Top News
Paramount Network announced Monday that Yellowstone has resumed production.
Filming on the Western hit’s final season five episodes has gotten underway in Montana.
While start of production was later than previously thought, MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios still expect the drama to return in November, as previously announced last year.
There was no update on the show’s cast — or whether star Kevin Costner will make an appearance in the final episodes that are expected to wrap the series.
Yellowstone aired it last episode more than a year ago — in January, 2023 — amid Paramount Network deciding to split the season into two parts. Talks of infighting over scheduling and script delays between Costner and showrunner Taylor Sheridan ensued for many months, with Costner also focusing on his upcoming Western epic Horizon: An American Saga. The cast and crew had been planning to resume filming in March 2023 with an announced summer premiere date,...
Filming on the Western hit’s final season five episodes has gotten underway in Montana.
While start of production was later than previously thought, MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios still expect the drama to return in November, as previously announced last year.
There was no update on the show’s cast — or whether star Kevin Costner will make an appearance in the final episodes that are expected to wrap the series.
Yellowstone aired it last episode more than a year ago — in January, 2023 — amid Paramount Network deciding to split the season into two parts. Talks of infighting over scheduling and script delays between Costner and showrunner Taylor Sheridan ensued for many months, with Costner also focusing on his upcoming Western epic Horizon: An American Saga. The cast and crew had been planning to resume filming in March 2023 with an announced summer premiere date,...
- 5/20/2024
- by James Hibberd
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Wake up, fans of “The Sandman,” we’ve got some Season 2 news for you: The Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s epic graphic novel series has cast the final three siblings in the “Endless Family” of Tom Sturridge’s Dream — Esmé Creed-Miles as Delirium, Adrian Lester as Destiny and Barry Sloane as “The Prodigal.”
In “The Sandman” comic book series, The Prodigal is the estranged Endless sibling named Destruction, but Netflix has taken care to label Sloane’s role as “The Prodigal,” which is the way the character is referred to throughout the first volumes of the story. The three new castings point to “The Sandman” Season 2 covering the graphic novel’s iconic installment, “Season of Mists.”
The trio of new “The Sandman” Season 2 actors will join the Endless siblings returning from Season 1: Death (Kirby), Desire (Mason Alexander Park), Despair (Donna Preston) and Dream, The Sandman himself.
Per the Season 1 description for the series,...
In “The Sandman” comic book series, The Prodigal is the estranged Endless sibling named Destruction, but Netflix has taken care to label Sloane’s role as “The Prodigal,” which is the way the character is referred to throughout the first volumes of the story. The three new castings point to “The Sandman” Season 2 covering the graphic novel’s iconic installment, “Season of Mists.”
The trio of new “The Sandman” Season 2 actors will join the Endless siblings returning from Season 1: Death (Kirby), Desire (Mason Alexander Park), Despair (Donna Preston) and Dream, The Sandman himself.
Per the Season 1 description for the series,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Not exactly the opening weekend that dreams are made of.
Director John Krasinski’s “If,” a fantasy-comedy that promises your imaginary friends from childhood are real, fell slightly short of box office expectations with $35 million. Heading into the weekend, “If” was expected to bring in at least $40 million in its first weekend of release. Based on Friday’s turnout, it looked like “If” would open to $30 million but projections were revised up after Saturday’s strong showing. Ticket sales were enough for first place, but it’s a wobbly start for a PG family film that cost $110 million to make and many millions more to market. It collected an additional $20 million overseas for a global total of $55 million.
The good news for Paramount Pictures, which distributed “If,” is that audiences dug the film, giving it an “A” CinemaScore. Ideally, it’ll have staying power like recent original kid-friendly movies, including “Migration” and “Elemental,...
Director John Krasinski’s “If,” a fantasy-comedy that promises your imaginary friends from childhood are real, fell slightly short of box office expectations with $35 million. Heading into the weekend, “If” was expected to bring in at least $40 million in its first weekend of release. Based on Friday’s turnout, it looked like “If” would open to $30 million but projections were revised up after Saturday’s strong showing. Ticket sales were enough for first place, but it’s a wobbly start for a PG family film that cost $110 million to make and many millions more to market. It collected an additional $20 million overseas for a global total of $55 million.
The good news for Paramount Pictures, which distributed “If,” is that audiences dug the film, giving it an “A” CinemaScore. Ideally, it’ll have staying power like recent original kid-friendly movies, including “Migration” and “Elemental,...
- 5/19/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Indonesia has unveiled the four film projects that will be the pilot recipients of the country’s first government-funded film grant, Film Matchfund, at the Cannes Film Festival.
As revealed by Variety, the $13 million annual fund was launched at Cannes 2023 by Nadiem Makarim, Indonesia‘s minister of education, culture, research and technology. It is sourced from the country’s National Cultural Endowment Fund. The 1:1 matching grant scheme from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology is designed to promote international cooperations between filmmakers and is open for international co-production projects with Indonesia and for story development and research, production, post-production or internal promotion and distribution incentives.
The qualified films are “This City Is a Battlefield” by Mouly Surya, produced by Rama Adi and Fauzan Zidni, with Cinesurya as the production company; Tumpal Tampubolon’s “Crocodile Tears,” produced by Mandy Marahimin and Talamedia; Garin Nugroho’s “Samsara,” produced by...
As revealed by Variety, the $13 million annual fund was launched at Cannes 2023 by Nadiem Makarim, Indonesia‘s minister of education, culture, research and technology. It is sourced from the country’s National Cultural Endowment Fund. The 1:1 matching grant scheme from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology is designed to promote international cooperations between filmmakers and is open for international co-production projects with Indonesia and for story development and research, production, post-production or internal promotion and distribution incentives.
The qualified films are “This City Is a Battlefield” by Mouly Surya, produced by Rama Adi and Fauzan Zidni, with Cinesurya as the production company; Tumpal Tampubolon’s “Crocodile Tears,” produced by Mandy Marahimin and Talamedia; Garin Nugroho’s “Samsara,” produced by...
- 5/21/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Porter+Craig Film and Media Distribution, run by veteran industry executives Jeff Porter and Keith L. Craig has acquired worldwide rights to Gonçalo Galvão Teles’ “Nothing Ever Happened.”
The film has enjoyed considerable success on the festival circuit, including awards in the CinEuphoria Awards, Cinequest, Chicago Latino Film Festival, Mostra Internacional de São Paulo and Punta Del Est Film Festival in Uruguay, as well as 11 nominations in the Portuguese Film Academy’s Sophia Awards.
Produced by Luis Galvão of Portugal’s Fado Filmes and co-produced by Raquel Morte and Antonio Gonçalves Junior, the pic is a co-production between Fado Filmes, Entre Chien et Loup (Belgium) and Grafo Audiovisual (Brazil).
Speaking about the deal, Craig said: “Nothing Ever Happened” aligns perfectly with our strategic focus on distributing films that offer unique perspectives and emotional depth. We see Gonçalo Galvão Teles as an amazing director that we look to showcase to a much wider audience.
The film has enjoyed considerable success on the festival circuit, including awards in the CinEuphoria Awards, Cinequest, Chicago Latino Film Festival, Mostra Internacional de São Paulo and Punta Del Est Film Festival in Uruguay, as well as 11 nominations in the Portuguese Film Academy’s Sophia Awards.
Produced by Luis Galvão of Portugal’s Fado Filmes and co-produced by Raquel Morte and Antonio Gonçalves Junior, the pic is a co-production between Fado Filmes, Entre Chien et Loup (Belgium) and Grafo Audiovisual (Brazil).
Speaking about the deal, Craig said: “Nothing Ever Happened” aligns perfectly with our strategic focus on distributing films that offer unique perspectives and emotional depth. We see Gonçalo Galvão Teles as an amazing director that we look to showcase to a much wider audience.
- 5/21/2024
- by Martin Dale
- Variety - Film News
David Cronenberg has opened up on putting his film The Shrouds to Netflix executives as a television series, who greenlit writing a first episode before rejecting the director’s project.
The sci-fi drama, which aired in Cannes to a three-and-a-half minute applause before Cronenberg spoke to the audience, follows Karsh (Vincent Cassel), a prominent businessman and widower who, inconsolable since the death of his wife (Diane Kruger) invents a revolutionary and controversial technology that enables the living to monitor the decomposition of deceased loved ones in their graves.
