By the time Hacks reached its fifth and final season, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) was still Deborah Vance — big earrings, bold looks and all. But for costume designer Kathleen Felix-Hager, it was Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) whose wardrobe told the story of just how much the young writer had changed since Season 1. As Ava became more confident and established in her own life, her clothes grew more sophisticated, incorporating lessons she picked up from Deborah along the way.

That evolution came into focus in Felix-Hager’s Emmy-nominated Episode 3, “No New Tricks,” which also gave the costume designer one of the season’s biggest challenges: creating a dress literally made from playing cards for Deborah to wear to a premiere. Constructed in three pieces and using real playing cards, the look became one of the series’ most memorable fashion moments. Here, Felix-Hager talks to Deadline about creating the showstopping dress and using fashion to reveal the more vulnerable side of Deborah and Ava.

DEADLINE: How would you explain Deborah and Ava’s clothing trajectory from Season 1 to the finale Season 5? 

KATHLEEN FELIX-HAGER: Well, Deborah’s style hasn’t really changed. I mean, she’s been pretty consistent throughout the seasons, but definitely there was a shift in Ava’s style evolution. So I think by the time we see her in the finale, she’s like the grown-up version of Ava Daniels. She’s a fully realized person. She’s her own person. She has some sophistication to her wardrobe at this point.

She’s sort of taken pieces that she’s learned from Deborah, in a way. Not that she has Deborah’s style, but she’s paying more attention to her clothes. She’s buying more investment pieces. She’s styling herself in a more grown-up way. So, I think that’s been the shift really for Ava, since we saw her in Season 1 and Season 5.

DEADLINE: Was there a conversation you had with the showrunners about doing anything differently for the finale season?

FELIX-HAGER: Not specifically, but I know we all felt a sense of really wanting to do justice to the show as a whole. For all the departments, I think we all felt the desire to leave it all on the table. I wanted to do these characters justice and to make Deborah the most Deborah Vance she’s ever been, to really explore how Ava grew up in her costumes and reflecting that in her wardrobe choices.

But, especially in the finale episode, I really feel like just Paris was beautiful, all the colors of all the coats, and that was really fun and creatively satisfying to paint the prettiest picture we could paint of this. Also, because Deborah was going there to say goodbye. She was going there to like her last hurrah, so I wanted her to feel her most beautiful, her most colorful. Even though she was making a decision, in theory, to end her life, I wanted it to be very life-affirming and very bright and hopeful. 

DEADLINE: For Deborah and Ava,  what are some pieces in their wardrobe that they cannot be onscreen without? 

FELIX-HAGER: Definitely for Deborah, it would be earrings. She cannot leave without a pair of big old dangly earrings. And Ava’s most beloved pieces are her vintage Levi’s. That would really be something that she didn’t really leave the house without. She wore those Levis a lot, and it was like, you know, you have your favorite pair of jeans.

DEADLINE: Let’s talk about your Emmy nominated episode, “No New Tricks”. First up, that gorgeous card dress. What went into the idea of this? 

FELIX-HAGER: In the script, it just said: Deborah Vance shows up at the premiere in a dress made of playing cards. So, it was up to me to interpret what that meant. And I did have a conversation with the showrunners and I was doing variations of different things. And they said, “No, it has to be a dress literally made of playing cards.” And I was like, “OK, that’s very specific.” [Laughs.]

I did a few sketches and I knew shapes that work well on Jean, so we wanted it to be a splashy moment. We constructed three pieces: a strapless red gown, a playing card skirt made of real playing cards, and they’re all bedazzled, which were hand sewn on and then the Bolero jacket. I knew I wanted this layer [of cards] around her face. So those were also real playing cards. They were just blown up into a bigger version. But my tailor, Rory Cunningham, constructed it, and I have the sketches, and it was really fun. It was the first thing that I had to do at the beginning of Season 5. 

DEADLINE: This episode also has Christopher Briney, who plays the musician character, Nico Hayes. What went into styling him? 

FELIX-HAGER: He was lovely. Fun fact, he does not have tattoos. Our makeup artist did all those tattoos on him. The moment where he and Deborah show up for the date and they’re in very similar Versace shirts was also a very fun moment. It was a little tricky to find a shirt that was going to work for both of them, and also make sense for the scene and not be super, super jokey. So, I think it really worked out. That black sheer  shirt was a fun rockstar moment for his premiere party, which is the one he wears when he meets Deborah in the card dress – so good. 

DEADLINE: Nico and Deborah’s short lived fling is fun. What did you want her wardrobe though to say about her confidence vs any vulnerability she expresses in this episode? 

