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The Witcher is coming to an end. The show announced today on X that Netflix has picked up a fifth season of the fantasy adaptation, which will be its last.
“It’s official, The Witcher season 4 is in production. But that’s not all, we’re already planning season 5, which will be the final season and bring this epic show to a fitting conclusion. See you on The Continent,” Netflix confirmed.
As Netflix noted, Season 4 production is underway.
After the shocking, Continent-altering events that close out season three, the new season follows Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri who are faced with traversing the war-ravaged Continent and its many demons apart from each other. If they can embrace and lead the groups of misfits they find themselves in, they have a chance of surviving the baptism of fire — and finding one another again.
As we previously reported, Laurence Fishburne is joining the fourth season as Regis,...
“It’s official, The Witcher season 4 is in production. But that’s not all, we’re already planning season 5, which will be the final season and bring this epic show to a fitting conclusion. See you on The Continent,” Netflix confirmed.
As Netflix noted, Season 4 production is underway.
After the shocking, Continent-altering events that close out season three, the new season follows Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri who are faced with traversing the war-ravaged Continent and its many demons apart from each other. If they can embrace and lead the groups of misfits they find themselves in, they have a chance of surviving the baptism of fire — and finding one another again.
As we previously reported, Laurence Fishburne is joining the fourth season as Regis,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Henry Cavill is being thrust back into the James Bond casting conversation on social media thanks to a viral fake movie trailer partially created by AI that imagines the former “Superman” actor as 007 and Margot Robbie as his Bond girl. In four days. the AI-generated trailer garnered over 2.5 million views on YouTube and further stoked fan interest in Cavill being named the new Bond following Daniel Craig’s departure in 2021’s “No Time to Die.”
As fate would have it, Cavill’s next role is Gus March-Phillipps in Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” March-Phillipps was a real historical figure who founded the British Army’s No. 62 Commando and who some believe inspired author Ian Fleming to create James Bond. Cavill’s history with 007 dates back to “Casino Royale,” when he auditioned for the role of 007 but lost out to Craig.
During a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show...
As fate would have it, Cavill’s next role is Gus March-Phillipps in Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” March-Phillipps was a real historical figure who founded the British Army’s No. 62 Commando and who some believe inspired author Ian Fleming to create James Bond. Cavill’s history with 007 dates back to “Casino Royale,” when he auditioned for the role of 007 but lost out to Craig.
During a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show...
- 4/18/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
Well, this is an interesting about-face, and so much for the rumors about the recent start dates. Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has decided to scrap “The Movie Critic” as his final film. He’s changed his mind; he won’t make it, and what he will substitute for his supposed tenth and final film is unclear.
According to Deadline, the rumors are true that Brad Pitt was going to star, and apparently, many of the previous members of Tarantino’s repertory company were eyeing roles, but it’s all moot now, and the film has been scrapped.
Continue reading Quentin Tarantino Scraps ’The Movie Critic’; Brad Pitt Would Have Reprised Cliff Booth Role From ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ at The Playlist.
According to Deadline, the rumors are true that Brad Pitt was going to star, and apparently, many of the previous members of Tarantino’s repertory company were eyeing roles, but it’s all moot now, and the film has been scrapped.
Continue reading Quentin Tarantino Scraps ’The Movie Critic’; Brad Pitt Would Have Reprised Cliff Booth Role From ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ at The Playlist.
- 4/17/2024
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Coming off the massive critical success of “Killers of The Flower Moon,” Martin Scorsese is reexamining his next potential options. While it briefly seemed like Scorsese’s next movie would be an adaptation of the high seas pic “The Wager” with current muse Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Wolf of Wall Street”) attached to star, a long-developing project from years ago seems to have circled back to his main interest.
Continue reading Martin Scorsese’s Long-Gestating ‘Sinatra’ Film With Leonardo DiCaprio Adds Jennifer Lawrence at The Playlist.
Continue reading Martin Scorsese’s Long-Gestating ‘Sinatra’ Film With Leonardo DiCaprio Adds Jennifer Lawrence at The Playlist.
- 4/17/2024
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
Steven Spielberg is one of the most influential and celebrated directors of all time. He helped define the blockbuster, established the look and feel of '80s genre fare, and gave us the best (and possibly only well-shot) big-budget studio musical of the last decade. But despite getting his start in science fiction, Spielberg has mostly distanced himself from the genre in the past decade or so.
Still, Spielberg has remained an ardent fan of the genre, praising recent gems such as "Godzilla Minus One" and proclaiming his fandom for Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two." Perhaps this has rekindled a passion for sci-fi in 77-year-old Spielberg, seeing as he's now getting ready to return to one of his favorite subjects — aliens.
According to Variety, Spielberg is likely going to "make his next project a UFO film based on his own original idea." David Koepp is writing the screenplay, according to the outlet's sources.
Still, Spielberg has remained an ardent fan of the genre, praising recent gems such as "Godzilla Minus One" and proclaiming his fandom for Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two." Perhaps this has rekindled a passion for sci-fi in 77-year-old Spielberg, seeing as he's now getting ready to return to one of his favorite subjects — aliens.
According to Variety, Spielberg is likely going to "make his next project a UFO film based on his own original idea." David Koepp is writing the screenplay, according to the outlet's sources.
- 4/17/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
The Sundance Film Festival may kick the snow off its boots once and for all.
The annual celebration of independent film announced on Wednesday that it is open for pitches from cities across the United States on becoming the new permanent home of the festival starting in 2027.
Sundance has taken place in the luxury mountain haven of Park City, Utah since 1981 (except for two virtual years during the pandemic). It started off as the Utah/U.S. Film Festival in Salt Lake City in 1978. It will remain the host and headquarters of Sundance for two more years, at which point Park City’s contract with the Sundance Institute is up for renewal. Utah will remain in the mix as a continued home for Sundance.
“We are in a unique moment for our festival and our global film community, and with the contract up for renewal, this exploration allows us to...
The annual celebration of independent film announced on Wednesday that it is open for pitches from cities across the United States on becoming the new permanent home of the festival starting in 2027.
Sundance has taken place in the luxury mountain haven of Park City, Utah since 1981 (except for two virtual years during the pandemic). It started off as the Utah/U.S. Film Festival in Salt Lake City in 1978. It will remain the host and headquarters of Sundance for two more years, at which point Park City’s contract with the Sundance Institute is up for renewal. Utah will remain in the mix as a continued home for Sundance.
“We are in a unique moment for our festival and our global film community, and with the contract up for renewal, this exploration allows us to...
- 4/17/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety - Film News
Tribeca Festival has revealed its feature film lineup for its 2024 festival, which includes films from actors Lily Gladstone and Michael Cera and documentaries featuring Prince, Carlos Santana and Dolly Parton.
The opening night film is documentary “Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge,” directed by Tribeca alumna Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton.
This year’s festival, which runs from June 5-16 in New York City, has a program of 103 feature films from 114 filmmakers spanning 48 countries. The lineup features 86 world premieres, two international premieres, six North American premieres and eight New York premieres.
The final selections were chosen from a record-breaking pool of 13,016 submissions. Half of the films in competition are directed by women and 35% (36) of all feature films are directed by Bipoc filmmakers. There are 30 films directed by first-time filmmakers and 25 directors are making their return to the annual New York film festival.
“In a year of record high submissions, despite industry-wide challenges,...
The opening night film is documentary “Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge,” directed by Tribeca alumna Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton.
This year’s festival, which runs from June 5-16 in New York City, has a program of 103 feature films from 114 filmmakers spanning 48 countries. The lineup features 86 world premieres, two international premieres, six North American premieres and eight New York premieres.
