Film & TV Briefing: Friday 29 May 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 Mandalorian and Grogu' lands straight at top of the UK and Ireland movie box office (Variety)
Armando Iannucci and Simon Blackwell confirmed to write 'Paddington 4' (Guardian)
Winners list for 2026 News & Documentary Emmys (Deadline)
WSJ reports IMAX possible takeover (Hollywood Reporter)
Wheelhouse acquires Anomaly Entertainment (Variety)
Rap star Bad Bunny confirmed as character voice in 'Toy Story 5' (BBC)
Amazon-MGM Gen AI Creators Fund to deliver shows for Prime Video Animation (Deadline)
1958 Hammer Horror 'Dracula' to be rereleased in UK cinemas with added lost footage (Guardian)
'Backrooms' director Kane Parsons talks delaying college for Hollywood (Indiewire)
UK spy agencies tried to recruit Riz Ahmed (Guardian)
UK film production spend falls 11% year-on-year in Q1 2026 (Screendaily)
India's FWICE workers' association boycotts Bollywood star Ranveer Singh (BBC)
Ampere report confirms 21-month average gap between seasons of scripted originals in 2025 (Deadline)
Germany increases incentives to €250m and facilitates investment obligation (Screendaily)
Features and commentary
Study finds that films more likely to star a talking animal than a woman over 60 (Guardian)
ICO survey highlights fair pay concerns for the UK cinema sector (Screendaily)
Hollywood ecosystem endangered by Paramount Warner Bros. deal (Hollywood Reporter)
Industry announcements
BFI and London Film Festival open applications for Critics Mentorship Programme 2026 (BFI)
Legal updates
Paramount appoints anti-trust legal team in defence of Warner Bros. deal (Hollywood Reporter)
