HBO MAX AND DISCOVERY+ MERGER COULD BE NAMED ‘MAX:’ Following the merger of HBO Max and Discovery+, Warner Bros. Discovery is considering new names for the combined services. Variety reports that “Max” is at the top of the list, and that lawyers are vetting it as an option.
‘INDIANA JONES 5′ DIRECTOR SHUTS DOWN RUMORS ABOUT PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE ‘TAKING OVER’ FOR HARRISON FORD: Variety reports that, after the first trailer for Indiana Jones 5 debuted last week, the rumor mill intensified around Phoebe Waller-Bridge replacing Harrison Ford in the franchise. Director James Mangold took to Twitter over the weekend to clear things up. “One more time. No one is ‘taking over’ or replacing Indy or donning his hat nor is he being ‘erased’ thru some contrivance— and he never was, not not in any cut or script — but trolls will troll — that's how they get their clicks,” he wrote.
ICE CUBE SAYS WARNER BROS. ‘NEEDS TO GIVE’ HIM THE RIGHTS TO ‘FRIDAY’ MOVIES: On a recent episode of Mike Tyson‘s Hotboxin’ podcast, Ice Cube said he is fighting Warner Bros. for the rights to the Friday franchise. He co-wrote the original 1995 film with DJ Pooh and wrote the scripts solo for Next Friday and Friday After Next. A fourth movie is tentatively titled Last Friday. When Tyson asked him if he’d consider paying Warner Bros. for the rights, he said, “I ain’t putting shit up for it. F— no. They need to give it to me, and they gon’ make money. I’m not about to pay for my own stuff, that’s stupid … They need to do the right thing, get it to us, let us turn it into more money, and make the fans happy … We can do a lot with it.”
CHECK OUT THE FIRST-LOOK TEASER FOR ‘MICKEY 17:’ Deadline reports that Warner Bros. released the first teaser for Parasite director Bong Joon Ho‘s new film Mickey 17, starring Robert Pattinson. The movie, based on the novel Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton, is set to be released on March 29th, 2024.
NEAL BLEDSOE LEAVES GREAT AMERICAN FAMILY FOLLOWING CANDACE CAMERON BURE COMMENTS: Entertainment Tonight reports that Neal Bledsoe is exiting Great American Family due to the recent anti-LGBTQ+ comments made by CEO Bill Abbott and Chief Creative Officer Candace Cameron Bure. “I hope GAF will change, but until everyone can be represented in their films with pride, my choice is clear,” Bledsoe said in a statement. “From my mentors in college, to the myriad of agents and managers, writers and directors, teachers and colleagues, and, of course, my dear friends and family, who have all touched my life, I owe them a great debt.” He added, “I could never forgive myself for continuing my relationship with a network that actively chooses to exclude the LGBTQIA+ community.”