Aaron Sorkin Defends 'Being the Ricardos' Casting Decisions; Paramount+ Orders 'Fatal Attraction' Series; Ruth Wilson to Star in HBO's 'Mob Queens'

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( November 12, 2021 What's news: Aaron Sorkin has addressed the casting criticisms made against Being the Ricardos. The Astroworld tragedy death toll rises to 9. David Zucker, Pat Proft and Michael McManus are reuniting for a new comedy. Taylor Swift's re-recorded Red has dropped. Plus: Ben Still and Cate Blanchett are bringing 60s Brit spy show The Champions to the big screen — [Abid Rahman]( Aaron Sorkin Defends 'Being the Ricardos' Casting Decisions ►"There were just all of these interesting conflicts, and that’s what I’m looking for." Being the Ricardos writer-director Aaron Sorkin opens up to THR's [Lacey Rose]( about controversies in casting Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem and the parallels between McCarthy-era Hollywood touched upon in the Amazon film and cancel culture today. Sorkin also talks about the all-important endorsement of Lucy and Desi's daughter, Lucie Arnaz, and even provides an update on a Social Network sequel. [The interview.]( —Death toll rises. Bharti Shahani, a 22-year-old college student who was critically injured in the crush of fans at the Astroworld festival in Houston has died, the family’s lawyer said Thursday, bringing the death toll to nine. [The story.]( —No bunnies, please. Paramount+ has handed out a formal order for a Fatal Attraction series. Masters of Sex star Lizzy Caplan will lead the cast for the update of the 1987 movie that starred Glenn Close and Michael Douglas. Caplan will play Alex who becomes obsessed with her lover after a brief affair. Alexandra Cunningham will serve as writer, showrunner and exec producer on the drama from Amblin Television. [The story.]( —🤌Ma che vuoi?🤌HBO is teaming with Ruth Wilson, Lena Dunham and Dennis Lehane on a series about the mafia. Wilson is set to star in and exec produce Mob Queens, based on a Stitcher podcast of the same name, which centers on Anna Genovese, the second wife of infamous New York crime boss Vito Genovese. Dunham will direct and co-write with Lehane. [The story.]( —Lots of time to figure it out. Jon M. Chu has been tapped to direct the animated film adaptation of Oh, The Places You’ll Go! for Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Warner Animation Group. The film, set to debut in 2027, marks Bad Robot Productions’ first foray into feature animation. J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella share producer credits. [The story.]( —One for the dads. Ben Stiller and Cate Blanchett are set to star in the movie adaptation of The Champions, a 1960s British sci-fi spy series. Stiller will also direct and produce the project for ITV Studios America, New Republic Pictures and Blanchett’s Dirty Films via his Red Hour Productions. Dennis Spooner created the original TV series about UN agents who survive a plane crash in the Himalayas and receive superpowers. [The story.]( 'Narcos: Mexico' Boss Explains Cyclical Series Finale ►"The phenomenon of the drug game continues and there is no end to it." THR's [Jackie Strause]( speaks to Narcos: Mexico co-creator and showrunner Carlo Bernard about the finale of the Netflix series and the lingering questions it raises. Bernard also discusses the systemic failures in the drug war and explains why the cyclical (and cynical) ending to Narcos could never be a neat and tidy one. Warning spoilers. [The interview.]( —Same, same but different. Taylor Swift is bringing back the fall feels, scarves and heartbreak woes with the release of her re-recorded “Taylor’s Version” of her album, Red (the one with that Jake Gyllenhaal song "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"). The 30-track album dropped Thursday evening. [The story.]( —Joe vs. the Squid Game. The third season of Netflix’s You premiered to big streaming numbers in the week of Oct. 11-17, coming close to unseating Squid Game in total viewing time. You earned 1.94 billion minutes of viewing time for the week (season three premiered Oct. 15), finishing second overall behind Squid Game. [The streaming series ranking.]( —Strategic expansion. Spotify will acquire the audiobook distribution company Findaway as the audio giant seeks to scale its catalog and creator tools in a similar fashion to its podcast offerings. [The story.]( —Bounce back. Canadian cinema giant Cineplex has yet to reach pre-pandemic box office levels, but did shrink its Q3 loss as Canadians returned in strength to the local multiplex. Overall revenues for Q3 came to $250.4 million, against a year-earlier $61 million, as theater attendance rose 430 percent to 8.3 million patrons. [The results.]( Critics' Conversation: Nina Mae McKinney, a Star of the Early Talkies, Burned Bright and Fizzled Too Soon ►"Magnetism and charm." In the late 1920s, Nina Mae McKinney was lauded as the first Black movie star, and it seemed the sky was the limit for this triple-threat actor, singer and dancer. Looking at Film Forum’s series devoted to Nina Mae McKinney, THR film critics [Lovia Gyarkye]( and [Sheri Linden]( find a radiant talent and a particularly American story of thwarted opportunities and unfulfilled promise. [The conversation.]