Movie News
Paramount has delayed “Aang: The Last Airbender” to 2026 and moved “Transformers One” back by one week.
The animated “Avatar: The Last Airbender” spinoff was previously set for Oct. 10, 2025, and will now open on Jan. 20, 2026. Dave Bautista and Eric Nam are headlining the voice cast for the film, which is in development at Paramount and Nickelodeon Studios. Plot details haven’t been revealed, but Bautista will voice a villain character.
Lauren Montgomery, who worked on the original “Avatar: The Last Airbender” television show, is directing the project with William Mata. Series creators Michael Dimartino and Bryan Konietzko are serving as executive producers alongside Eric Coleman.
Elsewhere on Paramount’s release calendar, “Transformers One” will debut on Sept. 20, 2024, instead of Sept. 13. On its new date, the animated “Transformers” adventure will play in Imax and open in theaters on the same day as Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot.”
Chris Hemsworth...
The animated “Avatar: The Last Airbender” spinoff was previously set for Oct. 10, 2025, and will now open on Jan. 20, 2026. Dave Bautista and Eric Nam are headlining the voice cast for the film, which is in development at Paramount and Nickelodeon Studios. Plot details haven’t been revealed, but Bautista will voice a villain character.
Lauren Montgomery, who worked on the original “Avatar: The Last Airbender” television show, is directing the project with William Mata. Series creators Michael Dimartino and Bryan Konietzko are serving as executive producers alongside Eric Coleman.
Elsewhere on Paramount’s release calendar, “Transformers One” will debut on Sept. 20, 2024, instead of Sept. 13. On its new date, the animated “Transformers” adventure will play in Imax and open in theaters on the same day as Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot.”
Chris Hemsworth...
- 4/18/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Well, this is an interesting about-face, and so much for the rumors about the recent start dates. Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has decided to scrap “The Movie Critic” as his final film. He’s changed his mind; he won’t make it, and what he will substitute for his supposed tenth and final film is unclear.
According to Deadline, the rumors are true that Brad Pitt was going to star, and apparently, many of the previous members of Tarantino’s repertory company were eyeing roles, but it’s all moot now, and the film has been scrapped.
Continue reading Quentin Tarantino Scraps ’The Movie Critic’; Brad Pitt Would Have Reprised Cliff Booth Role From ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ at The Playlist.
According to Deadline, the rumors are true that Brad Pitt was going to star, and apparently, many of the previous members of Tarantino’s repertory company were eyeing roles, but it’s all moot now, and the film has been scrapped.
Continue reading Quentin Tarantino Scraps ’The Movie Critic’; Brad Pitt Would Have Reprised Cliff Booth Role From ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ at The Playlist.
- 4/17/2024
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Coming off the massive critical success of “Killers of The Flower Moon,” Martin Scorsese is reexamining his next potential options. While it briefly seemed like Scorsese’s next movie would be an adaptation of the high seas pic “The Wager” with current muse Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Wolf of Wall Street”) attached to star, a long-developing project from years ago seems to have circled back to his main interest.
Continue reading Martin Scorsese’s Long-Gestating ‘Sinatra’ Film With Leonardo DiCaprio Adds Jennifer Lawrence at The Playlist.
Continue reading Martin Scorsese’s Long-Gestating ‘Sinatra’ Film With Leonardo DiCaprio Adds Jennifer Lawrence at The Playlist.
- 4/17/2024
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
Steven Spielberg is one of the most influential and celebrated directors of all time. He helped define the blockbuster, established the look and feel of '80s genre fare, and gave us the best (and possibly only well-shot) big-budget studio musical of the last decade. But despite getting his start in science fiction, Spielberg has mostly distanced himself from the genre in the past decade or so.
Still, Spielberg has remained an ardent fan of the genre, praising recent gems such as "Godzilla Minus One" and proclaiming his fandom for Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two." Perhaps this has rekindled a passion for sci-fi in 77-year-old Spielberg, seeing as he's now getting ready to return to one of his favorite subjects — aliens.
According to Variety, Spielberg is likely going to "make his next project a UFO film based on his own original idea." David Koepp is writing the screenplay, according to the outlet's sources.
Still, Spielberg has remained an ardent fan of the genre, praising recent gems such as "Godzilla Minus One" and proclaiming his fandom for Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two." Perhaps this has rekindled a passion for sci-fi in 77-year-old Spielberg, seeing as he's now getting ready to return to one of his favorite subjects — aliens.
According to Variety, Spielberg is likely going to "make his next project a UFO film based on his own original idea." David Koepp is writing the screenplay, according to the outlet's sources.
- 4/17/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
The Sundance Film Festival may kick the snow off its boots once and for all.
The annual celebration of independent film announced on Wednesday that it is open for pitches from cities across the United States on becoming the new permanent home of the festival starting in 2027.
Sundance has taken place in the luxury mountain haven of Park City, Utah since 1981 (except for two virtual years during the pandemic). It started off as the Utah/U.S. Film Festival in Salt Lake City in 1978. It will remain the host and headquarters of Sundance for two more years, at which point Park City’s contract with the Sundance Institute is up for renewal. Utah will remain in the mix as a continued home for Sundance.
“We are in a unique moment for our festival and our global film community, and with the contract up for renewal, this exploration allows us to...
The annual celebration of independent film announced on Wednesday that it is open for pitches from cities across the United States on becoming the new permanent home of the festival starting in 2027.
Sundance has taken place in the luxury mountain haven of Park City, Utah since 1981 (except for two virtual years during the pandemic). It started off as the Utah/U.S. Film Festival in Salt Lake City in 1978. It will remain the host and headquarters of Sundance for two more years, at which point Park City’s contract with the Sundance Institute is up for renewal. Utah will remain in the mix as a continued home for Sundance.
“We are in a unique moment for our festival and our global film community, and with the contract up for renewal, this exploration allows us to...
- 4/17/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety - Film News
Tribeca Festival has revealed its feature film lineup for its 2024 festival, which includes films from actors Lily Gladstone and Michael Cera and documentaries featuring Prince, Carlos Santana and Dolly Parton.
The opening night film is documentary “Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge,” directed by Tribeca alumna Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton.
This year’s festival, which runs from June 5-16 in New York City, has a program of 103 feature films from 114 filmmakers spanning 48 countries. The lineup features 86 world premieres, two international premieres, six North American premieres and eight New York premieres.
The final selections were chosen from a record-breaking pool of 13,016 submissions. Half of the films in competition are directed by women and 35% (36) of all feature films are directed by Bipoc filmmakers. There are 30 films directed by first-time filmmakers and 25 directors are making their return to the annual New York film festival.
“In a year of record high submissions, despite industry-wide challenges,...
The opening night film is documentary “Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge,” directed by Tribeca alumna Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton.
This year’s festival, which runs from June 5-16 in New York City, has a program of 103 feature films from 114 filmmakers spanning 48 countries. The lineup features 86 world premieres, two international premieres, six North American premieres and eight New York premieres.
The final selections were chosen from a record-breaking pool of 13,016 submissions. Half of the films in competition are directed by women and 35% (36) of all feature films are directed by Bipoc filmmakers. There are 30 films directed by first-time filmmakers and 25 directors are making their return to the annual New York film festival.
“In a year of record high submissions, despite industry-wide challenges,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety - Film News
The documentary “Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution” is set to premiere globally on June 18 on Netflix. The feature-length documentary, the first of its kind to address this topic, examines the history of queer stand-up comedy as — according to its logline — “an instrument for social change over the past five decades, actively reflecting and challenging cultural norms and values.”
The film combines stand-up performances and talking head interviews, as well as archival materials featuring LGBTQ+ comedians, and includes Lily Tomlin, Sandra Bernhard, Wanda Sykes, Suzy Izzard, Hannah Gadsby, Tig Notaro, Rosie O’Donnell, Margaret Cho, Bob The Drag Queen and Trixie Mattel.
