Shrek "I Feel Good" Animation Test Part 1-4 Compilation

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Shrek is a 2001 computer-animated film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, based on the book of the same name. However, production for the film dates back to around 1995, when Chris Farley was originally cast as Shrek. Around this time, Dreamworks made an animation test featuring an early version of Shrek. It is currently unknown how long the animation test was. 

Plot 

All that's known about the plot is that Shrek enters a gated city at night, singing "I Got You (I Feel Good)" by James Brown. He comes across a Mugger tied to a rope, who was singing along with Shrek. Shrek proceeds to play with him and then stretches the Mugger on his rope, and sends him soaring into the night sky.

Availability 

Very little information is known about the topic, and all that remains of the actual animation test are still images. In April of 2017, YouTuber "unclesporkums" uploaded a storyboard version of the animation test. He later re-uploaded it in September of 2017 because he found more storyboards of the animatic. Since voices were absent from the original upload, he decided to voice over the missing lines by himself. The upload can be watched down below and is roughly 2 minutes and 23 seconds long. Considering the storyboards' existence, it’s likely that the actual animation is either somewhere in the Dreamworks Archives or in the hands of a collector.

On July 30th, 2022, LMW user DingleManBoy (aka DoofusManBoy on YouTube) found a sped-up clip of the tape in HD quality on a demo reel of a previous animator for Dreamworks' pre-production stage of Shrek (1996-1998). It was uploaded to YouTube and slowed down/zoomed so that every frame was visible (31 frames total). It is partially covered by another film and has no audio. 

On August 14th, 2022, YouTube user TheSecretLifeOfAliens uploaded two snippets of the test, a snippet with just Shrek, and a snippet with both Shrek and the Mugger, without the original audio. The footage comes from demo reels by another Dreamworks animator. 

On August 17th, 2022, a video containing early models for Shrek and the Mugger was found on the Hester Studios website. It's unknown if they were used in the final test. Credits: Lost Media Wiki and Simtonpore Studio

'G4', The American Version Of Britain's Ginx Esports To Go Dark Effective Immediately

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Comcast Spectacor, the cable and entertainment giant’s sports and esports division, told G4 TV employees Sunday that the gaming network was shutting down effective immediately. The decision has resulted in 45 staff members of G4 TV losing their jobs.

In a memo, obtained by the press, Comcast Spectacor chairman and CEO Dave Scott cited low viewership and said the network had not achieved “sustainable financial results.”

“Over the past several months, we worked hard to generate that interest in G4, but viewership is low and the network has not achieved sustainable financial results,” Scott wrote. “This is certainly not what we hoped for, and, as a result, we have made the very difficult decision to discontinue G4’s operations, effective immediately.”

Comcast Spectacor in July 2020 said it would reboot G4 TV, which NBCUniversal shut down in 2013 (after the network first launched in 2002). Russell Arons, the former Warner Bros., Machinima, EA and Mattel exec who joined G4 as president in September 2021, left the company two months ago.

The content studio and network officially returned to linear television on Nov. 16, 2021, after more than a year of the group releasing content online to test show new concepts. At launch, G4 TV was available Comcast’s Xfinity TV, Verizon Fios, Cox Communications and internet streaming service Philo. The network’s programming slate brought back fan-favorite legacy G4 shows like “Attack of the Show!” and “Xplay.”

In addition to Arons, Comcast Spectacor had hired two G4 alums: Brian Terwilliger, most recently at WWE and former producer for G4’s “Attack of the Show!”, joined as VP of programming and creative strategy. Blair Herter, who once worked on both “X-Play” and “Attack of the Show!”, had come on board as Comcast Spectacor’s VP of content partnerships and brand development.

G4 had established its own broadcast studio in Burbank, Calif., outfitted for professional esports gameplay. The roster of talent for the short-lived network include returning G4 hosts Kevin Pereira and Adam Sessler; esports personalities Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez (host of NBC’s “The Titan Games”), Ovilee May and Froskurinn; WWE Superstar Xavier Woods (aka Austin Creed); YouTube personalities Kassem G, Jirard “The Completionist” Khalil and Gina Darling; Twitch streamers Fiona Nova and Will Neff; livestreamer CodeMiko; and a “degenerate rat-puppet” named Ratty.

