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The Ankler
Richard Rushfield is the editor-in-chief of The Ankler.
PROFILE
Richard Rushfield
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FROM Richard Rushfield
The Business
Hollywood news banter Richard Rushfield, editor-in-chief of The Ankler, joins Kim Masters to discuss top entertainment news stories of the week. Charlie Rose is out at CBS and PBS after an article in the Washington Post detailed allegations of sexual harassment against Rose by eight different women. And John Lasseter is taking a six-month-long sabbatical from Pixar and Disney after the Hollywood Reporter laid out an alleged pattern of misconduct. This one is especially stunning given that Lasseter is known for his family-friendly films. He oversees such an empire, Disney will likely try to bring him back, but it's unclear at this point if he'll be able to return. In other news, the DOJ has sued to block the merger of AT&T and Time Warner.
Hollywood Breakdown
Latest in sexual harassment fallout: Charlie Rose & John Lasseter More big names continue to be exposed. Charlie Rose has now been fired from CBS and PBS and John Lasseter has taken a 6-month leave from Disney and Pixar.
The Business
Hollywood news banter Richard Rushfield, creator of The Ankler, joins Kim Masters to discuss top entertainment news stories of the week. Another director is ushered out of the Star Wars universe. First it was Josh Trank, then Lord & Miller, and now Colin Trevorrow. Will Lucasfilm use more tested directors (like Ron Howard) in the future? Bob Iger says the Star Wars and Marvel movies will be included in their forthcoming streaming service. Disney is the only entertainment company with enough brand recognition to take on Netflix on their own. Producer Neal Moritz will be moving to Paramount once his contract is up at Sony. He’ll be going from the 5th place studio to the 6th, but it could be a sign that Jim Gianopulos, the new head of Paramount, is looking to make some big moves.
Hollywood Breakdown
Another dispatching of a 'Star Wars' director Colin Trevorrow is out as director of Episode IX. This comes after the firing of Josh Trank and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller on other Star Wars movies. At this point, people are starting to wonder about the Lucasfilm approach of hiring less proven directors to work on such a massive franchise.
The Business
Hollywood news banter Richard Rushfield, creator of The Ankler, joins Kim Masters to discuss top entertainment news stories of the week. Shocking news from a galaxy far, far away: Phil Lord and Chris Miller were fired as the directors of the untitled young Han Solo movie, citing "creative differences." Director Ron Howard will replace them . It's highly unusual to see directors fired so late in the process -- the film was well into production--some sources say even four-fifths of the way through shooting. The exact reasons behind the disruption are still unclear, but what is clear is that Kathy Kennedy, the head of LucasFilm, wants to protect the extremely valuable assets of all films related the Star Wars intellectual property. Apple prepares to enter the TV business in a big way . The company just poached two well-respected TV executives from Sony television. Netflix has started to rule the industry by spending $6 billion on new shows. Apple has many more billions of dollars than that it could spend on original content.
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Hollywood Breakdown
Endeavor ending $400 million deal with the Saudi government Following the apparent murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, most likely ordered by Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, Endeavor--the parent company of WME--is backing out of a huge $400 million deal it had made with the Saudi government.