Cronenberg spoke at Cannes’ press conference for the film on Tuesday, explaining how he envisioned the story working well as a series. He flew to Los Angeles to speak with two Netflix execs who financed the writing of a first episode – which they loved. But after the second, they did not want to go any further.
“They said – and this is a...
The sci-fi drama, which aired in Cannes to a three-and-a-half minute applause before Cronenberg spoke to the audience, follows Karsh (Vincent Cassel), a prominent businessman and widower who, inconsolable since the death of his wife (Diane Kruger) invents a revolutionary and controversial technology that enables the living to monitor the decomposition of deceased loved ones in their graves.
Cronenberg spoke at Cannes’ press conference for the film on Tuesday, explaining how he envisioned the story working well as a series. He flew to Los Angeles to speak with two Netflix execs who financed the writing of a first episode – which they loved. But after the second, they did not want to go any further.
“They said – and this is a...
- 5/21/2024
- by Lily Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Swedish director Ruben Östlund, who won Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or for “The Square” and “Triangle of Sadness,” was among the guests at the German Films and Medienboard Reception on May 18 in the garden of the Mondrian Hotel in Cannes.
Östlund, who is in the Riviera resort to promote his latest production, “The Entertainment System Is Down,” was accompanied by Philippe Bober of Coproduction Office, one of the film’s producers, and Erik Hemmendorf of Plattform Produktion, Östlund’s Swedish producer. (They are pictured above.)
German Films, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, was represented at the event by managing director Simone Baumann, and Medienboard, which is a film fund for the Berlin-Brandenburg region, was represented by its CEO Kirsten Niehuus. Variety was the media partner for the reception.
Among the other guests attending were Karim Aïnouz, director of “Motel Destino,” which plays in this year’s Competition section at Cannes.
Östlund, who is in the Riviera resort to promote his latest production, “The Entertainment System Is Down,” was accompanied by Philippe Bober of Coproduction Office, one of the film’s producers, and Erik Hemmendorf of Plattform Produktion, Östlund’s Swedish producer. (They are pictured above.)
German Films, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, was represented at the event by managing director Simone Baumann, and Medienboard, which is a film fund for the Berlin-Brandenburg region, was represented by its CEO Kirsten Niehuus. Variety was the media partner for the reception.
Among the other guests attending were Karim Aïnouz, director of “Motel Destino,” which plays in this year’s Competition section at Cannes.
- 5/21/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
Dolly De Leon, who rocked the Cannes Film Festival two years ago in “Triangle of Sadness,” has joined the cast of “Severino: The First Serial Killer,” an upcoming series from Philippines outfit CreaZion Studios.
While “Severino” is the highest profile project, the producer is building a larger slate of feature films.
“Severino” De Leon is a large-scale period thriller series, chronicling the tale of Catholic priest Severino Mallari, who killed 57 people during the Spanish colonization era of the country. Producers Rj Agustin and Real Florido have tapped Yam Laranas known for his horror films “The Echo” and “The Road” as series director. The cast also includes Dennis Trillo as Severino and Chai Fonacier. Production is scheduled for August.
Florido is set as director and working with producer Kristine De Leon on development of “The Fantabulous Badingger-z,” a rotoscope animation movie adapted from the comic book “Badingger-z and the Accla Assassin.
While “Severino” is the highest profile project, the producer is building a larger slate of feature films.
“Severino” De Leon is a large-scale period thriller series, chronicling the tale of Catholic priest Severino Mallari, who killed 57 people during the Spanish colonization era of the country. Producers Rj Agustin and Real Florido have tapped Yam Laranas known for his horror films “The Echo” and “The Road” as series director. The cast also includes Dennis Trillo as Severino and Chai Fonacier. Production is scheduled for August.
Florido is set as director and working with producer Kristine De Leon on development of “The Fantabulous Badingger-z,” a rotoscope animation movie adapted from the comic book “Badingger-z and the Accla Assassin.
- 5/21/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
David Cronenberg weighed the pros and cons of artificial intelligence in filmmaking at the Cannes Film Festival press conference for his latest film, “The Shrouds,” on Tuesday.
Though Cronenberg said that technological advancements like CGI have “made filmmaking much easier” in terms of tasks like removing coffee cups from footage, he admitted that it’s “quite shocking … to see what can be done even now with the beginnings of artificial intelligence.”
Speaking of Sora, the new AI software that can generate motion pictures, Cronenberg said it has the potential to “completely transform the act of writing and directing.”
“You can imagine a screenwriter sitting there, writing the movie, and if that person can write it in enough detail, the movie will appear. The whole idea of actors and production will be gone. That’s the promise and the threat of artificial intelligence,” he said. “Do we welcome that? Do we fear that?...
Though Cronenberg said that technological advancements like CGI have “made filmmaking much easier” in terms of tasks like removing coffee cups from footage, he admitted that it’s “quite shocking … to see what can be done even now with the beginnings of artificial intelligence.”
Speaking of Sora, the new AI software that can generate motion pictures, Cronenberg said it has the potential to “completely transform the act of writing and directing.”
“You can imagine a screenwriter sitting there, writing the movie, and if that person can write it in enough detail, the movie will appear. The whole idea of actors and production will be gone. That’s the promise and the threat of artificial intelligence,” he said. “Do we welcome that? Do we fear that?...
- 5/21/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety - Film News
Three days after its Critics’ Week world premiere, “The Brink of Dreams” director-producer team of Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir delved into the making of their documentary in an exclusive, behind-the-scenes conversation at the Palais des Festivals.
Hosted by the Cannes Docs sidebar of the Marché du Film, the conversation saw the Cairo-based Felucca Films duo offer insider intel and tips on their sophomore feature. Their debut feature, “Happily Ever After,” premiered at IDFA in 2016.
“The Brink of Dreams” follows the compelling coming-of-age story of an all-female theatre troupe in a remote village in southern Egypt, who take to the streets to act out their plays denouncing underage marriage, domestic violence and patriarchy in a deeply conservative society.
Shot over four years, the film takes viewers on a compelling journey from childhood to womanhood, featuring intimate scenes within the girls’ families and close-up conversations between the protagonists and their fiancés,...
Hosted by the Cannes Docs sidebar of the Marché du Film, the conversation saw the Cairo-based Felucca Films duo offer insider intel and tips on their sophomore feature. Their debut feature, “Happily Ever After,” premiered at IDFA in 2016.
“The Brink of Dreams” follows the compelling coming-of-age story of an all-female theatre troupe in a remote village in southern Egypt, who take to the streets to act out their plays denouncing underage marriage, domestic violence and patriarchy in a deeply conservative society.
Shot over four years, the film takes viewers on a compelling journey from childhood to womanhood, featuring intimate scenes within the girls’ families and close-up conversations between the protagonists and their fiancés,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety - Film News
Filmmaker Ali Abbasi has responded to the Trump campaign’s threat to sue over his movie The Apprentice, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday night to an eight-minute standing ovation.
“Everybody talks about him suing a lot of people — they don’t talk about his success rate though, you know?” Abbasi said Monday morning in France, drawing laughs from the crowd at the first press conference for The Apprentice.
The director acknowledged Trump’s likely assumptions around the movie, saying, “If I was him, I would be sitting in New Jersey, Florida or wherever he is now — or New York — and I would be thinking, ‘Oh, this crazy Iranian guy and some, like, liberal cunts in Cannes, they gathered and they did this movie and it’s fucked up.'”
“But I don’t necessarily think that this is a movie he would dislike,” Abbasi added, before...
“Everybody talks about him suing a lot of people — they don’t talk about his success rate though, you know?” Abbasi said Monday morning in France, drawing laughs from the crowd at the first press conference for The Apprentice.
The director acknowledged Trump’s likely assumptions around the movie, saying, “If I was him, I would be sitting in New Jersey, Florida or wherever he is now — or New York — and I would be thinking, ‘Oh, this crazy Iranian guy and some, like, liberal cunts in Cannes, they gathered and they did this movie and it’s fucked up.'”
“But I don’t necessarily think that this is a movie he would dislike,” Abbasi added, before...
- 5/21/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor In Focus
Recently, confirmed to star in Park Chan-wook’s new film “The Ax,” Korea’s Son Ye-jin is set as the subject of the Bucheon International Fantastic Festival (BiFan)’s annual actor focus. Previous honorees include Jeon Do-yeon, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Hye-soo, Seol Kyung-gu, and Choi Min-sik.
