💸 Everybody wants Warner Bros.

September 27, 2025 Waseem Abbas

Everybody wants some!

Sep. 26 — Some Warner Bros., that is. In a recent newsletter, I mentioned that post the Paramount Skydance merger, the company was also prepping a bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. Apparently, they aren’t the only ones. According to a report in Puck from Dylan Byers (subscription needed), Netflix is also considering a bid, and NBCUniversal is “running the numbers” – whatever that means.

Paramount Skydance still seems the most likely candidate for a buyout, which would have significant ramifications not just for entertainment but also for news media. The company owns CBS and, if CEO David Ellison decides to take on Warner Bros. Discovery, would own CNN as well. Ellison reportedly plans to install Bari Weiss – founder of The Free Press, who has positioned herself against the “woke” left – as head of CBS News. The network also recently announced it would bring on former Donald Trump appointee Kenneth Weinstein to investigate complaints against the company. CBS News employees told The Independent they see these decisions as moves by Ellison to appease the far right and Trump.

We’ll be keeping an eye on this possible acquisition here at Scene, so keep tuning in. Without further ado … Action!

After 25 years on the air, Atlanta radio personality Bert Weiss announced that “The Bert Show” is ending in October.

Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ film festival, started yesterday and continues through Oct. 5. The Atlanta Women’s Film Festival and SCAD AnimationFest also continue through the weekend. More on all three of those festivals below!

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel came back on the air this week after his short suspension from ABC over comments he made about the death of Charlie Kirk. In his first monologue back, he pushed the importance of free speech. Ironically, some ABC affiliates are still refusing to air Kimmel’s show. See if you’re able to tune in here.

Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, who appeared in films like “8½” and “Rocco and his Brothers,” passed away this week at 87.

This week’s newsletter features an interview with the director of the animated film “Kpop Demon Hunters,” along with a chat with a filmmaker showing her first short film at the Atlanta Women’s Film Festival. I’ll also give my thoughts on two films playing at Out on Film as well as the new Paul Thomas Anderson movie, “One Battle After Another.” Plus, what’s playing at the movies this week, a new edition of Spotlight, and some reading and listening recommendations for your lunch break.

I’ll leave you with this: if you ever feel someone is giving you bad advice, it might be a good idea to listen to your gut. Leonardo DiCaprio’s ex-agent apparently told him he would be better off changing his name – one of the most movie star-sounding names in the world, I might add! – to “Lenny Williams.” I think not!

Thanks for reading!
Sammie

Xanadu the musical rolls into Serenbe Oct. 10–19 at the Wildflower Meadow. Enjoy a disco-fueled night under the stars with live music, glitter, and a VIP experience where you can sit on stage, meet the cast, and win signed skates. More info here. SPONSOR MESSAGE

Director Chris Appelhans talks ‘Kpop Demon Hunters’ ahead of SCAD AnimationFest

“KPop Demon Hunters” has taken the world by storm this year.

The movie, which follows a K-pop girl group who lead double lives as demon hunters, is the most popular Netflix movie of all time. The soundtrack, which includes pop bangers like “Soda Pop” and “Golden,” has topped the Billboard charts this year. Now, SCAD AnimationFest is getting in on the action.

The festival, which runs from Sept. 25-27, will honor co-directors Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang with the festival’s Impact Award for their work on the film. Appelhans is expected to attend the festival to receive the award and will sit for a Q&A following a screening of the film on Sept. 27.

I spoke with Appelhans about the making of the film ahead of the screening. You can check out that conversation here.

Taste the flavor and fun of Chamblee

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Add in the nonstop excitement of the 3rd Spot Watch Party Series, where fans gather to share the energy of the game.

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Eliza Gibson talks transitioning to filmmaking with ‘Symptoms’

Eliza Gibson has lived many lives. She wanted to be a concert pianist until an injury in her early 20s forced her to change course. She then turned to humanitarian work in the former Yugoslavia. Then, she moved into the world of theater – specifically, one-woman shows.

Now, she’s taking on the world of filmmaking. “Symptoms,” her first short film, will play at this year’s Atlanta Women’s Film Festival on Sept. 27. The film follows Eleanor (Pinky Jones), a woman in her late 40s dealing with a very bad day at work while also experiencing symptoms of perimenopause.

“It’s very much inspired by my personal experience of living through perimenopause,” Gibson told me. “Which is having a bit of a moment in some parts of the country, I think. Women are starting to talk about it more, which is great.”
You can learn more about Gibson’s movie here.

‘One Battle After Another’ and hope for the future

WEEKLY FILM REVIEW

It seems that lately, many of our best directors are making their big “America” movies – movies about this so-called great experiment and where we find ourselves as a country today. Two years ago, we got Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Just this year, we got Ari Aster’s “Eddington,” and Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest.” If you squint, you could even count Zach Cregger’s “Weapons” among these films. And now, we’ve got “One Battle After Another.”

Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” is explosive and incisive – both blunt object and rapier, clear-eyed in its view of America and all its insidious entrails. But, for as much as “One Battle After Another” feels timely, it’s also a movie deeply concerned with America’s cyclical nature: there are always young people looking to change the world, and there’s always an old guard to be reckoned with.

Loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland,” the film features Anderson’s signature humor mixed with an impending sense of doom. But, perhaps the most surprising (and maybe subversive) thing about this paranoid thriller is how it’s imbued with a sense of hope – hope in our loved ones, hope in ourselves, and hope for what’s to come.

Read my full review here.

Out on Film: ‘The Librarians’ and ‘Plainclothes’

WEEKLY FILM REVIEW

This week marks the start of Out on Film, Atlanta’s annual LGBTQ+ film festival! Over the next two weeks, I’ll be offering short reviews of some of the major movies playing the fest.

“The Librarians” – In light of recent censorship attempts in the United States, Kim A. Snyder’s documentary “The Librarians” feels more timely than ever. The film follows school librarians in states such as Texas and Florida as they fight against book banning in their schools. While the documentary itself features a pretty standard construction, the strength and bravery of the librarians at the film’s center really steal the show.

“Plainclothes” – I first got the chance to see “Plainclothes,” Carmen Emmi’s feature film debut, at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. I fell in love with Emmi’s visual style, particularly how he uses the cinematic language of surveillance to set the mood for this thorny, melancholy thriller. It reminded me of Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation” in that way, and the performances from both Tom Blythe and Russell Tovey are magnetic.

Check out the full lineup of Out on Film and find ticket information here.

At the Movies!

If you’re looking for a movie to see in theaters this week, here’s what you’ve got to look forward to!

Movies releasing this weekend:
“Eleanor the Great” (pictured)
“One Battle After Another”
“Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie”
“We Strangers”
“Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror”
“All Of You”

Special Events:
“Hard Boiled” 4K @ The Plaza (Friday-Wednesday)
“Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome” @ The Plaza (Saturday-Wednesday)
“The Killer” 4K @ The Tara (Friday-Wednesday)
“Megalopolis” @ The Tara (Saturday-Sunday)
“Thief” 4K @ The Tara (Saturday-Tuesday)
“Spider-Man” (Friday-Tuesday)
“Spider-Man 2.1” (Saturday-Sunday)
Spider-Man 3″ (Sunday)

Spotlight: A$AP Rocky in ‘Highest 2 Lowest’

Welcome to a new weekly Scene segment: Spotlight! As awards season heats up, I’ll be taking a moment each week to highlight the actors, directors, writers, etc. who I think are deserving of recognition. Will they be recognized by the Academy? Who knows! But they would be if I were in charge, and that’s all that matters here.

Most of us probably know A$AP Rocky as a rapper, but he’s made a few appearances in films over the years, mostly as himself in documentaries or movies like “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.” But 2025 is shaping up to be his breakout year, with roles in the Sundance hit “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” and “Highest 2 Lowest.”

The best scene in “Highest 2 Lowest” takes place toward the film’s end between record executive David King (Denzel Washington) and aspiring rapper Yung Felon (A$AP Rocky). Spike Lee’s latest film is flawed in many ways, but this moment is Lee at his best – letting Washington absolutely cook as he speaks with a Shakespearean gravity tinged with the rhythm of hip-hop, and letting A$AP Rocky prove that he has the chops to hang with the best.

To make a scene like the this one work – especially with an actor of the caliber of Denzel Washington – confidence is key, and A$AP Rocky has it in spades. He plays Yung Felon with a confidence that stems from the character’s ever-brimming rage and full-throttle belief in his own talents. If A$AP Rocky walked onto that set with anything less than the full conviction that he could rise to Washington’s level, the moment would fall flat. But as Yung Felon stares down the man he envies more than anyone else in the world, the man who he believes has the power to change his life for the better, you can feel his belief in his own mythology taking hold.

A$AP Rocky takes that belief and charges forward, pushing Washington in a way not many can and helping create one of the best push-and-pull scenes of the year.

Lights, Camera, Action!

You might remember that last year, Lionsgate announced a partnership with the artificial intelligence startup Runway, allowing Runway full access to its library with the goal of creating film and television using AI. A year later, that decision has turned into a cautionary tale about jumping on the AI hype train too early, say Roger Cheng and Jeremy Fuster. Read their piece on The Wrap here.

Now that hosts Sean and Amanda are officially back from vacation, The Big Picture podcast dove into 10 movies that they missed while they were out, including “The Long Walk” and “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey.” Take a listen here.

Emma Watson has been doing the rounds lately. Promoting what, you might ask? Well, nothing – or, as Fran Hoepfner writes for Vulture, herself. I quite enjoyed this short little piece on Watson’s recent podcast appearances, and how refreshing it is to hear someone who has been doing this for as long as she has (since she was 9 years old) talk about how absolutely nuts the celebrity industrial complex really is. Check out the piece here.

Today’s Scene was edited by Collin Kelley.

The post 💸 Everybody wants Warner Bros. appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

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