Sony Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Sony Pictures Entertainment and Apollo Global Management are considering a possible joint bid for Paramount Global. News of the discussions was first reported by the New York Times. Sources close to the situation confirmed the conversations but cautioned that there are numerous obstacles that would need to be overcome before the sides could formally submit an offer.

Remember those rumors, oh, eight years ago about how Sony was a target for acquisition?

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “For All Mankind” has been renewed for Season 5 at Apple TV+. In addition, Variety has learned the streamer has ordered a spinoff series focusing on the Soviet space program. The spinoff is currently titled “Star City” and hails from “For All Mankind” creators Ronald D.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., the disappointed bride in the failed engagement between Zee and Sony India, has formally ended its quest for a merger. On Tuesday, it withdrew its application before the industry regulator National Company Law Tribunal and said that it will focus instead on internal growth.

On the heels of its premiere to critical acclaim at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the documentary Kneecap on the Irish rap trio of the same name has been slated for release by Sony Pictures Classics in theaters nationwide on August 2, when it will open against Columbia Pictures’ family film Harold and the Purple Crayon.

Thania Garcia Argentinian pop singer, Martina “Tini” Stoessel, has unveiled her fifth full-length album “Un Mechón de Pelo,” the follow-up to 2023’s “Cupido.” It’s her second LP under 5020 Records and Sony Music Entertainment. “Un Mechón de Pelo” is a concept album that touches on topics ranging from mental health to the evolution of her career as an actor and singer-songwriter.

S.W.A.T. is not ending after all. Beating the odds a second time, the action drama has been renewed for the 2024-25 season, with Shemar Moore set to continue as star and executive producer. I hear Season 8 will consist of 22 episodes.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Turns out reports of “S.W.A.T’s” cancellation have been greatly exaggerated. CBS has renewed the cop drama for Season 8 despite announcing its seventh season would be its last nearly a year ago. The latest drama marks the second time “S.W.A.T” has technically escaped cancellation, with CBS initially axing the show before announcing it would return for one last run.

Selome Hailu Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has set two new unscripted series at Netflix via her Archewell Productions banner, which is under an overall deal at the streamer. The first series will be curated by the Duchess, aka Meghan Markle, and will “celebrate the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining, and friendship” per an official description.

Is Nia DaCosta headed back to the horror genre? Deadline reports that the “Candyman” director is in talks with Sony Pictures to direct the second film in the upcoming “28 Years Later” trilogy. If DaCosta does signs on, she’ll shoot her installment immediately after Danny Boyle wraps the first one later this year.   READ MORE: ’28 Years Later’: Cillian Murphy Says “Watch This Space” About Whether He’ll Star And that means Sony, Boyle, and writer Alex Garland are working fast to make this new trilogy a reality.

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.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Jeopardy! Masters” is back for its second tournament, with hour-long episodes over three weeks starting May 1 on ABC. The “Jeopardy! Masters” event features the six highest-ranked current “Jeopardy!” contestants battling it out in two games per hourlong episode. “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings also hosts “Jeopardy! Masters.” Contestants on this tournament include “Jeopardy! Masters” 2023 champion James Holzhauer, as well as returning contestants Matt Amodio and Mattea Roach, and newcomers Yogesh Raut and Victoria Groce.

So, Sony was here at CinemaCon after all. In a way. Sony domestic distribution chief Adrian Smith took the stage to introduce the first ever Crunchyroll presentation at the Las Vegas exhibitor and studio confab. Smith beamed that the label “has exceeded all our expectations and everyone at Sony is excited about the future and what’s coming.” 

Fly Me to the Moon is coming soon!

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Music’s Global Podcast Division has acquired podcast production company Neon Hum.

Caroline Brew editor Sony and Apple have released the first trailer for “Fly Me to the Moon,” a romantic comedy starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, which is set to premiere on July 12. The film is set against the 1960s space race and features Johansson as a marketing exec hired by NASA to film a fake moon landing in case the real mission fails. Apple won the project in a $100 million deal following a bidding war in 2022, and the project was formerly known as “Project Artemis.” Chris Evans was first set to play Tatum’s role, while Oscar nominee Johansson — who also produces — has been attached to the film since its inception.

Pat Sajak‘s final run on Wheel of Fortune is quickly coming to a close. After four decades as host of the iconic game show, Sajak’s final episode will air on Friday, June 7, Deadline has confirmed.

Naman Ramachandran Punit Goenka, MD and CEO of Indian media conglomerate Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, is trimming the organization’s workforce by 15%. “In line with his overall strategic approach, the MD and CEO has initiated the process of rationalization of the workforce by 15%, that will prune the staff strength across the company to arrive at a streamlined team that is sharply focused on the set goals for the future,” Zee said in a statement on Friday.

