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The Hollywood Reporter won 13 awards at the 17th annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, including best website and online journalist of the year for Mesfin Fekadu.

The awards were handed out Sunday night by the Los Angeles Press Club at a gala taking place at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Other THR wins included Seth Abramovitch’s Cheryl Hines cover story as best personality profile, TV/streaming industry over 2,500 words; Scott Feinberg’s oral history of Schindler’s List as best film industry feature over 1,000 words; Lacey Rose’s Dan Harmon interview for best TV industry feature under 1,000 words; and David Rooney’s ranking of Hollywood’s 20 most erotic movies as best film feature, production/history.

In the celebrity investigation category, THR‘s story “Will Ferrell on Navigating His Best Friend’s Transition in ‘Will & Harper,'” with reporting from Seija Rankin, Jason Rovou, Stephanie Fischette,...

Warner Bros. is stirring up the excitement by starting work on a “Game of Thrones” movie. This development was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter and it’s causing quite the buzz among us fans. The idea of seeing George R.R. Martin’s world of Westeros in movie theaters is something many of us have been dreaming about.

Right now, the movie is in the very early stages. There’s no writer, cast, or filmmaker linked to the project yet, but that hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm.

The thought of Westeros on the big screen is a big deal, especially since the original creators of the “Game of Thrones” series, David Benioff and Dan Weiss, once expressed a desire to wrap up the saga with movies instead of the 2019 series finale.

The landscape of films and TV has been evolving. Nowadays, it’s not strange to see movie characters jump...

The world of Game of Thrones could finally end up on the big screen.

Warner Bros. has been quietly developing at least one film set in George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy universe, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Multiple sources describe the project as very early stage development, with no filmmaker, cast or writer yet attached. But the company is keen on exploring the idea of Westeros invading cinemas.

The move might represent a shift in the company’s strategy regarding the property. The showrunners of the original Game of Thrones series (David Benioff and Dan Weiss) famously wanted to conclude the series with three feature films instead of its 2019 final season. Martin was also keen on the idea of a movie and the author told The Hollywood Reporter back in 2014 that concepts were being kicked around. But for a long time, HBO strongly resisted the idea and instead wanted...

The Hollywood Reporter earned 53 nominations for the 17th annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, including best website and two noms for journalist of the year.

Seth Abramovitch was nominated for print journalist of the year, Mesfin Fekadu for online journalist of the year, Lovia Gyarkye for best film critic and Daniel Fienberg for best television critic. David Rooney was nominated for best theater and performing arts critic, and Fekadu was again nominated for best music critic.

In the celebrity investigation category, Gary Baum was nominated for his June 2024 story “Get Me Bryan Freedman!” which followed the entertainment power lawyer in his work with clients such as Megyn Kelly, Bethenny Frankel, Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon. THR‘s story “Will Ferrell on Navigating His Best Friend’s Transition in ‘Will & Harper'” was also nominated in the same category, with reporting from Seija Rankin, Jason Rovou, Stephanie Fischette and editors-in-chief...

Larry Ellison won’t control Paramount after all.

A month after Skydance told the Federal Communications Commission that the Oracle founder and tech mogul would have voting control of Paramount when the company closes its $8 billion deal, it has filed revised applications with the FCC to clarify that, in fact, David Ellison will have control.

In order for the deal to close, Skydance needs approval not only from antitrust regulators at the FTC or DOJ, but also the FCC, which needs to approve the transfer of broadcast licenses owned by Paramount.

In its initial filing, Skydance said that Larry Ellison (who is contributing the bulk of the cash in the deal) alongside Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital would control the new company through various corporate entities. In the new filing Tuesday, the company clarified that David Ellison will have voting control over the companies that own the new Paramount, even...

Succession might as well have been a documentary. The HBO series, about ruthless media mogul Logan Roy and the children who may or may not be equipped to inherit his empire, captivated audiences for four seasons. It may be over now, but the entertainment industry is still going through its own succession dramas, in some cases with a reality that is stranger than fiction. Sony’s recent CEO transition from Tony Vinciquerra to Ravi Ahuja seems to have gone off without a hitch. But that is the exception, as The Hollywood Reporter‘s editor-at-large Kim Masters and media and business writer Alex Weprin break down what could happen next.

Alex Weprin: Hi, Kim — Vinciquerra’s surprisingly seamless Sony succession to Ahuja has us thinking about the poor track record that the industry has when it comes to CEO transitions. Vinciquerra told me he’d been planning his exit for two and a half years,...

