The deal covers Channel 4’s linear HD channel and hundreds of hours of its scripted and unscripted on-demand content, including the Bella Ramsey-led drama “Maya,”, Denise Welch-led comedy “Stepping Up” and reality format “Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins,” as well as “Big Mood,” “Tip Toe” and “24 Hours in A&E.”

The Channel 4 shows will be available day and date on Disney+, with multiple being made available to the streaming service’s subscribers at no extra cost. Channel 4 content will be available in a branded section featuring the same navigation and user experience as the rest of Disney+.

The move comes as Disney+ plans to triple the number of local original series available on the platform over the next three years to drive new sign-ups internationally and reduce churn. It also comes ahead the streaming service’s transformation into Disney’s “digital centerpiece,” with elements of that strategy rolling out starting in the spring.

Disney’s other content partnerships include France’s M6 Group, Italy’s RAI, the U.K.’s ITVX, Sky in the U.K. and Ireland, Astro in Malaysia and TV Azteca in Mexico, Spain’s RTVE and Atresmedia, Germany’s ARD and ZDF and Portugal’s SIC.

“Local broadcaster partnerships are very important as we build our content libraries and serve fans around the world. Channel 4 has created shows with strong appeal to audiences in the UK and Ireland, and we’re excited to bring some of those favorites to Disney+,” Disney Entertainment Direct-to-Consumer Chairman Adam Smith said in a statement. “This agreement is the latest example of our global strategy, pairing high-quality local programming and cultural relevance with a complementary audience and more personalized streaming experience on Disney+.”

The move will extend Channel 4’s reach, which totaled 45 million adults in the first half of the year.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Disney+ to give audiences even more ways to discover and enjoy Channel 4’s brilliant shows,” Channel 4 Chief Executive Priya Dogra said. “Channel 4 is home to some of the UK and Ireland’s most talked about and trusted programming, and this new service will help those shows reach viewers in new places. This exciting step shows how collaboration between broadcasters and streamers can create more choice and value for audiences.”

Further details on launch timings and the full lineup of content available will be revealed at a later date.

The post Disney+ to Add Channel 4 Content in the UK, Ireland in Early 2027 appeared first on TheWrap.

Tovah Feldshuh, who plays Bina Roklov (the mother of Brody’s Rabbi Noah Roklov) on Erin Foster’s Netflix series, spoke to The New York Post on Sunday about Brody’s recent interview with GQ, in which he told a reporter about the Gaza war: “Put me down as thinking it’s a genocide. Put me down as wanting a free Palestine.”

“To accuse the Jewish people of genocide is wild,” Feldshuh said in response. “It’s right out of Hitler’s playbook. You take the victim and you make the victim the perpetrator.”

Feldshuh did not mince words in her comments about her on-screen son, stating that it “makes a difference to the (Jewish) community” when accusations of genocide are made by Jewish actors like Brody. She also cited the political theory of the horseshoe effect, saying that “socialism and antisemitism are trying to meet” in the current political climate.

A representative for Brody did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

“I believe that the perseverance of the existence of the state of Israel is crucial to the well-being of the democratic world and of the free world,” Feldshuh said. “Of course, Israel needs the United States, (but) the United States needs Israel, believe you me.”

Foster, who created “Nobody Wants This” and serves as showrunner alongside Craig DiGregorio, Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan, recently chimed in on Brody’s comments herself. In an exclusive clip shared by EW of the Oct. 27 episode of the podcast “Not Skinny But Not Fat,” Foster called her feelings on the matter “complicated.”

“I think our work environment, our set is very similar to dinner tables around the world where people are having debate and discussion and disagreeing,” she said. “And while I love Adam, I also disagree with him — and that’s OK.”

The post ‘Nobody Wants This’ Star Calls Adam Brody’s Pro-Palestine Comments ‘Right Out of Hitler’s Playbook’ appeared first on TheWrap.

The lawsuit alleged that the Los Angeles Film School had paid outside vendors to hire its students to jobs with little meaningful career advancement to inflate its placement figures and maintain its qualification for federal student aid. To qualify for federal student aid, higher education institutions must prove that at least 70% of its graduates are able to find work in their chosen field. 

Former admissions VP Ben Chaib and former career advancement VP Dave Phillips accused LAFS of hiding the extent of its fraud from Department of Education auditors, with whom the school reached a $1 million settlement to resolve the matter.

Phillips and Chaib alleged that LAFS owner James “Bill” Heavener and LAFS CEO Diana Dercyz-Kessler instructed school officials “to focus strictly on the appearance of compliance” with the 70% benchmark. To that end, they financed indie productions with the plan to use them to hire LAFS graduates for jobs that only lasted for a few days, just long enough that they could claim that their graduates had found gainful employment.

