| | | | | | "It’s a little bit like, is the Albanian army going to take over the world?"
Yes, it turns out. And it didn't take long. Yet Hollywood is only in the second or third inning of what could be a 12 to 18-month saga (or more) to seal the deal for Warner Bros. But Ted Sarandos and Netflix may have altered the course of the industry with a nearly $83 billion bid. — Erik Hayden
+ News ticker: Condé PR's timing; Frank Gehry R.I.P., Tarantino's random slight; AFI's top films revealed; MS NOW makes moves.
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THE BIG TAKEOVER “This decision reflects the realities of an industry undergoing generational change – in how stories are financed, produced, distributed, and discovered.” That's how Warners chief David Zaslav, in line to receive hundreds of millions of dollars if the deal closes, is selling the choice in his memo, while prepping a cash bonus plan to keep the WBD C-suite intact during a regulatory review. THE NETFLIX NARRATIVE “This deal is pro-consumer, pro-innovation, pro-worker, it’s pro-creator, it’s pro-growth," says co-chief Ted Sarandos, with counterpart Greg Peters adding that there'll be "more jobs created across the entire entertainment industry." In the CEOs' own words. THE ANTI- NARRATIVE Those are telling quotes, as Netflix girds for what may be emerging opposition research-style lines — David Ellison's Paramount already has a dossier with a long list of them — that it's taking out a major studio buyer, possibly decimating the theatrical window over time and becoming a subscription streaming monopoly. IN THE FRAY The Writers Guild of America went scorched earth on the deal (" This merger must be blocked") and the head of the Teamsters’ motion picture division called for it to be blocked. Cinema United (aka NATO) called it "an unprecedented threat to the global exhibition business" and its European equivalent UNIC says it " fails in every regard." NOT? But SAG-AFTRA, which also has a Netflix deal to air the Actor Awards, appeared to withhold judgment, saying the buy "must result in more creation and more production, not less." And the Directors Guild just said the deal raises "significant concerns."
THE QUESTIONS There are many. Lets start with the future of HBO, parsing what Netflix execs really mean about keeping movies in theaters and, in a 2025 twist, there's the AI training data element of it all.
Of the soundbites, one of the more thoughtful takes was from Gregory Orr, the grandson of Warner Bros. founder Jack Warner, who tells THR that "the potential sale of WBD does not sit well with me," adding, "Netflix would have to enlarge the idea of itself as not just a streaming pioneer, but a steward of a very worthy and necessary theatrical experience."
Stay tuned, Team Ellison has more chess moves. Speaking of which...
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REGIME CHANGE It’s a brand-new day at Paramount, where prestige films are out, testosterone-heavy tentpoles are in and Brett Ratner is back on the call sheet. Quoted "According to two sources, Tom Cruise grew unhappy with David Ellison not long after Robbins came aboard at the top of Paramount in 2021. During a meeting about the final two Mission: Impossible movies, Cruise said he needed tens of millions of dollars in additional production funds. Ellison suggested that Cruise find some of the money on his own. From then on, multiple sources say Cruise wouldn't attend any production or marketing meetings if Ellison was in the room..." Pamela McClintock's scoop-driven feature.
+ "Save America, Give Trump an Overall Deal?" |
Next Streaming War Major sports leagues shut the lights off on TV-only deals, but a platform battle is emerging as media giants aim to get the biggest bang for the billions they've spent on rights deals. Netflix, Apple, Peacock and Prime Video are all muscling in to the space. Alex Weprin's feature. |
The O.G. Gwyneth Paltrow, who was honored with THR's Sherry Lansing Leadership Award for her professional and philanthropic contributions at the Women in Entertainment gala, settled in for a wide-ranging conversation about her Hollywood reemergence, her L.A. exodus and her famously divisive role in culture. Lacey Rose's Q&A. + VIDEO Inside the Women in Entertainment event: Paltrow, Robert Downey, Jennifer Lopez, Kerry Washington, Goldie Hawn and much more.
