Warner Bros. Discovery, Grappling With Debt, Has Room for Bonuses For Executives Who Can Reduce Some

Terry Sanderson’s legal team has released a statement on his behalf, one day after he lost the Utah ski trial against Gwyneth Paltrow.

Mary Fitzgerald has revealed that she suffered a miscarriage.

We’ve always thought of her as a strong, successful woman. But Brooke Shields may genuinely be one of the most mistreated stars of all time. On Monday her Hulu do

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! DO NOT READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW!

Lauren Jauregui has shared a new behind-the-scenes video of her recording “Trust Issues” – Just Jared Jr You won’t believe that this sperm donor story is real! – DListed Lili Reinhart is giving off socialite vibes on her latest magazine cover – Egotastic Alan Menken is opening up about the brand new songs in The Little Mermaid – Just Jared Jr

Rupert Murdoch was eager to make a call and effectively — and emphatically — declare Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential race as vote counting continued three days after election day, internal Fox News emails show.The Fox News Decision Desk played a pivotal role in the turn of events that was 2020 Election Night, calling the state of Arizona for Biden many hours before any other media outlet.But it was Murdoch who encouraged Fox News leadership to pull the cattle brand from the fire and call things for Biden on Nov. 6, with several states still counting votes, emails made public Friday by Dominion Voting Systems in its $1.6 billion defamation case against the network show.“It would be great if we call it for Biden as soon as he gets over, say, 35,000 ahead in Pennsylvania,” Murdoch wrote.

Prior to Friday’s official theatrical release of “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”, the new fantasy flick had already garnered $5.6 million in previews at the domestic box office.

Ozzy Osbourne will be among the headliners announced this week for the first Power Trip Festival in Indio, California, this fall.  The hard rock festival, which will also be headlined by legends Guns N’ Roses, Metallica and AC/DC, marks the "Black Sabbath" frontman’s return to performing after canceling all of his 2023 tour dates and announcing he would be retiring from touring due to ongoing health issues.  "I am honestly humbled by the way you’ve all patiently held onto your tickets for all this time, but in all good conscience, I have now come to the realization that I’m not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/UK tour dates, as I know I couldn’t deal with the travel required," he posted on his social media accounts in February.  He said his "singing voice is fine," but he remains physically weak after three operations, stem cell treatments, physical therapy and Hybrid Assistive Limb treatment, which uses a robotic exoskeleton to help improve movement. But he said he still wants to perform.  "My team is currently coming up with ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city and country to country," he added in his statement.  Later that month during an episode of SiriusXM’s Ozzy’s Boneyard, he stressed, "I'm f---ing not dying," saying he was annoyed at seeing press reports that suggested he was "on his last legs." He admitted that he underwent "life-altering" surgery in June 2022 and is still in "constant pain" related to spinal injury four years ago.  The rocker, who has been seen recently with a cane, opened up about his physical ailments and his ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease in an interview with The Observer last year.

Neil Diamond opened up about coming to terms his Parkinson's disease diagnosis, which he first revealed publicly in 2018. The 82-year-old legend admitted he struggled to accept his diagnosis and was in denial for a year or two during an interview on "CBS Sunday Morning," which will air April 2. "I'm still doing it.

The Cure‘s Robert Smith has confirmed the band have cancelled 7,000 tickets found on secondary resale websites in a bid to tackle touts.As part of the on-sale process for their forthcoming North American tour, the frontman opted out of Ticketmaster’s “platinum” and “dynamically priced” ticket options, and restricted ticket transfers in markets where he was legally allowed to do so in places like New York, Illinois, and Colorado, which have all enacted legislation protecting resellers.Following the band’s move to do this, Smith tonight (March 31) announced: “Approx 7k tickets across approx 2200 orders have been cancelled. These are tickets acquired with fake accounts / listed on secondary resale sites.”‘IHBT’ #? “Approx 7k tickets across approx 2200 orders have been cancelled.

Oscar Pistorius was hoping to get out of prison early, but his request was denied.

Bailey Bass will not return as Claudia for AMC’s Interview With A Vampire series.

Everyone has regrets. But if you’re a film star like Hugh Grant, your regrets keep reappearing on TV as a reminder.

Thanks to “Scream,” “X,” “Wednesday,” and “Scream VI,” Jenna Ortega is now the scream queen of Hollywood’s new generation.

Jenna Ortega may be ready to reunite with Tim Burton on his next project as sources confirm to Deadline that Ortega is in early talks to reunite with the Wednesday creator on Beetlejuice 2 at Warner Bros. Insiders add that Michael Keaton and Wyonna Ryder are expected to reprise their roles with Burton directing.

Bloomberg reported on Thursday and TheWrap independently confirmed.The name change is meant to signal that the service will not just be HBO Max with Discovery content, nor will HBO Max be ported over to Discovery+. “Max” is the leading contender, though Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Discovery is continuing its directors program after all.

