Walmart Netflix hubs / Bateman, Law in "Black Rabbit" / CNN shuts down film division / TelevisaUnivision Q3 earnings

Plus the weekend calendar, no more "House of the Dragon til '24, "The Shop" Prime Video "TNF" feed, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network October 28, 2022

Walmart retail locations across the U.S. are getting their own Netflix departments as part of a new collaboration between the companies. The physical Netflix in-store hubs will feature music, clothing, collectibles, and other seasonal items related to Netflix programming, along with snack boxes to enjoy while streaming and $19.99 Netflix gift cards. More: To offset stalling subscriber growth, Netflix has explored a number of alternate revenue streams, including merchandising and consumer products. Physical experiences -- such as a pop-up installation dedicated to "Bridgerton" that toured several cities -- have also been explored. In 2021, Walmart launched a digital Netflix hub on its website. Walmart also has a branded partnership with Paramount+, and offers access to the subscription streaming service through its Walmart+ customer loyalty program. DEADLINE

Jason Bateman and Jude Law will co-star in the Netflix limited series "Black Rabbit." Both actors will also executive produce the project, and Bateman has been tapped to direct episodes as well  More: "King Richard" screenwriter Zach Baylin and Kate Susman created the series, which is based on an original concept, and wrote the scripts. No plot details have yet been released. This marks the first on-screen collaboration between Bateman and Law; it's Bateman's first regular TV role since Netflix's "Ozark." DEADLINE

WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28 ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT: 2022 German-language WWI drama, based on the 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque and directed by Edward Berger ("Deutschland 83"). The story follows German soldier Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer), who enters the conflict with naive, romanticized notions, but quickly discovers the horrifying realities of combat first-hand. Daniel Brühl, Albrecht Schuch, and Moritz Klaus co-star. The film is Germany's submission for this year's Best International Feature at the Academy Awards. [Netflix] WENDELL & WILD: Stop-motion animated horror-comedy film from "Nightmare Before Christmas" vet Henry Selick and Jordan Peele. Peele and former comedy partner Keegan-Michael Key reunite to voice a pair of demon brothers who enlist the help of a 13-year-old girl (Lyric Ross) to bring them over to the Land of the Living. Angela Bassett, James Hong, and Ving Rhames also provide voices. [Netflix] BIG MOUTH: The adult animated comedy series -- which follows the adventures of a number of adolescent friends as they experience the trials and travails of puberty -- returns on Friday for a sixth season. The new season will deal with the fallout from Maury's pregnancy, which was first revealed in the "Big Mouth" spinoff series, "Human Resources." Nick Kroll, Maya Rudolph, John Mulaney, Jessi Klein, Jason Mantzoukas, and Ayo Edebiri co-star. [Netflix] THE BASTARD SON & THE DEVIL HIMSELF: Debut British fantasy-drama series, created by "Giri/Haji" vet Joe Barton, and based on the YA novel "Half Bad" by Sally Green. Jay Lycurgo stars as teen Nathan Byrn, the illegitimate son of the "world's most dangerous blood witch," who escapes after years of captivity at the hands of his mother's enemies, the Fairborn. [Netflix] DRINK MASTERS: In this debut reality competition series, 12 mixologists will square off in a string of cocktail-based challenges for a $100,000 grand prize and the title of Ultimate Drink Master. Comedian Tone Bell hosts; Frankie Solarik and Julie Reiner serve as judges. [Netflix] I AM A STALKER: True-crime docuseries in which convicted stalkers talk about their crimes and provide accounts of harassment and abuse from their own perspectives. The series comes from Crime + Investigation UK; the companion series, "I Am a Killer," also streams on Netflix in the US. [Netflix] WILD IS THE WIND: Crime drama feature from South African writer/director Fabian Medea in which racial tensions threaten to consume a small, segregated community after the body of a young Afrikaner girl is discovered. Mothusi Magano and Frank Rautenbach co-star. [Netflix] IF ONLY (SI LO HUBIERA SABIDO): Spanish-language drama series starring Megan Montaner as a 30-something wife and mother who finds herself magically transported 10 years into the past following a lunar eclipse, giving her a second chance to make different choices. [Netflix] MY ENCOUNTER WITH EVIL (MI ENCUENTRO CON EL MAL): Spanish-language docuseries from Mexico featuring testimonials from three women -- along with their friends and family members -- who claim to have been demonically possessed, along with cinematic re-enactments. [Netflix] STARS AT NOON: Dramatic thriller from co-writer/director Claire Denis ("High Life"), based on the novel by Denis Johnson. In '80s Nicaragua, an American journalist (Margaret Qualley) and an English businessman (Joe Alwyn) fall in love, then find themselves embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy, ultimately forcing them to escape the country. Benny Safdie co-stars. [Hulu] RESURRECTION: Dark psychological thriller from writer/director Andrew Semans ("Nancy, Please"), starring Rebecca Hall as a single mother and executive whose busy life begins to unravel when she encounters a former acquaintance (Tim Roth) from a past she has long since buried. [Shudder] THE DEVIL'S HOUR: Six-part psychological thriller series from the UK, created by newcomer Tom Moran and executive produced by "Sherlock" and "Doctor Who" vet Steven Moffat. Jessica Raine stars as a detective who dreams each night about encounters with a fugitive serial killer named Gideon (Peter Capaldi). [Amazon] RUN SWEETHEART RUN: Indie horror-thriller from writer/director Shana Feste ("Country Strong"), starring Ella Balinska as a woman who flees a blind date in Los Angeles on foot, only to find that her former companion (Pilou Asbæk) is now hunting her for sport. The film debuted at the 2020 Sundance festival. [Amazon] DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA: The second "Downton Abbey" spinoff film (a sequel to the 2019 original) follows members of the Crawley family as they visit the dowager countess' newly inherited villa in the South of France. Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, and Penelope Wilton co-star. [Amazon] LOUIS ARMSTRONG'S BLACK & BLUES: Feature documentary from filmmaker Sacha Jenkins ("Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men") profiling the legendary jazz trumpeter and singer, based on his own meticulously recorded audio dairies along with an array of archival footage. It debuted at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. [Apple TV+] MILK STREET'S COOKING SCHOOL: Instructional culinary series from chef and "America's Test Kitchen" vet Christopher Kimball, based in his Milk Street headquarters in Downtown Boston, with a focus on tips and new techniques for home cooks. Roku will also debut a companion series, "Milk Street's My Family Recipe," on Friday. [Roku] ¡GARCÍA!: Spanish action-adventure series, based on a graphic novel by Luis Bustos and Santiago García, about a cryogenically frozen super spy (Francisco Ortiz), created in the 1950s by Franco's secret service, who's defrosted by a reporter (Veki Velilla) in present-day Madrid.  [HBO Max] SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29 CLEAN: 2021 action-thriller starring Adrien Brody as a garbageman who's targeted by a local crime boss, forcing him to dredge up memories and instincts from his violent past. Brody co-wrote the film along with director Paul Solet ("Bullet Head") and also composed the score. [Hulu] DEADWIND (KARPPI): The Finnish "Nordic Noir" crime drama series stars Pihla Viitala as Detective Sofia Karppi, who works homicide cases out of Helsinki. Season 3 centers on a new case that may lead Karppi to answers about her late husband's death; it aired in Finland in 2021 and comes to Netflix in the US today. [Netflix] SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30 THE WHITE LOTUS: Each season of the satirical anthology comedy-drama series follows multiple overlapping stories set at resort destinations around the globe. Season 2, debuting this Sunday, moves the action of Sicily. Jennifer Coolidge and Jon Gries reprise their Season 1 roles; newcomers include Aubrey Plaza, Theo James, Meghann Fahy, Michale Imperioli, F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hollander, and Haley Lu Richardson. [HBO Max] THE LOST KITCHEN: The Magnolia Network reality series takes viewers behind the scenes at The Lost Kitchen, a historic mill in Freedom, Maine, that's been transformed by chef and owner Erin French into a world-class restaurant. Diners make reservations not by phone or email but by submitting postcards. Season 3 comes to HBO Max this weekend. [HBO Max] BRIAN AND CHARLES: 2022 indie mockumentary comedy from first-time director Jim Archer, based on a 2017 short by Archer and writers David Earl and Chris Hayward. The film profiles Brian (Earl), a socially awkward hoarder and inventor in rural Wales who somehow creates an artificially-intelligent companion (Hayward) from a pile of junk. [Peacock]

"Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy" CNN chairman Chris Licht informed staffers on Friday that the cable network will no longer license or produce its own original TV series and documentary films. Original CNN shows and films include the documentary profiles "Navalny" and "RBG," and travel series such as "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy" and "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown." More: According to Licht, the network will shift focus away from original documentaries and series and toward more "long-form content." Licht's comments also noted that employees should expect "noticeable change" at the network, due to cost-cutting measures by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery; these cuts will apparently include some layoffs. Upcoming CNN film and TV projects included the opioid crisis documentary "American Pain" and "See It Loud: The History of Black Television" from LeBron James and Maverick Carter's company, SpringHill. NEW YORK TIMES

Wade Davis TelevisaUnivision hosted its Q3 earnings call on Thursday but declined to provide subscriber numbers for either the ViX or ViX+ streaming services. The services launched in March and July of this year, respectively; CEO Wade Davis suggested that it's too early to worry about specific numbers. More: Davis predicted that the company's streaming products will achieve profitability by the year 2023. The new company resulted from a $4.8 billion merger between two Spanish-language media companies, which closed in January of this year. According to TelevisaUnivision, the launch of ViX+ in July contributed to an 8% overall rise in revenue for the quarter. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Vulture spoke with HBO chief Casey Bloys about the network's big bet on "House of the Dragon." Though final numbers aren't yet in, "House of the Dragon" scored around 29 million US viewers per week across linear and digital platforms, making it one of the year's most-watched series, and a comparable hit to the original "Game of Thrones." More: "Dragon" has already surpassed viewership for the hit HBO series "Euphoria," and it's closing in on the numbers from the final "Game of Thrones" seasons (which averaged around 33 million viewers per episode). "Dragon" was also a hit according to Nielsen's third-party measurements, which estimated around 1 billion weekly viewing minutes for the last several episodes. That's good enough to consistently make the company's "Top 5 Streaming Shows of the Week" chart. Bloys spoke about the inherent challenges of finding a worthy successor to a classic series, noting "we had to find material that we thought was worth it." According to Bloys, audiences shouldn't expect new "House of the Dragon" episodes until 2024. VULTURE

The cast and creators of "Uninterrupted The Shop" will produce and host their own "Thursday Night Football" alternate stream for Amazon Prime Video. The feeds will feature "The Shop" co-creators and regulars LeBron James, Maverick Carter, and Paul Rivera, along with special guests. More: "The Shop" stream will debut on November 17, as the Tennessee Titans take on the Green Bay Packers. Other alternate "Thursday Night Football" streams are hosted by the YouTube collective Dude Perfect and Amazon NFL anchors Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer; a Spanish-language feed, "TNF en Español," is also available. DEADLINE

QUICK HITS Scale up with this toolkit and get your brand on everyone’s wishlist.* The Disney+ spinoff series "The Santa Clauses" -- starring Tim Allen as a retiring Scott Calvin, who's seeking a successor for the role of Santa Claus -- arrives on November 16. Speaking at an event at the DGA Theatre in Los Angeles this week, "Dahmer – Monster" producer Ryan Murphy said his team reached out to 20 family members or friends of victims during the course of their three-and-a-half year research and pre-production process, but no one responded to their requests. A new YouTube redesign splits video content into three separate tabs on channel pages: traditional long-form content, YouTube Shorts, and Live videos. Peacock dropped a trailer for the psychological crime thriller series "The Calling," from executive producer David E. Kelley and filmmaker Barry Levinson. Netflix added its first ever official Discord bot, making it easier to collaboratively watch movies on the platform, but every participant must have their own Netflix subscription. Apple dropped a trailer for the family-friendly sci-fi anthology series "Circuit Breakers," premiering on November 11. Amazon renewed the reality series "Clarkson's Farm" -- following along as "Top Gear" host Jeremy Clarkson and his family relocate from London to the English countryside -- for a third season. "Breaking Bad" vet Betsy Brandt and Michael Park joined the cast of the Hulu psychological drama series "Saint X," based on the novel by Alexis Schaitkin. Yaya DaCosta ("Chicago Med") will join the cast of Netflix's "The Lincoln Lawyer" for its second season; she'll play undefeated, cutthroat prosecutor Andrea Freeman. The animated Sonic the Hedgehog series "Sonic Prime" finally hits Netflix on December 15, nearly two years after it was originally announced. *This is sponsored content

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." Editor Eduardo Garcia is a writer and editor based in New York. He is the author of "Things You Can Do," an illustrated book about climate action. Bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, Slate, Scientific American, and others. In one of his previous lives, Eduardo worked as a Reuters correspondent in Latin America for nearly a decade.

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