TV, Film & Media Industry International News Roundup, Weekend 11-12 January 2025
Wildfires devastate LA; Half Man stars Gadd, Bell; Netflix adapts Twisted Love; Bluey gets LEGO sets; Priya Aiyar joins WBD; Pamela Anderson revives career in The Last Showgirl.
Today’s Highlights:
LA Wildfires Cause Devastation, Cancel Hollywood Events - Wildfires in Los Angeles County have led to 10 deaths, destroyed celebrity homes, and forced 180,000 evacuations, disrupting events like the Critics Choice Awards and TV productions.
Richard Gadd Balances Acting and Writing in New HBO/BBC Series Half Man—Richard Gadd and Jamie Bell star in Half Man, an ambitious drama exploring masculinity and relationships that will be filmed next month and aired in 2026.
Top Media Trends Shaping TV and Film in 2025 and Beyond—The industry is shifting toward AI innovation, ad-funded streaming, and niche content, with a renewed focus on accessible genres like sitcoms and procedurals.
Peter Berg’s American Primeval: A Gritty Western Epic for Netflix combines historical drama and raw violence. It features Peter Berg’s take on 1850s Utah and the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
Pamela Anderson Finds Career Revival in The Last Showgirl—Pamela Anderson stars in The Last Showgirl, an empowering drama set in Vegas that tackles societal ageism and showcases her acting resurgence.
Priya Aiyar Joins Warner Bros. Discovery as Chief Legal Officer - Former American Airlines Chief Legal Officer Priya Aiyar takes over as Warner Bros. Discovery’s global legal and compliance head in February.
Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 Set for Berlin Film Festival Screening - Bong Joon Ho’s $118M sci-fi Mickey 17, starring Robert Pattinson, will debut at the Berlin Film Festival ahead of its March global release.
Netflix Acquires Rights to Ana Huang's Twisted Love Series—Netflix is adapting Ana Huang’s Twisted Love series, leveraging its popularity on TikTok and bestselling status for a new romantic drama TV series.
BBC Studios and LEGO Group Announce Bluey Collaboration—Six new Bluey-themed LEGO sets will be released in 2025. They will celebrate imaginative play and recreate scenes from the beloved animated series.
Gus Van Sant Backs Psychosexual Thriller Antinous - Gus Van Sant supports Antinous, a modern thriller about a young actor's belief he is the reincarnation of Emperor Hadrian’s lover, set to film mid-year.
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NEWS
LA Wildfires Cause Devastation, Cancel Hollywood Events
Raging wildfires in Los Angeles County, driven by hurricane-force winds, have claimed at least 10 lives, destroyed celebrity homes, and forced 180,000 evacuations. The fires reached Studio City, the Hollywood Hills, and Sunset Boulevard, threatening landmarks like the Hollywood sign. Homes of stars like Reese Witherspoon and Tom Hanks were lost. Events, including the Critics Choice Awards and BAFTA Tea Party, were cancelled, with multiple TV productions paused amid the destruction. Read More
INSIGHTS
Richard Gadd Balances Acting and Writing in New HBO/BBC Series Half Man
As Half Man pre-production ramps up, Richard Gadd juggles the pressures of writing and acting in the ambitious drama exploring two estranged brothers across four decades. Co-starring Jamie Bell, the series delves into masculinity, relationships, and the shifting energy of a changing city. Produced by Mam Tor for BBC, HBO, and Banijay Rights, Half Man begins filming next month and is set to air in 2026. Read More
Top Media Trends Shaping TV and Film in 2025 and Beyond
2025 promises pivotal shifts across TV and film, from creator-driven platforms like YouTube to AI innovation and ad-funded streaming growth. Key themes include evolving creator economies, YouTube freelancers pivoting to niche content, and regulatory impacts like AI copyright and media compliance. With mergers reshaping traditional TV networks and brands funding original content, opportunities lie in global niche markets and curation. Expect a renewed focus on sitcoms, procedurals, and accessible genres. Read More
Peter Berg’s American Primeval: A Gritty Western Epic for Netflix
Peter Berg’s American Primeval, set in 1850s Utah, explores clashes between Mormons, settlers, and indigenous tribes. Inspired by Jeremiah Johnson, the Netflix series combines epic landscapes with visceral action. A standout sequence depicting the Mountain Meadows Massacre uses eight seamlessly stitched shots filmed at sunset over three days. Berg and writer Mark L. Smith created the ambitious project, blending historical drama with raw, unrelenting violence to deliver a gripping Western saga. Read More
Eight Talking Points for the UK Film Industry in 2025
