Peter Rice Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Disney’s public spat with Scarlett Johansson last summer over compensation tied to Marvel’s “Black Window,” which opened day-and-date in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access for a $30 fee. This was followed by Chapek’s uneven handling of Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education Bill.” Chapek initially aimed to avoid taking a public stance on the controversial bill, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay,” which elicited a backlash from staffers.

EXCLUSIVE: The new 28 Years Later trilogy from director Danny Boyle and Sony Pictures is gaining momentum, and some serious star power. Sources tell Deadline that Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes have boarded the first pic, a sequel to the original 28 Days Later.

EXCLUSIVE: While Danny Boyle is set to return to direct 28 Years Later, the first film in a new trilogy based on the iconic horror films he helped launch, Sony Pictures is already lining up the helmer for the second installment. While a deal hasn’t closed, sources tell Deadline that Nia DaCosta is in talks to direct, with Boyle, original writer Alex Garland, Andrew Macdonald and Peter Rice producing along with Bernie Bellew. 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy will exec produce.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-nominated actor Willem Dafoe is set to join the ensemble cast of of Sony Pictures’ SNL 1975 (working title), which will be directed by Jason Reitman and based on the real-life behind-the-scenes accounts of the opening episode of Saturday Night Live. Reitman and Gil Kenan penned the script.

EXCLUSIVE: Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons (The Accountant 2) is among the final additions to the cast of Sony Pictures’ film SNL 1975 (working title), based on real-life behind-the-scenes accounts of the opening night of Saturday Night Live. Other new cast members for the Jason Reitman pic include Billy Bryk (Friendship), Joe Chrest (Stranger Things), Taylor Gray (Star Wars: Rebels) and Mcabe Gregg (Teenage Badass).

EXCLUSIVE: Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night Live origin pic is gaining a ton of momentum as Gabriel LaBelle is set to play Lorne Michaels, Cooper Hoffman is on board to play Dick Ebersol and Rachel Sennott will play Rosie Shuster. Reitman will write and direct.

Deadline has confirmed that Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are reuniting for 28 Years Later, a new thriller based off the 2002 film about a rage virus that overtakes civilization.

Caroline Brew editor The Motion Picture and Television Fund has launched its “Back to Work” campaign to fundraise for crew members who were financially impacted by the work stoppage as a result of the writers and actors strikes. “While the agreement between the WGA and AMPTP and the tentative agreement between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP are certainly encouraging, our crews will continue to struggle for many months to come,” MPTF president & CEO Bob Beitcher said in a statement.

MPTF is launching the “Back to Work” campaign, a fundraiser to assist crew members impacted financially by the Hollywood strikes.

Jordan Moreau Nearly a year after he was fired from Disney by former CEO Bob Chapek, Peter Rice has set a film and TV production deal with A24, Variety has confirmed. It’s his first major move after he was ousted. A24, hot off a leading nine Oscar wins with “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “The Whale” this year, will co-finance film and TV projects with Rice. The deal is non-exclusive, and projects under the agreement will be backed by Rice via A24’s banking relationships. The projects will be for global distribution theatrically and on major streaming platforms. “I am incredibly excited to be an independent producer and could not be more thrilled to begin that journey in partnership with A24,” Rice said in a statement. “They have built Hollywood’s most vibrant, fearless, and creative studio. The fact that they made it out of whole cloth in a decade is a testament to their exquisite taste, razor-sharp business acumen, and infectious enthusiasm for creativity and artists. I have been blessed to work with so many amazing creators as an executive and cannot wait to start producing provocative, meaningful, and entertaining movies and TV shows with creators I admire and respect.”

EXCLUSIVE: Fox’s reality supremo Rob Wade has been elevated to CEO of Fox Entertainment.

contract extended three years until 2025, and this came after uncertainty about his future and after the surprise ouster of TV chief Peter Rice earlier that same month. What’s more, in April, the state of Florida passed a bill that would end the special tax district privileges the company sees at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, exemptions that allow Disney to self-govern itself in its parks and that it has had in place since 1967.

