When David Zaslav Is Your Boss: 20-Plus Insiders on His Exacting Standards (And Those 6:30 a.m. Calls)
On June 7, at roughly 9 a.m. ET, the media parlor game shifted abruptly from how long CNN chief executive Chris Licht would remain in the job to who would replace him. Licht, whose turbulent tenure lasted just 13 months, had met his demise after a blistering 15,000-word profile appeared in The Atlantic. His boss, David […]
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Peter Rice’s Next Act: Film, TV Producing Deal With A24 (Exclusive)
Peter Rice has found his next gig. The respected film and television executive, who was unceremoniously ousted at Chapek-era Disney, will next focus on becoming an independent producer and has partnered with powerhouse A24. Under the producing and co-financing agreement, Rice will have a nonexclusive deal with the Oscar-winning outfit. Film and TV projects that fall […]
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The Whispers Behind NBCUniversal’s Jeff Shell Firing
In the aftermath of the shock ouster of NBC Universal’s CEO, industry executives present a tale of two Jeff Shells. To some, Shell’s acknowledgment that he was departing because of “an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company” came as a bolt from the blue. To others, not so much. “I’m totally flabbergasted,” says […]
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Inside Amazon Studios: Big Swings Hampered by Confusion and Frustration
It’s long been an open secret that Jeff Bezos has yearned for his own Game of Thrones, and that Amazon’s big swing as it reached for its own massive hit was The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, believed to be the most expensive series ever made. Last September, the show began with […]
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Behind Disney’s Activist Investor Battle: A Marvel Mogul’s Revenge Play
In 2004, Roy Disney — Walt’s nephew — summoned Disney shareholders to the company’s annual meeting, asking them to oust then-chairman and CEO Michael Eisner, who had been running the place for 20 years. Roy had Walt’s face, and his “Save Disney” movement brought emotional Disney-loving individual shareholders of all ages to chilly Philadelphia, some […]
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Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ in Peril Amid Ballooning Budget, Crew Exodus (Exclusive)
Francis Ford Coppola’s latest movie, the sci-fi-tinged Megalopolis, has descended into chaos, according to multiple sources. The movie, currently halfway through shooting in Atlanta, has in the last week lost key creative talent including its production designer and supervising art director. That’s on top of losing the entire visual effects team in the first part of […]
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Kim Masters on Hollywood’s Year of Wishful Thinking
Imagine any top film studio exec or producer reading Jason Kilar’s recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece, in which he called 2022 “one of the most consequential and anxiety-ridden years in Hollywood history.” “No shit, Jason,” most of them undoubtedly thought. “Thank you, arsonist, for sharing your wisdom about the fire.” Or something like that. […]
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Mark Burnett’s Disruptive Reign at MGM Ends
Despite his outsize reputation as a prolific unscripted hitmaker — and the mythmaker who created Donald Trump’s image as a successful businessman — Mark Burnett’s departure as chairman of MGM’s Worldwide TV Group reads more like a footnote than a headline in a dramatic (and, so far, confusing to some in the creative community) ongoing […]
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Mark Burnett Departing as Head of MGM Worldwide TV
Mark Burnett, MGM’s head of worldwide television group chairman, is leaving the company following the studio’s acquisition by Amazon. The executive and reality producer said he was stepping away from MGM TV’s “day to day management” and returning to “independently creating and innovating” and plans to continue to oversee his legacy programs. Burnett becomes the […]
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Inside the Disney Board’s Decision to Swap Bobs
The day after Disney shocked Hollywood by unceremoniously dispatching Bob Chapek as CEO, sources with ties to the company say discontent among some board members had been building to the point that there was discussion about replacing Chapek as far back as the directors’ late June meeting in Florida. At that time, sources say, some […]
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Bob Iger Returns as Hero in Waiting to Save a Battered Disney
While top executives Dana Walden and Craig Erwich were expecting to spend their Sunday evening enjoying the AMAs followed by the Elton John farewell concert at Dodger Stadium, the stunning news that Bob Iger was returning as CEO of Disney while Bob Chapek was out shot through Hollywood like a thunderbolt (both Walden and Erwich […]
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“Hiding in Plain Sight”: After Being Fired From ‘Scrubs’ for Misconduct, Alleged Rapist Eric Weinberg Kept Working
In 1998, Georgina, a 27-year-old college student, was enjoying a drink outside The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Studio City when a tall man approached her. Introducing himself as Eric Weinberg, he complimented her looks and asked if she was a model. He offered to do headshots for her free of charge — a […]
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