Why Ben Left ‘Batman’; New NYFF Director; Berlin Projects; Nickelodeon Slate; Yang To CNN

What's news: John Legend is joining Vox Media's board of directors, the New York Film Festival has a new director, Disney's Mulan gets a PG-13 rating, Nickelodeon unveils its 2020-2021 programming slate, Andrew Yang joins CNN, Dish starts shedding Sling TV subscribers. Plus: The latest news out of Berlin, and the Brit Awards winners. --Alex Weprin [The Hollywood Reporter]( [The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment FEBRUARY 19, 2020 What's news: John Legend is joining Vox Media's board of directors, the New York Film Festival has a new director, Disney's Mulan gets a PG-13 rating, Nickelodeon unveils its 2020-2021 programming slate, Andrew Yang joins CNN, Dish starts shedding Sling TV subscribers. Plus: The latest news out of Berlin, and the Brit Awards winners. --Alex Weprin What's news: John Legend is joining Vox Media's board of directors, the New York Film Festival has a new director, Disney's Mulan gets a PG-13 rating, Nickelodeon unveils its 2020-2021 programming slate, Andrew Yang joins CNN, Dish starts shedding Sling TV subscribers. Plus: The latest news out of Berlin, and the Brit Awards winners. --Alex Weprin [Vox Adds A Legend] Vox Adds A Legend ►John Legend joins Vox Media's board of directors. Legend is joining the board of directors at Vox Media as the publishing company seeks to form deeper relationships with the creative community through its burgeoning TV production and podcasting businesses, Natalie Jarvey reports. He will serve as an independent director alongside former Yahoo executive Susan Decker and Wasserman CEO Casey Wasserman. --"He embodies many of our company values, whether it's creativity, being a strong entrepreneur or having a shared sense of ambition and focus on quality work," Vox Media chairman and CEO Jim Bankoff says of Legend, to whom he was first introduced through mutual acquaintances. Vox Media already is in business with Legend's wife, Chrissy Teigen, whose Suit & Thai Productions is producing a slate of original food programming for Hulu with Vox Media Studios and David Chang's Majordomo Media. [The story](. ►New York Film Festival names Eugene Hernandez as new director. Hernandez, the founder of Indiewire, succeeds Kent Jones who stepped down after the 2019 edition of the festival. Dennis Lim will become the event's new director of programming. [The story](. ►The Harvey Weinstein trial: The jury began deliberations on Tuesday, ending the day without reaching any verdicts. The day began, however, with more drama, with the prosecution lambasting Weinstein lawyer Donna Rotunno for writing a Newsweek op-ed directed at the juror panel, which assistant district attorney Joan Illuzzi said was "completely, 100 percent inappropriate behavior." She added, "It borders on tampering with the jury." --The judge denied the prosecution's request to remand Weinstein into custody, but ordered the defense to cease giving interviews while the trial is in session. "I would caution you about the tentacles of your public relations juggernaut," the judge told Weinstein's team. [The story](. ^Mulan receives first PG-13 rating for Disney's live-action remakes. The film received the rating from the Motion Picture Association of America due to "sequences of violence." Mulan's PG-13 rating makes it the first Disney live-action remake of animated classics to receive a rating above PG, and the first title from Disney's live action studio to receive PG-13 since Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017. --When the original Mulan was released in 1998, it received a "G" rating from the MPAA, making the rating somewhat of a surprise. Of course, as Harry Potter and the Marvel Cinematic Universe has proven, PG-13 won't necessarily stop families from showing up to theaters. [The story](. ►Films in development: Amblin Partners and Dan Lin's Rideback are [partnering for a new comedy]( inspired by the life of comedian Jo Koy. Easter Sunday will be based on the life experiences and stand-up comedy of Koy — a veteran stand-up with two Comedy Central and two Netflix specials — and will be set around a family gathering to celebrate Easter Sunday... Following the success of Elton John biopic Rocketman, Dexter Fletcher [is reteaming]( with Paramount for a reboot of spy thriller The Saint... Elsewhere in film... --Martin Scorsese [writes that]( he is "eagerly awaiting" Bong Joon Ho's next film. --Atlanta-based Blackhall Studios on Tuesday [unveiled an agreement]( with