Son who was the star of breakout TV series “Crash Landing on You,” has wide-ranging credits that include “A Moment to Remember,” “The Art Of Seduction” in 2005; an eccentric woman married to two husbands in “My Wife Got Married” in 2008; and as a spirited pirate in “The Pirates” and the 2016 hit “The Last Princess.
Recently, confirmed to star in Park Chan-wook’s new film “The Ax,” Korea’s Son Ye-jin is set as the subject of the Bucheon International Fantastic Festival (BiFan)’s annual actor focus. Previous honorees include Jeon Do-yeon, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Hye-soo, Seol Kyung-gu, and Choi Min-sik.
Son who was the star of breakout TV series “Crash Landing on You,” has wide-ranging credits that include “A Moment to Remember,” “The Art Of Seduction” in 2005; an eccentric woman married to two husbands in “My Wife Got Married” in 2008; and as a spirited pirate in “The Pirates” and the 2016 hit “The Last Princess.
- 5/21/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - TV News
“The Apprentice” director Ali Abbasi has responded to the Trump campaign’s threat to sue over the movie, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival on Monday night.
“Everybody talks about him suing a lot of people — they don’t talk about his success rate though, you know?” Abbasi said. He even offered to meet with Trump and screen the movie for him, saying, “I don’t necessarily think that this is a movie he would dislike.”
Abbasi continued, “I don’t necessarily think he would like it. I think he would be surprised, you know? And like I’ve said before, I would offer to go and meet him wherever he wants and talk about the context of the movie, have a screening and have a chat afterwards, if that’s interesting to anyone at the Trump campaign.”
Trump’s 2024 campaign put out a lengthy statement Monday night calling the film “garbage” and “pure fiction.
“Everybody talks about him suing a lot of people — they don’t talk about his success rate though, you know?” Abbasi said. He even offered to meet with Trump and screen the movie for him, saying, “I don’t necessarily think that this is a movie he would dislike.”
Abbasi continued, “I don’t necessarily think he would like it. I think he would be surprised, you know? And like I’ve said before, I would offer to go and meet him wherever he wants and talk about the context of the movie, have a screening and have a chat afterwards, if that’s interesting to anyone at the Trump campaign.”
Trump’s 2024 campaign put out a lengthy statement Monday night calling the film “garbage” and “pure fiction.
- 5/21/2024
- by Ellise Shafer and Matt Donnelly
- Variety - Film News
New York-based production, sales and distribution company The Dazey Phase has picked up Sundance and Thessaloniki winner “Desire Lines,” Variety has found out exclusively. The company will be shopping it at Cannes’ Marché du Film.
The hybrid doc, directed by Jules Rosskam, examines trans masculine sexuality and the taboos that surround it. It was produced by Full Spectrum Features and MamSir Productions in association with 521 Films.
“I’m always interested in experimenting with form,” said Rosskam.
“I am the kind of filmmaker who finds a new form for each film I make because I strongly believe that form and content co-create one another. If I tried to make a film where the content was asking audiences to let go of binary ways of thinking, but the form was operating from within a binary, I don’t think it would be as effective.”
The film has already been awarded the...
The hybrid doc, directed by Jules Rosskam, examines trans masculine sexuality and the taboos that surround it. It was produced by Full Spectrum Features and MamSir Productions in association with 521 Films.
“I’m always interested in experimenting with form,” said Rosskam.
“I am the kind of filmmaker who finds a new form for each film I make because I strongly believe that form and content co-create one another. If I tried to make a film where the content was asking audiences to let go of binary ways of thinking, but the form was operating from within a binary, I don’t think it would be as effective.”
The film has already been awarded the...
- 5/21/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety - Film News
For one of this year’s Variety Global Conversations Summit at Cannes, a group of leading women actors and filmmakers from around the world joined Variety’s Nick Vivarelli to discuss how they got into the business, what motivates them and some of the groundbreaking roles they’ve played.
Egyptian actor Salma Abu-Deif (“El-Asliyyin”) discussed her recent turn in the series “Highest Viewing Rate,” which tells the true story of a girl from a poor family who becomes obsessed with TikTok and uses the platform to escape her daily life.
According to Abu-Deif, the show has impacted some traditionally strict Arab parents who have watched it and gained a better understanding of some issues their children face. “I love that I saw Arab parents saying, ‘Oh, maybe we need to listen to our kids, even if it’s against how we were raised or how we think culture should be.
Egyptian actor Salma Abu-Deif (“El-Asliyyin”) discussed her recent turn in the series “Highest Viewing Rate,” which tells the true story of a girl from a poor family who becomes obsessed with TikTok and uses the platform to escape her daily life.
According to Abu-Deif, the show has impacted some traditionally strict Arab parents who have watched it and gained a better understanding of some issues their children face. “I love that I saw Arab parents saying, ‘Oh, maybe we need to listen to our kids, even if it’s against how we were raised or how we think culture should be.
- 5/21/2024
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety - Film News
As part of this year’s Variety Global Conversations at the Cannes Film Festival, representatives from the Czech Republic engaged in a lively discussion about the industry’s state of affairs and celebrated 20 years of involvement at the Marché du Film.
Markéta Šantrochová, head of the Czech Film Center at the Czech Film Fund; Pavlína Žipková, head of the Czech Film Commission at the Czech Film Fund; and Petr Tichý, CEO of Barrandov Studio, participated in the talk, moderated by Variety’s Leo Barraclough.
According to Zipkova, the Czech delegation wanted to make one key point clear to everyone in attendance: “If there is only one thing you need to remember from this session, it is that the Czech Film Fund production incentives scheme is open. It’ll never close again. Let me repeat. It is opened; it’s not closing down,” she insisted.
Her confidence in making such a...
Markéta Šantrochová, head of the Czech Film Center at the Czech Film Fund; Pavlína Žipková, head of the Czech Film Commission at the Czech Film Fund; and Petr Tichý, CEO of Barrandov Studio, participated in the talk, moderated by Variety’s Leo Barraclough.
According to Zipkova, the Czech delegation wanted to make one key point clear to everyone in attendance: “If there is only one thing you need to remember from this session, it is that the Czech Film Fund production incentives scheme is open. It’ll never close again. Let me repeat. It is opened; it’s not closing down,” she insisted.
Her confidence in making such a...
- 5/21/2024
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety - Film News
For crisp tension or thematic clarity, nothing in “The Balconettes” quite outdoes the nearly self-contained, minutes-long short that opens actor-director Noémie Merlant’s frenzied, heatstruck genre mashup. On a 115-degree summer afternoon in a wilting, AC-challenged Marseilles apartment block, a put-upon middle-aged wife passes out on her balcony. Roused with a splash of water by her boorish husband, who demands she get back to her chores, the poor woman breaks: Getting to her feet, she whacks him unconscious with a steel dustpan, smothers him with a towel, and sits on him for good measure until all life seeps out of his body. With not a scrap of backstory required, this immensely satisfying vignette earns the film an early round of cheers.
That’s the last we see of this character’s plight, save for a brief shot later of her being led away from the building by police. (Cue some...
That’s the last we see of this character’s plight, save for a brief shot later of her being led away from the building by police. (Cue some...
- 5/21/2024
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety - Film News
Robert Thorogood’s “The Marlow Murder Club” has been renewed for a second season, Variety has learned.
Samantha Bond, Jo Martin and Cara Horgan are all set to return as amateur sleuthing trio Judith, Suzie and Becks while Natalie Dew will reprise her role as police inspector Tanika Malik.
In the first season, which launched earlier this spring drawing record ratings for UKTV network Drama, retired archaeologist Judith, dog-walker Suzie and vicar’s wife Becks teamed up to solve a triple murder that rocked their idyllic town of Marlow.
Season 2 will see the group reunite to solve another spate of unsettling crimes.
Samantha Bond, Jo Martin and Cara Horgan are all set to return as amateur sleuthing trio Judith, Suzie and Becks while Natalie Dew will reprise her role as police inspector Tanika Malik.
In the first season, which launched earlier this spring drawing record ratings for UKTV network Drama, retired archaeologist Judith, dog-walker Suzie and vicar’s wife Becks teamed up to solve a triple murder that rocked their idyllic town of Marlow.
Season 2 will see the group reunite to solve another spate of unsettling crimes.
- 5/21/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety - TV News
Brazilian auteur Carolina Markowicz will head to Bucharest to hone her third feature, “The Funeral.” In development, the film was selected for the 2024 Pop Up Residency, pairing Markowicz with multi-prized Romanian producer Ada Solomon for a three-week consultancy.