But in a ruling on Friday, Judge Stanley Blumenfeld ruled that the alleged conduct happened outside the six-year statute of limitations and dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning that it cannot be filed again.

Blumenfeld also found that an April filing from the plaintiffs contained a nonexistent case and two additional cases that were real but irrelevant to the legal arguments being made. Phillips admitted that he had drafted the filing using ChatGPT and provided it to his attorney, Mark Kleiman, who has been fined $5,000 for using an AI-written filing.

“Kleiman filed an obviously deficient brief that he had not even fully read and for which he did not check whether the citations were to real cases — let alone that they supported the brief’s assertions — despite knowing that his nonlawyer clients had prepared the brief using AI,” the judge wrote.

TheWrap has reached out to LAFS for comment.

The post LA Film School Whistleblower Lawsuit Thrown Out After Plaintiffs Use ChatGPT on Filing appeared first on TheWrap.

The 2026 board, which brings together leaders from across television, film, production, representation, programming, media and entrepreneurship, includes a total of 36 members who bring strategic counsel, industry insight and professional connections to SeriesFest’s annual Denver festival and year-round development and mentorship programs for emerging storytellers.

Other additions include “Hunting Wives” star Katie Lowes, Last Call Productions’ Jeremy Gold, “How to Get Away with Murder” star Tom Verica, “Little House on the Prairie” star Jocko Sims, Shondaland’s Annie Laks, “The Four Seasons” star Marco Calvani and TheWrap’s Emily Vogel.

“We are incredibly proud to have this accomplished group of leaders from across the entertainment industry lending their expertise and perspective to SeriesFest,” co-founder and CEO Randi Kleiner said. “Their collective experience and commitment to championing new voices will be invaluable as we continue expanding SeriesFest’s impact as a year-round home for discovering, developing and empowering the next generation of television storytellers.”

Check out the full roster for SeriesFest’s Industry Advisory Board below:

• Roy Ashton, Partner, The Gersh Agency
• Karen Bailey, Producer and Television Executive
• Marco Calvani, Actor and Filmmaker
• Kyle Castellanet, Vice President, Development and Production, Echo Lake Entertainment
• Milan Chakraborty, Producer, Head of Film & TV, Marginal MediaWorks
• Leslie Cohen, Principal & Founder, Cinema Girl
• Brent Emery, Founder, Pretext Media
• Mike Falbo, Partner, Pacific Electric Picture Co.
• Jeremy Gold, Head of Development and Production, Last Call Productions
• Eugene Hernandez, Director, Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming
• Alexa Junge, Writer, Showrunner
• Heather Karpas, Creative Executive, EDEN Productions
• Amanda Krentzman, President, Fireside Access TV
• Annie Laks, Senior Vice President, Netflix Features and ABC Series, Shondaland
• Katie Lowes, Actor and Theater Director
• Patrick Macmanus, Showrunner
• Melissa Myers, Founder, MM Media (Consultant/Producer/Representative)
• Chiké Okonkwo, Actor and Director
• Angela Peluso, Talent, Casting, Producer and Executive
• Alysia Reiner, Actor, Producer, and Author
• Michael Rucker, Showrunner and Director
• Rhea Seehorn, Actor, Director and Producer
• Adam Shapiro, Actor and Writer
• Jocko Sims, Actor and Director
• Erich C. Smith, Senior Talent Agent, TCA MGMT
• Josh Sommer, Founder, Front Porch Pictures & Innovity Catalyst, and Executive Producer
• Valerie Stadler, Producer and Founding Partner, Big Swing Productions
• Tom Verica, Shondaland’s Head of Creative Production, Executive Producer and Director
• Emily Vogel, Director of Programming, TheWrap, and Host of “UnWrapped”
• Terry Washington, Owner and CEO, Zane Ryder Management
• Geneva Wasserman, EVP, Head of Entertainment, IP Strategy & Financing, dentsu
• Talitha Watkins, President and Co-Founder ColorCreative Management & Productions
• Denzel Whitaker, Actor and Filmmaker
• Aaliyah Williams, Manager and Producer
• Diana Williams, CEO and Co-Founder, Kinetic Energy Entertainment
• Kendall Wright, Development Executive

SeriesFest: Season 13 will take place from April 23 to 27 in Denver. The window for submissions is open through Jan. 5, 2027. Projects selected will be notified by March 4, 2027.

The post Rhea Seehorn, Eugene Hernandez and Patrick Macmanus Join SeriesFest Industry Advisory Board | Exclusive appeared first on TheWrap.

