Film Academy DEI Executive VP Jeanell English Out After One Year in Role

Far-right conservative preacher Kent Christmas asked God to “loose a Holy judgment” on the upcoming Barbie movie because it is “full of transsexual and transgender and homosexuality.”Posted on June 25, a now-viral video shows the Tennessee-based Christmas saying, “I curse in the name of the Lord this new Barbie movie that has been released full of transsexual and transgender and homosexuality in the name of the Lord. May God loose a judge, may God loose a Holy judgment.

Two it-girls of their respective generations are officially linking up for a horror-tastic classic.

David Zaslav should be sending a fruit basket right about now to Comcast President Mike Cavanagh.

 is coming to an end.The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of the HBO series' cancellation on Thursday, two months after the fourth season concluded its six-episode run.Creator, showrunner, writer and star Robin Thede issued a statement about the move, which is being characterized as a mutual decision to end on a creative high note.«Thank you to all the immensely talented cast members, guest stars, writers, directors, editors and crew members who have made A Black Lady Sketch Show an Emmy-winning success,» Thede wrote. «I especially want to recognize the Black women and other women of color who excelled in every department at ABLSS.

There will be no fifth season for A Black Lady Sketch Show, Deadline has confirmed. HBO’s Emmy winning comedy series will end with its fourth season, which wrapped in May.

The Venice Film Festival will start with Luca Guadagnino’s sexy sports comedy “Challengers,” featuring Zendaya as a former tennis prodigy turned coach involved in a love triangle with two professional tennis players, played by Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic What’s NBC nowadays? Even before the ongoing writers strike scrambled the network’s fall schedule, its identity — historically quite strong as a place for chewy, grown-up dramas and chic, cerebral sitcoms — had seemed hazy. Promising comedies, the sort that might have grown to fulfill the role recently played by “30 Rock” or “Superstore,” got unceremoniously booted from the air after barely a chance to thrive; new dramas, from “Ordinary Joe” to “The Thing About Pam,” seemed painfully undistinguished.  It’s been a tough few years. And as much as the departure of former NBCUniversal chairman Susan Rovner, a career TV executive previously known for her work at Warner Bros. Television, is just latest bit of media industry consolidation, it’s also a moment to observe that the legacy network and its corporate siblings have struggled to find a way forward. (Rovner’s replacement, Donna Langley, will oversee both film and television for the company.) In the years since Rovner came into the job in 2020, there have been limited bright spots — the “Night Court” revival on NBC, “Poker Face” on streamer Peacock. But there’s been a general tone of a lack of faith in the core of what NBC is and does, one that makes today’s news feel like less of a surprise than it otherwise might.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Of all the impressive skills Barbie has amassed in her 64 years as a working doll, who knew that cartography would be a focal point of her highly anticipated summer movie debut? But here we are. Trailers for the upcoming “Barbie,” from director Greta Gerwig and Warner Bros. Pictures, have led to the dissemination of a controversial map used in the film – one depicted in a scene with stars Margot Robbie and Kate McKinnon (known in the film as “Weird Barbie”) — and the studio is speaking up after days of international headlines. “The map in Barbie Land is a child-like crayon drawing,” a spokesperson for the Warner Bros. Film Group told Variety. “The doodles depict Barbie’s make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the ‘real world.’ It was not intended to make any type of statement.”

Donna Langley is set to take control of content and creative ops across NBCUniversal’s portfolio of brands, as TV chief Susan Rovner exits the company. The shakeup in leadership is the first major restructuring move made by Mike Cavanagh since he took over ousted Jeff Shell’s position atop the Comcast-owned media company. In a memo to staff Thursday, Cavanagh announced NBCUniversal will be reorganized into four key units: NBCUniversal Studio Group, led by Langley, NBCUniversal Media Group, run by chairman of TV and streaming Mark Lazarus, NBCU News Group, run by existing news boss Cesar Conde, and the Universal Destinations and Experiences Group headed up by parks boss Mark Woodbury.

We can knock Disney all we want over less-than stellar post-Covid results on Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm titles, but the fact of the matter is the brands are still delivering, making the theatrical motion picture studio the continued box office leader with $3.4 billion worldwide for the period of Jan. 1-July 2.

