News Briefs

Netflix will remove footage of a real fiery train disaster from its hit post-apocalyptic survival film "Bird Box" months after the streaming giant was criticized for exploiting a tragedy.

The stock footage was taken from a 2013 crash in the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic when a train carrying crude oil came off the tracks and exploded into a massive ball of fire, killing 47 people.

Netflix licensed the footage from the stock image vendor Pond 5 and used it in "Bird Box" in an early TV news montage. The Sandra Bullock-led thriller is about monstrous entities that compel any human who sees them to quickly try to kill themselves.

Pond 5 in January said the footage "was taken out of context" and apologized. But Netflix said at the time it wasn't planning to cut the clip, although said it was looking at ways to do things differently moving forward.

Nexflix changed its mind and said Friday it will replace the footage with an outtake from a former TV series in the U.S. The company said it is "sorry for any pain caused to the Lac-Megantic community."

The mayor of Lac-Megantic, Julie Morin, had criticized the use of the footage, calling it "a lack of respect." She and Quebec's culture and communications minister, Nathalie Roy, applauded Netflix's latest move. "This result shows that by being united and pooling our efforts, everything is possible," Roy tweeted.

Months after being fired over old tweets, James Gunn has been rehired as director of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."

Representatives for the Walt Disney Co. and for Gunn on Friday confirmed that Gunn has been reinstated as writer-director of the Marvel franchise he has guided from the start. Gunn was fired last July over tweets from nearly a decade ago in which Gunn joked about subjects like pedophilia and rape.

Gunn earlier apologized for the tweets, which he called "unfortunate efforts to be provocative." Disney Chairman Alan Horn at the time said Gunn's words were inconsistent with the studio's values. The comments, made from 2008 to 2011, were brought to light by far-right propagandists Mike Cernovich and Jack Posobiec who combed through Gunn's social media history after Gunn's criticism of President Donald Trump.

But Gunn's dismissal was passionately protested by many. Fan petitions circulated online. The "Guardians" cast, including Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel and other stars, supported Gunn in an open letter. "Although I don't support James Gunn's inappropriate jokes from years ago, he is a good man," Pratt said.

"I am tremendously grateful to every person out there who has supported me over the last few months," Gunn said in a statement. "I am always learning and will continue to work at being the best human being I can be."

Gunn added a thank you to Disney and said he was excited to "continue making films that investigate the ties of love that bind us all."

Gunn has since signed on to write and direct the next installment of Warner Bros.' "Suicide Squad" for the Marvel rival DC Comics. That film is to shoot in the fall and be released in August 2021.

A Disney spokesman declined to comment on when "Guardians 3" might go into production. The first two films have made more than $1.5 billion in worldwide ticket sales.

Deadline first reported Gunn's rehiring.

NBC is shaking up late-night TV, giving Carson Daly's slot to a woman of color who's a star on YouTube.

The network said Thursday that a new show, titled "A Little Late with Lilly Singh," will air at 1:35 a.m. EDT beginning in September.

Singh will be the only woman to host a daily late-night show on a major broadcast network.

Her half-hour program will include in-studio interviews and pre-taped comedy sketches, NBC said.

In a statement, Singh called the prospect of being an Indian-Canadian woman with her own late-night show "a dream come true."

Her acting credits include HBO's movie "Fahrenheit?451," ''Bad Moms" and "Ice Age: Collision Course."?

Singh's YouTube channel, in which she creates comedic and other videos, has more than 14 million subscribers, NBC said.

Last month, Daly said he's decided it's time to bring his "Last Call" show to an end as he focuses on new and continuing projects, as host and producer of NBC's "The Voice."

"Empire" actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges accusing him of lying to the police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in downtown Chicago a few weeks ago.

Lawyer Tina Glandian entered the plea on behalf of the 36-year-old actor during a hearing in Cook County Circuit Court after Judge Steven Watkins was assigned to oversee the case, including the trial.

Watkins granted Smollett's request to be allowed to meet with lawyers in New York and California, but said the actor must give the court at least 48 hours' prior notice. He scheduled the next hearing for April 17.

Smollett is charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct.

Prosecutors allege that Smollett, who is black and gay and plays the gay character Jamal Lyon on the hit Fox TV show, hired two friends to help him stage the attack on him in downtown Chicago early on the morning of Jan. 29. They say Smollett was unhappy about his salary and wanted to drum up publicity to help his career.

Smollett has denied that he staged the attack and maintains he is innocent. His attorneys have called the charges against him "prosecutorial overkill."

There were several supporters outside the courthouse doors as Smollett arrived for the hearing, including some who waved signs. Activist Wisdom Cole led a few chants in support of the actor, the black community and the LGBT community.

"Jussie has been a person of high caliber and character. He comes from an activist family. He has a consistent track record and history of supporting marginalized people ... and so his track record is not on par with the idea of a hoax," she said.