Bloomberg first reported the executive’s appointment Monday, which comes just over a week after Peter Rice replaced Bela Bajaria as the streamer’s chief content officer.

Wilson spent nearly 15 years at Apple from 2006 to 2020, where he was one of the earliest members of the Apple Podcasts team. He previously served as the chief strategy officer for Daylight Media, formerly named QCODE, from 2020 to 2026.

“If you’ve worked with me for any amount of time, you know I’m happiest building,” Wilson wrote in a LinkedIn post, announcing his exit from Daylight last month. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what creators actually need from platforms, and about community and in-person at a moment when trust online is thin. More soon.”

QCODE created original scripted podcasts, including “The Prophecy” with Kerry Washington, “Carrier” starring Cynthia Erivo and “Blackout” with Rami Malek. They also produced “The Edge of Sleep” with creator Markiplier.

The company has also produced unscripted podcasts like Rachel Dratch’s “Woo Woo” podcast and Washington’s “Street You Grew Up On” interview series.

This appointment comes as Netflix has made efforts to expand its podcast offerings. The company has acquired podcasts in distribution deals with Barstool, Spotify and iHeart Media. Licensed podcasts streaming on platform include Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose,” Jake Shane’s “Therapuss” and “The Breakfast Club.”

Netflix also produces some original podcasts tied to popular titles like the “Outer Banks” and “Bridgerton” official podcasts. “Shut Up Evan” and “The Pete Davidson Show” also stream exclusively on Netflix.

Netflix omitted video podcasts from its viewership data from the first half of 2026.

The company has expanded its podcast and digital video offerings, partnering with BuzzFeed, Condé Nast, Hearst Magazines, People Inc, Tastemade and Penske Media’s PMX brands. This partnership brought popular YouTube series from Architectural Digest, Elle and more directly to streaming audiences.

The post Netflix Taps Former Apple Exec Steve Wilson to Lead Podcast Division appeared first on TheWrap.

The new reality competition show premiered Monday, bringing together a dozen reality stars and other entertainers to partake in mafia movie-inspired challenges while they take turns killing each other off — à la “The Traitors.”

Plus, the cast notably includes some nods to classic mob entries from throughout pop culture history, including “The Sopranos,” “Goodfellas” and, of course, “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”

“’The Mob’ is a high-stakes reality competition series that sends a group of celebrities to a lavish Italian villa where they will shake down, hustle and whack their way to win up to $250,000 in cash prizes,” per the logline. “But every mob family needs a don, and whoever they choose will have absolute power — deciding who makes money, who stays and who ultimately gets whacked. In a game where power demands absolute loyalty, can the don stay in control, or will the family rise up and overthrow them?”

Check out the cast of “The Mob,” below:

Willam Belli

“RuPaul’s Drag Race”

Demi Engemann

“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives”

Maria Georgas

“Bachelor” Nation

Joe Gorga

“The Real Housewives of New Jersey”

Harry Jowsey

“Too Hot to Handle,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “The Amazing Race Australia,” “Perfect Match,” “Let’s Marry Harry”

Chelsea Lazkani

“Selling Sunset”

Debi Mazar

“Younger,” “Goodfellas,” “Batman Forever,” “Entourage”

Bella Palk

“Love Overboard”

Shane Parton

“Bachelor” Nation

Romeo

Rapper

Bruno Tonioli

“Dancing With the Stars”

Aida Turturro

“The Sopranos,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “The Blacklist”

Parker Posey, Host

“Dazed and Confused,” “Scream 3,” “Best in Show,” “The White Lotus”

Produced by Studio Lambert and Primal Media, Posey also serves as an EP with Susan House as showrunner. Additional executive producers include Tim Harcourt, Jack Burgess, Niall O’Driscoll, Stephen Lambert, Adam Wood, Mat Steiner and David Mortimer.

The first two episodes of “The Mob” are now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

The post ‘The Mob’: Meet the Cast of Hulu’s Killer New Reality Show appeared first on TheWrap.

While talking with Michael Douglas on “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” the host brought up a part of the actor’s new memoir about the art of telling a good story. O’Brien said the section resonated with him because he’s felt the same about political messages throughout his career.

“There’s something you talk about in the book that resonated with me, which is you always saw your job – and many of these films have political elements, socially relevant elements – you felt very strongly all along your first and only job is to tell a good story, not to preach,” O’Brien said. “And you see in our culture now, there’s a lot of work, there’s a lot of work in comedy, there’s a lot of work in drama where people have a message to tell, and I think it’s often at the expense of the work.”

