Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
YouTube’s Oscars, Netflix’s WBD, and a CA credit.
Let’s go!
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There are three major stories happening today in the film industry, so we’ve gone ahead and written separate breakdowns.
Here they are:
Warner Bros. Discovery rejects Paramount’s acquisition bid. But that doesn’t mean Netflix is locked in as the buyer:
https://theindustry.co/p/paramounts-battle
California allocates $116.2M in Tax Credits to 28 films. There’s a beach-set Snoop Dogg biopic, an Ang Lee drama, plus some hidden gem indies we dug up:
YouTube will stream the Oscars starting in 2029. We believe it could 10x viewership: https://theindustry.co/p/youtubes-oscars
Or, if you prefer something lighter, here’s a dip into some of our favorite projects announced for the upcoming Berlin Film Festival:
https://theindustry.co/p/berlin-film-festivals-firsts
And now onto the rest of the film industry news.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Netflix is adapting Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods into a drama series.
Bronson Canyon Pictures signed a multiyear first-look TV deal with Fox.
Lia Buman joins Paramount Pictures as Head of Global Acquisitions.
Producer Suzanne Todd has signed a first-look TV deal with MGM Television.
Gen Z theatrical attendance is up 25% year over year.
UTA has announced 105 promotions across 22 departments.
Apple TV+ and Legendary are expanding the Monsterverse with a Lee Shaw prequel series.
Netflix has landed an untitled rom-com spec from Larry Stuckey & Joanna Leeds.
Rupert Grint has joined Paramount’s Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol w/ Johnny Depp.
Amy Madigan has joined Apple Original Films’ psychological thriller Sponsor.
CBS’s Elsbeth will feature J. Smith Cameron as a guest star in its 3rd season.
Paradise City has acquired sales rights to Sundance title Tell Me Everything.
Illinois has extended and expanded its Film Production Tax Credit through 2039.
Brainstorm Media has acquired North American rights to Amy Landecker’s SXSW debut, For Worse.
Christine Choy, Oscar-nominated dir of Who Killed Vincent Chin?, has died at 76.
Sylvester Stewart Jr. will co-direct a documentary on his father, Sly Stone.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Long Bright River author Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods is being adapted into a drama series for Netflix. From Sony Pictures Television and Original Film (The Boys), the NYT bestseller is a “multi-generational drama set in the Adirondacks” that explores the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of a young girl from her summer camp, rocking generations of her family.
Moore’s unpredictable suspense novel Long Bright River was just adapted for Peacock and earned a Golden Globe nomination for its lead, Amanda Seyfried (check out our showrunner interview here: https://theindustry.co/p/peacocks-a-long-bright-river-showrunner).
The acclaimed author will write, produce, and showrun alongside Liz Hannah (Netflix’s Mindhunter).
Former Fremantle SVP, Jeffrey Levine (Face/Off) and his Bronson Canyon Pictures have struck a multiyear, first-look deal with Fox Entertainment Studios to develop scripted series.
The first on the docket is an adaptation of Pat Kelly’s thriller mountain mystery novel, Rifle Season, ahead of its publication early next year.
The second book the partnership is planning on bringing to life for the small screen is the historical drama Darktown, author Thomas Mullen’s politically charged period story following the corruption surrounding Atlanta’s first Black police officers.
Tidbits:
Veteran festival producer Lia Buman (Neon’s Together, The History of Sound, and Sorry, Baby) is joining Paramount Pictures as their new Head of Global Acquisitions and Republic Pictures. Buman’s main responsibility will be developing Paramount’s production label Republic, balancing strong commercial appeal with indie talent.
Austin Powers producer Suzanne Todd (the live-action Alice in Wonderland) signs a first-look TV deal with MGM Television. The Emmy-nominated producer will now be responsible for developing new original character-driven series across genres and formats exclusively for the studio.
Holiday Bonus: UTA just announced 105 promotions across 22 departments, spanning areas from Comedy Touring and TV Literary to Music, Sports, Marketing, and Technology. UTA also noted that most new agents rose through its Agent Training Program. CAA also announced 13 promotions in a variety of agent and other executive roles.
Apple TV and Legendary will expand Monsterverse with a new, yet-to-be-titled show expanding upon the world with a prequel about a young Lee Shaw, portrayed by Wyatt Russell. Kurt Russell played U.S. Army Colonel Shaw in Monarch on Apple+. Joby Harold (Monarch) will continue showrunning.