Historians interviewed for the documentary include Dave Holmes, Roger Mason, Shar Jossell, Susan Stryker and Kate Aurthur, Variety‘s Editor-at-Large.
“Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution” is written and directed by Page Hurwitz. “I’m excited for the film to premiere, particularly at this time, because comedy has the power to unite, and...
The film combines stand-up performances and talking head interviews, as well as archival materials featuring LGBTQ+ comedians, and includes Lily Tomlin, Sandra Bernhard, Wanda Sykes, Suzy Izzard, Hannah Gadsby, Tig Notaro, Rosie O’Donnell, Margaret Cho, Bob The Drag Queen and Trixie Mattel.
Historians interviewed for the documentary include Dave Holmes, Roger Mason, Shar Jossell, Susan Stryker and Kate Aurthur, Variety‘s Editor-at-Large.
“Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution” is written and directed by Page Hurwitz. “I’m excited for the film to premiere, particularly at this time, because comedy has the power to unite, and...
- 4/17/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - Film News
The Cannes Film Festival will award legendary Japanese anime house Studio Ghibli with its honorary Palme d’Or this year, the first time Cannes has given its highest award to a company instead of an individual.
“For the first time in our history, it’s not a person but an institution that we have chosen to celebrate,” said Cannes Festival president Iris Knobloch and general delegate Thierry Frémaux, announcing the honor on Wednesday. They praised Ghibli’s animated features as filled with characters who “populate our imaginations with prolific, colorful universes and sensitive, engaging narrations. With Ghibli, Japanese animation stands as one of the great adventures of cinephilia, between tradition and modernity.”
Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Studio Ghibli has in the past 40 years, “achieved what seemed to be an impossible feat: Independently producing pure masterpieces and conquering the mass market,” the festival said.
“For the first time in our history, it’s not a person but an institution that we have chosen to celebrate,” said Cannes Festival president Iris Knobloch and general delegate Thierry Frémaux, announcing the honor on Wednesday. They praised Ghibli’s animated features as filled with characters who “populate our imaginations with prolific, colorful universes and sensitive, engaging narrations. With Ghibli, Japanese animation stands as one of the great adventures of cinephilia, between tradition and modernity.”
Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Studio Ghibli has in the past 40 years, “achieved what seemed to be an impossible feat: Independently producing pure masterpieces and conquering the mass market,” the festival said.
- 4/17/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Talk about nepotism. “Abigail,” a blood-sucking thriller about the daughter of Dracula, arguably the most famous vampire in history, is poised to lead at the domestic box office.
The R-rated movie, from Universal Pictures, is aiming for $12 million to $15 million from 3,300 North American theaters in its first weekend of release. But “Abigail” first has to fend off last weekend’s champion, A24’s “Civil War,” before taking the box office crown. The provocative thriller debuted last weekend with $25.8 million and looks to bring in $10 million to $12 million in its sophomore outing.
Based on projections, “Abigail” will, however, dance circles around two fellow newcomers, director Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” and Crunchyroll’s anime adventure “Spy x Family Code: White.” Those films are targeting $5 million to $6 million, though rivals have pegged ticket sales ever-so-slightly higher at $8 million.
“Abigail” is based on Universal’s classic 1936 monster film “Dracula’s Daughter...
The R-rated movie, from Universal Pictures, is aiming for $12 million to $15 million from 3,300 North American theaters in its first weekend of release. But “Abigail” first has to fend off last weekend’s champion, A24’s “Civil War,” before taking the box office crown. The provocative thriller debuted last weekend with $25.8 million and looks to bring in $10 million to $12 million in its sophomore outing.
Based on projections, “Abigail” will, however, dance circles around two fellow newcomers, director Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” and Crunchyroll’s anime adventure “Spy x Family Code: White.” Those films are targeting $5 million to $6 million, though rivals have pegged ticket sales ever-so-slightly higher at $8 million.
“Abigail” is based on Universal’s classic 1936 monster film “Dracula’s Daughter...
- 4/17/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
David Fincher is a philosopher as well as a perfectionist. When asked about the significance of his 8K remastering of “Seven” (premiering April 19 at the Chinese IMAX in 4K as part of the TCM Classic Film Festival), he told IndieWire, “If you think of it in string theory, it’s like a volumetric capture of where all these careers were at, and what these people wanted and needed and infused the thing with.”
Fincher was referring, of course, to Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, and the rest of the cast and crew who made his breakout 1995 serial killer neo-noir. The film was a brilliant analog product of the era (with only seven weeks of prep) but also ahead of its time in conveying a dark, creepy, nihilistic police procedural that got under our skin like no other film.
“It is what it is, warts and all,” Fincher said.
Fincher was referring, of course, to Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, and the rest of the cast and crew who made his breakout 1995 serial killer neo-noir. The film was a brilliant analog product of the era (with only seven weeks of prep) but also ahead of its time in conveying a dark, creepy, nihilistic police procedural that got under our skin like no other film.
“It is what it is, warts and all,” Fincher said.
- 4/19/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
It's not a controversial statement to say that Zack Snyder can be a polarizing filmmaker. His fans will defend him until they're blue in the face, while his detractors will liken him to cinematic cancer. Me? I'm more of a Snyder agnostic. I like some of his movies, I dislike others. But there's one positive thing I can say for sure: the man knows how to craft an image. Like many filmmakers of his generation, Snyder got his start in music videos, and that taught him how to create memorable, evocative imagery that looks, for lack of a better word, cool.
"Cool" seems to be Snyder's approach to his visuals in general — and you know what? He frequently succeeds. Even if you don't like the Snyder film you're watching, there's a good chance it'll still be loaded with cool images. Because of Snyder's penchant for visual fireworks, his movies often lend themselves to great trailers.
"Cool" seems to be Snyder's approach to his visuals in general — and you know what? He frequently succeeds. Even if you don't like the Snyder film you're watching, there's a good chance it'll still be loaded with cool images. Because of Snyder's penchant for visual fireworks, his movies often lend themselves to great trailers.
- 4/19/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
This ought to go over just fine on Twitter/X. Warner Bros. Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav’s executive compensation for 2023 was $49.7 million, according to a new filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Here’s how the near-$50-million haul breaks down: Zaslav’s salary actually dipped a hair from 2022 to $3 million, his stock awards practically doubled to $23.1 million, and his non-equity incentive plan compensation stayed pretty steady at $22 million. Along with $1.6 million in the “other” category — pocket change, really — Zaslav’s 2023 compensation package was about 27 percent larger than his 2022 pay of $39.3 million.
Zaslav’s Discovery, Inc. merged with AT&T’s WarnerMedia on April 8, 2022. With a crazy options package revealed ahead of the closure, Zaslav’s estimated executive compensation for 2021 was $246.6 million — nearly $203 million of that from options. But here’s the rub: Options awards are not guaranteed, rather they are tied to the company’s stock price. If...
Here’s how the near-$50-million haul breaks down: Zaslav’s salary actually dipped a hair from 2022 to $3 million, his stock awards practically doubled to $23.1 million, and his non-equity incentive plan compensation stayed pretty steady at $22 million. Along with $1.6 million in the “other” category — pocket change, really — Zaslav’s 2023 compensation package was about 27 percent larger than his 2022 pay of $39.3 million.
Zaslav’s Discovery, Inc. merged with AT&T’s WarnerMedia on April 8, 2022. With a crazy options package revealed ahead of the closure, Zaslav’s estimated executive compensation for 2021 was $246.6 million — nearly $203 million of that from options. But here’s the rub: Options awards are not guaranteed, rather they are tied to the company’s stock price. If...
