| | | | Disney will unveil its fiscal first quarter financials after the stock market closes this afternoon – but this isn’t just any earnings report. It’s one that comes with two separate activist shareholders lobbying aggressively to push new directors onto the company’s board. They say new voices are needed because the stock has lagged and Disney hasn’t made any big moves to create value.
Tuesday evening did bring news of a pretty bold step, however. Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox Corp. announced the launch of a new sports streaming joint venture, which will include ABC, ESPN and 12 other linear networks and sports rights from three of the biggest media players. That will generate a lot of conversation on the call, but also a larger question: Is it enough for Nelson Peltz to back off? >>>Key Factors |
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| Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
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Sandberg Speaks Out - Sheryl Sandberg is fronting a documentary about sexual atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7. The former COO of Meta and founder of LeanIn.org is presenting Screams Before Silence from Israeli doc maker Kastina Communications. >>>Hostage Interviews
Costner Sets His Next - Kevin Costner has selected his next film to produce and star in: an as-yet-untitled picture that Ariel Vromen will direct from a script owned by the actor. >>>"Passion Project"
Tragedy In Studio City - A rigger working at Radford Studios died Tuesday after falling from a catwalk, Deadline has learned. The male crew member, who died at the scene, was working on the set of Marvel Studios’ Wonder Man. >>>Investigation Ongoing
Cord-Never Nirvana? Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch says the company's new sports streaming joint venture with Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery can reach "tens of millions" of people without pay-TV subscriptions and won't threaten Fox's traditional bundle revenue. “We’ve done lots of sensitivity analysis and we would not be launching this product if we thought it was going to significantly affect our pay-TV affiliate partners. That’s really important to us,” Murdoch said on Fox's quarterly earnings call. >>> NBCUniversal Not Climbing Aboard
A Star Is Reborn - Paramount Pictures has stepped up for a $25 million commitment for North American theatrical rights to Better Man, a fantastical original musical directed by Michael Gracey, helmer of the blockbuster musical The Greatest Showman. The film is about the unlikely rise of celebrated singer-songwriter Robbie Williams. >>>Unorthodox Story
Doc Talk Podcast: Mstyslav Chernov And Nisha Pahuja - Ukrainian photojournalist and war correspondent Mstyslav Chernov joins the latest edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast to discuss his Oscar-nominated film 20 Days in Mariupol and Russia’s efforts to sow a false counter-narrative to the carnage he documented. We also welcome another first-time Oscar nominee, director Nisha Pahuja, recognized for her gripping film To Kill a Tiger. >>> Listen
Reworking 'Foundation' - Re-start of production has been postponed on Season 3 of Foundation, the Apple TV+ saga based on Isaac Asimov’s classic trilogy. Issues with budgeting and physical production/ prompted the delay of filming in Prague and Poland, which had been scheduled to begin this month. >>>Second Pause
In Brief - Harry Jowsey joins Alex Cooper’s The Unwell Network… Quiver Distribution acquires Jennifer Esposito’s Fresh Kills… Will Packer Media, Kinetic Content to develop Seven Days in June as series |
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Exclusive
After receiving the best reviews of his career in Netflix’s May December, Charles Melton looks to have found his follow-up project as he is in talks to star in Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland‘s Untitled War Movie at A24.
Exclusive
Dave Bautista has landed his next big-canvas action movie in the shape of post-apocalyptic adventure story Afterburn. Samuel L. Jackson is also aboard for this one, which is set 10 years after a solar flare has wiped out technology across the globe.
Exclusive
Andrew Dice Clay has been tapped for a role opposite Eddie Murphy in Amazon MGM Studios‘ forthcoming film The Pickup from director Tim Story.
Exclusive
Julian Kostov (Shadow and Bone) has been cast in Season 3 of HBO’s The White Lotus. The Bulgarian actor will play a recurring Russian character, replacing Miloš Biković who had been originally cast in the role.
Exclusive
Ryan-James Hatanaka, who heavily recurred on Criminal Minds: Evolution last season has been promoted to series regular for Season 2 of the Paramount+ series, which is currently in production.
In Brief - Dave Franco & Alison Brie to star in Together… Daredevil: Born Again adds Genneya Walton… Ella-Rae Smith to lead My Bloody Galentine |
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BY THE NUMBERS
$1 million - The adjusted amount Kevin Spacey must pay 'House of Cards' producer MRC, down from more than $31M |
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More News 🎸 Purple Rain, the stage musical adaptation of the classic Prince album and film, will make its pre-Broadway premiere next year in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis, producers announced Tuesday. The musical will debut in spring 2025.
⚕️ Tyne Daly was unexpectedly hospitalized on Friday and has withdrawn from her starring role in the Broadway revival of Doubt. She’ll be replaced by Amy Ryan. No reason was given for Daly’s hospitalization, but the company said she is expected to make a full recovery.
🎙️ Tucker Carlson confirmed speculation yesterday that he’s been in Moscow to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin. |
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Trending
 The Season 11 premiere of Vanderpump Rules attracted 3.2M viewers after three days of viewing. That’s a 68% increase from the Season 10 premiere.
🔻 Shares in Snap Inc. plunged more than 30% following the company’s release of muted fourth-quarter results. |
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On the Radar
Wed - Disney earnings; SBIFF kicks off; Christopher Nolan on Colbert; Abbott Elementary S3 premiere
Thu - Apple's annual shareholder meeting
Sat - DGA Awards
Sun - The Super Bowl
Mon - Jon Stewart returns to The Daily Show |
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Red Carpet Luchador - While promoting Dune: Part Two in Mexico City, Timothée Chalamet assumed the guise of a more earthly – but no less fantastic – hero. |
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