Controversial Activision Blizzard executive Frances Townsend steps down

Rodolphe Belmer, the former Canal+ CEO on the verge of heading up French network TF1, has stepped down from the Netflix Board.

Forty-two years after first joining Disney Imagineering Bob Weis, the current Global Imagineering Ambassador and former President of Walt Disney Imagineering, announced today that he will retire at the end of the year.

The Crown is shooting Season 6 of the Netflix series and will not be showing Princess Diana’s car crash that ultimately ended her life. Deadline has independently confirmed that the collision would not be recreated for the series.

EXCLUSIVE: Michelle Rejwan is leaving her post as SVP Live Action Development & Production at Lucasfilm. She is transitioning back to being a full-time producer and has signed an overall deal with Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Studios. She will continue to be based out of the Lucasfilm office and will develop for both Lucasfilm and Disney.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In its continued bid to expand its footprint worldwide, Paramount+ is launching its service in France on Dec. 1 and Germany, Austria and Switzerland on Dec. 8. Already available across the Americas, Paramount+ launched in South Korea, the U.K. and Ireland in June and Italy in September. The SVOD platform is expected to be available in 45 markets by year’s end. Paramount+ is rapidly expanding its presence globally, bringing audience a unique content offering with the biggest stars and most compelling global and local stories. With these launches, Paramount+ will continue to see major growth across Europe, becoming one of the top players worldwide,” said Marco Nobili, executive VP and international general manager of Paramount+.

to the Irish Sun, the scenes depicting Diana’s tragic death have “sparked fury.”Princess Diana died in 1997 at 37 following a car accident in Paris’ Pont de l’Alma tunnel while she was being pursued by paparazzi, sparking an international period of mourning. A source from the show reportedly said that crew members are speaking out about the depiction of her death on-screen.“To be going back to Paris and turning Diana’s final days and hours into a drama feels very uncomfortable. Finally, some of the crew members are pushing back,” they told the Sun. “The show always tried to present a fictional version of royal history with as much sensitivity as possible.

Darby Ward - star of the Real Housewives of Cheshire - has opened up about concerns for her daughter Skye, who she revealed has been struck down by a sickness bug. The reality star and mother-of-one, 26, took to Instagram last night to share the concerning news with her 320,000 online followers. Posting a pensive black and white selfie, Darby wrote: "Our first experience of a sickness bug with Skye this weekend...

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Cinemed, the Mediterranean Cinema Film Festival, is partnering up with Lebanese film org Aflamuna / Beirut DC to launch a new co-production and co-financing initiative aimed at high-profile projects from the Arab world. The new program, which is also backed by France’s National Film Board and is part of the festival’s industry showcase Cinemed Meetings, will present seven projects involving 22 Arab countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Liban, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Syria, among others. All selected projects are currently in development and are being brought by filmmakers who have previously directed at least one short film.

EXCLUSIVE: There’s anxiety behind the scenes on Netflix drama The Crown with stars, creatives and producers “on edge” as preparations are made to recreate the fateful moments that led to the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris twenty-five years ago.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor Los Angeles City Council president Nury Martinez resigned her post as president Monday after recordings of her making racist remark at a meeting were revealed on Sunday. However, she did not resign her position on the city council, the L.A. Times reported. On Sunday, the news broke that an October 2021 meeting between Martinez, fellow councilmembers Kevin De Leon and Gil Cedillo, and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera was secretly recorded and posted to Reddit. During the meeting, Martinez could be heard making remarks about city council member Mike Bonin’s young adopted son, who is Black. The group also discussed redistricting of city council districts while disparaging other councilmembers.

Marta Balaga Scottish actor Alastair Mackenzie, recently spotted in “The Crown” and “Andor,” Jessica Frances Dukes and Debi Mazar have been added to the cast of Filip Jan Rymsza’s feature film “Object Permanence.” They join previously announced star Millie Brady, who plays Brooke Brooks: a former supermodel who becomes a successful lifestyle mogul and is the first person to IPO herself. Production is currently underway in Poland and will continue in Thailand and Germany. “Apples” DoP Bartosz Świniarski is lensing the film. Set in the near future, “Object Permanence” is produced by Friends with Benefits Studio, with co-financing by the Polish Film Institute. Marta Lewandowska and Rymsza – the latter also behind “Mosquito State” – are producing, while CAA is handling North American sales.

Dawn French was "terrified" of dating again after her divorce from Sir Lenny Henry. The 'Vicar of Dibley' star tied the knot with therapist and charity co-founder Mark Bignell in 2013, but she has admitted she dreaded looking for love after her 25-year marriage to fellow comedian Lenny, 64, ended in 2010, because she's not very good at flirting. She told New Zealand's Woman's Weekly magazine: "Dating was difficult as I'm not an accomplished flirter.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s rivals with regards to their proposed £50billion merger.That’s according to a leaked document seen by Reuters, in which the EU is asking developers if Microsoft would be incentivised to block rivals’ access to Activision Blizzard’s biggest titles – most notably Call of Duty, as well as the recently-released Overwatch 2.The questionnaire, which features around 100 questions, also asks developers, publishers and and distributors if the deal would impact their bargaining power with regards to selling console and PC games on the Xbox platform, or via Game Pass.Additionally, the leaked document also asks if, given the enormous popularity of their games, Activision Blizzard’s user data would give Microsoft a competitive advantage in the industry.

Dear Team,I am writing this morning, so you hear the news from me that I’ve made the decision that the time is right for me to step down from my post atop the premium group at the end of the year.The good news is that it’s not immediate and I’ll be helping to figure out the details of the transition.I am tremendously grateful for the past 12 years and the varying positions I’ve held at this company. It has truly been one of the great joys of my life to get to do what I love to do with all of you.

CD Projekt Red, Marcin Iwiński, is stepping down after 30 years.Announcing the news via a statement, Iwiński wrote that he would be handing over his duties by the end of 2022 but will remain a major shareholder “and in my new non-executive role I will remain active and engaged.”“For me, this is a huge moment. I’ve been at CD Projekt for almost 30 years and I have seen it go from a handful of passion-driven rebels to an internationally recognised developer of story-driven role-playing games loved by millions globally.

Activision Blizzard illegally retaliated against unionising workers at Raven Software by withholding raises, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has found.Via The Washington Post, the labour board found that Activision Blizzard withheld raises from quality assurance (QA) testers at Raven Software, which it attributed to their union activities.Following these findings, Activision Blizzard and Raven Software QA testers will continue negotiations around a collective bargaining agreement. If the two parties cannot agree on terms, the NLRB could file a complaint.

EXCLUSIVE: There is a change at the helm of Fox’s comedy department. Julia Franz is stepping down as SVP and head of comedy for Fox Entertainment after three years. She will be succeeded in the role by former 20th Television head of comedy development Cheryl Dolins who will be based in Los Angeles, reporting to Fox Entertainment President Michael Thorn. The changeover had been in the works for awhile and is not related to Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier’s surprise exit on Thursday to join Roku.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Julia Franz, senior vice president and head of comedy development for Fox Entertainment, is exiting the broadcaster. Cheryl Dolins is joining Fox to take her place.