Chris Licht’s CNN Exit Puts New Spotlight on Amy Entelis

began. “Chris made mistakes, right? He made mistakes and as I said, he learned from mistakes. Zaslav decided to fire him or to let him go.

Earlier this month, “The Flash” and “IT” director Andy Muschietti emerged as the “top choice” of Warner Bros. to helm the new DCU‘s upcoming “Batman: The Brave And The Bold.” Now Variety confirms that Muschietti has indeed landed the project.

Martyn Ford (“Shao Kahn”), Desmond Chiam (“King Jerrod”), Ana Thu Nguyen (“Sindel”), and Damon Herriman (“Quan Chi”) have been cast in the sequel to New Line’s hit 2021 action adventure “Mortal Kombat” based on the blockbuster video game franchise, New Line announced on Thursday morning.The new additions join a cast which include Karl Urban as “Johnny Cage,” Tati Gabrielle as “Jade,” and Adeline Rudolph as “Kitana.”The returning cast from “Mortal Kombat” includes Lewis Tan as “Cole Young”; Jessica McNamee as “Sonya Blade”; Josh Lawson as “Kano”; Tadanobu Asano as “Lord Raiden”; Mehcad Brooks as “Jax”; Ludi Lin as “Liu Kang”; Chin Han as “Shang Tsung”; Joe Taslim as “Bi-Han” and “Sub-Zero”; Hiroyuki Sanada as “Hanzo Hasashi” and “Scorpion”; Max Huang as “Kung Lao.”Simon McQuoid, who directed the 2021 film, is set to return. Jeremy Slater (“Moon Knight,” “The Umbrella Academy”) wrote the screenplay for the sequel.The previous film was a new adaptation of the popular video-game franchise that offered a grittier, more violent take on the material than the 1990s films.

Zazie Beetz is offering insight to “Joker” fans’ theories about the upcoming sequel film’s musical aspects.

Barbie” is one of the most awaited films of the year. In order to promote the film and ensure that it reaches the widest possible audience, Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie will be making stops by some of the biggest cities in the world, including Mexico. Karol G releases ‘Watiti’ part of the ‘Barbie’ movie soundtrackAmerica Ferrera wore ‘grandma’ pjs to ‘sexy’ Barbie sleepoverKarol G explains her decision to contribute to the ‘Barbie’ soundtrackA post shared by Warner Bros.

When Christopher Nolan‘s “Oppenheimer” hits theaters next month, it marks the first film by the director not produced by Warner Bros. in nearly 20 years.

Olivia Wilde is sporting a new look!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Killing Romance,” one of the most creative Korean films of the past year, has been set as the opening night title for the upcoming New York Asian Film Festival. The deliberately multi-genre picture tells the tale of a beautiful movie star with dubious acting skills (portrayed by Le Ha-nee) who suddenly quits the industry and retires to newly-married life that turns out to be anything but bliss. When she decides to return to acting she teams up with a fan and an absurd plot to kill her absurdly rich husband. The film is directed by Lee Won-suk who previously attended the NYAFF with his first film, “How to Use Guys With Secret Tips,” in 2013 and returned with his second feature, the big-budget period drama The Royal Tailor, which earned the audience award at NYAFF in 2015.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Carolines Entertainment has tapped Horizon Sports & Experiences as its agency of record to develop sponsorship, brand activation, experiential and hospitality strategies to engage audiences across a variety of platforms on behalf of the 2023 New York Comedy Festival. HS&E, part of Horizon Media, will provide sponsors its full suite of data and analytics services and solutions. The 19th annual festival is slated to return in November. In an era when a writers strike has advertisers wringing their hands about how to align their brand messages with new comedy content, the festival, which started in 2004, may provide an alternative, says Neal Gluckman, HS&E’s senior vice president and head of sales, in an interview. “Brands still need to be out there,” he says, and the festival attracts a young, engaged base and also generates a lot of social-media content as comedians, venues and fans share their expereinces.

Marta Balaga There is a whole new Batman in town. Despite that familiar name, upcoming “Aztec Batman: The Clash of Empires” will introduce an original hero, assured its team during their riotous presentation at Annecy. Overseen by Warner Bros. Animation and DC, the film is produced in Mexico in partnership with Ánima and Chatrone. “This is a bold project,” admitted director Juan Meza-León, joined on stage by character designer Marvick Núñez and art director Diego Olascoaga. Promising an alternate take on the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, but also opening up about his protagonist’s surprising yet apparently historically accurate look.

Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy take in the view of the rolling hills of Antibes. The sun beats down so fiercely on a lily-white tablecloth that the co-CEOs and co-chairpeople of the Warner Bros. Film Group shield themselves with Gucci and Ray-Ban shades. They resemble the all-powerful studio chiefs of yore — or at least their surroundings do. A lot has changed since the Golden Age of Hollywood: Jack Warner didn’t have two smartphones constantly buzzing, misconduct allegations involving “The Flash” star Ezra Miller and cratering share prices to worry about. “It’s so competitive now,” De Luca says, looking out at the shimmering water. “We all have to sing for our supper.”

