| | | | | | What's news: Paramount has upped its offer for WBD to $31 a share. Disney's top comms exec Kristina Schake is leaving the company. BAFTA has launched a "comprehensive review" of its 2026 Film Awards ceremony. Broadway grosses dropped 6 percent due to the blizzard. And Taylor Sheridan‘s Tulsa King spinoff, starring Samuel L. Jackson, is moving from New Orleans to Texas. — Abid Rahman
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Inside Jeffrey Epstein's Spin Machine ►How Hollywood's top PR kingpins defended a monster. Jeffrey Epstein has kept public relations professionals busy with crisis management work ever since Palm Beach police first arrested him on prostitution charges in 2006. THR's Gary Baum reports that the latest tranches of Justice Department documentation provide fresh insight into who they were, what they did and how much they were paid — the list includes some of the most high-profile names in Hollywood’s reputation-management game. The story.
—We have the deets. Paramount has upped its offer for Warner Bros. Discovery to $31 a share, above its previous offer of $30 per share. WBD said the board has not yet made a determination as to whether the offer is superior to Netflix’s but says it could “reasonably be expected” to lead to a “company superior proposal.” Netflix has offered $27.75 per share for the company’s streaming and film assets alone, in a deal valued at $82.7b. The revised proposal from Paramount not only includes the increased purchase price of $31.00 per WBD share in cash, but also a daily ticking fee payable to shareholders equal to $0.25 per quarter beginning after Sept. 30, 2026, as well as a $7b regulatory termination in the event the transaction does not close due to regulatory matters. Paramount has also agreed to pay the $2.8b termination fee that WBD would be required to pay to Netflix to terminate the existing merger agreement. The story.
—Whistleblower claim. Paramount president Jeff Shell improperly disclosed specific details about the timing, cost and structure of the public company’s $7.7b media rights deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship almost a month before its August 2025 announcement — that’s the allegation of leaked confidential data that an outside law firm is now investigating, THR's Gary Baum has learned. The SEC is also now reviewing a related whistleblower complaint. UFC parent TKO Group Holdings’ stock price surged 10 percent following news of the Paramount pact. The story.
—Big exit. Disney's top communications executive is leaving the company. Kristina Schake, the senior executive vp and chief communications officer of Disney, will exit the company at the end of March. Schake joined the company in 2022. The executive, who signed a new long-term deal with Disney a few months ago (alongside essentially all top Disney executives that had reported to outgoing CEO Bob Iger), will exit at the same time that Iger officially steps aside. The story. |
Guthrie Family Explains Timing of $1M Reward ►The latest. Savannah Guthrie has made another emotional plea for the return of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, now including a reward of up to $1m for help in bringing her home. "We need to know where she is. We need her to come home. For that reason, we are offering a family reward of up to $1m for any information that leads to her recovery," Guthrie said in an Instagram post on Tuesday. At the same time, Guthrie said she knows that her mother may no longer be alive and that her family needs closure after weeks of uncertainty around the missing person’s case. It’s understood the Guthrie family had discussed the offer of their own reward from first day of the police investigation and have waited until now to go public with their offer to avoid overwhelming law enforcement personnel with field leads as they continue their active search. The story.
—"Our intention to be Inclusive does not diminish the impact of what happened." BAFTA has launched a “comprehensive review” of its 2026 Film Awards ceremony, the British Academy has said in a letter to its members, after the N-word was shouted while Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were onstage. The outburst came from Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson, who has said he is “deeply mortified” if anyone thought his tics were "intentional." "Please rest assured how seriously we are taking this," BAFTA said in the letter. The story.
—Tragedy. Katherine Short, one of the three children adopted by actor Martin Short and his late wife, actress Nancy Dolman, has died. She was 42. "It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short," a rep for Martin Short said in a statement. "The Short family is devastated by this loss and asks for privacy at this time. Katherine was beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world." Law enforcement sources told TMZ that she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, with the LAPD responding to her Hollywood Hills home shortly after 6:40 p.m. on Monday. The story.
