The entertainment world is still reeling from the news that Paramount has swooped in and purchased Warner Bros. Pictures, effectively ending Netflix’s bid for the legacy studios. Obviously, there are a lot of questions on Hollywood’s mind, including the potential job cuts and contraction that comes with yet another mega-merger. There’s also the question of what the entertainment landscape will look like if this merger goes through, particularly given that HBO Max and Paramount would be under the same umbrella. Similar questions were raised when the Netflix/Warner Bros. merger seemed like a done deal, but HBO Max has a few advantages working in its favor.

For starters,HBO Max has far more subscribers than Paramount+​​.Per IndieWire, HBO Max has 131.6 million global subscribers, while Paramount+ has 79 million. Looking at those numbers, it only makes sense that Paramount would want to keep HBO Max around as its main streaming arm, especially with the massive library that the streamer has at its disposal. Yet there are other avenues that the studio could take, and they’d radically reshape the streaming landscape, not to mention the entertainment business itself.

HBO Max & Paramount+ Could Merge Into a Single Streaming Service

Image via Paramount+

The easiest route that Paramount could take with HBO Max and Paramount+ is to merge them into a single streaming service. It’s not unprecedented, as Disney+ and Hulu are looking to merge into a single service by the end of the year. The House of Mouse underwent a mega-merger of its own in 2019 when it purchased 20th Century Fox, and it’s not hard to imagine that Paramount CEO David Ellison would use the same playbook and make Paramount+ a hub on HBO Max’s interface. It would be the most efficient way to push Paramount+’s original movie and TV projects while also tapping into the prestige of the HBO brand.

Another factor in favor of an HBO Max/Paramount+ merger is the sheer number of franchises Paramount wants to utilize. From DC Comics to Harry Potter to Game of Thrones, there’s no shortage of intellectual property under the WB umbrella. Said intellectual property could boost Paramount’s profile, especially since most of its prominent franchises are in flux. TV-wise, Paramount could also use a win that doesn’t come from Star Trek or Taylor Sheridan, and HBO Max’s shows carry the kind of prestige that not only draws in audiences but also wins awards.

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It’s Possible that Paramount Might Ditch Paramount+ For HBO Max

If Paramount doesn’t merge HBO Max and Paramount+, it’s more than likely that one of the cost-cutting measures the new Paramount/Warner Bros. regime will take is to delete one service and keep the other. HBO Max will more than likely win out; between its larger subscriber base and a more appealing library of content, it has everything Paramount wants. Paramount+, on the other hand, has yet to turn a profit, as it lost Paramount nearly $500 million dollars. Northwestern University professor Rick Morris also pointed out the grim reality that Paramount is deep in debt and will be taking immense cost-cutting measures:

“Debt is debt. Debt will stop them from taking new initiatives, from investing in content, and it’ll take a period of time to work off. And many companies fail at working off the debt, and that is part of the reason that Warner Bros. is for sale.”

Paramount might also be looking to use HBO Max as a showcase for its new stable of talent. In the weeks leading up to its acquisition of Warner Bros., the studio signed multi-year deals with Stranger Things creators Ross & Matt Duffer, Jon M. Chu (Wicked: For Good), and Dan Trachtenberg (Predator: Badlands). The timing couldn’t have been better, as Taylor Sheridan is primed to leave Paramount for a more lucrative deal at Universal. Together, these filmmakers not only provide enough talent to fill Sheridan’s absence but will also drive more subscribers to HBO Max.

The Paramount/Warner Bros. Merger Could Affect Other Paramount Assets

Image via Bertrand Calmeau/CBS

Paramount+ isn’t the only streaming service whose future is up in the air. There’s also the matter of Pluto TV, the FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming Television) streaming service under Paramount’s umbrella. While Pluto TV has its own wide-ranging slate of free programming, The Hollywood Reporter writes that it’s facing some struggles, including a potential sale. If Paramount is considering cost-cutting measures, it could shutter Pluto TV, which would be a shame, as the channel could support Warner Bros. TV across its various channels. Pluto absolutely would host a Harry Potter channel or a channel dedicated to DC Comics films and TV shows.

