EXCLUSIVE: Argentinian crime thriller A Singular Crime (Un Crimen Argentino), directed by Lucas Combina, has landed a series of international distribution deals on the third day of the EFM.
31.01.2023 - 00:27 / deadline.com
The creators of series including Tuca & Bertie and Gordita Chronicles, which both were axed at Warner Bros Discovery, have taken the conglomerate to task for the recent moves.
Those joining the WGA West in blasting the WBD on Monday include Claudia Forestieri, creator and executive producer of Gordita Chronicles; Lisa Hanawalt, creator and executive producer of Tuca & Bertie; and Moisés Zamora, creator and executive producer of Whistleblower, a project in development at HBO Max.
Forestieri, whose Gordita Chronicles was canceled last summer after one season and subsequently pulled from HBO Max, said the merger of Warner Bros and Discovery “has provided pretty stark and immediate evidence that industry consolidation not only harms diversity and inclusion.”
Hanawalt said that the female-led Tuca & Bertie, which was canceled in November after two seasons and being saved from its cancellation at Netflix, said, “It’s already harder for shows centered on women, and this merger cost us the support we needed to thrive.”
“I got into television to counter the negative mainstream stereotypes about Latino communities and tell stories like Gordita Chronicles, which features a young Dominican girl who immigrates with her family to Miami. The showrunner and I did everything in our power to set the show up for success, and the first season was showered with positive reviews and strong viewership numbers,” said Forestieri.
“But after the merger, HBO Max was given a new mandate from its Discovery leadership to cut costs and Gordita Chronicles was cancelled just five weeks after first airing, and will now even be removed from the platform. The studio executives claimed the cancellation reflected HBO ‘rebranding’ — by implication, away
EXCLUSIVE: Argentinian crime thriller A Singular Crime (Un Crimen Argentino), directed by Lucas Combina, has landed a series of international distribution deals on the third day of the EFM.
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The verdict is in: Syndicated court staples “Judge Mathis” and “The People’s Court” will both end their run at the end of this season, Variety has confirmed. “Judge Mathis” will wrap after 24 seasons, while this most recent iteration of “The People’s Court” wraps after its 26th season. Season 24 and Season 26, respectively. Both shows come from Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Telepictures Productions and are distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. According to insiders, the decision was made due to the declining nature of the daytime syndication landscape. As local TV stations shrink their syndication dollars and the advertising marketplace shrinks for daytime syndication, first-run syndication has become a trickier landscape. At the same time, station groups have been expanding their local news broadcasts, also in a bid to save money.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery programming execs are trying a new experiment: Airing some iconic modern-day HBO programming on basic cable, beginning with comedy “Silicon Valley” on TBS and drama “True Blood” on TNT this Saturday. As this is TV — not HBO — the shows will be edited both for content (receiving a TV-MA rating) and ad breaks. While this is not the first time HBO content has been refashioned for cable — think “Sex and the City” or “The Sopranos,” both of which were sold into syndication — it does mark a first for programming produced and aired on HBO in more recent years. (“True Blood” ended in 2014, “Silicon Valley” concluded in 2019.)
Akiva Goldsman and his Weed Road production banner have signed a multi-year first look deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, according to an insider with knowledge.Weed Road had previously had their film and television at MGM, and rejoin Warner Bros.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Warner Bros. Discovery has extended its rights to show the U.S. Open in 45 markets across Europe, including exclusive access in 42 territories, after reaching a new five-year agreement with the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Territories excluded from the deal are Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.K. and Ireland. The deal includes live and highlights rights with every match on every court available to stream on discovery+ and the Eurosport app in addition to live television coverage during the tournament on Eurosport 1 and 2. Markets including the Nordics will also have the option to showcase the best matches on Warner Bros. Discovery’s free-to-air channels.
“Sunday scaries.”The 20-year-old actress has revealed that she cried “hysterically” and pulled out her hair over the hit Netflix series’ intense shooting schedule during a Q&A with director Tim Burton, Variety reported. According to Ortega, the shoot — coupled with additional cello and fencing lessons — pushed the actress to her breaking point.
In a change of strategy, Warner Bros Discovery has ditched plans to merge streaming services HBO Max and Discovery+, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Clement Schwebig, Warner Bros Discovery President, India, Southeast Asia and Korea, has taken over the honorary role of Chair of the 2023 Asian Academy Creative Awards (AAA), which are traditionally hosted in Singapore in December.
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros Pictures Vice President of Production Peter Dodd is joining Netflix as a Director on the film team. He’ll be part of VP Niija Kuykendall’s group focused on mid-sized features.
EXCLUSIVE: Following a competitive bidding war, Warner Bros. TV has landed the Mac Smullen spec pilot Souvenir, Alaska. Carly Wray will exec produce and oversee the development while Lee Toland Krieger will exec produce and direct the pilot (both have overall deals with WBTV). WBTV had no comment on the project.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s Kathleen Finch broke a lot of science producers’ hearts in Austin, Texas last week when she said that Science Channel was “not very high on our priority list”.
Warner Bros. Discovery Appoints EMEA Streaming Marketing Boss
EXCLUSIVE: John Wells has teamed with Tony-winning theater and opera director Ivo van Hove on Doll, a psychological thriller series set in the ruthless world of a modern music conservatory, which is in development at Warner Bros. Television. Van Hove’s artistic collaborator Jan Versweyveld is set to serve as production and lighting designer on the project, which marks the duo’s first foray into scripted television.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s plan to distribute Westworld and other key shows via FAST channels has materialized.
As it prepares for negotiations for a new film and TV contract – and a possible writers strike in May – the WGA West is once again blasting Warner Bros Discovery for going back on its promise that the merger that created the giant media conglomerate last year would create more opportunities for content creators.
EXCLUSIVE: As Warner Bros Pictures continues to find its footing under new management, the studio on Thursday secured the services of a cornerstone filmmaker, signing a first-look deal with its Elvis director-writer-producer Baz Luhrmann.
Kevin Fortson, the Executive Vice President of Production & Administration for Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, will retire this summer after three decades with the studio.
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to take Puppy Bowl to another level as a live television event by simulcasting it across linear networks and streaming platforms from both sides of the merged company.
“We’re going to put 2022 behind us and focus on the future,” said Kathleen Finch, Chairman and Chief Content Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery’s U.S. Networks Group.
Rami Malek‘s Hollywood breakout came partly thanks to his role on “Mr. Robot,” which landed him an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in 2016.