Disney Production Workers March at Burbank Lot With Animation Guild to Demand Unionization

The Script star Mark Sheehan has sadly died at the age of 46. The guitarist passed away after suffering from a brief illness, the band have confirmed. In a statement shared by the Irish group, they paid tribute to their longtime friend and fellow musician.

K.J. Yossman Jamie Dornan starrer “The Tourist” has gone into production on Season 2 in Dublin, Ireland with Dornan reprising his role as an amnesia-afflicted car crash victim struggling to piece together his past. Danielle Macdonald also returns for Season 2 as Helen Chambers, a probationary constable trying to help Dornan regain his memories while Greg Larsen reprises his role as Ethan Krum. Joining Dornan, Macdonald and Larsen for the second season are Conor MacNeill (“The Fall”), Olwen Fouéré (“Texas Chainsaw Massacre”), Francis Magee (“Justice League”), Mark McKenna (“Sing Street”), Diarmaid Murtagh (“Vikings”), and Nessa Matthews (“Neon”).

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Warner Bros. Discovery shares were down 6% at the close of trading Wednesday, on the heels of the company’s expansive presentation of its plans to overhaul the HBO Max streamer. WB Discovery shares have been battered over the past year as the company dealt with post-merger cost-cutting and management realignment. On Wednesday, the stock fell 5.8% to $14.05 on what was a down day overall for the market and a down day for most of WB Discovery’s media rivals, including Disney (down 2.5%), Paramount Global (3.3%) and Netflix (down 2%). The Dow Jones index fell a modest 38.2 points while the Nasdaq dropped 102 points, or 1%. The hourlong WB Discovery presentation was held during trading hours, at 10 a.m. PT on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank. Wall Street’s verdict on WB Discovery’s plans is still not in, but the immediate reaction of investors indicates that the company still has a long road ahead in sorting out its profit centers in the age of streaming.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.” Mark Consuelos doesn’t mind hand-me-downs from Ryan Seacrest. Consuelos tells me he’s inheriting Seacrest’s dressing room when “Live With Kelly and Ryan” becomes “Live With Kelly and Mark” on April 17. “I’m no dummy,” Consuelos says on this week’s episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. “Ryan is very fancy — he’s got fancy stuff.” At the same time it was announced in February that Seacrest was leaving “Live,” it was revealed that Consuelos will replace him as his wife Kelly Ripa’s co-host on the syndicated daytime talk show. “The first conversations started with like, ‘That is the worst idea ever,’”

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery finally revealed the plans (and confirmed the long-rumored name) for its new streaming service, Max, which will combine offerings from HBO Max and Discovery+ into one product, during a splashy press presentation on the Warner Bros. Studio lot Wednesday. The event kicked off at 10 a.m. at the iconic Burbank location, presided over by WBD CEO David Zaslav, president and CEO of global streaming and games JB Perrette, HBO and HBO Max CEO and chairman Casey Bloys (who now also has oversight of Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network), and U.S. networks group chairman and chief content officer Kathleen Finch. Variety is on the scene, ready to fill you in on all the details about the new streamer, Warner Bros. Discovery’s direct-to-consumer strategy, the future of HBO and the standalone version of Discovery+.

Ferne McCann has shown off her blossoming baby bump during her lavish Marrakesh getaway.The former TOWIE star, 32, appeared to be enjoying the Moroccan sun as she shared a bikini snap to her Instagram page that saw her reclining on a sun lounger in a patterned blue bikini and white sun hat. Wishing her 2.9 million followers a happy Easter, Ferne wrote: "Happy Easter you lovely lot.Typically I would have a roast lamb in the oven & getting ready for an egg hunt but today we are getting ready for another pool day in Marrakech.

Jon Burlingame As part of its 100th anniversary celebration, Warner Bros. showcased its historic musical legacy with — of all things — a chamber-music concert Thursday night at its Steven J. Ross Theater on the WB lot in Burbank. An estimated 700 fans attended the two shows, in which a string quartet played famous movie and TV themes amid hundreds of artificial candles. Unlike most film-music concerts these days, there were no images screened. The music itself took center stage. Nearly half of the 16 pieces played were from post-2000 films, perhaps a nod to contemporary audiences expecting music they could easily recognize. But in terms of reflecting the rich Warner Bros. history of songs and scores, it was disappointing to find so few from the studio’s first 50 years.

