MUCH IS RIDING ON A MOVIE THAT TEES UP GRAND PLANS OF DC BOSSES PETER SAFRAN & JAMES GUNN |
Superman, the first movie in Peter Safran and James Gunn’s revamped DC Studios Phase I, labeled “Gods and Monsters,” is opening this weekend. Talk about pressure. There is a lot riding on this movie as it tees up the tone and grand plans that the duo have assembled since Warner Bros Discovery siloed DC away from the Warner Bros Motion Picture Group, à la the setup of Marvel at Disney. After a rapturous premiere in Hollywood on Monday night and reviews at 85% certified fresh, there doesn't appear to be reason for anyone on the Burbank lot to sweat. Studios sources tell us that Superman will see at least a $200M global start on 60,000 screens, with that gross split evenly between domestic and overseas.
Stateside, we’re hearing that presales are at $20M, which is ahead of Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($118.4M) and behind fellow 2023 release Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ($106.1M). Domestically, rivals — some tracking firms and exhibitors’ internal estimates — believe Superman can reach between $115M and $130M. >>>New Era At DC
Related:
‘Superman’ Review: James Gunn’s Lively Reboot Takes The OG Superhero And His Dog On A Mission For A Kinder World
‘Superman’ World Premiere: The Best Of The Red Carpet |
Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
A Place In The Sun (Valley) -- Climate change is real for the media and tech industries, not in terms of extreme weather but in terms of the state of their businesses. A year ago, as the annual Allen & Co. conference unfolded in Sun Valley, ID, talk was of mergers and regulatory easing. Now, halfway through Donald Trump's first year back in the White House, it has been open season on media companies, and once-invulnerable Big Tech is under regulatory pressure.>>> Breakups Instead Of Mergers
Rossi Playing ‘Shell Game’ - Theo Rossi is set to make his directorial debut with the upcoming action/heist film Shell Game. The film will tell the story of a notorious crew of thieves who reunite after years apart. They must navigate old grudges, new enemies and a high-stakes heist that could set them up for life — or destroy them, for good. >>> "The Underworld Of Society"
Savaging BBC Boss - British culture secretary Lisa Nandy’s repeated attacks on BBC boss Tim Davie have sparked concern about the national broadcaster’s independence. Our analysis reveals the frequency of her interventions as Davie has faced a wealth of challenging scandals over the past few months. >>>Jeopardy
Tinx TV Series - Amazon MGM Studios has optioned The Shift - Tinx’s bestselling debut book - to develop as a romantic comedy series produced by Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment. The series will follow two early-thirtysomethings as they navigate love, friendship and life while dating in New York City. >>>Search On For Showrunner/Co-Adapter
Apple & Page Feeling ‘Funny’ - In a competitive situation, Apple has landed for development a TV series based on Elissa Sussman’s best-selling novel Funny You Should Ask, a love story that centers on a restless young journalist. Regé-Jean Page and Emily Brown are executive producing through their A Mighty Stranger banner. >>> Page Poised To Star
Doc Talk Podcast - In recent years, hard-hitting, timely films have taken the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Will it be another urgent, political or war-themed film that takes the prize when the next Academy Awards roll around? Or perhaps it will be a film whose social import comes with a rhythmic beat? In the latest episode of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, hosts John Ridley and Matt Carey dive in where others fear to leap, joined by journalist and film critic Lauren Wissot. >>> Listen
Disney’s Comic-Con Takeover - San Diego Comic-Con is just around the corner, and Disney Entertainment Television is once again planning a downtown takeover. Deadline can give con-goers an exclusive first look at the activations to expect from DET for shows including Percy Jackson and the Olympians, King of the Hill, Alien: Earth and Abbott Elementary. All of these will be open to the public, outside of the convention center beginning July 24. >>> Star-Studded Panels
Luke Newton Fashioning McQueen - Bridgerton star Luke Newton will play the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen in a new Off Broadway play starting next month. Darrah Cloud’s House of McQueen will begin previews August 19 at The Mansion at Hudson Yards, with an official opening set for September 9. >>>Sam Helfrich Directing |
The long-awaited third and final season of Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty premieres on July 16. Adapted from Jenny Han’s best-selling trilogy, Season 3 will conclude Belly’s (Lola Tung) love story between the Fisher brothers Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) and Conrad (Christopher Briney) in an expanded 11 episodes, one of which Han directed. Deadline sat down with stars Tung, Casalegno and Briney ahead of the launch to discuss how their characters evolved over the three seasons, their favorite Taylor Swift music from the show, possible spinoffs and what fans can expect from the epic finale.
