🎬 Final Film, Few Screens

👋 Good morning! After Ryan Murphy's Netflix series ‘Monsters’ and a flood of TikTok videos turned the Menendez brothers into trending topics, LA DA George Gascón is recommending their resentencing, with a judge set to consider the case on Nov. 26. Three different streaming platforms have tackled the story in under 12 months, with Peacock's documentary ultimately surfacing new evidence that helped prompt the DA's decision.

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 Goes AI

• Clint Eastwood’s Swan Song Gets Buried

• MIPCOM Takeaways

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

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Release Radar: What to watch this weekend?

• Martini Shot 🍸

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

TOP STREAMED
📊 What U.S. audiences were watching this week…

WIDESHOT
🎬 Disney Goes AI, Eastwood’s Swan Song, & MIPCOM…

🎬🤖 Disney’s going AI. Word on the street is Disney’s about to announce a major AI initiative that will tap “hundreds” of employees to transform the studio’s post-production and VFX pipeline, while also extending into behind-the-scenes operations for parks. The move isn’t exactly coming out of the nowhere: Lionsgate recently teamed up with Runway AI for production help, while Blumhouse and Meta are playing around with MovieGen's video capabilities. Disney CEO Bob Iger is pitching AI as the next chapter in Disney's storytelling legacy (echoing Walt's own tech-forward philosophy), and Wall Street's already perking up its ears. While Hollywood's biggest players are racing to jump on the AI bandwagon, the creative community's still trying to figure out what this all means for the industry's future.

🎬⚖️ Is Warner Bros. hitting the mute button on Clint Eastwood's swan song, 'Juror #2'? The 94-year-old legend's potentially final film will premiere at AFI Fest this weekend before getting what you might call a whisper of a release from WB—fewer than 50 theaters nationwide, minimal marketing, no awards campaign, and possibly no box office reporting. While the $30M courtroom drama's trailer has garnered enthusiastic response, Warner Bros.' cautious rollout comes during a rocky year where the studio has already shelved completed projects like 'Coyote vs. Acme' for tax write-offs. The studio's approach follows Eastwood's last film ‘Cry Macho’ underperforming in 2021, which prompted CEO David Zaslav to publicly question its greenlighting, noting "It's not show friends, it's show business." For a filmmaker who's delivered billions to WB over five decades with hits like ‘American Sniper,’ ‘Sully,’ and ‘The Mule,’ this muted sendoff speaks volumes about Hollywood's new math: artistic legacy + audience interest < financial risk, especially for adult dramas. The industry that once ran on relationships and reputations is now operating mostly by spreadsheet, even if it means giving one of its greatest directors a farewell that's more whimper than bang.

📺🌎 MIPCOM, TV's biggest annual marketplace, just wrapped in Cannes. The four-day event is where the world's broadcasters, streamers, and producers gather to buy and sell shows and spot the next big trends. Here are some key takeaways:

1. The TV industry is playing it safe, favoring reliable procedural dramas and proven formats over risky experiments. ‘NCIS’ spinoffs dominated conversations as buyers seek shows that can run multiple seasons.

2. Major studios are no longer hoarding content exclusively for their streaming platforms—they’re returning to international sales. Amazon MGM even showed up as a seller, marking a major shift in streaming strategy.

3. "Stay in the mix till 2026" is the industry's new mantra. With production costs soaring, co-productions are the new normal. U.S. studios are heading to cheaper locations like Eastern Europe, and everyone's looking for creative ways to split the bill.

4. Familiar brands and formats dominated the market. New versions of NCIS, ‘Harry Potter’-themed shows, ‘Friends’ gameshows, and even board game adaptations were hot properties.

5. The old "theatrical-then-cable-then-streaming" pipeline is dead. Now content flows wherever it makes sense: weekend-only movie deals, shared windows between competitors, and ultra-short exclusivity periods. A show might stream on Netflix, run on ABC, then hit FAST channels—all within months. It's all about maximizing revenue through flexibility.

6. International markets are gaining influence. Spain just hit $5.1B in streaming revenue (‘Money Heist’ was just the start). Turkish dramas are becoming global hits, Indian buyers are reshaping the format market, and Hollywood's taking budget lessons from Europe.

Bottom line: TV industry's getting practical—thinking smarter, spending carefully, but still doing big business.

