David Zaslav has a funny way of making friends.
In a week where the Warner Bros Discovery CEO once again alienated almost everyone with the cutting of the completed Coyote vs Acme for a tax write down, Zaslav now is praising the Writers Guild of America, his foe for several months this year.
“They are right about almost everything,” the exec told the New York Times about the scribes and the deal they made with the studios after five bitter months that shut Hollywood down. “So what if we overpay? I’ve never regretted overpaying for great talent or a great asset,” Zaslav added in what seems like a 180 and more from where he, the AMPTP and others in the CEO Gang of Four were back in the spring.
Going through their own corporate contractions, overpaid is probably not the label Zas’ fellow Gang of Four were hoping to be tattooed with today
With Zaslav,...
In a week where the Warner Bros Discovery CEO once again alienated almost everyone with the cutting of the completed Coyote vs Acme for a tax write down, Zaslav now is praising the Writers Guild of America, his foe for several months this year.
“They are right about almost everything,” the exec told the New York Times about the scribes and the deal they made with the studios after five bitter months that shut Hollywood down. “So what if we overpay? I’ve never regretted overpaying for great talent or a great asset,” Zaslav added in what seems like a 180 and more from where he, the AMPTP and others in the CEO Gang of Four were back in the spring.
Going through their own corporate contractions, overpaid is probably not the label Zas’ fellow Gang of Four were hoping to be tattooed with today
With Zaslav,...
- 11/15/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)
Disney's most successful, new franchise over the last 20 years is far and away "Pirates of the Caribbean." Yes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is bigger, but that was only made possible through an acquisition after the enterprise was already off to the races. In this case, this was a movie based on a Disney attraction that proved to be a gigantic hit, spawning a multi-billion-dollar series. Naturally, the Mouse House has tried to emulate that success ever since, but nothing has even come close. Beyond that, you could argue that every other attempt has actually been a sizable misfire. That streak looks to continue as Disney's new "Haunted Mansion" (read our review here) is in for a rough weekend.
But it's understandable that...
Disney's most successful, new franchise over the last 20 years is far and away "Pirates of the Caribbean." Yes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is bigger, but that was only made possible through an acquisition after the enterprise was already off to the races. In this case, this was a movie based on a Disney attraction that proved to be a gigantic hit, spawning a multi-billion-dollar series. Naturally, the Mouse House has tried to emulate that success ever since, but nothing has even come close. Beyond that, you could argue that every other attempt has actually been a sizable misfire. That streak looks to continue as Disney's new "Haunted Mansion" (read our review here) is in for a rough weekend.
But it's understandable that...
- 7/29/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Turning Disney theme park attractions is a relatively new-ish concept, but the movies based on Disney attractions vary wildly in quality.
The story goes that Dick Cook, who at the time was running the Disney film studio with Nina Jacobson, had originally come up with the idea to “mine the theme parks for movie ideas” (as James B. Stewart put it in “Disney War”). They had made “The Country Bears” and were working on projects based on classic Disney attractions Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion. At the time, Pirates was envisioned as a direct-to-video cheapie, more along the lines of “Tower of Terror,” which debuted as an inexpensive TV on “The Wonderful World of Disney.”
But during a meeting about whether Disney should invest in “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” an expensive Peter Weir movie starring Russell Crowe (they declined), the idea was...
The story goes that Dick Cook, who at the time was running the Disney film studio with Nina Jacobson, had originally come up with the idea to “mine the theme parks for movie ideas” (as James B. Stewart put it in “Disney War”). They had made “The Country Bears” and were working on projects based on classic Disney attractions Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion. At the time, Pirates was envisioned as a direct-to-video cheapie, more along the lines of “Tower of Terror,” which debuted as an inexpensive TV on “The Wonderful World of Disney.”
But during a meeting about whether Disney should invest in “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” an expensive Peter Weir movie starring Russell Crowe (they declined), the idea was...
- 7/28/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Jeff Zucker was breezing through the Faena Hotel in Miami Beach when he spotted David Zaslav across the room. The former CNN chief was there on vacation on March 31, while the current Warner Bros. Discovery CEO was on hand for the Saudi-backed Fii Institute’s Global Priority Summit. As corporate leaders mingled with Saudi princesses, Zucker approached Zaslav with tears in his eyes. Zucker complained that Chris Licht, his CNN successor, was unfairly maligning him in the press, according to sources familiar with the conversation. Zucker insisted he would never deploy such a low-blow tactic. It was a strange claim given that, to that point, Licht had only done a single published profile with The New York Times’ James B. Stewart, in which Zucker was never mentioned.
Zaslav stopped him. Instead, he wanted to know if Zucker was indulging in a different “fantasy,” as Zaslav put it — to assemble a...
Zaslav stopped him. Instead, he wanted to know if Zucker was indulging in a different “fantasy,” as Zaslav put it — to assemble a...
