Movie News
Mubi has kicked off its 2024 Cannes Film Festival early and in style, acquiring worldwide rights to one of the buzziest films set to premiere in competition.
The arthouse distributor, production banner and streamer has landed Coralie Fargeat’s body horror “The Substance,” starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Denis Quaid, picking up all rights for North America, U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, Latin America and Benelux, where it will release theatrically this year. Mubi has also acquired the rights for Turkey and India. The Match Factory, owned by Mubi, is handling sales for all other territories.
Written and directed by Fargeat, who made a noise with her debut, 2017’s action-thriller “Revenge,” “The Substance” goes into Cannes with a significant amount of intrigue, having been produced by Working Title, the Brit banner best known for rom-coms and prestige dramas.
“Have you ever dreamed of a better version of yourself?” reads the...
The arthouse distributor, production banner and streamer has landed Coralie Fargeat’s body horror “The Substance,” starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Denis Quaid, picking up all rights for North America, U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, Latin America and Benelux, where it will release theatrically this year. Mubi has also acquired the rights for Turkey and India. The Match Factory, owned by Mubi, is handling sales for all other territories.
Written and directed by Fargeat, who made a noise with her debut, 2017’s action-thriller “Revenge,” “The Substance” goes into Cannes with a significant amount of intrigue, having been produced by Working Title, the Brit banner best known for rom-coms and prestige dramas.
“Have you ever dreamed of a better version of yourself?” reads the...
- 5/8/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Primates will rule (the box office) again!
Disney’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is aiming for $50 million to $55 million from 3,700 theaters in its domestic debut, which will easily be enough to tower over the box office chart. Those ticket sales are roughly even with two of the three prior installments in 20th Century’s rebooted “Planet of the Apes” franchise: 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes” opened to $56.2 million and 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” opened to $54.8 million, while 2014’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” notched a series-best $72 million.
At the international box office, where “Apes” movies tend to make the bulk of their revenues, this installment is tracking to collect $80 million to $90 million. Based on those projections, the film should end up on Sunday with a solid $130 million to $140 million at the global box office.
Directed by Wes Ball,...
Disney’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is aiming for $50 million to $55 million from 3,700 theaters in its domestic debut, which will easily be enough to tower over the box office chart. Those ticket sales are roughly even with two of the three prior installments in 20th Century’s rebooted “Planet of the Apes” franchise: 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes” opened to $56.2 million and 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” opened to $54.8 million, while 2014’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” notched a series-best $72 million.
At the international box office, where “Apes” movies tend to make the bulk of their revenues, this installment is tracking to collect $80 million to $90 million. Based on those projections, the film should end up on Sunday with a solid $130 million to $140 million at the global box office.
Directed by Wes Ball,...
- 5/7/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety - Film News
SXSW will host its inaugural London edition in June 2025, festival brass said on Wednesday.
The event will take place over one week across multiple spaces in Shoreditch in East London, and will feature keynotes, music showcases, tech, gaming, and screen, placing an emphasis on creative talent from around Europe.
The announcement comes after the festival expanded to Sydney last year and the initiative was welcomed on Wednesday by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and culture secretary Lucy Frazer.
Khan called the initiative “a historic opportunity for London to once again bring the world’s most exciting talent together as part...
The event will take place over one week across multiple spaces in Shoreditch in East London, and will feature keynotes, music showcases, tech, gaming, and screen, placing an emphasis on creative talent from around Europe.
The announcement comes after the festival expanded to Sydney last year and the initiative was welcomed on Wednesday by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and culture secretary Lucy Frazer.
Khan called the initiative “a historic opportunity for London to once again bring the world’s most exciting talent together as part...
- 5/9/2024
- ScreenDaily
Alec Baldwin’s lawyers have filed two more motions to throw out his manslaughter indictment in the “Rust” case in New Mexico.
Meanwhile, Rory Kennedy, who is making a documentary about Baldwin and the “Rust” shooting, is fighting a subpoena that would force her to turn over interview footage to the prosecutors in the case.
Baldwin faces a trial in July on a charge of negligently causing the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The actor was preparing to film a scene in the Western film in October 2021 when his Colt .45 fired, striking Hutchins and also wounding the director.
The armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, was sentenced last month to 18 months in prison for mistakenly loading a live bullet into the gun.
Baldwin’s latest motions argue that the charge is not legally justified, and that he has been deprived of a fair trial because the FBI broke the gun in the case during testing.
Meanwhile, Rory Kennedy, who is making a documentary about Baldwin and the “Rust” shooting, is fighting a subpoena that would force her to turn over interview footage to the prosecutors in the case.
Baldwin faces a trial in July on a charge of negligently causing the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The actor was preparing to film a scene in the Western film in October 2021 when his Colt .45 fired, striking Hutchins and also wounding the director.
The armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, was sentenced last month to 18 months in prison for mistakenly loading a live bullet into the gun.
Baldwin’s latest motions argue that the charge is not legally justified, and that he has been deprived of a fair trial because the FBI broke the gun in the case during testing.
- 5/9/2024
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety - Film News
The Coven has boarded Patricia Heaton-led horror The Beldham from Wicked Myth Films and heads to Cannes with worldwide sales rights.
Angela Gulner’s feature debut follows single mother Harper played by Katie Parker (The Fall Of The House Of Usher) who moves in with her own mother (Heaton) to renovate a fading suburban farmhouse.
Before long, Harper finds herself haunted by a threatening presence that seems to desire her infant child. Inspired by folklore about the Beldham, an old hag that feeds on the souls of the young, the film blurs the lines between myth and the true...
Angela Gulner’s feature debut follows single mother Harper played by Katie Parker (The Fall Of The House Of Usher) who moves in with her own mother (Heaton) to renovate a fading suburban farmhouse.
Before long, Harper finds herself haunted by a threatening presence that seems to desire her infant child. Inspired by folklore about the Beldham, an old hag that feeds on the souls of the young, the film blurs the lines between myth and the true...
