Amazon Original Series Goliath has cast actor, filmmaker and producer Mark Duplass (Togetherness, Room 104) as a series regular for its second season debuting next year on Prime Video. Duplass will play Tom Wyatt, a successful Los Angeles developer who wants to give the city a distinct skyline. A prominent philanthropist, he is a major contributor to mayoral candidate Marisol Silva (Ana De La Reguera).
The new season of Goliath is executive produced by Peabody Award winner Clyde Phillips (Dexter) and Lawrence Trilling (Parenthood). The series’ cast is led by Billy Bob Thornton (Fargo), who in January won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Series for Goliath’s first season, and has also won an Oscar for his role in Sling Blade. Goliath is created by David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal) and Jonathan Shapiro (The Practice).
Duplass is an award-winning actor, filmmaker and producer. He was first recognized in the early 2000s for writing, directing and producing several acclaimed independent and studio films with his brother Jay, such as The Puffy Chair, Cyrus, and Jeff, Who Lives at Home. In 2014, Mark and his brother Jay created the critically acclaimed television series Togetherness in which Mark also starred. They also created Room 104, which debuted last month, in which Jay also stars.
Duplass has starred in a number of critically lauded films. His credits include: Alexander Lehmann’s romantic drama Blue Jay, Lynn Shelton’s Gotham-award winning Your Sister’s Sister, Charlie McDowell’s sci-fi romance The One I Love, Patrick Brice’s horror-comedy Creep, Colin Trevorrow’s Independent Spirit award-winning Safety Not Guaranteed, the Sundance sensation Humpday and Katherine Bigelow’s Oscar-winning Zero Dark Thirty.
DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish, possibly ending a yearslong pursuit
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