Media companies, talent agencies and startups are planning cocktail receptions and parties surrounding this weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, but what will be strikingly different is the main event itself.
There will be no president. Donald Trump, as he did in his first term, is skipping it. There will be no comedian, as the WHCA dropped plans to feature Amber Ruffin. And the typical Hollywood turnout so far looks to be scant.
Instead, the dinner at the Washington Hilton looks to reflect the moment – which is to say, a state of anxiety for journalism in general, what with the Trump administration waging a war on the mainstream media. >>>Parties Will Still Have Star Power |
|
Road To The Upfronts
CBS - The Equalizer spinoff starring Titus Welliver is not moving forward...The FBI offshoot tentatively titled CIA is moving forward with a straight-to-series order... Standalone pilots DMV, starring Colin From Accounts' Harriet Dyer, and drama Einstein, headlined by Criminal Minds alum Matthew Gray Gubler, got series orders... Poppa’s House , starring Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr., is not being renewed for a second season... Adventure reality competition series The Summit was axed... Christopher Gorham and Michele Weaver joined the cast of Fire Country spinoff series Sheriff Country.
ABC - Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and Dancing with the Stars were renewed... The Golden Bachelor got a second season and revealed its next leading man will be 66-year-old NFL veteran-turned-lawyer Mel Owens... Former Bachelorette Hannah Brown has joined the Bachelor in Paradise team... Deric Augustine has been promoted to series regular on ABC's hit series The Rookie.
Hulu - The Kardashian clan is developing a reality spin-off entitled Calabasas Behind the Gates... A series order was given to Love Thy Nader, which will follow the lives of Sports Illustrated model Brooks Nader and her sisters Sarah Jane, Grace Ann and Mary Holland in New York City... The upcoming, untitled limited series about the Murdaugh Murders, added Madeline Popovich, Jessi Case, Jim O’Heir, Mark Pellegrino, Nicholas Cirillo, Patch Darragh and Ryan Paynter. |
|
| Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
|
The Final Hours Of John Lennon - Steven Soderbergh is out to the town with an untitled feature doc, centered on the final interview of John Lennon. The search for a distributor is on, with the film to be completed by end of year. Lennon’s last in-depth interview centered on the release of his album, Double Fantasy. >>>In Production Now
Harvey Weinstein Back On Trial - More than five years after Harvey Weinstein‘s previous New York City sex crimes trial, his retrial for rape and sexual assault is getting under way this morning in a Manhattan courtroom. An appeals court last year threw out the guilty verdict delivered in 2020, which saw the once-powerful producer sentenced to 23 years in prison. >>> Three Accusers In Court
CA Tax Credit Bill Progresses - On Tuesday, the State Assembly’s Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism Committee voted out of committee AB1138, one of two sister bills working their way through the state legislature that are designed to modernize the state’s incentive program and encourage production to return to California. >>>Goes To Full Assembly
Amazon MGM Lands 'Ransom' - Amazon MGM Studios has landed film rights to James Patterson and Duane Swierczynski’s forthcoming book, Billion-Dollar Ransom. The feature take is currently in the works with Traffic Oscar-winning scribe Stephen Gaghan adapting. >>>Matt Reeves Among Producers
Doc Talk: Miranda Yousef - Painter Thomas Kinkade's complicated and fascinating story is told in the acclaimed new documentary Art for Everybody, directed by Miranda Yousef. Yousef explains how Kinkade built an art empire, selling his work and branded merchandise through mall stores. A born-again Christian, he was battling demons and secretly creating artwork of a very different kind. >>> Podcast Interview
‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ Broadway Review - Broadway goes Upside Down with Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which opened Tuesday night at the Marquis Theatre and setting a new standard for what’s capable in high-tech spectacle on the legitimate stage. Director Stephen Daldry, playwright Kate Trefry and young star Louis McCartney bring an exciting, bump-in-the-night creature feature to Broadway. >>> Greg Evans' Take
In Brief - Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe sign with WME... Eriq La Salle signs with More Medavoy Management... Lionsgate snaps up action thriller spec Renegotiate |
|
Andor creator Tony Gilroy talks about the first episode of Season 2, Cassian's tie fighter escape, Mon Mothma's compromise, stepping away from the show during the strike and the rumor that Andor is the most expensive Star Wars show ever made. >>>Read The Interview |
|
Exclusive
Peter Berg's next film looks to be in a full-on sprint towards production with Ray Nicholson and Tom Francis set to star in The Mosquito Bowl for Netflix.
Exclusive
Mena Suvari (American Beauty), Jeffrey Donovan (Sicario), and Cam Gigandet (Twilight) are set to star opposite James C. Clayton (Bullet Proof) in Briefcase, 8, a neo-noir action film which Clayton is directing.
Exclusive
Teri Polo (Meet the Parents), James Udom (Judas and the Black Messiah), Davida Williams (Game, Set, Love) and Sa’Raya Paris Johnson (IF) are set to star in Caroline, a dramedy marking the feature directorial debut of Outer Range actress Morningstar Angeline.
Exclusive
Bobby Cannavale and comedian Fortune Feimster are the newest additions to the cast of Amazon MGM’s untitled new comedy starring Will Ferrell.
In Brief - Will Sharpe & Ayo Edebiri leading Apple TV+ Series Prodigies... Greg Kinnear, Aidy Bryant & Shay Rudolph to lead Disney+ pilot Holes |
|
QUOTABLE
"It has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it” - ‘60 Minutes’ Executive Producer Bill Owens on his decision to leave the show |
|
More News
⚡ The first reviews of Thunderbolts* are coming in, and early reactions are positive for the Marvel movie, especially for Florence Pugh.
🙏 Following the death of Pope Francis on Monday, U.S. streaming viewership for the Oscar-winning Conclave rose 283% on all platforms.
🤖 With the stated goal of making “high-quality news more accessible,” The Washington Post and OpenAI have announced a strategic deal that will see ChatGPT respond to user queries by displaying summaries, quotes and links to original reporting from the Post.
✍️ Warner Bros. Television Group has signed a first-look deal with writer, director and producer Paul Feig and his producing partner Laura Fischer. |
|
BY THE NUMBERS
$50.8M - Broadway B.O. for the week ending April 20, making it best non-holiday (Christmas and New Year's) frame ever |
|
Trending
 Black Mirror managed 10.6M views in its first full week on Netflix from April 14 to 20, which is up from its debut week’s 7.1M. That put it in first place among English-language TV.
🔻 Tesla reported a 71% drop in net profit for the first quarter, prompting Elon Musk to announce he would dramatically scale back his work at DOGE and turn his attention more fully to the automaker. |
|
Obituaries
🕯️ Sophie Nyweide, the former child actor who made appearances in the films Mammoth, Noah Baumbach’s Margot at the Wedding and Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, died April 14. She was 24. 🕯️ Will Hutchins, the star of ABC’s Sugarfoot , thought to be a contender for TV’s first comedy western series, died Monday, April 21, at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York. He was 94. 🕯️ 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries |
|
On the Radar
Wed - Conan O'Brien on Everybody's Live
Thu - Comcast earnings; TCM Classic Film Festival; Canneseries begins
Sat - Deadline Contenders TV Documentaries; AFI Life Achievement Award; Pope Francis' funeral |
|
In 'The Middle' Again - Frankie Muniz shared a new photo with his Malcolm in the Middle parents, Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek, as the revival of the Disney+ series is being filmed. |
|
|
