Marvel's Political Avenger; Apple's 'Cable' Strategy; Smollett's Good Day; 'Avatar' and Disney; How WGA Can Beat Agents; New THR Cover

What's news: One month before Avengers: Endgame is released, Chris Evans prepares to say goodbye to Captain America. Plus: Charges against Jussie Smollett have been dropped, the courting of a former Fox 2000 exec and how writers could potentially win their fight against the agents. — Will Robinson March 27, 2019 What's news: One month before Avengers: Endgame is released, Chris Evans prepares to say goodbye to Captain America. Plus: Charges against Jussie Smollett have been dropped, the courting of a former Fox 2000 exec and how writers could potentially win their fight against the agents. — Will Robinson [On the cover:]( Ahead of Avengers: Endgame, progressive Captain America actor and Twitter firebrand Chris Evans says he's ready to retire his Marvel hero for directing gigs, a new Apple show and the fight against the "dumb s---" president, Alex Pappademas reports: + Using platform: When he's not working or camping by himself, you can find Evans camped out on Twitter, often speaking out against President Trump. "You don't want to alienate half your audience," says Evans. "But I'd be disappointed in myself if I didn't speak up. Especially for fear of some monetary repercussion or career damage — that just feels really gross to me." + Initial Marvel pass: Evans passed on Marvel's first offer, a nine-film deal. The studio came back with a six-film contract, and Evans passed again. He accepted an invitation to visit Marvel Studios — back when the company, newly purchased by Disney, was still based out of Raleigh Studios' Manhattan Beach complex — but made it clear that he wasn't planning to change his mind. "You see the pictures, and you see the costumes, and it's cool. But I'd now woken up the day after saying no and felt good, twice." + Endgame after Endgame: He's not retiring. He'd love to direct more, but the way he talks about it makes it sound more like a five-year plan. He's been looking for a good script, except the problem with good scripts is that they tend to go to great directors, which is not a weight class Evans would put himself in, not yet. "I'm OK with making mistakes," he says, "and I learned a lot from that one." [Full cover story.]( Evans recounts his favorite MCU fight scene. The Cap actor also remembers his emotional final day on the Avengers and what he took from the set. [Watch.]( Charges Dropped Case closed?: In a shocking reversal amid an ongoing Hollywood saga, charges have been dropped against Empire actor Jussie Smollett, Ryan Parker reports: + "Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him," his lawyers said in a statement. "He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate [rush to judgment](." + Decision to drop: "After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett’s volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case," the Cook County State's Attorney's Office said in a statement. + Mayor, Chicago PD slam decision: "This is [a whitewash of justice](," a clearly angry Mayor Rahm Emanuel told reporters. "I’d like to remind everybody a grand jury indicted this individual based on only a piece of the evidence that the police had collected in that period of time. So a grand jury actually brought the charges.” * Chicago prosecutor doesn't believe Smollett is innocent: "Based on all the facts and circumstances, based on his life and criminal background," First Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Joseph Magats [explained]( to reporters on why charges were ultimately dropped. "I mean, we defer and do alternative prosecutions. In the last two years, we've done 5,700 other felony cases." + Empire future: Makers of the Fox show told CNN's Brian Stelter in a statement that "Jussie Smollett has always maintained his innocence and we are [gratified]( on his behalf that all charges against him have been dismissed." Empire writers [shared]( a screenshot of the news and wrote "see y’all Wednesday," the night Empire airs. Smollett was written off the last two episodes of the show's current season. Elsewhere in TV... ► Brad Falchuk joins Ryan Murphy at Netflix with big overall deal. Sources say that Falchuk has inked a four-year overall deal valued in the eight-figure range, Lesley Goldberg reports. Under the deal, Falchuk — who is leaving his home of more than a decade at 20th Century Fox TV — will create and develop new projects for Netflix through his Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision banner. * Bigger vision. Sources note Falchuk plans to grow his banner into a larger production company, complete with his own executives. [Full story.]