Thanks to incessant reruns and the growth of the "Star Trek" convention industry, interest in Gene Roddenberry's egalitarian TV space opera -- which ran from 1966 to 1969 -- was running high in the years after its cancellation. More and more fans were flocking to the once-moribund series, and Roddenberry himself went on speaking tours, deeply dissecting why audiences were drawn to it. By 1977, Roddenberry felt that his show had accrued enough cultural clout to warrant a reboot, and he put "Star Trek: Phase II" into production. 

The idea for "Star Trek: Phase II" was to make a bigger, slicker version of the original series, but with a few new characters. The original cast, including William Shatner, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, and Walter Koenig were all set to return, and they would be joined by a Vulcan named Xon (David Gautreaux), the helm officer Ilia (Persis Khambatta), and an...

No deal. Shari Redstone has ended talks on the latest offer for Paramount Global from the consortium led by Skydance and RedBird Capital, placing the future of the entertainment company into a fresh period of uncertainty, a source confirms to The Hollywood Reporter.

Redstone is now looking to sell holding company National Amusements, which controls Paramount, alone to another potential suitor, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. But the Skydance team — which submitted its best and final offer in April — has long been betting that other suitors will eventually drop out.

Skydance had secured approval from Paramount’s independent board committee, in a sweetened deal that would see Paramount’s non-voting shareholders have the option to cash out at $15 per share. It would also have seen Skydance acquire Redstone’s National Amusements for about $2 billion.

National Amusements is a regional movie theater chain, however Sumner Redstone turned it into...

Skydance and RedBird Capital are sweetening their takeover deal for Paramount Global.

A source confirms to The Hollywood Reporter that the investor group, which also includes Kkr, has made a revised offer to Paramount’s independent board committee reviewing deals.

While the specifics of the new offer were not immediately available, it is believed to sweeten the deal for Paramount’s Class B shareholders, many of which have expressed concern about the original offer. Paramount is effectively controlled by Shari Redstone and her National Amusements, which holds more than 70 percent of Class A voting shares.

Class B shareholders have expressed concern that they are not getting the same value out of the deal that Redstone is, with some threatening lawsuits if the company moves forward with the deal.

The original deal on the table would see the Skydance-RedBird consortium acquire National Amusements’ stake in Paramount at a premium (given their...

Elon Musk pledged Tuesday to cover the legal expenses of Disney employees “discriminated against” by the studio’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, calling those standards “mandatory, institutionalized racism and sexism.”

The tech mogul made the call for those “discriminated against by Disney or its subsidiaries” in a post to X Tuesday afternoon, minutes after sharing a graphic detailing Disney’s internal inclusion standards, which he said was provided by an “anonymous source.”

In actuality, the same graphic Musk shared has been in public circulation since appearing in The Hollywood Reporter in 2020, as pointed out by editor-at-large Kim Masters shortly after.

“Just reply to this post to receive legal support,” Musk said, quote-tweeting the image.

If you were discriminated against by Disney or its subsidiaries, just reply to this post to receive legal support https://t.co/PDqCgJKAY5

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 6, 2024

Earlier Tuesday, news broke that Musk is funding...

Ruth Seymour, the hard-driving broadcast pioneer who transformed Kcrw into a public radio powerhouse during her 32-year run at what was a sleepy Santa Monica-based station, died Friday. She was 88.

Seymour died after a long illness at her home in Santa Monica, former Kcrw producer/publicity director Sarah Spitz announced.

The Bronx-born Seymour joined the FM station in 1977 as a consultant and became general manager a few months later. Her mission statement for Kcrw was “to matter,” and she built it to be “singular, idiosyncratic, daring, independent, smart and compelling” — six words she employed over and over in her fundraising letters and on-air subscription drives.

During her tenure, Kcrw became the West Coast flagship station for National Public Radio and launched a mix of news, talk, music, current affairs and cultural programming that included the signature music show Morning Becomes Eclectic; Which Way L.A.?, hosted by Warren Olney in the wake of the 1992 L.

The Hollywood Reporter won best entertainment website, Rebecca Keegan was named print journalist of the year and Daniel Fienberg was named best TV critic at the 16th annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards on Sunday night.

Overall, THR took home a total of 11 wins at the awards, which are handed out annually by the Los Angeles Press Club. Presenters at the event said this year featured the most submissions ever for the Naej Awards.