“Yes, we have a responsibility, but you make it very clear that you wanted all of these pictures to be entertaining and to be about human beings and tell a story, a multi-act story, and not first and foremost to tell you how you should feel about a certain issue. And I think that’s been a reason for the success of a lot of these films,” he added. “I think sometimes, as a culture, we can lose our way in that because people get really — ‘I know I have this point of view about a political issue, and I need to tell it to you’ — and somehow afterwards, you think, ‘Well, I didn’t love the story, but I surely understand where you’re coming from.'”

This is not the first time O’Brien has made comments about comedians trading in their humor in favor of anger towards politicians like Donald Trump. The former late night host thinks going that route is actually how comedians lose their true power to make positive change.

“I think some comics go the route of, ‘I’m going to just say, ‘F Trump’ all the time,’ or that’s their comedy,” O’Brien said during an Oxford Union event back in January. “Well, now a little bit you’re being co-opted because you’re so angry. You’ve been lulled into just saying ‘F Trump. F Trump. F Trump. Screw this guy.’ And I think you’ve now put down your best weapon, which is being funny, and you’ve exchanged it for anger.”

The comedian went on to say that even during the most serious events in life or politics, being funny should be every comic’s first instinct.

“Any person like that would say, ‘Well, things are too serious now. I don’t need to be funny.’ And I think, well, if you’re a comedian, you always need to be funny,” O’Brien insisted. “You just have to find a way to channel that anger, because good art will always be a perfect weapon against power, but if you’re just screaming and you’re just angry, you’ve lost your best tool in the toolbox.”

The post Conan O’Brien Laments Creatives Who Prioritize Political Messaging ‘At the Expense of the Work’ appeared first on TheWrap.

“The bottom line is that no agreement can make studios produce more or make audiences watch. But what we can do, what your union can do and is doing, is to use every bit of leverage we have to make sure working performers have a place in whatever this industry becomes,” Astin said in a speech recorded at SAG-AFTRA’s Miracle Mile headquarters.

“We know what you’re up against because you’ve told us. Your experiences do reach the people you elect, and they shape what we do,” he continued.

Astin’s speech comes as the industry-wide rollback in film and television productions, combined with the demise of the residual system that allowed working class actors to make a living during the height of linear TV, has made it more and more difficult for thousands of SAG-AFTRA members to qualify for the union’s health plan.

While SAG-AFTRA successfully established a “Success Bonus Distribution Fund” to provide additional compensation for actors on films and television programs that find success on streaming, the $1.5 million in payments scheduled to be sent out in the weeks ahead from productions released in 2024 will only benefit an estimated 700 performers in a union with more than 160,000 members.

Amidst these growing struggles, actors have taken to social media to network with each other to help find employment and to share their frustration both with declining job opportunities and with SAG-AFTRA itself. Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell made waves with an Instagram post decrying the union after losing his healthcare.

“Do not become an actor. Do not join SAG. You can work for 35 years and they still say [middle finger emoji],” he seethed.

Astin acknowledged such frustration and the “palpable disconnect between the work of this union and the lived experience of too many of our members.”

“Our communications have to be precise, legally sound and confident. But even when we get that right, our messages can feel a world away from someone who hasn’t worked in months or more,” Astin said. “For many, the question is no longer how to advance their careers; it’s whether they can afford to continue pursuing them at all. That is the hard truth of this moment, and no corner of our membership has gone untouched.”

With healthcare costs across the United States continuing to spiral due in part to government subsidy cuts passed by the Trump Administration and Republicans in 2025, the minimum earnings requirement for the SAG-AFTRA health plan will increase from $28,933 to 31,616 in 2030, the next bargaining agreement negotiation year between the guild and Hollywood studios.

In addition, SAG-AFTRA will be phasing out relief measures on membership dues that were implemented to support members who were struggling to make ends meet during the COVID pandemic and the 2023 strikes at the end of this week, returning to standard policy with membership termination for actors who have not paid their dues for an extended period of time.

Astin acknowledged the end of those measures in his speech, noting that it marks a “painful moment for our union” but also saying that such measures “cannot continue indefinitely.”

“To those affected: we want you working, and we want you in this union. If your membership has ended, please reach out to member services. Our staff will work with you,” he said.

As part of the national board meeting, SAG-AFTRA announced several new developments in the union’s initiatives, including an increase to the health reimbursement account allocation for senior performers from $1,140 to $1,500 annually for those with 20 or more retiree health credits and from $240 to $312 for those with fewer than 20 retiree health credits. The HRA allocation changes will impact more than 10,000 individuals. 