—"I’m in fighting shape." AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron on Tuesday gave an update to investors on his recovery from a minor stroke on Nov. 17 of last year during a visit to London. Aron told analysts on a conference call about the excellent care he received at National Hospital for Neurology and Neurological Sciences, an NHS hospital known for its stroke care. “It was envisioned that I would have a speedy and full recovery,” the 71-year-old Aron added in prepared remarks on the call following the release on Monday of the company’s fourth quarter and full-year 2025 financial results. “There was no cognition problem at the time of the stroke, no issue with reasoning or logic or decision making or memory.” The story. |
Broadway Grosses Fall 6 Percent Due to Blizzard ►Snow business. Broadway grosses dropped 6 percent last week as eight productions canceled Sunday evening performances due to the blizzard in New York City. Wicked, one of the highest earners on Broadway, saw the biggest drop due to the storm, as the musical fell $408,223 from the prior week. It was still one of the highest grossing shows of the week with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as the top grossing show ($2.6m), followed by The Lion King ($1.9m), then Wicked ($1.6m) and Just In Time ($1.5m). & Juliet (down $195,292 from the prior week), All Out: Comedy About Ambition (down $77,149), Chicago (down $169,110) and Oh, Mary! (down $216,345) also lost their Sunday evening performances. The Broadway box office report.
—📅 Dated! 📅 The Sundance Institute has set its dates for the first Sundance Film Festival in its new home of Boulder, Colorado. The 2027 festival will run Jan. 21 to Jan. 31. Sundance has also announced the official screening venues for its new location, including the University of Colorado Boulder’s Macky Auditorium Concert Hall, Muenzinger Auditorium and Roe Green Theatre. The story.
—Wu-Tang is for the children. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has unveiled the nominees for its 2026 class, with Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, Oasis, Pink, Phil Collins and Shakira among the superstars vying for a nomination. Also on the ballot this year are The Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Melissa Etheridge, Billy Idol, INXS, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, New Edition, Sade, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan. The official inductees will be announced in April, along with the Musical Influence and Musical Excellence awards as well as the Ahmet Ertegun Award reserved for a prolific music industry veteran. The story.
—🏆 Congrats! 🏆 Wisecrack, a six-part series that combines true-crime and comedy, has been named podcast of the year at the 2026 Ambie Awards. The show, from Tenderfoot TV and iHeartPodcasts, centers on U.K. comedian Edd Hedges, who tells a story about a real hometown murder in his standup act, and journalist Jodi Tovay ,as she investigates the story. The podcast beat out other contenders including Call Her Daddy, Crime Junkie, SmartLess and Pod Save America. The winners. |
Aimee Lou Wood to Star in 'Jane Eyre' Series ►🎭 Brontë bounce. 🎭 On the heels of Wuthering Heights scoring solid global box office returns, another adaptation of a novel by a Brontë sister is in the offing. Working Title is developing a series based on Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, with The White Lotus' Aimee Lou Wood set to play the title character. Miriam Battye is adapting the novel, which follows the title character’s life from childhood through a number of ups and downs, including a star-crossed love with Edward Rochester. The project doesn’t have an outlet attached yet, but sources say Working Title in in talks with a U.K. broadcaster about picking up Jane Eyre. The story.
—Baldur found! Amazon Prime Video's big-budget TV adaptation of PlayStation’s hit mythology-themed game God of War has cast Ed Skrein as the show’s major villain, Baldur Skrein will play opposite the previously announced Ryan Hurst, who plays the show’s protagonist, the Spartan warrior Kratos. God of War already has a two-season commitment with Ronald D. Moore serving as showrunner and Emmy-winning filmmaker Frederick E.O. Toye directing the first two episodes. The story.
