Obi-Wan Kenobi’s in trouble at Disney+, Netflix gets crafty with its viewership stats,?Quibi lands more big talent for its short series, Ray Donovan needs your help, a bevy of new trailers, and more of the week’s top news.

OBI-WAN KENOBI SERIES WITH EWAN MCGREGOR DELAYED AT DISNEY+

The bad news: Disney+ and Lucasfilm executives have halted pre-production on the Obi-Wan Kenobi series that will – eventually – findreprising his Jedi role.Ewan McGregor

The good news: the costly delay is a sign that the studio is making it a priority to attempt to make the series, which was originally planned as a movie, a quality entry in theStar Warsfranchise.

reports recent rumors hinted the series would be canceled. Instead, Disney+ and Lucasfilm executives have decided to gather a new staff of writers and overhaul the scripts.Variety

When McGregor signed on to the series last August, Lucasfilm presidentsaid all scripts for the series were written and that filming would begin in 2020. The story has changed, though, and now the only confirmed names still attached to the series are McGregor and director, who also directed part ofseries on Disney+.Kathleen KennedyDeborah ChowThe Mandalorian

Meanwhile,, which first reported trouble was brewing behind-the-scenes, shares that the crew that gathered to work on the series at Pinewood Studios in London has been sent home. The site’s sources say there’s hope that work on the show could resume in the summer, but the crew was told the work stoppage would last “indefinitely.”Collider.com

THE WITCHERIS NETFLIX’S MOST SUCCESSFUL SEASON 1 SERIES EVER

Highly anticipated fantasy series, starring,?was renewed for a second season before its first premiered. And Netflix has also already ordered an animated movie –The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf– that will debut before season 2. So what’s left to say about?the series about?monster hunter Geralt of Rivia?and its performance on Netflix? How about the fact that the first season has been viewed by 76 million subscriber households, making it the most successful first season series launch in Netflix history?The WitcherHenry Cavill

That’s a fact, though it comes with an asterisk: Netflix has changed its definition of what constitutes a view. Until recently, a view meant a Netflix member had watched at least 70 percent of a movie or 70 percent of one episode of a series. Now, if a viewer watches at least two minutes of a show, Netflix counts that as a view, reasoning that two minutes is enough time to prove the viewer was making an “intentional” choice to watch that program.

And it is by that new measure that Netflix has declaredThe Witcher, based on Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series that spawned a huge video game franchise, its most successful launch ever.

The info, revealed in ain the company’s?fourth quarter earnings report this week, also includes viewership numbers for the second season of, the adaptation of’ stalker thriller novelHidden Bodies, which was seen by 54 million Netflix households in its first month of release at the end of 2019, and 21 million household views for the third season of royal drama.shareholder letterYouCaroline KepnesThe Crown

On the service’s original movie front,’s, starring, was seen by 83 million households under the new metric.Michael Bay6 UndergroundRyan Reynolds

Overall, the new method of counting views boosts Netflix’s viewership numbers by 35 percent.

“Our new methodology is similar to the BBC iPlayer in their rankings based on ‘requests’ for the title, ‘most popular’ articles on?The New York Times,?which include those who opened the articles, and YouTube view counts,” the company shares in the earnings report. “This way, short and long titles are treated equally, leveling the playing field for all types of our content including interactive content, which has no fixed length. The new metric is about 35% higher on average than the prior metric. For example, 45m?member households chose to watchOur Planetunder the new metric vs. 33m under the prior metric.”

NEW?TRAILERS:ALISON BRIE’SHORSE GIRL: ECCENTRIC LONER OR ALIEN ABDUCTEE?Miss Americana,a Taylor Swift documentary?(Netflix)Spenser Confidential, starring Mark Wahlberg (Netflix)RuPaul’s Drag Race, season 12 (VH1)To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, starring Lana Condor and Noah Centineo (Netflix)Star Wars: Clone Wars, the final episodes (Disney+)Black in Space: Breaking the Color Barrier?documentary (Smithsonian Channel)Dispatches From Elsewhere, starring Jason Segel (AMC)Gentefied, starring Joaquín Cosío and Karrie Martin (Netflix)Up and Vanishedmissing persons docuseries (Oxygen)QUIBI’S LATEST STARS: LAURA DERN AND LIAM HEMSWORTH

Click image to see full poster in a new tab.

