Venice Film Festival Preview; Disney Sues Sling TV; Top TV Exec Change At Netflix

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View on web New reader? Subscribe SUBSCRIBE. IT'S FREE. FROM NETFLIX TO A24: 5 BURNING QUESTIONS AS VENICE CURTAIN RISES FESTIVAL's 82ND EDITION TO TAKE AWARDS SEASON TO NEXT LEVEL  The Venice Film Festival's 82nd annual edition kicks off tonight. The fest always takes awards season to the next level but this year is generating speculation and questions about the talent and projects that will come to define 2025. In recent years, Cannes has become the bona fide start of awards season, and there are a handful of big Q4 movies dodging festivals altogether. Yet this time of year is still when most studios show their hands. Among talent with new movies premiering on the Lido are George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Idris Elba, Jacob Elordi, Cate Blanchett, Emily Blunt, Tony Leung, Oscar Isaac, Andrew Garfield, Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, Alan Ritchson, Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Carmen Maura, Adam Sandler, Tony Servillo, Jude Law, Amanda Seyfried and Charli XCX. As Deadline has reported, it’s also set to be a politically charged event. Protests are planned against Israel’s war in Gaza, with movies tackling that subject as well as Russia-Ukraine, along with biopics of Vladimir Putin and Mother Teresa. >>>Five Burning Questions Deadline Exclusives & Originals Return To Oz - Gina Matthews has Dorothy in development at Prime Video, we’ve just learned. The series, which Matthews created and will produce, is a contemporary, music-infused YA retelling of Wizard of Oz based on L. Frank Baum’s books using the Yellow Brick Road as a metaphor for the challenges facing young adults today. >>>Gwen Stefani Among EPs No Passes Given - The Walt Disney Co. is suing Dish Network‘s digital subsidiary Sling TV, alleging that the pay-TV service included its networks without permission in a new suite of short-term bundles. Earlier this month, Sling unveiled “passes” offering access to its full bundle for a day, weekend or full week. The mini-packages start at $4.99, a fraction of the usual minimum of $45.99 a month for a regular Sling subscription. Sling called the suit "meritless" and said it was "proud" to be offering more choices to viewers. >>> Not Dish's First Rodeo Change At Netflix - There has been a major change in the top TV ranks of Netflix. Jinny Howe has been named Head of UCAN (U.S.-Canada) Scripted Series. Reporting to Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria, she will succeed Peter Friedlander, who is exiting after almost 14 years. >>>Big Role In 'Beef' 'June' Blooms With Winslet - Kate Winslet tells Deadline's Baz Bamigboye that the thought of the Goodbye June screenplay written by her son Joe Anders, 21, being shot by another filmmaker made her feel “like I’d been stabbed in the gut.” Winslet was already set to produce and play a role in the film, but the idea of her directing it hadn’t been broached until well into the development process. “Christ knows,” the Oscar winner cried, “I’ve been on enough film sets to know what works and what doesn’t.” >>> Wish List Of Actors ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ Movie Review - The Thursday Murder Club is built to be the gift that keeps on giving to Netflix in a series of movies, hopefully with the same cast. The premise may be predictable (there is even a snarky reference to an old NBC senior mystery The Snoop Sisters that Elizabeth quickly dismisses), so yes we have seen it all before, but as comfort food it still works and is perfect for streaming. >>> Pete Hammond's Take Elev8on Nation - France's Elevate Management is rebranding as Elev8on Management and has signed Lovecraft Country and Dexter: New Blood actress Jamie Chung for European representation at the same time. It has also launched an AI-powered talent assessment tool that will look to redefine how American talent is likely to fare in Europe. >>>"Visionary Positioning" THE DEADLINE INTERVIEW Noomi Rapace Discusses Playing Mother Teresa In Teona Strugar Mitevska's 'Mother' In her latest performance, Noomi Rapace ups the ante in Teona Strugar Mitevska’s English-language debut Mother, which sees her step into the role of Mother Teresa. The film, which opens the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons (Orizzonti) section, is a multi-layered story that explores the revered yet flawed Catholic icon. Rapace says the titular role may be one of her most complicated characters to date. >>>Read The Interview              RENEWALS, CANCELATIONS & PICKUPS    exclusive Hulu Lands Alex Gibney’s Luigi Mangione Documentary   exclusive ‘Trainwreck’ Franchise That Germinated ‘Poop Cruise’ Doc Returning To Netflix For Season 2 'Lucky Dog: Down Under' Expands Pet Franchise In New CBS Weekend Block Casting About Exclusive Rhea Seehorn is the latest to join the ensemble cast of the indie hostage thriller Eleven Days starring Taylor Kitsch, Diego Luna and Jason Isaacs. Concussion helmer Peter Landesman will direct.   exclusive Emmy-winner Jaime Pressly, Michael Rapaport and Saturday Night Live veteran Laraine Newman have been announced for the cast of Andy Palmer’s coming-of-age sports drama Last Shot.   exclusive Julia Doyle (Astrid And Lilly Save The World) has been cast as a new series regular opposite Harold Perrineau for the upcoming fourth season of MGM+‘s hit sci-fi horror series From.   Exclusive Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy) has been cast in the new USA Network series Anna Pigeon.  Yellowstone spinoff series Y: Marshals has rounded out the main cast, with three more cast members of Taylor Sheridan’s mothership series, Gil Birmingham, Brecken Merrill and Mo Brings Plenty, joining Luke Grimes as series regulars. BY THE NUMBERS   236M - Views since June 20 for 'Kpop Demon Hunters', now Netflix's No. 1 English-language movie of all time MORE NEWS   🧾 The first round of California’s $750 million tax incentives program unveiled today is a big bet on Hollywood. Season 2 of Lionsgate’s Emmy-nominated The Studio, which streams on Apple TV+, is one of 22 TV projects approved for the state's expanded Film and Television Tax Credit Program.  📽️ Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Alfonso Cuaron and Jonathan Glazer are among heavyweights to get behind Gaza drama The Voice Of Hind Rajab ahead of its Venice Film Festival world premiere. The stars have joined the Tunisian project as executive producers after being impressed by a recent cut of the film. 💰 Amazon's advertising division has closed its upfront negotiations for 2025-26, reporting ad commitments above internal forecasts and “incremental” volume growth in sports due to the NBA’s forthcoming debut on Prime Video. 😈 Netflix has started early talks about a sequel to Kpop Demon Hunters, its musical movie hit that just became the streamer’s most watched movie ever. HIRINGS, PROMOTIONS & EXITS ​​​​​​​David Bittler Exits As Paramount EVP Communications Former Kapital Entertainment VP Jessie Abbott Joins A+E Studios OBITUARIES   🕯️ Joel Sill, a music supervisor for more than 150 movies, including such cinema classics as Easy Rider, Flashdance, Forrest Gump and An Officer and a Gentleman, passed away Aug. 23 at his home in Thousand Oaks after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis. He was 78. 🕯️ 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries ON THE RADAR Wed - Final Emmy voting ends; Venice Film Festival opens Thu - The Wizard of Oz debuts at The Sphere Fri - Destination D23; Telluride begins Mon - Labor Day PHOTO OF THE DAY Scene Stealer - Zoë Kravitz at the NY premiere of Columbia Pictures' Caught Stealing. This email was sent to punjabsvera@gmail.com by Deadline. Please add email@email.deadline.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. Visit the Preferences Center to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 11355 W Olympic Blvd Los Angeles, CA, 90064 View in Browser | Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Rights | Ad Choices | Terms of Use | Unsubscribe