| | | | | | What's news: NY Gov. Kathy Hochul signed two bills to boost AI transparency in the film industry. Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google over training its AI models. Director Carl Erik Rinsch was convicted of defrauding Netflix out of $11m. Apple has renewed Down Cemetery Road for S2. And "cult" filmmaker Uwe Boll is rebooting the horror action franchise Alone in the Dark. — Abid Rahman
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What the Disney-OpenAI Deal Means for Hollywood ►"Can the place of Mickey Mouse and the Magic Kingdom really be leading us down an apocalpyitc path?" On Thursday, Disney, America’s biggest legacy entertainment company, announced that it would be partnering with OpenAI to allow its characters to be toyed with in AI. Starting in the next few months, you’ll be able to play with Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars characters using Sora on Disney+, or on OpenAI’s own platforms. THR's Steven Zeitchik outlines everything we need to know about the deal that could make or break Hollywood. The analysis.
—"We’ve always viewed technological advances as an opportunity, not a threat." Bob Iger said Thursday that the company’s blockbuster deal with OpenAI was about reacting to the reality of technological disruption, and that the agreement provides a framework for AI companies to value and respect human creativity. Iger appeared alongside OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on CNBC Thursday morning, where he also suggested that regulators should scrutinize Netflix’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. The recap.
—Well, well, wellity, well. On the same day it announced its deal with OpenAI, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google accusing the tech giant of using Disney’s copyrighted works to train its AI models. In the letter, sent Wednesday, Disney says there has been copyright infringement on a “massive scale,” given its claims that Google has been using AI models and services to “commercially exploit and distribute copies” across many channels, including Google Workspace applications and the YouTube mobile application. The story.
—The future is arriving faster than ever. THR's Alex Weprin charts the entertainment industry's embrace of technology since the disastrous AOL-Time Warner merger all the way up to Disney cozying up to AI giant OpenAI. Alex writes that the AI deals, rapid consolidation and tech-driven unease are a sign of where the business is rapidly going. The analysis.
—"First in the nation" policies. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed two bills Thursday to boost AI transparency in the film industry. The first requires entities who produce or create an advertisement to disclose whether the ad includes AI-generated synthetic performers, while the second requires consent from heirs or executors if a company wishes to use the name, image, or likeness of an individual for commercial purposes after their death. Hochul described these as “first in the nation” policies and committed to continuing protecting performers. The story. |
Where Does Zaz Rank Among Hollywood's Most Infamous Moguls? ►A villain for the ages. Now that the debt-driven CEO David Zaslav has found his buyer for Warner Bros. in Netflix — and drawn a $108.4b hostile takeover bid from Paramount, too — history can judge him, writes THR's Gary Baum. Sure, he may stick around, but his purpose in town is likely nearing completion, having cost cut his way to this grand sale and further fattening his massive net worth. The Netflix deal is expected to deliver him another $660m, making him a billionaire. Gary considers what all the dealmaking means for Zaslav's legacy. The story.
—Afterthought. THR's Tony Maglio wonders what happens to Warner Bros. Games if the company is taken over by either Netflix or Paramount. Tony writes that the home to TT Games (the LEGO game makers), Rocksteady Studios (the Batman: Arkham series) and NetherRealm Studios (Mortal Kombat), as well as the Harry Potter game Hogwarts Legacy feel like an afterthought in the mega deals being proposed. The analysis. |
Director Found Guilty in $11M Netflix Fraud Trial ►Comeuppance. 47 Ronin director Carl Erik Rinsch was convicted of defrauding Netflix out of $11m stemming from a deal with the company to make a sci-fi series he never delivered. After a one-week trial in Manhattan, the helmer was convicted of one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering and five counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. He will be sentenced on April 17, 2026. Rinsch had spent funds earmarked for a series titled White Horse on risky securities trades, using profits from those investments to sue Netflix for further payments to finish the show and purchase luxury goods. The story.
—"We did not hear from them." When ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September, Donald Trump crowed on social media that the show had been canceled. It wasn’t — Kimmel returned to the air six days later — but during that time, top Disney execs didn’t communicate with the White House. That’s according to Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden, who was a key figure in both the decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air on Sept. 17 and to restart the show the following week. In a new interview, she said neither Trump himself nor anyone from the White House called her or Bob Iger to discuss the suspension. The story.
