Hollywood has spent years debating whether AI could replace the people who make television and film. Amazon just gave that debate a very real test case. With Castle Walls, Prime Video becomes the first major streaming platform to distribute a fully AI-generated television series. For writers, directors and crews, the hypothetical just became a reality.
In this week’s most-read story, Reel AI’s Erik Barmack reveals how we reached this hinge moment, what it means for the tech’s impact on entertainment going forward — and the surprise risk Hollywood doesn’t see coming:
Meanwhile, Richard Rushfield called Netflix’s last film chief. Now he’s betting he can do it again. Two years ago, he predicted that Dan Lin would land Hollywood’s most daunting movie job. Today Netflix’s film strategy is in turmoil, and the stakes for Lin’s successor are even higher. So who gets the job — and who would be crazy enough to want it? Richard sizes up the contenders, rules out the pretenders and makes his bold pick for the person — or hmm, is it a duo? — who can save Netflix’s movie business:
Over at Skydance, David Ellison has a $6.6 billion sports problem. That’s how much the merged companies are set to spend annually on rights deals across 36 properties — and with $6 billion in promised merger savings to find, something’s gonna give (and fast). Lesley Goldberg scoops which leagues are likely heading for the chopping block:
Now, ICYMI, the rest of our best of the week…
Series Business
↑ The Microdrama Boom: a Bloodbath in the Making They were supposed to save Hollywood. But, Elaine Low asks, who will save the genre now that the gold rush is under enormous pressure?
Peter Rice’s 190-Country Headache: Find Netflix’s Next Squid Game Manori Ravindran hears from the execs, producers and analysts sounding the alarm that the streamer’s “local for local” strategy is stifling the kind of global hits it needs.
Elisabeth Finch’s Grey’s Anatomy Scandal Is Now a Comedy An eight-year cancer hoax rocked the writers room. Lesley chats with Jamie Denbo, who turned her front-row seat into a one-woman show.
Netflix’s Woes in 5 Charts
↑ Netflix Regime Change Explained in 5 Shocking Charts Entertainment Strategy Guy returns to crunch the numbers on why Netflix’s originals aren’t hitting the zeitgeist — or Nielsen charts — the way they once did. Peter Rice, you’re up.
Prestige Junkie
↑ Laika Lost 5 Oscars to Disney and Pixar. Wildwood May Settle the Score The stop-motion animation studio’s latest is a frontrunner. Having visited the company’s Oregon shop, Katey Rich can see why it has another strong contender.
Plus, Being Heumann star Ruth Madeley, a disability rights activist herself, talks about playing Judy Heumann and why accessible sets benefit all:
Oscar’s Moneyball Pivot: 4 Charts That Reveal Who Votes Now Stephen Follows, a film data researcher, educator and Substacker, shares exclusive new data with Katey about how dramatically the film Academy has changed — from who’s who to where they live.
Tom Bernard on the Art of Oscar Campaigns Plus: Katey goes inside Everytime, the heartbreaking international feature contender whose entire premise might be a spoiler.
The Wakeup
Sean McNulty lays out the many projects HBO has announced since the Skydance merger closed — and what the deals signal about the prestige platform’s future:
Friday → ☀️ Purges, Hires: JB Perrette’s SKYDANCE Team Announced
Thursday → ☀️ YOUTUBE’s Biz Matures as Ad Rev Slowdown Hits
Wednesday → ☀️ HBO’s Skydance Spree: 7 Projects, 1 Month
Tuesday → ☀️ SKYDANCE Asks Staff to Leave Nicely — For Now
Podcasts
Ankler Agenda
Richard tells Elaine and Sean why Netflix’s film chief has an impossible job — 30-plus movies a year, the next KPop Demon Hunters, Oscars and more — and who he predicts could handle it:
Shows
Monday Morning QBs
DC Studios’ Clayface opened solidly at $24 million domestically. Sean and Christopher Rosen wonder whether low budgets can save the comic book genre:
Rushfield Lunch
Peter Farrelly tells Richard how he ended up at the helm of I Play Rocky, how the crowd-pleasing contender came together — and whether you could make There’s Something About Mary today:
Like & Subscribe
New from Natalie Jarvey’s creator economy newsletter:
↑ Peak Newsletter? Even the Biggest Stars are Feeling the Squeeze
The Optionist
Andy Lewis’ latest IP picks:
Comments
Only Ankler All Access subscribers can comment
Already a subscriber?