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DC Studios is wasting no time in setting a release date for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow now that the movie has found its director.
The high-profile movie will fly into cinemas on June 26, 2026, DC and Warner Bros. announced Tuesday. It is the second film to receive a release date since James Gunn and Peter Safran were brought in to overhaul DC under the new banner DC Studios. The first was Superman, which Gunn is currently shooting for a July 2025 release date.
Flimmaker Craig Gillespie was tapped by Gunn and Safran to shepherd Supergirl, which stars Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon). She’ll play Superman’s Kara Zor-El, the cousin of Superman. The feature film, from a script by Ana Nogueira, is inspired by the Tom King and Bilquis Evely comic, and will depart from the earnest take on the character seen on the CW Supergirl series.
The plan is...
The high-profile movie will fly into cinemas on June 26, 2026, DC and Warner Bros. announced Tuesday. It is the second film to receive a release date since James Gunn and Peter Safran were brought in to overhaul DC under the new banner DC Studios. The first was Superman, which Gunn is currently shooting for a July 2025 release date.
Flimmaker Craig Gillespie was tapped by Gunn and Safran to shepherd Supergirl, which stars Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon). She’ll play Superman’s Kara Zor-El, the cousin of Superman. The feature film, from a script by Ana Nogueira, is inspired by the Tom King and Bilquis Evely comic, and will depart from the earnest take on the character seen on the CW Supergirl series.
The plan is...
- 5/14/2024
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Warner Bros. is aiming for a flawless victory, dating “Mortal Kombat 2” for an IMAX release on Oct. 24, 2025.
The New Line sequel, first announced in January 2022, will be written by Jeremy Slater, best known for the Disney Plus Marvel series “Moon Knight.” Simon McQuoid, who directed “Mortal Kombat,” returns to direct the follow-up. Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Damon Herriman, Tati Gabrielle and Martyn Ford star, with Chin Han, Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki Sanada. Todd Garner, James Wan, Simon McQuoid, E. Bennett Walsh and Toby Emmerich are producing.
The first “Mortal Kombat,” a martial arts-inspired adaptation of the popular video game created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, opened in theaters and on HBO Max in April 2021, earning $42 million domestically and $83 million worldwide.
In a 2021 interview with Variety, McQuoid hinted at characters he’d be interested in including in a potential sequel.
The New Line sequel, first announced in January 2022, will be written by Jeremy Slater, best known for the Disney Plus Marvel series “Moon Knight.” Simon McQuoid, who directed “Mortal Kombat,” returns to direct the follow-up. Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Damon Herriman, Tati Gabrielle and Martyn Ford star, with Chin Han, Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki Sanada. Todd Garner, James Wan, Simon McQuoid, E. Bennett Walsh and Toby Emmerich are producing.
The first “Mortal Kombat,” a martial arts-inspired adaptation of the popular video game created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, opened in theaters and on HBO Max in April 2021, earning $42 million domestically and $83 million worldwide.
In a 2021 interview with Variety, McQuoid hinted at characters he’d be interested in including in a potential sequel.
- 5/14/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety - Film News
The “WandaVision” spinoff “Agatha All Along” has set its Disney+ premiere date.
The series will debut with two episodes on Sept.. 18. The announcement was made during the Disney upfront presentation to advertisers in New York on Tuesday.
Series star Kathryn Hahn took the stage with co-stars Joe Locke and Patti LuPone, who confirmed the series’ title after a number of changes. The show was first called “Agatha: House of Harkness.” The title appeared to change to “Agatha: Coven of Chaos” by July 2022, and then to “Agatha: Darkhold Diaries” in September 2023.
Related Content: Upfronts 2024 Full Coverage
Variety exclusively reported that the...
The series will debut with two episodes on Sept.. 18. The announcement was made during the Disney upfront presentation to advertisers in New York on Tuesday.
Series star Kathryn Hahn took the stage with co-stars Joe Locke and Patti LuPone, who confirmed the series’ title after a number of changes. The show was first called “Agatha: House of Harkness.” The title appeared to change to “Agatha: Coven of Chaos” by July 2022, and then to “Agatha: Darkhold Diaries” in September 2023.
Related Content: Upfronts 2024 Full Coverage
Variety exclusively reported that the...
- 5/14/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Reese Witherspoon is bringing a Legally Blonde series to Amazon’s Prime Video.
What, like it’s hard?
Amazon MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke, Witherspoon — and Bruiser the dog — announced a series order for the show Tuesday at Amazon’s first-ever upfront presentation. The show, titled Elle, will tell the origin story of Elle Woods as a 1990s high schooler. It has been in the works since early April. Witherspoon will executive produce via her Hello Sunshine banner along with series creator and showrunner Laura Kittrell (Insecure, Amazon Freevee’s High School), Hello Sunshine’s Lauren Neustadter and Lauren Kisilevsky, and Marc Platt, producer of the Legally Blonde films.
The logline for the series reads, “Elle follows Elle Woods in high school as we learn about the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman we came to know and love in the first Legally Blonde film.”
“I...
What, like it’s hard?
Amazon MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke, Witherspoon — and Bruiser the dog — announced a series order for the show Tuesday at Amazon’s first-ever upfront presentation. The show, titled Elle, will tell the origin story of Elle Woods as a 1990s high schooler. It has been in the works since early April. Witherspoon will executive produce via her Hello Sunshine banner along with series creator and showrunner Laura Kittrell (Insecure, Amazon Freevee’s High School), Hello Sunshine’s Lauren Neustadter and Lauren Kisilevsky, and Marc Platt, producer of the Legally Blonde films.
The logline for the series reads, “Elle follows Elle Woods in high school as we learn about the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman we came to know and love in the first Legally Blonde film.”
“I...
- 5/14/2024
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Tomb Raider TV series is moving forward at Amazon.
A year and change after The Hollywood Reporter exclusively revealed Emmy winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge was writing and producing an adaptation of the popular video game turned action movie Tomb Raider, the retail giant/streamer has handed out a series order for the live-action series. A worldwide casting search will begin soon for an actress to play Lara Croft in the series from Legendary Television.
The surprise announcement was made Tuesday during Amazon’s first trip to woo Madison Avenue ad buyers at TV’s upfront week in New York, with the news arriving after another video game adaptation, Fallout, has become a breakout hit for the service.
Waller-Bridge is writing the scripts for Tomb Raider. The Fleabag grad does not plan to star in the TV adaptation of the property, which spawned 2001 and 2018 film adaptations starring Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander,...
A year and change after The Hollywood Reporter exclusively revealed Emmy winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge was writing and producing an adaptation of the popular video game turned action movie Tomb Raider, the retail giant/streamer has handed out a series order for the live-action series. A worldwide casting search will begin soon for an actress to play Lara Croft in the series from Legendary Television.
The surprise announcement was made Tuesday during Amazon’s first trip to woo Madison Avenue ad buyers at TV’s upfront week in New York, with the news arriving after another video game adaptation, Fallout, has become a breakout hit for the service.
Waller-Bridge is writing the scripts for Tomb Raider. The Fleabag grad does not plan to star in the TV adaptation of the property, which spawned 2001 and 2018 film adaptations starring Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nicolas Cage will once again play Spider-Man Noir, but this time in a live-action series.
Cage is set to star in the live-action show “Noir,” which has been ordered to series at MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video. The series will debut domestically on MGM+’s linear channel followed by a global launch on Prime Video. Variety exclusively reported the series was in development in February 2023, though Cage was not attached at that time.
The announcement was made ahead of Amazon’s upfront presentation to advertisers in New York on Tuesday.
“Expanding the Marvel universe with ‘Noir’ is a uniquely special...
Cage is set to star in the live-action show “Noir,” which has been ordered to series at MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video. The series will debut domestically on MGM+’s linear channel followed by a global launch on Prime Video. Variety exclusively reported the series was in development in February 2023, though Cage was not attached at that time.
The announcement was made ahead of Amazon’s upfront presentation to advertisers in New York on Tuesday.
“Expanding the Marvel universe with ‘Noir’ is a uniquely special...
- 5/14/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
“The Boys” has been picked up for a fifth season at Amazon Prime Video.
Season 4 of the raunchy superhero show will debut June 13. “The Boys” Season 4 will launch with its first three of eight total episodes, rolling out the remaining installments on a weekly basis. The finale will stream July 18.
The series stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit and Cameron Crovetti.
