Hollywood
Pretty Little Liars writer to pen teen horror film
MUMBAI: The writer/creator of the blockbuster teenage drama, Pretty Little Liars, I. Marlene King will soon write the screenplay for the motion picture adaptation of an upcoming teen horror novel. Lionsgate, has acquired the film rights to Daniella Vega’s upcoming book, The Merciless with Alloy Entertainment, a television production unit of Warner Bros. Television. Through her chilling debut, Vega aims to deliver blood-curdling suspense and terror on every page. According to the official synopsis of the book, by the shockingly twisted end, readers will be faced with the most haunting question of all: Is there evil in all of us?
Here is the official synopsis of the book:
Brooklyn Stevens sits in a pool of her own blood, tied up and gagged. No one outside of these dank basement walls knows she’s here. No one can hear her scream.
Sofia Flores knows she shouldn’t have gotten involved. When she befriended Riley, Grace, and Alexis on her first day at school, she admired them, with their perfect hair and their good-girl ways. They said they wanted to save Brooklyn. They wanted to help her. Sofia didn’t realize they believed Brooklyn was possessed.
Now, Riley and the girls are performing an exorcism on Brooklyn—but their idea of an exorcism is closer to torture than salvation. All Sofia wants is to get out of this house. But there is no way out. Sofia can’t go against the other girls . . . unless she wants to be next. . . .
Kirkus Reviews opines on the book that, “It’ll take a sturdy reader not to keep flinching—or put this exercise in sensation down altogether.”
Lionsgate recently achieved tremendous success with Divergent, the dystopian teen romance starring Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley. The film just grossed a worldwide box office of $260 million including India.
Pretty Little Liars will soon return to Zee Cafe with the fifth season which will deal with the girls, and how they have to adjust to the new world where Alison is in.
Hollywood
WBD sets April 23 vote on $110bn Paramount Skydance merger
Investor approval key step, but regulators loom over mega media deal
NEW YORK: Warner Bros. Discovery has set April 23 as the date for shareholders to vote on its proposed $110 billion merger with Paramount Skydance, marking a crucial step in one of the biggest media deals in recent years.
The all-cash transaction offers WBD shareholders $31 per share, a hefty 147 per cent premium to its unaffected stock price, signalling strong intent to push the deal across the finish line. The company’s board has unanimously backed the merger and is urging investors to vote in favour.
Even if shareholders give the green light, the deal is far from done. Regulators in the United States and Europe are expected to scrutinise the merger closely, weighing concerns around competition and potential price impacts for consumers.
To keep investors on side, WBD has built in a safety net. If the deal is not completed by September 30, shareholders will receive a quarterly “ticking fee” of $0.25 per share until closure.
The proposed merger would significantly reshape the media landscape, combining the assets of Warner Bros. Discovery with those linked to Paramount Global and Skydance Media. It would also cement the growing influence of David Ellison, who has been steering Skydance’s aggressive expansion strategy.
“The WBD Board has been guided by the singular principle of securing a transaction that maximises the value of our iconic assets and delivers as much certainty as possible to our shareholders,” said Warner Bros. Discovery board chair Samuel A. Di Piazza Jr.. “This historic transaction will expand consumer choice and create new opportunities for creative talent.”
Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive officer David Zaslav added that the company is working closely with its counterpart to close the deal and unlock value for stakeholders.
With investor backing likely but regulatory hurdles ahead, the proposed merger is shaping up to be a defining moment for the global entertainment industry, where scale, content and competition are increasingly intertwined.
