Warner Bros: Last News

Batman: Caped Crusader series has been picked up by Amazon.The news was confirmed by a Variety report on Thursday, March 9. The series – executive produced by J.J.

Jenna Ortega may be ready to reunite with Tim Burton on his next project as sources confirm to Deadline that Ortega is in early talks to reunite with the Wednesday creator on Beetlejuice 2 at Warner Bros. Insiders add that Michael Keaton and Wyonna Ryder are expected to reprise their roles with Burton directing.

Rachel Seo Jenna Ortega is eyeing a role in Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice 2,” Variety has confirmed. Ortega, best known for her role as Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s recent series reboot “Wednesday,” is in talks to play the daughter of Lydia Deetz, portrayed by Winona Ryder in the original film. This marks her second time working with Burton, who was an executive producer on “Wednesday” and directed four of its eight episodes. Michael Keaton is also set to reprise his role as the title character. Representatives for Warner Bros. and Ortega did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.

Last year, as the industry was looking to lift itself out the pandemic’s purgatory at the box office, SXSW lit the wick on A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once, which wound up dynamiting the 18-34 hipster moviegoer set in what became the highest-grossing indie film of 2022, the best ever for the New York-based distributor, and now a potential Oscar Best Picture winner.

Jason Segel’s therapist Jimmy is set to give out some more interesting advice after Apple TV+ renewed comedy-drama series Shrinking for a second season.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “Shrinking” has been renewed for Season 2 at Apple TV+. Co-created by Jason Segel, Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, the series stars Segel and Harrison Ford in one of his first television roles. “Shrinking” follows grieving therapist Jimmy (Segel) who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives, including his own, per Apple’s description. In addition to Segel and Ford (as Paul), “Shrinking” stars Jessica Williams (Gaby), Christa Miller (Liz), Lukita Maxwell (Alice), Michael Urie (Brian) and Luke Tennie (Sean).

Batman is coming to Amazon.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves’ animated series “Batman: Caped Crusader” has been picked up at Amazon after being scrapped at HBO Max, Variety has confirmed. The streamer has placed a two-season order for the cartoon, which is described as “a reimagining of the Batman mythology through the visionary lens” of executive producers Abrams, Reeves and Bruce Timm. “Batman: Caped Crusader” was ordered to series at HBO Max in May 2021. In August 2022, the show was scrapped along with five other upcoming animated series set up at the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned streamer, including “Merry Little Batman,” “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,” “Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical,” “Did I Do That to the Holidays: A Steve Urkel Story” and “The Amazing World of Gumball: The Movie.”

Warner Bros. Discovery is continuing its directors program after all.

Charna Flam After the recent decision to reshape its directors’ training program, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced its new Access Directors Program. WBD has rebranded and expanded the directors’ program to assist and nurture television directors through workshops and shadowing, led by WBD’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) team. Participants will receive the opportunity to direct a full WBD television episode. In addition to workshops, directors will have the chance to work on WBD shows and participate in a virtual curriculum focused on best practices and equity mindset sessions, with the ability to shadow directors on up to two television episodes (during which participants may receive a small childcare stipend).

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Michael Keaton’s Batman isn’t the only big comic book character return happening in Warner Bros.’ long-awaited “The Flash.” As the film’s official trailer confirmed last month, Michael Shannon is also coming back to the DC Universe as “Man of Steel” villain General Zod in the upcoming Ezra Miller-led comic book tentpole. Shannon admitted in a recent interview with Looper that he was quite baffled when the offer came in to reprise General Zod. “I was a little confused,” Shannon said. “I said, ‘As memory serves me, I think I died in ‘Man of Steel.’ Are they sure they got the right guy?’ But then they explained to me the whole multiverse phenomenon, which I was a little behind the times on that. I can’t say that I’m a huge consumer of this genre of films — not that I have anything against them. If I’m going to watch a movie, the odds are it’s not going to be one of those, but I sure love making them.”

Oscar nom afterglow for this year’s Best Pictures was largely felt in the home than it was at the box office with a majority of titles already available to be viewed on the couch, except for 20th Century Studios/Disney’s 3D title Avatar: The Water.

