Behind the Scenes Buzz with Smash and David E Kelly

ESAI MORALES TO REPLACE NICHOLAS HOULT IN MISSION: Esai Morales is replacing Nicholas Hoult as the villain in Mission: Impossible 7. The Paramount and Skydance production was shut down, but the Christopher McQuarrie-directed Tom Cruise-starring feature is expected to restart production this fall. The switcheroo was due to a scheduling conflict, Deadline reports.

SMASH HEADED FOR BROADWAY: The new musical Smash, inspired by the NBC series of the same name, is headed for Broadway with Steven Spielberg producing. “Smash is near and dear to my heart, and it seems fitting that a new musical inspired by what we did on the show would eventually come to the stage,” continued the filmmaker. “I’m beyond thrilled to be working with this incredible creative team and my producing partners, who began the Smash journey with me over 10 years ago.” Production dates are TBD.

HBO MAX‘S BIGGEST DRAW? Isn’t Friends as it turns out. According to a new survey conducted by The Hollywood Reporter of 2,200 nationally representative adults May 14-17, 34%of respondents said they were more likely to subscribe to HBO Max because it includes TV shows and movies from HBO. WarnerMedia, meanwhile, shelled out $400 million to bring Friends to Max. The streamer launches May 27.

DAVID E. KELLY BOARDS NETFLIX THRILLER: Big Little Lies creator David E. Kelley and House of Cards showrunner Melissa James Gibson have joined the Netflix miniseries Anatomy of a Scandal as writers, showrunners and executive producers. The show is based on Sarah Vaughan‘s best-selling novel, and is being pitched by Netflix as an “insightful and suspenseful series about a sexual consent scandal amongst British privileged elite and the women caught up in its wake.”