FELIX-HAGER: When she first meets Nico, he asks her on a date, she thinks it’s a fake date. She thinks it’s for publicity. So, she’s going along for the ride, so to speak. But then when she gets so giddy and girly and wants to have this relationship, it was very fun for her to be very feminine, and in these soft pink colors of that blouse, and then the fur coat and the whole thing was really nice. Then for vulnerability, when he breaks up with Deborah, it’s a little more heartbreaking in style. 

DEADLINE: Ava also has quite a few outfit choices here. I love her denim fit. 

FELIX-HAGER: Yeah, it’s a denim on denim look with a tie. That’s where she goes to the premier party and she meets the magician and he asks her out. I thought it would be fun to have her dress like that when she meets him. And then when she asks him to join her at the wedding, Marty’s wedding, she’s in a very completely different look. He goes on the date with her, they go to the Ferris wheel and she’s wearing funky loafers. And then, when she goes to the wedding, she’s also very girly in that moment. She’s got, I believe, an Alberta Ferretti gray strapless dress and some pumps, very Audrey Hepburn-esque. I think it’s nice that Ava’s a little bit of a chameleon sometimes. She does things that we don’t expect.

DEADLINE: What is it about this episode that stood out to you in terms of costume design? 

FELIX-HAGER: It showed the card dress, of which I was very proud of the construction and the creation of something outside the box that we’ve seen. Even at that premiere party, which you didn’t really see on camera that much, there was so much work that went into the background, the dressing of the waiters and the waitresses at that party was like a whole jungle theme. And they were very like Adam and Eve and in gold, with vines. There was so much detail work in that. And then, when we saw Marty’s wedding, I think Ava had so many different evolutions in it. It was a very big episode in scope for us. So, I think it just told a nice story about how costumes can contribute to telling the story.

Camila Morrone has joined Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler in the cast of Joseph Kosinski’s “Miami Vice ’85,’ Universal’s upcoming film revival of the hit ’80s TV series, TheWrap has learned.

Morrone’s role is being kept under wraps, but the film, written by “Nightcrawler” Oscar nominee Dan Gilroy, will be based on characters created by Anthony Yerkovich from the series executive produced by Yerkovich and Michael Mann. Eric Warren Singer wrote an earlier draft of the screenplay.

The original 1984 “Miami Vice” pilot episode saw the beginning of the partnership between Sonny Crocket and Rico Tubbs, now played by Jordan and Butler, as they take on drug lords and other criminals on the streets of Miami Beach.

Alden Ehrenreich and Whitney Peak recently joined the cast as well.

Filming for “Miami Vice ’85” is set to begin later this year with a release scheduled for May 19, 2028. Dylan Clark is producing alongside Kosinski, who is best known as the director of hit Best Picture Oscar-nominated films “Top Gun: Maverick” and “F1.” Executive Vice President of Production Development Sara Scott and Creative Executive of Production Development Christina Hoffrogge will oversee the project for the studio. 

Morrone first broke out in Prime Video’s “Daisy Jones & The Six,” for which she received an Emmy nomination. She is currently generating strong reviews for her role in the Netflix series “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen.” Other credits include the second season of “The Night Manager” opposite Tom Hiddleston.

Morrone is repped by WME, Brillstein and lawyers Steve Warren & Huy Nguyen.

Deadline first reported the news.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is urging David Ellison and California Attorney General Rob Bonta to “find common ground” and settle a lawsuit seeking to block the pending $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.

“While there are varying perspectives on the proposed transaction, today we are united around one clear message: It is time for all parties to come to the table,” Bass said during a news conference on Thursday. “The continued uncertainty is not good for workers, not good for productions and not good for the future of this industry. Too many productions in L.A. are now at a standstill, which means Angelenos are out of a job and they’re not getting paid.”

“As mayor, I cannot stand by while the job security of thousands of hardworking union members is being put at risk. That is why we are calling on Paramount, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and all relevant parties to come together, engage directly and in good faith, and work urgently to find common ground and keep our vital industry in Los Angeles at a time when film and television production is already facing significant challenges,” Bass continued. “We cannot afford prolonged uncertainty that delays investment, puts production on hold, and creates greater instability for thousands of workers and family.”

Bass emphasized that any resolution must put workers and the “long-term health of our entertainment industry” at the center and include “meaningful and enforceable commitments” to keep Paramount and Warner Brothers Discovery in L.A. as well as maintaining jobs, productions, and investments in the region and California.

