Amid speculation about its future, Paramount Global is proceeding with a new wave of staff reductions in February, sources tell Deadline.
For the past several days, there has been chatter that Paramount layoffs of about 800 are imminent. It followed a WSJ report in December that the company was mulling the potential elimination of more than 1,000 jobs in early 2024 to rein in costs.
According to sources, the extent of the cuts will not be quite as big but the layoffs will be in the hundreds, affecting virtually every division. Deadline hears senior executives have been given reduction targets to hit. >>>Multiple Rounds Of Cuts In Past 14 Months |
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Conjuring Harry Potter - Things in Harry Potterworld are now heating up with a marathon of pitches under way from writers vying for the right to adapt J.K. Rowling’s seven books into a series for its streaming service Max. >>>Four Writers In The Mix
'Origin' Story - Ava DuVernay’s Origin grossed a solid $875K on 130 domestic screens with a $7K per-theater average. The theatrical debut is said to be better than what its distributor, Neon, had anticipated. >>>Specialty B.O. Roundup
Showbiz & The CA Senate Race - Hollywood Democrats again might be facing conflicting loyalties and affinities, this time the race to fill the seat occupied for more than 30 years by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. >>>First Debate Tonight
The Napoleon Complex, Circa 2024 - Ridley Scott's biopic aside, this has been a couple of weeks of angry little men doing their public compensation dances. Diminutive height here is not the requirement. Napoleon number one for this week and the foreseeable future is Boring Company CEO Elon Musk. >>>John Ridley's Column
British Broadcast Changes - The BBC has agreed to undertake “major reforms to boost audience confidence in its impartiality,” the Department of Culture, Media & Sport said, with the organization taking on all recommendations from a review that took place at the approximate midpoint of its current 11-year-long charter. >>>The Specific Changes
David Oyelowo: The Film That Lit My Fuse - In the latest installment in Deadline's video series, David Oyelowo also speaks about his metamorphosis into a lawman who is a complete badass and who leaves corrupt corpses in his trail, and why it was so important to him to play a Black lawman lead in a major TV series. >>>Watch |
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This year Devo will be playing Sundance, on and off-screen. The band has a show tonight at the newly-opened Main Street venue The Marquis. Before the gig, Devo members Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale spoke to Deadline about the new movie Butch Devo and the Sundance Gig premiering at the fest as well as the past, the present and the future of the band. >>>Read The Interview |
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Exclusive
Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night Live origin pic is gaining a ton of momentum as Gabriel LaBelle is set to play Lorne Michaels, Cooper Hoffman is on board to play Dick Ebersol and Rachel Sennott will play Rosie Shuster. Reitman will write and direct.
Exclusive
Marianly Tejada (One of Us Is Lying), Jack Schumacher (Top Gun: Maverick), Garrett Wareing (Manifest) and Andrew Liner (Vampire Academy) have joined Ransom Canyon as series regulars.
The BBC and Bad Wolf have reportedly replaced Millie Gibson as Doctor Who's companion after she filmed just one season with star Ncuti Gatwa. Gibson will reportedly be replaced by Andor star Varada Sethu in Gatwa’s second season as the Time Lord.
Valerie Bertinelli is opening up about being cut from Food Network's Kids Baking Championship after 12 seasons of hosting and judging the show. |
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More News ❌ Sony has terminated plans for its long-in-the-works, $10 billion merger of its television and streaming operations in India with local giant Zee Entertainment Enterprises, saying that closing conditions were not satisfied.
👩⚖️ Judy Sheindlin, better known as TV's (and now streaming's) Judge Judy, spoke to Deadline about her endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley and her fears of a 2020 rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. 🏢 Stephen van Rooyen, Sky UK & Ireland CEO and Group CCO, will step down at the end of next month. Effectively immediately, Sky’s UK and Ireland operations will report directly into the Comcast-owned group’s CEO, Dana Strong.
🎶 The Grammys have announced new artists set to hit the stage on February 4. They include Burna Boy, Luke Combs and Travis Scott who will join the list of performers that include Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Olivia Rodrigo.
✈️ The Flight Attendant will not be returning for a third season. The show, which was originally set as a limited series, aired two seasons on Max, with the second season ending in May 2022. |
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Trending
 Paramount shares perked up 2% late Friday on the report that Apollo Global Management has interest in buying the company.
🔻 Condé Nast Chief Content Officer Anna Wintour reportedly kept her trademark dark sunglasses on even while laying off Pitchfork staffers. |
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Obituaries
🕯 Nancy Green-Keyes, a casting director, agent and film producer whose many credits include The Notebook and Rush Hour, died January 17 at UCLA Hospital in Santa Monica of acute respiratory failure following a brief illness. She was 68. 🕯 David Gail, who played Shannen Doherty’s fiancé on Beverly Hills 90210 and Dr. Joe Scanlon on General Hospital spinoff soap Port Charles , has died at 58, according to a post from his sister and numerous reports. 🕯 Veteran talent agent Scott Manners, who most recently was partner at Artists & Representatives, died Friday in Los Angeles after a brief battle with ALS. Manners, who was 68, died peacefully, surrounded by his family, the agency said. 🕯 Benedict Fitzgerald, best known as the screenwriter of The Passion of the Christ , died at home in Marsala, Sicily after a long illness on January 17. He was 74. 🕯 Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2024 Photo Gallery |
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On the Radar
Tue - Oscar nominations; NH presidential primary; Netflix earnings
Thu - Comcast earnings; Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning premieres on Paramount +
Sat/Sun - Australian Open women's and men's singles finals |
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Brotherly Love - Spectating Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce stole the show when his brother Travis scored a touchdown during the second quarter of Sunday night’s AFC Divisional round playoff game between the Chiefs and Bills. The shirtless Eagles star, who announced his retirement earlier this month, was caught on camera screaming in celebration. He then jumped out the window of the luxury suite (where he had been chatting with Taylor Swift), cheering on his brother with the rest of the crowd. |
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