Stuck In Development

CinemaCon, the annual conference in Las Vegas where studios unveil their upcoming releases to get theater owners excited, is taking place this week. It's famous for keeping most of its trailers out of the public eye, but that doesn't stop Carl and Eitan from breaking down everything that's happened so far. (Spoiler: Eitan is excited for Digger.)They also discuss the state of live events, share thoughts on Season 2 of The Pitt ahead of this week's finale, and try to figure out whether 28 Years Later will get the conclusion it deserves.Join us!

Carl & Eitan cover a strange assortment of topics today, including OpenAI's purchase of a podcast, shockingly fast WGA negotiations, and squaring the tepid critical response to Illumination's latest film against its gargantuan box office success.

Sora turned out to be short-lived. In this episode, Carl and Eitan unpack what the wind-down of OpenAI's video model and app could mean for Hollywood, especially with Disney's reported $1 billion deal no longer happening.Then Eitan shares his conflicting feelings about the latest Lord & Miller movie, the Ryan Gosling-led Project Hail Mary — spoiler: he liked it, but still couldn't stop wondering: “Why was it so damn expensive?”

Kevin returns! Beyond the obvious Oscars catchup, the boys run through a number of topics including: Avengers: Doomsday v. Dune; the implosion of Taylor Frankie Paul's run on The Bachelorette and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives; who should have won an Oscar; and Adam Sandler.

Wow is award's season long! But it finally reaches it's peak this Sunday with the Oscars. In this episode, Carl & Eitan share their predictions for the awards night, and share everything they look forward to. Before that, they breakdown the new Macbook Neo and what it might mean for the Cupertino company.Join us!

Fear not - Carl's back after a week off! Carl and Eitan talk through the surprising resolution (maybe?) of the fight for Warner Bros. They also discuss awards season fatigue.

With Carl unavailable because of moving duties, Kevin is back to help breakdown everything in the world of enterteinment.First, Eitan and Kevin deep dive into the world of sports and breakdown the great coverage of the Winter Olympics by NBC/Peacock, and how they proved (again) that they are the best product channel fit in the streaming world.They then chat about how the preparations are going for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, before expressing their flabergastedness (that's not a word, is it?) at BAFTAs broadcast mess after a racial slur went out on air, and the way it was managed afterward raised a lot of questions.Other topics include thoughts on The Knight of The Seven Kingdoms, The Pitt, and Kevin's thoughts on Hamnet.Join us!

Carl and Eitan make their annual predictions across the world of media & entertainment. They also review their performance from 2025! Discussion includes broadcast TV, Neon's Cannes strategy, Netflix's theatrical strategy, strike threats and Disney (of course!).

Disney is ready to try the whole transitioning-from-Iger-to-a-new-CEO thing, going with a similar play to last time: elevating the head theme parks and experiences. Now they hope that Josh D'Amaro turns out better than Bob Chapek. Carl & Eitan breakdown what it means, including how important it will be to keep Dana Walden at house of mouse.Also in this episode: Sundance's last hurrah in Park City, Eitan's review of The Testament of Ann Lee (spoiler alert: he loved it), and a couple more miscellaneous topics.Join us!

Carl & Eitan are back with discussion about Apple's strategy for creative tools. They also run down the relatively few surprises in this year's Oscar nominations.

The Empire is in shambles. In this week's episode, Carl & Eitan use Kathleen Kennedy's stepping down as the head of the beloved franchise to check-in on its state and what the future might hold. Before that they quickly break down the Golden Globe results. Join us!Note: This episode was recorder before the Oscar Nominations were announced. We'll recap them next week!

On the eve of the Golden Globes, Kevin Sachs joins Carl & Eitan to cure their holiday hangover.

Carl & Eitan spend most of the episode discussing 2 new developments in the Oscars metagame. First off, the Academy and Google announced that the Oscars telecast will be moving to YouTube in 2029. Next, many of the branches announced their shortlists for below-the-line categories. To round things out (and to move away from awards chatter!), the boys give a quick update on David Ellison's latest attempt to spend Daddy Ellison's money.

The end of the year refuses to slow down.In this episode Carl & Eitan give a quick update on the WBD v Paramount saga and break down Disney's deal/partnership/licensing/investment with OpenAI. After that they break down the Golden Globes nominations and share their main takeaways and surprises.Join us!

Carl & Eitan dissect – what else? – Warner Brothers' acquisition by Netflix.

Carl and Eitan are back after an Los Angeles trip and a quick Thanksgiving Break.In this episode they give their review of Universal Studios Hollywood (spoiler: not great), catch up on everything they've watched that has Oscar buzz—including Hamnet, Bugonia, Rental Family, Train Dreams, and Sentimental Value—and give a quick update on where the Warner Brother's Discovery stakes are at!

Netflix seems genuintly interested in aquiring Warner Brothers Discovery...but why would they? That's the main question Carl & Eitan explore in this week's episode.Other topics include their first reactions to The Secret Agent and Frankenstein, as well as a game of "guess the top 5 movies at the box office this past weekend" (spoiler: do these movies even exist?)

Warners is for sale (again!), so Carl & Eitan look into the current state of bidding. They also debate the merits of Apple's new F1 deal and take a bemused look at Travis Kelce's Six Flags investment.

This really could be Netflix's Fall, with the big streamer dealing and wheeling left and right.In this episode, Carl & Eitan explore everything the Los Gatos company is being up to, including a deal with Spotify for exclusive video distribution of (some) Ringer podcasts, a deal with AMC to have the mega sensation KPop Demon Hunters 1-weekend release play in world's biggest theater chain screens, and where might there three big bets land in terms of Oscar chances now that they are out of embargo.Join us!

If you know you know. If you don't – Carl & Eitan are joined by Kevin & Alex for their annual fantasy movie awards draft. They discuss the upcoming awards season and dissect each others' picks across 7 rounds.

Carl & Eitan rave about the latest PTA movie. They share their reviews, their thoughts on its Oscar chances, and break down if box office results will end up mattering for the latest in a string of hits for Warner Brothers Discovery.

Lots of rambly topics as the boys gear up for One Battle After Another. They check in on the Jimmy Kimmel drama before Eitan gives tepid reviews of the things he is watching.

Carl & Eitan explore the three big developments from last week that represent the status of TV and its cultural and political role in 2025: ABC pulling Jimmy Kimmel after pressure from the FCC and its affiliates, a terrible (according to Eitan) Emmys broadcast with relatively good winners, and Ellison's master plan to take over both Warner Bros Discovery and TikTok.

Carl & Eitan deliberate the early awards chances of the buzziest films at Venice, Telluride & Toronto.

Carl & Eitan do one of the rare "2 topics and 2 topics only" SID episodes this week.They begin by breaking down the success of KPop Demon Hunters, including the winners and losers of the deal. Who do you think deserves more questioning: Netflix for not having the film in theaters for (way) longer, or Sony for having sold it in the first place?Then, Eitan shares his in-depth review of Epic Universe, Universal's newest theme park. He walks through the good, the bad, and the ugly. (Spoiler: It's mostly...good?)

Carl & Eitan run through a variety of topics this week. They dive into the WGA's aggressive move to boot Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar; discuss the critical success of The Naked Gun; and look forward (...) to the new patriotic duty of subscribing to Paramount+ to watch UFC matches.

Turns out The Sphere in Las Vegas is not good for all types of shows. Eitan & Carl begin this week's episode mostly cringing at how bad the screening of The Wizard of Oz at the newest strip landmark went.Then, they spend the rest of the episode in Disney Streamingland, breaking down the Mouse's announcements around their plans for ESPN's new direct-to-consumer offering, as well as their decision to phase out Hulu as a standalone app while keeping it as its own subscription offering. Confusing? You bet!

After checking back in on Pedro Pascal's summer at the box office, the boys drill into the bizarre news of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's cancellation. They discuss the implication of this cancellation on the Skydance/Paramount merger and also rubberneck at Warner Bros. Discovery's latest naming announcement.

Join us as Eitan and Carl break down the Emmys nominations (spoiler alert: they are disappointed at how many nominations 2 shows got), share their reactions to James Gunn's Superman, and discuss if Apple's decision to get the F1 rights is a good one (the actual Formula 1 rights, not the movie, which is already theirs. Anyway).

Carl & Eitan run through a number of topics, including F1's exciting box office performance, the (too early?) release of Nolan's The Odyssey teaser and new blood in Apple's executive layer. They also may now be a food podcast?

If you had told us a year ago that this summer would include installments of Jurassic World, Mission Impossible, Fantastic Four, Superman, John Wick, Lilo & Stitch, How To Train Your Dragon, and Megan, as well as original Pixar, Celine Song, and Brad Pitt movies...we would have told you it would be a MONSTER summer.More than halfway through it... it's anything but.Join Carl and Eitan as they explore how things are looking and where things might have gone wrong.

Carl & Eitan reflect upon a lifetime of books, movies and moments that led to the creation of Stuck in Development.

This week's episode is all about "Streaming 3.0". Disney finally buys the rest of Hulu, more thoughts on the Warner Discovery split, if Netflix is cable is HBO Max....what HBO was before?Join us!

Carl & Eitan give their off-the-cuff reactions to the news that Warner Bros. Discovery is splitting into two firms. They also review Apple's (fairly disastrous) WWDC keynote.

Board boards boards. We haven't really covered boards at SID. But this episode's main topics revolve around them. First, Carl and Eitan discuss the rumors surrounding an Amazon/MGM film about the OpenAI Board vs. Sam Altman controversy and its potential casting (do you like Prada suits?) and director.Later, they cover the Warner shareholder vote about Zazlav's pay package, using it as a way to dive a bit deeper into the role of boards.Other topics include the latest Mission: Impossible and a WWDC preview. Join us!Note: We recorded this episode before WWDC and the news dropped around Warner's split. Emergency pod on those coming soon!

