‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’, ‘Flash’ & ‘Fast X’ See Super Bowl Surge On Social Media

Academy Award winner Helen Mirren has gotten candid about her experience on Shazam! Fury of the Gods, discussing everything from an on-set injury to her struggle to bear the weight of her costumes and her limited understanding of what the DC superhero pic is actually about.

While Amazon is basking in the success of their “The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power” Middle-Earth streaming series, another big announcement was made today about the future of live-action J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations and specifically about feature films.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor David Zaslav sounds tired of taking lumps. After months of cost cutting, write-downs, and getting pilloried among Hollywood natives for killing projects, the Warner Bros. Discovery chief showed off some new truculence, making the case that while his newly-merged company has been having a tough time, so too were others. “‘Last year was a year of restructuring,” said Zaslav, during a call with investors Thursday. “This year will be a year of building.” Over the course of an hour, Zasalv and Gunnar Wiedenfels, Warner’s chief financial officer, made the case that their company was just as well-equipped as any of its rivals — perhaps even more so — to withstand a stormy era during which media companies are pressed to grow their streaming operations but maintain profitability. Zaslav elbowed Netflix for releasing all of the episodes for a program’s cycle all at once; suggested that a move to launch new “Lord of the Rings” movies would take away some of the momentum that Amazon had enjoyed from its launch of a series based on the novels; and told listeners Warner Bros. Discovery could launch an ad-supported streaming service without having to buy an outside asset, as Fox Corp. and Paramount Global had. “We can create a Tubi or a Pluto without having to buy anybody,” he boasted.

UPDATED with TCM statement. Warner Bros Discovery’s TCM is officially discontinuing its Underground sub-brand, two months after laying off programmer Millie De Chirico.

Superhero films are frequently box office smash hits.

For those headed to CinemaCon in Las Vegas this April, take notice: Variety reports that Warner Bros. will screen its upcoming DCEU blockbuster “The Flash” at the event.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer “The Flash” is set to blaze through CinemaCon 2023, where Warner Bros. Pictures will screen the superhero blockbuster at the annual convention of movie theater owners in April, multiple sources told Variety. Showing the film in this capacity is yet another sign of Warner Bros.’ passionate support of the project, one that has been saddled with controversy due to trouble surrounding star Ezra Miller. It’ll be the first full screening of “The Flash,” which opens in theaters on June 16. CinemaCon is taking place in Las Vegas from April 24 through April 27. Major studios typically bring sizzle reels, first-look trailers and trot out celebrities at the yearly gathering, which is designed to get exhibitors pumped about the movies they’ll put on their screens in the coming year.

DC’s long-anticipated superhero pic The Flash will be getting its first-ever public screening at the 2023 edition of CinemaCon, Deadline hears. The debut screening is set to take place on April 25, ahead of Warner Bros’ official slate presentation at the Las Vegas confab, showcasing the most promising, upcoming big-screen titles for theater owners.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Warner Bros’ “The Batman” leads the film nominees for the third annual Critics Choice Super Awards, honoring superhero, sci-fi, fantasy, horror and action movies and series in entertainment. Matt Reeves’ superhero film earned six nominations including best superhero movie, three individual best actor in a superhero movie mentions for Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell and Paul Dano, with the latter also picking up a second nom for best villain in a movie. Zoë Kravitz also landed a nom for actress in a superhero movie for her portrayal of Catwoman. Other favorites of the Critics Choice Association included many of this year’s Oscar nominees such as “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Warner Bros/DC’s The Batman leads all nominations for the third annual Critics Choice Super Awards, which revealed nominees Wednesday for the year’s best across the superhero, sci-fi/fantasy, horror and action genres in film and on TV.

EXCLUSIVE: UK film and television studios are preparing for inspections as they attempt to ward off property tax bills that could threaten the survival of some filming facilities.

Days after it was revealed that Judge Mathis would end its long run in daytime syndication, Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group has announced that it will launch Mathis Court with Judge Mathis in the fall.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor CNN’s morning show isn’t peeling away from Don Lemon. The anchor will return to “CNN This Morning” on Wednesday, despite delivering a set of controversial remarks last week, the latest maneuver in what has become a more difficult than expected effort by the Warner Bros Discovery-backed outlet to shake up its programming. “I sat down with Don and had a frank and meaningful conversation. He has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn. We take this situation very seriously,” CNN CEO Chris Licht said in a memo Monday night. “It is important to me that CNN balances accountability with fostering a culture in which people can own, learn and grow from their mistakes. To that end, Don will return to CNN This Morning on Wednesday.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Don Lemon will be absent from “CNN This Morning” for a second consecutive broadcast as CNN continues to grapple with backlash to comments he made last week about the abilities of women over 40 — a crucial demographic for any morning-news program. Three people familiar with the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed network say CNN staffers got word around 3 p.m. on Sunday that Lemon, who had been expected to return to his morning duties after taking a previously-scheduled day off on Friday, would not be on air Monday. Sara Sidner, an anchor who has been getting more screen time over the past year, is expected to fill in for him, sitting alongside co-anchor Poppy Harlow while the third member of CNN’s morning show team, Kaitlan Collins, will report from Poland. Some CNN staffers have begun to wonder, according to these people, whether the network may be considering a shake-up of the “CNN This Morning” team.

John Oliver has fired the first shot at his new Emmy rival Saturday Night Live – six months before his show Last Week Tonight will go head-to-head in a new awards category.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter HBO Max has ordered the drama series “Duster” from J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan with Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson set to star. The eight-episode series is set in 1972. Per the official logline, “the first Black female FBI agent (Hilson) heads to the Southwest and recruits a gutsy getaway driver (Holloway) in a bold effort to take down a growing crime syndicate.” “‘Duster’ is an amalgam of all my favorite things – high octane storytelling with deep characters and so much heart,” Morgan said. “It’s a dream project and I’m supremely grateful to all the folks at Warner Bros. and HBO Max for believing in this show. And I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in crime than J.J. to build this incredible world.”

It’s been more than 15 years since the release of Will Smith’s film, “I Am Legend.” And in that time, there have been plenty of discussions about a sequel. However, nothing has come to be.

Lady Gaga has been seen for the first time as Harley Quinn as she stars alongside Joaquin Phoenix in the upcoming Joker sequel.Director Todd Phillip recently released a never-before-seen screenshot of the performing pair in Joker: Folie à Deux, which is set to be released in October 2024.Lady Gaga could be seen on the left with her long blonde hair worn in a loose wavy updo as she stared intently into Joaquin’s eyes.READ MORE:Iggy Azalea pours sizzling curves into tiny slashed dress with Emily RatajkowskiHer striking features were highlighted by dark, furrowing brows and a beauty mark just under her eye.The singer seemed manic as she grabbed Phoenix’s face with her hands while he stared back at her with a smile on his face.Joker could be seen wearing the remnants of his clown makeup, a faint white wash across his face with a bright red nose, a mouth slightly upturned and curly brown hair framing his face.The characters' steamy scene captured their fated love and fan reaction has exploded online.Fans gathered on Twitter to comment on the new scene and gushed over their first taste of Lady Gaga as the iconic Harley Quinn.One wrote: "Interesting! Can’t wait to see how this plays out."Another typed: "God dammit, she’s perfect."A third fan tweeted: "If she can bring the craziness out, then she’s perfect for the role."According to reports, Joker: Folie à Deux is presented in the style of a musical, which has excited followers of the franchise.The film’s predecessor was released back in November 2019 and soon became both the most profitable comic book movie of all time and the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever.Warner Bros.

DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of Eleven Group and social media creative agency Team Whistle.