ACADEMY APOLOGIZES TO SACHEEN LITTLEFEATHER FOR 1973 OSCARS INCIDENT: Variety reports that the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has issued a formal apology to Sacheen Littlefeather, who took the stage at the 1973 Oscars to decline the award for best actor on behalf of Marlon Brando. At the time, the audience booed Littlefeather, performed racist gestures such as “tomahawk chops,” and threatened her with violence offstage. 50 years later, the Academy is apologizing for what she experienced that night—while also planning to host “An Evening with Sacheen Littlefeather” on Sept. 17th. The apology to Littlefeather reads in part, “As you stood on the Oscars stage in 1973 to not accept the Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando, in recognition of the misrepresentation and mistreatment of Native American people by the film industry, you made a powerful statement that continues to remind us of the necessity of respect and the importance of human dignity. The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified. The emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. For too long the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration.”
JOHNNY DEPP TO DIRECT HIS FIRST FILM IN 25 YEARS: Johnny Depp has picked up another big project on the heels of his defamation trial—and it will mark his first time directing a film in 25 years. The Pirates of the Caribbean star is set to direct Modigliani, a biopic about Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. Depp told The Hollywood Reporter, “The saga of Mr. Modigliani’s life is one that I’m incredibly honored, and truly humbled, to bring to the screen. It was a life of great hardship, but eventual triumph — a universally human story all viewers can identify with.”
VIOLA DAVIS JOINS THE CAST OF ‘THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES:’ Deadline reports that Viola Davis is the next big name to join the cast of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The How to Get Away with Murder star is set to play Head Gamemaker Volumnia Gaul in the Hunger Games prequel.
KENYA BARRIS WILL REIMAGINE ‘THE WIZARD OF OZ’ FOR WARNER BROS.: According to The Hollywood Reporter, Black-ish creator Kenya Barris will be remaking The Wizard of Oz for Warner Bros. Barris is also set to produce the movie through his production banner, Khalabo Ink Society.
