| | | | Welcome to Deadline's daily newsletter, Morning Rush
Eye On Cost Cutting - Restructuring, streamlining and realignment. That trio of words has come up a lot in the media business of late. Paramount Global invoked those themes in making two significant cutbacks yesterday: the unexpected exits of Kelly Kahl, a 26-year CBS veteran, as President of CBS Entertainment, and Thom Sherman, Senior EVP of Programming. The departures follow those of two other high-profile execs and and an ad sales restructuring at Paramount Global. So why all the changes? The stew of pandemic effects, economic woes and a looming recession doesn't help. But there's also the notion that Paramount Global has been top heavy, especially post merger. >>> Moonves Hires Let Go |
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| Deadline Casting Exclusives |
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Excellent Adventure - Jonah Hill's next directorial effort is said to be an under-wraps project called Outcome, starring none other than Keanu Reeves. The duo's top-secret package will likely hit the market before the holidays and is expected to create a Black-Friday style commercial clamor. >>> Studios & Streamers Hovering
A New Ripley, Believe It Or Not - 20th Century Studios and Scott Free have a new Alien movie the launch pad, and they thing they've found their female lead in Cailee Spaeny, who is also playing Priscilla Presley in Sofia Coppola's Priscilla. The franchise's installments have all had a female lead, most notably Sigourney Weaver's Ripley. >>>Eyeing Early 2023 Start
Director's Chair - Kristen Stewart wil makeher feature directorial debut with The Chronology of Water. Based on the award-winning memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch, the film is about a young woman who finds salvation through the written word and swimming. >>>Imogen Poots Set To Star
Even Stranger Things - Stranger Things standout Joseph Quinn may team with Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o for a spinoff from Paramount's popular horror franchise, called Quiet Place: Day One. Not much is known about the film besides the fact that it is not a part of the progression of the original John Krasinski-created series, for which a threequel is in the works. >>>Set In The 'Quiet Place' Universe |
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A number of A-List entertainment figures and sports stars are now defendants in a class-action lawsuit against the hollowed-out cryptocurrency exchange FTX and its ex-CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. The suit alleges that the boldfaced names, in acting as brand ambassadors for FTX, deceived consumers into participating in what the suit describes as a Ponzi scheme without doing their own due diligence. >>> Time To Lawyer Up |
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More News
✂️ Roku said this morning that it will be cutting 200 jobs in the U.S. or, more clinically, reduce "headcount expenses by a projected 5%" amid a pullback in streaming advertising.
🚨 Mel Gibson will not be testifying for the prosecution in the Los Angeles-based rape trial of Harvey Weinstein after all. Gibson had been cleared last month by the judge to take the stand. No reason was given by the DA.
👀 For the second consecutive month, people are watching more television. Time spent watching TV increased by about 2.2% month-over-month in October, per Nielsen. Sports made up about 25% of broadcast usage, but dramas stole the spotlight with nearly 27% of overall broadcast viewing — a 42% jump month-over-month.
🧟♂️ Jason Blum's Blumhouse and James Wan's Atomic Monster are in advanced talks to combine forces. The idea is to increase overall output without either entity giving up creative control over it projects. 🍒🍒🍒 Nexstar is looking to fund its purchase of the CW with proceeds from its sale of a 30-acre parcel on the Chicago riverfront to a casino developer for $155 million. That could, in a sense, make a revamped CW the TV network that slot machines built. ⚽️ World Cup Watch: Amid concern about tournament host Qatar's human rights record, a Danish news crew was threatened on the streets of Doha by local officials during a live broadcast. On the lighter side, Tik Tok lit up with speculation about "fake fans" spreading enthusiasm in the country based on a widely-viewed video of locals cheering in highly coordinated gear raised eyebrows. |
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On the Radar
Sat - Deadline Film Contenders L.A.; Governor's Awards
Sun - Walking Dead series finale
Mon - International Emmy Awards
Tue - World Cup begins; Indie Spirit noms |
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Otherworldly - Kymberly Herrin, who had short but memorable appearances as the “Dream Ghost” in the original Ghostbusters and one of the trio of women who arrives in a red hot rod in ZZ Top's classic "Legs" video, has died. She was 65. Herrin appeared in several more music videos, on magazine covers and in Robert Zemeckis’ 1984 hit Romancing the Stone, Beverly Hills Cop II and Road House. (Everett Collection) |
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