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The Wakeup

WARNER MEDIA top management cleared out as DISCOVERY deal closes

NETFLIX gets next Nancy Meyers pic / PEACOCK gets new CMO & Head of Programming / STAR TREK PICARD reuniting old cast

Sean McNulty

Apr 6, 2022

Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on WEDNESDAY April 6, 2022.

Where this is coming to you early today as I have a very early appt. So finally this email embodies its name 🌞.

And a #notfunfact to start the day - Richard Linklater never made a dime from “Dazed & Confused” outside of his initial directing and writing fee. So if you find your mailbox smashed sometime UNIVERSAL, don’t be surprised (ok fine… blame POLYGRAM 🙄).

AND: Tiger Woods is… basically, yeah he’s playing THE MASTERS this weekend (assuming he makes the cut after Friday), but he’ll likely make it official later today.

PLUS: TWITTER is testing use of an ~~erot~~ Edit feature like… every other social media platform has to amend posts. Although there are costs - I mean what would we all have done with the week of our lives spent hearing about Covfefe?

ALSO: Is there a way to add this function to a daily newsletter after it’s sent? I’m asking if course on uh… Morning Brew’s behalf 😬.

OH: And good news - the NY FILM CRITICS have set their… 2023 awards event date. #ItNeverEnds 🙇‍♂️

📽 THE SILVER SCREEN

NETFLIX doing next Nancy Meyers pic

Zero details on plot or production timeline though she’ll be writing & directing as always (“It’s Complicated”, “The Holiday” etc)… and can you imagine what the lead character’s kitchen will look like with NETFLIX money?? 😮 /Deadline

PARAMOUNT+ picks up latest movie from director Brian Hegeland (“LA Confidential”)

Called “Finestkind”, stars Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Foster. About two brothers who reunite as adults and make a deal with the Boston mob which… goes great! Finally a positive mob movie 🤌.

Will shoot this month, and hit the service by end of year. PAR+ also picked up some international territories. /THR

ALSO IN MOVIES

Damon Wayans and Pam Grier starring in movie for TUBI. An ensemble noir thriller called “Cinnamon” from VILLAGE ROADSHOW and produced by Kevin Garnett as part of his deal at FOX’s free AVOD streaming service. /Deadline
Iranian OSCAR winning director Asghar Farhadi (“A Separation”) convicted of fraud in IRAN for not crediting an existing docu as the basis for his latest film “A Hero” which won CANNES last year. AMAZON PRIME has US rights to the film. /THR

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JUST 4 THINGS

PARAMOUNT+ “Star Trek: Picard” brings back a lotta “Star Trek: Generations” cast for upcoming 3rd and final season, including LeVar Burton and Brent Spiner. /THR
HBOMAX adds “Sherlock Holmes” to Things we own that we should make TV shows from list, putting 2 series concepts in early development. 🕵️‍♂️ /Variety
MARCH MADNESS Championship gets 18.1 Million viewers across TBS, TNT, and TRU TV. Basically even with the BAYLOR v GONZAGA Championship on CBS last year, although the DUKE / UNC game on Saturday beat it in final #s with 18.5 Million.
- Overall tournament +13% in viewers from last year, averaging 10.3 Million. /AP
- THE OSCARS are up to 18.4 Million in Live+7 ratings on ABC - gotta figure the DVR #s got a nice boost on this one.
FX renews “Snowfall” for 6th and final season. It’s currently FX’s most-watched drama. /Variety

IN THE HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVE SUITE

WARNER MEDIA’s Jason Kilar is leaving at the end of the week, prior to the official creation of WARNER DISCO on April 11 (or possibly even this Friday) 🧳. /Variety
- Jason likely departing with the many tens of millions in stock compensation he was granted in his contract from AT&T prior to the DISCOVERY thing, although no detailed report avail about how much he and his attorney Allen Grubman negotiated when the WARNER DISCO deal was announced.
  - And WARNER BROS CEO Ann Sarnoff is leaving too, after a 3 year stint. #PagingTobyEmmerich /THR
  - Plus… HBOMAX honcho Andy Forsell is leaving as well. Think we can officially call this a top-level house cleaning at WARNER MEDIA.
  - DISCO+ streaming head and Zazlav insider JB Perette will likely take the HBOMAX figurehead reins, although creative head Casey Bloys also likely isn’t going anywhere. /Deadline
PEACOCK hires new CMO - Shannon Willet, previously NETFLIX VP of Global Marketing Strategy.
- And HULU’s Brian Henderson is PEACOCK’s new EVP of Programming leading global content strategy. Both report into PEACOCK Prez Kelly Campbell. /Deadline
DISNEY hires a new lead spokesperson, Kristina Schake who has had a long history in politics, working for the OBAMA admin and CLINTON campaign among other positions, but no entertainment biz experience. Reports into Comms / Corp Affairs head (and longtime DC’er as well) Geoff Morrell. /Deadline

💻 THE MEDIA BIZ

🏦 STOCK NOTES:

AMC THEATERS -9% ($21.21)

AMC NETWORKS -6% ($39.38)

CINEWORLD (Regal Cinemas) -6% ($0.43)

SPOTIFY -6% ($148.91)

ROKU -5% ($127.37)

DISCOVERY -5% ($24.42)

And TWITTER was up just a modest 2% on news Elon Musk is joining their board, and will have any ownership stake capped at 14.5%.

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👩‍💻 NEW TO WATCH:

NETFLIX “The Ultimatum” episodes 1 thru 8 - STREAM HERE

HULU “Hardy Boys” Season 2 - STREAM HERE

🎥 TRAILER HOUSE

HBOMAX Season 2 trailer - Premieres Thu April 21

HBO “Barry” Season 3 trailer - Premieres Thu April 24

AMAZON PRIME “Outer Range” series trailer. About a rancher with a mysterious big hole in his land that… a lotta people seem to want. Seems like this series is setting up a lot that will need explaining. Premieres next Friday.

HBO “Gentleman Jack” Season 2 trailer - Premieres Fri April 25

🎧 PLAYING ME OFF

SIGRID “Burning Bridges” - This falls more in the ‘new to me’ category, but was really digging this song over the past few days after finding it this weekend - kind of what we’d call “new age pop” in the 80’s.

If you need some new tunes:

THE WAKEUP Spotify playlist

Email me anytime - just Reply to this email, or connect here on LINKED IN.

-SEAN MCNULTY

@theseanmac on TWITTER

@TheWakeupNews on INSTAGRAM