Movie News
Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter” is being pushed back from its August release, moving to Dec. 13, 2024. It will screen in IMAX and premium large formats.
The film takes over “Karate Kid’s” original release date, which has been changed to May 30, 2025. It will now bow in theaters after the sixth and final season of “Cobra Kai” debuts on Netflix.
With a coveted Christmastime release date open, Sony is positioning “Kraven” as an R-rated option for the end of the year.
Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, “Kraven the Hunter” unpacks the origin story behind the Marvel villain, set before his notorious vendetta against Spider-Man. Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott and Russell Crowe also star.
The film is directed by J.C. Chandor, with a story by Richard Wenk and screenplay by Wenk, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. It’s produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach and David Householter.
Sony has also...
The film takes over “Karate Kid’s” original release date, which has been changed to May 30, 2025. It will now bow in theaters after the sixth and final season of “Cobra Kai” debuts on Netflix.
With a coveted Christmastime release date open, Sony is positioning “Kraven” as an R-rated option for the end of the year.
Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, “Kraven the Hunter” unpacks the origin story behind the Marvel villain, set before his notorious vendetta against Spider-Man. Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott and Russell Crowe also star.
The film is directed by J.C. Chandor, with a story by Richard Wenk and screenplay by Wenk, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. It’s produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach and David Householter.
Sony has also...
- 4/27/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety - Film News
IATSE negotiators are bracing for the next phase of contract negotiations with Hollywood’s major studios and streamers after the conclusion this week of talks with all 13 West Coast local union on the craft-specific aspects of a new master contract.
On Monday, IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will shift the focus of negotiations to wages, residuals, working conditions and the use of artificial intelligence in production. Those are the thornier issues to hammer out for the union that represents the vast majority of below-the-line workers in TV and film.
IATSE International president Matthew Loeb has...
On Monday, IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will shift the focus of negotiations to wages, residuals, working conditions and the use of artificial intelligence in production. Those are the thornier issues to hammer out for the union that represents the vast majority of below-the-line workers in TV and film.
IATSE International president Matthew Loeb has...
- 4/26/2024
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety - TV News
“Rosemary’s Baby” prequel “Apartment 7A,” starring Julia Garner and directed by Natalie Erika James, will premiere exclusively on Paramount+ ahead of the Halloween season.
Roman Polanski’s 1968 horror classic was produced by Paramount, starring Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes as a young couple who are trying to start a family but find themselves tormented by strange neighbors.
According to an official logline, “Apartment 7A” is “Set in 1965 New York City, and tells the story prior to the legendary horror classic ‘Rosemary’s Baby’, exploring what happened in the apartment before Rosemary moved in. When a struggling, young dancer suffers a devastating injury, she finds herself drawn in by dark forces when a peculiar, well-connected, older couple promises her a shot at fame.”
Commissioned for Paramount+, the film also stars Dianne Wiest (“Mayor of Kingstown”), Jim Sturgess (“Across the Universe”) and Kevin McNally (the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film series). Supporting cast...
Roman Polanski’s 1968 horror classic was produced by Paramount, starring Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes as a young couple who are trying to start a family but find themselves tormented by strange neighbors.
According to an official logline, “Apartment 7A” is “Set in 1965 New York City, and tells the story prior to the legendary horror classic ‘Rosemary’s Baby’, exploring what happened in the apartment before Rosemary moved in. When a struggling, young dancer suffers a devastating injury, she finds herself drawn in by dark forces when a peculiar, well-connected, older couple promises her a shot at fame.”
Commissioned for Paramount+, the film also stars Dianne Wiest (“Mayor of Kingstown”), Jim Sturgess (“Across the Universe”) and Kevin McNally (the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film series). Supporting cast...
- 4/26/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety - Film News
“Challengers” is getting ready to serve at the box office.
Director Luca Guadagnino’s sexy tennis drama made $1.9 million at the the box office in Thursday previews.
The Amazon MGM film, which stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, is expected to make between $12 million and $15 million in its opening weekend. It’s poised to take the number one spot this weekend and beat A24’s “Civil War,” which has conquered the box office the last two weeks.
The trio of young stars play tennis pros caught in a personal and professional entanglement. Zendaya, who’s coming off the sci-fi blockbuster “Dune: Part Two,” plays Tashi Duncan, a former prodigy who had to retire from tennis after a serious injury. Mike Faist, who played Riff in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” is Art Donaldson, another tennis pro caught in a losing streak who later marries Tashi and is coached by her.
Director Luca Guadagnino’s sexy tennis drama made $1.9 million at the the box office in Thursday previews.
The Amazon MGM film, which stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, is expected to make between $12 million and $15 million in its opening weekend. It’s poised to take the number one spot this weekend and beat A24’s “Civil War,” which has conquered the box office the last two weeks.
The trio of young stars play tennis pros caught in a personal and professional entanglement. Zendaya, who’s coming off the sci-fi blockbuster “Dune: Part Two,” plays Tashi Duncan, a former prodigy who had to retire from tennis after a serious injury. Mike Faist, who played Riff in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” is Art Donaldson, another tennis pro caught in a losing streak who later marries Tashi and is coached by her.
- 4/26/2024
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety - Film News
It’s been well over a year since news first broke that Disney was moving forward with “The Princess Diaries 3.” Anne Hathaway can’t reveal any details, but she did assure fans in a recent V magazine interview that development continues on the long-anticipated sequel, and the intention remains to get it off the ground.
“We’re in a good place,” Hathaway said. “That’s all I can say. There’s nothing to announce yet. But we’re in a good place.”
Hathaway would return as down-to-earth royal Mia Thermopolis in “The Princess Diaries 3.” It appears to be the sequel she is most interested in seeing through, as she doesn’t see a feasible way to bring another one of her popular classics, “The Devil Wears Prada,” back to life.
“Probably not,” Hathaway answered when asked about making a “Prada” sequel. “We all love each other and if somebody could...
“We’re in a good place,” Hathaway said. “That’s all I can say. There’s nothing to announce yet. But we’re in a good place.”
Hathaway would return as down-to-earth royal Mia Thermopolis in “The Princess Diaries 3.” It appears to be the sequel she is most interested in seeing through, as she doesn’t see a feasible way to bring another one of her popular classics, “The Devil Wears Prada,” back to life.
“Probably not,” Hathaway answered when asked about making a “Prada” sequel. “We all love each other and if somebody could...
- 4/25/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
Bill Kong is cautious, vastly experienced and has an impeccable reputation as a key gateway between Hollywood and China to maintain. He is someone far more likely to deadpan than gush.
So, to hear him getting into high gear with a pitch for his bucket list martial arts movie project “The Furious” immediately invites comparison with previous Kong-produced action pictures including Oscar-winner “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Jet Li’s Fearless” or the Zhang Yimou-directed “Hero.”
“I’m going to do an action movie that rocks the world. And to prove that Hong Kong still has something to give the film industry. I want to show that Asian people can still make an action movie that is better than the rest of the world,” Kong tells Variety.
Significantly, “The Furious” is a project made by Hong Kong, rather than made in Hong Kong. Kong’s Edko Films is financing and producing.
So, to hear him getting into high gear with a pitch for his bucket list martial arts movie project “The Furious” immediately invites comparison with previous Kong-produced action pictures including Oscar-winner “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Jet Li’s Fearless” or the Zhang Yimou-directed “Hero.”
“I’m going to do an action movie that rocks the world. And to prove that Hong Kong still has something to give the film industry. I want to show that Asian people can still make an action movie that is better than the rest of the world,” Kong tells Variety.
Significantly, “The Furious” is a project made by Hong Kong, rather than made in Hong Kong. Kong’s Edko Films is financing and producing.
