American actor Alexis Bledel will not return for Season 5 of 'The Handmaid's Tale'. "After much thought, I felt I had to step away from 'The Handmaid's Tale'&nbsp;at this time". Bledel, who has played Emily/Ofglen on the Hulu drama since its first season began in 2017, said in a statement Friday.

"I am forever grateful to Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily and to Hulu,&nbsp;MGM,&nbsp;the cast and crew for their support,"&nbsp;as reported by Variety.

Bledel garnered four Emmy nominations and one victory for her role in the Bruce Miller-created TV version of Margaret Atwood's renowned novel 'The Handmaid's Tale'&nbsp;during her four-year tenure. Apart from 'The Handmaid's Tale', Bledel is best known for her roles in 'Gilmore Girls,'&nbsp;'Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,'&nbsp;and 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,'&nbsp;as well as her roles in 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants'&nbsp;franchise and 'Mad Men'.

The fourth season of the show was aired from April to June 2021 and follows June (Elisabeth Moss) as she fights Gilead as a powerful rebel commander, but the risks she takes lead to unforeseen and frightening new obstacles. Her desire for vengeance and justice threatens to overtake her and damage her most important relationships. Emily, an escaped handmaid and refugee in Canada who was known as Ofglen when still under Gilead's authority, was last seen in 'The Handmaid's Tale'&nbsp;Season 4 finale,&nbsp;where her character joins forces with June and other former handmaids to exact revenge on Gilead.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/the-broken-news-trailer-out-now-sonali-bendre-jaideep-ahlawat-reveal-dark-secrets-of-a-newsroom-482694">‘The Broken News’ trailer out now! Sonali Bendre, Jaideep Ahlawat reveal dark secrets of a newsroom</a>

According to Variety, along with Moss and Bledel, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Samira Wiley, Ann Dowd, Max Minghella, Madeline Brewer, O-T Fagbenle, Amanda Brugel, Bradley Whitford, and Sam Jaeger were also seen in the fourth season of 'The Handmaid's Tale'.

Miller, Warren Littlefield, Moss, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, Eric Tuchman, John Weber, Frank Siracusa, Sheila Hockin, Kira Snyder, and Yahlin Chang serve as executive producers on the show. MGM Television produces 'The Handmaid's Tale', which is released internationally by MGM.&nbsp;

American actor Alexis Bledel will not return for Season 5 of 'The Handmaid's Tale'. "After much thought, I felt I had to step away from 'The Handmaid's Tale' at this time".

American actor Alexis Bledel will not return for Season 5 of 'The Handmaid's Tale'. "After much thought, I felt I had to step away from 'The Handmaid's Tale' at this time". Bledel, who has played Emily/Ofglen on the Hulu drama since its first season began in 2017, said in a statement Friday. "I am forever grateful to Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily and to Hulu, MGM, the cast and crew for their support," as reported by Variety. Bledel garnered four Emmy nominations and one victory for her role in the Bruce Miller-created TV version of Margaret Atwood's renowned novel 'The Handmaid's Tale' during her four-year tenure. Apart from 'The Handmaid's Tale', Bledel is best known for her roles in 'Gilmore Girls,' 'Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,' and 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,' as well as her roles in 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' franchise and 'Mad Men'. The fourth season of the show was aired from April to June 2021 and follows June (Elisabeth Moss) as she fights Gilead as a powerful rebel commander, but the risks she takes lead to unforeseen and frightening new obstacles. Her desire for vengeance and justice threatens to overtake her and damage her most important relationships. Emily, an escaped handmaid and refugee in Canada who was known as Ofglen when still under Gilead's authority, was last seen in 'The Handmaid's Tale' Season 4 finale, where her character joins forces with June and other former handmaids to exact revenge on Gilead. Also Read: ‘The Broken News’ trailer out now! Sonali Bendre, Jaideep Ahlawat reveal dark secrets of a newsroom According to Variety, along with Moss and Bledel, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Samira Wiley, Ann Dowd, Max Minghella, Madeline Brewer, O-T Fagbenle, Amanda Brugel, Bradley Whitford, and Sam Jaeger were also seen in the fourth season of 'The Handmaid's Tale'. Miller, Warren Littlefield, Moss, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, Eric Tuchman, John Weber, Frank Siracusa, Sheila Hockin, Kira Snyder, and Yahlin Chang serve as executive producers on the show. MGM Television produces 'The Handmaid's Tale', which is released internationally by MGM.