Another Paramount asset that’s up in the air is Showtime. The cable channel was folded into Paramount+, but is there really a need for it when HBO exists? HBO and Showtime were rivals for years, though it’s clear that HBO has had more staying power. This could finally be the excuse Paramount is looking for to shutter the Showtime brand, though most of Showtime’s series would more likely continue as originals under HBO Max or simply transition to another streaming service, like Shameless.

HBO’s Head Honcho Isn’t Sure about the Future of HBO Max

Image via HBO Max

The Paramount/Warner Bros. merger has led to a flood of emotions online, as many in entertainment are unsure about the future. One of them is HBO chief Casey Bloys, who gave THR a hazy response last November when asked about the future of HBO Max:

“It’s kind of a waste of energy, because I don’t know what’s going to happen… I’m obviously very proud of what we’ve done at HBO and HBO Max. I would like to see that continue…We’ve all worked at HBO for a long time. I’m proud of our track record, but you have to go into these processes with an open mind. And a lot of it is out of our hands.”

While the merger has yet to be approved, it’s pretty clear that if it does, the media landscape will be irrevocably changed. HBO Max could potentially survive that change — after all, this isn’t the first time the streamer’s fallen under different ownership. But the question remains: what will it change into?

Two women’s basketball players from the University of Nebraska-Omaha played hero after practice on Tuesday, February 24, helping two drivers escape their cars after falling into a sinkhole.

“At first I thought it was just an accident,” student-athlete Olivia Borsutzki told college and high school sports outlet On3 after the incident. “I pulled over because something was wrong.”

Borsutzki and her teammate Esra Kurban were driving back from practice when they noticed a driver stepping out of a car in the middle of the intersection. Soon, they realized there were two cars across the street that fell into a massive sinkhole.

“We were at the light, just waiting for it to turn green and I saw that lady leaving the car, and I was like, ‘Oh!’” Borsutzki said on the Hurrdat ONE podcast. “It seemed like an accident, and then I looked closer … and I was like, ‘Oh there’s actually someone in the ground.’ ”

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Borsutzki said she didn’t see anyone helping, so she pulled her car over and ran to the man who couldn’t climb out of the sinkhole after exiting this vehicle. She struggled to help him out herself, so she called over another bystander for additional assistance.

“On the news, it doesn’t look that scary, not that deep,” Borsutzki told The Athletic. “But standing right in front of the hole is — it was scary.”

She continued, “I wasn’t really thinking in that moment. I was just like, ‘I need to help this man who is stuck in a hole.’”

Kurban was not far behind her teammate to help out, and within a few minutes both drivers were safely out of the sinkholes and a safe distance from the dangerous situation.

Police arrived just a few moments later and surveyed the scene. Both drivers were shaken up but reported to be uninjured.

After everything cleared, the teammates continued their trip back from practice and the enormity of the moment — and the consequences of their efforts — sunk in.

“My dad called me the next day and was like, ‘You were in danger. It could be really bad for you,’” Borsutzki said of her parents, who live in Germany. “I was like, ‘Oh I wasn’t really thinking about it.”

The teammates dropped a photo of the incident into their team group chat, and soon after a video went viral on social media, reaching over 1.6 million likes on TikTok.

Borsutski told On3 that her strength coach texted her in response to the moment, “Very strong, big dog.”

The Nebraska-Ohama men’s basketball team showed its support for the Good Samaritans, quote tweeting a video of the incident with a supportive message.

“Proud of these Mavs 👏,” the team account posted.

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Borsutzki said multiple cars passed the scene without helping, while others stood around recording the incident.

“Men and women were just recording. Nobody was helping,” she said to On3.

“Don’t be on your smartphones trying to record; help that person out. It could be you in that hole,” Borsutzki told The Athletic.

She continued, “That’s why it’s so crazy for us, why we’re all over the news. We just helped, we did something big, but it’s nothing major. I feel like every person should do the same thing we’ve done.”

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By Joshua Tyler
| Published 19 seconds ago

In 2001, Halo was launched, sending shockwaves through the entertainment and technology industries. There hadn’t been anything like it since the debut of Star Wars, a totally fresh, fully formed original property with complex lore, background, technology, big ideas, and even bigger action sequences.

It seemed poised to become a generational hit, an SF juggernaut. Blockbuster movies were planned, tie-in novels were released, and fans camped out days in advance for each new release. Then it fell apart. The promised Halo movie never happened, the games based on it declined in quality, and it was buried under a mountain of cash-grabbing and corporate greed.