G4’s shutdown was first reported by Deadline.
Read Scott’s Sunday email to G4 staffers:
October 16, 2022

Team:
As you know, G4 was re-introduced last year to tap into the popularity of gaming. We invested to create the new G4 as an online and TV destination for fans to be entertained, be inspired, and connect with gaming content.

Over the past several months, we worked hard to generate that interest in G4, but viewership is low and the network has not achieved sustainable financial results. This is certainly not what we hoped for, and, as a result, we have made the very difficult decision to discontinue G4’s operations, effective immediately.

I know this is disappointing news, and I’m disappointed, too. I want to thank you and everyone on the G4 team for the hard work and commitment to the network. Our human resources team is reaching out to you to provide you with support, discuss other opportunities that may be available, and answer any questions you may have.

Thank you again for all of your hard work for G4.
Sincerely,
Dave Scott
Chairman and CEO
Comcast Spectacor

 

Long Read: Lessons On Transition And Consistency From Turkey's George Clooney Aka Ozcan Deniz

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Ozcan Deniz is born in Elmadag, which is a small province in the capital of Turkey - Ankara, has first showed up in screens and tabloids in early 90s as a teenager. Ankara is located at the heart of Anatolia and during the time the Arabesque (which is also a classical music genre) was massive in the region and had an influence in an entire generation and the country alike. The efforts from The Legendary Orhan Gencebay, The Emperor Ibrahim Tatlises and The Godfather Muslum Gurses has helped the music genre rise incredibly. There were people literally cutting their skin into pieces with razors during concerts, crying, screaming and all that good stuff. Not very much into dancing, except some funky gipsy-influenced songs of Ibrahim Tatlises.

Arabesque was a rather depressive, problematic and troublesome expression of music that described a nation which suffered 3 coupes by that time, experiencing economic difficulties, still paying the dues of a delayed catch-up of the industrial revolution's innovation. In fact, one can state that the problematic nature of Turkey in infrastructure, industrial, education and economic domains is caused by this which is still problematic to date. I mean, it is 2019 and Turkey still does not have a proper tax regulation to support tech companies or SMEs or NGOs - despite some efforts - and Turkish Lira has lost value significantly during the course of last several years. One can also state that this will provide the momentum of late catch-up culture of Turkey with The Internet Revolution (or Smart Phone revolution which I like to name it more like that but whatever) will also has consequences in the next 20 to 40 years considering the country has no proper environmental policy on top of all that previous stuff but let's leave that to a different article.

Ozcan Deniz was a youngster when he first came up, and due to the depressive nature of Arabesque music, performers and artists of the genre mostly (erm.. more like always) positioned themselves coming from 'really difficult times as a kid' and 'experienced every kind of drama in life'. It's not like I am unsymphatetic to any of the so called difficulties those individuals experienced, but obviously there were scams, flops, hypocrites and all kinds of applications you can think of when someone tries to get on to the fad train to gain fame and money. Like the start-up environment on our age today, instead people are starting companies with fancy one pagers for ICOs etc. nowadays - rather xtech then a depressive music style like arabesque or a Rap or R&B song.

Ozcan Deniz at his early days

Ozcan Deniz in his earlier days was a boy with huge afroish hair, rather 'natural' on his 'looks' despite some shiny accessories (probably gifted by their producers as arabesque come from Arabic in nature and I guess everyone knows the influence of Gold and its colour in the culture - does that come from Egypt originally?) claiming yet another pain story from his past with a powerful voice singing songs of love, agony, loneliness, solidarity, homesickness and basically any topic one can relate to arabesque.

As soon as he made to the stage, his transition started. There was stiff competition and most of the performers were positioning themselves as - sorry - losers, poor people who experienced unbearable miseries during their life and still maintained their faith in their beloved ones and The God, waiting for an update while singing. Crying on the stage while having booze and kebabs off the stage. They were the Drama Kings. Everything was bad and everything was like 'Oh God, what did I do to you, I am such a naive person and I sin not, yet you punish me with these experiences. Oh God I believe you so much and praying in you will definitely make things better in the next 50 years and worst case scenario I'll die and join you in heaven and that's when things will definitely be better. In Islam some claim that 40 hot chicks will welcome you in Heaven - Aloha! - if you be a good boy. Like Smurfs, you get to see them if you be a good boy, but in a more adult way. Funny such application from The God is never mentioned for the ladies, but I guess the Islamic POV of woman is pretty obvious, so. Nothing to worry about that, right?

