Warner Bros

Often film sequels are slam dunks at the box office, a seamless continuation from where a previous hit left off. But as the new installment of the 15-year-old franchise "Men in Black" proves, getting to the big screen isn't always a cakewalk. One of the most troubled productions in recent Hollywood memory, Sony Pictures' latest movie in the Will Smith-Tommy Lee Jones sci-fi-comedy franchise encountered multiple script rewrites, a discontented star and a three-month production shutdown as writers and studio executives scrambled to fix a project that nearly fell apart . By the time it was over, the studio had run up a tab of nearly $250 million - making "Men in Black 3" one of the most expensive releases of the summer.

Seeking to boost its relatively healthy business for classic movies on DVD, Warner Bros. has signed a multiyear deal to release 73 classic films produced by industry legend Samuel Goldwyn. Among the titles Warner is licensing from the producer's son Samuel Goldwyn Jr. are best picture Academy Award winner "The Best Years of Our Lives," the Lou Gehrig biopic "The Pride of the Yankees" with Gary Cooper, the musical "Guys and Dolls" with Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, and Danny Kaye's "Hans Christian Andersen.

Hard-core Harry Potter fans who devoured the books, camped out for the movies and trekked through the theme park now have a new way to relive the boy wizard's adventures. PHOTOS: Making of Harry Potter studio tour Debuting Saturday, the Making of Harry Potter behind-the-scenes tour at theWarner Bros.studios in England will let wizards, mudbloods and muggles pull back the curtain on the movie-making secrets of the most successful film series of all time. Located 20 miles outside of London, the three-hour self-guided tour will take visitors past sets, props, costumes, models and special effects exhibits from the eight "Harry Potter" movies.

Hard-core Harry Potter fans who devoured the books, camped out for the movies and trekked through the theme park now have a new way to relive the boy wizard's adventures. PHOTOS: Making of Harry Potter studio tour Debuting Saturday, the Making of Harry Potter behind-the-scenes tour at theWarner Bros.studios in England will let wizards, mudbloods and muggles pull back the curtain on the movie-making secrets of the most successful film series of all time. Located 20 miles outside of London, the three-hour self-guided tour will take visitors past sets, props, costumes, models and special effects exhibits from the eight "Harry Potter" movies.

We pay lip service to old Hollywood, to the storied age of the movie studios, but do we really know what happened on those fabled lots? Do we understand that world that is no more? A fascinating new series put together by the UCLA Film & Television Archive offers a window into that reality and a whole lot more. "Rarities From the Warner Archive Collection," a 19-film program starting Friday at the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum in Westwood, is of great interest on a number of levels.

Warner Bros. Entertainment is eliminating 800 jobs, or about 10% of its global workforce, becoming the latest media company to take drastic cost-cutting measures amid a deepening recession. About 600 people will be laid off across all divisions of the studio's operations, and 200 cuts will come from open positions not being filled. Warner's studio headquarters in Burbank will take the brunt of the job losses, with about 450 people being terminated and 150 open positions being shed.

Warner Bros., following a trend that is now all too familiar among American companies, is preparing to outsource jobs to India and Poland as part of a studio-wide cost-cutting move. The Time Warner Inc.-owned studio will join other media companies, including NBC/Universal and Viacom Inc., that have initiated cutbacks and layoffs in the face of weakening entertainment industry revenue and the deepening recession.

The romance between Hollywood and the video game industry is hitting the skids. A few years ago, game publishers were regularly releasing video games adapted from movies and tied to their opening in theaters. The games were routinely knocked by players and critics alike for their poor quality, but since they were cheap to produce and rode the coattails of a film's marketing budget, the business was a no-brainer for video game companies. "There was a business model for some time of low-cost, lower-quality games based on movies that sold enough to earn a return," said Graham Hopper, executive vice president of Disney Interactive Studios, Walt Disney Corp.

Seeking to boost its relatively healthy business for classic movies on DVD, Warner Bros. has signed a multiyear deal to release 73 classic films produced by industry legend Samuel Goldwyn. Among the titles Warner is licensing from the producer's son Samuel Goldwyn Jr. are best picture Academy Award winner "The Best Years of Our Lives," the Lou Gehrig biopic "The Pride of the Yankees" with Gary Cooper, the musical "Guys and Dolls" with Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, and Danny Kaye's "Hans Christian Andersen.

