Ex PricewaterhouseCoopers CEO Samuel Di Piazza Jr. to Chair Warner Bros. Discovery Board

EXCLUSIVE: Tamir Muhammad is extending and expanding his relationship with WarnerMedia. Muhammad, executive producer of HBO’s Peabody Award-winning late-night series Random Acts of Flyness, has entered exclusive first-look deals with Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO and HBO Max. The parallel pacts follow his previous multi-year overall television production and first-look feature deals, which Muhammad signed in 2018 when he launched his Populace production company. He is now extending the first-look feature deal with Warner Bros. Pictures while also adding a separate exclusive first-look TV deal with HBO and HBO Max.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“Navalny,” a fly-on-the-wall documentary about Russian dissident and one-time presidential candidate Alexei Navalny, was intended to debut directly on HBO Max. But since the harrowing story has renewed timeliness amid Russia’s recent unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Pictures is teaming with Fathom Events for a special theatrical event of the Daniel Roher-directed documentary, Navalny, which had its surprise screening at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Audience Award in the U.S. Documentary Competition section as well as the Festival Favorite Award.

ISS, an influential shareholder advisory firm, has recommended “withhold” votes for the three Discovery directors up for reelection at the April annual meeting “due to poor stewardship” in compensation.

Gerard McMurray (The First Purge) will write and direct an adaptation of the comic book Black for Studio 8 and Warner Bros., Deadline has confirmed.

Production designer Patrice Vermette and set decorator Zsuzsanna Sipos took home statuettes for their work on Dune at the Academy Awards on Sunday. Both Vermette and Sipos are first-time winners, though the former had previously been nominated for his work on the films The Young Victoria and Arrival.

tweeted a picture on Thursday from the scene, which links to the rataalada portal set up by the Riddler in the film.Once inside, there are three riddles you must solve before watching the five minute scene.“Almost our anniversary, isn’t it?” The Joker says to Batman in the scene.Warner Bros./DC’s “The Batman” has reached the $300 million mark at the domestic box office as it has added $36.8 million in its third weekend, keeping it atop the box office charts.More to come…

Warner Bros. has revealed its new centennial logo in advance of the studio’s 100th anniversary on April 4, 2023.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterWarner Bros. is turning 100 next April and the legendary studio is kicking off the celebration of its centennial early with the reveal of a commemorative logo.On Wednesday, Warner Bros.

AT&T’s chief executive John Stankey had a $24.8 million salary in 2021, as compared to his $21 million pay the year prior and $22.5 million earnings in 2019, per the telecommunications giant’s Securities and Exchange Commission filing made available Tuesday. While the CEO made a base salary of $2.4 million in 2021 (slightly higher than his $2.05 million in 2020), he received stock awards valued at $13.42 million. However, Stankey’s non-equity incentive plan more than doubled from $3.25 million to $6.88 million from 2020 to 2021.According to the filing, CFO Pascal Desroches received $11.7 million overall compensation in 2021, his first year in the position.

AT&T chief executive John Stankey’s compensation totaled $24.8 million last year, up from $21 million the year earlier. According to a proxy statement filed with the SEC, retired CEO Randall Stephenson made $16.3 million in 2021 (down from $29 million).

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterAT&T CEO John Stankey’s pay for 2021 rose 18% over the previous year to $24.8 million, per the company’s SEC filing Tuesday.His base salary for the year was $2.4 million, with a non-equity incentive plan compensation of $6.88 million.

There likely won’t be a red carpet rolled out in front of the Fairfax County courthouse, but some big names are coming to Johnny Depp’s now $100 million defamation battle with ex-wife Amber Heard when the long delayed trial starts next month.

Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, who has long espoused the benefits of streaming’s boom times, said he’s “not nervous” about Warner Bros Discovery possibly pumping the brakes as it looks to take on Netflix and Disney.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorSamuel Di Piazza Jr. will serve as the chairman of Warner Bros.

Manori Ravindran International EditorWarner Bros. Discovery’s plans to merge streaming services HBO Max and Discovery Plus in the U.S.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeWarner Bros. Television Group and HBO have sealed a new first-look deal with producer Stephanie Allain (“Dear White People”) and her Homegrown Pictures banner.

Emmy-nominated producer Stephanie Allain has signed a new first-look deal with Warner Bros. Television Group and HBO. The new agreement continues Allain’s relationship with the Studio, where she and her Homegrown Pictures production company has been under a first-look pact since February 2020. Allain and her Homegrown Pictures team, including Director of Development Gabrielle Ebron, will develop original scripted programming to be produced by Warner Bros. Television for HBO and HBO Max, external streaming services, cable, and broadcast.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery — which is about to become Warner Bros. Discovery within the next month, when its merger with AT&T’s WarnerMedia closes — has confirmed its plans to combine its current streaming service Discovery Plus and WarnerMedia’s HBO Max into one service, rather than offer the two platforms as a bundle.Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels, who will also serve as CFO of the newly combined Warner Bros.