- 4/25/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Kenneth Branagh has spent much of his career bringing to life the works of British writers William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. Now he will not get a chance to play a different famed scribe. Branagh will voice star as Charles Dickens in The King of Kings, a faith-based feature inspired by the lives of both Dickens and Jesus Christ.
Uma Thurman will voice star as Catherine Dickens, the wife of the author, while Jojo Rabbit‘s Roman Griffin Davis will voice the couple’s youngest son, Walter.
The King of Kings is inspired by “The Life of Our Lord,” a Dickens short story published in 1934, decades after his death. It follows Dickens and Walter as they — and their cat Willa — become immersed in the story of Jesus.
“It is through the Dickens family that our audience experiences the life of Jesus Christ, and Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman and Roman Griffin Davis bring all the emotion,...
Uma Thurman will voice star as Catherine Dickens, the wife of the author, while Jojo Rabbit‘s Roman Griffin Davis will voice the couple’s youngest son, Walter.
The King of Kings is inspired by “The Life of Our Lord,” a Dickens short story published in 1934, decades after his death. It follows Dickens and Walter as they — and their cat Willa — become immersed in the story of Jesus.
“It is through the Dickens family that our audience experiences the life of Jesus Christ, and Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman and Roman Griffin Davis bring all the emotion,...
- 4/25/2024
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix has come on board “The Thursday Murder Club,” Amblin’s upcoming adaptation of the bestselling novel starring Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley. Chris Columbus is writing and directing the story of a group of friends who solve murders.
The 2020 book by Richard Osman tells the story of four friends who live in a retirement community and take on cold cases for fun. When a shady property developer is found dead, the four find themselves in the middle of their first live crime. Mirren will play ex-spy Elizabeth, Kingsley will play ex-psychiatrist Ibrahim and Brosnan will play former union activist Ron.
Netflix and Amblin’s film partnership also includes the upcoming Jason Bateman-Taron Egerton film “Carry-On.”
Osman, a popular British quiz show presenter, said in a statement, “I’m so proud of this book, so it is a dream to see ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ in such incredible hands.
The 2020 book by Richard Osman tells the story of four friends who live in a retirement community and take on cold cases for fun. When a shady property developer is found dead, the four find themselves in the middle of their first live crime. Mirren will play ex-spy Elizabeth, Kingsley will play ex-psychiatrist Ibrahim and Brosnan will play former union activist Ron.
Netflix and Amblin’s film partnership also includes the upcoming Jason Bateman-Taron Egerton film “Carry-On.”
Osman, a popular British quiz show presenter, said in a statement, “I’m so proud of this book, so it is a dream to see ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ in such incredible hands.
- 4/25/2024
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety - Film News
Gabby and her cats are coming to the big screen next year.
DreamWorks Animation and Universal revealed Thursday that Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie will open nationwide on Sept. 26, 2025.
The live-action/CGI series has been a smash hit for Netflix since its debut in 2021. Created by Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey, Gabby’s Dollhouse is a mixed-media preschool adventure that centers on a 12-year-old who, after unboxing an item, uses the power of her magical cat ears to shrink down to dollhouse size and go on adventures with the help of her animated cat friends. The show operates with a narrative ethos of flexible thinking and learning from your mistakes, and does so through a mix of things like music, dance, cooking and crafting.
Laila Lockhart Kraner will reprise her role from the series in the feature film, which follows Gabby as she goes on a road trip with her...
DreamWorks Animation and Universal revealed Thursday that Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie will open nationwide on Sept. 26, 2025.
The live-action/CGI series has been a smash hit for Netflix since its debut in 2021. Created by Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey, Gabby’s Dollhouse is a mixed-media preschool adventure that centers on a 12-year-old who, after unboxing an item, uses the power of her magical cat ears to shrink down to dollhouse size and go on adventures with the help of her animated cat friends. The show operates with a narrative ethos of flexible thinking and learning from your mistakes, and does so through a mix of things like music, dance, cooking and crafting.
Laila Lockhart Kraner will reprise her role from the series in the feature film, which follows Gabby as she goes on a road trip with her...
- 4/25/2024
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lily Gladstone and Bowen Yang will star in Bleecker Street and Shivhans Pictures’ remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 romantic comedy “The Wedding Banquet” from director Andrew Ahn.
Kelly Marie Tran, Oscar-winner Yuh-jung Youn and Joan Chen are also attached to star.
The reimagination of Lee’s Oscar-nominated film is based on a screenplay by Ahn and James Schamus. Schamus also co-wrote the original film with Lee and Neil Peng.
The film, which begins filming in May in Vancouver, follows what happens when Min’s boyfriend Chris rejects his marriage proposal. Min convinces his best friend Angela to marry him instead, paying for her partner Liz’s IVF treatments in exchange for his green card. However, things begin to unravel when Min’s grandmother makes a surprise trip from Seoul to throw the couple a Korean wedding banquet.
“It warms my heart to see how my film from so many years...
Kelly Marie Tran, Oscar-winner Yuh-jung Youn and Joan Chen are also attached to star.
The reimagination of Lee’s Oscar-nominated film is based on a screenplay by Ahn and James Schamus. Schamus also co-wrote the original film with Lee and Neil Peng.
The film, which begins filming in May in Vancouver, follows what happens when Min’s boyfriend Chris rejects his marriage proposal. Min convinces his best friend Angela to marry him instead, paying for her partner Liz’s IVF treatments in exchange for his green card. However, things begin to unravel when Min’s grandmother makes a surprise trip from Seoul to throw the couple a Korean wedding banquet.
“It warms my heart to see how my film from so many years...
- 4/25/2024
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Behind the scenes, director David Leitch and producer Kelly McCormick have been instrumental in the movement for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts to recognize stunts. The director-producer husband-wife team hasn’t been shy in using their new film, “The Fall Guy,” a love letter to stunt professionals, to advance the cause. And it’s a cause that is increasingly looking like it will become a reality; a significant victory came last spring with the creation of the new Production and Technology Academy branch, which includes stunt professionals and therefore supplies the necessary pathway to a Best Stunt Design category at the Oscars.
“We’ve always been in the shadows, [but] that’s not the problem,” Leitch said when he was a guest on an upcoming episode of the Toolkit podcast to discuss “The Fall Guy.” “That was maybe the misconception for the Academy, ‘Well, these guys want awards because they...
“We’ve always been in the shadows, [but] that’s not the problem,” Leitch said when he was a guest on an upcoming episode of the Toolkit podcast to discuss “The Fall Guy.” “That was maybe the misconception for the Academy, ‘Well, these guys want awards because they...
- 4/27/2024
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
“Challengers” netted a $6.2 million opening day from 3,477 North American theaters, a figure that includes $1.9 million from preview screenings. Amazon MGM Studios’ love-triangle drama is set to match industry projections for a $15 million debut. The tennis film also gets extra revenue from tickets for premium large-format auditoriums, including some Imax screens.
The Zendaya starrer will easily launch above the competition to claim the top spot on domestic charts — not small potatoes for an original, R-rated drama in the age of studio IP addiction. But “Challengers” does carry a $55 million production budget, so it’ll have to keep rallying into the summer months to score a profit in theaters. Reviews have been stellar, while early ticket buyers lean positive with audience survey firm Cinema Score tallying a “B+” grade. Amazon MGM has good buzz on its side for the weeks ahead.
“Challengers” stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a tennis prodigy who turns...
The Zendaya starrer will easily launch above the competition to claim the top spot on domestic charts — not small potatoes for an original, R-rated drama in the age of studio IP addiction. But “Challengers” does carry a $55 million production budget, so it’ll have to keep rallying into the summer months to score a profit in theaters. Reviews have been stellar, while early ticket buyers lean positive with audience survey firm Cinema Score tallying a “B+” grade. Amazon MGM has good buzz on its side for the weeks ahead.
