🎬 Last Minute Bid

👋 Good morning! YouTube just made history as the first streaming platform to capture over 10% of total TV viewing time, hitting 10.4% in July. This milestone comes as streaming as a whole accounted for a record-breaking 41.4% of TV viewing. It's not just YouTube making waves—Peacock got an Olympic boost, Amazon's Prime Video surged thanks to ‘The Boys,’ and even The Roku Channel hit a personal best. Meanwhile, traditional broadcast TV is holding steady at 20.3%, slightly up from its all-time low last year.

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 Pulls the Plug on ‘The Acolyte’

• Last Minute Bid for Paramount

• AI Legal Trouble

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

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Martini Shot 🍸

🎬 Disney+ has pulled the plug on ‘The Acolyte’ after just one season. This high-budget Star Wars prequel series, with a reported $180M price tag for eight episodes (that’s $22M per episode), couldn't quite force its way into viewers' hearts. Estimates suggest it drew only half the audience of ‘Ahsoka,’ its more familiar cousin. ‘The Acolyte’ was a bold experiment on multiple fronts. It introduced entirely new characters and storylines, challenged established good-vs-evil dynamics, and reimagined the franchise's core elements. The show also embraced diversity in casting and themes, including queer characters—choices that sparked online debates. Fan reaction to the cancellation has been mixed, with many expressing disappointment over the loss of fresh storytelling and diverse representation. However, it ultimately fell victim to the harsh realities of ROI in the streaming wars. This cancellation aligns with Disney CEO Bob Iger's recent comments about reining in spending on big-budget projects. For industry watchers, it signals a potential shift towards safer, more familiar content in major franchises.

🙋‍♂️ Media veteran Edgar Bronfman Jr. has made a last-minute $4.3B bid for Paramount Global, challenging the existing Skydance deal just before the deadline. Like Skydance, Bronfman offers $2.4B for National Amusements (Paramount's parent company) and $1.5B to bolster Paramount's finances. The key difference? No merger with an outside production company. Backed by wealthy individuals, including up-and-coming producer Steven Paul, Bronfman's offer avoids diluting current shareholders' stakes. However, it doesn't address Paramount's ongoing struggles with debt and market position. With the Aug. 21 deadline looming today, industry insiders expect a two-week extension for deal evaluation. Meanwhile, Paramount continues its cost-cutting measures, slashing 15% of its workforce and exploring sales of valuable assets like BET Media Group.

👨‍⚖️ The AI industry is facing a legal challenge that's caught the attention of content creators across the board. Authors have filed a class-action lawsuit against Anthropic, alleging unauthorized use of their books to train the AI chatbot Claude. This case highlights the growing market for licensing copyrighted material to train AI systems—something that could potentially extend to scripts, screenplays, and even visual content. While tech companies continue to strike deals with publishers (like the Condé Nast-OpenAI collab announced yesterday), this lawsuit argues that Anthropic should have followed suit instead of allegedly downloading content illegally. The outcome could set important precedents for how AI interacts with copyrighted works in all media.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

The Shortcut to Effective Storyboards

Spielberg wouldn’t shoot without a storyboard—why should you?

Well, your storyboards probably suck… But they don’t have to.

Say hello to Boords—the secret storyboard weapon trusted by 700k creatives. Boords has your back with AI magic, one-click exports, and a feedback system that actually makes sense.

Get your act together, and take 20% off with code BOORDS20 now.

Development 🗒️

• Michaela Coel is set to write, star in, and executive produce the 10-episode drama ‘First Day on Earth’ for HBO and BBC, with A24 also involved in production. (more)

• Travis Kelce is in talks to star in the action-comedy ‘Loose Cannons’ for Lionsgate, produced by ‘John Wick’ director Chad Stahelski. (more)

• Chloé Zhao will direct an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s ‘Hamnet’ for Focus Features, starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, with Steven Spielberg producing. (more)

• Millie Bobby Brown is developing a Netflix feature adaptation of her bestselling debut novel ‘Nineteen Steps.’ (more)

• Patrick J. Adams, Elle Chapman, and Beau Garrett join Michelle Pfeiffer in Taylor Sheridan’s ‘The Madison.’ (more)

• Universal Pictures has acquired the rights to adapt the video game ‘Ruiner’ with Wes Ball set to direct. (more)

• Thomas Middleditch, Krysta Rodriguez, and Alan Cumming will star in ‘Lunch Hour,’ a new indie comedy directed by Larry Guterman. (more)

• Shameik Moore and Susan Sarandon’s bowling comedy ‘The Gutter’ has secured North American distribution with Magnolia Pictures. (more)

• Netflix is developing ‘The Grays’, a modern TV adaptation of ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ from Berlanti Productions. (more)

• Neon has acquired U.S. rights to the horror-comedy ‘Hell of a Summer,’ directed by and starring Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk. (more)

• Quiver Distribution has acquired North American rights to ‘A Mistake,’ a medical drama starring Elizabeth Banks. (more)

• Comedian Matt Rife is expanding his partnership with Live Nation, announcing a starring role in the R-rated comedy ‘Rolling Loud.’ (more)

• Brad Caleb Kane has been named the new showrunner for Peacock’s ‘Friday the 13th’ prequel series ‘Crystal Lake.’ (more)

• Jimmy Tatro joins Vince Vaughn in 20th Century’s upcoming buddy action comedy ‘Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice.’ (more)

• Bruce Dern, Hunter Parrish, Julia Fox, and Joanna Cassidy will star in the indie road trip comedy ‘Northbound.’ (more)

• Fox Entertainment Studios and Israel’s yes TV are co-producing ‘One Day in October’, the first scripted series about the Oct. 7 attacks, set to premiere this October. (more)

Business 🤝

• J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot is in advanced negotiations to extend its film and TV deal with Warner Bros. (more)

• Adamma and Adanne Ebo have signed an overall deal with Sony Pictures Television. (more)

• Netflix has concluded its upfront ad sales, reporting a 150% increase in commitments over 2023. (more)

Other News 🚨

• ‘Emily in Paris’ S4 debuted on Netflix with an impressive 19.9M views, making it the most-watched English TV show on the platform this week. (more)

• The Academy is investigating 11 areas of technological advancement, including CG rendering and stunt safety, for the 2025 Scientific and Technical Awards. (more)

• Craving more? Unleash your inbox’s potential with a lineup of epic, free newsletters that have our readers buzzing! (more)