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David Ellison’s Skydance Media has closed its $8 billion merger with Paramount Global to create new company Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, the parties announced Thursday.

Under Skydance, Paramount will be restructured into three divisions: studios, direct-to-consumer and TV media.

In an open letter released with the deal close, Ellison, who will serve as Paramount chairman and CEO, reiterated Skydance’s promise to realize $2 billion in cost synergies post-merger, adding he now has “greater confidence in our ability to not only achieve — but meaningfully exceed” that figure through plans to “transition the entire enterprise to a single technology platform.”

“Today marks Day One of a new Paramount,” Ellison said. “I am thrilled and honored to write to you as Chairman and CEO, as — together with our Board, our new executive leadership team, and our colleagues around the world — we embark on the exciting next chapter of this legendary company.”

The new Paramount CEO added: “Moving forward,...

Cindy Holland, the incoming head of streaming for the merged Paramount-Skydance, is bringing on two former colleagues — Jane Wiseman and Efrain Miron — whom she worked with at Netflix and production company Sister for key management roles.

Holland will be chair of direct-to-consumer for Paramount Skydance, when deal close occurs (expected Thursday). Holland was Netflix’s VP of original content, before leaving the streamer in 2020 after 18 years. She joined Sister in July 2023 as global CEO, before stepping down last fall to take on a role as senior adviser to Skydance Media CEO David Ellison ahead of the expected close of the Paramount merger.

With Holland coming on board, Tom Ryan, CEO of Paramount Streaming who has overseeing Paramount+ and Pluto TV, is leaving the company.

Wiseman will join the new Paramount as executive VP, head of originals for Paramount+, responsible for leading the development and production of the platform’s slate of original content.

New Paramount continues to build its leadership team with another ten executives added ahead of Thursday’s closing of the $8 billion Skydance merger.

TheWrap previously reported that Skydance Television’s Matt Thunell will oversee Paramount Television Studios as president and that former Netflix and Sister executives Jane Wiseman and Efrain Miron would join Cindy Holland’s direct-to-consumer team. Wiseman has been named head of originals, while Miron is head of content strategy and licensing.

Other additions to New Paramount include:

Skydance feature film president Don Granger as motion picture group president NBCUniversal global distribution and international media chairman Kevin MacLellan as international and global content distribution president Skydance chief marketing officer Rebecca Mall as president of cross company initiatives, franchise, and corporate marketing StubHub’s Kevin Creighton as executive vice president of corporate finance and investor relations Former Warner Bros., AT&T and Disney executive Tony Driscoll as head of corporate...

Gamco Investors chairman Mario Gabelli has elected to receive cash for his firm’s voting shares in Paramount Global as the media giant’s $8 billion merger with Skydance is set to close later this week.

Per a 13D filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Gabelli’s firm owned 4.89 million shares, or 12.03% of Paramount’s Class A voting shares, as of May 5. Shareholders had until July 31 to decide on whether to elect cash or stock in New Paramount.

In addition to the A shares, Gabelli previously disclosed ownership of around 900,000 of Paramount’s Class B shares. A spokesperson for Gabelli declined to comment beyond the 13D filing on the firm’s ownership in Paramount stock.

Under the two-step deal, Skydance is set to acquire controlling shareholder Shari Redstone’s holding company National Amusements, which controls 77.4% of the Paramount Class A common stock outstanding and approximately 9.5% of the overall equity of the company,...

Skydance on Tuesday unveiled the slate of board directors who will be serving as soon as the Skydance-Paramount transaction closes on Thursday, including former Paramount chairman and CEO Sherry Lansing.

In addition to Lansing, the board will include Paramount chairman and CEO David Ellison, president Jeff Shell, chief operating and strategy officer Andy Gordon, Oracle Corporation CEO Safra A. Catz, RedBird Capital Partners founder Gerry Cardinale, RedBird chairman John L. Thornton, Silver Lake managing director Justin G. Hamill, Lawrence Investments LLC president Paul Marinelli, and current Paramount board director and former Barclays Plc vice chairman Barbara Byrne.

“We are thrilled and honored to welcome this truly outstanding group of director-designees to our board. They are dynamic leaders whose impact spans industries and whose reputations resonate across the business world globally,” Ellison said in a statement. “The legacy of Paramount is one of our greatest strategic assets and it is...

With Skydance‘s deal to acquire Paramount Global set to close this week, David Ellison has unveiled its proposed 10 new board directors to serve once the merger is completed.

Ellison is set to serve as the future chairman and CEO of the Paramount studio. Former Paramount Pictures head Sherry Lansing is proposed to sit as an independent director, while Oracle Corp CEO Safra A. Catz, whose company is aligned with former CEO Larry Ellison, father of David Ellison, is also tapped for the new boardroom.

Barbara Byrne, former vice chairman of British investment bank Barclays Plc, is the lone holdover from the old board and will sit as an independent director. The new Paramount will have three segments: Studios, direct-to-consumer, and TV media.