I love you so much you make me dizzy, my white butterfly - Album by a rather more evolved Ozcan Deniz in later years.

A later Ozcan Deniz, on the other hand, positioned himself as a powerful guy - modern, handsome, taking good care of himself. He basically let go of the fad and became a more up to date performer who repositioned somewhere between Pop and Arabesque (Pop was big at the time also which made peak in Late 90s and Early 00s in Turkey). That was the 'breakeven point' for Ozcan Deniz. He became an early influencer, yet I doubt he even himself knew it. That doesn't mean of course it was very witty and smart of him to spot such gap in the market. Just like the start-ups, in a sense, there is a condensed market and someone comes up doing something in a way not very thought of before and succeeded with strategy. One can easily spot the transformation he performed from his early times to later 90s, with a nice suit and piercing looks and more sexy title which translates "I am losing my head for you because I am so much in love with you, my white butterfly." - Eww for me but it was significantly different positioning when compared to another arabesque-something like 'I am not even a human being because you have no interest in me, baby'.

His new strategy and line captured interest of producers, when Ozcan Deniz started showing up in series and movies. He started showing up in series and TV movies in mid 90s but his rise to the scene definitely happened in Asmali Konak, in which Ozcan Deniz was a landlord in South-East part of Turkey (close to Syria border) which had very dense cultural implications - these individuals are called 'Aga' in Turkish and basically 'own' the people (villagers, employees, etc.) in the area they live in. So basically he was that rich, educated nice guy who still had ties to his heritage and past. He was experiencing difficulties and drama but he stood so solid and cool ultimately he solved all the problems and issues. He was the new Drama Lord with a Modern look and Positive attitude.

In later years, he played in more shows. Let's take a quick look at his characters:

- Asmali Konak - Seymen Karadag: Respected landlord of Asmali Konak.
- Kader - Ali Asyali: Wealthy businessman who runs construction business internationally.
- Haziran Gecesi - Baran Aydin: Wealthy businessman who gets education in Italy.
- Istanbullu Gelin - Faruk Boran: Wealthy businessman, CEO of a multinational company (so wealthy to buy an airlines company, I mean, that wealthy).

You can spot the pattern, I guess. After his transition, Ozcan Deniz consistently positioned himself helping his cause in TV, eventually giving up the music business and becoming a phenomenal TV character. His series are mostly in top 5 of the rating list, became one of the highest earning movie stars and a publicly acclaimed individual who is widely respected - nothing to do with Arabesque only folks now. He has a reach on multiple domains.

Looking good, eh?

Ozcan Deniz became a self-made George Clooney of Turkey and deserves credit for his consistency, strategic execution and how he managed his transition so glamourously. Most of the Arabesque performers of his generation, old ones, young ones, mid level ones no longer exist in the scene or reach a minor audience nowadays, while Ozcan Deniz shows up on TV in every couple of years with a new series where he makes tons of money.

In a nutshell, what he has done to achieve this is:

1. Enter the market with a widely accepted business plan in potential.
2. Spot a gap in the market.
3. Reposition and rebrand in accordance to the gap.
4. Set a north pole of his own.
5. Strategically execute each move consistently - small like a paparazzi stand up chit chat after leaving a restaurant or big like positioning his character in an entire TV production - based on the direction of his north pole - a cultural transition.

Ozcan Deniz and his achievements can give a great depth of insight - a refined lesson - on what you or your company is today, and what it can become over time. If the gap you are looking for has a strategic potential, go for it, plan for it and execute it relentlessly - regardless of what others say. I am pretty certain when Ozcan Deniz first started rebranding his more sophisticated outlook by giving up on his gold accessories, many people criticized and did not support him. These people are long gone, retired or bankrupted while Ozcan Deniz is adding up to his bank account with ads, shows, live concerts and productions.

On the other hand, this also means that if you have followed a fad and keep the same business strategy and culture, you will also become non-existent over time.

Ozcan Deniz on the other hand has been influencing generations of Turkey since 2002.

Ozcan Deniz's success shows us what it takes to rebrand and transition your culture, and what it can take from you not to rebrand and evolve your culture and application over time can result into - loss and misery - and a few days later you find yourself with a big bottle of Raki, listening to 'that' arabesque song.

