Issa Rae has extended her contract with WarnerMedia, accepting a five-year overall deal. The eight-figure deal is exclusive to WarnerMedia for television, including HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros. Television, and a first-look deal with Warner Bros. Pictures Group New Line and HBO Max for feature films. Rae’s media firm, Hoorae, will work on all the ventures.

Several of the ventures with Issa’s South L.A.-based media company Hoorae are currently in the works for HBO and HBO Max. HBO’s Insecure is currently filming its fifth and final season, and the Emmy-nominated A Black Lady Sketch Show will debut its second season next month. HBO Originals The Vanishing Half, Nice White Parents, and the documentary series Seen and Heard, and the Max Original half-hour comedy Rap Sh*t were previously revealed as new ventures. Hoorae is also collaborating with Mark Phillips on an HBO Max scripted series.

We can expect to see more of Issa Rae right on our television screens.

Ice Cube is speaking out against Warner Bros for blocking new “Friday” sequels from being produced. He is asking for the rights to the films.

On Friday, the west coast legend aimed at the production giant on Twitter, claiming that they are purposefully withholding the sequels to “Friday.” The last installment, “Friday After Next,” was released on November 22nd, 2002. Ice Cube announced that “Last Friday” was to be released in 2020 on the 25th anniversary of the original film. However, there has been no progress reported on the film in recent months.

“#freefriday from the jaws of Warner Bros. who refuses to make more sequels. They have hi-jacked the happiness of the culture,” Cube tweeted along with an animated photo of the original “Friday” cast.

Sources told TMZ that Warner Bros owns the rights to the “Friday” franchise. For whatever, the studio is not interested in releasing additional movies despite the cult-classic success of “Friday,” “Next Friday,” and “Friday After Next.”

The sources also claim that Cube is upset that Warner Bros refuses to hand over the rights to the films he created, especially if there is no plan to release additional movies.

Are you ready to join Dorthy in the magical land of Oz? New Line Cinema is remaking “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”

L. Frank Baum’s iconic novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was made in 1900. The book is a cult classic and has been reinterpreted by many. The most famous adaptation is the 1939 film starring Judy Garland. Nicole Kassell will direct the new film.

“While the 1939 musical is part of my DNA, I am exhilarated and humbled by the responsibility of re-imaging such a legendary tale,” Kassell said in a statement. “The opportunity to examine the original themes — the quest for courage, love, wisdom, and home — feels more timely and urgent than ever. These are profoundly iconic shoes to fill, and I am eager to dance alongside these heroes of my childhood as we pave a newly minted yellow brick road.”

Kassell is an executive producer for HBO’s “Watchman.” She directed feature films “The Woodsman” and “A Little Bit of Heaven.” Kassell will have the opportunity to use many cool props because Warner Bros. owns New Line Cinema and the 1939 film; some of the trademarked elements like the ruby slippers can be used in the new film.

A few days after the long-awaited premiere of Wonder Woman 1984, starring Gal Gadot, Warner Bros. announced that there will be a third installment.

“As fans around the world continue to embrace Diana Prince, driving the strong opening weekend performance of ‘Wonder Woman 1984,’ we are excited to be able to continue her story with our real-life Wonder Women — Gal and Patty — who will return to conclude the long-planned theatrical trilogy,” Warner Bros. chief Toby Emmerich said in a statement.

The follow-up to the 2017 original film was initially set to premiere this past summer, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Warner Bros. had to push its debut back. It was finally released in select theaters and on HBO Max on Christmas day.

Along with Gadot, the movie also included stars Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, and Connie Nielsen.

“During these very difficult times, it was nice to give families the option of enjoying this uplifting film at home, where theater viewing wasn’t an option,” said Andy Forssell, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Warner Media Direct-to-Consumer.

According to the Motion pictures/entertainment company, the film “broke records and exceeded our expectations.”

Along with “action-packed sequences,” there were also were a few surprising appearances deeply appreciated by the leading actress.

“It meant a lot and especially in that very special scene,” Gadot told GoodDay DC. “My oldest one appeared with Asa, Patty’s son, and then my youngest one, whom I was pregnant with during the reshoots for Wonder Woman, the first one, was there with my husband.”

“This movie is more than just a movie for us, for me, for Patty,” she added. “It completely changed my life, and the amount of labor and thought and emotions that we put into the movie is just a lot. I couldn’t have done my movie without the support of my amazing family, and to have them captured in the film with me meant a lot. An amazing, amazing souvenir that we will cherish forever.”

