🎬 Netflix 🤝 Podcasts

👋 Good morning! In a move that would make Q weep, Amazon tried to disarm James Bond. For last week's James Bond Day (the anniversary of 'Dr. No's' premiere in ‘62, for the uninitiated), they unveiled new poster art minus one key detail: they'd Photoshopped out 007's signature Walther PPK pistol from every image, leaving Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan awkwardly holding air. Fans immediately spotted the clumsy edits and quickly piled on. Amazon has since replaced the posters with gun-free movie stills. Nothing says stealth quite like obvious Photoshop work.

Welcome back to The Dailies. Got your coffee? Let's get you up to speed on the latest industry news. 👇

CLOSEUP
🎙️ Netflix is officially in the podcast game…

Netflix just inked a deal with Spotify to bring video podcasts to its platform. The deal comes after months of speculation and marks the streamer's official entry into a content category it can no longer afford to ignore. Subscribers will get access to shows from Spotify Studios and Bill Simmons' The Ringer. The lineup includes:

• Sports heavy-hitters like 'The Bill Simmons Podcast' and 'The Rewatchables' (where Simmons and crew have dissected 300+ films)

• True crime favorites 'Serial Killers' and 'Conspiracy Theories'

• Culture/lifestyle shows including 'The Dave Chang Show' and 'Dissect'

So why does Netflix suddenly care about podcasts? CEO Ted Sarandos initially floated this idea during an earnings call back in April. The move fits Netflix's broader push to become an all-around entertainment hub rather than just another streaming service. Video podcasts are relatively cheap to license but can rack up serious viewing hours. It’s exactly the kind of "content efficiency" Netflix has been chasing to maximize engagement, not just subscriber counts.

It's also about taking on YouTube: This year, YouTube has consistently surpassed Netflix in viewership time—Nielsen says YouTube captured 13.1% of U.S. streaming hours in August compared to Netflix's 8.7%. With 72% of podcast listeners preferring video formats and YouTube dominating that space, Netflix has recognized it needs to compete on this front.

Looking ahead… The podcasts land on Netflix in early 2026, starting in the U.S. before expanding globally. The companies say this initial slate is "just the beginning," with more shows and studios to be added over time.

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WIDESHOT
🎬 SAG-AFTRA, Saudi money, and CNN…

📱 SAG-AFTRA is embracing the verticals boom. The union just announced a new "Verticals Agreement" for microdramas under $300,000, specifically tailored to these portrait-mode productions with their tight turnarounds and mobile-first format. For underemployed entertainment workers, these verticals are proving to be a crucial lifeline. The union follows IATSE and the WGA West, which are also creating their own verticals guidelines. Meanwhile, the market is projected to hit $8B globally and traditional media companies rushing in: Fox just invested in Ukrainian verticals studio Holy Water, TelevisaUnivision is producing 40 microdramas for its ViX platform, and former ABC exec Lloyd Braun just launched MicroCo with major backing.

💰 Hollywood just got a billion-dollar check from Saudi Arabia. Producer Erik Feig is launching Arena SNK Studios with up to $1B from Saudi Arabia and Japan, specifically from entities controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Japanese gaming company SNK. The studio will make films, TV shows, and live events, and Disney's Sean Bailey is also joining the board. While the Saudis have invested in entertainment before, this is their biggest bet on a traditional Hollywood studio yet. With streamers pulling back on spending and indie financing increasingly scarce, geopolitical funding is filling the gap here. The news comes right after the Riyadh Comedy Festival, where A-list comedians faced backlash for performing and accepting Saudi money.

📺 CNN is making a play for the creator economy. The network is launching "CNN Creators" on October 23rd from CNN's new Middle East hub in Doha, complete with a studio built like a creator house. Ex-Vice and BBC producers will host a weekly show where teams compete to produce the best "news-adjacent" content on topics like AI, culture, and social trends. Nearly 40% of young adults now get their news from social creators, so CNN's basically admitting the old playbook isn't working anymore. This is CNN's second big digital swing after CNN+ shut down in just 30 days back in 2022. The initiative is part of Mark Thompson's $70M transformation to shift CNN from cable to digital. He's already cut 6% of TV staff and launched paywalls as the network tries to win back audiences who've abandoned traditional news for social media.