How Scooby-Doo Created A Generation Of Drug Junkies? By NTMA Production

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Scooby-Doo are a gang of characters that was introduced to audiences in 1969 at a time drug culture was booming. When Hanna Barbera created the brand it was already well known for creating several family shows about animals like The Huckleberry Hound Show, Yogi Bear, The Ruff And Reddy Show and Cattanooga Cats.

They also produced several superhero shows like Space Ghost and Dino Boy, The Space Kidettes and Birdman and the Galaxy Trio. Even produced riveting shows like The Jetsons and The Flintstones.

Perhaps one of Hanna Barbera's most greatest animal shows is about a gang who travel with their dog to solve mysteries. But unlike most kids shows this one inspired a generation to use drugs some of them wind up passing away.

Scooby-Doo has been onboard in one form or another for nearly 53 years with 15 series, 45 films and 46 short films including LEGO. While each of these projects have their own variation being a different cast or celebrity cameo from John Cena to Batman and Robin.

One thing these shows have in common is their whimsical view of drug use and abuse. As well as subliminal messaging peer pressuring people into taking these drugs.

Here's why Scooby-Doo leads people to do drugs?

1. Listening to peer pressure

Scooby and Shaggy haven't been fond of following the rest of the gang into abandoned places to apprehend various dangerous criminals. Listening to harassment from your friend can't do you wrong.

2. Bribery

There are special snacks your friends feed you that let you throw your sensibility out the window and live in a world where fear, pain and death doesn't exist or at least in your mind.

3. Addiction Is Not A Problem

The problem isn't addiction but people are being groomed to that lifestyle by various figures and special snacks wouldn't have that much affect on people.

Here's why Scooby-Doo leads people to do drugs?: Part 2

Those who've watched Scooby-Doo would recognise of the members Shaggy who comes across as someone who would use and here's why:

1. Paranoia

Shaggy gets terrified whenever the gang is going to shape up people and is often scared to help alongside Scoob.

2. Munchies

One of the traits about Shaggy is his habit of eating big quantities like sandwiches and is often a side effect to Marijuana.

3. Anorexia

For each quantity he eats he usually remains skinny meaning he's likely taking ecstasy or adarool. Both of which can contribute to one's weight when abused.

4. Addictive personality

Shaggy would do anything for a Scooby snack even overcome his paranoia.

5. Overcome peer pressure

It's no surprise that he would resort to this he was probably friendless till a guy like Fred came into the picture.

Other stuff

1. No job

The gang have no jobs and it is believed that they aren't being paid to solve mysteries so they sell Scooby snacks to kids in order to repair the mystery machine on top of other necessities. It's common for gangs to use this as a form of income.

2. Scooby Snacks: An Addiction

Shaggy can't stop getting his hands on them even throwing caution into the wind.

3. Talking Dog

Scooby is not Krypto or Airbud as the gang consider him a miracle dog despite his fear of danger. He wouldn't be able to talk or get least understand the English language fluently if the gang were using drugs. The only way anyone would be convinced he can talk is through a psychedelic.

To name a dog after a possible drug remains as a mystery perhaps they had another dog they too believed could talk. But how these get people into drugs is simple peer pressure.

 

Roundups #103: Blake Shelton To Exit The Voice On NBC, Thomas And Friends Scores Two Seasons Renewal On Cartoonito, Glee Docuseries Is Currently Underway On Discovery+

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The Voice to lose yet another Judge

Season 23 of “The Voice” will welcome some new faces and say goodbye to the hit show’s longest-tenured coach.

Next season will be Blake Shelton’s last on the show, NBC revealed in a statement on Tuesday, and Chance the Rapper and former One Direction member Niall Horan are set to join as first-time coaches.

Kelly Clarkson will round out the coach lineup in the new season, set to debut next spring,

“I’ve been wrestling with this for a while and I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step away from ‘The Voice,’” Shelton said in a statement via the network. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me.”

Thomas the tank engine is coming

Mattel, Incorporated announced that it has renewed Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go, the highly successful animated series based on Thomas the Tank Engine, for two additional seasons. Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana Studios has begun co-production with Mattel Television on the two new seasons which are set to deliver in 2023. Building upon the emphatic reception to Season 26 and the introduction of the series’ first autistic character, Bruno the Brake Car, seasons 27 and 28 will continue to broaden the global viewership of the celebrated series and are comprised of 26 11-minute episodes; each series also includes its own 60-minute special.