“Wonder Woman 1984” has scored this year’s highest box office opening.

The sequel to the 2017 blockbuster hit both theaters and HBO Max on Christmas Day. The film raked in $16.7 million in ticket sales in the United States and $36.1 million worldwide, according to Warner Bros. These earnings were exceptional considering that almost two-thirds of movie theaters in the country are closed right now due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Wonder Woman 1984 broke records and exceeded our expectations across all of our key viewing and subscriber metrics in its first 24 hours on the service, and the interest and momentum we’re seeing indicates this will likely continue well beyond the weekend,” said Andy Forssell, executive vice president and general manager of WarnerMedia Direct-to-Consumer.

Viewing hours tripled on HBO Max also tripled the day “Wonder Woman” debuted on the platform, compared with a regular November day. Following this mega success of the dual release, the studio revealed that the third installment is now being “fast-tracked” and will be written and directed by Patty Jenkins, who worked on the first two films.

The move was met with both praise and criticism from theater owners and movie lovers. It’s 2021 lineup is composed of 17-titles, including several highly anticipated releases such as “Dune,” “In the Heights,” and “The Matrix 4.”  

Critics of the dual film screening believe that Warner Bros. and parent company AT&T are looking to sacrifice movie theaters to increase interest in HBO Max. The move does not honor the windowing practice of debuting films in theaters exclusively before releasing them to streaming platforms, DVD or Blu-Ray. This could further drive cinemas into financial ruin due to many Americans likely opting to watch the releases at home instead of spending money to go to a theater.   

The tactic also gives Warner Bros. an advantage over Universal Pictures who inked a deal with top cinema chains AMC and Cinemark to allow their films to play exclusively in their theaters for at least three weekends before premiering on video-on-demand services.  

Though Warner Bros. is the first studio to release films on a streaming platform and in theaters at once, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has pushed several studios to release major films directly to streaming platforms. Disney, for instance, is gearing up to debut Pixar’s highly anticipated“Soul” on Disney Plus.

Warner Bros. has issued an apology to the disability community for the way that it has portrayed physical disabilities in its new fantasy-comedy film “The Witches.” 

The criticism came about when photos of Anne Hathaway’s character surfaced online showing her having three webbed fingers on each hand. This condition is known as ectrodactyly, which affects nearly 1 in 90,000 births. 

On Monday, Paralympic swimmer Amy Marren called out the film for their depiction of the characters’ limb on Twitter, saying: “It’s not unusual for surgeons to try and build hands like this for children/adults with certain limb differences. It’s upsetting to something that makes a person different being represented as something scary.”

In a statement to NBC News, Warner Bros. said that they were “deeply saddened to learn that our depiction of fictional characters in The Witches could upset people with disabilities,” and that they “regret any offense caused.”

“The Witches” is based on the 1983 novel by Roald Dahl. In the book, the witches are depicted as having “square feet with no toes” and “claws instead of fingernails,” which is why the filmmakers chose to depict the characters in the film with the disorder.

“In adapting the original story, we worked with designers and artists to come up with a new interpretation of the cat-like claws that are described in the book. It was never the intention for viewers to feel that the fantastical, non-human creatures were meant to represent them.”

The film was released on HBO Max last month and became the ninth-most watched digital movie release of 2020.  

A former TMZ production assistant and on-air contributor has filed a federal discrimination and retaliation complaint against TMZ host Harvey Levin and Warner Bros. Entertainment. A lawsuit may be down the line.

The complaint says that Bernadette Zilio, along with other females colleagues, was belittled, abused, and held to different and more stringent standards. Furthermore, she said she was “excluded from business and social interactions in which only male employees participated, denied advancement opportunities, and retaliated against when she resisted the sexist and misogynistic ways.” The complaint was filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing, Deadline reports.

Zilio had been with the company since 2015 but was fired in February of this year. She described the culture at TMZ studios and its sister site TooFab as a “boy’s club” with a 100% bro fest atmosphere; she also likened it to a “freaking frat house.”

When she attempted to go through the corporate channels to do something about it, she was punished, let go, and threatened.

“In addition to the discriminatory work environment, Ms. Zilio’s complaints on behalf of herself and her female colleagues about the unlawful treatment were met with retaliatory discipline and abuse,” the 27-page filing read. “Incredibly, Ms. Zilio was terminated within a few days of Warner Bros. and EHM’s Human Resources telling Ms. Zilio that it rejected her complaints about the sexist and misogynist treatment, and instead accepted the excuses her male supervisors gave for the differential treatment.”