The rest of the proposed board appointees from the world of media, technology, and finance — and many of whom are shareholders of the combined studio — include Gerry Cardinale,...

David Ellison’s Skydance Media today unveiled the full slate of director designees for the new Paramount Skydance. They will be elected and begin serving on the Paramount board effective at the closing of the proposed merger Thursday.

The board will consist of 10 members with Sherry Lansing, former chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, one of three independent directors with Barbara Byrne, former vice chair of Barclays who currently sits on the Par board, and Justin G. Hamill, Managing Director and Chief Legal Officer, Silver Lake. Oracle CEO Safra Catz will join the board as well with Ellison, RedBird Capital’s founder and managing partner Gerry Cardinale and its chairman John Thornton, incoming president Jeff Shell, and future chief strategy and chief operating officer Andy Gordon.

“The new Board comprises a preeminent group of leaders from across the media, technology, and finance sectors, bringing unmatched expertise and invaluable perspective on the complex intersection of geopolitics,...

Skydance Media announced the full slate of 10 directors for Paramount Skydance Corp., the company resulting from its merger with Paramount Global.

The directors will be elected and begin serving on the Paramount board effective at the completion of the proposed merger with Paramount, expected to close Aug. 7. The current Paramount Global directors, including Shari Redstone, will step down upon the close of the combination.

The Paramount board will consist of 10 directors, including three independent directors. The majority of the board is comprised of the largest shareholders of the company, “further underscoring the deep commitment to building long-term value for all stakeholders,” according to Skydance.

As previously announced, David Ellison, CEO of Skydance Media, will assume the role of chairman and CEO of the new Paramount. The Ellison family will have 100% voting control over Paramount Skydance; the deal was largely bankrolled by Oracle founder Larry Ellison. Nonvoting shares of Paramount Skydance...

Jonathan Kaplan, who directed Jodie Foster to a best actress Oscar in The Accused and received five Emmy nominations for his work as a helmer and producer on ER, has died. He was 77.

Kaplan died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with liver cancer, his daughter, Molly Kaplan, told The Hollywood Reporter. “He was a loving, supportive father,” she said.

Kaplan, whose parents both worked in show business and whose uncle was Oscar-winning actor Van Heflin, served an apprenticeship with famed B-movie producer Roger Corman and then directed the blaxploitation classic Truck Turner (1974), starring Isaac Hayes, Yaphet Kotto and Nichelle Nichols.

Kaplan also guided Michelle Pfeiffer to a best actress Oscar nomination in the 1960s-set Love Field (1992), and his directing résumé included the Shirley Muldowney biopic Heart Like a Wheel (1983), starring Bonnie Bedelia and Beau Bridges; Bad Girls (1987), the distaff Western starring Madeleine Stowe, Mary Stuart Masterson,...

The Story: A corrupt American cop (Michael Douglas) and his partner (Andy Garcia) wind-up in Japan after a prisoner exchange gone awry. With their former captive cutting a swath through the local Yakuza in an attempt to establish himself as the new Tokyo boss, the cops are forced into an uneasy alliance with a by-the-book local police inspector (Ken Takakura).

The Players: Starring: Michael Douglas, Andy García, Ken Takakura, Kate Capshaw and Yusaku Matsuda. Directed by Ridley Scott. Music by Hans Zimmer.

The History: Michael Douglas was riding high in 1989. Following his Oscar-win for Wall Street, and Fatal Attraction’s boffo box office, his was considered one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood. Opting for a rare action role, grittier and more hard-edged than his turns in Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile, Douglas, with his Fatal Attraction producers Stanley Jaffe and Sherry Lansing (who would...

In February 2007 Lansing was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, receiving an Oscar statuette.

“Sherry is being honored not only for her passionate work in support of fighting cancer,” said Academy President Sid Ganis, “but because the Board recognized and remembered the long list of charitable organizations and causes she has served, and her long history in serving them. Sherry has earned enormous respect throughout the industry not only for her successful career as a producer and studio head, but because she has never failed to further devote her enormous energy to the needs of others.”

Lansing serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Friends of Cancer Research and as a Trustee of the American Association for Cancer Research. She continues to lend her energy and talents to such advisory boards and...

Oscar nominee Kate Hudson will be receiving the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation’s highest honor, the 2025 Pioneer of the Year Award on Oct. 8th at The Beverly Hilton.

The Pioneer of the Year Award is awarded to those respected members in the motion picture industry whose leadership, service to the community, and commitment to philanthropy are exceptional.

“Kate Hudson’s influence extends beyond her outstanding contributions to the motion picture business. Her commitment to philanthropy and social causes inspires audiences everywhere to be active in their communities and support each other in times of need,” said Lisa Bunnell, President of Distribution at Focus Features and President, Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation.

“Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation is proud to celebrate Kate’s achievements and recognize her with the 2025 Pioneer of the Year Award,” Bunnell added.