Upfronts 2024: Full Coverage @ Variety.Com
“The Boys” is executive produced by showrunner Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver,...
Season 4 of the raunchy superhero show will debut June 13. “The Boys” Season 4 will launch with its first three of eight total episodes, rolling out the remaining installments on a weekly basis. The finale will stream July 18.
The series stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit and Cameron Crovetti.
Upfronts 2024: Full Coverage @ Variety.Com
“The Boys” is executive produced by showrunner Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety - TV News
The Sydney Sweeney-led “Barbarella” film is taking shape, with Edgar Wright in talks to direct the picture for Sony. Jane Goldman and Honey Ross are in talks to pen the script.
Wright, best known for making the satiric zombie film “Shaun of the Dead,” is next set to direct Glen Powell in an adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Running Man.” Wright’s other directorial credits include “Last Night in Soho,” “Hot Fuzz,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” and “Baby Driver.”
The project also marks another step in Sweeney’s continued relationship with Sony Pictures — she’s most recently starred in “Anyone but You” and “Madame Web” for the studio. While “Madame Web” was largely panned by critics, Sweeney says her involvement in the film was a “strategic business decision” that’s since paid off.
“To me, that film was a building block, it’s what allowed me to build a relationship with Sony,...
Wright, best known for making the satiric zombie film “Shaun of the Dead,” is next set to direct Glen Powell in an adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Running Man.” Wright’s other directorial credits include “Last Night in Soho,” “Hot Fuzz,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” and “Baby Driver.”
The project also marks another step in Sweeney’s continued relationship with Sony Pictures — she’s most recently starred in “Anyone but You” and “Madame Web” for the studio. While “Madame Web” was largely panned by critics, Sweeney says her involvement in the film was a “strategic business decision” that’s since paid off.
“To me, that film was a building block, it’s what allowed me to build a relationship with Sony,...
- 5/13/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety - Film News
Downton Abbey is coming back to the big screen.
Focus Features and Carnival Films are working on the latest Downton movie that will be written by Julian Fellowes, the scribe who created the acclaimed TV show that ran from 2010-15. Simon Curtis is returning to direct after helming 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era.
Along with Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, and Michelle Dockery, the returning cast includes: Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Robert James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Penelope Wilton, Lesley Nicol, Michael Fox, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sophie McShera and Douglas Reith.
Paul Giamatti, fresh off an Oscar nomination for The Holdovers, is reprising his role as Cora Grantham’s brother, Harold Levinson. Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale, and Arty Froushan are among the film franchise newcomers. Elsewhere, Dominic West will also reprise his role as Guy Dexter from Downton Abbey: A New Era.
Focus Features and Carnival Films are working on the latest Downton movie that will be written by Julian Fellowes, the scribe who created the acclaimed TV show that ran from 2010-15. Simon Curtis is returning to direct after helming 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era.
Along with Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, and Michelle Dockery, the returning cast includes: Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Robert James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Penelope Wilton, Lesley Nicol, Michael Fox, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sophie McShera and Douglas Reith.
Paul Giamatti, fresh off an Oscar nomination for The Holdovers, is reprising his role as Cora Grantham’s brother, Harold Levinson. Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale, and Arty Froushan are among the film franchise newcomers. Elsewhere, Dominic West will also reprise his role as Guy Dexter from Downton Abbey: A New Era.
- 5/13/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Alex Garland’s critically-acclaimed “Civil War” has confirmed a theatrical release in mainland China. Marking the first A24 production to be released in China, it will arrive in cinemas from June 7.
Huahua Media took rights to the film for China. Tech and entertainment giant Alibaba will also be partnering with Huahua throughout the release.
Depicting a dystopian future America, the film’s story follows a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach Washington DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House. The film features an ensemble cast led by Academy-Award nominee Kirsten Dunst, and including Cailee Spaeny, Nick Offerman, Stephen Henderson, and Wagner Moura.
Founded in 2014 by veteran producer Wang Kefei, Huahua is one of the most active Chinese companies in overseas film investment and production. It has production credits including “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” “Transformers: The Last Knight,” “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” and “Star Trek.
Huahua Media took rights to the film for China. Tech and entertainment giant Alibaba will also be partnering with Huahua throughout the release.
Depicting a dystopian future America, the film’s story follows a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach Washington DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House. The film features an ensemble cast led by Academy-Award nominee Kirsten Dunst, and including Cailee Spaeny, Nick Offerman, Stephen Henderson, and Wagner Moura.
Founded in 2014 by veteran producer Wang Kefei, Huahua is one of the most active Chinese companies in overseas film investment and production. It has production credits including “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” “Transformers: The Last Knight,” “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” and “Star Trek.
- 5/16/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
The Max prequel series “Dune: Prophecy” has added Jihae in a recurring guest star role, Variety has learned exclusively.
The South Korean actress, musician, and multimedia artist is the latest casting to be announced for the series, after Variety exclusively reported that Indian superstar Tabu would also be appearing in the show.
The series was originally commissioned in 2019 under the title “Dune: The Sisterhood.” It is inspired by the novel “Sisterhood of Dune” written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The official logline states, “From the expansive universe of ‘Dune,’ created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides,...
The South Korean actress, musician, and multimedia artist is the latest casting to be announced for the series, after Variety exclusively reported that Indian superstar Tabu would also be appearing in the show.
The series was originally commissioned in 2019 under the title “Dune: The Sisterhood.” It is inspired by the novel “Sisterhood of Dune” written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The official logline states, “From the expansive universe of ‘Dune,’ created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Léa Seydoux addressed France’s growing #MeToo movement at the Cannes Film Festival press conference for Quentin Dupieux’s comedy “The Second Act,” which opened the fest on Tuesday night.
“It’s a wonderful thing that women are now speaking out. Things are clearly changing and it was high time it did,” she said. “I have the impression that this change has indeed taken place. The film also plays with this idea, it also talks about very current events and this movement, where women are now speaking out, and that was of fundamental importance for this change to take place.”
Seydoux continued, “#MeToo is very important. It’s a very serious issue. However, I think it is also necessary to be able to talk about it with humor. In the film, this is highlighted in a very funny way.”
The topic has been the buzz of the festival due to...
“It’s a wonderful thing that women are now speaking out. Things are clearly changing and it was high time it did,” she said. “I have the impression that this change has indeed taken place. The film also plays with this idea, it also talks about very current events and this movement, where women are now speaking out, and that was of fundamental importance for this change to take place.”
Seydoux continued, “#MeToo is very important. It’s a very serious issue. However, I think it is also necessary to be able to talk about it with humor. In the film, this is highlighted in a very funny way.”
The topic has been the buzz of the festival due to...
- 5/15/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety - Film News
U.K. distributor Other Parties has launched a new production arm headed by former Amazon Studios U.K. exec Emily Guarino.
Guarino, who was most recently head of business affairs at Amazon Studios, will be the new CEO of Other Parties Productions, working alongside Other Parties founder and director of distribution Aneet Nijjar. The duo previously collaborated during film industry development program Inside Pictures.
Guarino has over two decades of experience developing and producing content, having begin her career at NBCUniversal’s international studio in London. She went on to head up legal and business affairs at A+E Networks Emea and most recently the European Originals Business Affairs team at Amazon Studios’ London HQ.
Other Parties Film Company launched in 2021 and quickly assembled a dynamic team including co-founder Aduke King, who oversees acquisition and development, former Wunderman and Thompson exec Tom Lancaster and Esmé Gartside, who heads communications.
The company...
Guarino, who was most recently head of business affairs at Amazon Studios, will be the new CEO of Other Parties Productions, working alongside Other Parties founder and director of distribution Aneet Nijjar. The duo previously collaborated during film industry development program Inside Pictures.
Guarino has over two decades of experience developing and producing content, having begin her career at NBCUniversal’s international studio in London. She went on to head up legal and business affairs at A+E Networks Emea and most recently the European Originals Business Affairs team at Amazon Studios’ London HQ.
Other Parties Film Company launched in 2021 and quickly assembled a dynamic team including co-founder Aduke King, who oversees acquisition and development, former Wunderman and Thompson exec Tom Lancaster and Esmé Gartside, who heads communications.
The company...
- 5/15/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety - Film News
Neon has acquired the North American rights to award-winning filmmaker Julia Ducournau’s (Titane, Raw) genre-defying film Alpha.
Leading the cast are Golshifteh Farahani (The Patience Stone, Paterson) and Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian, A Prophet), with principal photography on the film commencing next fall.