ICYMI
⚡️ Quick hits…

🎱 Mattel is turning Magic 8 Ball into a TV series with M. Night Shyamalan directing and Brad Falchuk writing. The "supernatural drama" is part of Mattel's post-Barbie IP bonanza, which also includes films for 'Masters of the Universe,' 'Hot Wheels' with Jon M. Chu, and 'Polly Pocket' with Lily Collins.

🛡️ Celebrities' estates are getting AI protection through a new deal between CMG Worldwide and deepfake detection firm Loti AI. The partnership covers late celebs like Judy Garland, Jimmy Stewart, Burt Reynolds and others, offering round-the-clock monitoring and takedown services as concerns grow about tools like OpenAI's Sora 2.

📺 Apple TV+ is simplifying to just Apple TV, despite already having a device and app with that name. The streamer announced its "vibrant new identity" in an 'F1' press release, though we’re guessing somewhere a branding agency just got paid six figures to hit the delete key.

👻 Millie Bobby Brown is developing supernatural series 'Prism' at Netflix, where she'll star as a woman who can talk to ghosts. Rachel Brosnahan and AGBO are also exec producing the project, with Etan Frankel ('Shameless,' 'Joe vs. Carole') as showrunner.

LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• Paul Greengrass has retitled his peasant revolt film ‘The Uprising,’ adding Jamie Bell, Cosmo Jarvis, and Thomasin McKenzie to the cast. (more)

• James Norton is in talks to play Beatles manager Brian Epstein in Sam Mendes’ ‘The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event.’ (more)

• Row K Entertainment set 2026 release dates for ‘Dead Man’s Wire,’ ‘Poetic License,’ ‘Cliffhanger,’ and ‘Charlie Harper.’ (more)

• Appian Way is developing a Universal biopic on young Bela Lugosi, written by ‘Ed Wood’ scribes Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. (more)

• Sony Pictures will release Will Eubank’s action film ‘Archangel,’ starring Jim Caviezel, Olivia Thirlby, and Shea Whigham, on Nov. 6, 2026. (more)

• Ed Helms and Ben Foster have joined Jay Baruchel in Michael Dowse’s comedy ‘The Stunt Driver,’ with Foster playing Evel Knievel. (more)

• Mel Gibson has recast ‘The Resurrection of the Christ,’ with Jaakko Ohtonen as Jesus and Mariela Garriga as Mary Magdalene. (more)

• Independent Film Company and Shudder have acquired Adam MacDonald’s zombie horror ‘This Is Not a Test,’ set for a 2026 theatrical release. (more)

• Dominic Sherwood will star alongside Freddie Wise in the action-thriller ‘White Tide,’ now filming in Italy under director Paul Raschid. (more)

• Kiefer Sutherland will star with Al Pacino and Ever Anderson in Luc Besson’s 1990s-set action thriller ‘Father Joe,’ now filming in Manhattan. (more)

• Andy Garcia returns to directing with ‘Diamond,’ a noir thriller starring Brendan Fraser, Bill Murray, Dustin Hoffman, and Demián Bichir. (more)

• Nicholas Braun joins Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Peter Dinklage in Macon Blair’s comedy ‘The Sh*theads.’ (more)

• Emma Roberts will star in Amazon MGM’s film adaptation of Rebecca Serle’s bestseller ‘Expiration Dates,’ produced by Featherweight Pictures. (more)

TV Development 📺

• Sonja Warfield and Susan Fales-Hill will adapt Krystal Marquis’ YA novel ‘The Davenports’ into a series for Amazon. (more)

• A+E Studios is developing Tom Ryan’s YA mystery ‘We Had a Hunch’ into a TV series with producer Peter Johnson. (more)

Business 🤝

• ITV Studios announced multiple global format deals and revived the Fox reality series ‘Solitary’ ahead of MIPCOM. (more)

• Cinema United has extended CEO and President Michael O’Leary’s contract through 2030 to continue leading the global exhibition group. (more)

• NBA is launching a revamped ‘NBA TV’ and new streaming platform offering live games, highlights, and original programming starting today. (more)

• FilmLA reported that L.A. filming dropped 13% in Q3 2025 to record lows, though new state tax incentives are showing early signs of boosting future production. (more)

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