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EXCLUSIVE: Even though his traditionalist strategy made him an unlikely candidate, we included Sony Motion Pictures Group chairman Tom Rothman in our 2022 Cannes Disruptors magazine. At a time when every other major prioritized the building of streaming services above all else because of the Netflix juggernaut, Rothman was invited to defend his model. The one that sustained studios forever, where turning movies into tangible culturally relevant entities through aggressive marketing would lead to big ancillary sales through Sony’s output deal with Netflix, the place everyone else had cut off. His argument that Wall Street would soon realize that subscriber growth was a false metric and that profit is the telltale indicator would soon come to roost as the shine came off streaming ventures that have costs rivals billions to build.

Tom Rothman, the Sony Motion Pictures Group chairman and CEO, wined and dined a select few at a splendidly swish soirée Friday at Mamo Michelangelo in Antibes, hosted by Charles Finch as part of his annual Filmmakers Dinner honoring 100 years of Columbia Pictures, and there was something he said about why movies matter that has stuck with me.

Tatiana Siegel An iconic woman needs an apt setting. So, to mark its 100th anniversary, Columbia Pictures has teamed with the Municipality of Cannes to put the studio’s instantly recognizable Torch Lady and roster of legendary actresses on full display as part of a free photographic exhibit in the historic city’s town square, just off the Croisette and with the Palais and Mediterranean Sea serving as a backdrop.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Cynthia McFadden, the TV-news veteran whose career has taken her from co-anchoring ABC News‘ “Nightline” to a senior perch on NBC News‘ investigations team, is stepping away from broadcast journalism. “It is hard to leave a job you love but this is the right time — I have a list of things I have often said I wanted to do ‘someday’. Well, someday is now, while I am still raring to go — and playing with a relatively full deck,” McFadden said in a note to colleagues Friday.

Later today, the Cannes Film Festival will reverberate with the sound of one of America’s great jazz singers.

Sony has dated a new film in its Insidious horror franchise from Blumhouse Productions for release on August 29, 2025, the studio revealed Thursday evening.

Sony announced on Thursday that its new I Know What You Did Last Summer film from director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge) will be released via Columbia Pictures on July 18, 2025.

The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) has appointed Neishaw Ali, President of SPIN VFX, as its new chair and added Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro to its executive board.

EXCLUSIVE: Manager Quinn Crum has joined the Talent department at Echo Lake Entertainment, Deadline has learned.

EXCLUSIVE: Iranian-American multidisciplinary producer James Shani launches creative studio, RICH SPIRIT, which will partner with BIPOC artists and filmmakers to produce a wide range of original projects from narrative films to documentaries, music videos, donate its services to nonprofits, execute commissioned work for brands, and fund early-stage founders in the technology and media space.

crying a river.Justin Timberlake may have taken too much of a hiatus in between albums and was involved in too much negative press surrounding the release of Britney Spears’ memoir — causing fans to lose interest in the once-megastar. “A six-year break from your mid-thirties to your early forties is a really long time [for an artist],” music journalist Touré of TheGrio told Paula Froelich of NewsNation.

EXCLUSIVE: To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Columbia Pictures, the municipality of Cannes will present a free photographic exhibition titled “Lighting the Way: From the Torch Lady to Leading Ladies.” The photos will be on display for the general public on Cours Félix Faure in Cannes from May 13 to June 10.

EXCLUSIVE: Clea DuVall (Happiest Season) has been tapped to direct Abbi and the Eighth Wonder, a female-driven comedy adventure film in development at TriStar Pictures.

Johnny Marr has announced a “mega” North American tour with James later this year – see the full list of tour dates below.Yesterday (May 7), Marr took to social media to announce the North American tour dates for his ‘Spirit Power’ shows with James, which will take place between September and October.The 20-date trek will see Marr and James play shows in Denver, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Montreal, Chicago and more. Pre-sale tickets to the shows go live today (May 8) at 10am local time, while general tickets to the tour will go on sale at 10am local time this Friday, May 10.

In a surprising moment during a regularly scheduled press briefing about public safety statistics, the Columbia University protests, migrant centers, the proliferation of illegal weed shops and Mayor Eric Adams‘ upcoming trip to meet the Pope in Rome, a curveball question pressed Adams on the possible, if unlikely, jailing of former President Donald Trump.

Joe Biden sharply condemned the rise of antisemitism in the United States, including incidents that have played out on college campuses amid pro-Palestinian protests.

John Oliver was back on Last Week Tonight after taking a week off and dinged Fox News over their coverage of college students protesting the war in Gaza.

Anne McCarthy As college campus protests ignite across the U.S. over the Israel-Palestine conflict, “SNL” weighed in with its cold open this week as Kenan Thompson played an incredulous parent of a Columbia University student. Michael Longfellow acted as a reporter for Spectrum News New York 1 on “Community Affairs,” shining light on the ongoing protests throughout the country and their impact.

Saturday Night Live tackled the college campus pro-Palestinian protests by taking aim at high education’s high tuition costs and questionable payoff.

Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster tournament is back. While studios during Covid wildly embraced the theatrical day-and-date model when cinemas were closed, they soon realized there’s nothing more profitable than a theatrical release and the downstreams that come with it. If anything, theatrical is the advertisement for a movie’s longevity in subsequent home entertainment windows. Entering the conversation in 2023 were the streamers, such as Apple, who have also realized the necessity of theatrical to eventize their movies. The financial data pulled together here for Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament is culled by seasoned and trusted sources.