- 5/9/2024
- ScreenDaily
Grace Caroline Currey has joined the cast of “The Breed,” and is set to lead the film. Directed by brothers Sean and Bryan Furst, the film is an “unconventional reimagining of the Wes Craven cult classic.” The brothers will produce together through their company, Curmudgeon Films.
The film centers around Currey’s character Violet, “a rebel icon and badass on a mission to search for abandoned dogs on a remote island which leads to complete adrenaline-fueled terror.”
Currey most recently starred in Lionsgate’s adventure thriller, “Fall,” directed by Scott Mann. The film follows two daredevil climbers, Becky (Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner), who decide to scale the B67 TV tower — an abandoned 2,000-foot communication tower that juts up in the middle of the California desert.
She also portrayed superhero Mary Marvel and Mary Bromfield in “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” alongside co-stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer,...
The film centers around Currey’s character Violet, “a rebel icon and badass on a mission to search for abandoned dogs on a remote island which leads to complete adrenaline-fueled terror.”
Currey most recently starred in Lionsgate’s adventure thriller, “Fall,” directed by Scott Mann. The film follows two daredevil climbers, Becky (Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner), who decide to scale the B67 TV tower — an abandoned 2,000-foot communication tower that juts up in the middle of the California desert.
She also portrayed superhero Mary Marvel and Mary Bromfield in “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” alongside co-stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - Film News
Kristen Stewart recently graced the cover of Porter magazine and called out “phony” Hollywood for how it often self-congratulates itself for doing away with the patriarchy when in reality, Hollywood has just prioritized a select group of women to operate in the studio world. While progress is being made, Stewart rang the alarm by saying changes for women in Hollywood are not as broad as Hollywood might like to make it out to be.
“[There’s a] thinking that we can check these little boxes, and then do away with the patriarchy, and how we’re all made of it,” Stewart said. “It’s easy for them to be like, ‘Look what we’re doing. We’re making Maggie Gyllenhaal’s movie! We’re making Margot Robbie’s movie!’ And you’re like, ‘Ok, cool. You’ve chosen four.'”
“And I’m in awe of those women, I love those women, [but] it feels phony,...
“[There’s a] thinking that we can check these little boxes, and then do away with the patriarchy, and how we’re all made of it,” Stewart said. “It’s easy for them to be like, ‘Look what we’re doing. We’re making Maggie Gyllenhaal’s movie! We’re making Margot Robbie’s movie!’ And you’re like, ‘Ok, cool. You’ve chosen four.'”
“And I’m in awe of those women, I love those women, [but] it feels phony,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
Apple TV+ released a new trailer for its drama “Fancy Dance” starring Lily Gladstone and Isabel Deroy-Olson.
The film follows Jax (Gladstone), who has cared for her niece Rokie (Deroy-Olson) since her sister’s disappearance by scraping by on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma. Every spare minute goes into finding her missing sister while also helping Roki prepare for an upcoming powwow. When she risks losing custody of Roki, the two hit the road and scour backcountry to track down Roki’s mother in time for the powwow.
“Fancy Dance,” a Confluential Films and Significant Productions/Aum Group production, is produced by Deidre Backs, Erica Tremblay, Heather Rae, Nina Yang Bongiovi and Tommy Oliver. Bird Runningwater, Lily Gladstone, Forest Whitaker and Charlotte Koh serve as executive producers.
Watch the trailer below.
DeNiro Con Unveils Lineup for Event During Tribeca Festival
DeNiro Con, celebrating 80 years of the actor who co-founded the Tribeca festival,...
The film follows Jax (Gladstone), who has cared for her niece Rokie (Deroy-Olson) since her sister’s disappearance by scraping by on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma. Every spare minute goes into finding her missing sister while also helping Roki prepare for an upcoming powwow. When she risks losing custody of Roki, the two hit the road and scour backcountry to track down Roki’s mother in time for the powwow.
“Fancy Dance,” a Confluential Films and Significant Productions/Aum Group production, is produced by Deidre Backs, Erica Tremblay, Heather Rae, Nina Yang Bongiovi and Tommy Oliver. Bird Runningwater, Lily Gladstone, Forest Whitaker and Charlotte Koh serve as executive producers.
Watch the trailer below.
DeNiro Con Unveils Lineup for Event During Tribeca Festival
DeNiro Con, celebrating 80 years of the actor who co-founded the Tribeca festival,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay, Lexi Carson and Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - Film News
The Art Directors Guild is suspending its Production Design Initiative program, designed to give hands-on training and job placement opportunities to those seeking a career in the field, according to an email sent to prospective applicants and acquired by IndieWire. (Read the full statement below.)
In the email, Adg cited its membership’s 75 percent unemployment as the reason, concluding: “Given this situation we cannot in good conscience encourage you to pursue our profession while so many of our members remain unemployed.”
The Adg is one of the largest IATSE locals with approximately 3,000 members, and houses a wide range of art department professions including production designers, art directors, set designers, illustrators, model makers, as well as matte, scenic, previs, and graphic artists.
The industry has not resumed a full, pre-strikes level of productions, and it remains unclear if a return to that status quo is possible in a Hollywood gripped by ever-higher costs,...
In the email, Adg cited its membership’s 75 percent unemployment as the reason, concluding: “Given this situation we cannot in good conscience encourage you to pursue our profession while so many of our members remain unemployed.”
The Adg is one of the largest IATSE locals with approximately 3,000 members, and houses a wide range of art department professions including production designers, art directors, set designers, illustrators, model makers, as well as matte, scenic, previs, and graphic artists.
The industry has not resumed a full, pre-strikes level of productions, and it remains unclear if a return to that status quo is possible in a Hollywood gripped by ever-higher costs,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt and Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
If, like many of us, you're often struck by just how many subscription services you're paying for, you'll probably be pleased to learn that there'll soon be an easier way to bundle three of the biggest into one subscription. As per The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney are teaming up to offer a streaming package that will bundle Disney+, Hulu, and Max into one subscription. The bundle is set to arrive this summer complete with the increasingly prevalent ad-free and ad-supported options. As of now, there's no exact release date or pricing details, but there will surely be more news on that front in the very near future.