“Challengers” stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a tennis prodigy who turns...
- 4/27/2024
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety - Film News
Netflix giveth, and Netflix taketh away! Here we go again.
Can you believe we're already nearing the end of April? That means May is on the way — and summer is right around the corner. Here's hoping all these April showers do, indeed, turn into May flowers and bring on a pleasant spring. But while spring is often a season of new beginnings, it's time to say goodbye to several great titles that are currently streaming on Netflix but won't be around much longer. As always, there's a chance these movies and TV shows will return someday. For now, though, they're saying bye-bye. So act fast!
Below, I've highlighted some of the great titles you might want to watch Asap. The full list of titles leaving the service awaits you at the bottom. Let's get to it!
Read more: The 50 Scariest Horror Movie Monsters Ranked
Uncut Gems
I'm not an Oscars guy,...
Can you believe we're already nearing the end of April? That means May is on the way — and summer is right around the corner. Here's hoping all these April showers do, indeed, turn into May flowers and bring on a pleasant spring. But while spring is often a season of new beginnings, it's time to say goodbye to several great titles that are currently streaming on Netflix but won't be around much longer. As always, there's a chance these movies and TV shows will return someday. For now, though, they're saying bye-bye. So act fast!
Below, I've highlighted some of the great titles you might want to watch Asap. The full list of titles leaving the service awaits you at the bottom. Let's get to it!
Read more: The 50 Scariest Horror Movie Monsters Ranked
Uncut Gems
I'm not an Oscars guy,...
- 4/27/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
My favorite comic strips are the ones where the characters' physicality has no basis in reality. Think of Calvin's untenable head-to-body-size ratio in "Calvin and Hobbes" or how every living creature in "The Far Side" is built like a pillow with sticks for arms and legs. The funny pages, like animation, have no real limits when it comes to the physics of their worlds, so why should their inhabitants be any different?
Charles Addams, in particular, wholly embraced this idea and ran with it while drawing his off-kilter, satirical "Addams Family" comic panels for The New Yorker from the 1930s up until his death in the '80s. The titular clan of ghoulish aristocrats embodied everything that stereotypical white American families did not in the 20th century, which manifested itself in their appearances. The Addamses had preternaturally oblong or round faces and builds. Most notably, the stocky, pale-white Uncle Fester...
Charles Addams, in particular, wholly embraced this idea and ran with it while drawing his off-kilter, satirical "Addams Family" comic panels for The New Yorker from the 1930s up until his death in the '80s. The titular clan of ghoulish aristocrats embodied everything that stereotypical white American families did not in the 20th century, which manifested itself in their appearances. The Addamses had preternaturally oblong or round faces and builds. Most notably, the stocky, pale-white Uncle Fester...
- 4/27/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
April kicked off with Beyoncé being presented with the Innovator Award at the iHeartRadio Awards in Los Angeles. Dev Patel premiered his directorial debut, “Monkey Man” in Hollywood while Andrew Scott was across town celebrating the launch of his new Netflix series, “Ripley.”
Variety cover star Kirsten Dunst walked the carpet at the Hollywood premiere of “Civil War.” In New York City, Darren Aronofsky was one of the guests at the starry screening of PBS’ “A Brief History of the Future” at the Museum of Modern Art.
Keep checking back all month long for more photos.
More from Variety'We're Here' Drag Queens on Why 'Frightening' Safety Concerns Didn't Stop Them From Filming in Small Towns: 'It's Important to Uplift People'Lily Gladstone and Bowen Yang to Star in 'The Wedding Banquet' Remake From Director Andrew Ahn (Exclusive)'Lights, Camera, ...' : Chris Pine Forgot to Call 'Action' on...
Variety cover star Kirsten Dunst walked the carpet at the Hollywood premiere of “Civil War.” In New York City, Darren Aronofsky was one of the guests at the starry screening of PBS’ “A Brief History of the Future” at the Museum of Modern Art.
Keep checking back all month long for more photos.
More from Variety'We're Here' Drag Queens on Why 'Frightening' Safety Concerns Didn't Stop Them From Filming in Small Towns: 'It's Important to Uplift People'Lily Gladstone and Bowen Yang to Star in 'The Wedding Banquet' Remake From Director Andrew Ahn (Exclusive)'Lights, Camera, ...' : Chris Pine Forgot to Call 'Action' on...
- 4/27/2024
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety - Film News
(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)
"No amount of money ever bought a second of time." Those are the words uttered by Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark in "Avengers: Endgame" during a pivotal scene after he traveled back in time to save the world, only to run into his own father. It's true, money can't buy time. But in 2019, audiences shelled out money in record-breaking amounts to spend lots of time in movie theaters all around the world to see the conclusion to the Marvel Cinematic Universe up to that point. Money, in this case, bought something like 10,800 seconds of shared experience the likes of which hasn't been seen before or since.
By 2019, the MCU had become the single most popular franchise in the history of cinema by weaving together disparate,...
"No amount of money ever bought a second of time." Those are the words uttered by Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark in "Avengers: Endgame" during a pivotal scene after he traveled back in time to save the world, only to run into his own father. It's true, money can't buy time. But in 2019, audiences shelled out money in record-breaking amounts to spend lots of time in movie theaters all around the world to see the conclusion to the Marvel Cinematic Universe up to that point. Money, in this case, bought something like 10,800 seconds of shared experience the likes of which hasn't been seen before or since.
By 2019, the MCU had become the single most popular franchise in the history of cinema by weaving together disparate,...
- 4/27/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Recently launched media institute Agog is the latest organization to recognize Xr (extended reality technology including VR) as a tool for empathy and an accelerator for social change.
Co-founded by climate journalist Chip Giller and Wendy Schmidt, philanthropist, investor and Schmidt Family Foundation president, the new initiative will act as a hub, plugging producers into the non-profit sector, supporting Xr creators and educational projects, and acting on the same beliefs that have animated much of this year’s NewImages presentations – that new media exposure might play a seismic role in shaping the wider world.
“We’re at a crisis moment where facts might reinforce, but they don’t always persuade,” Giller tells Variety. “We need new forms of storytelling that can connect with people viscerally and emotionally, and immersive does just that. Feeling can be believing, and feeling can change hearts before ultimately shifting minds.”
“[Our goal is make the] field accessible, inclusive, equitable and diverse,...
Co-founded by climate journalist Chip Giller and Wendy Schmidt, philanthropist, investor and Schmidt Family Foundation president, the new initiative will act as a hub, plugging producers into the non-profit sector, supporting Xr creators and educational projects, and acting on the same beliefs that have animated much of this year’s NewImages presentations – that new media exposure might play a seismic role in shaping the wider world.
“We’re at a crisis moment where facts might reinforce, but they don’t always persuade,” Giller tells Variety. “We need new forms of storytelling that can connect with people viscerally and emotionally, and immersive does just that. Feeling can be believing, and feeling can change hearts before ultimately shifting minds.”
“[Our goal is make the] field accessible, inclusive, equitable and diverse,...
- 4/27/2024
- by Ben Croll
- Variety - Film News
This post contains spoilers for the book "Dune: Messiah."
The adaptation of "Dune: Messiah" has already been approved, but we've long wondered just how the hell director Denis Villeneuve is going to pull it off. Not only is there a 12-year time jump, and not only are major characters like Jessica unceremoniously dropped from the narrative, but the book also features a lot of political feuding that will probably have to be cut for the movie to feel even vaguely comprehensible.
