The box office titan boards the ‘Batman’ and ‘Exorcist’ franchises. PLUS: Netflix wins the Warner Bros. bidding war, trailers for ‘How to Make a Killing’ and ‘Ready or Not 2,’ and what’s going on with Spider League?
And if the Pepperidge Farm Holiday Exclusive cookie collection isn’t enough for you, festive Goldfish grahams honor Peanuts’ 75th anniversary.
Melissa McCarthy takes a break from her side hustle (thirty bucks an hour!) to promote her return to ‘SNL.’
The box office titan boards the ‘Batman’ and ‘Exorcist’ franchises. PLUS: Netflix wins the Warner Bros. bidding war, trailers for ‘How to Make a Killing’ and ‘Ready or Not 2,’ and what’s going on with Spider League?
Hey there, Popculturology fans. Thanksgiving week is in the past, and the Friday newsletter is back with a ton of news — including the winner of the bidding war for Warner Bros. ...
Anyone pick up anything cool from the Black Friday sales last weekend? (We got a fancy device to clean our retainers/mouth guards ... because I’m 40 now.) I just missed out on the bidding to win the solution to the “Kryptos” statue at the CIA headquarters, but you all still have a chance to take advantage of The Omnicosm’s Black Friday (Cyber week? I dunno.) sale that takes 30 percent of the cost of an annual supporting subscription.
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It’s not often news breaks after I’ve sent the weekly newsletter to bed on Thursday that requires me to crack it back open, but shortly after 11 p.m. last night, I saw the news that Netflix appeared to be winner of the bidding war for Warner Bros., beating out Paramount and Comcast.
There are still a lot details to be hammered out and regulatory hoops to jump through, but this deal will be a seismic shift in the media landscape.
The acquisition marks a dramatic strategic shift for Netflix, which has never done a deal of this scope. The streaming pioneer grew to become Hollywood’s most valuable company, without the benefit of a content library or studio, by licensing programs from others and then expanding into original content. Representatives for Warner and Netflix didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
With the purchase, Netflix becomes owner of the HBO network, along with its library of hit shows like The Sopranos and The White Lotus. Warner Bros. assets also include its sprawling studios in Burbank, California, along with a vast film and TV archive that includes Harry Potter and Friends.
According to Bloomberg, WBD will proceed with its “planned spinoff of cable channels including CNN, TBS and TNT” before closing out the deal with Netflix.
It felt like momentum had shifted in Netflix’s direction over the past few days, but it was hard to come around to the idea that anyone besides David Ellison’s Paramount — backed by his father’s historic wealth and the blessing of the current administration — would be the last company standing in the bidding war for Warner Bros. (Bloomberg)
Will Netflix keep WB as a separate studio and freestanding theatrical operation? I hope so. The acquisition makes more sense that way. But I don't know. The point is, it's a chance worth taking if the alternative is the end of the studio.
— Mark Harris (@markharris.bsky.social) 2025-12-05T05:01:58.969Z
After Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin recently visited Late Night to chat with Seth Meyers about Spider League and accuse former SNL cast member Brooks Wheelan of a multitude of league infractions, the comedian appeared on Late Night two weeks ago to defend his honor.
And it didn’t go well.
If Wheelan wasn’t already facing further consequences for calling spiders “bugs,” Wingstop — the actual restaurant chain — weighing in with a “FREE BROOKS” in a social media comment probably won’t go well with Spider League officials.
“Sources inside the Spider League offices say [Wheelan] may be facing another suspension for receiving unsanctioned support from a corporate account,” Meyers wrote in an Instagram story.
Robinson reposted Meyers’ story, with the added note: “Should an investigation reveal he received free or even discounted wings, a lifetime ban is not out of the question.”
Here’s what I’ve been reading this week …
We’ve reached the point where news that Scarlett Johansson has joined a franchise, sequel or reboot doesn’t feel like news anymore.
She was a foundational member of the MCU (and I fully believe we’ll see her return at some point in Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars). She was one of the leads in Jurassic World Rebirth. She voiced a main character in Transformers One. Disney reportedly wants her to play Mother Gothel in the upcoming live-action remake of Tangled.
It makes sense that everyone wants to work with Johansson. Her movies have made more than $10 billion worldwide.
Over the past few weeks, Johansson is on the verge of adding two more franchises to that lengthy list of credits: DC Studios’ The Batman series and Mike Flanagan’s Exorcist reboot.
Disney’s animated sequel easily outfoxed ‘Wicked: For Good.’
Three things to know. Two trailers to watch. One article to read. Here’s what you need to know for this month.
Eleven years ago today, the first ‘The Force Awakens’ teaser reigniting excitement for the franchise. What happened?
While I can’t wait to see ‘Project Hail Mary,’ the ‘Moana’ cash grab is as creatively bankrupt as we feared. PLUS: New trailers for ‘Avatar,’ ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ and ‘Hunger Games,’ and you need to watch ‘Death by Lightning.’
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