While Warner Discovery CEO David Zaslav has made a habit of partnering with other studios since taking on the Warner Bros. brand, licensing certain movies and TV shows to Roku and Tubi and previously licensing HBO originals to Netflix, this...
While Warner Discovery CEO David Zaslav has made a habit of partnering with other studios since taking on the Warner Bros. brand, licensing certain movies and TV shows to Roku and Tubi and previously licensing HBO originals to Netflix, this...
- 5/8/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Filmmaker Michael Lindsay-Hogg is having a bit of a “hail the conquering hero” moment that very few people would have expected him to be having this far into the 21st century, least of all himself. Although he has had many successes in film and in the theater over the last 60 years or so, he remains most famous as the director of the Beatles documentary “Let It Be” — and that 1970 film remains most famous as something that has been kept locked in the vault since it got a brief VHS and laserdisc release in the early 1980s. Shot in 1969 as the Beatles recorded their next-to-last album, “Let It Be” has been remembered largely as a glum look at a great band, rehearsing not so much for an album or concert as rehearsing for a breakup.
But what if it wasn’t really that at all? Two surprising developments have occurred to...
But what if it wasn’t really that at all? Two surprising developments have occurred to...
- 5/8/2024
- by Chris Willman
- Variety - Film News
Spoilers for "X-Men '97" follow.
In Part 1 of "X-Men '97" finale, "Tolerance is Extinction," Bastion's Sentinels crashed the party at the X-Mansion. Despite Wolverine and Nightcrawler holding them off, the mansion got pretty trashed.
So in Part 2, the X-Men go to an old base on Scotland's Muir Island (cue the bagpipes), once owned by Professor X's old friend Moira MacTaggert (who died in the Genosha massacre back in episode 5, "Remember It"). On Muir Island, the X-Men stock up on supplies and a new Blackbird jet.
Since this is a back-up base, their costumes are out-of-date; these "new" designs are actually going backwards in comic history. In a nod to this, as they suit up, Cyclop asks a nonplussed Cable: "What were you expecting, black leather?", flipping a joke about yellow spandex costumes from the 2000 "X-Men" movie. The original "X-Men" cartoon also started in media res with the team already assembled,...
In Part 1 of "X-Men '97" finale, "Tolerance is Extinction," Bastion's Sentinels crashed the party at the X-Mansion. Despite Wolverine and Nightcrawler holding them off, the mansion got pretty trashed.
So in Part 2, the X-Men go to an old base on Scotland's Muir Island (cue the bagpipes), once owned by Professor X's old friend Moira MacTaggert (who died in the Genosha massacre back in episode 5, "Remember It"). On Muir Island, the X-Men stock up on supplies and a new Blackbird jet.
Since this is a back-up base, their costumes are out-of-date; these "new" designs are actually going backwards in comic history. In a nod to this, as they suit up, Cyclop asks a nonplussed Cable: "What were you expecting, black leather?", flipping a joke about yellow spandex costumes from the 2000 "X-Men" movie. The original "X-Men" cartoon also started in media res with the team already assembled,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Here’s a bundle we can get behind. Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are teaming up on a mega-streaming bundle that will package Disney+, Hulu, and Max for one price.
The bundle will be available starting this summer. Pricing has not been revealed.
Currently, the Disney+ and Hulu bundle is $9.99 per month for an ad-supported plan and $19.99 per month without ads. Max runs you $9.99 with ads or $99.99 for an annual plan, and $15.99 per month or $149.99 per year for its basic ad-free plan. The premium plan is $19.99 per month.
Disney and Warner Bros. said in a statement that the ad-supported and ad-free bundles will be available for purchase on any of the three streaming platforms’ websites.
This bundle is not to be confused with the jointly owned sports streaming service coming later this year between Disney, Wbd, and Fox. We’re still waiting on a name for that, presuming it isn...
The bundle will be available starting this summer. Pricing has not been revealed.
Currently, the Disney+ and Hulu bundle is $9.99 per month for an ad-supported plan and $19.99 per month without ads. Max runs you $9.99 with ads or $99.99 for an annual plan, and $15.99 per month or $149.99 per year for its basic ad-free plan. The premium plan is $19.99 per month.
Disney and Warner Bros. said in a statement that the ad-supported and ad-free bundles will be available for purchase on any of the three streaming platforms’ websites.
This bundle is not to be confused with the jointly owned sports streaming service coming later this year between Disney, Wbd, and Fox. We’re still waiting on a name for that, presuming it isn...
- 5/8/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
It has been 56 years since “Planet of the Apes,” arguably one of the greatest science fiction films of all time. To see the franchise display such promising growth and evolution almost six decades later is phenomenal and deeply heartening. That’s especially so at a time when Hollywood is enduring one of its most challenging eras. The fourth installment in the franchise reboot, “Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes,” takes place 300 years after the events of 2017’s “War For The Planet of the Apes.”
At the center of this story is a young chimpanzee named Noa, played by Owen Teague, forced to make a perilous journey after his village is destroyed and his family and community are either slaughtered or abducted by the army of Kevin Durand’s megalomaniacal Proximus Caesar.
Continue reading ‘Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes’ Review: Wes Ball Delivers A Bold, Engaging Vision & Solid...
At the center of this story is a young chimpanzee named Noa, played by Owen Teague, forced to make a perilous journey after his village is destroyed and his family and community are either slaughtered or abducted by the army of Kevin Durand’s megalomaniacal Proximus Caesar.
Continue reading ‘Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes’ Review: Wes Ball Delivers A Bold, Engaging Vision & Solid...
- 5/8/2024
- by Simon Thompson
- The Playlist
Chris Pine was taken by surprise when news hit that Steve Yockey, creator of the Max series “The Flight Attendant,” had signed on to write the script for “Star Trek 4.” Why? “I thought there was already a script,” the actor recently told Business Insider during an interview on his “Poolman” press tour.