Also during the event, the Los Angeles Press Club celebrated several honorees with special awards. They included Ava DuVernay (Visionary Award for humanitarian work), Barbara Eden (Legend Award for lifetime achievements and contributions to society), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Luminary Award for career achievement), LeVar Burton (Distinguished Storyteller Award, Literacy, for excellence in storytelling outside journalism) and Roger Corman (Distinguished Storyteller Award, Film, for excellence in storytelling outside journalism).

Sunday night’s gala was held at...

Hollywood studios and major streamers met with SAG-AFTRA leadership on Saturday to present an over-arching package of proposals in an attempt to end the actors’ strike.

The union dispatched a note to its members after the meeting ended, saying the negotiating committee is now reviewing what it says is the companies’ “last, best and final offer.” It also urged members to ignore outside conjecture and rumors. After a staff review on Saturday, the union’s negotiating committee will convene on Sunday to discuss the terms.

An expanded complement of CEOs from the major studios and the streamers attended Saturday’s bargaining session with SAG leadership, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Behind the scenes, top executives say they could be done negotiating for the time being — or likely until the new year — if SAG-AFTRA doesn’t embrace what one studio-side source in the meeting claimed was a deal “worth more than...

The Hollywood Reporter has landed 46 nominations for the 16th National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, including best entertainment publication and best website.

In addition, Rebecca Keegan was nominated for print journalist of the year, Katie Kilkenny online journalist of the year, Daniel Fienberg for best television critic and Mesfin Fekadu for best online columnist.

In the celebrity investigation category, Kim Masters was nominated for her exposé “What Really Happened With Fred Savage on the Wonder Years” and Lacey Rose and Kilkenny for their industry-shaking story “Inside the Implosion of Justin Roiland’s Animation Empire.”

Two THR stories were nominated in the entertainment industry/arts investigative category, with Gary Baum nominated for “How Les Moonves and His CBS Loyalists Worked to Discredit Accuser: ‘It Was Sort of a Mafia Culture’”; and Samuel Braslow and Kim Masters nominated for “‘Hiding in Plain Sight’: After Being Fired From ‘Scrubs’ for Misconduct, Alleged Rapist Eric Weinberg Kept Working.

Hollywood will remain in suspense Thursday when the negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) are set to continue.

The parties were still in negotiations as of Wednesday evening, talking about AI — which has proved to be a sticking point in the denouement of these contract talks — and other topics, said a union-side source. As in previous bargaining dates this week, Hollywood CEOs were not present for the talks, which were led on the management side by AMPTP President Carol Lombardini.

“Things are still moving but slow,” said one studio-side source when reached Wednesday.

SAG-AFTRA also wrote in a message to its members following talks Wednesday, “The Negotiating Committee met today to discuss and finalize our response to the AMPTP AI counter-proposal which we received yesterday. The negotiators then met with AMPTP representatives for more than three hours this afternoon and evening to present and review our revised proposal.

Things are looking a little less scary for Hollywood this Halloween night.

On the 110th day of the 2023 actors strike, SAG-AFTRA and the Hollywood studios wrapped their latest negotiations session for the holiday as a deal appears to be within reach.

The two sides broke off in the afternoon after a day that was spent dealing with AI issues and are set to return to the bargaining table on Wednesday. While expressing that talks are headed in the right direction, one studio-side source says it could take a few days to work through remaining issues. Two additional studio-side sources said talks are progressing overall in a substantive way, and that a deal could be imminent. Multiple prominent actors said they have received word that a deal could be at hand soon, as well.

Just one day earlier, on Monday, the union’s negotiating committee telegraphed to members that a new...

Negotiations over the next three-year contract for Hollywood’s largest union concluded after a weekend of talks Sunday with a renewed sense of optimism — though no deal has yet been reached.

After a weekend of back and forth on SAG-AFTRA’s next TV/theatrical agreement, the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers do not yet have a date to return to formal bargaining. Still, the talks were said to be productive: Several studio-side insiders described the weekend sessions as a positive step, even as the two sides have not yet buttoned up all deal points, including the union’s attempt to capture further compensation from streaming work and regulations on AI.

The turnabout comes after studios made it clear to union leadership last week that if there is no sign of a resolution by the first week of November, or even by as early as Nov.

Fifteen authors of books that were recently chosen for The Hollywood Reporter’s list of “The 100 Greatest Film Books of All Time” will convene on a panel — which is being advertised as “the greatest gathering of its kind ever” — this Saturday afternoon in Hollywood as part of AFI Fest.

The event, which will take place inside the historic Tcl Chinese Theater and will run from 4 p.m. -5:30p.m., is open to members of the public free of charge provided they reserve their tickets in advance via Fest.AFI.com/GreatestFilmBooks.

