It’s a difficult moment for mid-sized unscripted production companies right now.
A slow-down of greenlights amid cost cutting within all of the major media conglomerates, and seemingly no bump from the writers and actors strike despite what many were expecting, has led to doom and gloom across the non-scripted sector.
As a result of all of this, many companies have had to undergo layoffs. Deadline understands that companies including Bunim/Murray, Half-Yard Productions and Propagate Content have all cut staff recently and more are expected to follow suit. ITV America-backed High Noon Entertainment informed its local production staff in Denver that due to production cycles, the number of workers contracted when shows weren’t in production would be reduced. Hot Snakes Media is said to be in a similar situation.
“It’s the toughest time to be in unscripted that I can remember,” one unscripted producer told Deadline. >>>"Brutal" |
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'Hal' And Pals - Lili Reinhart, Cooper Raiff and Mark Ruffalo are set to headline Hal & Harper, an independent television series from Cha Cha Real Smooth filmmaker and star Raiff, Deadline has learned. According to sources, Addison Timlin (Blackout) and Havana Rose Liu (No Exit) also have been cast in the show, written and directed by Raiff. Hal & Harper landed a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement before the guild on Monday modified its policy to exclude WGA-covered projects shot in the U.S. >>> Comedic Family Drama
Fast TV - Netflix is continuing to ramp up its slate of sports docuseries. The streamer is turning its attention to the world of sprinting with its latest series. The untitled series will follow the top sprinters in the world, going deep into the psyches of elite competitors who train to be the fastest people on the planet. >>>Set To Shoot At World Championships
Collecting Gold Coins - With Tuesday’s grosses, Illumination/Nintendo/Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie has crossed the $100M mark in Japan. In doing so, it becomes Universal’s top title ever there. Overall, Mario overtakes Top Gun: Maverick as the No. 6 Hollywood film of all time in Japan, and is the No. 1 studio picture since the beginning of the pandemic. >>> Worldwide Total: $1.357B
'Blue Beetle' Review - Give the old era of DC movies at Warner Bros. some credit for going out in style. June’s big-screen The Flash, despite disappointing some fanboys (and the studio at the box office) was a winning affair, a step above most superhero fare. And now we can say the same for the first cinematic attempt at bringing Blue Beetle to life, a much better movie than its August 18 release date might indicate. >>> Pete Hammond's Take |
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After shooting the Taylor Swift documentary Miss Americana, examining another pop icon in Brooke Shields was a natural segue for filmmaker Lana Wilson. The director is up for a Primetime Emmy nomination in Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program for the Hulu/ABC News docuseries Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields. Here, Wilson shares with us how the docuseries captures Shields’ own evolution as mother. We also talk with Wilson about her booming career as a documentary filmmaker. >>> Listen |
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BY THE NUMBERS
$1 million - The approximate total financial assistance provided by MPTF to those effected by the strike |
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More News
🎸 Sony Picture Classics and Trafalgar Releasing have firmed up worldwide release plans for Carlos, their feature documentary on 10-time Grammy-winning musical icon, Carlos Santana. The film on the father of Latin American jazz fusion will launch in theaters in September with the three-day premiere event, CARLOS: The Santana Journey Global Premiere.
✨ Foe, a sci-fi drama starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal, and The Curse, a series created by and starring Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, will have their world premieres at the New York Film Festival. The two titles are among the Spotlight selections just announced by fest organizers.
✂️ In the wake of large-scale staff reductions across Warner Bros Discovery earlier this year, the marketing department at Max has now also experienced layoffs. The tally of workers let go in the streaming unit is a double-digit number, a person familiar with the situation told Deadline.
🤝 Hasbro has set its leadership team for its “asset-lite” entertainment division, a series of moves that come after the toymaker sold eOne to Lionsgate for $500 million. Olivier Dumont, previously President of Family Brands for eOne, will run Hasbro Entertainment, the company said Wednesday. Gabriel Marano, who was Co-Head of Scripted Development for eOne, will oversee television and Zev Foreman, who was President of Film Production for eOne, will run film.
💰 Angel Studios, the distributor behind Alejandro Monteverde’s summer surprise hit, Sound of Freedom, is reporting that they’ve paid back their 6,678 P&A investors 120% of their original investment in the Jim Caviezel movie. Angel Studios raised $5M for the pic’s marketing through crowdfunding, the anti-child trafficking movie recently clicking past $174M in the middle of its sixth week. |
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Trending  The romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue, which is an adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s bestselling novel, launched on Prime Video on August 11 and is already the No. 1 movie globally on Prime Video in its premiere weekend.
🔻 U.S. Women’s National Team soccer coach Vlatko Andonovski has resigned, according to multiple reports, after failing to lead the squad past the Round of 16 at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The powerhouse U.S team had previously never done worse than third place in the tournament. |
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OBITUARIES
🕯 Michael Parkinson , legendary UK broadcaster and chat show host, has died at the age of 88, according to his family. A statement from his family to the BBC read: “After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family. The family request that they are given privacy and time to grieve.” The British broadcaster was an evergreen on UK screens in a career spanning seven decades, and he interviewed the world’s biggest stars on his long-running chat show. Guests over the years included Muhammad Ali, Elton John, Madonna, Helen Mirren, Tom Cruise and Robert De Niro. 🕯 Jerry Moss , the Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who co-founded A&M Records with Herb Alpert more than 60 years ago and helped build it into one of the most successful independent record labels in history, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 88. 🕯 Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries |
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On the Radar Fri - Blue Beetle opens
Sat - Stand Up to Cancer special
Sun - Women's World Cup final (England v. Spain)
Wed - First GOP debate; Ashoka premieres on Disney+ |
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NOAA's Arc - The remnants of Hurricane Hilary are forecast to hit the California coast late Sunday with tropical storm-force winds, a very unseasonable 1-2" of rain and potentially some lightning. NOAA graphics released Wednesday chart the storm's unusual projected course in full color. According to the National Weather Service, only one full-blown tropical storm has hit the coast of California in recorded history: a 1939 tempest that made landfall near San Pedro. |
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