If you were ever questioning just how powerful Christopher Nolan is in Hollywood, look no further than the situation that developed between the filmmaker and Warner Bros. during the pandemic.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor One of the most influential and alluring jobs in journalism just opened. Now the company trying to fill the position is waiting to see if anyone really wants it. Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to move deliberately rather than quickly in its search for a new CEO for CNN. Executives are telling staffers and TV agents that it will likely take a few months to fill the role that Chris Licht held for one turbulent year. Licht, the TV news veteran and “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” showrunner, was ousted last week after spearheading a series of programming moves and talent decisions that kept headlines about CNN circulating more often than anything else produced by the newsroom. Licht’s final error was taking part in a profile The Atlantic published June 2 — 15,000 words detailing a “Meltdown at CNN.” Numerous statements from Licht in the story and his questionable judgment in allowing a reporter such broad access marked the last straw for his corporate managers as well as CNN insiders. Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper all lodged concerns about Licht’s ability to manage following the profile’s publication, according to a person familiar with the matter, confirming details previously revealed by The Wall Street Journal.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “Joker” fans who are theorizing about the reported musical aspects of the upcoming Joaquin Phoenix-led sequel film finally have a little bit more clarity, thanks to star Zazie Beetz. “I think people will be surprised. I don’t think it’s going to be what they expect, around it being musical,” Beetz, who is reprising her role as Sophie Dumond for “Joker: Folie à Deux,” told Variety Monday at Chanel’s Tribeca Film Festival Artists Dinner in New York. “We all sort of express musically and dancing in our lives day-to-day. I think it’s going to work really well.” Todd Phillips returns to the director’s chair for the “Joker” sequel, which is rumored to take place prominently in Arkham Asylum.

J. Kim Murphy It’s curtains for “Gotham Knights” at The CW. The network will not move forward with a second season of the DC Comics series, Variety has learned. The series was absent from a statement of upcoming programming from the CW, which announced renewals for both “Superman & Lois” and “All American: Homecoming” for the 2023-2024 broadcast season. The news about “Gotham Knights” comes more than two weeks ahead of the date that the series is slated to air what would now be its series finale. The program premiered on March 4 and was set to conclude its 13-episode season on June 27.

The CW has renewed Superman and Lois for a 10-episode fourth season, following months of negotiations. The series was one of three shows on the network in collaboration with Warner Bros. pending renewal alongside All American: Homecoming and Gotham Knights.

The CW has renewed All American spinoff All American: Homecoming for a third season. As has been the case with most renewals of existing scripted CW series, Homecoming was picked up for 13 episodes.

EXCLUSIVE: The CW is nearing renewal decisions on the three remaining scripted series in limbo, Superman & Lois, All American: Homecoming and Gotham Knights, sources tell Deadline. Because of the shows’ high price point compared to the lower license fees model the network is shifting to in pursuit of profitability, I hear two of the three series — Superman & Lois and All American: Homecoming — would return for another season, joining previously renewed tentpoles All American and Walker.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor New York City has survived the coronavirus pandemic, an economic downturn, and most recently, skies darkened by Canadian wildfires. What’s to fear from a looming zombie apocalypse? On Wednesday, visitors to New York culinary mainstays such as Joe’s Pizza in Times Square, H&H Bagels, Katz’s Deli and Hot Dog King will find out. They are likely to encounter members of the undead stopping in for a bite. The zombies will have been planted there by AMC Networks, which is eager to woo attention to the debut of “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” the first of three spin-offs the company is launching following the last original broadcast of the seminal series “The Walking Dead.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor In NewsNation, New York City isn’t the de facto location for a morning-news program. On Monday, the Nexstar Media-backed cable-news outlet expands its Chicago-based “Morning in America” to four hours and adds Markie Martin, formerly the network’s Dallas correspondent, as a co-anchor alongside Adrienne Bankert. There is some precedent for such a format. Robin Meade succeeded at it for 20 years by holding forth from Atlanta on behalf of HLN. Her program, “Morning Express,” was canceled earlier this year by Warner Bros. Discovery in a cost-cutting maneuver. “I grew up in small-town Oklahoma, and often felt that national news networks catered more toward big-city lives,” says Martin in a recent interview. “I think our content lines up with what every American cares about on a daily basis.” Martin arrived in the Windy City for her new assignment just about a week ago, and was in need of furniture for her new apartment.

Amy Schumer wasn’t feeling right about living in Barbie’s dreamhouse. So she chose another career path.

EXCLUSIVE: As the Annecy International Animation Film Festival begins to get underway this weekend, newly hired Warner Bros. Animation President Bill Damaschke has announced a rebranding of the motion picture division with a focus on filmmakers.