Mini Tidbits:
Gen Z is going to the movies more, with attendance frequency up 25% year over year. 41% saw at least 6-7 films, driven by titles aimed right at them like A Minecraft Movie, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. Read the full report here.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is set to dominate year-end box office with a projected $340M–$380M global debut. These are huge numbers, but still projecting slightly under The Way of Water's $444M opening.
Netflix struck a multiyear deal with Barstool Sports to exclusively stream video versions of three hit podcasts, Pardon My Take, The Ryen Russillo Podcast, and Spittin’ Chiclets. starting in 2026. Maybe we’ll get the One Bite Pizza Reviews podcast.
Netflix has landed an untitled rom-com spec from Larry Stuckey and Joanna Leeds, with Erin and Sara Foster producing after the breakout success of Nobody Wants This. The film centers on an engaged couple settling in with the groom’s 3 judgmental kids.
Renewals:
Discovery’s The Curious Case Of… (for S2)
BET’s Sistas (for S10)
Wri/Dir/Prod: Tyler Perry
Trailers:
Amazon’s Melania (doc)
Subject: Melania Trump
Dir: Brett Ratner
Release: Jan 30
Jimmy
Cast: KJ Appa (Riverdale) as James Stewart
Release: November 11, 2026
Hulu’s Tell Me Lies (Season 3)
Cast: Grace Van Patten (Nine Perfect Strangers)
Release: January 13, 2026
Neon’s Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Cast: Matt Johnson (BlackBerry), Jay McCarroll (Operation Avalanche)
Release: February 13, 2026
Disney+’s The Muppet Show
Cast: Kermit the Frog
February 3, 2026
Paramount+’s Girl Taken
Cast: Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones)
Release: Jan 1, 2026
First Look:
Sony’s Bitter Christmas
Release: March 20, 2026 (Spain)
Netflix’s Mercenary: An Extraction Series
Cast: Omar Sy (Lupin)
Amazon MGM Studios’ The Wrecking Crew
Cast: Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Jason Momoa (Aquaman)
Release: January 28, 2026
Release Dates:
Focus Features’ Girls Like Girls
Cast: Hayley Kiyoko (Lemonade Mouth)
Release: June 19, 2026
Netflix’s Becky G - Rebecca (Doc)
Cast: Becky G (TikToker? Musician?)
Dec 10th
Neon’s Arco
Cast: Natalie Portman
Release: January 30th (Nationwide)
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Rupert Grint (Harry Potter) has signed on to Paramount’s Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, joining Johnny Depp in Ti West’s darker reimagining of the Charles Dickens classic.
Grint is expected to play Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s long-suffering but steadfast employee, though character details have not been officially confirmed.
Since Harry Potter Grint has had a sparser resume than his co-stars (Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, respectively), this is more of a quality over quantity edge.
Many of his post-Potter choices have been about clever character-driven choices. Often choosing unsettling projects, Grint had a brief but gruesome turn in Knock at the Cabin, where he played a zealot willing to die to save the world -clip. Most recently, his acclaimed run on Apple TV+’s Servant showcased a darker, more psychologically complex side of his screen presence -clip.
We don’t know much about Ti West’s dark spin on Carol, but we do know Grint should thrive in that darkness.
Tidbits:
Aunt Gladys herself, Amy Madigan, is set to star in Apple Original Films’ psychological thriller Sponsor, continuing a strong late-career run after her acclaimed turn in Weapons. She joins Jason Segel and John C. Reilly. The story follows a man forced into recovery after a drunk driving accident who becomes drawn to his enigmatic sponsor. Her role is not yet revealed, but everyone is looking forward to her next project after we all saw her get torn apart by [SPOILER] just a few months ago.
First, he had to put up with ruthless negotiations; now, he is thrust into the Navy. Peaky Blinders actor Joe Cole is joining The Reacher’s Alan Ritchson in the untitled Amazon MGM Studios action film. Based on a remarkable true story, the film follows desperate soldiers trapped in North Vietnam.
