Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson is reportedly attached to a Spider-Man universe movie called Madame Web for Sony Pictures.
Deadline reports the actress will play the title character, first introduced in the pages of Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man #210 in 1980.
However, despite the character’s name, she’s not a female Spider-Man — instead, Cassandra Webb was actually a mutant with psychic and other abilities, whose incredibly powerful mind was trapped in a body confined to a hospital bed, thanks to the degenerative neuromuscular condition myasthenia gravis.
Blind and enfeebled, Cassandra Webb’s physical form is kept alive thanks to a life support system that featured enough tubes to resemble a spider’s web — so it’s likely that the character will be reworked to better fit the 32-year-old actress.
Then again, comics being comics, one issue explored Webb being magically cured of her disease and reborn younger; another run saw the Madame Webb powers and mantle being passed to a younger heroine altogether, Julia Carpenter.
S.J. Johnson, the executive producer and lead director of Netflix’s acclaimed Marvel series Jessica Jones, is calling the shots on the film.
Incidentally, Deadline didn’t mention Disney-owned Marvel Studios in its story, which could mean Sony Pictures is undertaking the project without being attached to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as its hit Venom movies were…until only recently.
Sony’s last Spidey film, Spider-Man: No Way Home — which was a co-production with Marvel Studios — has made $1.7 billion worldwide.
Samuel L. Jackson will receive the Chairman’s Award during the 53rd NAACP Image Awards.
The honor recognizes individuals who demonstrate exemplary public service and use their distinct platforms to create agents of change. Past honorees include the late U.S. Congressman John Lewis, Danny Glover, Tyler Perry, and Barack Obama.
As previously reported, Jennifer Hudson, Lil Nas X, Megan Thee Stallion, Regina King and Tiffany Haddish are the nominees for Entertainer of the Year. The 53rd NAACP Image Awards, hosted by seven-time NAACP Image Awards winner Anthony Anderson, airs Saturday, February 26 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on BET.
In other news, Spike Leeannounced that he will direct and produce an ESPN docuseries about former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Colin played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers, and in 2013, led the team to the Super Bowl, where they lost 34-31 to the Baltimore Ravens. During the 2016 season, he ignited a national controversy when he knelt during the National Anthem to protest racial injustice. The series will explore his life, including his eventual release after that season and blackballing from the league.
Finally, Issa Rae is inviting fans to stay at her Airbnb during Super Bowl weekend, February 12-14, in Los Angeles. For only $56 a night, guests can visit the landmarks popularized by her series, Insecure.
“Since my series debuted in 2016, it’s been an honor to showcase the people, culture and businesses that make South LA such a vibrant part of the city,” Issa explained in a statement. “I became an Airbnb host to create a stay where fans of the show can experience this for themselves. From dinner by Worldwide Tacos on game day, to art from my favorite local artists on the walls – this is LA, my way.”
David E. Kelley — Rachel Murray/Getty Images for AT&T AUDIENCE Network
Presumed Innocent, the Scott Turow legal thriller that became the hit 1990 film starring Harrison Ford, the late Raul Julia, and Bonnie Bedelia, is becoming a series for Apple TV+.
The new limited series will be produced by The Practice and Boston Legal‘s David E. Kelley, along with J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot production house.
The series, like the book, will center on a Chicago prosecutor who is accused of the murder of a colleague, with whom he’s having a torrid affair. Greta Scacchi played the “other woman” and victim, and Die Hard‘s Bedelia played the wife of Ford’s character, who struggles to clear his name against all odds.
According to producers Warner Bros. Television and Apple TV+, the series will be, “exploring obsession, sex, politics, and the power and limits of love, as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”
Since the original film hinged on a major twist that most know by now — the prosecutor’s seemingly meek wife did it — it’s not known how the series will deviate from Turow’s bestseller.
Rod Stewart has announced that he’s hitting the road this summer for a series of shows in the U.S. and Canada, with special guests Cheap Trick.
In a video, Rod reveals that the tour will run from June through September and adds, “I really want you to come out, because we’ve had a bad time lately, and it’s really gonna be fun!”
