The Writers Guild of America has denied producers of the Tony Awards a requested strike waiver that would have allowed the broadcast to go on as scheduled June 11, Deadline has confirmed with sources close to the Tonys. The waiver denial could prove disastrous for the Broadway productions counting on…

UPDATED with latest signs: There’s no reason why writers can’t have a little fun while hitting the picket lines, right? Protesting over past and future lost wages is serious business, but leave it to Hollywood scribes to find the levity in the most dire of situations. Besides flooding social media…

Rep. Katie Porter joined writers on the picket line at the Culver Studios in Los Angeles on Friday in solidarity with the ongoing WGA strike. Before addressing the crowd, Porter led them in a chant heard frequently at picket lines across the city over the past two weeks: “What do we want? Fair…

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher has told her members that as the union prepares for its upcoming contract negotiations, which start June 7: "We must focus on modernizing our outdated and conservative contract. It is essential that we reshape our agreement to better reflect the new digital and streaming…

The Writers Guild of America has established a site on its Strike Hub where members can and must report strike breakers. Those who fail to report suspected “scabs” can face discipline themselves. After the last writers' strike – a 100-day walkout in 2007-08 – a dozen members were brought up on trial for…

Marine veteran Daniel Penny was arraigned today on a single second-degree manslaughter charge in the May 1 subway chokehold death of 30-year-old Jordan Neely, the homeless Michael Jackson impersonator who had a history of mental illness. Penny, 24, did not enter a plea at his Manhattan Criminal Court…

Lionsgate has merged its Production and Acquisitions groups under a single Content banner, to be headed by Motion Picture Group president Nathan Kahane. Joe Drake, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair just made the announcement. "Lionsgate has grown aggressively over the last few years," said…

Succession‘s Jeremy Strong will star in playwright Amy Herzog’s new Broadway adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People. Tony-winning director Sam Gold will direct in early 2024. The Broadway venue, complete cast and design team will be announced at a later date. The new production was…

(L-R) Todd Garner and Billy Ray Billy Ray and Todd Garner recap the second week of the WGA standoff on Deadline’s Strike Talk podcast. They then interview with John Wells, producer of shows from ER to The West Wing and…

2nd UPDATE: Elon Musk has officially named Linda Yaccarino as Twitter’s new CEO. “I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter!, Musk tweeted Friday. “@LindaYacc will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology. Looking forward to…

Even without a once-in-a-generation strike or a Twitter bombshell, next week would already pose a challenge to media companies making their annual upfront pitches to ad buyers next week in New York. An adverse economic climate and a number of existential questions are confronting those in the ad…

CNN’s Anderson Cooper devoted a portion of his primetime program to address the backlash against the network for its town hall with Donald Trump, in which the Republican spewed lies and misinformation before a friendly, cheering audience. “You have every right to be outraged and angry and never watch…