Season 27 finds the Number One Engine and his Sodor squad more ready than ever, as surprises await them around every turn. From cleaning up the muddiest of messes to the grand opening of a bakery-café, Thomas, Percy, Kana, Nia, Diesel and Bruno are all aboard for more memories and hijinks. No matter how big the delivery or impossible the task, there is nothing that Thomas and his friends can’t accomplish together.

“The global impact of Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go is as strong as ever and has been reinforced through the franchise’s recent introduction of Bruno,” said Fred Soulie, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Mattel Television. “Alongside our global broadcast partners, we’re excited to maintain the Thomas & Friends legacy by continuing the beloved adventures of Thomas and the Sodor crew, all while allowing audiences to revel in the playful nature of the series and further connect with our characters.”

Glee documentary in the works

Discovery+ and ID are exploring the real story behind Fox’s hit series Glee.

The streamer has ordered a three-part docuseries from Ample Entertainment, the company behind HBO docuseries The Invisible Pilot and Facebook’s 9 Months with Courteney Cox.

The series will have access to key cast and crew members, who will share first-hand stories of their time on the comedy drama series that ran for over 100 episodes between 2009 and 2015.

It will lift the curtain to reveal the highs and lows of the production and the on-set community and will also feature testimonials of close family and friends with never-heard-before stories.

 

Recap: Paw Patrol Got A Dedicated Pop-Up Channel On DStv

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Earlier this month, a lot of DStv consumers were alarmed to see Paw Patrol take up the whole schedule of Nick Jr I mean a full 2 weeks but what isn't that what PBS Kids did with Arthur a month ago perhaps it's coincidence or this is another indicator to cable becoming obsolete.

A lot of consumers may not be aware but Paramount had often launched pop-up channels dedicated to one of their current shows I mean they had one for Horrid Henry and another for SpongeBob most of these went to Nicktoons in those regions but now it will be a thing in Africa.

As it is, Paramount has been doing a lot of cost cutting for their Nickelodeon channels I mean Nicktoons is on autopilot at this point and Nick Jr. doesn't have much independency as seen already Africa and other parts of the world got 2 weeks of Paw Patrol.

If it's any consolation, Paramount+ is coming to South Africa within the following year and with Asia closing off Nickelodeon and Canadian operators losing exclusivity with Nickelodeon I'm expecting both Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. to become a graveyard for Paramount+.

It's already started with Nickelodeon as they got a lot of Paramount+ originals such as Big Nate, The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder, Star Trek: Prodigy and Kamp Koral with Nick Jr. grasping at its straws almost to the point of braindead Nicktoons.

The Paw Patrol Channel is just prove that cable is no longer the centre of attention. I wouldn't mind watching a day's worth of The Loud House but 2 whole weeks is just pushing it.

 

DreamWorks USA Is Falling Apart: The History Of Universal Kids

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On October 20th, 2004, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) announced a partnership with Comcast, HiT Entertainment (now Mattel Creations) and Sesame Workshop to create a new subscription based channel for aimed at children under the age of 4 kind of like Baby TV.

On April 4th, 2005, Comcast announced that the new kids channel would be called PBS Kids Sprout and it launched 6 months later on September 26. At first it launched as an on demand service then it got a channel later.

Unlike PBS Kids, the channel aired adverts however they were minimal and featured products aimed at babies and toddlers. Among the shows to air on the channel were Barney And Friends, Kipper, Pingu, Angelina Ballerina, Boobah, Calliou, Teletubbies and more.

In addition to airing many programming blocks, Sprout did something unique on the channel where it would take several short episodes of a show and combine it into a half hour show of its own complete with interstitials between segments.

2011 to 2013 saw a complex of business decisions that would lead NBC to get full control of the channel.

To summarise, Comcast claimed a 51% share of NBCUniversal at the time leaving them to handle the channel. Apex Partners sold HiT Entertainment to NBCUniversal and claimed their stake in Sprout. Sesame Workshop and PBS solder their share of Sprout forcing PBS to retract PBS Kids from the name by November 2013.

While all of this began in July 2012, Sprout began to run NBC Kids and Mi Telemundo respectively. This was a block that aired Saturday mornings aimed at younger children.

On September 26, 2015, Sprout recieved a refresh.

On May 1st, 2017, since Sprout was owned entirely by NBCUniversal. They announced that the channel would rebrand into Universal Kids and begin airing shows aimed at preteens at primetime hours. They would continue producing original content some from DreamWorks Animation that NBCUniversal purchased in 2016.