( ► Vanity Fair vet joins streamer, too. Krista Smith, the publication's executive West Coast editor, is joining the streaming giant as a consultant, but will [stay on]( as a contributing editor at the magazine. ► HBO global distribution president steps down. Simon Sutton [has been with]( the premium cable network since 2005 and becomes the latest longtime exec to depart as new corporate parent AT&T will bundle HBO with other Turner stations. ► CAA owner TPG Capital buys payroll giant Entertainment Partners. EP, formerly employee-owned, will now be a subsidiary of the same company that owns the major talent agency. EP’s current management team [will continue]( in their roles, the company said in a statement. ► Univision, Dish Network settle long-running carriage dispute. The deal [restores]( Univision channels, including Spanish-language soccer telecasts, to Dish and DishLatino customers after they were dropped in June 2018. ► Disney's 20th TV renews Jake Kasdan, Melvin Mar's overall deals. The producing partners (Speechless, Fresh Off the Boat, Bless This Mess) [have been]( with the studio since 2012. ► Netflix snags Tiffany Haddish stand-up series. The breakout star [will present]( six stand-up specials from up-and-coming comics for the streamer. ► FX renews Better Things. Pamela Adlon's comedy series, now set for a fourth season, [becomes]( the first renewal for the cable network since it came under the Disney umbrella. [Quoted:]( "Most people are sticking by me, they believe in me, they know what I'm all about, so I've been very fortunate in that regard. But sure, I'm nervous, I'm scared, I'm all those things. And if I wasn't, it wouldn't make a lot of sense." — Michael Avenatti, on his recent charges of extortion and bank fraud. -> Is Avenatti any worse than many Hollywood lawyers? That Avenatti was essentially demanding a hush payment from Nike is no doubt ironic, but Avenatti is hardly the only lawyer in recent years [to leverage]( wide access to the media to achieve goals, Eriq Gardner writes. ^Apple gunning to be "cable box of streaming": The tech giant will face stiff resistance from Netflix and Comcast even as consumers increasingly cut the cord on traditional pay television, Natalie Jarvey reports: + Seizing a moment: In three years, the number of U.S. cable subscribers is expected to fall below 170 million, per eMarketer, while over-the-top viewership will reach 205 million people before 2019 is over. With an install base of 1.4 billion users (900 million of them iPhone owners), Apple needs only a fraction of its customers to sign up for a TV offering to become a real threat. + More info, please: It will be months before Apple's streaming prowess is put to the test, and there are still several unknowns. While there was a parade of high-wattage talent onstage, Apple showed little video footage and offered up few details. "Any other company announcing what they announced, they'd be like, 'snore,' " says a top entertainment dealmaker. "I don't see what's so compelling about what they're offering." [Full story.]( Digital digest... ► Quibi taps CAA's Jim Toth to lead content acquisition. The shortform video platform is e[xpected to launch]( in spring 2020. At Quibi, Toth joins a growing roster of veteran entertainment executives, including former DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson. Casting call... ► Hugh Dancy joining wife Claire Danes in final season of Homeland. The Hannibal star is [getting]( a multi-episode arc in the Showtime series' swan song. Console wars... ► EA lays off 350. Cuts from the video game publisher come from marketing, publishing and other departments, Jason Schreier reports. [[Kotaku](] ► Rick and Morty co-creator's video game Trover Saves the Universe to launch in May. Justin Roiland's bizarre comedy action game is set to launch on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR on May 31, with a PC version of the title [set to debut]( June 4. Talking points... ► Jon Voight to become Trump presidential appointee. The actor is [set to be nominated](, along with Mike Huckabee and others, as trustees of the Kennedy Center. Sleep like Veep. The Hamilton Hotel's "Veep Experience" kicks off with a Wednesday screening of the final season's first two episodes, and while the show can't go on forever, the room will remain installed with authentic furniture and objects from the set through 2020. [Photos.]( Enjoy reading this? Six days a week, look for Today in Entertainment in your inbox to stay up-to-date on the industry. Sign up for this newsletter (and others) at [THR.com/Newsletters](. 'Avatar,' Meet the Mouse Two titans: As James Cameron’s Avatar sequels move from Fox to Disney as part of the $71 billion merger, they join a crowded film release slate — how will Cameron and Bob Iger co-exist? Rebecca Keegan reports: + Positive outlook: "We're very sad the Murdochs chose to sell the company," says Cameron's producer at Lightstorm Entertainment, Jon Landau. "But if they're going to sell the company, there's nobody better than Disney to sell it to. They get Avatar in terms of what its potential is, not just as a movie but as a franchise." + Fitting in: The first Avatar sequel was originally slated for release in 2014 but is now expected to hit theaters Dec. 18, 2020, 11 years to the day after the original (a day that might move). The sequels are being shot concurrently, with Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana reprising their roles. In her new position at Disney, 20th Century Fox Film vice chairman Emma Watts is expected to continue to oversee the sequels. [Full story.]