The relationship between Dana Walden and John Landgraf has long been subject of corporate intrigue. The superstar TV executives had run on parallel tracks at Fox and continued to do so after they both made the transition to Disney following the 2019 acquisition until this past June. The shocking dismissal of Peter Rice, which was followed by Walden’s elevation to his post as Chairman of Disney General Entertainment, changed the dynamic between the two veteran executives, with one of them (Landgraf) reporting to the other (Walden) for the first time since Landgraf joined FX in 2004.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek has gotten a new long term contract as the the board meets this week. Directors voted unanimously to replace his current deal, which expires in Feb. of 2023, with a new three-year agreement starting July 1.

An expanded and reimagined cut of Baz Luhrmann’s Australia is set to premiere on Disney streaming platforms as a six-part limited series.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeDana Walden is ready for this moment. On the heels of a shocking Hollywood management shake-up at Disney, the newly promoted chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content now oversees a massive portfolio that includes the programming arms of Hulu, FX, ABC, Freeform, Nat Geo, 20th Century Television, ABC Signature and more.Walden’s ascent at Disney is not a surprise, but the sudden departure of her predecessor and longtime boss, Peter Rice, surely was when the news surfaced on June 9 that Disney CEO Bob Chapek had fired him.Walden has the respect of the Hollywood community, the chops of having run (or co-run) two broadcast networks and multiple studios, plus deep relationships with towering creatives like a certain superstar producer (ahem, Ryan Murphy) who is, by all accounts, itching to reunite with her after a rocky run at Netflix.

In her first public comments since she was elevated to Chairman of Disney General Entertainment, Dana Walden sent a memo to staff Monday morning. In it, she expressed her “immense appreciation to Bob Chapek for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime,” noting that “is enormously proud of what we do.” She also praised Peter Rice, “a gifted executive,” for his mentorship and friendship and highlighted the achievements of each division in the content group’s portfolio.

William Earl Dana Walden, newly promoted to Disney’s top TV post, addressed the shocking management shakeup that saw her elevation and the ouster of her longtime boss, Peter Rice.Walden sent a note to Disney General Entertainment staffers detailing the vast unit’s many recent success stories across ABC, FX, Hulu, Freeform, National Geographic and the production units that Walden now oversees. She noted the surprising transition that was unveiled June 9.

William Earl After the shocking news that Peter Rice has been ousted as the head of TV content for Disney, and will be replaced by his top lieutenant, Dana Walden, media insiders are left scratching their heads and speculating about the behind-the-scenes dealmaking taking place. For the uninitiated, Variety has put together a primer on the incoming and outgoing heads of Disney television.*Bio:Born and raised in the U.K., Rice’s family was close to Rupert Murdoch’s family, which lead to a Fox film internship in 1987.

UPDATED: Disney has confirmed the exit of Peter Rice and the ascension of Dana Walden. Release is below.

Twenty-four hours before his win for Best Documentary Feature would result in one of the most powerful speeches of this year’s Oscar night, Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson and his Summer of Soul team gathered at an intimate brunch in the picturesque gardens of Dana Walden’s Brentwood estate. Walden was there, along with Peter Rice, Matthew Greenfield, David Greenbaum and other high-level Disney executives. Even Disney CEO Bob Chapek put in an appearance.

Charissa Gilmore, a Disney veteran of more than 30 years, has been promoted to SVP of Corporate Communications for Disney General Entertainment. This is a title bump for Gilmore who has been leading corporate communications for the unit and will continue to report to Peter Rice, chairman of General Entertainment for The Walt Disney Company.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterLongtime Disney communications and marketing staple Charissa Gilmore has been promoted to senior vice president of corporate communications at the company’s TV content arm, Disney General Entertainment.Most recently vice president of global distribution communications for Disney/ABC Television, in her upped role, Gilmore heads up external and internal corporate communications strategies and execution across business operations and content brands, including 20th Television, ABC Entertainment, ABC News, ABC Signature, Disney Branded Television, Freeform, FX, Hulu Originals, National Geographic and Onyx Collective.Her responsibilities include strategy, corporate messaging, executive communications, internal communications, public relations, corporate social responsibility, issues management and the shared functions for events planning, promotions, visual communications, editorial and photo operations. Gilmore reports directly to Peter Rice, chairman of General Entertainment at Disney.“Charissa’s such an important and trusted partner to me and my leadership team, as well as to her colleagues throughout the company,” Rice said in a statement Tuesday.