The national board also adopted a comprehensive resolution affirming that employers may not require covered performers and media professionals to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as a condition of employment unless the terms have been bargained with and approved by the union, a measure adopted to counter what SAG-AFTRA says has been a wave of pressure by studios and companies against actors to sign broad NDAs that “chill legal rights and suppress transparency.”

And on the leadership front, the board gave longtime national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland a vote of confidence, adding CEO to his job title and extending his contract through 2032.

Going forward, Astin said he wanted the relationship and communication between SAG-AFTRA’s leadership and rank-and-file to be “unflinching,” but also with the aim to “build us up rather than wear us down.”

“What does solidarity look like when you’re driving alone to an audition, when you’re sitting at home recording a self-tape, when you’re waiting for the phone to ring? Solidarity isn’t only something we experience when we’re together; it’s a choice we make. We are members of a union, and we are bound to each other,” he said.

The post Sean Astin Responds to SAG Actors’ Outcry Over Health Insurance: ‘Your Experiences Do Reach the People You Elect’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Here are the three best movies to stream on HBO Max this week.

Corpse Bride

Mike Johnson and Tim Burton’s stop-motion animated feature “Corpse Bride” is a slam dunk of Halloween season cinema. The film, which follows a man who accidentally reanimates a corpse by practicing his wedding vows — thus leading her to believe that the two are married. It’s gorgeously animated with a brilliant screenplay from John August, Caroline Thompson and Pamela Pettler (adapting Howard Schwartz’s “The Finger”). A perfect October watch.

The Death of Robin Hood

“The Death of Robin Hood” shares some DNA with Hugh Jackman’s acclaimed superhero drama “Logan” — a legend reflecting on his mortality and symbology as he nears the end of his story. But Michael Sarnoski is a phenomenal filmmaker, one with a strong visual eye and tonal control. Putting this story in his hands is a recipe for greatness.

Kubo and the Two Strings

Laika just released the studio’s sixth stop-motion animated feature, “Wildwood,” a sweeping and breathtaking piece of epic filmmaking. The studio has a strong track record, one that includes the magnificent “Kubo and the Two Strings.” This film, written by Marc Haimes and Chris Butler based on a story by Haimes and Shannon Tindle, is one of the century’s best animated movies, an intricate and emotional fantasy adventure featuring strong performances from Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey and more.

The post The 3 Best Movies to Stream on HBO Max This Week appeared first on TheWrap.

SP Media will make a capital investment of around $100 million, an individual familiar told TheWrap. The investment is for new ventures that help expand and grow the Hollywood studio’s content offering and extend resources toward the continuing diversification of 3 Arts and other Lionsgate businesses.  SP Media will also produce independent feature films that Lionsgate will distribute.

The joint venture will be majority-owned and controlled by Lionsgate. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.

“Lionsgate is one of the most dynamic and entrepreneurial content studios in the media space today,” Paul said in a statement. “I’m delighted to build on my longstanding relationship with Jon Feltheimer and the Lionsgate leadership team as we grow our businesses together in an industry environment filled with opportunity.”

Paul has been working hard on lobbying Trump for a federal film tax incentive for months, and the president gave his support in August, leading to the introduction of the bipartisan Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act, which will begin winding its way through Congress when lawmakers return to Washington for the lame duck session on Nov. 9. Sponsors of the bill are hoping to get it passed and sent to Trump for his final signature into law by the end of the year, with the incentive taking immediate effect.

Paul’s notable credits include the “Baby Geniuses” franchise, “Ghost Rider” and “Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance,” starring Nicolas Cage; “Ghost in the Shell,” starring Scarlett Johansson; and the Lionsgate-distributed “Rambo: Last Blood.”

“Steven is a savvy & experienced entrepreneur who has a longstanding relationship with our studio, and I’m pleased to partner with him across multiple touchpoints of our business,” Feltheimer added.  “He recognizes the unique and valuable assets that we have built and his investment will help drive the continued growth of these businesses.”

The deal was negotiated by Lionsgate COO Brian Goldsmith, EVP & General Counsel Bruce Tobey and Senior VP Corporate Development Suzy Felfeli and SP Media Group President and COO Scott Karol. 

Moelis served as financial advisor to Lionsgate and Lazard served as financial advisor to SP Media. Paul Hastings LLP represented SP Media on the deal. 

The joint venture with Paul comes as “Dune” producer Legendary Entertianment has submitted a takeover offer to acquire Lionsgate. The company has also attracted takover interest from Banijay, Mediawan and France’s Bollore Group, though those companies have not submitted a formal offer.

The post Lionsgate Forms Joint Venture With Steven Paul’s SP Media With $100 Million Investment appeared first on TheWrap.