- 7/25/2023
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety Film + TV
This post contains spoilers for "Succession."
When Jesse Armstrong announced in a 2023 New Yorker interview that his hit HBO show "Succession" was coming to an end with its upcoming fourth season, fans were shocked. The show had reached not just a dramatic peak in its third season, in which elderly media mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox) made the first steps to sell his Waystar Royco empire and cut his children out, but a peak in popularity and impact as well, having earned its highest ratings yet during the season 3 finale. For a tragic media satire with such seemingly specific appeal, its fanbase skews broad, sparking both analysis of its thematic richness and shipping videos set to Taylor Swift.
Still, as Armstrong told the New Yorker, "There's a promise in the title of 'Succession.'" With a show designed around the broad idea of a King Lear-type ceding control...
When Jesse Armstrong announced in a 2023 New Yorker interview that his hit HBO show "Succession" was coming to an end with its upcoming fourth season, fans were shocked. The show had reached not just a dramatic peak in its third season, in which elderly media mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox) made the first steps to sell his Waystar Royco empire and cut his children out, but a peak in popularity and impact as well, having earned its highest ratings yet during the season 3 finale. For a tragic media satire with such seemingly specific appeal, its fanbase skews broad, sparking both analysis of its thematic richness and shipping videos set to Taylor Swift.
Still, as Armstrong told the New Yorker, "There's a promise in the title of 'Succession.'" With a show designed around the broad idea of a King Lear-type ceding control...
- 5/13/2023
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
Producer Steven Paul has optioned the rights to “Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy,” with plans to develop the nonfiction bestseller by James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams as a TV series.
The book, published by Penguin Random House in February, tells the sordid, behind-the-scenes story of the battle for control of Sumner Redstone’s media empire. The book has been the talk of the town in Hollywood as industry insiders learn the unvarnished details behind the recent history of Sumner and Shari Redstone, Viacom, CBS Corp., Leslie Moonves and a host of other prominent figures.
Rachel Abrams, Steven Paul and James B. Stewart
Paul is in the process of recruiting a writer to develop the property as a limited series through his Sp Media Group. The deal was brokered for Stewart and Abrams by CAA’s Ron Bernstein and Sp Media president Scott Karol.
The book, published by Penguin Random House in February, tells the sordid, behind-the-scenes story of the battle for control of Sumner Redstone’s media empire. The book has been the talk of the town in Hollywood as industry insiders learn the unvarnished details behind the recent history of Sumner and Shari Redstone, Viacom, CBS Corp., Leslie Moonves and a host of other prominent figures.
Rachel Abrams, Steven Paul and James B. Stewart
Paul is in the process of recruiting a writer to develop the property as a limited series through his Sp Media Group. The deal was brokered for Stewart and Abrams by CAA’s Ron Bernstein and Sp Media president Scott Karol.
- 4/20/2023
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Paramount Global has agreed to settle a shareholder lawsuit that claimed that the 2019 CBS-Viacom merger was unfair for shareholders.
According to a securities filing Friday, Paramount will pay the shareholders $122.5 million to settle the claims, subject to a long-form settlement agreement and approval by Delaware’s Chancery Court.
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (“CalPERS”) was lead plaintiff in the litigation, which also named Shari Redstone and the Redstone family’s National Amusements as defendants. Paramount CEO Bob Bakish was also a defendant, but was removed from the suit in Dec. 2020.
Indeed, Redstone was at the center of the suit, which claimed that Viacom’s board accepted a lower price for the merger in order to secure Redstone’s governance priorities (namely that the company would be led by Bakish and much of his executive team).
“Plaintiffs allege that the willingness of the fiduciaries who served on Viacom...
According to a securities filing Friday, Paramount will pay the shareholders $122.5 million to settle the claims, subject to a long-form settlement agreement and approval by Delaware’s Chancery Court.
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (“CalPERS”) was lead plaintiff in the litigation, which also named Shari Redstone and the Redstone family’s National Amusements as defendants. Paramount CEO Bob Bakish was also a defendant, but was removed from the suit in Dec. 2020.
Indeed, Redstone was at the center of the suit, which claimed that Viacom’s board accepted a lower price for the merger in order to secure Redstone’s governance priorities (namely that the company would be led by Bakish and much of his executive team).
“Plaintiffs allege that the willingness of the fiduciaries who served on Viacom...
- 3/3/2023
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
From the outset, Sumner Redstone was a curiosity.
A cluster of power players 50 years ago were suddenly bidding for control of Hollywood’s revered movie studios. Competition was intense but most of the bidders were not even “movie” people. In fact, they’d rarely seen a movie.