- 4/19/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
What do "Saving Private Ryan," "Dunkirk," and "Oppenheimer" -- among countless other World War II movies -- all have in common? Beyond the obviousness of their shared genre space, it's actually even simpler than that. None of these films would've been possible without one common denominator: the true, real-life heroics that ultimately inspired this year's "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." Based on author Damien Lewis' "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: How Churchill's Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops," the covert op undertaken by a select group of fearless individuals from all different walks of life only became known to the general public relatively recently. Files kept by the British War Department were finally declassified barely a decade ago and, as it turns out, that was for good reason. This might have been one of the most crucial undertakings of the entire conflict ... even if...
- 4/19/2024
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Warner Bros. Discovery has been in cost-cutting mode — except when it comes to paying top execs.
David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, had a 2023 pay package worth $49.7 million, up 26.5% from the year prior, according to the company’s 2024 proxy statement filed Friday. Zaslav’s compensation totaled $39.3 million in 2022, after he received an astonishing $246.6 million (which included $203 million in stock-option grants) in 2021.
For 2023, Zaslav had a base salary of $3 million, stock awards valued at $23.1 million, a cash bonus of $22 million and $1.6 million in other compensation.
Other Wbd senior execs also saw double-digit pay hikes in 2023. CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels earned $17.1 million (up 26%); chief revenue and strategy officer Bruce Campbell, $18.3 million (up 33%); Jb Perrette, president/CEO of global streaming and games, $20.1 million (up 43%); and president of international Gerhard Zeiler, $13.3 million (up 30%).
Cash bonuses and stock awards for Zaslav and Wbd’s other named executive officers are tied to free cash flow targets.
David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, had a 2023 pay package worth $49.7 million, up 26.5% from the year prior, according to the company’s 2024 proxy statement filed Friday. Zaslav’s compensation totaled $39.3 million in 2022, after he received an astonishing $246.6 million (which included $203 million in stock-option grants) in 2021.
For 2023, Zaslav had a base salary of $3 million, stock awards valued at $23.1 million, a cash bonus of $22 million and $1.6 million in other compensation.
Other Wbd senior execs also saw double-digit pay hikes in 2023. CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels earned $17.1 million (up 26%); chief revenue and strategy officer Bruce Campbell, $18.3 million (up 33%); Jb Perrette, president/CEO of global streaming and games, $20.1 million (up 43%); and president of international Gerhard Zeiler, $13.3 million (up 30%).
Cash bonuses and stock awards for Zaslav and Wbd’s other named executive officers are tied to free cash flow targets.
- 4/19/2024
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety - Film News
There’s something about a doppelganger that feels uniquely cinematic. A person who looks like you, thinks like you, and maybe even lives like you has always been a subject of fascination and dread in literature and philosophy, a concept that raises questions about individuality and the collective. But on the screen, seeing the effect of one person mimicked and duplicated proves all the more uncanny and unnerving. Science fiction, horror, and a multitude of other genres have used duality as a means to terrify, unsettle, and provoke.
And then, of course, there’s the acting challenge. For an experienced actor or an up-and-comer alike, playing dual roles is the ultimate flex, a way to show your range in a single project. Whether playing twins or identical strangers, an actor who takes on a dual role has to manage the trick of being both an individual and a duo, of...
And then, of course, there’s the acting challenge. For an experienced actor or an up-and-comer alike, playing dual roles is the ultimate flex, a way to show your range in a single project. Whether playing twins or identical strangers, an actor who takes on a dual role has to manage the trick of being both an individual and a duo, of...
- 4/19/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
The pun-packed, Arnie-starring original that strayed wildly from Stephen King’s book is one trashy 80s sci-fi romp that could actually benefit from a remake
Why bother remaking much-loved 80s and 90s science fiction movies? Frankly it never ends well. Len Wiseman’s 2012 reworking of Total Recall, with a baffled-looking Colin Farrell taking over from Arnold Schwarzenegger as the amnesiac dreamer of futuristic secret agent dreams, struggled to capture the bombast of the superbly trashy Paul Verhoeven original, and never even made it to mutant-heavy Mars. The maverick Dutch director’s 1987 version of RoboCop is a gloriously effective corporate satire masquerading as an all-guns-blazing actioner, but its 2014 remake from José Padilha (despite a stellar cast) seemed to smooth off all those rough, wonderfully stop-motion fuelled sci-fi edges and somehow lose something in the process.
How, then, should we greet the news that another of Arnie’s nutty sci-fi romps, 1987’s The Running Man,...
Why bother remaking much-loved 80s and 90s science fiction movies? Frankly it never ends well. Len Wiseman’s 2012 reworking of Total Recall, with a baffled-looking Colin Farrell taking over from Arnold Schwarzenegger as the amnesiac dreamer of futuristic secret agent dreams, struggled to capture the bombast of the superbly trashy Paul Verhoeven original, and never even made it to mutant-heavy Mars. The maverick Dutch director’s 1987 version of RoboCop is a gloriously effective corporate satire masquerading as an all-guns-blazing actioner, but its 2014 remake from José Padilha (despite a stellar cast) seemed to smooth off all those rough, wonderfully stop-motion fuelled sci-fi edges and somehow lose something in the process.
How, then, should we greet the news that another of Arnie’s nutty sci-fi romps, 1987’s The Running Man,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Filmmaker Zack Snyder’s profoundly unfortunate “Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire,” a turgid, ostentatiously vacant space opera, was, to put it politely, a dire film and hollow regurgitation of familiar sci-fi tropes. But it at least had a story with three bare acts, however tedious. “Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver,” the sequel, however— continuing the already unexceptional story of the ragtag group of warrior misfits defending a peaceful farming community on an off-world moon—is somehow even worse and barely justifies its existence on a fundamental level.
Continue reading ‘Rebel Moon: Scargiver’ Review: Zack Snyder’s Excruciatingly Slight Sequel Barely Justifies A ‘Part 2’ at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Rebel Moon: Scargiver’ Review: Zack Snyder’s Excruciatingly Slight Sequel Barely Justifies A ‘Part 2’ at The Playlist.
- 4/19/2024
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Remember Jesse Eisenberg's performance as Lex Luthor in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"? Sure you do. It's a big, over-the-top take on a classic villain, with Eisenberg deciding to go kind of crazy playing the evil billionaire. I don't think you can call it a good performance, but I guess it's pretty darn memorable. I mean, how can you forget such a bananas take on a memorable character? I think when Eisenberg was cast we all assumed he'd play the character like he played another evil billionaire: Mark Zuckerberg. But that's not what happened. Instead, Eisenberg played Lex like a giant toddler who occasionally blows people up. It was wild.
As it turns out, things could've been mighty different. While appearing on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast (via ScreenRant), "Batman v Superman" director Zack Snyder revealed that an even bigger star was in consideration for the part. And...
As it turns out, things could've been mighty different. While appearing on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast (via ScreenRant), "Batman v Superman" director Zack Snyder revealed that an even bigger star was in consideration for the part. And...
- 4/19/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
If you've seen the trailers for Guy Ritchie's new movie "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare," there's one zany aspect that likely stood out to you. The historically-based action flick seems to be having fun with its Nazi-killing sequences, so much so that Henry Cavill's hero can be seen sticking his tongue out like a rock star on stage every time he kills a German soldier. It's a weird, memorable detail that was improvised on the spot by Ritchie and Cavill, according to the latter's new interview with Variety.
"It was a co-improvisation between Guy and myself," the actor explained when speaking to Variety at the film's premiere this week. Apparently, it came about when the writer-director, presumably having shot a few takes the expected way, started encouraging Cavill to get a bit wild. "Guy said, 'I want you to have more fun with it. Stick your tongue out or something,...
