"Masters" may move to Amazon / "Extended Family" back in production / Brollie launch / YouTube AI disclaimers

Plus today's calendar, Nolan calls streamers "evil," "Welcome to Wrexham" renewed, new "Witcher" animated special, and more

Inside Streaming For November 14, 2023

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Good morning and thanks for reading today's Inside Streaming brief. This "Masters of the Universe" film absolutely refuses to die. Multiple studios and now streamers have taken a crack at it, only to walk away. The project has passed through Sony and Warner Bros., and now seems poised to move from Netflix (which shut down its own plans in July) to Amazon. To be honest... I'm a bit dubious as to whether this movie actually makes financial sense at all, for anyone. To be sure, "Masters of the Universe" and characters like He-Man and Skeletor have a lot of brand recognition. But will this necessarily translate to first-weekend eyeballs or ticket sales? I feel like He-Man fandom is pretty old at this point. There have been some efforts to engage younger fans, but those toys were at their peak of popularity and relevance when I WAS A KID. And I'm in my 40s now! You're also talking about a monumentally expensive production. You have to create the entire fantasy realm of Eternia, not to mention Castle Greyskull and all its attending creatures and visual effects. There's a reason the '80s movie transported He-Man and a few other characters to Earth; it was much cheaper to produce that way. But audiences in 2023 aren't likely to be so accepting. (Audiences in 1987 weren't exactly thrilled, either.) Lon p/lon-harris

1 According to Deadline, Amazon MGM Studios is in negotiations to take over the "Masters of the Universe" movie from Netflix. The project comes from "The Lost City" vets Adam and Aaron Nee; Netflix shut down development in July. More: Netflix already spent around $30 million on the project; "A Haunting in Venice" vet Kyle Allen had been tapped to star as He-Man. Netflix walked away due to concerns over the film's proposed $200 million budget. Amazon would need to sign new deals with the Nee Brothers for their script and direction; apparently, Allen is still under consideration for the role of He-Man. Producer Todd Black, who has now followed the film through multiple different studios, also remains attached to the project. Animated rights to the Mattel-owned franchise are currently held by DreamWorks, which complicates the deal-making process.

2 The NBC comedy series "Extended Family" restarted production on Monday, just four days after the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strike. The first-year comedy series had already shot six episodes prior to the strikes, and additional scripts were ready to go. More: "Extended Family" is scheduled to debut at midseason. Jon Cryer and Abigail Spencer co-star as Jim and Julia, a divorced couple who agree to continue living together for the sake of their kids; Donald Faison co-stars as Julia's new boyfriend. The show comes from Lionsgate Television and Universal Television. During Lionsgate's earnings call last week, TV Chairman Kevin Beggs assured investors that the studio would return to production "immediately." Another NBC sitcom, the "Night Court" reboot, is also slated to re-enter production this week.

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3 DAILY CALENDAR TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14 THE NETFLIX CUP: SWING TO SURVIVE: Netflix's first-ever live-streaming sports event is this celebrity golf tournament, featuring teams composed of Formula 1 drivers featured on "Drive to Survive" series teamed up with professional golfers from "Full Swing." Competitors include drivers Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, and Pierre Gasly, along with golfers Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Max Homa, and Collin Morikawa. Bert Kreischer, Joel Dahmen, Kay Adams, and Marshawn Lynch co-host. The event streams live from the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas, starting Tuesday at 6 pm ET. [Netflix] HOW TO BECOME A MOB BOSS: Satirical docuseries from the producers of "How to Become a Tyrant" and "How to Become a Cult Leader," tracking the rises and falls of history's most infamous underworld figures, including Al Capone and Pablo Escobar. Peter Dinklage returns as narrator. [Netflix] TREVOR WALLACE: PTERODACTYL: This is the debut stand-up special from the comedian, who grew a massive audience on social media with viral clips featuring characters like "The Guy Who Never Left His Hometown" and "The Guy With Too Many Monitors at the Coffee Shop." [Amazon] SUBURRÆTERNA: Debut crime drama series from Italy, following up on the events of the 2015 film "Suburra" and its 2017 TV spinoff "Suburra: Blood on Rome." In 2011, Alberto "Spadino" Anacleti (Giacomo Ferrara) returns to Rome during a time of chaos and uncertainty, in order to reclaim his underworld empire. Filippo Nigro, Carlotta Antonelli, and Federica Sabatini co-star. [Netflix] CRIMINAL CODE (DNA DO CRIME): Debut crime thriller series from Brazil, inspired by actual events, about federal agents who are forced to get creative while tracking the elite team behind a daring robbery at a private security firm in Paraguay. Guilherme Faria, Pedro Caetano, Guito, and Miguel Nader co-star. [Netflix] A MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD: Limited mystery-drama series from FX and "The OA" co-creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij. Emma Corrin stars as amateur sleuth Darby Hart, who must solve a murder after being invited to a reclusive billionaire's isolated retreat. Marling, Clive Owen, Harris Dickinson, Alice Braga, and Jermaine Fowler co-star. [Hulu] NCIS: SYDNEY: This debut military action series from Australia is the first international "NCIS" spinoff. It was produced for the Australian Paramount+ service, but airs on CBS (and streams on US Paramount+) starting this week. Olivia Swann, Todd Lasance, Sean Sagar, Tuuli Narkle, Mavournee Hazel, and William McInnes co-star. [Paramount+] PAY OR DIE: Feature documentary from MTV, examining the soaring cost of insulin in the US from the perspectives of three Americans with diabetes and their families. The film premiered at this year's SXSW festival, and had a limited, Oscar-qualifying theatrical release. Scott Alexander Ruderman and Rachael Dyer directed. [Paramount+] JFK: WHAT THE DOCTORS SAW: Documentary featuring interviews with seven physicians who treated President John F. Kennedy in the emergency room of Parkland Hospital, after he was shot on November 22, 1963. The film, produced to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Kennedy's assassination, was directed by "Loving Elvis" vet Barbara Shearer. [Paramount+] PAW PATROL: The animated action-adventure series centers on a group of dedicated puppies who protect the community of Adventure Bay. Season 8 aired earlier this year on Nickelodeon and hits Paramount+ in its entirety today. [Paramount+] TEEN TITANS GO! WB 100th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: Animated special from Cartoon Network, produced as part of the superhero comedy series' 8th Season. Everything is going well when the Titans are put in charge of WB's 100th Anniversary party, until they accidentally break the studio's iconic shield logo. [Max] FEAR THY NEIGHBOR: True-crime docuseries from Investigation Discovery, focusing on feuds between neighbors that ultimately boil over into violence. The second half of the show's ninth season hits cable and Max this week. [Max]  REAL TIME CRIME: The Investigation Discovery true-crime series looks at how law enforcement uses surveillance cameras, gunshot detectors, and other real-time tracking systems to solve crimes and locate suspects. Season 2 premieres this week on Max and cable. [Max] HOW WE GET FREE: HBO documentary short following community activist Elisabeth Epps and her crusade to abolish Colorado's cash bail system. Geeta Gandbhir and Samantha Knowles ("Black and Missing") directed. [Max]

