EXCLUSIVE: Earlier this morning, Amazon revealed that it was letting go several hundred employees across Prime Video and Amazon Studios as part of a review of its business. Details have emerged about the cuts, which were described by one source close to the company as a “bloodbath”. Execs let go include Nancy Cotton, Arturo Interian, […]
EXCLUSIVE: RuPaul’s Drag Race is sashaying its way into another season of strong ratings for MTV. Season 16 debuted on January 5 with the best TV share for any season premiere in the history of the franchise, up 4% versus the previous season, according to live + three-day Nielsen data. In the three-day viewing window, […]
Universal has entered into a first-look film partnership with Point Grey Pictures, the production company of Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver. The deal comes following the companies’ past work together on breakout comedy hits including the Neighbors franchise, Good Boys and Blockers. In a statement on the pact Donna Langley, NBCUniversal Studio Group’s […]
EXCLUSIVE: Clone High, Max’s animated series revival of the classic MTV series from Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Bill Lawrence, is expanding its Season 2 guest cast ahead of its premiere next month. A specific date TBD. They include Jermaine Fowler as Toussaint Louverture, Paul F. Tompkins as Professor Hirsute, Stephen Root as Schneider Snorkelle, Jackee […]
Shares in EchoStar, which just completed a long-anticipated merger with Dish Network, have jumped more than 35% today after the company said it is officially reviewing its strategic options. While that may not mean an M&A deal is imminent, the hiring of Houlihan Lokey and White & Case “to assist the company in evaluating potential strategic […]
EXCLUSIVE: Another high-profile post-strike TV package has found a buyer. In a competitive situation with multiple bidders, Netflix has nabbed Covers, a drama from Girls creator Lena Dunham, who is set to write, direct and executive produce under her Good Thing Going banner; Drew Comins’ Creative Engine Entertainment (Yellowjackets); and Fifth Season, sources tell Deadline. […]
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Joe Drake is exiting the company, and handing over executive duties and title to Motion Picture Group Vice Chair Adam Fogelson. This was a move initiated by Drake who’ll be working with Fogelson over the coming months to transition him to the Chair role. The corporate segue follows Lionsgate’s reboot […]
Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the year’s most talked-about scripts continues with Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, the darkly comedic genre-bender penned by Tony McNamara that marks a reunion of the Greek filmmaker with McNamara and star Emma Stone after 2018’s Oscar-nominated The Favourite. A visually stunning adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s same-name 1992 novel, Poor Things just won a […]
For Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy plunged deep into the mind and physicality of an iconic scientist that irrevocably changed our world. At once complex, conflicting, stylish and brilliant, Oppenheimer’s life and work is not an immediately obvious choice for an epic blockbuster subject. And yet, Christopher Nolan’s decision to ask his longtime collaborator Murphy to step […]
EXCLUSIVE: MTV Documentary Films is making its Oscar-shortlisted documentary The ABCs of Book Banning free to public library patrons across this country on Saturday, in partnership with streaming platform Projectr. Documentary legend Sheila Nevins makes her directorial debut with the short, which examines the rising tide of book banning efforts around the United States. The […]
EXCLUSIVE: Sanaa Lathan, who was recently Emmy nominated for her role on Succession, is to star as the infamous “psychic” Miss Cleo in a new drama series. Legendary Entertainment is developing the project, Miss Cleo, with Lathan as exec producer. Former Sony Pictures Television head of drama Sharon Hall, who exec produced The Expanse, is […]
EXCLUSIVE: Jack Sussman is leaving CBS after 25 years. Sussman, EVP, Specials, Music, Live Events and Alternative Programming, CBS Entertainment, is stepping down but will remain in business with the network as an exec producer of both The Tony Awards and The Kennedy Center Honors. He informed colleagues of his departure moments ago in an […]
EXCLUSIVE: 3 Ball Media Group (3BMG), the production group behind series including Bar Rescue and Bling Empire, is looking to bolster its IP outside of traditional television after forming a joint venture with Jeff Goldman’s Octopean Media. The deal will see Goldman look to “optimize” 3BMG’s intellectual property for film, TV, short-form content, books, sports, […]
EXCLUSIVE: Independent Artist Group has signed Troy Kotsur, the actor-director best known for his historic Oscar win, as part of Apple TV+’s drama, CODA. With his Supporting Actor win for the film written and directed by Sian Heder, Kotsur became the first Deaf male to win an acting award on Hollywood’s biggest night. A film […]
Amazon’s gamer-centric streaming outlet Twitch is laying off 500 staffers, CEO Dan Clancy told employees in a memo this morning. The move is being made in sync with cutbacks at corporate siblings Prime Video and Amazon Studios. Bloomberg had reported the layoffs at Twitch on Tuesday. Clancy said the news had “leaked,” suggesting that the […]
10 years on from her explosive breakthrough in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, Margot Robbie has had the moment of her career with Barbie, a project she shepherded to the screen as a producer long before she claimed the lead role. After more than a billion dollars at the box office, Barbie has […]
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros has Paul Thomas Anderson set to direct Oscar winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn as well as Regina Hall in an untitled film that will begin production this year in California. Anderson wrote the script, and he will produce the film with Sara Murphy and Adam Somner. The film is currently untitled […]
Jeb Brown (City Center’s Pal Joey), Eddie Cooper (Parade), Andrew Durand (Shucked) and Dashiell Eaves (Broadway’s A Christmas Carol) are among the cast set for the upcoming Audible staging and recording of Dead Outlaw, a new musical from the team behind The Band’s Visit. The musical, which tells the bizarre true story of a turn-of-the-20th-century […]
Young Mazino, Emmy-nominated for his breakout role in Beef, has joined the cast of HBO‘s The Last of Us. He is one of three major additions for the upcoming second season of the post-apocalyptic drama, which is based on the video game of the same name developed by Naughty Dog for PlayStation. On the series, […]
EXCLUSIVE: Bella Thorne is set to make her feature directorial debut with Color Your Hurt, the true story of a young gay man growing up in the bible belt. Thorne has started the casting process on the project which is based on her original screenplay and a short film she has made called Unsettled, which […]
HBO’s The Gilded Age is coming of age on the awards circuit with a surprise SAG awards nomination. Julian Fellowes’ period piece has landed a nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, SAG Awards’ equivalent of Outstanding Drama Series. It is the first major awards recognition for The Gilded Age, which […]
Indie studio XYZ Films has renewed its financing pact with Finish-based fund management company IPR.VC. The renewal continues the financial arrangement first struck in November 2019 — a funding pool that has since facilitated 20 productions, including Matthew Johnson’s Blackberry and upcoming Sundance premieres Skywalkers: A Love Story and Krazy House. “With the uncertainty in […]
House lawmakers introduced legislation to try to curb the unauthorized use of deepfakes and voice clones. The legislation, the No AI Fraud Act, is sponsored by Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL), Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) and Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA). The legislation would give individuals more control over […]
Award-winning Montreal-based Stranger Things and The Lord Of The Rings VFX studio Rodeo FX has appointed Franck Lambertz to head up its recently opened Paris-based European studio. The veteran VFX expert will oversee the studio’s various divisions such as Films & Episodics and Advertising & Experience. A respected figure in the VFX world, Lambertz has […]
Mattel is staying in the film business. The toy company, best known for its Barbie doll collection, today launched its annual ‘Career of the Year’ collection, which for 2024 will feature Barbie dolls designed to represent women working in a variety of film vocations, including directors and studio executives. The collection is titled ‘Women in […]