Britain's University of Reading to develop a film studio and digital creative hub complex just outside London, set to open early in 2022. The latest from Berlin... --Fresh off his role as King Nereus in Aquaman and his return as the iconic boxing villain Ivan Drago in Creed II, action hero Dolph Lundgren is set [to direct and star](, alongside Scott Adkins, in upcoming action film Castle Falls. VMI Worldwide will launch the project at the European Film Market in Berlin. --Gerard Butler [has boarded]( the new action-thriller Remote Control, which Hyde Park Entertainment and STXfilms will produce. STXInternational will handle worldwide sales on the project and will be shopping it to buyers at Berlin's European Film Market later this week. --Christoph Waltz and Guy Pearce are to [star in the fantasy adventure comedy]( The Portable Door, adapted from Tom Holt's six-book fantasy series. The Jim Henson Company and Story Bridge Films are producing, with ArcLight Films representing the project at the European Film Market in Berlin for all territories outside of Australia and New Zealand. --Paul Schrader has[locked up casting]( for The Card Counter, adding Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe to co-star in the revenge thriller with Oscar Isaac. Schrader will direct The Card Counter from his own screenplay. Martin Scorsese will executive produce the project. Vox Adds A Legend ►John Legend joins Vox Media's board of directors. Legend is joining the board of directors at Vox Media as the publishing company seeks to form deeper relationships with the creative community through its burgeoning TV production and podcasting businesses, Natalie Jarvey reports. He will serve as an independent director alongside former Yahoo executive Susan Decker and Wasserman CEO Casey Wasserman. --"He embodies many of our company values, whether it's creativity, being a strong entrepreneur or having a shared sense of ambition and focus on quality work," Vox Media chairman and CEO Jim Bankoff says of Legend, to whom he was first introduced through mutual acquaintances. Vox Media already is in business with Legend's wife, Chrissy Teigen, whose Suit & Thai Productions is producing a slate of original food programming for Hulu with Vox Media Studios and David Chang's Majordomo Media. [The story](. ►New York Film Festival names Eugene Hernandez as new director. Hernandez, the founder of Indiewire, succeeds Kent Jones who stepped down after the 2019 edition of the festival. Dennis Lim will become the event's new director of programming. [The story](. ►The Harvey Weinstein trial: The jury began deliberations on Tuesday, ending the day without reaching any verdicts. The day began, however, with more drama, with the prosecution lambasting Weinstein lawyer Donna Rotunno for writing a Newsweek op-ed directed at the juror panel, which assistant district attorney Joan Illuzzi said was "completely, 100 percent inappropriate behavior." She added, "It borders on tampering with the jury." --The judge denied the prosecution's request to remand Weinstein into custody, but ordered the defense to cease giving interviews while the trial is in session. "I would caution you about the tentacles of your public relations juggernaut," the judge told Weinstein's team. [The story](. ^Mulan receives first PG-13 rating for Disney's live-action remakes. The film received the rating from the Motion Picture Association of America due to "sequences of violence." Mulan's PG-13 rating makes it the first Disney live-action remake of animated classics to receive a rating above PG, and the first title from Disney's live action studio to receive PG-13 since Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017. --When the original Mulan was released in 1998, it received a "G" rating from the MPAA, making the rating somewhat of a surprise. Of course, as Harry Potter and the Marvel Cinematic Universe has proven, PG-13 won't necessarily stop families from showing up to theaters. [The story](. ►Films in development: Amblin Partners and Dan Lin's Rideback are [partnering for a new comedy]( inspired by the life of comedian Jo Koy. Easter Sunday will be based on the life experiences and stand-up comedy of Koy — a veteran stand-up with two Comedy Central and two Netflix specials — and will be set around a family gathering to celebrate Easter Sunday... Following the success of Elton John biopic Rocketman, Dexter Fletcher [is reteaming]( with Paramount for a reboot of spy thriller The Saint... Elsewhere in film... --Martin Scorsese [writes