After weeks of speculation, Oscarcast director Glenn Weiss said today that Lady Gaga will not perform her Best Song nominee “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick at Sunday’s 95th annual Academy Awards.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Hasan Minhaj’s Riddler is coming back to your earbuds. The comedian-actor made a virtual appearance at Spotify’s Stream On event Wednesday, announcing “The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark,” the next podcast series from Spotify, DC and Warner Bros. under their exclusive multiyear partnership. Minhaj had voiced The Riddler in 2022 hit Spotify podcast “Batman Unburied,” which starred Winston Duke in the title role. “Audiences are going to travel back to Gotham City with me in a story that leaves clues, puzzles and shines a spotlight on my personal favorite character, The Riddler,” Minhaj said in the video (watch the clip below).

EXCLUSIVE: After earning rave reviews on the Apple limited series Black Bird, SAG-nominee Paul Walter Hauser is returning to the studio as he joins Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in The Instigators for Apple Original Films. Hong Chau is also on board with Doug Liman on board to direct.

Brandi Glanville says she wants the truth to come out. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills a

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Never fear, genre fans: Warner Bros. Discovery is intent on mining as much of its tentpole Warner Bros. IP as possible in the near future, whether that be through its upcoming revamped DC Universe, the newly announced “The Lord of the Rings” movies, or more projects based on J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” franchise amid the success of video game “Hogwarts Legacy.” “DC is an enormous opportunity and two important building blocks are in place now with the leadership team, Peter [Safran] and James [Gunn], and James has been breathing comics for as long as he’s been alive, essentially,” Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels said during a panel at Morgan Stanley’s investor conference Wednesday. “A great creative leader here. And the second building block that is in place is the one-company approach, because I think you can only manage a franchise if everything is coordinated and the team is working together extremely well. There’s an enormous level of collaboration and joint decision making around what should work hand in hand across the franchise.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Dick’s Sporting Goods is getting ready to play a new game with the NCAA. The Pittsburgh company has been named the college-sports league’s official sporting-goods retailer, a new partnership that will become quickly visible during the NCAA’s “March Madness” basketball tournament and is part of a multi-million dollar deal that will give Dick’s on-court signage and exclusive access to select fan events. Commercials purchased in game inventory from CBS Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, which televise the March Madness games, are a strong element of the deal. Dick’s also plans to have a presence at NCAA women’s Final Four Open Practices, which has not had an active on-site sponsor in the past. Dick’s plans to invest in media around the women’s basketball tournament on Disney’s ESPN.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter David Chase and Hannah Fidell are teaming on a new show at FX that the network has given a pilot commitment, Variety has learned. According to FX, the untitled series is based on one of Chase’s previously unproduced scripts of which Fidell has written a contemporary take. Further plot details are being kept under wraps. Chase and Fidell are both credited as co-writers and co-creators on the show as well as executive producers. Fidell will direct the pilot. Nicole Lambert of Chase Films will also executive produce, with FX Productions producing. Fidell is currently under a first-look deal at FX.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Paramount Global is unveiling today a corporate image campaign that builds on the sentiment of a popular self-help affirmation: You are loved, and you are enough. Just in time for media upfront season, the company’s “Popular is Paramount” marketing push is designed to burnish its image within Hollywood and on Wall Street. Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish wants the town and the Street to know that the company is fielding a new generation of hits – from “Top Gun: Maverick” to “Yellowstone” to “Paw Patrol” — and is not intimidated by having to compete against larger rivals such as Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Comcast. The campaign will include with outdoor advertising in highly trafficked corridors of New York and Los Angeles, as well as on digital and TV platforms, both on and off Paramount’s own air.

13D and 13G reports. For those outside of the inside-baseball world of corporate finance: Forty-five days out from the end of the year, companies are required to have filed 13D and 13G disclosure forms with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports are required for investors who amass 5% or more of a company’s total stock issue. Starting with this primer on how to monitor big-dollar investment bets, Variety will offer a quarterly survey of how the media and entertainment sector is faring among the world’s most sophisticated stock pickers.