Thursday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

Paramount extends WBD offer deadline

David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance has extended the deadline for shareholders to take up its $30-per-share takeover proposal for the entirety of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD).

The move sees the original deadline of 21 January being pushed by a month to 20 February, and comes two weeks after the studio said it was sticking to its 8 December offer for WBD.

That came after the HBO owner’s board urged its investors to reject the Paramount deal in favour of Netflix’s $27.75 cash and stock proposal for WBD’s studio and streaming assets.

Gillian Anderson drama axed by Netflix 

Netflix has axed Gillian Anderson-starring Western drama The Abandons and The Vince Staples Show.

The Abandons starred Anderson as a wealthy mine owner looking to take over a town in 1850’s Oregon, with Lena Headey among lead cast. It was from Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter and his Sutter Ink banner, but the showrunner left filming before it wrapped.

The Vince Staples Show tracked a fictionalised version of the eponymous rapper living in California. US-based Khalabo Ink Society and Section Eight Arthouse were among producers.

Alan Carr and Disney+ link on castle show 

Disney+ has ordered a major factual series from Expectation following Alan Carr as he buys and restores a historic castle.

The indie behind Clarkson’s Farm will track the comedian’s search, purchase and revamp of a stately home in Castle Man (w/t), which will air under the Hulu brand.

The series was commissioned out of the UK for Disney+ by Angela Jain, head of content, and Sean Doyle, vp, unscripted, EMEA.

Doyle described Carr as instantly bringing “warmth, wit, and originality to everything he touches”.

Rare, Attraction & Curve land Smithsonian orders

Smithsonian Channel has extended three of its long-running series, with How Did They Build That?, How Did They Fix That? and Ice Airport Alaska all getting extensions.

How Did They Build That?, from the UK’s Curve Media, explores how engineers and builders created outrageous structures nad has received a fifth series greenlight.

How Did They Fix That?, from Attraction, explores how the world’s biggest machines are maintained and has also been given a fifth series order, while Rare TV’s Ice Airport Alaska has been extended into series seven.

The show tracks how the Anchorage facility operates through wild weather and deals with emergency landings and animal invaders.