JJ Abrams will produce the project via his Bad Robot banner.

More to come…

ReadySet, a consulting firm dedicated to helping companies become more inclusive, has been tasked with developing a “strategic action plan” for the TV Academy, starting with an analysis of current policies and existing diversity initiatives.

The evaluation will survey members, leadership and staff to assess “staff and member composition, attitudes and perceptions regarding DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion], opportunities for improvement, and expansion of current practices.”

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“We recognize the power of television to tell our stories, shape our conversations and influence the way that we see the world,” TV Academy chairman Frank Scherma said in a statement. “For this reason, it’s important that our industry reflect the world at large on- and off-screen. Now, more than ever, we believe we must increase visibility, equity and power for those marginalized and underrepresented in our industry. For the Academy, that work starts with our membership, leadership and staff.”

Added ReadySet founder and CEO Y-Vonne Hutchinson: “We commend this proactive stance by the Academy and are delighted to partner in this effort. Television, as a medium, has the ability to inspire us, reflect us and unite us. We believe the Television Academy is uniquely positioned to drive impactful change across the industry. We’re looking forward to working with its leadership team and membership to assist in charting a constructive and meaningful results-oriented path forward.”

The probe comes as Hollywood awards bodies have come under increased scrutiny regarding the diversity of their membership and the types of projects recognized at ceremonies like the Emmys.

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The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which is behind the frequently criticized Golden Globe Awards, recently came under fire for the complete lack of Black voters among its ranks. The organization was met with a protest led by Times Up just days before last week’s Globes telecast, where a number of honorees and presenters took the HFPA to task for its lack of diversity.

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“Imax is going to benefit from that, and the reason is, more of the value proposition is going to go to the backend of the release,” Gelfond said during Imax’s investor call on Thursday. “As windows get shorter, studios and talent are going to be more focused on how to create an event around their movie and how to make their movie stands out. We started to see some of that already– as windows have moved around, a lot of talent and directors have been in touch and asked how we can do more Imax with our movies.”

Since Imax releases tend to be focused more on bigger-budget tentpole films — and include a premium charge for ticket buyers — both the company and studios stand to gain from a heightened theatrical experience. “If you are company who owns a streamer and studio, you want to find a way to find the biggest profit for that property,” he said. “There have been studies shown that when people see a movie in Imax, they like it better.”

Indeed, we’ve already seen those moves. Over the weekend, Zack Snyder teased a black-and-white version of his “Justice League” cut called “Justice Is Gray” that will be on HBO Max, but did not announce any further details. He also revealed that he shot in the 1.43:1 ratio in hopes that the movie will be released in Imax theaters once conditions permit. “To me the ultimate version is the black and white Imax version,” he said.

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Several major studios have made significant moves to curtail the window of in-theater exclusivity in recent months, though the length of that window has varied based on the studio.

Universal forged an agreement with AMC Theatres and Cinemark to release films on PVOD as early as 17 days after theatrical release, or 31 days if the film earns a domestic opening of over $50 million. Warner Bros. went further, announcing that all of its 2021 films would be released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max — a move staunchly opposed by major theater chains. Disney is taking multiple approaches, including opening this Friday’s “Raya and the Last Dragon” in theaters and premium VOD simultaneously while opening others in theaters first. And last week, Paramount announced that it would place “Mission: Impossible 7” and “A Quiet Place: Part II” on its new Paramount+ service 45 days after theatrical release.

Gelfond wasn’t opposed to shorter windows and even suggested streamers might come in to provide more content for theaters as films cycle to streaming services faster.

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“I know Apple has made some noise honoring theatrical,” he said on the call. “If windows shorten, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is content coming in from the streaming companies to make up for that [shorter window].”

Cinema chains have fought to preserve 90 days of exclusivity for decades, but most exhibitors are not in any position to push back as the pandemic has kept most theaters shuttered for the last year. Just five years ago, Napster creator Sean Parker roiled Hollywood with his proposed company Screening Room, which would offer films to stream at home for $50 the same day they were released in theaters. The idea was heavily criticized by theater owners and other entertainment execs at CinemaCon within days of its announcement, and studios backed away from the project.

Our new “normal” has shifted Gelfond’s perspective just because there might finally be some “certainty” around what the future of the industry will look like. “Certainty around windowing is a good thing  — the uncertainty of windowing has been a cloud over the exhibition business for a long time and I think certainty is going to be beneficial,” he said.

Jeremy Fuster contributed to this report. 

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Dan Scanlon now holds a rather strange place in movie history. His Pixar film, “Onward,” was the last film standing at No. 1 at the box office before movie theaters across the nation were forced to close by the pandemic. But even though his film was only in theaters for a couple of weeks, he was heartened by how families embraced “Onward” in quarantine.

“This movie is so much about trying to make the most of what you have when something is missing or there is someone you can’t be with, and I think that’s something a lot of people have been grappling with in lockdown,” Scanlon said. “People would send me pictures of their families turning their living rooms into a movie theater and kids making hand-drawn movie tickets, and I was so heartened that people were able to enjoy that experience.”

“Onward” is part of a proud Pixar tradition of animators putting a deeply personal part of themselves into their work. The fantasy film about Ian and Barley, a pair of teen elf brothers who go on a quest to bring their father back from the dead for one day was based on Scanlon’s own late father who passed when he was very young. Over the course of making “Onward,” Scanlon learned two important lessons from his Pixar peers: Don’t be afraid about oversharing, and don’t be so hard on yourself.

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Read more from the Nominations Preview issue here.

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Bayless, the handsomely paid sportscaster who left ESPN in 2016, turned down a chance to return to his old network, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap. Not only that, Bayless would have reunited with his “First Take” co-host Stephen A. Smith for an ESPN+ show; the streaming service was the driving force behind the talks, the individual added.

ESPN declined to comment.

Bayless ended up signing a new four-year deal to remain with Fox Sports, according to the New York Post, who first reported Bayless’ ESPN talks. The Post added that Bayless’ new deal is for $32 million over those four years.

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A rep for Fox Sports declined to comment.

On ESPN’s side of things, the news shows how much of a priority ESPN+ has become. The streaming service, which first launched in 2018 has seen its subscriber count skyrocket mostly thanks to Disney bundling it with Hulu and Disney+. The service had more than 12 million subscribes as of Jan. 2.

Bayless was one of the most high-profile defections from ESPN over to Fox Sports. He hosted “First Take” since its inception in 2007 when it was part of the ESPN2 morning show “Cold Pizza.” Bayless and Smith were co-hosts starting in 2012, and Max Kellerman has since replaced Bayless since 2016.

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For his third and most tonally adventurous feature to date, socially perceptive writer-director Jayro Bustamante repurposes one of Latin America’s most ubiquitous supernatural legends to fiercely examine genocide against indigenous people in his native Guatemala. Invoking genre narrative devices, the entrancingly evocative “La Llorona” (“The Weeping Woman”) walks between fact and myth to engender a shrewdly frightening piece of political horror.

Sadistic military dictator General Enrique Monteverde (Julio Diaz), a fictionalized incarnation of the country’s former president Efraín Ríos Montt, stands accused of sanctioning the murder of thousands of Maya Ixil people in the Central American nation between 1982 and 1983. Battling health complications but still refusing to accept any fault, Monteverde is found guilty thanks to the courageous testimony of Ixil women still mourning their dead. Bustamante shoots the courtroom as a spiritual confessional devoid of natural light.

Notwithstanding the evidence, Monteverde’s accomplices in power swiftly dismiss the verdict against the ailing villain. But the citizenry won’t obediently accept the impunity. Outside the lavish Monteverde home, protesters chant for justice. The mansion that once epitomized the esteemed family’s status is now a cursed prison for all those close to the acquitted criminal.

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A chorus of voices demanding punishment for the atrocious killing campaign moves in as the new, incessant soundtrack of their lives. Sins of the past literally come knocking in this bona fide horror movie that harnesses ghosts as impalpable activists, but still fulfills its aim to strike terror into its audience — unlike the recent, disastrous American production “The Curse of La Llorona.”

Breathtakingly haunting throughout, “La Llorona” benefits from the subtle hand that its director employs to intertwine commentary on pervasive racism and corruption with episodes in which the eponymous entity, which in this case clamors for his tragically deceased children in the Ixil language, makes everyone inside the property question their sanity. An earthly mysticism, connecting the lore more to the indigenous worldview than to the Catholic notions of the afterlife, manifests visually through the recurrent presence of water and wind as elemental powers of change.

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Nightmarish flashbacks put Monteverde’s wife Carmen (Margarita Kenéfic), a character who represents bigotry and unchecked privilege within this world, in the shoes of her husband’s victims. Though a mostly compelling concept with subtext galore regarding experiential empathy, these brightly colored segments could seem a tad obvious near the film’s resolution. Those versed on this folk tale’s details will probably anticipate the mechanics of some of its twists; however, it’s the historical lens through which they are being reinterpreted that enlivens and revamps them.

As part of the multiethnic and convincing ensemble cast, actress Sabrina De La Hoz, who was stupendous in Bustamante’s “Tremors,” returns now as Natalia, the conflicted daughter of a monster — and the mother of a child with a missing father — cautiously deciphering what to believe. “Ixcanul”‘s stern María Telón takes on the role of Valeriana, the loyal housekeeper who sticks around even when all other workers have vanished, while Juan Pablo Olyslager, the lead in “Tremors,” appears here briefly playing Letona, the general’s most trusted man.

Amidst the commotion, the embattled clan hires Alma (María Mercedes Coroy), an unnervingly quiet young woman whose intentions are unknown. In the nearly silent part, a remarkably inexpressive Coroy (who followed her on-screen debut in Bustamante’s “Ixcanul” with the English-language drama “Bel Canto”) speaks not in many audible lines but through piercing looks and static strength. When she looks at the camera, her unbreakable expression radiates otherworldly wrath. Later in the film, Coroy emerges from water bathed in moonlight and wearing a white dress. In that striking moment, one cannot discern whether she is an ethereal vision or a corporeal figure.

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Framed with magnificent rigor, cinematographer Nicolás Wong’s compositions are both beautifully painting-like and enterprising, because their point of view — behind door frames, windows, and bunk beds — resembles the perspective of someone or something peeking at the characters from those positions. This excellently crafted camera placement in service of the mood also adds dynamism to a project with limited locations. Crystalline lighting choices, particularly at night with shadows of cool blue, magnify the eeriness that pool scenes here exude by design. It’s a conversation between below-the-line craft and performance.

Seeking to amass a community of storytellers with the same foresight, Bustamante has formed his own acting troupe. For many of the thespians in “La Llorona,” their careers began with him. He has nurtured these emerging talents, and in just a few years, with a trifecta of movies premiering at prime international festivals, they have exposed Guatemalan cinema to the global spotlight. If films are a force for change, there’s hardly a better case study than what Bustamante and company are sowing by digging into topics deemed controversial.

A purposefully somber cry for amends and acknowledgment permeated in phantasmagoric allure, “La Llorona” is genre-bending done right in a country reckoning with its recent trauma. Rather than being a single entity represented by Alma, Bustamante’s Llorona stands in for Guatemala as a whole, crying in unison for all the children it lost at the hands of those who swore to protect them. The mist that clouds their sight and keeps them away from a transparent future can only dissipate with the winds of truth.

“La Llorona” opens in limited theatrical release on March 4.

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Reilly wrote the action film with Stuart Beattie (“Collateral”). Matthew Street and Michael Boughen for Ambience Entertainment are producing alongside Beattie, while executive producers are Chris Hemsworth, Kathy Morgan, Christopher Mapp, Robert Slaviero and Peter D. Graves.

“Interceptor” follows an Army lieutenant who must use her years of tactical training and military experience to save humanity when 16 nuclear missiles are launched at the United States. Production will take place in New South Wales, Australia.

