Box Office: ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Clocks $178M for Fifth-Best Opening Ever
Sunday’s business turned out to be more female and family driven than expected, shaving some muscle off the opening of Disney/Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, but keeping the threequel tough enough for the fifth best domestic opening all-time with $178 million, ahead of Iron Man 3‘s $174.1 million. (DL)
Netflix Developing ‘Ultimate Beastmaster’, the First Global Competition Show of its Kind, with Stallone
Netflix is developing a new global competition series, Ultimate Beastmaster, produced by Sylvester Stallone and The Biggest Loser EP Dave Broome. Touted as the first international competition show of its kind, it will feature six country-specific versions, with local languages, competitors and hosts from each country: the U.S., Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Germany and Japan. (VAR)
Richard Gere Will Have His Hands Full Starring in Jon Avnet’s ‘Three Christs’
Richard Gere will star in Jon Avnet’s Three Christs, playing a doctor treating three paranoid schizophrenic patients who all believe they are Jesus Christ. The potentially hot-button film, marks Gere and Avnet’s second collaboration. (VAR)
Idris Elba Saddles Up to Aaron Sorkin’s Table for Poker Biopic ‘Molly’s Game’
Idris Elba is joining Jessica Chastain in Molly’s Game, the directorial debut of Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. Elba will play Bloom’s criminal-defense lawyer, who, according to the producers, “learns that there’s much more to Molly than the tabloids lead us to believe.” (THR)
‘The Last Full Measure’ Lining Up Cast with Ed Harris, Scott Eastwood Along with Laurence Fishburne and Morgan Freeman in Talks
Fast rising Scott Eastwood (Suicide Squad) and Ed Harris will star in The Last Full Measure for Emmy Award winner Todd Robinson (The Legend of Billy the Kid), who directs based on his screenplay. Laurence Fishburne is in final negotiations to board the project with Morgan Freeman also in discussions to star alongside them. (DL)
Jesse Eisenberg Creating, Writing & Directing TV Series ‘Bream Gives Me Hiccups’
Jesse Eisenberg is creating, writing and directing a comedy for television called Bream Gives Me Hiccups. Based on his collection of stories of the same name, the project hails from Jax Media (the production company behind Inside Amy Schumer and Broad City), and will star Parker Posey, Victor Rasuk and newcomer Elliott Smith. (THR)
Spoilers Ahead: Why ‘The Good Wife’ Creators Think That Finale Was a Tragedy
The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King weigh in on the ending that even star Julianna Margulies said would be very divisive. (VF)
Busy Schedule Forces Lee Daniels Exit From Richard Pryor Biopic
Lee Daniels, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Precious, has exited the project, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. The Weinstein Co., which is behind the film (it also released Lee Daniels’ The Butler), is said to have declined to wait further for Daniels’ schedule to clear up. (THR)
The Latest Pilot Pickup Buzz as the Season Rounds Third Base
Pilot screenings at the broadcast networks are wrapping, and we are heading into the final stage of the decision-making process when executives pour over scores of testing and research data and evaluate how shows would fit into their lineups against the shows’ potential financial benefits for the company (via ownership) to select the new 2016-17 scripted series. (DL)
Marvel Maestro Kevin Feige On ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and Keeping the Balancing Act Going
Feige discusses the balancing act that goes into administering the Marvel universe, the pseudo controversy on casting Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange, and bringing Spider-Man under Marvel quality control. (DL)