Not so divine?
Russell Crowe's World War I film "The Water Diviner" is being called "the highest-profile piece of propaganda ever produced in the service of genocide denial" by the directors of "1915: The Movie," about the Armenian genocide. In a letter to Crowe and Warner Bros., Garin Hovannisian and Alec Mouhibian object to the depiction of the Turks as "noble victims" and to the film's release date of April 24, the genocide's 100th anniversary. "Of course we do not know how Mr. Crowe and now Warner Bros. have ended up here — by ignorance alone or by bad luck — so we remain polite in how we ask you to consider the consequences of what you are about to do," says the letter.
Tennis, anyone?
Emma Stone and Steve Carell will play Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in "Battle of the Sexes." … Hugh Jackman's "Pan" has been moved from July 24 to Oct. 9. … Author E.L. James' husband, Niall Leonard, will adapt "Fifty Shades Darker" for the screen.
Behind the shield
Marvel doesn't just dominate the big screen: "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." is getting a spinoff centering on the characters of Bobbi Morse (Adrienne Palicki) and Lance Hunter (Nick Blood) that Marvel and ABC say will give off a "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" vibe. … Comedy Central has renewed "Inside Amy Schumer" for a fourth season. … Jon Stewart's last "Daily Show" will be Aug. 6. … "The Astronaut Wives Club," based on the bestselling book, will premiere on ABC June 18. … Elizabeth Gilbert's "The Signature of All Things" will be adapted for "Masterpiece Theatre." … Adam Arkin will be a mob boss in Season 2 of FX's "Fargo."
Rooting out trouble
PBS has launched an internal review into the censorship of information about Ben Affleck's family on an installment of "Finding Your Roots." Affleck admitted that he lobbied host/producer Henry Louis Gates to remove references to his ancestors owning slaves, saying he was "embarrassed" by the revelation.
CYNTHIA DICKISON