4 Independent distributor Umbrella Entertainment announced Brollie, a free ad-supported streaming service focused on Australian film and TV content. The app will launch on November 23 for Apple TV, Google TV, Android TV, and the web. More: The app will arrive with around 300 titles, including "The Babadook," "Two Hands," "Sweat," "Erskineville Kings," and "Cut." There's also a dedicated hub for projects involving Indigenous Australians, including a collection of films featuring Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil. Many of the films will stream along with special features ported over from their DVD releases.

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5 YouTube will add notifications to videos featuring potentially misleading content generated by AI apps and tools. A new policy update, announced on Tuesday, requires creators to label any "manipulated or synthetic content that is realistic." More: The policy update comes in response to a number of new generative AI tools allowing creators to easily add new elements to their videos, such as text, imagery, or audio. The new rules exclusively apply to generated content that is realistic, particularly when it concerns sensitive topics such as "elections, ongoing conflicts and public health crises, or public officials." TikTok has also added a warning label around AI-generated content, and has rules in place requiring users to disclose when AI is used to depict "realistic scenes." Meta will require political advertisers to inform viewers when content has been AI-generated.

6 During a Los Angeles screening of "Oppenheimer" on Monday night, director Christopher Nolan stressed the importance of purchasing films on physical media, such as Blu-Ray. Nolan recommended purchasing films "so no evil streaming service can come steal it from you." More: Though Nolan has insisted on the importance of the theatrical experience for watching films, he added "the way the film goes out at home is equally important." Nolan said he and his team put a lot of care into the "Oppenheimer" Blu-Ray release, ensuring that the photography and sound translated properly "into the digital realm." He also insists that the special features on the disc give a lot of details into the production without revealing "my secrets." Nolan notably exited his long-time relationship with Warner Bros. to produce "Oppenheimer" for Universal, in part because of the studio's former strategy of releasing films simultaneously to theaters and the HBO Max service.

7 FX renewed the sports docuseries "Welcome to Wrexham" for a third season. The new episodes will arrive in Spring 2024. More: Season 2 wraps up its run this week; the entire season is streaming on Hulu in the US and Disney+ around the globe. The series chronicles the historic football club from Wrexham in North Wales after it's purchased by Hollywood actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.

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Knowledge Hub Term of the Day Keyword stuffing: Keyword stuffing involves the inclusion of keywords into a website’s content unnaturally or repetitively to manipulate search engine algorithms. Read More Question of the Week What perks would convince you to return to the office? Join the conversation

Lon Harris Writer Lon Harris is the writer and editor of Inside Streaming and was the very first person to ever write an Inside newsletter. He lives in Los Angeles, California, and also writes about TV and film for Fandom, Screen Junkies, Rotten Tomatoes, Gamma Ray and others. Plus he has a Game of Thrones podcast called "Casterly Talk" and competes on The Movie Trivia Schmoedown as "The Professor." This newsletter was edited by Lon Harris

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