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👋 Good morning! Lionsgate's in hot water after releasing a 'Megalopolis' trailer packed with fake critic quotes. The studio quickly recalled the video and apologized: "We screwed up." Critic Owen Gleiberman quipped, "We hardly deserve to have words put in our mouths." Seems Lionsgate got too creative trying to hype up Coppola's $120M self-financed epic.

Welcome aboard the Dailies. As you sip your morning brew, we’ll get you caught up with the fast-paced world of Hollywood - no need to chase down a newsstand, we’ve got everything you need right here.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Disney's CEO Sequel Search

• Chick-fil-A Goes Hollywood

• More Paramount Drama

• Hollywood's Grip Slips

• Last Looks 👀: Bite-sized scoops on developing stories/projects

• Release Radar: What to watch this weekend

• Video Village 📀

• Martini Shot 🍸

But first, it’s Friday, so let’s take a look at what people were watching this week… 👀

TOP STREAMED THIS WEEK IN THE US

👑🔄 Bob Iger’s on the hunt for a successor…again. After Disney’s boomerang CEO made an exit in 2021 and surprise comeback in 2022, the company’s succession saga is back in the spotlight. James Gorman's now leading the talent search to find Iger's (second) replacement before his 2026 contract expires. The board is casting a wide net, eyeing both internal and external candidates. Four division heads are in the running, including Dana Walden, Alan Bergman, Jimmy Pitaro, and Josh D'Amaro. These internal prospects are undergoing intensive grooming, complete with Iger's mentorship and external coaching. With six committee meetings already this fiscal year, it's clear succession is a top priority. The stakes are high given the previous Chapek misstep—where Iger's initial successor faced criticism for restructuring decisions, public relations gaffes, and a significant stock decline in less than three years—and Disney's recent challenges, including a 31% share price drop over five years.

📺🐔 Chick-Fil-A's got plans for its own streaming service. The fast-food giant is developing a slate of family-friendly content, focusing on unscripted shows with a reported budget of $400,000 per half-hour episode. This pivot allows Chick-Fil-A to leverage its strong brand and extensive customer base of over 3,000 restaurants into the digital content space. Industry veterans like Glassman Media are already collaborating on projects, signaling serious intent. For savvy observers, this represents an intriguing case study in brand extension and digital transformation. It's also part of a larger trend we might see more of: companies sidestepping Hollywood to serve up their own branded content, creating a world where your favorite shows are equal parts entertainment and super-sized commercial.

🎬💰 The latest in the Paramount merger saga: Edgar Bronfman Jr. has upped his bid to $6B, prompting Paramount to extend its "go-shop" period to Sept. 5. This move has irked Skydance Media, whose CEO David Ellison accuses Paramount's special committee of breaching their $8B merger agreement. Skydance argues that Bronfman's financing is "highly contingent and uncertain" and demands Paramount halt negotiations. Meanwhile, Bronfman's revised offer includes a $1.7B tender for non-voting shareholders at $16 per share, outbidding Skydance's $15. Wall Street remains skeptical of both deals, with concerns over shareholder dilution in the Skydance merger and questions about Bronfman's investor group. As the deadline looms, we’ll see if Skydance will exercise its right to terminate or if Bronfman can pull off an eleventh-hour coup.

🎥🌎 California's crown as the film capital is slipping, according to fresh industry reports. Los Angeles saw its share of film and TV employment drop from 35% to 27% in just one year, while reality TV production in the city plummeted by 57% in 2024. The competition is heating up globally, with new players entering the fray. Japan now offers a generous 50% reimbursement on qualifying expenses, while the UK has boosted its VFX incentives. Even U.S. states are upping their game—Illinois expanded its tax credits to include game and talk shows, while Nevada might soon host $500M worth of Warner Bros. productions annually if it increases its incentive cap. As the industry spreads its wings, the question remains: can Hollywood maintain its magic, or is this the dawn of a truly global production era?

