🎬 New Name, Who Dis?

👋 Good morning! Shudder unveiled the trailer for 'Good Boy,' a haunted house thriller shot entirely from a dog's POV. The movie follows a loyal pup named Indy who notices the paranormal activity his human can't see. Within hours of the trailer’s release, Google searches for "does the dog die" exploded by 2,000%. Forget the ghosts, we’re all just worried about the pup.

Happy Wednesday and welcome to The Dailies. Grab your coffee and we’ll get you up to speed on the latest Hollywood news. 👇

CLOSEUP
📺 Meet MS NOW, formerly MSNBC…

MSNBC is getting a new name and losing its peacock. The news network will become ‘MS NOW’ (no, it's not a medical condition, it stands for My Source News Opinion World) as part of NBCUniversal's spinoff of its cable properties into a new company called Versant. Some details:

• The peacock logo stays with NBCUniversal, forcing all spun-off channels to rebrand

• MSNBC has been on a hiring spree, poaching NBC's Jacob Soboroff and Vaughn Hillyard to build its own newsroom without having to rely on NBC News

• Other Versant channels get minor tweaks (CNBC gets a new logo, Golf Channel and USA Network merge under USA Sports)

The thinking: The rebrand aims to end "brand confusion" between MSNBC's progressive opinion journalism and NBC News's neutral editorial tone. The networks want clear separation as they head in different directions.

The reception: The internet immediately mocked the clunky rebrand, with critics pointing out it sounds like everything from a multiple sclerosis fundraiser to a "short-lived Windows operating system from the early 2000s." Somewhere, a branding agency is cashing a very large check for this.

Looking ahead… MSNBC insists its editorial mission won't change, just the name. The full transition happens by year's end when Versant launches.

CLOSEUP
📉 Marvel’s leaving Georgia for its UK era…

Marvel's ditching Georgia after a decade. This summer's 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' was the studio's first UK production, and now the next two 'Avengers' films and 'Spider-Man' are following. After making 22+ projects in Atlanta, Marvel studio head Kevin Feige says they'll be in the UK "for the foreseeable future." Marvel's not alone. Other recent big-budget films shot in the UK include 'Barbie' and 'Wicked.' Some numbers:

• Georgia production spending has dropped 50% in the past three years

• In 2024, big-budget productions filming in the U.S. were down 29% from 2022

• The UK saw 16% growth in the same period

Why the mass exodus? The U.K. has similar tax credits (around 30%) but way cheaper labor. British crews don't need employer-covered health insurance, and they're paid less overall. Plus, Georgia’s no longer the bargain it used to be as costs keep rising.

The bigger picture: States bet that generous tax incentives would create lasting film industries. Instead, they built a nomadic business that follows the cheapest location. While Trilith Studios CEO Frank Patterson predicts this is just a cycle that will normalize by 2027, Georgia's decade-long run as "Hollywood of the South" proves that even long-term production hubs aren't safe when cheaper options emerge.

Together with

Former Zillow exec targets $1.3T

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WIDESHOT
🎬 Mark Rober, Paramount, and Nexstar…

🚀 Another YouTube megastar has landed a streaming deal. Netflix just partnered with YouTube creator and former NASA engineer Mark Rober to develop a family-friendly competition series premiering in 2026, with Jimmy Kimmel’s banner Kimmelot producing. The show will blend science education with entertainment, tapping into his massive 70M YouTube subscribers. Netflix will also license some of Rober’s existing YouTube episodes for the platform later this year. It's the latest in a growing creator-to-streamer pipeline, as platforms bet on YouTube stars who bring millions of built-in fans.

🤝 Paramount wants to be Legendary's new distributor. The production company behind 'Dune' and 'A Minecraft Movie' is in talks with Paramount for a global theatrical distribution deal (excluding China) that would include a Paramount+ streaming window, according to multiple reports. While Legendary's biggest franchises like 'Dune' and the MonsterVerse would stay at Warner Bros., the partnership would help Paramount hit its goal of cranking out 15-20 films a year. It's yet another aggressive move in David Ellison's dealmaking spree since taking over Paramount earlier this month.

📺 Nexstar is buying rival Tegna for $6.2B. The deal combines two of the three largest local TV station owners into a 265-station network covering 80% of U.S. households (basically your local NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox affiliates across 132 markets). Nexstar CEO Perry Sook credited President Trump's FCC for enabling the deal, as Chairman Brendan Carr pushes to eliminate current rules that bar any single company from owning stations reaching more than 39% of the country. The combined company would generate $8B+ in revenue, rivaling Fox and Paramount's financial firepower. The deal needs regulatory approval and should close by late 2026.

LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• Zack Snyder is finally getting to direct his passion project war drama ‘The Last Photograph,’ with filming set to begin later this month. (more)

• Jeremiah Zagar has signed on to adapt and direct Kevin Wilson’s novel ‘Nothing to See Here’ for Sony’s 3000 Pictures. (more)

• Kevin Costner and Jake Gyllenhaal will star in Amazon MGM’s dramedy ‘Honeymoon with Harry.’ (more)

• Jeffrey Wright and Octavia Spencer will headline Chinonye Chukwu and Tony Kushner’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ for Focus Features and Amblin. (more)

• Gabriel Basso has joined Margaret Qualley in Amazon MGM’s romantic drama ‘Love of Your Life,’ directed by Rachel Morrison. (more)

• Greig Fraser will shoot Sam Mendes’ four ‘Beatles’ films, but won’t return as cinematographer for ‘The Batman 2.’ (more)

• Chris Rock has added Anthony Anderson, Kelli Garner, Amy Landecker, and Rich Sommer to his upcoming untitled A24 feature. (more)

TV Development 📺

• Mandy Moore is reuniting with ‘This Is Us’ creator Dan Fogelman in his new NFL drama for Hulu. (more)

• Ben Stiller won’t direct any episodes of ‘Severance’ S3 and will focus on a new war film project instead. (more)

• Apple has picked up pickleball comedy ‘The Dink,’ with Jake Johnson starring and Ben Stiller producing and co-starring. (more)

• Natalie Dormer is joining Netflix’s action-thriller series ‘Extraction,’ starring alongside Omar Sy and Boyd Holbrook. (more)

• Kenya Barris and Mike Epps are teaming on a new CBS comedy about estranged brothers reuniting in post-wildfire Altadena. (more)

• Netflix has renewed crime drama ‘Dept. Q’ for a second season, with Matthew Goode returning as Detective Carl Morck. (more)

Business 🤝

• Lauren LeFranc, creator of ‘The Penguin,’ has locked in a two-year overall deal with HBO and launched her own banner, Acid and Tender Productions. (more)

• The Duffer Brothers are officially leaving Netflix for a four-year Paramount deal to create new films and TV projects. (more)

Other News 🚨

• California just handed out its first batch of TV tax credits since the $750M boost, with a public announcement expected next week. (more)

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