All proceeds raised at the event benefit Wrmppf’s Pioneers Assistance Fund,...

Firmly committed to curing prostate cancer, the Prostate Cancer Foundation is the leading philanthropic organization funding and accelerating research globally.

Since 1993, their unique strategies for identifying and investing in the most promising research programs have generated life-saving results. They channel resources to the world’s top scientific minds—cutting red tape and encouraging collaboration to speed breakthroughs.

As a champion for increased government and private support, Pcf has helped build a global research enterprise of nearly $10 billion. Through the generous contributions of their donors, they have funded more than 2,000 programs at more than 200 research centers in 18 countries.

Celebrity supporters

Prostate Cancer Foundation has 17 known supporters, including Quincy Jones, Seth Rogen, and Sherry Lansing

Areas of work HealthCancer Read more about Prostate Cancer Foundation's work and celebrity supporters. Related articles Major League Baseball Ventures Beyond The Diamond For CharityCelebrities Gather For Charity Fun RunStars Get Hairy For Charity During MovemberMorgan Spurlock...

Jodie Foster is remembering how much of a “feminist” filmmaker Jonathan Demme was. Demme directed Foster in 1992 Best Picture winner “Silence of the Lambs”; the “Philadelphia” and “Something Wild” director died in 2017.

When asked by Variety while promoting Cannes film “Vie Privée” about collaborating with female filmmakers, Foster pointed to how feminism is not bound by gender. “It’s hard for me to be in the business of saying, half my movies are going to be made by women or men or whatever. Shouldn’t it be a more instinctual choice?” Foster said. “You would hope that you’d be interested in the human being. I mean, Jonathan Demme on ‘Silence of the Lambs’ was my favorite feminist director.”

Foster continued, “That said, I think some sort of quota system is important when it comes to giving first-time filmmakers an opportunity. You need to start the process early so we all get the same opportunities.

Tom Cruise explained why Mission: Impossible was the first film he boarded as a producer and reflected on his inaugural filmmaking experience in the UK, during a wide-ranging discussion at the BFI Southbank ahead of collecting the organisation’s Fellowship award.

“I went to Stanley Jack, he was at Paramount, and Sherry Lansing, who I’d both known since I was 18, because I felt at that time, I wanted to produce something,” he explained, going to say he was drawn to the Mission: Impossible series.

“I loved the theme music,” Cruise joked. “I thought it’d be interesting to take...

Tom Cruise’s Attended CinemaCon With Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning (Photo Credit – Paramount Pictures)

Tom Cruise lit up the stage at Caesars Palace’s Colosseum by making a grand entrance to CinemaCon with Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning, marking his first appearance at the event post-pandemic.

Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning is the epic conclusion to the franchise that has redefined action cinema for nearly three decades. It marks a thrilling moment for fans and industry insiders alike.

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the film picks up after Dead Reckoning, where Ethan Hunt faces a rogue AI called The Entity. Speaking onstage, Tom Cruise praised McQuarrie, recalling how he had secretly brought him in to refine Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol without informing the team.

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Star Wars Movie With Ryan Gosling Is Still Happening...

It’s been a long time, Tom Cruise. As CinemaCon heads into its final day, attendees were treated to a visit from one of global exhibition’s most beloved stars. Post Covid, it’s the first time that Cruise has stepped on stage at Caesars Palace at the Colosseum. Even during the year when Top Gun: Maverick was shown off to exhibs, he wasn’t in attendance because he was shooting Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning and Final Reckoning. In those years, Cruise has sent video messages to CinemaCon attendees. That said, Cruise has made surprise appearances at CineEurope in Barcelona post-pandemic.

Before showing off a piece of footage, Cruise asked the room to take a moment and remember his dear friend and Top Gun 2 Ice Man — Val Kilmer, who died two days ago.

The Paramount/Skydance actioner directed by Christopher McQuarrie is billed as the epic finale to a...

Stanley R Jaffe, the US studio executive and Oscar-winning producer of films including Kramer Vs Kramer and Fatal Attraction, has died. He was 84.

Jaffe died peacefully at his home in Rancho Mirage, near Los Angeles, on Monday (March 10).

Born in New York, Jaffe was the son of Columbia Pictures executive Leo Jaffe. After an early stint at the CBS network, the younger Jaffe was recruited in 1969 by Paramount Pictures, where he soon became the studio’s youngest-ever president.

After leaving Paramount, he operated as an independent producer before joining Columbia Pictures in 1977, but he returned to independent production to make Kramer Vs Kramer,...

Stanley R. Jaffe, the Oscar-winning producer and studio executive known for films such as “Kramer vs. Kramer” and “Fatal Attraction,” has died at his home in Rancho Mirage at the age of 84. His daughter, Betsy Jaffe, confirmed his passing.

Born in New Rochelle, New York, Jaffe was the son of Columbia Pictures chairman Leo Jaffe, who received the Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1979. He pursued a career in the entertainment industry, earning an economics degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1962 before starting at Seven Arts as an assistant to co-founder Eliot Hyman.

