| GREG PETERS & TED SARANDOS SEEK TO SQUARE $82.7B MEGADEAL WITH LONG-HELD POSITIONS ON THEATRICAL AND ORGANIC GROWTH |
Netflix's senior management team continued to campaign Tuesday for their pending $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros., billing it as a surprising opportunity they decided they should not miss.
Some investors fear it is largely a defensive move, sending a signal that the company needs an artificial way to shore up future growth prospects. After all, at a conference in October Co-CEO Greg Peters invoked Netflix’s “deep heritage” of growing organically and not via acquisitions.
This week, though, Peters told Wall Street analysts, "Our job is to identify the best opportunities to improve that offering, both organic and through selective M&A, and always remain flexible and disciplined and pursuing those opportunities."
The company's other Co-CEO, Ted Saranados, explained another recent switcheroo: the company's pivot toward theatrical releases after years of resistance.
“I have in the past made observations about the theatrical business. We were not in the theatrical business when I made those observations,” said Sarandos. “When this deal closes, we will be in the theatrical business,” he emphasized. >>>Committed To 45-Day Window
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Dave Chappelle Again Top Stand-Up On Netflix’s Biannual What We Watched Report As ‘The Unstoppable’ Draws 14M Views
Netflix Sets Roadmap For 2026 Korean Content Slate
‘Boots’ Most Watched July-Dec ’25 Netflix Series To Get Ax: The Numbers Behind Cancellations Of Military Drama & ‘The Waterfront’ |
Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
The New Wave Of Microdrama Creators - What started out as as trend in Asia has spread in a big way to Europe, the U.S. and the rest of the world. Deadline has been tracking a bunch of nascent vertical video apps and creators from across the globe that could become household names over the coming year. >>>The List
McG Goes To The Beach - McG, who helped successfully reboot one classic TV series, Charlie’s Angels, as director of the 2000 movie and its sequel, has joined the TV reboot of another, Baywatch. McG has been tapped to direct the first episode of Fox's upcoming new iteration of the lifeguard action drama. He will also serve as executive producer. >>>Development Deal
Ethical AI Effort - Producer Marco Weber, filmmaker Martin Weisz and Pluto TV co-founder and former Paramount streaming CEO Tom Ryan are teaming up to launch AI-oriented production company Ex Machina Studios. As the latest entrant into the Hollywood AI production space, Ex Machina says it will harness “ethical AI, using real actors, human-authored narratives, and guild-aligned production practices." >>> L.A.-Based Productions
Condemnation - French actresses Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard and Camille Cottin as well as Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos have joined 800 cinema professionals in a statement condemning the Iranian government’s killing and torture of its own people. >>>Protests Continue
A Long 'Time' Coming - William Greaves' Once Upon a Time in Harlem debuts at Sundance a full five decades after the late filmmaker began work on the feature doc. Deadline has the story from Greaves' children about how the opus was finally realized. >>>Q&A |
On the new edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, we speak with Sundance documentary programmers Basil Tsiokos and Sudeep Sharma about the nonfiction lineup. They’ll tell us what films to look out for in competition and other sections, including NEXT and Premieres. >>>Listen |
exclusiveMadelyn Cline is in talks to join Glen Powell in a new original untitled comedy at Universal that Judd Apatow is on board to direct. Apatow and Powell co-wrote the pic. Cristin Milioti also recently joined the cast.
Sam Heughan is joining Anna Kendrick and J.K. Simmons in Embassy, the geo-political action thriller series. The Outlander star will play a British SAS soldier in the six part-series.
WNBA star Angel Reese has joined the Season 2 cast of The Hunting Wives. Netflix announced Reese’s casting Tuesday, confirming she’ll be joining in the co-starring role of “Trainer Barbie” in the upcoming season.
exclusiveVegas: A Love Story, a sensual romance with thriller elements, started shooting on Tuesday. It boasts a cast that includes Maika Monroe, Brandon Sklenar, Paul Dano, Michael Shannon and Judy Greer. |
QUOTABLE "The last big movie on film that I was ever going to get to make" - Matt Damon describing his feelings about 'The Odyssey' after shooting wrapped |
BY THE NUMBERS 482M - Number of views amassed by 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' on Netflix from July-December 2025 |
MORE NEWS
🧟♂️ Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, the stars of Nickelodeon’s Good Burger films and ’90s sitcom Kenan & Kel, are set to reteam as producers and stars of Kenan & Kel Meet Frankenstein, a horror comedy co-produced by Thompson.
⚖️ Timothy Busfield will not remain behind bars as he faces child sex abuse charges in New Mexico. Rejecting prosecutors’ argument the thirtysomething vet could pose “a danger to the safety of others,” Judge David Murphy made the decision Tuesday to set Busfield free soon at the conclusion of a pretrial detention motion hearing in Albuquerque.
🎵 Sinatra The Musical, a new stage show based on the life and career of the iconic singer, will open at London’s West End this June. Following a sold-out 2023 run at The Birmingham Rep in Birmingham, England, Sinatra The Musical will begin preview performances at the West End’s Aldwych Theatre on Wednesday June 3.
🤝 The BBC has confirmed plans to produce original YouTube shows for the first time under a watershed agreement with the Google-owned platform. The British pubcaster has earmarked pots of money from across its TV and news divisions that will be used to fund “YouTube-first” shows, an important moment for the UK national broadcaster as it aims to meet young audiences where they consume content. |
OBITUARIES
🕯️ Paul B. Stager Jr, a longtime television legal affairs executive who spent decades at major studios including Warner Bros. Television, died Sunday at his Westwood home after a brief illness. He was 96. 🕯️ Robert “Rob” Hirst, who co-founded and played drums for Australian rock band Midnight Oil and co-wrote many of its songs, has died. He was 70. 🕯️ 2026 Deaths Photo Gallery |
ON THE RADAR
Wed - The Beauty series premiere; Queer Eye final season premiere; Drops of God Season 2 premiere
Thu - Oscar nominations announced; Sundance begins; TikTok deal closes; Lively-Baldoni hearing
Sat - Teyana Taylor hosts SNL
Sun - NFL Conference Championship games
Tue - BAFTA & WGA Awards nominations announced |
Back In Action - Jason Statham attends the UK Premiere of his latest action thriller, Shelter, at Cineworld Leicester Square in London. |
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