Lucasfilm and Disney have restored the original Star Wars (1977) and will release the film in multiple formats, including IMAX 70mm, as part of the franchise’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
The re-release is among several events Lucasfilm and Disney announced this afternoon for next year’s anniversary celebrations.
Screenings of the original 1977 version of Star Wars will begin on February 19. In addition to the IMAX 70mm screenings, the film will also be presented in Digital IMAX, Digital Cinema, 70mm, 35mm, and 4DX.
On May 4th, 2027, Lucasfilm will release a new behind-the-scenes documentary, The Hero Awakens, from filmmaker R.J. Cutler on Disney+. The film is said to detail the making of Star Wars. The company’s synopsis reads: “This film will be a unique treat for fans as it exclusively features archival footage and audio captured during and around the making of the historic film in 1977.” The Hero Awakens is produced by Lucasfilm, Cutler and This Machine, and Kennedy/Marshall.
2027 Star Wars events already on the calendar include Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, which will be released on May 28. Season 2 of Ahsoka will premiere January 20, 2027. Star Wars Celebration will take place on April 1-4 in Los Angeles.
“It is incredibly special to mark the 50th anniversary by returning the original version of Star Wars to theaters so audiences can experience this part of film history on the big screen,” Lucasfilm Co-President Lynwen Brennan said in a statement. “We look forward to celebrating with our fans all year long—from the releases of ‘Ahsoka’ and ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ to exclusive merchandise, new publishing stories, unforgettable experiences and interactive games. We are so thankful for our amazing community and hope these experiences bring joy to Star Wars fans everywhere.”

David Ellison has knocked out Warner Bros. Discovery, merging it with Paramount into the new Skydance Corp. Now the chatter around town is about the industry’s next megamerger.
In the current landscape, only one media company of considerable size could be ripe for a takeover: NBCUniversal. Following its planned spinoff from Comcast in mid-2027, NBCU could fetch $60 billion from a motivated buyer, research firm Morningstar estimates. As for who that acquirer could be, industry sources uniformly point to Netflix as the leading candidate.
Netflix chief Ted Sarandos, after walking away from the streamer’s effort to acquire Warner Bros. and HBO, said his key takeaway was that “we really built our M&A muscle.” He hasn’t tipped his hand about what Netflix might pursue next, saying in April only that “we invest in the business both organically and opportunistically.”
Meanwhile, Comcast execs, in announcing the NBCU spinoff plans in June, said they weren’t splitting up the media company to ready it for a sale. But when pressed about the possibility of M&A after the separation, Comcast co-CEO Mike Cavanagh, who’s set to become NBCU’s chief executive post-spin, suggested deals could be in the offing. As an independent company, it will “have the freedom now to explore adjacent businesses where we have the right to play,” he told Wall Street analysts.
Regarding speculation about deal scenarios for the independent NBCU, chief communications officer Jen Friedman said in a statement to Variety: “We have said from the beginning that we are not pursuing this spin for the purposes of M&A. Our plan for NBCU is to set the business up for growth, and we see a path to doing so given our industry-leading businesses in the most attractive segments of media, our differentiated strategy and our uniquely strong balance sheet.” Netflix declined to comment.
Over most of its 29-year history, Netflix shunned big M&A, preferring to stick to its knitting as it continued to enjoy strong subscriber and financial growth. But the calculus is different now: In the third quarter of 2026, top-line growth dropped to 11.8%, the lowest level in three years, and subscribers in the U.S. are spending less time with Netflix than they used to.
To jump-start its growth, “Netflix needs to make an acquisition,” says Terry Dugan, entertainment finance co-head of law firm Moore & Van Allen. “The only obvious suspect is NBCUniversal.” He says smaller players like Lionsgate, A24 or Neon on the movie side, or Starz or AMC Global Media on the TV side, simply wouldn’t be big enough to move the needle for Netflix in terms of boosting viewing on the service.
After Ellison’s capture of WB, “the pressure across the industry to be more scaled” — meaning assembling a larger collection of media assets and production firepower to compete on a global scale — “has never been higher,” says one senior studio exec. “People are feeling more pressure to consolidate. But it’s gotta be the right fit.”
Yes, Netflix is still turning a nice profit and delivering quarter-over-quarter growth. But the top brass became alarmed about the slowing pace. Sarandos and co-chief Greg Peters decided to overhaul its content leadership team, giving the boot to Bela Bajaria as chief content officer and to Dan Lin as head of film. The purge is a seeming concession by Netflix’s co-CEOs that the company is not delivering enough must-watch content — that the drop in U.S. engagement is not just part of the natural ebb and flow of viewing.
To replace Bajaria, Sarandos recruited veteran Peter Rice, who has a reputation as someone who “understands talent relations,” Sarandos explained to Wall Street after the streamer unveiled its Q3 earnings on Oct. 20.
But a revamp of Netflix’s content lineup might not be enough to turn things around, and that has fueled speculation that it could be eyeing a soon-to-be-independent NBCU — particularly as it faces Skydance in the market. That idea has been reinforced by how fast Netflix clinched a deal valued at $72 billion for Warner Bros. and HBO’s streaming and studios businesses before Paramount’s sky-high offer for all of Warner Bros. Discovery won out.
