Variety's 2026 Summit: Netflix Revival, AI Slop, Creators — SkimNews

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- Variety's 2026 Entertainment and Technology Summit convened executives from Blumhouse Atomic Monster, Sony, Warner Bros., Mattel, Reddit and others at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons Hotel on Thursday for keynotes and panels on AI, fandom, the creator economy and the future of entertainment.
- Nick Kroll used his keynote to push for productions to shoot in Los Angeles and teased his upcoming Netflix comedy series "A Hundred Percent."
- Nintendo president and COO Devon Pritchard discussed the Switch 2 and "Legend of Zelda" projects, including a film collaboration with Sony Pictures.
- Blumhouse Atomic Monster's James Wan attributed the breakout success of YouTube creator-led films like "Obsession" and "Backrooms" to growing accessibility of filmmaking technology.
- Paramount's Nickelodeon hotel business has 1,000 rooms in market and another 2,000 in development globally, with SVP Marie Marks noting "the IP alone is not enough" and that the underlying product must be exceptional.
- Reddit paired three creators with "Resident Evil" superfans for a film preview and live AMA with the director, a model global head of consumer marketing Christina Kothari said produced "so authentic" content.
- Netflix will release "A Different World," a sequel to the original sitcom, on Sept. 24, with showrunner Felicia Pride working alongside Debbie Allen and VP Tracey Pakosta; the project shot at HBCUs in Atlanta to achieve an authentic texture.
Why it matters: Specific numbers and dates from the summit — Paramount's 3,000 Nickelodeon hotel rooms in development, Netflix's "A Different World" premiering Sept. 24, Reddit's three-creator "Resident Evil" activation, and Nintendo's Zelda film with Sony — show how major IP holders are deepening fan touchpoints through creator partnerships, IRL hospitality and legacy revivals rather than relying on streaming alone.
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