For screenwriter Jon Spaihts, however, there are plenty of reasons to stay optimistic. The big one is that "Dune: Part 2" has already made a ton of changes to the narrative to make a better transition into "Messiah," and he thinks those changes are going to pay off big time going forward. As he explained in a recent interview with Mashable:
"I think [author] Frank Herbert came away from...
The adaptation of "Dune: Messiah" has already been approved, but we've long wondered just how the hell director Denis Villeneuve is going to pull it off. Not only is there a 12-year time jump, and not only are major characters like Jessica unceremoniously dropped from the narrative, but the book also features a lot of political feuding that will probably have to be cut for the movie to feel even vaguely comprehensible.
For screenwriter Jon Spaihts, however, there are plenty of reasons to stay optimistic. The big one is that "Dune: Part 2" has already made a ton of changes to the narrative to make a better transition into "Messiah," and he thinks those changes are going to pay off big time going forward. As he explained in a recent interview with Mashable:
"I think [author] Frank Herbert came away from...
- 4/27/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
Frank Darabont's 1994 prison drama "The Shawshank Redemption" wasn't a big hit when it was released in theaters, earning only $16 million on a $25 million budget. Good reviews didn't help, although the film garnered a lot of attention when it was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (for Morgan Freeman), but it lost in every category. That was the year of "Pulp Fiction" and "Forrest Gump," so a film like "Shawshank" was the outlier. Thanks to its nominations, however, the film was re-released in 1995, bolstering its box office. "Shawshank" also became one of the most-rented VHS cassettes of its day, eventually turning it into a well-regarded classic in its own right. By the late 1990s, it began appearing on lists of the best films of all time. To this day, "The Shawshank Redemption" sits at the very top of IMDb's top 250, right above...
- 4/27/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Eminent Indian documentarian Nishtha Jain’s latest effort is an account of the epic, year-long farmers’ protest that took place in India in 2020-21.
“Farming the Revolution,” which world premieres at Hot Docs, follows the millions of Indian farmers who gathered during the height of Covid-19 lockdown at the borders of the country’s capital, Delhi, to protest against newly enacted farm laws. The farmers believed that if implemented, these laws would negatively impact the government-protected farmers’ markets, leaving them to the vagaries of the free market.
Jain is known for jute weaving documentary “The Golden Thread,” which won the top prize at Bergamo this year and multiple award-winning woman empowerment film “Gulabi Gang” (2012).
“It was the Covid year. We had already witnessed heart-rending scenes when the sudden announcement of all-India lockdown saw millions of Indian migrant workers walk to their homes thousands of miles away from the cities. A...
“Farming the Revolution,” which world premieres at Hot Docs, follows the millions of Indian farmers who gathered during the height of Covid-19 lockdown at the borders of the country’s capital, Delhi, to protest against newly enacted farm laws. The farmers believed that if implemented, these laws would negatively impact the government-protected farmers’ markets, leaving them to the vagaries of the free market.
Jain is known for jute weaving documentary “The Golden Thread,” which won the top prize at Bergamo this year and multiple award-winning woman empowerment film “Gulabi Gang” (2012).
“It was the Covid year. We had already witnessed heart-rending scenes when the sudden announcement of all-India lockdown saw millions of Indian migrant workers walk to their homes thousands of miles away from the cities. A...
- 4/27/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Cartoons can be pretty weird, and the Cartoon Network series "Adventure Time" is definitely one of the weirder ones. It follows a human boy named Finn (Jeremy Shada) and his best friend, a dog with silly putty-like characteristics named Jake (John Dimaggio). Created by Pendleton Ward, the series takes place in the post-apocalyptic, magical land of Ooo, full of princesses and monsters and all kinds of wild adventures for Finn and Jake to get up to. It ran for 10 seasons on Cartoon Network before getting spin-offs, won multiple Emmys, and had a huge cultural impact that even served as the "structural godfather" for Donald Glover's surreal FX series "Atlanta."
Back when the series was still in its infancy, however, one of its most important contributors didn't understand "Adventure Time" at all. In an oral history of the series for the LA Times, Dimaggio revealed that he struggled to fully wrap...
Back when the series was still in its infancy, however, one of its most important contributors didn't understand "Adventure Time" at all. In an oral history of the series for the LA Times, Dimaggio revealed that he struggled to fully wrap...
- 4/27/2024
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
Note: This post contains spoilers for "The Wire."
Is "The Wire" still one of the greatest TV shows of all time? David Simon's sprawling, complex portrait of Baltimore has appeared on multiple "best of" lists over the years, popping up near the top of masterpiece-filled rankings from outlets like Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Empire, and more. The HBO series, which really couldn't have worked before that channel's dominance in early 2000s, currently ranks sixth-highest of all time on IMDb, and despite never winning an Emmy, it's earned a Peabody, DGA and WGA awards, and a spot on the American Film Institute's Television Programs of The Year list three different times.
"The Wire" is no doubt a work of storytelling genius, and much of its tremendous effect is cumulative. The series starts at the street level of Maryland's biggest city, examining the effects of drugs and gang life before refocusing...
Is "The Wire" still one of the greatest TV shows of all time? David Simon's sprawling, complex portrait of Baltimore has appeared on multiple "best of" lists over the years, popping up near the top of masterpiece-filled rankings from outlets like Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Empire, and more. The HBO series, which really couldn't have worked before that channel's dominance in early 2000s, currently ranks sixth-highest of all time on IMDb, and despite never winning an Emmy, it's earned a Peabody, DGA and WGA awards, and a spot on the American Film Institute's Television Programs of The Year list three different times.
"The Wire" is no doubt a work of storytelling genius, and much of its tremendous effect is cumulative. The series starts at the street level of Maryland's biggest city, examining the effects of drugs and gang life before refocusing...
- 4/27/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
It's no secret to any horror buff that the genre's greatest offerings aren't always defined by critical prestige. But when it comes to horror television, the uphill battle that new shows face to overcome skepticism and garner positive reviews is even steeper. This is aptly demonstrated by the TV landscape of the '90s, in which writers and directors galvanized the medium by venturing into as-yet-unexplored depths of scariness, violence, and production value. However, creators weren't always able to translate that broadening of horizons into favorable critical notes.
Sure, it was the decade of "Twin Peaks," "The X-Files," Stephen King's "It," and all the bold new offerings for which such beloved programs paved the way by evidencing audiences' appetite for serious, well-made horror TV. But it was also the decade of a vast number of critical flops, which have been either largely forgotten or marred by extremely negative reputations...
Sure, it was the decade of "Twin Peaks," "The X-Files," Stephen King's "It," and all the bold new offerings for which such beloved programs paved the way by evidencing audiences' appetite for serious, well-made horror TV. But it was also the decade of a vast number of critical flops, which have been either largely forgotten or marred by extremely negative reputations...
- 4/27/2024
- by Leo Noboru Lima
- Slash Film
With things being so slow at the box office in the early going of 2024, you would half expect to hear people reporting sightings of tumbleweeds rolling across the floors of their local movie theaters. Praise to the cinema gods, May is finally arriving with a promising crop of tentpoles to help rejuvenate the marketplace, starting with director David Leitch's much-buzzed-about '80s series turned contemporary action-comedy "The Fall Guy" (you can read our own Jacob Hall's glowing review of the picture here). But never fear! If you're searching for something to watch at home, too, Netflix will provide in bountiful amounts.
Well, sort of.
Truth be told, next month is looking kind of sparse when it comes to Netflix exclusives outside the purview of shows with firmly established fandoms (see: the latest season of "Bridgerton") or the service's usual smattering of specialty offerings, including live comedy events and ongoing anime series.
Well, sort of.
Truth be told, next month is looking kind of sparse when it comes to Netflix exclusives outside the purview of shows with firmly established fandoms (see: the latest season of "Bridgerton") or the service's usual smattering of specialty offerings, including live comedy events and ongoing anime series.
