Fox, Comcast and Warner Bros Discovery shares each took a dip Monday after the media companies took turns generating industry-shaking headlines over less than 24 hours.
06.04.2023 - 22:35 / deadline.com
Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster tournament took a hiatus during the pandemic as movie theaters closed for the majority of 2020-2021 and theatrical day-and-date titles on both the big screen and studios’ respective streaming platforms became more prevalent. Coming back from that brink, the studios have largely returned to their theatrical release models and the downstream monies they can bring. Not to mention their power in launching IPs around the world with big global marketing campaigns. When it comes to evaluating the financial performance of top movies, it isn’t about what a film grosses at the box office. The true tale is told when production budgets, P&A, talent participations and other costs collide with box office grosses, and ancillary revenues from VOD to DVD and TV. To get close to that mysterious end of the equation, Deadline is repeating our Most Valuable Blockbuster tournament for 2022, using data culled by seasoned and trusted sources.
The BatmanWarner Bros
If there was one tentpole that willed itself to existence during the pandemic, it was Matt Reeves’ reboot The Batman starring Robert Pattinson. What high stakes did this movie not face? In addition to following in the shadow of Christopher Nolan’s revered Dark Knight trilogy and the lesser-received Zack Snyder Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Reeves boldly created a noir version of the Caped Crusader that harkened back to the Batman Year One comics and Alfred Hitchcock movies. The other selling point in addition Twilight fan fave Pattinson’s casting was Batman contending with villains, those being Paul Dano’s Riddler, Colin Farrell’s Penguin and Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman. The result? A two-hour, 56-minute film, the longest Batman movie ever.
Fox, Comcast and Warner Bros Discovery shares each took a dip Monday after the media companies took turns generating industry-shaking headlines over less than 24 hours.
Nicholas Hoult missed out on three big roles in a row, and the first was a chance to play the caped crusader himself in The Batman.
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Nicholas Hoult confirmed in a recent interview with The Guardian that he lost out on roles in “The Batman,” “Mission: Impossible 7” and “Top Gun: Maverick” all in a row. In a new interview with GQ España, the actor stressed that he is “happy” with his career despite these “disappointments.” Hoult also went into a bit more detail about the experience of losing the title role in “The Batman” to Robert Pattinson. “Of course,” Hoult said when asked if he would’ve liked to play Bruce Wayne/Batman. “I’m sure if you ask most people, they’ll tell you they’d want to portray that role. I think Matt Reeves’ ideas were fantastic and he made a brilliant movie. And I also think that Rob [Robert Pattinson] did an amazing job with the character and I loved seeing him in it. So I don’t think I would have done as good a job as him ultimately. I don’t think I could have fit as well into the world that Matt created as Rob did.”
The Twilight Saga - in book and film form - is considered a rite of passage for teens growing up in the mid-2000's. The sheer angst emitted on screen was enough to make teeny-bopper audiences swoon.
Back to Forks? Nearly 12 years after the final Twilight movie was released, Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling franchise is reportedly getting the TV series treatment.
Zack Sharf Digital News Director What’s it like turning down Tom Cruise? Just ask Nicholas Hoult. In a new interview with The Guardian, the “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “The Menu” star revealed that Cruise personally called him to join the “Mission: Impossible” franchise for its two-part finale, which will kick off this summer with the seventh installment, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” Hoult accepted the role, which reports claimed was a huge one as it was the finale’s main villain. Hoult was cast in “Mission: Impossible 7” in January 2020, but by May 2020 he was exiting the movie and being replaced by Esai Morales. According to Hoult, his contractual obligation to his Hulu period comedy “The Great” got in the way of him joining the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been such a gut-punch had Hoult not been coming off two rejections from other major Hollywood franchises.
“Saturday Night Live”‘s season 48 is still going strong! The NBC mainstay recently announced the latest round of celebs they’ve tapped to host the celebrated sketch comedy series.
's season 48 is still going strong! The NBC mainstay recently announced the latest round of celebs they've tapped to host the celebrated sketch comedy series. star Ana de Armas will be joined by musical guest Karol G as she heads up the April 15 episode.Pete Davidson, who left the late-night sketch series at the end of season 47 in 2022, will make his return to Studio 8H on May 6.
EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker Ashley Avis (Black Beauty) has been tapped to write and direct the romance City of Angels, based on Wim Wenders’ 1987 classic City of Angels, for Warner Bros, Perez Pictures and Atlas Entertainment.
Warner Bros. Discovery disappointed the children’s TV industry last year when it pulled a number of shows from HBO Max, signaling an exit from this part of the business.