At the moment, however, Rod’s website only reveals tour dates starting July 1 in Fort Worth, TX and wrapping September 3 in Tampa, Florida, but more dates will likely follow.
From May 13 to May 21, Rod is performing at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and he’ll return for a second round of shows there on September 23.
Rod’s most recent album, The Tears of Hercules, came out in November.
(CHICAGO) — Chicago is bracing for massive protests over the prison release of former city police officer Jason Van Dyke, who was convicted of murder in the 2014 line-of-duty shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
The 43-year-old Van Dyke was let go from the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections Thursday morning, sources told ABC Chicago station WLS. His release came after he served half of a six-year, nine-month sentence he was given in 2019.
In anticipation of Van Dyke’s release, Chicago police and city officials met with business leaders on Wednesday for a security briefing and Mayor Lori Lightfoot attempted to allay fears in a statement she issued Thursday morning.
“I understand why this continues to feel like a miscarriage of justice, especially when many Black and brown men get sentenced to so much more prison time for having committed far lesser crimes,” Lightfoot said. “It’s these distortions in the criminal justice system, historically, that have made it so hard to build trust.”
Lightfoot noted that Van Dyke was the first Chicago police officer in more than a half century to be convicted of a crime committed in the line of duty.
“While I know this moment is disappointing, it should not prevent us from seeing the significant progress Van Dyke’s prosecution and conviction represent,” she said.
Demonstrators are expected to gather Thursday afternoon at Federal Plaza in Chicago in hopes of delivering a letter to U.S. Attorney John Lausch requesting federal civil rights charges be brought against Van Dyke.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson and members of his Rainbow PUSH Coalition, are expected to join Black Lives Matter Chicago protesters and Father Michael Pfleger, the Catholic priest and Chicago activist, at Thursday’s protest.
More demonstrations are being planned for Friday, officials said.
On Tuesday, Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, both Democrats from Illinois, issued a joint letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting a briefing on a federal investigation into the McDonald murder case. The senators said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois has refused to say whether the federal investigation launched in April 2015 was still ongoing or closed.
McDonald was killed on Oct. 20, 2014. Police dashcam video of the shooting played at Van Dyke’s trial showed McDonald was armed with a knife but did not appear to be moving toward the police officers following him when Van Dyke responded and opened fire on the teen 16 times in a span of 15 seconds.
Van Dyke testified at his 2018 trial that he believed McDonald was coming at him with a knife. An autopsy showed McDonald had a small amount of the hallucinogenic drug PCP in his system when he died.
The Cook County Circuit Court jury found Van Dyke guilty on charges of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, one for each shot he fired at McDonald.
Four Chicago police officers were subsequently fired over their alleged cover-up of McDonald’s killing after an investigation found they made false statements to investigators about the shooting.
Van Dyke was initially sent to a state prison to serve his sentence, but after he was beaten by fellow inmates in his cell he was transferred to a federal prison in 2019.
In celebration of Black History Month, The Paley Center for Media in New York City is hosting its “Salute to Black Achievements in Television” from Saturday, February 5 to Sunday, February 27. The television work of the late Sidney Poitier will be spotlighted, along with classic episodes of Soul Train, Soul! and The Wire. The 50th anniversary of the premiere of Sanford and Son, starring Redd Foxx, will also be featured
A gallery exhibit of milestones in Black television will include original costumes from black-ish, Queen Sugar, Saturday Night Live, and All American.
On Thursday, February 17, the new ABC-TV series The Wonder Years will be explored in a virtual event starring executive producer Lee Daniels and the cast members, including Dulé Hill.
In other news, Joe Morton and director/producer Tracey Moore are hosting the 10-episode series Inside the Black Box premiering February 17 on the Crackle streaming service. The show will spotlight actors, producers, directors, writers, and musicians of color. Phylicia Rashad and Raven-Symone are among the stars that will be interviewed.
“Inside the Black Box is a space that reigns with pride; a safe haven where artists of color can learn from their ancestry, exchange ideas, celebrate their history, and grow, within the here and now,” said Morton, who currently stars in the new Fox series, Our Kind of People.
