Mideast Money And WBD's Future; Costner May Play Clinton; 'Wicked' Looking Good

🏃‍♀️ Exclusives, Breaking News & Deadline Originals

View on web New reader? Subscribe SUBSCRIBE. IT'S FREE. WBD MERGER DRAMA UNFOLDS AMID RISING MIDEAST MEDIA INVESTMENT AS BIDDERS CIRCLE, TRUMP WELCOMES SAUDI CROWN PRINCE AND PARAMOUNT CEO DAVID ELLISON JOINS ELITES AT BLACK-TIE DINNER  As Paramount, Comcast and Netflix prepare bids for Warner Bros. Discovery ahead of a Thursday deadline, speculation is growing about the role of Middle East wealth in the game-changing transaction. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged investments of $1 trillion in the U.S. economy at a White House visit Tuesday ahead of a formal dinner with Paramount CEO David Ellison in attendance. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts recently traveled to Saudi Arabia. The increasingly high-profile Doha Film Festival opens Thursday in Qatar. The visit was the Saudi Crown Prince's first since the murder of Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, an event that drew a step-back from many companies in entertainment and beyond. Now, the tide seems to be turning back toward the Persian Gulf. Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and other notables joined Ellison at a black-tie dinner held in the Saudi royal’s honor. >>>Paramount Denies Report Deadline Exclusives & Originals From John Dutton To Bill Clinton - Kevin Costner and Leonardo DiCaprio are teaming to exec produce United, a TV series in early development that will be produced in collaboration with the United Nations, sources tell Deadline. Centered on a UN mission to East Timor in 1999, the show has Costner negotiating to play former U.S. President Bill Clinton. >>>Shooting In 2026 A 'Wicked'-Good Outlook - Universal’s Wicked: For Good is coming in hot. It's already Fandango’s biggest PG-rated advance ticket seller stateside, and the best pre-seller of 2025. >>>$200M Projected Globally In The Pink - BarbieLand, in all its brightly-colored delight, is coming to London. Secret Cinema and TodayTix, in collaboration with Barbie owner Mattel and Warner Bros, are launching an immersive experience in the UK capital’s theater heartland, the West End. >>>8-Week Run Diddy's Bad Week - As the Bureau of Prisons this week extended Sean Combs' time in the clink, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has revealed it has opened an investigation into allegations of a 2020 sexual battery by Combs against a music producer. >>>Could Mean More Time In Brief - Ash Sarohia inks producing deal with MRC... Leonardo DiCaprio set for Desert Palm Achievement Award...  Billy Magnussen, Dianna Agron, Darby Lee-Stack & Rob Corddry to star in Mattress Mack...  The Voice Of Hind Rajab to screen at United Nations THE DEADLINE INTERVIEW ‘The Morning Show’ Boss Breaks Down Season 4 Finale; Teases Season 5 “Dance” Between Mia And Ben: "It’s Gonna Get Interesting Between Them" The sun has set on another season of Apple TV’s The Morning Show with a finale full of headline-making moments and, most importantly, the truth coming out. In an interview with Deadline, showrunner Charlotte Stoudt elaborates on Mia and Ben being “the two most competent people” at the network in addition to forecasting what’s in store for Bradley and Alex, Paul Marks and more recent additions to the “deep bench” that is The Morning Show cast. >>>Q&A      QUOTABLE   "I came. I saw. He conquered." -  Jason Isaacs on Tom Felton and their reunion in Broadway's 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' RENEWALS, PICKUPS & CANCELLATIONS Peter Morgan’s ‘The Boys From Brazil’ TV Reimagination Officially A Go At Netflix With Jeremy Strong & Gillian Anderson   exclusive Netflix Snaps Up Johnny Rosenthal Comedy Spec ‘Aunt Roxie’   exclusive ‘The Earliest Show’: Ben Schwartz & Lauren Lapkus Reprise Roles In Cult Comedy For Amplify Pictures & Funny Or Die TV Series Peacock’s ‘Twisted Metal’ Renewed For Third Season With David Reed Set As New Showrunner      CASTING ABOUT exclusive Josh Hutcherson, Frank Dillane, Caleb Landry Jones and Whitmer Thomas are in talks to join an untitled A24 horror pic from Arkasha Stevenson and Tim Smith. Stevenson will direct from a script written by her and Smith. Michael B. Jordan and Juno Temple will star in the animated feature Swapped, directed by Nathan Greno (Tangled), for Netflix and Skydance Animation.      BY THE NUMBERS   62.9M -  Views over 10 days for Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' on Netflix MORE NEWS 🤝 Seven and a half years after Michael Nyman departed then-PMK*BNC to launch Acceleration Community of Companies, his new firm is bringing in most of the staff of PMK*BNC successor R&CPMK, part of Interpublic Group, along with the majority of their clients. Of the 77 former R&CPMK employees, 35 will be part of PMK Entertainment, a new company within ACC focused on talent, music, sports, content companies, corporate entertainment and crisis communications. 📽️ The Village Directors Circle, the collective of filmmakers Jason Reitman brought together to save the Westwood Village Theatre, has entered into a partnership agreement with American Cinematheque that will have the L.A.-based non-profit program, manage and be the operating partner for the century-old, 1000+-seat movie palace upon its 2027 reopening. 🖥️ AMC Networks is launching a new niche streaming outlet, All Reality, which is living up to its name by focusing entirely on reality programming. The service will cost $4.99 and be available on a stand-alone basis as an add-on for Prime Video subscribers. HIRINGS, PROMOTIONS & EXITS   EXCLUSIVE Questlove & Black Thought’s Two One Five Adds Cole Brown In Newly Created General Manager & Head Of Business Operations Role    EXCLUSIVE Digital Talent Rep Fixated Hires Content Chief To Fill “Massive Hole” In Creator Economy OBITUARIES 🕯️ Alice and Ellen Kessler, the German performers known as the Kessler Twins, died together Monday in an assisted suicide in Germany. They were 89. 🕯️ 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries ON THE RADAR Thu - American Cinematheque Awards; WBD bids deadline Fri - Wicked: For Good opens PHOTO OF THE DAY Saving Steven Spielberg - Chloé Zhao helps straighten Steven Spielberg's tie on the red carpet of the Hamnet L.A. premiere held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. 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. All Rights Reserved. 11355 W Olympic Blvd Los Angeles, CA, 90064 View in Browser | Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Rights | Ad Choices | Terms of Use | Unsubscribe