Alexis Bledel exits 'The Handmaid's Tale' ahead of season 5

Amazon&nbsp;has agreed to buy the storied MGM&nbsp;studios&nbsp;for $8.45 billion, the companies said Wednesday, giving the US tech giant a vast content library to further its ambitions in streaming.

The deal bolsters&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;Prime Video, which competes with Netflix and others in the fast-evolving market, with some 4,000 films, including the James Bond franchise, and 17,000 television shows.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-movie-studio-behind-james-bond-franchise-explores-sale-351579">Movie studio behind James Bond franchise explores sale</a>

"The real financial value behind this deal is the treasure trove of IP (intellectual property) in the deep catalog that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM's talented team," said Mike Hopkins, senior vice president of Prime Video and&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;Studios.&nbsp;

The deal comes with&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;experiencing surging growth in online retail and cloud computing while making a push into entertainment as more consumers turn to streaming media.

It gives&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;the fabled Metro Goldwyn Mayer&nbsp;studios, an iconic name in Hollywood that has been through a series of ownership changes and bankruptcy in recent years.

In addition to the James Bond franchise, MGM owns the rights to film productions including "Rocky", "Legally Blonde" and "Tomb Raider," and television shows such as "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills."

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-the-handmaids-tale-season-4-teaser-first-look-and-the-wait-for-normalcy-366364">'The Handmaid's Tale' season 4 teaser: First look and the wait for normalcy</a>

"MGM has nearly a century of filmmaking history and complements the work of&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;Studios, which has primarily focused on producing TV show programming," a statement from the companies said.

"Amazon&nbsp;will help preserve MGM's heritage and catalog of films, and provide customers with greater access to these existing works. Through this acquisition,&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;would empower MGM to continue to do what they do best: great storytelling."

Streaming gains steam

The tie-up marks a new twist in a fast-evolving media landscape increasingly dominated by streaming giants such as Netflix, a trend which has accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic.

In recent updates, Netflix said its subscriber base has grown to 208 million worldwide, while Disney has 159 million for its various streaming services.

Netflix is investing as much as $17 billion in content this year in an effort to stay ahead of rivals.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/woody-allen-sues-amazon-studios-for-quitting-movie-deal-195953">Woody Allen sues Amazon Studios for quitting movie deal</a>

The MGM deal "definitely helps&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;because consumers want more content," said Dan Rayburn, a media analyst with Frost &amp; Sullivan.

Additionally,&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;will be acquiring a fabled Hollywood name with a reputation in the cinema business, Rayburn noted.

"MGM is all about making movies, and that’s not really what&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;does," the analyst said. "So it gives them a company in the business of making movies."

Rayburn added that&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;may also be able to use the deal to increase its "brand and messaging," with ads in movie theaters, and that this "helps&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;further their worldwide dominance of everything."

The deal could increase scrutiny for&nbsp;Amazon, one of the Big Tech firms gaining unprecedented economic power in recent years and in the crosshairs of antitrust enforcers around the world.&nbsp;

Amazon&nbsp;was sued this week by US capital city Washington for allegedly abusing its dominance of online retail

Last week, telecom giant AT&amp;T said it was spinning off its WarnerMedia division, owner of the Warner Bros&nbsp;studios&nbsp;-- in a combination with Discovery, creating a new entity to focus on streaming and competing with the rapidly growing Disney+ and new entrants such as Apple TV+.