+ FULL LIST The 100 Most Powerful Women in Entertainment
| Raising Mamdani In her first major interview since her son Zohran Mamdani's stunning ascent, the acclaimed director Mira Nair reveals what she did to shape the man and set the stage for his epic political upset: “It’s the theme of ‘who is considered marginal.’ That is the question I have asked all my life and in all my films. And now he’s asking it on the biggest stage.” Steven Zeitchik's profile. |
Yes, They Did Say That "It was great, he became like a dead person. He only saw the whole thing when it was done." — Director Giuseppe Tornatore on his Brunello Cucinelli documentary Brunello: The Gracious Visionary. "It is so important that we continue to diversify revenue streams." — Academy CEO Bill Kramer, on disclosing a boost in Oscars revenue and trimming expenses. "I’m very into The Ethel Merman Disco Album." — Jane Krakowski, on getting into the right headspace to play Mary Todd Lincoln each night on Broadway. "Union-busting like it’s 1925." — From a leaflet distributed by two-dozen New Yorker staffers who crashed Netflix's doc screening to protest Condé Nast. "I wrote Dude, Where’s My Car 25 years ago. It would never be made today." — Former screenwriter Phil Stark, now a therapist who wrote a book titled Dude, Where’s My Car-tharsis? |
Goodbye, Hollywood After decades in the limelight, Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Eliza Dushku suddenly left the industry and became a therapist. Instead of vanquishing blood suckers, she's helping veterans deal with their trauma: "I very quickly connected to the awareness that I was not living my highest purpose and that I could no longer live the life I was living." Chris Gardner's Q&A. |
The Kristin Chronicles She’s lived the full spectrum of Hollywood fame — YA idol, indie darling, Oscar nominee — but what Kristin Stewart always really wanted to do is direct. With The Chronology of Water, she’s finally taking her shot — if she can ever finish tinkering with it. David Canfield's profile. |
Flack Attack! There are fewer projects, tighter budgets, more infighting — and the mega PR firms are breaking up. Not to mention those lawsuits. “I haven’t seen so much upheaval since the late ’90s,” says one longtime rep, referring to the last great agency shake-up, when mergers and talent defections roiled the industry. “But back then there was an abundance of money. Now there’s a shortage, and people are scrambling to survive.” Deanna Kizis reports. |
UFC's Risky Bet On Nov. 13, UFC chief Dana White and Polymarket's Shayne Coplan heralded what was termed a "first-of-its-kind sports partnership" with the controversial crypto-powered platform that treats news events as tradable assets. This Ari Emanuel-backed deal promises to place betting center stage by integrating a real-time "prediction scoreboard" into the UFC’s octagon experience during broadcasts on Paramount’s streamer. What could go wrong? Gary Baum's report. |
The Songwriter Roundtable "Everything I write is going to be a hit" Hitmakers Ed Sheeran, Raphael Saadiq, Michelle Zauner, Hayley Williams, Ejae and Shaboozey trade notes and gossip and sound off on the secrets behind this year’s most memorable movie melodies. Ethan Millman's feature. |
Around Town This week's events: James Cameron, Alan Bergman and Steve Asbell celebrated the world premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash in L.A. ... Sarah Sherman hosted a tastemaker screening for her new HBO standup special Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh in NYC ... Luke Wilson served as grand marshal for the Hollywood Christmas Parade on Sunday ... Nick, Kevin and Joe Jonas got a hand and footprint in cement ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre ... Adam Fogelson joined Amanda Seyfried at the NYC premiere of The Housemaid. Wilmer Valderrama and Cara Santana Leto joined co-director Jared Jakins at a L.A. screening of Switchboard Magazine ’s doc short Rat Rod at Vidiots. And many more. All 66 photos from 7 days in premieres, parties and openings. |
The Bottom Line Snapshots from THR's team of critics: Timothée Chalamet and Josh Safdie's team-up for Marty Supreme is "kaleidoscopic, kinetic and madly idiosyncratic." Damian Lewis and Katherine Waterston's turn in spoof Fackham Hall "offers sufficient laughs to amuse Downton Abbey fans." Michael Showalter’s holiday feature Oh. What. Fun., starring Michelle Pfeiffer, is "Not. That. Fun." Armie Hammer's return in Western Frontier Crucible is "shrug-worthy." And, finally, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 "makes it two nights too many." |
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