Tatiana Siegel On July 3, GQ.com rolled out a hot-take story titled “How Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav Became Public Enemy Number One in Hollywood.” The piece, which was written by freelance film critic Jason Bailey and slammed Zaslav as a Logan Roy-esque mogul, quickly disappeared from GQ’s website, while a new, more friendly version popped up with a separate URL. That version, too, vanished not long after, leaving readers puzzled. But did a GQ editor’s relationship with Warner Bros. play a role in the softening and ultimate removal of the story?  GQ editor-in-chief Will Welch is producing a movie at Warner Bros. titled “The Great Chinese Art Heist,” which is based on a 2018 GQ article by Alex W. Palmer. Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians”) is attached to direct and produce the film, which chronicles an audacious European museum crime wave that targeted Chinese antiquities. The project already has a script in place by Ken Cheng, Jessica Gao and Jimmy O. Yang. Sources say Welch was involved in the discussions surrounding the removal of Bailey’s initial story and made the call to pull the revamped story, which ran some 500 words shorter than the published version. Those same sources say Warner Bros. Discovery complained about the initial story to two GQ editors, one of whom was Welch. 

banned in Vietnam for apparently featuring a map showing China’s claims to the South China Sea that many say includes the territory of other nations.When asked about the controversy during a press conference on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was dismissive of Hanoi’s outrage.“China’s position on the South China Sea issue is clear and consistent,” the official said, adding that Vietnam “should not link the South China Sea issue with normal cultural exchange.”The nine-dash line shown on the map represents China’s claim to a vast section of the disputed waters, which are also being fought over by Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan.An international tribunal at The Hague found the Chinese Communist Party’s map illegal. Beijing dismissed the ruling at the time.The map’s inclusion in “Barbie” underscores the growing controversy over Hollywood’s reliance on China, which has rivaled the US for its biggest market in recent years.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor A mass exodus of Black women from senior leadership posts across Hollywood during the last few weeks is raising questions about the depth of the film and television industry’s commitment to diversifying the top ranks of the entertainment industry. The high-profile departures have sparked outrage on social media, with mounting concerns that major studios are only performing lip service after pledging to elevate more people of color to positions of influence. In the last month, six Black women executives in prominent leadership roles have abruptly left their positions in the studio system. Many oversaw DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) departments, putting them on the frontlines of larger effort to change corporate cultures and hiring practices. The exits include Karen Horne, who led DEI efforts at Warner Bros. Discovery and Jeanell English, executive VP of impact and inclusion at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. The other prominent executives are Netflix’s Vernā Myers, the streamer’s first head of inclusion; Disney’s LaTondra Newton, chief diversity officer and senior VP; and another Warner Bros. executive, Terra Potts, VP of worldwide marketing. On Monday, Joanna Abeyie, the BBC’s creative diversity director, joined their ranks. And even though the steady stream of departures is alarming, multiple industry sources tell Variety that more BIPOC executives are expected to join them in the coming weeks.

GQ magazine has removed a profile of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav from its website after the company objected to the article.

Back in April, it was revealed that Warner Bros. Discovery is hoping to capitalize on the “Harry Potter” brand with a new reboot of the film series.

Days after Vietnam banned Warner Bros’ upcoming Barbie due to a scene depicting a map of the South China Sea with the “nine-dash line” that is contested by its government, the Philippines is now weighing whether it will follow suit.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Authorities in The Philippines are weighing a decision on whether to follow the lead taken by Vietnam and ban Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie. Vietnam on Monday announced that it will bar the film’s commercial release due to the movie’s depiction of a map that depicts the “nine dash line,” a disputed representation of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. The Philippines, like Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia, have competing claims in the South China Sea and strongly refute China’s claim to nearly the entire maritime region. “If the invalidated 9-dash line was indeed depicted in the movie ‘Barbie,’ then it is incumbent upon the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to ban the same as it denigrates Philippine sovereignty,” said Philippines Senator Francis Tolentino, vice chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, according to local media reports.

reinstated at Warner Bros. Discovery after widespread outcry over his dismissal from the classic movie network, thanked fans for their continued support on Tuesday. “The support for TCM, and for me, has been wonderful,” he tweeted.“I just want to say that it’s always taken a true team to make it work,” he added.

Daniel Radcliffe is fine with sitting on the sidelines for Max’s upcoming Harry Potter TV series.

J. Kim Murphy Daniel Radcliffe is alright sitting out the next round of “Harry Potter” projects. Warner Bros. Discovery recently ordered a new adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s best-selling series of novels, conceived this time as a television series for its streaming service Max. The project will feature an entirely new cast — a decision that Radcliffe is at peace with. In a new interview with ComicBook to promote his TBS comedy series “Miracle Workers: End Times,” Radcliffe expressed his support for whatever comes for “Harry Potter,” but that he doesn’t feel he needs to be there. “My understanding is that they’re trying to very much start fresh and I’m sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere,” Radcliffe stated. “I’m definitely not seeking it out in any way. But I do wish them, obviously, all the luck in the world and I’m very excited to have that torch passed. But I don’t think it needs me to physically pass it.”

With the recent news that HBO’s streaming service, Max (previously known as HBO Max), is developing a new “Harry Potter” series, what are the odds that the original Harry will be making an appearance?