“It’s truly a privilege to be able to dialogue with an industry professional like Ada, a producer who has made some films I truly admire. Daring, original and different. I love the artists who still dare to take risks, this is so rare nowadays. I’m looking forward to hearing her take on my film, and very honored to have it selected by her,” Markowicz told Variety.
The residency is part of an exclusive development initiative from Projeto Paradiso, which additionally awarded Markowicz a Paradiso Scholarship this year to attend the Tfl ScriptLab for the budding concept. It’s the fifth consecutive year that the partner program has offered the residency to a Brazilian filmmaker.
“It’s truly a privilege to be able to dialogue with an industry professional like Ada, a producer who has made some films I truly admire. Daring, original and different. I love the artists who still dare to take risks, this is so rare nowadays. I’m looking forward to hearing her take on my film, and very honored to have it selected by her,” Markowicz told Variety.
The residency is part of an exclusive development initiative from Projeto Paradiso, which additionally awarded Markowicz a Paradiso Scholarship this year to attend the Tfl ScriptLab for the budding concept. It’s the fifth consecutive year that the partner program has offered the residency to a Brazilian filmmaker.
- 5/21/2024
- by Holly Jones
- Variety - Film News
Netflix’s adaptation of Jo Nesbø Nordic crime series has found its Detective Harry Hole in “The Last Kingdom” star Tobias Santelmann.
Santelmann, who has also appeared in “Exit” and “The Arctic Convoy,” will be joined in the show by Joel Kinnaman (“The Suicide Squad”) who will play Tom Waaler and Pia Tjelta (“Made in Oslo”) as Rakel Fauke.
“I am incredibly grateful for the trust I have been shown in getting to play Harry Hole,” Santelmann said. “I am very much aware of the huge global fan base and the millions of readers who love the character. For me,...
Santelmann, who has also appeared in “Exit” and “The Arctic Convoy,” will be joined in the show by Joel Kinnaman (“The Suicide Squad”) who will play Tom Waaler and Pia Tjelta (“Made in Oslo”) as Rakel Fauke.
“I am incredibly grateful for the trust I have been shown in getting to play Harry Hole,” Santelmann said. “I am very much aware of the huge global fan base and the millions of readers who love the character. For me,...
- 5/21/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety - TV News
“Delivery Man,” the next film project for hit-making Thai director Kongkiat Komesiri has been picked up by Los Angeles- and Bangkok-based Est N8. The company is launching it at the Cannes Market, adjacent to the Cannes Film Festival.
Komesiri, known for his hit “Khun Pan” film trilogy, popular Bl series “KinnPorsche” and horror films including “Slice” and “Art of the Devil II.”
The new film, which he also wrote, is pitched as “a spine-chilling horror experience [.. ] that evokes the suspenseful style of Korean cinema, mixed with the renowned Thai style of storytelling.” Production is set to get under way in September, with delivery of the completed picture in the first quarter of 2025.
“Delivery Man” will star ‘Yada’ Narilya Gulmongkolpech, who broke through in Gdh’s “The Medium” in 2021. She “brings a unique blend of intensity and authenticity to her roles, enhancing the film’s appeal to both national and international audiences,...
Komesiri, known for his hit “Khun Pan” film trilogy, popular Bl series “KinnPorsche” and horror films including “Slice” and “Art of the Devil II.”
The new film, which he also wrote, is pitched as “a spine-chilling horror experience [.. ] that evokes the suspenseful style of Korean cinema, mixed with the renowned Thai style of storytelling.” Production is set to get under way in September, with delivery of the completed picture in the first quarter of 2025.
“Delivery Man” will star ‘Yada’ Narilya Gulmongkolpech, who broke through in Gdh’s “The Medium” in 2021. She “brings a unique blend of intensity and authenticity to her roles, enhancing the film’s appeal to both national and international audiences,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
Award-winning Malaysian filmmaker Woo Ming Jin has wrapped principal photography on his latest film, “The Fox King,” the producers revealed at the Cannes Film Festival.
Set in a coastal Malaysian town in the early 2000s, “The Fox King” tells the story of Ali and Amir, inseparable fraternal twins with a telepathic bond. The brothers are forced to fend for themselves when their father abandons them after remarrying a younger bride. The arrival of a new teacher, Lara, tests their brotherly bond.
The film is headlined by Indonesian star Dian Sastrowardoyo (Netflix’s “Cigarette Girl”) alongside Idan Aedan (“Blood Flower”), Amerul Affendi (“I.D.”), Chew Kin Wah (“Rain Town”) and newcomer Hadi Putra.
“The Fox King” participated in the Tokyo gap financing market and the QCinema project market in 2023. The film is a Sunstrong Entertainment (Venice selection “Snow in Midsummer”) production in collaboration with fellow Malaysian companies Greenlight Pictures and Da Huang Pictures...
Set in a coastal Malaysian town in the early 2000s, “The Fox King” tells the story of Ali and Amir, inseparable fraternal twins with a telepathic bond. The brothers are forced to fend for themselves when their father abandons them after remarrying a younger bride. The arrival of a new teacher, Lara, tests their brotherly bond.
The film is headlined by Indonesian star Dian Sastrowardoyo (Netflix’s “Cigarette Girl”) alongside Idan Aedan (“Blood Flower”), Amerul Affendi (“I.D.”), Chew Kin Wah (“Rain Town”) and newcomer Hadi Putra.
“The Fox King” participated in the Tokyo gap financing market and the QCinema project market in 2023. The film is a Sunstrong Entertainment (Venice selection “Snow in Midsummer”) production in collaboration with fellow Malaysian companies Greenlight Pictures and Da Huang Pictures...
- 5/21/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran and Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
Action choreographer Brahim Chab, who recently staged the action sequences for Deve Patel’s “Monkey Man,” has joined the crew of “Blood Passage.” To be directed by The Philippines’ Pedring Lopez, who recently completed the prison drama series “Sellblock.”
“Blood Passage” is a martial arts vampire action horror feature set in Southeast Asia. It s tory follows a rescue mission gone wrong, that pits a private military unit against relentless supernatural forces.
The film is the first to emerge from the alliance between Lopez’s Blackops Studios Asia and Alaric Tay’s Very Tay Media.
The film will be produced by Rex Lopez for Blackops Studios Asia & Psyops8 and Tay for Very Tay Media. Fred Hedman of Evolution Pictures and Gfm Film Sales, and Christopher Shaw, scion of the Shaw Brothers legacy, will executive produce. Sonny Sisson, who provided stunts on Lopez’s “Sellblock,” will return in a similar role.
“Blood Passage” is a martial arts vampire action horror feature set in Southeast Asia. It s tory follows a rescue mission gone wrong, that pits a private military unit against relentless supernatural forces.
The film is the first to emerge from the alliance between Lopez’s Blackops Studios Asia and Alaric Tay’s Very Tay Media.
The film will be produced by Rex Lopez for Blackops Studios Asia & Psyops8 and Tay for Very Tay Media. Fred Hedman of Evolution Pictures and Gfm Film Sales, and Christopher Shaw, scion of the Shaw Brothers legacy, will executive produce. Sonny Sisson, who provided stunts on Lopez’s “Sellblock,” will return in a similar role.
- 5/21/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
Shannen Doherty said if she’d had the chance to return for the Charmed finale, she still would have chosen not to. The actress said this week going back to set “would’ve crushed me.”
“I regret it one sense, I regret it for the fans,” she said on her Let’s Be Clear With Shannen Doherty podcast. “But I don’t regret it for me, because I was so incredibly wrecked from getting fired that, I think, even years — years — years later, had I walked on that set, it just would’ve stirred everything back up for me. And it would’ve crushed me all over again.”
Doherty was fired from Charmed after season 3, and has since alleged that co-star Alyssa Milano was the reason for her firing, claiming the actress gave producers an ultimatum to choose between the two of them.
Earlier this year, a feud between the...
“I regret it one sense, I regret it for the fans,” she said on her Let’s Be Clear With Shannen Doherty podcast. “But I don’t regret it for me, because I was so incredibly wrecked from getting fired that, I think, even years — years — years later, had I walked on that set, it just would’ve stirred everything back up for me. And it would’ve crushed me all over again.”
Doherty was fired from Charmed after season 3, and has since alleged that co-star Alyssa Milano was the reason for her firing, claiming the actress gave producers an ultimatum to choose between the two of them.
Earlier this year, a feud between the...
