Sony Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Katcy Stephan Keke Palmer and SZA are set to star in an untitled buddy comedy film for TriStar Pictures. Lawrence Lamont (“Rap Sh!t”) is set to direct with the screenplay, written by “Rap Sh!t” showrunner Syreeta Singleton. HOORAE’s Issa Rae and Sara Diya Rastogi, ColorCreative’s Deniese Davis and MACRO Film Studios’ Charles D.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Bob Bakish may be out at Paramount Global before any sale or merger deal for the media company is completed. The board of directors of Paramount Global, including controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, have discussed a plan to oust Bakish as CEO, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous sources. Instead, the company would form an “Office of the CEO” comprising Paramount Global’s division heads to run operations on an interim basis, per the report.

Skydance and Paramount are deep into hashing out a complicated deal that would see the David Ellison’s studio and its backers take control of the storied film and television company owned by Shari Redstone. The exclusive month-long negotiating period through May 3 is likely to be extended perhaps by a few weeks, Deadline hears, given the complexity of the transaction.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Emily Blunt is staunchly opposed to algorithms making any decisions in Hollywood. Ahead of the release of her summer tentpole “The Fall Guy,” the Oscar nominee joined co-star Ryan Gosling for a Vanity Fair Italy cover story in which she expressed frustration over algorithm-driven decision making.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has hired Jill Ratner as their EVP and General Counsel, overseeing all of the studio’s legal functions, compliance and labor relations, SPE music affairs, government/external matters, and corporate social responsibility teams. 

William Earl Variety and Sony Pictures Television will host an invite-only FYC Showcase in Los Angeles on May 7 featuring activations and three panel conversations with creatives from “Gen V,” “For All Mankind,” “Justified: City Primeval,” “Platonic,” “Twisted Metal,” “Outlander” and “The Wheel of Time.” All conversations will be moderated by a Variety editor and available on Variety.com following the event. Programming includes: Building a Television Universe A conversation between showrunners and key below-the-line talent on how to successfully build a universe in the competitive television landscape.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Disney deputy general counsel Jill Ratner has exited the Mouse House to join Sony Pictures Entertainment as executive vice president and general counsel. Beginning in her new role May 28, Ratner will be overseeing all SPE’s legal functions, compliance and labor relations, SPE music affairs, government/external affairs and corporate social responsibility teams. She will report directly to CEO Tony Vinciquerra.

EXCLUSIVE: The new 28 Years Later trilogy from director Danny Boyle and Sony Pictures is gaining momentum, and some serious star power. Sources tell Deadline that Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes have boarded the first pic, a sequel to the original 28 Days Later.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Angelina Jolie‘s scrapped “Cleopatra” movie was part romance epic and part “political thriller with assassinations and sex,” according to the movie’s original screenwriter Brian Helgeland. The Oscar-winning actor was set to play the Egyptian queen in a tentpole for Sony Pictures that once courted director David Fincher to helm. It never got off the ground.

EXCLUSIVE: Nina Lederman, Sony Pictures Television’s (SPT) global scripted boss, is exiting amid the slowdown.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Clue” could soon be heading back to the screen. Hasbro Entertainment has closed a deal with Sony‘s TriStar Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for the film and TV rights for the beloved board game. “Sony is the perfect partner to adapt a property as culturally impactful and mystery-defining as ‘Clue,'” said Hasbro Heads of Film and TV Zev Foreman and Gabriel Marano.

Clue is set to get another crack at the remake treatment.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line,” a documentary feature about the veteran Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has been set as the opening gala title at the Sydney Film Festival. It will have its world premiere at the State Theatre on June 5, kicking off the festival that runs until June 16. The film is written and directed by Paul Clarke and produced by Carolina Sorensen. It was executive produced by Mikael Borglund, Paul Clarke and Martin Fabinyi. It is a Blink TV and Beyond Entertainment feature documentary with principal production funding from Screen Australia and Australian Broadcasting Corporation in association with Screen NSW.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “A Knight’s Tale” director Brian Helgeland revealed in a career retrospective interview with Inverse that his efforts to make a sequel to his 2001 medieval action-comedy classic were apparently thwarted by the Netflix algorithm. “When we finished ‘A Knight’s Tale,’ we were already thinking about making the sequel as a pirate film,” Helgeland said. “The plot revolved around Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell) kidnapping Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon) and taking her to Constantinople.

