| | | | | | What's news: Major Paramount layoffs are beginning today. The Voice of Hind Rajab has secured U.S. distribution. One Battle After Another leads this year’s Gotham film nominees. Hulu + Live TV’s merger with Fubo has closed. And Mark Harmon is making an on-screen return to the NCIS universe. — Abid Rahman
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Paramount Never Made an Offer to Keep Taylor Sheridan ►How TV’s biggest partnership fell apart. On Sunday, the news broke that Taylor Sheridan was jumping ship from Paramount to NBCUniversal for a deal worth as much as $1b — depending on Sheridan’s creative output during a five-year contract starting in 2029. He’ll also have the opportunity to make films “of all sizes” with NBCU starting next year. The seismic poach has sent the industry scrambling to answer a simple question: How did Paramount, the studio with the deepest pockets, fail to lock up one of the industry’s biggest talents with an arguably perfect track record? But perhaps a better question is: How much did Paramount actually want to keep him? THR's James Hibberd and Peter Kiefer reveal why the most obvious deal in TV didn't happen. The story.
—Brutal. Major Paramount layoffs are beginning today, as CEO David Ellison seeks to reposition the company and shift financial resources toward what he and his executive team see as growth opportunities. Ellison informed staff of the cuts early Wednesday morning in a memo, which was acquired by THR . About 1,000 jobs are expected to be impacted this week. “We want to be as open and direct as possible about the reasons behind these changes,” Ellison wrote. “In some areas, we are addressing redundancies that have emerged across the organization. In others, we are phasing out roles that are no longer aligned with our evolving priorities and the new structure designed to strengthen our focus on growth. Ultimately, these steps are necessary to position Paramount for long-term success.” The story.
—Jersey bound. Paramount is coming to New Jersey, a move meant to capitalize on the state’s generous subsidies to Hollywood. Under a ten-year lease, Paramount will occupy more than 285,000 square feet of 1888 Studios’ sprawling production campus in Bayonne, New Jersey. By partnering with 1888, Paramount will be eligible to receive a tax credit of up to 40 percent for movies and TV shows filmed in the state if its application is approved. In a statement, Paramount chief operating officer Andy Gordon said scaling production is “central to our long-term strategy.” The story.
—🤝 Expanding deal. 🤝 Paramount is expanding its media rights deal with UFC, months before it even officially streams one of its fights. The company said Tuesday that it had inked an expanded deal with UFC to include streaming rights for Paramount+ in Latin America and Australia beginning next year. In August, Paramount inked a seven year, $7.7b deal with Paramount for the U.S. rights to UFC, which will include all Fight Nights and marquee numbered events streaming on Paramount+, with some select fights also getting carriage on CBS. The story. |
Hulu and Fubo Close Deal to Merge Live TV Streaming Operation ►🤝 A player emerges. 🤝 Born out of the ashes of a legal fight and built after cord-cutting already shaved down the Pay TV landscape, Disney and Fubo have closed a deal that will build a notable player in the live channel streaming business. The surprise early January merger agreement between Hulu + Live TV’s business and Fubo formally closed on Wednesday, the companies said. The deal gives heft to the player in the virtual multichannel video programming distributor space — with 6m subscribers, it can tout itself as a rival to YouTube TV, which is a leader with around 10m subs. The story.
—Major L. Dr. Phil has lost a trial that will decide the fate of his media startup’s bankruptcy, a case that involved allegations that he plundered the company to set up his new venture. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Scott Everett on Tuesday turned down a bid by Dr. Phil to keep the case in Chapter 11, which would’ve allowed him to steer the bankruptcy. It will now proceed as a Chapter 7 liquidation. A trustee will oversee the sale of Merit Street’s assets, including what’s left of its media library, and litigation over whether the TV host swindled Trinity Broadcasting under a $500m, 10-year deal. The story.
