Next James Bond, Peak Taylor Sheridan and More

It’s not too early to start thinking about how 2025 will shake out for Hollywood. In some cases, the writing is already on the wall, the deals have been inked (but not yet closed) and the signs are pointing toward some predictable outcomes. Maybe. Surprises abound — think only of the twists and turns that 2024 brought to the news cycle: the great production slowdown, belt-tightening at nearly every major studio and a box office downturn. Not to mention the weirdest, wildest and mystifying moments of this year. But, below, The Hollywood Reporter takes a few educated guesses, reads between-the-lines and makes some prognostications about what the next year or so has in store for the entertainment industry.

We’ve Reached Peak Taylor Sheridan

Last year, Peak TV finally peaked — with the number of scripted shows across broadcast, cable and streaming dropping to 516. Roughly half of those were produced by Taylor Sheridan — or it sure felt like that, at least. In 2025, we predict the Taylorverse output will also peak. The ultra-prolific chronicler of heartland heroes has five current shows, with more in the works, and a movie or two in the pipeline. Plus, he’s got his mega-ranch in Texas to run and the man has to make time for all his strip-poker pool parties with supermodels (or so it appears, based on what we’ve seen of Sheridan’s studly on-screen alter-ego Travis Wheatley on Yellowstone lately). Sheridan may not have paid off his ranch yet, but surely he’s getting close. — James Hibberd
Sundance Poised to Leave Park City

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Even if the fest is staying in Utah in 2027 — Boulder and Cincinnati are still reportedly in contention, too — Park City will be a back-burner location to the more hospitable Salt Lake. Park City locals are less enamored by the star power (and the business) Sundance brings in after its four-decade run in the location, and even festival veterans are getting priced out, not to mention the indie filmmakers that the festival is programming. — Mia Galuppo
The Next James Bond Will Be…

Bond 26, the next iteration of 007, has been the source of endless speculation — particularly which lucky actor will next play the secret agent after Daniel Craig hung up the tuxedo for good in 2021’s No Time to Die. A loose consensus formed around Kraven the Hunter star Aaron Taylor-Johnson. But Bond series producer Barbara Broccoli has always led from the gut, not caved to popular opinion. Lest we forget, the fair-haired Craig was considered a highly controversial choice when he was first announced in 2005. 2025 will thus be the year we finally learn the identity of the new James Bond, and it will not be Taylor-Johnson. It will be an English actor poised on the cusp of superstardom — familiar to audiences but not too familiar, with a seductive smile, easy with a tossed-off one-liner and charisma to spare. The next James Bond will be Josh O’Connor. – Seth Abramovitch
Supreme Court Takes Up an Art vs. AI Case

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All eyes in Hollywood are on the courts to answer one question at the intersection of tech and entertainment that will ripple across both industries: Is the training of AI systems on copyrighted material legal? There’s no easy answer to the novel issue pushing the boundaries of fair use and intellectual property law, at least according to the courts. And at least one judge, who’s overseeing a lawsuit from music publishers against Amazon’s Anthropic, has signaled her decision may not go creatives’ way. Expect the Supreme Court to eventually review one of the lawsuits from artists, writers or newspapers. — Winston Cho
Filmmakers Push for Theaters Over Money

“I no longer trusted them as a creative partner,” said director Jon Watts of pulling the sequel to his 2024 movie Wolfs after the tech giant reversed course on the film’s theatrical plans at the last minute. Filmmakers, at least ones who are in the position of picking their studio, will increasingly be going with partners that will make good on theatrical promises. Emerald Fennell and Margot Robbie’s Wuthering Heights adaptation landed at Warner Bros. over Netflix after the former offered a robust release. Expect others to push for similar deals. — Mia Galuppo
The Great TV Channel Roll Up Is Next

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NBCUniversal’s separated company SpinCo (aka where E!, MSNBC, CNBC and Oxygen will be housed) will move quickly to try and roll up the cable business, and companies AMC Networks, the Paramount cable channels and A&E Networks (currently jointly owned by Disney and Hearst) could be ripe for deals. A source familiar says that SpinCo is positioned to be a buyer, not a seller, at least not for a while, and with cord-cutting still running amok, they expect deals to move quickly. And, on Dec. 12, Warner Bros. Discovery unveiled a corporate rework that could be a step to spinning out its TV channels from its studios business, too. — Alex Weprin

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Cable News Goes On a Podcast Deal Spree