Amy Schumer has revealed the real reason why she left the Barbie movie – and it’s not what they told us at the time. While playing Plead the Fifth on “Watch What Happens Live,” the comedian admitted that she didn’t drop out due to scheduling conflicts, but creative differences.“I think it was scheduling conflicts,” Schumer said. “That’s what we said.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Molto bene! Food Network has renewed its new Italian cooking competition “Ciao House,” hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli and Gabriele Bertaccini, for a second season. “Shot on-location in Italy, the series takes ten rising culinary stars on the journey of a lifetime to live in a breathtaking Italian villa and compete against each other as individuals and in teams to prove their mastery of Italian cooking techniques and dishes,” per Food Network’s logline. “Each episode’s culinary challenges are steeped in tradition and the competitors must also navigate alliances and rivalries as they pick their own teams and each week, the losing team must vote off one of their own. In the end, the last chef standing wins a life-changing grand prize: an immersive culinary education across Italy, training with renowned Italian master chefs.”

Amy Schumer is talking Barbie.

The day after New York-based pickets were canceled for the week because of smoke, the gathering at Warner Bros. in Los Angeles was a bit smaller on Thursday, with less than 50 people gathering in support of the WGA strike.

now-former network CEO Chris Licht might open the door for Don's CNN resurrection.TMZ said Don and Chris had a long-standing tension. Following Chris' firing, CNN's Executive VP for Talent and Content Development Amy Entelis is now one of the people calling the shots, and she's been close with Don for nearly 15 years. Don's unceremonious spring termination (which came hours after Fox News showed Tucker Carlson the door) was dramatic and acrimonious, as he said he was let go without any notice whatsoever. "I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned.

The group of executives who are leading CNN on an interim basis made their first comments to staffers on Thursday, vowing to make “this period as smooth as possible.”

Chris Licht released a statement following his exit from CNN on Wednesday.

Chris Licht’s ouster as CEO at CNN, Joe Scarborough argued that Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav should have kept Licht on for the full term of his two-year-contract. “Zaslav gave Chris two years; I wish Chris had been given the two years Zaslav promised him,” Scarborough told The New York Times.

The day that SAG-AFTRA began its talks with Hollywood studios over its own film and TV contract with a strike authorization in hand, picketing Writers Guild members on Wednesday hit up Disney and Warner Bros in Burbank.

Chris Licht has broken his silence following his abrupt departure as CEO and Global Chairman of CNN Wednesday morning, calling his tenure “exciting but incredibly challenging.”“This was an exciting but incredibly challenging assignment, and I learned a lot over the past 13 months,” Licht said in a statement to media. “I’ve been lucky enough to have had a successful, fulfilling career, and I look forward to my next chapter.”Licht’s statement comes hours the former CEO’s ouster was announced by Warner Bros.

The abrupt yet not-all-too-surprising exit of Chris Licht from CNN is a bit of a relief for staffers who thought he was the wrong person for the job, but whoever succeeds him at the cable news network will face many of the same headwinds.

Top leaders of CNN’s PR team that oversaw The Atlantic’s disastrous profile of Chris Licht have been fired, TheWrap has confirmed. EVP and global head of communications and marketing Kris Coratti Kelly and head of strategic communications Matt Dornic were among those ousted.According to a source familiar with the decision, the network began cleaning out its communications team Wednesday, just hours after the embattled CEO exited amid plunging ratings and growing discontent within his news staff. The news comes following Licht’s firing on Wednesday.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic The departure of CNN’s Chris Licht, following his turbulent year atop the cable news network, places a pause on one of the great media stories of the decade so far. But even non-media-junkies can appreciate just how strange and how strenuously rocking had been Licht’s time at the network: It played out across screens. The trouble with being the place that invented the 24-hour news cycle is that those hours can come back to bite when you’re the story. There it was in politics, when Donald Trump’s “Town Hall,” with purported rising star Kaitlan Collins, gear-shifted into the first televised rally of the 2024 presidential cycle — with CNN’s air being used to depict an audience of Trump supporters cheering on his jibes. (No less an eminence than Christiane Amanpour, a CNN icon, registered her dissent in public.) There it was on the business pages, with Licht’s overseeing the dismantling of streaming product CNN+, on orders from Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav, setting the tone for his tenure. There it was at the Oscars, when Michelle Yeoh used her best actress acceptance speech to rebuke anchor Don Lemon’s bizarre on-air comments about a woman’s “prime” years. There it was in the gossip pages, after a Variety story about Lemon’s comportment toward his female co-anchors on the network’s flagship morning show, and then his ouster, leaked into the tabloids, and never seemed to be countered by any good news about the network. And, finally, there it was at length, with an all-access profile by the Atlantic’s Tim Alberta revealing Licht’s contempt for predecessor Jeff Zucker and the depths of his disdain for and, frankly, confusion about CNN’s mission.

exited his position of CEO at CNN on Wednesday morning and, for many online, it was no big surprise. A fairly large swath of folks on Twitter actually dubbed it “karma” for Licht’s firing of CNN anchor Don Lemon.Licht’s one-year tenure as CEO and Chairman of CNN Worldwide was turbulent from start to finish, with a disastrous Donald Trump town hall and an unflattering profile in The Atlantic finally breaking staff morale.