“When Comcast first announced that it was going to spin off NBCU, I immediately said, ‘Netflix is going after this,’ because they lost the crown jewel of Warner Bros.,” says Mike Proulx, research director at Forrester.
NBCU would for the most part fit in well with Netflix’s overall business. Peacock stood at 48 million subscribers as of the end of September, and fusing that with Netflix’s 325 million-plus subscriber base would be a win for both sides. It’s easy to see Bravo and its distinct brand of lifestyle shows becoming a tile on the Netflix app.
Universal Pictures’ library is home to more than 4,000 films and 130,000 episodes of TV, including enormous franchises like “Back to the Future,” “Jurassic Park,” “The Bourne Identity,” “Fast & Furious” and “Despicable Me” — not to mention Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” one of the biggest blockbusters of 2026. NBC has big sports rights deals, including pacts with the NFL, the NBA and Major League Baseball. And NBCU has a significant theme parks business, trailing only Disney in size. NBCU’s operations also encompass Sky, the satellite TV platform that serves about 20 million subscribers in the U.K., Ireland and Italy.
“Netflix is looking at sports, theatrical and experiences. NBCU ticks all of those boxes,” says John Conca, telecom and media analyst at investment research firm Third Bridge.
Adds Zach Darrow, chairman and CEO of business law firm DarrowEverett, who leads its private equity, capital markets and securities practice: “Netflix has money to spend. It didn’t get the Warner Bros. deal but it showed it was willing to make a significant investment. They walked away when they hit their limit — they are a credible bidder for a library or studio.”
For Comcast, the spinoff is mostly financial maneuvering. Brian Roberts, Comcast chairman and co-CEO, and the Roberts family will remain the controlling shareholder of both Comcast and NBCUniversal after the separation. Cavanagh will be CEO of NBCU, with top lieutenants including Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, and Matt Strauss, chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group (which includes Peacock). Nonetheless, it is a symbolic shift for the media mogul family that made its fortune as one of the first firms to wire the country for cable TV.
Comcast leaders say they’re unwinding their NBCU ownership after more than 15 years so that the slimmed-down company will be valued on its own rather than being lumped in with Comcast’s capital-intensive cable and wireless telco business. In other words, Comcast believes NBCU is worth more if it’s unshackled from the parent company’s core cable systems biz.
Comcast expects the spinoff to be tax-free to shareholders. But under IRS rules, to avoid incurring steep capital gains taxes, NBCU and Comcast have to wait two years before selling out to a third party. That means it could be mid-2029 by the time NBCU is in play. However, if Netflix wants NBCU badly enough, its bankers and lawyers can likely get creative with a deal structure to address the tax problem. The timeline might encourage Netflix to try to reach a deal with Comcast to snap up NBCU in the next six months or so, before the formal separation from Comcast is complete.
There are other complicating factors with a prospective Netflix-NBCU deal. For one thing, Netflix would certainly not want to own the Sky business, because it’s centered on pay TV and broadband, says Morningstar analyst Matthew Dolgin. Netflix also has disavowed interest in linear TV. But Reed Hastings used to swear Netflix would never get into the advertising business either — before the company did just that in 2022. The addition of NBC’s entertainment and sports programming, Dolgin says, “would make the Netflix service stickier and give them more pricing power.”
As for regulatory challenges to a prospective Netflix-NBCU merger, such a combo might see pushback such as a requirement that Netflix spin off the NBC broadcast TV operations. But the Justice Department this summer let the Paramount-Warner Bros. deal through without any conditions. An antitrust challenge launched by 12 Democratic state attorneys general to the Paramount-WBD deal — alleging the new entity would have undue power over theatrical movie releases and cable TV — ended with the AGs settling on a set of minimal behavioral conditions, ultimately letting the $111 billion horizontal merger close.
Instead of an outright M&A deal, Netflix could turn to other types of business deals like bundling partnerships to try to bulk up, says Prof. Tammy Madsen, a professor of management at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business. But, she adds, “If they want to move fast, it would be through acquisitions.” And again, NBC’s large stable of sports rights and other entertainment IP would give Netflix a wealth of new content to attract and retain subscribers.
Whether Netflix feels urgency to make a run at NBCU may depend on whether its investors are convinced Sarandos and Peters can stabilize the business without a big, transformative move. Netflix’s stock plunged after it signed the Warner Bros. deal — shareholders hated that the transaction would have loaded up $60 billion in new debt onto Netflix’s balance sheet. But perhaps NBCU will be the bullet Netflix needs to bite.
“Netflix is taking heat right now from Wall Street,” says a top Hollywood exec. “They are the streaming leader. And whatever happens, there will be the rationale for more combinations.”

KATSEYE’s Megan Skiendiel appears to be gradually returning to the group’s demanding choreography, with new concert footage showing her dancing during the Dallas stop of the WILDWORLD TOUR after previously performing from a chair.
The singer’s latest appearance follows concerns from fans about her health after she returned to the stage in Austin, Texas, on November 10, while recovering from a concussion.