Charna Flam After the recent decision to reshape its directors’ training program, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced its new Access Directors Program. WBD has rebranded and expanded the directors’ program to assist and nurture television directors through workshops and shadowing, led by WBD’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) team. Participants will receive the opportunity to direct a full WBD television episode. In addition to workshops, directors will have the chance to work on WBD shows and participate in a virtual curriculum focused on best practices and equity mindset sessions, with the ability to shadow directors on up to two television episodes (during which participants may receive a small childcare stipend).

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Never fear, genre fans: Warner Bros. Discovery is intent on mining as much of its tentpole Warner Bros. IP as possible in the near future, whether that be through its upcoming revamped DC Universe, the newly announced “The Lord of the Rings” movies, or more projects based on J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” franchise amid the success of video game “Hogwarts Legacy.” “DC is an enormous opportunity and two important building blocks are in place now with the leadership team, Peter [Safran] and James [Gunn], and James has been breathing comics for as long as he’s been alive, essentially,” Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels said during a panel at Morgan Stanley’s investor conference Wednesday. “A great creative leader here. And the second building block that is in place is the one-company approach, because I think you can only manage a franchise if everything is coordinated and the team is working together extremely well. There’s an enormous level of collaboration and joint decision making around what should work hand in hand across the franchise.”

David Chase has set his next series at FX with Hannah Fidell with Chase and Fidell attached as creators and co-writers.The series, which is in development with a pilot commitment, is based on a previously unproduced script by “The Sopranos” director featuring a contemporary take by Fidell.Fidell is set to direct the pilot with FX Productions producing the pilot. Chase, Fidell and Chase Films’ Nicole Lambert will serve as executive producers.In addition to creating HBO drama series “The Sopranos,” which collected 21 Emmys through its time on air, Chase also created “Rockford Files” and “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” and made his feature film debut with “Not Fade Away.” “The Many Saints of Newark,” the feature film prequel to “The Sopranos” was released in 2021 by Warner Bros.Currently under a first look film and television deal with Warner Bros.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter David Chase and Hannah Fidell are teaming on a new show at FX that the network has given a pilot commitment, Variety has learned. According to FX, the untitled series is based on one of Chase’s previously unproduced scripts of which Fidell has written a contemporary take. Further plot details are being kept under wraps. Chase and Fidell are both credited as co-writers and co-creators on the show as well as executive producers. Fidell will direct the pilot. Nicole Lambert of Chase Films will also executive produce, with FX Productions producing. Fidell is currently under a first-look deal at FX.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Middle East satellite and streaming platform OSN Group has extended its relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery forging a new multi-year licensing deal under which it will become the exclusive home for HBO content in the region. In addition to HBO shows, such as “Succession,” the renewed agreement has been expanded to cover additional content and channel offerings from Warner Bros. giving OSN premium access to recent blockbuster movie hits such as “The Batman,” “Dune,” “The Matrix Resurrections,” and “The Suicide Squad.” The deal was announced in Dubai with “Succession” star Brian Cox on hand.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Warner Bros. Discovery and Japan’s U-Next have announced an extension of their relationship with a renewed deal to supply content to the SVOD platform. The agreement sees U-Next continue as the streaming home of HBO in Japan. Featuring exclusive content rights for HBO, HBO Original and HBO Max Original series, the strengthened agreement includes: current and future seasons of HBO’s “House of the Dragon,” “The Last of Us” and “Succession” as well as returning HBO Original and HBO Max Original series “True Detective: Night Country,” “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” and “And Just Like That…”

EXCLUSIVE: As his directorial debut Creed III was cresting toward a $100 million global opening weekend and setting numerous records — top opening for the Creed franchise and biggest sports film opening ever and a knockout victory for MGM, new parent Amazon & United Artists Releasing as the company embraces the theatrical release, and Warner Bros (which launched the film overseas) — Michael B. Jordan sat down with me Sunday night as those numbers were piling higher. It was the first in person interview for us since I met him and Ryan Coogler at Cannes for the launch of Fruitvale Station. Trying to rebound from my own family tragedy months earlier, that film was cathartic for me because it was the first time I grieved the death of my father in Hurricane Sandy. I shared that with them, and spent a lot of time with both, and especially Jordan. He was just stepping into stardom and we talked about everything from navigating such a famous name to how much he was obliged to give of himself in interviews and in public. This was at a surreal moment when he was still a little uneasy walking down the Croisette and hearing a person or two calling out “Where’s Wallace,” the meme line about his young character from the series The Wire. I recall walking away from Coogler and Jordan hoping they continued to make strong followup creative choices because all the potential was there. Who knew it might happen so quickly for each of them?

