MeTV Toons Brings Warner Bros. Classic Cartoons Together In National Weigel Broadcasting Network

Zack Sharf Digital News Director A 15-year-old “Lord of the Rings” fan film titled “The Hunt for Gollum” is back online and streaming on YouTube after it was temporarily blocked in the aftermath of Warner Bros. revealing its next “Rings” movie has the same title (via Entertainment Weekly). The fan film, which centers on Gandalf tasking Aragorn with hunting down Gollum before the latter can find Frodo and the One Ring, has earned 13 million views since its debut more than a decade ago.

Naman Ramachandran Warner Bros. Discovery has appointed entertainment creative advertising and marketing specialist, Once Upon a Time, and brand consultancy and creative agency, BigSmall, for the European launch of streamer Max.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Netflix used to say its goal was to become HBO faster than HBO could become Netflix. Well, Netflix succeeded on that front. Now Warner Bros.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. will release the first of its new batch of “The Lord of the Rings” films in 2026, which will focus on Andy Serkis’s Gollum. Original “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are producing the movie and “will be involved every step of the way” on the movie, Warner Bros.

Max streaming services in the US starting this summer, the companies said in a statement on Wednesday.Customers will be able to sign up on any of the three individual websites and chose from an ad-free or ad-supported plan. No prices were disclosed.Both Disney and Warner Bros are trying to build their streaming businesses as customers ditch traditional cable packages, in part because many of them rejected having to pay for a large bundle with dozens of channels.Butas the number of streaming apps exploded, consumers have complained about having to sign up for multiple subscriptions.The Disney/Warner bundle will simplify payment with one bill, and possibly offer a discount from the cost of subscribing to each app separately.Further details will be announced in the coming weeks, the companies said.Disney+ offers the company’s animated and live-action movies plus film and TV shows from Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery — ordinarily rivals for consumers’ time and money — are teaming up for a triple-play bundle of Disney+, Hulu and Max. The companies announced a new streaming bundle comprising Disney+, Hulu and Max will be available this summer in the U.S.

Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are breaking ground in streaming with a bundled offering featuring Disney+, Hulu and Max in a single package.

EXCLUSIVE: We have one final addition to Ryan Coogler‘s supernatural thriller for Warner Bros, starring Michael B. Jordan: BMF‘s Christian Robinson.

EXCLUSIVE: Production, finance, and sales company Panorama Motion Pictures will make its Cannes market debut with a slate of projects from Catalyst Studios and other independent producers.

Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav largely evaded questions about NBA talks and Paramount Global‘s potential as a WBD merger partner, but he did weigh in on the hot topic of executive pay.

EXCLUSIVE: Ed Adams, who has been with Warner Bros. Animation for 15 years, is retiring.

Alex Salmond’s company fell into the red for the first time after it was formed nine years ago.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Classic TV network MeTV is turning its cartoon block into a new network. Owner Weigel Broadcasting Co. announced Wednesday that it will launch MeTV Toons as a new national TV network focused on classic animation, “from Hollywood-era shorts to made-for-television favorites.” MeTV Toons, which launches June 25, is a collab between Weigel and Warner Bros.

CBS is once again looking to finish out the broadcast season on top.

Glen Kyne is exiting his role as Senior Vice President and Head of Networks at Warner Bros Discovery Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) on July 5.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Internet-TV provider Fubo dropped all Warner Bros. Discovery networks from its lineup, alleging that the media company was seeking “above-market rates” and refused to license Turner Sports networks separately. In a statement Tuesday, Fubo said it attempted to renew its Discovery content agreement with WBD for networks including Discovery, HGTV, Food Network and TLC.

feature adaptation of “Avengelyne” from Olivia Wilde, Margot Robbie and “X-Men” producer Simon Kinberg is being set up at Warner Bros. The studio is close to finalizing a seven-figure film rights deal. Robbie is eyeing the role of the titular angel who fights the forces of evil and often finds herself face-to-face with demons and monsters.

Olivia Wilde and Margot Robbie‘s LuckyChap are teaming up for Avengelyne, and Warner Bros is currently negotiating a 7 figure deal for the rights.

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros is negotiating to close a seven figure film rights deal for Avengelyne — Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld’s signature comic book creation about an angel who fights the forces of evil. Most of the deals are closed. Deadline hears Margot Robbie is eyeing to star as the title character (subject to script), Olivia Wilde will direct, and Poor Things scribe Tony McNamara will write the screenplay. Aboard to produce is LuckyChap, the shingle Robbie runs with Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara, and Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon through their Genre banner.

Google is strengthening advertising ties with major media companies amid a broader push into ad-supported streaming.