EXCLUSIVE: Veteran Sony Pictures Television (SPT) executive Steve Kent is leaving his role to focus solely on The Young and the Restless.

The Guardian, a lecturer at Columbia Law School called Bassam Khawaja said that he was “horrified to see Columbia invite police onto our campus for the second time this month to arrest our students”.Since the arrests, both faculty and non-resident students have been prevented from entering campus, and the scenes at the university have sparked a new sense of anger among UK students – with a shared sense of solidarity leading to more protests being planned.Speaking with The Guardian, David Maguire – the vice-chancellor of the University of East Anglia (UEA) – explained how protests at UK universities have been generally peaceful, but could easily escalate into scenes similar to those in the US.Among those planning demonstrations are students, staff and alumni from the universities of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam, who form a group called the Sheffield Campus Coalition for Palestine, and have already begun an encampment in solidarity with the people in Gaza.An encampment is also being held at the University of Warwick, which has been going on since last week, as well as one in Newcastle, which is said to include over 40 students.For the latter, organisers stated that students were left outraged after the university reportedly signed a partnership with Leonardo SpA – a defence and security company which they claim is responsible for the laser-targeting system used in the Israel Defense Forces’ F-35 fighter jets.Elsewhere, there was a May Day student walkout in Leeds in solidarity with Palestine, students in Bristol established an encampment in Royal Fort Gardens, and the University of York revealed that it “no longer holds investments in companies that primarily make or sell weapons and defence-related products or

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor In the latest twist in Paramount Global‘s M&A saga, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Apollo Global Management reportedly have made a bid to take Paramount private with an all-cash buyout offer of $26 billion. Sony and private-equity giant Apollo submitted an offer letter Wednesday to Paramount Global, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The report comes as Paramount Global board’s special committee established to consider M&A proposals is evaluating the best and final offer from Skydance Media to merge Paramount and Skydance, while keeping Paramount Global public.

President Joe Biden weighed in on the unrest on college campuses as a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations has led to mass arrests, vandalism and some violent incidents, saying in brief remarks that “order must prevail.”

Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster tournament is back. While studios during Covid wildly embraced the theatrical day-and-date model when cinemas were closed, they soon realized there’s nothing more profitable than a theatrical release and the downstreams that come with it. If anything, theatrical is the advertisement for a movie’s longevity in subsequent home entertainment windows. Entering the conversation in 2023 were the streamers, such as Apple, who have also realized the necessity of theatrical to eventize their movies. The financial data pulled together here for Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament is culled by seasoned and trusted sources.

Comedian Sue Perkins is heading off the beaten track as she explores three regions of Thailand. But it’s not all lazing about on beaches and looking at temples, Sue is taking a more daring approach to travelling. During the series she tries Thai boxing, goes to Hell Garden, visits a women’s prison, and kicks off the first episode by abseiling deep into the Crazy Horse Buttress cave – but that’s not the most daring thing we’ll see her do.

Zoya Akhtar (The Archies), Fawzia Mirza (Queen of My Dreams), and Roshan Sethi (A Nice Indian Boy) are set to join the 1497 Features Lab as Mentors.

When did Columbia become Kanye State? Bill Maher asked that question at the top of Friday’s Real Time on HBO, setting the tone for a show that focused on the national campus unrest and what’s behind it.

Katcy Stephan Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter” is being pushed back from its August release, moving to Dec. 13, 2024. It will screen in IMAX and premium large formats.

Katcy Stephan Keke Palmer and SZA are set to star in an untitled buddy comedy film for TriStar Pictures. Lawrence Lamont (“Rap Sh!t”) is set to direct with the screenplay, written by “Rap Sh!t” showrunner Syreeta Singleton. HOORAE’s Issa Rae and Sara Diya Rastogi, ColorCreative’s Deniese Davis and MACRO Film Studios’ Charles D.

Mayan Lopez may have daddy issues, but they landed her a television show. George Lopez and his 28-year-old daughter have been sharing their rollercoaster of a journey on the semi-autobiographical show Lopez vs. Lopez, which just premiered it’s second season.

EXCLUSIVE: Walden Media has promoted Julia Friley to Vice President of Scripted Development.

The Cannes Film Festival’s Classics sidebar celebrates 20 years this year with a lineup of films including a 4K restoration of Wim Wenders’s Palme d’Or winning Paris, Texas, and a debut screening of Ron Howard’s 2024 doc Jim Henson Idea Man. 

An encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Southern California was ordered to disperse this evening by Los Angeles police, who declared an unlawful assembly.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Barbra Streisand has recorded a new song, “Love Will Survive,” to serve as the end-title theme for “The Tattooist of Auschwitz,” a six-part, Holocaust-themedseries that premieres on Peacock in the U.S. and Sky in other territories on May 2. The song will come out globally via her longtime label, Columbia Records, on April 25.

Céline Dion’s upcoming documentary officially has a premiere date. “I Am: Céline Dion” will drop on Amazon Prime Video June 25, and the Canadian singer, 56, shared the first look of the project on Instagram Tuesday.The feature is set to take a look at her music career and her struggles with the autoimmune neurological disorder, stiff person syndrome.The image shows Dion thrusting her fist in the air as she appears to shout.