The Entertainment week,distilled.

Disney has agreed to hire the majority of the workforce from the chatbot startup Character.AI following the startup's bankruptcy filing earlier in October 2026.

In October 2026, Paramount acquired Warner Bros.

Disney is investing $20 million into the AI startup Character.AI.

The Walt Disney Company has agreed to pay $60 million to acquire talent from the AI startup Character.AI.

Mediawan has acquired 100% of Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine from Candle Media.

Character Technologies Inc. (Character.ai) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on October 12, 2026.

Paramount Skydance has acquired Warner Bros.

Skydance completed its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros.

Miley Cyrus performed the first of two headlining shows titled 'Miley: Bass Persuades – Live at the Hollywood Bowl' in Los Angeles on Friday, October 16, 2026.

Director Denis Villeneuve confirmed he will direct the next James Bond film following the completion of 'Dune: Part Three', which is scheduled for release on December 18, 2026.

Rockstar Games released a new 90-second launch trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, which is scheduled for release on November 19, 2026.

Epic Games has released a preview version of its updated Epic Games Launcher for PC.

Rockstar Games plans to release the PC version of GTA 6 in the first quarter of 2027.

Netflix has released the first trailer for the film 'Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew', directed by Greta Gerwig.

The Peacock series 'Crystal Lake', a prequel to the 'Friday the 13th' franchise, explores the origin story of Jason Voorhees.

Epic Games has delayed the release of an upcoming shooter game.

Fund manager Chris Versace has downgraded Netflix stock and is selling shares due to rising subscriber churn and concerns over the company's upcoming content slate.

The documentary 'You Can See Everything', directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, focuses on the life of disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.

Social media creator Khaby Lame is reportedly pursuing new partnerships as the status of a previously reported $975 million deal remains uncertain.

Forbes released its 2026 valuation list for all 30 NBA teams, revealing that every franchise is now worth at least $4 billion.

Skydance has increased the monthly subscription prices for its Discovery+ streaming service, with the ad-supported tier rising to $6.99 and the ad-free tier to $11.99.

British animation studio Aardman reported a loss of £1.1m for the 2025 financial year, failing to return to profitability despite an 8% revenue increase to £20.4m. The Bristol-based company, co-founded by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, cited production delays and market challenges as primary factors.

Skydance Corp. shares fell 25.4% to $6.78 on October 14, 2026, following the distribution of 471 million stock warrants to former Paramount investors.

South Korean game developer Shift Up is projected to see a 44% decline in operating profit to 99.9 billion won for 2026, with further declines expected in 2027.

On October 16, 2026, a judge dismissed child sex abuse charges against actor Timothy Busfield.

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) rejected a record-breaking contract offer for star player Trinity Rodman.

Dolly Parton's nephew and her manager are currently engaged in a legal dispute regarding the control of her $450 million estate.

A federal judge in New Mexico has dismissed the majority of actor Alec Baldwin's lawsuit against prosecutors involved in the 'Rust' shooting case.

A New Mexico state court judge, Joseph Montano, dismissed child sexual abuse charges against actor and director Timothy Busfield on October 16, 2026.

Comedian Russell Brand is on trial at Southwark Crown Court in London, facing seven charges including rape and sexual assault against six women.

Also: 13 Oct — theguardian.com, 16 Oct — variety.com

Duane 'Keffe D' Davis has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas.

The wife of Smilegate founder Kwon Hyuk-bin, represented by the law firm Gaon, announced on October 7, 2026, that she will pursue legal action against Smilegate for allegedly spreading false information regarding their ongoing divorce proceedings.

The StarSkirmish Bench v0.2 evaluates the ability of various LLMs to write StarCraft: Brood War bots within a one-hour time limit.

A study published in SAGE Open in October 2026 examines the influence of acculturation to global consumer culture (AGCC) on tourists' attitudes toward global entertainment brands and theme parks.

A two-year investigation by Black Lives in Music into London's live music industry reveals that Black and South Asian music events face disproportionate licensing barriers and cancellations.

A hacker describes the process of using a Matrix CoolRunner Rev D modchip to perform fault injection on an Xbox 360 console.

On Monday, October 12, 2026, 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem died after being ejected from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.

Also: 15 Oct — gizmodo.com