M. Night Shyamalan Inks Multi-Year First-Look Deal at Warner Bros., Announces ‘Trap’ as Next Film

DC’s long-anticipated superhero pic The Flash will be getting its first-ever public screening at the 2023 edition of CinemaCon, Deadline hears. The debut screening is set to take place on April 25, ahead of Warner Bros’ official slate presentation at the Las Vegas confab, showcasing the most promising, upcoming big-screen titles for theater owners.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Warner Bros’ “The Batman” leads the film nominees for the third annual Critics Choice Super Awards, honoring superhero, sci-fi, fantasy, horror and action movies and series in entertainment. Matt Reeves’ superhero film earned six nominations including best superhero movie, three individual best actor in a superhero movie mentions for Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell and Paul Dano, with the latter also picking up a second nom for best villain in a movie. Zoë Kravitz also landed a nom for actress in a superhero movie for her portrayal of Catwoman. Other favorites of the Critics Choice Association included many of this year’s Oscar nominees such as “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer After struggling to re-create the magic of the “Harry Potter” film franchise with the lackluster spinoff trilogy “Fantastic Beasts,” Warner Bros. has finally struck galleons anew with its latest piece of Wizarding World IP: video game “Hogwarts Legacy.” The action role-playing game, produced by Warner Bros. Games and Avalanche Software, has clicked with Potterheads since its Feb. 10 release. Sales figures are yet to come, but it’s clear from the buzz factor and other measures — including sales charts in Japan, the U.K. and Europe — that fans are engaged. For one, the arrival of the game spurred the highest traffic in the “Harry Potter” community on fan platform Fandom in more than seven years.

Warner Bros/DC’s The Batman leads all nominations for the third annual Critics Choice Super Awards, which revealed nominees Wednesday for the year’s best across the superhero, sci-fi/fantasy, horror and action genres in film and on TV.

EXCLUSIVE: UK film and television studios are preparing for inspections as they attempt to ward off property tax bills that could threaten the survival of some filming facilities.

The 34th annual Producers Guild Awards got underway Tuesday with HBO Max’s Sesame Street winning the children’s program award and HBO’s documentary Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off winning for sports program in categories announced during the PGA’s East Coast nominee celebration in New York.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Just days after Warner Bros. announced the cancellation of “Judge Mathis” after 24 seasons, Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group has scooped up the services of Judge Greg Mathis to host a new first-run one-hour strip for fall 2023. “Mathis Court with Judge Mathis” has been given a “firm go” by Allen Media Group, which is now pitching the show for broadcast, cable and distribution platforms.In addition to broadcast syndication, the show will join Allen Media Group’s eight court series are carried on its television network Justice Central, available in more than 50 million U.S. homes. Allen Media Group’s “America’s Court with Judge Ross” (which premiered in fall 2010), as well as “Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez,” “Justice with Judge Mablean,” “Supreme Justice with Judge Karen,” “The Verdict with Judge Hatchett,” “We the People with Judge Lauren Lake” and “Equal Justice with Judge Eboni K. Williams.” (“Equal Justice” also premieres in fall 2023.) “Judge Greg Mathis is an outstanding, charismatic, and iconic television host, and we are extremely confident that our eighth and newest court series with Judge Mathis will be very successful for years to come as he joins our outstanding roster of talent, including Judge Kevin Ross, Judge Mablean Ephriam, Judge Christina Perez, Judge Karen Mills-Francis, Judge Glenda Hatchett, Judge Lauren Lake, and Judge Eboni K. Williams,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group, which produces and distributes globally.

Deadline has launched the streaming site for its Contenders Film: The Nominees awards-season event, which took place on Saturday and highlighted the cast and creatives behind 12 films that have been Oscar-nominated this year.

The incoming Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD)/ BT Group UK sports streaming JV will be named TNT Sports, the U.S. media giant has revealed.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor The solo catalog of George Harrison has moved to Dark Horse Records via BMG, the company announced on Tuesday. Harrison’s family retains the rights to the catalog. Beginning in 1968, Harrison’s solo discography was released first on the Beatles’ label, Apple Records, and later Harrison’s own Dark Horse Records through Warner Bros. Records. In 2021 Universal Music’s catalog division released a deluxe anniversary edition of Harrison’s classic 1970 album “All Things Must Pass.” The 12-album catalog includes Harrison’s debut “Wonderwall Music” (the soundtrack to the film “Wonderwall”), “All Things Must Pass,” the 1973 follow-up “Living in the Material World,” his 1987 comeback album “Cloud Nine: and his final studio album, “Brainwashed,” which was released in 2002, the year after his death from cancer. It also includes the live double album “Live in Japan,” featuring Eric Clapton and the compilations “Let It Roll – Songs by George Harrison,” “Early Takes Vol 1, The Apple Years 1968-1975,” and “The Dark Horse Years 1976-1992.” In celebration of Harrison’s 80th birthday on Feb. 25, Dark Horse/BMG have released his entire catalogue in Dolby Atmos surround sound exclusively on Apple Music.