Related Story Les Moonves Lies, Shari Pushes, Philippe Dauman Falls, Sumner Steals His Grandson’s Girlfriend And Other Tales In New Book On The Redstones Related Story 'Scream VI' Headed To Franchise Record Opening At Box Office Related Story 'Dungeons & Dragons' John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein's GoldDay Inks First Look With Paramount Pictures
The exception was a cantankerous lawyer from Boston who’d inherited a small chain of theaters. Unlike characters like Steve Ross (funeral business), Kirk Kerkorian (airplanes) or Rupert Murdoch (newspapers), Redstone was passionate about film. He wanted to champion filmmaking and build a media conglomerate around that zeal.
A cluster of power players 50 years ago were suddenly bidding for control of Hollywood’s revered movie studios. Competition was intense but most of the bidders were not even “movie” people. In fact, they’d rarely seen a movie.
Related Story Les Moonves Lies, Shari Pushes, Philippe Dauman Falls, Sumner Steals His Grandson’s Girlfriend And Other Tales In New Book On The Redstones Related Story 'Scream VI' Headed To Franchise Record Opening At Box Office Related Story 'Dungeons & Dragons' John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein's GoldDay Inks First Look With Paramount Pictures
The exception was a cantankerous lawyer from Boston who’d inherited a small chain of theaters. Unlike characters like Steve Ross (funeral business), Kirk Kerkorian (airplanes) or Rupert Murdoch (newspapers), Redstone was passionate about film. He wanted to champion filmmaking and build a media conglomerate around that zeal.
- 2/16/2023
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
In Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalists James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams chart the byzantine corporate maneuvering and salacious personal embroilments that brought disgrace to billionaire Viacom owner Sumner Redstone and longtime CBS head Les Moonves — as well as trouble for their allies, sycophants, rivals and shareholders. The book, published Feb. 14, relies on exclusive access to key documents and participants in the soap-operatic drama to examine alleged sexual assault, elder abuse, financial shenanigans, legal negligence, boardroom power politics, executive cover-ups and the doomed dynamic in the relationships between a very wealthy, very old man and two very clever younger women.
Those two women, Sydney Holland and Manuela Herzer, who for a time toward the end of the mogul’s life resided in Redstone’s Beverly Park mansion, ended up rich. By the time he ultimately rid himself of them,...
Those two women, Sydney Holland and Manuela Herzer, who for a time toward the end of the mogul’s life resided in Redstone’s Beverly Park mansion, ended up rich. By the time he ultimately rid himself of them,...
- 2/14/2023
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A well-liked executive with a lengthy history at the Walt Disney Company is called upon to serve as its CEO after a public fracas resulted in troubled shareholders and concerns about the company's future legacy. When the executive is installed as the CEO, those public concerns quickly dissipate and are replaced by pleased reactions from Wall Street and Disney fans. The executive is, as you may have guessed, Robert Iger. The year? Why, 2005, of course. No, you have not traveled back in time — but history is genuinely, inexplicably repeating itself again. On the Sunday night before Thanksgiving 2022, industry watchers were legitimately stunned by the one-two punch: Disney's current CEO, Bob Chapek, was being ousted, and his replacement was Bob Iger, the man who literally chose Chapek to replace him as CEO. Iger has the advantage of weathering 15 years as the CEO of the House of Mouse, which may help or...
- 11/23/2022
- by Josh Spiegel
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Addicted to Succession? Well, here’s the real thing: An explosive new book will spill all about the power struggle to control Paramount.
Penned by two acclaimed New York Times reporters — James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams — Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy promises a juicy glimpse behind the scenes of the media empire built by Sumner Redstone, the colorful and cutthroat chairman of ViacomCBS (renamed Paramount in February) who died in 2020 at 97.
The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively reveal the cover of the book, on sale Feb. 14, 2023, which features six central figures of the saga seated around a conference table beneath a looming portrait of the late mogul.
Pictured from left are Redstone’s girlfriend Manuela Herzer, former Viacom chief Philippe Dauman, Redstone’s grandson Brandon Korff, ex-Redstone girlfriend Sydney Holland, CBS chairman Les Moonves and Redstone’s daughter Shari Redstone,...
Addicted to Succession? Well, here’s the real thing: An explosive new book will spill all about the power struggle to control Paramount.
Penned by two acclaimed New York Times reporters — James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams — Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy promises a juicy glimpse behind the scenes of the media empire built by Sumner Redstone, the colorful and cutthroat chairman of ViacomCBS (renamed Paramount in February) who died in 2020 at 97.
The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively reveal the cover of the book, on sale Feb. 14, 2023, which features six central figures of the saga seated around a conference table beneath a looming portrait of the late mogul.
Pictured from left are Redstone’s girlfriend Manuela Herzer, former Viacom chief Philippe Dauman, Redstone’s grandson Brandon Korff, ex-Redstone girlfriend Sydney Holland, CBS chairman Les Moonves and Redstone’s daughter Shari Redstone,...
