Paramount Sets More U.S. Layoffs; WBD's New Succession Saga; CNN Reporter Detained By Police

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View on web New reader? Subscribe SUBSCRIBE. IT'S FREE. PARAMOUNT CUTTING ANOTHER 3.5% OF U.S. WORKFORCE, CITING LINEAR TV FADE LATEST ROUND IS LESS SEVERE THAN 2024 LAYOFFS, BUT COMES AMID A DELAY-FILLED SKYDANCE MERGER PROCESS After reducing its U.S. workforce by 15% in 2024, Paramount Global is laying off several hundred more employees. The cuts of 3.5% of domestic staffers will take effect today, according to a memo from Co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins that was obtained by Deadline. “As we navigate the continued industry-wide linear declines and dynamic macro-economic environment, while prioritizing investments in our growing streaming business, we are taking the hard, but necessary steps to further streamline our organization starting this week,” the execs wrote. While the new layoffs are targeting domestic workers, the Co-CEOs said they “may also result in some impacts to our workforce outside the U.S. over time.” The reductions are playing out as Paramount's $8 billion merger with Skydance Media remains in limbo due to slow-walking by the FCC and a lawsuit by President Trump against 60 Minutes and CBS News. >>>Single Phase Related: Paramount Global CFO Naveen Chopra Is Departing Warner Bros. Discovery Split WBD Breakup Cues Hollywood’s Latest Succession Drama David Zaslav, Gunnar Wiedenfels Break Down Split That Will See Standalone Companies “Free And Clear” For M&A Channing Dungey To Remain With Studios & Streaming Post-Split Deadline Exclusives & Originals CAA's Range War - “Newly uncovered video footage, documents, photographs, and secret Telegram chats reveal an extensive plot by Range’s founders to steal from Creative Artists Agency, LLC, set up an illegal talent agency, and cover up its wrongdoing,” reads a heavily redacted amended complaint filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court by CAA. >>> "Driven By Greed" Mortimer Sets Feature Directing Debut - Alison Oliver (Saltburn) and Anora Oscar nominee Yura Borisov have signed on to star in Dennis, a romance marking the feature debut of BAFTA-nominated actress Emily Mortimer, for A24 and Fruit Tree. >>>Set In 1990s Moscow NPR, PBS On Edge - The House Rules Committee today will take up a so-called “rescissions” package that includes clawing back nearly $1.1 billion in funding for NPR, PBS and local public broadcasting stations, a move that has raised alarm bells among public media leaders. >>>Cause For Concern              The Deadline Q&A ‘The Residence’ Composer Mark Mothersbaugh On Using Both The “Scholarly Right-Brain” & “Crazy Left-Brain” Sides Of Creativity For composer and Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh, the script for The Residence provided an interesting opportunity. Not only did it involve an interesting tale of a bird-watching detective, but the story beats had a jazz-like structure that allowed Mothersbaugh to flex both the “scholarly” and “crazy” sides of his job. The Residence follows detective Cordelia Cupp, played by Uzo Aduba, as she investigates the death of a member of the White House staff during an executive dinner. The pacing of the plot and constant cuts between the night of the murder and the questioning after the fact gave Motherbaugh the interesting challenge of balancing the elements within the score. >>>Read The Interview Renewals, Cancellations & Pickups   Exclusive Billy Corgan’s National Wrestling Alliance Strikes Streaming Deal With Roku Eva LaRue Stalking Documentary Gets Paramount+ Greenlight Casting About exclusive Former Bosch star Titus Welliver is back on the cop beat as a lead opposite J.K. Simmons in The Westies, MGM+'s upcoming period crime drama series from co-creator, executive producer and showrunner Chris Brancato. Exclusive Jonathan Daviss is set to star as venerable hip hop artist Snoop Dogg in the definitive biopic from Universal Pictures. Best known for Outer Banks, Daviss takes the lead role days after the studio set Craig Brewer to direct the film. The Harry Potter HBO series has taken another step forwards with a slew of cast additions. Lox Pratt is slated to play Draco Malfoy, with Johnny Flynn as his father Lucius Malfoy. In more family castings, Bel Powley is set as Petunia Dursley and Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, Harry’s aunt and uncle. Additionally, Katherine Parkinson will play Ron’s mom, Molly Weasley. Chloë Sevigny (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story) has boarded Peacock’s upcoming drama The Five-Star Weekend as a series regular alongside star Jennifer Garner, who also executive produces, and Regina Hall. Quotable   "We deserve to live in hope and not in fear" - Doechii acknowledging the protests going on in Los Angeles while accepting her 2025 BET Award More News   🐂 After unveiling plans in February to spend $1B on Mexican production over the next four years, the Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos has made a similar commitment to Spanish originals. In remarks at Netflix’s Tres Cantos Madrid hub today, Sarandos said Netflix would invest €1B ($1.1B) in the country by 2029. 🚨 CNN National Correspondent Jason Carroll was detained and briefly questioned by police as he was reporting on the unrest in Los Angeles. CNN later said that two members of his camera crew were arrested and released. 📺 Set to be enshrined in The Television Academy Hall of Fame in August are actors Viola Davis and Henry Winkler, the late live-event producer Don Mischer, series creator and writer Ryan Murphy, talk show and recent Oscar host Conan O’Brien and composer Mike Post. 🤖 Protests against the use of artificial intelligence in animation are planned at this week’s Annecy fest. A slew of AI-related talks are set to take place at the festival’s MIFA market and we are told that small groups of protestors are prepared to make their voices heard. 🏆 Kendrick Lamar swept the BET Awards, clinching Album Of The Year, Best Male Hip Hop Artist and Video Of The Year.   ⚖️ Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' team are claiming “total victory” Monday after a federal judge tossed out Justin Baldoni‘s $400 million defamation and extortion suit over what went on during the making of It Ends With Us.  by the numbers   $438M -  Amount Disney paid NBCU to gain sole ownership of Hulu Obituaries 🕯️ Sly Stone, a Grammy winner whose pioneering funk-rock group Sly and the Family Stone produced groundbreaking albums and singles — three of which topped the Billboard Hot 100 — and who was the subject of this year’s feature documentary Sly Lives!, died today. He was 82. 🕯️ Frederick Forsyth, the British novelist behind The Day Of The Jackal, The Odessa File, The Dogs Of War and several other books that were turned into movies or TV shows, died today in Kent, England, his agent Jonathan Lloyd told the BBC. He was 86. 🕯️2025 Hollywood Deaths Photo Gallery On the Radar Mon - Arnold Schwarzenegger on Seth Meyers Wed - Snow White premieres on Disney+ Sat - FIFA Club World Cup kicks off Photo of the Day "Can You Please Give Usher His Coat Back?" - BET Awards host Kevin Hart donned a cherry-red, furry coat for a skit.  This email was sent to punjabsvera@gmail.com by Deadline. Please add email@email.deadline.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. Visit the Preferences Center to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. 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