The daily gossip: DC star Zachary Levi faces backlash over tweet about Pfizer, Michael Jackson's nephew to play him in a movie, and more

1. 'Shazam!' star Zachary Levi faces backlash over tweet about Pfizer

Did Zachary Levi just chuck his DC career out the window? The Shazam! star has sparked backlash after responding "hardcore agree" to a Twitter prompt that asked, "Do you agree or not, that Pfizer is a real danger to the world?" The post set off a firestorm on Twitter, as fans interpreted this to mean the actor had revealed himself to be an anti-vaxxer weeks before DC's Shazam! Fury of the Gods opens. It wasn't clear, though, if he was attacking Pfizer over its COVID-19 vaccine or for other reasons. He later tweeted a link to a 2009 press release about the company paying $2.3 billion to settle allegations of fraudulent marketing, calling this "just one example of what I'm referring to." But Levi also never denied the anti-vaccine interpretation of the original tweet amid the subsequent controversy. If he doesn't do so soon, don't be surprised to find Levi starring in a buddy cop movie with Gina Carano next.

TMZ

2. Michael Jackson's nephew to play him in a movie

A new Michael Jackson biopic has entered the nepo baby discourse chat. The director of an upcoming movie about the iconic singer has revealed that Michael Jackson's actual nephew has been cast in the lead role. Yes, Jaafar Jackson, son of Michael's brother Jermaine Jackson, is set to play his uncle in Michael, director Antoine Fuqua announced. Fuqua, who most recently directed Will Smith's first post-Slap movie Emancipation, described the biopic as "the motion picture event that explores the journey of the man who became the King of Pop." Jaafar Jackson is also a singer, but this will be his first major acting role. "Even after conducting a worldwide search, it was clear that he is the only person to take on this role," producer Graham King said. But with a Jackson family member starring and the singer's estate involved, it's probably safe to assume the film will leave certain aspects of his life on the cutting room floor.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The Hollywood Reporter

3. Adam Levine welcomes 3rd child with Behati Prinsloo after cheating scandal

That baby of yours is absurd. Adam Levine has welcomed his third child with his wife, Behati Prinsloo, months after he was accused of cheating on her, People reports. Last September, Instagram model Sumner Stroh alleged she had an affair with Levine while he was married to Prinsloo. "At the time, I was young, I was naive, and quite frankly, I feel exploited," she said, alleging Levine even wanted to name his baby after her. A variety of flirty DMs allegedly sent by the singer to Stroh and others also leaked, including one infamous one where he declares "that body of yours is absurd." The allegations emerged days after Prinsloo announced she was pregnant with their third child. Levine has denied having an affair but admitted he "crossed the line." He hasn't confirmed the news of his new child, but stay tuned to find out what his second choice for a name was after Sumner.

People

4. Marilyn Manson accused of sexually assaulting a minor before threatening to 'kill her and her family'

Marilyn Manson may have settled one sexual assault lawsuit, but the unsettling allegations against him keep piling up. The disgraced rocker has been sued by an anonymous woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her multiple times in the 1990s starting when she was 16, according to Entertainment Weekly. The lawsuit reportedly alleges that Manson met the woman after a concert before performing "various acts of criminal sexual conduct" on her in his tour bus. She was left "in pain, scared, upset, humiliated, and confused," but Manson "laughed at her" and threatened to "kill her and her family" if she told anyone what happened, the lawsuit alleges, accusing the singer of "grooming, manipulation, exploitation, and sexual assault." Record labels Interscope and Nothing Records are also named as defendants and accused of being aware of Manson's "obsession with sexual violence and childhood sexual assault." Manson recently settled a sexual assault lawsuit brought by Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco. Terms were not disclosed.

Entertainment Weekly

5. Julia Roberts and Jennifer Aniston to star in a body swap movie

So it hasn't been your Freaky Friday, your Freaky Friweek, your Friday Frimonth, or even your Freaky Friyear. Jennifer Aniston and Julia Roberts are set to star in a body swap comedy, Deadline reports. The project will be directed by Max Barbakow, who previously brought us the Groundhog Day-style comedy Palm Springs starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. According to the report, Barbakow pitched the film just last week, which presumably involved simply writing "Freaky Friday with Julia Roberts and Jennifer Aniston" on a whiteboard before a studio executive, with a cigar falling out of his mouth, declared, "Kid, you've got yourself a picture!" The project is set up at Amazon and comes on the heels of Roberts' rom-com Ticket to Paradise being a hit last year. Meanwhile, an actual Freaky Friday sequel hasn't been confirmed despite Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis expressing interest, but perhaps that's what phase two of the body-swapping cinematic universe is for.

Deadline