The final selections were chosen from a record-breaking pool of 13,016 submissions. Half of the films in competition are directed by women and 35% (36) of all feature films are directed by Bipoc filmmakers. There are 30 films directed by first-time filmmakers and 25 directors are making their return to the annual New York film festival.
“In a year of record high submissions, despite industry-wide challenges,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety - Film News
The documentary “Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution” is set to premiere globally on June 18 on Netflix. The feature-length documentary, the first of its kind to address this topic, examines the history of queer stand-up comedy as — according to its logline — “an instrument for social change over the past five decades, actively reflecting and challenging cultural norms and values.”
The film combines stand-up performances and talking head interviews, as well as archival materials featuring LGBTQ+ comedians, and includes Lily Tomlin, Sandra Bernhard, Wanda Sykes, Suzy Izzard, Hannah Gadsby, Tig Notaro, Rosie O’Donnell, Margaret Cho, Bob The Drag Queen and Trixie Mattel.
Historians interviewed for the documentary include Dave Holmes, Roger Mason, Shar Jossell, Susan Stryker and Kate Aurthur, Variety‘s Editor-at-Large.
“Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution” is written and directed by Page Hurwitz. “I’m excited for the film to premiere, particularly at this time, because comedy has the power to unite, and...
The film combines stand-up performances and talking head interviews, as well as archival materials featuring LGBTQ+ comedians, and includes Lily Tomlin, Sandra Bernhard, Wanda Sykes, Suzy Izzard, Hannah Gadsby, Tig Notaro, Rosie O’Donnell, Margaret Cho, Bob The Drag Queen and Trixie Mattel.
Historians interviewed for the documentary include Dave Holmes, Roger Mason, Shar Jossell, Susan Stryker and Kate Aurthur, Variety‘s Editor-at-Large.
“Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution” is written and directed by Page Hurwitz. “I’m excited for the film to premiere, particularly at this time, because comedy has the power to unite, and...
- 4/17/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - Film News
The Cannes Film Festival will award legendary Japanese anime house Studio Ghibli with its honorary Palme d’Or this year, the first time Cannes has given its highest award to a company instead of an individual.
“For the first time in our history, it’s not a person but an institution that we have chosen to celebrate,” said Cannes Festival president Iris Knobloch and general delegate Thierry Frémaux, announcing the honor on Wednesday. They praised Ghibli’s animated features as filled with characters who “populate our imaginations with prolific, colorful universes and sensitive, engaging narrations. With Ghibli, Japanese animation stands as one of the great adventures of cinephilia, between tradition and modernity.”
Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Studio Ghibli has in the past 40 years, “achieved what seemed to be an impossible feat: Independently producing pure masterpieces and conquering the mass market,” the festival said.
“For the first time in our history, it’s not a person but an institution that we have chosen to celebrate,” said Cannes Festival president Iris Knobloch and general delegate Thierry Frémaux, announcing the honor on Wednesday. They praised Ghibli’s animated features as filled with characters who “populate our imaginations with prolific, colorful universes and sensitive, engaging narrations. With Ghibli, Japanese animation stands as one of the great adventures of cinephilia, between tradition and modernity.”
Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Studio Ghibli has in the past 40 years, “achieved what seemed to be an impossible feat: Independently producing pure masterpieces and conquering the mass market,” the festival said.
- 4/17/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“For All Mankind” has been renewed for Season 5 at Apple TV+. In addition, Variety has learned the streamer has ordered a spinoff series focusing on the Soviet space program.
The spinoff is currently titled “Star City” and hails from “For All Mankind” creators Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi. Nedivi and Wolpert will serve as showrunners. The show will return to the beginning of “For All Mankind’s” alternative timeline, in which the Soviets are the first to reach the moon. But the show will then “explore the story from behind the Iron Curtain, showing the lives of the cosmonauts,...
The spinoff is currently titled “Star City” and hails from “For All Mankind” creators Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi. Nedivi and Wolpert will serve as showrunners. The show will return to the beginning of “For All Mankind’s” alternative timeline, in which the Soviets are the first to reach the moon. But the show will then “explore the story from behind the Iron Curtain, showing the lives of the cosmonauts,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Lionsgate Television is teaming with Park Chan-wook to develop an English-language TV adaptation of Park’s iconic film “Oldboy.”
Park directed and co-wrote the original film, which was itself loosely based on the Japanese manga of the same name. He will produce the new series version along with his producing partner, Syd Lim. Executives Courtney Mock and Tara Joshi are overseeing the project for Lionsgate Television. Bryan Weiser negotiated the deal.
“Lionsgate Television shares my creative vision for bringing ‘Oldboy’ into the world of television,” said Park. “I look forward to working with a studio whose brand stands for bold, original and risk-taking storytelling.”
Originally released in 2003, “Oldboy” tells the story of a man who is kidnapped and held prisoner in a sealed hotel room for 15 years. He is suddenly released with no explanation, only to learn he has five days to discover why he was imprisoned or face the consequences.
Park directed and co-wrote the original film, which was itself loosely based on the Japanese manga of the same name. He will produce the new series version along with his producing partner, Syd Lim. Executives Courtney Mock and Tara Joshi are overseeing the project for Lionsgate Television. Bryan Weiser negotiated the deal.
“Lionsgate Television shares my creative vision for bringing ‘Oldboy’ into the world of television,” said Park. “I look forward to working with a studio whose brand stands for bold, original and risk-taking storytelling.”
Originally released in 2003, “Oldboy” tells the story of a man who is kidnapped and held prisoner in a sealed hotel room for 15 years. He is suddenly released with no explanation, only to learn he has five days to discover why he was imprisoned or face the consequences.
- 4/17/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Talk about nepotism. “Abigail,” a blood-sucking thriller about the daughter of Dracula, arguably the most famous vampire in history, is poised to lead at the domestic box office.
The R-rated movie, from Universal Pictures, is aiming for $12 million to $15 million from 3,300 North American theaters in its first weekend of release. But “Abigail” first has to fend off last weekend’s champion, A24’s “Civil War,” before taking the box office crown. The provocative thriller debuted last weekend with $25.8 million and looks to bring in $10 million to $12 million in its sophomore outing.
Based on projections, “Abigail” will, however, dance circles around two fellow newcomers, director Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” and Crunchyroll’s anime adventure “Spy x Family Code: White.” Those films are targeting $5 million to $6 million, though rivals have pegged ticket sales ever-so-slightly higher at $8 million.
“Abigail” is based on Universal’s classic 1936 monster film “Dracula’s Daughter...
The R-rated movie, from Universal Pictures, is aiming for $12 million to $15 million from 3,300 North American theaters in its first weekend of release. But “Abigail” first has to fend off last weekend’s champion, A24’s “Civil War,” before taking the box office crown. The provocative thriller debuted last weekend with $25.8 million and looks to bring in $10 million to $12 million in its sophomore outing.
Based on projections, “Abigail” will, however, dance circles around two fellow newcomers, director Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” and Crunchyroll’s anime adventure “Spy x Family Code: White.” Those films are targeting $5 million to $6 million, though rivals have pegged ticket sales ever-so-slightly higher at $8 million.
“Abigail” is based on Universal’s classic 1936 monster film “Dracula’s Daughter...
- 4/17/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Pamela Anderson is dressing up for Naked Gun.
The actor has signed on to star opposite Liam Neeson in Paramount Pictures’ untitled remake of Naked Gun, based on the crime spoof comedies that were released in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Akiva Schaffer is directing the comedy, which has a script by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand and Schaffer. The trio were behind the popular and Emmy-winning Disney+ movie Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers.
The original movie, written and directed by Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams and David Zucker and based on their television series Police Squad! that lasted only six episodes, spoofed the tropes of police shows and films that had ingrained themselves into audience’s minds over the decades. It centered on an inept and clueless detective named Frank Drebin, played by Leslie Nielsen, who still somehow managed to solve the crime and save the day.