Peacock has added Tony nominee Fina Strazza (John Proctor Is the Villain) to Dig, the comedy series reuniting Mike Schur (Parks and Recreation) and Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation), with Hugh Laurie (House) also starring. Based on Kate Myers’ novel Excavation, the series follows four women at an archaeological dig in Greece who uncover a secret tied to a high-stakes international conspiracy. Strazza plays Patty, an overwhelmed undergraduate assistant to Laurie’s British professor, currently in production.
CBS’s fun mystery series, Elsbeth, is getting J. Smith Cameron (Succession) as a guest star for its ongoing third season (trailer). She’ll play the president of New York City’s most elite debutante ball, and after being humiliated, is dead set on getting revenge. If her character is anything like the fan favorite Gerri on Succession, then she’ll probably get what she wants.
FESTIVALS
Production company and sales agent (fka Memento International) Paradise City (Homebound) acquired Tell Me Everything, a Sundance title from director Moshe Rosenthal. The 80s film set during the HIV epidemic is a father-son saga that follows a preteen boy who uncovers a life-changing secret about his hero, his dad.
The Sundance Institute has announced honorees for its Jan. 23 Celebrating Sundance Institute tribute to founder Robert Redford:
Chloé Zhao (Hamnet) - Trailblazer Award
Nia DaCosta (Hedda) - Vanguard Award (Fiction)
Geeta Gandbhir (The Perfect Neighbor) - Vanguard Award (Non-Fiction)
The Party Film, the worldwide sales agent behind festival gem, The Voice of Hind Rajab, announces a six-part deal for The Danish Woman, the six-part drama series from Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson (Woman at War). The first episode will drop on RÚV, the top Icelandic broadcaster, beginning January 1st.
Screenplays:
Read Universal’s Wicked: For Good screenplay, written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, and Black Bear’s Sydney Sweeney-starring Christy script by David Michô and Mirrah Foulkes.
Plus eight more prospective Oscar scripts:
https://theindustry.co/p/prospective-best-screenplay-academy-dbf
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT / INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Dublin-based Nina Pictures has launched under producers Cameron Lawther (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Gavin Kilduff (Gretel & Hansel). The duo is partnering with Capstone Pictures on a five-film co-financing deal starting in 2026. The company’s focus will be “elevated genre and prestige dramas” with projects from Kevin Kölsch (Pet Sematary) and Nathalie Biancheri (Wolf), among others.
Illinois has expanded and extended its Film Production Tax Credit through 2039. boosting resident and vendor credits to 35%, adding bonuses for green sets, relocations, and downstate filming. Also included are non-resident crew allowances, and changes will apply retroactively to July 1, 2025.
Michael Strassner (Actor, Writer: Baltimorons) has wrapped a lead role in Tuesday, New York, an indie comedy from writer-director Alex Beh (Warren) and shot in Manhattan. The film follows three men wandering New York on a low-stakes, existential quest to find a sewing needle.
Trailblazing filmmaker Christine Choy has died at 76. Her Oscar-nominated crime doc, Who Killed Vincent Chin? (1987, trailer), shaped Asian-American cinema and shone a spotlight on racial injustices in the legal system. She was truly an influential and bold director who will be very missed.
Sylvester Stewart Jr., son of Sly Stone, will co-direct a deeply personal documentary on his dad. Drawing from 50 hours of unseen family footage and new interviews, the film explores Stone’s music, mystique, and enduring cultural impact in music and as a father.
Brainstorm Media (After All) has acquired North American rights to For Worse, Amy Landecker’s SXSW debut as a director, writer, and star, and plans a February release. The romantic comedy follows a newly divorced, sober mother whose flirtation with a younger acting partner spirals during a young couple’s wedding weekend.
A hit all over the globe. Yan Yana, the Turkish remake of the popular French buddy-comedy, The Intouchables (2011), becomes the country’s top box office performer, bringing in $12.4M since its mid-November premiere. The film has undergone several international iterations, including the U.S. version The Upside (2017, trailer) with Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston.
My Indian Boyfriend, a Hong Kong romcom, is getting another remake this time set in Leicester, England. Last year, there was an American take titled A Nice Indian Boy (2024) that followed the same premise: a family struggling to accept the new interracial couple that has entered their lives. Production is ongoing in the U.K.
Sky has acquired Canadian hit hockey romance Heated Rivalry for the UK and Ireland, launching January 10, 2026. Trailer here.
ON THIS DAY
1963. The Pink Panther premieres.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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