The UK film industry in 2025 sees soaring inward investment, with major US productions, the indie tax credit boosting local projects, and AI integration gaining traction amid regulatory calls. Cinemas face closures while Vue's distribution arm supports indie films. Festivals like BFI London and Edinburgh adapt under new leadership as a government inquiry into film and TV delivers findings. Meanwhile, James Bond’s return remains uncertain, sparking speculation. Read More
Robert Eggers Reflects on 'Nosferatu' and the Evolution of Vampires in Cinema
Robert Eggers' Nosferatu reimagines the vampire myth, blending influences from FW Murnau's 1922 classic and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Starring Bill Skarsgard as Count Orlok and Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen, the film explores folkloric vampires as walking corpses. Inspired by German romantic art and Freddie Francis' cinematography, Eggers embraced traditional filmmaking techniques, avoiding Steadicam for dolly and crane shots. The project marks a personal milestone, fulfilling Eggers' lifelong fascination with vampires. Read More
Pamela Anderson Finds Career Revival in The Last Showgirl
Pamela Anderson stars in The Last Showgirl, playing Shelly, a 50-something Vegas dancer fighting societal ageism. Initially overlooked, Anderson embraced the role after director Gia Coppola secured the script through her son. First-time screenwriter Kate Gersten drew from her dance background and Vegas experiences to craft this empowering story. Filmed in 18 days, the movie showcases Anderson’s acting resurgence, paralleling its theme of defying expectations and reclaiming agency. Read More
R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps: The Vanishing Brings Spooky Tales to Brooklyn
Season 2 of Goosebumps: The Vanishing on Disney+ reimagines R.L. Stine’s classic stories in Brooklyn’s Gravesend neighbourhood. Inspired by Stay Out of the Basement and other Goosebumps books, the series follows twins Devin (Sam McCarthy) and Cece (Jayden Bartels) as they uncover their father, Dr. Brewer’s (David Schwimmer) sinister experiments. Stine praises the show’s fresh urban setting while keeping its hallmark—kids solving eerie mysteries as "useless" parents stand by. Read More
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson Lead True to Texas to Boost State’s Film Industry
Texas-born stars Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Renée Zellweger, and Billy Bob Thornton headline True to Texas, a campaign spotlighting the state as a prime production hub. Directed by True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto, the promotional video uses Stray Vista Studios’ cutting-edge virtual production technology to showcase Texas’s cinematic appeal while advocating for new film incentives. The project is filmed across Austin and Fort Worth and highlights Texas’s talent and innovative resources. Read More
"The Pitt" Aims for a Fresh Take on Medical Drama, Not an "ER" Revival
Max's The Pitt stars Noah Wyle as Dr. Robby Rabinavitch, leading an ER team through a chaotic single shift. Creators R. Scott Gemmill and John Wells, both veterans of ER, insist the new series breaks away from its predecessor. The 15-episode season unfolds in real-time, focusing on the gritty realities of emergency care, scarce resources, and bureaucratic hurdles, delivering a unique, authentic lens on modern medicine. Read More
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How Timothée Chalamet Became Bob Dylan with Director James Mangold | 'A Complete Unknown'
'Nickel Boys' filmmakers on using an innovative first-person perspective
Director and co-writer RaMell Ross and cinematographer Jomo Fray explained their unique approach to the film, which was shot from a first-person point of view. Nickel Boys is based on Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about two African-American boys, Elwood and Turner (played by Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson), sent to an abusive reform school in 1960s Florida. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Hamish Linklater co-star.
Payal Kapadia on All We Imagine as Light | BFI Q&A
Writer-director Payal Kapadia and producer Thomas Hakim visited BFI Southbank to discuss All We Imagine as Light, Kapadia’s second Cannes Grand Prix-winning feature. The film explores the intertwining lives of three women in Mumbai: a nurse with an absent husband, her colleague in a forbidden relationship, and a widow resisting developers. With lush cinematography and a romantic jazz score, Kapadia delivers a soulful, poetic portrait of yearning and sisterhood.
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