- 4/27/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
In less than a decade, the NewImages Festival’s Xr market has become a key international rendezvous, emerging as both the immersive industry’s largest single-purpose event and a foundation of NewImages’ identity. Programing and positioning went hand in hand at this year’s festival, which brought immersive works designed for cultural spaces to the wider public, while inviting curators and museum delegates to feel more welcome and at-home as industry delegates.
Many professional panels focused on inclusion, gaming out ways to integrate new media technologies onto august stages and old world artistic practices, with the Lincoln Center commissioned dance piece “Collective Body” cited as one illustrative example. Other talks picked the new participants’ brains about integrating immersive tech onto World Heritage Sites and developing methods to preserve Xr works for posterity.
Conceptually, museums offer a kind of permanence, with the promise to isolate and enshrine selected artifacts outside the normal passage of time.
Many professional panels focused on inclusion, gaming out ways to integrate new media technologies onto august stages and old world artistic practices, with the Lincoln Center commissioned dance piece “Collective Body” cited as one illustrative example. Other talks picked the new participants’ brains about integrating immersive tech onto World Heritage Sites and developing methods to preserve Xr works for posterity.
Conceptually, museums offer a kind of permanence, with the promise to isolate and enshrine selected artifacts outside the normal passage of time.
- 4/27/2024
- by Ben Croll
- Variety - Film News
Documentary Bad Faith looks at the history of a group trying to affect and corrupt politics under the guise of religion
Bad Faith, a new documentary on the rise of Christian nationalism in the United States, opens with an obvious, ominous scene – the storming of the Capitol on 6 January 2021 – though trained on details drowned out by the deluge of horror and easily recognizable images of chaos. That Paula White, Donald Trump’s faith adviser, led the Save America rally in a prayer to overturn the results for “a free and fair election”. That mixed among Trump flags, American flags and militia symbols were numerous banners with Christian crosses; on the steps of the Capitol, a “Jesus Saves” sign blares mere feet from “Lock Them Up!”
The movement to overturn the 2020 election for Donald Trump was, as the documentary underscores, inextricable from a certain strain of belief in America as a fundamentally Christian nation,...
Bad Faith, a new documentary on the rise of Christian nationalism in the United States, opens with an obvious, ominous scene – the storming of the Capitol on 6 January 2021 – though trained on details drowned out by the deluge of horror and easily recognizable images of chaos. That Paula White, Donald Trump’s faith adviser, led the Save America rally in a prayer to overturn the results for “a free and fair election”. That mixed among Trump flags, American flags and militia symbols were numerous banners with Christian crosses; on the steps of the Capitol, a “Jesus Saves” sign blares mere feet from “Lock Them Up!”
The movement to overturn the 2020 election for Donald Trump was, as the documentary underscores, inextricable from a certain strain of belief in America as a fundamentally Christian nation,...
- 4/27/2024
- by Adrian Horton
- The Guardian - Film News
John Carpenter is one of the best to ever do it. The legendary filmmaker is pretty much retired from making movies these days, instead preferring to release music, sit on his couch, play video games, and just chill. And while we'd all like to see Carpenter return to direct one more banger, he's earned the right to take it easy. Very few filmmakers can boast a career with as many classics as Carpenter — "Halloween," "The Fog," "Escape From New York," "They Live," "The Thing," "In The Mouth of Madness," — the list goes on and on and on. Carpenter has had his ups and downs over the years, occasionally clashing with anyone who didn't see eye to eye with his unique vision. As he told Variety, "The great thing about this stuff early on was I really did have final cut on all these movies and no one was judging me,...
- 4/27/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
One of the best and most devastating moments in "Star Wars" is Order 66 in "Revenge of the Sith." To close out the Clone Wars, the clone troopers that have fought beside the Jedi turn and shoot their commanders in the back, on orders from Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious.
The most memorable death is Jedi Aayla Secura on the jungle planet Felucia, shot in the back by Clone Commander Bly and his brothers-in-arms. In one draft of the script (but not the finished film), Aayla is scouting for enemy droids and asking Bly for his input before he shoots, emphasizing her being taken by surprise. The Felucia scene would also feature Bly and the clones fragging Jedi Barriss Offee, but this was deleted, so the "Clone Wars" and "Tales of the Jedi" cartoons took that character in another direction.
That wasn't the only change to the scene. You see, in "Revenge of the Sith,...
The most memorable death is Jedi Aayla Secura on the jungle planet Felucia, shot in the back by Clone Commander Bly and his brothers-in-arms. In one draft of the script (but not the finished film), Aayla is scouting for enemy droids and asking Bly for his input before he shoots, emphasizing her being taken by surprise. The Felucia scene would also feature Bly and the clones fragging Jedi Barriss Offee, but this was deleted, so the "Clone Wars" and "Tales of the Jedi" cartoons took that character in another direction.
That wasn't the only change to the scene. You see, in "Revenge of the Sith,...
- 4/27/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Screen is running this regularly updated page with the latest film festival and market dates from across the world.
To submit details of or alter your festival dates, please contact us here with the name, dates, country and website for the event. Screen is also running a calendar for UK-Ireland film release dates here.
Ongoing
Fantaspoa International Fantastic Film Festival, Brazil - April 11-28
Istanbul Film Festival, Turkiye - April 17-28
Far East Film Festival, Italy - April 24-May 2
Atlanta Film Festival + Creative Conference, US - April 25-May 5
HotDocs, Canada - April 25-May 5
San Francisco International Film Festival, US -...
To submit details of or alter your festival dates, please contact us here with the name, dates, country and website for the event. Screen is also running a calendar for UK-Ireland film release dates here.
Ongoing
Fantaspoa International Fantastic Film Festival, Brazil - April 11-28
Istanbul Film Festival, Turkiye - April 17-28
Far East Film Festival, Italy - April 24-May 2
Atlanta Film Festival + Creative Conference, US - April 25-May 5
HotDocs, Canada - April 25-May 5
San Francisco International Film Festival, US -...
- 4/27/2024
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Prosecutor-turned-immersive storyteller Victoria Bousis has seen the often-separate strands of her professional lives converge in unexpected ways as she’s toured her recent project, “Stay Alive, My Son.” Using Cineplay – a mix of cinema with gameplay mechanics – the immersive experience adapts the memoires of human rights activist Pin Yathay, allowing users to embody Yathay’s story of heartbreak and hope through the Cambodian genocide.
After premiering out of South by Southwest and playing Venice Immersive, “Stay Alive, My Son” showcased at this week’s NewImages Festival in Paris and was recently selected for Annecy’s VR competition in June. Threading a personal narrative through evocations of wider historical atrocity, the project has also made an impact beyond the Xr festival circuit, and was invited by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to screen for diplomats, Ngo bigwigs and heads of state in a bid to shape global policy.
“From...
After premiering out of South by Southwest and playing Venice Immersive, “Stay Alive, My Son” showcased at this week’s NewImages Festival in Paris and was recently selected for Annecy’s VR competition in June. Threading a personal narrative through evocations of wider historical atrocity, the project has also made an impact beyond the Xr festival circuit, and was invited by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to screen for diplomats, Ngo bigwigs and heads of state in a bid to shape global policy.
“From...
- 4/27/2024
- by Ben Croll
- Variety - Film News
Given the NewImages Festival’s remit to welcome diverse artistic voices into the immersive space, programing “Noire” was an obvious choice. An augmented reality adaptation of a lesser-known case from the Civil Rights era, “Noire” brought much pedigree to this year’s Paris Xr showcase.