For a service whose programming won’t clock in at longer than 10 minutes per episode, Quibi continues to round up a list of talent that will rival any of the stars at its streaming competitors. The latest: current awards season favorite, who has signed on to star inJust One Drink, an anthology series in which her bartender character serves up libations to customers in “various states of emotional disrepair.” The series will be penned by author and screenwriter Nick Hornsby, who, along with Dern, will also serve as a producer on the show. ()Laura DernEW

Meanwhile, Quibi also announced the official title for its action-thriller that will starand:Most Dangerous Game. Hemsworth will star as Dodge Maynard, a man with a terminal illness who’s desperate to score cash for his pregnant wife. But when he accepts an offer to take part in a deadly game, he soon learns he is not the hunter, but the prey.Liam HemsworthChristoph Waltz

Quibi, which is short for “quick bites,” launches on April 6.

A ROYAL SPOOF LEADS TO HBO MAX COMEDY ABOUT THE SPOOFABLE ROYALS

Even before the recent and very public squabbling among England’s royal family,Family Guywriter andNew York Timesbestselling authorwas wringing humor from his popular (with more than 900,000 followers)account?that spoofs the royals. Told from the fictional perspective of Prince George (William and Kate’s oldest kiddo), the account has now inspired an HBO Max animated series calledThe Prince.Gary JanettiInstagram

Janetti will provide the voice of the Prince George character, whilewill voice Princes Philip and Charles, withas Prince Harry,as Meghan Markle,as Kate Middleton,as Prince George’s butler, Owen,as Queen Elizabeth, andas Prince William. Each episode will find young George trying to maneuver royal life, from going to school with commoners to playing with those ubiquitous corgis.Tom HollanderOrlando BloomCondola RashadLucy PunchAlan CummingFrances De La TourIwan Rheon

The Princeis Janetti’s second HBO Max series. He and his celebrity stylist husband,, will star in the travel documentary seriesBrad and Gary Go To …on the upcoming streaming service.Brad Goreski

SAVERAY DONOVAN!(Photo by Karolina Wojtasik/SHOWTIME)

The seventh season of Showtime’s stellar and intense dramajust ended, which means a long wait for season 8. Unless there is no season 8 …Ray Donovan

That is a real possibility, as the network has yet to renew the show. Also, Showtime co-president of entertainment Gary Levine said during this month’s Television Critics Association gathering that he thinks the series will end soon. On those notes, star of the Emmy-winning series,, took tothis week to tell fans they should write letters to the network and let execs know if they think Ray and the Donovan fam should live for at least one more season (well, those who are still alive, anyway, which, no spoiler here, but as of the season 7 finale, is one less Donovan family member).Liev SchreiberInstagram

“What an amazing journey it’s been. I’ve been reading your comments, and the outpouring of love and support for our cast and crew has been truly overwhelming,” Schreiber wrote. “I know the big question on everyone’s mind is whether there will be a season 8. Truth is it’s in the networks hands. So if you want more, reach out to them at?,?, and??and let them know how you feel. Either way it’s been an amazing ride and we have all of you to thank for it. Xo Liev.”@showtime@raydonovan@cbstv

CASTING NEWS: MORE CAST ANNOUNCED FOR?MARVEL’S M.O.D.O.K.?WITH PATTON OSWALT AS A SUPERVILLAIN IN A MIDLIFE CRISIS

will voice the titular megalomaniacal supervillain M.O.D.O.K.?in the upcoming animated Hulu seriesMarvel’s M.O.D.O.K.Marvel’s first animated comedy for adults finds M.O.D.O.K. (Mental?Organism?Designed?Only for?Killing) in the thick of a midlife crisis: just as his marriage is crumbling, he has been ousted as the leader of his evildoing organization, A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics). Other cast members voicing M.O.D.O.K.’s family and foes: Aimee Garcia (Lucifer) as M.O.D.O.K.’s wife, Jodie, a mommy blogger; Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) as M.O.D.O.K.’s son, Lou; Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) as Melissa. M.O.D.O.K.’s teen daughter; Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs) as Monica, M.O.D.O.K.’s work rival;Saturday Night Live’s Beck Bennett as Austin Van Der Sleet, M.O.D.O.K.’s new twentysomething boss; Jon Daly (Curb Your Enthusiasm) as Super Adaptoid, the snarky machine that wants to overwrite his programming and possibly turn on M.O.D.O.K.; and Sam Richardson (Veep) as Gary, M.O.D.O.K.’s loyal minion.Patton Oswalt

has been cast as the lead inRebel, ABC’s drama pilot about a legal advocate without a law degree, based on Erin Brockovich. The series is fromGrey’s Anatomyshowrunner Krista Vernoff. Sagal is currently guest starring as Dan Connor’s girlfriend onThe Conners.Katey Sagal