( Elsewhere in film... ► Fox 2000's Elizabeth Gabler courted by Paramount, Sony. Gabler was blindsided by the [shuttering]( of Fox 2000 after being assured that it would have a home within the Magic Kingdom, Tatiana Siegel reports. The film executive, admired by authors and screenwriters, also has interest from at least one streaming service. -> Read: Fox 2000 was home for literary, midbudget films. "It's [crucial]( that within our industry there's a home for moderately priced films that are about characters and dialogue-driven," says Fault in Our Stars writers Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustadter. ► The Orchard Film, TV head stepping down. Paul Davidson [intends to leave]( his post as executive vp of film and television once the sale of The Orchard to 1091 Media is completed. ► eOne, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment ink distribution pact. The multiyear, multi-territory deal [will include]( both digital and physical formats and covers film, television and select family content and includes all sales, marketing and distribution. ► Tom Hopper boards Hitman's Bodyguard sequel Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. The first film — starring Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson and Salma Hayek — [earned]( $177 million. ► The Craft remake taps Zoe Lister-Jones to write and direct. Columbia Pictures and Blumhouse are [partnering]( for the feature, a remake of the '90s cult classic. ► Chinese version of Bohemian Rhapsody cuts gay scenes. “On the topic of LGBT issues, they’ve completely misled the public,” says Lu Zhan, 22, of the censors, "adding that she worried that the decision to screen a sanitized version of the film would discourage gay people in China." [[The New York Times](] -> Read: Behind the disappearance of Fan Bingbing. May Jeong goes in-depth about the Chinese actress' tax fraud scandal: "Fan’s image as the country’s kindest, hardest-working actress only made her sudden disappearance that much more surprising—and terrifying—to the film industry in China. In the month after she was engulfed in scandal, shares in publicly listed movie companies in China fell by an average of 18 percent." [[Vanity Fair](] Greenlights... ► TriStar developing Guys and Dolls remake. The studio has [purchased]( the remake rights to the 1955 movie, starring Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando. ► Carol Burnett's memoir about life with her daughter getting big-screen adaptation. Tina Fey, Eric Gurian and Steven Rogers [are joining]( with the comedian to produce an adaptation of Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story for Focus Features. ► Greg Silverman's Stampede sets first feature with Pink Skies Ahead. Jessica Barden [will star]( in the movie from New York Times best-selling author Kelly Oxford. Casting call... ► Alex Wolff to star in thriller The Line. John Malkovich and Scoot McNairy are [also set]( for the ensemble. It's a date... ► IFC Films sets Jennifer Kent's Nightingale for summer release. Game of Thrones actor Aisling Franciosi and Sam Claflin star in the period survival drama [set for]( Aug. 2. [Quoted:]( "The way I look at it, I get to cast black people in my movies. I feel fortunate to be in this position where I can say to Universal, 'I want to make a $20 million horror movie with a black family.' And they say yes. I don’t see myself casting a white dude as the lead in my movie. Not that I don’t like white dudes [nods to friend Ian Roberts]. But I've seen that movie." — Jordan Peele, during a panel at UCB. ^How writers can win their war against agents: Talent reps are screwing their clients by charging unethical "package fees" and moving to own content, but the best strategy to end the nasty standoff may be a mass firing or a major lawsuit, writes former agent turned manager-producer Gavin Polone: + Hard to compromise: The reason I think the 10-percenters have the upper hand is simply the difficulty the WGA will have in convincing its members to walk from WME, CAA, UTA or ICM and join some smaller, unfamiliar agencies, knowing that their former (and more powerful) agents will have it out for them. Agents are a vindictive lot and the career of a writer is precarious enough as it is. [Path]([to victory.]( Union fight... -> Can WGA turn managers into agents?: The union's move to delegate powers may run afoul of state law related to agencies, with one lawyer-expert calling it "a subterfuge to evade the TAA," Jonathan Handel reports. * Agents say writers' plan would throw industry into "chaos": The WGA is in a self-described "[threatening phase](," say agents after a guild-agency meeting ended on the eve of balloting. -> What happens if writers fire their agents en masse?: The WGA asserts that a patchwork of online resources, managers, attorneys, replacement agents and writer-to-writer networking will [enable]( writers to continue to find jobs and negotiate terms without their customary representatives, albeit with bumps in the road. Latest reviews... ► Disney's Dumbo. "This is another frustratingly uneven [Tim Burton] picture, with thin characters — human and animal — that fail to exert much of a hold, reclaiming the story only toward the end," David Rooney writes. [Full review.]( * What critics are saying. A mild reception at the circus: The live-action remake has 52% on [Rotten Tomatoes]( and 53 on [Metacritic](. Speaker circuit... ► Toby Emmerich, Peter Roth, Ava DuVernay, Michael Douglas set to speak at Produced By. The Producers Guild of America's annual conference will be held June 8-9 at Warner Bros. [Details.]