The last of us

A Disney spokesperson has confirmed to Deadline that Ike Perlmutter is out at the company. Note, Permutter oversaw the consumer products division of Marvel, and isn’t part of the Kevin Feige-led Marvel Studios. Perlmutter’s departure comes amid Disney cutting 7K jobs in a massive overhaul of its employee corps that’s part of $5.5 billion cost-cutting manuever to position the Mouse House even more for the streaming obsessed entertainment era. Permutter’s Marvel Entertainment will be folded into other parts of the Disney corporate umbrella. Perlmutter’s oversight included comic book publishing (which reportedly earns $40M-$60M annually), as well as game licensing and arena shows. Dan Buckley, president of Marvel Entertainment, will stay in place and report to Feige, president of Marvel Studios. Buckley previously reported to Feige and Perlmutter. Perlmutter sold Marvel to Disney in 2009 for $4B, having previously steered the company during the 1990s, capitalizing on the … [Read more...] about Marvel Entertainment Chairman Ike Perlmutter Cut From Company

CNN News Centra l, the network’s new daytime programming blocks, will begin its roll out next week. The New York-based morning block, airing from 9 AM ET to noon ET, will debut on Monday, April 3, with anchors John Berman, Kate Bolduan and Sara Sidner. The Washington, D.C.-based block, airing from 1 PM ET to 4 PM ET, will debut on April 17, with anchors Brianna Keilar, Boris Sanchez and Jim Sciutto. The revamped daytime lineup is intended to replicate the feel of election night, with heavy use of graphics and visuals, highlighting correspondents in the midst of newsgathering. Some of the elements were featured in CNN’s weeklong coverage in January of Capitol Hill as the House cast 15 ballots to eventually elect Kevin McCarthy as the next speaker. CNN News Central also will feature new sets for both blocks. In the first quarter of this year, CNN averaged 478,000 viewers, down 27% from a year earlier. In the 25-54 demo, the network averaged 94,000, down 40%. CNN … [Read more...] about CNN Sets April Premiere Dates For Daytime ‘News Central’

Maybe Quinta Brunson learned about April Fool’s Day “pranks” from some confused kids at Abbott Elementary. The Emmy-winning creator, writer and star of ABC’s breakout comedy will be the teacher — er, host — of Saturday Night Live this weekend for the first time , and she tries her hand at making an April fool of castmember Molly Kearney . There’s just one teensy little problem: Brunson appears unclear on the concept. Poor Kearney is just minding her own business while getting a drink at the watercooler when Brunson leaps from behind some boxes with flowers and candy and yells, “Prank!” — eliciting an old-school spit take. Later she pops out of a closet with balloons and a gift basket. The bemused Kearney then tells the camera about their doubts in re Brunson’s notion of a prank. Cut to Brunson saying to the camera, “Molly said that?” She then lets slip with her plan for the next “prank.” Suffice it to say, Kearney embraces the host’s giving nature this time. … [Read more...] about ‘SNL’ Promo: Quinta Brunson Takes April Fool’s “Pranks” To An Unusual New Level

WME is teaming with Inevitable Foundation , the non-profit helping disabled screenwriters to reach their full commercial and creative potential, on a new initiative to empower them. While there’s no official name for the initiative, Inevitable Foundation will look through it to leverage the leading agency’s expertise, resources and relationships to break down barriers for disabled writers. The Foundation will now receive financial support from WME, also working with their TV and MP lit agents to increase development and staffing opportunities for disabled writers, and setting their Accelerate Fellows up with opportunities for mentorship by notable agency clients. “We are thrilled to partner with WME to help disabled writers build creative power in the film and television industry,” said Inevitable Foundation co-founders Richie Siegel and Marisa Torelli-Pedevska. “Disabled writers represent only 0.15% of first-look and overall deals, 3% of upper-level television writers, … [Read more...] about WME, Inevitable Foundation Partner On Initiative To Empower Disabled Writers

EXCLUSIVE: Yul Vazquez is set as a lead opposite Danny Pino & Michael Chiklis in Hotel Cocaine , MGM+ ’s upcoming crime thriller from creator Chris Brancato. Hotel Cocaine is the story of Roman Compte (Pino), a Cuban expatriate who fought against Fidel Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion and re-made his life in Miami. He is general manager of the Mutiny Hotel, the glamorous epicenter of the Miami cocaine scene of late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The Mutiny Hotel was Casablanca on cocaine, a glitzy nightclub, restaurant and hotel frequented by Florida businessmen and politicians, international narcos, CIA and FBI agents, models, sports stars and musicians. Vazquez will play Nestor Cabal, Roman Compte’s (Pino) brother and one of the biggest suppliers of cocaine to a coke-hungry Miami population. He’s dangerous, funny, wily, and seeking reunion with his long-lost brother. Chiklis plays Agent Zulio who will stop at nothing to shut down the drug trade, even if it … [Read more...] about ‘Hotel Cocaine’: Yul Vazquez Joins Danny Pino & Michael Chiklis In MGM+ Series