The project tracks the true story of Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in the segregated South who refused to give up her seat on the bus nine months before Rosa Parks did the same. Colvin’s act helped kick off the Montgomery bus boycott, but her courage never quite got the same traction as that of Parks – in part because she didn’t make for as compelling a media figure.
Ironically, that’s exactly what compelled French author Tania de Montaigne, who sought to explore that era – and its wider questions of racism and resistance – using figures untouched by hagiography. The author’s 2015 biographical essay...
The project tracks the true story of Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in the segregated South who refused to give up her seat on the bus nine months before Rosa Parks did the same. Colvin’s act helped kick off the Montgomery bus boycott, but her courage never quite got the same traction as that of Parks – in part because she didn’t make for as compelling a media figure.
Ironically, that’s exactly what compelled French author Tania de Montaigne, who sought to explore that era – and its wider questions of racism and resistance – using figures untouched by hagiography. The author’s 2015 biographical essay...
- 4/27/2024
- by Ben Croll
- Variety - Film News
French 2D animation specialist Disnosc will bring Miles Davis, Chet Baker and Fats Waller to a headset near you.
A family venture founded by Fabrice and Nathan Otaño – a father-son duo with respective experience in corporate analytics and high-end animation, with credits on films like “The Summit of the Gods” and “Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia” – the Biarritz-based studio launched in 2020 to bring pet-project “Blue Figures” to the small screen.
Co-directed by David Calvert and developed in-house, the hand-drawn anthology series follows a Parisian record store, staffed by jazz aficionados, that opens a wider window onto the world. Episodes will focus on individuals such as Davis, Baker and Waller, as well as pianist Mary Lou Williams and French author-scenester Boris Vian.
“Jazz isn’t just about music,” says producer Fabrice Otaño, evoking Miles Davis’ infamous police assault outside of New York’s Birdland. “It’s also about political and social struggle.
A family venture founded by Fabrice and Nathan Otaño – a father-son duo with respective experience in corporate analytics and high-end animation, with credits on films like “The Summit of the Gods” and “Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia” – the Biarritz-based studio launched in 2020 to bring pet-project “Blue Figures” to the small screen.
Co-directed by David Calvert and developed in-house, the hand-drawn anthology series follows a Parisian record store, staffed by jazz aficionados, that opens a wider window onto the world. Episodes will focus on individuals such as Davis, Baker and Waller, as well as pianist Mary Lou Williams and French author-scenester Boris Vian.
“Jazz isn’t just about music,” says producer Fabrice Otaño, evoking Miles Davis’ infamous police assault outside of New York’s Birdland. “It’s also about political and social struggle.
- 4/27/2024
- by Ben Croll
- Variety - Film News
On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: After Dark but Make It for Gays of a Certain Age
When I was pressed into service for IndieWire After Dark, I hesitated all of five seconds before I screamed, “What’s the Matter With Helen?” at Ali. Partly because it’s a truly bonkers hagsploitation movie but mostly because I greedily grasp at every excuse to discuss Curtis Harrington’s examination of what the mothers of thrill killers Leopold and Loeb might have done with their lives after their sons’ convictions.
Move from the Midwest to Los Angeles to...
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: After Dark but Make It for Gays of a Certain Age
When I was pressed into service for IndieWire After Dark, I hesitated all of five seconds before I screamed, “What’s the Matter With Helen?” at Ali. Partly because it’s a truly bonkers hagsploitation movie but mostly because I greedily grasp at every excuse to discuss Curtis Harrington’s examination of what the mothers of thrill killers Leopold and Loeb might have done with their lives after their sons’ convictions.
Move from the Midwest to Los Angeles to...
- 4/27/2024
- by Mark Peikert and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Debating the horror genre’s artistic value is tacky. Measuring its success by the box office can be just as boring. But I’d bet you a head-start in a chase sequence that those metrics still steer how Hollywood talks about its longest-surviving obsession at many prestige events.
Not so at The Overlook Film Festival: a community-minded summit that fundamentally reinforced my belief in scary movies and the types of people who make, critique, promote, and protect them.
Co-founded by Landon Zakheim and Michael Lerman in 2013, the annual event started out of Colorado as The Stanley Film Festival, honoring Kubrick before expanding to encompass the horror genre more generally. After a brief stint in Oregon The Overlook Film Festival made its permanent home in New Orleans, Louisiana. That’s “the most haunted city in America” if you ask event organizers, but only the third most haunted if you’re going...
Not so at The Overlook Film Festival: a community-minded summit that fundamentally reinforced my belief in scary movies and the types of people who make, critique, promote, and protect them.
Co-founded by Landon Zakheim and Michael Lerman in 2013, the annual event started out of Colorado as The Stanley Film Festival, honoring Kubrick before expanding to encompass the horror genre more generally. After a brief stint in Oregon The Overlook Film Festival made its permanent home in New Orleans, Louisiana. That’s “the most haunted city in America” if you ask event organizers, but only the third most haunted if you’re going...
- 4/27/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
A curious thing happened when the first trailer for “Challengers” came out: People started getting really, really weird online about the suggestion that the three main characters — played by Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor — have a threesome. It prompted memes and hand-wringing alike, as if this was the first time any actor in film history had ever pretended to engage in sex onscreen — never mind that the film ultimately doesn’t have an actual sex scene at all, instead withholding from the audience in order to build up the lingering sexual tension that eats away at all sides of its love triangle. The fervor around the possibility of sex in “Challengers” affirmed something that has been obvious for years now: Cinema, especially American cinema, is starved for films that sizzle with genuine sensuality.
So thank god that Luca Guadagnino is around. A hit or miss filmmaker, Guadagnino is nonetheless...
So thank god that Luca Guadagnino is around. A hit or miss filmmaker, Guadagnino is nonetheless...
- 4/26/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
After over a month of negotiating, all 13 of IATSE’s West Coast Locals have reached tentative deals with the AMPTP, IATSE announced today. Now the real fight can begin.
On Thursday, April 25, the last of the remaining 13 locals, Affiliated Property Craftspersons Local 44, reached a tentative agreement with the studios, and Studio Teachers, IATSE Local 884, reached a deal on April 19, opening the door for IATSE’s national negotiating committee to restart negotiations on the Basic Agreement. Those talks are scheduled to kick off on April 29 and continue through May 16.
“Our locals’ craft-specific issues required the employers’ attention, and at the table we’re seeing improved engagement and dialogue,” IATSE’s International vice president Mike Miller said in a statement. “That indicates the studios’ negotiators have different marching orders this contract cycle. This approach will be helpful as we continue our negotiations over the next few weeks.”
Each of the 13 locals were...
On Thursday, April 25, the last of the remaining 13 locals, Affiliated Property Craftspersons Local 44, reached a tentative agreement with the studios, and Studio Teachers, IATSE Local 884, reached a deal on April 19, opening the door for IATSE’s national negotiating committee to restart negotiations on the Basic Agreement. Those talks are scheduled to kick off on April 29 and continue through May 16.
“Our locals’ craft-specific issues required the employers’ attention, and at the table we’re seeing improved engagement and dialogue,” IATSE’s International vice president Mike Miller said in a statement. “That indicates the studios’ negotiators have different marching orders this contract cycle. This approach will be helpful as we continue our negotiations over the next few weeks.”
Each of the 13 locals were...
- 4/26/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
IATSE negotiators are bracing for the next phase of contract negotiations with Hollywood’s major studios and streamers after the conclusion this week of talks with all 13 West Coast local union on the craft-specific aspects of a new master contract.
On Monday, IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will shift the focus of negotiations to wages, residuals, working conditions and the use of artificial intelligence in production. Those are the thornier issues to hammer out for the union that represents the vast majority of below-the-line workers in TV and film.
