Variety 3/16/2022

Welcome to the not-so-magic kingdom, Mr. Chapek. It’s fair to assume that the Disney leader is not currently enjoying his newish gig atop the global entertainment giant, given the ferocious controversy and internal revolt he’s embroiled in over mishandling the response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Bob Chapek’s first big mistake was in not immediately condemning the heinous legislation, passed by Florida’s Republican-controlled House and Senate, restricting teachers in the state from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity issues in the classroom and subjecting educators to potential legal action for noncompliance. Rather than taking a public stance opposing the legislation, Chapek said in a companywide memo that Disney was committed to the LGBTQ community but that “the biggest impact we can have in creating a more inclusive world is…

SXSW got off to an uncharacteristically chilly start last week. As the annual ode to movies, music and tech kicked off on March 11 in Austin, the Texas winds blew a cold front into the downtown streets. Between screenings and musical acts, many attendees lamented that they hadn’t packed a heavy winter jacket. But by the weekend’s close, the frost had faded, and it felt like spring in Texas again. That’s a fitting metaphor for this year’s gathering. The festival, which runs through March 20, represents a time of renewal as the first SXSW since 2019 — the 2020 edition became one of the first major events to be canceled due to COVID-19, and the 2021 version didn’t take place either because vaccines weren’t widely available. (Variety’s parent company, Penske…

When DeVaughn Nixon and Norm Nixon Jr. both showed up in the casting offices of HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” on the same day — at the same time — it could have been awkward. And at first, it was. “They both lovingly shit-talked each other,” says exec producer Max Borenstein. “They were competitive, because they’re brothers, but it was kind of a ‘may the best man win.’” The actor siblings each wanted to play their father, early 1980s Los Angeles Lakers point guard Norm Nixon, in a key role: Owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) recruits rookie Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) to inject some life into the stagnant team, but Johnson is a point guard — a position already filled by the elder Nixon. “We…

Most major entertainment companies looking to lead in the global streaming road race have a go-big-or-go-home strategy — they’re building massive vehicles with broad, four-quadrant appeal. Sony has taken a different tack. Its lone direct-to-consumer streaming video business is Crunchyroll, geared to the Japanese art forms of anime and manga. Instead of pouring tens of billions into content to vie against the likes of Netflix and Disney Plus, it is flooding the zone for a distinct and passionate fan subculture. “The thesis is quite simple: We aspire to be everything to someone, not something to everyone,” says Colin Decker, CEO of Crunchyroll. “We’ve always been by and for anime fans and creators.” Adds Decker, “Our business has more in common with fans of the NFL than users of Netflix.” This…

Lily Collins and director Charlie McDowell dove into marriage and a screen collaboration during the pandemic, with the upcoming Netflix feature “Windfall” the result. McDowell (“The One I Love,” “The Discovery”) and his partners were “coming up with ideas to stay creative, and to make something within the confines of a single location,” Collins tells Variety. “I remember being in the kitchen and living room, hearing them go from storyline to first draft to second draft. Very organically, I fell into one of the parts.” Collins, of the pop culture sensation “Emily in Paris,” stars opposite Jason Segel and Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons in the Hitchcockian home-invasion tale — equal parts thriller and socioeconomic study. Collins and Plemons play a wealthy married pair (known only as Wife and CEO) who…

Almost two decades after her death, Julia Child is back in the media spotlight, the subject of a trio of projects. The Sony Pictures Classics documentary “Julia,” from the “RBG” team of Julie Cohen and Betsy West, was first out of the gate when it debuted on the fest circuit in September, followed March 16 by “The Julia Child Challenge” cooking competition on Food Network; the HBO Max scripted series “Julia” will arrive later this month, with Sarah Lancashire portraying the iconic chef. In the reality show, eight self-proclaimed disciples of Child vie for the chance to win an all-expenses-paid three-month cooking course at Le Cordon Bleu, where she studied in 1950, by whipping up their own spins on her iconic dishes. Courtney White, president of Food Network and streaming…