that]( he is "eagerly awaiting" Bong Joon Ho's next film. --Atlanta-based Blackhall Studios on Tuesday [unveiled an agreement]( with Britain's University of Reading to develop a film studio and digital creative hub complex just outside London, set to open early in 2022. The latest from Berlin... --Fresh off his role as King Nereus in Aquaman and his return as the iconic boxing villain Ivan Drago in Creed II, action hero Dolph Lundgren is set [to direct and star](, alongside Scott Adkins, in upcoming action film Castle Falls. VMI Worldwide will launch the project at the European Film Market in Berlin. --Gerard Butler [has boarded]( the new action-thriller Remote Control, which Hyde Park Entertainment and STXfilms will produce. STXInternational will handle worldwide sales on the project and will be shopping it to buyers at Berlin's European Film Market later this week. --Christoph Waltz and Guy Pearce are to [star in the fantasy adventure comedy]( The Portable Door, adapted from Tom Holt's six-book fantasy series. The Jim Henson Company and Story Bridge Films are producing, with ArcLight Films representing the project at the European Film Market in Berlin for all territories outside of Australia and New Zealand. --Paul Schrader has[locked up casting]( for The Card Counter, adding Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe to co-star in the revenge thriller with Oscar Isaac. Schrader will direct The Card Counter from his own screenplay. Martin Scorsese will executive produce the project. [Nickelodeon's New Slate] Nickelodeon's New Slate ►SpongeBob prequel, live-action Loud House movie set at Nickelodeon. New shows include Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, a CG-animated prequel to Nick's flagship series SpongeBob SquarePants will follow 10-year-old SpongeBob to summer camp, with the original voice cast.The kid-focused cable network's 2020-21 slate also includes a Henry Danger spinoff and renewals for Paw Patrol and The Casagrandes. [Here's the full Nickelodeon slate](. ►Why Ben Affleck left Batman. The actor was extremely candid in an [interview with The New York Times](, which noted that Affleck's struggles with alcoholism, his split from his ex-wife Jennifer Garner and the troubles he had shooting and promoting 2017's Justice League all came to a head. “I showed somebody the Batman script," Affleck said. "They said, 'I think the script is good. I also think you’ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went through again.'" [More](. ►Endeavor Content takes stake in The Night Manager studio. Endeavor Content has taken a minority stake in The Ink Factory and struck a first-look deal for film and TV projects from the studio behind Fighting With My Family. The investment will back an expanding film and TV slate for the U.K. banner that produced the 2015 BBC/AMC hit The Night Manager. The alliance includes a scripted TV development fund to grow the U.S. presence for the London and Los Angeles indie producer. [The story](. ►Dish records 194,000 subscriber loss, including first-ever Sling TV drop. In the fourth quarter, Dish, led by chairman Charlie Ergen, lost about 100,000 traditional pay TV subscribers, while in the fourth quarter of 2018, the company had lost 386,000. It also lost about 94,000 Sling TV subscribers in the final quarter of 2019, compared with a year-ago gain of 50,000. [The numbers](. ►An opioid crisis series is in the works at Netflix. Netflix has enlisted Narcos showrunner Eric Newman for a limited series about another drug crisis: the opioid epidemic. Newman, Peter Berg and Alex Gibney are among the executive producers of Painkiller, an eight-episode series that will dramatize the origins of the crisis. Berg will also direct all eight episodes. [The story](. +NBC will continue its relationship with Ellen DeGeneres: The network has renewed her unscripted show Ellen's Game of Games for a fourth season. [More](. Elsewhere in TV... --Former Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang [has joined CNN]( as a political commentator, the cable news channel said Wednesday morning. --Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud is going global. The comedian's network announced Tuesday that it will [premiere a new stand-up showcase]( series, dubbed Comedy in Color, which will premiere on the new LOL Channel on Pluto TV, a ViacomCBS company. --Kim Cattrall, Eric McCormack and Hunter Schafer are [among the honorees](on the just-announced lineup for the Savannah College of Art and Design's upcoming SCAD aTVfest in