Mark Pedowitz Exits As Chairman & CEO Of The CW As Nexstar Acquisition Closes

SF Studios Acquires Johan Rundberg’s ‘Moonwind & Hoff’ Book SeriesSF Studios has acquired the film rights to Johan Rundberg’s book series Moonwind & Hoff. The series includes the novels The Night Raven, The Queen of Thieves, The Angel of Death, and The Blood Pact. The Night Raven is the first novel that will be adapted, produced, and distributed by SF Studios. The film is expected to start shooting at the beginning of 2024 with a theatrical release in 2025. Stefan H. Lindén and Alexandra Thönnersten, producers at SF Studios, said: “The Night Raven and the entire series about Moonwind & Hoff are exactly in the realm of magical realism that we both dreamed of producing. In many ways, both the world and the characters feel inspiring and exciting. We want to create a grand series of films that can enthrall cinema audiences.”

Mark Wahlberg has joined the growing list of celebrities who have moved away from Hollywood. During an appearance on "The Talk" last week, the 51-year-old actor revealed that he and his family have moved to Nevada, and he explained why they decided to relocate.

President Biden has not left any doubt as to whether politics played a role in his unsuccessful pressuring of Saudi Arabia to delay an OPEC+ announcement of a decrease in oil production until after the American midterm elections, Sen. Marco Rubio told Fox News.

Folks might have forgotten now since it’s been nearly 20 years since the original reports, but way back when, Darren Aronofsky was attached to a reboot of the “Batman” franchise that would have been incredibly unique. This was before Matt Reeves and Christopher Nolan took their shots at the character and would have featured a much more adult version of the Caped Crusader.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Julie Greenwald has been elevated to chairman & CEO of the newly created Atlantic Music Group. In her new post, Greenwald oversees Atlantic Records — including the Atlantic, Atco, Big Beat, and Canvasback labels — as well as 300 Elektra Entertainment, which encompasses 300, Elektra, Fueled by Ramen, Roadrunner, Low Country Sound, DTA, and Public Consumption. Greenwald and Craig Kallman will continue to jointly lead Atlantic Records, with Kallman continuing as chairman & CEO. Late last year, the company launched 300 Elektra Entertainment with Kevin Liles as chairman-CEO, merging the two labels as part of Atlantic parent Warner Music’s acquisition of 300 Entertainment.

A starry group of global talent has been set to join Paolo Sorrentino on the main jury for the 19th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival which runs from November 11-19 in the Moroccan city. 

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The Marrakech International Film Festival will make a big comeback this year with a star-studded jury, including Oscar Isaac (“Scenes from a Marriage”), Vanessa Kirby (“The Son”), French actor Tahar Rahim (“The Serpent”), Australian director Justin Kurzel (“Nitram”) and Danish director Susanne Bier (“The Undoing”). Lebanese director and actor Nadine Labaki (“Caparnum”), German actor Diane Kruger (“Inglorious Basterds”) and Moroccan director Laïla Marrakchi (“Marock”) complete the high-profile jury. As previously announced, Paolo Sorrentino, the Oscar-winning director of “The Great Beauty” and “The Hand of God,” will preside over the jury, which spans 10 countries from four continents.

BreAnna Bell Production is moving forward for Jensen and Danneel Ackles. With their latest endeavor, “The Winchesters” slated to premiere on The CW on Oct. 11, the couple recently renewed their first-look deal with Warner Bros. Television for two more years and teases there’s a few more stories they’re looking to share in the future through their production company, Chaos Machine. “We are excited to continue our relationship with Warner Bros. as it’s been our home for a long time. It feels only natural that The Winchesters would stay within the Warner Bros. family and continue on the Supernatural legacy,” said the couple in a joint statement.

Hulu is now searching for a new director and star for its upcoming limited series The Devil In The White City. Director Todd Field is the latest to depart the project, sources confirmed to Deadline. Hulu declined comment.

At the CW’s May upfront presentation, then-Chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz announced that a new initiative with United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy would launch in the 2022-23 season to tackle “the number one issue facing America’s youth: mental health” by developing storylines across the network’s programming as well as working with advertisers and affiliates and across social media.

Jamie Lee Curtis’ character might’ve been offended by being called old in the first “Freaky Friday” but now? She wants to be “the old grandma who switches places” in a “Freaky Friday” sequel. Apparently, she’s already written to Disney about it.Curtis first got the hopes of fans up last week, when she said she’d “Absolutely” do another “Freaky Friday” with Lindsay Lohan if the opportunity presented itself.

Rebecca Souw Still riding high on the success of “The Roundup,” Korean indie film producer and seller K-Movie Entertainment, is showcasing a slate of 16 movies at the Asian and Contents Film Market, part of the Busan International Film Festival.

Less than a day after the announcement that Mark Pedowitz would leave the CW, the cast and creator of The Winchesters took time to honor the chairman and CEO who championed their Supernatural spinoff.

HBO and HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys has a new title, Chairman and CEO, HBO and HBO Max Content.

Two senior executives at the CW — Rick Haskins, president of streaming and chief branding officer, and finance chief Mitch Nedick — are departing the network as Nexstar assumes control.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor After spending several years setting the pace of “The Flash” and other hard-racing TV superheroes on the CW network, Mark Pedowitz has reached the end of his current adventure. The longtime TV executive, who has run the one-time joint venture between CBS and Time Warner since 2011, is leaving the network as Nexstar Media Group prepares to acquire the outlet, which has its roots in two antecedent networks, UPN and The WB, that both catered to younger viewers. Nexstar is expected to close the deal at some point in the third quarter of 2022, but has already begun to run the network’s operations. Dennis Miller, a longtime TV executive who eventually moved into the world of venture capital, will take the reins as president of CW. Miller has served on Nexstar’s board of directors for the past few years.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large [Above: The CW CEO Mark Pedowitz, with his network’s stars, at the 2015 upfronts.] When Mark Pedowitz first joined The CW as head of the network in 2011, he told “Supernatural” star Jared Padalecki that he was a fan of the series (which was then in its sixth season) and had seen every episode. At first, Padalecki assumed that Pedowitz’s comments were the kind of niceties that an incoming network president is supposed to say to their series stars. “I didn’t think he was lying,” Padalecki said. “But I thought he was at least being kind. Maybe he hadn’t caught up yet or had seen two episodes. He was certainly supportive and friendly. But I came to find out, as the months and years progressed, that he actually was a big fan of Supernatural and had seen every single episode… When we talked this weekend, he said that he has seen every single episode of every show that he was president of, and will continue to watch every episode of every show.  And I believe him. He hasn’t lied to me ever.”

Shortly after news broke that Mark Pedowitz is stepping down as Chairman and CEO of the CW, effective immediately, the veteran TV executives sent a memo to his staff about his departure.

Mark Pedowitz, who has served as chairman and CEO of The CW for the past 11 years, will be exiting the network as Nexstar completes its acquisition of a 75% controlling stake, the company announced Monday. Dennis Miller, who has held senior executive positions at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate Television and Turner Network Television, will take over as The CW’s new president, effective immediately.