( —Sorcerer’s Stone turns 20. THR's [Lexy Perez]( (a tenacious Hufflepuff) talks to director Chris Columbus on making Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's books and the huge pressure he experienced bringing the global best-seller to the big screen. Columbus recalls how the film landed Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, the heartbreak of losing the first Dumbledore, and why he walked away from the franchise. [The interview.]( —"Stylish but sterile." THR critic [Justin Lowe]( reviews Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tick, Tick … Boom! Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp and Vanessa Hudgens star in the Netflix musical about Rent playwright and musician Jonathan Larson. [The review.]( —Getting the band back together. Veteran comedy filmmaker David Zucker and frequent collaborators Pat Proft and Michael McManus have reunited for The Star of Malta, a period comedy that RainMaker Films will produce and finance. Zucker will direct and co-wrote the script with Proft and McManus. [The story.]( —Awards buzz. Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis, who portray the parents of Venus Williams and Serena Williams in Reinaldo Marcus Green‘s King Richard, will share the outstanding performer of the year award at the 37th Santa Barbara International Film Festival in March 2022, the festival announced Thursday. [The story.]( Thank Pod It's Friday ►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio. —TV's Top 5. [Lesley Goldberg]( and [Dan Fienberg]( break down the latest TV news. This week the guy's discuss the vaccine crackdown at film and TV studios. They also the chew over the two-year anniversary of Disney+ and what today's Disney+ Day event might bring. Tony McNamara, the showrunner of Hulu’s The Great, drops by for a chat. And Dan offers reviews of Apple’s The Shrink Next Door, Showtime’s Yellowjackets and Paramount+’s Mayor of Kingstown. [Listen here.]( —Awards Chatter. Awards analyst [Scott Feinberg]( talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In the latest episode, Scott speaks to Dakota Johnson. The third-gen Hollywood star reflects on what she learned about the biz from her family, shooting to fame through the Fifty Shades trilogy and challenging herself in art house projects like Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, The Lost Daughter. [Listen here.]( —Behind the Screen. Tech editor [Carolyn Giardina]( podcast focuses on the filmmaking crafts. In this episode, Carolyn speaks to Dune supervising sound editors/designers Mark Mangini and Theo Green and re-recording mixers Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett. [Listen here.]( In other news... —Film review: Eleanor Coppola's [Love Is Love Is Love]( —Station 19 bids [farewell to an original star]( —TV ratings: [CMA Awards on par with 2020]( —Veteran movie marketing-publicity exec [Julie Fontaine joins Imax]( —Range Media Partners taps [Mark Herwick to head non-scripted TV division]( —Telemundo taps [Patsy Loris as its news chief]( —Exclusive: Samuel Goldwyn Films [nabs war pic Foxhole]( —Bodies, Bodies, Bodies director [Halina Reijn signs with CAA]( —Endeavor’s Patrick Whitesell [asks $22m for L.A. estate]( —Publicist launches production company focused on [genre fare and LGBTQ+ content]( —Insecure star Yvonne Orji to [host 2021 International Emmys]( —How one of L.A.’s top real estate brokers [got cast in The Offer]( —Once Upon a Time in Hollywood [hardback deluxe novel a treasure trove for film’s fans]( —Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox fete [Jennifer Meyer’s collaboration with Moose Knuckles Canada]( What else we're reading... —Lady Gaga and Ridley Scott on House of Gucci: When Beauty Turns Ugly [[New York Times]( —The World’s Largest Record Company Is Creating an NFT Super Group [[Bloomberg]( —Marilyn Manson’s Accusers Detail His Alleged Abuse. "He’s So Much Worse Than His Persona" [[Los Angeles Times]( —Bobcat Goldthwait on His 30-Year Beef With Jerry Seinfeld [[Daily Beast]( —The Global Chip Shortage Is A Nightmare Before Christmas [[The Verge]( Today... Today's birthdays: Anne Hathaway (39), [Ryan Gosling]( (41), Wallace Shawn (78), Ben Aldridge (36), Ashley Williams (43), Gustaf Skarsgård (41), Radha Mitchell (48), Cote de Pablo (42), Megan Mullally (63), Tamala Jones (47), Alexandra Maria Lara (43), Harvey Stephens (51), Céline Sciamma (43), Neil Young (76), Mayte Garcia (48) Coronji Calhoun, who in his only onscreen appearance scored high marks for his portrayal of the overweight son of Halle Berry and Sean Combs’ characters in the 2001 feature Monster’s Ball, has died. He was 30. [The obituary.]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} by Penske Media Corporation. Please add email@email.hollywoodreporter.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. 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