Plot details are...
The actor has signed on to star opposite Liam Neeson in Paramount Pictures’ untitled remake of Naked Gun, based on the crime spoof comedies that were released in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Akiva Schaffer is directing the comedy, which has a script by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand and Schaffer. The trio were behind the popular and Emmy-winning Disney+ movie Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers.
The original movie, written and directed by Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams and David Zucker and based on their television series Police Squad! that lasted only six episodes, spoofed the tropes of police shows and films that had ingrained themselves into audience’s minds over the decades. It centered on an inept and clueless detective named Frank Drebin, played by Leslie Nielsen, who still somehow managed to solve the crime and save the day.
Plot details are...
- 4/16/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stephen Colbert stood up for Jimmy Kimmel following Donald Trump’s latest social media outburst over the Oscars, where host Kimmel dissed Trump live on stage by reading the former president’s criticism of the ceremony and saying: “Thank you for watching, I’m surprised you’re still — isn’t it past your jail time?” In an April 17 post on Truth Social, Trump slammed “stupid Jimmy Kimmel” and called him a “horrendous” host. Trump also blamed Kimmel for the show’s “big ratings drop.”
“You keep my friend Jimmy Kimmel’s name out of your weird little wet mouth, Ok?...
“You keep my friend Jimmy Kimmel’s name out of your weird little wet mouth, Ok?...
- 4/18/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - TV News
Warner Bros. has released the trailer for M. Night Shyamalan’s latest mystery thriller “Trap,” starring Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Marnie McPhail.
According to the official logline, “Trap” follows a “father and teen daughter attending a pop concert, where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.” The film’s first look was screened at this year’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
In the trailer, Hartnett’s character and his daughter, Jody, are at the concert of pop star Lady Raven. When Hartnett runs off to the bathroom, he sees that there is a heavy police presence at the concert and quickly learns they are there to catch a serial killer. The twist is that Hartnett is the killer they are looking for, and it is revealed on his phone that he is holding a victim hostage. The trailer ends with Hartnett maniacally laughing to himself.
According to the official logline, “Trap” follows a “father and teen daughter attending a pop concert, where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.” The film’s first look was screened at this year’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
In the trailer, Hartnett’s character and his daughter, Jody, are at the concert of pop star Lady Raven. When Hartnett runs off to the bathroom, he sees that there is a heavy police presence at the concert and quickly learns they are there to catch a serial killer. The twist is that Hartnett is the killer they are looking for, and it is revealed on his phone that he is holding a victim hostage. The trailer ends with Hartnett maniacally laughing to himself.
- 4/18/2024
- by Jack Dunn and Jenelle Riley
- Variety - Film News
Keshet International has acquired exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the feature-length documentary “2024: A Hundred Days That Rocked the Royals” from Oscar-nominated banner ITN Productions.
Commissioned by Channel 5, where it will premiere in the U.K. on Saturday at 1 p.m., the documentary “retells the unprecedented series of crises faced by the royal family in the first three months of 2024 — crises that threatened the very fabric of the monarchy,” according to its synopsis. “A king fighting cancer, a princess undergoing preventative chemotherapy and an heir torn between privacy and duty are just some of the struggles the royal family had to endure.”
Directed by Myles Judd and executive produced by Daniel Smith, “2024: A Hundred Days That Rocked the Royals” features interviews with royal commentators and journalists who explain how the recent royal crises have sparked countless conspiracy theories and predict what could be next for the British crown.
Commissioned by Channel 5, where it will premiere in the U.K. on Saturday at 1 p.m., the documentary “retells the unprecedented series of crises faced by the royal family in the first three months of 2024 — crises that threatened the very fabric of the monarchy,” according to its synopsis. “A king fighting cancer, a princess undergoing preventative chemotherapy and an heir torn between privacy and duty are just some of the struggles the royal family had to endure.”
Directed by Myles Judd and executive produced by Daniel Smith, “2024: A Hundred Days That Rocked the Royals” features interviews with royal commentators and journalists who explain how the recent royal crises have sparked countless conspiracy theories and predict what could be next for the British crown.
- 4/18/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety - Film News
Keshet International has acquired exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the feature-length documentary “2024: A Hundred Days That Rocked the Royals” from Oscar-nominated banner ITN Productions.
Commissioned by Channel 5, where it will premiere in the U.K. on Saturday at 1 p.m., the documentary “retells the unprecedented series of crises faced by the royal family in the first three months of 2024 — crises that threatened the very fabric of the monarchy,” according to its synopsis. “A king fighting cancer, a princess undergoing preventative chemotherapy and an heir torn between privacy and duty are just some of the struggles the royal family had to endure.
Commissioned by Channel 5, where it will premiere in the U.K. on Saturday at 1 p.m., the documentary “retells the unprecedented series of crises faced by the royal family in the first three months of 2024 — crises that threatened the very fabric of the monarchy,” according to its synopsis. “A king fighting cancer, a princess undergoing preventative chemotherapy and an heir torn between privacy and duty are just some of the struggles the royal family had to endure.
- 4/18/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety - TV News
Netflix’s fantasy series “The Witcher” has been renewed for Season 5, which will be the end of the series, the streamer announced Thursday morning. It also confirmed that Season 4 is now in production, and it will film back to back with Season 5.
Season 4 will be the first with Liam Hemsworth replacing Henry Cavill as lead character, Geralt of Rivia. Netflix announced in October 2022 that Cavill would be departing the show after the third season, which aired in summer 2023 in two parts.
Netflix released a short video of the Season 4 table read, which included Hemsworth and cast members Anya Chalotra as the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg,...
Season 4 will be the first with Liam Hemsworth replacing Henry Cavill as lead character, Geralt of Rivia. Netflix announced in October 2022 that Cavill would be departing the show after the third season, which aired in summer 2023 in two parts.
Netflix released a short video of the Season 4 table read, which included Hemsworth and cast members Anya Chalotra as the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety - TV News
A chimpanzee rests its chin on its hand, looking like the ape version of Rodin’s “The Thinker.” “There’s a picture of me somewhere sitting in that exact same position,” Owen Teague tells me before assuming a similar pose, swinging his long arm up and brushing his palm against the bottom of his face.
“There’s something very soft about the way that chimps move. Their hands are just super loose.”
He’s no zoologist, but Teague, the 25-year-old star of next month’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” knows a thing or two about animal behavior. After landing the lead role of Noa, a chimpanzee living in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have surrendered their apex predator status, Teague spent days at a Florida ape sanctuary. That’s where he got up close and personal with primates — well, except for the orangutans. “Man, they smell terrible,...
“There’s something very soft about the way that chimps move. Their hands are just super loose.”
He’s no zoologist, but Teague, the 25-year-old star of next month’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” knows a thing or two about animal behavior. After landing the lead role of Noa, a chimpanzee living in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have surrendered their apex predator status, Teague spent days at a Florida ape sanctuary. That’s where he got up close and personal with primates — well, except for the orangutans. “Man, they smell terrible,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety - Film News
Dan Abrams has enjoyed a tremendously successful career, which currently includes roles as chief legal analyst at ABC News and host of NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live.” But he knows it was the O.J. Simpson murder trial almost 30 years ago that put him on the map — and he has complicated feelings about it.
“I’ve always had a little bit of guilt about the idea that the murderers of two innocent people helped start my career,” says Abrams, who was working for Court TV at the time. “But it was a legal event, and I was covering the legal story.
“I’ve always had a little bit of guilt about the idea that the murderers of two innocent people helped start my career,” says Abrams, who was working for Court TV at the time. “But it was a legal event, and I was covering the legal story.
