Warner Bros. Discovery Deal Closes

►Behemoth. Discovery and AT&T’s WarnerMedia officially closed their merger on Friday, creating a new media and entertainment giant titled Warner Bros. Discovery. The completion comes about 11 months after the $43 billion mega-deal was unveiled, faster than most observers had anticipated at the time. The new scripted and unscripted powerhouse, which brings together the HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming platforms, has estimated combined revenue of $49.8 billion this year. 

THR's Georg Szalai and Alex Weprin look at what the deal means for the industry and the challenges that face newly minted Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. The story. 

—"The road wasn’t easy or clear." AT&T CEO John Stankey sent a farewell memo to WarnerMedia employees Friday, commending them for their work, and wishing them well under the new leadership of incoming boss David Zaslav. Stankey also thanked departing WarnerMedia’s CEO Jason Kilar and noted some of the company’s achievements during AT&T’s relatively brief ownership. The story.

Will Smith Gets 10 Year Oscars Ceremony Ban

►"I accept and respect the Academy’s decision." Twelve days after Will Smith slapped and screamed profanities at Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards ceremony, the Academy has ruled that Smith will be banned from returning to the Oscars or attending any other Academy events for the next 10 years. Smith will retain the Oscar that he won and remains eligible for future Oscar nominations and wins. The story. 

—Dominion of Canada dominating. The Weeknd nabbed the most nominations for the 2022 Billboard Music Awards with 17 in total. The artist otherwise known as Abel Tesfaye leads the field with Doja Cat in second with 14 noms; Justin Bieber, Kanye “Ye” West and Olivia Rodrigo with 13 apiece; Drake with 11; Dua Lipa and Ed Sheeran with nine apiece; The Kid LAROI with eight; and BTS, Giveon and Taylor Swift with seven each. The story. 

—Request to dismiss. Kevin Spacey asked a judge Friday to throw out actor Anthony Rapp’s sex abuse lawsuit, saying through his lawyers that allegations that he abused the then-teenage Rapp at a 1980s party are false. The story. 

—Tough year, ahem. Netflix co-CEOs Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos saw their compensation packages decline in 2021, as the streaming giant saw its subscriber growth slow. Hastings still took home $40.8 million, with Sarandos earning $38.2 million. Hastings took a $650,000 annual salary and $39.7 million in stock awards, with Sarandos taking a $20 million salary and $17.1 million in stock awards. The story. 

—Loaded cast. THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Cary Elwes and Corey Stoll signing up for Zack Snyder’s sci-fi fantasy, Rebel Moon. Dutch actor Michiel Huisman and Mexican thespian Alfonso Herrera are also on board the Netflix mega-project that begins production later this month. Sofia Boutella is leading the ensemble cast for the film that also has Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Rupert Friend and Stuart Martin on the call sheet. The story.

—Into the Star Wars-verse. Borys scored another big scoop, this time with the news that Peter Ramsey has been tapped to direct at least one episode of Ahsoka, the latest Star Wars series that Lucasfilm is making for Disney+. Ramsey was the Black filmmaker to win the animated feature Oscar as co-director of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The story.

'Sonic 2' Eyes Huge $67M-$69M Opening, 'Ambulance' DOA

►Like the old days. Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is headed for a $67 million-$69 million domestic opening, a major boost for the box office revival, particularly the family market. The PG-rated sequel took in a rousing $26.5 million from 4,234 theaters on Friday, including $7 million in Thursday previews. 

THR's Pamela McClintock writes that Sonic 2 is one of the few films of the pandemic era to open ahead of its predecessor. No such luck for Michael Bay's Ambulance, the action pic grossed roughly $3.2 million on Friday from 3,412 theaters for a projected domestic debut of $8.3 million-$8.6 million. The box office report. 

—Back in play. Plaza Suite, the Broadway play starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, will return to performances on April 12 after both stars tested positive for COVID-19. Guests with tickets to the canceled shows will be given exclusive priority access to those performances. The story. 

—The heat is on. Beverly Hills Cop 4, a sequel long in the works, has found its director. Mark Molloy will helm the new chapter of the popular franchise with Eddie Murphy expected to reprise his iconic role. The new project is the result of a one-time licensing deal between Netflix and Paramount. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were on board to direct but Molloy will replace them after the duo moved to direct Warner Bros.’ Batgirl. The story.

—Staying put. Norah O’Donnell has agreed to a new deal with CBS to keep her as anchor of CBS Evening News, running through the 2024 presidential election. O’Donnell replaced Jeff Glor as the face of the network’s flagship news program in July 2019. The story.  