Producers are Jean des Forêts and Amelie Jacquis of Petit Film and Eric & Nicolas Altmayer of Mandarin & Compagnie, with Frakas Productions co-producing.
Charades and FilmNation Entertainment are handling sales in the rest of the world during the Cannes Film Festival and market.
The deal was negotiated by Neon’s president of acquisitions & production Jeff Deutchman with Charades’ Carole Baraton and FilmNation Entertainment’s CEO Glen Basner on behalf of the filmmakers.
The deal marks Neon’s second collaboration with Ducournau following Titane, which the studio picked up ahead of its premiere in Cannes in 2021 and went on to win the Palme d’Or.
Neon also...
Leading the cast are Golshifteh Farahani (The Patience Stone, Paterson) and Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian, A Prophet), with principal photography on the film commencing next fall.
Producers are Jean des Forêts and Amelie Jacquis of Petit Film and Eric & Nicolas Altmayer of Mandarin & Compagnie, with Frakas Productions co-producing.
Charades and FilmNation Entertainment are handling sales in the rest of the world during the Cannes Film Festival and market.
The deal was negotiated by Neon’s president of acquisitions & production Jeff Deutchman with Charades’ Carole Baraton and FilmNation Entertainment’s CEO Glen Basner on behalf of the filmmakers.
The deal marks Neon’s second collaboration with Ducournau following Titane, which the studio picked up ahead of its premiere in Cannes in 2021 and went on to win the Palme d’Or.
Neon also...
- 5/15/2024
- by Lily Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It always helps to have a well-informed local on the payroll.
Nikki Beach CEO Lucia Pendrod was recently reminded of how helpful that can be when Célia Gumbau-Serra, the president of the company’s beach club division who was born in Cannes, reached out with a piece of real estate gossip. “She’s very well-connected and she called to say, ‘You’re not going to believe this but there is a family in Cannes that has been in business for 37 years and they want to retire.’ I thought she was kidding. Can you imagine? A beach club location for sale in Cannes in 2023? It felt too good to be true.”
Nikki Beach jumped at the chance to secure the location in Cannes where the company has hosted pop-ups of its luxury beach club concept for two decades during the film festival, most notably in front of the Carlton Hotel. But...
Nikki Beach CEO Lucia Pendrod was recently reminded of how helpful that can be when Célia Gumbau-Serra, the president of the company’s beach club division who was born in Cannes, reached out with a piece of real estate gossip. “She’s very well-connected and she called to say, ‘You’re not going to believe this but there is a family in Cannes that has been in business for 37 years and they want to retire.’ I thought she was kidding. Can you imagine? A beach club location for sale in Cannes in 2023? It felt too good to be true.”
Nikki Beach jumped at the chance to secure the location in Cannes where the company has hosted pop-ups of its luxury beach club concept for two decades during the film festival, most notably in front of the Carlton Hotel. But...
- 5/15/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Langley Is Woman in Motion in Cannes
Kering’s Women in Motion has unveiled the details for its 2024 program, headlined by a series of A-listers and Universal chairman Donna Langley who will sit for conversations about representation in cinema. The schedule for the invitation-only talks features singer, songwriter and composer Yseult (May 15), actress and filmmaker Judith Godrèche (May 17), Langley ahead of her Women in Motion Award ceremony (May 18), Cannes veteran Julianne Moore (May 19), Cate Blanchett, producer Coco Francini and Dr. Stacy L. Smith (May 20), Emilia Perez star Zoe Saldana (May 20), and Anaïs Demoustier (May 21).
Donna Langley at the 96th Oscars on March 10, 2024. Cannes Vet Kruger Joins “Transcending Borders”
Breaking Through The Lens has booked an afternoon rendezvous in the Campari Lounge at the Palais on May 19, a session that will feature Diane Kruger and the distribution of a special grant that supports directors of marginalized gender.
The event, “Transcending Borders,...
Kering’s Women in Motion has unveiled the details for its 2024 program, headlined by a series of A-listers and Universal chairman Donna Langley who will sit for conversations about representation in cinema. The schedule for the invitation-only talks features singer, songwriter and composer Yseult (May 15), actress and filmmaker Judith Godrèche (May 17), Langley ahead of her Women in Motion Award ceremony (May 18), Cannes veteran Julianne Moore (May 19), Cate Blanchett, producer Coco Francini and Dr. Stacy L. Smith (May 20), Emilia Perez star Zoe Saldana (May 20), and Anaïs Demoustier (May 21).
Donna Langley at the 96th Oscars on March 10, 2024. Cannes Vet Kruger Joins “Transcending Borders”
Breaking Through The Lens has booked an afternoon rendezvous in the Campari Lounge at the Palais on May 19, a session that will feature Diane Kruger and the distribution of a special grant that supports directors of marginalized gender.
The event, “Transcending Borders,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bob Yari’s startup mini-major Magenta Light Studios has found its first in-house film production in “Summerhouse,” a period drama set against the anxiety of the Vietnam War.
“Bombshell” and “Halloween” star Malcolm McDowell will lead the project with Jacob Ward, an up-and-comer who made his debut in Ray Romano’s 2022 film “Somewhere in Queens.” Ed Kaplan (“2 Graves in the Desert”) will write the script and direct, with Shelly Jonson as director of photography.
Production will begin in Connecticut this month. Moonstone Entertainment will represent the international sales, previewing for buyers out of Cannes’ Marche du Film.
“Summerhouse” follows college grad Ned Stern (Ward) awaiting his draft into the Vietnam War. Ned spends his last summer of freedom caring for a belligerent wealthy alcoholic man (McDowell) at his lakeside mansion, only to find himself falling in love with a free-spirited and wild girl while questioning his commitment to his country.
“Bombshell” and “Halloween” star Malcolm McDowell will lead the project with Jacob Ward, an up-and-comer who made his debut in Ray Romano’s 2022 film “Somewhere in Queens.” Ed Kaplan (“2 Graves in the Desert”) will write the script and direct, with Shelly Jonson as director of photography.
Production will begin in Connecticut this month. Moonstone Entertainment will represent the international sales, previewing for buyers out of Cannes’ Marche du Film.
“Summerhouse” follows college grad Ned Stern (Ward) awaiting his draft into the Vietnam War. Ned spends his last summer of freedom caring for a belligerent wealthy alcoholic man (McDowell) at his lakeside mansion, only to find himself falling in love with a free-spirited and wild girl while questioning his commitment to his country.
- 5/15/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety - Film News
Paris-based sales house Charades has sold the Argentinian Western-inspired documentary “Gaucho Gaucho” across much of Europe.
The film — which won a Sundance Jury Prize in January and recently played at Cph:dox — has landed deals with Tandem (France), Filmin (Spain), Selmer Media, M2, Praesens (Switzerland) and Bantam Films (Benelux). Variety understands a U.K. sale is currently under discussions.
Directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, the duo behind the box office hit “The Truffle Hunters,” “Gaucho Gaucho” explores the story of a community of cowboys and cowgirls in Northern Argentina who live outside the modern world.
Produced by Dweck and Kershaw for Beautiful Stories Productions, the film is shot in black-and-white and celebrates the beauty and passion of a group of skilled Argentine cowboys and cowgirls, known as gauchos. It weaves together a mosaic of tales about gauchos confronting the fragility of their world in the face of unprecedented change.
The film — which won a Sundance Jury Prize in January and recently played at Cph:dox — has landed deals with Tandem (France), Filmin (Spain), Selmer Media, M2, Praesens (Switzerland) and Bantam Films (Benelux). Variety understands a U.K. sale is currently under discussions.
Directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, the duo behind the box office hit “The Truffle Hunters,” “Gaucho Gaucho” explores the story of a community of cowboys and cowgirls in Northern Argentina who live outside the modern world.
Produced by Dweck and Kershaw for Beautiful Stories Productions, the film is shot in black-and-white and celebrates the beauty and passion of a group of skilled Argentine cowboys and cowgirls, known as gauchos. It weaves together a mosaic of tales about gauchos confronting the fragility of their world in the face of unprecedented change.
- 5/15/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety - Film News
A stirring, expertly judged thriller powered by a pair of blazing performances, Ghost Trail (Les Fantômes) kicks off Cannes’ Critics’ Week sidebar in first-rate form.