- 4/18/2024
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety - TV News
The Austrian writers and directors behind pitch-black horror hits “Goodnight Mommy” and “The Lodge” are bringing their newest vision to America.
“The Devil’s Bath,” the latest film from Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, is set to have its North American premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, and then head to Shudder for a June 28 streaming debut. The film had its world premiere at this year’s Berlinale, and was recently nominated for 11 Austrian Film Awards, including Best Film.
The official logline reads, “In 1750 Austria, a deeply religious woman named Agnes has just married her beloved, but her mind and heart soon grow heavy as her life becomes a long list of chores and expectations. Day after day, she is increasingly trapped in a murky and lonely path leading to evil thoughts, until the possibility of committing a shocking act of violence seems like the only way out of her inner prison.
“The Devil’s Bath,” the latest film from Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, is set to have its North American premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, and then head to Shudder for a June 28 streaming debut. The film had its world premiere at this year’s Berlinale, and was recently nominated for 11 Austrian Film Awards, including Best Film.
The official logline reads, “In 1750 Austria, a deeply religious woman named Agnes has just married her beloved, but her mind and heart soon grow heavy as her life becomes a long list of chores and expectations. Day after day, she is increasingly trapped in a murky and lonely path leading to evil thoughts, until the possibility of committing a shocking act of violence seems like the only way out of her inner prison.
- 4/18/2024
- by William Earl
- Variety - Film News
The 2024 Tribeca Festival has announced its TV lineup, with the June festival featuring the world premiere of the Jake Gyllenhaal-starring Apple TV+ series Presumed Innocent.
The legal thriller, set to premiere on Apple TV+ on June 14, comes from David E. Kelley and executive producer J.J. Abrams also stars Ruth Negga and Peter Sarsgaard. Gyllenhaal also executive produces.
Other world premieres include Hulu’s Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer, executive produced by Dakota and Elle Fanning, exploring Dr. Anne Burgess’ investigations; and the MGM+ docuseriees, Hollywood Black, about the Black experience in the entertainment industry, executive produced by Justin Simien and featuring Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay.
The festival will also screen the ESPN’s In the Arena: Serena Williams, Paramount+’s Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken and the premiere of the fourth and final season of My Brilliant Friend, among other titles.
Tribeca...
The legal thriller, set to premiere on Apple TV+ on June 14, comes from David E. Kelley and executive producer J.J. Abrams also stars Ruth Negga and Peter Sarsgaard. Gyllenhaal also executive produces.
Other world premieres include Hulu’s Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer, executive produced by Dakota and Elle Fanning, exploring Dr. Anne Burgess’ investigations; and the MGM+ docuseriees, Hollywood Black, about the Black experience in the entertainment industry, executive produced by Justin Simien and featuring Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay.
The festival will also screen the ESPN’s In the Arena: Serena Williams, Paramount+’s Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken and the premiere of the fourth and final season of My Brilliant Friend, among other titles.
Tribeca...
- 4/18/2024
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paramount has delayed “Aang: The Last Airbender” to 2026 and moved “Transformers One” back by one week.
The animated “Avatar: The Last Airbender” spinoff was previously set for Oct. 10, 2025, and will now open on Jan. 20, 2026. Dave Bautista and Eric Nam are headlining the voice cast for the film, which is in development at Paramount and Nickelodeon Studios. Plot details haven’t been revealed, but Bautista will voice a villain character.
Lauren Montgomery, who worked on the original “Avatar: The Last Airbender” television show, is directing the project with William Mata. Series creators Michael Dimartino and Bryan Konietzko are serving as executive producers alongside Eric Coleman.
Elsewhere on Paramount’s release calendar, “Transformers One” will debut on Sept. 20, 2024, instead of Sept. 13. On its new date, the animated “Transformers” adventure will play in Imax and open in theaters on the same day as Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot.”
Chris Hemsworth...
The animated “Avatar: The Last Airbender” spinoff was previously set for Oct. 10, 2025, and will now open on Jan. 20, 2026. Dave Bautista and Eric Nam are headlining the voice cast for the film, which is in development at Paramount and Nickelodeon Studios. Plot details haven’t been revealed, but Bautista will voice a villain character.
Lauren Montgomery, who worked on the original “Avatar: The Last Airbender” television show, is directing the project with William Mata. Series creators Michael Dimartino and Bryan Konietzko are serving as executive producers alongside Eric Coleman.
Elsewhere on Paramount’s release calendar, “Transformers One” will debut on Sept. 20, 2024, instead of Sept. 13. On its new date, the animated “Transformers” adventure will play in Imax and open in theaters on the same day as Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot.”
Chris Hemsworth...
- 4/18/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety - Film News
Tribeca Festival, which announced its feature film lineup Wednesday, has now also revealed its television lineup for the 2024 festival, which includes brand new docuseries featuring Issa Rae and Dave Eggers and projects from Dakota Fanning, Jake Gyllenhaal and J.J. Abrams.
This year’s program includes 11 premieres, including Hulu’s “Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer,” an in-depth exploration of Dr. Anne Burgess’ career and her journey to closing some of America’s most infamous criminal cases from executive producers Dakota and Elle Fanning; “Hollywood Black,” an examination of the Black experience in Hollywood featuring conversations with Issa Rae, Lena Waithe,...
This year’s program includes 11 premieres, including Hulu’s “Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer,” an in-depth exploration of Dr. Anne Burgess’ career and her journey to closing some of America’s most infamous criminal cases from executive producers Dakota and Elle Fanning; “Hollywood Black,” an examination of the Black experience in Hollywood featuring conversations with Issa Rae, Lena Waithe,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety - TV News
“Boy Kills World,” the upcoming martial arts action film starring Bill Skarsgård as a deaf boy trained to enact vengeance on those who murdered his family, is getting a TV spinoff. Of sorts.
“Super Dragon Punch Force 3,” the real-life action-packed fighter video game that features in the film (and will launch day-and-date with the U.S. and global release of “Boy Kills World” on April 26), is being used as inspiration for a newly greenlit animation TV series. Now in development, the show, which is set to dive into the universe of the game, will follow a highly-skilled yet dysfunctional team...
“Super Dragon Punch Force 3,” the real-life action-packed fighter video game that features in the film (and will launch day-and-date with the U.S. and global release of “Boy Kills World” on April 26), is being used as inspiration for a newly greenlit animation TV series. Now in development, the show, which is set to dive into the universe of the game, will follow a highly-skilled yet dysfunctional team...
- 4/18/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety - TV News
Vincenzo Bugno, who heads the Berlinale World Cinema Fund and is curator of the Torino Film Feature Lab, became artistic director of South Tyrol’s Bolzano Film Festival Bozen last year.
In this guise, the veteran industry expert is putting his know-how behind a new program called Maso, dedicated to fostering the production of European shorts in tandem with the Idm-Film Commission Südtirol. The shorts lab launched earlier this week in Bolzano, with a panel also comprising Berlinale Shorts chief Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck and the Torino Short Film Market’s Enrico Vannucci.
Below, Bugno speaks to Variety about why he got the urge to foster the production of short films shot in South Tyrol that can travel around the world.
How did Maso germinate?
When I started working for this festival last year, I got to thinking about the specificity of this particular territory. South Tyrol is an extremely interesting film...
In this guise, the veteran industry expert is putting his know-how behind a new program called Maso, dedicated to fostering the production of European shorts in tandem with the Idm-Film Commission Südtirol. The shorts lab launched earlier this week in Bolzano, with a panel also comprising Berlinale Shorts chief Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck and the Torino Short Film Market’s Enrico Vannucci.
Below, Bugno speaks to Variety about why he got the urge to foster the production of short films shot in South Tyrol that can travel around the world.
How did Maso germinate?