Carl & Eitan re-litigate Disney live-action remakes as they review the Memorial Day box office. Eitan also has a novel pitch for the Savannah Bananas.

Carl is back from paternity leave, and yes, we made him talk about Sinners! On this Carl-centered episode, we were joined again by Kevin and explored what we've been watching, and even share a review of Goodnight Moon.And yes, we surprisingly didn't talk about Disney announcing a new resort!Join us!

Even more Sinners talk!? Yes please! But also other things? Yes as well!Eitan and Kevin start this episode finally doing their spoiler-heavy review of Sinners after having watched it twice. (They still love it).They also talk about MoviePass new daily fantasy product (which they are unfortunetely excited about), praise Andor's S2 first-half, and give a quick rundown on the Tony nominations.Join us.Note: Sorry for the slight audio issues in the first half with Kevin audio a bit low!

(Yes, we are keeping the official 200 episode for when Carl comes back for paternity leave!)Sinners can do no wrong. In this episode, Eitan and Kev dive deep into Ryan Coogler's masterpiece (yes, I said it. This is Eitan btw). The discussion begins with Eitan sharing his reactions in a spoiler-free review. They then explore the surprising reception and media coverage the film received during its initial release.Lastly, they introduce a new segment to SID: Stucking in Development!

Is Warner Bros. Discovery having a....great month? Do Coachella and The Masters represent the two ends of the spectrum of where in-person events are heading? Is DoorDash's addition of pay-in-installments options a recessionary indicator? Is Warfare even a war movie?In the first episode of Carl's paternity leave, Eitan is joined by Kevin Sachs to explore these and many more questions.Join us!

Carl's last episode before his paternity leave is about things he and Eitan care too much about.First, Carl guides Eitan through the latest casting announcements for the upcoming Hunger Games movie, Sunrise of the Reaping, and gasp at the Minecraft movie overperformance at the box office.Then, Eitan walks Carl through the details and first reactions to Universal's new theme park in Orlando: Epic Universe.Join us!

After a brief Soderbergh Second™, the Carl & Eitan check in on a strange assemblage of Cinemacon announcements. Discussion includes Now You See Me, the fast-tracked Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping, and Sam Mendes' impending onslaught of Beatles biopics.

Venting can be cathartic from time to time. And there is no better way to vent than by picking bones. And boy, do Eitan and Carl have bones to pick in this episode. From Rachel Ziegler being thrown under the bus for Snow White's underperformance, the latest Avengers stunt around the cast release for their next movie, and Utah losing Sundance to Boulder.Plus: find out where the saying comes from!

Apple's famous cult of secrecy typically prevents the company from announcing vaporware. Carl & Eitan dig into what the significant delay of core Apple Intelligence features says about the current state of the company's culture & product development cycle. In other news, Eitan spent a weekend deep in the New York (live) theater scene, and Soderbergh is back in Carl's good graces after Black Bag.

Spring is almost upon us! And this episode is full of can't-wait-for-the-cold-to-end energy.First, our local SXSW reporter Carl shares his thoughts on the Austin "festival" evolution over the last couple of years. Then, they review Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17 (spoiler: Pattinson is great), before jumping into Apple TV+ land and talking about Severance and Disclaimer, and the role they might have played in the future of the Cupertino company streaming plans.Join us!

After a long & chaotic awards season, the boys sit down with Alex and Kevin to discuss a long & mostly un-chaotic Oscars.

Join Carl & Eitan in this menagerie-of-topics episode recorded before the Oscars.The main topic is the announcement of Amazon Studios taking creative over the 007 Bond franchise from the Broccoli family. Other topics include casting news in the new Harry Potter series, The Office Universe, The Curse Child for some reason, and Dana Walden making moves for the CEO position!See you in a couple of days for the Oscars recap!

As is traditional, Kevin Sachs joins Carl and Eitan for some pre-Oscars gossip.

In this week's episode, Carl & Eitan talk about the beauty of over-the-air TV, explore the latest Programmer vs. distributor fight between YouTube TV and Paramount, break down the WSJ "Going to Disney World is Expensive" article (which riles up Eitan), and quickly review Nickel Boys.Join us!PS - Eitan apologizes for saying the Super Bowl was broadcasted by CBS, when it was hosted by Fox.

Carl & Eitan track the implosion of Emilia Perez's Oscar campaign, review the new MCU Fantastic 4 trailer, and chat about the fate of Disney's Galactic Starcruiser hotel.

It's that time of the year! Eitan and Carl throw down their high-stakes predictions for media and entertainment in 2025. The duo also owns up to their 2024 hits and misses, breaking down what they got right and (hilariously) wrong about streaming, tech, and Hollywood's wild ride. Plus: rapid-fire hot takes on this year's Oscar nominations.