Shondrella Avery Strikes Unscripted First-Look Deal With Jeff Jenkins Productions & Sets Projects With Macy Gray & NBA Star John Salley

officially went on strike after they were unable to reach an agreement with major Hollywood studios and streamers by the July 12 deadline. Because of this, nearly all productions in Hollywood have been forced to shut down, which have already had an immediate impact in the industry with canceled premieres, axed publicity tours, delayed projects and abandoned sets.Actors like Jason Sudeikis, Susan Sarandon, Olivia Wilde, Allison Janney, Josh Gad, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Mandy Moore, Ben Schwartz and Sharon Lawrence were among those joining the writers — who have been on strike since May 2 — on the picket line beginning July 14.

Oliver Stone said Friday he was shocked to hear that the stars of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer had walked out of its London premiere the day before as SAG-AFTRA officially declared strike action.

Olive Stone has said he was shocked to hear that the stars of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer had walked out of its London premiere on Thursday as SAG-AFTRA officially declared strike action.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A SAG-AFTRA strike appears to be imminent, as talks with the studios have concluded without a deal or an extension. The union’s contract officially expired at midnight. In a statement, the union said that the negotiating committee had voted unanimously to recommend a strike. The union’s national board is expected to meet Thursday morning to call a strike, which would immediately halt scripted film and TV production by the companies represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Fran Drescher, the president of SAG-AFTRA, said in a statement that the AMPTP’s responses to its key issues were “insulting and disrespectful.”

K.J. Yossman Big Zuu, the BAFTA-winning chef, TV host and grime artist, has inked a development deal with Banijay U.K. Zuu, who is also known as Zuhair Hassan, signed the deal under his production label Big Productions, which specializes in factual, comedy entertainment and music content including cooking show “Big Zuu’s Big Eats.” Zuu co-founded the label with managing director Matt Dodds and creative director Alex Gilman. The company is planning new comedy and factual entertainment formats, scripted, documentary, and live event shows as well as a focus on new talent and new voices on both sides of the camera.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners and Universal Pictures have changed the terms of their partnership as part of a new multi-year deal. Under the new pact, Amblin will no longer fully finance its own films, as it has in the past. Instead, Universal will provide backing for any Amblin movie it opts to produce. There will be a handful of job cuts through a mix of layoffs and some contracts not being renewed associated with the transition. The new relationship seems to be an acknowledgment of the challenges of finding financial partners for movies aimed at adults or that don’t fit into pre-existing franchises — in short, the kind of movies that Amblin, which produced the likes of “Green Book,” “The Post” and “First Man,” tends to make. Compounding issues, some of Amblin’s more recent releases such as “Easter Sunday” with Jo Koy and Spielberg’s autobiographical “The Fabelmans” stumbled at the box office.

Fox Entertainment Global, the nascent international distribution arm of the U.S. network, has struck a sales pact with Canadian company Neshama.

EXCLUSIVE: Lion Forge Entertainment, the company behind the Oscar-winning Hair Love, and Nickelodeon Animation are teaming on a first-look deal covering animated series and features, with a commitment to create content that features diverse voices in front of and behind the camera.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Celebrity chef David Chang has signed a production deal with Brent Montgomery and Jimmy Kimmel’s Wheelhouse. Previously under a production agreement with Vox Media, Chang’s banner, Majordomo Media, has set a pact with Wheelhouse, a producer on Chang’s latest Hulu series, “Secret Chef,” to exclusively develop and produce unscripted programming across food, home and lifestyle, among other genres. Wheelhouse and Chang are also focused on creating original content and developing new talent for his new FAST channel, MajordomoTV, co-developed with LG Electronics.

iHeartMedia has announced a multi-year audio deal between iHeartPodcasts and Lea Pictures, a production company founded by Bradley Cooper in 2020.

Netflix and Constantin Film are expanding their business relationship.

Disney has struck a multi-show deal with Channel 4 for the UK network’s rebranded streaming service including the likes of The X Files, Abbott Elementary and Bones.

While the AMPTP is going down to the wire in negotiations with U.S. actors, their counterparts north of the border have struck their own deal.

Apple TV+ has unveiled a sneak peek of the highly anticipated third season of “The Morning Show,” featuring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston.

The Morning Show is back!

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Puerto Rican superstar singer Ozuna has signed with Scooter Braun’s SB Projects, in partnership with his longtime manager Edgar Andino, CEO of Andino Marketing Group, the companies announced on Thursday. Ozuna, one of Latin music’s most popular artists, joins a roster that includes Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, The Kid Laroi and others. Colombian singer J Balvin signed with the company in 2020 but left recently. “We’ve been following Ozuna’s career for years and we’re excited to be bringing him into the family to work with him and Edgar. Ozuna’s music is unmatched.  His ability to work across genres including reggaeton, Latin pop, and more, is phenomenal. With unique songs offering fresh perspective and beautiful sounds, We’re thrilled to amplify his artistry with this partnership,” offered Jennifer McDaniels, President of Management, SB Projects.

Apple TV+ has unveiled several first-look photos and set the premiere date for Season 3 of The Morning Show. The 10-episode third season will debut Wednesday, September 13, with the first two episodes.

Roku is moving into the sports world.

“First-look deals are a lot of kicking tires,” Idris Elba said today, as he revealed his high-profile partnership with Apple TV+ has run down following the launch of psychological thriller Hijack.

Ryan Reynolds’ love affair with Wales is getting stronger.