Jaffe’s early success as a producer came with “Goodbye, Columbus” (1969), based on Philip Roth’s novella. The film, directed by Larry Peerce and starring Richard Benjamin and Ali MacGraw, became a hit for Paramount and led Gulf & Western president Charles Bluhdorn to offer Jaffe a leadership role at the studio.

At...

Stanley R. Jaffe, the veteran producer and studio executive who won the Best Picture Oscar for “Kramer vs. Kramer,” has died at his Rancho Mirage home at the age of 84, according to his daughter, Betsy.

Born in New Rochelle, New York, Jaffe was the son of Columbia Pictures chairman Leo Jaffe, who received the Film Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian award in 1978. The younger Jaffe decided from an early age to follow his father in showbiz and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1962 before getting his start at Seven Arts as an assistant to studio co-founder Eliot Hyman.

Jaffe’s first film as a producer was the 1969 romantic drama “Goodbye, Columbus,” which stars Richard Benjamin and Ali MacGraw as an army vet who ends up in a turbulent relationship with the daughter of an entrepreneur who struck it rich.

Directed by Larry Peerce and based on the 1959 novella by Philip Roth,...

Stanley R. Jaffe, who won an Oscar as producer of “Kramer vs. Kramer” in 1980 and served in top positions at several studios, died Monday in Rancho Mirage. He was 84.

Jaffe, the son of Columbia Pictures executive Leo Jaffe, also shepherded notable films including “Fatal Attraction,” “The Accused,” “Goodbye, Columbus” and “The Bad News Bears.”

While partnered with Sherry Lansing at Jaffe-Lansing Productions, he received an Oscar nomination for 1987’s “Fatal Attraction.”

Born in New York, Jaffe started out in the business at Seven Arts Associates, then joined CBS. He produced the audacious 1969 Philip Roth adaptation “Goodbye, Columbus” for Paramount, then joined the studio as executive VP and chief operations officer. He was soon named president of Paramount, staying for just a year before leaving to become an independent producer. His company Jaffilms made “The Bad News Bears” and “Bad Company” before he joined Columbia Pictures as executive VP of worldwide productions.

Stanley R. Jaffe, a former Paramount Pictures president who became the youngest studio chief in history and later won a Best Picture Oscar for producing Kramer vs. Kramer and was nominated for Fatal Attraction, died today. He was 84.

CAA, which repped Jaffe, confirmed his death to Deadline.

Jaffe was a decade into his career when he produced Kramer vs. Kramer, the riveting 1979 child-custody drama starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, both winning lead acting Oscars — Streep’s first of three. It also scored Best Director and Adapted Screenplay Oscars for director Robert Benton.

He followed that by producing Taps, about a mutiny at a soon-to-close military academy, starred Timothy Hutton and launched the careers of such future stars as Tom Cruise, Sean Penn and Giancarlo Esposito.

Those films came after Jaffe produced the 1969 Richard Benjamin-Ali MacGraw drama Goodbye, Columbus; I Start Counting (1970); the Jeff Bridges Civil War-era Bad Company (1972); and...

Stanley R. Jaffe, the producer and studio executive who won an Oscar in 1980 for Kramer vs. Kramer and shepherded other acclaimed films like Fatal Attraction, Goodbye, Columbus and The Bad News Bears, died Monday. He was 84.

Jaffe died peacefully at his home in Rancho Mirage, his daughter Betsy Jaffe announced.

A son of Leo Jaffe, an executive who spent more than a half-century at Columbia Pictures, Jaffe also received an Academy Award nomination for Fatal Attraction (1987), which he produced alongside Sherry Lansing during their fruitful eight-year partnership at Jaffe-Lansing Productions.

At age 29, Jaffe was named executive vp and COO of Paramount Pictures in October 1969, becoming the youngest head of a major studio in Hollywood history. Before he departed as president in August 1971 to return to independent producing, he greenlighted such films as Love Story (1970) and The Godfather (1972), projects also championed by chief of production Robert Evans.

Jaffe returned to the...

Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden received the Milestone Award at the 2025 PGA Awards on Saturday. She was presented with the honor by her boss — and previous recipient of the Milestone Award — Disney CEO Bob Iger.

“Over the span of Dana’s career, she’s probably had a hand in more television series than anyone in the business… which speaks volumes about her love of storytelling and creativity, her respect for creators, and the passion and dedication she brings to her job, to our company, and to the industry,” Iger said of his “colleague, friend and neighbor” Walden. “She is a visionary with great creative instincts, who has played a significant role in shaping the modern era of television.”

Iger spoke about giving Walden additional responsibilities over streaming soon after he returned as Disney CEO at the end of 2022.

“She took to that new business extremely well, and she and Alan Bergman...