Bruce Lee's classic 1973 film "Enter the Dragon" will be remade by Warner Bros. The remake, to be titled "Awaken the Dragon," will be written and directed by Kurt Sutter, producer of the TV series "The Shield." It will be released by Warner Independent Pictures. Warner Bros. publicist Laura Kim said the movie would tell the story of an FBI agent who investigates a Shaolin monk and underground kung fu fight clubs.

"True Blood" This creepy baby doll from the HBO vampire series was possessed by the spirit of the character of Mavis. "Wonder Woman" This form-fitting superheroine costume was worn by Lynda Carter on the 1975-79 CBS series. "ER" After kicking around Hollywood for nearly a decade, George Clooney became a TV superstar in 1994 as a sexy pediatrician on the NBC medical series.

For fans of TV history, a walk through the "Television: Out of the Box" show at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills is like a grand stroll through our collective past. Visitors to the exhibition, which celebrates nearly 60 years of Warner Bros. television, can view such items as Clint Walker's buckskin costume from the western "Cheyenne" and Connie Stevens' sundress from "77 Sunset Strip. " From more modern times, there's a section devoted to NBC's long-running medical drama "ER," which features such items as George Clooney's stethoscope and the County General Hospital badges worn by the cast.

Warner Bros.' international television unit is teaming with two Chinese production companies to create a Chinese teen drama series inspired by "Gossip Girl," which airs in the United States on the CW Network. "Gossip Girl," about a group of wealthy back-stabbing Manhattanites, has been a cult hit for the cable channel for the last five years and launched the careers of actresses Blake Lively and Leighton Meester. Tentatively called "China Girl," the show will be in Mandarin and launch in November on satellite television, with "Gossip Girl" creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage consulting.

Universal Pictures has decided not to join forces withWarner Bros.in that studio's war with Redbox. Universal, the studio behind "Safe House"and this weekend's animated release "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax,"on Thursday announced an extension of its deal with the DVD rental kiosk company through August 2014 that will maintain the current 28-day wait from when DVDs go on sale until consumers can rent them from Redbox. The news comes two months after rival studio Warner Bros. said it would only sell discs to Redbox if it agreed to double the length of the so-called rental "window" to 56 days.

Warner Bros. is about to reignite a battle with Redbox and Blockbuster over how long consumers have to wait to rent DVDs. The Time Warner Inc.-owned studio is instituting a new policy that all DVD rental services must wait 56 days from the time the disc goes on sale at retail stores like Wal-Mart and Best Buy until consumers can rent them, according to people with knowledge of the matter who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. That's double the current 28-day "window. " A spokesman for Warner Bros.' home entertainment division declined to comment.

Warner Bros. and Redbox are about to re-ignite a battle over how long consumers have to wait to rent DVDs. The Time Warner Inc.-owned studio is instituting a new policy that all DVD rental outlets must wait 56 days from the time the disc goes on sale at retail outlets Wal-Mart and Best Buy until consumers can rent them, according to people with knowledge of the matter who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. That's double the current 28-day "window. " A spokesman for Warner Bros.' home entertainment division declined to comment.

Mark Rosenberg, president of the worldwide theatrical production division of Warner Bros. since 1983, resigned Monday, the company said. No successor was named. "It's an idea I've been considering for some time," Rosenberg said in a statement. He disclosed no future plans. Rosenberg had joined Warner Bros. as a vice president of production in 1978 after working for two talent agencies.

Marty Greenfield, former senior vice president and chief financial officer with Elektra Records, has been named executive vice president and CFO of Warner Bros. Records Inc. Greenfield also previously worked at Sony Music/Epic Records in a variety of posts, including vice president of finance. "Finding a first-rate financial executive with a real understanding of the music business is a difficult proposition," said Russ Thyret, board chairman and CEO of Warner Bros.

The "Harry Potter" movies have grossed $7.7 billion at the global box office, sold more than 165 million DVDs and have won zero Academy Awards. Despite being one of the most successful and arguably most influential film series of all time, the first seven "Potter" movies garnered a total of just nine Oscar nominations — all in the craft and technical categories of art direction, cinematography, costumes, music and visual effects. This year, "Potter" studio Warner Bros. has bigger aspirations.

Robot Land, a $600-million theme park celebrating famous science fiction cyborgs and motion picture androids, is expected to open in South Korea in 2013. > Photos: Robot Land theme park rides and attractions Located about an hour west of Seoul in the coastal city of Incheon, Robot Land would feature 11 rides, seven attractions and eight shows on 190 acres. Dubbed the world's first robot theme park, the oft-delayed Robot Land would compete for visitors with the world's 10th busiest theme park ( Everland )