Now, what should be the biggest sci-fi in the world is nothing but a fading memory from the past. This is why Halo failed.

Halo Launches And Becomes A Juggernaut

On November 15th, 2001, Microsoft released Halo: Combat Evolved. Developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios, the game was first released for the Xbox console. In 2003, Microsoft released versions for Windows and Mac OS.

Since then, Microsoft has released numerous Halo games, books, shorts, and, most recently, a television show. Halo has become a globe-spanning franchise with legions of fans. But now, it’s stalled, and as evidenced by the recent failed attempt at a Halo TV show on Paramount+, after nearly 25 years, Microsoft still has no idea what to do with it.

It didn’t have to be this way. Back in 2005, Microsoft went to work on a Halo movie, a movie that could have delivered everything the space franchise’s fans had been waiting for. Unfortunately, twenty years later, there is no Halo movie. 

Microsoft’s Halo Movie Dreams

After the mega-success of the game Halo 2, Microsoft wanted more from the Halo series. They knew they had something big on their hands, and as such, they could make lots of cash from box office sales. Not only that, but they thought a Halo movie would increase sales for their Xbox consoles.

To actualize its Halo movie dream, Microsoft commissioned a full script. They paid acclaimed 28 Days Later screenwriter Alex Garland a whopping $1 million to complete the script, and he delivered. 

Microsoft “supervised” the screenplay to protect their brand. Alex Garland finished the first draft in just a few months, and in 2005, the title of the first movie, Halo, was announced. 

The software giant approached iconic Hollywood talent agency CAA about its Halo movie ambitions. It was such a big deal and thought to be such a sure moneymaker that they held an auction to find the highest bidder.

The Biggest Movie Pitch In Hollywood History

To up the ante, CAA and Microsoft put together one of the biggest pitch events in the history of Hollywood, something that’s still never been topped. They hired actors, then dressed them in Spartan armor like that worn by Halo’s main character, Master Chief, and sent them to pick up and deliver scripts to major Hollywood studios. Around midday on June 6th, 2005, these fully outfitted, script-bearing Master Chiefs marched through the streets of Hollywood in costume and arrived at the studios in red, blue, and green Spartan armor. 

It was Larry Shapiro at CAA who came up with the idea that the messengers dress in Master Chief’s armor. He wanted the Halo deal to make headlines, and this stunt seemed like a sure way to make that happen. He was right. It was a massive spectacle, one that was widely discussed and covered by the then-flourishing independent online entertainment news industry. Everyone was excited, everyone wanted it, and word was that the script they were delivering in such an attention-getting fashion was as good as fans hoped.

Each of the Master Chiefs had a red-bound folder bearing the Creative Artists Agency logo. In the folder were two items: a terms sheet and a copy of the screenplay commissioned by Microsoft. These red-bound folders were delivered to every major Hollywood studio, except for Columbia, which is owned by a direct Microsoft competitor, Sony, the company behind PlayStation. 

After the delivery of the scripts, the various Master Chiefs waited for hours outside while Studio Execs read the screenplay.  Each studio had 24 hours to read the script. Each script came with a term sheet. 

Since Microsoft was unfamiliar with Hollywood’s culture, they wanted to dictate the terms. They planned to protect the Halo franchise by controlling how their game was portrayed. The clock was ticking. Everyone wanted to know if Hollywood would be ready to make an offer. 

It was the deal of the century, and everyone expected that the Halo movie would take over Hollywood in the same way the games took over their industry. Every studio responded, but they tried to negotiate the terms. Only Fox responded with a “Yes” on their term sheet without negotiating. 

Microsoft Makes Ridiculous Demands Of Hollywood

Microsoft demanded $10 million for 15% of the box office gross sales on Halo. This was in addition to a minimum $75 million budget for the film. They also wanted a fast-tracked production and required creative approval over the Halo movie’s director and cast. The demands were far outside the norm for Hollywood culture, and some of them were, admittedly, ridiculous. For instance, Microsoft requested 60 first-class plane tickets for its employees and guests to attend the Halomovie premiere. 

It’s also important to keep in mind here that Microsoft was not putting up ANY of its money into production. All they were willing to risk was the $1 million already paid for Alex Garland to write the Halo script. Additionally, the company was unwilling to assign any of the Halo merchandising rights.

