What's news: California Film Commission chief Colleen Bell is stepping down. The WWE is getting into microdramas. Ellen Burstyn is set to receive Venice's Golden Lion. Netflix has greenlit a Monopoly competition series. And premium format Avengers: Doomsday tickets go on sale on July 20! — Abid Rahman
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Paramount Sued by 12 States in Bid to Block WBD Merger
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►"This merger will snuff out competition." A coalition of 12 state attorneys general led by California has sued Paramount to stop its $111b takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, a sweeping legal challenge to a merger that threatens to reshape Hollywood amid the absence of the Trump administration’s intervention in big deals. In a much-anticipated lawsuit filed in California federal court on Monday, the states allege that the acquisition will substantially throttle competition in wide-release and top-grossing theatrical distribution and cable licensing in violation of antitrust laws. They argue that the merger will combine two of the top five studios in Hollywood, leading to higher prices, fewer movies in theaters, and a reduction in the variety and quality of content. The story.
—"The ramifications of further movie studio consolidation will be significant and lasting, not just in Hollywood, but on Main Streets across this nation." Cinema United and other organizations that have opposed the Paramount-WBD deal applauded the move by 12 state attorneys general on Monday. Cinema United, the trade organization that advocates on behalf of movie theaters across the country and internationally, took a victory lap on the challenge to a deal it vociferously opposed, arguing that small businesses across the country would suffer. The story.
—Convenient timing. On the same day 12 states lodged their suit to block the Paramount-WBD deal, new details of Paramount CEO's David Ellisons efforts to support a federal film tax incentive emerged. Ellison and his chief legal officer, Makan Delrahim, met with Republican members of the House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee about a bipartisan bill on Monday night. The trip is one of several that Ellison has been making in support of the bill, a source in D.C. confirmed. The story.
—"One of the great privileges of my career." California’s top filming authority Colleen Bell, who has served as the director of the state’s film commission for the last six years, will be stepping down in early January. The appointee of outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that she will be transitioning out of the role in tandem with Newsom on an episode of The Town podcast. “I will be transitioning out with Gov. Newsom,” Bell said when asked if she would stay on if California governor hopeful Xavier Becerra were elected in November. The story.
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Should Disney Exit the Streaming Business?
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►Should Disney exit streaming? Disney, despite being the undisputed leader among the legacy entertainment companies (especially with everyone else seemingly a buyer or seller), has been dealing with a stock price that has remained stubbornly flat over the last five years. That’s despite Disney’s status in the streaming wars seemingly secured. THR's Alex Weprin spoke to one Wall Street analyst who believes the key to unlocking Disney’s stock price is exiting the streaming business. The story.
—Bluey bucks. BBC Commercial, the commercial arm of the U.K. public broadcaster that is mainly driven by BBC Studios, reported improved full fiscal-year earnings, driven by its direct-to-consumer services and “strong” consumer products business, despite unchanged record revenue amid “ongoing market pressures.” Of course, the consumer products growth was supported by the global popularity of Bluey. BBC Studios grew its earnings by 17 percent to $352m on revenue of $2.84b. The results.
—Crisis. PEN America’s president has resigned after the free speech group released a report detailing how Israeli and Jewish writers have faced “rising isolation and exclusion” in the aftermath of Oct. 7 attacks in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. The Ethiopian novelist Dinaw Mengestu had held the organization’s leadership position since December 2025. He told the NYT that Pen America’s report, which examines the impacts of cultural boycotts, unfairly maligns the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, an attempt to economically isolate Israel. The story.
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WWE Gets Into Microdramas |
►"We are creating a new storytelling experience." THR's Katie Kilkenny has the scoop that the WWE is bringing its theatrics in the ring to vertical dramas, partnering with major verticals company ReelShort on an original live-action microdrama. The partnership will pair WWE stars with two well-known vertical actors for a story whose details are under wraps. WWE stars that will appear in the vertical include the Scottish wrestlers Drew McIntyre and Joe Hendry as well as SmackDown star Jacob Fatu, with others promised to materialize in the drama as well. The story.
—It's all about vertical. New television production and distribution outfit RoseBerry Media has launched Epis, a mobile-first global streaming service aiming to bridge the gap between traditional TV and streaming and the growing business of mobile-first microdramas and vertical video. Epis (short for “episodes”) bills itself as the world’s first premium vertical streaming service. It is launching with more than 100 titles across various formats, from reality TV and true crime to drama. The story.
