When can people expect to see a
trailer for Warner Bros.’ Mowgli?
We’re literally a couple of
months from completion now,
and the film’s coming out
in October, so very soon you’re
going to start seeing trailers
and promos with all the normal
events coming up this year.
How are you differentiating it
from Disney and Jon Favreau’s
The Jungle Book?
Back in the day when I came
on board, there was no Jon
Favreau project. So that’s just
timing really. And when the
film was commissioned, it was
always a much darker movie,
and it’s a PG-13 movie. So it was
looking at the tone of Rudyard
Kipling’s book. This story is
about identity. It’s about being
other: Mowgli growing up as an
other in the world of animals
and trying to fit in and then in
the world of man, and it takes
place in both realms. And
then the approach was rather
than looking at it as a piece of
spectacle, it’s a very emotional
and dramatic piece about the
connection between the ani-
mals and Mowgli, and humans
and Mowgli.You also wrapped up the Apes
trilogy. Is there more creatively
to do in that world, perhaps
playing a new character?
It really depends on story and
character. And also who
it would be that I would work
with. If Matt Reeves is mak-
ing another film, or Rupert
Wyatt, I’d jump at it because
they are passionate about thesubject matter and material
and the metaphor there. I love
those stories. They’ve meant
a lot to me.There’s a joke online that you
and Martin Freeman are
the “Tolkien white guys” in
Black Panther given your
shared Hobbit work. What’s
your reaction to that?
It’s really funny. And Ryan
Coogler did say to both of us,
“Guys, you know I’ve never
directed a scene with two white
actors before.” So it was kind
of a moment of, “Wow, Godthat is absolutely incredible,
isn’t it?” It was eye-opening
for me in the sense that this
is what other actors of color or
ethnic minorities go through
on every single production
where they are in the minor-
ity. So it’s a sad case, and
hopefully Black Panther will
change a lot. I think it will.Many were shocked by the fate
of Snoke in The Last Jedi. Will
you answer the call should J.J.
Abrams say there’s more to
do with Snoke in Episode IX?
It’s a great character, and I’d
be keen. I know it frustrated
a lot of people that Snoke came
to such a sticky end so quickly,
but I loved that big scene and
the relationship between
Daisy Ridley’s character and
Snoke — and where it goes
from there and what escalates
from that moment, you know
the fight that kicks off after
that. So I really think it’s great
in the movie, but yeah, I could
quite happily — I’d be very
happy to extend Snoke’s life
for sure.BETTY WHITE
The 96-year-old comedy icon and
seven-time Emmy winner will be lauded
with the Lifetime Achievement Award
for her seven decades of work, including
on the series The Mary Tyler Moore Show,
The Carol Burnett Show, The Golden Girls
and, more recently, Hot in Cleveland. “Betty
White is a joy and a national treasure,”
says ICG national president Steven Poster.
“She brings a smile to the nation’s face.”DAN FOGELMAN
The creator and executive producer of
the NBC drama This Is Us will be named
Television Showman of the Year. Since
premiering in September 2016, Fogelman’s
family drama has been nominated for
10 Emmys (Sterling K. Brown won for lead
actor) as well as Golden Globes for best
drama for its first two seasons. It won the
SAG Award for outstanding performance
by an ensemble in a drama series in January.SHOWSTOPPERS SHINEThe creator of This Is Us and a beloved actress both will be feted by the publicists guild
3 Serkis
as Ulysses
Klaue
(left) with
Martin
Freeman
in Black
Panther.
4 Serkis’
Breathe
stars
Andrew
Garfield
and Claire
Foy (both
seated
in car).34