Microsoft’s enormous requirements kept Paramount and others out of the fray. Eventually, Fox and Universal decided to jointly fund the movie. The agreement was that Fox would take foreign box office revenue while Universal took the domestic box office revenue. Unfortunately, Fox and Universal soon realized that Microsoft was an impossible partner. The numbers didn’t work out. The amount of profit left for Fox and Universal after Microsoft skimmed off the best parts wasn’t enough to move forward with the Halo film.

Peter Jackson Starts Work On The Halo Movie

While Hollywood’s execs were worrying about the numbers, they were well aware they had what seemed like a sure-fire hit in their hands.  

Alex Garland’s Halo movie script laid out a storyline that was basically the entire plot of the original Halo game. The Master Chief, assisted by an AI called Cortana, would fight the Covenant while attempting to save the human race from being pulverized. The story was a direct adaptation of exactly what happened in Halo: Combat Evolved.

In other words, Alex Garland’s script was exactly what fans wanted. It was also pretty much the exact opposite of what we all got in the terrible Paramount+ TV show years later.

Several filmmakers wanted to be part of the Halo movie project. Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings movies, came on board as a producer in October 2005. Commercial director Neill Blomkamp (who would later be known for thes sci-fi movie District 9) was to direct the film. 

Neill Blomkamp Tries To Remake Halo In His Own Image, Destroys Everything

Before Neill, Guillermo del Toro had also been in negotiations. It was Del Toro that everyone really wanted. Unfortunately, Del Toro passed on the Halo movie opportunity to work on Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. So, Neil got picked instead. Lord of the Rings special effects gurus WETA Workshop were chosen to handle the Halo movie’s effects. 

Unfortunately, Neill Blomkamp wasn’t happy with giving fans what they wanted. He began insisting he would do something different. Instead of making a Halo movie where a warrior battles his way across a mysterious alien ring and uncovers its secrets, Neill wanted to make a cyberpunk film. 

Blomkamp spent five months at WETA rewriting the Alex Garland screenplay, a screenplay that most thought was already perfect. When he was done, Fox did not like the idea, and they knew Microsoft would hate it even more.

The only people in Blomkamp’s corner were Bungie, the developers of Halo. Despite being almost certain to alienate their fans, Bungie loved the cyberpunk style Blomkamp planned for the film. Their support didn’t matter. Fox was getting sick of battling with Microsoft, and the entire project imploded in a fireball of greed and ego.

The Slow, Final Death Of The Halo Movie

The potential for profit lingered for a few years, occasionally drawing in newly interested parties.For instance, in 2010, DreamWorks briefly considered taking a stab at making the Halo movie. Just as Neill had a different vision for the film, DreamWorks also wanted to explore the Halo novels instead of the games.

Their idea was to sidestep Microsoft and its ties to the game entirely. It was as if creatives refused to take the game seriously and wanted to slap the name on something different. None of the execs involved thought that was a good idea either, so after a few months, they abandoned that idea too.

Microsoft proved difficult to work with, Hollywood’s entrenched interests were uncooperative, and Halo was just too big for anyone to be willing to spend the kind of money on it that the franchise deserved. No one wanted that kind of risk. Halo was dead as a potential movie franchise.

Halo’s Creators Abandon Their Franchise

Amidst all of the mess, Halo’s creators at Bungie seemed to give up on their cash cow. From Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001 through Halo 3 in 2007, the series reflected Bungie’s priorities, not Microsoft’s long-term brand strategy. By 2007, Bungie was openly eager to move on. The studio no longer wanted to be defined by a single franchise, while Microsoft wanted Halo to outlive any one creative team. 

A separation agreement formalized this shift. Bungie would finish Halo 3: ODST (2009) and Halo: Reach (2010), effectively closing its own chapter, while Microsoft consolidated full control of the IP.

Given Bungie’s willingness to let Neill Blomkamp ruin their universe with his bizarre cyberpunk plans, some Halo fans might have felt optimistic about the change. But the truth is, the day Microsoft took over fully is the day fan enthusiasm began to wane.

The Halo TV Show No One Wanted

Microsoft’s inept stewardship eventually resulted in a Halo TV show, released in 2022, long after Halo’s peak, and produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television. If you’ve seen it, you hated it. The TV series used almost nothing from the game and ignored the basic fundamentals of the Halo universe. 