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are back as Deadpool & Wolverine in the full length trailer for the new Marvel film.

Paramount Global shares jumped 13% Friday as investors cheered news that Sony Pictures Entertainment is talking with Apollo Global Management about joining Apollo’s bid for Paramount.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Sony Pictures Entertainment and Apollo Global Management are considering a possible joint bid for Paramount Global. News of the discussions was first reported by the New York Times. Sources close to the situation confirmed the conversations but cautioned that there are numerous obstacles that would need to be overcome before the sides could formally submit an offer.

Remember those rumors, oh, eight years ago about how Sony was a target for acquisition?

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “For All Mankind” has been renewed for Season 5 at Apple TV+. In addition, Variety has learned the streamer has ordered a spinoff series focusing on the Soviet space program. The spinoff is currently titled “Star City” and hails from “For All Mankind” creators Ronald D.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., the disappointed bride in the failed engagement between Zee and Sony India, has formally ended its quest for a merger. On Tuesday, it withdrew its application before the industry regulator National Company Law Tribunal and said that it will focus instead on internal growth.

On the heels of its premiere to critical acclaim at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the documentary Kneecap on the Irish rap trio of the same name has been slated for release by Sony Pictures Classics in theaters nationwide on August 2, when it will open against Columbia Pictures’ family film Harold and the Purple Crayon.

Thania Garcia Argentinian pop singer, Martina “Tini” Stoessel, has unveiled her fifth full-length album “Un Mechón de Pelo,” the follow-up to 2023’s “Cupido.” It’s her second LP under 5020 Records and Sony Music Entertainment. “Un Mechón de Pelo” is a concept album that touches on topics ranging from mental health to the evolution of her career as an actor and singer-songwriter.

S.W.A.T. is not ending after all. Beating the odds a second time, the action drama has been renewed for the 2024-25 season, with Shemar Moore set to continue as star and executive producer. I hear Season 8 will consist of 22 episodes.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Turns out reports of “S.W.A.T’s” cancellation have been greatly exaggerated. CBS has renewed the cop drama for Season 8 despite announcing its seventh season would be its last nearly a year ago. The latest drama marks the second time “S.W.A.T” has technically escaped cancellation, with CBS initially axing the show before announcing it would return for one last run.

Selome Hailu Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has set two new unscripted series at Netflix via her Archewell Productions banner, which is under an overall deal at the streamer. The first series will be curated by the Duchess, aka Meghan Markle, and will “celebrate the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining, and friendship” per an official description.

Is Nia DaCosta headed back to the horror genre? Deadline reports that the “Candyman” director is in talks with Sony Pictures to direct the second film in the upcoming “28 Years Later” trilogy. If DaCosta does signs on, she’ll shoot her installment immediately after Danny Boyle wraps the first one later this year.   READ MORE: ’28 Years Later’: Cillian Murphy Says “Watch This Space” About Whether He’ll Star And that means Sony, Boyle, and writer Alex Garland are working fast to make this new trilogy a reality.

EXCLUSIVE: While Danny Boyle is set to return to direct 28 Years Later, the first film in a new trilogy based on the iconic horror films he helped launch, Sony Pictures is already lining up the helmer for the second installment. While a deal hasn’t closed, sources tell Deadline that Nia DaCosta is in talks to direct, with Boyle, original writer Alex Garland, Andrew Macdonald and Peter Rice producing along with Bernie Bellew. 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy will exec produce.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Jeopardy! Masters” is back for its second tournament, with hour-long episodes over three weeks starting May 1 on ABC. The “Jeopardy! Masters” event features the six highest-ranked current “Jeopardy!” contestants battling it out in two games per hourlong episode. “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings also hosts “Jeopardy! Masters.” Contestants on this tournament include “Jeopardy! Masters” 2023 champion James Holzhauer, as well as returning contestants Matt Amodio and Mattea Roach, and newcomers Yogesh Raut and Victoria Groce.

So, Sony was here at CinemaCon after all. In a way. Sony domestic distribution chief Adrian Smith took the stage to introduce the first ever Crunchyroll presentation at the Las Vegas exhibitor and studio confab. Smith beamed that the label “has exceeded all our expectations and everyone at Sony is excited about the future and what’s coming.” 

Fly Me to the Moon is coming soon!