—Holy memorabilia! How much would you pay at auction for Adam West and Burt Ward’s original costumes from Batman? For a Henry Winkler leather jacket from Happy Days? For a Don Adams shoe phone from Get Smart? Those items and many others from the world of classic television resulted in $3.17m in sales (with buyer’s premium) on Friday as memorabilia from the famed collection of Dr. Stewart Berkowitz went up for bid via Heritage Auctions. Batman and Robin outfits donned by West and Ward on their 1966-68 ABC series together sold for $575,000, while one worn by Cesar Romero as the Joker went for $212,000. The story. |
Gotham Film Awards Nominations 2025 ►🏆 OBAA supremacy. 🏆 The 2025 Gotham Film Awards nominations have been revealed. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another leads this year’s nominees with a record six nominations, including in the top category of best feature. Anderson is also nominated for best director and adapted screenplay, with Benicio del Toro and Teyana Taylor both nominated in the Gothams’ gender-neutral best supporting performance category. Scene stealer Chase Infiniti is also nominated for breakthrough performer. The nominees.
—📅 Dated! 📅 The Voice of Hind Rajab, the Gaza-set drama that received an emotional 21-minute ovation at the Venice Film Festival following its world premiere, has secured U.S. distribution. Indie Willa has set a Dec. 17 release in New York City and Los Angeles ahead of a national rollout for the Venice Silver Lion Grand Jury winner based on the final, real-life calls of six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was trapped in a car in Gaza before being horrifically killed by Israeli tank fire. Ahead of the Venice festival, Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Alfonso Cuarón and Jonathan Glazer boarded Voice of Hind Rajab as executive producers, boosting the film’s profile and debut. The story.
—🤝 Slate deal. 🤝 Tubi, the Fox-owned free streaming platform, has inked a deal with Hartbeat, Kevin Hart’s production studio, to bring four feature films from top YouTube creators, including Kinigra Deon and DC Young Fly, Chico Bean, and Karlous Miller of the 85 South Show, to its service next year. The first two films in the slate are Deon’s Sundown, a supernatural thriller, written, directed by and starring the creator, which “follows a group of Black college friends who take a wrong turn into a racially hostile town where local myths turn terrifyingly real”; and 85 South: Dead End , a satirical horror-comedy from the group “about a Southern road trip gone off the rails in a mysteriously offbeat town where no one ever leaves.” The story.
—🎭 One more. 🎭 Olivia Wilde has joined Pedro Pascal and David Harbour in Behemoth!, a drama Tony Gilroy is directing for Searchlight Pictures. Eva Victor is also on the call sheet for the feature that begins shooting in Los Angeles later this week. The project is the first major work from Gilroy since he wrapped up all his commitments to season two of Andor, which ended up earning him an Emmy Award nomination for best series. Gilroy wrote the script for Behemoth! and is producing with Sanne Wohlenberg and John Gilroy, both of whom he worked with on Andor. The story.
—New doc. Ronan Farrow has reemerged with a new documentary adapted from his New Yorker investigative story on the police’s mishandling of serial sexual predator Sean Williams. Production on the project is already underway. The doc on Williams is being directed and produced by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato and produced by Farrow. Unjin Lee also produces the presently untitled film. Farrow has previously converted his reporting into Surveilled (2024) and Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes (2021) for HBO. The story. |
Disney+ Ends 'Doctor Who' Partnership ►A sonic screwdriver in the back. Disney+ has exited its Doctor Who partnership with the BBC, which made the streamer the worldwide home of the sci-fi series outside the U.K. and Ireland. The BBC, however, says it’s committed to continuing the show, with the next installment will be a 2026 Christmas special. Disney+ and the BBC announced the Doctor Who streaming deal in October 2022; it ended up covering two seasons of the show, with Ncuti Gatwa playing the 15th Doctor (he left the role at the end of the most recent season, which concluded in May), along with The War Between the Land and the Sea . Disney+ will continue to stream those two seasons and specials in the territories where it carries the show. Speculation that Disney would leave the partnership has been in the air for some time, as the company had been quiet about the show’s future. The story.
—London calling, innit. The murders will continue, but in a different building (sort of). Hulu has renewed Only Murders in the Building for a sixth season, with a big change in locale. After five seasons of solving cases in New York (with a trip to California in season four), the show will film in London for season six. The renewal comes hours after the season five finale premiered on Hulu. The show’s central mystery-solving trio of Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez (who are also EPs of the series) are set to return for season six. And as is usually the case with Only Murders , the final moments of season five served to set up the new installment — and (no spoilers here) managed to keep the “Building” part of the show’s title in play. The story.