Revolving around a Syrian exile tracking down his former torturer in France, French director Jonathan Millet’s feature-length fiction debut is a work of visceral intensity and formidable control, pulling you into a tight grip and holding you there. The cat-and-mouse premise and brisk, nerve-jangling execution are familiar from numerous other geopolitically timely spy/manhunt tales on big and small screens. But if Ghost Trail doesn’t necessarily buzz with novelty, it boasts a bracing sense of craftsmanship and purpose — of “understanding the assignment,” as the kids might say — both behind and in front of the camera.
Working from a screenplay (“inspired by true events”) co-written with Florence Rochat, Millet displays a shrewd grasp of paranoid-thriller mechanics: fluid camerawork, crisp cutting, propulsive music, anxiety-spiking sound design.
Revolving around a Syrian exile tracking down his former torturer in France, French director Jonathan Millet’s feature-length fiction debut is a work of visceral intensity and formidable control, pulling you into a tight grip and holding you there. The cat-and-mouse premise and brisk, nerve-jangling execution are familiar from numerous other geopolitically timely spy/manhunt tales on big and small screens. But if Ghost Trail doesn’t necessarily buzz with novelty, it boasts a bracing sense of craftsmanship and purpose — of “understanding the assignment,” as the kids might say — both behind and in front of the camera.
Working from a screenplay (“inspired by true events”) co-written with Florence Rochat, Millet displays a shrewd grasp of paranoid-thriller mechanics: fluid camerawork, crisp cutting, propulsive music, anxiety-spiking sound design.
- 5/15/2024
- by Jon Frosch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Veronika Yasinska and Nadiia Zaionchkovska launched the all-rights distribution and co-production outfit Green Light Films last summer, betting on a future for the Ukraine theatrical business in the middle of the ongoing war.
Now at their first Cannes as buyers, they can point to a string of specialty successes, including Jade Halley Bartlett Miller’s Girl, which earned around $284,000 locally, the Ukrainian documentary Us, Our Pets and the War from Ukrainian YouTube Star Anton Ptushkin, which at $115,000 and counting is the second highest-grossing Ukrainian film of the year, and, perhaps surprisingly, Alex Garland’s Civil War, which has earned more than $266,000 in Ukraine to date.
“Of course, marketing Civil War for our audience was a challenge,” notes Green Light Films Cco Zaionchkovska. “For other countries, this was a dystopian sci-fi drama, for our audience, it’s a documentary.”
From a standing start, Green Light Films has carved out “17 percent of...
Now at their first Cannes as buyers, they can point to a string of specialty successes, including Jade Halley Bartlett Miller’s Girl, which earned around $284,000 locally, the Ukrainian documentary Us, Our Pets and the War from Ukrainian YouTube Star Anton Ptushkin, which at $115,000 and counting is the second highest-grossing Ukrainian film of the year, and, perhaps surprisingly, Alex Garland’s Civil War, which has earned more than $266,000 in Ukraine to date.
“Of course, marketing Civil War for our audience was a challenge,” notes Green Light Films Cco Zaionchkovska. “For other countries, this was a dystopian sci-fi drama, for our audience, it’s a documentary.”
From a standing start, Green Light Films has carved out “17 percent of...
- 5/15/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Italian auteur Pietro Marcello – whose 2019 film “Martin Eden” made a splash on the international art-house scene – is shooting “Duse,” a movie about legendary Italian stage diva Eleonora Duse. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi stars as Duse and Noémie Merlant (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”) plays her daughter.
The Match Factory has acquired international rights to “Duse” and is kicking off sales on this buzzy biopic in Cannes. See an exclusive first-look image above.
Duse, who lived between 1858 and 1924, was considered by many the greatest actress of her time. She performed in many countries, most notably in plays by Gabriele D’Annunzio and Henrik Ibsen.
Marcello’s “Duse” will look at the latter part of her life when she is 60 “and her legendary career is now long over,” says the provided synopsis.
“But in the brutal years between the First World War and the rise of fascism, the Divina chooses to return to...
The Match Factory has acquired international rights to “Duse” and is kicking off sales on this buzzy biopic in Cannes. See an exclusive first-look image above.
Duse, who lived between 1858 and 1924, was considered by many the greatest actress of her time. She performed in many countries, most notably in plays by Gabriele D’Annunzio and Henrik Ibsen.
Marcello’s “Duse” will look at the latter part of her life when she is 60 “and her legendary career is now long over,” says the provided synopsis.
“But in the brutal years between the First World War and the rise of fascism, the Divina chooses to return to...
- 5/15/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety - Film News
The Christmas movie is a genre unto itself. It includes all types of films, from classics like It’s a Wonderful Life to comedies like Home Alone to actioners like Die Hard. But while any movie can pop a tree and some stockings in the frame, a memorable Christmas movie must do one thing: make the audience feel the spirit of the season, an objective clearly at the heart of Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point, which will see its Cannes world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight program.
The third feature from director-writer Tyler Taormina (Ham on Rye), Miller’s Point employs a framing story about a multigenerational Italian family coming home for the holidays. But the film is more tone poem than plot-driven narrative, with an atmosphere of holiday nostalgia permeating every scene. A soundtrack of ’60s pop hits plays like a loop of Christmas songs, almost tricking the ear,...
The third feature from director-writer Tyler Taormina (Ham on Rye), Miller’s Point employs a framing story about a multigenerational Italian family coming home for the holidays. But the film is more tone poem than plot-driven narrative, with an atmosphere of holiday nostalgia permeating every scene. A soundtrack of ’60s pop hits plays like a loop of Christmas songs, almost tricking the ear,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Shannon L. Bowen
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Principal photography has begun on “The Captive,” a historical epic from “The Others’” Alejandro Amenábar, starring Julio Peña (“Berlin”) as “Don Quixote” author Miguel de Cervantes, a prisoner of Ottoman corsairs, seen in a very first still from the film, alongside Alessandro Borghi (“Suburra”), playing his captor, which has been shared in exclusivity with Variety.
Paris and London-based production, finance and sales house Film Constellation handles worldwide sales. Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture is on board to release the film in Spain in 2025.
If Peña look spruce but worse for wear, little wonder. An origins story of the early flowering of literary genius in Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote” and slice of mean street life “Rinconete and Cortadillo,” this story is wrapped in a historical thriller.
“The Captive,” no ordinary bio, turns on an episode in Cervantes life which was to shape not only his gift for storytelling...
Paris and London-based production, finance and sales house Film Constellation handles worldwide sales. Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture is on board to release the film in Spain in 2025.
If Peña look spruce but worse for wear, little wonder. An origins story of the early flowering of literary genius in Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote” and slice of mean street life “Rinconete and Cortadillo,” this story is wrapped in a historical thriller.
“The Captive,” no ordinary bio, turns on an episode in Cervantes life which was to shape not only his gift for storytelling...
- 5/15/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety - Film News
The film adaptation of popular comic strip “Natacha (Almost) Air Hostess” boasts an all-star cast.
The cast includes Camille Lou (“Anthracite”), Vincent Dedienne (“We Can Be Heroes”), Fabrice Luchini (“The Empire”), Didier Bourdon (“Cocorico), Elsa Zylberstein (“Coup de Chance”), Isabelle Adjani (“Wingwomen”) and Baptiste Lecaplain (“Meet the Leroys”).
The film is loosely based on the comic strip of the same name created by screenwriter François Walthéry, which was published by Editions Dupuy, and which comprises 23 albums and has sold more than five million copies.
The story follows Natacha, who, since she was a child, has dreamed of becoming an air hostess so that she can break free from the constraints of an age where women are expected to remain at home. Just as her dream is on the verge of becoming a reality, she finds herself involved against her will on an adventure on the trail of a bunch of...
The cast includes Camille Lou (“Anthracite”), Vincent Dedienne (“We Can Be Heroes”), Fabrice Luchini (“The Empire”), Didier Bourdon (“Cocorico), Elsa Zylberstein (“Coup de Chance”), Isabelle Adjani (“Wingwomen”) and Baptiste Lecaplain (“Meet the Leroys”).
The film is loosely based on the comic strip of the same name created by screenwriter François Walthéry, which was published by Editions Dupuy, and which comprises 23 albums and has sold more than five million copies.
The story follows Natacha, who, since she was a child, has dreamed of becoming an air hostess so that she can break free from the constraints of an age where women are expected to remain at home. Just as her dream is on the verge of becoming a reality, she finds herself involved against her will on an adventure on the trail of a bunch of...