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“As those people who have read my novels know, I love telling big action stories that are told at a frenetic pace,” Reilly said in a statement. “I wanted to bring that kind of rocket-fast, relentless, high-stakes storytelling to film, and so ‘Interceptor’ was born. Elsa is just perfect as our lead: a strong, independent and determined woman who, in the face of overwhelming odds, just refuses to give up.”

Bracey most recently starred in “Holidate” for Netflix opposite Emma Roberts, as well as “American Dream” and “Violet.” His other credits include “Danger Close,” “Hacksaw Ridge” and “Point Break.” He will next be seen in Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley biopic.

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Pataky most recently starred in “The Fate of the Furious” and “12 Strong,” and will next be seen in “Carmen.”

Pataky is represented by CAA and Morrissey Management, while Bracey is represented by CAA, Morrissey Management, Fourward and Rogers & Cowan/PMK. Reilly is represented by ICM Partners and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein.

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Rumors that it was Banksy’s graffiti started swirling earlier this week, and some of his fans noticed the Reading art is a similar style to his others. Banksy confirmed the rumors Thursday with a video on his Instagram captioned, “Create Escape.”

Banksy edited the video to be a mash-up of his work and the art world’s favorite bushy-haired folk hero, Bob Ross. The video opens like every episode of Ross’ “Joy of Painting” series, but then cuts to Banksy spray-painting the jail in the dead of night with Ross’ dulcet tones playing in the background. It’s edited so that when Banksy adds specific colors (mostly shades of white and black in this case), Ross is also talking about adding “a little titanium white” to his mixture on screen.

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Banksy’s art on the jail’s weathered brick walls shows a man in vintage prisoner’s garb descending from the top of the wall on a rope, with a typewriter anchored at the bottom. It’s likely an homage to playwright and poet Oscar Wilde, who was imprisoned at HMP Reading from 1895-1897. The prison (which used to be called Reading Gaol) closed in 2014, but the building still remains, and now it’s Banksy’s latest canvas.

Wilde was imprisoned at Reading after he was found guilty of “gross indecency with other men,” a charge that came with the maximum sentence of two years of hard labor. At the time, it was illegal to be openly homosexual in England. During his imprisonment, Wilde’s health significantly declined and the sentence ultimately hastened the end of his life — he died in exile of meningitis not three years after being released.

Check out Banksy’s full video of the process outside Reading below.

 

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While they work on opposite coasts, the stories they’ve reported are the same: unprovoked violence against Asians (especially elders), personal and property theft, and incidents of hate speech and vandalism. Every day, they’re hearing more and more.

TheWrap spoke with Lim and Kim about their approach to reporting on these attacks, the struggles they’ve faced in encouraging victims to speak out and the impact their coverage is having on the larger discussion of racism in America.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

TheWrap: What’s the biggest challenge reporting on these crimes?

Dion Lim: My parents always said, “Keep your head down, your nose clean, do well in school, don’t cause a fuss.” And at the beginning of the pandemic, we saw that rise in xenophobia and hate toward Asian Americans in hate speech and slurs. I remember my mother said to me, ‘Why do you do this? You should stop because this is making Asian Americans look bad.’ So, believe it or not, every time I want to do a story, and I’m trying to do my best with sourcing or trying to get someone to do an interview with me, it used to be maybe 90% of the time, I would get a no. That’s a challenge that I’m facing constantly.

CeFaan Kim: [Asians] are very reluctant to be public. That’s sort of a cultural barrier. That, I think, is a bigger obstacle than the language barrier because I think I’m well-sourced enough that I have enough people on the ground who can act as mediators and translators.

That being said, these past few weeks have been remarkable in that there’s been a snowball effect. As more and more victims come forward, they’re seeing that they’re not the only ones out there. That feeling of unity has been an unexpected positive outcome here.

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TheWrap: Has your approach to coverage of these attacks changed in the past year or so?

Lim: A thousand percent. There are so many journalists who are so into being that bulldog, getting the story out first and having the biggest stick and beating down the door and getting that exclusive interview. But I’ve discovered that with these victims, they’re already so scared to speak as it is. I’ve used an extra level of kid gloves. I’m not going to push a grandma to talk when she’s not ready. She’s going to respect me more and want to share her story when she is ready if I calmly explain to her the benefits of it, step by step. Before, I would never give someone an idea of what I’d be asking, but if it makes a victim feel more comfortable and more empowered, then I think that speaks volumes.

There was a young woman whose grandma was beat up, caught on camera, her purse snatched from her. And I remember she said, “I am petrified. I don’t want retaliation. This is already scary enough talking to you on the phone. You can have the surveillance video, but please, nothing else. Don’t use my name, anything, or where I live exactly.”

My heart sank when the next day, there was a reporter from a different organization — I will not say where — who had gone to this woman’s house and the victim’s granddaughter called me and said she was almost in tears. She said, “I have such anxiety. She showed up at my grandma’s house unannounced and basically forced her to talk and shoved a microphone in her face and recorded, from her phone, the surveillance video.” She thought that was such an invasion of privacy, and it just made me so upset because it made me realize, this is why people don’t trust [the] media sometimes and why they don’t want to say anything when something happens. They don’t want their story to be misconstrued and they also don’t want their privacy invaded in such an invasive way.

Kim: I’m very fortunate to be in a newsroom that has always embraced diversity. They understand deeply that this is about reaching and connecting with different perspectives and communities and voices that are unheard. My newsroom has consistently been supportive of this mission that I’ve had since I was born on this planet, so for that reason, I don’t see a change.

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TheWrap: Tell us about sourcing and how you’re finding these stories. Are they coming from the community? Law enforcement?

Lim: Most of the sourcing is coming from social media, believe it or not, because for so long, I think Asian Americans — at least from what I’ve discovered — have felt like they don’t have a voice, and they don’t necessarily feel comfortable going to the police or speaking out on their own. But in a way, because they’re shielded by the screen on social media, I see a lot of people writing to me in the DMs, they’ll comment on some of my work, and then, in turn, share some of their stories.

I do have a good amount of police contacts and law enforcement sources as well, and they’ve been integral in pushing some stories a little bit past what you see every day into something a little bit more meaningful, with more context.

TheWrap: Do you feel like there’s added pressure in owning this beat?

Kim: I wouldn’t call it pressure. This is my responsibility. Oftentimes, I’ll be asked, “Do you fear being pigeonholed as the Asian reporter?” And I actually flip that question on its head, because to me, that is exactly what you want to be. You want to embrace that.

The reality is, as a journalist, the foundation of why we do what we do is to be a voice for the voiceless. And I would be lying to you if I didn’t say I got into this profession for the sole purpose of being an advocate for my community. So what is the purpose of advocating for diversity in newsrooms if it’s not to exercise that unique connection and perspective to those communities?

Lim: I’m going to be fully transparent and admit this, but I had to take two mental health days very recently because I just broke down because I felt like I was the torchbearer for Asian Americans, not just for my own television station, but as a whole.

I share this feeling with some other Asian American reporters across the country. It feels like if we don’t represent, if we don’t fight for these stories — it’s been so hard to get coverage in the past, but now that the world is watching, it’s all on our shoulders. At least that’s what it feels like, even though I know it’s not. But is someone else who is not on this beat going to use the same amount of care or have the same level of sourcing that we have?

In one way, it’s such a blessing because this is what you want as a journalist, you want people to trust you and share and believe in you enough to tell their story, that it’s a privilege. But then, on the other hand, it’s almost like a burden to bear. How do you decide whose story is worth it, and who gets to get the publicity needed to make change? I don’t know. Balancing that has been very emotionally taxing.

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TheWrap: Do you feel like there’s been anything missing in recent mainstream coverage of these crimes?

Kim: To be completely honest, I don’t have the time these days to sleep, so I don’t really watch anybody else. What I’m doing is I’m leaving no stone unturned, so I can only speak for myself.

[From] a bigger-picture perspective, we’re having this conversation at the national level now, and that is something that was not happening a month ago.

Lim: My concern is that people still don’t understand the attacks on Asian Americans have been happening for eternity. It seems like every time I’m boots on the ground in a community like Oakland’s Chinatown, where we saw attack after attack, I hear from people there who say, Actually, my brother was attacked too, my grandma was a victim, I was a victim myself, I just never reported it. There needs to be a little bit more of an emphasis on encouraging others to say something when these crimes happen.

TheWrap: What would you say has been the impact of your work on this conversation about racism against Asians in America and, more broadly, racism in America?

Lim: People talk about it now. I used to joke about racism as a buffer to get people to feel comfortable and as an entryway to having a discussion, but now, I can openly have a conversation with the people around me, my neighbors. Whether or not we’re Asian, all of us are affected by it in some way.

We’re seeing more young people also be engaged, which is nice. Not only are we seeing people on [social media] denouncing it saying, ‘Oh, this is terrible. I want to share this,’ but they’re turning that sentiment into actual action.

We still have a long ways to go though, don’t get me wrong.

Kim: I don’t think it’s a surprise to say that everyone’s greatly appreciative. Look, we move the conversation. This is not to pat myself on the back, but the entire press corps in the city of New York is chasing this right now, and we started this. Everyone’s trying to play catch up, and that says something about where the conversation has gone. I think that speaks to the sort of unanimous feeling amongst good people that right is right and wrong is wrong.

I think that people are, for lack of better words, more woke than ever. I’m not convinced that this moment could happen had it not been for George Floyd. We had rallies in New York of Black and brown people standing together with yellow people, and that kind of solidarity, I’m not convinced that that could have happened unless this summer happened.

We’ve heard it time and time again: Silence is complicity. Everyone got off their butts this time around because I think they wanted to pay back the favor in some ways for being with them, and vice versa. We’re in a new moment now.

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“Guess we have a type,” the “Full Frontal” host cracked, before going on to discuss the allegations of sexual misconduct against the politician that recently forced him to issue a lengthy public apology.

“Back in 2020, we were so desperate for a leader who wouldn’t tell us to go bleach ourselves, we turned Governor Andrew Cuomo into a hero,” Bee said, before showing old video clips of people praising the governor for keeping New York safe at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those clips — including one where Ellen DeGeneres dubs herself a “Cuomosexual” — stand in stark contrast to the governor’s recent controversies, including his nursing home scandal and the aforementioned sexual harassment claims.

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Bee reminded viewers that despite what we might have thought a year ago, “Andrew Cuomo is not a hero. He is an elected official hired by us to do his job. And if we want to demand the best job from our leaders, regardless of whether they’re Democrats or Republicans, we can’t treat them like our food journals.”

Bee’s takedown included criticisms of Cuomo’s mismanagement of the subway system, his attempts to cut Medicaid and his failure to raise taxes on the rich. She also threw shade at Cuomo for using his rising approval ratings to raise his profile during the pandemic with daily press briefings.

And when she noted that Attorney General Letitia James was planning to oversee an investigation into the sexual harassment allegations, Bee praised her for the way we all should be treating politicians: with scrutiny.

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“Politicians aren’t infallible. If we treat them like they are, we’ll be disappointed. We need all of our officials to work for us and part of that means holding that accountable,” Bee said. “Just because Governor Cuomo steps into a leadership void during the pandemic doesn’t mean he gets a pass on his consistently s—-y behavior.”

Watch the clips from last night’s “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” below.

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“Going forward, if history is any lesson, the main beneficiary of the Trump administration, from a ratings points of view, was MSNBC,” Murdoch said Thursday at the (virtual) 2021 Morgan Stanley’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference. “MSNBC had the biggest lift, relative to where it was before to its peers, throughout the Trump administration. We think that that’s because they’re the loyal opposition. They called out the president when he needed to be called out. That’s what our job is now with the Biden administration, and you’ll see our ratings really improve from here and will do so for at least the next four years.”

