It’s obvious that Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” is going to be a big film. The feature is set to star Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, two of the biggest stars in the world. Not only that, but Fennell is coming off of “Saltburn,” which was a huge hit on streaming. So, it makes sense that when “Wuthering Heights” was looking for a studio, everyone came out of the woodwork to try to make a deal.

Continue reading ‘Wuthering Heights’: Emerald Fennell Turned Down A Huge Netflix Deal Because She Wants A Theatrical Release at The Playlist.

More “Harry Potter” is coming from Warner Bros., as the studio revealed last Spring. But don’t expect it to reach Max for another couple of years. Deadline reports that WBD CEO David Zaslav revealed the premiere window for the series reboot of the “Harry Potter” franchise on a Q4 earning call this morning. The target? Sometime in 2026.

READ MORE: More Max News: ‘Harry Potter’ & ‘The Conjuring’ Series, A ‘Big Bang Theory’ Spinoff & ‘Gremlins: Secret Of The Mogwai’ Premieres On May 23

That’s a broad guess on Zaslav’s part, but it does presuppose that the upcoming series is in active development, and maybe further along than people realize.

Continue reading ‘Harry Potter’: Warner Bros. Aims For 2026 Premiere Date For Upcoming Reboot Series at The Playlist.

You may or may not watch sports on television, but the announcement this afternoon of a new streaming partnership may be a major incentive for your household to cut that cable bill. In a seismic moment in streaming history, the Walt Disney Company (ESPN, ABC), FOX, and Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT, TBS) revealed that a new one-stop streaming destination with all their sports content will launch this fall. The partnership is currently unnamed but will be independently run under its own leadership team.

Continue reading Will This New ESPN, FOX & TNT Sports Streaming App Finally Let You Cancel Cable? at The Playlist.

Before the MCU‘s “The Avengers” took over the silver screen, a different “The Avengers” held sway over TVs in the UK. And Studiocanal hopes they might replicate the sensation of the original series with a reboot. Deadline reports that the studio has a remake of the iconic ’60s spy series in the works, with two buzzy writers at the helm: “Industry” scribes Mickey Down and Konrad Kay.

Continue reading ‘The Avengers’: Studiocanal Rebooting Iconic ’60s TV Series From ‘Industry’ Scribes Mickey Down & Konrad Kay at The Playlist.

There aren’t many true movie stars in Hollywood anymore. Sure, there are A-listers, but there aren’t many people who actually can lend their name to a film and watch it become a hit just based on name recognition alone. Tom Cruise is one of those people. So, you better believe studios would love to have Cruise working for them. And now, Warner Bros. can lay claim to the future of Mr.

Continue reading Tom Cruise Signs Film Deal With Warner Bros. But Will Still Make ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ at The Playlist.

Last week, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav made news, yet again, regarding a controversial move to shelve an already-produced film. Following on the heels of previous features who earned the distinction of being canceled after production was complete, “Batgirl” and “Scoob! 2,” it appears “Coyote vs. Acme” is doomed to join their ranks. Well, at least for now.

Continue reading ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’: The Shelved Film From WB Will Reportedly Be Shopped Around To Other Studios at The Playlist.

It’s official: Deadline reports that Greta Gerwig‘s “Barbie” is now the highest-grossing domestic film of 2023. This comes to the surprise of no one who’s felt the Kenergy since the film hit theaters a little over a month ago with a $162 million opening weekend. “Barbie” now stands at over $575 million domestically, making it the highest-grossing film from Warner Bros. ever. Gerwig’s film beat Christopher Nolan‘s 2008 film “The Dark Knight” for that honor.

Continue reading ‘Barbie’ Surpasses ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ As 2023’s Highest-Grossing Domestic Film at The Playlist.

No one asked for “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” to share this ridiculous connection they have forged, as the two films were released on the same day. We’ve seen plenty of major films get the same release dates. Maybe it’s because the two films are so different, but for months, film fans were hyping up the “Barbenheimer” double-feature. This led to massive opening weekends for both films, more than Warner Bros.

Continue reading WB Apologizes To Japanese Branch For “Insensitive” ‘Barbenheimer’ Social Media Interactions at The Playlist.

Over the past week, you’ve likely heard the outcry from filmmakers and film fans about the uncertain fate of TCM under the Warner Bros. Discovery regime. It feels as if the network is facing an existential threat under the umbrella of a corporation looking at every way to cut costs. But thankfully, there are folks like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson making calls and trying their best to save TCM.