Unfortunately this change seemed to negatively impact the channel's viewership. It dropped by 30% in 2017 and a cut of 73% percent in 2018.

In June 2019, to try and recover Universal Kids financially they stopped producing new original content and shifted their focus to acquired series. But still in 2019 they were the lowest viewed channel in the United States with only 31,000 viewers per day luckily the decline dropped to 3%.

So it seems Universal Kids has fallen from its prime in recent years. Why is this?

I believe it is because of the brand change not everyone was familiar with Universal Kids even though it was the same channel. The new changes turned people off the channel. I think they could have slowed the rebrand perhaps add the changes to the lineup and take use of an intermediary name like Universal Sprout.

It seems like Universal Kids is in trouble and I mean soon to be terminated kind of trouble, can they dig themselves out of this?

At the moment, Universal Kids hasn't updated their programming and offers less and less content which often signals the downfall of a brand but with it being ranked the 132nd most watched channel in the United States one would hope but with cable becoming endangered I doubt.

 

Warner Bros. TV Layoffs: Studio Cuts 26% Of Workforce; Unscripted & Animation Divisions Merge; Workshop & Stage 13 Shuttered

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Warner Bros Television is cutting more than a quarter of its workforce as part of its parent company’s drive to cut costs.

The studio is cutting 26% of personnel, a total of 125 positions, across scripted, unscripted and animation.

It was mentioned on Monday that cuts would likely come today and we revealed earlier that Warner Bros. TV was shutting down digital production arm Stage 13 and its Warner Bros Television Workshop – a key plank in finding and mentoring new and diverse talent.

These cuts come with a number of structural changes put in place by chairman Channing Dungey, particularly in unscripted and animation. She called the move “incredibly difficult” as she pointed to a “tumultuous time” in the industry (read her full memo to staff below).

The television studio is the latest arm of Warner Bros Discovery forced to make cuts in order to save at least $3 billion after the merger overseen by David Zaslav. It comes after HBO and HBO Max laid off 14% of staff, around 70 people, in August.

The total number of employees losing their jobs is 82, some 19% of the current workforce, while Dungey and her team are also not filling 43 vacant positions. This means that there are a total of 125 positions eliminated.

UNSCRIPTED
On the unscripted side, which continues to be run by Mike Darnell, President of Warner Bros. Unscripted and Alternative Television, there are some strategic changes across its three divisions: Warner Horizon Unscripted Television, Telepictures and Shed Media.

The company is combining the creative development and programming roles across Warner Horizon Unscripted Television, which is behind series such as The Voice and The Bachelor, and Telepictures, which produces The Jennifer Hudson Show and previously made The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Bridgette Theriault and Dan Sacks will run Warner Horizon, following the departure of Warner Horizon’s Brooke Karzen after 20 years. David McGuire will run Telepictures.

The move comes after the bringing together of many of the divisions’ back-end functions as part of a restructure in 2020 that saw Kevin Fortson, in physical production, and Matt Matzkin, in business affairs, legal and finance, work across all three divisions. Both Fortson and Matzkin remain.

Shed Media, which is behind series such as Bravo’s Below Deck Adventure and a number of The Real Housewives shows, will remain a stand-alone unit led by Lisa Shannon and Dan Peirson.

The studio is not merging Warner Horizon Unscripted Television and Telepictures fully, ostensibly because of the differences in the ways that the shows are produced. Warner Horizon makes union shows and Telepictures is non-union.

There will be no changes on the international side, where Warner Bros operates more than 20 production companies across the world, or at All3Media, which comes to the company via the Discovery ownership stake.

SCRIPTED
On the scripted side of the business, Brett Paul will remain as President of Warner Bros Television, which is not making any structural changes to the way that business is run, having previously brought together Warner Bros Television and cable/streaming unit Warner Horizon Scripted Television in 2020.

Clancy Collins White will continue to run development and Vicki Dummer will oversee current programming, both continuing to report to Dungey. Adrienne Turner will continue to run comedy development and oversee the comedy team. Adam Glick continues to serve as head of business affairs, Sue Palladino as head of production, and Mele Nagler as head of casting.

Cuts will be made at lower levels of this division.

However, the bigger moves in scripted was the closure of digital studio Stage 13 and the end of its workshops, which we revealed earlier Tuesday.

