Movie News

Prominent Arab talent management agency and film distribution company Mad Solutions is launching Mad Crew Celebrity, a new unit dedicated to boosting the careers of Arab directors and producers, as well as writers, cinematographers, costume designers, composers and editors.

Mad Crew Celebrity comes after the company in 2020 formed its Mad Rising Celebrity division, dedicated to launching up-and-coming film and TV acting talents from across the Arab world, which in turn was a specialized spin-off of its core Mad Celebrity unit for top-tier acting and TV hosting talents.

Their client list at launch includes top directors Hany Abu-Assad (“The Mountain Between Us”), Mohamed Diab (“Moon Knight”), Marwan Hamed (“Blue Elephant”), Ameer Fakher Eldin (“The Stranger”) (pictured), and producer Dora Bouchoucha (“Hedi”) (pictured), to name a few.

Other prominent behind-the-camera talents already on the Mad Crew Celebrity roster include:

– Egyptian showrunner/director/screenwriter Tahmer Mohsen (“Newton’s Cradle”).

– Producer Shahinaz El-Akkad — CEO

Production wraps this week on “The New Boy,” a drama film by Australian Indigenous filmmaker Warwick Thornton on which Cate Blanchett takes both a starring role and a producer credit.

Set in 1940s Australia, “The New Boy” is the story of a nine-year-old Aboriginal orphan boy (portrayed by newcomer Aswan Reid) who arrives in the dead of night at a remote monastery, run by a renegade nun (Blanchett). There his presence disturbs the delicately balanced world in a story of spiritual struggle and the cost of survival.

Other established names in the cast include Deborah Mailman (“The Sapphires”) and Wayne Blair. An ensemble of new faces including Shane Brady, Tyrique Brady, Laiken Woolmington, Kailem Miller, Kyle Miller, Tyzailin Roderick and Tyler Spencer round out the cast.

Thornton is one of Australia’s most celebrated filmmakers. His “Samson And Delilah” won the Camera d’Or for best first film at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

In the entire history of film, the moving image has never been clearer! Forget HD, movies are being shot in 8K, IMAX, and more! Every time there is an advancement in image technology, it seems as though we've reached the pinnacle of what is capable in potential resolution, only to top ourselves shortly after. But how good of a thing is this really? For documentary filmmaking, this is wonderful. Having the chance to capture the world around us in a clarity that places audiences at the bases of volcanoes or in outer space is a dream. But what about blockbuster filmmaking? Well, I guess it depends on the type of movie that you're making. Modern audiences seem trained to expect the crystal clear digital images found both in big budget tent pole features and surprise indie hits, but these very audiences are also starting to prove otherwise. This fall, an

Prominent Arab film distributor Mad Solutions has forged a production partnership with Dubai-based broadcaster Osn, the Red Sea Fund, and the U.K.’s Global Screen Fund, plus U.K. companies Corniche Media and Caspian Films, on Saudi multihyphenate Ahd Kamel’s long gestating feature film debut “My Driver and I.”

The production partnership for the feature was announced at this week’s Red Sea Film Festival, which is taking place in Jeddah, where the film is also set.

Jordanian actress Saba Mubarak will star alongside regional acting talents, Qusai Kheder, Mostafa Shehata and Baraa Alem.

The feature is being produced as an Osn Original for the pay-tv and streaming network that will showcase the film for its Mena audiences. Mad Solutions holds all international distribution rights outside those Arab-speaking territories.

Kamel grew up in Saudi Arabia and moved to New York in 1998, where she studied at the Parsons School of Design,

It feels like it’s been an age since the first series of Alice in Borderland dropped, based on the popular manga series of the same name. Arriving on our screens in late 2020, the Japanese thriller introduced us to an alternate, desolate Tokyo where a handful of strangers were pitted against each other in a series of often-deadly games decided by brains, brawn, and treachery. Full of twists, betrayals, and emotional losses, it quickly became a fan favorite, and after hitting Netflix’s Top 10 in over 40 countries and territories, it seemed like a no-brainer to commission a second season. But when is it dropping, who's in it, and what is the plot going to be? Well, here’s what we know so far about Alice in Borderland Season 2.

Cannes hit marks fifth feature from Rodrigo Sorogoyen.

Antonio Saura’s Latido Films has licensed all US rights on Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s psychological thriller and Cannes Directors’ Fortnight selection The Beasts – one of the standouts at last week’s Ventana Sur market – to Los Angeles-based Greenwich Entertainment.

The film screened in Buenos Aires under the auspices of Spanish Screenings on Tour and is a co-production between Spain’s Arcadia Motion Pictures and Caballo Films and France’s Le Pacte, all of whom partnered on Sorogoyen’s feature Mother.

