Sony to acquire majority control of Peanuts in new deal

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Sony is set to become the majority owner of the Peanuts brand. Sony Music Entertainment Japan, or SMEJ, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, or SPE, have signed an agreement to acquire WildBrain’s 41% stake in Peanuts Holdings.

As a result of this transaction, Sony’s total stake in the company will rise to 80% when combined with its existing 39% share, officially making Peanuts Holdings a consolidated subsidiary of the Sony Group. The family of creator Charles M. Schulz will retain their 20% interest in the brand, while SMEJ takes the operational lead in partnership with SPE. The deal, which builds on Sony’s initial 2018 investment, is currently awaiting regulatory approval.

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Sony, Netflix reportedly working on 'Horizon Zero Dawn' series

Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment

We might see another Sony game turned into a television series. The company is reportedly working with Netflix to develop a Horizon Zero Dawn series. The report came out the same day Sony Pictures presented its 2022 business segment briefing. However, this series wasn't mentioned in the presentation document.

This adaptation will join many of the series and movies Sony is currently developing, including a God of War series coming to Amazon Prime and the Gran Turismo series in development. There is also a Ghost Tsushima movie coming out, a Twisted Metal series, and The Last of Us series. That last series is expected to debut on HBO sometime in 2023. It stars Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) and is being created by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl).

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US movie theatre chain partners with Sony to offer 'Spider-Man' NFTs for advance ticket buyers

It looks like NFTs are turning into the new collectible cards. US movie theatre chain AMC partners with Sony Pictures to give away 86,000 NFTs to Stubs Premiere, A-List, and Investor Connect members who buy or reserve tickets for Spider-Man: No Way Home screenings on December 16. 

To qualify, buyers need to purchase their tickets through the AMC Theatres' website or mobile app when pre-orders launch on November 29. They will receive their code on December 22 and have until March 1, 2022, to redeem one of the 100 designs through the more eco-friendly Wax blockchain. It isn't guaranteed that this promo will improve ticket sales, but it might be something we'll see more often.

Source: Engadget

The 'Uncharted' move will be pushed back to 2022

Uncharted stars Spider-Man's Tom Holland as Nathan Drake (Source: Sony Pictures)

You can say that the Uncharted movie has been over a decade in the making. News about the film being made started since at least 2008. But now the film has finally been wrapped (at least since October 2020), with Spider-Man's Tom Holland as the lead, Nathan Drake. Unfortunately, since we are still living through a global pandemic, it looks like Sony Pictures is opting to push back its release date from July 16, 2021, to February 11, 2022, at least according to different sources. On the film's official Twitter account, it just states 2022, which seems like a safer bet given current circumstances.

Source: Engadget