Amazon&nbsp;has said its Prime Video is used by some 175 million people worldwide. Its "Manchester by the Sea" in 2017 became the first film from a streaming service to be nominated for the best picture Oscar.

MGM&nbsp;studios, which is known for its roaring lion mascot but has struggled to&nbsp;make recent box office hits, is not connected to the MGM Resorts group&nbsp;that owns hotels and casinos around the world.

For&nbsp;Amazon, the deal is its second-largest acquisition after its purchase in 2017 of the Whole Foods grocery chain for $13.7 billion.

Amazon has agreed to buy the storied MGM studios for $8.45 billion, the companies said Wednesday, giving the US tech giant a vast content library to further its ambitions in streaming.

Amazon has agreed to buy the storied MGM studios for $8.45 billion, the companies said Wednesday, giving the US tech giant a vast content library to further its ambitions in streaming. The deal bolsters Amazon Prime Video, which competes with Netflix and others in the fast-evolving market, with some 4,000 films, including the James Bond franchise, and 17,000 television shows. Also Read | Movie studio behind James Bond franchise explores sale "The real financial value behind this deal is the treasure trove of IP (intellectual property) in the deep catalog that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM's talented team," said Mike Hopkins, senior vice president of Prime Video and Amazon Studios. The deal comes with Amazon experiencing surging growth in online retail and cloud computing while making a push into entertainment as more consumers turn to streaming media. It gives Amazon the fabled Metro Goldwyn Mayer studios, an iconic name in Hollywood that has been through a series of ownership changes and bankruptcy in recent years. In addition to the James Bond franchise, MGM owns the rights to film productions including "Rocky", "Legally Blonde" and "Tomb Raider," and television shows such as "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills." Also Read | 'The Handmaid's Tale' season 4 teaser: First look and the wait for normalcy "MGM has nearly a century of filmmaking history and complements the work of Amazon Studios, which has primarily focused on producing TV show programming," a statement from the companies said. "Amazon will help preserve MGM's heritage and catalog of films, and provide customers with greater access to these existing works. Through this acquisition, Amazon would empower MGM to continue to do what they do best: great storytelling." Streaming gains steam The tie-up marks a new twist in a fast-evolving media landscape increasingly dominated by streaming giants such as Netflix, a trend which has accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic. In recent updates, Netflix said its subscriber base has grown to 208 million worldwide, while Disney has 159 million for its various streaming services. Netflix is investing as much as $17 billion in content this year in an effort to stay ahead of rivals. Also Read | Woody Allen sues Amazon Studios for quitting movie deal The MGM deal "definitely helps Amazon because consumers want more content," said Dan Rayburn, a media analyst with Frost & Sullivan. Additionally, Amazon will be acquiring a fabled Hollywood name with a reputation in the cinema business, Rayburn noted. "MGM is all about making movies, and that’s not really what Amazon does," the analyst said. "So it gives them a company in the business of making movies." Rayburn added that Amazon may also be able to use the deal to increase its "brand and messaging," with ads in movie theaters, and that this "helps Amazon further their worldwide dominance of everything." The deal could increase scrutiny for Amazon, one of the Big Tech firms gaining unprecedented economic power in recent years and in the crosshairs of antitrust enforcers around the world. Amazon was sued this week by US capital city Washington for allegedly abusing its dominance of online retail Last week, telecom giant AT&T said it was spinning off its WarnerMedia division, owner of the Warner Bros studios -- in a combination with Discovery, creating a new entity to focus on streaming and competing with the rapidly growing Disney+ and new entrants such as Apple TV+. Amazon has said its Prime Video is used by some 175 million people worldwide. Its "Manchester by the Sea" in 2017 became the first film from a streaming service to be nominated for the best picture Oscar. MGM studios, which is known for its roaring lion mascot but has struggled to make recent box office hits, is not connected to the MGM Resorts group that owns hotels and casinos around the world. For Amazon, the deal is its second-largest acquisition after its purchase in 2017 of the Whole Foods grocery chain for $13.7 billion.