- 5/21/2024
- by Zoe G Phillips
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As part of Variety‘s Global Conversations Summit at the Cannes 2024 Film Festival, Variety executive editor Tatiana Siegel sat down with New Zealand Film Commission CEO Annie Murray and Philippa Mossman, head of International Screen Attraction at New Zealand Film Commission, to talk about the country’s thriving film industry.
Murray’s most recent project with the New Zealand Film Commission is a pop-up intensive film school by writer and director Jane Campion. Campion has hand-picked a class of ten filmmakers from 300 applicants and is taking them through a two-year program where they will develop and shoot original short films.
“What’s really important to [Campion] is that all the participants are paid to attend,” Murray explained. “So that removes barriers. It’s a super diverse group and they have spent a year with Dame Jane, who is not taking a fee and so very generously giving her time. And now...
Murray’s most recent project with the New Zealand Film Commission is a pop-up intensive film school by writer and director Jane Campion. Campion has hand-picked a class of ten filmmakers from 300 applicants and is taking them through a two-year program where they will develop and shoot original short films.
“What’s really important to [Campion] is that all the participants are paid to attend,” Murray explained. “So that removes barriers. It’s a super diverse group and they have spent a year with Dame Jane, who is not taking a fee and so very generously giving her time. And now...
- 5/21/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety - Film News
In 2023, Saudi Arabian film agency Film AlUla formed AlUla Creates, a local initiative that provides funding, mentorship and networking opportunities for Saudi filmmakers and fashion designers. And in just one year, AlUla Creates has exploded into a global brand, already hosting 123 international productions in the scenic valleys of AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
“We call it a living museum,” said marketing director at Film AlUla Mahsa Motamedi. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”
As part of the Variety Global Conversations Summit at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Variety‘s Italy and Middle East correspondent Nick Vivarelli sat down with Motamedi, director Maram Taibah and sister filmmakers Raneem and Dana Almohandes to discuss the impact of AlUla Creates on the Saudi Arabian film industry.
Taibah is one of the many young filmmakers who found support from AlUla Creates. After her sister sent her an Instagram ad for the program, she knew immediately she wanted to join.
“We call it a living museum,” said marketing director at Film AlUla Mahsa Motamedi. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”
As part of the Variety Global Conversations Summit at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Variety‘s Italy and Middle East correspondent Nick Vivarelli sat down with Motamedi, director Maram Taibah and sister filmmakers Raneem and Dana Almohandes to discuss the impact of AlUla Creates on the Saudi Arabian film industry.
Taibah is one of the many young filmmakers who found support from AlUla Creates. After her sister sent her an Instagram ad for the program, she knew immediately she wanted to join.
- 5/21/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety - Film News
Spoiler Alert: This post contains spoilers from “Kids See Ghosts,” the May 20 episode of The CW’s “All American.”
Billy Baker lives on… ish. Taye Diggs’ character, who died in a bus accident midway through Season 5 of the drama, returned to “All American” during the May 20 episode.
At the beginning of the Season 6 episode, Olivia (Samantha Logan) struggled to finish her book about Billy, her late father, as Jordan (Michael Evans Behling) found himself at a crossroads about his possible future in the NFL. Meanwhile, Spencer (Daniel Ezra) realized he had much more going for himself than football when a...
Billy Baker lives on… ish. Taye Diggs’ character, who died in a bus accident midway through Season 5 of the drama, returned to “All American” during the May 20 episode.
At the beginning of the Season 6 episode, Olivia (Samantha Logan) struggled to finish her book about Billy, her late father, as Jordan (Michael Evans Behling) found himself at a crossroads about his possible future in the NFL. Meanwhile, Spencer (Daniel Ezra) realized he had much more going for himself than football when a...
- 5/21/2024
- by Emily Longeretta
- Variety - TV News
Unfolding in the cramped corridors of Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City (it was one of the most dangerously dense urban areas on Earth before being demolished in 1993), Soi Cheang’s ’80s-set “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” delivers on its blockbuster action promise. However, its martial arts spectacle is scattered across a sprawling refugees-and-triads saga that, while adequately laying foundation for the aforementioned fisticuffs, is seldom coherent or engaging on its own.
Based on the Chinese comic “City of Darkness” by Andy Seto, the film follows Chan Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam), a mainland refugee trying to pay his way to a fake ID by winning bare-knuckle brawls. When he ends up double crossed by remorseless triad leader Mr. Big (legendary actor-director Sammo Hung), the desperate outsider steals a satchel of the head honcho’s cocaine and makes a run for the Walled City, which Cheang and cinematographer Cheng Siu-keung capture as a darkened citadel,...
Based on the Chinese comic “City of Darkness” by Andy Seto, the film follows Chan Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam), a mainland refugee trying to pay his way to a fake ID by winning bare-knuckle brawls. When he ends up double crossed by remorseless triad leader Mr. Big (legendary actor-director Sammo Hung), the desperate outsider steals a satchel of the head honcho’s cocaine and makes a run for the Walled City, which Cheang and cinematographer Cheng Siu-keung capture as a darkened citadel,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Variety - Film News
Oliver Stone has always had one eye pointed south of the U.S. border.
It began with his phenomenal script for Brian De Palma’s Scarface, which transformed the famous Chicago gangster into a hardened Cuban refugee. After that, Stone directed the photojournalist saga Salvador, about the deadly civil war that gripped El Salvador in the 1980s. And later on he made a handful of documentaries about Latin American leaders, two of them featuring Fidel Castro and another one including such leftist figureheads as Hugo Chávez and Evo Morales.
Stone’s fascination with the dirty politics and violent class struggles of the southern hemisphere seems to perfectly align with the dramatic twists and nonstop conspiracies present in much of his other fictional work, from J.F.K. to Nixon to W to Snowden. In the director’s world, which he argues is ours as well, leaders are either corruptible or taken down by the corrupt,...
It began with his phenomenal script for Brian De Palma’s Scarface, which transformed the famous Chicago gangster into a hardened Cuban refugee. After that, Stone directed the photojournalist saga Salvador, about the deadly civil war that gripped El Salvador in the 1980s. And later on he made a handful of documentaries about Latin American leaders, two of them featuring Fidel Castro and another one including such leftist figureheads as Hugo Chávez and Evo Morales.
Stone’s fascination with the dirty politics and violent class struggles of the southern hemisphere seems to perfectly align with the dramatic twists and nonstop conspiracies present in much of his other fictional work, from J.F.K. to Nixon to W to Snowden. In the director’s world, which he argues is ours as well, leaders are either corruptible or taken down by the corrupt,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign is hitting back following the premiere of the controversial film “The Apprentice,” which chronicles the 2024 presidential candidate’s early years as a real estate developer.
“We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers,” the Trump campaign’s chief spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement to Variety. “This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked. As with the illegal Biden Trials, this is election interference by Hollywood elites, who know that President Trump will retake the White House and beat their candidate of choice because nothing they have done has worked.”
Cheung’s statement continues, “This ‘film’ is pure malicious defamation, should not see the light of day, and doesn’t even deserve a place in the straight-to-dvd section of a bargain bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store, it belongs in a dumpster fire.
“We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers,” the Trump campaign’s chief spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement to Variety. “This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked. As with the illegal Biden Trials, this is election interference by Hollywood elites, who know that President Trump will retake the White House and beat their candidate of choice because nothing they have done has worked.”
Cheung’s statement continues, “This ‘film’ is pure malicious defamation, should not see the light of day, and doesn’t even deserve a place in the straight-to-dvd section of a bargain bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store, it belongs in a dumpster fire.
- 5/20/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety - Film News
“The Crown” can only play a pair of Queens at the Emmys.
Emmy winner Olivia Colman, who portrayed Queen Elizabeth in the series finale episode of Netflix’s monarchy drama, is not eligible to submit in the guest drama actress race by only a few seconds. However, her co-star Claire Foy, who also portrays Her Majesty in her younger years and appears in the same episode, is eligible and will be the sole guest submission for the series, angling for her second win in the category.
The “Sleep, Dearie Sleep,” written by Peter Morgan and directed by Stephen Daldry, clocks in at a robust 72 minutes,...
Emmy winner Olivia Colman, who portrayed Queen Elizabeth in the series finale episode of Netflix’s monarchy drama, is not eligible to submit in the guest drama actress race by only a few seconds. However, her co-star Claire Foy, who also portrays Her Majesty in her younger years and appears in the same episode, is eligible and will be the sole guest submission for the series, angling for her second win in the category.