Zilio refused to sign separation agreements and was walked out of the door, shortly after the supposed probe by WB Employee Relations Experts, who investigated her claims, suddenly wrapped. She also had a run-in with TooFab’s managing editor Shayam Dodge, who had accused her of “plagiarism and misquoting” in some of her articles.

“Following her termination, Ms. Zilio retained counsel to assert her claims of discrimination and retaliation,” the complaint noted. “Her counsel informed Respondents that she intended to pursue such claims in litigation.”

Levin, his production company EHM, Dodge and TooFab’s senior producer Ross McDonagh were all named as respondents in the action. 

”In response, on July 29, 2020, Respondents, through their counsel, threatened to sue Ms. Zilio for ‘substantial liability’ if she were to share the details of her claims publicly,” the complaint continued. ”Respondents’ threat constitutes further retaliation since such threat was clearly intended to intimidate Ms. Zilio and dissuade her from engaging in protected activity.”

But now, EHM is responding publicly, accusing Zilio of trying to rewrite history. “As Ms. Zilio and her attorney are well aware, TooFab.com parted ways with Ms. Zilio because of multiple and documented incidents of plagiarism and inaccurate reporting,” a spokesperson for the TMZ and TooFab production company told Deadline on Tuesday. “These incidents were addressed at the time, and Ms. Zilio acknowledged her errors. This is a blatant attempt to use negative publicity and inaccurate claims to force TooFab and TMZ to pay a monetary settlement. We will vigorously defend against any attempt to mischaracterize what is a legal and justified employment decision.”

Only time will tell how the EEOC and DFEH will decide if Zilio’s complaint will be heard before a judge, the latter usually is inclined to grant the complainant’s wishes.

Warner Bros. has released a statement on the backlash surrounding “Joker,” following concerns that the film is glamorizing mass murder.

“Joker” is the highly anticipated upcoming film about one of DC’s most iconic villains, The Joker. The R-rated film will tell an in-depth story of the character, and is expected to portray Joker’s cruel and unusual violence and mass killings. With more than 340 mass shootings in the last two years in the U.S., many have turned a concerned eye towards Warner Brothers, questioning why the studio would produce such a film during this time. Some fans said the film would only perpetuate the idea that mass killing is normal and further desensitize the audiences to violence.

However, Warner Bros. says that’s not its intention at all. The studio released a statement saying it in no way wants to associate the character. “Make no mistake: neither the fictional character Joker, nor the film, is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind,” the statement read. “It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers, or the studio to hold this character up as a hero.” WB released the statement after family members and friends of victims who died in the 2012 mass shooting at a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colo., wrote a letter to the studio expressing apprehension about the film being released.

The letter went on to support the studio’s right to freedom of speech and artistic expression but urged WB to get involved with the gun control movement, and to pledge not to donate to political candidates who receive money from the NRA, Variety reports. Warner Bros. explained the company has historically supported those causes. “Gun violence in our society is a critical issue, and we extend our deepest sympathy to all victims and families impacted by these tragedies,” the statement reads. “Our company has a long history of donating to victims of violence, including Aurora, and in recent weeks, our parent company joined other business leaders to call on policymakers to enact bi-partisan legislation to address this epidemic. At the same time, Warner Bros. believes that one of the functions of storytelling is to provoke difficult conversations around complex issues.”

During an interview with IGN, Todd Phillips, the film’s director, said the film is not praising Joker’s poor behavior. “The movie makes statements about a lack of love, childhood trauma, lack of compassion in the world,” he said. “I think people can handle that message.”

The $50-million-dollar lawsuit accuses the streaming giant of ripping off the temple’s statue of Baphomet to fuel “Satanic panic,” according to Variety.

The lawsuit alleges that four episodes of the show feature a Baphomet statue that closely resembles the one created by the temple. Also, adding that its copyrighted artwork was stolen and represented in an evil way.

To design and build the statue, it cost about $100K, according to The temple. They claim it is an “original expression,” which is why it is subject to copyright. The statue features two children looking up in awe at a goat-headed man-beast and is extremely similar to the statue that appears on Netflix, which also features two children looking up reverently at the goat-man, Variety reports.

The temple’s major concern is the producers of “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” are profiting from their work. Variety asked Netflix for comment, and they referred comment to Warner Bros., who declined to comment.