- 5/15/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Four-time Academy Award-nominated Ethan Hawke is attached to star in “The Last of the Tribe,” a jungle thriller set in Brazil’s Amazon. Written by Mark Bailey, “The Last of the Tribe” is produced by Brazil’s Academy Award-nominated Fernando Meirelles and Academy Award-winning producer Ed Saxon.
Hawke is set to play William Phelan — a washed-out Chicago cop turned corporate gun-for-hire — who finds himself in a wildly unfamiliar landscape, his assignment the murder of the last surviving member of an uncontacted Indigenous tribe.
“A broken man standing at an unlikely crossroads, Phelan is given the chance to save a life and reclaim his soul,” the film’s synopsis runs.
Hawke will be joined by the Indigenous Brazilian actress-model Zaya Guarani, born in the Amazon’s Port Velho. Seen in Darren Aronofsky’s “Postcard From Earth,” the environmental activist has used her visibility as a fashion model to further her advocacy...
Hawke is set to play William Phelan — a washed-out Chicago cop turned corporate gun-for-hire — who finds himself in a wildly unfamiliar landscape, his assignment the murder of the last surviving member of an uncontacted Indigenous tribe.
“A broken man standing at an unlikely crossroads, Phelan is given the chance to save a life and reclaim his soul,” the film’s synopsis runs.
Hawke will be joined by the Indigenous Brazilian actress-model Zaya Guarani, born in the Amazon’s Port Velho. Seen in Darren Aronofsky’s “Postcard From Earth,” the environmental activist has used her visibility as a fashion model to further her advocacy...
- 5/15/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety - Film News
Gravitas Ventures has picked up the documentary Stylebender, on the UFC Middleweight phenomenon and former world champion Israel Adesanya, for North America.
Zoë McIntosh followed Adesanya, known in the ring as “the last stylebender” for five years making the non-fiction feature, which premiered at the Tribeca film festival last year. Stylebender is less a classic sports doc than an exploration of Adesanya’s origins, family upbringing, and his struggles, as a shy Nigerian kid, growing up in rural New Zealand in the 2000s, to find his own way in the world. We see Adesanya working with his trainer and mentor, Eugene Bareman, as well as his therapist, as he discusses issues of masculinity, bullying, and mental health.
“After screening Stylebender in Tribeca, I could feel in my bones there was something supremely special about this film, and about Adesanya’s story,” said Gravitas’ Danielle Gasher. “There is a vulnerable and...
Zoë McIntosh followed Adesanya, known in the ring as “the last stylebender” for five years making the non-fiction feature, which premiered at the Tribeca film festival last year. Stylebender is less a classic sports doc than an exploration of Adesanya’s origins, family upbringing, and his struggles, as a shy Nigerian kid, growing up in rural New Zealand in the 2000s, to find his own way in the world. We see Adesanya working with his trainer and mentor, Eugene Bareman, as well as his therapist, as he discusses issues of masculinity, bullying, and mental health.
“After screening Stylebender in Tribeca, I could feel in my bones there was something supremely special about this film, and about Adesanya’s story,” said Gravitas’ Danielle Gasher. “There is a vulnerable and...
- 5/15/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Asian audiences are increasingly turning to homegrown content in their streaming choices. Asian titles powering 80% of premium VOD engagement and customer acquisition, according to new research from research and consultancy firm Media Partners Asia.
“The Rise of Asian Content” is based on passive tracking of 40,000 users by sister company Ampd in nine major Asian markets – Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand – over 15 months between Jan. 2023 and March 2024.
“Content originating from Korea, Japan, China, Indonesia and Thailand drives 70-75% of premium VOD engagement, acquisition and hits in Asia,” said MPA lead analyst Dhivya T.
“While the impact and...
“The Rise of Asian Content” is based on passive tracking of 40,000 users by sister company Ampd in nine major Asian markets – Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand – over 15 months between Jan. 2023 and March 2024.
“Content originating from Korea, Japan, China, Indonesia and Thailand drives 70-75% of premium VOD engagement, acquisition and hits in Asia,” said MPA lead analyst Dhivya T.
“While the impact and...
- 5/15/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - TV News
“Golden Horse Goes to Cannes” is looking to make a splash on the Croisette, marking a collaboration with the festival’s Marché du Film that aims to showcase the “diversity, vigor and bold competence of Taiwan cinema, ranging from epic, romance, comedy, fantasy and gender awareness.”
The reality of that promise, for those on the ground in France, will be the presentation on May 16 of five projects featuring the leading lights of contemporary Taiwanese cinema. They’ve been selected by the Golden Horse organization, the people behind Taiwan’s famed annual festival and awards night, to showcase the strength in depth boasted by a market that has always punched above its weight in terms of talent.
New works from directors Chen Yu-hsun, Yang Ya-che, Huang Xi, Giddens Ko, and John Hsu will be on show, and they feature some of the island’s biggest stars, among them Sylvia Chang, who...
The reality of that promise, for those on the ground in France, will be the presentation on May 16 of five projects featuring the leading lights of contemporary Taiwanese cinema. They’ve been selected by the Golden Horse organization, the people behind Taiwan’s famed annual festival and awards night, to showcase the strength in depth boasted by a market that has always punched above its weight in terms of talent.
New works from directors Chen Yu-hsun, Yang Ya-che, Huang Xi, Giddens Ko, and John Hsu will be on show, and they feature some of the island’s biggest stars, among them Sylvia Chang, who...
- 5/15/2024
- by Mathew Scott
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After four Oscar wins for “All Quiet on the Western Front” last year and the Oscar nomination for “The Teachers’ Lounge” this year, Germany’s film sector seemed to be on the up, but while a government plan to revamp the country’s film funding system is broadly welcomed, its painfully slow progress is also causing some anxiety.
The fact that Cannes’ various sections contain not one feature by a German filmmaker may be seen as a cause for concern, but 13 German productions and co-productions have been selected. This underscores how Germany’s current funding structures nurture co-productions, which in turn benefits local producers. For example, both Karim Aïnouz’s “Motel Destino” and Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour” in the Competition section have Germany’s Match Factory Productions as a co-producer.
The Berlinale was a better showcase for German talent, with Matthias Glasner picking up the screenplay award for “Dying,” and...
The fact that Cannes’ various sections contain not one feature by a German filmmaker may be seen as a cause for concern, but 13 German productions and co-productions have been selected. This underscores how Germany’s current funding structures nurture co-productions, which in turn benefits local producers. For example, both Karim Aïnouz’s “Motel Destino” and Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour” in the Competition section have Germany’s Match Factory Productions as a co-producer.
The Berlinale was a better showcase for German talent, with Matthias Glasner picking up the screenplay award for “Dying,” and...
- 5/15/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
It is a great year for Ireland at Cannes, with five Irish films world premiering at the festival. Among the crop are Yorgos Lanthimos’ highly-anticipated “Kinds of Kindness,” Ariane Labed’s feature debut “September Says” and Ali Abbasi’s Trump biopic “The Apprentice.”
Not only does Ireland have a slew of high-profile talent like actors Cillian Murphy and Ruth Negga, cinematographer Robbie Ryan and director Lenny Abrahamson, but the country also boasts locations that have attracted recent productions such as “Cocaine Bear” and “Abigail.” “We are a small country to get around but very diverse,” head of U.S. production and partnerships Steven Davenport told Variety.
“We can double as the U.K. and U.S.,” Davenport added. “We have modern locations now since the headquarters of Google, Facebook, Twitter and Apple are all based in Ireland. You get this modern look with a futuristic feel to it and five...
Not only does Ireland have a slew of high-profile talent like actors Cillian Murphy and Ruth Negga, cinematographer Robbie Ryan and director Lenny Abrahamson, but the country also boasts locations that have attracted recent productions such as “Cocaine Bear” and “Abigail.” “We are a small country to get around but very diverse,” head of U.S. production and partnerships Steven Davenport told Variety.
“We can double as the U.K. and U.S.,” Davenport added. “We have modern locations now since the headquarters of Google, Facebook, Twitter and Apple are all based in Ireland. You get this modern look with a futuristic feel to it and five...
- 5/15/2024
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety - Film News
European Film Promotion is playing host at the Cannes Film Festival to 20 up-and-coming European producers, selected for its Producers on the Move program. Variety invited the producers to share details of their upcoming projects.
Katharina Posch, Austria
“I’m Not Here to Make Friends”
Director: Julia Niemann
“I’m Not Here to Make Friends” is a sleek and sunny psycho thriller about a reality TV show set on a remote island. Playing with elements of horror and satire it asks the question: Why do we want to be seen so badly?