When the sci-fi action flick “Virtuosity” was first released in the summer of 1995, it opened to mixed reviews and modest box office. It was the kind of mid-range studio programmer (it came from Paramount under the Sherry Lansing regime) that came out with dependable frequency in those days, a movie enjoyed by some but quickly forgotten by most before it left theaters to make way for other genre films like “Desperado,” “The Tie That Binds,” and “Hackers.”

Looking back now, studio slates like the ones Lansing oversaw — release schedules that made room for an abundance of medium-budget comedies (“Clueless”), thrillers (“Primal Fear”), sci-fi films (“The Relic”) and adult dramas (“Nobody’s Fool”) in between large-scale blockbusters like “Mission: Impossible,” “Braveheart,” and “Titanic” — seem far more varied and artistically fruitful than they did at the time, when we never knew such range was in any danger of disappearing. It was easy at...

It's true that all movies start as words on a page, but this gets you maybe a tenth of the way down the road to a completed film -- and even if you embark on this journey with a brilliantly crafted screenplay, there are still a myriad of opportunities to make an absolute dog along the way. That's because filmmaking is a highly collaborative art form. Everyone, from the director to the cinematographer to the editor to the production and costume designers needs to be dedicated to properly serving that terrific screenplay.

One of the most important stages in film production is, of course, casting. There is an art to great casting (which is why it now has its own Oscar), particularly when it comes to piecing together a comedy. Again, it's not just a matter of bringing together some of the funniest people on the planet. You need look...

A nonprofit backed by Hollywood power players is stepping up to help firefighters, first responders and communities affected by the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles and surrounding areas.

The Entertainment Industry Foundation, which counts Sherry Lansing as a director and CAA’s Chris Silbermann as board chair, has activated a program that will funnel public donations to frontline workers and displaced families and pets. The Eif last administered a fund for the 2023 Maui fires, alongside Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson.

“Our hearts go out to all who have lost their homes and those who are uncertain what the days ahead will hold,” said Eif president and CEO Nicole Sexton. “There is an urgent need to provide shelter, food and water, medical care for individuals and families, as well as care for pets that have been displaced.”

The initiative, called “Defy: Disaster,” is sponsored by City National Bank. In Maui, the fund...

In mid-October, “Fauda” producer Liat Benasuly fired off an email to a group of nearly 100 people who had recently converged at former Paramount chief Sherry Lansing’s Los Angeles home. Attendees included “The Big Bang Theory” star Mayim Bialik and singer Montana Tucker, and the topic at hand was one rarely discussed outside of similar informal gatherings — that Israeli content creators are increasingly becoming pariahs in the global marketplace. As a result, the next hit series like “Fauda,” “Homeland” or “Euphoria” could die on the vine. In the email, Benasuly issued a dire warning and solicited donations for a newly formed 501(c)(3) dubbed Friends of Israeli Film & TV Producers Association.

“As you may know, a significant number of our investors and partners have paused their collaborations with Israeli storytellers and producers since October 7th,” she wrote. “Most projects in our industry now face a funding gap of approximately 20-30%. This...

Nicole Kidman paid tribute to the mentors who have supported and uplifted her, including her late mother, during her acceptance speech for The Hollywood Reporter’s Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at THR‘s Women in Entertainment gala, presented by Lifetime, in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Friend and Big Little Lies co-star Laura Dern presented Kidman with the award, which recognizes trailblazers and philanthropists in entertainment and media. Dern acknowledged the pair’s 25-year bond in her speech, calling Kidman her “leader, guide, producer, collaborator, sister” and “sometimes therapist.”

“I first had the privilege of getting to know Nic through friendship,” Dern said. “I don’t know how it happened — even though I’m from Santa Monica, California — that I was invited 25-plus years ago into the Australian coven. It consists of an amazing group of beloved friends and artists who protect and champion each other.”

“Then, I got to bear...

Stand Up To Cancer is a non-profit organization/website/TV show that aims to raise money for cancer researchers and scientists to come together and reach their common goal: the cure for cancer.

It is a campaign of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, and UK donations go to Cancer Research UK.

Celebrity supporters

Stand Up To Cancer has 301 known supporters, including Sting, Lady Gaga, and George Clooney

Areas of work Cancer Read more about Stand Up To Cancer's work and celebrity supporters. Related articles Stand Up To Cancer: Sherry Lansing Tells Us How And WhyLance Armstrong Stands Up To CancerFashion Concert Stands Up To CancerMore Stars Stand Up To CancerFemale Stars Unite For New Charity Single

Explore celebrities by social reach, cause, location, field and more with Insider Access →

Copyright © 2024 Look To The Stars. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this via...

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days was one of the defining films in the rom-com genre in the early 2000s. Starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, the film was a moderate commercial success, while receiving mixed reviews from critics.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days | Paramount Pictures

However, as iconic as Kate Hudson was in the role of Andie Anderson, the role was set to feature a completely different actress, one who would go on to become a major part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in its early days. Before the role was given to Kate Hudson, Andie Anderson could have been played by Gwyneth Paltrow.