Atlanta. --Ratings: The finale of America's Got Talent: The Champions on NBC on Monday [pulled in its best ratings]( since the season premiere, and also helped Manifest to its best viewer tally in six weeks. ABC's The Bachelor recorded a season high in viewers, and 911: Lone Star drew its biggest Monday audience so far on Fox. Nickelodeon's New Slate ►SpongeBob prequel, live-action Loud House movie set at Nickelodeon. New shows include Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, a CG-animated prequel to Nick's flagship series SpongeBob SquarePants will follow 10-year-old SpongeBob to summer camp, with the original voice cast.The kid-focused cable network's 2020-21 slate also includes a Henry Danger spinoff and renewals for Paw Patrol and The Casagrandes. [Here's the full Nickelodeon slate](. ►Why Ben Affleck left Batman. The actor was extremely candid in an [interview with The New York Times](, which noted that Affleck's struggles with alcoholism, his split from his ex-wife Jennifer Garner and the troubles he had shooting and promoting 2017's Justice League all came to a head. “I showed somebody the Batman script," Affleck said. "They said, 'I think the script is good. I also think you’ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went through again.'" [More](. ►Endeavor Content takes stake in The Night Manager studio. Endeavor Content has taken a minority stake in The Ink Factory and struck a first-look deal for film and TV projects from the studio behind Fighting With My Family. The investment will back an expanding film and TV slate for the U.K. banner that produced the 2015 BBC/AMC hit The Night Manager. The alliance includes a scripted TV development fund to grow the U.S. presence for the London and Los Angeles indie producer. [The story](. ►Dish records 194,000 subscriber loss, including first-ever Sling TV drop. In the fourth quarter, Dish, led by chairman Charlie Ergen, lost about 100,000 traditional pay TV subscribers, while in the fourth quarter of 2018, the company had lost 386,000. It also lost about 94,000 Sling TV subscribers in the final quarter of 2019, compared with a year-ago gain of 50,000. [The numbers](. ►An opioid crisis series is in the works at Netflix. Netflix has enlisted Narcos showrunner Eric Newman for a limited series about another drug crisis: the opioid epidemic. Newman, Peter Berg and Alex Gibney are among the executive producers of Painkiller, an eight-episode series that will dramatize the origins of the crisis. Berg will also direct all eight episodes. [The story](. +NBC will continue its relationship with Ellen DeGeneres: The network has renewed her unscripted show Ellen's Game of Games for a fourth season. [More](. Elsewhere in TV... --Former Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang [has joined CNN]( as a political commentator, the cable news channel said Wednesday morning. --Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud is going global. The comedian's network announced Tuesday that it will [premiere a new stand-up showcase]( series, dubbed Comedy in Color, which will premiere on the new LOL Channel on Pluto TV, a ViacomCBS company. --Kim Cattrall, Eric McCormack and Hunter Schafer are [among the honorees](on the just-announced lineup for the Savannah College of Art and Design's upcoming SCAD aTVfest in Atlanta. --Ratings: The finale of America's Got Talent: The Champions on NBC on Monday [pulled in its best ratings]( since the season premiere, and also helped Manifest to its best viewer tally in six weeks. ABC's The Bachelor recorded a season high in viewers, and 911: Lone Star drew its biggest Monday audience so far on Fox. [Eilish Scores At The Brit Awards] Eilish Scores At The Brit Awards ►The Brit Awards: Hosted by comedian Jack Whitehall, Britain's premier music awards ceremony took place in London on Tuesday. Billie Eilish won best international female solo artist, while Dave won album of the year, and Lewis Capaldi picked up song of the year and best new artist. Eliish also performed the theme song for the upcoming James Bond movie, No Time To Die. [The full list of winners](. +The awards show briefly paid tribute to former Love Island host Caroline Flack. During his introduction at The Brit Awards, host Jack Whitehall remembered "member of the Brits family" Flack, who appeared at the 2018, 2015, 2013 and 2012 editions of the music awards show, as well as the 2010 Brits red carpet. "She was a kind and vibrant person with an infectious sense of fun," he said. "She will be sorely missed. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say our thoughts are with her friends and family." [More](. ►Time expands its "Time 100." The magazine says that this year's Time 100 Summit will be a two-day affairs, with speakers includng Netflix's ted Sarandos, NBC late night host Lily Singh, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, and actor Glenn Close. David Korins, the creative director for Broadway hits Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen, will serve as creative director for the summit. ►Obituary: Zoe Caldwell, an esteemed stage, film and television actress who won four Tony Awards including her role of Maria Callas in Master Class, has died. She was 86. Caldwell died Sunday from Parkinson's disease complications at her home in Pound Ridge, New York, her son Charlie Whitehead confirmed through a representative. [The obituary](. Casting roundup: Melissa Leo is headed to Fox. The Oscar and Emmy winner [will topline]( Blood Relative, a crime drama centered on a genetic genealogist... The Thirtysomething sequel at ABC has [filled out]( its core cast of 30-something actors, adding Auden Thornton to the ensemble... ►THR In studio: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist star Skylar Astin teases a big season finale musical number in the latest video. [Watch](. What else we're reading... --"Vince McMahon could be the biggest obstacle to WWE's rebound" [[Bloomberg](] --"Fox has been 'more fair.' Why Bernie's team has had it with MSNBC" [[Vanity Fair](] --"Pompeo says new China media restrictions 'long overdue'" [[Axios](] Today's birthdays: Smokey Robinson, 80, Jeff Daniels, 65, Millie Bobby Brown, 16, Benicio del Toro, 53, Ray Winstone, 63. Eilish Scores At The Brit Awards ►The Brit Awards: Hosted by comedian Jack Whitehall, Britain's premier music awards ceremony took place in London on Tuesday. Billie Eilish won best international female solo artist, while Dave won album of the year, and Lewis Capaldi picked up song of the year and best new artist. Eliish also performed the theme song for the upcoming James Bond movie, No Time To Die. [The full list of winners](. +The awards show briefly paid tribute to former Love Island host Caroline Flack. During his introduction at The Brit Awards, host Jack Whitehall remembered "member of the Brits family" Flack, who appeared at the 2018, 2015, 2013 and 2012 editions of the music awards show, as well as the 2010 Brits red carpet. "She was a kind and vibrant person with an infectious sense of fun," he said. "She will be sorely missed. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say our thoughts are with her friends and family." [More](. ►Time expands its "Time 100." The magazine says that this year's Time 100 Summit will be a two-day affairs, with speakers includng Netflix's ted Sarandos, NBC late night host Lily Singh, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, and actor Glenn Close. David Korins, the creative director for Broadway hits Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen, will serve as creative director for the summit. ►Obituary: Zoe Caldwell, an esteemed stage, film and television actress who won four Tony Awards including her role of Maria Callas in Master Class, has died. She was 86. Caldwell died Sunday from Parkinson's disease complications at her home in Pound Ridge, New York, her son Charlie Whitehead confirmed through a representative. [The obituary](. Casting roundup: Melissa Leo is headed to Fox. The Oscar and Emmy winner [will topline]( Blood Relative, a crime drama centered on a genetic genealogist... The Thirtysomething sequel at ABC has [filled out]( its core cast of 30-something actors, adding Auden Thornton to the ensemble... ►THR In studio: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist star Skylar Astin teases a big season finale musical number in the latest video. [Watch](. What else we're reading... --"Vince McMahon could be the biggest obstacle to WWE's rebound" [[Bloomberg](] --"Fox has been 'more fair.' Why Bernie's team has had it with MSNBC" [[Vanity Fair](] --"Pompeo says new China media restrictions 'long overdue'" [[Axios](] Today's birthdays: Smokey Robinson, 80, Jeff Daniels, 65, Millie Bobby Brown, 16, Benicio del Toro, 53, Ray Winstone, 63. [Image] [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2020 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. FEBRUARY 19, 2020 [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [MANAGE PREFERENCES]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [TERMS OF USE](