In a Deadline guest column, Doug Liman writes about the distribution of his take on the beloved 1989 movie Road House, which he describes as an edgier version of the Patrick Swayze-starring original. The opening night film at SXSW, Liman laments, has been KO’d by Amazon MGM Studios with a straight-to-Prime Video release, and he’s not taking it lying down.
In the piece, Liman explains what happened with the Jake Gyllenhaal-starring pic, why he feels betrayed and why he views this as a cautionary tale for a theatrical film business still recovering from the pandemic and grappling with the rise of streamers.
Liman punctuates his critique by announcing that, in protest of Amazon's decision he will not attend the film's SXSW premiere. >>>Using The Movie "To Sell Plumbing Fixtures" |
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| Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
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Electric Deal - Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu and his Electric Somewhere Co. have closed a first-look feature film deal at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group. >>>Follows Tom Cruise Partnership
GoT Giddyup - Game of Thrones star Kit Harington is producing a TV thriller described as a “very British Western,” about a hotshot who discovers his family is running a drugs racket. Empire of Dirt [working title] is being produced by Harington and Top Boy scribe Daniel West’s Thriker Films with Des producer New Pictures. Cast is unconfirmed. >>>Could Harington Play The Lead?
Mann With A Plan - Michael Mann has set his second novel collaboration with Edgar-winning author Meg Gardiner. After starting out with Heat 2, Mann and Gardiner set up a new original story that explores an intense global manhunt launched by a renegade federal agent and a stateless operator on a vendetta, in a highly authentic global arena. >>>First In A Series
College Athlete Cash - Amazon's Prime Video has greenlit The Money Game, a docuseries exploring the impact of "name, image and likeness" (NIL) policies on college sports. The series will be set at LSU, where players in "money" sports like football and basketball are joined by NIL phenoms like gymnast Olivia Dunne. >>>Shaquille O’Neal Among Producers
Slam Dunk - RTG Features, the sister studio to basketball media company Slam, is partnering with arts organization Heartland Film to launch the first annual Slam Film Festival dedicated to basketball-themed movies. >>>Program
Doc Talk Podcast: Scott Cummings - Realm of Satan director Scott Cummings joins the new episode of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast to discuss the film, which he made in collaboration with the Church of Satan. It is described as a “nonfiction adjacent” film, which exists somewhere between reality and the fantastical. But that’s kind of the mindset of many members of the church, who believe in “indulgence” and carnal pleasures, and participate in incantatory ceremonies. >>> Listen
Breaking Baz: Matthew Vaughn On Making ‘Argylle’- Matthew Vaughn reveals that last year he received what he terms “flattering” offers to sell Marv Films, the production company behind movies that include the Kick-Ass and Kingsman franchises and the Apple Original Films romance spy-thriller Argylle. That film had its world premiere Wednesday in London, ahead of its February 2 U.S. theatrical release through Universal. >>> Column
In Brief - Rick Mischel forms Canadian toon house… Ambient Light Films ramps up support for MENA filmmakers |
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As CBS celebrates the 60th broadcast anniversary of Let’s Make a Deal with a primetime special, the season also marks Wayne Brady’s 15th anniversary of hosting the show. Here, the multi-hyphenate performer — who is currently in San Francisco, where’s he performing The Wiz through mid-February — talks about celebrating the milestone, how long he expects to keep making those deals, and what’s the latest on his Hulu reality show Wayne Brady: The Family Remix. >>>Read The Interview |
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Exclusive
Ahead of Focus Features‘ February 23rd release of Drive-Away Dolls, the road-trip caper marking her first collaboration with Academy Award winner Ethan Coen, Margaret Qualley has been set to star in Honey Don’t!, the filmmaker’s latest for the same studio. Joining Qualley in the cast are Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans.
Exclusive
Vivica A. Fox is jumping into the kitchen for her latest unscripted series, a new food competition. She has teamed with Rainbow Heads Productions and Woody Woodbeck, a producer on Bravo’s Southern Hospitality, to develop Family Recipe Rumble (w/t).
Exclusive
Malin Åkerman has landed the leading role of Margo Banks in the new Starz drama The Hunting Wives, an 8-episode series based on the novel of the same name by May Cobb. Production is set to begin in Charlotte, NC this spring.
Exclusive
Jacobi Jupe (Peter Pan and Wendy), Maria Dizzia (School Spirits) and Ava Lalezarzadeh (The Pursuit) are set as series regulars and Emmy nominee Hope Davis (Succession) will recur in Before , Apple TV+‘s upcoming limited series, starring and executive produced by Billy Crystal, from Paramount Television Studios.
In Brief - Tom Ellis joins Hulu’s Tell Me Lies… Tyriq Withers to star opposite Marlon Wayans in Goat… Mayor Of Kingstown ups Michael Beach to series regular, adds cast. |
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More News 🏆 Nominations were revealed today for the 55th NAACP Image Awards, with newly minted Oscar nominee Colman Domingo, Emmy winners Ayo Edebiri and Keke Palmer, and Victoria Monét and Usher among those scoring multiple nominations.
💰 Comcast beat Wall Street forecasts for the fourth quarter, posting net income of close to $3.3 billion, up 8% from the same period the previous year, while revenue inched up 2% to $31 billion. Peacock ended 2023 with 31 million subscribers as losses moderated, while studio profit surged and theme parks continued to show strength.
💰 David Ellison’s Skydance has made a preliminary offer to buy Shari Redstone’s stake in National Amusements, the family holding company that controls Paramount Global, according to a Bloomberg report.
🎙️ Jon Stewart will make a surprising return to The Daily Show, 25 years after his debut there. He will host the Comedy Central late-night show one night a week through the 2024 election cycle.
⚖ It’s official — Judy Justice is headed to broadcast syndication for fall 2024 launch. Sox Entertainment, which distributes the Amazon Freevee show, has closed multi-year deals with station groups including Nexstar, Sunbeam, Cox Media, Weigel and Mission Broadcasting in well over 100 U.S broadcast markets, including all of the top 10.
❌ A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Wednesday denied bail pending appeal to convicted rapist Danny Masterson citing the fear that the That 70s Show actor could make a run for it.
🤝 Tessa Thompson‘s Viva Maude has closed a multiyear first-look film deal with Amazon MGM Studios. The label’s mission is “to influence culture through projects that defy categorization and are manifestly entertaining." |
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BY THE NUMBERS
7 - The book in the Jack Reacher chronology on which Season 3 of the Prime Video series will be based |
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Trending
 Viewership of New Hampshire primary coverage across the three major news networks was much higher than that for the Iowa caucuses, rising to 6M from Iowa's 4.7M.
🔻 Viewership of New Hampshire primary coverage was way down from four years ago across the three major news networks, with primetime coverage dipping from an average of 8.7M in 2020 to 6M this year. |
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Obituaries
🕯 Walter E. Calmette Sr., a film executive for Embassy Pictures and New World Entertainment who also ran business affairs for Felix the Cat Productions for more than 30 years, has died. He was 85. 🕯 Margaret Riley, the agent, manager and Lighthouse Management & Media partner and producer on the 2019 film Bombshell, died Tuesday of ovarian cancer at her Brentwood home. She was 58. 🕯 Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2024 Photo Gallery |
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On the Radar
Thu - Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning premieres on Paramount +
Fri - Sundance award winners announced
Sat/Sun - Australian Open women's and men's singles finals
Sun - NFL's AFC and NFC Championship Games |
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'Dynamite' Group - Shondrella Avery, Efren Ramirez, Jon Heder and Jon Gries attended the Napoleon Dynamite special screening at Sundance, marking 20 years since the film premiered at the festival. |
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