In this Feb. 5, 2015 file photo, Tony Award-winning theater and film director Stephen Daldry poses for a portrait in New York. Daldry is exiting the project, a studio representative confirmed Tuesday. The “Billy Elliot” director has been associated with the adaptation for years, going back as far as 2012. Universal Pictures earlier this year removed “Wicked” from its release schedule. It was last slated for a Dec. 22, 2021 theatrical launch. (Photo by Drew Gurian/Invision/AP, File)
By Lindsey Bahr, AP Film Writer
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The long-gestating film adaptation of the Broadway hit "Wicked" has hit another snag. Director Stephen Daldry is exiting the project, a studio representative confirmed Tuesday.
The industry trade website Deadline first reported the news.
The "Billy Elliot" director has been associated with the adaptation for years, going back as far as 2012. Writer Winnie Holzman, who wrote the musical, wrote the script with "Wicked" composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. At one point, the film was supposed to hit theaters in Dec. 2019.
Universal Pictures earlier this year removed "Wicked" from its release schedule. It was last slated for a Dec. 22, 2021 theatrical launch.
No cast has been officially announced.
In addition to directing the stage and movie versions of "Billy Elliot," Daldry's Broadway credits include "An Inspector Calls," "Skylight" and he just got a Tony Award nomination for "The Inheritance." He has won two Tonys.
This image released by Hallmark Media shows Hunter King, left, and Tyler Hynes in a scene from "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. (Joshua Haines/Hallmark Media via AP)
Two new Christmas TV movies have a Taylor Swift connection that her fans would have no problem decoding.
"Christmas in the Spotlight" debuts Saturday on Lifetime. It stars Jessica Lord as the world's biggest pop star and Laith Wallschleger as a pro football player, who meet and fall in love — not unlike Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
"It's clearly inspired by Taylor and Travis, but I don't know them and I don't know what is going on behind the scenes. I only know what's been put out there," said Eirene Tran Donohue, a longtime, devoted fan who jumped at the opportunity to write a script even loosely based on her favorite musician.
She was inspired by the couple's support of each other's accomplishments, particularly Kelce's ease with dating the star despite the glare of the spotlight, adding, "I love the way that he celebrates her."
Tran Donohue wants fellow Swift fans to know she wrote the script with them in mind.
"There are so many Easter eggs," she said of little details added that a Swift fan would pick up on. "I put in as many as I could."
Then, on Nov. 30, Hallmark will air "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story." Instead of a nod to Swift, it's an ode to family traditions and bonding, like rooting for a sports team. Hallmark's headquarters is also in Kansas City, so it makes sense why the company chose the Chiefs to be highlighted.
In this story, written by Julie Sherman Wolfe, sparks fly when a new employee for the Chiefs organization (Tyler Hynes) meets a woman — played by Hunter King — whose family's dedication to the team goes back generations.
Sherman Wolfe, a San Francisco 49ers fan, said she got the call a week after Super Bowl LVIII, when the Chiefs... Read More