EXCLUSIVE: As his directorial debut Creed III was cresting toward a $100 million global opening weekend and setting numerous records — top opening for the Creed franchise and biggest sports film opening ever and a knockout victory for MGM, new parent Amazon & United Artists Releasing as the company embraces the theatrical release, and Warner Bros (which launched the film overseas) — Michael B. Jordan sat down with me Sunday night as those numbers were piling higher. It was the first in person interview for us since I met him and Ryan Coogler at Cannes for the launch of Fruitvale Station. Trying to rebound from my own family tragedy months earlier, that film was cathartic for me because it was the first time I grieved the death of my father in Hurricane Sandy. I shared that with them, and spent a lot of time with both, and especially Jordan. He was just stepping into stardom and we talked about everything from navigating such a famous name to how much he was obliged to give of himself in interviews and in public. This was at a surreal moment when he was still a little uneasy walking down the Croisette and hearing a person or two calling out “Where’s Wallace,” the meme line about his young character from the series The Wire. I recall walking away from Coogler and Jordan hoping they continued to make strong followup creative choices because all the potential was there. Who knew it might happen so quickly for each of them?

EXCLUSIVE: Following the success of Netflix’s Wednesday and Oscar contender Elvis, Andrew Mittman has renewed his overall deal with MGM Television.

Warner Bros. Discovery has tweaked its CEO’s employment contract, granting a bigger pot of restricted stock units but linking them to free cash flow targets.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter After better-than-expected starts at the domestic and international box office, “Creed III” has already surpassed the $100 million mark globally. Directed by Michael B. Jordan in his feature filmmaking debut, the latest “Creed” movie has collected $58.7 million in North America and $41.8 million overseas to land the biggest opening worldwide in the trilogy. The $75 million-budgeted “Creed III” is the most expensive film in the trilogy (its predecessors cost $35 million and $50 million, respectively), but it already appears to be well-positioned in its theatrical run.

Naman Ramachandran A rerelease of “Superman the Movie” will kick off a year-long 100th anniversary celebration of Warner Bros. Studios across the U.K. and Ireland, Warner Bros. Discovery has revealed. Warner Bros. was founded by Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack Warner and incorporated on Apr. 4, 1923. The “Superman” rerelease at BFI Southbank and BFI Imax in April will coincide with the 85th anniversary of the character. The rerelease of “The Exorcist” in September will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the horror classic. An Imax version of “Elf” will be released in November. In Ireland, a restored “Cool Hand Luke” screening kicked off the celebrations on Feb. 27, in partnership with the Dublin International Film Festival. The event also featured a Q&A with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lenny Abramson, discussing the impact of the film as a key influence on his career. 

With today’s “urgent reminder” directed to its membership, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences again is doing its damnedest to get out the vote. The Oscar event is still a battlefield of “gold, sweat and tears” as portrayed in Oscar Wars, Michael Schulman’s new book, despite the ominous industry challenges.

Batman fans have clamored for a while now that Willem Dafoe would be a great fit to play The Joker in a movie at some point. And Dafoe has acknowledged that interest, like in his monologue when he hosted “Saturday Night Live” last year.

EXCLUSIVE: Sing Again, a Korean singing competition series that’s outperformed The Masked Singer and I Can See Your Voice, has landed a third season on the JTBC network and Discovery+.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor David Westin, the Bloomberg TV anchor, will focus more intently on duties tied to “Wall Street Week” as the network focuses more intently on breaking-news coverage throughout the market day. Westin will host the weekly show, which has ties to the PBS original hosted by Louis Rukeyser, while anchoring daily “Wall Street Week” segments tied to the program. The daily segments will feature a rotating panel of influential voices and thought leaders. He will leave his duties on “Balance of Power,” which will shift to 5 p.m. weekdays rather than noon, and move to Washington, D.C. from New York. “Balance” will be co-anchored by Annemarie Hordern and Joe Mathieu. Executives expect the retooled show to include more original reporting and roundtable discussions.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor ESPN is getting in on the biggest game at corporate parent Disney: shuffling top executive ranks in the wake of the return of CEO Bob Iger. ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro handed oversight of content and newsgathering to Burke Magnus, a veteran executive who has helped the sports-media giant strike sports-rights deals with most of the major sports leagues as well as set in motion new content initiatives. Magnus has been named president of content, according to a new memo from Pitaro reviewed by Variety, and will supervise studio shows, live events, newsgathering, investigative journalism, original content/ESPN Films, talent, audio, digital, and social media. Meanwhile, Rosalyn Durant, a Disney veteran who has been overseeing Disney facilities in its parks division, will return to ESPN as executive vice president of programming and acquisitions, the ESPN position that negotiates for the rights that keep a significant chunk of live sports on Disney’s media portfolio.

Foxtel Group and Warner Bros Discovery have renewed their multi-year content agreement, under which the Australian pay-TV operator and streamer will remain the home of HBO, Max Originals, Warner Bros and Discovery programming in Australia.

Katherine Tulich Australian pay-TV Foxtel Group has held on to its top HBO programming hits, “House of the Dragon,” “The Last of Us,” “Succession” and “The White Lotus” with the Wednesday announcement of a renewed content supply deal. Foxtel will remain the Australian home of HBO, Max Originals, Warner Bros. and Discovery content. The pact between Foxtel and Warner Bros. Discovery is touted as “a multi-year, multi-faceted content and platform agreement” that reflects the evolution of Foxtel from legacy pay-TV operator into a streaming player. It also allows further wiggle room as circumstances continue to change.