She added that Los Angeles is the “entertainment capital,” with “unparalleled talent, unlimited creativity, a skilled workforce, and the highest amount of production space in the world” and that she is speaking up to “protect this legacy.”

“This is not about taking sides. This is about fighting for Los Angeles, standing up for our union workers, keeping Paramount here, and protecting the future of this industry,” she concluded. “L.A. has been home to the entertainment industry for generations, and we intend to do everything we can to keep it here.”

Bass’ call for a settlement comes after TheWrap was first to report a new study by L.A County’s Department of Economic Opportunity and CVL Economics, which found that the merger could result the loss of nearly 4,500 TV and film jobs over the next three years.

It could also risk 2,661 indirect jobs at small businesses that support production — such as prop houses, printers, transportation companies and other vendors — and 3,204 induced jobs that exist because film and TV workers spend money in the local economy — including restaurants, retailers and service providers.

Overall, the economic impact of losing these jobs would be $1.26 billion in wages, $2.78 billion in economic value, $4.06 billion in total business output and $547 million in tax revenue, including $78.6 million in local taxes — most of which (63%) comes from property taxes, per the study.

In a statement to TheWrap, Paramount said that Los Angeles County’s report underscores underscores that the entertainment industry is “in decline, production is down and jobs are being lost — and lost for good if we don’t act.

“Our plan to invest $30 billion annually in production and release at least 30 films a year is how we regain that ground: more production that supports more jobs over time, and ultimately, a stronger, more durable entertainment industry for generations to come,” the company added.

The $110 billion deal is currently headed to an antitrust trial in March. Paramount has agreed to delay the closing until five days after the outcome of a trial, or June 1, 2027, whichever is earliest. Starting Oct. 1, Ellison is on the hook for a 25 cent per share ticking fee, which translates to a payout of $7 million per day, or $650 million per quarter until closing. The final deadline for the deal to close is June 4, 2027.

While Ellison himself has called for a settlement, he has also threatened to begin the process to move Paramount’s operations out of the Golden State starting Oct. 1 if Bonta does not come to the negotiating table. Bonta has called the threat of a move “blackmail” and maintains that he is open to a settlement, but that Paramount needs to offer structural remedies, such as divestments, rather than behavioral remedies.

Experts have warned TheWrap that Paramount moving out of the state would be “devastating” for the L.A. entertainment community at a time when it has already faced cutbacks from the strikes and the end of the peak-TV era post-pandemic. They added that it would take years to execute and is “extremely dangerous” for Paramount from both an optics and financial standpoint.

Per CVL Economics and DEO’s study, 17% of Paramount’s total workforce and 13% of WBD’s total workforce are located in L.A. County. When looking by unit, 35% of Paramount and 27% of WBD’s studios unit workforces are based in L.A., while direct-to-consumer/streaming make up 15% and 17% and TV/media and global linear networks make up 10% and 2%, respectively.

In addition to Bass, Xavier Becerra, the Democratic nominee in California’s gubernatorial race, has called for a settlement. The Wall Street Journal reported that California Gov. Gavin Newsom has also privately urged Bonta to reach a settlement.

The Directors’ Guild of America and IATSE have also presented a settlement proposal that would include conditions such as keeping operation of Paramount and WBD’s film and TV studios and their production, distribution, marketing and exhibition groups separate; keeping HBO available on third-party platforms; and commitments around content licensing, theatrical releases, U.S.-based productions and remaining based in Los Angeles.

Others who have come out in support of the merger include the CEOs of AMC Theaters, Regal and Cinemark, as well as Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer. Trade organization Cinema United has also called for settlement after previously opposing the merger.

In addition to Bonta and 11 other state attorneys general, the Paramount-WBD merger faces lawsuits from the Writers’ Guild of America and a Paramount shareholder. A group of consumers also filed a lawsuit seeking to block the merger, but it was dismissed.

In a statement, the WGA said it was “disappointed” that Bass has “chosen to join Paramount’s pressure campaign on public enforcers, to push through a merger that is being rightfully challenged as illegal and will lead to job losses in the entertainment industry.”

“Industry workers deserve a mayor who believes in upholding the law and protecting the working people of Los Angeles, not serving the interests of powerful corporations,” the union continued. “Paramount has created a false choice for entertainment industry workers: The company argues that enforcing antitrust law hurts us by creating uncertainty, which is of their own making as the company attempts to dominate the industry. We reject the claim that beleaguered industry workers must choose the possibility of a job today, in exchange for the certainty of job losses tomorrow.”

A spokesperson for Bonta’s office did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment.