Exclusive: Leslie Mann is stepping into Taylor Hackford’s “The Comedian.” Mann replaces Jennifer Aniston, starring opposite Robert DeNiro. The best comic in the business, Jeff Ross, wrote the screenplay. Art Linson is producing. When I announced that Aniston was leaving, her fans wrote in like crazy about who’s to blame, etc. These things happen all the time. Scheduling, chemistry, karma, who knows. There is no blame. It just ‘is.’ Each are terrific comic actresses.

I told you last week Josh Gad was joining Reginald Hudlin’s “Marshall” opposite Chadwick Boseman. Today it was made official and websites reported it as “exclusive.” Anyway, Josh is actually playing my great uncle, Samuel Friedman, who really tried the Joseph Spell case in Greenwich, Connecticut back in the 1940s with a young Thurgood Marshall as advisor from the NAACP. It’s a great story, I’m glad it’s being made. Gad looks nothing at all like my uncle Sam, but he’s a good actor and I look forward to seeing Hudlin having a success with this.

EXCLUSIVE Jennifer Lawrence is picking up a machine gun and a beret for her next project. I’m told that Lawrence, now a four time Oscar nominee, will play Patty Hearst in a new feature film.

The screenplay is from Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, whose “People vs. O.J. Simpson” is about to hit big time on F/X.

Lawrence, I’m told, may also produce. No director is mentioned in the word around town, but honestly, her pal David O. Russell would be perfect for this. And Bradley Cooper could play the boyfriend Steven Weed who got Patty into the Symbionese Liberation Army and named her Tanya.

This would be a new take on the story for film. Paul Schrader made an excellent movie in 1988 starring the late great Natasha Richardson as Patty.

EXCLUSIVE Remember how Woody Allen said he regretted making a deal with Amazon and didn’t know how he’d write a TV series? Well, he’s done it.

Woody’s untitled six episode series, presumably a comedy, will shoot beginning in March in New York. It looks like it will take six weeks, or one episode a week.

A casting call has gone out for supporting players including a young Jack Lemmon type and a group of “Miss Marple” types. No word yet on the plot, the main cast or characters, or anything else. But all should be revealed shortly. For the Lemmon character, Woody do well to check out new pop singer Charlie Puth. Juliet Taylor, FYI.

Woody’s next feature film — set for release later this year– has all star cast featuring Steve Carell, Parker Posey, Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively, and the amazing Judy Davis.

Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter, posted this to Google Plus today.

Alan Rickman is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors I will ever work with. He is also, one of the loyalest and most supportive people I’ve ever met in the film industry. He was so encouraging of me both on set and in the years post-Potter. I’m pretty sure he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in London and New York. He didn’t have to do that. I know other people who’ve been friends with him for much much longer than I have and they all say “if you call Alan, it doesn’t matter where in the world he is or how busy he is with what he’s doing, he’ll get back to you within a day”.

People create perceptions of actors based on the parts they played so it might surprise some people to learn that contrary to some of the sterner(or downright scary) characters he played, Alan was extremely kind, generous, self-deprecating and funny. And certain things obviously became even funnier when delivered in his unmistakable double-bass.

As an actor he was one of the first of the adults on Potter to treat me like a peer rather than a child. Working with him at such a formative age was incredibly important and I will carry the lessons he taught me for the rest of my life and career. Film sets and theatre stages are all far poorer for the loss of this great actor and man.

No nominations for Ridley Scott, no Best Pic or Best Director for “Carol” or “Straight Outta Compton” or “Danish Girl.” Nothing for Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay for “Steve Jobs.” Big shocks.

All 20 of the acting nominees are white. Knowing this was going to happen, wisely the Oscars chose Chris Rock to host the show. He’ll have something to say on the situation.

The many nominations for “Mad Max” show a shift in the Academy. As AFTRA members are merged into SAG, things are changing. The Academy is also getting younger, or at least the older people have a younger attitude.

I still think “Spotlight” is the Best Picture if they can mount a campaign against “The Revenant.” “Spotlight” is the Big Idea movie, with an important theme. That’s what a Best Picture should be.

Lady Gaga and Diane Warren were nominated for “Til It Happens to You” Best Song. It’s Warren’s EIGHTH nomination. They will win.

Best Picture
The Big Short
Bridge Of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

Best Actor
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge Of Spies
Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Directing
The Big Short
Mad Max
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

Film Editing
Big Short
Mad Max
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Foreign Language Film
Embrace Of The Serpent
Mustang
Son Of Saul
A War

Original Score
Bridge of Spies
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Sicario
Star Wars

Production Design
Bridge Of Spies
The Danish Girl
Mad Max
The Martian
The Revenant

Visual Effects
Ex Machina
Mad Max
The Revenant
Star Wars
The Martian

Adapted Screenplay
The Big Short
Brooklyn
Carol
Martian
Room

Original Screenplay
Bridge Of Spies
Alex Garland
Inside Out
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton

Animated Feature Film
Anomalisa
Boy And The World
Inside Out
Shaun The Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There

Cinematography
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Mad Mad: Fury Road
The Revenant
Sicario

Costume Design
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant

Documentary Feature
Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone
Ukraine

Documentary Short Subject
Body Team 12
A Girl In The River
Last Day Of Freedom

Makeup and Hairstyling
Mad Max
100 Year Old Man
The Revenant

Original Song
50 Shades Of Gray
Racing Extinction
Youth
The Hunting Ground
Spectre

Animated Short Film
World Of Tomorrow

Live Action Short Film
Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be OK
Shock
Sutter

Sound Editing
Mad Max
The Martian
The Revenant
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Sound Mixing
Bridge Of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Oscar nominations are coming in just as we’re learning of the death of Alan Rickman at age 69…a shock and tragedy…