At the Austin concert, Megan remained seated at the side of the stage for most of the performance, wearing dark sunglasses and limiting her movements. While her bandmates Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj and Yoonchae Jeung performed the usual choreography, she continued singing and occasionally moved gently to the music.
However, footage shared following the group’s November 11 Dallas concert appears to show Megan taking on choreography during “PINKY UP”, including some dance movements that she had previously been unable to perform.
Her return to dancing comes after considerable concern from fans, many of whom questioned whether she should have resumed touring so soon after sustaining a head injury. Some also criticised the decision to continue the performances while she was still recovering.
Before the Austin concert, Megan addressed her condition in an update shared on Weverse. She explained that she would perform with reduced choreography, less intense movements and breaks when necessary. She also stressed that she would not be returning to full performance intensity immediately, adding that her doctors had recommended the precautions and that she would need reassessment before resuming unrestricted activities.
KATSEYE had previously postponed three tour dates in Detroit, Chicago and Minneapolis because of her concussion.
Although the Dallas footage suggests some progress, it does not establish that Megan has fully recovered or received medical clearance to resume unrestricted choreography. Her gradual return remains an encouraging development for fans hoping to see her back at full strength.

Alanis Morissette blasted her “Dogma” co-star Ben Affleck in front of a stadium full of concertgoers in Los Angeles.
The singer name-dropped the actor during her “Butterfly with a Machete: A Rock Traumedy” residency while listing people’s past complaints about her, as captured in a fan video.
“I’ve even had a guy ask me why I didn’t lead with my sexuality,” the Grammy winner, 54, said. “Thank you, Ben Affleck.”
She went on to play a violent clip from her 1999 movie with the Oscar winner, showing his character Bartleby’s head exploding.
Morissette played God in the Kevin Smith-directed film — which also starred Matt Damon, Salma Hayek and more — and social media users referenced the role while reacting to the concert footage.
“God doesn’t have sexuality, Ben,” one joked, while another added, “Just when I thought I couldn’t love her more she goes and explodes Ben Affleck’s head.”
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Others, meanwhile, slammed Morissette’s choice to go public with a decades-old comment as Affleck, just last year, praised her and the rest of the movie’s “cool cast” during an Associated Press interview.
Affleck’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Morissette, who is also going viral for falling on stage during the YouTube Theater performance, recently clarified her sexuality on the “Handsome” podcast.
When Fortune Feimster asked Morissette during the Nov. 3 episode whether the “men that hurt” her made her “want to be a lesbian at any point,” the songwriter replied, “I’m pansexual, so, yeah.”
Feimster’s co-host Tig Notaro jumped in to ask whether Morissette is “really pansexual” — a.k.a someone who experiences sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction to people regardless of their gender identity or sex — to which the “Jagged Little Pill” hitmaker confirmed, “I am.”
Two months prior, Morissette gushed to “Call Her Daddy” listeners about her “amazing” smooch with Sarah Jessica Parker on “Sex and the City.”
She has been married to husband Mario “Souleye” Treadway since 2010.
The couple, who have been together since 2009, share three kids — Ever, 15, Onyx, 10, and Winter, 7.
Prior to her marriage, Morissette was romantically linked to “Full House” alum Dave Coulier and “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds.
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“Vampire Diaries” alum Nathaniel Buzolic accused one of his former co-stars of blacklisting him from fan conventions because of his pro-Israel stance.
“I’m gonna spill some tea for you right now if you’re a fan of ‘The Vampire Diaries’ or ‘The Originals,’” he began in an Instagram Reel Monday.
“There’s an actor I have worked with who has had me banned from attending fan events if he’s there, quietly.”
Buzolic, who played Kol Mikaelson on “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Originals,” claimed that the unnamed actor doesn’t publicly share his solidarity with the Palestinian people, “probably because he just wants to protect his career.”
The Australian actor went on to describe Arab Palestinians, whom he claims the anonymous actor secretly supports, in expletive terms.
“But he also wanted to stop me from getting work and meeting with fans at fan events,” he continued. “So if you’ve noticed my absence, that’s why.”
“Cowards, cowards, because they won’t publicly share their support, but they want to stop people like me from earning an income and getting work,” he added before ending the video with “always and forever, eh” — the sacred family mantra associated with the Mikaelson family in “The Originals.”
He added in his caption, “Telling the truth will always cost you something but at least you will never become a coward. I remember when he didn’t want to do fan events cause he thought he was above that. Can you guess who?”
Buzolic made his debut in “The Vampire Diaries” — starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder — during Season 3 in 2012.
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His character Kol was one of the siblings in the Mikaelson family, which also included fan-favorite characters Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gillies) and Rebekah (Claire Holt).
He reprised his role in the spinoff series, “The Originals,” which ran for five seasons from 2013 to 2018.
Buzolic also starred in a second spinoff series, “Legacies,” from 2018 to 2022.
The actor has publicly voiced his support for Israel for years, frequently visiting the country and posting about it on social media.
Following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in Gaza, he described the pro-Palestinian movement as “satanic” and that anyone who supports it is “the devil.”
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