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Development 🗒️

• Victoria Beckham is getting her own Netflix docuseries following the success of ‘Beckham.’ (more)

• Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona will star in ‘Splitsville,’ set to be released by Neon and Topic Studios in 2025. (more)

• Universal International Studios and Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door are developing a TV adaptation of Matt Dinniman’s ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl.’ (more)

• Mark Wahlberg teams up with Stephen Chbosky for Apple Original Films’ ‘Weekend Warriors.’ (more)

• Peacock orders Bill Dubuque’s South Florida crime drama ‘M.I.A.’ straight-to-series. (more)

• Jack Black and Paul Rudd are in early talks to star in a new comedic take on ‘Anaconda’ at Sony Pictures. (more)

• Matthew Rhys joins Claire Danes in Netflix’s mystery thriller limited series ‘The Beast in Me.’ (more)

• Alexi Hawley’s new hostage recovery series ‘The Envoy’ lands at Hulu, with Lionsgate Television leading production. (more)

• Anya Taylor-Joy will star in and executive produce Netflix’s series adaptation of Bella Mackie’s novel ‘How to Kill Your Family.’ (more)

• Gina Gershon, Katherine Waddell, Ethan Slater, and Jesse James Keitel will star in ‘The Designer.’ (more)

• ‘BoJack Horseman’ creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg reunites with Netflix for a new animated series titled ‘Long Story Short.’ (more)

✅ Renewed & Canceled ❌

• ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ is renewed for S6 at CBS Stations. (more)

• ‘Criminal Record’ is renewed for S2 at Apple TV+. (more)

Business 🤝

• David Shore, creator of ‘The Good Doctor,’ signs a new overall deal with 20th Television, leaving Sony Pictures Television after 12 years.​ (more)

• Little Bell Productions signs a first-look deal with Universal TV and begins developing Kimberly Belle’s thriller ‘The Paris Widow’ as a TV series. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Newsletter addict? We’ve got your next fix! Check out these free gems that our readers are absolutely obsessed with. (more)

What to watch this weekend? 👀

🎥 THEATRICAL

• Blink Twice: Psychological thriller starring Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum, directed by Zoë Kravitz.

• The Crow: Gothic superhero remake starring Bill Skarsgård, directed by Rupert Sanders.

• The Forge: Christian drama spin-off to 'War Room,' directed by Alex Kendrick, starring Cameron Arnett and Priscilla Shirer.

📺 STREAMING

• Pachinko: (Apple TV+) S2 of the multi-generational Korean family drama based on Min Jin Lee's novel.

• Incoming: (Netflix) Teen comedy about four friends at their first high school party, starring Mason Thames and Bobby Cannavale.

• We Will Dance Again: (Paramount+) Documentary about the Supernova Music Festival Massacre on Oct. 7th.

• Secret Lives of Orangutans: (Netflix) British documentary narrated by David Attenborough, exploring the world of orangutans.

• The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat: (Hulu) Friend drama starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Sanaa Lathan, and Uzo Aduba.

• Reasonable Doubt: (Hulu) S2 of the legal drama starring Emayatzy Corinealdi, Jax Stewart, and Morris Chestnut joining the cast.

🔮 BOX OFFICE PREVIEW

Looks like 'Deadpool & Wolverine' is ready to claw its way back to the top spot this weekend with a $15-20M haul, just barely outpacing 'Alien: Romulus' ($15-20M) in a photo finish. Expect 'It Ends With Us’ to keep tugging at heartstrings to the tune of $12-16M.

Meanwhile, it's a three-way cage match for fourth place: Zoë Kravitz's mind-bending thriller 'Blink Twice' ($6-10M) squares off against the brooding vengeance of 'The Crow' remake ($6-10M), while faith-based 'The Forge' ($4-8M) prays for an upset. With no clear knockout among the newcomers, this weekend's box office might end up looking a bit empty—we're talking a potential sub-$100M total for the first time in months.