Participating in a discussion about the origins and impact of their books will be A. Scott Berg (Goldwyn: A Biography), Cameron Crowe (Conversations with Wilder), Nancy Griffin (Hit and Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood), Aljean Harmetz (The Making of The Wizard of Oz: Movie Magic and Studio Power...

On Wednesday night, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers declared that negotiations with SAG-AFTRA are suspended, given that the gap between the parties is “too great.”

“Negotiations between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA have been suspended after SAG-AFTRA presented its most recent proposal on October 11,” the trade association representing studios and streamers in negotiations said in a press release Wednesday night. “After meaningful conversations, it is clear that the gap between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA is too great, and conversations are no longer moving us in a productive direction.”

Early Thursday morning, SAG-AFTRA shot back at the AMPTP, telling members that the studios walked away from talks with the union and accused them of using “bully tactics.” “[The studios] intentionally misrepresented to the press the cost of the above proposal — overstating it by 60 percent,” the message to union members said. “They have done the same with AI, claiming to protect performer consent,...

They’re back.

Some of Hollywood’s top leaders — Netflix co-ceo Ted Sarandos, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Disney CEO Bob Iger, and NBCUniversal Studio Group chairman and chief content officer Donna Langley — are attending Monday’s negotiating session at the SAG-AFTRA national headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The performers union noted in a statement on Sept. 27 that “several executives” from member companies of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers would be attending, though the union at that point did not specify who.

The leaders’ attendance raises current hopes, widespread in the business, that the two parties can quickly close a deal. The presence of Sarandos, Zaslav, Iger and Langley during the denouement of the Writers Guild of America’s negotiations was “essential” to reaching their eventual tentative deal on Sept. 24, WGA negotiating committee co-chair Chris Keyser told THR a few days later.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is considered a high point for the franchise following Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012. The film grossed more than $1 billion globally and launched the critically acclaimed prequel series Andor on Disney+.

The path to getting there has become the stuff of Star Wars legend, with stories of reshoots and creative overhauls well-documented in the press. But according to director Gareth Edwards, “there is so much inaccuracy” circulating about the film’s making.

In June 2016, Lucasfilm hired Oscar-nominated writer Tony Gilroy to join the Rogue One team. Reports emerged that his influence was so great that he has been considered the film’s ghost director, overseeing reshoots and postproduction.

Edwards, who retained sole director credit, is now back with The Creator, a well-regarded sci-fi film. In an interview with Kim Masters for Kcrw’s The Business, he gave some of his most extensive reflections...

The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers appear to be nearing the finish line on a deal that could end a historic, 145-day strike after the studios presented an alleged “best and final” offer to the union.

The companies’ latest offer was made on Saturday, according to studio-side sources familiar with the latest talks. In a joint statement, the AMPTP and WGA said, “The WGA and AMPTP met for bargaining on Saturday and will meet again on Sunday.”

Earlier in the day, these sources said that the two parties were very close to reaching a final compromise and the studio side had continued to work on language regarding regulations on artificial intelligence. Those same sources noted that apprehension about the unpredictable future of A.I. had complicated the negotiation. The details as of Saturday afternoon were with company-side lawyers, who studio sources said had...

The Writers Guild of America West’s former chief negotiator David Young has been pulling the strings on negotiations with the Hollywood studios, Hollywood showrunners said in a private text group.

According to a text shared on Friday night in a 500-member WhatsApp group of showrunners: “Turns out the WGA negotiating committee calls David and runs everything by him.”

The text went on to say that on Thursday night, the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers had agreed to a deal — but Young told them to go back and “ask for those other two points and ‘squeeze their nuts the same way we did the agents.'”

The text continued, “That’s what happened and that’s who’s been behind the scenes this entire time, hence why it’s taking so long.”

The WGA did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

Young left...

The Writers Guild of America met again with chief executives and studio and streamer negotiators on Friday in a marathon bargaining session that failed to produce a deal, though management-side insiders did claim that progress was being made.

Talks went well into the night on the third day that union negotiators met with a group of top company leaders including Disney’s Bob Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers offices in Sherman Oaks. The meeting began at 11 am Pt and concluded by 8:45 pm, according to sources.

The sides made “lots of progress and [engaged in] good faith but they need more time,” said one management-side source. “Everyone’s fully engaged but [it’s] unclear what exact plans are.”

Potential regulations on the use of A.I. remained a key issue at the table. “AI remains the thorniest issue,...

