Just weeks ago, Paramount Global employees were optimistic about finally entering a more hopeful era thanks to the company’s long-awaited merger with Skydance Media. Management expected the $8 billion deal to close by the springtime. But as the company gets set to re-enter the Wall Street spotlight Wednesday afternoon with its fourth-quarter earnings report, the skies have gotten cloudy. In the chaotic early phase of Donald Trump’s second stint in the White House, federal regulatory approval of the $8 billion Skydance deal is no longer considered a formality and Paramount faces a bind with CBS News.
While the overwhelming sentiment on Wall Street, inside the company and in media circles is that the transaction will indeed close, the timeline and cost of a potential settlement with Trump are big variables in the equation. Meantime, the company faces a host of challenges, including turning a profit in streaming and managing linear TV declines. >>>Other Fish To Fry |
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Timely Revival - Finn, the children’s musical that opened to great reviews at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. last year only to have its national tour canceled by the venue’s new Trump-led regime, will be performed by a cast of Broadway stars for a one-night-only show to be livestreamed from New York’s Town Hall next month. >>>Trevor Project Benefit Oscar Telecast Preview - In an interview with Deadline, Academy CEO Bill Kramer covers a range of topics related to Sunday's 97th Annual Academy Awards broadcast, from its treatment of January's L.A. fires, musical numbers and the approach of host Conan O'Brien. >>>Politics In Mix?
Irwin Allen Surfaces At Legendary - Akiva Goldsman is developing a new Universe at Legendary Television featuring three reimagined Irwin Allen sci-fi TV series. The Oscar-winning writer, producer and director will draw inspiration for the new TV shows from Allen’s catalog and focus on revitalizing Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Land of the Giants and The Time Tunnel. >>> Crafting A Unified Vision
'Foundation' Finds Showrunner - Ian Goldberg (Fear the Walking Dead) has been tapped as new executive producer/showrunner of Apple TV+‘s sci-fi drama Foundation, with a Season 4 writers room up and running, sources tell Deadline. Goldberg’s work on the show falls under an overall deal he has signed with Skydance TV. >>>S3 Likely To Debut This Year
Edward Berger's Next Project - Amazon MGM Studios, United Artists and Scott Stuber are in talks to reel in a big package: Conclave helmer Edward Berger is directing a film about Evan Gershkovich and the harrowing year the Wall Street Journal foreign correspondent spent in a Russian prison on fabricated espionage charges. >>>A Big Get
In Brief - Nina Kiri starring in horror The Undertone... Katie Cassidy to lead thriller Nanny Cam... Verve signs Ben Leonberg... UTA signs Pasqual Gutierrez |
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On the latest episode of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, we welcome Peter Baxter, president and co-founder of Slamdance, to discuss the festival’s new direction and the opportunities that have emerged with relocation to the movie capital. He explains why Slamdance decided to uproot itself. Baxter also addresses the state of distribution for documentary films. >>> Listen |
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Exclusive
In a rare acting gig on a show she has not created or executive produced, Emmy winner Lena Waithe is set for a guest arc on ABC’s venerable medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. She will play Dr. Evynn Moore, a brilliant and savvy former student of Catherine Fox’s (Debbie Allen) who visits Grey Sloan.
Exclusive
Scrubs alum John C. McGinley is reuniting with the medical comedy’s creator/executive producer Bill Lawrence and writer/co-executive producer Matt Tarses on their new comedy series for HBO, headlined and executive produced by Steve Carell.
Exclusive
Warm Bodies and A Discovery of Witches actress Teresa Palmer has been set to star with Russell Crowe, Nina Dobrev and Kartiah Vergara in action-thriller Bear Country, which is currently filming in Australia.
Patrick Wilson has joined Amy Adams and Javier Bardem in Apple TV+ series Cape Fear, from Nick Antosca, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.
In Brief - Jon Bernthal to headline Punisher special... Scott Foley to star in faith-based series It’s Not Like That... Ismael Cruz Cordóva, Brady Wagner, Michael Abbott Jr. & more join Verity |
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More News 🏀 Warner Bros. Discovery is abandoning plans to charge extra for a live sports tier on Max and is also removing news programming from the streaming service in a strategic pivot.
🛳️ Two Below Deck: Sailing Yacht crew members are suing castmember Gary King, NBCUniversal, Bravo, Endemol Shine and producers of the superyacht reality TV series for sexual battery, a hostile work environment, retaliation and failure to prevent discrimination. The legal action comes as Bravo has recently notched several audience wins across its unscripted series Below Deck Down Under, Southern Hospitality and Summer House.
🖥️ Jonathan Carson, CEO of Antenna, said the company’s most recent findings show the streaming bundle established last year by Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery “is getting real customer traction” and is “just crushing it” in terms of subscriber retention. In fact, the firm said 80% of the roughly 1.6 million customers who signed up between July and December for the combo of Max, Disney+ and Hulu were still subscribed three months later, which makes it stickier than Netflix.
🦖 Momentum is building for A24‘s live-action Barney movie from Mattel Films and Daniel Kaluuya’s 59% Productions, as the companies have set Emmy and Golden Globe winner Ayo Edebiri to write the screenplay and also have her in talks to star. |
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Obituaries
🕯️ Roberto “Bob” Gaston Orci, a writer-producer who worked on some of the biggest action-adventure and sci-fi movies and television shows from the first two decades of the century, died at his home in Los Angeles yesterday after a battle with kidney disease. He was 51. 🕯️ Fumi Kitahara , a widely respected animation publicist who helped steer award-winning campaigns for studios including DreamWorks, Aardman, Laika, Netflix and Disney, passed away on Monday due to complications from a rare form of blood cancer, her family announced. She was 56. 🕯️ ShaVi Lewis, a Project Runway contestant, has died. He was 38. Lewis, who participated in Season 18 of the Bravo competition, died on February 24, according to his aunt. 🕯️ Robert John , whose “Sad Eyes” hit No. 1 in the U.S. and who had a Top 5 hit with a cover of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” died Monday. He was 79. His son Michael Patrick told our sister site Rolling Stone that his father had been recovering from a stroke years ago. 🕯️ 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries |
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On the Radar
Thu - Warner Bros. Discovery earnings
Sat - Shane Gillis hosts SNL
Sun - The Oscars
Mon - Stand Up for L.A. benefit |
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Class-y - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored its 2025 Oscar nominees Tuesday night with a dinner at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. The event was used to finally get the 97th Oscars nominees class photo, during a rare moment when nominees are able to be in one place during the always hectic awards season. |
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