The Beasts follows a middle-aged French couple who move to a small

Cannes hit marks fifth feature from Rodrigo Sorogoyen.

Antonio Saura’s Latido Films has licensed all US rights on Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s psychological thriller and Cannes Directors’ Fortnight selection The Beasts – one of the standouts at last week’s Ventana Sur market – to Los Angeles-based Greenwich Entertainment.

The film screened in Buenos Aires under the auspices of Spanish Screenings on Tour and is a co-production between Spain’s Arcadia Motion Pictures and Caballo Films and France’s Le Pacte, all of whom partnered on Sorogoyen’s feature Mother.

The Beasts follows a middle-aged French couple who move to a small

Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (Imda) is launching an SGD5 million (3.6 million) Virtual Production Innovation Fund.

The fund was announced by Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, Tan Kiat How, at the opening of the Asia TV Forum & Market (Atf) and Screen Singapore on Wednesday. It is designed to support the local media industry to develop capabilities needed to harness virtual production technology. The technology uses LED screens to display realistic background environments for TV or film scenes, powered by a video game engine, so that the camera is able to capture actors and visual effects in real-time. Production will no longer be dependent on location, road closures, location fees and permits as well as the weather, set construction and space rental.

The Imda will deploy a two-pronged approach to develop these capabilities. The first prong is a partnership with the U.K.’s National Film

If there's anything "Batman Returns" is lacking, it ain't villains. Michelle Pfieffer's Catwoman and Christopher Walken's Max Shreck would have been enough of a challenge for the Dark Knight by themselves. But director Tim Burton wanted to make his second go-round with Batman one to remember, adding Danny DeVito as the Penguin to complete the movie's antagonist triumvirate.

DeVito took the role seriously, staying in character as the bile-spewing mutant version of the famous Batman villain throughout shooting. It was an approach that Pfieffer Pfieffer found "really creepy," with Burton saying that DeVito took the method approach so seriously that if anyone "put their fingers too close to his mouth, he might just take it off."

And while DeVito's commitment paid off, creating one of the most convincingly deranged and creepy villains we've yet had in a "Batman" movie, it almost didn't happen. In fact, the actor had never

David Harbour might not have been a well-known actor in 2005, but his career had been arcing upward since 1999 thanks to several critically acclaimed performances on- and off-Broadway. At 6'3", he had a sturdy, formidable presence. He could use that imposing frame to his advantage or play against it to sympathetic or pathetic effect. When you're this good in New York City, you're guaranteed at least one "Law & Order" role; Harbour booked three. When he made himself available for movies, he nailed down four parts within a year of each other. One of those was as Tom Cruise's bar buddy in Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds." If you're struggling to remember his character, let me help you out: he got cut from the film's final cut.

These things happen. Just ask Kevin Costner. Or Tom Scharpling. When the movie gets edited together, and your character exists solely to

Drew Barrymore may be reuniting with Cameron Diaz onscreen.

The daytime talk show host told her longtime friend and co-star Adam Sandler that she has been discussing a “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” remake with Diaz. And while Barrymore has her sights set on playing the role of an overbearing salesman originated by late star John Candy, the Steve Martin marketing executive character is still up for grabs between Diaz and Sandler.

“Her and I did discuss remaking ‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,’ and then I was like, ‘Well you know Adam and I talk about that,'” Barrymore recalled telling Diaz during the “Drew Barrymore Show” via Entertainment Weekly. “Well, I also want to play John Candy.”

“You could do a good Candy,” Sandler responded. “You know who could do Candy the best? [Chris] Farley. He would walk around the office and say lines from ‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.'”

The 1987 film

Cult director Abel Ferrara is one of the kings of neo-noir. He got his start in gritty low-budget films in the 1970s, including the grindhouse classic The Driller Killer. He followed it up with Ms. 45, a cult revenge flick, before transitioning to more serious crime dramas in the 1990s, particularly Bad Lieutenant and King of New York. These movies explore complicated characters living outside the law, with career-best performances from stars Harvey Keitel and Christopher Walken.

In 2019, two separate adaptations of the Latin American legend of La Llorona were released. The first film to release was part of the ongoing Conjuring Universe called The Curse of La Llorona, which widened the world of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) more than ever. The other film premiered on the horror streaming service Shudder, simply titled La Llorona, from Guatemalan director Jayro Bustamente. While the two films could not be more different, why did they happen to occur at the same time?

Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson have been in plenty of films over the years, but most people know them best as Dante Hicks and Randal Graves in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse films, in particular, his "Clerks" trilogy. Smith skyrocketed to superstardom after his 1994 breakout hit, "Clerks," which perfectly encapsulated the budding Gen X slacker culture of the 1990s. Dante is dragged into covering a shift at the Quick Stop mini-mart on his day off, putting up with the hijinks of customers, friends, random degenerates in the neighborhood, and ultra-slacker Randal, who doesn't even make an attempt to actually work at the Rst Video rental store next door. The film was a massive success, spawning two sequels, an animated series, a live-action TV pilot, and a making-of documentary.

Smith's follow-up film was another slacker comedy — the 1995 hit, "Mallrats." That movie centered on another pair of friends who show up at

[Editor’s note: The following gallery was originally published in July 2019. It’s been updated multiple times since.]

Guillermo del Toro’s boundless imagination, from the gothic horrors of “Crimson Peak” to the creature-feature-inspired “The Shape of Water,” has been cultivated by a lifelong love of cinema. The Mexican filmmaker proudly wears his influences on his sleeves, while championing the past and future of moviegoing and movie-making. Just take his latest projects.

There’s the stunning, stop-motion “Pinocchio” reimagining, which is leagues better than Disney’s straight-to-streaming competitor — far too slick for its own good (no matter how much Tom Hanks tried). And, also at Netflix, there’s the “Cabinet of Curiosities”: an eight-part horror anthology that unfortunately does not include any directing from del Toro, but does feature his writing, producing, and a Rod Serling-like “Twilight Zone” style intro for each episode.

Before that, the 2021 show business noir “Nightmare Alley” saw del Toro loosely remake a 1947 classic, but he also imbued plenty of his own

Jim and Jane Henson founded the Jim Henson Company all the way back in 1958. In the nearly 70 years since the visionary couple formed their family-owned and operated creative outfit, The Jim Henson Company has become one of the premiere puppetry and animatronics studios on earth, and home to a pair of the most globally recognizable brands in all entertainment; Sesame Street and The Muppets.

Even though Paramount+ is one of the relatively new services on the streaming scene, it has a ton of great content. Paramount+ was made by the combination of CBS All Access and Viacom after their merger in 2019. Since that merger, they have had access to a healthy amount of content for a mixture of audiences. With Nickelodeon for the kids, Star Trek for some sci-fi fans, plus a good amount of docu-series and TV shows, Paramount+ is an excellent affordable option for only 4.99 a month with ads. And whether you're just considering a subscription or if you're already on the service, this guide will help you find the best shows to watch on Paramount+. Ready? Let's begin then!

It's been 13 years, but the second installment of the "little" franchise that could, "Avatar," is finally coming to the big screen. "Avatar: The Way of Water" already looked like a stunning adventure, and its extensive filming process looked like an absolute blast. People online can argue about whether or not the first film has any cultural relevancy all they want, but one thing is clear — good ol' James Cameron and the awe-inspiring world of Pandora are here to stay, whether the public wants them or not.

Thankfully, it sounds like the public will absolutely want to continue exploring Pandora and all of its worlds. The first press screenings for "The Way of Water" have finished, which means we have started to get the first immediate reactions to the long-awaited film. If you've been praying to Eywa that the sequel will be a visual spectacle full of heart and thrills, then your prayers have been answered.

In a pairing that delighted '90s kids the world over, Adam Sandler and Brendan Fraser recently sat down for an interview as part of Variety's "Actors on Actors" series, serving as both an "Airheads" reunion for the pair and a conversation between two of the biggest and most bankable stars at the end of the 20th century. Fraser had his breakthrough role in the comedy "Encino Man," which showed his ability to play a charming, hilarious, and hunky character that has had a pretty unconventional upbringing. This performance, paired with his rising star in Hollywood, made him the perfect choice to play the titular "George of the Jungle" in Sam Weisman's film for Disney.

In talking about the role, Sandler playfully acknowledged that Fraser was "jacked" and so "good-looking" in the film that it disappointed him. "You weren't supposed to do that to us," he joked. "You did right by the character,

James Cameron brought a little of Pandora — and a lot of his starry cast — to London for the “Avatar: The Way of Water” world premiere on Tuesday night. The long-promised, eagerly-awaited sequel has been 13 years in the making, and now it’s finally set to debut in cinemas in just a few days, a moment the director wasn’t always sure would come.

“I had a lot of doubt when the pandemic hit,” Cameron told Variety on the blue carpet in Leicester Square. “We got shut down for six months. We didn’t know if there were going to be any movie theaters left to release the movie into. But we’ve survived all that. The theaters are full again. It’s all back. We’re all sold out for the first few weeks. So yeah, pretty happy!”

“The Way of Water” reunites Cameron with his “Titanic” star Kate Winslet,