"Oh, man… it was more bitter than it was sweet." >>>Read The Interview |
Quotable "They said, 'We'd like you to resign.' But what was really in my head was they wanted me to retire." - Johnny Depp recalling the moment he was asked to step down from his role in the Harry Potter prequel, 'Fantastic Beasts.' |
Renewals, Cancellations & pickups |
Exclusive Sources tell Deadline that Bridgerton actress Simone Ashley has joined the cast of 20th Century Studios’ The Devil Wears Prada 2 opposite core members Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci and new addition Kenneth Branagh.
Exclusive Lee Cronin’s The Mummy has cast Hayat Kamille in the Atomic Monster/Blumhouse production for New Line with Warner Bros Motion Picture Group.
Oscar and Tony Award winner and four-time Emmy nominee Marcia Gay Harden joins Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Richard Madden as part of the leading cast of Trinity, the new Netflix drama from showrunner, writer and executive producer Jed Mercurio.
Lifetime is expanding its Girl In franchise with Girl in the Cellar, its latest Ripped from the Headlines thriller. Starring Kyla Pratt (The Proud Family) and Kelcey Mawema (Cruel Instruction), the movie is set to premiere Saturday, August 23 at 8/7c on Lifetime. |
by the numbers 2.6 million - Live+3 linear viewers for the 'Nautilus' premiere across AMC and AMC+ |
More News
👩💼 Linda Yaccarino is stepping down as CEO of X, two years after making headlines by jumping from NBCUniversal to a lead operational role at Elon Musk's social platform.
📺 Warner Bros Discovery’s flagship streaming service will return to its original HBO Max name today, ending an ill-starred two years of being known as, simply, Max. Hints of the change appeared last spring, as Max’s color scheme shifted from blue to dark grey. The new logo preserves the rounded letters of the original HBO.
🚂 Three years ago, Netflix explored the chaos and carnage of the Woodstock ’99 music festival in a three-part documentary series titled Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99. The series performed well for the streamer, with 20.3 million hours viewed, entering its Top 10 charts at No. 8. Then nothing, until now. The Trainwreck strand is now set to explode this summer with a total of eight more films and series.
🦵 Jean Smart is out of her solo Broadway play Call Me Izzy this week due to a knee injury. An Instagram message on the show’s official page says, “We look forward to having her back on stage as soon as she recovers.” The role of Izzy will be played by Johanna Day from July 8 to July 11. The production’s 12-week limited run at Studio 54 ends August 17.
🎭 Broadway wilted a bit in last week’s summer heat, with 23 of 30 shows taking a hit at the box office, some significantly. No doubt playing a part in the overall decline was the July 4th holiday – all productions but one canceled performances on that day. Three shows that saw especially big drops — Gypsy, Call Me Izzy and Death Becomes Her — had star absences. |
Obituaries 🕯️ Theodore F. “Ted” Cordes, who spent more than 30 years at NBC including as its head of broadcast standards, died on Sunday, July 6, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. He was 87. 🕯️ French director Jean-Pierre Thorn , who was known for his socially engaged cinema and was also a co-founder of indie cinema org l’ACID, has died at the age of 78. 🕯️ 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries |
On The Radar
Wed - Ballard series premiere on Prime Video
Thu - Daytime Emmy nominations; Big Brother Season 27 premiere on CBS
Fri - Dexter: Resurrection series premiere on Showtime
Sat - Wimbledon women's singles final
Sun - Wimbledon men's singles final
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Director Depp - Johnny Depp and Antonia Desplat at the UK premiere of his film Modigliani - Three Days On The Wing Of Madness in London |
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