After a long day of bargaining on issues including AI and data transparency, Thursday’s meeting between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) concluded in the evening, with plans to renew talks the following day.

Sources familiar with the negotiations say that much of the session was spent alternating between the parties meeting together followed by numerous caucuses, where labor and management met amongst themselves. The negotiations, which started around 8:30 a.m. and concluded around 6 p.m. at the AMPTP’s offices in the Sherman Oaks Galleria, covered issues surrounding the WGA’s top priorities including artificial intelligence and residual compensation tied to the success of individual streaming projects.

The studio-side sources noted moves were made on both and there is still more work to be done regarding both of those issues as well as TV staffing requirements. One...

Confirming the feeling of urgency taking hold around town to resolve the historic, ongoing writers strike, a group of top CEOs attended Wednesday’s bargaining session between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

Disney CEO Bob Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Netflix co-ceo Ted Sarandos and NBCUniversal Studio Group chairman and chief content officer Donna Langley were all present at the meeting that began around 10 a.m. Pt, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. It’s highly unusual for the industry bargaining representative, the AMPTP, to include CEOs directly in bargaining sessions, which are usually led on the studio and streamer side by labor relations representatives and top AMPTP staffers. But the industry-wide crisis resulting from the ongoing writers and actors strikes has pushed company leaders to become more directly involved in talks.

Said one studio-side source with knowledge of Wednesday’s negotiations,...

The Hollywood Reporter has received 47 nominations for the 65th Annual SoCal Journalism Awards, including best website, best investigative story and best cover art.

Rebecca Keegan is also nominated for journalist of the year in the print (over 50,000 circulation) category.

In addition, Seth Abramovitch, Samuel Braslow, Kim Masters and Scott Roxborough all received nominations for best investigative story in a magazine. Daniel Fienberg and Angie Han are among those nominated in the criticism of TV category, as well as David Rooney in the criticism of film category.

Heat Vision, THR, Esq. and The Live Feed also received nominations for best blog by a group.

The SoCal Journalism Awards gala will be held June 25 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

A complete list of THR’s nominations follows. See the full list of noms here.

Journalist Of The Year

Print, over 50,000 circulation

Rebecca Keegan

All Media Platforms – Print, Radio, Podcast,...

Welcome to the 211th episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast.

Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).

Here’s how the episode plays out:

1. Headlines

The CW, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Batman, Big Mouth, Truth Be Told and Brian Cox lead the week’s top TV headlines.

2. Cable News Changes

It’s been a busy week for cable news networks after CNN dismissed longtime host Don Lemon and Fox News ousted Tucker Carlson.

3. NBCUniversal’s CEO is Out, Too

Speaking of ousters, NBCUniversal delivered a bombshell with news that it has fired CEO Jeff Shell following an investigation that revealed an “inappropriate relationship.

The Directors Guild of America has warned members that if they do not cross the picket line if the entertainment industry’s writers go on strike, they could face employer repercussions.

The union representing directors, unit production managers and assistant directors reminded its more than 19,000 members on Tuesday, in a message obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, of the DGA’s “no-strike” clause with studios and streamers. This clause, common in labor contracts, requires that the union “will not call or engage in or assist any strike, slow-down or stoppage of work affecting motion picture production” over the course of its current pact, which expires June 30. The clause also requires that the DGA “will use its best efforts in good faith to require its members to perform their services for the Employer” even if other industry unions are on strike.

After industry scribes overwhelmingly authorized a strike earlier this week, the...

It’s the end of an era for Netflix.

Twenty-five years after the company was founded, Netflix says it will wind down its legacy DVD-by-mail business. Yes, the red envelopes will soon be no more.

In a Faq and a blog post on its website Tuesday, Netflix says it will ship out its last DVD on Sept. 29, 2023.

“After an incredible 25 year run, we’ve made the difficult decision to wind down at the end of September,” the Faq reads. “Our goal has always been to provide the best service for our members, but as the DVD business continues to shrink, that’s going to become increasingly difficult. Making 2023 our Final Season allows us to maintain our quality of service through the last day and go out on a high note.”

Years before it ever streamed TV shows or movies, Netflix launched with a simple idea: Replace the outmoded DVD rental...

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is getting into action at Amazon.

The Emmy-winning Fleabag grad is readying a TV series based on the popular video game turned action movie Tomb Raider. The project, which is in the development stages, is the latest to stem from Waller-Bridge’s recently renewed overall deal with the retail giant and streamer.