—📅 Glaring omission. 📅 ABC’s midseason slate includes the return of Scrubs after more than 15 years and the return of The Bachelorette following a much shorter absence — but not the network’s usual winter staple, The Bachelor. After a behind-the-scenes upheaval within the franchise earlier this year that resulted in the exit of showrunners Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner and the hiring of Bachelor in Paradise EP Scott Teti to lead The Bachelor, season 30 of the show is being pushed to a later date (which is still to be determined). Season 22 of The Bachelorette, with Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul in the title role, will be the next version of the franchise to hit ABC, beginning March 22. The story.
—🎭 Harmon-heads rejoice! 🎭 Mark Harmon is making an on-screen return to the NCIS universe. Harmon will guest star in an episode of NCIS: Origins on Nov. 11, reprising his longtime character Leroy Jethro Gibbs. The episode will be part of a crossover with NCIS, following a case that spans the 1990s-set Origins and the present-day setting of the flagship series. Harmon is an executive producer on both shows and the narrator of Origins. He had a cameo in the prequel’s series premiere — which follows a younger version of the character (played by Austin Stowell) — last year, but the Nov. 11 episode will be Harmon’s first substantial on-camera work as Gibbs since he left NCIS in October 2021. The story. |
Broadway: 'Chess' Brings In Close to $1.9M ►Box office gambit. Chess brought in close to $1.9m across just seven preview performances, positioning the show as one of the top weekly earners in the industry. The Cold War chess musical, starring Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher, played to close to 100 percent capacity at the Imperial Theatre and grossed $1.86m, just narrowly coming in behind the mega-hit The Lion King. While reviews have yet to come out (the musical is scheduled to open Nov. 16), this could be quite the turnaround for a show that was an infamous flop when it originally premiered on Broadway in 1988. The average ticket price dropped to $183.94 from the $208.02 it hit across its first four previews. The box office report.
—🎭 Dewis anhygoel! 🎭 Luke Evans will lead the Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show this season. The Welsh superstar, who appeared as Gaston in Disney’s live action Beauty and the Beast, will make his Broadway debut in the production as Frank-N-Furter. The musical is set to begin previews March 26, 2026 at Studio 54, ahead of an April 23 opening. Additional cast members will be announced at a later date. Sam Pinkleton, the Tony-winning director of Oh Mary!, will direct. Evans began his career in London stage productions of Rent, Miss Saigon and Piaf before moving into film roles. The story.
—🎭 Back treading the boards. 🎭 Tilda Swinton will reprise her performance in the one-person show Man to Man in London and in New York. The production will play London’s Royal Court Theatre starting Sept. 5, 2026, with a New York run in Spring 2027. This marks the first time Swinton, an Academy Award winner for her role in Michael Clayton, has returned to stage in more than three decades. Swinton last appeared in the production in 1988 in London. Set in 1930s Germany, and written by Manfred Karge, the play follows a woman who takes on the identity of her dead husband. Stephen Unwin directs this production, with design by Bunny Christie and translation by Anthony Vivis. The story.
