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    Jonathan Majors Is Cast in First Movie Role Since Assault Conviction

    Mr. Majors, who was sentenced to a year of domestic violence programming and was dropped by Marvel, is set to star in the independent thriller “Merciless.”Jonathan Majors will lead a feature film for the first time since he was found guilty of assaulting and harassing his girlfriend, a conviction that doomed a lucrative contract with Marvel Studios and imperiled his status as one of the fastest-rising stars in Hollywood.Mr. Majors, who starred in “Creed III” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” last year, has been cast in “Merciless,” a supernatural thriller about a C.I.A. interrogator out for revenge. The movie will be directed by Martin Villeneuve and produced by Christopher Tuffin, an executive producer of the films “Sound of Freedom” and “Peppermint.”Mr. Tuffin said he believed in second chances and had decided to work with Mr. Majors because he was a “generational talent.”“We live in a culture that treats people as disposable, on both sides,” he said. “I believe that this matter has been adjudicated in the courts and he has a right to go back to his career.”A representative for Mr. Majors declined to comment.Mr. Majors was convicted of a reckless assault misdemeanor and a harassment violation in December, months after an altercation inside an S.U.V. that his girlfriend Grace Jabbari said turned violent. He was acquitted of two other charges that required prosecutors to prove he had acted with intent.A judge sentenced Mr. Majors to 52 weeks of domestic violence programming.In court testimony, Ms. Jabbari said she and Mr. Majors had gotten into an argument in Manhattan while they were dating. She said that he had twisted her arm and that she subsequently felt “a really hard blow across my head.” Mr. Majors did not testify but through his lawyer and in an interview on “Good Morning America,” he disputed Ms. Jabbari’s account and denied assaulting her.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Kenneth Mitchell, Known for ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Captain Marvel’ Roles, Dies at 49

    Mr. Mitchell, a Canadian actor who appeared on “Star Trek: Discovery,” had A.L.S.Kenneth Mitchell, a Canadian actor known for his roles on the series “Star Trek: Discovery” and the film “Captain Marvel,” died on Saturday. He was 49.He had lived with the neurological disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or A.L.S., which causes paralysis and death, for more than five years, according to a statement from Mr. Mitchell’s family posted to his social media.Mr. Mitchell played the Klingons Kol, Kol-Sha, and Tenavik, as well as Aurellio, on “Star Trek: Discovery,” and voiced several other characters in an episode of “Star Trek: Lower Decks.”In “Captain Marvel,” he played the father of the superhero, Carol Danvers. He was also known for portraying Eric Green on the series “Jericho,” Joshua Dodd in the series “Nancy Drew,” a hockey player in the film “Miracle,” and appeared in several other film and television series.Mr. Mitchell lived with his wife, the actress Susan May Pratt, and their children in Los Angeles. He was born on Nov. 25, 1974, in Toronto to Diane and David Mitchell.In 2018, Mr. Mitchell was diagnosed with A.L.S., according to a statement posted to his social media in August. He revealed his diagnosis in an interview with People Magazine in 2020, saying that from the moment he found out, it was “like I was watching that scene where someone is being told that they have a terminal illness.” He added, “It was just a complete disbelief, a shock.”Mr. Mitchell said he focused on spending more time with his family and rejected a lead role in a television series that required moving back to Canada. The makers of the series “Nancy Drew” also accommodated for his illness, he told People, using a stunt double when needed. Other roles were created for him that allowed him to be seated, he added.“This disease is absolutely horrific,” Mr. Mitchell said in the post last year, which accompanied a photo of him watching the sunset from a wheelchair on the beach. “Yet despite all the suffering, there is so much to be grateful for,” he added.Mr. Mitchell is survived by his wife, their children Lilah and Kallum, his parentsand other family members, according to the family statement. More

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    Biden’s Rating Dips on Gaza, and Marvel Drops Actor

    The New York Times Audio app is home to journalism and storytelling, and provides news, depth and serendipity. If you haven’t already, download it here — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.The Headlines brings you the biggest stories of the day from the Times journalists who are covering them, all in about five minutes.President Biden during a broadcast from the Oval Office after visiting Israel in October, following the breakout of the war against Hamas.Tom Brenner for The New York TimesOn Today’s Episode:Poll Finds Wide Disapproval of Biden on Gaza, by Jonathan Weisman, Ruth Igielnik and Alyce McFaddenCompanies divert ships from Red Sea route, by Andrés R. MartínezAbbott Signs Law Allowing Texas to Arrest Migrants, Setting Up Federal Showdown, by J. David GoodmanMarvel Will Part Ways With Jonathan Majors After Guilty Verdict, by Jonah Bromwich, Erin Nolan and Nicole SperlingAfter Weeks of Warnings, Iceland Volcano Erupts in Plumes of Fire, by Egill Bjarnason and Claire MosesJessica Metzger and More