🎬 For Sale After All

👋 Good morning! Channel 4 answered the question "Will AI Take My Job?" by literally having AI do the job. The British network aired a documentary Monday featuring what appeared to be a standard news presenter who spent an hour investigating workplace automation… before revealing in the final moments that they were entirely AI-generated. Channel 4 insists this was a one-time stunt to demonstrate how easily audiences can be fooled, though the network's head of news was quick to add it's "not something we will be making a habit of."

Welcome to The Dailies, your three-times-a-week dose of Hollywood news. Grab your coffee and we’ll get you caught up.👇

CLOSEUP
💸 CA just dropped $334M to lure production back…

California started rolling out its newly expanded tax credit program yesterday, giving subsidies to 52 films in hopes of reversing years of production fleeing to Georgia, Canada, and beyond. The headline allocations:

• Michael Mann's 'Heat 2' got $37.2M, planning 47 shoot days in LA

• Sony's 'Jumanji' sequel grabbed $43.9M, the biggest allocation yet

• Ten studio titles (Netflix, Apple, Warner Bros., etc.) will collectively spend $340M in-state

• 42 indie films also got credits, most with budgets under $10M

The timing: The announcement comes right after FilmLA's latest numbers showed LA production dropped 13.2% in Q3 2025 compared to last year, continuing a multi-year slide. California approved the program expansion over the summer, growing it from $330M to $750M annually and raising the base credit to 35%. The result has been immediate interest—applications doubled compared to last year's window.

Looking ahead… FilmLA says they're already getting calls from productions looking to line up locations. The 52 approved films are expected to generate $1.4B in economic activity and create jobs for 8,900 cast and crew members. Approved projects have 180 days to start shooting, so it'll be a little while before we see if this bet pays off.

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WIDESHOT
🎬 Bryan Cranston, WBD sale, and ‘Stranger Things’…

🤖 Sora 2's getting stronger guardrails around actors' voices and likenesses. When the AI video generator launched last month, OpenAI promised actors would have to explicitly agree to participate before their voices and likenesses could appear in user-generated videos (a separate policy from its opt-out approach for copyrighted characters). But videos started popping up anyway, including one of Bryan Cranston as Walter White posing with Michael Jackson. Cranston’s agents at UTA flagged the breach, prompting him to rally SAG-AFTRA and the major agencies into action. OpenAI came to the table, apologized for the "unintentional generations," and committed to beefing up its opt-in protections. SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin called it "a positive resolution."

🤔 The offers are rolling in for Warner Bros. Discovery. The company officially confirmed yesterday it's for sale after receiving "unsolicited interest" from multiple parties. The announcement sent its stock to a 3-year high and put one of Hollywood's most iconic studios on the market. WBD's board is now reviewing three options: (1) continuing with the previously planned mid-2026 split into Warner Bros. and Discovery Global, (2) an outright sale of the entire company, or (3) separate deals for either business. WBD reportedly rejected Paramount's second offer of $24 per share, just days after its first bid was turned down. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has also expressed interest in WBD's studio, production lot, and prized HBO library, while Comcast is eyeing the studio and streaming service.

🍿 Netflix is bringing the 'Stranger Things' finale to theaters after all. The two-hour series finale is coming to AMC and other theater chains on New Year's Eve (the same day it lands on Netflix), per Puck. Just last week, Netflix's Bela Bajaria told Variety the Duffer brothers' request for a theatrical release got "shot down," but apparently that interview took place before things heated up between Netflix and AMC. The news comes days after AMC announced plans to bring Netflix hit 'KPop Demon Hunters' to its theaters for Halloween weekend, with both companies saying they want to find more ways to work together. The contracts aren't finalized yet, but sources say it's moving forward, which would make this Netflix's first wide theatrical release for a TV series.

MARKET WATCH
📊 Netflix just kicked off earnings season…

Netflix reported Q3 earnings yesterday: Revenue jumped 17% to $11.5B and free cash flow of $2.66B beat forecasts. Here’s the snag: Operating margin came in at 28%, well below the 31.5% the company had forecast. Netflix blamed a $619M Brazilian tax dispute and said it would've beaten expectations otherwise. Investors weren't buying it—shares dropped after hours. Some other key takeaways:

• 'KPop Demon Hunters' has had massive impact: Netflix announced toy deals with both Mattel and Hasbro yesterday for spring 2026. The film is Netflix's most-watched ever and helped drive this quarter's 17% revenue jump.