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In January 2021, Fox News was down double digits in both total-day and primetime ratings. During a Feb. 9 earnings call, Murdoch compared the 13% drop in ratings Fox News saw following Biden taking over for Donald Trump as POTUS to CNN being -17% and MSNBC -10% after the 2016 presidential election, which Trump won over Hillary Clinton.

Murdoch said Thursday that Fox is “No. 1 again in primetime [viewers] and were sort of neck and neck with MSNBC in total-day viewers,” after recovering from the drop-off it expected to see after Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Biden.

“Just while our audience was disappointed with the election results and taking a pause and we started to see that deep,” Murdoch said. “We saw our competitors in MSNBC and CNN have these big spikes with those news cycles. Well now we’ve seen, and as we projected, those spikes have now come back down to Earth. I think CNN, last week, had its worst share since the week before the election. And that happens with CNN a lot, what happens is that they still have a tremendous news brand and news viewers come to CNN that aren’t traditional news viewers, when there’s a big news story. So you can see that, particularly around the Washington, D.C. riots happened to be this big spike. That’s come back down to earth.”

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Cinematographer Joshua James Richards, an awards magnet for his gorgeous orangey work on “Nomandland,” has spent most of his career out in the real, rural world. His credits include three features with “Nomadland” director (and his partner in life), Chloé Zhao, all made in the American West or Midwest, where scorpions dance maniacally along the desert floor. (More on that below.)

And sometimes, while working long days in cold, harsh conditions, even something as benign as a light source can be amusing. While filming “Nomadland,” Richards was operating the camera and filming Frances McDormand, playing the main character, Fern, as she rearranged items in the Ford van that is also her home. The scene required more glow, and he attached a tiny LED penlight to the camera. Richards glanced at Zhao, who was standing at the monitor beside filmmaker Joel Coen, McDormand’s husband, who was visiting for the day.

Pointing at the little penlight, the cinematographer laughed. “Look, Joel,” he said, “we’re pulling out all the stops on this film. No expense spared!”

Also Read: Why Making 'Nomadland' Left Chloe Zhao 'Emotionally Drained'

Richards’s sarcasm is buoyed by the fact that practically all of “Nomadland” was filmed using natural or existing light. It’s an ethos that Zhao and Richards have drawn from their previous features “Songs My Brothers Taught Me” and “The Rider.” Richards also shot Francis Lee’s 2017 drama “God’s Own Country.” (He’s a camera operator on Zhao’s upcoming Marvel superhero feature “Eternals,” due in November.)

“Chloé was born and raised in Beijing and I’m from a fishing town called Penzance in the south of England,” Richards said. “We left our home countries and tried to make it as filmmakers. I was 200 grand in debt and had no backup plan. So in a way, I think that explained why we’re both fascinated by the American West. It stirs our imaginations. When it comes to the landscape, you feel it before you understand it.”

The film follows about a year in Fern’s nomadic life on the road. Richards revealed that both he and Zhao, who moved to Colorado together after graduating from NYU, identified with the film’s protagonist.

Also Read: 'Nomadland': How Frances McDormand Got Amazon to Agree to Shooting in a Real Warehouse

“Chloé had been talking about alternative way of living, like in a van, for years,” he said. “Obsessively, actually. And the film ticks so many boxes for me too, just as it related to the idea of the human will. The image of this fragile women in the twilight of her life. Yet she continues to discover herself. I can relate to that.”

As with her other films, Zhao hired mostly real-life people for the cast. Richards explained the importance of gaining the trust of nonprofessional actors. “We shoot with quite a wide angle lens and the camera is inches from your face,” he said. “So I’m trying to be invisible, but that’s only possible from the months previous, where they have gotten comfortable with me. It’s a testament to the environment Chloé creates.”

That environment and Zhao’s intimate technique is most evident in one touching moment, when Fern is speaking to her friend Swankie, who opens up about a cancer diagnosis. The sad revelation then leads to a humane,  unforgettable monologue from Swankie about the adventures she’s been privileged to experience in her life. It was filmed by Richards in a precisely framed and sustained close-up.

Also Read: 'Nomadland' Film Review: Frances McDormand Hits the Road in Quiet, Lyrical Drama

I told Richards that Swankie deserves an Oscar nomination for that scene. “I think so too, man,” he replied. “You know, some people’s behavior changes when they’re being observed, so we wanted Swankie to feel like she was collaborating in a kind of community theater, rather getting the third degree from a filmmaker. It meant that she was able, even with a camera lens inches from her face, present the most accurate version of herself. It’s beautiful.”

The filming of “Nomadland” took the crew to five different states, including the forests of Northern California, the Badlands of South Dakota and the Arizonan desert. Richards was having a beer one night with Derek Endres, a train hopper from Wisconsin who plays himself in the film, when the cinematographer lost a brief battle with an eight-legged arachnid.

“Yeah, Derek was teaching me how to open a beer bottle with my teeth, and a scorpion got me right on the elbow,” he said with a self-deprecating laugh. “My arm swelled up all big for a few days and I was operating the camera in quite a lot of pain, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.”

Also Read: Frances McDormand Will 'See You Down the Road' in Hopeful New 'Nomadland' Trailer (Video)

Richards also contracted “the Crud,” a flu-like illness which stands for Common Respiratory Unknown Disease. His symptoms included headache, sore throat, and “a cough that I just couldn’t shake,” he said. “I have so many great memories from working on ‘Nomadland,” but the Crud almost broke me.”

In between coughing fits, Richards took advantage of magic hour, the golden time before sunset used by filmmakers for its cinematic beauty. But he has a unique perspective on magic hour’s meaning in the film.

“It’s very pretty, of course, but it also represents the end of something. The film is about human dignity, seen through this woman who’s lost everything society says makes her who she is. So there were always specific reasons why we shot at that time. It wasn’t to make the movie pretty.”

Also Read: Golden Globes 2021: The Complete List of Winners

In that goal, Richards and Zhao found a kindred spirit in McDormand. Richards recalled his excitement when McDormand mentioned that she wanted to ground her character in film history. “Her short hair was a deliberate homage to ‘The Passion of Joan of Ark,’ the Carl Theodor Dreyer silent film. We talked about Buster Keaton and Chaplin too. She wears the same coat through the whole film. Fran wanted the coat a few sizes too big. The iconic in simplicity, just like Chaplin. This woman with a little bird-like haircut and a little lamp.”

Though “Nomadland” is favored to reap Oscar nominations in many categories, Best Makeup and Hairstyling will not be one of them. “With Frances, there were no cosmetics allowed,” Richards said. “What she does is so delicate and Fern is so mysterious, and so you look at Fran as Fern and you can see the character written all over her face.”

He added, “It’s an amazing view, man. Getting to explore the national park that is Frances McDormand’s face will remain one of the privileges of my career.”

Read more from the Nominations Preview issue here.

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It’s always very interesting when we learn about stuff that went down during the six-year time skip we got on “The Walking Dead” after Rick blew up that bridge. It hasn’t happened often, but those few examples have given us some big character moments.

And in “Find Me,” the second of six bonus episodes AMC has added to season 10 of “The Walking Dead,” we got another one. This time it comes thanks to the introduction of Leah (Lynn Collins), a woman that Daryl (Norman Reedus) met in the woods while he scoured the watershed for signs of Rick.

Also Read: 'Walking Dead': Everything We Know About the Reapers

Leah is a lot like Daryl. They’re both loners with trust issues. They’ve got trauma they’ve never really been able to move past. And they’re both comfortable hanging out in the woods.  If Daryl is the sexy mountain man of “The Walking Dead,” then Leah feels like his sexy mountain lady counterpart.

Except we know from the start that this pairing will be temporary, because Leah has not been on “The Walking Dead” before. And at the end of this episode we learn why: three months after Daryl started shacking up with Leah, they got in a fight. And then Leah disappeared.

The fight was over Daryl’s obsession with finding Rick. Leah wanted him to give it up. It was years after Rick’s disappearance by that point — if he was gonna find anything, he would have by then. But he insisted on taking a multi-day expedition even so.

Also Read: Will 'The Walking Dead' End Like the Comics Did?

Leah was angry. She wanted him to give up the pointless search so he could actually live his life with her. But Daryl, being Daryl, has never been one to give up. So he left. And when he got back, Leah was gone, and he found signs of a struggle in their shack.

This episode also featured a frame story. Daryl and Carol (Melissa McBride) visiting the shack in the present and talking about what happened with Leah. At the end, they have their own fight, and they part on bad terms.

We know, of course, that Carol and Daryl will patch things up because AMC has already announced a “Walking Dead” spinoff about those characters. What we don’t know is if we’ll ever see Leah again. But given that Leah didn’t die in this episode, it seems like a good bet we’ll see her again at some point.

Also Read: How 'The Walking Dead' Franchise Will Survive Long After AMC Kills Off Original Hit Series

But maybe not on “The Walking Dead,” which will end after season 11. In my mind, Leah’s appearance in this episode is setting up that Carol and Daryl spinoff show. It’s tough to imagine what other purpose this character would serve here.

Remember, this episode was produced after AMC laid down its plans to end the main show and spin Carol and Daryl off. We have to assume that each of these six bonus episodes for season 10 were added purposefully as part of that greater plan for the future of the franchise as we approach the end of the flagship series. There has to be some long term relevance with this episode beyond just this new rift in Daryl and Carol’s relationship.

And also Lynn Collins, the actress who plays Leah, is somebody who typically doesn’t show up as a one-off character on a TV show. She’s the sort of actor that “The Walking Dead” loves to employ: not a superstar, but definitely somebody you’ve seen doing solid work in various places for a long time. She’s the sort of actor you’d expect to be a new regular, not just show up for a brief guest appearance one time.

Whatever the case may be, if we hear from her again it won’t be for a while since AMC still has the jumbo-sized season 11  of “The Walking Dead” to produce. The Carol and Daryl show will come sometime after that — it’s currently slated for 2023.

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We’ve known for a while that Elizabeth Olsen will co-star in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” after “WandaVision. But now we know for sure that the Disney+ series is directly connected to the film, somehow.

Olsen appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” on Wednesday night to discuss what little she could about Friday’s “WandaVision” finale, even participating in a spoof of the series called “FallonVision.” But more importantly for you all reading this right now, Fallon used the opportunity to ask Olsen if/how the series will tie into “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which she is currently in London filming.

“It is a complete tee-up for my character” Olsen said. Naturally, she couldn’t say anymore than that, and Fallon didn’t push her, but that sounds pretty definitive to us.

Also Read: Jimmy Fallon and Elizabeth Olsen's Decade-Hopping 'WandaVision' Interview Is Sabotaged by Kathryn Hahn (Video)

Like any Marvel project, specifics on the “Doctor Strange” sequel have been kept tightly under wraps. Here’s what we do know for sure:

1) Elizabeth Olsen will be in it
2) Sam Raimi is directing
3) Most of the cast of the original is slated to return
4) We’ll see the live action debut of America Chavez, Marvel’s first Latinx, LGBT hero.
5) Oh, and based on the title, it will deal with the alternate universe stuff everyone has assumed — but to be clear we still don’t actually know for sure — is happening in “WandaVision.”

That said, we will be seeing Doctor Strange before “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” as he’s set to appear in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” But as far as the story itself goes, it’s anyone’s guess. We don’t know how Wanda will be connected to Strange, or how Strange will connect to Spidey, or how Chavez will connect to…anyone, at this point. Truly, it’s a bit of madness.

But if Elizabeth Olsen’s words are anything to go on, the “WandaVision” finale may start clearing a path to work with.

Check out the full video at the top of the page, or click here:

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The company reported a loss of 21 cents per share. Wall Street had forecast a loss of 20 cents per share on $46.81 million in revenue, according to consensus estimate compiled by Yahoo Finance. Imax actually reported $56 million in revenue, which was a decline of nearly 55% from the same quarter in the year prior. The company also ended the year with $317 million in cash and equivalents, up from $305 million at the close of the third quarter.