"It was a co-improvisation between Guy and myself," the actor explained when speaking to Variety at the film's premiere this week. Apparently, it came about when the writer-director, presumably having shot a few takes the expected way, started encouraging Cavill to get a bit wild. "Guy said, 'I want you to have more fun with it. Stick your tongue out or something,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
The Bafta film awards 2025 ceremony is confirmed to take place on Sunday February 16.
The ceremony will take place during the first weekend of the Berlin film festival, which runs February 13-23. The Berlinale has clashed with the Baftas for every physical edition since 2004, apart from in 2020 and 2022.
The ceremony will be two weeks ahead of the US Academy Awards, set for March 2, unlike last year when there was a three-week gap.
Other key dates, including voting windows, nominations and longlist announcements, will be revealed by Bafta at a later date.
Last year’s ceremony was watched by 3.8m people on...
The ceremony will take place during the first weekend of the Berlin film festival, which runs February 13-23. The Berlinale has clashed with the Baftas for every physical edition since 2004, apart from in 2020 and 2022.
The ceremony will be two weeks ahead of the US Academy Awards, set for March 2, unlike last year when there was a three-week gap.
Other key dates, including voting windows, nominations and longlist announcements, will be revealed by Bafta at a later date.
Last year’s ceremony was watched by 3.8m people on...
- 4/19/2024
- ScreenDaily
BAFTA Circles Calendar
The British Academy has confirmed the date of the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards, which will now be held on Sunday February. 16.
As per recent scheduling arrangements, the awards — arguably the biggest film awards outside the U.S. — takes place two weeks before the Oscars on March 2, 2025. Regular film festival attendees may note that the BAFTA awards will, once again, be held during the Berlinale, set to run February 13-23, with their likely to be a spike in industry professional flying back to London on the morning of the 16th.
The full timeline and eligibility details for the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards will be announced in due course. Voting will take place over three rounds: longlisting, nominations and winners, by the academy’s global voting film membership which comprises more than 7,800 industry creatives.
The 2024 BAFTA Film Awards, which saw “Oppenheimer” dominate with wins for best film, director and actor, were...
The British Academy has confirmed the date of the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards, which will now be held on Sunday February. 16.
As per recent scheduling arrangements, the awards — arguably the biggest film awards outside the U.S. — takes place two weeks before the Oscars on March 2, 2025. Regular film festival attendees may note that the BAFTA awards will, once again, be held during the Berlinale, set to run February 13-23, with their likely to be a spike in industry professional flying back to London on the morning of the 16th.
The full timeline and eligibility details for the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards will be announced in due course. Voting will take place over three rounds: longlisting, nominations and winners, by the academy’s global voting film membership which comprises more than 7,800 industry creatives.
The 2024 BAFTA Film Awards, which saw “Oppenheimer” dominate with wins for best film, director and actor, were...
- 4/19/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety - Film News
Film Factory has picked up rights to Luis Gabriel Beristáin’s revenge action thriller “The Gentleman,” a Spain-Mexico co-production starring an international cast led by Golden Globe-winner Ron Pearlman.
Produced by Spanish company Esto También Pasará and Mexican outfit Sdb Films (“The Deal”), shooting on “The Gentleman” is already underway in San Sebastián, Spain, and will run for six weeks. The film is scheduled to be released by Universal in Spain in 2025.
Uruguay’s Juma Fodde penned the film’s screenplay, which is adapted from Carlos Augusto Casas’ Spanish novel “Ya no quedan junglas adodnde regresar.”
“The Gentleman” turns on an aging former U.S. soldier named Theo (Perlman), who spends his days dreaming about better times that are now years behind him. Each week, Theo meets with Olga, a prostitute he pays to talk with him about who he once was and what he might have been under different circumstances.
Produced by Spanish company Esto También Pasará and Mexican outfit Sdb Films (“The Deal”), shooting on “The Gentleman” is already underway in San Sebastián, Spain, and will run for six weeks. The film is scheduled to be released by Universal in Spain in 2025.
Uruguay’s Juma Fodde penned the film’s screenplay, which is adapted from Carlos Augusto Casas’ Spanish novel “Ya no quedan junglas adodnde regresar.”
“The Gentleman” turns on an aging former U.S. soldier named Theo (Perlman), who spends his days dreaming about better times that are now years behind him. Each week, Theo meets with Olga, a prostitute he pays to talk with him about who he once was and what he might have been under different circumstances.
- 4/19/2024
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety - Film News
Héléna Klotz’s “Spirit of Ecstasy” will open the 2024 Kashish LGBTQ+ film festival in Mumbai, while Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s “Mutt” will close it.
“Spirit of Ecstasy,” which debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, follows a gender-questioning stock-market trader who is determined to make it in the world of finance; not for the glory or
wealth, but because it’s leading them on the path to freedom. Lead Pomme was nominated in the most promising actress category at France’s Lumiere awards.
“Mutt” follows a trans man who goes through an emotional roller-coaster over a 24-hour period in New York City, bumping into their ex-boyfriend, sister and father for the first time after having lost touch with them since his gender transitioning. It debuted at Sundance 2023, where it won the U.S. dramatic special jury award for actor Lio Mehiel. It went on to play at Berlin, where it earned...
“Spirit of Ecstasy,” which debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, follows a gender-questioning stock-market trader who is determined to make it in the world of finance; not for the glory or
wealth, but because it’s leading them on the path to freedom. Lead Pomme was nominated in the most promising actress category at France’s Lumiere awards.
“Mutt” follows a trans man who goes through an emotional roller-coaster over a 24-hour period in New York City, bumping into their ex-boyfriend, sister and father for the first time after having lost touch with them since his gender transitioning. It debuted at Sundance 2023, where it won the U.S. dramatic special jury award for actor Lio Mehiel. It went on to play at Berlin, where it earned...
- 4/19/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Disney+, Max and Mubi are among the new participants of Cannes Film Market’s Streamers Forum, a series of conferences discussing the evolution of the streaming landscape. Clément Schwebig, Warner Bros. Discovery’s president of Western Europe and Africa, and Mubi CEO Efe Cakarel will deliver exclusive keynotes at the event.
Schwebig will make his debut on the Croisette in the run up to Max’s launch across 20 European countries on May 21, while Cakarel will give some insight on Mubi’s role in nurturing independent cinema.
This year’s roster will also bring together executives from AVOD services such as Pluto TV, as well as Filmin, the Spanish subscription-based streaming service primarily dedicated to independent films, and Greece’s Cinobo.
Pluto TV will kick off the program on May 16 at the Palais des Festivals with Oliver Jollet, exec VP and international general manager, who will provide the latest insights on...
Schwebig will make his debut on the Croisette in the run up to Max’s launch across 20 European countries on May 21, while Cakarel will give some insight on Mubi’s role in nurturing independent cinema.
This year’s roster will also bring together executives from AVOD services such as Pluto TV, as well as Filmin, the Spanish subscription-based streaming service primarily dedicated to independent films, and Greece’s Cinobo.
Pluto TV will kick off the program on May 16 at the Palais des Festivals with Oliver Jollet, exec VP and international general manager, who will provide the latest insights on...
- 4/19/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety - Film News
The Oscar-winner and the Nobel laureate have teamed up to make Bread & Roses, a new film about the abuse of women in Afghanistan. In an emotional interview, they warn that the west ignores its message at their peril
“Strong women are not easy women,” says Jennifer Lawrence, “and a woman’s life is lonely. So much of our experience cannot be shared or understood by men, and our rights are in their hands. That’s why we need each other.”
The two other people on our video call nod in agreement. One is Malala Yousafzai, who, with Lawrence, has produced a new documentary about the oppression of Afghan women by the Taliban after US troops withdrew in 2021. The other is Sahra Mani, who directed it.
