Disney's CEO Succession Race: Why Everyone Has Been Wrong, and Why the Studio's Future Is Female

Happy Tuesday, folks! And what a weird, wild day it was.

There are a lot of highs and lows in this business. This morning, the trades blasted news about John Mayer and McG teaming up to buy the old Jim Henson Studios lot, disproving my report that the Church of Scientology was nearing a deal for the iconic property. Of course, THR revealed the full story, which was a bit more complicated. You can read those interesting details below the fold.

From there, I got an incredible shoutout on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show, whose host called Glen Powell live on the air regarding last night’s Mission: Impossible rumor, only for Powell to admit to America that he does, in fact, know who I am. Maybe that’s because I’ve been championing Glen for the past decade and believed in him as a movie star when few others did, as they just couldn’t see it.

Well, I could, and now everyone else can, too. Even Tom Cruise… or so I hear.

Immediately after that, HBO’s Casey Bloys told reporters that “nothing has changed” with regard to Season 3 of Euphoria, contrary to what some dumbass reporter (yours truly) said on Twitter. I already wrote last night that insiders had disputed what my sources initially told me, explaining that Zendaya will only cameo in Christopher Nolan’s next movie, which films at the same time as Euphoria, therefore, the show’s schedule won’t be affected

That said, a very high-level source reached out after reading last night’s newsletter and acknowledged that the fate of the show has “been a bit of a question over the last few weeks.” So don’t think I’m pulling this stuff out of my ass, folks. At this point, I’ll believe Season 3 of Euphoria is happening when I see photos leak from the set.

Again, it’s the job of these studios and networks to tell you that everything is fine and going according to plan, and it’s my job to tell you what’s actually going on. Typically, things are a lot more chaotic behind the scenes. Didn’t you watch The Franchise on HBO? Actually, don’t answer that…

And then, finally, THR’s Borys Kit ran a long-ass Star Wars story about Daisy Ridley being the franchise’s anchor for the foreseeable future, and the trade effectively backed up everything I’ve been saying about Star Wars for the past two years. I wasn’t mentioned, ahem, but I assure you that my reporting was top of mind for ol’ Borys, who is fully aware that I’ve dialed into his territory in a galaxy far, far away.

That said, I know better than to challenge Borys to a lightsaber battle, as he’d either leave me one-handed or cut me in half. Dude’s got Jedi-like skills.

Anyway, tonight, you’ll read about the Disney succession race and why everyone has been wrong to this point. This item would’ve looked a hell of a lot smarter a few hours ago before the Wall St. Journal let the cat (er, mouse?) out of the bag — the gig is up for grabs and the field is more open than you think.

There are also items about the terrifying results of World of Reel’s most recent Critics Poll, Denzel Washington joining the MCU, Benedict Cumberbatch teaming up with Guy Ritchie, Brandon Sklenar grabbing an oar, and Lupita Nyong’o working with fellow Oscar winner Christopher Nolan, plus my thoughts on the trailer for David Gordon Green’s new Hulu comedy Nutcrackers starring Ben Stiller.

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