Despite North American theaters remaining closed, the company saw strong performances in China and Japan, where “local language releases recorded box office numbers at near pre-pandemic levels,” according to the report.

Also Read: Imax Lost $47 Million in Q3

Two weeks ago, the corporation had its best-ever opening weekend for the Chinese New Year holiday, grossing $25 million with “Detective Chinatown 3.” It grew 45% over its record-breaking 2019.

The company also credited the growth of its global network for its revenue, having installed 33 systems and signed 11 agreements in the fourth quarter for The Imax Experience.

Last year, the quarter ended with $124.3 million in revenue and a profit of $18.2 million. Imax’s year revenue was $137 million, compared to 2019’s revenue of $395.7 million due to the impact of the pandemic.

“As the world’s only global blockbuster entertainment platform, we are encouraged to see that audiences are eager to return to the movies where the virus is under control and they feel safe, and this promising trend is reflected in our consistent financial improvement since the start of the pandemic,” Imax CEO Richard L. Gelfond said in a statement. “Imax continues to lead the recovery of the movie industry in markets like China and Japan as audiences seek out The Imax Experience®, driving record-breaking performances among local language films, gaining market share, and growing our relationships with local exhibitors, studios, and filmmakers.”

Also Read: Imax Furloughs 150 Employees Amid Drought of Big Studio Movies

Gelfond continued, “Given strong demand for The Imax Experience in Asia, the extremely promising pipeline of Hollywood blockbusters, and the accelerating pace of vaccinations in North America and Europe, we remain confident and optimistic that the global film industry is poised for a strong and sustainable recovery in the second half of 2021.”

In October, the struggling Imax furloughed 150 employees. The furloughs did not affect the company’s offices in China and Japan, where theaters had reopened and the box office had significantly recovered by then due to the government’s successful containment of COVID-19, which led the increased capacity in movie theaters.

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The first project in the works under the agreement is an adaptation of Megan Miranda’s bestselling novel “The Last House Guest.” “Wentworth’s” Sarah Walker is attached as writer and executive producers on the crime thriller series about “an intimate friendship between two girls who fall violently in love with each other’s differences, which, in the end, create doubt, betrayal and tragedy.”

The Fanning sisters will serve as executive producers on the project via the newly formed Lewellen Pictures banner, alongside Brittany Kahan Ward and Mary Jane Skalski of Echo Lake Entertainment.

Also Read: Dakota Fanning to Play Susan Ford in Showtime's 'The First Lady'

The deal expands the Fannings’ relationship with MRC Television, which produces Hulu’s “The Great,” for which Elle received Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award nominations.

“Elle has brought such perspective and thoughtfulness as an executive producer on ‘The Great,'” MRC TV president Elise Henderson said. “We are excited by the vision she and Dakota have for Lewellen Pictures and for MRC Television to provide a home for the stories they will tell.”

“We are thrilled to be launching this company together and to be teaming up with MRC who have been excellent partners on ‘The Great,'” the Fannings said in a joint statement. “Our goal is to tell stories, through comedy and drama, which are authentic to the human experience, and not just from our own perspective. We also want to create content that we wouldn’t be able to make just as actors. We can learn so much when we look outside our specific points of view.  We have been fortunate to work with many brilliant storytellers and hope to continue that track while also providing opportunities for many more.”

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The number of Oscar voters has still topped 9,000 for the first time since the mid-1940s, when the Academy allowed members of the Hollywood guilds to vote. And the total number of members, which includes non-voting associate members and emeritus members, remains above the 10,000 mark at 10,098.

And with the full count available for all the Academy’s branches, it’s time for TheWrap’s annual look at how many votes it takes to get an Oscar nomination. As always, it’s not as many as you might expect, because nominees in most of the categories are selected by one of the Academy’s 17 branches; the entire membership votes only in the Best Picture category.

Also Read: Oscars Gender Gap Narrows: Women Directed Record 27% of Best Picture Contenders

Given the current size of the Academy, a nomination in the Best Picture category will require the most votes, 457, while Best Costume Design requires the fewest, 27.

But when we say it only takes 457 votes for a Best Picture nomination, we’re talking about first-place votes. Under the Oscars preferential or ranked-choice system, a voter typically lists his or her top five choices in order of preference — but the vote only goes to the film ranked first on each ballot, unless that film has already secured a nomination or been eliminated from contention.

In that case, the ballot will count for the voter’s second choice, or for the highest-ranked film on the ballot that’s still in the running. In most categories apart from Best Picture, the redistribution continues until the field is narrowed to the final five nominees.

To figure out the magic number for each category, you take the number of potential voters in that category and divide by the number of nominees, plus one. (In almost every case, that means 5+1=6.) You round the result up to the next highest number, and that gives you a “magic number” that ensures a film or achievement will be in the top five.

Also Read: Oscars Set a 50-Year Record With 366 Qualifying Films

Here’s the breakdown of what it’ll take to land a nomination in each category when voting begins on March 5.

Best Picture
If all 9,127 eligible voters cast ballots in this category, it would take 830 No. 1 votes to guarantee a nomination after the initial round of counting.

But Best Picture uses a unique method that can result in anywhere from 5 to 10 nominees. It requires the accountants from PwC to redistribute ballots whose first choice received significantly more than 830 votes, and also ones whose first choice received 91 votes or fewer.

After that redistribution, any film with more than five percent of the vote — which is to say, any film with at least 457 votes — will become a nominee.

Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress
If every one of the 1,308 voters in the Academy’s largest branch casts a ballot, it’ll take 218 votes to land a nomination in each of the Oscars’ four acting categories.

This is actually three fewer votes than it took last year, because the Actors Branch lost voting members between December 2019 and March 2021.

Best Animated Feature
The Short Films and Feature Animation Branch has 809 voting members, making it the second-largest Academy branch. Normally that would mean that 135 votes would secure a nomination.

But voting in this category is open not only to all members of the branch, but to all Academy members outside the branch who volunteer to take part in the voting. Prospective voters were divided into three groups, and each group was required to see an assigned group of nine films, which was one-third of the 27 films that initially qualified. (When “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” withdrew, one group had its required viewing list reduced to eight.)

The number required to land a nomination depends entirely on how many members participated in that process.

Also Read: Oscars Animated Feature Race Gets a Big, Late Boost From International Contenders

Best Cinematography
The branch has 270 current voting members, three fewer than last year. That means 45 first-place votes lands a nomination, one less vote than was needed last year.

Best Costume Design
With 161 members, costume designers make up the smallest Academy branch that votes for its own award. (The Casting Directors Branch is smaller, but there’s no casting award at the Oscars — so like members of the Executives, Marketing and Public Relations and Producers Branches, as well as Members-at-Large, that branch’s members can only vote to nominate Best Picture.) A costume-design nomination can be secured with only 27 votes, fewer than any other category.

Best Director
There are now 550 voters in the Directors Branch, which means that 92 votes will guarantee a nomination if they all vote.

Best Documentary Feature
After a first round of voting narrowed the field of 240 qualifying films to a 15-film shortlist, the 586 members of the Documentary Branch pick their five favorites. If they all cast ballots, it’ll take 98 votes to be nominated.

Best Documentary Short
The same 586 members of the doc branch are eligible to vote now that the 114 doc-short contenders have been narrowed to a 10-film shortlist. It’s highly unlikely that everyone in the branch will watch the eligible shorts and vote — but if they were to do that, the magic number would again be 98.

Also Read: A Guide to Oscar's Shortlisted Documentary Shorts, From the Holocaust to Sophia Loren

Best Film Editing
With 364 members of the Film Editors Branch, you need 61 votes to secure a nod.

Best International Film
This category is also open to volunteer members from all branches of the Academy, and it’s impossible to determine how many will participate. After the field of 93 contenders was narrowed to a 15-film shortlist, voting is open to any member who sees all 15 of those films, which are available on the Academy’s members website. The magic number will depend entirely on how many participate.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
The branch has 217 voting members. Voting is restricted to members who viewed a special presentation of clips, or members who have seen all 10 shortlisted films. If every member of the branch participates in one of those ways, it would take 37 votes to secure a nomination.

Best Original Score, Best Original Song
The Music Branch contains 368 voting members. The 136 eligible scores and 105 eligible songs went through an initial round of voting that narrowed the contenders to two shortlists of 15. In the nomination round of voting, the magic number to land a nomination will be 62.

Also Read: 'Da 5 Bloods' Composer Terence Blanchard Proposes Blind Auditions for Film Scoring to Boost Diversity (Video)

Best Production Design
The branch has 372 members, so 63 votes will be enough for a nomination.

Best Sound
With 526 members in the Sound Branch, which will be voting in a single Best Sound category rather than in separate categories for sound mixing and sound editing, the nomination threshold is 88 votes.

Best Visual Effects
There are 573 members of the branch, which would mean a magic number of 96 if the VFX branch calculated nominations the way most of the other branches do. But it doesn’t.

An executive committee first narrows the field down to 20 films, and then to a shortlist of 10. Clips from those films were then screened virtually for members of the branch, followed by brief discussions with the VFX artists responsible for the work.

Members then cast ballots to select the five nominees — but instead of the preferential system, the branch uses reweighted range voting, which divides each individual score by the total score given to all candidates on that ballot. The idea is to identify the films that score strongest against the rest of the field, but at no point in the count does a magic number come into play.

Also Read: 'The Mandalorian' Dominates Visual Effects Society Nominations

Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay
The Writers Branch has 487 voting members, meaning it requires 82 votes to guarantee a writing nomination.

Best Animated Short, Best Live-Action Short
The Short Films and Feature Animation Branch has 809 voting members, all of whom were eligible to score the qualifying films to determine two 10-film shortlists, one drawn from the 96 eligible animated shorts and one from the 174 eligible live-action shorts. Members of the branch who see all the shortlisted films can then vote for the final five nominees. Members of the Directors Branch are also invited to participate in voting in the Best Live-Action Short category.

In the unlikely event that the entire branch (and the entire Directors Branch) participates, that would mean a magic number of 135 votes in animation and 227 in live-action. But in reality, it’s likely far lower.

Nomination voting will begin on Friday, March 5 and close on Wednesday, March 10. Nominations will be announced on Monday, March 15.

Here is the official branch count as of March 1, 2021:

Actors: 1,308
Casting Directors: 140
Cinematographers: 270
Costume Designers: 161
Directors: 550
Documentary: 586
Executives: 661
Film Editors: 364
Makeup Artists and Hairstylists: 217
Marketing and Public Relations: 586
Music: 368
Producers: 612
Production Designers: 371
Short Films and Feature Animation: 809
Sound: 526
Visual Effects: 573
Writers: 487
Members-at-Large: 537

Total voting members: 9,127

Associate Members: 95

Total active members: 9,222

Emeritus members: 876

Total members: 10,098

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Something prickly this way comes on Season 5 of Fox’s “The Masked Singer,” which will feature a steampunk-style Porcupine costume with a glowing red eye. TheWrap has your exclusive first look at the robo-critter, plus a teaser video featuring two more previously unseen fifth-season contestants.

In the clip, which you can view via the video above, “Masked Singer” panelists Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke and Nicole Scherzinger throw out guesses like Sylvester Stallone, Elon Musk and Kevin Hart for the identities of Season 5’s costumed celebs. The short promo gives us a look at several competitors who have already been unveiled — but two that have not.

There’s the Snail, which you can see here:

Also Read: 'Masked Singer' Season 5 Costumes: Meet Grandpa Monster, Russian Doll, Black Swan and More (Photos)

And what looks like a Seashell contestant here:

Fox revealed last week that it will start Season 5 with 10 scheduled contestants, who will be broken into two groups of five competitors (Groups A and B). The costumes we know of so far include Porcupine, Phoenix, Grandpa Monster, Chameleon, Russian Doll, Black Swan, Raccoon and Piglet, as well as the Snail and Seashell competitors featured in the video above.