Continue reading WB Reportedly Lands Paul Thomas Anderson’s New Film Rumored To Star Joaquin Phoenix, Viggo Mortensen & Regina Hall at The Playlist.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a CEO in the film and TV industry to have such an immediate impact as David Zaslav over at Warner Bros. Discovery. We saw a huge change happen when Zaslav took over WBD last year, canceling “Batgirl” (and various other projects), hiring James Gunn/Peter Safran to take over DC Studios and reboot everything, and combining HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming services into Max.

Continue reading Warner Bros. Discovery In Talks To License ‘Insecure’ & Other HBO Series To Netflix at The Playlist.

If you were ever questioning just how powerful Christopher Nolan is in Hollywood, look no further than the situation that developed between the filmmaker and Warner Bros. during the pandemic. After the release of “Tenet” in theaters during the height of COVID, WB entered 2021 with a new idea to release films both in theaters and on streaming at the same time. This reportedly upset Nolan, who then left WB to go work under the Universal banner for his next film, “Oppenheimer.” The bidding war that erupted after Nolan left proved that the filmmaker is one of the hottest commodities in the film industry right now.

Continue reading WB Reportedly Gave Christopher Nolan A Seven-Figure Check For ‘Tenet’ Royalties After The Filmmaker Left For Universal at The Playlist.

As if movie fans needed another reason to be wary of new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav: Deadline reports that the CEO told the hosts of the CNBC show “Squawk Box” that “a love for working” will be what ultimately ends the current WGA writers’ strike. Sure, Mr. Zaslav: very easy to say on a $35 million annual salary (via Gizmodo).

READ MORE: WGA Goes On Strike: What It Means For Hollywood

That’s not what anyone wants the head of a media company to say when writers can’t afford a living wage: to pay rent, child support, or innumerable other expenses; hence the strike.

Continue reading Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav Says “A Love For Working” Is What Will Resolve Ongoing WGA Strike at The Playlist.

It really does feel like a lifetime ago when Warner Bros. defiantly said, during the beginning of the pandemic, that every film released in 2021 was going to hit theaters and streaming on the same day. That announcement caused all sorts of ripples throughout the industry, leading filmmakers to get upset and theater owners to wonder what the future of the business might look like. Now, just over two years later and with new leadership, Warner Bros.

Continue reading Warner Bros. Discovery Boss Says Studio “Does Not Believe In Streaming Movies” at The Playlist.

Even before the whole Snyder Cut situation, there were plenty of reports floating around that behind-the-scenes drama surrounded the Warner Bros. film, “Justice League,” while it was in production. And one of the biggest bits of information that was disseminated was that the studio wanted “Justice League” to include more humor, as Marvel Studios films were vastly outperforming the DCEU products directed by Zack Snyder.

Continue reading Zack Snyder Says Original ‘Justice League’ Script Was “Darker & Weirder” Before WB Asked For A “Funnier” Movie at The Playlist.

Yesterday, it was revealed that Warner Bros. Discovery (and its New Line studio) and Embracer Group have hammered out a deal to make more “Lord of the Rings” films in the future. Obviously, it’s not really known exactly what those films will cover and who is going to work on them, specifically, but they’re happening. And you can’t talk about new “Lord of the Rings” films without talking about Peter Jackson, the director of two separate ‘Rings’ film trilogies. 

Continue reading Peter Jackson Has Been “Kept In The Loop” About Plans For New ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Films at The Playlist.

We are now just over a week into 2023, and on the surface, it would appear that Warner Bros. Discovery finally has a vision for DC Studios and the future of the superhero franchise. With James Gunn and Peter Safran in charge, there is clearly a new direction for the DCU, and we’ll probably learn the first steps later this month. But that isn’t stopping Zack Snyder’s legion of fans from beginning a new social media campaign to somehow continue his vision of the DC superhero universe.

Continue reading Zack Snyder’s Fans Want Netflix To Buy The Rights To The DC SnyderVerse at The Playlist.

Hollywood is on edge. There have been corporate layoffs, with fears of more to come after January 1. Peak TV appears to be over (more on that later), and there are rumblings of the first strike-affected work stoppage in 16 years. But if we review the biggest entertainment stories of 2022, there are signs of hope and happier returns, especially in the movie business.

READ MORE: The Playlist’s Guilty Pleasures Of 2022

Globally, the movie industry justifiably lost the Russian market due to the Ukraine War, but India’s market is growing, and China has shown glimmers of allowing more American releases moving forward.

Continue reading The Biggest Entertainment Stories Of 2022 & What’s Next at The Playlist.