Four Democratic lawmakers want the Justice Department to investigate Warner Bros. Discovery, claiming that the merged company has harmed workers and reduced consumer choice.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Hello Sunshine COO Liz Jenkins has been elected chair of GLAAD’s board of directors. Perkins succeeds seven-year chair Pamela Stewart. “I have seen firsthand the power of storytelling to shape culture and impact how each of us is able to walk through the world,” Jenkins said in a statement Thursday. “At a time when the LGBTQ community and specifically those most vulnerable, our young people, are under attack, GLAAD’s work is more critical than ever. I am honored and energized to be working alongside [GLAAD] president Sarah Kate Ellis, the GLAAD team and the board of directors to advocate for our community and support the creation of stories that build acceptance and understanding.”

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor It was 1941. Though World War II was already under way, film production was in full swing at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank. Humphrey Bogart was getting ready to shoot “The Maltese Falcon,” while the next year, “Casablanca” would film on Warners soundstages and at the nearby Van Nuys airport, subbing for Morocco. Bette Davis was making “Now Voyager” on the lot after location visits to Lake Arrowhead and Laguna Beach. At the Warner Bros. Café, the studio’s commissary on the Burbank lot, James Cagney and Rita Hayworth lunched with director Raoul Walsh, while actor and future president Ronald Reagan dined with Olivia de Havilland — just a few of the major stars and filmmakers who could be seen taking a break from the hard work of filming.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor David Zaslav went office-furniture shopping when he moved into the executive building on the Warner Bros. lot last year. The new CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery had Jack L. Warner’s large dark-wood desk pulled out of storage for his use. He also found a leather legal pad holder once clutched by another of his predecessors at the storied studio: Steven J. Ross. Zaslav wanted these totems in his sunken workspace overlooking Olive Avenue in Burbank to show the formidable legacy, in business and in popular culture, he has inherited. “I wanted them to remind me that we need to show as much courage now in leading this business as the Warner brothers did in launching it one hundred years ago,” Zaslav says. As the studio marks the centen- nial of its incorporation as Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. (the official date is April 4, 1923), the company has never been more focused on using the wealth of intellectual property assets, the production expertise and the global distribution muscle built up over the past 100 years to power its second century. The vast Warner Bros. movie and TV library is the foundation of WB Discovery’s empire-building ambition to transition from traditional cable to direct-to-consumer streaming.

UPDATED with latest: Joker: Folie à Deux director Todd Phillips tweeted two new photos of Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn and Joaquin Phoenix in full makeup as the film’s titular villain as he announced that the film has officially wrapped.

Scarlett Johansson just doesn't have a strong enough mentality to deal with social media. The actress appeared on Dear Media's "The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast" and was asked why she's not on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or any other social media forum."I can't. My ego is too fragile," she said. "I can't deal with it.

Did you know that Mark Wahlberg is an investor in a tequila brand?

Netflix has announced that a Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World anime is on the way.The streaming service made the announcement today (March 30).

The adventures of Scott Pilgrim will be continue in an animated series for Netflix, 13 years after ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ was first released in theatres.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The Netflix anime series based on the “Scott Pilgrim” graphic novels is bringing back the entire main cast of the film “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” to voice their characters in the show. The show, which was first reported as being in development at Netflix in January 2022, has officially been ordered to series. The returning cast members are: Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Ramona Flowers), Satya Bhabha (Matthew Patel), Kieran Culkin (Wallace Wells), Chris Evans (Lucas Lee), Anna Kendrick (Stacey Pilgrim), Brie Larson (Envy Adams), Alison Pill (Kim Pine), Aubrey Plaza (Julie Powers), Brandon Routh (Todd Ingram), Jason Schwartzman (Gideon Graves), Johnny Simmons (Young Neil), Mark Webber (Stephen Stills), Mae Whitman (Roxie), and Ellen Wong (Knives Chau). Additional cast members will be announced at a later date.

Sophia Scorziello editor Nneka Garland, an Emmy-winning producer on “General Hospital,” died Monday in Burbank. She was 49.  She had suffered a heart attack at her home in Sherman Oaks, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Garland joined the ABC soap opera in 2001 as an executive assistant and spent the last 22 years working on the show. In 2021, she became a producer of “General Hospital” and shared a Daytime Emmy win for outstanding drama series. That same year, show writers named recurring fictional character Nneka (Arlondriah Lenyéa) after Garland. 

Jennifer Aniston and Jodie Turner-Smith light up the red carpet in metallic looks for the premiere of Murder Mystery 2 held at Regency Village Theatre on Tuesday (March 28) in Los Angeles

EXCLUSIVE: Former DreamWorks exec Mark Sourian has been appointed as President of Production for the Angel Studios Original The Chosen, with plans to build out an entertainment universe from the hit faith-based series.