Latest news with #CindyHolland
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Duffer Brothers In Talks With Paramount For Massive Deal
Paramount continues to make waves with splashy deals following Skydance's acquisition. We're hearing that Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer are in talks for a massive overall deal at the David Ellison-run media company. Details are still being worked out, and sources caution that things still could fall through, but we're hearing it would include both streaming and features with a big theatrical component, something the pair have not been able to get at their current home of more than a decade, Netflix. A rep for Paramount declined comment. The high-profile talent poaching would mark the first major move for Cindy Holland, Paramount's Chair of Direct-to-Consumer, who, as Head of English-language original series at Netflix, championed Stranger Things. In fact, the Duffers would be reunited with two executives who were key to Netflix betting on them and their 1980s supernatural drama. 'Ted Sarandos, Cindy Holland, Brian Wright and Matt Thunell took a huge chance on us and our show — and forever changed our lives,' the Duffers said in 2019 when Stranger Things was renewed for a fourth season and they signed a big overall deal with the streamer. More from Deadline Everything We Know About 'Stranger Things' Season 5 So Far 'Stranger Things' Creator Teases Season 5 & Says 'The Vanishing Of…' Episode Has 'Craziest Cold Open We've Ever Done' David Ellison's Paramount Takes Gloves Off In 'Top Gun: Maverick' Script Suit As Third Flyboy Flick On Deck Thunell is now President of Paramount TV Studios, whose focus will be developing and producing series for streaming. Since the Skydance-Paramount Global merger closed last week, Paramount has made a $7.7 billion deal with the UFC and has landed the James Mangold and Timothée Chalamet package High Side, both in a competitive situation. At a press event this week, the new Paramount leadership expressed their univocal support for theatrical movies. The news about the Duffers' pending Paramount deal comes as Stranger Things is coming to an end with its upcoming fifth season on Netflix. In 2022, the Duffers launched their production company, Upside Down Pictures, for film and television projects as part of a new overall deal with Netflix. They described Upside Down's mission at the time as aiming to create the kind of stories that inspired them growing up — 'stories that take place at that beautiful crossroads where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, where big spectacle co-exists with intimate character work, where heart wins out over cynicism.' Under that pact, the Duffer brothers are executive producing new Netflix supernatural series The Boroughs, which stars Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Clarke Peters, Bill Pullman and Denis O'Hare. They also have been working on a Stranger Things: Tales From '85 animated series and a live-action Stranger Things spinoff series. Stranger Things extensions would be carved out of the Duffer brothers' Paramount deal. Stranger Things was the first Netflix original series to become a pop culture phenomenon and branch out beyond the platform with Halloween costumes, toys and a presence at Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights en route to becoming a merchandising juggernaut. Netflix and the Duffers also successfully expanded the franchise to the stage with the award-winning play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which has had successful runs both in the West End and on Broadway. Season 5 of Stranger Things will debut with four episodes on November 26, followed by three episodes on Christmas, and the finale on New Year's Eve. Stranger Things 4 is the third most-watched English-language series title on Netflix with 140.7 million views. The show's third season is No. 10 on the most popular list with 98.4 million views. The Duffers are eight-time Emmy nominees. Prior to Stranger Things they were co-EPs on the 2015-2016 Fox series Wayward Pines. They are repped by CAA, and Yorn, Levine, Barnes. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'Nobody Wants This' Season 2 So Far 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More Everything We Know About Prime Video's 'Legally Blonde' Prequel Series 'Elle' Solve the daily Crossword


Forbes
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Netflix Could Lose ‘Stranger Things' Creators After Season 5 To Paramount+
The world of streaming can be competitive to the point of being cutthroat, and there's a development brewing between Netflix and Paramount that may not go well for the former. Variety reports that Stranger Things creators/showrunners the Duffer Brothers are in 'advanced negotiations' to make movies and shows for Paramount. An existing connection there is that Cindy Holland, Paramount's new streaming head, was the exec who originally greenlit Stranger Things at Netflix, and the rest is history. It wouldn't just be an instant departure. Despite working hard on finishing Stranger Things , the Duffer Brothers have two new series coming in 2026, The Boroughs and Something Very Bad is Going To Happen. There's also an animated Stranger Things feature coming. Rumors of Stranger Things spin-offs have been circulating for a while, and one of those still seems to be in place. But long-term, losing the architects of one of Netflix's most popular series of all time would be less than ideal for them, and it would be a big boon for Paramount+, a service anchored on legacy series and piles of new shows from Yellowstone's Taylor Sheridan like Tulsa King and Landman . Stranger Things will end with season 5 this year with a somewhat ridiculous airing schedule of four episodes airing on November 26, three episode on Christmas Day and the last episode on New Year's Day, as somehow Netflix remains allergic to a true week-to-week offering, opting for these odd breaks instead (currently, Wednesday season 2 is on hiatus until its second half airs in September). We have seen plenty of departures like this before. A recent high profile one was Mike Flanagan, who made such Netflix classics like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass . Now he's over at Amazon doing Carrie and The Dark Tower series. Netflix is clearly looking for its next Stranger Things -sized hit. That show and Squid Game end this year, though fortunately it does have Wednesday to run for the foreseeable future. It does, however, remain the clear, unequivocal powerhouse in the streaming industry. A recent report said Netflix earns more than all its major streaming rivals combined, and its revenue is surging. Even with big shows ending, it keeps producing consistent hits and retaining subscribers. Paramount+, however, has been on the up after adding a number of well-watched series and distancing itself from a service it was once compared to, Peacock, which is losing boatloads of money. Grabbing the Duffer Brothers for new projects would be a big get for Paramount, but this deal is not done yet. Follow me on Twitter , YouTube , and Instagram . Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy .

