Exec Shuffle For 5/2/16: Comcast Buys DreamWorks Animation, Weston Leaving New Regency, Rovi Acquires TiVo, Shifts at CAA
Among the other moves happening this week, China shuts down both the iTunes Moves and iBooks stores just six months after Apple opened them, a host of execs have new business addresses, and VH1 and Logo have themselves a brand new SVP of Communications. As usual, there’s plenty more, so click on the link to read on. (SSN)
Disney, Paramount and Warners Flunk GLAAD’s LGBT Report Card
When it comes to portraying LGBT people onscreen, the Hollywood studios are falling behind the rest of the media, with the three above studios all receiving failing grades, according to GLAAD, the LGBT advocacy group, which released its annual studio report card today. (THR)
Warner Bros. Needs a New Director For ‘The Flash’, as Seth Grahame-Smith Drops Out
Director has dropped out of the project over “creative differences,” after signing onto the project in late 2015, with plans for Ezra Miller to reprise his role as DC’s Scarlet Speedster from his cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Studio will apparently continue to use Grahame-Smith’s script, which was based on a draft by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Movie would have been Grahame-Smith’s first job as a feature film director. (NR)
Oprah Winfrey Sets Her Return To Acting, Will Topline a New HBO Film
Winfrey will star in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, based on Rebecca Skloot’s acclaimed bestselling nonfiction book of the same name. George C. Wolfe will direct from his screenplay. Book tells the true story of Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman whose cells were used to create the first immortal human cell line. Story is told through the eyes of her daughter, Deborah Lacks (Winfrey). (CS)
Hulu Keeps Rolling With Another Major Event Series, Casts Elisabeth Moss To Star In ‘Handmaid’s Tale’
Margaret Atwood’s dystopian classic sci-fi novel has already been adapted once for the screen, via the 1990 movie which featured a Harold Pinter script. Now the streaming channel has ordered a new drama series based on the book, and set Mad Men/Top Of The Lake‘s Moss to star. Bruce Miller wrote the initial script and will be a producer alongside Daniel Wilson, who helped shepherd the original film to screens. (EMP)
More Hulu News: Company Set To Launch Livestreaming TV Service
Streaming giant is expected to announce a service for livestreaming broadcast and cable television, with the service expected to launch in the first quarter of 2017. Prices are estimated to be around $40 a month. Hulu is following in the footsteps of similar livestreaming TV providers Sling TV and PlayStation Vue, but Hulu is looking to be more selective in which channels it provides. (VUL)
A Big Week For Harriet Tubman, First the $20 Bill, Now a Feature Film In Development
Additionally, it seems quite appropriate that Charles D. King, who was the first and only African American to rise from the mailroom to partner in the 118-year history of WME, is leading the charge on the new film, called Harriet, with prolific TV director Seith Mann at the helm. It’s not the first time her life has been adapted. In 1978, Cicely Tyson starred in the TV miniseries A Woman Called Moses based on the novel of the same name by Marcy Heidish. (DH)
‘Space Jam 2’ Is Really Happening With LeBron James and ‘Star Trek Beyond’ Director Justin Lin
Over two years ago, a rumor began circulating that Warner Bros. might be putting together a Space Jam sequel with NBA player and Trainwreck star LeBron James in the lead role. However, shortly after the rumor spread it was shot down. Then last summer, the athlete signed a movie and TV deal with the studio, reigniting speculation that Space Jam 2 could actually happen. Now the sequel is officially in development. (SF)
Another Franchise Being Resurrected: Get Ready For an All New ‘Puppet Master’
Di Bonaventura Pictures and Caliber Media are teaming up to reboot what they are calling the “Puppet Master universe.” Bone Tomahawk writer-director S. Craig Zahler has been hired to script an early draft of the film, the title of which is currently Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich (COL)
‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Getting ‘Reboot’ From CBS Due To Slipping Ratings
When Colbert replaced David Letterman last September, critics, industry veterans and CBS waited with bated breath to see if the television masses would embrace the real him. Eight months later, it appears the answer is somewhat unclear. While Colbert ranks second in overall audience behind NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, his presence online with viral videos and in key young demos is slipping fast. It has forced CBS to step in for retooling. (IW)