Now, there are still more costumes to come, but we don’t know how many yet because Fox says that throughout Season 5, “The Masked Singer” will introduce several “Wildcard” contestants at the end of episodes, giving these crashers a chance to unseat the regulars. Plus, there will be the show’s first-ever “clue-meister,” Cluedle-doo.

Also Read: 'Masked Singer': Watch the Russian Doll Channel Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper With 'Shallow' Performance (Video)

“The Masked Singer” will return on Wednesday, March 10 at 8/7c and be immediately followed by the series premiere of the new Wayne Brady-hosted variety show “Game of Talents” at 9/8c.

As TheWrap previously reported, when “The Masked Singer” returns for Season 5, Niecy Nash will be serving as guest host for the first few episodes, filling in for longtime emcee Nick Cannon. Cannon tested positive for the coronavirus before production had begun, and will return once he has recuperated.

“The Masked Singer” is executive produced by James Breen, who serves as showrunner, Craig Plestis, Rosie Seitchik and Cannon. The series is based on the South Korean format created by Mun Hwa Broadcasting Corp and is produced by Fox Alternative Entertainment.

See the photo below for TheWrap’s exclusive full-body reveal photo of Porcupine.

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Principal photography will commence in March across the U.S. Highland Film Group is handling international rights and introducing the project to buyers at the virtual European Film Market.

“Gasoline Alley” centers on Jimmy Jayne (Sawa), a bruised-fisted rockabilly boss-type sucked into a triple murder of three Hollywood starlets drowned in a luxury hotel pool. As the prime suspect for homicide detectives Freeman (Willis) and Vargas (Wilson), Jimmy takes up his own rogue investigation, bending the law in ways the police can’t in order to clear his name. With the killer skating through Jimmy’s shadow, he bands together with the two detectives to dangerously expose a truth much bigger than they had imagined.

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“Gasoline Alley is a killer action-thriller,” Highland Film Group CEO Arianne Fraser said in a statement to TheWrap. “It has all the ingredients for commercial success coupled with a storyline and production values that will elevate the film in the marketplace. Our trusted worldwide partners are looking for these high energy, splashy thrillers and this film ticks all the right boxes.”

Corey Large (“The November Man,” “Cosmic Sin”) and Sierchio are producing “Gasoline Alley” with BondIt Media Capital financing. Matthew Helderman, Johnny Messner, Stephen Eads, and Highland Film Group’s Fraser and Perrier are Executive Producers.

Best known for starring in the “Die Hard” franchise, Willis most recently starred in “Glass” for director M. Night Shyamalan.

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Wilson can be seen starring in Ty Robert’s “12 Mighty Orphans” based on the best-selling novel by the same name. Wilson also starred in “All The Bright Places” directed by Brett Haley and opposite Elle Fanning, as well as in Atom Egoyan’s “Guest Of Honour.” On television, Wilson was most recently be seen starring in DC’s “Stargirl” for The CW.

Sawa, best known for starring in the “Final Destination” franchise, most recently guest starred on television shows “MacGyver” and “Hawaii Five-0.”

Variety first reported the news.

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Lenny Bruce, the outrageous king of the counterculture comics in the 1950s and ’60s, died at age 40 in 1966 of “acute morphine poisoning caused by an overdose.”

John Belushi, well known for his toga-loving frat boy performance in “Animal House,” died at 33 of a drug overdose in 1982.

Gilda Radner, beloved for her tenure on “SNL” alongside Belushi, especially for her hilariously geeky character Roseanne Roseannadanna, died at 42 in 1989 of ovarian cancer.

Andy Kaufman, the eccentric performance artist who gained a following as Latka in “Taxi,” died in 1984 at age 35.

Sam Kinison was a rock star of a comic with a trademark shout. After years of battling substance abuse, he was sober and a newlywed of less than a week when he was struck and killed by a teenager driving drunk in 1992. He was 38.

John Candy, the lovable comedic actor renowned for his performances in “Uncle Buck,” “Home Alone,” “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” and “Cool Runnings” died at age 43 of a heart attack in 1994.

Bill Hicks, one of the most influential stand-up comics, died in 1994 of pancreatic cancer. He was 32.

Chris Farley, an SNL star, notorious for his over-the-top performances, especially his motivational speaker character Matt Foley, died in 1997 of a drug overdose. He was 33.

Phil Hartman, star of “SNL,” “NewsRadio” and “The Simpsons” died at age 49 in 1998 of an apparent murder-suicide by his wife.

Academy Award-nominated comedienne, Madeline Kahn, one of the most influential women in comedy to grace the silver screen, died in 1999 of ovarian cancer. She was 57.

The prolific comedic actor, John Ritter, best known for his role of Jack Tripper on “Three’s Company” and the patriarchal figure in “8 Rules for Dating My Daughter,” died of a heart attack in 2003. He was 54.

Mitch Hedberg, who gained a following of loyal fans for his unconventional stand-up comedy style, died in 2005 at age 37 of a drug overdose.

Richard Jeni, an improv comic best known for his role in “The Mask” died in 2007 at age 49.

Bernie Mac, the stand up comic legend and star of “Ocean’s Eleven” died at age 50 in 2008 of complications from pneumonia.

Greg Giraldo, the roast comic made famous by Comedy Central died in 2010 at age 44 of a prescription overdose.

Patrice O’Neal, who gave a memorable roast of Charlie Sheen and starred in many Comedy Central specials, died following a stroke in 2011. He was 41.

Mike DeStefano, finalist on “Last Comic Standing” and frequent Comedy Central performer, died of a heart attack in 2011. He was reportedly in his 40s.

Jay Leggett, who was known to many for his comedic stylings on “In Living Color” died of a heart attack in 2013. He was 50.

John Pinette was found dead in a Pittsburgh hotel room in 2014. It is believed the actor, recognizable for getting mugged in the “Seinfeld” series finale, suffered from a pulmonary embolism. He was 50.

Robin Williams, the prolific comic turned Oscar-winning actor, died by suicide in 2014 at age 63. A gifted standup known for his improv skills, high energy and voices, he was one of the leading comedians and actors of his day.

Garry Shandling, the charmingly subversive comedian who upended television traditions with “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” and “The Larry Sanders Show,” died of a heart attack in 2016 at age 66.

Ralphie May, stand-up comedian and “Last Comic Standing” alum, died of cardiac arrest after a battle with pneumonia in 2017 at the age of 45.

Kevin Barnett, a stand-up comedian and co-creator of Fox sitcom “Rel,” died in 2019 at age 32. He died from the effects of pancreatitis, E! later reported.

Dustin Diamond, the comic actor best known for playing the geeky Samuel “Screech” Powers on the 1980s and ’90s sitcom “Saved by the Bell,” died in 2021 at age 44 after a battle with brain cancer.

In an era when so many 25-page children’s books or eight-minute animated shorts have been bloated beyond proportion on their way to becoming 90-minute movies, Team SpongeBob deserves credit for unlocking the alchemy behind building up and building out a storyline and a set of characters without losing sight of what made the original beloved in the first place.

This time around, writer-director Tim Hill steps in, and he’s managed to take the goofy denizens of Bikini Bottom on a road trip that is visually dazzling and almost consistently hilarious, mixing verbal and physical humor, as well as some perfectly chosen cameos, both in-person and among the voice cast. (Celebrity is usually the last refuge of a brainless kid movie, but “Sponge on the Run” offers some examples on how to include them in a clever way.)

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It’s just another day under the sea, with the always-upbeat SpongeBob (voiced by Tom Kenny) hanging out with best pal Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) and putting in a full day’s work at the Krusty Krab, much to the consternation of his irritated neighbor and co-worker Squidward (Rodger Bumpass). The scheming Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) plots once again to steal the Krabby Patty formula from the Krusty Krab’s owner Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown), but Plankton’s computer-wife Karen (Jill Talley) points out that the real way to undermine the Krusty Krab is to get SpongeBob out of the way.

Plankton nefariously steals SpongeBob’s beloved snail pet Gary and gives it to the vain Poseidon (Matt Berry, “What We Do in the Shadows”), who has eradicated the local snail population by using their slime as part of his skin-care regimen. The distraught SpongeBob and faithful wingman Patrick make their way to the Lost City of Atlantic City to retrieve Gary, getting help along the way from a wise and helpful tumbleweed named Sage (Keanu Reeves, of course).

Hill provides enough plot and stakes to get viewers through 91 minutes of TV-sized silliness, but he also wisely never lets either get in the way of the laughs, which are plentiful here. From the outrageous physical permutations of the characters (SpongeBob cleans the kitchen by absorbing mop water and then squirting it out his various pores) to more subtle bits (“Sponge on the Run” has one of the best diegetic-music gags since the orchestra bus in “High Anxiety”), the sponge-and-his-snail narrative never gets in the way of the bit.

Also Read: Tim Conway, 'Carol Burnett Show' and 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Star, Dies at 85

If there’s one section that drags, it’s when all of SpongeBob’s Bikini Bottom pals — including squirrel Sandy Cheeks (Carolyn Lawrence) — give flashback-testimonials to how kind and selfless SpongeBob is. The whole segment feels like a backdoor pilot for the upcoming Paramount+ series “Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years,” which follows the adventures of these characters as children.

Director of photography Peter Lyons Collister and the team of animators very effectively expand the TV show’s universe by keeping the bright flatness of Bikini Bottom and then contrasting it with the richer palette and more garish lighting of Poseidon’s domain. And Berry’s plummy Poseidon makes for a wonderful addition to the accomplished TV cast, as does Reeves and, in some lovely fleeting appearances, Tiffany Haddish (as an animated Master of Ceremonies), Snoop Dogg, and Danny Trejo. (I laughed every time they played the theme song for Trejo’s character: “El Diablo/El Diablo/El Diablo … very bad man.”)

Watch Video: SpongeBob's Jellyfishing Trip Goes Belly Up in 'Kamp Koral' Sneak Peek

Tim Hill has had a fascinating career, mostly in kids/family films, from the grating “Hop” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks” to the underrated and delightful “Max Keeble’s Big Move” and “Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever.” But as a veteran of SpongeBob’s TV, movie, and even video-game incarnations, he’s found the perfect balance in “Sponge Out of Water,” which is dedicated to SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg, who passed away in 2018. Whatever their age or familiarity level with these characters, this is that rare family film that could actually entertain an entire family.

Parents looking to watch something with their children — or just to distract their children for 91 minutes — will do better with this film than, say, the wretched 2021 “Tom & Jerry.” Don’t have kids? It’s a great double-feature with “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.” Either way, this is a testament to why SpongeBob SquarePants and his pals have been so popular for more than two decades.

“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” premieres on Paramount+ and PVOD March 4.

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Wojcicki’s comment, which was made at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council, was first reported by CNBC.

“I do want to confirm that we will lift the suspension of the channel… when we determine that the risk of violence has decreased,” Wojcicki said, per CNBC. “Where we stand today, it’s hard for me to say when that’s going to be. But it’s pretty clear right now where we stand that there still is elevated risk of violence.”

It’s unclear what signals or markers YouTube will use to decide when it’s OK for Trump’s account to be reinstated. A YouTube rep, in response to a request for comment from TheWrap, said “our teams are monitoring the situation closely and will lift this suspension when we determine a decrease in the risk of real world violence,” but declined to expand further.

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Trump’s YouTube account was suspended on Jan. 12, less than a week after mobs of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. His indefinite ban from YouTube was initially set to last one week, but the company later decided to extend the suspension due to the “ongoing potential for violence.” Trump’s YouTube account had nearly 2.8 million subscribers at the time of his suspension.

