Paramount-WB Org Chart From Hell; Rushfield’s Hit Manifesto
Plus: the Jeffrey Epstein book agent in the middle of the mess
Hollywood heads are still spinning from the news that Paramount won the battle for Warner Bros. Discovery. With a stated $6 billion in “redundancies” and a combined nearly $90 billion in debt, we can expect a brutal shakeup of jobs and priorities. Team Ankler circled the big issues:
Sean McNulty came out of the gate with his top-tier analysis of the awful math, streaming chaos and cable melt that will guide decisions:
On Friday, Sean laid out the ramifications for CBS Mornings:
Lesley Goldberg reported on the duplication between the two companies’ bold-faced executive teams — and who is likely to survive (and not):
She also detailed the mood at Warners Friday after its clumsy town hall:
And Richard Rushfield sat down for an urgent huddle with antitrust expert Matt Stoller about how the industry can still fight the merger — and why it must, as California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Gov. Gavin Newsom, among others, prep for a fight:
It’s no wonder that, amid a growing hunger to take back our creative future, Richard’s annual state-of-the-industry address was a runaway smash. In it he declares Hollywood’s “studios are no longer stewards of our culture,” and maps out a path to build the New New Hollywood (inspired in part by his conversations at Slamdance, which he’ll write more about on Tuesday).
It’s a bracing manifesto that handily topped The Ankler’s charts. Don’t miss it:
Luckily, original cinema is still with us. At last night’s PGA Awards, where One Battle After Another took the top film honor, its producer-director Paul Thomas Anderson made a point of thanking Warner Bros. film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy. “Your work this year is so spectacular,” he said, referencing not just his own movie but also fellow PGA nominees Sinners and Weapons. “None of us could have done this without the two of you…. Long may you wave, whatever the future holds. It is one battle after another.”
And finally, with Oscar voting underway, Katey Rich on Thursday hosted her last Prestige Junkie Live of the season, interviewing Song Sung Blue best actress contender Kate Hudson:
Reminder: Katey and Christopher Rosen will watch SAG-AFTRA’s Actor Awards live tonight, starting just before 5 p.m. PT, to offer their expert commentary on the winners, also-rans and what it all means for the Academy Awards. Join them at Prestige Junkie After Party!
Now, ICYMI, the rest of our best of the week:
Richard Rushfield: What Netflix Really Wanted
Before Netflix opted out of a bidding war, Richard analyzed its motives in a sharp take borne out by the company’s quick exit from the WBD arena:
Series Business: Taking on Top Model
Reality Check executive producer Jason Beekman tells Elaine Low how Netflix’s hit America’s Next Top Model exposé came together — plus a scoop on what really led to the judges’ firing:
Reel AI: Seedance Scaries
ByteDance’s AI reconnaissance strike — an eerily realistic Brad Pitt-Tom Cruise fight scene — sent shockwaves through Hollywood. Erik Barmack outlines the four choices now facing studios before the next attack:
The Optionist: Epstein’s Entree to the Elites
Andy Lewis’ newsletter about available intellectual property this week covers the Boston-born book agent, now 85, who represented esteemed scholars and scientists — and helped his friend Jeffrey Epstein create his playbook of influence and illusion of respectability:
Prestige Junkie: BAFTA Drama, Brazil Boom
Katey interviews Sentimental Value star Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, chronicles Brazil’s movie moment and reflects on the BAFTA racial slur:
The Wakeup: PSKY & WBD’s Q4 Earnings
For a primer on what exactly David Ellison is combining here, read Sean’s deep dives into the merging companies’ Q4 reports — where PSKY lost over half a billion dollars and WBD’s revenue fell 6 percent year over year:
📹 Ankler Shows
Monday Morning QBs: “I just don’t think they knew what to do with it,” says Christopher Rosen of A24’s How to Make a Killing as he and Sean decipher what went wrong with the Glen Powell dark comedy:
Rushfield Lunch: WME superagent Robert Newman joins Richard to share his smart ideas to make the “boring” Oscars ceremony feel fresh:
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