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LAST LOOKS
Development 🗒️

• Mediapro’s North American studio reveals a star-packed slate, including projects with Melissa Leo, John Turturro, and Juan José Campanella. (more)

• Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung joins ‘Beef’ S2 on Netflix, leading an all-star cast in the next installment of the hit anthology series. (more)

• Connie Britton will star in Hulu’s comedy pilot ‘Phony,’ a coming-of-age mystery from Drew Goddard and Nick Paley. (more)

• Netflix is releasing a two-part documentary series, ‘Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action,’ in Jan. 2025. (more)

• Warner Bros. secures Emerald Fennell’s ‘Wuthering Heights,’ starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi following a fierce bidding war against Netflix and Amazon. (more)

• Brandon Sklenar joins Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried in Paul Feig’s adaptation of ‘The Housemaid’ for Lionsgate. (more)

• Chris Hemsworth is in talks to star as the lead in Disney’s ‘Prince Charming,’ with Paul King set to direct the live-action film. (more)

• Maude Apatow sets Andrew Barth Feldman, Cooper Hoffman, Leslie Mann, and Nico Parker to star in her feature directorial debut ‘Poetic License.’ (more)

• ‘Terrifier’ star Lauren LaVera joins Djimon Hounsou in ‘The Monster,’ a horror-thriller from ‘Saw’ director Darren Lynn Bousman. (more)

• Bleecker Street acquires North American rights to ‘The Friend,’ starring Bill Murray, and Naomi Watts. (more)

• Monica Barbaro joins Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo in Bart Layton’s Amazon MGM thriller ‘Crime 101,’ an adaptation of Don Winslow’s novella. (more)

• Amazon MGM Studios acquires Zach Helm’s psychosexual thriller pitch ‘The Killing Kind,’ with Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort set to produce. (more)

Renewed & Canceled ✅ ❌

• ‘Virgin River’ gets an early S7 renewal and becomes Netflix’s longest-running drama series. (more)

• ‘We Might Regret This’ is renewed for two more seasons by BBC. (more)

Business 🤝

• Emma Stone and Dave McCary’s production company, Fruit Tree, has signed a first-look film deal with Universal Pictures. (more)

• David Ellison and Skydance Media appoint former Netflix content chief Cindy Holland as senior advisor ahead of their merger with Paramount Global. (more)

• Paramount faces potential shareholder damages exceeding $1.65B in its Skydance merger, as CalSTRS argues a significantly higher valuation based on Sony and Apollo’s $26B offer. (more)

• Dave Erickson extends his overall deal with MTV Entertainment Studios as ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ opens its S4 writers room. (more)

• TKO Group, parent of WWE and UFC, is buying Professional Bull Riders, On Location, and IMG from Endeavor in a $3.25B all-equity deal. (more)

RELEASE RADAR
📅 What to watch this weekend?

🍿 THEATRICAL

• Venom: The Last Dance: Superhero finale to the Venom trilogy starring Tom Hardy.

• Conclave: Vatican thriller starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow, directed by Edward Berger.

📺 STREAMING

• Don’t Move: (Netflix) Horror-thriller produced by Sam Raimi, starring Kelsey Asbille and Finn Wittrock.

• Nickel Boys: (Prime Video) Adaptation of Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, directed by RaMell Ross.

• This Is the Zodiac Speaking: (Netflix) True crime docuseries examining Arthur Leigh Allen's connection to the infamous Zodiac murders.

• Beauty in Black: (Netflix) Tyler Perry soap opera drama series, starring Crystle Stewart and Taylor Polidore Williams, with Debbi Morgan.

• Before: (Apple TV+) Psychological thriller miniseries starring Billy Crystal, Judith Light, and Rosie Perez, created by Sarah Thorp.

🔮 BOX OFFICE PREVIEW

‘Venom: The Last Dance’ is ready to take the top spot with a projected $60-80M opening weekend, though that would mark a franchise low compared to its predecessors' $80M+ debuts. ‘Smile 2’ aims to keep scaring up business in its second frame with $15-18M. Meanwhile, ‘The Wild Robot’ continues to show strength in its fifth week, eyeing $6-8M even after hitting PVOD. Newcomer ‘Conclave’ is entering the ring targeting a modest $4-6M debut.

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest trends & viral moments