. I needed to know how this character was different and why this story was worth telling. I can say 2 things with absolute confidence: 1.. I didn’t stop smiling through the ENTIRE pitch. Ear to ear. 2. Everyone can rest easy. And get very excited.”
    The 39-year-old hunk went on telling fans, “Trust me when I say that they REALLY know what they’re doing over there. This one is gonna special, and it doesn’t step on a single thing. I can’t even put my excitement into words. I smile every time I think about it. #LIGHTYEAR.”

    Disney broke the news about “Lightyear” during its Investor Day 2020 on Thursday. The studio announced that the new movie is slated to hit theaters on June 17, 2022. Other details, including who will be directing and is writing the script, are currently not available.

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