In this Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010 file photo, Kathryn Bigelow arrives to the Museum of Modern Art's third annual Film Benefit in New York. (AP Photo/Stuart Ramson, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
"Zero Dark Thirty" filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow's next project will move her from the Middle East to Detroit.
Bigelow will direct a film set amid the week of deadly race-related rioting in Detroit that claimed 43 lives in 1967.
The as-yet-untitled film will be financed by Annapurna Pictures and written by Mark Boal.
Bigelow and Boal pair previously collaborated on the Middle East war movies "Zero Dark Thirty" and "The Hurt Locker," which earned Academy Awards for best picture, best director for Bigelow and best original screenplay for Boal.
The crime drama is scheduled to begin production this summer and released in 2017 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the riots.
Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.
The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them about $1.6 billion, collectively.
The retreat by DirecTV this week may end a years-long effort by the company to acquire both Dish and Sling after it announced the bid in September.
DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt. The deal was contingent on several factors, including regulatory approvals and bondholders writing off debt related to Dish.
"While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV's balance sheet and our operational flexibility," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.
The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, and reported talks resurfaced over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked the deal valued at the time at $18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns.
The pay-for-TV market has shifted significantly since. As more and more consumers tune into online streaming platforms, demand for more traditional satellite entertainment continues to shrink.
DirecTV says that it will continue to invest in next-generation streaming platforms and offer new packaging options while integrating content from live TV alongside direct-to-consumer... Read More