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It’s hard to ignore the influence of podcasters during the 2024 election. But the silver lining for cable news channels like Fox News and CNN is that younger consumers seem to be consuming content that is similar — or at least adjacent — to their programming. Expect the likes of Fox News to pursue deals with some of the hot podcasters of the moment (just look to UFC CEO Dana White’s speech at Mar-A-Lago for a list), and CNN and MSNBC to see what other up and coming podcasters might be willing to cut a deal. In some ways, it could be a throwback to the earlier days of cable news, when video versions of radio simulcasts were commonplace. — Alex Weprin

Reality TV Will Rebound

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After suffering a major slowdown in development and production during and after the 2023 strikes, reality television will make a comeback of sorts next year as companies return to relying on their quick and cheap content standby. Odds are that budgets will continue to be miniscule and executives will still lean on safe bets, with work opportunities not returning to their pre-strikes glory days, but during a polarized next Trump administration, viewers will be seeking comfort watches. What better chaser for the inauguration than the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills or Selling Sunset? — Katie Kilkenny

The NBA Takes a Bite Out of Entertainment

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When the NBA’s blockbuster new TV deals kick in next fall, they will fundamentally reshape the TV landscape. Hundreds of hours of broadcast TV on NBC and ABC that are currently occupied by entertainment programming will shift toward NBA games and ancillary shows like Inside the NBA. The result will be a more cautious broadcast entertainment portfolio, likely with fewer swings, but safer ones. And ideas that might connect to that NBA audience may get moved to the front of the line, while riskier bets have to fight for what they can get across a streaming landscape that is also cutting back. – Alex Weprin

Shoppable Content (Finally) Goes Mainstream

Around the turn of the millennium, interactive TV pioneers predicted Americans would soon watch Friends and buy Jennifer Aniston’s sweater or other merchandise shown on screen via their remotes. It didn’t play out that way. But the streaming age, rise of ad tiers and use of mobile second screens give shoppable TV another shot via phones. NBCUniversal, Disney, and Amazon are among those that have experimented in this space. Expect some movement next year as Disney unveiled a beta program for its first streaming shoppable ad format in with Unilever. Shop the stream, anyone? — Georg Szalai

‘Family Guy’ Will Get a New Home

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All three of Fox’s legacy animated comedies (The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers and Family Guy) are coming to the end of two-season pickups in the spring. The first two have been airing as usual this fall, but Family Guy hasn’t — nor is it scheduled to premiere in the first quarter of 2025. After the show was moved away from Sunday nights for part of last season, it feels like a breakup might be imminent — with Hulu as a logical landing point for Family Guy, where its library is consistently one of the most streamed shows in the U.S. — Rick Porter

Box Office Will Fly Past $9B Once Again

Image Credit: Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

While that’s still well below pre-pandemic levels by $2 billion or so, it’s a big improvement over a lean 2024 — revenue for this year is expected to come in at $8.5 billion or more, down from 2023’s $9 billion — due to an ongoing lack of product caused by the strikes and the post-production traffic jam left over from the pandemic. The 2025 calendar certainly has more razzle-dazzle, including the next Jurassic World and Mission: Impossible, Wicked and Avatar installments in summer and winter, respectively, Wolfman in January and Captain America: Brave New World in February and Snow White in March, to name just a few. And analysts are already betting that 2026 will see revenue cross $10 billion. — Pamela McClintock

Vanity Media Billionaires Eye the Door

In 2018, biotech mogul Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong snapped up the Los Angeles Times from the regrettably named regional paper firm Tronc while Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff picked up Time magazine from Meredith, ushering in an optimistic moment for tech billionaire vanity media owners. That era may now be passing. Benioff, who wrote a Time essay in November touting the revolutionary potential of AI agents to transform society, has reportedly held early talks with a suitor about a sale of the magazine. Meanwhile, Soon-Shiong hasn’t stated he’d like to sell — but he appears increasingly at odds with a segment of his editorial staffers, whether in ousting respected news chief Kevin Merida or floating a “bias meter” to be added on articles. There’s a decent chance he’s done with the headaches of running a paper. — Erik Hayden

Trump DOJ Will Back Down on Live Nation Breakup

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Live Nation executives say they’re “hopeful” about a change in direction at the Department of Justice under Trump towards a less interventionist approach, following the lawsuit filed against the live entertainment giant in May 2024 over antitrust violations. The breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster was one of the proposed solutions in the Biden-era lawsuit. While there has been bipartisan criticism of Live Nation’s practices, there is also a sense that there will be greater consolidation and less enforcement from the DOJ against alleged monopolies. That could be very good news for the ticketing giant. — Caitlin Huston

This story first appeared in the Dec. 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.