—🎭 Expecto Solo-num! 🎭 Daniel Radcliffe will return to Broadway this spring. The Harry Potter star will star in the solo play Every Brilliant Thing at the Hudson Theatre, starting Feb. 21, 2026, ahead of a March 12 opening. The play is set for a limited 13-week engagement. The play, written by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe, has been performed across the globe in more than 80 countries, as well as in an HBO Special starring Donahoe. Minnie Driver is currently starring in a West End production of the show through Nov. 8. The story follows a man looking back at his life and “the glimmers of hope that carried him through,” as told through a list of everything that makes life worth living. Jeremy Herrin and Duncan Macmillan direct the Broadway production. The story. |
Takehiro Hira Honored With THR's Trailblazer Award ►Sugoi! Takehiro Hira's late career success streak continued on Tuesday night in Tokyo, as the in-demand Japanese actor was awarded THR's Trailblazer Award at a swanky gala held at the sky-high Roppongi Hills Club. The American Film Night event, a collaboration between THR and the Motion Picture Association, took place during the Tokyo International Film Festival on a night the city was dealing with the traffic and security crunch of Donald Trump’s state visit to Japan. Receiving his award from THR's Asia bureau chief Patrick Brzeski and MPA APAC president and managing director Urmila Venugopalan, Emmy nominee Hira follows Shogun co-star Tadanobu Asano as a recipient of the coveted Trailblazer Award, and becomes the second Japanese honoree. The recap. |
Film Review: 'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants' ►"Another amusingly absorbent tale." For THR, Justin Lowe reviews Derek Drymon's The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. The Bikini Bottom crew are back for another rollicking undersea comedy. Featuring the voices of Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence, George Lopez, Isis “Ice Spice” Gaston, Arturo Castro, Sherry Cola, Regina Hall and Mark Hamill. Written by Pam Brady and Matt Lieberman. The review.
—"Unpolished but superbly acted." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews Apple TV's Down Cemetery Road. Based on the novel by Mick Herron, the series features Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson as women unraveling a conspiracy and seeking a missing girl. Also starring Fehinti Balogun, Adeel Akhtar, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Darren Boyd. Created by Morwenna Banks. The review.
—"Burrows deep and draws blood." For THR, Jourdain Searles reviews Elliot Tuttle's Blue Film. Reed Birney plays a pedophile who reunites with one of his former students (Kieron Moore) in this Mark Duplass-backed film. Written by Elliot Tuttle. The review.
In other news...
—Frontier Crucible trailer: Armie Hammer saddles up for his film return
—Camerimage lineup includes F1, Sinners, Hamnet and House of Dynamite
—Veteran Nickelodeon vp communications Lilah Kojoori to exit
—John Rubey, former AEG and Fathom Events exec, dies at 73
What else we're reading...
—J. Michael Luttig writes that Donald Trump is genuinely trying to amass the powers of a king [Atlantic]
—John Muyskens, Naema Ahmed, Ruby Mellen and Ben Noll explain the science behind Melissa becoming a monster hurricane [Washington Post]
—After a decade of Trumpism, Chris Lehmann writes that American novelists still haven't figured out what to do with the main character of U.S. politics [Baffler]
—Christopher Palmeri reports that Paramount plans to keep a merged Warner Bros. largely intact [Bloomberg]
—Ashley Spencer profiles the great, and very prolific, character actor William Fichtner who, as ever, has a slew of new projects [NYT]
Today...
...in 2004, Universal unveiled Ray Charles biopic Ray in theaters, where it would go on to gross $124m globally. The film earned six nominations at the 77th Academy Awards, winning in the sound mixing category as well as the best actor category for Jamie Foxx’s performance. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Winona Ryder (54), Ben Foster (45), Richard Dreyfuss (78), Gabrielle Union (53), Dan Castellaneta (68), Michael Schur (50), Tracee Ellis Ross (53), Rufus Sewell (58), Cleopatra Coleman (38), Emiliano Zurita (32), Jon Abrahams (48), Brendan Fehr (48), Janet Montgomery (40), India Eisley (32), Italia Ricci (39), Nina Toussaint-White (40), Maria Sten (36), Kate Jackson (77), Jodi Balfour (38), Chelan Simmons (43), Daniel Feuerriegel (44), Joely Fisher (58), Aksel Hennie (50), Carlson Young (35), Finola Hughes (66), Joy Osmanski (50), Ralph Bakshi (87), Milena Govich (49), Zheyuan Chen (29), Andrew Lee Potts (46), John Farley (57), Farrah Mackenzie (20), Derek Theler (39), Ty Doran (28), Tim Minear (62), Christopher Wiehl (55), Ian Kintzle (41), Scott Thomson (68) |
| Prunella Scales, who starred with John Cleese as the squabbling married co-owners of a quaint seaside hotel on the beloved British sitcom Fawlty Towers, has died. She was 93. The obituary. |
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