The scripted moves are a continuation of the TV group’s changing business, particularly an increasing focus on streaming and cable programming, which is thought to include around 65% of its current programming, amid the decline of broadcast TV.

This has been further extenuated by the ownership change at the CW, where Warner Bros TV and CBS Studios were the sole feeders of its scripted originals pipeline.

ANIMATION
In animation, Warner Bros Television is bringing together some of the creative and programming teams within two of its three animation studios: Warner Bros Animation and Cartoon Network Studios.

While current programming, casting, legal and business affairs had worked across all three (the group includes Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe), it will now bring together development and production teams at Warner Animation and Cartoon Network Studios.

The three labels will continue and will continue to be run by Sam Register.

The kids and family series development team will be led by Audrey Diehl, adult animation development will be led by Peter Girardi, and animated longform series development will be led by Sammy Perlmutter, with Bobbie Page leading main production. Ed Adams will continue as EVP and GM.

Shows that come out of these divisions include Invincible Fight Girl, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal and Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake.

The company said that multiple projects remain in active production and development and despite the restructuring, production output is “relatively unchanged.”

Here is Dungey’s note to staff today:

Team,

Today I write to you with sad news and a heavy heart. As many of you have already learned, some of our treasured colleagues will be leaving the company because of restructuring and realignment within our group. This was strictly a business decision, made as thoughtfully and compassionately as possible by studio leadership. But understanding that doesn’t make this moment any easier. These colleagues are more than just people with whom we’ve worked, they are part of our work family. We spend more time together than we do with most other people in our lives. Because of that, this loss is painful and difficult. For those impacted by the changes, I want you to know how grateful I am for your contributions – in some cases, spanning decades – and how deeply sorry I am.

There are a few changes happening within WBTVG that I would like to make specific note of here:

As part of the strategic realignment on the unscripted side, run by Mike Darnell, President, Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, we are making some changes aimed at finding synergies within the group, which includes Warner Horizon Unscripted Television, Telepictures, and Shed Media.

As you may have read yesterday, Brooke Karzen, head of Warner Horizon Unscripted Television, informed us in the last few weeks that she would like to try something new with her career after a highly successful 22-year run at the company. Brooke has been synonymous with The Bachelor brand for more than 20 years, overseeing the original show and developing The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, and many other extensions that have propelled The Bachelor into a global hit franchise. Her other successes include Emmy winner The Voice, Ellen’s Game of Games, and the Friends and Harry Potter reunion specials, to name just a few. Please join me in saluting Brooke for her tremendous accomplishments and wishing her the best in the future.

As a result of Brooke’s departure, Bridgette Theriault and Dan Sacks will now be leading Warner Horizon. We are combining some creative development and programming roles to work across both Warner Horizon and Telepictures, with David McGuire continuing to lead Telepictures. Lisa Shannon and Dan Peirson will continue to run Shed Media.

Working across all three unscripted divisions, Kevin Fortson continues to lead all aspects of physical production (including budgeting, scheduling, staffing, and more), and Matt Matzkinmaintains oversight of all business affairs, legal, and finance for unscripted series.

In Animation, run by Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, we are implementing a new streamlined structure in which the development and main production teams will now work across both Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios. The kids and family series development team will be led by Audrey Diehl, adult animation development will be led by Peter Girardi, and animated longform series development will be led by Sammy Perlmutter, with Bobbie Page leading main production. This is an extension of the cross-studio teams that have already been in place for current programming, casting, legal and business affairs, and artist relations. Ed Adams will continue as Executive Vice President and General Manager.

On the scripted side, run by Brett Paul, President, Warner Bros. Television, our senior creative leadership team remains in place. Clancy Collins White continues to head up development, with Vicki Dummer as head of current programming. Adam Glick continues to serve as head of business affairs, Sue Palladino as head of production, and Mele Nagler as head of casting.

We will be closing Stage 13, which was founded in 2017 under the former Warner Bros. Digital Networks division as a studio for original digital shortform programming and has produced past series such as Special and It’s Bruno! for Netflix, Two Sentence Horror Stories for The CW/Netflix, and more. WBTV has already been supervising Stage 13 development and programming since 2020. Any existing Stage 13 projects in development will be absorbed within WBTV, which continues to be committed to finding new voices and providing opportunities for its richly diverse creative collaborators to tell authentic stories. I want to thank Diana Mogollón for her passionate leadership of Stage 13 and for the groundbreaking series that she and her team produced.