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New 'Elm Street' Movie in the Works From Paramount
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►🤝 Rights sold! 🤝 THR's Borys "Skweeepz" Kit has the scoop on Freddy Krueger finding a new home. Paramount has closed a deal for the U.S. rights to the original screenplay of A Nightmare on Elm Street, the movie written and directed by Wes Craven that kicked off the popular horror franchise featuring the killer with the metal-claw gloved hand and burned face, and will adapt it into a new feature. The new Elm Street will hail from Paramount’s new genre label, Paramount Primal, led by J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules, the producers behind films such as Barbarian and Friendship. The story.
—Avengers fans assemble! In major Marvel news, Disney is planning to put premium-format tickets on sale for Avengers: Doomsday next week. THR's James Hibberd has the big scoop that the studio plans to announce that domestic tickets for the eagerly anticipated Avengers franchise sequel will go on sale July 20. Ticket sales open five months early for Infinity Vision theaters — the large-format designation that the studio has announced for select Doomsday theater screens. Disney created the Infinity Vision brand in the wake of Warner Bros. locking down Imax theaters for Dune 3 for three weeks after both films are released on Dec. 18. The story.
—"We don’t think we will be doing a politically correct just-casting-for-the sake-of-casting-and-ticking-boxes version." Andy Serkis is teasing more details about his upcoming Lord of the Rings film, and also defending the lack of diversity of the cast of The Hunt for Gollum. Serkis is directing, and Peter Jackson producing the film that boasts a cast that includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan and Leo Woodall. Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen will be reprising their roles as Frodo and Gandalf. On the nearly all-white lineup from the LOTR films, Serkis said, "Tolkien himself was influenced a lot by Norse mythology, there’s a lot of that feeling. The Shire feels very, very much like a very, a very white, you know." The story.
—Grim. Fountain O, a company launched to produce full-length AI generated films and TV series, has announced its second feature, Odysseus: The Fall. Ash Koosha, creator of the earlier AI-generated Iranian resistance movie Dream of Violets that cost $2,000 to make and debuted at Tribeca, has returned with another live action tale budgeted at “mid-five figures” and based on the Greek hero Odysseus. Fountain O is looking to build audience buzz by piggy-backing on Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. The story.
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Why 'Moana' Sank With Its Box Office Opening
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►You're welcome? Last year’s Lilo & Stitch live-action film had a record-breaking $183m four-day opening weekend domestically before surpassing $1b in its global run. Alas, Disney‘s live-action Moana did not make the summer splash that the studio had hoped, leading to questions about not only what might be in store at the box office for the Dwayne Johnson-led title but also the potential for developing remakes of other animated favorites, writes THR's Tamatoa super fan Ryan Gajewski. The analysis.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo‘s new film, Nowhere to Lay My Eyes, has sold to Cinema Guild for North American distribution ahead of its world premiere in the international competition of the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland next month. Nowhere to Lay My Eyes reunites Hong with longtime collaborators Kim Minhee, Kwon Haehyo, Shin Seokho, and Park Miso, while also featuring actor Choi Myeonggil for the first time in one of his films. The story.
—🏆 "I get to return home carrying a Golden Lion in my arms!" 🏆 Oscar-winning actress Ellen Burstyn will be honored at this year’s Venice Film Festival with a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement. The Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and The Exorcist actress will attend the 83rd edition of the fest and receive her award at the screening of Flesh Impact, a new short film from director Maggie Gyllenhaal which stars Burstyn alongside Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sepideh Moafi. The story.
—Seeking that perfect 10. Fanatics Studios is entering the documentary space. The joint venture between Fanatics and OBB, alongside Cookie Jar & a Dream Studios, which is Dick’s Sporting Goods’ in-house production studio, has greenlit a documentary following Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Suni Lee‘s return to competition. The documentary is untitled and being shopped to platforms. The story.
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'Summer House' S11 Cast Revealed
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►"We figured the #Emmys nomination called for a full-send announcement." Following two high-profile exits amid all the recent drama, Bravo has revealed which castmembers will be returning for season 11 of hit series Summer House. Carl Radke, Lindsay Hubbard, Ciara Miller, Kyle Cooke, Jesse Solomon, Mia Calabrese, Bailey Taylor and KJ Dillard will be coming back to the popular summer reality show. Bravo also shared that season 11 of the now-Emmy nominated series has begun production. The story.
