OCTAVIA SPENCER

An 11th-hour deal has been reached and a strike that would have shut down film and television productions across the U.S. was averted.

A major Hollywood strike could be on the horizon for some 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers in the entertainment industry.

Film and television production in North America is in jeopardy of coming to a standstill after its behind-the-scenes workers overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike for the first time in its 128-year history.

This week’s new entertainment releases include screen options with women taking charge.

LOS ANGELES – The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network will honor six students through celebrity-directed stories at its 30th annual reimagined ceremony. GLSEN announced Thursday that the ceremony will highlight the students at the Respect Everywhere celebration, which will premiere Monday on the organization’s website. The awards show was previously named the Los Angeles Respect Awards. The online event will showcase the students from around the country that have made an impact on the LGBTQ+ community in their own way. Others will follow an immigrant student acclimating to their new country, while a young lesbian finds a balance between her Christianity and her authentic self.

Dungey has been named chairman, Warner Bros. Television Group, starting her tenure at the studio early next year. Dungey will succeed Peter Roth who will be stepping down from his Studio responsibilities running the TV Group and its operating divisions in early 2021. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES – Veteran TV industry executive Channing Dungey was named chairman of the Warner Bros. Television Group after tenures at ABC and Netflix in which she shepherded hit series including “Scandal." She resigned earlier this month, sparking reports that she was destined for Warner Bros. She joins Pearlena Igbokwe, head of NBC Universal’s television studios, as a rare Black executive in charge of a TV studio.

The Robert Zemeckis adaptation of “Roald Dahl’s The Witches” has found a new home on HBO Max this month just in time for Halloween. Warner Bros. said Friday that “The Witches” will debut on the subscription streaming service, owned by parent company WarnerMedia, on Oct. 22. Dahl’s 1983 novel about an orphaned boy who discovers a coven of witches that hate children was previously adapted for the big screen in 1990 by director Nicolas Roeg. It starred Angelica Huston, Mai Zetterling and Rowan Atkinson and was a box office flop, despite its critical acclaim. This new version has actor Jahzir Bruno playing the boy who must try to stop the witches from turning the world's children into mice.

God bless Chadwick Boseman. Denzel Washington, via a statement. During the premiere party for Black Panther, Chadwick reminded me of something. My friend and fellow Bison Chadwick Boseman was brilliant, kind, learned, and humble. We are devastated by the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman. From Black Panther to Da 5 Bloods, Chadwick Boseman brought strength and light to the screen, every time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, via Twitter.