Shirley Halperin Executive Editor, Music Veteran music publicists Luke Burland and Bobbie Gale are teaming up to form a new firm, 2b Entertainment. The two share more than 30 years experience working with artists, music companies and brands. Both previously served in senior media relations positions at Warner Bros. Records (now known as Warner Records) and as in-demand indies — Burland, most recently at BB Gun Press (founded by Brian Bumbery, currently a top communications executive at Apple Music); Gale at her own MixedMediaWorks. Based in Los Angeles, 2b Entertainment’s client roster includes Jojo Siwa, Danny Elfman, Mike Dean, Holly Humberstone, Josh Groban, Julian Casablancas, Justin Tranter, Maggie Lindemann, Meghan Trainor, My Chemical Romance, OK Go, Shania Twain and Steve Earle, among other artists. Corporate accounts run across entertainment, lifestyle and fashion, representing such brands as CITI, +1 Records, Laylo, Dad Grass, Muserk and Cosm. (See the full roster here.)

Naman Ramachandran Disney’s “Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania” debuted in pole position at the U.K. and Ireland box office with £8.8 million ($10.6 million), according to numbers released by Comscore. In its third weekend, Universal’s “Puss In Boots: The Last Wish” collected £3.1 million in second place for a total of £17.1 million. In third place, Warner Bros.’ “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” earned £888,435 in its second weekend for a total of £3.8 million. Disney blockbuster“Avatar: The Way Of Water” continued to chart with £531,213 in its 10th weekend in fourth place for a mighty total of £75.5 million.

TMZ reported on Monday.A representative for the New York City Police Department told TheWrap that the death did not occur in New York City itself. According to TMZ, no cause of death has been announced and no foul play is suspected.No statements had been issued by his family as of Monday evening.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor A pair of Oscar bellwether ceremonies took place this weekend, heralding uncertainty and unpredictability to an awards season where no one agrees on what contenders will end up taking home Academy Awards. The DGA Awards, which has historically matched up best with the eventual winner of best director, chose the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” duo of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. They’re the third directing team to win in the DGA’s 75-year history (after Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins for “West Side Story” and Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for “No Country for Old Men”). Only eight DGA winners have failed to walk away with the Academy Award in the same season, with the last instance being Sam Mendes (“1917”), who won at DGA but lost to Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) at the 2020 Oscars.

Marta Balaga Director: Vita Maria Drygas Producer: Vita Żelakeviciute Production companies: Drygas Film Production Sales: Dogwoof Documentary is a journey to places devastated by military conflicts, seen through the eyes of thrill-seeking tourists. (Generation 14plus) Director: Asaf Saban

Refresh for latest…: It’s BAFTA Sunday here in London with the annual BAFTA Film Awards ceremony about to kick off at the Royal Festival Hall on an improbably clement evening. Richard E Grant is hosting the ceremony tonight, taking the baton from last year’s emcee Rebel Wilson, and we will be updating the list of winners live, so check back for updates.

EXCLUSIVE: Argentinian crime thriller A Singular Crime (Un Crimen Argentino), directed by Lucas Combina, has landed a series of international distribution deals on the third day of the EFM.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The verdict is in: Syndicated court staples “Judge Mathis” and “The People’s Court” will both end their run at the end of this season, Variety has confirmed. “Judge Mathis” will wrap after 24 seasons, while this most recent iteration of “The People’s Court” wraps after its 26th season. Season 24 and Season 26, respectively.  Both shows come from Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Telepictures Productions and are distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. According to insiders, the decision was made due to the declining nature of the daytime syndication landscape. As local TV stations shrink their syndication dollars and the advertising marketplace shrinks for daytime syndication, first-run syndication has become a trickier landscape. At the same time, station groups have been expanding their local news broadcasts, also in a bid to save money.

John Oliver has fired the first shot at his new Emmy rival Saturday Night Live – six months before his show Last Week Tonight will go head-to-head in a new awards category.

EXCLUSIVE: Molly Yeh has inked a two-year exclusive deal with Food Network, which will include more episodes of her Midwest-inspired cooking show Girl Meets Farm.

Believe it or not, M. Night Shyamalan had his seventh #1 opening weekend at the box office with “Knock At The Cabin” earlier this month.