IATSE International president Matthew Loeb has said his goal is to have the new three-year contract ratified by members prior to the July 31 expiration of the current agreement. After last year’s months-long strikes by Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the industry is nervously watching the IATSE talks. There’s hope for avoiding another industry...
On Monday, IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will shift the focus of negotiations to wages, residuals, working conditions and the use of artificial intelligence in production. Those are the thornier issues to hammer out for the union that represents the vast majority of below-the-line workers in TV and film.
IATSE International president Matthew Loeb has said his goal is to have the new three-year contract ratified by members prior to the July 31 expiration of the current agreement. After last year’s months-long strikes by Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the industry is nervously watching the IATSE talks. There’s hope for avoiding another industry...
- 4/26/2024
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety - Film News
"Who is Matilda Wormwood if not Carrie White without religious trauma?" This is a joke I made when interviewing "Abigail" directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett for the /Film Daily podcast after complimenting them on their decision to cast Netflix's "Matilda the Musical" star Alisha Weir as their titular ballerina vampire. "Matilda" is one of author Roald Dahl's most beloved characters, offering children both the fantastical wish-fulfillment of having telekinetic superpowers, as well as the ever-important message that reading is cool. The 1988 novel has been adapted multiple times across various media, most notably the 1996 feature film directed by Danny DeVito and starring Mara Wilson, the two-part BBC Radio 4 special, the stage musical featuring music by Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly, and the Netflix film adaptation of said musical.
"Matilda" consistently ranks as one of the most important children's novels and she was even given a Royal Mail...
"Matilda" consistently ranks as one of the most important children's novels and she was even given a Royal Mail...
- 4/26/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
“I’m watching tennis as we speak — Djokovic,” Zendaya tells me during one of her first interviews about “Challengers.”
It’s July 11, 2023. The 27-year-old actor is watching Wimbledon on TV while preparing for SAG-AFTRA to go on strike, which would leave her unable to attend her film’s Aug. 30 world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Of course, one week after the actors strike was ordered, Amazon MGM Studios decided to pull out of the festival, pushing “Challengers” to an April 26 debut.
Zendaya leads the film as Tashi Duncan, an 18-year-old tennis prodigy on her way to Serena Williams-like stardom until she injures her knee and loses her shot at a pro career. Over the course of 13 years, she continues to find herself ensnared in a psychosexual relationship with the sport and two other players, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor).
“I’d never seen a character like Tashi.
It’s July 11, 2023. The 27-year-old actor is watching Wimbledon on TV while preparing for SAG-AFTRA to go on strike, which would leave her unable to attend her film’s Aug. 30 world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Of course, one week after the actors strike was ordered, Amazon MGM Studios decided to pull out of the festival, pushing “Challengers” to an April 26 debut.
Zendaya leads the film as Tashi Duncan, an 18-year-old tennis prodigy on her way to Serena Williams-like stardom until she injures her knee and loses her shot at a pro career. Over the course of 13 years, she continues to find herself ensnared in a psychosexual relationship with the sport and two other players, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor).
“I’d never seen a character like Tashi.
- 4/26/2024
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety - Film News
The original 1954 "Godzilla" film may look a bit worn 70 years after its release, but one aspect of the movie is still capable of reaching across time and space to rattle the nerves of modern moviegoers: that famous kaiju roar. Ishirō Honda's groundbreaking film brought its eponymous creature to life with a screeching, discordant sound that sends tingles down the spine, and it's a noise that the latest Toho Studios masterpiece, the critically acclaimed "Godzilla Minus One," aimed to emulate and expand upon.
In an interview with A Frame, the sound team behind the Oscar-winning film explained exactly how they put together the new Godzilla roar, a stunning noise that punctuated the film's first trailer and sounds even better in context. According to writer-director Takashi Yamazaki, he and the sound team decided to create the latest roar in part by replaying the original audio in a space that would allow for major echoes and reverberations.
In an interview with A Frame, the sound team behind the Oscar-winning film explained exactly how they put together the new Godzilla roar, a stunning noise that punctuated the film's first trailer and sounds even better in context. According to writer-director Takashi Yamazaki, he and the sound team decided to create the latest roar in part by replaying the original audio in a space that would allow for major echoes and reverberations.
- 4/26/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Rian Johnson and Edgar Wright both think “Challengers” is a grand slam.
The two directors took to social media to praise Luca Guadagnino’s buzzy feature starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist as a tumultuous trio of tennis pros who may or may not all be harboring feelings for each other (they are.)
“So I loved loved Loved ‘Challengers’ – didn’t know what to expect, and walked out of the theater totally buzzing,” Johnson tweeted. “It’s smart and sophisticated while still poppy and propulsive, basically ‘Design For Living’ as a kick-ass sports movie. Seriously It’S So Good.”
Meanwhile, Wright shared on Instagram his own praise for the Guadagnino feature.
“Mio amico Luca Guadagnino has a grand slam* of a new movie finally hitting cinemas this week and it’s truly fantastic,” Wright wrote. “Go see the sexy, funny, and thrilling ‘Challengers,’ with the formidable trio of Zendaya,...
The two directors took to social media to praise Luca Guadagnino’s buzzy feature starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist as a tumultuous trio of tennis pros who may or may not all be harboring feelings for each other (they are.)
“So I loved loved Loved ‘Challengers’ – didn’t know what to expect, and walked out of the theater totally buzzing,” Johnson tweeted. “It’s smart and sophisticated while still poppy and propulsive, basically ‘Design For Living’ as a kick-ass sports movie. Seriously It’S So Good.”
Meanwhile, Wright shared on Instagram his own praise for the Guadagnino feature.
“Mio amico Luca Guadagnino has a grand slam* of a new movie finally hitting cinemas this week and it’s truly fantastic,” Wright wrote. “Go see the sexy, funny, and thrilling ‘Challengers,’ with the formidable trio of Zendaya,...
- 4/26/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Sony Pictures has pushed Karate Kid from December to May 2025 and pushed back Kraven The Hunter to fill the holiday season slot.
Karate Kid had been scheduled to open on December 13 of this year and according to sources is being held back in order to follow the sixth and final season of Cobrai Kai, which was delayed due to the strikes.
Ben Wang in the title role as Karate Kid, alongside Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, Ming-Na Wen, Aramis Knight, Wyatt Oleff and Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, who will reprise their characters from te original franchise. Jonathan Entwistle directs from Rob Lieber’s screenplay.
Karate Kid had been scheduled to open on December 13 of this year and according to sources is being held back in order to follow the sixth and final season of Cobrai Kai, which was delayed due to the strikes.
Ben Wang in the title role as Karate Kid, alongside Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, Ming-Na Wen, Aramis Knight, Wyatt Oleff and Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, who will reprise their characters from te original franchise. Jonathan Entwistle directs from Rob Lieber’s screenplay.
- 4/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
When determining what films have any chance of winning the Oscar for Best Picture, or even being in contention for it, there recently has been a returned focus toward the delicate balance of art and commerce. As theatrical exhibition continues to rebuild and reform in wake of the global pandemic, the last two Best Picture winners, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Oppenheimer,” were celebrated not just for being inventive, but for proving that audiences were still willing to come out in droves for a film without a colon or numeral toward the end of the title.
All that to say, if “Challengers” does well during its opening weekend at the box office, which is not a given, it will be much harder to ignore during awards season. As of now, there’s simply not much else down the line on the 2024 release calendar that fits into that sweet spot...
All that to say, if “Challengers” does well during its opening weekend at the box office, which is not a given, it will be much harder to ignore during awards season. As of now, there’s simply not much else down the line on the 2024 release calendar that fits into that sweet spot...
