Puck

The shock around town last week was palpable following the announcement that Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson had sold their birthright—the creative control over James Bond—to Amazon. “The Broccolis stuck to their vision of the character and the franchise—always British, always martinis, always outrageous villains and beautiful femmes fatales. And always their final cut,” Puck’s Matthew Belloni writes. “That’s all up to the free shipping people now.” The real question is, what happens next? Puck’s Matthew Belloni digs in: https://lnkd.in/emCFKdGg Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

After years of speculation, and polite urging from observers, Kathleen Kennedy has informed The Walt Disney Company that she will exit as Lucasfilm president by the end of the year. “Kathy was actually planning to leave last year, I’m told, and had even set up an exit interview with a journalist, but she decided to stay for one more year,” Puck’s Matthew Belloni writes. Kathleen’s departure this year will allow a successor to handle the 2026 release of The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first Star Wars movie since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. Who might Disney film chief Alan Bergman choose as her successor? Matt explores: https://lnkd.in/deBBWwP3 Photo: Christopher Jue/Getty Images #Hollywood 

Some Disney/Star Wars news https://lnkd.in/g2N8UiT5

On Valentine’s Day, Saks Global C.E.O. Marc Metrick sent vendors a memo about the company’s attempt to change the way the fashion industry does business in the U.S. Among other things, Metrick declared that brands will now be paid within 90 days of shipping products to Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus Group, or Bergdorf Goodman (its portfolio companies), rather than the customary 30. “Everyone is pissed, and Metrick’s plan will only work if he and his team can convince the majority of brands to comply,” Puck’s Lauren Sherman writes. “I’ve already heard rumors of side deals..” Read Lauren’s full dispatch here: https://lnkd.in/eRVuTzrZ Photo: Marc Metrick (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images) #Retail 

Inside the State Department, Steve Witkoff’s elevation has some wondering if the billionaire real estate investor and longtime Trump homie has become shadow secretary of state. “In terms of setting of direction,” a State official tells Puck’s Tara Palmeri, “Witkoff outranks Rubio.” Read Tara’s full dispatch here: https://lnkd.in/eTYN_3tE Photo: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg/Getty Images

It’s Puck chief Washington correspondent Leigh Ann Caldwell’s pick for King of the Hill, the most important person on Capitol Hill this week. To read more, subscribe to Puck’s Washington newsletter “The Best & The Brightest” here: https://lnkd.in/ewPTEQpC Photos: Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images #MikeJohnson 

An inside look at The Warehouse, the Dallas exhibition space fusing two collectors—and two generations—to create a hybrid experiential and educational platform to engage with the public. Read Marion Maneker’s conversation with Howard Rachofsky and Thomas Hartland-Mackie here: https://lnkd.in/eBkGGx5F Photo: Kevin Tachman/amfAR/Getty Images for amfAR #Art #Dallas 

On Wednesday, CBS News editorial and newsgathering chief Adrienne Roark told staff that she would be leaving the network after just seven months in the job. Roark’s sudden departure seemed like yet another blemish on the network and, by extension, its C.E.O. Wendy McMahon, whose decision to elevate the inexperienced Roark confused many CBS journalists from the outset. “No word yet on who will take over the newsroom—or whether McMahon still gets to have a say in who that person might be, or whether it even matters,” Puck’s Dylan Byers writes. “The parent company is on the verge of being sold to Skydance, and it’s hard to imagine how McMahon fits into the picture.” Dylan examines whether McMahon will have a job at the end of the winding Paramount-Skydance yellow brick road: https://lnkd.in/e93EHUsa Photo: UPI/Alamy Stock Photo #Media 

Inside the unhinged farewell email from outgoing PAT McGRATH LABS C.E.O. Rabih Hamdan, what Capri Holdings Limited boss John Idol’s investor day presentation signals for a layoff-impacted Versace, and how Nordstrom poached Neiman Marcus Group’s M.V.P. personal shopper. Read the full dispatch from Puck's Lauren Sherman and Rachel Strugatz here: https://lnkd.in/eBU_Px2B Photos: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Allure, Victor Boyko/Getty Images, Alisha Jucevic/Courtesy of Catherine Bloom #Fashion #Beauty 

This week, SEPHORA is launching Violette_FR, the 4-year-old beauty brand of former Estée Lauder global beauty director and Guerlain creative director, Violette Serrat. “The brand’s success owes much to its owner’s patience,” Puck’s Rachel Strugatz writes. “Serrat once told me that she didn’t run any paid marketing campaigns for almost her first full year in business because she wanted to see how consumers reacted to the products without pulling any customer acquisition levers—an unprecedented strategy.” Rachel does a deep dive on the brand, and reveals which Violette_FR categories Sephora will carry, here: https://lnkd.in/et9FKgg3 Photos: Cara Frances/BFA.com, courtesy of Violette_FR #Beauty