Warner Bros. Pictures Group has signed a multiyear first-look directing and producing agreement with two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker M.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Austin Butler’s agent told him he would need to gain weight to play the older version of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” “I heard that Ryan Gosling when he was going to do ‘The Lovely Bones,’ had microwaved Häagen-Dazs and would drink it,” Butler tells Variety. “So I started doing that. I would go get two dozen doughnuts and eat them all. I really started to pack on some pounds. It’s fun for a week, and then you feel awful about yourself. But we were planning on shooting chronologically in the beginning. That quickly went out the window with COVID. It was just impossible.” On this week’s episode of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, Butler sits down to discuss receiving his first Oscar nomination for best actor. He also discusses renting an apartment after the Warner Bros. corporate cards were shut off following the COVID shutdown. In addition, he talked about whether he would reprise his role as James Garrett in a “Zoey 101” movie or get aged-up to play Sebastian Kydd from “The Carrie Diaries,” so he can play opposite Sarah Jessica Parker from “Sex and the City,” a show he says he watched while in his New York City apartment, taking a bath, and feeling like “a middle-aged woman.”

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros Pictures Group has inked a multi-year first-look directing and producing agreement with two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, whose movies have grossed $3.3 billion at the box office.

Following the success of the hit Apple series Slow Horses, director James Hawes has found his next major studio project as he has has boarded the 20th Century thriller Amateur starring Oscar-winner Rami Malek. While the project is still in development, Hawes attachment is a good sign this project is headed in the right direction. Gary Spinelli penned the most recent draft.

Popular HBO shows “True Blood” and “Silicon Valley” are heading to basic cable channels TNT and TBS as part of a new programming experiment from Warner Bros. Discovery. This could be the beginning of a new trend for Warner Bros. Discovery.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery programming execs are trying a new experiment: Airing some iconic modern-day HBO programming on basic cable, beginning with comedy “Silicon Valley” on TBS and drama “True Blood” on TNT this Saturday. As this is TV — not HBO — the shows will be edited both for content (receiving a TV-MA rating) and ad breaks. While this is not the first time HBO content has been refashioned for cable — think “Sex and the City” or “The Sopranos,” both of which were sold into syndication — it does mark a first for programming produced and aired on HBO in more recent years. (“True Blood” ended in 2014, “Silicon Valley” concluded in 2019.)

Once upon a time, you’ll remember that filmmaker J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot productions signed a massive deal with Warner Media, reportedly worth over $500 million (though later reports said closer to $200 million) to create content for Warner Media, HBO, and HBO Max.

Lionsgate announced on Thursday that it has named Twitter marketing executive Briana McElroy as head of worldwide digital marketing for its motion picture group.McElroy has worked for over a decade in digital marketing, serving as client lead at Twitter for the social media site’s marketing partnerships with Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney.

Catalonia’s Inicia Films (“La Maternal”) and Basque Country’s Gariza Films (“Nora) produce. Sales: Luxbox (Helin Celik) Selected for Forum, a doc feature produced by Barcelona’s Kepler Mission Film and Vienna-based Kurd Celik. The harrowing story of three Jordanian women survivors of male violence.

AS a whole the Harry Potter film franchise made more than £6.4billion at the global box office. And I can exclusively reveal bosses at Warner Brothers Studios are hoping to cash in on the wizarding world once again. Film insiders told me how senior executives had started developing Harry Potter And The Cursed Child — which has been on stage in the West End since the summer of 2016 — into a new franchise.

William Earl Variety is pleased to announce the return of its Entertainment Marketing Summit, presented by Deloitte, on April 19 in Los Angeles. This year’s summit will feature Karen Bronzo, chief marketing officer, Warner Bros. Discovery; Dwight Caines, president, domestic marketing, Universal Pictures; Marc Weinstock, president, worldwide marketing and distribution, Paramount Pictures; Lisa Vanderpump, TV personality and executive producer of “Vanderpump Rules,” businesswoman, author and philanthropist; Terry Crews, actor, bestselling author, entrepreneur and host; among other elite creative and industry speakers. Bronzo, Caines and Weinstock will be among participants of a Keynote Entertainment Marketing Roundtable, moderated by Claudia Eller, chief production officer, Variety, in which leading film and TV marketers will share how they are promoting their projects to today’s audiences.

It’s been more than 15 years since the release of Will Smith’s film, “I Am Legend.” And in that time, there have been plenty of discussions about a sequel. However, nothing has come to be.

Akiva Goldsman and his Weed Road production banner have signed a multi-year first look deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, according to an insider with knowledge.Weed Road had previously had their film and television at MGM, and rejoin Warner Bros.

EXCLUSIVE: Akiva Goldsman is returning his Weed Road to Warner Bros, in a multi-year first look deal.

Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn in “Joker: Folie à Deux” dropped on Tuesday with her looking devilishly in love.The “A Star Is Born” actress, 36, will portray the DC villain alongside Joaquin Phoenix in the “Joker” sequel.Director Todd Philips posted a set photo of the lovebirds for Valentine’s Day showing the baddies about to share a kiss.The close-up shot featured the “Shallow” singer with messy platinum blond hair and a bloodied mouth as she grabbed Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck close.In December, Philips revealed a first-look image of Phoenix in the highly-anticipated follow-up movie. “Day 1.