- 4/26/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Miriam Haley, the key witness at Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial in New York, said Friday that she is weighing whether to testify again, after an appeals court on Thursday overturned his guilty verdict.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has indicated that it will seek to retry the former producer, but a trial likely would not go forward without Haley’s participation.
At a press conference with her attorney, Gloria Allred, Haley said she does not want to go through the ordeal of another trial, but recognized there are broader issues at stake.
“This isn’t just about me,” she said. “It’s a really important case. It’s in the public eye. It is difficult for me personally, but it is important for the collective.”
The Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s verdict on a 4-3 vote, finding that the trial judge, James Burke, erred by allowing testimony from...
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has indicated that it will seek to retry the former producer, but a trial likely would not go forward without Haley’s participation.
At a press conference with her attorney, Gloria Allred, Haley said she does not want to go through the ordeal of another trial, but recognized there are broader issues at stake.
“This isn’t just about me,” she said. “It’s a really important case. It’s in the public eye. It is difficult for me personally, but it is important for the collective.”
The Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s verdict on a 4-3 vote, finding that the trial judge, James Burke, erred by allowing testimony from...
- 4/26/2024
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety - Film News
Harvey Weinstein, whose New York rape conviction was overturned this week, will return to court in New York on May 1.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced the court date on Friday but did not specify what the hearing will be about.
However Associated Press ran a statement from the office on Friday that read, “We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault.”
Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction was overturned by a 4-3 majority of the New York Court of Appeals, which held that the original trial...
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced the court date on Friday but did not specify what the hearing will be about.
However Associated Press ran a statement from the office on Friday that read, “We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault.”
Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction was overturned by a 4-3 majority of the New York Court of Appeals, which held that the original trial...
- 4/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
Audiences loved "All in the Family," Norman Lear's hit sitcom about lovable bigot Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), his long-suffering wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), their daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers), and Gloria's husband, Michael "Meathead" Stivic (Rob Reiner), all living under the same roof in disharmonyy. I know that when I was a kid, I loved watching "All in the Family" re-runs on Nick at Nite, and the show has a large legacy that endures to this day, thanks to its lengthy run: it lasted for 9 seasons, and then continued on as the spin-off sitcom "Archie Bunker's Place."
But "Archie Bunker's Place" was a different beast altogether, and it happened as the result of one of the cast members deciding to leave the main series. While this could've spelled the end for Archie Bunker, that's not how things shook out. Instead, the story continued, albeit in a different incarnation. But that...
But "Archie Bunker's Place" was a different beast altogether, and it happened as the result of one of the cast members deciding to leave the main series. While this could've spelled the end for Archie Bunker, that's not how things shook out. Instead, the story continued, albeit in a different incarnation. But that...
- 4/26/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Anne Hathaway isn’t against the idea of a streaming-only release, but she still can recognize box office potential when she sees it.
The Oscar winner stars in and produces “The Idea of You,” which will have a streaming only release on Prime Video on May 2. Hathaway told Variety that while she is still excited that the romantic drama will reach a wide audience on the platform, she knows that the film would fulfill a missing target in theaters.
“I’ve never had a movie this size be released [exclusively] on streaming, so I’m not really in a place to answer that question,” Hathaway said when asked about her take on whether or not streaming only was beneficial to this feature. “Part of me is excited that such a wide audience is going to have instant access to it. And a part of me [is aware that] there aren’t a lot of...
The Oscar winner stars in and produces “The Idea of You,” which will have a streaming only release on Prime Video on May 2. Hathaway told Variety that while she is still excited that the romantic drama will reach a wide audience on the platform, she knows that the film would fulfill a missing target in theaters.
“I’ve never had a movie this size be released [exclusively] on streaming, so I’m not really in a place to answer that question,” Hathaway said when asked about her take on whether or not streaming only was beneficial to this feature. “Part of me is excited that such a wide audience is going to have instant access to it. And a part of me [is aware that] there aren’t a lot of...
- 4/26/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
“Deadpool and Wolverine” is set to be one of the biggest films of the summer, and fan theories are already flying around the internet regarding what Marvel could have in store for what looks like a bonkers trip across a multiverse populated by characters previously owned by 20th Century Fox and now owned by Disney. Whatever goes down in the sequel, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, prior knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will not be a mandatory requirement in order to enjoy it. That’s according to the film’s director, Shawn Levy.
“I was a good student in school. I’ll do my homework as an adult. But I am definitely not looking to do homework when I go to the movies,” Levy recently told the Associated Press. “I very much made this film with certainly a healthy respect and gratitude towards the rabid fan base that...
“I was a good student in school. I’ll do my homework as an adult. But I am definitely not looking to do homework when I go to the movies,” Levy recently told the Associated Press. “I very much made this film with certainly a healthy respect and gratitude towards the rabid fan base that...
- 4/26/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
A first clip has been unveiled from Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau’s Nat Geo documentary “Fly,” which will screen at Hot Docs on Sunday.
The doc follows three couples entwined in the world of base jumping, one of the world’s deadliest sports. Schwarz and Clusiau began working on “Fly” for seven years following the death of well-known climber Dean Potter, who lost his life while base jumping at Yosemite National Park.
“We were intrigued by these people who wanted to jump off cliffs with parachutes and wondered about their motivations,” says Schwarz. “We had this idea that maybe (base jumpers) are part of this crazy, reckless death cult or are empty adrenaline seekers, but we quickly found out how amazing they were and how full of life they were. That’s when we started filming.”
The directors chose to follow three couples: Jimmy and Marta, affectionately known as...
The doc follows three couples entwined in the world of base jumping, one of the world’s deadliest sports. Schwarz and Clusiau began working on “Fly” for seven years following the death of well-known climber Dean Potter, who lost his life while base jumping at Yosemite National Park.
“We were intrigued by these people who wanted to jump off cliffs with parachutes and wondered about their motivations,” says Schwarz. “We had this idea that maybe (base jumpers) are part of this crazy, reckless death cult or are empty adrenaline seekers, but we quickly found out how amazing they were and how full of life they were. That’s when we started filming.”
The directors chose to follow three couples: Jimmy and Marta, affectionately known as...
- 4/26/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety - Film News
Raymond Chan, a longtime art director in the production design department for Marvel Studios features, died Tuesday near his home in Wales. He was 56. His death was confirmed in a statement by the studio.
Chan was a regular contributor to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with credits including “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame” and the upcoming “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Sources told TMZ that “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds is “downright gutted about the sudden loss — and that it hits close to home for him.” The “Deadpool & Wolverine” crew is “devastated by the loss of their beloved compatriot.”
Chan’s first Marvel credit was on the 2013 sequel “Thor: The Dark World,” where he served as supervising art director. Outside of Marvel Studios, his other credits include “National Treasure,” “Nanny McPhee,” “Children of Men,” “Blood Diamond,” “Robin Hood,” “Knight and Day” and “Dungeons and Dragons.”
Born Dec. 1, 1967 in Oldham, Greater Manchester, Chan was raised by his parents,...
Chan was a regular contributor to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with credits including “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame” and the upcoming “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Sources told TMZ that “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds is “downright gutted about the sudden loss — and that it hits close to home for him.” The “Deadpool & Wolverine” crew is “devastated by the loss of their beloved compatriot.”
Chan’s first Marvel credit was on the 2013 sequel “Thor: The Dark World,” where he served as supervising art director. Outside of Marvel Studios, his other credits include “National Treasure,” “Nanny McPhee,” “Children of Men,” “Blood Diamond,” “Robin Hood,” “Knight and Day” and “Dungeons and Dragons.”
Born Dec. 1, 1967 in Oldham, Greater Manchester, Chan was raised by his parents,...
- 4/26/2024
- by Lexi Carson
- Variety - Film News
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