“Strong women are not easy women,” says Jennifer Lawrence, “and a woman’s life is lonely. So much of our experience cannot be shared or understood by men, and our rights are in their hands. That’s why we need each other.”
The two other people on our video call nod in agreement. One is Malala Yousafzai, who, with Lawrence, has produced a new documentary about the oppression of Afghan women by the Taliban after US troops withdrew in 2021. The other is Sahra Mani, who directed it.
- 4/19/2024
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Standout Paris-based sales outfit Luxbox (“1976”) has acquired international sales rights to the debut solo feature effort from Chilean multi-hyphenate Vinko Tomičić Salinas(“Durmiente”),“The Dog Thief” (“El Ladrón de Perros”), which bows in the international narrative competition at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, running June 5-16.
The film follows an adolescent shoe shining orphan, Martín (Franklin Aro Huasco), in his quest to get closer to Mr. Novoa, a lonely tailor in town whom he believes is his father.
After a twisted ruse is hatched to excuse his further prying, the teen winds up against a wall in a situation that could cause him to lose the nascent, yet budding, relationship.
Novoa, played by Pablo Larraín regular Alfredo Castro, last seen in “El Conde,” reluctantly opens-up to the youngster and the two form an undeniable bond in this drama that takes quotidian life to new heights by infusing it with...
The film follows an adolescent shoe shining orphan, Martín (Franklin Aro Huasco), in his quest to get closer to Mr. Novoa, a lonely tailor in town whom he believes is his father.
After a twisted ruse is hatched to excuse his further prying, the teen winds up against a wall in a situation that could cause him to lose the nascent, yet budding, relationship.
Novoa, played by Pablo Larraín regular Alfredo Castro, last seen in “El Conde,” reluctantly opens-up to the youngster and the two form an undeniable bond in this drama that takes quotidian life to new heights by infusing it with...
- 4/19/2024
- by Holly Jones
- Variety - Film News
“Sentinel,” by Hollywood legend Phil Tippett, and “Sister Inconnue,” the first solo directorial outing of Rkss’ Anouk Whissell, cold well be two highlights at a 2024 Cannes Frontières Platform that looks set to underscore the robust range of genre as it is embraced by Hollywood, big independents, horror devotees and auteurs alike.
Creator of creatures for “Star Wars” and “Jurassic Park,” Tippett may have terrified more people than anybody alive. If a teaser is anything to go by, “Sentinel,” a project, may well pick up on the style of 2021’s experimental and nightmarish stop motion/animation “Mad Dog.”
“Sentinel” features a battleground reminiscent of WWI hellish horror, giant bugs echoing “Starship Troopers,” Tippett’s last big job, attack droids and the statuesque figures of Osiris, Horus and Anubis, the last of which saves the hero, the gas-masked Sentinel, from a gruesome battlefield.
Sure to be a huge draw, an expanded version...
Creator of creatures for “Star Wars” and “Jurassic Park,” Tippett may have terrified more people than anybody alive. If a teaser is anything to go by, “Sentinel,” a project, may well pick up on the style of 2021’s experimental and nightmarish stop motion/animation “Mad Dog.”
“Sentinel” features a battleground reminiscent of WWI hellish horror, giant bugs echoing “Starship Troopers,” Tippett’s last big job, attack droids and the statuesque figures of Osiris, Horus and Anubis, the last of which saves the hero, the gas-masked Sentinel, from a gruesome battlefield.
Sure to be a huge draw, an expanded version...
- 4/19/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety - Film News
John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel reunited at the TCM Classic Film festival on Thursday for a 30th anniversary screening of Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” to reflect on the film’s impact on their careers — and upon the medium itself.
“It changed cinema, so it’s almost hard to have it sink in,” observed Uma Thurman, who joined Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta and Harvey Keitel for a Q&a about Tarantino’s benchmark film with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz. “I feel like I’ve had an evolving and beautifully growing relationship with ‘Pulp Fiction’ all of my life. It changed cinema, and it changed every filmmaker I met since.”
Though she and her three costars were the only members asked to speak before the screening, several other members of the cast and crew joined them in the auditorium of the Tcl Chinese Theatre,...
“It changed cinema, so it’s almost hard to have it sink in,” observed Uma Thurman, who joined Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta and Harvey Keitel for a Q&a about Tarantino’s benchmark film with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz. “I feel like I’ve had an evolving and beautifully growing relationship with ‘Pulp Fiction’ all of my life. It changed cinema, and it changed every filmmaker I met since.”
Though she and her three costars were the only members asked to speak before the screening, several other members of the cast and crew joined them in the auditorium of the Tcl Chinese Theatre,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Variety - Film News
“Spy x Family Code: White” is a fun, accessible jumping-on point for anyone unfamiliar with the “Spy x Family” anime, or the manga on which it’s based. However, in slowing down to let newcomers catch up, it tends to lack momentum. The plot isn’t strictly tied to the the comic or the show’s two seasons (it’s yet to be renewed for a third), but it picks up with the same basic premise: a found family with secret lives and abilities, which they keep guarded from one another, while a non-specific political conflict looms on the horizon.
Released theatrically in both dubbed and subtitled versions, the standalone film plays like an extended filler episode of a sitcom steeped in verbal misunderstandings, though that isn’t always a bad thing. The lead trio in this “Three’s Company” dynamic — papa spy Loid Forger (Takuya Eguchi), his secret assassin wife...
Released theatrically in both dubbed and subtitled versions, the standalone film plays like an extended filler episode of a sitcom steeped in verbal misunderstandings, though that isn’t always a bad thing. The lead trio in this “Three’s Company” dynamic — papa spy Loid Forger (Takuya Eguchi), his secret assassin wife...
- 4/19/2024
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Variety - Film News
Berlin-based Picture Tree Intl. has acquired the international sales rights, excluding the Nordic countries, for the Finnish daughter-father comedy “Butterflies” (Perhoset).
“Butterflies” is directed by Jenni Toivoniemi, based on a screenplay by Anna Brotkin.
Set against the backdrop of Finland’s vibrant Tango Festival, “Butterflies” follows the journey of Siiri, a world-weary 29-year-old woman, and her relentlessly optimistic father, Petri, as they navigate their own truths amidst the chaos. Ultimately, the true dance they engage in is one of self-discovery.
Siiri is played by Aksa Korttila, whose credits include “Sibelius Continuum,” “The Sixth Time” and “The Year of the Wolf.” Petri is played by Jani Volanen, who was in “Hatching,” “Homecoming” and “Dogs Don’t Wear Pants.” Leea Klemola, who appeared in “The Mine,” “The Midwife” and “Last Cowboy Standing,” plays Siiri’s politician boss, who is in the midst of a marital crises.
“Butterflies” is produced by Miia Haavisto of Tekele Productions,...
“Butterflies” is directed by Jenni Toivoniemi, based on a screenplay by Anna Brotkin.
Set against the backdrop of Finland’s vibrant Tango Festival, “Butterflies” follows the journey of Siiri, a world-weary 29-year-old woman, and her relentlessly optimistic father, Petri, as they navigate their own truths amidst the chaos. Ultimately, the true dance they engage in is one of self-discovery.
Siiri is played by Aksa Korttila, whose credits include “Sibelius Continuum,” “The Sixth Time” and “The Year of the Wolf.” Petri is played by Jani Volanen, who was in “Hatching,” “Homecoming” and “Dogs Don’t Wear Pants.” Leea Klemola, who appeared in “The Mine,” “The Midwife” and “Last Cowboy Standing,” plays Siiri’s politician boss, who is in the midst of a marital crises.