Finally, AXS TV is celebrating Black History Month throughout February with tributes to legendary music stars, including Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Chuck Berry, and Patti LaBelle. In addition to daily Black History Month programming, AXS will also present a special, all day, “Saturday Stack” on February 19 featuring specials dedicated to Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, Tupac Shakur, Jimi Hendrix, Tina Turner, Pharrell Williams, Nicki Minaj, and Anderson .Paak.
(WASHINGTON) — Human rights groups and U.S. officials are concerned about the safety of Olympic athletes in China if they speak out on political issues at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing following a warning from a Chinese official about “punishment” for competitors should they do so.
Yang Shu, the deputy director of international relations for the Beijing organizing committee, said any speech against the Olympic spirit or Chinese laws would be “subject to certain punishment” during a press conference on Jan. 18. Shu did nothing to ease concerns at a press conference on Tuesday, saying that International Olympic Committee Rule 50 does include some speech regulations.
“At the medal ceremonies, they cannot make their opinions but in press conferences or interviews, athletes are free to express their opinions,” Shu said Tuesday. “But athletes need to be responsible for what they say.”
Shu’s comments spurred human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch and U.S. officials to warn athletes about speaking out and to call on the IOC to guarantee freedom of speech at the Games.
“Athletes are also being obliged to compete in this environment by an International Olympic Committee, that … seems completely unwilling or unable to actually follow through on those obligations,” Sophie Richardson, the China director at Human Rights Watch, said in an interview with ABC News.
In response to the comments during Yang’s press conference, a group of representatives from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, led by Chairman Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., released a statement calling on the IOC to “immediately clarify that free speech by athletes is absolutely guaranteed at the Olympics.”
When reached for comment about free speech at the Olympics, the IOC told ABC News Thursday that “the Games are governed by the IOC Rules. They will be applied at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 like at any other edition of the Games before.”
Despite the concern expressed by some about possible repercussions if athletes speak out, Carl Minzner, a senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, doesn’t see a high chance of the Chinese government taking strong action.
“It’s hard for me to imagine Beijing doing something really extreme, such as actually detaining or imprisoning a foreign athlete … Doing so would likely just generate more unwanted attention,” Minzner said in an interview with ABC News.
Some lawmakers in the U.S. aren’t counting on the Chinese to hang back. The Congressional-Executive Commission on China held a hearing Thursday on the Beijing Olympics with panelists who work to address human rights issues in China and protect those affected.
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., members of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, released a letter on Jan. 31 asking the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee what their plans were for protecting athletes, highlighting freedom of expression concerns and data privacy worries.
“We write with urgency about the safety and protection of U.S. athletes who are headed to Beijing, China, especially given the recent statement by a Chinese official about ‘punishment’ of athletes who exercise freedom of expression,” their letter said. “We share with you our concerns on the risks to freedom of expression, data privacy and exposure to products made by forced labor.”
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., held a press conference on Jan. 24 to discuss human rights abuses in China and the need for increased security measures for American athletes.
“I can’t tell you how worried I am about the athletes competing in Beijing. Look at what communist China did to silence and disappear, silence and disappear, Peng Shuai,” Scott said.
Enes (Kanter) Freedom, the NBA player who has called for athletes to boycott the Olympics in recent weeks, joined the Senator by phone.
Peng Shuai, a Chinese tennis player, went absent from public view last November after accusing former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of coercing her into having sex in a since-deleted post on the Chinese social media app, Weibo.
Two weeks later, Peng appeared in a video where she denied having been sexually assaulted, a move the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) called “insufficient” in verifying Peng’s safety. Following the incident, the WTA announced a suspension on all events in China, citing “serious doubts that she [Peng] is free, safe and not subject to censorship, coercion and intimidation.”
In a press conference on Feb. 3, IOC President Thomas Bach indicated that a meeting with Peng would occur when COVID protocols allow it to happen.
“I am very happy and very grateful to Peng Shuai. She will enter the closed-loop to have the meeting that she also wants,” he said.
