The daily gossip: October 21, 2019

1. Kanye West's new album has a release date

Stop us if you've heard this one before: Kanye West's new album has a release date. Jesus is King, which promises to deliver a mix of hip-hop and gospel music, is now slated for release on October 25. The album was originally teased for a September 27 release date by West's wife Kim Kardashian, but has repeatedly endured last-minute delays so West could tinker with the final product. If you've been holding your breath for the past month, you might want to exhale before you pass out on the floor.

Pitchfork

2. Jared Leto tried to kill Joaquin Phoenix's Joker movie

The runaway success of the new Joker movie, which stars Joaquin Phoenix, has left at least one person without a smile: Jared Leto, who also played the Joker in 2016's critically maligned Suicide Squad, and had hoped to reprise the role. When the rival Joker first came to his attention, Leto reportedly told his agents that they should try to stop the movie from being produced, fearing — correctly! — that it would get in the way of his own plans for the character. The report also says the version of the Joker played by Leto is unlikely to return in any future D.C. Comics movies — which is probably for the best, since Leto seems to be the only one who had any interest in seeing him again.

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The Hollywood Reporter

3. Frances Ford Coppola says Marvel superhero movies are 'despicable'

A couple of weeks ago, Martin Scorsese set off a minor firestorm when he revealed that he believes Marvel superhero movies are "not cinema" — and like an Avengers of Auteurs, his fellow directors have all assembled to back him up. The latest is Frances Ford Coppola, director of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II and (sigh) The Godfather Part III, who said he believes Scorsese is right. Coppola added that he thinks Marvel movies are "despicable," so he must have watched Thor: The Dark World recently.

The Hollywood Reporter

4. Joe Pesci turned down The Irishman 40 times

Martin Scorsese's upcoming crime drama The Irishman stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci — but while the first two names might be bigger, it was Pesci that proved the biggest challenge. By one accounting, the semi-retired Pesci was asked to join the movie 40 times — including regular pleas from De Niro — before he agreed to accept the role. (No word, sadly, on how many times David Spade needed to bug Joe Pesci before he agreed to costar in 1997's 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag.)

Entertainment Weekly

5. AMC announces 27-hour Star Wars movie marathon

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is bound for release in April, capping off the third of three distinct Star Wars trilogies. And to celebrate the occasion, AMC has announced a gauntlet at least as challenging as doing the Kessel Run in fewer than 12 parsecs: A 27-hour marathon screening of all nine main series Star Wars movies, capped off with an early screening of the new one, which you'll be too exhausted and bleary-eyed to enjoy. (And before you ask: No, you can't buy a discount ticket that'll let you skip the prequels.)

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