Gwyneth Paltrow had to drop out of the project due to some conflict Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts || Credit: Marvel Studios

In Vanity Fair‘s Oral History of How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, Lynda Obst and Burr Steers...

The Producers Guild of America will honor Dana Walden with its Milestone Award at the 2025 PGA Awards.

Walden, Disney Entertainment’s co-chairman, will accept the award at the 36th ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. The prestigious Milestone Award honors industry producers that have made historic contributions to the entertainment industry.

Past Milestone Award recipients include Steven Spielberg, Bob Iger, Sherry Lansing, George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy, Clint Eastwood, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, Donna Langley and Charles D. King.

“Her (Walden’s) leadership, first as CEO of Fox Television Group and now as co-chairman overseeing Disney’s global television portfolio, has had a major impact on the business. We are proud to recognize her exceptional and long-standing work in this industry,” PGA presidents Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line said in a joint statement.

For her part, Walden shared her success with industry collaborators.

The Producers Guild said Monday that Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden will receive the Milestone Award, given annually by the PGA for extraordinary contribution to the entertainment industry. The honor will be bestowed during the 36th annual PGA Awards on February 8.

Past recipients of the Milestone Award include the likes of Louis B. Mayer, Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchcock, and more recently Steven Spielberg, Bob Iger, Sherry Lansing, George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy, Clint Eastwood, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, Donna Langley and Charles D. King.

“Dana Walden has made incredible contributions to the entertainment industry, overseeing the production and development of many of the most iconic and award-winning shows in history,” PGA presidents Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line said today in a joint statement. “Her leadership, first as CEO of Fox Television Group and now as co-chairman overseeing Disney’s global television portfolio, has had a major impact on the business.

Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden will receive the Milestone Award at the 36th Producers Guild Awards, the PGA announced Monday.

The ceremony will take place on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. The Milestone Award “honors individuals or teams who have made historic contributions to the entertainment industry,” according to the PGA.

In a joint statement, PGA presidents Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line said, “Dana Walden has made incredible contributions to the entertainment industry, overseeing the production and development of many of the most iconic and award-winning shows in history. Her leadership, first as CEO of Fox Television Group and now as co-chairman overseeing Disney’s global television portfolio, has had a major impact on the business. We are proud to recognize her exceptional and long-standing work in this industry.”

Walden oversees Disney’s global TV portfolio, including Disney+ and Hulu, and she co-runs Platform Distribution,...

Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden will be honored with the Milestone Award at the 2025 Producers Guild Awards. She will accept the honor at the 36th annual PGA Awards on Feb. 8, 2025, at the Fairmont Century Plaza in L.A.

The PGA’s Milestone Award honors individuals or teams who have made historic contributions to the entertainment industry. Recipients of the Milestone Award include Hollywood legends Louis B. Mayer, Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchcock, as well as contemporary innovators Steven Spielberg, Bob Iger, Sherry Lansing, George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy, Clint Eastwood, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, Donna Langley and Charles D. King.

“Dana Walden has made incredible contributions to the entertainment industry, overseeing the production and development of many of the most iconic and award-winning shows in history,” said PGA presidents Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line in a joint statement. “Her leadership, first as CEO of Fox Television Group and...

Sherry Lansing, Mayim Bialik, Debra Messing, David Mamet, Gene Simmons, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, and Scooter Braun are among the high-profile entertainment industry figures who have added their names to a counter-petition organized by the Creative Community for Peace in response to a letter published earlier this week calling for a boycott of “Israeli cultural institutions that are complicit or have remained silent observers of the overwhelming oppression of Palestinians.”

The initial open letter, which refers to the Israel-Gaza conflict as a “genocide,” counts as its signatories more than 1,000 writers including Normal People author Sally Rooney, Naomi Klein, Rachel Kushner, Annie Ernaux, Percival Everett and Jonathan Lethem.

The counter-petition “reject[s] the calls to boycott Israel and Jewish writers, publishers, authors, book festivals and literary agencies, along with those who support, work with, or platform them” and argues that “the instincts and motivations behind cultural boycotts, in practice and throughout history,...

Here’s how James Cameron saved the Titanic movie from Cost overruns ( Photo Credit – Prime Video )

Picture this: It’s the mid-’90s, and James Cameron’s Titanic is on the brink of disaster. Yeah, the real iceberg for this ship was a ballooning budget and some horrible press. What’s now the classic king of blockbusters was once Hollywood’s favorite punching bag, predicted to sink faster than the ill-fated ship itself. With a $200 million price tag—a whopping $1 million for every minute of the final cut—it looked like Cameron’s grand vision was about to take down everyone.

Fast-forward twenty years, and Cameron spills the tea on what went down behind the scenes in Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of A Hollywood Groundbreaker by Stephen Galloway. Making movie magic was more “Mayday!” than a movie set.

James Cameron: The Captain Who Almost Went Down with...

In a career filled with so many, Nicole Kidman is on another hot streak.

