The surprising decision last month to shelve completed DC movie Batgirl was “blown out of proportion” by the press, according to Warner Bros Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels.
19.08.2022 - 23:45 / variety.com
Selome Hailu Warner Bros. Discovery has laid off Nicole Nichols, Karen Grant-Selma, Jennifer Giddens and MaryBeth Cunin from their executive positions at the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), Variety has learned exclusively.Nichols is OWN’s executive vice president of communications.
She also heads communication for Harpo Productions, Winfrey’s production company, and serves as Winfrey’s personal representative. She will now transition into focusing on these roles full-time.Grant-Selma serves as general counsel for the network, while Giddens is chief marketing officer and Cunin is head of programming and scheduling.The news adds to a long string of high-profile exits since David Zaslav took over as the CEO of a post-merger WBD.
However, most major departures before this have come from the Warner Bros. side of the equation — WarnerMedia CEO and chairman Ann Sarnoff and global communications head Johanna Fuentes, to name a few — while OWN is a Discovery property.
Winfrey established the network in 2008 with Discovery and Harpo each holding a 50% stake, before Discovery upped its ownership over time, holding just under 95% as of 2020.Nichols has been at OWN since its inception, when she was named senior vice president of communication and strategy. Prior to working for Winfrey, she was senior vice president of entertainment communications for Disney/ABC Television Group following the company’s merger with Fox, where she had served as Fox Family’s senior vice president of corporate communications and publicity.After serving as the vice president of business and legal affairs at Universal Pictures, then Live Nation Entertainment, then DreamWorks Animation, Grant-Selma joined OWN in 2019.
The surprising decision last month to shelve completed DC movie Batgirl was “blown out of proportion” by the press, according to Warner Bros Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels.
The transaction for Warner Bros Discovery and BT Sport’s joint UK and Ireland sports venture has closed successfully.
With all the drama surrounding Warner Bros. Discovery in recent months, particularly after CEO David Zaslav took over the company after its recent merger, it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t that long ago WarnerMedia (without Discovery) was battling plenty of controversy all on its own.
shelved a slew of animated projects amid steep cost-cutting at the company. Media giants like Netflix, Apple and Hulu are looking to scoop up the Bruce Timm and JJ Abrams-directed flick, which draws inspiration from DC Comic’s Batman franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Entertainment site the Direct floated Disney as a possible bidder, too.
actress Ivory Aquino isn't giving up on the DC Comics hero. Following a article that revealed Warner Bros.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Batgirl” actor Ivory Aquino is speaking out about Warner Bros.’ decision to indefinitely shelve the DC film. In an emotional letter addressed to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslov, Aquino — who played the best friend of Barbara Gordon (a.k.a. Batgirl) — pleaded for the studio executive to rethink the alleged plan to permanently destroy the movie’s footage. “As one of many who poured our hearts into the making of this movie, I ask that this measure be reconsidered,” Aquino wrote Wednesday night on Twitter. “As much as I’ve tried my best to be strong these past few weeks, I’d find myself crying, for lack of a better term, from grief, and tonight was one of those nights.”
media reports. Jonathan Young, VP of original programming and production at HBO Max for Europe, Middle East and Africa; Christian Wikander, VP of original programming for the Nordic region; and Annelies Sitvast, who oversees unscripted original programming were all let go as part of the conglomerate’s latest consolidation move.
While a majority of people will never get a chance to see the movie Warner Bros shelved earlier this month, multiple sources confirmed to Deadline that screenings are being held on the Warners lot this week for a select few. It is believed that cast and crew who worked on the film along with reps and studio execs were given invites to the screenings that began Wednesday and will go throughout the week.
Warner Bros. also announced that “House Party” and “Evil Dead Rise,” initially greenlit as HBO Max releases, will now be theatrical releases that hits the big screen in December 9, 2022 and April 21, 2023 respectively.
EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has learned that Warner Bros. is making a slew of release date changes next year. First of all, James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom needs more time in post, so it’s moving from March 17, 2023 to Dec. 25, 2023.
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros is going all in on The Batman director Matt Reeves and his 6th & Idaho production company. He has become the first filmmaker given an overall first look film deal since Warner Bros Pictures Group Co-Chairs/CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy were hired by Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav to steer the film division. In addition, Reeves has re-upped with the Warner Bros. Television Group and Chairman Channing Dungey, where he is also working on The Batman spinoff series The Penguin with Colin Farrell.
David Zaslav, president and chief executive officer of the newly-merged Warner Bros. Discovery, has high hopes for “House of the Dragon,” and touted the series in an email to staffers Friday.In his message to the team, obtained by TheWrap, Zaslav praised HBO boss Casey Bloys, and the premium cable network’s team that are behind “HOTD,” which premieres this Sunday night on HBO.“[They] have shepherded what looks to be the next big cultural moment,” Zaslav wrote.
Warner Bros. Discovery has exited its £60M ($72M) shareholding in fledgling UK news channel GB News, having been bought out by existing backers Legatum Ventures Limited and Sir Paul Marshall.
Former CBS Films President and Dreamworks marketing head Terry Press and former Paramount Vice Chairman will be informal advisors to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Deadline has confirmed. The news comes amid layoffs at Warner Bros Discovery hitting the programming operation overseen by HBO and HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys.
Kevin Smith has weighed in on Warner Bros. Discovery scrapping the movie starring Leslie Grace. The move made by the conglomerate has caused shockwaves in the industry and Smith, who is a comic book aficionado and writer, shared his thoughts on his YouTube series Hollywood Babble-On.
If there was one thing that the turbulent week at Warner Bros. Discovery displayed, it’s just how quickly conventional wisdom can change from one regime to the next, when each is trying to gin up the stock price for Wall Street.
Cynthia Littleton Business EditorWarner Bros. Discovery shares were battered Friday on the heels of its after-market second-quarter earnings report on Thursday that revealed the depth of the financial and operational pressures that the newly enlarged conglomerate is facing.WB Discovery shares were down more than 17% at midday to the $14.50 range.
Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWarner Bros. Discovery is looking to pull a FAST one — telling investors the company is mulling the launch of a free, ad-supported TV (FAST) service stocked with content from its portfolio of brands to complement its premium subscription biz.The first strategic priority on the streaming side of the house is to merge HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single platform.
Warner Bros. Discovery is doubling down on HBO and HBO Max.
In a complete about-face from the business strategy employed by former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar, Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav made it firm today that the new merged entertainment conglomerate “will fully embrace theatrical.” Period.