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Waller-Bridge is attached to write the scripts for Tomb Raider. Waller-Bridge does not plan to star in the TV adaptation of the property, which spawned 2001 and 2018 film adaptations starring Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander, respectively, as the adventurous archaeologist. The Lara Croft character was also voiced by actresses including Camilla Luddington, Keeley Hawes and Minnie Driver in a slew of video game titles. Hayley Atwell also brought the character to life in a Netflix anime series.

In addition to writing, Waller-Bridge will exec produce the Amazon take alongside former head...

The Walt Disney Co. is shaking up its board of directors, tapping Nike executive chairman Mark Parker to be chairman, effective as of its next annual meeting.

Susan Arnold, who has been chair since Bob Iger retired from the company at the end of 2021 (and who asked him to return last year), will step down from the board at that time. The company says her departure is consistent with Disney’s 15-year board term limit.

“Mark Parker’s vision, incredible depth of experience and wise counsel have been invaluable to Disney, and I look forward to continuing working with him in his new role, along with our other directors, as we chart the future course for this amazing company,” said Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, in a statement. “On behalf of my fellow Board members and the entire Disney management team, I also want to thank Susan for her superb...

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In a stunning turn of events, The Walt Disney Co. says that Bob Chapek will step down as CEO, with Bob Iger returning to lead the company.

Disney’s board of directors announced the decision Sunday night.

“We thank Bob Chapek for his service to Disney over his long career, including navigating the company through the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic,” said Susan Arnold, chairman of the board, in a statement. “The Board has concluded that as Disney embarks on an increasingly complex period of industry transformation, Bob Iger is uniquely situated to lead the Company through this pivotal period.”

Chapek had just signed a new multi-year contract in June, after speculation following the ouster of TV chief Peter Rice earlier that month prompted the board to issue a notable public statement backing the CEO after the move.

Iger even acknowledged in an...

Many directors have taken on the challenge of bringing Batman to the big screen. Some have been successful, while others have created ... well, less successful renderings of the infamous vigilante. Tim Burton's 1989 adaptation of the comics is often looked upon as one of the best realizations of the story of Bruce Wayne. A charismatic Michael Keaton dons the cowl in Burton's vision, and he is largely convincing as he protects Gotham from the evil clutches of Jack Nicholson's maniacal Joker.

When the film was released, it was a huge success. Everything about the movie, from its fantastic casting to its score by Danny Elfman, helped make it a hit. It went on to break blockbuster records with a massive 40 million opening weekend, and went on to make 400 million in its initial run. Beneath the film's box office numbers, however, a darker tale of betrayal was unfolding. Oftentimes, when...

It may seem strange now, but there was a time when superhero movies weren't taken seriously in the movie industry. After all, superheroes and the comics they originated from were often seen as fluff entertainment, primarily for children and teenagers. Movies like "Superman" and pretty much anything released by Marvel at this time solidified this.

This perception began to change in 1989 when Tim Burton's darkly comic take on "Batman" hit theaters. Although it was still tongue-in-cheek, Burton's version of Gotham was distinct in its moodiness, proving that comic books can be adapted into adult-oriented entertainment. However, the higher-ups at Warner Bros. were allegedly bracing for its failure, at least according to the 2016 book "Hit and Run" by Nancy Griffin and Kim Masters. The book centers around the rollercoaster careers of producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber, whose big gamble on the film was shrouded in skepticism throughout the Warner Bros.

Click here to read the full article.

The filmmaking team behind Rust is making early plans to move production from New Mexico to California when filming resumes, multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

Production on the Western is set to pick up again with “all the original principal players on board” in January 2023 as part of a settlement with the family of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was shot and killed in 2021 during the initial filming of the movie at Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sources tell THR that early plans are for production to continue in California rather than New Mexico, though it’s not clear yet where in the state it will be filmed or whether plans could shift. Matthew Hutchins, Halyna’s husband, is set to executive produce.

A representative for Rust Movie Productions, attorney Melina Spadone, said in a statement to The Hollywood...

Five years after women’s stories about him made the #MeToo movement explode, Harvey Weinstein is going on trial in the city where he once was a colossus at the Oscars.

Already serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York, the 70-year-old former movie mogul faces different allegations including several that prosecutors say occurred during a pivotal Oscar week in Los Angeles. Jury selection for an eight-week trial begins Monday.

Weinstein has been indicted on four counts of rape and seven other sexual assault counts involving five women, who will appear in court as Jane Does to tell their stories. He has pleaded not guilty.

