Latest in Will Packer

EXCLUSIVE: Comcast NBCUniversal said Tuesday that it will exclusively premiere the documentary The Return, a film about the HBCU experience. Will Packer is executive producer of the doc, which is directed by Ali Muhammad. The documentary arrives Thursday on the recently launched Black Experience on…

Peacock has announced three original films from Universal Pictures to premiere on the service in 2023. Shooting Stars, from LeBron James and Maverick Carter's SpringHill Company, Praise This, from Will Packer, and a reimagining of The Killer from John Woo are part of the previously announced collaboration with…

UPDATED with AMPAS statement: Two days after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Board of Governors initiated self-described "disciplinary proceedings” against Will Smith over his slap of Chris Rock at Sunday’s Oscars, the “heartbroken” King Richard Best Actor winner today has pre-empted the harshest…

EXCLUSIVE: Oscars producer Will Packer told Good Morning America this morning that Will Smith was not removed from the Oscars because Chris Rock didn’t want that, but Deadline hears from reliable sources that this not the case. Reaction To Oscars Slap: Deadline’s Full Coverage We’re told that Packer is conflating this…

Oscars producer Will Packer said he didn’t realize presenter Chris Rock had been physically struck by Will Smith until he heard it straight from the comedian’s mouth. Reaction To Oscars Slap: Deadline’s Full Coverage “I thought it was a bit, like everybody else,” Packer told Good Morning America in his first public…

A previously undisclosed short virtual meeting between Will Smith and Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson on March 29 could be causing a new crisis to hit the Oscar organization. Reaction To Oscars Slap: Deadline’s Full Coverage The six-minute zoom call initiated by the…

Will Packer, producer of this year’s Oscars, said in an interview with ABC News’ Good Morning America that Los Angeles Police Department officers came to his office on Sunday evening and spoke to Chris Rock about filing charges against Will Smith following the now infamous slapping incident. “They were saying, ‘This…

Oscars producer Will Packer is looking to set the record straight in a Friday appearance on Good Morning America, Deadline has confirmed. Two conflicting accounts have arisen about Packer’s advice to Will Smith after he slapped Chris Rock on the live telecast of the Oscars after the stand-up’s “G.I. Jane 2” joke…

Oscars producer Will Packer has changed his tune regarding Will Smith’s shocking slap of Chris Rock at last night’s ceremony. Initially, Packer responded to the incident by tweeting, “Welp…I said it wouldn't be boring #Oscars.” The remark drew criticism from many, with one Twitter user replying, “Making jokes about an…

Two years into a global pandemic, the 2022 Oscars initially appeared intent on becoming the Grammys tonight. Kicking off with an introduction by the legendary Venus and Serena Williams and leaping immediately into a lime-drenched performance of the Oscar-nominated King Richard theme song by Beyoncé from the tennis…

In a year of controversy and a self-described untypical Oscars, co-host Wanda Sykes on Thursday promised there would be some jabs in Sunday’s ceremony, but no one will get hurt. "We're trying to stayed aligned with the themes," The Good Fight alum said today of the uniting power of film at a virtual press conference…

The Oscar nominees luncheon is always a feel-good event where everyone in the room is still a winner, happy to see their category rivals and others, and the one time in a tense season where they can just lay back and have a great time. “For me this is just a fun thing to go to. People talk about is it Will [Smith] or…