- 10/4/2022
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jordan Fudge, Jeremy Allen and Zach White’s media fund New Slate Ventures has optioned the rights to Den of Thieves from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James B. Stewart. Oscar-nominated screenwriter Terence Winter is set to adapt the non-fiction book into a limited series.
Published in 1992, Den of Thieves (which has nothing to do with the action-thriller of the same name starring Gerard Butler) tells the story of the massive insider trading scandal that brought down Drexel Burnham Lambert as well as ending the careers of Wall Street heavyweights Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken, who recently received a full pardon by Donald Trump.
The limited series will be produced by Fudge under the New Slate Ventures banner and Alexandra Milchan under her Emjag Productions banner.
Stewart is no stranger to Wall Street scandals and shenanigans. He won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism and...
Published in 1992, Den of Thieves (which has nothing to do with the action-thriller of the same name starring Gerard Butler) tells the story of the massive insider trading scandal that brought down Drexel Burnham Lambert as well as ending the careers of Wall Street heavyweights Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken, who recently received a full pardon by Donald Trump.
The limited series will be produced by Fudge under the New Slate Ventures banner and Alexandra Milchan under her Emjag Productions banner.
Stewart is no stranger to Wall Street scandals and shenanigans. He won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism and...
- 3/4/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Calculated or clueless? Savior or shark? The premiere of HBO’s “The Inventor” earlier this month has sparked new debate over disgraced entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes and just how much she knew about the demise of her healthcare technology company, Theranos.
The documentary, which tracks Holmes’ meteoric rise through Silicon Valley and her subsequent fall from grace when her startup is revealed to have defrauded investors with false claims and earnings, has also sparked renewed interest in the under-pinnings of the tech industry, where new ideas and young leaders are put up on a pedestal,...
The documentary, which tracks Holmes’ meteoric rise through Silicon Valley and her subsequent fall from grace when her startup is revealed to have defrauded investors with false claims and earnings, has also sparked renewed interest in the under-pinnings of the tech industry, where new ideas and young leaders are put up on a pedestal,...
- 3/27/2019
- by Tim Chan
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: Steve Tisch had every right to feel good about the world as he flew back from Houston eight days ago after his New York Giants football team won its first game of the season over the Texans. Top draft pick Rb Saquon Barkley scored a touchdown, and Eli Manning — the Qb the team gave a confidence vote to by choosing Barkley instead of a quarterback of the future — threw two touchdowns and completed 25 of 29 passes.
That good airborne feeling was interrupted by the following turbulence: Tisch opened his New York Times and read James B. Stewart’s lengthy feature on David Boies, the legal eagle who is trying to reestablish his reputation after he was excoriated for his close relationship with disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, and disgraced Theranos blood testing proprietor Elizabeth Holmes. Boies’ legal firm, you’ll recall, had been fired by Nyt last fall after it...
That good airborne feeling was interrupted by the following turbulence: Tisch opened his New York Times and read James B. Stewart’s lengthy feature on David Boies, the legal eagle who is trying to reestablish his reputation after he was excoriated for his close relationship with disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, and disgraced Theranos blood testing proprietor Elizabeth Holmes. Boies’ legal firm, you’ll recall, had been fired by Nyt last fall after it...
- 10/1/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
The Times Up organization has weighed in on the sexual misconduct allegations against CBS Chairman and CEO Les Moonves, and the message is – “We are watching.”
In a tweet on Wednesday, the organization expressed its support for the women who made the allegations and called on CBS to conduct a “full, transparent and expedient investigation.”
“Six women have courageously shared their stories and accused CBS Les Moonves of sexual harassment and assault,” read the tweet. “We believe you. We are with you. CBS, we are watching. We expect a full, transparent and expedient investigation. Now. #Timesup” The tweet also featured quotes from the women detailing their accusations against Moonves.
Six women have courageously shared their stories and accused CBS CEO Les Moonves of sexual harassment and assault. We believe you. We are with you. @CBS We are watching. We expect a full, transparent and expedient investigation. Now. #Timesup pic.twitter.
In a tweet on Wednesday, the organization expressed its support for the women who made the allegations and called on CBS to conduct a “full, transparent and expedient investigation.”
“Six women have courageously shared their stories and accused CBS Les Moonves of sexual harassment and assault,” read the tweet. “We believe you. We are with you. CBS, we are watching. We expect a full, transparent and expedient investigation. Now. #Timesup” The tweet also featured quotes from the women detailing their accusations against Moonves.
Six women have courageously shared their stories and accused CBS CEO Les Moonves of sexual harassment and assault. We believe you. We are with you. @CBS We are watching. We expect a full, transparent and expedient investigation. Now. #Timesup pic.twitter.
- 8/1/2018
- by Denise Petski and Dawn C. Chmielewski
- Deadline Film + TV
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