“Butterflies” is produced by Miia Haavisto of Tekele Productions,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
The divisive director’s sci-fi follow-up is both original and derivative and will be unlikely to convert anyone, but there’s something charming about its sincerity
Is there a contemporary Hollywood film-maker who better epitomizes the modern commerce-v-art quagmire than Zack Snyder? Snyder has an instantly recognizable style and a deathless dedication to his singular vision; he also, at the behest of various studios, volunteers to think almost entirely in terms of franchises, comic books and self-conscious myth-making – whether he’s trying to interrogate those myths or just build them up so he can smash them down with maximum mayhem.
Rebel Moon, his sci-fi/fantasy franchise for Netflix, pulls both sides of his career to further extremes. It’s a multimillion-dollar two-parter (for now) that’s technically original and highly derivative, with Snyder’s fanboy obsessions taken so far around the bend that they become niche again. Even his hordes...
Is there a contemporary Hollywood film-maker who better epitomizes the modern commerce-v-art quagmire than Zack Snyder? Snyder has an instantly recognizable style and a deathless dedication to his singular vision; he also, at the behest of various studios, volunteers to think almost entirely in terms of franchises, comic books and self-conscious myth-making – whether he’s trying to interrogate those myths or just build them up so he can smash them down with maximum mayhem.
Rebel Moon, his sci-fi/fantasy franchise for Netflix, pulls both sides of his career to further extremes. It’s a multimillion-dollar two-parter (for now) that’s technically original and highly derivative, with Snyder’s fanboy obsessions taken so far around the bend that they become niche again. Even his hordes...
- 4/19/2024
- by Jesse Hassenger
- The Guardian - Film News
“Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver” has been dead since last December, when the irredeemable first chapter of Zack Snyder’s hyper-derivative space opera was released “in theaters” and on Netflix to deafening silence. As I concluded my review at the time: “It’s hard to be even morbidly curious, let alone excited, about any future iterations or installments of a franchise so determined to remix a million things you’ve seen before into one thing you’ll wish you’d never seen at all.”
And so, much as I might have hoped that the second and more concentrated half of Snyder’s sci-fi “Seven Samurai” would somehow atone for the sins of its previous chapter, I wasn’t exactly shocked to discover that it lacks any trace of a pulse from the moment it starts. Five months in the morgue can have that effect. Be that as it may,...
And so, much as I might have hoped that the second and more concentrated half of Snyder’s sci-fi “Seven Samurai” would somehow atone for the sins of its previous chapter, I wasn’t exactly shocked to discover that it lacks any trace of a pulse from the moment it starts. Five months in the morgue can have that effect. Be that as it may,...
- 4/19/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
What do you call world-building when it’s built entirely out of worlds that have already been built? I wouldn’t call it cinema; it might be closer to Lego with attitude. Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver,” like his “Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire,” is a sci-fi action fantasy so familiar and generic, so borrowed from and inspired by other things — it’s the 1977 “Star Wars” meets “Seven Samurai” meets “The Lord of the Guardians of the Rings of the Galaxy” — that it’s already the theme-park version of itself. Yet compared to most of the media, I was kind to “Rebel Moon — Part One.” Released just four months ago, it was an oversize banquet of fanboy fast food, not a film to take seriously, but I couldn’t deny that I found it highly watchable, unlike the countless critics who seem to...
- 4/19/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety - Film News
A new movie just came out from Zack Snyder, the divisive but provocative director who has inspired legions of passionate and loyal fans online, but it hardly feels like anyone outside of the internet knows or even cares much. Perhaps that's the peril of falling into the streaming trap, where name-brand talents receive sky-high budgets for productions that no traditional studio is willing to support ... only to be promptly forgotten once its brief time in Netflix's weekly Top 10 reports comes and goes. Full disclosure: It's downright strange to have been able to see "Rebel Moon: Part Two - The Scargiver" in a theater and base this review on that experience, particularly when the vast majority of those reading this will never have the same opportunity. Yet it's stranger still that the film we've received, from a visionary auteur whose battles with corporate overlords during his tenure in the DC...
- 4/19/2024
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Vidya Balan shines in this witty remake that sees a married couple, both cheating on each other, on the verge of breaking up
The algebra of love is a multiple-choice conundrum in Shirsha Guha Thakurta’s debut, a witty remake of Azazel Jacobs’ romance The Lovers starring Debra Winger. Transporting the original story of a disaffected American couple caught up in extramarital affairs to Mumbai, Do Aur Do Pyaar often heads to the city’s beaches, whose shifting tides bring to mind the unpredictable ebb and flow of long-term relationships.
In the film, the weight of marital distance is etched on to every frame. Twelve years into their marriage, Kavya (Vidya Balan) and Ani (Pratik Gandhi) have run out of affectionate words. Revolving around allergy medicines and bin bags, their daily conversations have gone terribly stale. At the same time Kavya finds comfort in the arms of handsome photographer Vikram,...
The algebra of love is a multiple-choice conundrum in Shirsha Guha Thakurta’s debut, a witty remake of Azazel Jacobs’ romance The Lovers starring Debra Winger. Transporting the original story of a disaffected American couple caught up in extramarital affairs to Mumbai, Do Aur Do Pyaar often heads to the city’s beaches, whose shifting tides bring to mind the unpredictable ebb and flow of long-term relationships.
In the film, the weight of marital distance is etched on to every frame. Twelve years into their marriage, Kavya (Vidya Balan) and Ani (Pratik Gandhi) have run out of affectionate words. Revolving around allergy medicines and bin bags, their daily conversations have gone terribly stale. At the same time Kavya finds comfort in the arms of handsome photographer Vikram,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Phuong Le
- The Guardian - Film News
The intrigue surrounding the fate of Paramount deepened on Thursday after it emerged that Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management were said to be discussing whether to make a bid for the studio.
While exclusive negotiations are ongoing between David Ellison’s Skydance Media, Redbird Capital and Paramount Global majority shareholder National Amusements, The New York Times reported on the Sony development.
It is understood no bid has been submitted, but the Times said Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra held talks with Apollo last week as they weigh up an all-cash offer for Paramount’s outstanding stock that would effectively take the studio private.
While exclusive negotiations are ongoing between David Ellison’s Skydance Media, Redbird Capital and Paramount Global majority shareholder National Amusements, The New York Times reported on the Sony development.
It is understood no bid has been submitted, but the Times said Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra held talks with Apollo last week as they weigh up an all-cash offer for Paramount’s outstanding stock that would effectively take the studio private.
- 4/19/2024
- ScreenDaily
End of an era, end of a business model, end of a gravy train, end of the world. There were plenty of mixed emotions this week in response to the closure of Oscar-winning production company Participant, and at the very least the industry has agreed something has come to an end.
When Variety broke the news Tuesday that billionaire Jeff Skoll’s 20-year-old company will shut down — after fetching 21 Oscars and introducing a business model that prioritized social impact a bit more than profits – many in the industry were rattled. Not just that mid-level, standalone financier and producer had left the market, but what that means for the viability of movies and TV shows that ask vital questions about justice and the humanity’s future.
“The end of Participant Media is devastating news to anyone who cares about documentaries,” director Julie Cohen wrote bluntly on X. She’s the co-director...
When Variety broke the news Tuesday that billionaire Jeff Skoll’s 20-year-old company will shut down — after fetching 21 Oscars and introducing a business model that prioritized social impact a bit more than profits – many in the industry were rattled. Not just that mid-level, standalone financier and producer had left the market, but what that means for the viability of movies and TV shows that ask vital questions about justice and the humanity’s future.
“The end of Participant Media is devastating news to anyone who cares about documentaries,” director Julie Cohen wrote bluntly on X. She’s the co-director...