YouTube wasn’t the only tech giant to crack down on the ex-commander-in-chief. Facebook implemented its own indefinite suspension against Trump on Jan. 7, with founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg saying, “We believe the risks of allowing [Trump] to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great.” Twitter went even further, permanently banning Trump from its service on Jan. 8.

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Barnett, a self-described white nationalist who sometimes goes by “Bigo,” is a 60 year-old from Arkansas who admitted to making the drive from his home state to D.C. in order to participate in Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Jan. 6 riots, and also one of the hundreds of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol building and broke in attempting to stop Congress from certifying the votes for Joe Biden.

Barnett phoned into his court hearing March 4 from jail and threw a tantrum, seething at the judge and arguing he should be allowed to leave the jail on bond.

Also Read: America's Day of Shame: Scenes From US Capitol Under Siege by MAGA Mob (Photos)

“They’re dragging this out. They’re letting everyone else out,” Barnett yelled. He also added, “it’s not fair” that other rioters have been released and are awaiting trial, but he’s still locked up. “Everyone else who did things much worse are already home,” he argued.

“This has been a bunch of crap… They can’t keep pushing me out month by month,” he screamed during the hearing.

Federal prosecutor Neama Rahman told the Daily Beast this week that (contrary to usual protocol, which is to keep accused criminals in jail before trial) some Capitol rioters are being released because they’re not “a flight risk or danger to the community” — but that evidently doesn’t include Barnett.

Also Read: Scarborough Blames Trump's 'Big Lie' for Threat of Second Capitol Attack (Video)

Ultimately, the outburst in court didn’t work in Barnett’s favor. His next hearing will be May 4 according to counsel Joseph McBride.

A federal judge originally was set to allow Barnett “very restrictive conditions” of pre-trial release, but Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell overruled the verdict and decided to transfer Barnett to a jail in Washington, D.C. instead of allowing him to walk free.

If convicted, Barnett would only receive up to one year in prison.

Also Read: Tim Allen Says He Liked That Trump 'Pissed People Off'

In now-infamous photographs, Barnett posed gleefully with his feet up on a staffer’s desk in Nancy Pelosi’s office, and also stuck out his tongue as he held up a piece of her mail. Barnett was also seen carrying a stun gun into the Capitol and once he left, he bragged about taking Pelosi’s mail. Barnett also left a note for Pelosi that reportedly read, “Nancy, Bigo was here, you bitch.”

The boasting took on a different tone after Barnett was arrested — he admitted to being there but tried to downplay his actions and said he was pushed inside the Capitol by the crowd. According to the criminal complaint filed against him, Barnett said he didn’t steal Pelosi’s paperwork. “I did not steal it. I bled on it because they were macing me and I couldn’t f—-ng see so I figured I am in her office. I got blood on her office. I put a quarter on her desk even though she ain’t f—-ng worth it,” he said.

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If there’s any gag from 1988’s “Coming to America” that director Craig Brewer can’t reprise or restage, he will literally roll the clip from the first movie so we can take it in all over again. This feels less like a movie and more like one of those reunion specials where the cast of a beloved old TV show returns to play their characters again, recreating their pratfalls and repeating their catchphrases.

Viewers who weren’t amused by “Coming to America” certainly aren’t going to enjoy this retread, but even fans of the original will wonder why they aren’t just rewatching the first movie rather than seeing it duplicated in such a rote fashion.

Watch Video: 'Coming 2 America' Trailer: Meet King Akeem's Long-Lost Son ... and Baby Mama

Eddie Murphy returns as Akeem, prince of the mythical nation of Zamunda, who has lived for 30 years in wedded bliss with his beloved Lisa (Shari Headley). They have raised three very capable daughters, but since Zamunda is a patriarchy, none of them can inherit the throne — and with King Jaffe (James Earl Jones) on his deathbed, the matter of who will one day succeed Akeem becomes a major issue. (King Jaffe insists on having his funeral held while he’s still alive so he can enjoy it, and the entertainment features cameos by a once-in-a-lifetime mash-up of beloved musical acts.)

General Izzi (Wesley Snipes) of the neighboring nation of Nexdoria — now that’s funny — still angry that Akeem turned down his arranged marriage with Izzi’s sister Imani (yes, Vanessa Bell Calloway is still hopping on one foot and barking), wants Akeem’s daughter Meeka (KiKi Layne) to marry Idi Izzi (Rotimi Akinosho, “Power”). She has no interest in doing so, but when Semmi (Arsenio Hall) reveals that, back in 1988, Akeem had a pot-fueled one-night stand (that the prince cannot remember) with Mary (Leslie Jones), and that it produced a son, Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler), Akeem and Semmi make their way back to Queens to meet the new prince of Zamunda.

Watch Video: Eddie Murphy Says Brother's 'Chappelle's Show' Story About Playing Basketball With Prince Is 'Totally and Absolutely Accurate'

Are the old guys in the barbershop (Murphy, Hall, Clint Smith), already seemingly past retirement age in 1988, still alive and still exactly where we left them? Yes. Is Lavelle going to be forced into an arranged marriage with an Izzi — Teyana Taylor as Bopoto — only to spurn her for true love? Affirmative. Are John Amos and Louie Anderson still working at McDowell’s (albeit now in the Zamunda location)? You guessed it. Will Reverend Brown and Randy Watson and Sexual Chocolate make an appearance? Uh-huh. Is there still adolescent snickering over the royal bathers of Zamunda? Totally, although thanks to Ms. Jones, that gag finally gets a little gender parity.

It would be one thing for Brewer and screenwriters Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield to bring back the same players and put them through all the same paces, but we get new characters and new cast members, and they’re still put through those same paces. Apart from Leslie Jones, providing a welcome real-world perspective to the pomp and circumstance of Zamundan royalty, the new cast members are either saddled with the familiar or given little to do besides advance the plot.

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That’s a real waste of talent, particularly when you’ve got comedy powerhouses like Taylor and Snipes (so brilliantly hilarious in, respectively, “Madea’s Big Happy Family” and “Dolemite Is My Name”) standing around delivering straight lines to Murphy, who isn’t so much giving a performance as he is hosting a reunion.

There is, of course, undeniable pleasure in seeing performers like Amos, Headley and James Earl Jones take another turn in these memorable roles, and any cinematic opportunity for legendary costume designer Ruth E. Carter (“Black Panther”) to create outfits for a dazzling African aristocracy is a reward unto itself. And it’s not like some of these jokes, even retold, aren’t still funny. But given that Murphy and the other driving forces behind “Coming to America” had more than three decades to create a Part II, this long-delayed sequel feels like microwaved leftovers.

“Coming to America” premieres globally on Amazon Prime March 5.

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“I’m so over Cuomo,” Meghan McCain complained. “I think he’s a pig and a pervert … I think put a fork in him on all levels.”

“He looks like he’s in a hostage video,” McCain continued. “And also, if an old man — a 60-something-old man — is asking a 25-year-old woman, ‘Would you have sex with an older man?’ What do you think she thinks she’s asking you to do? Talk philosophy?”

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McCain went on to reference Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s quote of “one sexual assault claim is enough,” asking “Why is one claim enough for Brett Kavanaugh or Al Franken, but it’s not good enough for Cuomo? You’re real silent, real silent, senator … the hypocrisy can last all day.”

Joy Behar called out Cuomo for “the utter stupidity of making a comment like ‘do you want to play strip poker’ after the Me Too movement, when he should have known better,” while Sara Haines expressed disappointment over the way Cuomo handled his apology.

“He’s a 63-year-old man that’s been in politics for over 40 years,” Haines said. “He has three daughters. So even the scenario of, ‘Would I want someone to talk to my daughter this way at work?’ … You only have to watch one HR video to know you’re the creepy guy when you say certain things. He also said, ‘My intention was never to hurt anyone.’ No, your intention was that it would be reciprocal, which is highly inappropriate. So his language was deliberately evasive and not accountable. He needed to own this and take responsibility.”

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Whoopi Goldberg, for her part, also referenced #MeToo and the notable difference between women and men deciding to speak out.

“Are we going to say, when these things happen, are we going to let the ethics committee decide? Or are we just gonna pitchfork everybody?” she asked pointedly.

Watch the video below.

ANDREW CUOMO APOLOGIZES, REFUSES TO RESIGN: The embattled New York governor ended his COVID-19 press briefing Wednesday by breaking his silence about the multiple claims of sexual misconduct against him—the co-hosts react. https://t.co/r24iI74fWF pic.twitter.com/thl1goxukC

— The View (@TheView) March 4, 2021

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The first Pixar movies had simple, easy premises: What if your toys came to life when you left the room? What if there really are monsters in your closet? But Pete Docter, who is now Pixar’s chief creative officer as well as a director for the company, seems determined to change that.

“CG (animation) in general was shocking when ‘Toy Story’ came out,” Docter said. “We’re constantly trying to provide that perfect balance of things that are relatable and identifiable, so that people recognize themselves in what we’re doing, but also hopefully surprising them as well. So that you feel, ‘Oh, this is an aspect of my life I’ve not really seen before, at least in this way.’ All of the stuff that I’ve done so far, I try to center around that – it’s our world, but looking at it from a different angle that maybe allows us to see it a new way.”

His 2015 film, “Inside Out,” was about the emotions that live inside a young girl’s brain — and his new one, “Soul,” which won the Golden Globe for animated film and was nominated for 10 Annie Awards, is set partly in New York City but partly on a supernatural plane in a world of spirits that enter our bodies when we’re born and leave when we die.

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“‘Inside Out’ kind of prepared me for this,” he said. “It was like a training boot camp, because even as abstract as it was, we could measure and look at research on emotions. It was really looking inward to what’s going on inside our heads and in our bodies. And I feel like this movie is looking at who are we beyond our physical body, and do we have a purpose in our lives?

“Those are big questions, but why not? Animation is only limited because we’ve kind of put it there. It really has this incredible capability of talking about and doing almost anything we want.”

Docter said “Soul” was partly inspired by looking at old photos of his son, who was heading off to college. “I was looking at pictures of him as a baby, and even as a newborn, he already had a personality, which kind of scrambled my brain. Like, where did that come from? How is it that somebody who’s never spent a moment in the world comes with a sense of who they are? So I explored the idea of, well, it must be a place beyond our own world where those attributes are given to us.”

But what does that place look like? For Docter, answering that question meant designing a soul world while steering away from depictions that might offend religious viewers who have strong ideas about the afterlife. “That was a big concern early on,” Docter said. “Even the counselors who are the guiders of new souls, we had some early attempts where they looked almost like angels. And we said, ‘Let’s try to steer clear of anything that would upset people. Either that, or we should try to offend everybody.'”

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They settled on a world in which the counselors appear to be two-dimensional figures made of “energy squeezed into tiny tubes of light — a little bit like wire sculpture, like something you might see in an Alexander Calder piece. The funny thing is, in the planning stage we thought, ‘It’s a line, it’ll be easy!’ And it turned out to be one of the hardest things we’ve ever done.”

Here are the progression images for a scene set in the soul world:

Also difficult: the creatures from which the film gets its name. “What does a soul look like?” Docter said. “It’s an ephemeral nonphysical being, and we needed to find some way to have something actually there or we wouldn’t have a movie. So we hit on this foggy, vaporous kind of thing which was like nothing we had done in character work before. It took quite a bit of research to figure out how to pull that off and give it volume and dimension.”

While some of the movie takes place in the world of souls, most of it is set in New York City, where the lead character, Joe, is a struggling jazz pianist. And brought its own challenges – because Joe, voiced by Jamie Foxx, is Pixar’s first Black hero. (The film’s co-director and co-writer, Kemp Powers, is the first Black man to work in those capacities for a Pixar feature.)