—Not a good look. Paramount’s $108b bid to buy Warner Bros. has one of its stars curious about the economics of the possible deal. The eye-popping numbers led The Late Show host Stephen Colbert to muse about the Paramount bid during his monologue Tuesday night. (Paramount owns CBS, which airs The Late Show.) “Wow. I gotta say, if my company’s got that kind of green, I’m sure they can afford to un-cancel one of their best shows,” Colbert said, drawing cheers from the studio audience. “CBS, you heard the people — bring back The Equalizer.” The recap. |
THR Critics Pick the Best TV of 2025 ►Poor vintage. It's that time of year again when THR's award-winning TV critics reveal their best-of-the-year lists, and both Daniel Fienberg and Angie Han weren't overly impressed by the offerings in 2025, suggesting the "Peak TV" years may have peaked a while ago. Favorites include an Arctic-set heartwarmer, the second and final season of Andor, a pair of new animated gems, a bold historical drama and a star-studded Hollywood satire. The list.
—🤝 Contract renewal. 🤝 CBS Studios and Robert and Michelle King are continuing their long-term and very productive relationship. The married couple and their King Size Productions have renewed their overall deal at the studio, continuing a partnership that stretches back to 2009. Their previous deal, signed in 2021, was set to expire next year. The renewal comes on the heels of the Kings setting up a drama called Vatican City at Hulu and their CBS series Elsbeth earning two Critics Choice Awards nominations. The story.
—Quick as you like. More shenanigans lie ahead for Sarah Trafford and Zoë Boehm: Apple TV has confirmed Ruth Wilson and Emma Thompson‘s Down Cemetery Road will return for a second season. On the heels of an explosive first season finale, the good news for the streamer’s latest Mick Herron adaptation came swiftly on Friday. Season two will reunite Zoë (Thompson) and Sarah (Wilson) chasing down another twisted mystery. After a woman falls in front of a train, Zoë is called in to investigate, but this seemingly simple case soon upends her life as she and Sarah find themselves navigating the glamorous but ruthless world of black market antiquities. The story.
—Surging. Peacock’s All Her Fault saw its viewing spike in its second week, scoring the best single-week total ever for an original scripted show on the streamer. The series, starring Sarah Snook and Dakota Fanning, drew 867m minutes of viewing for Nov. 10-16, up 92 percent from its premiere week. It ranked third among original series — and fourth overall — on Nielsen’s streaming charts for that week. All Her Fault also drew the best single-week viewing tally for a Peacock original scripted series in the service’s history, and the highest total for any Peacock show since Love Island in mid-July. The streaming rankings. |
THR Critics Pick the Best Films of 2025 ►Great vintage. While TV may have suffered a down year in terms of quality, films are having an all-timer with a slew of releases that are sure to be future classics. THR critics David Rooney, Jon Frosch and Sheri Linden offer their top 10 films of 2025 that include a multilayered political thriller, a dark-comedy salute to radical resistance, a ping-pong picaresque, a bluesy vampire tale set in Jim Crow Mississippi and Oliver Laxe's intense trip into the desert. The lists.
—Boll knowledge. THR's Scott Roxborough has the scoop that maverick German director Uwe Boll is rebooting the horror action franchise Alone in the Dark. Boll's Event Films has optioned the film rights to the hit survival horror video game series from publisher THQ Nordic. The H.P. Lovecraft-inspired franchise, which follows private detective Edward Carnby in his fight against the undead, has spawned seven games and sold millions of units worldwide. Boll adapted Alone in the Dark as a feature film in 2005, starring Christian Slater and Tara Reid. While widely panned by critics then and now, the film has since achieved a sort of cult status. The story.
—Berlin for the Wim. Legendary German director Wim Wenders will head up the international jury of the 76th Berlinale. The 80-year-old filmmaker, known for Wings of Desire, Paris Texas and Pina, is enjoying a late career revival with the Oscar-nominated Perfect Days (2023) and the 3D documentary Anselm (2023) about the artist Anselm Kiefer. In 2015, he was honored with the Berlinale’s Honorary Golden Bear for his outstanding achievements in film and cinema. The festival runs Feb. 12-22, 2026. The story.
—🏆 Tahanina! 🏆 The awards for the 5th Red Sea International Film Festival were handed out at a glitzy ceremony in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on Thursday, and Akio Fujimoto’s Rohingya refugee drama Lost Land won the top prize, the Golden Yusr for best feature film. The Japanese filmmaker also picked up a cash prize of $100,000. Cherien Dabis’ searing Palestinian family drama All That’s Left of You took Red Sea’s Silver Yusr, which came with a $30,000 cash prize. The winners.
