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RESTRAINING ORDER REMAINS IN PLACE FOR ANOTHER TWO WEEKS WHILE JUDGE WEIGHS LONGER INJUNCTION |
In the latest twist in the mega-merger drama, a federal judge has extended a temporary restraining order pausing the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery transaction by another two weeks. The decision means the companies won’t be able to close the deal until August 17 at the earliest.
U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín wrote Thursday that the TRO was extended to give the parties in the case more time to set a schedule for legal proceedings.
Paramount has called for a three-day evidentiary hearing before the judge, who is weighing whether to grant a preliminary injunction, which likely would halt the merger for a lengthy period of time as the legal process plays out. >>>Aug. 3 Hearing
Related:
Euro Cinema Body UNIC Says EU Paramount-WBD Deal Approval Conditions “Should Have Gone Further”
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Deadline Exclusives & Originals
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Game On - Video game outfit Atari has signed a deal with Universal Pictures, giving the studio the right to develop 10 classic properties for the big screen. >>>Includes Centipede
Affiliate Change - ABC is switching affiliations in the St. Louis market, with plans to move from the Sinclair-owned outlet to Gray Media, sources familiar with the plans confirmed to Deadline. The change will take place on September 1. Gray will provide locally produced news at its station, KMOV-TV, with ABC programming broadcasting on the outlet’s D2 digital channel. KDNL-TV has been an ABC affiliate since 1995. Its ABC affiliation expires at the end of August, but network programming will air on the station until then. >>>Switches Happen
Alberto Barbera Q&A - Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera unveiled the lineup for its 83rd edition on Thursday. Talking points included the absence of studio films and the dearth of female-directed features in competition. >>>Most Political Lineup Ever
'The Joy Of Sex,' The Movie - Bridget Jones’s Baby director Sharon Maguire has found her cast for unconventional love triangle comedy The Joy Of Sex, about how the famous 1970s love-making manual came about. >>>Colin Firth & Julianne Moore On Board
Shadows & 'Fog' - Cooper Koch (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story), Angus Imrie (Emma), Sarah Bolger (The Westies), Miranda Otto and Carla Gugino have signed on to star in Fog City, a new noir drama from filmmaker Dan Pritzker. >>>Depression-Era San Francisco
UK Agent Under Fresh Scrutiny - A prominent British children’s acting agency, which has helped young performers clinch roles in Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, could have broken UK agency law by effectively charging actors training fees for the opportunity to secure representation, according to legal experts. >>>Mishandled Self-Tapesin f
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The Big Bang Theory spinoff Stuart Fails To Save the Universe starts off with Stuart (Kevin Sussman) in a post-apocalyptic Pasadena getting a visit from an alternate version of himself. He urges the other Stuart to restore reality after he had broken a quantum interference device built by Sheldon and Leonard, accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon.
Deadline asked Stuart Fails to Save the Universe creators Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Zak Penn about this, along with a shocking development involving a legacy Big Bang character. >>>Read The Interview
Related:
‘Stuart Fails To Save The Universe’ EPs & Composer On Show’s Ever-Changing Title Sequence Packed With Messages & Spoilers
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Exclusive
Alicia Silverstone and Tim Heidecker are the latest to join Lizard Music, Benny Safdie’s live-action/CGI hybrid adaptation of the novel by Daniel Pinkwater.
Exclusive
In the first development on FX's Shōgun in months, Rick Kumazawa (Grey’s Anatomy) is set for a recurring role in the Emmy-winning drama’s second season.
Girls star Zosia Mamet is returning to HBO, joining the cast of Industry for the financial thriller’s upcoming fifth and final season.
Netflix has rounded out cast for its upcoming Myron Bolitar series, adding 10. Among then, Ra’Mya Latiah Aikens (Romeo and Juliet), joins as a series regular. Isaiah Hill (Swagger), Amanda Warren (The Night Agent), Quincy Isaiah (Winning Time), Bebe Neuwirth, Melissa Benoist and Sandrine Holt have been cast in recurring roles.
Exclusive
Natasha Rothwell (The White Lotus) has joined Hulu’s untitled Cable Guy pilot, inspired by the 1996 Jim Carrey movie of the same name, from Hulu and Sony Pictures Television.
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MORE NEWS
🏛️ With President Trump due to speak at tonight's White House Correspondents’ Dinner, speculation is growing about what he'll say given the many recent attacks on journalists by his administration. The event was rescheduled after the first go-round in April was halted when a gunman breached a security checkpoint.
⚖️ The Trump administration withdrew its subpoenas to a group of New York Times journalists who reported on the lack of security features on the new Air Force One. The judge expressed his opposition to the government’s efforts. “Subpoenas are the last step, not the first step, but the last step,” the judge said, per the AP.
📺 CBS is switching the affiliation of stations in a half-dozen markets from Nexstar-owned stations to those from Hearst and Forum Communications. Nexstar said CBS was extending affiliation in 36 of its markets, but that six others would switch to other networks. The changes will take effect on August 1.
🎬 L.A. on-location production for the second quarter totaled 4,711 shoot days, down 13% from the year before and off from 5,121 days in Q1, according to a new snapshot by FilmLA.
🗣️ Using the word “independent” multiple times to describe NBCUniversal's forthcoming spin-off, Comcast Co-CEOs Brian Roberts and Mike Cavanagh said they are already talking with potential partners.
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ON THE RADAR
Fri - Rescheduled WHCA Dinner
Sun - Shark Week launches; Tour de France final stage
Wed - Meta earnings
Thu - Amazon, Apple & Sony earnings
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The Ghost Of Christmas Future - Johnny Depp appears as Scrooge at Comic-Con. The latest adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, titled Ebenezer, hits theaters November 13.
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