Netflix Wins War For WB; Blake Lively Fires Back; Red Sea Fest Kicks Off

🏃‍♀️ Exclusives, Breaking News & Deadline Originals

View on web New reader? Subscribe SUBSCRIBE. IT'S FREE. NETFLIX WINS WAR FOR WARNER BROS MEGA $83B DEAL CONFIRMED ON FRIDAY, WITH TED SARANDOS HAILING PLANS TO "DEFINE NEXT CENTURY OF STORYTELLING" Netflix has won the war for Warner Bros. Discovery. The streaming giant confirmed the $82.7B mega-deal early on Friday, officially beating out Paramount and Comcast to bring together an empire that will span Stranger Things and Superman. The industry-reshaping deal will see Netflix paying $27.75 a share for the venerable Hollywood studio, with a total equity value of $72B. Netflix will acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO, subject to regulatory approval. "Together, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling," said Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos. He added that the merger was "pro-consumer, pro-innovation, pro-worker, pro-creator, pro-growth.”>>>David Zaslav's Future Unclear Reaction & More:  Deadline's Analysis Of The Regulatory Road Ahead: Can Company Overcome The Trump Factor? Netflix Execs Say Warner Bros. Deal Is No AOL Time Warner Fiasco In The Making HBO Value To Be "Unlocked" By Merger, Netflix Co-CEO Greg Peters Says International Industry React To Netflix-WB Bombshell With Indies Lamenting “Death Of Hollywood”, But Studio Vets More Upbeat EU Antitrust Experts Say $83B Deal Unlikely To Be Blocked — But Conditions May Be Imposed On Merger Former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar On Deal: “No More Effective Way To Reduce Competition In Hollywood” DGA Plans To Meet With Netflix Over “Significant Concerns” Regarding Streamer’s Potential Warner Bros. Discovery Acquisition VERSANT INVESTOR DAY Inside Versant’s Content Strategy: True-Crime, A.I., Recognizable Drama IP & More Reality Shows With Wrestlers Execs Downplay Chance Of Acquiring More Linear TV Networks New MS NOW Direct-To-Consumer Offering Will Have 24/7 Access To Linear Channel Mark Lazarus On Versant Media’s Strategic Plan To “Build Beyond Cable” Oxygen Investigates ‘Snapped’ Spinoff, Serves Up ‘Hooters Murders’ As It Debuts New Slate Deadline Exclusives & Originals Netflix's Uneven Theatrical Efforts - As Netflix has pursued a Warner Bros. acquisition that will test its commitment to theatrical, the streamer has had an erratic week in cinemas between Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, with just $4 million over the five-day Thanksgiving frame and the presales success of the New Year’s Eve Stranger Things series-finale stunt. >>>Quickly Changing Tune "Toxic" Avenger- Blake Lively says she deserves her “day in court” over the “toxic environment” Justin Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios’ inner circle created during the making of It Ends With Us and the subsequent alleged retaliation inflicted upon the Another Simple Favor star. >>>Details RED SEA FILM FESTIVAL 'Giant,' Michael Caine Tribute Kick Off Festival's Fifth Edition Oscar Winner Sean Baker Says He Has To Have “Side Gigs” To Supplement Being An Indie Filmmaker – Red Sea Studio Queen Latifah Urges Industry “Not To Be Afraid” Of AI & New Tech: “It’s Not Going Anywhere” Natasha Lyonne Talks Future Of ‘Poker Face’, Possible Return & AI-Driven Feature ‘Uncanny Valley’ Red Carpet Photo Gallery THE DEADLINE INTERVIEW ‘Hamnet’s Chloé Zhao, Jessie Buckley And Paul Mescal Reveal The Kismet That Led To An “Acting Olympic Moment” Chloé Zhao had no plans to read Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel about Shakespeare, his wife Agnes and the tragic death of their son. Back then in fact, the director felt no particular affinity for Shakespeare. Then she met Jesse Buckley and Paul Mescal at Telluride. “Do you know the river that runs through Telluride?” Mescal asks.  “We went for a walk around there. I’d caught wind that she was maybe going to do it.” Mescal did not know then that Zhao had just passed on the project. “We met, and Jessie was also in Telluride at the time, so it was the perfect point for us all to bump into each other.” >>>Interview      RENEWALS, CANCELLATIONS & PICKUPS   Seth Rogen & Rose Byrne’s ‘Platonic’ Renewed For Season 3 At Apple Netflix Announces ‘Dirty John’ “Rom-Con” True Crime Docuseries CASTING ABOUT Kit Harington has been tapped as a lead opposite Shailene Woodley and Lindsay Lohan in Count My Lies, a Hulu limited series from former This Is Us executive producers/co-showrunners Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger. The Hunting Wives has added Kim Matula and Alex FitzAlan as recurring guest stars for its upcoming second season. exclusive When the second season of Ben Watkins’ Prime Video series Cross returns on February 11, viewers will meet Michelle C. Bonilla (9-1-1: Lone Star), who has joined the cast in a recurring role.      QUOTABLE   "I get it" -  Margot Robbie addressing the backlash over her and Jacob Elordi's casting in Emerald Fennell's 'Wuthering Heights' adaptation MORE NEWS 👀 Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling epic One Battle After Another has topped Sight and Sound magazine’s 2025 poll of the year’s best films. “F**k yeah! It takes my breath away a bit, honestly,” Anderson said in a written statement of the honor.  🎬 Bowen Yang (Wicked: For Good) and Matt Rogers (No Good Deed) — co-hosts of the popular podcast Las Culturistas, as well as the Las Culturistas Culture Awards — are co-writing and will co-star in an untitled new comedy for Searchlight. BY THE NUMBERS   $407M -  Global B.O. to date for 'Wicked: For Good' HIRINGS, PROMOTIONS & EXITS   EXCLUSIVE Craig Piligian To Leave Lionsgate   EXCLUSIVE TV Lit Agent Jacquie Katz Leaving CAA – And The Business   EXCLUSIVE Saban Films Appoints Former Tubi & IFC Exec Sarah Corrigan As Senior Director Of Distribution   EXCLUSIVE Rosenfield Media Group Ups Sean Grabin To VP Of Literary Division Maurice DuBois To Depart As Co-Anchor Of ‘CBS Evening News’ Later This Month OBITUARIES 🕯️Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the prolific and instantly recognizable actor best known for his roles in the Mortal Kombat films, The Last Emperor, Memoirs of a Geisha and The Man in the High Castle, died Thursday in Santa Barbara. He was 75. 🕯️Hollywood Deaths Photo Gallery ON THE RADAR Fri - Critics Choice Nominations; World Cup bracket draw Sat - Deadline Contenders Film: International; Melissa McCarthy hosts SNL Sun - Contenders Film: Documentary; Kennedy Center Honors Mon - Golden Globe nominations; UBS Global Media & Communications Conference begins PHOTO OF THE DAY Desert Honor -  “Thank you for the welcome. My name is Michael Caine,” the actor said as he accepted an award on the opening night of the Red Sea Film Festival with his three grandchildren behind him. “It’s not my real name but it’s a realistic name. It’s the one that made all the money." 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