Pine’s not wrong, as a potential “Star Trek 4” has gone through multiple iterations in the years since the 2016 release of “Star Trek Beyond.” Pine took on the role of Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams’ 2009 franchise reboot “Star Trek,” and reprised the character in 2013’s “Star Trek Into Darkness” and 2016’s “Beyond.” Variety exclusively reported in March that Paramount Pictures remained committed to making a fourth “Star Trek” film to be headlined by Pine and his co-stars.
The actor’s fellow “Star Trek” cast members include Zachary Quinto (as Cmdr. Spock), Zoe Saldaña (as Lt.
Pine’s not wrong, as a potential “Star Trek 4” has gone through multiple iterations in the years since the 2016 release of “Star Trek Beyond.” Pine took on the role of Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams’ 2009 franchise reboot “Star Trek,” and reprised the character in 2013’s “Star Trek Into Darkness” and 2016’s “Beyond.” Variety exclusively reported in March that Paramount Pictures remained committed to making a fourth “Star Trek” film to be headlined by Pine and his co-stars.
The actor’s fellow “Star Trek” cast members include Zachary Quinto (as Cmdr. Spock), Zoe Saldaña (as Lt.
- 5/8/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
Australian director George Miller made his first feature film, "Mad Max," in 1979. It was a very low-budget affair costing about $200,000. The film takes place in the near future when the Earth is running low on oil and civilization is just beginning to crumble. "Mad" Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) is a road cop tasked with reigning in the chaos. "Mad Max" was decidedly low-fi, but it struck a chord with audiences, ultimately earning almost $100 million worldwide. It remains one of the most profitable movies of all time, comparable only to "The Blair Witch Project," "Paranormal Activity," and "Deep Throat." Miller would go on to make several sequels to "Mad Max" in 1981, 1985, and 2015. The fifth film in the series, "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga," is hitting theaters this month, with a potential sixth entry, "Mad Max: The Wasteland," in the early planning stages.
Miller recently participated in a "Furiosa" screening and Q&a event,...
Miller recently participated in a "Furiosa" screening and Q&a event,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
It’s not always easy to find out which movies hit theaters each week, especially after the Hollywood strikes led to many release date changes. With the WGA and actors strikes resolved and summer blockbusters starting to roll in, May is filled with both big budget flicks and new indie releases.
Premiering May 10 is Wes Ball’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” the newest installment in the “Apes” franchise about a young chimp who must save his clan from the evil king Proximus Caesar starring Owen Teague, Freya Allen, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon and William H. Macy. Also hitting theaters is Chris Pine’s directorial debut “Poolman,” a noir comedy about a pool cleaner who stumbles upon a mystery at a Los Angeles apartment block starring Pine, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Danny DeVito and Annette Bening. Two films getting limited releases this week are “Lazareth,” a thriller following a...
Premiering May 10 is Wes Ball’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” the newest installment in the “Apes” franchise about a young chimp who must save his clan from the evil king Proximus Caesar starring Owen Teague, Freya Allen, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon and William H. Macy. Also hitting theaters is Chris Pine’s directorial debut “Poolman,” a noir comedy about a pool cleaner who stumbles upon a mystery at a Los Angeles apartment block starring Pine, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Danny DeVito and Annette Bening. Two films getting limited releases this week are “Lazareth,” a thriller following a...
- 5/8/2024
- by Pat Saperstein and Jack Dunn
- Variety - Film News
The other night, I had a hankering to watch a good high-concept movie I'd never seen before. I saw 2014's "Coherence" on a few lists, and being almost wholly unfamiliar with it, I decided to fire it up and give it a shot. Thankfully, this film gave me exactly what I was looking for.
Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon, Elizabeth Gracen, Alex Manugian, Lauren Maher, Hugo Armstrong, and eventual "Hustlers" director Lorene Scafaria star in this ultra-low budget brain melter about a group of friends gathering for a dinner party while a comet passes by overhead. When the power goes out, a couple of them trek up the street to a neighboring house with the lights on -- only to discover something that shakes them to their core. I won't get into the specifics here, but the film has an incredible conceit, and director James Ward Byrkit, who shot...
Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon, Elizabeth Gracen, Alex Manugian, Lauren Maher, Hugo Armstrong, and eventual "Hustlers" director Lorene Scafaria star in this ultra-low budget brain melter about a group of friends gathering for a dinner party while a comet passes by overhead. When the power goes out, a couple of them trek up the street to a neighboring house with the lights on -- only to discover something that shakes them to their core. I won't get into the specifics here, but the film has an incredible conceit, and director James Ward Byrkit, who shot...
- 5/8/2024
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
What really happened during the 48 hours leading up to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy — at least according to mob bosses — is heading to the big screen in the upcoming film “November 1963: The Killing of a President.”
The mob’s version of events were passed down to Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana’s nephew, Nicholas Celozzi, by Sam’s brother, the late Joseph “Pepe” Giancana, who drove around with his brother Sam during those two days.
“The reason why there’s this fascination or anxiety is because people know that what they’ve heard so far doesn’t make sense,” Celozzi tells Variety of the ongoing interest in the circumstances surrounding JFK’s assassination, even 60 years later. “They keep talking about it because they’re waiting to hear something that makes more common sense.”
Celozzi, whose film producing and writing credits include “The Legitimate Wiseguy,” “The Class” and...
The mob’s version of events were passed down to Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana’s nephew, Nicholas Celozzi, by Sam’s brother, the late Joseph “Pepe” Giancana, who drove around with his brother Sam during those two days.
“The reason why there’s this fascination or anxiety is because people know that what they’ve heard so far doesn’t make sense,” Celozzi tells Variety of the ongoing interest in the circumstances surrounding JFK’s assassination, even 60 years later. “They keep talking about it because they’re waiting to hear something that makes more common sense.”
Celozzi, whose film producing and writing credits include “The Legitimate Wiseguy,” “The Class” and...
- 5/8/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety - Film News
Sydney Sweeney is getting in the ring.
The breakout from, well, basically everything she’s done lately is set to play boxer Christy Martin in an upcoming biopic directed by David Michôd (“Animal Kingdom”). Insert your own joke here about being a knockout. The script for the untitled project was written by Mirrah Foulkes and Michôd.