Yesterday, The Hollywood Reporter broke a lot of news about the DCU‘s future, with multiple bombshells in the mix about a drastic full reset for the franchise. The biggest one?  Patty Jenkins‘ “Wonder Woman 3” is dead, and it’s possible “Man Of Steel 2” may get the ax, too. Amid that, lots of rumors too, particularly about casting turnover: Jason Momoa being recast as Lobo; Henry Cavill may or may not reprise his role as Superman.  

READ MORE: DC Studios May Recast Jason Momoa From Aquaman To Lobo In The Near Future

It’s a lot for DC fans to take in, and, frankly, it’s a chaotic state of affairs.

Continue reading James Gunn Acknowledges The Massive DC Franchise Overhaul: “We Are Not Going To Make Every Single Person Happy” at The Playlist.

Even though it happened months ago, people still can’t get enough of the story regarding Warner Bros. Discovery’s shelving of “Batgirl” while the film was deep into post-production. Sure, films have been canceled and shelved before. But the idea of a nearly-$100 million superhero film getting locked away in a vault with so much fanfare is just so ridiculous to imagine. Yet, it is the reality that filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are living through right now.

Continue reading ‘Batgirl’ Directors Would Still Love To Work With Warner Bros. Discovery In The Future at The Playlist.

What does Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav have in mind for his studio’s near future? Deadline reports that on a Q3 earnings call yesterday afternoon, Zaslav detailed exactly what he envisions, and it’s all about big tentpole franchises. “We’re going to have a real focus on franchises,” said the President and CEO. “We haven’t had a “Superman” movie in 13 years. We haven’t had a “Harry Potter” movie in 15 years.”

READ MORE: ‘Batgirl’: Brendan Fraser Says Film’s “Tragic” Cancellation “Doesn’t Engender Trust” With Filmmakers

Why are franchises Zaslav’s primary focus for the future of Warner Bros.?

Continue reading Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav Wants A “Real Focus On Franchises” Like ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Superman’ & ‘LOTR’ Moving Forward at The Playlist.

When Warner Bros. started canceling various projects after the Discovery merger, we saw the studio end several DC Comics films/shows in the development phase. But none shocked everyone like the controversial decision to kill the nearly completely “Batgirl” film from directing duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, starring Leslie Grace as the DCEU’s version of Barbara Gordon.

Continue reading Russo Brothers Warn Of “Corporate Sociopaths” In Film Industry As They Discuss The “Murder” Of ‘Batgirl’ at The Playlist.

Earlier this week, Warner Bros. Discovery made waves by making James Gunn and producer Peter Safran the heads of DC Studios. Gunn running the DCEU brings up a load of questions. Does this renew the DC-Marvel rivalry, which has long been lopsided in Marvel’s favor? Will Gunn’s presence give DC movies an upturn in quality, ala last year’s “The Suicide Squad“?

Continue reading James Gunn Has Kevin Feige’s Full Support For His New DC Job: “I’ll Be First In Line” at The Playlist.

It was quite a shock in August when Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav scrapped “Batgirl” entirely in what he deemed an attempt “to protect the DC brand.” The move to shelve the movie was the biggest one in Zaslav’s major shake-ups to the future of the DCEU and HBO Max. And the “funeral screenings” the studio held for the crew in late August are the closest thing “Batgirl” will ever get to a public release.

Continue reading ‘Batgirl’: Star Leslie Grace Leaks Brief Clip Of Footage From The Scrapped Movie On TikTok at The Playlist.

“Lethal Weapon 5” has already had a major tragic delay, with original director Richard Donner passing away in 2021. But now lead star and new director Mel Gibson claims another issue holds up the movie: the Warner Bros. Discovery merger and all the shake-ups started by new CEO David Zaslav.

READ MORE: ‘Lethal Weapon 5’: Mel Gibson To Direct, Reportedly For HBO Max

IndieWire (via ScreenRant) reports that Zaslav’s new direction for the company, especially his future plans for HBO Max, have put the movie’s production on hold.

Continue reading ‘Lethal Weapon 5’: Mel Gibson Blames Warner Bros. Discovery Merger For Movie’s Production Delay at The Playlist.

Since David Zaslav took over as CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, the future of the DCEU has been in major upheaval. But a new TV spot for “Black Adam,” in theaters next month, may offer a preview of what Zaslav’s new vision for DC’s future is. And from the looks of things, they will be a lot of cross-over between Dwayne Johnson‘s new anti-hero and other DCEU characters.

Continue reading New ‘Black Adam’ TV Spot Teases Amanda Waller & Possibly Other DC Heroes In Upcoming Film at The Playlist.