The daily gossip: Gwyneth Paltrow's 'luxury diaper' turns out to be a PR stunt, Christopher Walken to play the emperor of the universe in Dune: Part Two, and more

1. Gwyneth Paltrow's 'luxury diaper' turns out to be a PR stunt

Even Goop has its limits. The lifestyle company founded by Gwyneth Paltrow on Wednesday unveiled "the Diapér," a new luxury disposable diaper "lined with virgin alpaca wool and fastened with amber gemstones" that purportedly cost a whopping $120. It sounded too ridiculous to be true, and it was. Paltrow has now revealed the whole thing was just a PR stunt to protest the way diapers are taxed. "There was a lot of outrage" over the announcement of this "fake product," the actress said. "Good. It was designed to piss us off, because if treating diapers like a luxury makes you mad, so should taxing them like a luxury." When you're a company that really does sell something called a "This Smells Like My Vagina Candle," though, a gag product announcement doesn't really have the same impact.

Vice

2. Christopher Walken to play the emperor of the universe in 'Dune: Part Two'

He's got a fever, and the only prescription is more desert power! Christopher Walken is set to play the emperor of the universe in Dune: Part Two, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline report. The actor has landed the role of Emperor Shaddam IV in this second part of Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel, joining a cast that includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and Javier Bardem. The emperor role was previously played by Jose Ferrer in the 1984 David Lynch movie. Also joining the cast for Dune: Part Two is Florence Pugh as the emperor's daughter, Princess Irulan, and fresh off his lead role in Elvis, Austin Butler will play Feyd-Rautha, nephew of Baron Harkonnen. The world will be blessed with the sound of Walken hopefully saying the word "spice" many times when the film hits theaters in October 2023.

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The Hollywood Reporter Deadline

3. Hayden Panettiere is returning to the 'Scream' franchise

Hayden Panettiere is ready to scream again. The actress is returning to the Scream franchise for the upcoming sixth film, reprising her role from Scream 4. Panettiere played Kirby Reed, a horror fan and friend of Emma Roberts' character, in the 2011 slasher sequel, becoming a major fan favorite. Though Kirby was seemingly stabbed to death at the end, an Easter egg in the recent fifth film confirmed she survived, setting her up for a return in the 2023 follow-up. She'll join the new cast that includes Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, and Jenna Ortega. For Panettiere, this will also serve as a return to acting in general, as she hasn't appeared in any movie in six years. But who could resist a Ghostface rematch? If she ends up being the film's Drew Barrymore-style opening death, though, we'll scream.

The Hollywood Reporter

4. Adam Driver to star in Francis Ford Coppola's next film

Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola's first feature film in over a decade is coming together. Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Voight have all been cast in Megalopolis, the next movie from the director of The Godfather. It tells the "epic story of political ambition, genius, and conflicted love," in which "the fate of Rome haunts a modern world unable to solve its own social problems," the logline says. Deadline describes this as the 83-year-old director's "final dream project," which he's been talking about making for years. Coppola is notably financing the movie himself with plans to commit around $100 million to it. "I couldn't care less about the financial impact whatsoever," he told GQ. "It means nothing to me." He also told Deadline, "What's the worst that can happen to me? I'm going to die and be broke? I'm not going to be broke."

Deadline The Hollywood Reporter

5. Ezra Miller to police: 'I film myself when I get assaulted for NFT crypto art'

The Flash star Ezra Miller is back in the news, and no, they didn't get arrested yet again. This time, it's because TMZ obtained body camera footage from when Miller was arrested in March after allegedly becoming agitated at people singing karaoke in a bar. The footage shows the actor claiming to police they "got assaulted" and have video to prove it. "I film myself when I get assaulted for NFT crypto art," Miller claims. The actor proceeds to repeatedly scream at the officers, "Tell me your name and your badge number!" Eventually, Miller calms down a bit while being handcuffed, claiming, "A guy in that bar declared himself as a Nazi, I have it on film, and he attacked me." Miller was charged with disorderly conduct and harassment, only to get arrested again weeks later in another incident. That was April 19, so can Miller maintain this streak of nearly a whole month without an arrest?

TMZ