—🏆 Congrats to all! 🏆 The nominees for the 2026 Costume Designers Guild Awards have been revealed, with costume designer Colleen Atwood landing three nods as Weapons, Sinners, Palm Royale and costume designers Lindsay Pugh and Steven Norman Lee landed two nods each. Weapons is nominated in the contemporary film category alongside Bugonia, F1: The Movie, One Battle After Another and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. In the period film category, Sinners is up against Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, Frankenstein, Hamnet and Hedda. The nominees. |
Film Review: 'Goodbye June' ►"A predictable but warm heart-tugger." For THR, Caryn James reviews Kate Winslet's Goodbye June. In her directorial debut, Winslet stars alongside Helen Mirren, Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough, Johnny Flynn, Fisayo Akinade, Stephen Merchant and Timothy Spall in the drama about a family who gathers around its dying matriarch. Written by Joe Anders. The review. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott spoke to Miley Cyrus. The singer/songwriter and actress, who shot to fame as Hannah Montana and then became a real pop star, reflects on navigating child stardom; the origins of her biggest hits, from "See You Again" to "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" to her Grammy-winning "Flowers"; and how she wound up co-writing and perfomring "Dream As One," an original song for the third installment of James Cameron's blockbuster film series Avatar. The podcast.
—Awards Chatter. In this episode, Scott spoke to Ed Sheeran. The English singer/songwriter reflects on his path from busking on the streets of London to superstardom; the origin stories of hits like "The A Team," "Sing" and "Thinking Out Loud"; and why he agreed to co-write and perform F1: The Movie's "Drive" and Zootopia 2's "Zoo," original songs for two of 2025's biggest blockbusters. The podcast.
—I’m Having an Episode. THR’s Mikey O’Connell attempts to stay on top of the latest TV and entertainment news with a little help from his friends, colleagues and a revolving door of actors, writers, showrunners and filmmakers. In this episode, Mikey hosts comedian and actor Robby Hoffman, who is closing out a very good year with her Netflix special Wake Up. Robby talks poverty, the irrelevance of political correctness and how she'd fare on The Traitors. THR's David Canfield drops by to debate the good and the bad of the Golden Globes, and Mikey offers an obligatory take on the Warner Bros. sale. The podcast.
In other news...
—Craig Gillespie's Supergirl releases first trailer
—The Night Manager: Tom Hiddleston battles deadly conspiracy in S2 trailer
—Palm Springs: Timothée Chalamet to receive Spotlight Actor of the Year Award
—Lili Reinhart reveals endometriosis diagnosis
What else we're reading...
—Rachel Aviv reports that the late famed neurologist Oliver Sacks wrote in his private journals that aspects of his books were "pure fabrications" [New Yorker]
—Max Tani reports that the launch of the Washington Post’s AI-generated podcasts has been an omnishamble, with pods rife with errors and fictional quotes [Semafor]
—Megan Twohey and Isabella Kwai have the frankly shocking inside story of how accused rapist and sex trafficker Andrew Tate was freed, with help from the likes of Tucker Carlson and Barron Trump [NYT]
—Daniel Lippman reports that Olivia Nuzzi's much talked about book American Canto sold a disastrous 1,165 hardcover copies in its first week [Politico]
—Here's your Friday list: The 25 best albums of 2025 [Ringer]
Today...
...in 2014, Warner Bros. released Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice in theaters. The black comedy crime film, based on the book by Thomas Pynchon, was praised by critics but stalled at the box office. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Regina Hall (55), Rajinikanth (75), Jennifer Connelly (55), Bill Nighy (76), Lucas Hedges (29), Mädchen Amick (55), Gbenga Akinnagbe (47), Delaney Williams (63), Chris Perfetti (37), Lucas Jade Zumann (25), Miguel Bernardeau (29), Sheree J. Wilson (67), Peter Haber (73), Shea Buckner (39), Chanel Celaya (34), Sky Katz (21), Devyn Nekoda (25), Holly Gagnier (67), Jaime Lorente (34), Alvise Rigo (33), Melissa Francis (53) |
| Jim Ward, the wildly versatile, Emmy-winning voice actor and impressionist known for his work on The Fairly OddParents, Ratchet & Clank and scores of other animated projects, has died. He was 66. The obituary. |
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