TV's New Neighborhood Short for “free, ad-supported television,” FAST is a live, linear and growing area of the streaming universe that has emerged as a complement to on-demand offerings. The multi-billion-dollar sector is inhabited by an eclectic range of purveyors, content owners and connected-TV players, among them Pluto, Tubi, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xumo, Samsung and Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. Major media companies have also taken note -- NBCUniversal swung a deal with Hallmark to put its FAST channels on Peacock, and AMC Networks has mobilized a number of custom channels. Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav has sung the praises of FAST, and Deadline has reported former HBO drama Westworld could resurface as its own free channel after the show was pulled from subscription service HBO Max. With pay-TV cord-cutting rates rising past 6% a year, traditional stakeholders are hoping for a way to stop the bleeding, but as with any relationship (especially with TV viewers), it's complicated. Still, advertisers apear game and revenue could reach $9 billion by 2026, according to one research firm's estimate. >>>Cable's Second Coming? |
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A Chip Off The Old Blockbuster? - Destry Allyn Spielberg is to make her feature directorial debut on Four Assassins (And A Funeral), the Ryan Hooper Black List script said to be a cross between The Kingsman meets Knives Out meets Succession. The daughter of the famed The Fabelmans helmer, Spielberg drew acclaim for directing The Right Way, a short that premiered at Tribeca. She has also worked as an actress in Licorice Pizza and on the miniseries I Know This Much Is True. >>> Production Slated For 2023
'Water' World - James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, arrives with a global outlook of $525M. That's for the first weekend. The Way of Water will be Disney’s widest worldwide release ever, surpassing even Avengers: Endgame. >>>Opening On 52,000 Screens
To Maximize Long-Term Engagement - The Warner Bros. Discovery Global Brands and Experiences division unveiled the global leadership for its consumer products business, formalizing the marriage of legacy Warner Bros. and Discovery operations, including those overseeing Harry Potter and DC. Canada and U.S. are now integrated into one North American team, and major international regions managed together. The company also created a global e-commerce unit. >>> New Leadership Structure
Giant Steps - A new limited series docudrama will focus on the NBA and its stars' important roles in the civil rights movement. Big Men will aim to capture the struggles and strides of the movement through the lens of two NBA icons, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. Scott Koondel’s Sox Entertainment has partnered with Jon Shapiro’s Ideal Entertainment to co-produce Big Men. >>> Lakers Great A Consulting Producer
Netflix: No More 'Nun' - Netflix has opted not to order a third season of Warrior Nun. The show's second-season ratings performance follows the pattern of other scripted series canceled by Netflix as the streamer weighs viewing vs. cost in renewal decisions. Season 2 spent just three weeks in Netflix’s Weekly Top 10 for English-language series, peaking at #5. >>> Small, But Passionate Fan Base
Anonymous M&A Move - After months of rumors, Anonymous Content is set to bolster its production to go along with a strong management business. The company is near a deal to acquire the prolific production company Automatik. >>>There's A Twist
Stepping Down - There will be no fourth season of Step Up (fka Step Up: High Water). Starz has canceled the drama after a one-season run on the network - seasons 1 and 2 ran on YouTube. The upcoming Season 3 finale, slated to premiere next week, will serve as a series finale. >>>Second Cancellation In As Many Days
In Brief - Mark Gordon Pictures has tapped playwright John J. Caswell Jr. to adapt a stage musical of the acclaimed short documentary, The Flagmakers…Dick Wolf’s Wolf Entertainment bolsters podcast business with Stephen Michael hire… Rachelle Williams-BenAry has signed an overall deal with Lionsgate Television Group…Bake Squad was renewed for Season 2 at Netflix…RadicalMedia hired The Andy Warhol Diaries showrunner Stacey Reiss as EP. |
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Disney is currently testing the wisdom of its massive Fox acquisition through its billion-dollar investment in Avatar tentpoles, a move that could give the studio a fresh supply of blockbusters over the next decade. Avatar: The Way of Water opens Friday, with only a modicum of off-screen budget drama, considering every movie Cameron has made since his 1984 breakthrough The Terminator has been preceded by pearl-clutching naysayers predicting Cameron’s penchant for big budgets finally would sink a studio.