- 4/19/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety - Film News
For readers of Alexandre Dumas’ novel, extravagant French adaptation “The Three Musketeers – Part II: Milady” packs its share of surprises: killing off important characters, sparing others and reimagining allegiances that have stood for nearly two centuries. For viewers of “Part I: D’Artagnan,” however, this swashbuckling sequel feels totally in keeping with what came before. Even the twists track, paying off what amounts to a nearly four-hour investment (not counting however many months audiences may have waited to see how the story ends).
Loyalty — to the crown, to one another, but not necessarily to the source material — remains the driving theme of director Martin Bourboulon’s blockbuster treatment, which tapped French megastars Vincent Cassel, Pio Marmaï and Romain Duris as titular trio Athos, Porthos and Aramis. The second film opens with fourth musketeer D’Artagnan (François Civil) in a coffin, though he’s not dead, merely captured by traitors who...
Loyalty — to the crown, to one another, but not necessarily to the source material — remains the driving theme of director Martin Bourboulon’s blockbuster treatment, which tapped French megastars Vincent Cassel, Pio Marmaï and Romain Duris as titular trio Athos, Porthos and Aramis. The second film opens with fourth musketeer D’Artagnan (François Civil) in a coffin, though he’s not dead, merely captured by traitors who...
- 4/19/2024
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety - Film News
“You look like Clara Bow in this light,” Taylor Swift sings on the final track of “The Tortured Poets Department,” titled after the 1920s sex symbol. She goes on to name-check two more immediately recognizable women — Stevie Nicks and one Taylor Swift — but what attracted Swift to reference a silent movie star on an album that also includes a throwaway Charlie Puth reference?
A movie star by the age of 20, Bow’s career was over at 28. Now Swift might have positioned her to win over a new generation of fans.
Known as the “It Girl” for both her starring role in the silent comedy “It” and her place as one of the pre-eminent sex symbols of ’20s Hollywood, Bow wasn’t washed up because her box office slipped. She was washed up because her scandal-plagued life made her a liability, both for the studios and for her own mental health.
A movie star by the age of 20, Bow’s career was over at 28. Now Swift might have positioned her to win over a new generation of fans.
Known as the “It Girl” for both her starring role in the silent comedy “It” and her place as one of the pre-eminent sex symbols of ’20s Hollywood, Bow wasn’t washed up because her box office slipped. She was washed up because her scandal-plagued life made her a liability, both for the studios and for her own mental health.
- 4/19/2024
- by Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
Universal Studios Hollywood will host a new live show, “The Fall Guy Stuntacular Pre-Show,” inspired by 87North’s new film “The Fall Guy,” starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. The live show, a part of the theme park’s Waterworld attraction, will open April 27 and end May 19.
The entertainment performance features an original storyline that provides a peek behind the curtain of how stunt performances are designed and brought to life and will use the existing Waterworld set.
In a promotional video shared Thursday, “Fall Guy” actor Hannah Waddingham presents the live-show idea as a pitch to Gosling, Blunt and David Leitch, the director of the movie and a former stuntman. Leitch says “I smell a live show!” after seeing the still of Blunt and Gosling riding a motorcycle next to a shark and a bus full of Universal Studio goers.
The show is produced by 87North Productions, a production...
The entertainment performance features an original storyline that provides a peek behind the curtain of how stunt performances are designed and brought to life and will use the existing Waterworld set.
In a promotional video shared Thursday, “Fall Guy” actor Hannah Waddingham presents the live-show idea as a pitch to Gosling, Blunt and David Leitch, the director of the movie and a former stuntman. Leitch says “I smell a live show!” after seeing the still of Blunt and Gosling riding a motorcycle next to a shark and a bus full of Universal Studio goers.
The show is produced by 87North Productions, a production...
- 4/19/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - Film News
Amblin’s film adaptation of Richard Osman’s novel “The Thursday Murder Club” is finally taking shape, with “Harry Potter” and “Home Alone” filmmaker Chris Columbus set to direct.
Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley are being eyed for three of the four lead roles in the project.
The book, released in 2020, tells the story of four septuagenarian friends who live in a retirement community and solve cold cases for fun. When a shady property developer is found dead, the four find themselves in the middle of their first live crime.
Publishing rights for the book were sold in the biggest debut novel deal for a decade. Amblin Partners scored worldwide rights to the film after a competitive auction that attracted interest from 14 studios.
It’s been a strong year for Amblin, whose series “Masters of the Air” launched with more viewers in its opening weekend than any Apple...
Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley are being eyed for three of the four lead roles in the project.
The book, released in 2020, tells the story of four septuagenarian friends who live in a retirement community and solve cold cases for fun. When a shady property developer is found dead, the four find themselves in the middle of their first live crime.
Publishing rights for the book were sold in the biggest debut novel deal for a decade. Amblin Partners scored worldwide rights to the film after a competitive auction that attracted interest from 14 studios.
It’s been a strong year for Amblin, whose series “Masters of the Air” launched with more viewers in its opening weekend than any Apple...
- 4/19/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety - Film News
What do you do if you're making a true crime documentary for Netflix, but you don't have enough good-quality photos of the murderer? Well, you can shoot re-enactment footage with an actor (with text to make it clear that it's a re-enactment). You can use illustrations or even animation. What you probably shouldn't do is use AI to plug the gaps, resulting in photos of the killer with nightmarish teeth and hands from the fourth dimension.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what the filmmakers behind "What Jennifer Did," a 90-minute documentary about Jennifer Pan's kill-for-hire attack on her own parents, decided to do. The results, as seen above and below, were disturbing, to say the least. While it's been widely speculated that the images are entirely AI-generated, it's also possible that an AI photo enhancer like Remini or VanceAI was used on poor-quality photos to try and restore them, resulting in...
Unfortunately, that's exactly what the filmmakers behind "What Jennifer Did," a 90-minute documentary about Jennifer Pan's kill-for-hire attack on her own parents, decided to do. The results, as seen above and below, were disturbing, to say the least. While it's been widely speculated that the images are entirely AI-generated, it's also possible that an AI photo enhancer like Remini or VanceAI was used on poor-quality photos to try and restore them, resulting in...
- 4/18/2024
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
This article contains massive spoilers for "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare."
With hindsight being 20/20 and all, it's ironic that the cultural nickname for World War I was "The Great War," given the existence of World War II. While no war in history has ever been "great" in the truest sense of the word, WWII's seemingly evergreen impact on just about every aspect of modern life, not to mention art, makes it the clear cultural victor. To wit, not only are films, television shows, books, and other works related to that war being produced today, but they remain incredibly popular — after all, a WWII-set movie just won Best Picture at this year's Oscars.
What's perhaps extra wild is that not only is WWII-themed art still viable, but there are corners of the war's history that remain largely unexplored. One of these corners is Operation Postmaster, the British special operation undertaken on...
With hindsight being 20/20 and all, it's ironic that the cultural nickname for World War I was "The Great War," given the existence of World War II. While no war in history has ever been "great" in the truest sense of the word, WWII's seemingly evergreen impact on just about every aspect of modern life, not to mention art, makes it the clear cultural victor. To wit, not only are films, television shows, books, and other works related to that war being produced today, but they remain incredibly popular — after all, a WWII-set movie just won Best Picture at this year's Oscars.
What's perhaps extra wild is that not only is WWII-themed art still viable, but there are corners of the war's history that remain largely unexplored. One of these corners is Operation Postmaster, the British special operation undertaken on...
- 4/18/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Netflix co-ceo Ted Sarandos has pushed back against a recent press report and said Netflix would not be reducing the number or quality of its features under new film head Dan Lin.
“There is no appetite to make fewer films,” Sarandos told a first quarter earnings call after an analyst asked about a recent article in The New York Times which said Lin would make “better, cheaper and less frequent” films.
