Donald Trump could have done a lot worse than inviting Ben Affleck to his AI lunch with tech CEOs this week at the White House. Unlike the heads of OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and more, the Oscar winner and InterPositive founder isn’t playing defense or doom and gloom when it comes to the quickly…

At least 350 people on Wednesday attended a meeting to address the screams coming from Universal Studio’s new Fast & Furious rollercoaster that opened Sept. 16. Neighbors of the amusement park — who were required to RSVP for the meeting that was closed to the press — were greeted at Universal’s…

California gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton agreed on the need for tax incentives to keep or lure production back to Hollywood, but they still sparred over who bears responsibility for the flight of tens of thousands of jobs from the state. Meeting in Burbank for a CNN…

Mark Ruffalo has been one of the fiercest critics of the $111 billion Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery merger, and after the deal became a reality Wednesday, the man who plays the Incredible Hulk in the MCU came out swinging. “This merger will stifle creativity, weaken free speech and cost…

Starz just issued a statement on the status of its negotiations with Verizon on a distribution agreement, warning of the potential loss of all of its channels, Starz on Demand and the Starz app through Verizon FiOs. "Starz has been negotiating in good faith with Verizon on a distribution…

The No Fakes Act, a bill to bill to curb the use of unauthorized AI deepfakes, was blocked in the Senate on Wednesday by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who said that the legislation did not have sufficient exceptions for the use of a person’s image in satirical and political commentary. The bill…

Mere minutes after a federal judge signed off Wednesday on the antitrust settlement deal between Paramount, Warner Bros Discovery and a dozen blue state attorneys general, David Ellison has named Ynon Kreiz co-CEO of his soon-to-expand media giant. In a statement, Paramount said the former…

UPDATED with CA AG statement, Block The Merger response: A federal judge has approved the Sept. 21 settlement between Paramount and a group of state Attorneys General that sued to block its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, removing the last hurdle for the deal to close. “The Court finds the…

EXCLUSIVE: Naomi Bulochnikov-Paul, EVP Communications, Disney Entertainment Television, is leaving after eight years at Disney. She just shared the news in a memo to her team, revealing that she is exiting “to pursue a new opportunity.” Details about Bulochnikov-Paul’s new job are expected to be…

The chairman of the FCC on Wednesday dismissed concerns about the White House use of taxpayer money to pay for a series of ads promoting President Donald Trump. Noting that the administration has defended the spots as public service announcements “that you see all the time,” Carr told reporters…

Former Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz has talked with Paramount CEO David Ellison about taking on a senior executive role, sources familiar with the discussions tell Deadline. Mattel announced Wednesday morning that Kreiz was stepping down after a succession process, with former Condé Nast CEO Roger…

EXCLUSIVE: Closer Media, the film production and financing company founded by Zhang Xin, has hired Dan Guando for the role of Executive Vice President. Guando joins from Fifth Season, where he was Executive Vice President, Head of Film Creative. His hiring comes as Closer unveils a multi-year…