When I started working for this festival last year, I got to thinking about the specificity of this particular territory. South Tyrol is an extremely interesting film...
- 4/18/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety - Film News
When Arte Germany CEO Wolfgang Bergmann approached Toronto director Larry Weinstein in January 2023 about making a documentary to mark the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the filmmaker didn’t exactly break into a chorus of “Ode to Joy.”
Nor could he have anticipated that his film “Beethoven’s Nine: Ode to Humanity,” which premieres in Toronto at Hot Docs on April 28, would be not only his first to break the fourth wall but also his most personal to date.
A prolific director-producer since his early years with Canada’s Rhombus Films, Weinstein has made numerous acclaimed creative music docs, including “Beethoven’s Hair,” a 2005 forensic adventure exploring the composer’s physical and psychic woes. The prospect of making a second Beethoven film, especially with several “Ninth films” already in circulation, seemed dim.
“There wasn’t a lot of time to come up with a big idea,” he told Variety in early April.
Nor could he have anticipated that his film “Beethoven’s Nine: Ode to Humanity,” which premieres in Toronto at Hot Docs on April 28, would be not only his first to break the fourth wall but also his most personal to date.
A prolific director-producer since his early years with Canada’s Rhombus Films, Weinstein has made numerous acclaimed creative music docs, including “Beethoven’s Hair,” a 2005 forensic adventure exploring the composer’s physical and psychic woes. The prospect of making a second Beethoven film, especially with several “Ninth films” already in circulation, seemed dim.
“There wasn’t a lot of time to come up with a big idea,” he told Variety in early April.
- 4/18/2024
- by Jennie Punter
- Variety - Film News
Autobots, assemble: Paramount has released a trailer for “Transformers One,” the animated prequel film led by the voices of Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry and Scarlett Johansson.
Hemsworth voices young Optimus Prime, when he was just known as Orion Pax. Henry is D-16, before he became Optimus’ rival Megatron. The trailer shows the two starting out as simple worker bots, unable to transform into anything. But soon they gain the ability to change into vehicles and gain weapons, as a battle against a mysterious, plant-like villain unfolds on the Transformers’ home planet of Cybertron.
Other cast members include Johansson as Elita, Keegan-Michael Key as Bumblebee, Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime and Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion. Hemsworth and Henry introduced a first look at the prequel film April 11 at CinemaCon.
The franchise first hit the big screen with an animated movie in 1986 before director Michael Bay launched a live-action series...
Hemsworth voices young Optimus Prime, when he was just known as Orion Pax. Henry is D-16, before he became Optimus’ rival Megatron. The trailer shows the two starting out as simple worker bots, unable to transform into anything. But soon they gain the ability to change into vehicles and gain weapons, as a battle against a mysterious, plant-like villain unfolds on the Transformers’ home planet of Cybertron.
Other cast members include Johansson as Elita, Keegan-Michael Key as Bumblebee, Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime and Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion. Hemsworth and Henry introduced a first look at the prequel film April 11 at CinemaCon.
The franchise first hit the big screen with an animated movie in 1986 before director Michael Bay launched a live-action series...
- 4/18/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - Film News
The Banff World Media Festival has added CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach to its ‘In Conversation With’ session lineup ahead of its 45th edition in June.
On Thursday, the Canadian Rockies festival also announced as additional speakers Lisa Kramer, president, international TV licensing at Paramount Global Content Distribution; Asif Sadiq, chief global diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Warner Bros. Discovery; and Cori Wellins, William Morris Endeavor partner, for the June 9 to 12 gathering in Banff, Alberta.
Also joining the Banff lineup is Gold House CEO Bing Chen and Sandra Dewey, COO of Media Res as festival headliners during a conference expected to focus this year on international financing and co-productions for global TV content.
Banff earlier announced that Channing Dungey, Warner Bros. Television Group chairman and CEO, and Rob Wade, CEO of Fox Entertainment keynote speakers this year. Their appearance in Banff comes as Hollywood’s studios and streamers emerge...
On Thursday, the Canadian Rockies festival also announced as additional speakers Lisa Kramer, president, international TV licensing at Paramount Global Content Distribution; Asif Sadiq, chief global diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Warner Bros. Discovery; and Cori Wellins, William Morris Endeavor partner, for the June 9 to 12 gathering in Banff, Alberta.
Also joining the Banff lineup is Gold House CEO Bing Chen and Sandra Dewey, COO of Media Res as festival headliners during a conference expected to focus this year on international financing and co-productions for global TV content.
Banff earlier announced that Channing Dungey, Warner Bros. Television Group chairman and CEO, and Rob Wade, CEO of Fox Entertainment keynote speakers this year. Their appearance in Banff comes as Hollywood’s studios and streamers emerge...
- 4/18/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Viola Davis and husband Julius Tennon are getting into book publishing by launching Jvl Media.
The new venture, which includes author and publisher Lavaille Lavette at the helm, will look to champion under-represented voices in the book world. The debut titles from Jvl Media, from among a planned slate of non-fiction and fiction books, include Had to Lose to Win: The Tiki Davis Story, by popular motivational speaker Tiki Davis, and The Inclusion Leader Genius, by Dr. Johné Battle.
Davis and her JuVee Productions banner, run as well by producing partner Tennon, have already made deep inroads in film and TV production with titles like The Woman King and ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder that have highlighted underrepresented voices.
“This endeavor embodies our collective aspiration — to champion and elevate voices that resonate with authenticity and are often overlooked. Our mission is to interlace a rich mosaic of...
The new venture, which includes author and publisher Lavaille Lavette at the helm, will look to champion under-represented voices in the book world. The debut titles from Jvl Media, from among a planned slate of non-fiction and fiction books, include Had to Lose to Win: The Tiki Davis Story, by popular motivational speaker Tiki Davis, and The Inclusion Leader Genius, by Dr. Johné Battle.
Davis and her JuVee Productions banner, run as well by producing partner Tennon, have already made deep inroads in film and TV production with titles like The Woman King and ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder that have highlighted underrepresented voices.
“This endeavor embodies our collective aspiration — to champion and elevate voices that resonate with authenticity and are often overlooked. Our mission is to interlace a rich mosaic of...
- 4/18/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
No one ever really gets away with murder.
If O.J. Simpson had played football in the ’60s for Bay Shore High School and taken Harold Anderson’s humanities class, he would have known this.
Mr. Anderson would have lovingly encouraged O.J. to play less football and read more Shakespeare, which may have led to a better outcome for O.J. in the long run. O.J. could run fast, but Shakespeare and Mr. Anderson would have made it crystal clear to him that no matter how fast you run, you can’t hide, because there are ghosts and consequences. I am thinking, in particular, of that popular out, damn spot couple who had it all, Mr. and Mrs. Lady Macbeth.
Ghosts and consequences became amply apparent to me on that fall day in 2006, when O.J. came to confess.
We all have our own styles of confession. When I...
If O.J. Simpson had played football in the ’60s for Bay Shore High School and taken Harold Anderson’s humanities class, he would have known this.
Mr. Anderson would have lovingly encouraged O.J. to play less football and read more Shakespeare, which may have led to a better outcome for O.J. in the long run. O.J. could run fast, but Shakespeare and Mr. Anderson would have made it crystal clear to him that no matter how fast you run, you can’t hide, because there are ghosts and consequences. I am thinking, in particular, of that popular out, damn spot couple who had it all, Mr. and Mrs. Lady Macbeth.
Ghosts and consequences became amply apparent to me on that fall day in 2006, when O.J. came to confess.
We all have our own styles of confession. When I...
- 4/18/2024
- by Judith Regan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dr. Jennifer Ashton is leaving ABC News.
The GMA3 co-host and ABC chief medical correspondent will depart the network in June when her contract ends.
