Film & TV Briefing: Friday 28 August 2026
Welcome to this week’s round-up of news, commentary and industry announcements that you may have missed from the past week.
If you are looking for advice in relation to any of the issues mentioned, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
In the news
The return of ‘Top Gear’ (BBC News)
Paramount WBD merger meeting cancelled by California AG due to “lack of good faith” (IndieWire)
Sacha Baron Cohen Resurrects Ali G in new secret film, in cinemas on 23 October courtesy of Amazon MGM (IndieWire)
WildBrain, owner of 'Teletubbies' IP buys Personality AI for $11m to create safe AI experiences for children (The Hollywood Reporter)
Beloved French show, 'Call My Agent' set to get its first film (IndieWire)
Inside the new Netflix and AMC co-production pact (Broadcast)
'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' sequel announced, 23 years after the original (BBC News)
Disney execs offered early retirement packages (Deadline)
Dolly Parton: Projects in the pipeline leading up to the star's death (Deadline)
Zurich film festival to open with Everest biopic, 'Tenzing', starring Tom Hiddleston (Screendaily)
'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' star, Tim Curry, passes away (Variety)
Canadian producers' plea for domestic film and TV subsidies as trade war continues (The Hollywood Reporter)
Features and commentary
How did 'Hadestown: The Musical' beat ‘Hamilton’ as the highest-grossing live stage show ever? (IndieWire)
Sky Studios chief opens up on the Sky-ITV deal, hailing it an investment in British storytelling (Broadcast)
Why addiction is so common amongst child stars (BBC News)
Inside the Paramount - Warner Bros. Discovery red state blue state divide (The Hollywood Reporter)
YouTube's change to how it counts views and what it actually means (The Hollywood Reporter)
Industry announcements
Guidance on navigating the Employment Rights Act changes to union workplace access (Pact)
Legal updates
The latest in the Paramount - Warner Bros. Discovery merger (The Hollywood Reporter)
Inside the motion to dismiss Trump's $10bn lawsuit filed by the BBC (Deadline)
Lively awarded just $400,000 in legal fees out of the $8m sought (Variety)