( From the stage... ► Disney's Princess Bride musical sets new creative team. The long-gestating stage project based on the 1987 Rob Reiner film [will feature]( a score by The Band's Visit Tony winner David Yazbek and a book by Bob Martin and Rick Elice. In memoriam... ► Michael Lynne helped make New Line "the coolest place to work in Hollywood." Producer Mary Parent remembers the exec — who brought Austin Powers and The Lord of the Rings to the big screen — after his death on Friday: "You had to work really hard because New Line was nobody's first stop … but mostly [it felt like a family](." Coming attractions... ► Posters: Marvel prepares to "avenge the fallen" in new Avengers: Endgame looks. Many familiar faces are teased in the latest preview of Marvel's big finale. [Photos.]( ► Trailer: Noah Centineo creates app to sell himself as stand-in boyfriend in The Perfect Date. The Netflix original film also stars Laura Marano, Matt Walsh, Camila Mendes and Odiseas Georgiadis. [Watch.]( ► Trailer: Rooney Mara follows Jesus despite conflict from disciples in Mary Magdalene. The biblical drama also stars Joaquin Phoenix, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tahar Rahim, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Hasa Yaron, Lubna Azabal, Lior Raz and Ryan Corr. [Watch.]( xXx lawsuit against Vin Diesel revived by appeals court. Producer George Zakk is [suing]( for credit and compensation for xXx: Return of Xander Cage. Next in Admissions Scandal More dominos to fall?: Suspicion, blame and fear ricochet among showbiz families as L.A. students, parents and counselors are feeling raw about the scope of the betrayal — and anxious about what may come next, Scott Johnson reports: + Fallout on indicted families: The younger of Felicity Huffman's two daughters, a junior who is at the start of the application process, apparently has been consulting regularly with a school college counselor — but always with an attorney present. She also has recently been bullied, according to a source familiar with the events at her school. + Ethical silver lining: "There are people looking at our little corner of the universe and saying, 'It's just like these Hollywood people to make a spectacle of themselves in this way,' " says Evelyn Alexander, a certified educational planner in L.A. Adds Beverly Hills-based consultant Danny Ruderman, "People are re-evaluating what the importance of this college application process is. It's a reassessment. People are asking: Are we really looking at this in the right way?" [Full story.]( What else we're reading... — "The Damage From the Smollett Situation Is Already Done." Clinton Yates writes: "Not only had the Chicago police successfully discredited Smollett enough to make people believe this never happened, but the net effect became one that makes everyone less likely to believe anyone who reports such a thing again." [[The Undefeated](] — "Adnan Virk Starts Over After ESPN Termination." Ben Strauss talks to the DAZN host: “I know that I made a mistake. ... Ultimately, I’m hurt that I was that replaceable for doing something I thought was relatively benign.” [[The Washington Post](] — "The First Rule of Making Fight Club: Talk About Fight Club." Brian Raftery talks to the principals — Edward Norton: “It took aim right at what a lot of us were starting to feel. The book was so sardonic and hilarious in observing the vicissitudes of Gen-X/Gen-Y’s nervous anticipation of what the world was becoming— and what we were expected to buy into." [[The Ringer](] — "After Us, Jordan Peele Crosses Over to The Twilight Zone." Dave Itzkoff examines the director's next undertaking: "In this tale of unlikely parallels, Peele has been shadowing [Rod] Serling’s trajectory all along, whether or not he wants to admit it. He, too, has used genre entertainment to convey otherwise unpalatable truths to his viewers." [[The New York Times](] — "The Kinetic Horror of Lupita Nyong’o’s Us Performance." Hannah Giorgis praises: "In excavating the psychic recesses of both her characters, and in a horror film no less, Nyong’o also offers a subtle indictment of an industry that has long dismissed black talent." [[The Atlantic](] Last night, on late night... + "Why Will Packer makes inclusive media." [[The Daily Show](] + "David Harbour married fans in his Stranger Things costume." [[Jimmy Kimmel](] + "Stephen wants Star Wars spoilers from Keri Russell." [[Late Show](] + "Kobe Bryant needs just one modeling look." [[Late Late Show](] From the archives... + Today in 1969: THR reported on Gregory Peck defending the Academy's decision to admit Barbra Streisand, before her first featured role in 1968's Funny Girl. "Peck categorically rejected any possible implication that Miss Streisand might have been rushed into membership as a result of studio politics or pressure. 'Impossible!' he stated. 'There is no studio pressure in any phase of the Academy's activities.'" [Flashback.]( Today's birthdays: Brenda Song, 31, Nathan Fillion, 48, Mariah Carey, 49, Pauley Perrette, 50, Quentin Tarantino, 56, Michael York, 77. Follow The News Is this email not displaying correctly? 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