A structure at the Warner Bros. Studios lot appears to have caught on fire. On Friday afternoon, photos and videos began to surface of smoke billowing from the studio. It is unclear at this point what started the fire or what part of the studio might have been impacted, but a tweet from @E_SGVScanner claims that it could have been a result of a “transformer issue,” while Twitter user @Really_Bad_Egg claims that it was an “exterior Air Conditioning system.” Multiple tweets, including one from FOX 11 Los Angeles, have suggested that the flames of the fire were quickly knocked down by the fire department. According to The Hollywood Reporter, no one was hurt from the ordeal, and the fire was not intentionally caused.
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According to USFireDept.com, Warner Bros. Studios actually has its own independent fire department, one station, ten career firefighters, and eight volunteer firefighters.
Who Owns Warner Bros. Studios?ย
As of April of 2022, Warner Bros. has merged with Discovery, Inc. to become the larger media conglomerate known as Warner Bros. Discovery. Warner Bros. Discovery is now run by CEO David Zaslav, who has made headlines multiple times for efforts to trim the company’s massive budget.
This has includedย the cancellation ofย Batgirlย andย Scoob!: Holiday Hauntย back in August of 2022. Both films, which were already completed and were set to debut on HBO Max,ย were later reported to be canned for the sake of tax write-downs,ย which will seemingly be recorded in Q3 of 2022. In the days since, Warner Bros. Discoveryย removed six HBO Max-exclusive movies from their streaming platform, as well asย a number of fan-favorite animated series.
Will Warner Bros. shut down TCM?
In recent days, conversation and speculationย have swirled around the fate of Turner Classic Movies,ย the beloved cable network and brand. After a number of employees exited from the company, including executive VP and general manager Pola Chagnon, who had been with the company for 25 years. Directors Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Andersonย held an emergency meetingย with Zaslav about the issue. Earlier this month, the trio released a statement indicating that they are optimistic about TCM’s future, and its continued efforts to celebrate and curate filmsย from the better part of the past century.ย Warner Bros. Discovery has since walked back some of those proposed changes, and has enlisted Spielberg, Scorsese, and Anderson to curate future content for the channel.
“Turner Classic Movies has always been more than just a channel,” the directors’ statement reads. “It is truly a precious resource of cinema, open 24 hours a day seven days a week. And while it has never been a financial juggernaut, it has always been a profitable endeavor since its inception. Earlier this week, David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, got in touch to talk about the restructuring of TCM. We understand the pressures and realities of a corporation as large as WBD, of which TCM is one moving part.”
“We have each spent time talking to David, separately and together, and it’s clear that TCM and classic cinema are very important to him,” the statement continues. “Our primary aim is to ensure that TCM’s programming is untouched and protected. We are heartened and encouraged by the conversations we’ve had thus far, and we are committed to working together to ensure the continuation of this cultural touchstone that we all treasure.”