The “Sleep, Dearie Sleep,” written by Peter Morgan and directed by Stephen Daldry, clocks in at a robust 72 minutes,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety - TV News
Ahead of an expected appearance at Cannes Lions next month, Michael Kassan has prevailed in his bid to move to arbitration a lawsuit from UTA looking to block him from setting up a new venture after his messy exit from the agency.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kerry Bensinger, in an order issued on Thursday, found that Kassan and UTA “did not exempt from arbitration” a claim that the company filed asserting that he’s barred from competing with MediaLink or from soliciting its employees and clients.
In a statement, UTA said its focus is “on supporting the great work MediaLink has always done and continues to do on behalf of its clients, and we look forward to unlocking new opportunities together.” It added, “We will continue to pursue this matter through legal channels and are confident that the facts will prevail.”
On the ruling keeping the case out of open court,...
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kerry Bensinger, in an order issued on Thursday, found that Kassan and UTA “did not exempt from arbitration” a claim that the company filed asserting that he’s barred from competing with MediaLink or from soliciting its employees and clients.
In a statement, UTA said its focus is “on supporting the great work MediaLink has always done and continues to do on behalf of its clients, and we look forward to unlocking new opportunities together.” It added, “We will continue to pursue this matter through legal channels and are confident that the facts will prevail.”
On the ruling keeping the case out of open court,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Before becoming one of Hollywood’s most beloved leading men, Chris Pratt lived in an apartment behind the TLC Chinese Theater. Well into the early morning, he would wander on the Walk of Fame and stare at the stars beneath his feet, wondering if his time in the spotlight would ever come.
Pratt returned to the Hollywood landmark on Sunday, not to lament over broken dreams, but to help introduce Garfield creator Jim Davis as he cemented his signature outside the TLC Chinese Theater at “The Garfield Movie” premiere.
“[He] absolutely rocked the part,” said Davis about Pratt’s performance as the lasagna-loving cat. “You laugh just listening to [his] kind of timing. He also has the ability to go over to the softer side and to sound angry and stuff like that. So, it’s not just the humor, but his ability to bring out all sides of the character.”
Starring Pratt,...
Pratt returned to the Hollywood landmark on Sunday, not to lament over broken dreams, but to help introduce Garfield creator Jim Davis as he cemented his signature outside the TLC Chinese Theater at “The Garfield Movie” premiere.
“[He] absolutely rocked the part,” said Davis about Pratt’s performance as the lasagna-loving cat. “You laugh just listening to [his] kind of timing. He also has the ability to go over to the softer side and to sound angry and stuff like that. So, it’s not just the humor, but his ability to bring out all sides of the character.”
Starring Pratt,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety - Film News
Indian Paintbrush founder Steven Rales has purchased Criterion and Janus Films.
The mission and leadership of the companies will not change following the private transaction.
Screen Daily was first to report the news of the sale. “We have grown our brands and audience with dedication to a set of values reflected in the films we release, the way we release them, and the way we conduct our business with our valued partners around the world,” said Criterion and Janus Films president Peter Becker told the outlet. “We are excited to continue that legacy and pursue new opportunities now available through this relationship.”
Janus Films was founded in 1954 by Bryant Haliday and Cyrus Harvey, Jr., and has since become the preeminent distributor of international classic films in the United States. Recent films include “Drive My Car,” “Evil Does Not Exist,” “Eo” and “The Beast.” On Monday, Sideshow and Janus films acquired...
The mission and leadership of the companies will not change following the private transaction.
Screen Daily was first to report the news of the sale. “We have grown our brands and audience with dedication to a set of values reflected in the films we release, the way we release them, and the way we conduct our business with our valued partners around the world,” said Criterion and Janus Films president Peter Becker told the outlet. “We are excited to continue that legacy and pursue new opportunities now available through this relationship.”
Janus Films was founded in 1954 by Bryant Haliday and Cyrus Harvey, Jr., and has since become the preeminent distributor of international classic films in the United States. Recent films include “Drive My Car,” “Evil Does Not Exist,” “Eo” and “The Beast.” On Monday, Sideshow and Janus films acquired...
- 5/20/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety - Film News
[This story contains spoilers from A Man in Full and Outer Range season two.]
Between Tom Pelphrey’s two current streaming shows, one would think that the series with the shimmering time portal in the ground would have the more off-the-wall ending. But that honor instead belongs to David E. Kelley’s A Man in Full.
Adapted from Tom Wolfe’s novel, the Netflix limited series centers on Jeff Daniels’ Charlie Croker, an overextended billionaire who owes various banks over a billion dollars in overdue loans, and Pelphrey’s Raymond Peepgrass is one of the bankers who’s tired of being stepped on by Charlie both personally and professionally.
All season long, Raymond and Harry Zale (Bill Camp) are on the verge of seizing Charlie’s assets, but he works the system to his advantage to stave off collection. Frustrated, Raymond makes one last move to acquire controlling interest in Charlie’s life’s work — a building called the Concourse,...
Between Tom Pelphrey’s two current streaming shows, one would think that the series with the shimmering time portal in the ground would have the more off-the-wall ending. But that honor instead belongs to David E. Kelley’s A Man in Full.
Adapted from Tom Wolfe’s novel, the Netflix limited series centers on Jeff Daniels’ Charlie Croker, an overextended billionaire who owes various banks over a billion dollars in overdue loans, and Pelphrey’s Raymond Peepgrass is one of the bankers who’s tired of being stepped on by Charlie both personally and professionally.
All season long, Raymond and Harry Zale (Bill Camp) are on the verge of seizing Charlie’s assets, but he works the system to his advantage to stave off collection. Frustrated, Raymond makes one last move to acquire controlling interest in Charlie’s life’s work — a building called the Concourse,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Yulin Kuang’s new novel “How to End a Love Story,” which was released April 9.
Yulin Kuang was deep into her romance-novel era before she released her own first attempt at the genre, “How to End a Love Story,” last month. The debut author, who has thus far spent her career focused on TV and film writing, actually started penning her book while in the middle of adapting two rom-coms by best-selling author Emily Henry: “Beach Read” (which Kuang will also direct) and “People We Meet on Vacation.”
“How to End a Love Story” follows the straight-laced,...
Yulin Kuang was deep into her romance-novel era before she released her own first attempt at the genre, “How to End a Love Story,” last month. The debut author, who has thus far spent her career focused on TV and film writing, actually started penning her book while in the middle of adapting two rom-coms by best-selling author Emily Henry: “Beach Read” (which Kuang will also direct) and “People We Meet on Vacation.”
“How to End a Love Story” follows the straight-laced,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety - TV News
The Cannes audience gave a respectful embrace to David Cronenberg’s chilly drama The Shrouds, the latest from the Canadian king of horror.
Cronenberg joined castmembers Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce, Sandrine Holt and Elizabeth Saunders to hit the Croisette for the film’s premiere Monday. Cronenberg rocked the red carpet wearing a pair of white rimmed wrap-around 1990s-style plastic sunglasses.
The film was met with applause that went on for three and a half minutes before Cronenberg put an end to it by taking the mic and thanking the crowd. The director explained that it was the first time he had seen the movie with an audience and added, “And it is completely different.”
Its reception was rather reserved, perhaps in keeping with the film’s subject matter of grief and death. The connection to the director’s own experience was made clear with Cassel’s character Karsh,...
Cronenberg joined castmembers Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce, Sandrine Holt and Elizabeth Saunders to hit the Croisette for the film’s premiere Monday. Cronenberg rocked the red carpet wearing a pair of white rimmed wrap-around 1990s-style plastic sunglasses.
The film was met with applause that went on for three and a half minutes before Cronenberg put an end to it by taking the mic and thanking the crowd. The director explained that it was the first time he had seen the movie with an audience and added, “And it is completely different.”
Its reception was rather reserved, perhaps in keeping with the film’s subject matter of grief and death. The connection to the director’s own experience was made clear with Cassel’s character Karsh,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Scott Roxborough and Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds,” the horror auteur’s latest film about a widow who invents technology to see inside his late wife’s grave, received a 3.5-minute standing ovation at its Cannes premiere on Monday night.
The crowd showed their respect for the Cannes legend with applause after the credits rolled, but it was lackluster as audience members digested the film, which is a departure from Cronenberg’s usual out-of-the-box body horror. Instead, “The Shrouds” is a thoughtful exploration of grief and technology, and though there are several gross-out moments, the film relies on emotion more than anything.
