The WGA is urging members to disregard rumors about a possible strike as it prepares for upcoming contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. The union’s current film and TV contract expires May 1. “Already, misleading and provocative information has appeared in the press and on social media,” the union said on its website. “Take rumors and ‘insider’ commentary with a grain of salt. Consider the source and motivations of comments about WGA goals, strategies, tactics, and priorities. Often, these comments are not sourced at all! Even well-meaning fellow members can be misinformed about the contract negotiations process. >>>Democratic Process |
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| Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
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Prime Time For Kevin Hart- Kevin Hart’s Die Hart series, which premiered on Quibi in 2020 and was renewed by Roku Originals, is being refashioned as a movie for Prime Video. The satirical action-comedy starring Hart, John Travolta, Nathalie Emmanuel, Josh Hartnett and Jean Reno will launch worldwide on February 24. >>>Yippie Ki-Yay
Blockbuster Day At The PGA - The Producers Guild of America followed the money as it revealed film and TV nominations for its 34th annual PGA Awards, with megahits Avatar: The Way of Water, Top Gun: Maverick and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever among those making the cut. >>>Full List
In-Flight Entertainment - Gerard Butler pilots Plane, a serviceable but fun B-Movie-style action flick in which he plays an airline pilot who encounters lightning strikes that force him to crash-land on a rebel-infested remote island in the Philippines. >>>Read The Review
Big-Bucks Banijay - Survivor and MasterChef producer Banijay, the world’s largest independent television production group, has pulled the curtain back on its earnings for the first time since its $2.2B takeover of Endemol Shine Group and going public. It says revenue will reach $3.2B for the full year of 2022. >>>How It Compares To Competitors
Wild Bunch No More - In an exclusive interview, Vincent Maraval and Brahim Chioua bid farewell to the legendary sales house name they created in 2002 at a party in Paris. >>>Mourning A Moniker
Three For The Shows - Resy founder Gary Vaynerchuk, former CAA agent Eric Wattenberg and RSE Ventures co-founder Matt Higgins have launched VaynerWatt, a new production studio for original content aimed at linear networks and streaming services. >>>High Wattage Partnership
Zombie Dad Jokes - Mena Suvari, Eddie Griffin and Logan Riley Bruner are set to star in All You Need Is Blood, a comedic horror-thriller about a 16-year-old aspiring director who teams with friends to create the ultimate student film after a meteor turns his deadbeat father into a brain-eating zombie. >>>'Blood' Oath
Why? - The House Party reboot, Calmatic’s feature directing debut, is overshadowed by the original, leaving one to ask, "Why was this rebooted?" >>>Read The Review
Hat Tip To Bonnett - Veteran unscripted producer Noah Bonnett, whose credits include Ellen’s Game of Games, The Wheel, Bet On Your Baby, Mental Samurai and Pictionary, has signed an exclusive first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television’s recently formed game show division. >>>Come On Down! |
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After an explosive Season 2 finale of The Mosquito Coast, a decision looms imminently on whether Apple TV+ re-ups. If so, the third season heads right into the territory of Paul Theroux’s 1981 novel that Peter Weir turned into a cult classic movie with Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren and River Phoenix. The author discusses seeing his famed novel prequelized by Neil Cross, the improvements over his book, his nephew Justin starring and why he’s so rooting for one more season. >>>The Interview |
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Casting About
Exclusive
Nicholas Logan and Jeri Ryan have joined the Season 2 cast of AMC’s western noir thriller Dark Winds.
Exclusive
Morgan Freeman is joining the cast of Lioness, the Taylor Sheridan-produced Paramount+ original series.
Exclusive
Jonas Dassler will play German pastor and theologian-turned-spy Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the thriller pic God’s Spy.
Aunjanue Ellis has been cast as the lead in Ava DuVernay’s film adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste.
Colton Ryan and Anna Uzele are set to lead Broadway’s upcoming Kander & Ebb musical New York, New York.
Ato Blankson-Wood will play the title role of Hamlet in the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park. |
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More News
🏆 Nominations were revealed Thursday for the NAACP Image Awards, the Costume Designers Guild Awards and the ICG Publicist Awards.
📺 Measurement firm Samba TV has offloaded its media sales operation to UK-based programmatic ad specialist MiQ. The move, whose financial details were not disclosed, will let Samba focus on its core business.
✨ Netflix, which entered the advertising business last fall, will pitch its platform to ad buyers in May during the traditional broadcast upfront week in New York. The streaming giant grabbed the slot long held by CBS and, more recently, parent Paramount Global. The May 17 date was left open when Paramount ditched its longtime Carnegie Hall showcase. Netflix's event will be held at its own Paris Theater.
👉 NBC has pushed the premiere of its new missing-persons drama series Found from February to fall.
🚦 A follow-up movie based on Nickelodeon’s popular live-action series Zoey 101 is in the works for premiere on Paramount+. Nickelodeon announced today it has begun production on Zoey 102 (working title), a full-length original YA movie based on characters from the 2005-08 series.
✂️ NBC News and MSNBC were undergoing a round of layoffs in the double digits Thursday, although the impact appeared to be less severe than the staff reductions at other media entities.
👍 Eugenio Derbez and Ben Odell have set the comedy series Put@s Redes Sociales at Prime Video starring Paulina Gaitán and Azul Guaita. Jorge Ulloa directs the series, which explores human relationships in the era of likes.
In Brief - Spike Lee will receive the WGA’s 2023 Ian McLellan Hunter Award for career achievement … Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland is facing up to seven years in prison over domestic violence charges … Investment bank Moelis & Company has appointed Marcus Lollie as a managing director in its media group … Ryan Heller has been promoted to Executive VP Film & Documentary at Topic Studios. |
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BY THE NUMBERS
$15.99 - The new monthly cost of HBO Max, making it the most expensive U.S. streamer |
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PICKUPS, RENEWALS & CANCELLATIONS
Starz has rescued Minx after its Netflix cancellation, picking up Season 1 and the unaired Season 2 … Netflix renewed Mo for a second and final season … CBS renewed Ghosts for Season 3 … Paramount+ renewed Criminal Minds: Evolution for Season 2. |
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Obituaries
🕯 Singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, died Thursday at a Los Angeles hospital after being taken from her home via ambulance earlier in the day. She was 54. Presley recorded three albums — To Whom It May Concern, 2003; Now What, 2005; and Storm & Grace, 2012 – and with her soulful voice and moody approach, her music generally was well-received both by critics and fans. She was married four times, to Michael Jackson, Nicolas Cage, musician Danny Keough and music producer Michael Lockwood.
🕯 He Ping, a Chinese director, screenwriter and producer best known internationally for his hybrid Chinese Westerns, has died on an illness in Beijing. He was 65. |
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Trending  FX boss John Landgraf says we might have finally reached the peak of peak TV. The number of original series on the air in 2022 was 599, a jump from 560 the previous year. But Landgraf insists, "We see a strong indication that we’ll see decline in 2023."
🔻 Apple announced it will slash CEO Tim Cook's nearly $100 million in total compensation by 40% in 2023 in the wake of "feedback" from displeased investors. |
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On the Radar
Fri – Servant final Season 4 premiere
Sat – NFL playoffs begin
Sun – Critics Choice Awards; Fox’s Accused premieres
Mon - Martin Luther King Day |
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