Film & TV Briefing: Friday 4 September 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
Donald Trump backs federal tax incentive for film and TV production (Variety)
George Clooney defends Mark Ruffalo over Paramount-Warner Bros merger (The Guardian)
Maggie Gyllenhaal laments lack of female directors at Venice Film Festival (IndieWire)
BBC withdraws jobs promise for apprentices as part of major cuts (The Guardian)
‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ director Jean-Paul Rappeneau dies aged 94 (Deadline)
Female filmmakers still being denied opportunities, says London Film Festival director (The Guardian)
Netflix unveils three-part Matthew Perry documentary (Broadcast)
‘Zombies’ star Carla Jeffery dies aged 33 (Variety)
Pro-Paramount group deploys AI to press California attorney general to drop antitrust case (Variety)
‘GTA 6’ extended look tops Netflix viewing charts (Variety)
Netflix commissions romantic deception show ‘Playing With Matches’ from Mettlemouse (Deadline)
See-Saw Films engages Ben Irving as joint managing director (Screen Daily)
Features and commentary
‘Chicken Shop Date’ exemplifies how YouTube reshaped media world (The Guardian)
How Donald Trump’s film and TV tax incentive could help Hollywood (IndieWire)
What can we learn from summer 2026’s movie hits and misses? (The Guardian)
Should Hollywood embrace religion? (Variety)
Industry announcements
California lawmakers allow studios to cash in tax credits faster (Variety)
BFI London Film Festival 2026 lineup revealed (Screen Daily)
Legal updates
‘Obsession’ executive producer sues over share of profit (Los Angeles Times)
