‘Wonka’: Warner Bros Unveils Extended Trailer Featuring Hugh Grant As An Oompa Loompa

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery has asked talent not to appear in-person at their Wednesday upfronts presentation, so as not to put those individuals in a position where they need to cross the Writers Guild of America’s picket line amid the ongoing writers strike, Variety has learned. A source close to the situation says this choice was made by WBD out of respect for both the talent and the writers on strike. However, talent will be represented in other ways throughout the show, and the event will cover all parts of the WBD business operations. The original pre-strike plan had been for a robust lineup, including big WBD stars like Magnolia Network’s Chip and Joanna Gaines, but has been trimmed down since the strike went into effect May 2, when the WGA and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to ink a new contract.

JioCinema Premium has revealed an annual subscription plan of INR999 ($12.13) for Warner Bros. Discovery content. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is behind Viacom18 and JioCinema. Warner Bros. Discovery and Viacom18 signed a multi-year agreement recently making JioCinema India’s new streaming home for HBO, Max Original and Warner Bros. content from May. The WBD content had previously been carried on the Disney-owned Star TV platform. But the deal with Star expired at the end of March.  Television series will premiere on JioCinema on the same day as the U.S. The deal includes current and future seasons of HBO’s “House of The Dragon,” “The Last of Us,” “Succession” and “The White Lotus,” and returning seasons of “True Detective: Night Country,” “Euphoria,” “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” and “Perry Mason.”

Law enforcement to horn-blowing strike supporters: you may be breaking the law, man!

signed the $100 million multi-year agreement with WBTV back in 2018. The deal was struck with former WBTV Group chairman Peter Roth, who left the position in 2021.

Ava DuVernay has ended her rich overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group, multiple sources confirm to Variety.

Ava DuVernay is plotting a new path in television as her overall deal with Warner Bros. TV is coming to a close at the end of May.  

took home $39.3 million last year, after receiving a pay package in 2021 that soared to $246 million in 2021 thanks to a hefty $203 million stock options that was tacked on to his pay. Shareholders appear to be unhappy with the pricey package he’s receiving.The debt-laden company said in an SEC filing that just over half of the shareholder votes cast on the question of the 2022 executive compensation plan — commonly known as a “say on pay” vote — were in favor, while 49.2% voted against the proposal.The vote is an advisory one, and is non-binding, but the SEC requires such votes at least once every three years.

Stockholders have expressed serious displeasure with 2022 executive compensation at Warner Bros. Discovery led by CEO David Zaslav, according to the result of a vote at the annual meeting Monday that was filed with the SEC today.

As if movie fans needed another reason to be wary of new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav: Deadline reports that the CEO told the hosts of the CNBC show “Squawk Box” that “a love for working” will be what ultimately ends the current WGA writers’ strike.

Warner Bros Discovery’s hour-long earnings call with Wall Street analysts Friday morning included nary a mention of the WGA strike, unlike many other such calls in recent days.

launch its rebranded Max streaming service on May 23, plans to focus on family-friendly content. “The more people that use it in the family, the more engaged people are, the broader the offering, the lower the churn,” Zaslav noted.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Warner Bros. Discovery posted a first-quarter loss, buffeted not only by the dynamics of streaming video that are eroding traditional media-industry economics, but also by charges related to the 2022 merger that created the company out of the former WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. The owner of HBO, TNT and the Discovery Channel said its loss of $1.069 billion included $1.81 billion of “acquisition-related intangible assets and $95 million of pre-tax restructuring expenses.” The company also indicated that the debt it took on to finance the merger was affecting its financials. Warner Bros. Discovery had $836 million of “semi-annual interest payments largely attributable to merger-related debt that overwhelmed its cash flow.

Max brand name on May 23, the entertainment giant revealed it had added 1.6 million streaming subscribers during the quarter for a total of 97.6 million globally.The direct to consumer division reported a profit of $50 million, a $704 million year-over-year improvement on a pro forma combined basis. Revenue for the segment fell 2% year over year to $2.455 billion, including $2.165 billion in distribution revenue, $103 million in advertising revenue and $185 million in content revenue.

EXCLUSIVE: CBS is trying its hand at a game of Mexican bingo in its latest unscripted order.

EXCLUSIVE: Zoey Deutch is set to co-star in the Warner Bros. and Clint Eastwood pic Juror #2 starring Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette. Jonathan Abrams penned the script. Adam Goodman, Matt Skiena, Tim Moore and Jessica Meier will produce.

A CinemaCon preview of “Wonka” on Tuesday revealed an amazing piece of casting: one of the Oompa Loompas in the upcoming prequel to “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is played by none other than Hugh Grant.

Wonka, resulting in stomach cramps.The actor is set to portray a young Willy Wonka in the upcoming musical, which will be released later this year (December 15). The long-awaited film is the third film adaptation to be made of Roald Dahl’s popular children’s book Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.Speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas this week (via Variety), Chalamet revealed that he swam in real melted chocolate while filming.But despite his chocolate and sweetie-induced stomach cramps, the actor called the role “a dream come true”.He described past interpretations of Willy Wonka as “cynical”, before adding that “this is a Willy that’s full of joy and hope and desire to become the greatest chocolatier.”The character was first portrayed by Gene Wilder in the 1971 adaptation, and then again by Johnny Depp in 2005’s Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, directed by Tim Burton.Elsewhere at CinemaCon, a first-look trailer for Wonka revealed that Hugh Grant will play one of the Oompa-Loompas serving the chocolatier.In the extended footage, which was shown to exhibitors at the event, the fictional sweet treat developer comes across the Oompa-Loompa (Grant), who is trapped in a glass jar, and later hires him to work in his factory.The footage also paid homage to Singin’ In the Rain – showing Chalamet singing, dancing and spinning around a light pole while searching for magical recipes.

Hugh Grant has been revealed as playing an Oompa-Loompa in the upcoming film Wonka.Set for release later this year (December 15) via Warner Bros., the long-awaited film is the third film adaptation to be made of Roald Dahl’s popular children’s book Charlie And The Chocolate Factory – and will feature Timothée Chalamet as the character Willy Wonka.Now, following the release of a new trailer at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, it has been revealed that Notting Hill actor Hugh Grant will be playing the role of one of Wonka’s Oompa-Loompas.In the extended footage, which was shown to exhibitors yesterday (April 15), the fictional sweet treat developer comes across the Oompa-Loompa (Grant), who is trapped in a glass jar, and later hires him to work in his factory.The footage also paid homage to Singin’ In the Rain – showing Chalamet singing, dancing and spinning around a light pole while searching for magical recipes. It also provided the audience with a glimpse into Olivia Colman’s character as a Cockney innkeeper and Sally Hawkins as Wonka’s mother.Although specifics about the film remain sparse, it has been confirmed that Wonka will not feature Charlie, nor other characters who are presented with the opportunity to visit the heavily guarded chocolate factory.

The Flash is coming!

Timothee Chalamet has multiple projects that he’s promoting at 2023 CinemaCon, but first up is the upcoming Wonka movie!