Elisa Heene, Belgium
“Nightshade”
Director: Leni Huyghe
“Nightshade” by Cinéfondation talent Leni Huyghe is a psychological thriller about Leanna, a chemist, who starts experimenting with the poisonous plant Nightshade and discovers its hallucinatory powers. Leana gets addicted and loses herself in a dreamlike world, where the midwife Marta is accused of witchcraft.
Kalin Kalinov, Bulgaria
“Axis of Life”
Director:...
Katharina Posch, Austria
“I’m Not Here to Make Friends”
Director: Julia Niemann
“I’m Not Here to Make Friends” is a sleek and sunny psycho thriller about a reality TV show set on a remote island. Playing with elements of horror and satire it asks the question: Why do we want to be seen so badly?
Elisa Heene, Belgium
“Nightshade”
Director: Leni Huyghe
“Nightshade” by Cinéfondation talent Leni Huyghe is a psychological thriller about Leanna, a chemist, who starts experimenting with the poisonous plant Nightshade and discovers its hallucinatory powers. Leana gets addicted and loses herself in a dreamlike world, where the midwife Marta is accused of witchcraft.
Kalin Kalinov, Bulgaria
“Axis of Life”
Director:...
- 5/15/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
John Malkovich has transformed into Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache in first look images from biopic “The Yellow Tie.”
“The Yellow Tie” is part of a new spate of conductor biopics that also includes “Tar” and “Maestro.” The film, which Vmi Worldwide will introduce to buyers in Cannes, spans seven decades of Celibidache’s life, with Ben Schnetzer (“3 Body Problem”) playing the musical virtuoso in his youth as he battles personal and global instability to become the youngest ever conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and eventually one of the world’s most celebrated conductors.
Ben Schnetzer in ‘The Yellow Tie’ (Adi Marineci/Oblique Media courtesy of Celeb Films)
For the role, Malkovich conducted a concert in Bucharest surrounded by 4,300 extras.
“The Lord of the Rings” star Sean Bean plays Celibidache’s harsh father, who throws out his son after discovering he wants to pursue a career in classical music,...
“The Yellow Tie” is part of a new spate of conductor biopics that also includes “Tar” and “Maestro.” The film, which Vmi Worldwide will introduce to buyers in Cannes, spans seven decades of Celibidache’s life, with Ben Schnetzer (“3 Body Problem”) playing the musical virtuoso in his youth as he battles personal and global instability to become the youngest ever conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and eventually one of the world’s most celebrated conductors.
Ben Schnetzer in ‘The Yellow Tie’ (Adi Marineci/Oblique Media courtesy of Celeb Films)
For the role, Malkovich conducted a concert in Bucharest surrounded by 4,300 extras.
“The Lord of the Rings” star Sean Bean plays Celibidache’s harsh father, who throws out his son after discovering he wants to pursue a career in classical music,...
- 5/15/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety - Film News
Filmax has nabbed sales rights to “May I Speak With the Enemy,” a biopic focusing on the Spanish Civil War years of Miguel Gila, who went on to pioneer stand-up in Spain. Gila developed a comedy of the absurd informed by his experiences in the conflict.
“May I Speak With the Enemy” is produced by Pecado Films, a producer on Victor Erice’s “Close Your Eyes,” and Arcadia Motion Pictures, behind Oscar-nominated “Robot Dreams” and Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts.”
Co-written by Alexis Morante from an original idea by Pecado producer José Alba, “May I Speak” stars newcomer Oscar Lasarte, a comedian and magician, as a young Gila, just 17 when he heads for the trenches, to suffer through battles, hunger and a botched execution by a drunken firing squad.
The experiences inspired one of his most famous sketches, where he phones up the enemy to ask them to stop the war and,...
“May I Speak With the Enemy” is produced by Pecado Films, a producer on Victor Erice’s “Close Your Eyes,” and Arcadia Motion Pictures, behind Oscar-nominated “Robot Dreams” and Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts.”
Co-written by Alexis Morante from an original idea by Pecado producer José Alba, “May I Speak” stars newcomer Oscar Lasarte, a comedian and magician, as a young Gila, just 17 when he heads for the trenches, to suffer through battles, hunger and a botched execution by a drunken firing squad.
The experiences inspired one of his most famous sketches, where he phones up the enemy to ask them to stop the war and,...
- 5/15/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety - Film News
Leading Japanese TV producer Morii Akira and South Korea’s J.Q. Lee are joining forces to create an action-driven series built around a protagonist with special powers.
The pair are both currently riding high, developing or producing additional seasons for their recent hit shows. Morii is currently working on a third season of Netflix original, dystopian series “Alice in Borderland.” Lee is working on Season 2 of Korean hit “All of Us Are Dead.”
The untitled new series is pitched as “an action-packed spectacular drama, featuring a protagonist with unique abilities never before seen in movies or Japanese comics [and] promising an unprecedented viewing experience,...
The pair are both currently riding high, developing or producing additional seasons for their recent hit shows. Morii is currently working on a third season of Netflix original, dystopian series “Alice in Borderland.” Lee is working on Season 2 of Korean hit “All of Us Are Dead.”
The untitled new series is pitched as “an action-packed spectacular drama, featuring a protagonist with unique abilities never before seen in movies or Japanese comics [and] promising an unprecedented viewing experience,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - TV News
Manoj Bajpayee, known as one of India’s finest actors, is adopting a mass-market action hero persona in upcoming film “Bhaiyya Ji.”
The story, where Bajpayee’s character faces off against a powerful man and his henchmen to seek revenge for wrongs done to his family, is literally ripped from the headlines. The actor read the real-life story in a newspaper several years ago and it stayed with him.
“I wanted to do an independent film and really explore this mindset of revenge, where it comes from, really analyze it and find the psychology of revenge in the human mind, that fascinated me,” Bajpayee told Variety. While shooting courtroom drama “Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai” (2023), the actor mentioned it to director Apoorv Singh Karki, who was similarly fascinated by the idea.
“I just wanted his opinion on it. But this guy jumped up and said, ‘I’m a big fan of mass entertainers,...
The story, where Bajpayee’s character faces off against a powerful man and his henchmen to seek revenge for wrongs done to his family, is literally ripped from the headlines. The actor read the real-life story in a newspaper several years ago and it stayed with him.
“I wanted to do an independent film and really explore this mindset of revenge, where it comes from, really analyze it and find the psychology of revenge in the human mind, that fascinated me,” Bajpayee told Variety. While shooting courtroom drama “Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai” (2023), the actor mentioned it to director Apoorv Singh Karki, who was similarly fascinated by the idea.
“I just wanted his opinion on it. But this guy jumped up and said, ‘I’m a big fan of mass entertainers,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Is there a harder-working actor in the movie business than Willem Dafoe? The 68-year-old, who splits his time between Los Angeles, New York and Rome, has appeared in more than 150 films, co-starring in everything from superhero features to dozens of movie-buff favorites from David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Lars von Trier, Paul Schrader, Oliver Stone, Julian Schnabel, Wes Anderson, Sean Baker, Spike Lee, Robert Eggers and so many more.
Fresh from his acclaimed performance in Yorgos Lanthimos‘ recent awards season favorite Poor Things, Dafoe is already returning to Cannes this month in the Greek director’s much-buzzed-about follow-up, Kinds of Kindness. Described as a surrealist fable set in the present day, the new project is an anthology film told in three parts, reuniting Lanthimos with the provocative screenwriting partner of his early career, Efthymis Filippou (Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer). The film’s multi-Oscar-feted key cast — Dafoe,...
Fresh from his acclaimed performance in Yorgos Lanthimos‘ recent awards season favorite Poor Things, Dafoe is already returning to Cannes this month in the Greek director’s much-buzzed-about follow-up, Kinds of Kindness. Described as a surrealist fable set in the present day, the new project is an anthology film told in three parts, reuniting Lanthimos with the provocative screenwriting partner of his early career, Efthymis Filippou (Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer). The film’s multi-Oscar-feted key cast — Dafoe,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Harry Shearer has voiced dozens of characters on Fox’s “The Simpsons,” from Mr. Burns to Ned Flanders and Principal Skinner, but he was replaced as the voice of Springfield physician Dr. Hibbert when producers of the show vowed in 2020 to no longer have white actors voice characters of color. Shearer recently reflected on the change during an interview with The Times of London.
