This combination photo shows Cynthia Erivo performing at the 73rd annual Tony Awards in New York on June 9, 2019, left, and Aretha Franklin performing at the world premiere of "Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives" at Radio City Music Hall in New York on April 19, 2017. Erivo will play Franklin in a third installment of the National Geographic anthology series "Genius." Production on “Genius: Aretha” will begin next month and the series is expected to debut next spring. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
NEW YORK (AP) --
National Geographic has found its next “Genius.”
The network has tapped Cynthia Erivo to play Aretha Franklin in a third installment of the anthology series.
The authorized project will feature Franklin’s music. Erivo will perform songs from the singer’s catalog. Franklin died in 2018 of pancreatic cancer at age 76.
Erivo won a Tony Award, a Grammy and a Daytime Emmy for her work in “The Color Purple.”
“Genius” dramatizes the story of some of the world’s most legendary innovators. Previous seasons focused on Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso, starring Geoffrey Rush and Antonio Banderas.
Production on “Genius: Aretha” will begin next month. The series is expected to debut next spring.
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The Warner Bros. water tower is seen at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Two of the most popular streaming services have agreed to combine, in a move that could change the streaming service landscape.
Netflix said Friday it will acquire the studio and streaming business of Warner Bros. Discovery, the legacy Hollywood giant behind "Harry Potter" and "Friends," for $72 billion.
The transaction is expected to close in the next 12 to 18 months — after Warner completes its previously-announced separation of its cable operations. Not included in the deal are networks like CNN and Discovery.
Warner Bros. Discovery said in October it was open to selling all or parts of its business.
Here's a look at what the two streaming services offer and what might change if the deal completes regulatory hurdles and closes.
Netflix
Netflix, based in Los Gatos, California, is the world's biggest streaming service, although its growth has slowed from peak years. It stopped giving specific subscriber numbers in 2024, but quarterly results in October signaled its worldwide subscriber count has increased from the roughly 302 million it had at the end of 2024.
Although it is best known for its scripted TV shows and movies such as "Stranger Things," "Squid Game," "Bridgerton," and "KPop Demon Hunters," Netflix has been expanding into other arenas. It started offering a low-priced option of its service with advertising three years ago and has introduced video games and live sports, too.
In a statement on Friday Netflix said the acquisition will add shows and movies including "The Big Bang Theory," "The Sopranos," "Game of Thrones," "The Wizard of Oz" and the DC Universe comic book franchise to its library.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery, based in... Read More