—Questions raised. Netflix's The Beast in Me received nine Emmy nominations, including best original main title theme music. Sean Callery, a four-time Emmy-winning composer and one of the two representatives of the music peer group on the TV Academy’s board of governors, was recognized, but the nom raised some questions. THR's Scott Feinberg reports that in response to the assertion that The Beast in Me doesn't meet the criteria to be eligible for the best original main title theme music category, the TV Academy acknowledged that it needs "to tighten up the language before next year’s competition," but took no action. The story.
—🟢 Heading straight to Pass Go. 🟢 Netflix is rolling the dice on a scaled-up version of the classic board game Monopoly. The streamer has greenlit a competition series, also called Monopoly, that’s set to premiere in 2027. The show will take place on a scaled-up version of the game board and will feature 12 players competing for a $2m prize. Studio Lambert (The Traitors, Squid Game: The Challenge) is producing the series in association with Hasbro Entertainment. The story.
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Film Review: 'Fruit Gathering'
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►"Juicy but not too sweet." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Aung Phyoe's Fruit Gathering. The Burmese film about forbidden love took home Karlovy Vary's top prize after its recent premiere at the fest. Starring Nandar Myat Aung, Nandar Myint Lwin, Tin Tin Ei, Thida Soe Khant, Wutt Yeet Kyaw, Htet Aung Lynn, Khet Suu Myat, Min Nyo and Zun Pwint Phyu. Written by Aung Phyoe. The review.
In other news...
—Peacock promises a terrible time at camp with Crystal Lake teaser and photos
—Mayday directors talk trailer for Ryan Reynolds, Kenneth Branagh Cold War buddy movie
—Prime Video releases first look at Mike Flanagan's Carrie series
—Madonna earns 10th No. 1 album with Confessions II
—Sundance Institute reveals Producers Labs fellows
—New York Comedy Festival: Marc Maron, Ilana Glazer, Jordan Klepper, Ms. Pat among headliners
—Folarin Balogun signs with Klutch Sports Group
—YouTube pastry chef Amaury Guichon signs with UTA
What else we're reading...
—Louise Imber looks at how Tom Holland's non-alcoholic beer brand is riding the sober wave [Fast Company]
—Dave Michaels and Joe Flint look into whether a dozen blue states could really block the Paramount-Warner merger [WSJ]
—Mark Mazzetti, Julian E. Barnes, Farnaz Fassihi and Ronen Bergman have a wild report on Israel's ultimately failed attempts to groom former Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to become the next leader of the country [NYT]
—E.B. Solomont writes that "landmaxxing" is the new thing among the superrich, with billionaires attempting to buy entire blocks to create private compounds [WSJ]
—Thomas Biesheuvel reports that diamond giant De Beers plans to halt production at its South African mine for two years as the industry faces a crisis over synthetic stones and collapsing Chinese demand [Bloomberg]
Today...
...in 1969, Columbia brought Peter Fonda’s Easy Rider to the big screen at the Beekman in New York. The film went on to be nominated for two Oscars at the 42nd Academy Awards, for Jack Nicholson’s supporting role and for the screenplay. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (41), Jane Lynch (66), Jackie Earle Haley (65), Matthew Fox (60), David Mitchell (52), Kyle Gass (66), Joel Silver (74), Scott Porter (47), Judah Prehn (16), Sara Canning (39), Tim Downie (49), Maxine Peake (52), Maia Reficco (26), Nina Siemaszko (56), Roger Clark (48), Dan Reynolds (39), Vincent Pastore (80), Darby Camp (19), Stan Shaw (74), Eric Laneuville (74), Alisha Wainwright (37), Esther K. Chae (55), Pui Fan Lee (55), Roosevelt Grier (94), Elise Gatien (38), Jerry Houser (74), Alex Ross Perry (42), Bebe Buell (73), David Starzyk (65)
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Nansun Shi, the pioneering Hong Kong producer and executive who helped shape the territory’s cinematic golden age as the co-founder of Film Workshop and who later produced Infernal Affairs, died Monday. She was 75. The obituary.
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