Wilson Chapman editorAfter almost 20 years of medical emergencies and juicy drama, “Grey’s Anatomy” is gearing up for its landmark 400th episode this May.Set to air on May 26, the 400th episode of the series will air as a two-part Season 18 finale. The episode’s plot remains unknown, but will feature the return appearance of cast members Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew, as the super couple Jackson and April (aka “Japril”).

Dana Walden knew she was part of a historic Hollywood moment when she drove onto the Disney lot the following day for the first time as an employee. The executive, who is now chairman of entertainment for Walt Disney Television, knew she had an enormous job to integrate two studios — 20th Television and what was then ABC Studios — in addition to steering ABC Entertainment and adding Hulu Originals soon after she started.

J. Kim Murphy Whoopi Goldberg has been suspended from “The View” for two weeks after facing wide criticism for her remarks that the Holocaust was “not about race.”Goldberg’s suspension was announced in a statement released by ABC News public relations on Tuesday night.“Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments,” reads a statement attributed to Kim Godwin, president at ABC News.

Disney and the WWE have reached a deal for the WWE Network to stream exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia, a potential prelude to other global pacts.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterTrisha Husson has been promoted to head of strategy of business operations and finance for Disney General Entertainment, the TV creative unit of The Walt Disney Company. Following Husson’s elevation from DGE’s executive vice president of strategy and business, Eric Marcotte has been upped to senior vice president of strategy and business operations.Disney General Entertainment handles content for The Walt Disney Company’s broadcast and cable networks and streaming platforms through brands ABC Entertainment, ABC News, Disney Branded Television, Freeform, FX, Hulu Originals, Onyx Collective and National Geographic, and television studios 20th Television and ABC Signature.Husson has effectively already been doing this job on a day-to-day basis following the departure of Ravi Ahuja, the former president of business operations and chief financial officer of Walt Disney Television, who announced his exit in November 2020.

Shannon Ryan, President of Content Marketing for Hulu & General Entertainment, is reorganizing the Marketing, Creative and Communications teams under her purview.

Mónica Marie Zorrilla Ayo Davis, who most recently served as the EVP, creative development and strategy at Disney Branded Television, has been promoted to president by Peter Rice, chairman of Disney General Entertainment.

Sonia Coleman is expanding her role within Disney’s content group, adding HR oversight of ESPN to her current role as senior VP, Human Resources, Disney General Entertainment Content, effective immediately. 

Walt Disney Television CFO and president of business operations Ravi Ahuja is leaving the company to pursue new opportunities. Peter Rice, the chairman of general entertainment content for The Walt Disney Co., announced Ahuja's departure in an email Monday morning.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterA year and a half after being named president of business operations and chief financial officer of Walt Disney Television, Ravi Ahuja is exiting the company “to seek a new adventure,” Disney General Entertainment chairman Peter Rice.The move comes amid a greater restructuring at Disney that has seen a greater focus on streaming at the entertainment conglomerate.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterFollowing Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s major reorganization announcement last month, Disney continues to reshuffle the corporate pieces to better focus on its streaming business.In an internal memo to staff from Peter Rice, chairman of the recently rebranded Disney General Entertainment Content (DGE) division, he elaborated on the company’s decision to split off its content creation team from its distribution and commercialization efforts, and outlined its leadership and

LOS ANGELES -- ABC News has cut ties with a veteran executive after an investigation concluded that she made racially insensitive remarks, according to an internal memo.

Ted Johnson ABC News has fired a top executive following an investigation that she made racially insensitive remarks.In an email to the staff obtained by Deadline, Peter Rice, the chairman of Walt Disney Television and co-chair of Disney Media Networks, wrote that Barbara Fedida would not be returning to the company after her suspension last month.