Although there were no known incidents of athletes facing repercussions from the Chinese government when the Olympics took place in the same host city 14 years ago, the role athletes play in the broader political discussion and how they use their platform has changed significantly since 2008, according to Richardson.
“We didn’t have Colin Kaepernick, we didn’t have, you know, [tennis star] Andy Murray saying he’s not gonna go compete in Saudi, it’s a different ballgame,” Richardson said.
Free speech has been a subject of controversy in China in recent years as freedom of expression and press have come into question. Article 35 in the Chinese Constitution states that “Citizens of the People’s Republic of China shall enjoy freedom of speech, the press, assembly, association, procession and demonstration.”
Regardless, political comments deemed inappropriate have been addressed inconsistently, experts said.
“If people say or publish views or otherwise express views that authorities don’t like, they are subject to prosecution under a variety of broad laws that are often arbitrarily interpreted, “said Richardson.
The Biden administration announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Olympics in December over China’s record on human rights, particularly its treatment of ethnic Uyghurs, which the United States has previously declared a genocide. The decision will prevent United States government officials from attending any events in Beijing, but will not impact the participation of any American athletes.
The 2022 Winter Olympics will take place from Feb. 4 – 20. The American Olympic team has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment.
(BEIJING) — With the Beijing Olympics set to begin, a group of international scientists is once more calling for a “comprehensive international investigation” into the origins of COVID-19.
It’s the latest in a series of strongly worded letters demanding more transparency from the Chinese government, once again stoking a contentious debate that’s been ongoing throughout the pandemic’s many months.
The letter — signed by 20 scientists from the U.S., U.K., Germany, New Zealand, France, Australia, India and Japan — echoes what have become broad international calls for a more thorough examination, unfettered by geopolitics, into where COVID-19 came from. It also underscores continued criticism from both the U.S. and international bodies over the Chinese government’s lack of cooperation.
“The Olympic Charter states that ‘The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity,'” wrote the scientist group, co-organized by Jamie Metzl, a former WHO adviser and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. “Unfortunately, as athletes from across the globe gather together today for the start of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games, this noble aspiration is being undermined through the ongoing efforts of the host government to prevent a comprehensive international investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Increased and united scrutiny into COVID-19’s origins is “a true representation of the ideals underlying the Olympic movement,” the letter said, and would “promote openness and mutual trust,” especially at a time when the world’s athletes convene upon Beijing.
Failing to understand how the virus — which is now responsible for claiming the lives of more than 5.7 million people worldwide — leaves “everyone on earth and future generations … at heightened and unnecessary risk of future pandemics,” the letter said.
No firm conclusion has yet been made as to where COVID-19 came from, with international health and U.S. intelligence bodies stalled between two theories: whether the virus emerged from natural animal spillover, or whether it came from an accidental lab experiment leak in Wuhan, China.
Following President Joe Biden’s 90-day push this summer for his intel agencies to “redouble their efforts” in uncovering a more definitive conclusion on COVID-19’s origins, the intelligence community has remained “divided” on its most likely origins. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, in its report, underscored the barriers to finding any concrete answers — namely, unhelpful noncooperation from the Chinese government, which is “likely to impede investigation.”
A World Health Organization-led team also emphasized that there must be more sharing of records, samples and raw data for any real progress to take place.
The WHO’s first phase study into COVID-19’s origins, which deemed a lab leak “extremely unlikely,” faced a barrage of questions on issues of access and transparency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there was more work to be done and the assessment had not been “extensive enough.”
Months later, Tedros acknowledged it had been “premature” to rule out the lab leak theory so soon and stressed that they needed China’s cooperation with raw data from their labs to help rule out the lab leak theory.
The UN health agency has formed a new team of scientists for a new phase of investigation that included lab audits — which the Chinese government rejected, saying they could not accept needless “repetitive research” when “clear conclusions” had already been reached.
Without a fresh flow of that robust information, the debate over COVID-19’s origins has remained shrouded in a haze of circumstantial evidence.