Hypebeast
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Duffer Brothers Negotiating Potential Exit from Netflix, Expected to Move to Paramount
Summary In a seismic shift for the entertainment industry,MattandRoss Duffer, the creators ofNetflix's cultural juggernautStranger Things, are reportedly in advanced negotiations for a massive overall deal withParamount. While representatives for all parties have not yet officially commented, numerous reports from top-tier Hollywood outlets indicate that the deal is in its final stages. The potential move is significant for both the Duffer Brothers and Paramount. The deal would see the brothers focus on creating both series and features, with an emphasis on tentpole movies, a new creative avenue for the duo. The deal would also reunite them with Paramount's new head of streaming, Cindy Holland, who originally greenlitStranger Thingsat Netflix. It is important to note that this move will not immediately impact the Duffer Brothers' current projects with Netflix. The fifth and final season ofStranger Thingsis set to air this year, and their production company, Upside Down Pictures, has several other Netflix projects in development, including an animated series and a live-action spinoff. This deal marks a pivotal moment for the brothers, signaling a new chapter in their career while a new regime at Paramount makes a bold play to attract top-tier creative talent.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Paramount+'s New Streaming Chief Says They'll Invest Heavily in Series: ‘Streaming Movies Are Not a Priority'
Cindy Holland says she's looking to expand programming across TV with a heavier investment in streaming Paramount+ will be getting an increased content investment under new leadership, but streaming movies are out. 'Made for streaming movies are not a priority for me,' Paramount chair of direct-to-consumer Cindy Holland told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday on the Paramount lot. The streaming chief's comments came after her boss, CEO David Ellison, said he'd be increasing the company's investment in streaming content — specifically series. More from TheWrap Paramount+'s New Streaming Chief Says They'll Invest Heavily in Series: 'Streaming Movies Are Not a Priority' John Oliver Tears Up Remembering Monica Lewinsky's 'Last Week Tonight' Interview as 'A Massive Act of Trust' | Video Taylor Sheridan's 'Landman' Sets Season 2 Premiere Date at Paramount+ 'South Park' Season 27, Episode 2 Ratings Grow From Premiere With 6.2 Million Viewers 'We're going to significantly scale the amount of content that we are producing on streaming services as well as at our film studio,' Ellison said. Holland added: 'To get the required engagement, we need more content. We're going to invest in content.' But that content will not be original streaming films, as Paramount+ looks to follow in HBO Max's footsteps in scaling back production of the direct-to-streaming movies that became prevalent during the streaming boom. Those films had already become fewer in number before Skydance bought Paramount, but as Ellison laid out his plans for the company's film output on Wednesday he made clear they're going all-in on theatrical. During the press conference, Paramount's new leadership said it has a goal of producing up to 20 films per year in a dramatic ramp up of its movie output for theaters. As for what the investment on the Paramount+ side will look like, Holland underlined the importance of creating more four-quadrant content to expand beyond the streamer's popular Taylor Sheridan dramas and 'Star Trek' series. 'We want to entertain all audiences around the world on Paramount+ today,' she said. 'We have a really great foundation, which is the Taylor Sheridan universe. We also have incredible CBS next-day, live sports, a lot from the cable networks, franchises like 'Star Trek,' so many series. We're seeking to expand that and make sure that we're offering programming for everybody not just occasionally, not just for the one thing but hopefully, a daily habit for all audiences.' The post Paramount+'s New Streaming Chief Says They'll Invest Heavily in Series: 'Streaming Movies Are Not a Priority' appeared first on TheWrap. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jane Wiseman & Efrain Miron Poised To Join Cindy Holland At Paramount's DTC Unit
EXCLUSIVE: Cindy Holland is reassembling the team. Jane Wiseman and Efrain Miron who had worked with Holland at both Netflix and Sister, are expected to be named as part of her team at Paramount, sources said. Holland, who had been advising Skydance on the streaming business, was officially revealed yesterday as a member of the corporate leadership at post-merger Paramount, a Skydance corporation. She will serve as Chair of Direct-to-Consumer, overseeing the strategy, operations and performance of the company's streaming platforms, Paramount+ and Pluto TV. Wiseman and Miron's exact roles and titles are unclear but they are expected to have senior positions on the programming and business side, respectively. A rep for Skydance declined comment. More from Deadline Mike Ireland Exiting Role As Head Of Motion Picture Group At Paramount Skydance Unveils Board Of New Paramount With Former Studio Chief Sherry Lansing, Oracle CEO Safra Catz 'South Park' Production To Be Overseen By George Cheeks In Post-Merger Paramount Structure Holland is known for her 18-year tenure at Netflix, including nine years as VP of Original Content, during which she spearheaded the streamer's rise to a leading original programming player. Veteran comedy executive Wiseman joined Holland's Netflix original programming team in 2013 and oversaw the platform's comedy slate during her seven-year stint as VP Original Series. Miron spent nine years at Netflix, most recently as VP, Business & Legal Affairs. Miron and Wiseman, who left Netflix soon after Holland's September 2020 exit, were her first two hires after Holland was named Global CEO for Jane Featherstone and Liz Murdoch's Sister entertainment group in July 2023. Holland departed Sister in October 2024 to become a senior advisor to Skydance and its CEO David Ellison. According to sources, Miron formally wrapped his role at Sister as President, Strategy and Business Affairs in January of this year while Wiseman left as Head of U.S. Television in June. Miron is known to have taken informal meetings for Holland in her role of Skydance streaming adviser over the last few months. Best of Deadline 'Wednesday' Season 2 Soundtrack: All The Songs In Part 1 'The Buccaneers' Season 2 Soundtrack: From Griff To Sabrina Carpenter 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More Solve the daily Crossword