After Losing Libel Case In Britain, Johnny Depp Is Asked To Leave The ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Franchise

Warner Bros. is recasting the role of Grindelwald for its third movie in the franchise. The British court’s decision last week “came after a trial in which Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard, 34, presented scandalous conflicting testimony about their turbulent years together — testimony that included admissions of heavy drug use by Depp and allegations of violence on both sides.” – Los Angeles Times

Shooting A Pivotal Plot Moment, Changed By The Pandemic, During The Pandemic

One of the actors on Superstore: “I 100% feel that the lack of convenience throughout this entire process has created a far more nuanced and realistic story, both on a narrative level and on an emotional level. … I feel so guilty having a reason to be excited about a deadly pandemic, but in this one little tiny corner of the giant hellscape that is coronavirus, it just became so much fuller and richer and more interesting.” – Los Angeles Times

The New GBBO Is All About Flowers

In a time of pandemics, wildfires, long election seasons, Brexit, and more, little can reassure a tired viewing audience, one that has seen every episode of The Great British Bake-Off (or The Great British Baking Show, in Netflix terms) and perhaps is jaded about the handshake. But then Britain comes through again with Full Bloom. – Los Angeles Times

The Viral Video That Captures America Just Now Is A Snowball Fight In 1897 France

“The footage was captured in Lyon, in 1897, by the Lumière brothers, who were among the world’s first filmmakers. It was originally black and white, of course, and herky-jerky because of the low frame rate. But this snowball fight has recently been colorized and smoothed, and the result is shockingly modern. The video shows 52 seconds of joyful carnage: a gaggle of antiquated French people hucking compacted snow at one another’s faces with terrifying ferocity.” – The New York Times Magazine

Where Was Commercial Radio In Britain Born? In Biscuit Factories

Back in 1970, the United Biscuits Network was created for workers mass-producing Jaffa Cakes and McVitie’s Digestives who had gotten fed up with the Muzak bosses piped to the factory floor. With daring programming inspired by the pirate radio stations that used to broadcast from ships offshore, UBN was the first legal non-BBC radio in the UK and the first to operate 24 hours a day. – The Guardian

Pandemic Could Permanently Change How Movie Box Office Figures Are Reported

Revealing a movie’s grosses is not something studios are obligated to do, and for decades, they didn’t. So why, in the late 1980s, did Hollywood start? Because it made for buzz within the industry and beyond to (some of) the audience; sometimes, worldwide headlines were made. But now that lockdowns have led to the release of even major blockbuster titles online, “studios get to rethink whether they want to continue sharing grosses on a 24/7 basis with rivals, analysts and the media.” – The Hollywood Reporter

Jeremy O. Harris Has Gotten HBO To Pay For Experimental Theater Stagings

“Harris, who is 31, has moved fast through the New York theater world — in a truncated season, Slave Play garnered 12 Tony nominations — and he now has a contract with HBO, the much-anticipated film Zola in the can, and Hollywood at or near his feet. But he hasn’t dumped the old toy for the shiny new one. As part of his HBO deal, Harris has secured a discretionary fund for experimental-theater production, essentially a weird-art slush fund.” – Vulture