Read More: Relive Paul Sorvino Trashing Harvey Weinstein: He ‘Should Be Publicly Strangled’

Four more women will be allowed to take the stand to give accounts of Weinstein sexual assaults that did not lead to charges, but which prosecutors hope will...

Click here to read the full article.

For nearly two decades, Harvey Weinstein’s predatory tendencies were legend in Hollywood. And until a news organization could gather the sourcing and the courage to take on the mogul, that’s what they would remain. In 2017, 29-year-old NBC reporter Ronan Farrow was convinced he had the goods, with several of Weinstein’s victims willing to go on the record. Then his higher-ups held up the story. Undaunted, Farrow turned to The New Yorker. His feature for the magazine, along with an investigation by The New York Times, turned the whispers into fact and kicked off the #MeToo reckoning in October 2017. Farrow followed with exposés on Brett Kavanaugh, Leslie Moonves and Andrew Cuomo. Today, Weinstein is behind bars and many of Hollywood’s most powerful men have been held to account, several by THR’s Kim Masters, who has reported on allegations of...

Comcast is looking forward to 2024, a year in which it will gain: A) Hulu or B) a boatload of money, based on Hulu’s huge valuation. There’s also C): It could buy another significant media company, a purchase possibly financed in part by B. And let’s face it: NBCU needs one of those outcomes to compete in the streaming wars. With or without next-day NBC episodes, Peacock is no contender for the crown.

In January 2024, Comcast will likely sell its 33 percent ownership interest in Hulu to Disney. According to a deal the companies made in 2019, Hulu is valued at a guaranteed minimum of 27.5 billion. Disney’s two-thirds ownership share has a baseline value of 18 billion with NBCU’s third at 9 billion, but only Disney contractually has to buy its partner out.

At last week’s Goldman Sachs’ Communacopia event, Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts pushed an alternate...

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Judging from the trailer, or the poster, Zach Cregger’s Barbarian seems to follow a classic horror movie premise, updated for the tech age: A young woman checks in to an Airbnb in Detroit, only to find a man — and assorted terrors — waiting inside. But that’s just a fraction of the story.

Halfway through the film, which opened at No. 1 for the Sept. 9-11 weekend, writer-director Cregger abruptly cuts away from a gasp-inducing moment, jumping from dank Detroit to sunny L.A., where a hotshot actor played by Justin Long is cruising in a convertible without a care in the world. That is, until he gets a call from his agent telling him he’s been accused of sexual misconduct in The Hollywood Reporter.

“When I was writing, my dream was to use The Hollywood Reporter but it was one of those...

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When activist investor Dan Loeb announced a new stake in The Walt Disney Co. last month, his list of suggested changes included a mammoth one: a sale or spinoff of ESPN.

Loeb, through his firm Third Point, told Disney CEO Bob Chapek in a letter that spinning off ESPN would give the sports media giant “greater flexibility to pursue business initiatives that may be more difficult as part of Disney, such as sports betting.”

Now, however, as Disney comes off of a successful D23 Expo in Anaheim, Loeb is backing off of that particular suggestion.

“We have a better understanding of ESPN’s potential as a stand-alone business and another vertical for Disney to reach a global audience to generate ad and subscriber revenues,” Loeb said in a pair of tweets Sunday. “We look forward to seeing [ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro] execute on the growth and innovation plans,...

Some go-to advice for scriptwriting is to pitch your work as "x meets y"; two things with proven success mashed together. Vince Gilligan, the creator of "Breaking Bad," famously pitched the series as "Mr. Chips becomes Scarface." The boldness of that pitch won over then Sony Pictures Television executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht. Once Gilligan had them on his side to produce the series, he needed to find a network that would air it. This proved a challenge, with most of the prestige networks saying no before AMC finally said yes.

The struggle to find a home for "Breaking Bad" is shocking considering how successful the show became. However, Gilligan's recounting of his efforts is a pretty great story itself. Here's every network he pitched "Breaking Bad" to, and why they all said no.

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In an interview with the Television Academy Foundation, Gilligan recalled that during...

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“We’ve done a reset.” That’s how Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav described DC on Aug. 4, days after he made the call to shelve the 90 million HBO Max film Batgirl. The mogul said there’d now be a team that would create a “10-year” plan for DC, although who’s on that team is unclear.

And Zaslav took digs at former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar’s strategy of developing straight-to-streaming films. “We are going to focus on quality. We are not going to release any film before it’s ready,” said the executive. “DC is something we can make better.”