Amazon boosts streaming ambitions with deal for MGM studios

'No Time To Die', the 25th film in the James Bond franchise, has been facing roadblocks for quite some time. The film's release date has changed multiple times due to the pandemic.&nbsp; 
 
It was initially slated to hit theatres in April 2020 but was pushed to November due to COVID. However, with uncertainty looming large all over the world, the makers decided to push the film further to 2021.&nbsp; 
 
While the fans are awaiting the film's release eagerly, the delay has caused a huge dent on MGM Studio's (producers of the film) pocket. According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, the makers are suffering a loss of $1 million in interest a month due to the delay in the release of the film. The makers are reportedly taken a huge loan for the film.&nbsp; 
 
Hal Vogel, CEO of Vogel Capital Research told the website, "MGM is suffering. Every major distributor at this point has a pile of unreleased expensive movies. The pile grows larger by the day. These films are inventory. They are sitting there with no return on their investment. Even with low-interest rates, the interest costs are piling up. So going the streaming route is not that crazy. You’ve spent the money. And you’re not getting it back anytime soon." 
 
Hollywood has been facing major losses due to the pandemic as many theatres in the UK and US are yet to function in its full capacity. In recent months, Warner Bros released their big-budget highly anticipated film- 'Tenet' in theatres. But the film incurred huge losses for the studio.&nbsp; 
 
Similarly, Disney released its big-budget 'Mulan' on its OTT platform in a Pay-Per-View format and that movie too hasn't been able to recover costs.&nbsp; 
 
There were rumours that MGM would also take the digital route with 'No Time To Die' and release the film on one of the OTT platforms but the studio later denied the news. The film is set to hit theatres in April 2021.&nbsp;

'No Time To Die' will have actor Daniel Craig playing the famous spy for the final time. Oscar-winner Rami Malek will be playing the Bond villain in the film.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

'No Time To Die', the 25th film in the James Bond franchise, has been facing roadblocks for quite some time. The film's release date has changed multiple times due to the pandemic.

'No Time To Die', the 25th film in the James Bond franchise, has been facing roadblocks for quite some time. The film's release date has changed multiple times due to the pandemic. It was initially slated to hit theatres in April 2020 but was pushed to November due to COVID. However, with uncertainty looming large all over the world, the makers decided to push the film further to 2021. While the fans are awaiting the film's release eagerly, the delay has caused a huge dent on MGM Studio's (producers of the film) pocket. According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, the makers are suffering a loss of $1 million in interest a month due to the delay in the release of the film. The makers are reportedly taken a huge loan for the film. Hal Vogel, CEO of Vogel Capital Research told the website, "MGM is suffering. Every major distributor at this point has a pile of unreleased expensive movies. The pile grows larger by the day. These films are inventory. They are sitting there with no return on their investment. Even with low-interest rates, the interest costs are piling up. So going the streaming route is not that crazy. You’ve spent the money. And you’re not getting it back anytime soon." Hollywood has been facing major losses due to the pandemic as many theatres in the UK and US are yet to function in its full capacity. In recent months, Warner Bros released their big-budget highly anticipated film- 'Tenet' in theatres. But the film incurred huge losses for the studio. Similarly, Disney released its big-budget 'Mulan' on its OTT platform in a Pay-Per-View format and that movie too hasn't been able to recover costs. There were rumours that MGM would also take the digital route with 'No Time To Die' and release the film on one of the OTT platforms but the studio later denied the news. The film is set to hit theatres in April 2021. 'No Time To Die' will have actor Daniel Craig playing the famous spy for the final time. Oscar-winner Rami Malek will be playing the Bond villain in the film.

No Time To Die: Here's how much the film's delay is costing its makers

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Alexis Bledel exits 'The Handmaid's Tale' ahead of season 5

Amazon boosts streaming ambitions with deal for MGM studios

No Time To Die: Here's how much the film's delay is costing its makers