The Oscar-winner picked up a best actress prize last month at the Venice Film Festival for her critically acclaimed turn in Halina Reijn’s steamy Babygirl, only to see her new Netflix series The Perfect Couple rocket to the No. 1 spot on the streaming rankings days later. She next stars in the second season of Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ series Lioness, which debuts Sunday, and she’s just about to jump in front of cameras on Amazon Studios’ Scarpetta opposite fellow Oscar winners Jamie Lee Curtis and Ariana DeBose and based on the Patricia Cornwell novel.

So, how is Kidman feeling about all the good work right about now? It’s complicated. “I wish my mama was here,” she told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday night while walking the red carpet at Hollywood’s Linwood Dunn Theatre.

The Hollywood Reporter said Tuesday that Nicole Kidman will receive this year’s prestigious Sherry Lansing Leadership Award during THR’s annual Women in Entertainment breakfast gala, set for Dec. 4 in Los Angeles.

Attended by 600 industry leaders and VIPs, the invite-only gala coincides with the release of The Hollywood Reporter’s highly anticipated Women in Entertainment issue, which highlights the Power 100, a list of the most powerful female executives and talent in entertainment.

“Over the course of her illustrious career, Nicole Kidman has dazzled audiences through her dynamic performances,” THR co-editors-in-chief Nekesa Mumbi Moody and Maer Roshan said. “While her award-winning work as an actress and producer speaks for itself, she has also had a significant impact on countless women and children through her philanthropic work. She truly embodies the spirit of our Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, and we are beyond thrilled to honor her at this year’s Women in Entertainment gala.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles hosted their annual gala at the iconic International Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday night.

“The Big Night Out” Gala honored mentors from the Bbbsla with a particular spotlight on their Women In Entertainment Mentorship Program, a joint effort between Bbbsla and The Hollywood Reporter to match high-ranking female entertainment executives with high school junior girls from underserved communities in the greater Los Angeles area.

“Mentorship has always been very important to me. I was raised that if you were able to accomplish something, you give back, and the way I’ve always chosen to give back is to help others come forward,” former BET CEO Debra Lee told THR moments before receiving her Defender of Potential award.

The night’s festivities began as Stacey Sher, the storied producer of films like Erin Brockovich, Django Unchained and Pulp Fiction, delivered an...

On September 25, Bisan Owda won the 2024 News and Documentary Emmy for Best Hard News Feature Story: Short Form for “It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive,” from Al Jazeera despite earlier calls to rescind her nomination. Check out the list of Emmy winners here.

Since the October 7, 2023, attacks against Israel, the nation has embarked on a military campaign in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 40,000 people according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health. Owda, a Palestinian filmmaker, has covered the campaign on social media since it began.

But upon her nomination for the News and Documentary Emmy, there were calls to take away her recognition by more than 150 members of the entertainment industry. Speaking as the Creative Community for Peace, they said, “NATAS must decide — they can either condone the murder of innocent civilians or they can listen to the entertainment community, and stand in opposition to hatred and violence.

Sir Patrick Stewart is one of the few Star Trek leads to not direct a film in the sci-fi franchise. While his other colleagues like William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Jonathan Frakes have helmed original films from their own series, Stewart has only stuck to directing a few episodes of The Next Generation and acting.

The actor mentioned that he was never interested in directing a film, even though the prospect had come up once. He mentioned that he did not like to think of scope and scale when it came to movies and preferred directing episodes over a film. He also mentioned that he hated watching his performances in the episodes he helmed.

Patrick Stewart Wanted To Cut Down On His Scenes In A Few Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Picard | Credits: Paramount

Patrick Stewart played Captain Jean-Luc Picard for seven years. When...

Greta Gerwig expressed her gratitude for being a “show person” while accepting the prize as the 2024 Pioneer of the Year.

Gerwig was the recipient of this year’s honor from the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. The ceremony took place Wednesday at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills to celebrate Gerwig’s accomplishments that include writing and directing Lady Bird, Little Women and Barbie, all of which were nominated for the best picture Oscar.

“I’m mostly used to going to the Beverly Hilton to lose, so this is a nice change of pace,” Gerwig quipped at the start of her acceptance speech about the venue that has served for decades as home of the Golden Globe Awards.

She went on to thank the organization for supporting the moviegoing experience. “The work that you do for caring for this community that I’m part of, it’s just extraordinary,...

“It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive,” the Aj+ news story from Palestinian journalist/activist/filmmaker Bisan Owda that sparked controversy after earning a News and Documentary Emmy nomination earlier this year, has now won that Emmy.

The report won the outstanding hard news feature story—short form category on Wednesday during the news portion of the two-day 45th Annual News & Documentary Emmys, held by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. After the project’s nomination, there were calls by the U.S.-based nonprofit Creative Community For Peace for the nomination to be rescinded, with a letter signed by the Hollywood notables including of Debra Messing, Sherry Lansing, Haim Saban and others accusing Owda of having ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (Pflp), a United States-designated terrorist group.

“It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive,” which had previously won a Peabody,...