—The end is nigh. Some good news for Doctor Foster fans: The hit drama is set to return for a third and final season. The BBC revealed on Wednesday that season three of Mike Bartlett’s show will see Suranne Jones reprise her award-winning role as Gemma Foster, opposite Bertie Carvel as Simon and Tom Taylor as Tom. Made by Drama Republic for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, the five-part series will begin filming in and around Hertfordshire later this spring. Doctor Foster was a U.K. sensation when it aired in 2015 and 2017, with nearly 10m people watching the finale of series two. It also achieved critical acclaim, with Jones winning a TV BAFTA for her performance. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 BritBox has struck a deal to take the upcoming psychological thriller series Gone from George Kay, the creator and writer behind the likes of Hijack, The Long Shadow and Lupin, for the U.S. and Canada. The drama star David Morrissey and Eve Myles. All3Media unveiled the deal on Wednesday as part of a raft of pre-sales during the London TV Screenings week in the British capital. The six-part series, set to premiere in the U.K. on ITV this spring, centers on the disappearance of Sarah Polly, with suspicion quickly falling on her husband, local headmaster Michael, played by Morrissey. The story. |
NOLA No More: 'Tulsa King' Spinoff Heads to Texas ►On the move. Taylor Sheridan‘s Tulsa King spinoff, starring Samuel L. Jackson, won’t be taking place in New Orleans anymore. Paramount+ announced Tuesday that the spinoff, which was originally titled NOLA King and set in New Orleans, will now move to Texas and be called Frisco King. Sheridan has also been tapped to write all eight episodes of the first season. The spinoff will center on Jackson’s character, Russell Lee Washington Jr., who was first introduced in the third season of Tulsa King, starring Sylvester Stallone. The story.
—🎭 All too real. 🎭 The show is called Newlyweds, and in a life-imitating-art situation, its two lead actors are (almost) newlyweds as well. Tim Daly has joined the NBC comedy pilot about a later-in-life marriage alongside his real-life wife, and birthday girl, Tea Leoni (who was the first to join the cast earlier this month). The couple married in July 2025, though they have been together for more than a decade after meeting on CBS’ 2014-19 drama Madam Secretary. Along with adding Daly to the cast, Newlyweds has also set Pam Fryman to direct and executive produce the pilot. The story.
—🤝 First look deal. 🤝 Fox Entertainment Studios is getting into business with Etan Frankel. The TV writer-producer has signed a first-look producing deal to develop and produce scripted series with Fox Entertainment’s in-house studio spanning different genres, the division announced on Tuesday. Under the deal, Frankel will collaborate with the studio on key objectives like producing premium, genre and creator-driven series that can attract an international audience. Frankel most recently served as creator and showrunner for Peacock’s Joe vs. Carole and he was also the showrunner and executive producer of the Facebook Watch series Sorry for Your Loss. The story. |
Sony to Reboot Spider-Man Universe With "New People" ►The world needs more Morbius. You can stop holding your breath for a Madame Web 2. Or a Kraven the Hunter 2. Or a Morbius 2. Yet the Spider-Man extended universe isn’t dead, either. Sony Pictures chairman and CEO Tom Rothman confirms the studio is planning a “fresh reboot” to the Spider-Man extended universe after the franchise’s string of box office disappointments (aside from the trio of Venom films, which performed well). In a new interview, Rothman intimated that any new films will be years away, adding that "scarcity has value … you got to make the audience miss you." The story.
—Looking good. Theater owners have good reason to scream for joy as the Scream 7 prepares to open in theaters this weekend. From Spyglass and Paramount, the slasher pic is expected to open to at least $40m, which would mark the best three-day launch of the year to date. Tracking is more bullish, with the National Research Group projecting $45m. If the leading firm is right, that would also mark the top opening of the franchise ahead of Scream 6, which launched to $44.4m in March 2023, not adjusted for inflation. It is targeting a $60m global launch. The box office report. |
And Now Taylor Sheridan Is an Author ►He can do it all. Simon & Schuster revealed on Tuesday that it will publish the debut book from the Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan. How to Not Die in Prison is described by the publisher as “a no bullsh*t, darkly funny survival guide to life in a maximum-security prison.” Sheridan has never been to prison — but his co-author has. The book is cowritten with “prison-hardened ex-con” Tom Nelson, and will publish on June 23, 2026. The story.
—Boooooooo! Unrivaled, the next novel by Rachel Reid, has been moved to 2027, the author said Tuesday. Reid, the best-selling author of Heated Rivalry, announced earlier this year that she’s releasing the seventh book in her Game Changers series. The book series serves as the source material of the wildly popular Crave-HBO Max, Heated Rivalry. In a video posted to Instagram, Reid explained Unrivaled would need to move to June 2027 from its original September 2026 release date. The story.