Martin was the most successful female boxer of the 1990s. She signed with Don King and is the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Martin became welterweight champion — but that was about the end of the good things in her life. Christy was physically abused by husband Jim Martin, who was eventually convicted of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Christy Martin’s life is documented in “Untold,” the excellent series of documentaries by Chaplain and Maclain Way. Her episode is subtitled “Deal with the Devil,...
The breakout from, well, basically everything she’s done lately is set to play boxer Christy Martin in an upcoming biopic directed by David Michôd (“Animal Kingdom”). Insert your own joke here about being a knockout. The script for the untitled project was written by Mirrah Foulkes and Michôd.
Martin was the most successful female boxer of the 1990s. She signed with Don King and is the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Martin became welterweight champion — but that was about the end of the good things in her life. Christy was physically abused by husband Jim Martin, who was eventually convicted of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Christy Martin’s life is documented in “Untold,” the excellent series of documentaries by Chaplain and Maclain Way. Her episode is subtitled “Deal with the Devil,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
The Millennium Docs Against Gravity Festival, taking place in Warsaw from Friday until May 16, has grown exponentially in the last few years. In fact it is now, as the people behind it proclaim, “the largest cultural event in Poland.”
Artistic director Karol Piekarczyk explains, “There is a culture of watching films and of watching films with subtitles in Poland. It’s quite unique. There are a lot of arthouse cinemas, in comparison to the U.K. for example. Even in small cities.” Which is why the festival doesn’t play only in Warsaw but in six other cities around Poland.
Piekarczyk has worked for the festival for the past seven years and this edition will be his fourth as artistic director. He sees his job as “reminding everyone that our priority is and has always been the audience. However, we are a documentary festival, and whether we like it or not,...
Artistic director Karol Piekarczyk explains, “There is a culture of watching films and of watching films with subtitles in Poland. It’s quite unique. There are a lot of arthouse cinemas, in comparison to the U.K. for example. Even in small cities.” Which is why the festival doesn’t play only in Warsaw but in six other cities around Poland.
Piekarczyk has worked for the festival for the past seven years and this edition will be his fourth as artistic director. He sees his job as “reminding everyone that our priority is and has always been the audience. However, we are a documentary festival, and whether we like it or not,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Murtada Elfadl
- Variety - Film News
Movie theaters can’t sell tickets if they don’t have a lot of new blockbusters to advertise on their marquees. And the actors and writers strikes that ground Hollywood to a standstill in 2023 left studios with fewer movies to release as 2024 got started. As the biggest exhibitor in the world, AMC Theatres certainly felt the lack of franchise movies and tentpole films as the year kicked off, but the company still managed to beat projections with its quarterly earnings. That was partly thanks to the March release of “Dune: Part Two” and “Kung Fu Panda 4,” popular sequels that helped off-set declining admissions in January and February.
Despite the late breaking entry of some must-see movies, revenues at the the theater chain fell to $951.4 million from $954.4 million in the prior-year quarter. However, net losses for the three-month period ending in March narrowed to $163.5 million, or 62 cents per share. That...
Despite the late breaking entry of some must-see movies, revenues at the the theater chain fell to $951.4 million from $954.4 million in the prior-year quarter. However, net losses for the three-month period ending in March narrowed to $163.5 million, or 62 cents per share. That...
- 5/8/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety - Film News
It's been seven years since director Matt Reeves concluded Caesar's story with 2017's "War for the Planet of the Apes." But that movie wasn't the definitive ending for the long-running sci-fi franchise by any means. Now, the apes are finally back on the big screen in director Wes Ball's "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." Featuring a new cast in a new timeline years removed from the previous trilogy, this is a new start for the series. So, are moviegoers going to have to stick around during the credits to see what the future holds?
Credits scenes are a staple of franchise filmmaking in the modern era. Given that Disney is now in control of "Planet of the Apes," it doesn't feel out of character for there to be a tease of something else to come down the line. For those headed to a theater to see "Kingdom,...
Credits scenes are a staple of franchise filmmaking in the modern era. Given that Disney is now in control of "Planet of the Apes," it doesn't feel out of character for there to be a tease of something else to come down the line. For those headed to a theater to see "Kingdom,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
“Let It Be,” the legendary 1970 Beatles documentary that has been out of circulation since the ’80s, is now streaming on Disney+ in a new restoration by Peter Jackson and his Park Road Post Production. This long-lost Beatles artifact, which inspired Jackson to dig deeper with his Emmy-winning “The Beatles: Get Back” docuseries, captures director Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s fly-on-the-wall snapshot of the Fab Four’s creatively productive yet tense studio sessions for their final two albums — “Let It Be” and “Abbey Road” — followed by their joyous rooftop concert at Apple Corps headquarters.
“Peter’s a Beatles fan par excellence and, through his investigation [for ‘Get Back’], he ended up with this wonderful giant’s mood of a movie because he had the time to do it,” Lindsay-Hogg told IndieWire. “And also because he was a great tinkerer as well, he was able to come up with visual things and audio things that...
“Peter’s a Beatles fan par excellence and, through his investigation [for ‘Get Back’], he ended up with this wonderful giant’s mood of a movie because he had the time to do it,” Lindsay-Hogg told IndieWire. “And also because he was a great tinkerer as well, he was able to come up with visual things and audio things that...
- 5/8/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
17,000 fans. The reunion of an American football dynasty and the coach no one expected to show. Televised live around the world while the reputation of a man considered “the greatest of all time” sits in the hands of savage comedians and one-time foes. What could go wrong?
But here we are, just days after Tom Brady took to the stage at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles for Sunday’s “The Greatest Roast of All Time,” and the walls are still standing. For decades roast comedy has been a beloved national tradition, once shepherded on TV by Comedy Central. It was a show that often targeted Hollywood legends or zeitgeist icons. It took the willingness of Brady, who holds a record 7 Super Bowl rings, to reinvigorate the format for streaming under host Kevin Hart. And not just any roast, which would typically be shot on a Hollywood backlot and edited ahead of its premiere.
