INDUSTRY BRIEFINGS
A WIZARDING WORLD IN FLUX
SHORT TAKES 1. Fiery fantasy House of the Dragon , the prequel to HBO’s smash-hit series Game of Thrones , will officially return in ‘early summer’ 2024, according to network executive Casey Bloys. The spin-off was renewed for a second season just one week after its premiere in August 2022, with the first episode alone reaching ten million viewers. 2. Christmas classics Christmas films don’t always fare well, but Elf and Love Actually – both turning 20 – have managed to become household staples when it comes to holiday movies. Taking place in New York City and London, respectively, the two films are arguably the most quoted Christmas tales in popular culture. 3. Young blood The Hertfordshire Film Festival – directed at filmmakers aged 11-25 – will return in April 2025. The event seeks to develop skills in young, underrepresented creatives who live, work or study in the southern county. Supported by Warner Bros Studios Leavesden, University of Hertfordshire and Arts Council England, the festival will welcome submissions from early 2024.
F antastic Beasts – a Wizarding World franchise and Harry Potter prequel – has been ‘parked’ by Warner Bros, according to director David Yates. The series’ latest film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore , struggled to perform at the box office upon its 2022 release. The Fantastic Beasts film series has faced a number of reputational setbacks, with creator JK Rowling as well as stars Ezra Miller and Johnny
Depp all coming under public scrutiny in recent times. Meanwhile, Daniel Radcliffe, who played the titular Harry Potter, has produced the HBO documentary David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived – a riff on the character’s oft-used nickname. Holmes acted as Radcliffe’s stunt double on the franchise’s seventh film until suffering a spinal injury. David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived is available for streaming on Max (US) and Now (UK).
SAG-AFTRA STRIKES END
A fter months of striking for better work conditions, the SAG-AFTRA union announced a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The contract includes clauses for minimum pay increases, streaming bonuses as well as protection from AI-related threats. The 118-day strike – the longest in SAG-AFTRA history – officially ended at 00.01am on Thursday 9 November. Until then, productions had been paused and actors banned from all forms of promotion, making for quieter- than-usual film festivals and
awards seasons. For the first time since May 2023, Hollywood has the full support of both writers – who resolved the WGA strike in September – and actors.
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