In an interview with Deadline this week, Cameron discusses the stakes of extending the Avatar franchise and shooting sequels back to back. He also reveals what happened when he lent his creative input on Terminator: Dark Fate - after he swore off the series when rights to his creation were bought out from under him by Mario Kassar and Andy Vajna, scuttling his plans to make a third film himself. >>>Read The Interview |
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Norman Reedus (Jamie Burke) |
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Exclusive Walking Ahead- Norman Reedus continues to fill out his post-The Walking Dead dance card. He's the latest boldfaced name added to the cast of the Ana de Armas-led John Wick spinoff Ballerina. >>>Working With Tom Hardy Soon, Too
Exclusive Super Friends - John Cena and Jason Momoa will star in the action comedy Killer Vacation from Warner Bros. Mark and Brian Gunn wrote the script. John Rickard and Peter Safran will produce the pic, which had been set up at the studio before Safran and James Gunn took charge of DC. >>> Plot Under Wraps
Exclusive Das Kapital - Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment has received a green light for One Mile and a sequel, both starring and produced by Ryan Phillippe. The films will be distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution. >>>Being Shot Back-To-Back
Exclusive 12-Step Schlep - Johnny Knoxville and Kate Upton will topline the indie comedy Sweet Dreams from writer-director Lije Sarki. It follows Morris (Knoxville) as he navigates his way through a mandatory stay at the Sweet Dreams sober living facility. In an attempt to get his life back on track, he agrees to coach a misfit softball team of his housemates. >>> Large Supporting Cast |
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BY THE NUMBERS 81 million hours viewed - The first-week tally for Harry and Meghan, according to Netflix, making it the streaming service's most viewed documentary premiere |
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More News
🧙♀️ The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a female-led show fronted by Morfydd Clark, and now the upcoming second season of Amazon Studios’ massive series has an all-female directing team. Charlotte Brändström is coming back after helming two episodes in Season 1. She will be joined by Sanaa Hamri and Louise Hooper who are new to the franchise. In Season 1, Brändström was the only female director; in Season 2 she leads the distaff directing team. The announcement also indirectly confirms that Season 2 will consist of the same number of episodes as Season 1: eight.
🤖 Iron Man, Carrie and When Harry Met Sally were among the 25 films added to the National Film Registry this year. Selected for their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation’s film heritage, the latest group includes a diversity of American filmmakers, with additional titles including Superfly, Cyrano de Bergerac, Hairspray, House Party and The Little Mermaid.
🧯 Robert Griffin III apologized after he used a racial slur during the live broadcast of ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown. The former NFL star was discussing the Eagles win over the Giants and called out Jalen Hurts’ critics with what clearly was an anti-Black epithet. "Was trying to say 'those Bug-A-Boos' in reference to haters and doubters,” the former Washington Commanders QB wrote later on Twitter. "Definitely need to clarify this. THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT TO SAY."
🍄 Universal Studios Hollywood announced today that the first Super Nintendo World in the U.S. will open on February 17, 2023. Attractions will include Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, Bowser's Castle and Mount Beanpole. Most of those will be enhanced with Power-Up Bands to allow guests to engage in four Key Challenges and collect keys from Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Piranha Plant and Thwomp.
✍️ Ahead of the opening of Damien Chazelle’s $80M early-Hollywood opus Babylon, Paramount Pictures signed the filmmaker and his producer wife Olivia Hamilton to a multi-year, first-look directing and producing deal.
🍾 A date has finally been set for the much-anticipated return of Party Down. The new era for the cult comedy series, the first two seasons of which aired from 2009-10, begins at midnight on February 24 on the Starz app and streaming platforms. Linear debut is later that same day.
🔥 Ratings for Steve Martin and Martin Short's return to SNL this past weekend marked a season high, topping the viewership numbers for the hosting stint of the previous season 48 kingpin, Dave Chappelle, in November. In Brief - Eugene Levy’s Apple+ show The Reluctant Traveler now has a February premiere date...Hulu announced How I Met Your Father will return for its second season on January 24… The Sundance Film Festival revealed its 2023 lineup of episodic projects and 64 shorts. |
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Trending  Same-Sex Couples had a historic win in their fight for equality as President Biden signed the The Respect for Marriage Act that ensures same-sex marriage rights are protected at the federal level.
🔻 Embattled L.A. City Councilman Kevin de León struggled with tough, fact-based questions from CNN's Kate Baldwin. His reply, "That is not the person who I am," rang hollow as Baldwin ran the tape of his racist statements and recent physical altercation with a protester. |
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Obituaries
🕯 Bill Thompson, whose career as a distribution and exhibition executive spanned Miramax Films, Gramercy Pictures, Lot 47 and Bob Berney-led Newmarket Films, Picturehouse, Apparition and Film District, died Monday of cancer in Manhattan. He was 73. "RIP: Bill Thompson, my friend and colleague from Picturehouse and several companies where we made history together," Berney tweeted. "Bill was our inspiration to be the best we could be, loved by everyone." 🕯 See tributes to the 400-plus influential figures we lost this year in Deadline's 2022 Hollywood & Media Deaths photo gallery. |
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On the Radar Thu - Brendan Fraser on Kimmel
Fri - Avatar: The Way of Water opens
Sun - World Cup Final; First day of Hanukkah
Mon - Jan. 6 Committee’s final hearing |
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Signing Of The Times - Cyndi Lauper brought down the White House when she performed "True Colors" on Tuesday to celebrate President Joe Biden signing into law a bill that will protect same-sex and interracial marriage rights at the federal level. (Getty) |
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