But here we are, just days after Tom Brady took to the stage at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles for Sunday’s “The Greatest Roast of All Time,” and the walls are still standing. For decades roast comedy has been a beloved national tradition, once shepherded on TV by Comedy Central. It was a show that often targeted Hollywood legends or zeitgeist icons. It took the willingness of Brady, who holds a record 7 Super Bowl rings, to reinvigorate the format for streaming under host Kevin Hart. And not just any roast, which would typically be shot on a Hollywood backlot and edited ahead of its premiere.
- 5/8/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety - Film News
One of the best recent rule changes the Television Academy recently made was the 2020 decision to expand the Drama and Comedy series categories to include eight nominees, regardless of the number of entries. But if the goal of the Primetime Emmys is to be reflective of the shows that most engaged viewers and voters alike throughout the TV season, it needs to now go one step further. The TV Academy needs to expand the Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series category to eight nominees as well.
In the decade since they have re-split the Limited Series and TV Movie categories there have been plenty of winners that were a cultural moment, from “The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story” to “Big Little Lies” to “Watchmen,” but these event series were not as common an occurrence. Then the Covid-19 pandemic happened, an event that has had ramifications to the television schedule still present today.
In the decade since they have re-split the Limited Series and TV Movie categories there have been plenty of winners that were a cultural moment, from “The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story” to “Big Little Lies” to “Watchmen,” but these event series were not as common an occurrence. Then the Covid-19 pandemic happened, an event that has had ramifications to the television schedule still present today.
- 5/8/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Spoilers for "X-Men '97" to follow.
"I am trying to be better," proclaimed Magneto — "Please... do not make me let you down." He was speaking to a small United Nations panel, but addressing humanity as a whole. So, of course, mankind again forced his iron (controlling) fist.
As of episode 9, "Tolerance Is Extinction Part 2," Magneto is once more an antagonist to the X-Men (I won't say "bad guy"). He puts on his old red outfit, complete with the telepathy-blocking helmet. Regrettably, I don't think we'll be seeing Magneto back in the opening credits team line-up anytime soon, if ever again.
This heel U-turn is far from unmotivated, though. The season's Big Bad, Bastion, orchestrated the genocide of mutant nation Genosha and intends to build a future where human/Sentinel hybrids rule enslaved mutants. Magneto is a Holocaust survivor (a tragic backstory that "X-Men '97" has maintained). He's always refused to...
"I am trying to be better," proclaimed Magneto — "Please... do not make me let you down." He was speaking to a small United Nations panel, but addressing humanity as a whole. So, of course, mankind again forced his iron (controlling) fist.
As of episode 9, "Tolerance Is Extinction Part 2," Magneto is once more an antagonist to the X-Men (I won't say "bad guy"). He puts on his old red outfit, complete with the telepathy-blocking helmet. Regrettably, I don't think we'll be seeing Magneto back in the opening credits team line-up anytime soon, if ever again.
This heel U-turn is far from unmotivated, though. The season's Big Bad, Bastion, orchestrated the genocide of mutant nation Genosha and intends to build a future where human/Sentinel hybrids rule enslaved mutants. Magneto is a Holocaust survivor (a tragic backstory that "X-Men '97" has maintained). He's always refused to...
- 5/8/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Mother’s Day means a lot of things — and for many, it means a chance to grab some wire hangers and rekindle a love for the 1981 camp extravaganza “Mommie Dearest.” Starring Oscar winner Faye Dunaway as Oscar winner Joan Crawford, the movie adaptation of a memory by Crawford’s adopted daughter, Christina, was intended to be a serious drama. An awards-bait biopic. Anne Bancroft was attached, initially!
But things went awry, as they always do in the making of a camp classic. And while we wait for Dunaway to address the movie anew in the upcoming “Faye” documentary about her life and career premiering at Cannes, we have A. Ashley Hoff’s making-of book “With Love, Mommie Dearest: The Making of an Unintentional Camp Classic” to tide us over.
One of the most remarkable things Hoff uncovered in his voluminous research is just how enthralled everyone was by Dunaway’s...
But things went awry, as they always do in the making of a camp classic. And while we wait for Dunaway to address the movie anew in the upcoming “Faye” documentary about her life and career premiering at Cannes, we have A. Ashley Hoff’s making-of book “With Love, Mommie Dearest: The Making of an Unintentional Camp Classic” to tide us over.
One of the most remarkable things Hoff uncovered in his voluminous research is just how enthralled everyone was by Dunaway’s...
- 5/8/2024
- by Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
Unlike big-budget blockbusters that often depend on famous faces or explosive (and expensive) set pieces to draw audiences into the theater, the horror genre has been thriving for decades with no-name actors, shoestring budgets, and still pulling in huge profits thanks to a quality idea that audiences want to see. If the characters in the film are more than likely not going to make it to the end credits, there's no need to shell out the dough for a household name when they're just going to be killed off.
Fortunately, horror films also frequently inspire unprovoked reactions from audiences that work better than any marketing campaign ever could. A24 struck gold when audience members were reportedly fainting during preview screenings of "Talk to Me," which certainly helped skyrocket the film's popularity and contributed to it becoming the production company's highest-grossing horror film, ever, even surpassing Ari Aster's "Hereditary."
IFC Films...
Fortunately, horror films also frequently inspire unprovoked reactions from audiences that work better than any marketing campaign ever could. A24 struck gold when audience members were reportedly fainting during preview screenings of "Talk to Me," which certainly helped skyrocket the film's popularity and contributed to it becoming the production company's highest-grossing horror film, ever, even surpassing Ari Aster's "Hereditary."
IFC Films...
- 5/8/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Heading into Cannes, Utopia has secured worldwide rights to college fraternity thriller The Line starring Alex Wolff, Halle Bailey, Austin Abrams, Lewis Pullman, and the late Euphoria star Angus Cloud.
Ethan Berger’s feature debut premiered in Tribeca last year and explores the cult-like aggression in fraternity culture and the antiquated traditions perpetuated in educational institutions.
