David Ellison Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

EXCLUSIVE: Arian Moayed and Carmen Ejogo have joined John Krasinski and Natalie Portman in Apple‘s Fountain of Youth, a feature film based on an original idea that will be directed by Guy Ritchie and hails from Skydance Media. Also starring Eiza Gonzalez and Domhnall Gleeson, the film will be produced for Apple by Skydance, Vinson Films and Project X Entertainment.

Paramount Global has sold its 13% equity interest in Viacom18 Media to Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries for the equivalent $517 million.

Paramount Global chief financial officer Naveen Chopra said management is chipping away at debt, cutting costs, heading towards streaming profitability and otherwise “focused on execution” but won’t ignore other opportunities to create value for shareholders.

EXCLUSIVE: Skydance has closed a deal with Mila Kunis (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) to produce and star in The 47 Night Stand, a new film scripted by 4x Emmy nominee Greg Malins (Friends, How I Met Your Mother).

Apple TV+ has greenlit the new science fiction series Neuromancer, a 10-episode drama based on William Gibson’s debut novel of the same name.

Troy Kotsur, who won the Oscar for his role in CODA, is heading back to Apple.

EXCLUSIVE: Laz Alonso (The Boys) has joined the cast of Fountain of Youth, Guy Ritchie’s new film for Apple, Deadline can reveal. He’ll star opposite the previously announced John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza Gonzalez and Domhnall Gleeson.

EXCLUSIVE: We are hearing that Apollo Global Management, who was mulling an offer for National Amusements, the Redstone family company that controls Paramount Global, is no longer considering that now.

Warners Bros has screened their axed Coyote vs. Acme to around 12 buyers we hear with a rigid buy price of $70M+; which is how much the animated live-action hybrid movie cost.

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.

Prime Video has revealed that Season 3 of Reacher will be based on the book Persuader, the 7th book in the Jack Reacher series, written by Lee Child.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Amazon has confirmed which Lee Child book will serve as the basis for “Reacher” Season 3. The third season of the Prime Video series, which was announced in December, will be based on the book “Persuader.” That book is the seventh in the Jack Reacher series written by Child. The official logline for the season states, “Reacher must go undercover to rescue an informant held by a haunting foe from his past.” In addition, it is now confirmed that Maria Sten will return as Frances Neagley in the third season of the hit show, with Sten having appeared in both Seasons 1 & 2.

EXCLUSIVE: Domhnall Gleeson has joined the cast of Apple‘s Fountain of Youth, a feature film based on an original idea that will be directed by Guy Ritchie and hails from Skydance Media. Also starring John Krasinski and Natalie Portman, the film will be produced for Apple by Skydance, Vinson Films and Project X Entertainment.

Tom Cruise is set to star in a third Top Gun movie.According to Puck News, Paramount has commissioned Top Gun: Maverick screenwriter Ehren Kruger to start work on a third instalment in the franchise.The studio also plans for director Joseph Kosinski to return and for Cruise to reunite with his co-stars Glen Powell and Miles Teller as well as producers Jerry Bruckheimer and David Ellison.Cruise is currently shooting the next Mission: Impossible movie for Paramount which is scheduled to be released on May 23, 2025.Reviewing the 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick, NME awarded the film three stars and described it as “an engaging if brainless return to the danger zone”.It added: “Trickled between some breathtaking sequences of G-Force 9 air ballet, it makes for an entertaining blockbuster ride back into the danger zone, albeit one with the fuel pipe to its brain resolutely disengaged.”Cruise, meanwhile recently personally stepped in to support his agent, after she was relieved of her duties following pro-Palestinian social media posts.She had made a number of posts on Instagram, including one that read: “What’s more heartbreaking than witnessing genocide? Witnessing the denial that genocide is happening.”Cruise took “the rare step of going in person” to her office to show his support for her, and he made it known to CAA that he was backing her.

Even though Tom Cruise inked a non-exclusive pact at Warner Bros earlier this week, it looks like he’ll continue to be busy with Paramount for some time. Reports tonight are that Top Gun 3 is in development at Paramount with Top Gun:Maverick co-writer Ehren Kruger currently writing a draft.

EXCLUSIVE: Following the success of The Family Planlast month, Apple Original Films and Skydance are reteaming on another tentpole as Deadline is hearing John Krasinski and Natalie Portman are set to star in Fountain of Youth with Guy Ritchie directing. Skydance Media will serve as the studio, and the film will be produced for Apple by Skydance, Vinson Films and Project X Entertainment.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Skydance Media and Paramount Global‘s controlling shareholder are engaged in talks that could fold the home of CBS, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central into a new entity controlled by the people who produce starry Hollywood franchises such as “Mission Impossible” and “Tranformers.” Shari Redstone, who controls Paramount’s corporate parent, National Amusements Inc., is in early discussions with a consortium of investors led by Skydance founder David Ellison,. (above, pictured), according to a person familiar with the matter.

A new scenario has surfaced in the ever-swirling speculation about Paramount Global’s fate.

EXCLUSIVE: Skydance has taken on the challenge of turning the bestselling YA fantasy novel series Ranger’s Apprentice into a live action film, with the hope it can become a franchise. Skydance has gotten control of the John Flanagan book series, and has closed a big deal with Hidden Figures helmer Ted Melfi to adapt, direct, and produce the film. Kim Quinn will also be producer.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Would the combination of Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global — two companies heavily tied to the declining legacy TV biz — make financial sense? Investors reacted to news of early talks between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount about a potential merger, which broke just prior to market close Wednesday.

Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global have held talks about a potential merger of the two media companies, Variety has confirmed.

EXCLUSIVE: There’s a lot of noise in town about Skydance Boss David Ellison and RedBird Capital making a go at Paramount Global, but via National Amusements.

Reacher will be searching for more truths after being handed an early season 3 renewal.

Netflix has dropped the first teaser for Terminator: The Anime Series from Japanese animation studio Production G.

Remember Marky Mark? If you’re under a certain age, probably not, and Mark Wahlberg has some fun with that notion in the new trailer for the upcoming Apple TV+ action-comedy The Family Plan.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer A dizzying amount of A-list Hollywood actors, comedians and entertainment executives signed an open letter to President Joe Biden on Monday, calling for the release of all hostages taken by terrorist group Hamas. Amy Schumer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Chris Rock, Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry, Bradley Cooper, Justin Timberlake and more were among the highly visible figures to sign the note, launching a formal campaign called #NoHostageLeftBehind.

Angelique Jackson Tyler Perry has formalized a new creative partnership with Netflix to write, direct and produce feature films under a multi-year, first-look deal. The pact spans eight pictures over four years. Perry already has five films under his belt at the streamer: “A Fall From Grace,” “A Madea Homecoming,” the period drama “A Jazzman’s Blues” (his longtime passion project produced from his first screenplay, written 27 years prior), the upcoming World War II-set drama “Six Triple Eight” and the thriller “Mea Culpa.” Endeavor and TKO CEO Ari Emanuel teased the new pact at Bloomberg Media’s Screentime conference on Oct.