Doubleday will publish the sequel to John Grisham ’s bestseller The Firm this fall. The new legal thriller, titled The Exchange: After The Firm , will mark the return of protagonist Mitch McDeere; publication date is October 17. The announcement was made today by Grisham’s publisher, Suzanne Herz, EVP, Publisher Vintage/Anchor Books, and rights to the work were sold by David Gernert at The Gernert Company. The book will be published by Doubleday in hardcover, as an ebook, and in audio by Penguin Random House. Anchor will published it in trade paper a year later. An announced hardcover first printing of 1.5 million copies has been set. “When last seen in The Firm , Mitch McDeere and his wife Abby were fleeing Memphis with the bad guys in hot pursuit,” says Grisham. “Now they’re back, fifteen years later, and living in New York where Mitch is an international lawyer and a partner in a mega-firm. His work takes him across the globe, and not always to safe places. … [Read more...] about John Grisham Sequel To ‘The Firm’ Coming From Doubleday: ‘The Exchange’ Arrives This Fall

Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks will host the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards in May, producers announced today. The awards ceremony will stream live on Thursday, May 11 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT exclusively for a global audience across 240+ territories on Prime Video from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. A full rebroadcast of the ceremony and performances will stream next day for free on Amazon Freevee. The hosts were announced by The Academy of Country Music, Prime Video, and Dick Clark Productions. “I am thrilled to return to host the ACM Awards, this time with my friend Garth,” said Parton. “While I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with him throughout the years, I can’t believe we’ve never had the chance to work together.” Parton added that she would premiere the lead single from her upcoming rock album on the show. “Anyone with Dolly Parton makes a fantastic couple,” said Brooks. The special will mark the first time Brooks will take … [Read more...] about Dolly Parton & Garth Brooks To Host Academy Of Country Music Awards In May

EXCLUSIVE: AMC Networks is continuing its true-crime drive. The company’s SundanceTV has renewed Hilarie Burton Morgan ’s It Couldn’t Happen Here and has also ordered two new series as it ramps up its True Crime Story franchise. It Couldn’t Happen Here returns for a second season, hosted by One Tree Hill and The Walking Dead star Burton Morgan. Separately, it has ordered True Crime Story: Citizen Detective and Crimes of Entitlement (w/t). The three series will air on SundanceTV, AMC+ and SundanceNow. Citizen Detective is a documentary series that examines true-crime stories through the eyes of the untrained amateur sleuths who solved them or are still trying to do so. Each episode spotlights one new crime and the crime-fighter determined to make sure the case he or she is obsessed with is ultimately classified as closed. It comes from RuPaul’s Drag Race producer World of Wonder and is exec produced by Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey, Josh … [Read more...] about Hilarie Burton Morgan’s ‘It Couldn’t Happen Here’ Renewed At SundanceTV As AMC Networks Builds Out True-Crime Slate

Netflix has greenlit the new 2D animated series Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld from first-time showrunner Echo Wu and executive producers Ali Wong ( Beef ) and Aron Eli Coleite ( Locke & Key ). Wong will also star in the supernatural action series alongside Bowen Yang , Lori Tan Chinn , Lucy Liu , Jimmy O. Yang , Sheng Wang , and Woosung Kim . The series follows Jentry Chau (voiced by Wong), a Chinese-American teen living in a small Texas town, who finds out a demon king is hunting her for the supernatural powers she’s been working her whole life to repress. With the help of her weapons expert great-aunt and a millennia-old jiangshi (Chinese hopping vampire), Jentry must now fight an entire underworld’s worth of monsters while balancing the horrors of high school. Chris Prynoski ( The Legend of Vox Machina ), Shannon Prynoski ( Fairfax ), Antonio Canobbio ( Arlo the Alligator Boy ) and Ben Kalina ( Big Mouth ) will also executive produce … [Read more...] about Ali Wong To Star & EP New Netflix Animated Series ‘Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld’

EXCLUSIVE: American Ninja Warrior will be back on NBC for a while. The competition format, which is produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions, returns this June for season 15 and has already been picked up for season 16. Hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila, along with co-host Zuri Hall, are back to call the action as the ninjas make their way through the qualifying and semifinal rounds in Los Angeles before moving to the national finals in Las Vegas. There are a number of new additions to the seasons including a Mega Wall with ninjas also racing side-by-side and head-to-head for the first time, marking the biggest changes to the show in its history. Production is currently underway on both seasons, with A. Smith & Co. filming the seasons back-to-back with select ninjas featured in both seasons. Season 15 will premiere on June 5 and season 16 returns in 2024. It marks a major statement of intent from NBCU unscripted chief Corie Henson, who joined last … [Read more...] about ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Lands Bumper Renewal Order At NBC With Taller Mega Wall Among Format Changes