Dennis Miller has stepped down as President of the CW after two years. According to sources, he has shared the news with company staff. The CW President of Entertainment Brad Schwartz is expected to succeed him. A rep for Nexstar declined comment.
The move brings together the business and programming oversight of the CW into one job, the way it was before the network was acquired by Nexstar when it was run by CEO Mark Pedowitz.
In a memo to staffers, Miller conceded that the overhaul of the network has sometimes been “bumpy and uncomfortable” but said it represents “the only path forward.”
Nexstar CEO Perry Sook saluted Miller for “broadening the appeal” of the network during his two years at the helm. >>>More Cuts On The Way? |
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| Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
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'Fairy Tale' Beginning - A24 has taken on the Stephen King bestseller Fairy Tale. The dark fantasy will be mounted as a 10-episode series. Paul Greengrass, who wrote a script and expected to direct a feature from it, is expected to still be in the middle of things. That script will be expanded by Greengrass and J.H. Wyman, who will be the showrunner and whose credits include Fringe, Almost Human and Debris. >>> Peter Rice To EP
B.O. Suspense - Paramount‘s sequel Smile 2 currently sees presales pointing toward a high-teens domestic opening. Tracking earlier this week indicated higher, in the $20 million-plus range, but that all depends on whether Latino and Hispanic moviegoers get behind the sequel, which is said to have cost $28M. >>>First Film Opened To $22.6M
Battling The BBC's "Snobbery" - Disney+'s Rivals may launch tomorrow, but the Jilly Cooper adaptation has been living inside producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins’ head since he entered the TV industry decades ago. “I had meetings with the BBC and ITV years ago when I didn’t have the rights and when I said, ‘Would you go for something like Jilly Cooper?’ they would look at me like I’d farted,” he said. “There’s a snobbery about her. Throughout my career I had kept mentioning Jilly and everyone sort of laughed at and ridiculed me.” >>>Q&A
Lawrence & Clinton Boost Abortion Doc - Zurawski v Texas, the documentary about women who sued Texas after the state’s strict anti-abortion laws almost cost them their lives, will reach theaters before the presidential election. The film, executive produced by a team including Jennifer Lawrence, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, will launch in New York, Los Angeles and cities across Texas beginning October 25. >>>" It Was Critical"
In Brief - Tyler Perry Studios inks overall deal with Courtney Glaude... Taylor Tomlinson to publish book of essays... Camilla Belle signs with Buchwald |
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Audiences were probably wondering how FX’s Grotesquerie would sustain another four episodes when Niecy Nash’s Lois Tryon had seemingly caught (and killed) the serial killer on the loose.
Well, things take a massive turn in Episode 7. And we’ve barely scratched the surface of the truth, teases FX chief John Landgraf, who says “there’s more layers to come” over the remaining three episodes.
He and Grotesquerie creator Ryan Murphy spoke with Deadline about taking such a big swing with the latest project in their 21-year working relationship and the implications of this revelation over the rest of the series. They also explain how they’re pushing new boundaries, and in some ways revisiting their first project Nip/Tuck, with Murphy’s upcoming FX series The Beauty. >>>Read The Interview |
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Exclusive
One Tree Hill and Chicago P.D. alumna Sophia Bush has been tapped for a major recurring role on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. This marks the highest profile new cast addition to the venerable medical drama’s 21st season so far.
Exclusive
Having landed the coveted role of Clark Kent in DC Studios’ Superman, David Corenswet looks to have his sights set on a follow-up project. Sources tell Deadline that he is in negotiations to star in the Skydance Sports pic Mr. Irrelevant.
Seann William Scott has been tapped as a lead opposite Tim Allen and Kat Dennings in the upcoming ABC multi-camera comedy series Shifting Gears.
Exclusive
Mamoudou Athie is in final talks to join the ensemble of A24 and Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama, with Zendaya and Robert Pattinson on board to star. Borgli will direct from a script he wrote. Alana Haim is also in talks to join the cast.
In Brief - Mason Dye cast as Bombsight in The Boys season 5... Edgar Wright’s The Running Man adds Karl Glusman |
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BY THE NUMBERS
45 - Number of live regular-season games of the newly formed 3-on-3 women’s pro basketball Unrivaled that TNT and truTV will feature under a new rights deal |
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More News
🖥️ Amazon Prime Video confirmed plans today for an election night special anchored by Brian Williams. Election Night Live with Brian Williams will mark Williams’ first major appearance since departing MSNBC and NBC News.
🎢 Universal Orlando Resort said its highly anticipated fourth theme park – Universal Epic Universe – will officially open on May 22, 2025, ending speculation around the unveiling of the company's most most ambitious park, which features five new worlds.
🎥 Sony Pictures and Masters of the Universe producer Escape Artists are developing a live-action film based on another Mattel toy line: View-Master, the 3D image reel viewer that was first introduced in 1939.
🤦♂️ Fox News’ Bret Baier appeared largely out of his depth interviewing Vice President Kamala Harris on the Rupert Murdoch-owned outlet. Challenged on his questions and wanting to flex his own muscles, Baier ended up fumbling his line of questioning and losing control of the interview to the well-prepped VP.
📺 BBC Studios is unifying content sales under Janet Brown. The BBC’s commercial arm will launch a Global Content Sales division with Brown overseeing content sales across all regions while centralizing global operations and content investment. |
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Trending
 The October 12 episode of SNL, which Ariana Grande hosted with Stevie Nicks as the musical guest, drew 5.6M live + same-day viewers, according to NBCUniversal. That makes it the most-watched episode of SNL in more than three years.
🔻 FilmLA said Wednesday that shoot days in Los Angeles fell 5% during the July-to-September period to 5,048, marking the weakest quarter of 2024 and surprisingly falling below the strike-riddled Q3 last year. |
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On the Radar
Thurs - New York Comic Con begins; Netflix reports third-quarter earnings
Fri - S.W.A.T. S8 premiere
Sat - Michael Keaton hosts SNL; Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony
Sun - Obama headlines Harris fundraiser in L.A.
Mon - MIPCOM begins
Tue - NBA season tips off
Wed - AFI Fest starts |
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Driving Force - Adam Driver during a curtain call for Kenneth Lonergan's Hold On To Me Darling on opening night at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. The intense Driver and co-star Heather Burns end up "running off with the show hand in hand," writes Deadline's Greg Evans. |
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