“Folk say the show has become woke in recent years and one of my characters has been affected,” Shearer said. “I voiced the Black physician, Dr. Hibbert, who I based on Bill Cosby. Back then he...
“Folk say the show has become woke in recent years and one of my characters has been affected,” Shearer said. “I voiced the Black physician, Dr. Hibbert, who I based on Bill Cosby. Back then he...
- 5/15/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - TV News
After over a year and a half of negotiations, Condé Nast and a union representing hundreds of its workers officially have a first labor contract.
In a ratification vote that took place on Tuesday, 97 percent of Condé Union members voted “yes” on a three-year deal announced by negotiators on May 6. The agreement, which averted a threatened strike from workers at the May 6 Met Gala, boosts wages by $3.6 million in total and converts company permalancers into full-time staff members, according to the union.
Some 550 Condé Nast workers at publications including Vanity Fair, Vogue, GQ, Bon Appétit, Allure, Architectural Digest, Condé Nast Traveler, Epicurious, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Self and Condé Nast Entertainment belong to the Condé Union and are covered under the contract. (Staffers at The New Yorker and Wired belong to different unions.)
In addition to the wage gains and permalancer changes, the new contract provides two additional weeks of paid parental leave to union members,...
In a ratification vote that took place on Tuesday, 97 percent of Condé Union members voted “yes” on a three-year deal announced by negotiators on May 6. The agreement, which averted a threatened strike from workers at the May 6 Met Gala, boosts wages by $3.6 million in total and converts company permalancers into full-time staff members, according to the union.
Some 550 Condé Nast workers at publications including Vanity Fair, Vogue, GQ, Bon Appétit, Allure, Architectural Digest, Condé Nast Traveler, Epicurious, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Self and Condé Nast Entertainment belong to the Condé Union and are covered under the contract. (Staffers at The New Yorker and Wired belong to different unions.)
In addition to the wage gains and permalancer changes, the new contract provides two additional weeks of paid parental leave to union members,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Vanderpump Rules reunion kicked off Tuesday night with the first part of what promises to be a fiery three-part special. When the cast gathered one year after Scandoval, former partners Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval finally sat in the same semi-circle and addressed each other’s presence for the first time since last season’s reunion.
The trailer for the annual post-finale sitdown had teased that twists would be in store when the main cast filmed in Los Angeles to hash out the events of season 11, which began filming shortly after last year’s Scandoval season had wrapped. The finale, which aired May 7, ended on an explosive note when Madix exited a cast event early after refusing to film with Sandoval, who had approached her for an attempted filmed apology. The exes communicate via a third party and have not directly filmed together all season.
The entirety of season...
The trailer for the annual post-finale sitdown had teased that twists would be in store when the main cast filmed in Los Angeles to hash out the events of season 11, which began filming shortly after last year’s Scandoval season had wrapped. The finale, which aired May 7, ended on an explosive note when Madix exited a cast event early after refusing to film with Sandoval, who had approached her for an attempted filmed apology. The exes communicate via a third party and have not directly filmed together all season.
The entirety of season...
- 5/15/2024
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Zayn Malik is getting candid about his dating history.
In an interview for Nylon magazine‘s May cover story, the former One Direction bandmate opened up about his music, his upcoming album Room Under the Stairs as well as his past relationships.
Malik, who has previously been romantically linked to Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards and Gigi Hadid (whom he shares a daughter with), admitted that he has attempted to use the dating app Tinder, however, it didn’t go as planned.
“It’s not been too successful for me, I’ll be honest,” he said. “Everyone accused me of catfishing. They’re like, ‘What are you using Zayn Malik’s pictures for?’ I’ve been kicked off once or twice.”
Now, the “Dusk Till Dawn” singer isn’t using apps to try and meet people, but rather enjoying this independent chapter in his life. “I’m really content and...
In an interview for Nylon magazine‘s May cover story, the former One Direction bandmate opened up about his music, his upcoming album Room Under the Stairs as well as his past relationships.
Malik, who has previously been romantically linked to Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards and Gigi Hadid (whom he shares a daughter with), admitted that he has attempted to use the dating app Tinder, however, it didn’t go as planned.
“It’s not been too successful for me, I’ll be honest,” he said. “Everyone accused me of catfishing. They’re like, ‘What are you using Zayn Malik’s pictures for?’ I’ve been kicked off once or twice.”
Now, the “Dusk Till Dawn” singer isn’t using apps to try and meet people, but rather enjoying this independent chapter in his life. “I’m really content and...
- 5/15/2024
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sarah Paulson is recalling an “outrageous” interaction she had with a fellow actor who watched her performance in a play.
During a Monday appearance on the Smartless podcast, with hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, the American Horror Story star was asked if she would accept feedback from celebrities who come backstage to meet the cast after a theater show.
“I did do a play once. The last time I was on stage, I did a play called Talley’s Folly at the Roundabout, and the actress — and I’m going to say this, and I’m not going to ask you to cut this out, because I don’t fucking care — this actress came to the play. Her name is Trish Hawkins. ‘Hi, Trish! Hi, Trisha!’” Paulson said. “Trish Hawkins came to the play … am I going to get sued? I don’t care, because I think this is outrageous.
During a Monday appearance on the Smartless podcast, with hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, the American Horror Story star was asked if she would accept feedback from celebrities who come backstage to meet the cast after a theater show.
“I did do a play once. The last time I was on stage, I did a play called Talley’s Folly at the Roundabout, and the actress — and I’m going to say this, and I’m not going to ask you to cut this out, because I don’t fucking care — this actress came to the play. Her name is Trish Hawkins. ‘Hi, Trish! Hi, Trisha!’” Paulson said. “Trish Hawkins came to the play … am I going to get sued? I don’t care, because I think this is outrageous.
- 5/15/2024
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 2024 Tribeca Festival has added even more films, including eight world premieres, to its lineup.
The annual New York event will now include the world premieres of two sports documentaries: Roger Federer’s Twelve Final Days, directed by Asif Kapadia and Joe Sabia, about the 20-time Grand Slam tennis champion’s decision to retire from the sport, and Dawn Porter’s Power of the Dream, about the WNBA’s fights for fair pay, better airtime and social justice. Both docs are set to stream on Amazon’s Prime Video.
And it’s adding the North American premiere of Nanette Burstein’s Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes as well as the world premiere of Sabrina Van Tassel’s Missing From Fire Trail Road, about the efforts to find out what happened to missing Native American woman Mary Ellen Johnson-Davis, who disappeared more than two years ago from the Tulalip Indian reservation near Seattle.
The annual New York event will now include the world premieres of two sports documentaries: Roger Federer’s Twelve Final Days, directed by Asif Kapadia and Joe Sabia, about the 20-time Grand Slam tennis champion’s decision to retire from the sport, and Dawn Porter’s Power of the Dream, about the WNBA’s fights for fair pay, better airtime and social justice. Both docs are set to stream on Amazon’s Prime Video.
And it’s adding the North American premiere of Nanette Burstein’s Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes as well as the world premiere of Sabrina Van Tassel’s Missing From Fire Trail Road, about the efforts to find out what happened to missing Native American woman Mary Ellen Johnson-Davis, who disappeared more than two years ago from the Tulalip Indian reservation near Seattle.
- 5/14/2024
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“House of the Dragon” stars Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy have started the promotional train for Season 2 of the “Game of Thrones” spinoff by gracing the cover of Entertainment Weekly’s latest digital issue, but they’re still somewhat haunted by one insanely viral moment from their Season 1 press tour. That would be the Negroni Spagliato meme.
It all started when Cooke and D’Arcy were flown from San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022 to San Francisco to shoot promos for “House of the Dragon.” HBO tasked the two actors with asking each other questions on video. Cooke told EW they “were put into this room and we were just so jet-lagged,” and the viral moment was born when Cooke asked D’Arcy the following question: “What’s your drink of choice?”
“Negroni Spagliato with prosecco in it,” D’Arcy answered, which prompted Cookie to let out in her Greater Manchester accent:...
It all started when Cooke and D’Arcy were flown from San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022 to San Francisco to shoot promos for “House of the Dragon.” HBO tasked the two actors with asking each other questions on video. Cooke told EW they “were put into this room and we were just so jet-lagged,” and the viral moment was born when Cooke asked D’Arcy the following question: “What’s your drink of choice?”
“Negroni Spagliato with prosecco in it,” D’Arcy answered, which prompted Cookie to let out in her Greater Manchester accent:...