Refresh for chart…On the bright side for Independence Day bomb Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, its first five days at the box office of $82M aren’t as bad as Paramount/Skydance’s Terminator Genisys.

“Barbie” is entering the contentious realm of global politics.

"Barbie" fans in Vietnam may be out of luck, as the country has banned commercial screenings of the film. The Warner Bros. film, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, was set to be released there on July 21.

Reuters. The decision was based on a scene that depicts a map with the “nine-dash line,” a representation of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, which Vietnam says violates its sovereignty.

Before Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie captured the zeitgeist with their Warner Bros-backed Barbie, the popular doll was the subject of a much darker indie pic directed by Todd Haynes.

The Barbie movie won’t be seen in movie theaters in Vietnam.

Vietnam has banned commercial screenings of Warner Bros’ Barbie due to a scene that depicts a map of the South China Sea with the “nine-dash line” that is contested by the Vietnamese government. 

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Dubai-based pay-TV and streamer OSN launched its rebranded OSN+ streaming service in March 2022 — and then lost some momentum when Disney+, the following June, pulled out its premium content and started a standalone platform in the Middle East. However, OSN remains a leading small-screen outlet for prime Hollywood scripted fare in 22 territories across the Middle East and North Africa. In March 2023, they extended their relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery, forging a new multi-year licensing deal that makes them the exclusive home for HBO content such as “Succession” in the region. And, they’ve retained exclusive rights to Paramount+ shows, plus a slate of Sky Studios and Peacock Originals produced by NBC Universal — among other Hollywood deals firmly in place — as well as recently expanding their exclusive partnership with ITV Studios in the U.K.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Authorities in Vietnam have banned commercial screenings of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” The Warner Bros. film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, one of the most anticipated movies of the summer, was set to have been released in the country on July 21. The film contains a scene that depicts a map with the “nine dash line,” a representation of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, which Vietnam says violates its sovereignty. Vi Kien Thanh, director general of the Vietnam Cinema Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, said on Monday that the ban was decided by the National Film Evaluation Council.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is stumbling in its box office debut, generating $70 million internationally and $130 million globally to start. Those ticket sales wouldn’t be bad for a film aimed at older audiences, except for the fact that Disney and Lucasfilm spent $295 million before marketing to bring the fifth and final action-adventure, starring Harrison Ford, to the big screen. “Dial of Destiny” is posting similar numbers to Warner Bros. and DC’s misfire “The Flash,” which opened to $75 million internationally and $139 million globally but cost $100 million less to make. Both tentpoles are expected to lose money in their theatrical runs.

2020’s social media blackout that was supposed to be in support of the BLM movement.Disney’s chief diversity officer and senior vice president Latondra Newton, a six-year veteran, was the first of the four to go. On June 20, the company said that Newton was leaving to pursue “other endeavors.” Predictably, her exit was celebrated by a faction of people who blamed her for “The Little Mermaid’s “woke” casting of Black actress and singer Halle Bailey.

Jeanell English is leaving the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences less than a year after being named to the newly post of EVP Impact & Inclusion. She had been with the group since joining as VP Impact & Operations in 2020.

BreAnna Bell Karen Horne has exited her post as Senior V.P. of North America Diversity Equity and Inclusion for Warner Bros. Discovery as part of the company’s restructuring. A WBD memo from Chief Global DEI Officer Asif Sadiq to staffers, which Variety has obtained, revealed the news on Friday. Horne oversaw the DEI efforts for creative talent development pipeline programs, workforce, content and production while working closely with Sadiq to craft a global strategy for the company. She joined the company in March of 2020, and was responsible for creating and implementing multiple pipeline programs that aim to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities. Prior to her appointment, Horne was at NBC Entertainment and Universal Television Studios as Senior Vice President, Programming Talent Development and Inclusion where she was responsible for overseeing in-front-of and behind-the-camera primetime diversity efforts for NBC and Universal Television. While there, she started the Late-Night Writers Workshop in 2013.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Jeanell English, executive vice president of impact and inclusion, is exiting her role at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. English was promoted to the newly created role in July 2022 by Academy CEO Bill Kramer. In her role, she led the Academy’s initiatives to address underrepresentation across the industry and the talent development programs such as Academy Gold. Over the past year, she’s been a key figure in major initiatives and changes across the organization including developing the infrastructure for the Academy’s inclusion standards and enabling a path for community, advocacy, education and empowerment amongst its members and staff. She also designed and implemented the Academy’s first mid-career talent development program, the Academy Film Accelerator, which advocates for the careers of filmmakers from underrepresented communities.

Karen Horne, who led led Warner Bros. Discovery Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for North America, is leaving the company amid a raft of layoffs and major restructuring since the merger. Executive said Horne’s departure was not part of the broader staff retrenchment but a rethinking of the DEI division.