ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY and AWARD NEWS FROM HOLLYWOOD, compiled by REBECCA KEEGAN
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
It's Halloween, and if you need me today, I'll be buried in a pile of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup wrappers and regret.
Hello from Los Angeles, where we're pitching House of Cards spin-offs, casting Chance the Rapper, and subbing for Jimmy Kimmel.
SPACED OUT
Netflix will end House of Cards after the political drama's sixth season, the streaming service announced Monday—a decision that was apparently made before allegations emerged over the weekend that in 1986, Kevin Spacey made a sexual advance on a 14-year-old actor, Anthony Rapp. On Tuesday, the streaming service officially suspended production on the series "until further notice, to give us time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew." But while Spacey's Cards story line may be winding down, that doesn't necessarily spell the end for the show's other characters. Variety's Daniel Hollowayreported that Netflix and producer Media Rights Capital are already developing House of Cards spin-off ideas, with Eric Roth set to write. V.F.'s Yohana Destaspitballs a few suggestions—a Claire Underwood origin story, anyone?
Meanwhile, the fates of Spacey's other projects are still in question. Sources told me Tuesday that Ridley Scott'sAll the Money in the World, starring Spacey as oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, will still close A.F.I. Fest as planned on Nov. 16 and arrive in theaters Dec. 22, although Spacey's promotion of the film may be curtailed. Another project in the works, Gore, a Netflix original film in which Spacey plays author Gore Vidal, is still on the calendar for 2018. Netflix, which issued a statement Monday saying it is "deeply troubled" by the allegations against Spacey, did not immediately respond to a question about whether Gore will move forward as planned.
David Giesbrecht / Netflix
JIMMY HAS LEFT THE BUILDING
V.F.'s Laura Bradley writes:
Late-night fans, gird your loins. This week, an ailing Jimmy Kimmel will be replaced with four different guest hosts: Shaquille O'Neal, whose episode aired Monday, Dave Grohl, who will host tonight's broadcast, Channing Tatum on Wednesday, and finally, Jennifer Lawrence on Thursday. On Monday night, Shaq got things off to a great start with a monologue that made up for the former basketball player's lack of stand-up experience, thanks to excellent zingers about various retired basketball stars. (A sample: "I have all the things you need to host this show. A suit, a band, a stupid, no-talent nemesis. You see, Jimmy has Matt Damon. And I have Charles Barkley. He's like a balder, fatter Matt Damon.") Good luck, Grohl. You've got some (literally) big shoes to fill tonight.
THE DIVINE MISS M
V.F.'s Katey Rich writes:
You know what's not cheap? Bette Midler's annual Hulaween gala, a party that benefits her New York Restoration Project, held at the historic St. John the Divine Cathedral on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. You know what probably is cheap, though? The newly announced Hocus Pocus remake, an upcoming spin on the 1993 film in which Midler starred as one of three witchy sisters. "I know it's cheap; it's gonna be cheap," Midler told V.F.'s Hilary Weaver outside the party on Monday night, before vowing not to make a cameo in the new film. She then went inside and partied the night away with the likes of Victor Garber and Bernadette Peters. Whoever winds up playing Winifred Sanderson in the new Hocus Pocus, the gauntlet has officially been thrown down.
NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND
V.F.'s Hillary Busis writes:
It's an understatement to say that 2017 has been a major year for Zoe Kazan, who starred in the breakout romantic comedy The Big Sick, plays a key role on HBO's critical smash The Deuce, and, most recently, saw her play After the Blast produced at New York City's Lincoln Center. The latter project is a clever dystopian tale about a society that's been forced to move underground following an unprecedented environmental disaster—a fate Kazan believes may be all too possible. After Donald Trump leaves the White House, "I think our rights will recover," she tellsVanity Fair's Olivia Aylmer. "But our environment won't. We have a limited amount of time to handle that in a responsible way." Just don't think the play is all doom and gloom: much of it also revolves around a charming robot with a sinister secret. So, O.K., we'll say it's, oh, 75 percent doom and gloom.
CHANCE THE SLASHER
V.F.'s Yohana Desta writes:
At long last, A24 has released some precious new details about the upcoming Chance the Rapper horror movie Slice, thanks to a new teaser trailer that scared its way online this Halloween. Directed by Austin Vesely, who's helmed quite a few Chance music videos, Slice is a murder mystery about a food delivery guy (Chance) who is also a werewolf, 'cause this is thriller/thriller night. That's about all we really know about the plot, but now we've also learned that the cast includes Atlanta star Zazie Beetz, comedian Paul Scheer, and Will Brill of The OA. The teaser, which features an animated biker zipping along the screen, is a wordless, one-minute snippet packed with gruesome imagery including werewolf claws, someone getting stabbed in the neck, and a man with eyes bulging wiiiiide with horror. Slice does not yet have a release date, but it is expected to bow next year.
That's the news for this cloudy Halloween in L.A. What are you seeing out there? Send tips, comments, and Bette Midler's Hocus Pocus wig to rebecca_keegan@condenast.com. Follow me on Twitter @thatrebecca.
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