This morning Leave It To Beaver star Tony Dow (he played the brother, Wally Cleaver) was killed off by the entertainment media. Following on from an erroneous post on his official Facebook page, the media declared Dow dead and started publishing obits and remembrances from friends and colleagues.

But Tony Dow didn't die. The sad news is that he is in hospice right now and is potentially just hours away from actually dying.

Tony Dow, Who Played Wally Cleaver on ‘Leave It to Beaver,’ Still Alive Despite Representatives Confirming Death
Update: The New York Times has reported that the statement Dow’s representatives released to Facebook was inaccurate and he is still alive. In addition to the Facebook post, Variety ran the o…
VarietyPat Saperstein

The dawn of Netflix's extended Gray Man universe

Star of The Gray Man Ryan Gosling will return with directors The Russo Brothers for a sequel to the Netflix movie which the company reports was viewed for 88 million hours since release.

But that's not all. It is 2022 and it doesn't cut it to just have a sequel to a movie anymore. You need to have a whole dang universe. As such, part of the announcement today was for a spin-off film that will be written by screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese.

Ryan Gosling to Return for ‘The Gray Man’ Sequel as Netflix Also Announces Separate Spin-Off Film
Joe and Anthony Russo will return to direct the sequel, while the universe-building spin-off will be helmed by screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese
Rolling StoneLarisha Paul

Meanwhile, up the river...

Virgin River's fourth season debuted on Netflix with 105.4 million hours watched. That makes it the number one TV series on Netflix and has me asking: Where is the Virgin River extended universe, Netflix?

Netflix Top 10: ‘The Gray Man’ Premiere Viewed for 88 Million Hours, ‘Stranger Things’ Dethroned by ‘Virgin River’
Netflix’s $200 million bet on “The Gray Man” has begun to pay off. The Ryan Gosling-led action flick, which is among the streamer’s most expensive movies to date, was viewed…
VarietySelome Hailu

Put on yr sandals

Peacock has given the greenlight to a gladiator TV show from Independence Day director Roland Emmerich.

Those About To Die is based on author Daniel Mannix’s book of the same title and the show is described as “a large-scale drama set within the spectacular, complex and corrupt world of gladiatorial sports in Ancient Rome. The series introduces an ensemble of diverse characters across the many layers of Roman society where sports, politics and business intersect and collide.”
Peacock Orders Gladiator Drama With Director Roland Emmerich
‘Those About To Die,’ based on author Daniel Mannix’s book, gets a straight-to-series-order.
The Hollywood ReporterJames Hibberd

Which begs the question...

  • Don't expect more Mare of Easttown - Kate Winslet has an increasingly full slate already at HBO. In addition to the already-announced HBO limited series The Trust, today has news she has signed up for The Palace. This limited series will be directed by Stephen Frears. Read: Indiewire
  • But do expect Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis to appear on That 90s Show, reprising his That 70s Show character. Read: Variety
  • The Leo DiCaprio / Martin Scorsese Apple TV+ film Killers of The Flower Moon will debut in 2023 as originally planned. There was talk of moving it up for a 2022 release. Read: Variety
  • It looks like the season 2 pickup of Call Me Kat really interrupted Sony's Jeopardy! plans. Mayim Bialik will remain on board as a rotating host on the game show along with series MVP Ken Jennings. Read: Vanity Fair
  • An Eragon TV series is in the works for Disney+. Read: Variety

Let The Right One In debuts Oct 7 for Showtime streaming subscribers in the US.

A League of Their Own debuts August 12 on Amazon Prime Video.

Echoes debuts on Netflix August 19. And yes, this very American series sure does look a lot like Australia - it is from an Aussie production company (Endemol Shine Banks Australia).

Identical twins Leni and Gina have secretly switched places for years. But when one sister disappears, both of their lives start to fall apart.

Kevin Hart/Mark Wahlberg film Me Time debuts August 26 on Netflix.

Ludik debuts on Netflix August 26.

To save a kidnapped family member, an enterprising furniture tycoon must use his secret diamond smuggling operation to transport guns across the border.

That's the newsletter for another day. But tomorrow will yield another.