The Batman spin-off series The Penguin has arrived – watch Colin Farrell return as the titular villain below.It was confirmed last year that Farrell would reprise his role as Oswald Cobblepot – aka the Penguin – in the new series for HBO Max, which will pick up after the film’s events.“The world that Matt Reeves created for The Batman is one that warrants a deeper gaze through the eyes of Oswald Cobblepot,” Farrell said of his involvement.“I couldn’t be more excited about continuing this exploration of Oz as he rises through the darkened ranks to become The Penguin. Will be good to get him back on the streets of Gotham for a little madness and a little mayhem.”A first preview of the eight-episode series has now arrived, alongside confirmation that it will hit screens in 2024.See the trailer below.Late last year, Farrell shared details about the opening scene of the Penguin spin-off series.
Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Warner Bros. Discovery shares were down 6% at the close of trading Wednesday, on the heels of the company’s expansive presentation of its plans to overhaul the HBO Max streamer. WB Discovery shares have been battered over the past year as the company dealt with post-merger cost-cutting and management realignment. On Wednesday, the stock fell 5.8% to $14.05 on what was a down day overall for the market and a down day for most of WB Discovery’s media rivals, including Disney (down 2.5%), Paramount Global (3.3%) and Netflix (down 2%). The Dow Jones index fell a modest 38.2 points while the Nasdaq dropped 102 points, or 1%. The hourlong WB Discovery presentation was held during trading hours, at 10 a.m. PT on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank. Wall Street’s verdict on WB Discovery’s plans is still not in, but the immediate reaction of investors indicates that the company still has a long road ahead in sorting out its profit centers in the age of streaming.
“The Big Bang Theory” is approved for additional funding.
We officially have a first look at The Penguin, the continuation of The Batman epic crime lord from filmmaker Matt Reeves.
At the end of Matt Reeve‘s ‘The Batman,’ Carmine Falcone’s death leaves the Gotham underworld without a kingpin. And as far as Colin Farrell‘s Oswald Copplepot is concerned, that position is his for the taking.
Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer Oswald Cobblepot is finally getting his moment in the sun. Warner Bros. Discovery executives have unveiled the first look at “The Penguin,” the spin-off series focusing on Colin Farrell’s titular Gotham City gangster from the 2022 blockbuster film “The Batman.” The preview was part of the company’s presentation on Wednesday of its streaming service, Max, a combination of the HBO Max and Discovery+ services. “The Penguin,” which is currently in production, will run for eight episodes. Spoiler alert for that film: After Paul Dano’s the Riddler kills Carmine Falcone, one of Gotham City’s top mob bosses, he floods the major downtown area in a coordinated terrorist attack — leaving Farrell’s Cobblepot with a city in chaos and a power vacuum within Gotham’s underworld.
Taylor Swift is already inspired!
Joe Otterson TV Reporter “The Penguin” series at HBO Max has cast Carmen Ejogo, François Chau, and David H. Holmes in recurring roles, Variety has learned exclusively. The trio join a cast that includes series lead Colin Farrell, who will reprise the role of Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot from “The Batman, as well as Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, and Clancy Brown. Character details for Ejogo, Chau, and Holmes are being kept under wraps. Ejogo’s recent TV credits include “Your Honor,” “I’m a Virgo,” and “True Detective” Season 3. In film, she has starred in features such as the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise, “Alien: Covenant,” and “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” She is repped by WME and Peikoff Mahan.
UK fans of singing superstar Taylor Swift have been excited by reported sightings of the Anti-Hero hitmaker. Taylor, 33, is understood to have flown over from the United States to film a music video.
Taylour Paige, an Independent Spirit Award winner for “Zola,” is represented by CAA, Entertainment 360 and Granderson Rochers. She appears opposite Jonathan Majors in Sundance hit “Magazine Dreams.” Jovan Adepo of “Babylon,” who was Emmy-nominated for the HBO series Watchmen, is represented by Powerline Entertainment, WME and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.Chris Chalk, who plays Paul Drake on HBO’s “Perry Mason,” is represented by Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Paradigm Talent Agency and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.James Remar of “Sex and the City” and “The Warriors” fame, is among the all-star casts of Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and Francis Ford Coppola “Megalopolis.” Hei represented by Gersh Agency and Lighthouse Entertainment.Logline: Set in the world of Stephen King’s “IT” universe, “Welcome to Derry” (wt) is based on King’s “IT” novel and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films “IT” and “IT Chapter Two.”The series is produced by HBO Max and Warner Bros.