Variety 8/10/2022

The reporters in our Variety newsroom were working overtime last week to bring you news and analysis about a seismic shift in the streaming universe. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav made the decision to scrap the $90 million movie “Batgirl,” which had already finished shooting. Sources say that the film, greenlit by previous studio chief Jason Kilar, wasn’t strong enough for theaters, and the studio preferred to take a hit on the project rather than release it on HBO Max. When Zaslav suggested in an Aug. 4 earnings call with Wall Street analysts that the film, despite its big budget, wasn’t good enough to warrant a release, he signaled changing times ahead. The announcement brought the curtain down on an era of Hollywood splurging that began Aug. 8, 2017…

Variety reporter Selome Hailu got vegan burritos with Angus Cloud for one of this week’s cover stories. She previously profiled Magic Johnson for our magazine. Variety senior entertainment writer Angelique Jackson was the first to interview Halle Bailey about being cast as Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” in 2019. Most recently, she profiled Issa Rae in celebration of her lead actress Emmy nomination. New York-based fashion photographer Greg Swales captured our four Young Hollywood stars in Los Angeles. “All are humble yet so selfaware of who they are and what they represent,” he says. Swales’ work has appeared in Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar, among others. Celebrity stylist Danyul Brown has collaborated with John Legend, Demi Lovato and Bebe Rexha and more. Of our Young Hollywood cover subjects, he says:…

Where’s the bottom? That’s one of several big questions swirling around Warner Bros. Discovery as the newly merged company goes through what one analyst charitably described as “post-merger growing pains.” In the span of a few days last week, WB Discovery’s new regime led by CEO David Zaslav managed to anger a wide swath of Hollywood’s creative community and alarm media biz watchers on Wall Street. From grounding DC Comics’ “Batgirl” to canceling TBS’ “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,” the company took a series of steps that underscore the depth of its financial and operational challenges now that the hurrahs and hoopla around the merger have long passed. The how-low-can-it-go question applied to WB Discovery stock’s price last week, with shares plunging and market capitalization ($32 billion as of Aug.…

At Flix Brewhouse, a Texas-based luxury movie theater chain, chief revenue officer Chris Randleman is known as Mr. Sunshine. But his upbeat attitude is about to be put to the test. After a rebound summer at the box office, thanks to hits like “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Elvis” and A24’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” he and fellow movie theater operators are bracing for a steep downturn in admissions before Labor Day weekend. The biggest concern: a dearth of major releases to ride out the dog days of the season. “As great as the summer has been, we’re about to hit a lull,” Randleman says. “The problem isn’t that people don’t want to go to theaters. We don’t have movies to show in August or September.” Hit movies in August aren’t…

Olivia Newton-John died Aug. 8 at age 73. Among her biggest showbiz fans is Ken Ehrlich, who had her on the Grammys several times during his 40 years of producing that show, as well as programs ranging from “The Midnight Special” in the mid- ’70s to a Lifetime biography in the late ’90s. He spoke with Variety about how the “genuinely nice” singer-actor made everyone on his sets “melt,” him most of all. I was just so enamored with her. I mean, God, how could you not be? She was very aware of her magic — which is her song title — but she always tried to put you at ease. I don’t get star-struck around many people at all, but I can remember actually trying on two or three shirts…

With streamers making their biggest bets yet on content — and more of them about to include advertising options — Variety spoke with Dan Erlij and Allan Haldeman, UTA co-heads of TV literary, about the state of the television industry. In a rare joint interview, the two covered a wide range of topics, such as Netflix’s and HBO’s domination of the Emmys, and how AVOD streaming could bring “transparency we can find in terms of making deals.” The duo have more than 40 years at the agency between them, as well as a roster of A-list clients that includes “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong, “The Good Fight” duo Robert and Michelle King, and “Atlanta” director and executive producer Hiro Murai. HBO and HBO Max got 140 Emmy nominations and Netflix 105.…