Ashton says she made the decision to leave so that she could build out her new women’s wellness company, Ajenda, which she will lead as founder and CEO. The company — which launched with a newsletter in March — is focused on addressing the challenges of menopause health and weight management.
“I kind of subscribe to the fact that when the universe sends you a message, you should listen to it,” Ashton tells The Hollywood Reporter in an interview. “I’ve been watching and participating in the steadily building upswell of interest of those two areas in our country and in our society and in our culture and media and in medicine and in science.
“Sometimes an important message needs the right messenger, and I feel...
The GMA3 co-host and ABC chief medical correspondent will depart the network in June when her contract ends.
Ashton says she made the decision to leave so that she could build out her new women’s wellness company, Ajenda, which she will lead as founder and CEO. The company — which launched with a newsletter in March — is focused on addressing the challenges of menopause health and weight management.
“I kind of subscribe to the fact that when the universe sends you a message, you should listen to it,” Ashton tells The Hollywood Reporter in an interview. “I’ve been watching and participating in the steadily building upswell of interest of those two areas in our country and in our society and in our culture and media and in medicine and in science.
“Sometimes an important message needs the right messenger, and I feel...
- 4/18/2024
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Killed them all, of course.”
Those five words were spoken by Robert Durst when the New York real estate heir, who was still mic’d, walked to the bathroom after completing his interviews for the HBO true-crime docuseries The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.
Durst had been suspected of killing his close friend Susan Berman, who was shot dead in December 2000 shortly after she told Durst that the Los Angeles police wanted to talk to her about Durst’s first wife, Kathleen McCormack Durst, who disappeared in 1982. He was acquitted for the 2001 murder of neighbor Morris Black, whom Durst admitted to dismembering, claiming he killed Black in self-defense.
Durst’s hot mic confession came in the jaw-dropping Jinx finale that aired March 15, 2015, and captured the nation.
But years before that, it stunned director Andrew Jarecki and executive producer Zac Stuart-Pontier when they and the Jinx team came...
Those five words were spoken by Robert Durst when the New York real estate heir, who was still mic’d, walked to the bathroom after completing his interviews for the HBO true-crime docuseries The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.
Durst had been suspected of killing his close friend Susan Berman, who was shot dead in December 2000 shortly after she told Durst that the Los Angeles police wanted to talk to her about Durst’s first wife, Kathleen McCormack Durst, who disappeared in 1982. He was acquitted for the 2001 murder of neighbor Morris Black, whom Durst admitted to dismembering, claiming he killed Black in self-defense.
Durst’s hot mic confession came in the jaw-dropping Jinx finale that aired March 15, 2015, and captured the nation.
But years before that, it stunned director Andrew Jarecki and executive producer Zac Stuart-Pontier when they and the Jinx team came...
- 4/18/2024
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
I’m not embarrassed to admit that I consume all kinds of rom-coms: the good, the not-so-good, the somewhere in-between. (I draw the line at anything that stars Ashton Kutcher. Hollywood: Please put Pedro Pascal on your rom-com leading-man shortlists. Many thanks in advance.) Anyway, I’ve sensed a shift of late. A change in the vibe. A subtle, faintly nostalgic perfume in the air: It’s not overpowering, like the glossy rom-com-a-minute marketplace of the 1990s and early Aughts, but still bright and warm and mood-boosting. The box office success of Anyone But You ($218 million globally) and streaming hit Irish Wish (currently top 5 in Nielsen’s movie chart), the fresh deals being made, the rom-coms rolling out this year with big names attached — all this activity reflects audience enthusiasm for polished, character-driven entertainment with jokes, heart and wish fulfillment.
What new rom-coms offer is a return to an imagined...
What new rom-coms offer is a return to an imagined...
- 4/18/2024
- by Erin Carlson
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders once again will be the subject of an unscripted series — this time at Netflix.
The streamer says its show, titled America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, will premiere in the summer and counts Cheer and Last Chance U’s Greg Whiteley among its executive producers (he also directs). The Netflix series will debut some two-and-a-half years after the long-running Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team ended after 16 seasons on CMT.
Where the latter show often had the structure of a competition series, America’s Sweethearts — at least based on a brief teaser — looks to bring more of a polished, behind-the-scenes feel to its seven episodes. The show will chronicle the 2023-24 season for the cheerleaders and will “document the personal stories behind the uniforms,” according to Netflix’s description.
“The kind of access and creative freedom we need to make the kind of work we want to...
The streamer says its show, titled America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, will premiere in the summer and counts Cheer and Last Chance U’s Greg Whiteley among its executive producers (he also directs). The Netflix series will debut some two-and-a-half years after the long-running Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team ended after 16 seasons on CMT.
Where the latter show often had the structure of a competition series, America’s Sweethearts — at least based on a brief teaser — looks to bring more of a polished, behind-the-scenes feel to its seven episodes. The show will chronicle the 2023-24 season for the cheerleaders and will “document the personal stories behind the uniforms,” according to Netflix’s description.
“The kind of access and creative freedom we need to make the kind of work we want to...
- 4/18/2024
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Variety has been granted exclusive access to the trailer (below) for Portuguese director Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour,” which will have its world premiere in Cannes Film Festival’s Competition section. Variety can also exclusively reveal that that distribution on “Grand Tour” will be handled in France by Tandem, and in Italy by Lucky Red, and that Gomes’ next film will be “Savagery.”
“Grand Tour” kicks off in 1917 in Burma. It centers on Edward, a civil servant for the British Empire, who runs away from his fiancée Molly the day she arrives to get married. During his travels, however, panic gives way to melancholy. Contemplating the emptiness of his existence, the cowardly Edward wonders what has become of Molly… Determined to get married and amused by Edward’s move, Molly follows his trail on this Asian grand tour.
The film stars Gonçalo Waddington and Crista Alfaiate, and the cast also includes...
“Grand Tour” kicks off in 1917 in Burma. It centers on Edward, a civil servant for the British Empire, who runs away from his fiancée Molly the day she arrives to get married. During his travels, however, panic gives way to melancholy. Contemplating the emptiness of his existence, the cowardly Edward wonders what has become of Molly… Determined to get married and amused by Edward’s move, Molly follows his trail on this Asian grand tour.
The film stars Gonçalo Waddington and Crista Alfaiate, and the cast also includes...
- 4/18/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
While multiple Korean TV series have connected with global audiences, Japan’s production committees, terrestrial broadcasters and talent agencies have kept their TV industry tightly focused on a local market.
Anime and variety have long remained the Japanese TV industry’s best-known exports, while the premium end of the spectrum has largely escaped Japanese producers. That is despite multinational shows like Hulu’s “Shogun,” HBO’s “Tokyo Vice” and Netflix’s “House of Ninjas” underscoring the potentially substantial overseas interest in Japan-set live-action drama.
“House of the Owl,” set to begin airing on Disney+ and Hulu from next week, is...
Anime and variety have long remained the Japanese TV industry’s best-known exports, while the premium end of the spectrum has largely escaped Japanese producers. That is despite multinational shows like Hulu’s “Shogun,” HBO’s “Tokyo Vice” and Netflix’s “House of Ninjas” underscoring the potentially substantial overseas interest in Japan-set live-action drama.
“House of the Owl,” set to begin airing on Disney+ and Hulu from next week, is...
- 4/18/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - TV News
Sales and production house Film Constellation is launching world sales rights on U.S. comedy drama “Eephus,” directed by Carson Lund, set to world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight section in Cannes in May.
In the film, as an imminent construction project looms over a beloved small-town baseball field, a pair of New England Sunday league teams face off for the last time over the course of a day. Tensions flare up and ceremonial laughs are shared as an era of camaraderie and escapism fades into an uncertain future.