• Ad revenue is on track to more than double in 2025. Advertising commitments from major brands also doubled, showing Netflix can now compete with traditional TV networks for ad dollars.

• Engagement metrics are replacing subscriber counts as Netflix's key success measure. The company hit record TV view share in the US (up 15% since late 2022) and UK (up 22%).

• GenAI is moving into production: Netflix revealed it used it to de-age characters in 'Happy Gilmore 2' and design wardrobes and sets for 'Billionaires' Bunker,’ signaling the tech's shift from buzzword to practical tool.

Looking ahead… Earnings season rolls on with Comcast reporting next week, followed by Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, and Disney in November.

LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• Colman Domingo will voice the Cowardly Lion in Universal’s ‘Wicked: For Good,’ the sequel hitting theaters Nov. 21. (more)

• Melissa Barrera will co-star with John Travolta in Renny Harlin’s survival thriller ‘Black Tides,’ now filming in Spain. (more)

• Garrett Hedlund, Jennifer Nettles, Ross Lynch, and Ben Dickey have joined Jessica Chastain in Shana Feste’s Netflix mystery thriller ‘Heartland.’ (more)

• Dakota Johnson will make her directorial debut with ‘A Tree Is Blue,’ with Vanessa Burghardt, Charli XCX, and Jessica Alba in talks to star. (more)

• Chase Infiniti, Christopher Briney, Gillian Anderson, and Jason Isaacs will star in Niki Byrne’s coming-of-age drama ‘The Julia Set.’ (more)

• Ryan Coogler confirmed he’s developing an ‘X-Files’ reboot, calling it a tribute to his mom, a longtime fan of the original series. (more)

• Billy Magnussen, Betty Gilpin, Gbenga Akinnagbe, and Anna Lambe have joined Aaron Sorkin’s Sony drama ‘The Social Reckoning.’ (more)

• Netflix has acquired holiday comedy ‘The In-Claus,’ a Lord Miller production written by Travis Braun and based on his short story. (more)

• James Wan’s Atomic Monster is developing Julie Soto’s YA thriller ‘The Thrashers’ into a television series. (more)

• Basquiat biopic ‘Samo Lives’ has wrapped, adding Danny Ramirez, Dane DeHaan, Kathryn Newton, Lukas Gage, and Jeffrey Wright to the cast. (more)

TV Development 📺

• Michael Fassbender will play Joseph Kennedy Sr. in Netflix’s political drama ‘Kennedy,’ from Sam Shaw and Thomas Vinterberg. (more)

• Netflix is developing multiple film and TV projects based on the hit board game ‘Catan,’ spanning live-action, animation, and unscripted formats. (more)

• Pocket.watch is producing creator-led variety show ‘Rabbit Hole,’ set to debut exclusively on Hulu in 2026. (more)

• Game Show Network is developing the Japanese family format ‘100 Choices’ with Jimmy Fallon’s B17 Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television. (more)

• Hulu has ordered a ‘Prison Break’ reboot from ‘Mayans M.C.’ creator Elgin James, featuring a new cast and storyline within the franchise universe. (more)

Business 🤝

• Netflix exec Blair Fetter is exiting after 13 years, having overseen hits like ‘Ozark,’ ‘The Queen’s Gambit,’ and ‘3 Body Problem.’ (more)

• Taraji P. Henson has signed a two-picture acting and producing deal with Netflix under her TPH Entertainment banner. (more)

• Neon and Waypoint Entertainment inked a multi-picture deal including ‘Sentimental Value,’ ‘No Other Choice,’ and ‘The Secret Agent.’ (more)

Other News 🚨

• Disney+ and Hulu saw cancellation rates double in September after Jimmy Kimmel’s brief suspension from ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live,’ per new data. (more)

• YouTube has begun rolling out its AI likeness detection tool to 5,000 creators, allowing them to identify and manage unauthorized deepfake videos. (more)

• HBO Max has raised prices across all plans. (more)

VIDEO VILLAGE
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MARTINI SHOT
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