“This is the first time I’ve seen the movie with an audience, and it’s completely different,” Cronenberg said after the clapping died down. “I’m very happy that you are all here.”
Described as an arthouse horror film, “The Shrouds” stars Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce and Sandrine Holt.
The crowd showed their respect for the Cannes legend with applause after the credits rolled, but it was lackluster as audience members digested the film, which is a departure from Cronenberg’s usual out-of-the-box body horror. Instead, “The Shrouds” is a thoughtful exploration of grief and technology, and though there are several gross-out moments, the film relies on emotion more than anything.
“This is the first time I’ve seen the movie with an audience, and it’s completely different,” Cronenberg said after the clapping died down. “I’m very happy that you are all here.”
Described as an arthouse horror film, “The Shrouds” stars Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce and Sandrine Holt.
- 5/20/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety - Film News
Lionsgate has added three movies to its release calendar.
“Flight Risk,” an aviation thriller starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Mel Gibson, will land on Oct. 18, 2024, while Dave Bautista-led action-comedy “The Killer’s Game” will debut on Sept. 13, 2024. Meanwhile, Gerard Butler’s sequel “Den of Thieves: Pantera” will open on Jan. 10, 2025.
“Flight Risk” is scheduled to debut on the big screen alongside Paramount’s “Smile 2.” In “Flight Risk,” Wahlberg plays a balding and psychotic mob hitman who tricks a federal agent into allowing him to pilot a plane carrying an informant (Topher Grace) out of a remote area. The movie reunites Gibson and Wahlberg, who worked together in the past on “Father Stu” and “Daddy’s Home 2.”
“The Killer’s Game” will open on the same day as Universal’s horror remake “Speak No Evil,” starring James McAvoy. Adapted from Jay R. Bonansinga’s book of the same name, this...
“Flight Risk,” an aviation thriller starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Mel Gibson, will land on Oct. 18, 2024, while Dave Bautista-led action-comedy “The Killer’s Game” will debut on Sept. 13, 2024. Meanwhile, Gerard Butler’s sequel “Den of Thieves: Pantera” will open on Jan. 10, 2025.
“Flight Risk” is scheduled to debut on the big screen alongside Paramount’s “Smile 2.” In “Flight Risk,” Wahlberg plays a balding and psychotic mob hitman who tricks a federal agent into allowing him to pilot a plane carrying an informant (Topher Grace) out of a remote area. The movie reunites Gibson and Wahlberg, who worked together in the past on “Father Stu” and “Daddy’s Home 2.”
“The Killer’s Game” will open on the same day as Universal’s horror remake “Speak No Evil,” starring James McAvoy. Adapted from Jay R. Bonansinga’s book of the same name, this...
- 5/20/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety - Film News
Lionsgate announced theatrical release dates for upcoming titles starring Mark Wahlberg, Dave Bautista and Gerard Butler.
Marking Mel Gibson’s first feature as a director since 2016’s Hacksaw Ridge, Flight Risk hits theaters Oct. 18. The film has a script from Jared Rosenberg and counts Gibson as a producer alongside John Davis and John Fox for Davis Entertainment, in addition to Bruce Davey.
Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery and Topher Grace star in the thriller focusing on a pilot (Wahlberg) transporting an Air Marshal (Dockery) and a fugitive (Grace) across the Alaskan wilderness on the way to a trial.
Lionsgate also announced that director J.J. Perry’s action-comedy movie The Killer’s Game is set to hit theaters Sept. 13. Bautista, Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews, Scott Adkins, Pom Klementieff and Ben Kingsley round out the cast for the project that has a script from Rand Ravich and James Coyne and is based on the book by Jay R.
Marking Mel Gibson’s first feature as a director since 2016’s Hacksaw Ridge, Flight Risk hits theaters Oct. 18. The film has a script from Jared Rosenberg and counts Gibson as a producer alongside John Davis and John Fox for Davis Entertainment, in addition to Bruce Davey.
Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery and Topher Grace star in the thriller focusing on a pilot (Wahlberg) transporting an Air Marshal (Dockery) and a fugitive (Grace) across the Alaskan wilderness on the way to a trial.
Lionsgate also announced that director J.J. Perry’s action-comedy movie The Killer’s Game is set to hit theaters Sept. 13. Bautista, Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews, Scott Adkins, Pom Klementieff and Ben Kingsley round out the cast for the project that has a script from Rand Ravich and James Coyne and is based on the book by Jay R.
- 5/20/2024
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ryan Reynolds said this week he was “surprised” Disney allowed the R-rating on their upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine. The film, out July 26, will be Marvel’s first R movie.
“I hope this doesn’t sound condescending, I’m really proud of them for doing this,” Reynolds said during an interview with Fandango. “It’s a huge step for them, it adds a whole color to this kaleidoscopic wheel that is that company and the different people that they have been entertaining for forever.”
Reynolds also said the rating wasn’t about “exploiting” the ability to “just do R-rated stuff,” but because “there’s no other way to do it for this character in this world.”
Deadpool & Wolverine will also feature a crossover with Hugh Jackman’s Logan, the X-men character from the movie of the same in 2017, which was also rated R. Reynolds said the R-rating on the upcoming...
“I hope this doesn’t sound condescending, I’m really proud of them for doing this,” Reynolds said during an interview with Fandango. “It’s a huge step for them, it adds a whole color to this kaleidoscopic wheel that is that company and the different people that they have been entertaining for forever.”
Reynolds also said the rating wasn’t about “exploiting” the ability to “just do R-rated stuff,” but because “there’s no other way to do it for this character in this world.”
Deadpool & Wolverine will also feature a crossover with Hugh Jackman’s Logan, the X-men character from the movie of the same in 2017, which was also rated R. Reynolds said the R-rating on the upcoming...
- 5/20/2024
- by Zoe G Phillips
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It proved to be the most disturbing scene in a movie chock full of unflattering sequences about Donald Trump.
In Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice,” Trump (played by Sebastian Stan) violently throws his then-wife Ivana (Maria Bakalova) to the ground and proceeds to have nonconsensual sex with her.
In the controversial scene, Ivana playfully presents a book to her husband about the merits of a female orgasm. But the interaction between the two turns dark quickly, as an uninterested Trump tells his wife that he is no longer attracted to her. They argue, and then Trump throws her to the ground. As he angrily thrusts himself into her, an icy Trump sneers: “Is that your G spot? Did I find it?”
Heading into tonight’s premiere, insiders insisted that the scene, which Variety previously reported on, was consensual but uncomfortable. But reactions within the Palais said otherwise. One woman in her 20s called the scene,...
In Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice,” Trump (played by Sebastian Stan) violently throws his then-wife Ivana (Maria Bakalova) to the ground and proceeds to have nonconsensual sex with her.
In the controversial scene, Ivana playfully presents a book to her husband about the merits of a female orgasm. But the interaction between the two turns dark quickly, as an uninterested Trump tells his wife that he is no longer attracted to her. They argue, and then Trump throws her to the ground. As he angrily thrusts himself into her, an icy Trump sneers: “Is that your G spot? Did I find it?”
Heading into tonight’s premiere, insiders insisted that the scene, which Variety previously reported on, was consensual but uncomfortable. But reactions within the Palais said otherwise. One woman in her 20s called the scene,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety - Film News
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.
The first season of Hulu’s newest reality show about the drama-ridden Vanderpumps is almost over. The finale of “Vanderpump Villa,” which follows matriarch Lisa Vanderpump’s hand-selected staff as they work (and play) at her restaurant at an exclusive French estate, arrives on the streamer Monday, May 20.
The first season of the unscripted docudrama debuted in April with the first three episodes, with episodes coming out on a weekly basis every Monday. In order to stream the first season,...
The first season of Hulu’s newest reality show about the drama-ridden Vanderpumps is almost over. The finale of “Vanderpump Villa,” which follows matriarch Lisa Vanderpump’s hand-selected staff as they work (and play) at her restaurant at an exclusive French estate, arrives on the streamer Monday, May 20.
The first season of the unscripted docudrama debuted in April with the first three episodes, with episodes coming out on a weekly basis every Monday. In order to stream the first season,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Anna Tingley
- Variety - TV News
Peter Morgan, creator of Netflix’s award-winning drama “The Crown,” is weighing in on King Charles III’s new, highly divisive portrait.
“The picture is at least partially successful, I think,” Morgan told me Friday at an FYC event for the “Crown’s” final season. “I belong more to the positive side, but I’m not trying to give it five stars. I’d certainly go three or four out of five. I like that it’s vivid, I love that it’s got us talking, I love that it arouses emotions. It immediately makes you want to look more closely.