The remarks were not well received inside DC, according to multiple insiders who used the same word to describe members of the film division: “pissed.” And DC Films president Walter Hamada nearly exited after learning of the shelving of Batgirl before...

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Peter Jackson is weighing in on Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings TV series.

The Oscar-winning director of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies reveals the studio asked him to be involved with its upcoming megabudget series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and promised to send him scripts — then never contacted him again.

“They asked me if I wanted to be involved — [writer-producer Fran Walsh] and I — and I said, ‘That’s an impossible question to answer without seeing a script,'” Jackson recalled to Scott Feinberg on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast. “So they said, ‘As soon as we get the first couple scripts, we’ll send them to you.’ And the scripts never showed up. That’s the last thing I heard, which is fine. No complaints at all.”

In an upcoming The Business podcast,...

What’s the real story about Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s unceremonious dismissal from the directing job of “Solo: A Star Wars Story?” That’s a question that people have been wanting an answer to for years now, after the acclaimed comedic filmmakers were dumped after three months of filming and replaced by Ron Howard, who ended up reshooting almost the entire film. Well, even though the directing duo isn’t keen on spilling all of the details, they did shed some light on the learning experience that was “Solo.”

Speaking to The Business podcast, hosted by Kim Masters, Lord and Miller talked as openly as we can expect about the “Solo: A Star Wars Story” situation.

Continue reading ‘Solo’: Lord and Miller Says There Are “Two Sides To Every Story” & They Felt “Deeply Misunderstood” On Their ‘Star Wars’ Exit at The Playlist.

Update: Sources tell Deadline that Chris Noth is now under a Los Angeles Police Department investigation over allegations that he raped a woman in 2004. Noth has denied the allegations, which were made public in a Hollywood Reporter story on Thursday. “We are still looking into the nature of the report and trying to narrow down where, when and if where the report was filed,” LAPD Sgt. Bruce Borihanh said.

Earlier: “Sex and the City” star Chris Noth, made iconic for his role of Big in the original series and the reboot “And Just Like That,” has been accused of sexual assault by two women. In a new report at the The Hollywood Reporter, Kim Masters writes that two women using the pseudonyms Zoe, now 40, and Lily, now 31, were approached months ago by the outlet but were inclined to come forward amid the recent “And Just Like That” revival on HBO Max.

Barry Diller doesn’t think the movie business is “dead,” as a recent NPR story declared, but the traditional moviegoing experience will continue to transform, resulting in a loss of about 90 percent of theaters worldwide.

“Because of streaming, because of the pandemic, because of the enormous production of longform content … the word movies — what we think of as a movie — is evolving and no longer means what it did just a couple of years ago, pre-pandemic,” Diller said in an interview on Kcrw’s The Business, hosted by The Hollywood Reporter‘s Kim Masters.

And ...

Barry Diller doesn’t think the movie business is “dead,” as a recent NPR story declared, but the traditional moviegoing experience will continue to transform, resulting in a loss of about 90 percent of theaters worldwide.

“Because of streaming, because of the pandemic, because of the enormous production of longform content … the word movies — what we think of as a movie — is evolving and no longer means what it did just a couple of years ago, pre-pandemic,” Diller said in an interview on Kcrw’s The Business, hosted by The Hollywood Reporter‘s Kim Masters.

And ...

Former alleged victims of Harvey Weinstein speak out in the trailer for Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes, an expansion on Ronan Farrow’s bestselling book and hit podcast of the same name. The six-part documentary series premieres July 12th on HBO Max.

Catch and Kill features on-camera interviews between Farrow and some of the interviewees featured in his investigations against Weinstein’s sexual misconduct, including former employees of the Hollywood producer as well as Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, the woman who wore a wire that caught audio evidence of his misconduct.

Ronan Farrow’s “Catch and Kill” is being adapted into a six-part HBO docuseries, the premium cable channel announced Monday.

The series, titled “Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes,” builds on the reporting featured in Farrow’s book and podcast of the same name, featuring “intimate, revealing interviews with whistleblowers, journalists, private investigators and other sources” connected to the allegations of misconduct against media figures including Harvey Weinstein.

The series will premiere on Monday, July 12 with two episodes airing back-to-back each week. Read full episode descriptions below and check out a trailer for the series above.

Fenton Baily and Randy Barbato (“Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking”) are directors and producers on the docuseries via World of Wonder. Farrow also serves as an executive producer.

The series is produced by Mona Card, produced and edited by Francy Kachler and produced by Unjin Lee. For HBO, Tina Nguyen is senior producer, and Nancy Abraham...