As Paramount, WB Discovery and Others Weigh M&A Options, Is More Consolidation Really the Answer to Hollywood’s Profit Problem?

Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor The line sprawling along the corridors and staircases of De Doelen, the heart of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, alerted passersby that there was a star in town. The actor in question? German thesp Sandra Hüller, at the festival to support Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” and to give an in-depth talk about her career and latest projects. Hüller, who landed her first Oscar nomination for best actress last week for Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” said she is “definitely not” used to the growing attention.

The Hollywood labor community is up in arms again after the Directors Guild of America (DGA) made a number of retroactive additions to its film & TV contract with the studios.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. The film, set for streaming soon, debuted at the recent BFI London Film Festival and is the follow-up to the beloved Aardman classic.The cast includes: Thandiwe Newton (Ginger), Zachary Levi (Rocky), Bella Ramsey (Molly), Imelda Staunton (Bunty), Lynn Ferguson (Mac), David Bradley (Fowler), Jane Horrocks (Babs), Romesh Ranganathan (Nick), Daniel Mays (Fetcher), Josie Sedgwick-Davies (Frizzle), Peter Serafinowicz (Reginald Smith), Nick Mohammed (Dr.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The CEO of Paramount Global urged staffers at the entertainment conglomerate to focus on their 2024 business goals, even as a handful of industry heavy hitters and investment firms explore a potential acquisition of the company and speculation about looming layoffs intensifies. In a memo issued to employees Thursday and reviewed by Variety, Bob Bakish acknowledged that Paramount’s future “remains a topic of speculation,” a nod to the fact that a group of investors led by Skydance founder David Ellison have engaged in talks with Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone.

Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish said today the company will continue to reduce its global workforce “to operate as a leaner company and spend less.” But there were no further details in a memo to staff obtained by Deadline following a “Bob Live” town hall today.  

David Ellison’s Skydance is said to have made a preliminary offer to buy Shari Redstone’s stake in National Amusements, the family holding company that controls Paramount Global, according to a Bloomberg report.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle enjoyed a date night out in Jamaica as they dazzled on the red carpet at the premiere of Bob Marley: One Love.The Sussexes put on a loved-up display as they showed up to the event in the legendary musician's hometown of Kingston, Jamaica.The royal couple were unexpected guests for media gathered at the glitzy screening of Paramount's biopic at the Carib Theatre on Tuesday night.They walked the red carpet hand-in-hand, with Meghan stunning in a black spaghetti strap gown while Harry wore a suit and open-necked white shirt.They were greeted by and posed with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and wife Juliet Holness, and Harry appeared thrilled to pose and chat with Ziggy Marley, son of the iconic singer. The visit marks a return trip to the island nation for 38-year-old Prince Harry and his wife, 42.

Hulu’s “Death and Other Details,” said that her more seasoned co-star, Mandy Patinkin, took her under his wing. “The guy is a legend. I’ve probably seen ‘The Princess Bride’ 17 times,” Beane, 27, told The Post.

Love Island: All Stars viewers have been left questioning what the spin-off show really is following a surprise dumping and the arrival of a new bombshell during the latest trip to the villa. It was all happening on Monday night (January 22) in South Africa as a dramatic twist was delivered by host Maya Jama.

EXCLUSIVE: Amid speculation about its future, Paramount Global is proceeding with a new wave of staff reductions in February, sources tell Deadline. I hear the cuts will impact hundreds of employees across the entire company.

Caroline Brew editor Lena Waithe, who is a juror at Sundance, believes the festival “really sets the tone for the year,” citing “Past Lives” as an example from last year. “Obviously, ‘Past Lives’ has done really well, surprisingly so to the business. It’s a quiet movie about home, friends, what would’ve happened if you would’ve stayed in one place versus going somewhere else,” Waithe said.

Six more celebrities will be skating onto the ice rink this Sunday as they start their Dancing on Ice journey on ITV.

The Offer is the name of a series on Paramount+. Now, it could be the logline for Paramount Global.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Given the current dismal political and cultural climate as well as streaming services’ massive appetite for celebrity driven content, it comes as no surprise that the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival is chock full of portrait documentaries. Frida Kahlo, Christopher Reeve, Luther Vandross and Tammy Faye are just a few of the boldface names that are being examined in various docus featured in the Sundance nonfiction lineup. The festival is no stranger to star-driven docus.

Emmys’ night of nostalgic tributes worked from start to finish, and the winners’ sincere speeches felt like a breath of fresh air. The day after the ceremony, Variety’s TV critics convened to hash out the show’s highlights.

Scots are being urged to brace for more disruption this morning as more snow is on the way.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Anthony Anderson took the stage at the top of the Emmys on Monday night to open the much-delayed awards show on Fox with a musical number paying tribute to hit TV theme songs alongside his mother, Doris Bowman, Blink-182’s Travis Barker and actor Christina Applegate. The opening segment took place in Anderson’s “living room” set, with the “Black-ish” star entering following a title card for “Mister Anderson’s Neighborhood.” Upon his entrance, Anderson got a round of cheers — and another set when he mentioned the Emmys were taking place on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Valerie Wu Intern “Black-ish” star Anthony Anderson is hosting the 75th annual Primetime Emmys on Jan. 15. The Compton native, who has received 11 Emmy nominations himself for his work on “Black-ish,” is no stranger to the primetime awards show.

Two women have been jailed for nearly 13 years each after kidnapping a woman and forcing her to eat glass and faeces.

A damning new report today lifts the lid on the vast extent of historic child sexual exploitation in Rochdale - and reveals the repeated failings of those in power that allowed men to abuse vulnerable youngsters for years.