“Eephus” is the feature directorial debut of American filmmaker Lund, who also has a cinematography credit on another Directors’ Fortnight title, “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point.”
“Eephus” is produced by Lund, Tyler Taormina, Michael Basta, David Entin and Gabe Klinger for U.S.-based Omnes Films, in collaboration with executive producers Michael Tonelli, Ashish Shetty, Brian Clark and Jim Christman of Magmys.
In the film, as an imminent construction project looms over a beloved small-town baseball field, a pair of New England Sunday league teams face off for the last time over the course of a day. Tensions flare up and ceremonial laughs are shared as an era of camaraderie and escapism fades into an uncertain future.
“Eephus” is the feature directorial debut of American filmmaker Lund, who also has a cinematography credit on another Directors’ Fortnight title, “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point.”
“Eephus” is produced by Lund, Tyler Taormina, Michael Basta, David Entin and Gabe Klinger for U.S.-based Omnes Films, in collaboration with executive producers Michael Tonelli, Ashish Shetty, Brian Clark and Jim Christman of Magmys.
- 4/18/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
Ed Westwick (“Gossip Girl”), John Hannah (“The Mummy”) and British newcomer Alanah Bloor are set to join Turkish lead Can Yaman in “Sandokan,” Lux Vide’s reboot of the cult Italian TV series about the adventures of its titular pirate who, with his motley crew, fights against colonial powers in Southeast Asia.
Shooting is set to start April 22 outside Rome on this high-end reboot of Italian writer Emilio Salgari’s exotic epic. The original “Sandokan,” directed in 1976 by Sergio Sollima, catapulted Indian actor Kabir Bedi to Bollywood stardom, having sold to more than 85 countries around the world.
Fremantle-owned Lux...
Shooting is set to start April 22 outside Rome on this high-end reboot of Italian writer Emilio Salgari’s exotic epic. The original “Sandokan,” directed in 1976 by Sergio Sollima, catapulted Indian actor Kabir Bedi to Bollywood stardom, having sold to more than 85 countries around the world.
Fremantle-owned Lux...
- 4/18/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety - TV News
“The Gray House,” the Kevin Costner-produced limited series about a female spy ring during the Civil War, will open Monaco’s 63rd annual Monte-Carlo Television Festival in June.
The six-episode limited series tells the hidden-history tale of four Southern women — a Virginia socialite and her mother, a formerly enslaved Black woman and a high-end prostitute — who served as key espionage agents for the Union. The foursome are credited as unsung heroes who helped end the nation’s brutal cleavage in 1865. Mary-Louise Parker, Amethyst Davis, Daisy Head and Ben Vereen lead the ensemble cast.
Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary produce...
The six-episode limited series tells the hidden-history tale of four Southern women — a Virginia socialite and her mother, a formerly enslaved Black woman and a high-end prostitute — who served as key espionage agents for the Union. The foursome are credited as unsung heroes who helped end the nation’s brutal cleavage in 1865. Mary-Louise Parker, Amethyst Davis, Daisy Head and Ben Vereen lead the ensemble cast.
Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary produce...
- 4/18/2024
- by William Earl
- Variety - TV News
James Warburton, MD and CEO of Seven West Media, one of Australia’s largest media conglomerates, has resigned. His departure, previously announced in December, follows a series of scandals. He was scheduled to depart the company in June, but now exits with immediate effect, following a board meeting on Thursday.
In a filing to the Australian Stock Exchange, Seven West said that Jeff Howard, currently its chief finance officer, will take over as MD and CEO with effect from Friday. Craig Haskins will act as interim CFO until a successor to Howard is appointed.
Seven West owns the Seven Network and its affiliates,...
In a filing to the Australian Stock Exchange, Seven West said that Jeff Howard, currently its chief finance officer, will take over as MD and CEO with effect from Friday. Craig Haskins will act as interim CFO until a successor to Howard is appointed.
Seven West owns the Seven Network and its affiliates,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - TV News
Leading distribution company Beta Film has come on board four-part Norwegian drama “A Better Man,” created by Thomas Seeberg Torjussen.
The show, which was commissioned by Norwegian broadcaster Nrk and German broadcaster Zdf’s platform ZDFneo, is produced by Synnøve Hørsdal and Christian Fredrik Martin at Norway’s Maipo Film.
“A Better Man” centers on Tom, Norway’s No. 1 internet troll. He is a smart but angry and frustrated man with misogynistic tendencies, and an example of everything that is pathetic and wrong with the men who didn’t get the memo about the gender equality movement.
When hackers reveal his identity to the public,...
The show, which was commissioned by Norwegian broadcaster Nrk and German broadcaster Zdf’s platform ZDFneo, is produced by Synnøve Hørsdal and Christian Fredrik Martin at Norway’s Maipo Film.
“A Better Man” centers on Tom, Norway’s No. 1 internet troll. He is a smart but angry and frustrated man with misogynistic tendencies, and an example of everything that is pathetic and wrong with the men who didn’t get the memo about the gender equality movement.
When hackers reveal his identity to the public,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - TV News
From the moment the film was announced a year ago, “Abigail” has been marketed as a remake of “Dracula’s Daughter,” the 1936 Universal Pictures curio. So it’s no spoiler to say that the title character of “Abigail” is…Dracula’s daughter. Yet if you went in not knowing that, it might be the only real surprise in the movie, apart from what a brutally monotonous blood-vomiting genre mashup it is.
For a while, we think we’re watching a standard kidnap thriller. It opens with Abigail (Alisha Weir), who is 12, on the ballet stage rehearsing “Swan Lake,” a most definite vampire homage, since Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous heart-swelling score is the same music that played over the opening credits of the 1931 Bela Lugosi “Dracula.” That lyrical entré ends in about three minutes, as the kidnappers, all overstated profane synthetic crudeness, jam themselves into a van and abscond with Abigail, who they...
For a while, we think we’re watching a standard kidnap thriller. It opens with Abigail (Alisha Weir), who is 12, on the ballet stage rehearsing “Swan Lake,” a most definite vampire homage, since Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous heart-swelling score is the same music that played over the opening credits of the 1931 Bela Lugosi “Dracula.” That lyrical entré ends in about three minutes, as the kidnappers, all overstated profane synthetic crudeness, jam themselves into a van and abscond with Abigail, who they...
- 4/18/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety - Film News
Michael J. Fox believes Taylor Swift and Ryan Reynolds are among notable figures who will have an even greater impact in the next 50 years.
During a recent interview with People Magazine, the Back to the Future star said both the singer and actor came to mind when he thinks of people who are going to be “really important,” even in the future.
“I think she moves economies, she changes the way the world works, and that’s amazing,” Fox said of Swift, noting her impact on what she’s “said publicly about issues.” The Grammy-winning singer has spoken out in support of the LGBTQ community, as well as shared the importance of registering to vote with her fans, leading to spikes in voter registration.
As for Reynolds, Fox called the Deadpool star “so smart” and “talented,” and someone who “knows how to leverage things and make them succeed in other areas.
During a recent interview with People Magazine, the Back to the Future star said both the singer and actor came to mind when he thinks of people who are going to be “really important,” even in the future.
“I think she moves economies, she changes the way the world works, and that’s amazing,” Fox said of Swift, noting her impact on what she’s “said publicly about issues.” The Grammy-winning singer has spoken out in support of the LGBTQ community, as well as shared the importance of registering to vote with her fans, leading to spikes in voter registration.
As for Reynolds, Fox called the Deadpool star “so smart” and “talented,” and someone who “knows how to leverage things and make them succeed in other areas.
- 4/18/2024
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stephen Colbert is taking “The Late Show” on the road.
