Film and TV Briefing: Friday 4 April 2025
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
‘Batman Forever’ star Val Kilmer dies aged 65 (The Guardian)
Sony confirms cast for ‘Beatles’ movies (IndieWire)
AI firms "scraping value" from UK creative industries, says Channel 4 boss (The Guardian)
Keanu Reeves set to return for ‘John Wick 5’ (Variety)
‘Shogun’ star Richard Chamberlain dies aged 90 (BBC)
Brad Pitt to star in ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ follow-up (The Guardian)
BBC’s Cold War spy drama ‘Honey’ is prequel to ‘Killing Eve’ (Deadline)
Docuseries of Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni legal feud in works (The Hollywood Reporter)
‘Adolescence’ makes Netflix all-time Top 10 shows in only three weeks (Deadline)
Amazon planning "fresh" take on James Bond but says it will respect 007’s legacy (BBC)
Netflix widens range of languages available for subtitles and dubbing (Variety)
Features and commentary
How Donald Trump’s tariffs will affect the global film and TV industry (Deadline)
‘Industry’ co-creators on how their time in finance paid dividends (Royal Television Society)
Drama schools reject stars from nowhere narrative around ‘Adolescence’ (The Guardian)
Why are successful indie directors struggling to make a living? (IndieWire)
‘The White Lotus’ cast spill secrets of series three (The Hollywood Reporter)
AI’s remarkable journey from Hollywood strikes to Oscar-winning films (BBC)
Industry announcements
Disney+ calls for new indie pitches (Broadcast)
ITV Studios acquires majority stake in Moonage Pictures (The Hollywood Reporter)
Apple TV+ orders A24 comedy drama ‘The Husbands’ (Broadcast)
BBC to cut content budget by £143 million under latest annual plan (Pact)
Channel 4 confirms in-house production will start to make difference from 2026 (Pact)