“The fact is that they’re just not, they’re just not being transparent,” Biden said of China at his news conference earlier this month, adding that he “made it clear” to President Xi Jinping during their November summit that “China had an obligation to be more forthcoming on exactly what the source of the virus was.”
Meanwhile, Beijing has vehemently denied the virus could have come from one of its labs, pressing for the investigation to look outside China. Chinese authorities have suggested, without evidence, that the virus was already spreading in the United States prior to late 2019 — attempting to move the sharp focus on Wuhan’s early viral clusters to a conspiracy theory that COVID-19 came from a U.S. Army lab.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian tweeted in March 2020 that “it might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan,” claiming that American military athletes who attended the World Military Games in Wuhan in October 2019 could have been responsible for bringing COVID-19 into China.
U.S. Department of Defense officials pushed firmly back on the accusation, calling it “misinformation and disinformation,” and Chad Sbragia, the then-Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China, called claims that the virus began with a U.S. Army service member “patently false and, frankly, unhelpful.”
Experts say it could take years to find COVID-19’s origins, even with full international cooperation and an intact trail of scientific evidence. It took scientists more than a decade to identify the bat population that was the home of a 2002 SARS epidemic.
Even so, they also underscore that understanding where and how this pandemic started may be crucial to preventing the next one.
“Understanding how this terrible crisis began is essential to preventing future pandemics,” the letter said, “and building a safer future for all.”
ABC News’ Sony Salzman contributed to this report.
(OROVILLE, Calif.) — A shooting inside a Greyhound bus on Wednesday killed one person and injured four others, including an 11-year-old girl, according to police.
Police said a dispute on the bus led the suspect to shoot his gun while the bus was parked at an Am/Pm convenience store in Oroville, California, around 7:30 p.m. local time. Four victims were transported to local hospitals. A fifth victim was pronounced dead on the scene despite lifesaving measures, according to police.
The 11-year-old victim is currently in stable condition, according to police. The other victims include a 25-year-old woman who is pregnant and in critical condition, a 30-year-old male who is in stable condition and expected to be released from the hospital and a 32-year-old male who sustained multiple gunshot wounds and is in critical condition, according to police.
Police identified the suspect as 21-year-old Asaahdi Elijah Coleman from Sacramento. He has a juvenile criminal record, according to the district attorney.
Witnesses told police more than 10 shots were fired. Police were able to locate 12 nine-millimeter expanded casings.
The suspect fled the bus when police arrived and ran through a shopping complex and into a Walmart. The suspect was “acting bizarrely,” according to 911 calls coming from inside the Walmart. Police said the suspect had gotten into another altercation with a customer.
He was acting erratically and had removed his clothes, according to police.
Police encountered the suspect at the front of the Walmart and took him into custody without using force. The suspect was brought to Butte County Jail and the firearm was recovered, according to police.
Police do not believe there are any suspects at large.
“The witnesses who were on the bus have been transported and they are being interviewed,” Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said during a news conference on Wednesday.
(DALLAS) — A dangerous winter storm is dropping snow, sleet and ice in Texas, knocking out power and suspending operations at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned Thursday, “We are dealing with one of the most significant icing events … in at least several decades.”
Abbott has issued a disaster declaration for 17 counties expected to see the worst impacts from the ice.
Abbott blamed the ice for knocking out power to at least 50,000 customers.
Abbott said 12,000 linemen will be working on the power issues.
State officials are urging residents to stay home as ice and snow accumulate on roads.
The temperature also poses danger. On Friday the wind chill — what temperature it feels like — is expected to plunge to the single digits in Dallas and below zero in the Texas Panhandle.
This storm comes one year after Texas’ power grid disaster, when back-to-back winter storms left more than 4 million people without heat and safe water. It took days for power to be restored, and more than 100 people died because of subsequent blackouts. Months later, Abbott signed a bill to reform the state’s power grid.
At a Thursday news conference Abbott stressed that the grid is reliable and said, “the power grid is performing very well at this time.”
Texas has about 15% more power generation capacity compared to last year, Abbott said, adding that 99% of power generators have passed inspection this year.
He said there’s several days worth of natural gas in storage should the weather hinder the flow of natural gas.