“The picture is at least partially successful, I think,” Morgan told me Friday at an FYC event for the “Crown’s” final season. “I belong more to the positive side, but I’m not trying to give it five stars. I’d certainly go three or four out of five. I like that it’s vivid, I love that it’s got us talking, I love that it arouses emotions. It immediately makes you want to look more closely.
- 5/20/2024
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety - TV News
The Farrelly brothers’ buddy comedy “Dumb and Dumber” will be celebrating its 30th anniversary in December, and star Jeff Daniels recently looked back on how his agents were quite apprehensive about him taking on the role of Harry Dunne opposite Jim Carrey as Lloyd. While the movie would go on to become a comedy classic and earn $247 million worldwide, Daniels told USA Today that the script was not in line with the “serious actor” his agents wanted him to be at the time.
“I had agents, who weren’t wrong, telling me, ‘You’re a serious actor. This is not the direction you need to be going. We’re going to stop this and get you off this movie,'” Daniels said. “But I wanted to shake it up with a comedy. And I wanted to work with Jim Carrey.”
Daniels admitted that he feared his agents might’ve been...
“I had agents, who weren’t wrong, telling me, ‘You’re a serious actor. This is not the direction you need to be going. We’re going to stop this and get you off this movie,'” Daniels said. “But I wanted to shake it up with a comedy. And I wanted to work with Jim Carrey.”
Daniels admitted that he feared his agents might’ve been...
- 5/20/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
Lucy Hale appeared in Cannes during the film festival last week, living the good life but also helping launch Good Life, a new feature film project from Angel Oak Films.
The $10 million production will be steered by filmmaker Bonnie Rodini, who directed the 2021 South African film of the same name. The adaptation is described as a coming-of-age tale set against the idyllic Italian countryside. It casts Hale as Olive, a young woman grappling with her family’s complex history. Production is set to begin in Italy in September, uniting Pascal Borno and Alain Gillissen of Angel Oak Films with Silvio Muraglia of Paradox Studios.
Hale is coming off a busy 2023 that saw the releases of Which Brings Me to You, Puppy Love and Inside Man. She is best known for roles in the TV series Pretty Little Liars and the Blumhouse and Universal horror entry Truth or Dare.
“The Good...
The $10 million production will be steered by filmmaker Bonnie Rodini, who directed the 2021 South African film of the same name. The adaptation is described as a coming-of-age tale set against the idyllic Italian countryside. It casts Hale as Olive, a young woman grappling with her family’s complex history. Production is set to begin in Italy in September, uniting Pascal Borno and Alain Gillissen of Angel Oak Films with Silvio Muraglia of Paradox Studios.
Hale is coming off a busy 2023 that saw the releases of Which Brings Me to You, Puppy Love and Inside Man. She is best known for roles in the TV series Pretty Little Liars and the Blumhouse and Universal horror entry Truth or Dare.
“The Good...
- 5/20/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Orebella’s Salted Muse
The just-launched fragrance line from supermodel Bella Hadid blends one of summertime’s most prominent scents — sea salt! — with pink pepper, an olive tree accord and lavender twist at the heart, finishing with a hint of woods and crisp amber. Per launch intel, Hadid’s love affair with fragrances began creating her own essential oil blends, growing lavender and distilling oils on her family farm. She also offers another vacation-ready fragrance with Blooming Fire which leans heavily on the Tahitian monoi flower and exotic patchouli. ($100 for 100 ml, Ulta.com)
A view or Bella Hadid’s Orebella fragrance, Salted Muse. Dioriviera
No summertime scent roundup, particularly in the South of France, is complete without Dior. Fragrance creative director Francis Kurkdjian is the nose behind the line which was inspired by a stop in Provence in a field below the La Colle Noire estate. “The southern sun was shining,...
The just-launched fragrance line from supermodel Bella Hadid blends one of summertime’s most prominent scents — sea salt! — with pink pepper, an olive tree accord and lavender twist at the heart, finishing with a hint of woods and crisp amber. Per launch intel, Hadid’s love affair with fragrances began creating her own essential oil blends, growing lavender and distilling oils on her family farm. She also offers another vacation-ready fragrance with Blooming Fire which leans heavily on the Tahitian monoi flower and exotic patchouli. ($100 for 100 ml, Ulta.com)
A view or Bella Hadid’s Orebella fragrance, Salted Muse. Dioriviera
No summertime scent roundup, particularly in the South of France, is complete without Dior. Fragrance creative director Francis Kurkdjian is the nose behind the line which was inspired by a stop in Provence in a field below the La Colle Noire estate. “The southern sun was shining,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Courteney Cox has shared how her bond with her late Friends co-star Matthew Perry has continued after his death.
In a conversation for CBS Sunday Morning, Cox reflected on 2024 marking 30 years since the Friends premiere. She told Vigliotti that for the 10 years she was on the NBC sitcom, her co-stars were her “family,” as they went through “everything” together.
Reflecting on Perry, Cox said, “I think he’s one of the funniest human beings in the world. He’s just so funny. He’s genuinely [got] a huge heart. [He] obviously struggled.”
The actress then said that she is “so thankful” she “got to work so closely with him for so many years” and has retained a connection with her co-star’s spirit.
“He visits me a lot, if we believe in that,” she shared. “I talk to my mom, my dad, Matthew. I feel like there are a lot of people that are…...
In a conversation for CBS Sunday Morning, Cox reflected on 2024 marking 30 years since the Friends premiere. She told Vigliotti that for the 10 years she was on the NBC sitcom, her co-stars were her “family,” as they went through “everything” together.
Reflecting on Perry, Cox said, “I think he’s one of the funniest human beings in the world. He’s just so funny. He’s genuinely [got] a huge heart. [He] obviously struggled.”
The actress then said that she is “so thankful” she “got to work so closely with him for so many years” and has retained a connection with her co-star’s spirit.
“He visits me a lot, if we believe in that,” she shared. “I talk to my mom, my dad, Matthew. I feel like there are a lot of people that are…...
- 5/20/2024
- by Tatiana Tenreyro
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ryan Reynolds said in a new video interview with Fandango that he is “surprised” Disney allowed the upcoming “Deadpool and Wolverine” to be so R-rated. The movie is the first “Deadpool” film to be released under Disney following the company’s acquisition of Fox, which made Reynolds’ first two R-rated “Deadpool” movies that grossed just over $780 million each at the worldwide box office. Comic book fans feared Disney might tamp down the franchise’s R-rating given its commitment to family entertainment, but Reynolds and director Shawn Levy were granted permission to continue with the raunchy humor.
“I hope it doesn’t sound condescending, I’m really proud of them for doing this. I think it’s a huge step for them,” Reynolds said about Disney letting a film be R-rated “I mean, it adds a whole other color to this kaleidoscopic wheel that is that company and the different people...
“I hope it doesn’t sound condescending, I’m really proud of them for doing this. I think it’s a huge step for them,” Reynolds said about Disney letting a film be R-rated “I mean, it adds a whole other color to this kaleidoscopic wheel that is that company and the different people...
- 5/20/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
On Sunday night, May 19, under a starry Cannes night, Kering held their Women In Motion dinner bestowing NBCUniversal Studios Group chairman and chief content officer Dame Donna Langley with the Women In Motion Award, and Malaysian director Amanda Nell Eu was presented the Young Talent Award. Langley is the first British woman to run a major Hollywood studio, and Kering awarded these women for their ability to expand opportunities and networks for women and people of color in the film industry.
Held at Place de la Castre in Cannes, the event drew celebrities who attended in the name of women making breakthroughs in film. Notable names in attendance were Julianne Moore, Uma Thurman, Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Michelle Yeoh, Lily Gladstone, Zoe Saldaña, Eva Green, Judith Godrèche and directors Greta Gerwig and Justine Triet.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter before the dinner, actress and producer Salma Hayek, wife of Kering...
Held at Place de la Castre in Cannes, the event drew celebrities who attended in the name of women making breakthroughs in film. Notable names in attendance were Julianne Moore, Uma Thurman, Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Michelle Yeoh, Lily Gladstone, Zoe Saldaña, Eva Green, Judith Godrèche and directors Greta Gerwig and Justine Triet.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter before the dinner, actress and producer Salma Hayek, wife of Kering...
- 5/20/2024
- by Allyson Portee
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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