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures Television has finalized a new licensing deal with Paramount Global for comedy series The King of Queens to continue to be available on Paramount linear cable networks. The new pact also includes for the first time streaming rights on Paramount+ for all nine seasons and on Pluto TV for some (currently Seasons 1-3).

Kristen Dunst isn’t letting the pressures of Hollywood get to her.

EXCLUSIVE: Verve continues to bolster its core business with the hire of former A3 TV literary agent Jillian Holch,

Spider-Man film with Tobey Maguire – see what he had to say below.Raimi – who directed the original Spider-Man trilogy between 2000 and 2007 starring Tobey Maguire as the titular wall-crawling superhero – has been linked to rumours of a fourth film for some time now.While attending WonderCon recently, Raimi spoke with CBR about the rumours, saying that he’s read about fan speculation online, but that he hasn’t heard anything official from Marvel or Columbia Pictures."I haven't heard about that yet": Sam Raimi tells CBR's @djkevlar that fans shouldn't take those Spider-Man 4/Tobey Maguire rumors too seriously. pic.twitter.com/qbvrzKmAt0— CBR (@CBR) April 1, 2024“Well, I haven’t heard about that yet,” Raimi said. “I did read that, but I’m not actually working on it yet.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Rumors always seem to be swirling on social media that Sam Raimi is going to reunite with Tobey Maguire and direct a fourth “Spider-Man” movie. The duo jump-started a blockbuster age for comic book movies with 2002’s “Spider-Man” and delivered the genre one of its most acclaimed entries with 2004’s “Spider-Man 2.” Although 2007’s “Spider-Man 3” wasn’t a hit with critics, it still pulled in $895 million worldwide to become Raimi and Maguire’s biggest entry. There was a time when Raimi was developing a “Spider-Man 4” at Sony, with Tobey Maguire back in the title role.

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures has raised Maia Eyre to SVP of Creative Development at Columbia Pictures.

Sony is opening Miramax’s Here stateside as a platform release, going ro NYC and LA on Nov. 15, then a limited break on Nov. 22, followed by a wide opening on Nov. 27.

Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival will celebrate the centennial of Columbia Pictures with an expansive retrospective titled The Lady with the Torch, mounted in collaboration with the studio’s parent company, Sony. 

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival is set to celebrate the centennial of Columbia Pictures with a retrospective featuring classic titles spawned by the Hollywood studio between the dawn of sound and the late 1950s. The Locarno retro, titled “The Lady With the Torch –– The Centenary of Columbia Pictures,” is being curated by Ehsan Khoshbakht, co-director of Italy’s Il Cinema Ritrovato festival, which is dedicated to cinematic treasures of the past and organized in partnership with Switzerland’s Cinémathèque Suisse.

The Jackson family feud is heating up…

Austin Butler is taking on a new role.

Katcy Stephan Sony Pictures has acquired Darren Aronofsky’s crime thriller “Caught Stealing,” which will star Austin Butler. The film follows Hank Thompson, a burned-out former baseball player, as he’s unwittingly plunged into a wild fight for survival in the downtown criminal underworld of ‘90s NYC. “I am excited to be teaming up with my old friends at Sony Pictures to bring Charlie’s adrenaline-soaked roller coaster ride to life.

EXCLUSIVE: After strong start to 2024 with Masters of the Air and Dune Part 2, Oscar-nominee Austin Butler is looking to build on that success and is teaming up with another Oscar-nominated director. Sources tell Deadline Butler is set to star in Academy Award nominee Darren Aronofsky’s (The Whale, Black Swan) crime thriller Caught Stealing for Sony Pictures. The studio recently landed the package which is based on the book by Charlie Huston. The script will be written by Huston with Protozoa producing.

Amazon shoppers are hailing a portable Bluetooth speaker they say is 'well worth the money' - so much so a shopper bought three.

Netflix has slotted Friday, April 12 for the premiere of Good Times, the animated series reboot of the late Norman Lear‘s groundbreaking TV sitcom. We’re also getting a first look in the trailer above.

The new trailer for Bad Boys 4 is out now!

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor UTA announced Eric Iverson as chief technology officer, where he will lead information-technology strategy — joining the company as artificial intelligence and other tech developments are threatening to disrupt the industry. Most recently, Iverson served as director of product strategy Amazon MGM Studios, where he led product, user experience and AI efforts, and before that was chief technologist for media and entertainment in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) division.

Ghostbusters movie, has said that the all-female reboot was “disappointing”.Hudson, who has reprised his role as Winston Zeddemore in the new Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, shared his opinion on the 2016 film in a recent interview.Speaking with The Independent, Hudson praised the film’s director and the cast, which featured Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, for their “brilliantly funny” performance. However, he did have some criticisms of the movie.“Fans were really invested in the story and the characters and I think it was disappointing.