The executive noted neither Lin nor any Netflix executive had taken part in the article, adding: “ut there is an unlimited appetite to make better films, always, even though...
“There is no appetite to make fewer films,” Sarandos told a first quarter earnings call after an analyst asked about a recent article in The New York Times which said Lin would make “better, cheaper and less frequent” films.
The executive noted neither Lin nor any Netflix executive had taken part in the article, adding: “ut there is an unlimited appetite to make better films, always, even though...
- 4/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
It’s season finale time for networks, but Netflix, naturally, still has plenty of brand new TV and shows coming in May.
Jeff Daniels makes his TV return in the David E. Kelley series “A Man in Full.” That six-episode series is based on the bestselling book of the same name by Tom Wolfe. Per a press release: “When Atlanta real estate mogul Charlie Croker faces sudden bankruptcy, political and business interests collide as Charlie defends his empire from those attempting to capitalize on his fall from grace.” The series will also star Tom Pelphrey, Diane Lane, Lucy Liu, William Jackson Harper, Aml Ameen, Sarah Jones, Jon Michael Hill and Chanté Adams.
Additionally, comedy fans can get excited for a new special series from John Mulaney. The comedian is hosting a multi-night event, “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA,” that looks to be part interview show and part man-on-the-street hijinks.
Jeff Daniels makes his TV return in the David E. Kelley series “A Man in Full.” That six-episode series is based on the bestselling book of the same name by Tom Wolfe. Per a press release: “When Atlanta real estate mogul Charlie Croker faces sudden bankruptcy, political and business interests collide as Charlie defends his empire from those attempting to capitalize on his fall from grace.” The series will also star Tom Pelphrey, Diane Lane, Lucy Liu, William Jackson Harper, Aml Ameen, Sarah Jones, Jon Michael Hill and Chanté Adams.
Additionally, comedy fans can get excited for a new special series from John Mulaney. The comedian is hosting a multi-night event, “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA,” that looks to be part interview show and part man-on-the-street hijinks.
- 4/18/2024
- by Erin Strecker
- Indiewire
As Netflix’s new film chief, Dan Lin’s mandate is to focus on quality — and quantity.
Netflix’s co-ceo Ted Sarandos shed light on Lin’s strategy as the producer takes over film duties from Scott Stuber, who announced in January he was leaving the streamer.
“There is no appetite to make fewer films, but there is an unlimited appetite to make better films, always,” Sarandos said during the company’s Q1 earnings call. “Even though we have made, and we are making, great films. We want to make them better, of course.”
He was responding to a recent New York Times article, which reported that Lin aims to “improve the quality of the movies and produce a wider spectrum of films — at different budget levels — the better to appeal to the varied interests of Netflix’s 260 million subscribers.”
Though Sarandos mostly echoed those sentiments, he made a point...
Netflix’s co-ceo Ted Sarandos shed light on Lin’s strategy as the producer takes over film duties from Scott Stuber, who announced in January he was leaving the streamer.
“There is no appetite to make fewer films, but there is an unlimited appetite to make better films, always,” Sarandos said during the company’s Q1 earnings call. “Even though we have made, and we are making, great films. We want to make them better, of course.”
He was responding to a recent New York Times article, which reported that Lin aims to “improve the quality of the movies and produce a wider spectrum of films — at different budget levels — the better to appeal to the varied interests of Netflix’s 260 million subscribers.”
Though Sarandos mostly echoed those sentiments, he made a point...
- 4/18/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety - Film News
In the spirit of springtime renewal, the Durham, North Carolina-based Full Frame Documentary Film Festival returned to in-person mode for the first time since 2019. And while Full Frame presented virtual versions from 2020 through 2022, the festival was canceled altogether last year, due in large part to fiscal struggles undermining its parent, the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. An April 2023 report in Duke’s The Chronicle indicated that the university would undertake a review of the Center. Members of the festival’s Advisory Committee circulated a petition on social media, helping to assure the festival’s return and, a […]
The post “…With the Giddy Feel of a College Reunion”: The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Returns first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “…With the Giddy Feel of a College Reunion”: The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Returns first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 4/18/2024
- by Tom White
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Film Independent has set the date of Saturday, Feb. 22 for the 40th Spirit Awards. The awards come a few weeks ahead of the March 2 Oscars date.
“For 40 years, the Spirit Awards have been the beacon for bold and original independent storytelling,” said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent. “As we commemorate this significant milestone, we look forward to celebrating with the independent creative community on February 22nd.”
The Spirit Awards nominee brunch will take place on Jan. 4.
Seattle Film Festival Sets Lineup, Opening With ‘Thelma’
The Seattle International Film Festival has revealed its lineup for the 50th edition, which takes place May 9–19 at venues across Seattle and followed by a week of select virtual screenings on the Siff Channel May 20–27. The program includes 261 films representing 84 countries and regions, including 92 features, 47 documentaries, five archival features, two special tributes, two secret screenings and 115 short films.
The festival will open with Josh Margolin...
“For 40 years, the Spirit Awards have been the beacon for bold and original independent storytelling,” said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent. “As we commemorate this significant milestone, we look forward to celebrating with the independent creative community on February 22nd.”
The Spirit Awards nominee brunch will take place on Jan. 4.
Seattle Film Festival Sets Lineup, Opening With ‘Thelma’
The Seattle International Film Festival has revealed its lineup for the 50th edition, which takes place May 9–19 at venues across Seattle and followed by a week of select virtual screenings on the Siff Channel May 20–27. The program includes 261 films representing 84 countries and regions, including 92 features, 47 documentaries, five archival features, two special tributes, two secret screenings and 115 short films.
The festival will open with Josh Margolin...
- 4/18/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay, Selena Kuznikov and Jack Dunn
- Variety - Film News
2023 may yet be remembered as the year the superhero movie died. Peyton Reed's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" was released in February 2023 and was the first notable comic book-based bomb of the year. The film was notoriously re-jiggered throughout its production, with massive and expensive SFX being finalized up to the last minute. The official budget ballooned to $200 million, although separate reports have pegged the price tag as being closer to that of Disney's notorious box office misfire "John Carter" (which cost $263 million to make). "Quantumania" still grossed $464 million, but that's considered low for a Marvel movie.
Throughout 2023, more bombs dropped as superhero movies either lost money or were considered disappointments. "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," "The Flash," "Blue Beetle," "The Marvels," and "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" all tanked, and while many went to see "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3," it felt like the last kick in a closing series.
Throughout 2023, more bombs dropped as superhero movies either lost money or were considered disappointments. "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," "The Flash," "Blue Beetle," "The Marvels," and "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" all tanked, and while many went to see "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3," it felt like the last kick in a closing series.
- 4/18/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
If the most terrifying horror monsters are the ones that most reflect real-life terror, then cinematic cannibals might be the most terrifying monsters of all. Unlike vampires, werewolves, or ghosts, cannibals on film are fully flesh-and-blood humans — just with a taste for the flesh and blood of other humans. The garishness of the act makes cannibalism a perfect subject for shock horror, and the cannibal film fully came alive in the ’70s and ’80s via low-budget splatter triumphs like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Cannibal Holocaust,” which pitted their protagonists against horrific waves of flesh eaters.
In recent years, cannibalism has had a bit of a “moment” — on film, at least. As The New York Times pointed out in 2022, a wave of movies, TV shows, and books exploring cannibalism has emerged in popular culture, from “Yellowjackets” to “Bones and All” to “Fresh.” Many of these projects use the practice as...
In recent years, cannibalism has had a bit of a “moment” — on film, at least. As The New York Times pointed out in 2022, a wave of movies, TV shows, and books exploring cannibalism has emerged in popular culture, from “Yellowjackets” to “Bones and All” to “Fresh.” Many of these projects use the practice as...
- 4/18/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
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