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Patton Oswalt
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
Patton Oswalt took a shot at Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav during his opening monologue as host of the 71st Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Awards.
Oswalt kicked off the MPSE ceremony Sunday in Los Angeles by lamenting the challenges Hollywood faced in 2023. Oswalt, who also hosted the event last year, went on to discuss work stoppages for both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.
“What better choice to entertain a room full of post-production workers than a guy who is in both SAG and WGA,” he said. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire the actor joked. “That’s right. I’m the jerk who made you take out a second mortgage on your house.
Oswalt continued: “But despite the nightmare of hell we all went through last year, you, as always, did an incredible job. And I’m just talking about movies that were put in a vault to get a tax break. Get it?”
The comedian went on to specifically criticize Zaslav, whose company has scrapped several completed films amid cost-cutting measures, including Bat girl and Scoob! vacation retreat in 2022 and Coyote vs. Acme last year. “I joke, but it’s exciting to see our industry flourishing once again,” Oswalt said. “I heard that David Zaslav just signed a three-picture deal with H&R Block. He lives the cinema!
Oswalt’s mention of the tax preparation company comes after Warner Bros. Discovery revealed in an earnings presentation last month that it took a $115 million tax deduction for scrapping unspecified films in the third quarter of 2023, which led to speculation that Coyote vs. Acme In fact, you will never get a release. The Hollywood Reporter had previously reported that Warner Bros. agreed to sell the film, a live-action and CG-animated hybrid featuring classic Looney Tunes characters, to interested parties, leading several distributors to bid unsuccessfully for the title.
Previously, THR reported that Zaslav chose to leave aside Bat girl to take note of the film that was to be released via streaming. At the time, the CEO explained that the company would focus its film efforts on bigger theatrical moments.
Among the winners of the Golden Reel Awards 2024 was oppenheimerwhich collected two awards. Teacher, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and snow society They were also honored at the ceremony that celebrated sound design.