—Woof! Gavin Newsom‘s new memoir has shot to the top of the best-sellers charts just hours after its release online. Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery is billed as an “intimate and poignant account of identity, belonging, and the defining moments that inspired a life in politics,” and the book comes amid speculation that the California governor is considering a 2028 presidential run. Released Feb. 24, Newsom’s book is currently at the top of Amazon’s political biographies chart and in the top 5 of the site’s best-selling memoirs chart. The story. |
TV Review: 'Scrubs' S10 ►"Nothing has changed, if that's what you crave." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews season 10 of ABC's Scrubs. The gang clocks back into Sacred Heart, along with a fresh young ensemble and stale new fantasy sequences. Starring Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, Vanessa Bayer, John C. McGinley, and Phil Lewis. Created by Bill Lawrence. The review.
—"The sweeter side of hardcore headbangers." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Sam Dunn and Tom Morello's The Ballad of Judas Priest. Rage Against the Machine guitarist Morello co-directs this adoring bio-doc tracing the British band’s 50-year journey from the industrial Midlands to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Featuring Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill, Scott Travis, Richie Faulkner, Tom Morello, Jack Black, Darryl McDaniels, Dave Grohl, Lzzy Hale, Billy Corgan, Scott Ian, Kirk Hammett, Ozzy Osbourne and Andy Sneap. The review.
In other news...
—A24 horror movie Backrooms gets ominous first trailer
—The Madison trailer reveals plot of Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell series
—Netflix’s Pride and Prejudice series teaser: First look at Emma Corrin and Jack Lowden as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy
—You can now stay at the Heated Rivalry cottage
—F1 star Damson Idris joins Formula 1 as global brand ambassador
—Daniel Burman named Disney+ LATAM head of original content
—Pierson Fodé signs with CAA
—Lauren Chapin, the youngest kid on Father Knows Best, dies at 80
—John Wheeler, actor, singer known for Star Trek and an iconic McDonald’s commercial, dies at 95
What else we're reading...
—Wild Linda Burstyn story about the time Sean Penn helped saved a Brooklyn Hasidic man who found himself trapped in a Bolivian prison [Intelligencer]
—Devon Ivie talks to Baz Luhrmann about his new doc, EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, and how he wants to create an Elvis Cinematic Universe [Vulture]
—Reflecting on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Wonder Man and Starfleet Academy, Ben Lindbergh wonders if low-stakes TV can jump-start struggling IP [Ringer]
—Tara Copp and Ian Duncan report that Pete Hegseth is threatening to force Anthropic to share its AI technology in the name of national security [Washington Post]
—John Herrman reports that, according to research, Elon Musk's X is a place that "both attracts more conservatives and pushes them further to the right" [Intelligencer]
Today...
...in 2011, Warner Bros. released Peter and Bobby Farrelly's Hall Pass. The comedy, starring Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis, was a bust with critics but was a moderate box office success. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Sean Astin (55), Téa Leoni (60), Rashida Jones (50), Chelsea Handler (61), Jameela Jamil (40), Shahid Kapoor (45), Tom Courtenay (89), Neil Jordan (76), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (45), Noah Jupe (21), Anson Mount (53), Rose Matafeo (34), Gerran Howell (35), Lesley Boone (58), Douglas Hodge (66), Jennifer Ferrin (47), Leann Hunley (71), Justin Berfield (40), Isabelle Fuhrman (29), Ingrid Oliver (49), Alexis Denisof (60), Lee Evans (62), Diana Hopper (33), Natalie Dreyfuss (39), Julie Hesmondhalgh (56), Karen Grassle (84), James and Oliver Phelps (40), Emily Pendergast (39), Christien Anholt (55), Christopher Wehkamp (47), Sanya Malhotra (34), Ric Flair (77), Laurie Fortier (52), Jeremy Brandt (54), Janicza Bravo (45) |
| Robert Carradine, star of The Long Riders, Revenge of the Nerds and Lizzie McGuire and the youngest son in a celebrated Hollywood family, has died. He was 71. The obituary. | |
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