A group of almost 70 Palestinian filmmakers — including two-time Oscar nominee Hany Abu Assad, acclaimed director Elia Suleiman and recent BAFTA winner Farah Nabulsi — have signed a strongly-worded letter in which they accuse Hollywood of “dehumanising” Palestinians on screen over decades, a factor they assert has helped enable the ongoing devastation in Gaza.

The letter — also signed by the likes of multiple-award winners including Michel Khleifi, Mai Masri, Najwa Najjar and the 22-strong list of directors behind the compilation of shorts “From Ground Zero,” Palestine’s current submission to the Oscars — also expresses outrage and what it described as the “inhumanity and racism shown by some in the Western entertainment industry towards our people, even during this most difficult of times.”

The letter marks the first collaborative initiative by Palestinian filmmakers since the horrific events of Oct. 7, in which terror group Hamas — which rules Gaza — killed more than 1,200 Israelis and took more than 250 hostage,...

Rio Lobo closed John Wayne's unofficial Rio Bravo Western trilogy. El Dorado and Rio Lobo essentially remade Rio Bravo, remixing characters and themes. Despite criticism, Rio Lobo, the last film of Howard Hawks' directing career, is a laidback, enjoyable ride.

Rio Lobo marked the end of an unofficial John Wayne trilogy, and has come to be regarded as one of his most underrated Westerns. John Wayne fronted 80 Westerns throughout his long career and starred in them right up until his final film, The Shootist. The 1970s was a grim time for the genre because outside of Wayne or Clint Eastwood, the popularity of the Western was on a downward trajectory in terms of box office. Many of Wayne's final efforts in the genre weren't up to the quality of his earlier work either.

The likes of Cahill U.S. Marshal and Wayne's only sequel Rooster Cogburn were lame efforts,...

NATAS has responded to a request by more than 150 entertainment industry leaders to take back the Emmy nomination of Bisan Atef Owda for the 2024 News & Documentary category this year.

Owda, along with the media outlet Aj+, was nominated in the Outstanding Hard News Feature Story Short Form category at the 2024 News & Documentary Emmys for It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive. The doc chronicles her family’s plight as they flee the bombardment of their home in Beit Hanoun for the supposed safe zone of Al-Shifa Hospital.

Owda frequently posted video and livestream reports from the Gaza Strip following Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

The nonprofit org Creative Community For Peace alleges that Owda has documented ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (Pflp), a United States-designated terrorist organization.

The letter, first revealed by Puck, was signed by the likes of Debra Messing,...

Francis Ford Coppola is among those being honored by the Directors Guild of America at its upcoming DGA Honors ceremony.

See It Now Studios President and former CBS News Executive Susan Zirinsky, Broadway Stages Founder Tony Argento along with its CEO & President Gina Argento, and film distribution company Criterion have also been selected as honorees for the event, which will be held at the DGA Theater in New York City on October 17.

“We are incredibly proud to celebrate the 25th anniversary of DGA Honors, and to recognize the accomplishments of visionary storytellers who have greatly influenced American culture through their tremendous contributions to film and television,” DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement. “Our honorees have exhibited unparalleled dedication, creativity, and passion for our craft.”

In her statement she said Coppola has “made an indelible mark on cinema and inspired generations of Directors.”

“As Directors and members of the Directorial team,...

The news of the moment keeps veering between cutbacks and comebacks. Keep your shrink on hold.

Paramount is laying off thousands and closing its TV studio, but Skydance’s David Ellison, its new owner, promises that an important new slate is on its way. Disney is shedding employees as park attendance sags, but also is investing billions in new theme park attractions and even a solid entertainment slate (Bob Iger calls it a “turbocharge”).

Even battle-scarred United Artists with Scott Stuber as its new savior promises yet another comeback after alternate decades of brilliance and disaster.

Given all this, the ongoing drama surrounding Warner Bros Discovery’s David Zaslav seems downright comforting.

I take more than an academic interest in all this since I’ve personally been enmeshed in both ups and downs (the “ups” at ’70s Paramount were more memorable).

And it was Tom Cruise who, having just become chief of UA,...

The American Film Institute has opened applications for its celebrated AFI Dww+ program for participants interested in joining the class of 2025-2026. The year-long directing workshop educates underrepresented narrative filmmakers, taking them through the complete production cycle of a short film — and with hands-on guidance from leading industry experts. Notable past participants include Best Picture-winning “Coda” filmmaker Sian Heder, DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter, and “A Black Lady Sketch Show” director and executive producer Dime Davis.

Applications open today, August 12, and will close September 13. More info on deadlines and requirements to apply is available via the American Film Institute’s website. See the Dww+ Class of 2024-2025 here.

The program, first launched in 1974 as the Directing Workshop for Women, will also celebrate its 50th anniversary this fall. With early participants including Maya Angelou, Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn, Lee Grant, Jessie Maple, and Cicely Tyson, the workshop has trained more than 350 filmmakers.