- 5/14/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
“Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” is set to debut on June 26, 2026 in Imax, the second feature in the newly rebooted DC Universe to secure its place on the release calendar, following James Gunn’s “Superman.” The film stars Milly Alcock (“House of the Dragon”) as the titular Girl of Steel, with Craig Gillespie (“Cruella”) directing from a script by Ana Nogueira (“The Vampire Diaries”).
The project — adapted from a 2022 comic book series of the same title, by Tom King and Bilquis Evely — takes Supergirl away from Earth as she travels through the cosmos with her trusty canine, Krypto the Superdog, in order to escape a life stuck perpetually under the shadow of her cousin, Superman. She encounters an alien girl named Ruthye, who is bent on revenge for the death of her father, and recruits Supergirl to help her.
Alcock landed the titular role of Kara Zor-El in the superhero feature in January,...
The project — adapted from a 2022 comic book series of the same title, by Tom King and Bilquis Evely — takes Supergirl away from Earth as she travels through the cosmos with her trusty canine, Krypto the Superdog, in order to escape a life stuck perpetually under the shadow of her cousin, Superman. She encounters an alien girl named Ruthye, who is bent on revenge for the death of her father, and recruits Supergirl to help her.
Alcock landed the titular role of Kara Zor-El in the superhero feature in January,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Adam B. Vary
- Variety - Film News
If there were any lingering doubts that the Walt Disney Co. is now comfortable leaning into the edgier aspects of its increasingly aligned portfolio, they evaporated about 10 minutes into Tuesday’s upfront presentation when Ryan Reynolds promised that eventual Disney+ library member Deadpool & Wolverine would be a boon to advertisers targeting “testicular trauma” and “cocaine content.”
There was noticeably less cursing at the week’s previous upfront events, at least until Jimmy Kimmel took the stage, but the embrace of Hard-r content was apparent from the pitch’s opening moments. Emma Stone, the Oscar-winning star of the Disney-produced Poor Things, was on hand to introduce Bob Iger — and, a month after he won his proxy fight with Nelson Peltz, voice her support for the recently embattled CEO.
“I think we’re incredibly fortunate to have a captain like Bob Iger at the helm of the Walt Disney Co., ensuring that...
There was noticeably less cursing at the week’s previous upfront events, at least until Jimmy Kimmel took the stage, but the embrace of Hard-r content was apparent from the pitch’s opening moments. Emma Stone, the Oscar-winning star of the Disney-produced Poor Things, was on hand to introduce Bob Iger — and, a month after he won his proxy fight with Nelson Peltz, voice her support for the recently embattled CEO.
“I think we’re incredibly fortunate to have a captain like Bob Iger at the helm of the Walt Disney Co., ensuring that...
- 5/14/2024
- by Mikey O'Connell
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The expansive “Rick and Morty” multiverse just got a little bit bigger. The hit Adult Swim animated series just debuted the first-ever footage from the hotly anticipated anime spinoff series simply titled, “Rick and Morty: The Anime.”
According to the teaser, the new anime-inspired show will debut with 10 episodes on Adult Swim and HBO Max “sometime this year.”
Takashi Sano is the spinoff director and previously helmed the anime shorts “Rick and Morty vs. Genocider” and “Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil).”
“The multiverse-straddling exploits of Rick and the gang pose challenges to the family bond, but they always rise to the occasion,...
According to the teaser, the new anime-inspired show will debut with 10 episodes on Adult Swim and HBO Max “sometime this year.”
Takashi Sano is the spinoff director and previously helmed the anime shorts “Rick and Morty vs. Genocider” and “Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil).”
“The multiverse-straddling exploits of Rick and the gang pose challenges to the family bond, but they always rise to the occasion,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Meredith Woerner
- Variety - TV News
The current Peak IP era presents a potential pitfall for diversity in media, considering a 2020 New York Times feature that found 95 percent of the books published by the major publishing houses since 1950 were written by white authors.
That’s why nonprofit Pathos Labs, the think tank that looks to use media and entertainment for positive change, has created The IP List, an industry-crowdsourced index of books by authors from underrepresented backgrounds that are available for option. The list defines “underrepresented” as any community that hasn’t been portrayed in the media with authenticity, nuance and their own voices, and can include class, ability, geographic location, religion, ethnicity, race, sex, gender and sexual orientation.
“When 64 percent of scripted film and television content in Hollywood is based on adaptations of existing works, we really need to design pathways for content originating from diverse authors to get optioned and produced,” Pathos Labs executive...
That’s why nonprofit Pathos Labs, the think tank that looks to use media and entertainment for positive change, has created The IP List, an industry-crowdsourced index of books by authors from underrepresented backgrounds that are available for option. The list defines “underrepresented” as any community that hasn’t been portrayed in the media with authenticity, nuance and their own voices, and can include class, ability, geographic location, religion, ethnicity, race, sex, gender and sexual orientation.
“When 64 percent of scripted film and television content in Hollywood is based on adaptations of existing works, we really need to design pathways for content originating from diverse authors to get optioned and produced,” Pathos Labs executive...
- 5/14/2024
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host Jimmy Kimmel once again shared the Disney upfronts stage on Tuesday, providing his zingers in person for advertisers and media buyers at the programming presentation for the first time in five years. That’s because last year Kimmel didn’t attend due to the Hollywood WGA strikes. And in 2022, he was in New York — but had to be beamed in to do his routine after testing positive for Covid. (The 2021 and 2020 upfronts were virtual because of the pandemic.)
“Two years ago, I couldn’t be here in person because I had Covid. And last year, I...
“Two years ago, I couldn’t be here in person because I had Covid. And last year, I...
- 5/14/2024
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety - TV News
Jason Cloth, a Canadian financier with executive producer credits on dozens of films such as Joker, Licorice Pizza and the upcoming Mission: Impossible movie, is out as co-head of C2 Motion Picture Group as he fields allegations of fraud on a number of projects.
The announcement that Cloth stepped down, made on Tuesday, comes less than a week after a Florida jury found that he defrauded an investor out of millions of dollars for the production of a slate of movies, including Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Monkey Man and NBA docuseries The Pathway. Cloth, who didn’t mount a defense in the trial, was ordered to pay roughly $19.6 million. Since 2021, he and his former financing company Creative Wealth Media have been named in at least four lawsuits, two of which have since been voluntarily dismissed, accusing him of making false statements to solicit investments and loans that he allegedly failed to repay.
The announcement that Cloth stepped down, made on Tuesday, comes less than a week after a Florida jury found that he defrauded an investor out of millions of dollars for the production of a slate of movies, including Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Monkey Man and NBA docuseries The Pathway. Cloth, who didn’t mount a defense in the trial, was ordered to pay roughly $19.6 million. Since 2021, he and his former financing company Creative Wealth Media have been named in at least four lawsuits, two of which have since been voluntarily dismissed, accusing him of making false statements to solicit investments and loans that he allegedly failed to repay.
- 5/14/2024
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jimmy Kimmel rarely holds back during his annual monologue to Disney advertisers, but this year he was particularly brutal about the state of the business.
The ABC late-night host laid into CEO Bob Iger, the Golden Bachelor, streaming bundles, Star Wars, Elon Musk and many other topics.
Here were some of his best — and most cutting — jokes to the Madison Avenue audience:
— “Golden Bachelor is a key part of our strategy to steal CBS’ viewers by putting them in a house together. We’re now launching the Golden Bachelorette, a game show where you can win an old lady. Joan is our new Golden Bachelorette. She has four kids and two grandchildren. Are the grandkids ready to see grandma get raw-dogged in a jacuzzi?”
— “I’m glad you’re inside. I heard Amazon left you guys out on the porch. You’re lucky you didn’t get stolen. It’s...
The ABC late-night host laid into CEO Bob Iger, the Golden Bachelor, streaming bundles, Star Wars, Elon Musk and many other topics.
Here were some of his best — and most cutting — jokes to the Madison Avenue audience:
— “Golden Bachelor is a key part of our strategy to steal CBS’ viewers by putting them in a house together. We’re now launching the Golden Bachelorette, a game show where you can win an old lady. Joan is our new Golden Bachelorette. She has four kids and two grandchildren. Are the grandkids ready to see grandma get raw-dogged in a jacuzzi?”
— “I’m glad you’re inside. I heard Amazon left you guys out on the porch. You’re lucky you didn’t get stolen. It’s...
- 5/14/2024
- by James Hibberd
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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