The daily gossip: Peter Jackson 'in the loop' on new Lord of the Rings movies, the Jonas Brothers are headed to Broadway, and more

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1. Peter Jackson 'in the loop' on new 'Lord of the Rings' movies
2. The Jonas Brothers are headed to Broadway
3. Maisie Williams splits from boyfriend of 5 years: 'We must protect our children (my dog)'
4. Marilyn Manson accuser claims Evan Rachel Wood pressured her into making false allegations
5. Selena Gomez leaves social media after Hailey Bieber drama: 'I'm 30'

published 24 February 2023

1. Peter Jackson 'in the loop' on new 'Lord of the Rings' movies

Is Peter Jackson prepared to go there and back again? Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav dropped a bombshell on a Thursday investor call, revealing that Warner Bros. is set to make new Lord of the Rings movies after reaching a deal with the rights holders, Embracer Group AB. It wasn't clear whether Peter Jackson, director of the two film trilogies, could be involved. But Jackson and his Lord of the Rings partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that Warner Bros. and Embracer have kept them "in the loop every step of the way," and they look "forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward." No details about the movies were provided, though fans are already bracing for the franchise to go full Star Wars, so look out for the exciting new prequel Aragorn: A Lord of the Rings Story followed by a sequel revealing that somehow, Sauron returned.

The Jonas Brothers are set to show up in New York City next month just days after Ghostface. Coincidence? The band announced a five-show, limited engagement on Friday at Broadway's Marquis Theatre, which will begin March 14. The show is called Jonas Brothers On Broadway = 5 Albums 5 Nights, and "each night will be focused on a different album and we'll be playing all the hits," the announcement said. The news comes as the boys are set to drop their new album, which has the very non-SEO friendly title The Album, in May, and they just debuted their new single, "Wings." But fans may not want to get their hopes up about snagging tickets considering they'll be sold through Ticketmaster using its Verified Fan system. "Registration does not guarantee tickets," Ticketmaster warned. "We expect there will be more demand than there are tickets available." And with that, every Swiftie around the world had a PTSD flashback.

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A girl is single. Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams and Reuben Selby, her boyfriend of five years, have broken up. Calling it the "end of an era," the actor wrote on Instagram that "this decision is something we are so grateful for so as we can protect the magic, that we can't help but emit, whenever we put our brains together." Williams and Selby, a designer, confirmed their relationship in 2019, and he has designed some of her outfits, including one she wore to the Met Gala in 2021. On his birthday last year, she called him "the kindest soul this Earth has known." After dropping news of their split, Williams said she'd be taking no further questions, playfully writing, "Please, we must protect our children (my dog)." Selby, meanwhile, shared a photo of them wearing matching outfits and wrote, "Please don't be sad for us — just appreciate the fits." Don't cry because it's over, smile because they ate.

One of Marilyn Manson's accusers has not only retracted all her accusations but gone a step further by blaming the whole thing on Evan Rachel Wood. In a sworn declaration, Ashley Morgan Smithline, who previously accused Manson of sexual abuse but whose lawsuit against him was dismissed, said she actually had a "consensual sexual relationship" with the disgraced rocker. Further, she claimed she "was manipulated" by Wood and others to "spread publicly false accusations of abuse against" Manson. The declaration alleges Wood, who has accused Manson of abuse, asked whether she had been "whipped, chained, tied up, branded/cut, assaulted while sleeping, beaten, or raped" by Manson, and although Smithline said he "did not do these things to me," Wood led her to question "whether he actually did." Wood is being sued by Manson for defamation, and she denied Smithline's claims through a representative, who suggested the "threats Ashley received after filing her federal lawsuit appear to have pressured her to change her testimony."

Like Murtaugh before her, Selena Gomez is getting too old for this. The Only Murders in the Building star has announced she's taking a social media break after drama involving her, Kylie Jenner, and Hailey Bieber. For those just joining us, Jenner and Bieber, the latter of whom is married to Gomez's ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber, were accused of mocking Gomez's eyebrows this week. Gomez suggested there was nothing to that, but then faced criticism for seemingly starting more drama by defending Taylor Swift in the comments of a years-old video of Bieber pretending to gag when Swift's name was mentioned. After all this, Gomez, who just surpassed Jenner as the most-followed woman on Instagram, announced she's "gonna be taking a second from social media because this is a little silly, and I'm 30. I'm too old for this." So Gomez is logging off, as the rest of us realize we spent several days immersed in eyebrow-related celebrity drama and have an existential crisis.

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.