| IN A SIGN OF INVESTOR ANGST, THE STREAMER'S SHARES HAVE RISEN AFTER WARNER HAS WARMED TO PARAMOUNT BID |
Your move, Netflix.
A day after Warner Bros. Discovery stunned the industry and the business world by extending merger talks with Paramount, Netflix shares jumped 6% on Wednesday trading and the rally has continued this morning.
The question animating the stock movement and captivating Hollywood is straightforward but full of implications: Will the streaming giant raise its pending offer or should it just bail?
The company has stayed mum since the WBD board’s decision, but it is planning another push with politicians and regulators to make its case. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos is scheduled to meet with Trump Administration officials today at the White House. Sources confirmed the meetings to Deadline following an initial report by Politico.
That flurry of Washington, D.C. activity suggests Netflix isn’t planning to fold just yet. >>>Promotional Tour
Related:
HBO Max Hits 131.6M Subs, NBA Exit Pinches Advertising As WBD Deal Drama Dominates Q4
Netflix’s Acquisition Of Warner Bros Bad For America, GOP Attorneys General Tell Feds
Paramount Revenue, Streaming Subscribers Inch Up In Q4, But Losses Widen On TV Slump
Sarandos Schleps To White House To Counterpunch Paramount’s Potential Upper Hand |
Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
Apple Wins Armstrong Project - Following an auction that saw several major studios vying for rights, Apple Original Films has crossed the finish line in acquiring the untitled Lance Armstrong movie package starring Austin Butler as Armstrong. Edward Berger is directing the feature, with King Richard scribe Zach Baylin penning the spec. >>> Scott Stuber Among Producers
Scenes From Trump's SOTU Speech – Deadline's Ted Johnson was among the journalists perched in gallery workplaces above the rostrum in the House of Representatives chamber to observe the pageantry and pettiness and gather reactions from the combatants. >>> Insight & Analysis
Related:
Speech Drew Around 28M Viewers Across Major Networks
Filmmakers Support Berlinale Boss – Close to 700 professionals from across the international film industry mobilized quickly this evening to draft and sign an open letter in defence of Berlinale head Tricia Tuttle after reports in a German tabloid that her job was under threat. >>> Full Text
Related:
No Decision Taken On Festival Director Tricia Tuttle At Culture Ministry Meeting
Berlinale Staff & Contractors Issue Statement In Support Of “Extraordinary” Festival Head Tricia Tuttle Amid Job Uncertainty
From Broadway to Bard — Jonathan Groff, currently portraying 1950s heartthrob Bobby Darin in Just in Time, is brushing up on his Shakespeare to play Rosalind in an all-male production of comedy romance As You Like It, which will mark the actor’s debut with the Royal Shakespeare Company. >>> Show Opens September 26 |
Jimmy Kimmel is a well-known superfan of Huey Lewis and The News. When Nate Bargatze asked him how many Lewis songs he could name in 60 seconds, vibes were high; Bargatze thought he’d be able to name 24, while Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez took the over. Kimmel, however, was only able to name 12.
This game is one of the centerpieces of The Greatest Average American, the new game show hosted by Bargatze for Kimmel’s longtime network ABC.
“It’s the pressure,” Bargatze told Deadline. “Jimmy Kimmel has been on TV forever, but when you’re sitting there, all that strips away. Put anybody on the spot and ask them to name something quickly, your brain just goes frantic." >>>Read The Interview |
QUOTABLE "They have the right to be heard" - Kevin Williamson on the “Free Palestine” protest outside the 'Scream 7' premiere amid fallout from Melissa Barrera's 2023 firing |
ExclusiveMatt Dillon is set to headline and executive produce MGM+'s upcoming eight-episode drama series The Magnificent Seven from Heroes creator Tim Kring, a reimagining of the classic 1960 Western film.
ExclusiveOscar winner Tom McCarthy has set cast for his upcoming feature drama co-financed by Sony Classics. Starring in the film will be Paul Rudd, Evan Peters, Amy Ryan, Paul Giamatti, John Turturro, Tatiana Maslany and Jason Clarke.
ExclusiveMolly Ringwald has joined the recurring cast of the Showtime series Yellowjackets for its fourth and final season. Sources tell Deadline she will play Van’s mom, Vicky. June Squibb has also signed on.
ExclusiveCasey Mills has been cast as a recurring guest star in Season 2 of The Hunting Wives, Deadline hears. We understand he’ll appear as "Nico." |
BY THE NUMBERS $424.2M - Domestic B.O. for 'Zootopia 2,' making it North America's highest-grossing 2025
release |
MORE NEWS
🏒 Jacob Tierney, the creator and exec producer of buzzy hockey series Heated Rivalry, said in an interview on CBS Mornings today that production of a second season will begin in August. That means a release date of April 2027 for the series, which is produced by Crave in Canada and streams on HBO Max in the U.S. 🤝 Nexstar CEO Perry Sook told Wall Street analysts that the company’s executives “appreciate the support” of President Trump of the pending $6.2 billion merger with Tegna. Speaking on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call Thursday, Sook fielded multiple questions about the transaction, which he said is on track to close by the end of the second quarter on June 30.
📽️ Old Boy and No Other Choice director Park Chan-wook has been named as president of the jury for the 79th Cannes Film Festival, running from May 12 to May 23.
🎸 Billy Idol, Jeff Buckley, Sade, P!NK, Lauryn Hill, Oasis and Wu-Tang Clan are among the diverse batch of 17 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees announced Wednesday.
✍️ NCIS: Origins co-creator/executive producer David J. North, who served as co-showrunner on the CBS series for its first two seasons, has signed an overall deal with the studio behind the prequel, CBS Studios. Under the pact, he will create, develop and produce projects for broadcast and streaming. He also will continue on NCIS: Origins in his new role as sole showrunner next season.
🔍 The FCC is launching a public inquiry into the migration of sports rights from free, over-the-air broadcast outlets to subscription streaming, something that has been increasing source of concern among lawmakers on Capitol Hill. |
OBITUARIES
🕯️ Ann Godoff, the founder, president and Editor-in-Chief of Penguin Press, whose stable of authors included E.L. Doctorow, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Michael Pollan, Tom Brokaw, Salman Rushdie, Zadie Smith, William Styron and Alice Waters, died Tuesday in Albany, NY, Deadline has confirmed. She was 76. 🕯️ Lauren Chapin, known for her sweet-tempered, if wise-beyond-her-years portrayal of Kathy “Kitten” Anderson on the beloved 1950s TV sitcom Father Knows Best, died Tuesday, February 24, following a five-year battle with cancer. She was 80. 🕯️ Sondra Lee, a Broadway actor whose petit size allowed her, at 26, to convincingly play the Native American child princess Tiger Lily in Peter Pan opposite Mary Martin on Broadway and in the treasured 1955 TV presentation, died Monday, February 23, of natural causes in her New York City apartment. She was 97. 🕯️ Robert Cosby Jr. , son of Mary M. Cosby of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, has died. He was 23. 🕯️ Jim “Boomer” Gordon, longtime host of The Point with Boomer Gordon on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, died Monday after a 3½-year battle with cancer. He was 55. 🕯️ 2026 Deaths Photo Gallery |
| ON THE RADAR
Thu - Cesar Awards; Hillary Clinton deposition
Fri - Bill Clinton deposition
Sat - PGA Awards; NAACP Image Awards; Connor Storrie hosts SNL
Sun - The Actor Awards |
'Scream' Queens - Isabel May and Neve Campbell attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Scream 7 on the Paramount lot. |
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