Also, following the conclusion of the current 2022–23 edition of the Warner Bros. Writers’ Workshop in April, we will be closing the Warner Bros. Television Workshop program, which includes both the Writers’ Workshop and the Directors’ Workshop. Both workshops have been instrumental in training the next generation of creative talent in the industry. While we will no longer have these formalized programs in place, we remain committed to developing and mentoring emerging talent and preparing them for careers in television.

As of this writing, all the impact conversations for WBTVG are complete. Out of respect to our colleagues, we will not be distributing a list of those impacted. Your direct managers will provide you with information about roles changing within specific groups. Your P&C partner will be available as well to address any questions or concerns. During this period of transition, please support each other, and be gentle with one another.

These are challenging times in the world at large, and a tumultuous time in our industry. For this kind of change to hit so close to home is incredibly difficult. But my hope is that these changes, made with an eye to a more focused business strategy, will strengthen and stabilize our company, maintain our great creative output, and better position us for continued future success.

Yet today we are losing members of our work family that we love, whose hard work has helped make our success possible, and for that I am truly sorry. I want everyone who is leaving to know that your contributions mattered, and the shows that you helped bring to life will always be part of the Warner Bros. Television Group legacy. Thank you for being part of our story.

With the deepest gratitude,

Channing

 

Roundups #102: Trevor Noah To Exit The Daily Show, Hugh Jackman To Return As Wolverine In Deadpool And Keanu Reeves No Longer Part Of Upcoming Series Devil In The White City

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Trevor Noah is exiting The Daily Show

It’s the end of the road for Trevor Noah’s tenure at Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. The comedian announced during the September 29 episode that, after seven years as host spanning back to 2015 when he took over for Jon Stewart, he’s decided to move on.

After noting that he recently reflected on fans’ support for the show on an international level, Noah told the studio audience that he found himself “filled with gratitude for the journey. It’s been absolutely amazing. It’s something that I never expected.” He went on: “And I found myself thinking throughout the time, you know, everything we’ve gone through: the Trump presidency, the pandemic, just the journey of, you know … the more pandemic. And I realized that, after seven years, my time is up. But in the most beautiful way. Honestly, I’ve loved hosting the show. It’s been one of my greatest challenges. It’s been one of my greatest joys. I have loved trying to figure out how to make people laugh, even when the stories are particularly shitty on the worst days. We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together. But after seven years, I feel like it’s time.”

A Comedy Central spokesperson released a statement on Noah’s departure after his announcement was posted to Twitter: “We are grateful to Trevor for our amazing partnership over the past seven years. With no timetable for his departure, we’re working together on next steps. As we look ahead, we’re excited for the next chapter in the 25+ year history of The Daily Show as it continues to redefine culture through sharp and hilarious social commentary, helping audiences make sense of the world around them.”

Hugh Jackman returns to the MCU

The Wolverine is back as Hugh Jackman gets back in the gym to once again sport the muscular frame of the beloved X-Men character. It has now been confirmed that Jackman will reprise the role of Wolverine in the upcoming Deadpool 3, an announcement that came as a huge surprise to Marvel fans.

Hugh Jackman first played the role of Wolverine over two decades ago in the first X-Men outing. While the actor was praised for his portrayal, Jackman has since revealed that he only had a few weeks to prepare. Hence, why his physique is far less impressive than it would eventually become. Jackman has now played the role multiple times, each time putting in the hard work to bring the Marvel superhero to life in live action, with the actor often topping the list of the greatest physical transformations.

While the plot of Deadpool 3 is currently unconfirmed, it is looking more and more likely that the threequel will follow Wolverine and Deadpool embarking on a road trip. Something that Ryan Reynolds seemingly revealed last year.

Keanu Reeves no longer making his first major American television role debut

Keanu Reeves will no longer star in the Hulu series adaptation of “The Devil in the White City,” Variety has learned exclusively from sources.

The show was first put into development at Hulu in 2019 and was officially ordered to series at the streamer in August 2022. It is based on the book of the same name by by Erik Larson.

Per the official logline, the show “tells the true story of Daniel H. Burnham, a demanding but visionary architect who races to make his mark on history with the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and Dr. H. H. Holmes, America’s first modern serial killer and the man behind the notorious ‘Murder Castle’ built in the Fair’s shadow.”