For instance, not only did Master Chief take his helmet off, but he also almost never wore it. They even failed to get Cortana right. She ended up as a minor character who was never with Master Chief for more than a minute in the show’s entire run.

The Halo TV series seemed to go out of its way to avoid showing anything good. Characters often talked about cool things happening off camera, but aside from three or four minutes of actual style Halo combat (spread throughout the entire two seasons), nothing Halo-like ever happened. There wasn’t even a ring.

Now, with the failure of the Halo TV series, it’s unlikely anyone will want to invest time and money in a Halo movie. If you’ve seen the TV series, then you know they didn’t invest much money in that either.

Halo’s Future Is Not Bright

The idea of a Halo movie is dead, for now. Maybe in a far-off future not yet seen, fans will finally get the Halo movie they’ve wanted and deserved. But even that feels unlikely. Microsoft itself now seems to have given up on the Halo brand.

In 2025, they announced that Halo would no longer be an Xbox exclusive and instead would be cross-platform. They don’t think it’s enough of a draw to bother with anymore.

Worse, there hasn’t been a new Halo game released in years, and there aren’t any plans for it. Instead, word is that the old games will simply be remade and ported over to new platforms.

It didn’t have to be this way.  When those multi colored Spartans marched through Hollywood, they weren’t just selling a script; they were marching toward a once-in-a-generation sci-fi opportunity. This could have been, and should have been, the Millennial Star Wars. 

Greed, ego, and a failure to take gamers seriously doomed it all. Now, Halo is on life support, a dying franchise with little to look forward to, and fans with nothing to do but remember the glory days of midnight line release parties and wonder what if.

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Joshua Jackson
I Got the Eye of the Tiger!!!

Published
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5:45 PM PST

Authorities have found a Florida man who went missing on Valentine’s Day shoulder-deep in muck authorities have likened to quicksand.

First responders in Palatka located Andrew Giddens on Thursday, February 26, alive at the Vulcan Materials Company in Melrose, but caught in a thick substance that made it impossible for him to move.

Giddens’s relatives, who reported him missing, explained to police that he had become depressed in the wake of a recent breakup.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Giddens, 36, who lives in Jacksonville, was stuck up to his shoulders in the mud in a borrow pit at the sand plant site.

Giddens spoke to first responders and told them he hadn’t consumed any food or water in days.

Officers looking for the missing man found his car near the sand plant on Monday, February 23. Searchers then fanned out , combing the industrial site in search of the missing man, according to the sheriff’s statement.

Workers spent three hours freeing Giddens from the muck. Once freed, he was rushed to the hospital, where doctors expect him to make a full recovery.

“Due to the instability of the ground, responders had to progress slowly so they would not sink,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

“This rescue shows the power of mutual aid, training and dedication. We are grateful for the bravery and professionalism of everyone involved,” the Palatka Fire Department posted on Facebook, along with pictures from the rescue effort.

Giddens had sunk below the level of the grass surrounding the borrow pit, making him nearly impossible to see by anyone who wasn’t close by, according to officials.

The Palatka Fire Department said on Facebook that Giddens “had been stuck in mud for several days without food or water, while the area faced freezing temperatures.”

The rescuers had to use ropes, ladders, pallets, wooden boards and a number of different tools to remove him from the mud, authorities explained.

Putnam County Fire Rescue, Palatka Fire Department, Melrose Fire Department and Clay County Fire Rescue all assisted in the rescue, according to the sheriff’s office.

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Investigators said they will not be charging Giddens with any crimes in relation to the incident, citing “his mental health” as the reason for his disappearance and the state in which he was ultimately found.

“We hope that he is able to recover from his ordeal both physically and mentally,” the sheriff’s statement said. “We also ask family members and friends to continue to check on loved ones, especially during times of high stress and anxiety.”

Officials noted he was lucky to have survived the ordeal, noting the area had been hit with freezing temperatures in recent days.

In a statement to NBC News, a spokesperson for Vulcan said their “team at the Grandin Sand Plant handled a trespassing situation with care and compassion, shepherding first responders to a man who was in distress. We are grateful for his safe rescue and thankful for the first responders who aided him.”

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

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