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“When we chose Joe to be a jazz musician, it felt like it was the right choice for our character then to be African-American, since that’s the culture from when jazz came from,” he said. “And that opened a whole Pandora’s box. We could get this so wrong, and there’s no real clear definition of when it’s wrong because everybody comes from different perspectives and looks at things in the world in a different way. We tried to employ as many different people as we could, specifically musicians who have been through that all so that we could draw as much from their own specific lives and be as truthful and authentic as we could.

“For me, having worked on ‘Monsters Inc.’ and on a film about an old man and a little kid, that was a new challenge that I wasn’t really fully prepared for. I just tried to be as open and listen as much as I could. But it added stuff that we really had to deal with on a daily basis, in addition to figuring out the story and the production and all that.”

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Good luck with that bunch, Sharon.

“Ted Lasso,” which on Sunday earned Sudeikis a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, is currently in production on Season 2.

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In the show, Sudeikis’ Lasso was a small-time college football coach from Kansas who was hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer. The premise is pretty much the same as those old NBC Sports digital shorts; much like the viral videos, hilarity ensues on “Ted Lasso” — and so does heart.

Hannah Waddingham, Brendan Hunt, Jeremy Swift, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Phil Dunster and Nick Mohammed also star in the series.

In addition to starring, Sudeikis serves as executive producer, alongside Bill Lawrence via his Doozer Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, which is a division of Universal Studio Group. Doozer’s Jeff Ingold also serves as an executive producer with Liza Katzer as co-executive producer. The series was developed by Sudeikis, Lawrence, Joe Kelly and Brendan Hunt, and is based on the pre-existing format and characters from NBC Sports.

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The newest “Ted Lasso” series regular recently wrapped the limited series “Viewpoint” for creators Harry Bradbeer and Ed Whitmore. Niles is no stranger to Apple TV+ audiences, having previously performed on the platform in “Trying.” She’s also had a successful stage career, appearing at the National Theatre, Royal Court, The Old Vic and The Bush Theatre.

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“Da 5 Bloods” Terence Blanchard, a Grammy-winning jazz musician who earned his first Oscar nomination two years ago for Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” has an idea about how to boost diversity in Hollywood music — and give more talented women and musicians of color an opportunity to score films.

“What we should do is have blind auditions. Listen to some music and tell me if it was written by a woman or a person of color, because you would know much better than me,” Blanchard said during a panel of Oscar-shortlisted film composers as part of TheWrap’s Awards Screening Series. “For me…it’s not about gender and it’s not about race. It’s about who is bringing a unique voice to the project.”

Despite his own success in Hollywood, Blanchard believes that his race has sometimes hurt his job prospects. “I’ve had people who wanted to hire me for a project by hearing something that I’ve written, and when they found out that I came into the business through Spike Lee, they didn’t hire me,” he said.

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Fellow panelist Lolita Ritmanis (“Blizzard of Souls”) agreed that women and musicians of color are often stereotyped into certain types of film score music. Even though she’s spent decades writing scores for animated DC superhero shows like “Batman: The Animated Series” and “Justice League Unlimited,” she says she’s still surprised by reactions from people when they hear some of her more intense scores.

“I am scoring a film from Latvia, and it’s so rare that an international film gets anywhere near a shortlist in a general category for music, and that’s probably because it’s a big epic score and people say ‘I didn’t know she could do that!'” she said. “Let’s look at the composers that have been stuck at a decent level, at the mid-range, and let’s elevate those composers up so we can have more women and musicians of color scoring the highest-grossing films…it’s not that women are only capable of writing piano scores with string pads or African-American composers are only capable of doing jazz music.”

Ludwig Goransson, who composed the score for Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” agreed that it is up to the producers and directors to open the door more for underrepresented artists, but also thinks that composers can have an impact as well.

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“I got my start as an assistant and a lot of composers when they’re getting established in the scene, they need composer assistants,” he said. “So we need to be aware of that when we hire people and maybe give a person of color a chance or a female composer assistant to give them an opportunity.”

“You hear immediately who can write and who can’t write, and I’ve never looked at it with a color filter on it,” added “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” composer John Debney. “Let’s do the blind audition thing and bring everybody to the party.”

While Ritmanis has fought the stereotype that women don’t do epic soundtracks, Dustin O’Halloran went in the opposite direction to craft a more subtle score for the LGBT period drama “Ammonite.” “I was coming off films that were heavily scored, and I found it refreshing that there was so much space and that it wasn’t going to be a big score,” he said. “Those can be a bit more tricky because every note matters and every part you have to take care of how fragile it is.”

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Emile Mosseri, an up-and-coming composer who recently got his start with films like “The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” now has his most high-profile score yet with Best Picture contender “Minari,” a film whose score Mosseri wrote before the cameras even started rolling.

“I had just written a bunch of music in the spirit of (writer-director Lee Issac Chung’s) script and sent it to him so they had it on hand before they started shooting. They were listening to it while they were driving around Arkansas… and when they started sending me dailies there was a creative back-and-forth,” he said. “It was a dream to work that way…I felt like the music had a bit more room to breath and was baked more into the batter of the film.”

Watch the composers’ remarks on diverse in film scoring in the clip above and watch the full Q&A above.

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Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin will make their narrative feature debut on the biopic “Nyad,” which will star Bening and tell the story of how Nyad at age 64 became the first person to swim the length of Cuba to Florida without the aid of a cage through waters infested by sharks and poisonous jellyfish.

The film is based on Diana Nyad’s autobiography “Find a Way” and has a screenplay by Emmy-winner Ann Biderman (“Ray Donovan”) with revisions by Black List writer Julia Cox (the upcoming “Do No Harm”).

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Black Bear Pictures and Mad Chance developed the film and will produce, and production is expected to begin this summer. CAA Media Finance is presenting the film to domestic buyers at the virtual EFM, and STXinternational is handling foreign rights.

Mad Chance’s Andrew Lazar and Black Bear Pictures’ Teddy Schwarzman developed and will produce.

Nyad came to fame as a long-distance swimmer back in the ’70s when she swam around the length of Manhattan, or 28 miles. And she made waves when she completed her swim of 110 miles from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida. Nyad attempted the swim five times between 2011 and 2013 and relied on a crew of 35 supporters, as well as her best friend, to overcome the odds. She was also once a top-ranked squash player and has now become an author and professional speaker.

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Bening is a four-time Oscar nominee for films such as “American Beauty,” “The Grifters,” “Being Julia” and “The Kids Are All Right.” Some of her recent roles include “Captain Marvel,” “The Report” and “Hope Gap,” and she’ll next be seen in “Death on the Nile.”

Bening and Nyad are represented by CAA. Vasarhelyi and Chin, who recently signed with CAA for scripted projects, are also represented by WME and attorney Peter Nichols. Cox is represented by APA, manager Allison Doyle and Ziffren Brittenham.

Deadline first reported the news.

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That’s up from last year, when 23% of eligible films had a woman as director or co-director (79 out of 344 films) — and a marked improvement from five years ago, when only 15% did.

“The percentage of female-identified directors in the Oscar race is encouraging,” Kirsten Schaffer, executive director of Women in Film, told TheWrap. “There has been a steady incline in the past three years and if that trend continues, we’ll get to parity by the end of 2026!”

Of the 100 films in this year’s race with a female director, 38 were documentaries, reflecting an industry-wide trend of women finding more opportunities in nonfiction rather than scripted films.

A gender breakdown of Best Documentary Feature contenders shows that the category has almost achieved gender parity, with 46% of eligible docs (110 out of 238 films) having a female director. That percentage just tops the previous high for the category of 45% in 2016, though that year only 100 total documentaries were eligible.

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In the International Film category (previously known as Best Foreign Language Film), women also broke new ground by directing a record 35% of the 93 eligible films. That’s the highest in at least the last five years, with the closest being in 2017 when 28% of the contenders (26 out of 92 films) had a female director. And of the 15 movies that landed on the Oscar shortlist this year (an expanded field up from 10), five of those movies were also directed by women, a ratio that matches the breakdown of submissions.

This year’s crop of animated features did not fare so well. Only two of the 27 eligible films — or 7% — had a female director: “Bombay Rose” and “My Favorite War” (which is also a documentary).

Schaffer credited the increase of female directors in the International Film category to diversity commitments made by government film funds over the past six years, and believes that the U.S. should follow that model alongside already-implemented tax incentives for films with women and artists of color in directing and other major department roles.

She also noted that the industry still lags in supporting filmmakers of color. “The U.S. population is 20% women of color,” she said. “We have a long way to go to get to 20% women of color directors.”

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Still, the gains for female directors reflect a shifting climate in Hollywood and in the Academy.

In response to the #OscarsSoWhite campaign, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has made efforts over the past five years to diversify its membership and to elevate more films from women and artists of color.

This year’s Best Director category could be dominated by women for the first time ever — with “Nomadland” director Chloé Zhao considered the front runner in a field that also includes Regina King (“One Night in Miami”) and Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) — all three earned Golden Globe nominations, with Zhao taking home the top prize on Sunday.

To date, only one woman has ever won the Academy Award for Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for her 2010 Best Picture winner “The Hurt Locker.”

But organizations like Women in Film are looking to expand representation beyond the director’s chair. “We are also focused on other leadership positions behind the camera including producers, writers, and department heads. Our goal is 51% in each of these areas,” Schaffer added. “Take a look at our ballot to see all of the incredible women who worked on Oscar eligible films in these areas.”

Andi Ortiz contributed to this report.

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“F9” was originally scheduled to hit theaters on May 22, 2020 but was pushed to April 2, 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Then last fall, the film was pushed again to May 28, 2021.

The “Minions” sequel was also originally meant to open in the summer of 2020 but had been pushed back a year. It now takes the place of another untitled animated Illumination movie on the studio’s schedule.

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It’s the latest bit of studio release juggling as Hollywood weighs how quickly and how widely movie theaters can reopen as COVID vaccinations ramp up. Many studios must weigh whether it’s economically wise to release pricey tentpole films like “F9” when many theaters remain shuttered or at limited capacity.

Theaters in New York City are set to open at 25% capacity beginning Friday, and there’s more optimism that the U.S. will have enough vaccines for the adult population by May, but it remains to be seen what the appetite will be for returning to theaters, especially when it comes to the biggest blockbusters.

The “Fast & Furious” franchise has brought in more than $5 billion around the world, so there’s no doubt the studio is keen on getting it the most eyeballs as possible.

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Vin Diesel stars in the ninth “Fast & Furious” movie that’s directed by Justin Lin, and he’s joined by a cast that includes returning cast members Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron alongside newcomer John Cena as the villain.

“Minions: The Rise of Gru” sees Steve Carell reprise his role as supervillain Gru, but this time focusing on him as a young boy in the ’70s teaming with the Minions as he hopes to become a world class supervillain. The voice cast also features Alan Arkin, Taraji P. Henson, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo, Russell Brand, Michelle Yeoh and Julie Andrews.

Next up for Universal is “Nobody,” an action film starring Bob Odenkirk, which will open March 26 after originally being slated for release earlier in 2021.

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Step aside, Mr. Grey, because HBO Max has released the first teaser trailer for the Cristin Milioti-led dark comedy “Made for Love,” and it features a truly haunting rendition of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” by Ray Romano.

The series, an adaptation of the 2017 novel by Alissa Nutting, stars Milioti as Hazel Green, a woman on the run after 10 years in a suffocating marriage to tech billionaire Byron Gogol (Billy Magnussen). Hazel soon discovers that Byron has implanted a monitoring device — the Made for Love chip — in her brain, allowing him to watch her every move as she seeks refuge with her aging widower father Herbert (Ray Romano) and his “synthetic partner,” Diane.

Yep, seems pretty crazy.

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In addition to Milioti, Magnussen and Romano, the series also stars Dan Bakkedahl, Noma Dumezweni and Augusto Aguilera. Guest stars include Caleb Foote, Kym Whitley, Nyasha Hatendi, Patti Harrison, Ione Skye, Jon Daly, Matty Cardarople, Mel Rodriguez and Sarunas Jackson. It is slated to premiere in April.

