THE LATEST ARTICLES
NEWSLETTERS
Less than a week after the WGA strike ended, hundreds of reinstated writers have been notified that their deals will not be extended.
Matthew Belloni October 2, 2023
One of the post-strike realities: fewer shows, fewer writers on overall deals, and perhaps an amusing roundabout: after a generation of Peak TV, writers are starting to focus on movies.
The studios made it clear that if there wasn’t a deal this weekend—and preferably before the Yom Kippur sundown—they were planning to move on to SAG-AFTRA.
Matthew Belloni & Jonathan Handel September 25, 2023
Both sides claim victory as the 146-day impasse ends, the actors wait in the wings, and the next weeks and months come into focus. A sigh of relief in Hollywood, yet there are reasons to believe this aftermath will look very different.
Lachlan, James, Anna and Rupert Murdoch in New York City, 1987.
Matthew Belloni September 22, 2023
Was Rupert’s ‘retirement’ notice intended to signify his ride off into the sunset or denote his full-blown support of Lachlan—or, more likely, was it meant for an audience of his daughters, Liz and Prue, whose votes may control the family trust?
Drew Barrymore
Matthew Belloni September 18, 2023
The Drew Barrymore saga perfectly encapsulates an underappreciated aspect of this labor impasse. Online discourse hasn’t necessarily dictated what the studios will agree to, but it’s unquestionably offered the WGA leadership more leverage.


From the beginning, Costner has seen Yellowstone as The Kevin Costner Show, even as its headstrong co-creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan has maintained ultimate control and the backing of Paramount.
Matthew Belloni September 15, 2023
Costner’s threat to sue over his likely exit from TV’s top show comes after months of back-and-forth with Paramount, a rep’s hasty trip to New York, and a call with Taylor Sheridan that did not go well.
Ken Griffin is locked in a nasty behind-the-scenes legal fight with Sony Pictures over his depiction in ‘Dumb Money.’
Matthew Belloni September 11, 2023
The hedge fund billionaire is locked in a nasty behind-the-scenes legal fight over his depiction in the new GameStop movie and has hired at least two separate law firms to send Sony Pictures threatening letters—one of which I obtained.
In finding a synergistic private buyer in François-Henri Pinaul, whose $40 billion in assets include Kering and Christie’s, TPG managed to thread the needle.
Matthew Belloni September 8, 2023
A French fashion player announces himself in Hollywood as the talent agency’s private equity backers prove that, even if the sky appears to be falling, you can still make a lot of money in this town.
Fran Drescher has ceded some of the spotlight to chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, who comes across as firm and determined but not ferocious.
Matthew Belloni & Jonathan Handel September 5, 2023
A candid conversation on The Eight’s strategy, Fran Drescher’s whereabouts, why Bradley Cooper isn’t in Venice, the interim agreements and more as Hollywood’s summer of unrest turns into an autumn free-for-all.


According to sources close to the deal, the priority was to “event-ize” the experience, to replicate a Swift concert environment.
Matthew Belloni September 1, 2023
Taylor Swift’s innovative deal with AMC might open the gates for a new genre of D.T.C. theatrical concert films, even if it angers the rest of Hollywood.
Among subscribers, the perceived “quality” for Max is at 55 percent, the same as in January—even as all the other streamers dropped.
Matthew Belloni August 28, 2023
A look at how David Zaslav’s rebranded streamer is doing with consumers in the latest iteration of Puck’s Official Streaming Service Hierarchy.
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