The late-night program will broadcast live from Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre during this year’s Democratic National Convention, also taking place in Chicago, from Aug. 19-22 on the CBS Television Network. “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” will also be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.
Colbert announced the news on Wednesday night’s episode of “The Late Show.”
“I lived in Chicago for 11 years, and it holds a special place in my heart — and not because of all the Polish sausage lodged in my aorta,” Colbert said.
The late-night program will broadcast live from Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre during this year’s Democratic National Convention, also taking place in Chicago, from Aug. 19-22 on the CBS Television Network. “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” will also be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.
Colbert announced the news on Wednesday night’s episode of “The Late Show.”
“I lived in Chicago for 11 years, and it holds a special place in my heart — and not because of all the Polish sausage lodged in my aorta,” Colbert said.
- 4/18/2024
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety - TV News
[This story contains spoilers from the April 17 episode of Abbott Elementary, “2 Ava 2 Fest.”]
Ava Fest returned to Abbott Elementary for a second year in a row during Wednesday night’s “2 Ava 2 Fest” episode. But, unlike the first festival in season two of the ABC sitcom — where the wildly unqualified principal of Willard R. Abbott school pretended the name of the petition-signing effort stood for “A Very Abbott Festival” — this time around, she wastes no time professing her true intentions.
“Of course it’s about Ava, what do you mean?” actress Janelle James, who portrays Ava in the Quinta Brunson comedy, asks facetiously. “She just wants to have a party, charge at the door, take half. What’s the big deal?”
The big deal in the episode turns out to be Ava’s promise that Questlove will perform at the festival, which none of the teachers believe after she failed to book R&b singer Jazmine Sullivan the year prior. But...
Ava Fest returned to Abbott Elementary for a second year in a row during Wednesday night’s “2 Ava 2 Fest” episode. But, unlike the first festival in season two of the ABC sitcom — where the wildly unqualified principal of Willard R. Abbott school pretended the name of the petition-signing effort stood for “A Very Abbott Festival” — this time around, she wastes no time professing her true intentions.
“Of course it’s about Ava, what do you mean?” actress Janelle James, who portrays Ava in the Quinta Brunson comedy, asks facetiously. “She just wants to have a party, charge at the door, take half. What’s the big deal?”
The big deal in the episode turns out to be Ava’s promise that Questlove will perform at the festival, which none of the teachers believe after she failed to book R&b singer Jazmine Sullivan the year prior. But...
- 4/18/2024
- by Brande Victorian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gwyneth Paltrow is opening up about the sacrifices she’s made as a mother of two children.
During an interview for Today With Hoda & Jenna, Zanna Roberts Rassi mentioned that Paltrow’s mother, actress Blythe Danner, “gave up some incredible roles” to raise her family, and was wondering if the actress-turned-wellness guru has done the same.
“There were a lot,” admitted the Oscar winner, who shares her daughter Apple, 19, and son Moses, 18, with ex-husband Chris Martin. She is currently married to Brad Falchuk.
“I mean it’s funny because it didn’t feel like a sacrifice to me at the time, but if I look back at it through a cultural lens, I think like, wow, if people know that I didn’t do this movie or that movie, they’d be quite shocked,” she added.
While Paltrow has starred in her fair share of movies throughout her acting career,...
During an interview for Today With Hoda & Jenna, Zanna Roberts Rassi mentioned that Paltrow’s mother, actress Blythe Danner, “gave up some incredible roles” to raise her family, and was wondering if the actress-turned-wellness guru has done the same.
“There were a lot,” admitted the Oscar winner, who shares her daughter Apple, 19, and son Moses, 18, with ex-husband Chris Martin. She is currently married to Brad Falchuk.
“I mean it’s funny because it didn’t feel like a sacrifice to me at the time, but if I look back at it through a cultural lens, I think like, wow, if people know that I didn’t do this movie or that movie, they’d be quite shocked,” she added.
While Paltrow has starred in her fair share of movies throughout her acting career,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spoiler Alert: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 11, Episode 7 of “The Masked Singer,” “Queen Night,” which aired April 10 on Fox.
“The Masked Singer” dropped a bomb on us: Singer/songwriter Charlie Wilson, who has enjoyed a tremendous career as a solo artist in addition to his time as lead vocalist for the Gap Band, was one of two celebrities revealed on Wednesday night’s edition of “The Masked Singer.” Also unmasked: “The Office” star Kate Flannery (who played the frequently inebriated Meredith).
Wilson was unveiled during the show’s Group A finals as Ugly Sweater, while Flannery was Starfish.
“The Masked Singer” dropped a bomb on us: Singer/songwriter Charlie Wilson, who has enjoyed a tremendous career as a solo artist in addition to his time as lead vocalist for the Gap Band, was one of two celebrities revealed on Wednesday night’s edition of “The Masked Singer.” Also unmasked: “The Office” star Kate Flannery (who played the frequently inebriated Meredith).
Wilson was unveiled during the show’s Group A finals as Ugly Sweater, while Flannery was Starfish.
- 4/18/2024
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety - TV News
John Ford, the iconic director known for such films as Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, My Darling Clementine, The Searchers and much more, will be the subject of the next edition of the TCM podcast The Plot Thickens, it was announced Wednesday.
“Decoding John Ford,” hosted by Ben Mankiewicz, premieres June 6. The fifth season of the podcast, consisting of seven episodes, will feature never-before-heard archival interviews with the likes of John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, James Stewart, Woody Strode and Ford himself.
TCM says Mankiewicz will “strip back the mythology to reveal Ford’s brilliance — alongside the often ugly, uncomfortable truths about his life and movies, asking whether we can ever truly separate art from the artist.”
“John Ford is a mercurial figure. Not surprisingly given his stature, the stereotypes about Ford are incomplete,” the host said in a statement. “This is a man defined by contradictions: he revered...
“Decoding John Ford,” hosted by Ben Mankiewicz, premieres June 6. The fifth season of the podcast, consisting of seven episodes, will feature never-before-heard archival interviews with the likes of John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, James Stewart, Woody Strode and Ford himself.
TCM says Mankiewicz will “strip back the mythology to reveal Ford’s brilliance — alongside the often ugly, uncomfortable truths about his life and movies, asking whether we can ever truly separate art from the artist.”
“John Ford is a mercurial figure. Not surprisingly given his stature, the stereotypes about Ford are incomplete,” the host said in a statement. “This is a man defined by contradictions: he revered...
- 4/18/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tyler Cameron is sharing his thoughts on The Golden Bachelor‘s Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist divorcing after three months of marriage.
The reality star, who became the runner-up on Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette, recently said on SiriusXM’s Today Show Radio’s The Happy Hour that the couple’s separation put a “true stain on love in The Bachelor world.”
“Three months? They make all of my relationships seem very long,” Cameron quipped. “Like golly, I’m a dating expert compared to them!”
Turner and Nist, who tied the knot Jan. 4 in a televised wedding ceremony less than two months after their engagement was revealed on the hit ABC dating series, announced on Good Morning America last week that they were going to “dissolve” their marriage.
When Cameron heard the news, he felt like it “put a stain on love and Bachelor Nation” because the history-making...
The reality star, who became the runner-up on Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette, recently said on SiriusXM’s Today Show Radio’s The Happy Hour that the couple’s separation put a “true stain on love in The Bachelor world.”
“Three months? They make all of my relationships seem very long,” Cameron quipped. “Like golly, I’m a dating expert compared to them!”
Turner and Nist, who tied the knot Jan. 4 in a televised wedding ceremony less than two months after their engagement was revealed on the hit ABC dating series, announced on Good Morning America last week that they were going to “dissolve” their marriage.
When Cameron heard the news, he felt like it “put a stain on love and Bachelor Nation” because the history-making...
- 4/18/2024
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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