GLOWstarwill play Ann Coulter in FX’s upcomingImpeachment: American Crime Storyseason, about the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky scandal. Comedian Billy Eichner will portray Matt Drudge in the series. ()Betty GilpinDEADLINE

, theClawsstar andBreaking Badalum who will make a guest appearance in the upcoming fifth season ofBetter Call Saul, has signed on to star in Chuck Lorre’s CBS comedy pilotThe United States of Al. The series stars Parker Young as Riley, a Marine combat veteran who struggles to readjust to life at home in Ohio. He bonds with Awalmir/Al, the interpreter who served with his unit in Afghanistan, and who has just moved to America. Norris will play Riley’s dad, also a Marine, who Riley lives with upon his return to Ohio. ()Dean NorrisDEADLINE

will star inDMZ, the HBO Max series from Ava DuVernay. The series, based on the comic book of the same name, set in a futuristic Manhattan that is the site of a brutal civil war. Dawson will play Alma, a medic who is trying to find her missing son. ()Rosario DawsonDEADLINE

DEVELOPMENT NEWS:AWARDS SEASON FAVORITEPARASITEWILL LIVE ON, ON HBO

, the Korean-language thriller that racked up six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, will live on as an HBO limited series. Best Director Oscar nominee Bong Joon-ho toldthe series will feature stories “that happen in between the sequences in the film.”ParasiteThe Hollywood Reporter

will co-produce an adaptation of the comic bookFear Agentfor Amazon.reports Amazon won a fierce bidding war for the project, which tells the story of Heath Huston: “Interstellar invaders. Time travel. Clones of clones of clones, and lots of whiskey. Whether he’s battling the scourge of space, going back in time to stop the alien invasion that changed Earth forever, or winning his ex-wife back, there’s nothing that Heath Huston won’t do to try to right the wrongs and gets his family back. He is, after all, the last Fear Agent.”Seth RogenTHR

will host and executive produce a new Disney+ competition series calledShop Class. Premiering on the streaming service on Feb. 28, the show will feature groups of young people challenged to design and build unique projects in each episode, while a panel of experts will evaluate and test the structures to determine a winning team. ()Justin LongTHR

Facebook Watch has greenlitRed Table Talk, thehosted talk show, for three seasons, through 2022. In addition, Facebook Watch and producer Pinkett Smith will launch a new talk show in the franchise:Red Table Talk: The Estefans, featuring Gloria Estefan, her daughter Emily and her niece Lili.Jada Pinkett Smith–

is doing for music what his award-winning, consistently great30 for 30series has done for sports.The Ringercreator is teaming with HBO for a six-part docuseries that will explore larger issues and acts in the music industry. HBO was an investor in The Ringer and Ringer Films, which produced theAndre the Giantdocumentary, about the legendary wrestler and actor, for the cable network.Bill Simmons

Comedianwill star in the Netflix improv comedyCabin, in which he and celebrity friends like Anthony Anderson, Joel McHale, and Caitlyn Jenner will attempt to cleanse their “mind, body, and soul” at a remote cabin via “bizarre therapy techniques, intense physical challenges, and ridiculously improvised encounters with nature,” often with “disastrous” results, according to Netflix.Bert Kreischer

’s fall 2020 daytime talk show,The Drew Barrymore Show, has cleared 85 percent of the country. Barrymore is also an executive producer on the series, which will be distributed by CBS Television Distribution.Drew Barrymore

NBA legend, author, and activistwill executive produce and be featured in the History Channel documentaryBlack Patriots, a “comprehensive picture of the African-American experience during the Revolutionary War,” with focus on Crispus Attucks, Peter Salem, Phillis Wheatley and James Armistead Lafayette. The special airs on Feb. 19.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Lorena Bobbitt, the subject of an Amazon docuseries last year, will produce a fully authorized Lifetime movie about her life. Bobbitt, who became a household name in 1993 after she cut off her abusive husband’s penis, will be the subject ofI Was Lorena Bobbitt, which will air during the second half of 2020 and document her tabloid fame in the ’90s and her work as an advocacy work on behalf of abused women.

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