'Dancing With the Stars' Moves to Disney+  

►Shocker! Dancing With the Stars, a longtime anchor of ABC’s schedule, is moving to streaming. The series, which debuted on ABC in 2005, will jump to Disney+ in the fall. The move comes in conjunction with a two-season renewal that will take DWTS through a 32nd cycle. The switch was prompted in part by ABC’s plans to simulcast several games on ESPN’s Monday Night Football slate in the fall. DWTS will also become the first live series on Disney+. The story.  

—Love finds a way, part one. With Love, Gloria Calderon Kellett’s first show for Amazon has been renewed for a second season at the streamer. The season two order is for six episodes, up one from the freshman run. The show will again follow the Diaz siblings over the course of a year and multiple holidays. The story. 

—Love finds a way, part two. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are engaged... again. Lopez announced her engagement to Affleck on Friday in her newsletter. The two stars enjoyed a highly publicized relationship in the early 2000s and got engaged in November 2002 before calling it off less than two years later. The story.

—"There are still systemic flaws in the way that creators are neither respected nor rewarded." Comic book writer Joe Casey, co-creator of the Marvel character America Chavez who will debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, says he was offered a "pittance" by the studio and declined "insult of an offer” ahead of Chavez's big screen debut. The story. 

13 Hollywood YA and Children's Book Authors on Importance of Libraries  

►"They just draw you in and you go into another era, another space." Idina Menzel, John Lithgow, R.L. Stine, Becky Albertalli and more celebrity authors and writers spoke to THR's Lexy Perez and Abbey White about the role libraries have played in their lives and why children should always have access to the books that line their shelves. The story. 

—"Vance and Ellis valiantly fight corruption and Peak TV clichés." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews AMC's 61st Street. Executive producer Michael B. Jordan and creator Peter Moffat explore the Chicago criminal justice system in an eight-episode drama featuring Courtney B. Vance and Aunjanue Ellis. The review. 

—Harnessing the power of Egypt’s top creatives. THR's Alex Ritman spoke to Moon Knight director and executive producer Mohamed Diab on the considered moves to make the Disney+ authentic and avoid "avoid the Orientalist look." Diab also talks about his mission to hire top Egyptian composer Hesham Nazih, editor Ahmed Hafez and ensure that 90 percent of the Egyptian roles went to fellow countrymen. The interview. 

—"It was utter Bayhem all around, but it was a different kind of Bayhem." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Ambulance star Eiza Gonzalez on renting a broken ambulance to prepare for the role. The actor also reflects on the surprising sensitivity with which Michael Bay treated her character and looks ahead to teaming with the Game of Thrones showrunners for their next series Three-Body Problem. The interview. 

—Bovine blather. THR's Katie Kilkenny spoke to Andrea Arnold on directing her first documentary, the critically acclaimed Cow, which was released in theaters and on-demand on Friday. The Brit filmmaker discussed how she found the star of her latest film, an intimate look at the life of an English dairy cow. The interview. 

In other news...

—Malcolm Barrett, Michaela Conlin to lead CBS’ Hug Machine comedy

—Outer Banks cast opens up about love triangles, personal growth and S3’s “new shades”

—Edgar Wright, Scott Stuber among 5 additions to BFI board of governors

—FuboTV exec chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr.’s pay dips to $19.3m in 2021

—Directors Guild of Canada B.C. overwhelmingly approves strike authorization

—Jon Steinlauf to lead ad sales for Warner Bros. Discovery

What else we're reading...

— Angelica Jade Bastién on how Kathleen Turner made the modern femme fatale [Vulture]

—Welcomed by the diaspora, the Indians in Bridgerton have had a mixed reaction in India [BBC]

—Eric Lutz on the GOP's latest culture war that's targeting trans kids [VF]

—Profile on Sonic 2 breakout Idris Elba, who talks about his passion for gaming, but sadly is tight-lipped on 007 speculation [NYT]

—With the quite horrific footage and stories coming out of locked down Shanghai, China's finally seem a bit concerned [WSJ]

Today...  

...in 1949, the Kirk Douglas film noir boxing drama Champion premiered in New York at the Globe Theatre. Directed by Mark Robson, and based on a short story by Ring Lardner, the movie went on to earn six nominations at the 22nd Academy Awards ceremony, winning in the film editing category. The original review. 

Today's birthdays: Lil Nas X (23), Kristen Stewart (32), Elle Fanning (24), Leighton Meester (36), Jay Baruchel (40), Dennis Quaid (68), Cynthia Nixon (56), Kathryn Hunter (65), David Gordon Green (47), Jay Chandrasekhar (54), Keshia Knight Pulliam (43), Arsher Ali (38), Austin Peck (51), Fred Dekker (63), Gabriel-Kane Day Lewis (27), Isabel Coixet (62), Jaya Bachchan (74)