The Paramount Television series is executive produced by Nutting, showrunner Christina Lee, Patrick Somerville, Dean Bakopoulos, Liza Chasin and SJ Clarkson.

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The Lionsgate Television revival is currently being developed and executive produced by Rob Thomas, John Enbom, Paul Rudd and Dan Etheridge. Enbom will serve as showrunner on this one.

The cult hit ran for two seasons on Starz from 2009-2010 and starred Ken Marino, Adam Scott, Jane Lynch, Martin Starr, Ryan Hansen, Lizzy Caplan and Megan Mullally. Those seasons are available in the Starz library and in the Starz App.

It’s “too early” to say if the entire cast would return, a spokeswoman for Starz told TheWrap. Fingers crossed here.

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“Party Down” follows a Los Angeles catering team — a sextet of Hollywood wannabes stuck working for tips while hoping for their “big break,” as Starz and Lionsgate put it in their logline. Each episode of this half-hour comedy finds the hapless catering team working a new event — and inevitably getting tangled up with the colorful guests and their absurd lives.

“Before the cast of ‘Party Down’ became well-known television and movie actors and award winners, they were all wearing the same pink bowties as part of a less than competent team of Los Angeles cater-waiters while chasing their dreams of stardom on the Starz series,” Christina Davis, president of original programming for Starz, said. “Fans have been waiting more than 10 years for this revival to happen and we’re thrilled to be in development with Rob, Paul, Dan and John at the helm.”

“At the end of 2019, the ‘Party Down’ cast and producers were all reunited at a retrospective for the show hosted by Vulture. We had such a good time that we wanted to find a way to get the team back together again,” Thomas said. “The cast is so busy these days that finding a window where we can do it may require trigonometry, but we’re determined to make it happen.”

UTA will work alongside Crowe’s longtime manager, Irving Azoff, to represent the director in all areas, including film and television.

Crowe most recently produced the documentary “David Crosby: Remember My Name” and wrote “Almost Famous: The Musical,” which premiered at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre in 2019 and is expected to transfer to Broadway.

Crowe’s most recent work as a director was his 2016 Showtime series “Roadies,” which he wrote, directed and executive produced. He also directed the 2015 film “Aloha.” Crowe won an Oscar for the screenplay for “Almost Famous” and was nominated for two additional Oscars for “Jerry Maguire” with Tom Cruise, Renee Zellweger, Regina King and Cuba Gooding Jr.

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Some of his other directing credits include “Vanilla Sky,” “Singles,” “Elizabethtown” and “We Bought a Zoo,” and he also wrote the screenplays for the ’80s classics “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and “Say Anything.” As a documentary filmmaker, he’s been behind “Pearl Jam Twenty” and “The Union.”

Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous” was loosely based on his experience as a young correspondent for Rolling Stone magazine. Crowe had written an unpublished article on Elvis Presley that he would later turn into the screenplay that became his Oscar-winning film. In 2019, Crowe exclusively told TheWrap (and fellow former Rolling Stone critic Steve Pond) about that experience — you can even read Crowe’s unpublished story via TheWrap here.

Crowe is also represented by attorneys Bruce Ramer and Kevin Marks of Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman.

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Season 3 of “Gold Rush: Dave Turin’s Lost Mine” will be a bit heavy — and we’re not talking about good weight on the digital scale. Midway through production on the upcoming season, which TheWrap has learned will air beginning March 19 on Discovery Channel and Discovery+, gold room operator Jesse Goins died.

The trailer for the Box Creek, Colorado-set season, which we can also exclusively debut, does not shy away from the loss — though it also does not mention Goins by name. It opens on a sad Turin, and then we see a fire engine leading an ambulance either away from or to the mining site.

“Oh my God,” KC Morgan then says.

“Who is it?” Nathan Clark asks.

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“It’s hard when you lose a brother,” Jason Sanchez says in the Season 3 sneak peek. “You’ve got to step up.”

Yeah, there’s still (hard) work to be done.

Watch the trailer via the video above.

Season 3 of “Gold Rush: Dave Turin’s Lost Mine” premieres March 19 on Discovery+ and Discovery Channel, immediately following the regular “Gold Rush” season finale. Subsequent episodes of “Dave Turin’s Lost Mine” air Fridays at 8/7 central.

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This season, after pandemic travel restrictions make Dave’s plans of mining in Alaska impossible, Team Turin finally sets up operations in Colorado, according to Discovery’s logline. With an all-new state-of-the-art wash plant and gold prices reaching an all-time high, they begin work on a lost mine with big potential.

The Season 3 description continues:

With the Rocky Mountain summer heat on their backs, Team Turin’s search for legendary “main channel” gold is their most epic to date. Facing local resistance and the toughest ground they’ve ever mined; the crew must dig deep. But by looking to the lessons from history and using their seasoned skills as lost mine detectives, they soon begin to strike big hauls of gold. But success turns bittersweet when Goins suddenly passes away. Devastated at the loss of their mining brother, the team take time out to mourn. But Team Turin won’t be denied, and they return to work, on a mission to dedicate the season to Jesse and his share of the gold to his family. And after Dave makes a game-changing pivot, the crew pushes on towards a record-breaking season.

“Gold Rush: Dave Turin’s Lost Mine” is produced for Discovery+ and Discovery Channel by Raw TV, with Peter Campion and Sam Maynard as executive producers. For Discovery Channel and Discovery+, John Slaughter and Carter Figueroa are executive producers and Jessica Mollo is coordinating producer.

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Goins died in August. He was 60.

According to TMZ, Goins was on set for the show in Colorado when he was found unconscious by a crew member. Per TMZ, “a medic on-site administered CPR and EMTs then arrived and rushed Jesse to the hospital, but efforts to revive him proved unsuccessful.”

Goins’ brother, Larry Goins, shared a photo of Goins with the “Gold Rush” cast in a Facebook post following his passing. “Jesse loved his Gold Rush family,” he wrote. “I could never find the words to express how grateful to Dave Turin and the guys for the love they showed him. And for sharing and making sure the Lord and the Gospel was a big part of his daily life. He was in such a good place because of this. Love you guys.”

“Dave Turin’s Lost Mine,” a spinoff of Discovery’s flagship “Gold Rush” series starring fan-favorite “Dozer Dave” Turin,  premiered in 2019. Goins appeared on 15 episodes of the series across its two seasons.

The 10-episode show starring Heigl and Chalke as lifelong besties, which debuted Feb.3, was watched for more than 1.3 billion minutes in just its first five days, the ratings currency company said Thursday.

Netflix, which strategically releases its own viewership data, declined TheWrap’s request for comment on Nielsen’s reported minutes watch. The streaming service has not yet revealed comparable numbers for “Firefly Lane’s” audience.

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In Nielsen’s SVOD originals runnerup slot for the week beginning Feb. 1 was Netflix’s Shonda Rhimes hit “Bridgerton,” which been been hanging out on the chart ever since its Dec. 25, 2020 debut, with 659 million minutes watched, and in third place was Disney+’s “WandaVision,” which launched Episode 5 during that time period, with 589 million.

Below are Nielsen’s Top 10 from Feb. 1, 2021 through Feb. 7, 2021, ranked by minutes viewed.

Firefly Lane (Netflix): 1.308 billion minutes viewed
Bridgerton (Netflix): 659 million minutes viewed
WandaVision (Disney+): 589 million minutes viewed
The Crown (Netflix): 305 million minutes viewed
Longmire (Netflix): 296 million minutes viewed
Cobra Kai (Netflix): 296 million minutes viewed
The Great British Baking Show (Netflix): 266 million minutes viewed
Go Dog Go (Netflix): 257 million minutes viewed
Fate: The Winx Saga (Netflix): 256 million minutes viewed
Blown Away (Netflix): 242 million minutes viewed

Currently, Nielsen’s SVOD Content Ratings measures programs on streaming platforms Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu and Netflix.

Nielsen launched its weekly Top 10 streaming show rankings in September, beginning with results for the week of Aug. 3. Last month, the company moved away from one overall Top 10 list to three separate lists for each week: one for streaming originals series (like “Firefly Lane”), one for acquired content (like “Criminal Minds,” which streams on Netflix) and one for movies on streaming, (which was topped by Netflix’s “The Dig” this week).

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“We’re in the process of reviewing David’s relationship with the Weave Project and the Aspen Institute, and what disclosures, if any, should be added to David’s columns going forward,” a Times spokesperson told TheWrap Thursday.

On Wednesday, BuzzFeed News reported that Brooks is earning a second salary from the Aspen Institute, which is a “project funded by Facebook and other large donors.” Brooks has not yet disclosed as much in his columns. He founded and leads the institute’s Weave project.

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As BuzzFeed News noted, in 2019, Brooks first discussed in his column the idea of  “Weavers,” people who are “building community and weaving the social fabric.”

In that piece, “A Nation of Weavers,” he did write, “My something extra was starting something nine months ago at the Aspen Institute called Weave: The Social Fabric Project. The first core idea was that social isolation is the problem underlying a lot of our other problems.”

He did not, however, disclose his salary or any money given by Facebook for the project.

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Higher Ground Productions, Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, will present the film alongside Netflix and Sony.

The film is an adaptation of author Matt Logelin’s memoir “Two Kisses For Maddy: A Memoir Of Loss & Love.” Hart stars as a dad who is forced to raise his baby girl on his own after his wife’s unexpected death. The film also stars Alfre Woodard, Lil Rel Howery, DeWanda Wise, Anthony Carrigan, Melody Hurd and Paul Reiser.

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Paul Weitz (“About A Boy”) is directing, based on a script he co-wrote with Dana Stevens (“City of Angels,” “Safe Haven”). Marty Bowen, Hart, David Beaubaire and Peter Kiernan are producing, while Betsy Danbury, Aaron L. Gilbert, Jason Cloth, Bryan Smiley, Jaclyn Huntling Swatt, Isaac Klausner, Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin are executive producing.

Earlier this year, Hart and his HartBeat Productions signed an exclusive partnership with Netflix for feature films as well as a first-look production deal. “Fatherhood” is not part of the overall deal.

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“Fatherhood” will hit Netflix on June 18. Hart is represented by UTA, 3 Arts Entertainment and Schrek Rose, while Weitz is represented by UTA and attorney Alex Kohner at Morris Yorn. Stevens is repped by UTA and attorney Wendy Kirk at Ziffren Brittenham.

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Sengbloh will play Lillian Williams, the mother of the family at the center of the show. The new version of the classic TV series will shift the focus to a Black middle class family in Alabama.

Here’s how ABC describes the character: “Sharp as a tack, Lillian is confident, kind, perceptive and has a good sense of humor. She knows exactly the right thing to say to convince you of anything. As a mother, wife and full-time accountant, she’s organized, efficient and hard-working, but she always puts family first.”

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Put into development last summer, “The Wonder Years” reboot will be set in the same era as the original 1980s series, with “Dave” executive producer Saladin Patterson writing and executive producing. The “Empire” creator executive produces alongside Marc Velez of Lee Daniels Entertainment.

Original series star Fred Savage will direct the reboot pilot and executive produce, with “The Wonder Years” co-creator Neal Marlens serving as a consultant on the project from 20th Television.

The original “Wonder Years” ran for six seasons on ABC from 1988-1993 and focused on the Arnold family, a middle class white suburban family. Unlike this new version, the original run never specified the town where it was set. Along with Savage, it starred Dan Lauria, Alley Mills, Jason Hervey, Olivia d’Abo, Josh Savino and Danica McKellar. Daniel Stern provided the narration as a grown-up Kevin.

Mills played the mother in the original series, Norma Arnold.

Deadline first reported the casting of Sengbloh.

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