MAGNOLIA PICTURES LAUNCH DELAYED: Chip and Joanna Gaines‘ forthcoming Magnolia Network, set for an October bow, has been delayed due to coronavirus production shutdowns. “Right now, it’s important that we all continue to look out for one another by upholding the guidelines set forth by the experts, leaders and front-line heroes working tirelessly to get us all through this difficult time,” said Chip and Joanna Gaines in a statement. “With this as our top priority, we’ve decided to delay Magnolia Network’s launch until we can safely resume production. We have an incredible team behind us and we look forward to the days ahead when we can get back to work, telling good stories that encourage, motivate and inspire hope. In the meantime, we are hosting this special preview where we’ll give you a peek into what we’ve been working on and more of what’s to come for this network we’re building!”
THE BATMAN STALLS: The release date of The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson, has been delayed from June 2021 to October 2021 amid production stalls across Hollywood. Warner Bros. is shifting a number of release dates, though some are sticking, including Christopher Nolan‘s Tenet, which will drop July 17th.
ANNAPURNA PICTURES LAYS OFF CFO JAMES PONG, OTHERS: Megan Ellison‘s Annapurna Pictures has laid off a number of staffers, including chief financial officer James Pong, Variety reports. Four creative execs also lost their jobs, and two assistants were let go. The seven employees account for about 10% of their staff.
MARVEL TERMINATES SHOWRUNNERS: Steve Lightfoot (The Punisher) and Paul Zbyszewski (Helstrom) have had their overall deals with Marvel terminated. These deals are among the first to be force majeaured amid the widespread shutdown during the coronavirus pandemic. A fource majeure clause allows studios to make decisions based on unforeseeable incidents like the pandemic. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that their deals with Marvel, and not the Disney-owned ABC Studios.