Wolff (Hereditary) stars in the Chaos Cedar Production as Tom, a university sophomore who gets caught up in fraternity politics when he is lined up as a potential successor to the group’s president. Berger and Alex Russek co-wrote the screenplay.
Bailey starred in The Little Mermaid,...
Ethan Berger’s feature debut premiered in Tribeca last year and explores the cult-like aggression in fraternity culture and the antiquated traditions perpetuated in educational institutions.
Wolff (Hereditary) stars in the Chaos Cedar Production as Tom, a university sophomore who gets caught up in fraternity politics when he is lined up as a potential successor to the group’s president. Berger and Alex Russek co-wrote the screenplay.
Bailey starred in The Little Mermaid,...
- 5/8/2024
- ScreenDaily
Guy Nattiv’s “Harmonia” has cast Naomi Watts, Vicky Krieps, Bella Ramsey and Odessa Young as Embankment Films, Range Media Partners and CAA Media Finance launch pre-sales ahead of Cannes.
Inspired by a real-life events, the film is based on Nattiv’s grandmother and her involvement in an insidious cult.
The synopsis reads: “Set in the 1980s, Rita (Watts) is entranced by the mesmeric leader (Krieps) and renounces her family to embrace the world of the enigmatic Harmonia commune. Her daughters, Ella (Ramsey), and Jo (Young), put everything on the line to infiltrate the cult and bring their mother back home. Yet, once immersed in the commune, they find themselves inexorably drawn into the leader’s labyrinthine web of psycho-spiritual manipulation.”
Producers for the film are Julia Lebedev and Eddie Vaisman for Sight Unseen, Jaime Ray Newman for New Native Pictures, and Oren Moverman. The film is co-written by Noa Berman-Herzberg.
Inspired by a real-life events, the film is based on Nattiv’s grandmother and her involvement in an insidious cult.
The synopsis reads: “Set in the 1980s, Rita (Watts) is entranced by the mesmeric leader (Krieps) and renounces her family to embrace the world of the enigmatic Harmonia commune. Her daughters, Ella (Ramsey), and Jo (Young), put everything on the line to infiltrate the cult and bring their mother back home. Yet, once immersed in the commune, they find themselves inexorably drawn into the leader’s labyrinthine web of psycho-spiritual manipulation.”
Producers for the film are Julia Lebedev and Eddie Vaisman for Sight Unseen, Jaime Ray Newman for New Native Pictures, and Oren Moverman. The film is co-written by Noa Berman-Herzberg.
- 5/8/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety - Film News
Rasoulof is one of Iran’s leading directors and his film The Seed of the Sacred Fig is due to premiere at Cannes film festival
The Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been sentenced to eight years in prison, flogging, a fine and the confiscation of property, his lawyer has confirmed.
Writing on X, Babak Paknia, a human rights lawyer representing Rasoulof, said that the judgment was confirmed in a court of appeal and the case had now been sent for enforcement.
The Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been sentenced to eight years in prison, flogging, a fine and the confiscation of property, his lawyer has confirmed.
Writing on X, Babak Paknia, a human rights lawyer representing Rasoulof, said that the judgment was confirmed in a court of appeal and the case had now been sent for enforcement.
- 5/8/2024
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
How do our perceptions shape history? Director Jake Paltrow uses three characters to show a historical event’s impact in “June Zero.” The film’s starting point is the 1961 trial of Nazi official Adolf Eichmann, a major Holocaust organizer. A prison guard, a police investigator, and a 13-year-old all find themselves dealing with its aftermath.
For Paltrow, the project signals something profound in his filmography.” I like to think of myself as someone who is working in personal spaces, and on the surface, this may seem like the least personal movie I’ve made, but somehow I feel it is the most personal one,” the filmmaker said.
Continue reading ‘June Zero’ Trailer: Jake Paltrow Examines The Trial Of An Infamous Nazi War Criminal at The Playlist.
For Paltrow, the project signals something profound in his filmography.” I like to think of myself as someone who is working in personal spaces, and on the surface, this may seem like the least personal movie I’ve made, but somehow I feel it is the most personal one,” the filmmaker said.
Continue reading ‘June Zero’ Trailer: Jake Paltrow Examines The Trial Of An Infamous Nazi War Criminal at The Playlist.
- 5/8/2024
- by Valerie Thompson
- The Playlist
For a writer, signing on to “Planet of the Apes” is less an assignment than a calling. After all, it’s the longest-running science-fiction series in film history. So when Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, the husband-and-wife screenwriting and producing team, conceived “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” in 2011, they envisioned more than a single-serving reboot. “We did see that if we played it right, there’d be at least three movies,” Jaffa tells Variety.
He wasn’t wrong: Their four-film stint culminates with “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” the franchise’s 10th installment (and the first in a reported new trilogy). Their tenure follows that of Paul Dehn, who took over screenwriting duties from Rod Serling and Pierre Boulle for the 1970s “Planet of the Apes” sequels. “Kingdom” also echoes the series’ labyrinthine internal timeline, which elapses across a millennia of circular (and occasionally contradictory) storytelling.
He wasn’t wrong: Their four-film stint culminates with “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” the franchise’s 10th installment (and the first in a reported new trilogy). Their tenure follows that of Paul Dehn, who took over screenwriting duties from Rod Serling and Pierre Boulle for the 1970s “Planet of the Apes” sequels. “Kingdom” also echoes the series’ labyrinthine internal timeline, which elapses across a millennia of circular (and occasionally contradictory) storytelling.
- 5/8/2024
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Variety - Film News
What’s the new way governments can control its populations? By controlling their food.
Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, whose documentary “Blackfish” exposed the animal cruelty at SeaWorld, follows journalist Nathan Halverson as he uncovers the colonization of food and water by the wealthiest nations. “The Grab” is billed as a global thriller combining hard-hitting journalism from The Center for Investigative Reporting with compelling character-driven storytelling spanning across the globe. It is one of Participant Media’s final films.
Per its synopsis, quietly and seemingly out of sight, governments, private investors, and mercenaries are working to seize food and water resources at the expense of entire populations. These groups are establishing themselves as the new Opec, where the future world powers will be those who control not oil, but food. And it’s all beginning to bubble to the surface in real time. Global food prices have hit an all-time high, threatening chaos and violence.
Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, whose documentary “Blackfish” exposed the animal cruelty at SeaWorld, follows journalist Nathan Halverson as he uncovers the colonization of food and water by the wealthiest nations. “The Grab” is billed as a global thriller combining hard-hitting journalism from The Center for Investigative Reporting with compelling character-driven storytelling spanning across the globe. It is one of Participant Media’s final films.
Per its synopsis, quietly and seemingly out of sight, governments, private investors, and mercenaries are working to seize food and water resources at the expense of entire populations. These groups are establishing themselves as the new Opec, where the future world powers will be those who control not oil, but food. And it’s all beginning to bubble to the surface in real time. Global food prices have hit an all-time high, threatening chaos and violence.
- 5/8/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Motion Picture Exchange (Mpx) is kicking off worldwide sales in Cannes next week on the horror title It Feeds starring Ashley Greene from the Twilight Saga and Shawn Ashmore from the X-Men franchise.
Chad Archibald wrote and directed the Black Fawn Films production about a young girl who insists that a malevolent entity is feeding on her.
Greene portrays a clairvoyant therapist who must confront her own demons to save the girl before she is lost forever. Ashmore plays the girl’s father.
Ellie O’Brien, Shayelin Martin, Mark Taylor, and Juno Rinaldi round out the cast.
Archibald produced alongside Cody Calahan...
Chad Archibald wrote and directed the Black Fawn Films production about a young girl who insists that a malevolent entity is feeding on her.
Greene portrays a clairvoyant therapist who must confront her own demons to save the girl before she is lost forever. Ashmore plays the girl’s father.
Ellie O’Brien, Shayelin Martin, Mark Taylor, and Juno Rinaldi round out the cast.
Archibald produced alongside Cody Calahan...
- 5/8/2024
- ScreenDaily
‘Death on the Nile’ Star Ali Fazal Joins Cast of Kamal Haasan, Mani Ratnam’s ‘Thug Life’ (Exclusive)
Indian actor Ali Fazal has joined the cast of Mani Ratnam’s “Thug Life,” starring Kamal Haasan.
The cast also includes Trisha Krishnan, Dulquer Salmaan, Jayam Ravi, Silambarasan Rajendar, Joju George, Gautham Kartik and Aishwarya Lekshmi.
The film, which hails from the gangster genre, is written by Ratnam and Haasan and produced by Raaj Kamal Films International, Madras Talkies and Red Giant Movies. Haasan, Ratnam, R. Mahendran and Siva Ananth serve as producers. Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Grammy winning composer A.R. Rahman will provide the music. Noted cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran, who previously shot “Kannathil Muthamittal” (2002), “Aayitha Ezhuthu” and “Yuva” (both 2004) for Ratnam, is shooting the film.
Haasan and Ratnam previously teamed on gangster epic “Nayakan” (1987). The film was a watershed in both their careers. It was a box office blockbuster, won Haasan best actor at India’s National Film Awards and was the country’s entry to the 1988 Oscars.
The cast also includes Trisha Krishnan, Dulquer Salmaan, Jayam Ravi, Silambarasan Rajendar, Joju George, Gautham Kartik and Aishwarya Lekshmi.
The film, which hails from the gangster genre, is written by Ratnam and Haasan and produced by Raaj Kamal Films International, Madras Talkies and Red Giant Movies. Haasan, Ratnam, R. Mahendran and Siva Ananth serve as producers. Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Grammy winning composer A.R. Rahman will provide the music. Noted cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran, who previously shot “Kannathil Muthamittal” (2002), “Aayitha Ezhuthu” and “Yuva” (both 2004) for Ratnam, is shooting the film.
Haasan and Ratnam previously teamed on gangster epic “Nayakan” (1987). The film was a watershed in both their careers. It was a box office blockbuster, won Haasan best actor at India’s National Film Awards and was the country’s entry to the 1988 Oscars.
- 5/8/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Glen Powell, Anthony Mackie, Laura Dern to star in ‘Monsanto’; Rocket Science launching Cannes sales
Glen Powell, Anthony Mackie, and Laura Dern will star in the drama Monsanto from writer-director John Lee Hancock, which Rocket Science and CAA Media Finance will introduce to Cannes buyers next week.
Powell, coming off the box office hit Anyone But You and star of Richard Linklater’s upcoming Hit Man, will play Brent Wisner, a young untested attorney who agrees to represent Dewayne “Lee” Johnson (Mackie) in a case against Monsanto after Johnson was diagnosed with cancer following years of he using the agrochemical giant’s weed killer in his job as a high school groundsman.
During the trial,...
Powell, coming off the box office hit Anyone But You and star of Richard Linklater’s upcoming Hit Man, will play Brent Wisner, a young untested attorney who agrees to represent Dewayne “Lee” Johnson (Mackie) in a case against Monsanto after Johnson was diagnosed with cancer following years of he using the agrochemical giant’s weed killer in his job as a high school groundsman.
During the trial,...
- 5/8/2024
- ScreenDaily
Glen Powell, Anthony Mackie, and Laura Dern are set to star in “Monsanto,” a drama based on the true story of an upstart lawyer who took on one of the most powerful and controversial chemical corporations in the U.S.
“Monsanto” is being co-written and directed by John Lee Hancock, and it’s also being produced by Adam McKay, who has long been vocal about the climate crisis and the impact corporations like Monsanto in particular have had on the environment.
The film is being introduced to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival Marché du Film beginning next week, with CAA Media Finance handling domestic rights and Rocket Science handling international sales.
“Monsanto” tells the true story of young, untried attorney Brent Wisner (Powell) who sues the giant U.S. chemical company on behalf of Dewayne “Lee” Johnson (Mackie), who used Monsanto’s weed and pesticide product Roundup for his...
“Monsanto” is being co-written and directed by John Lee Hancock, and it’s also being produced by Adam McKay, who has long been vocal about the climate crisis and the impact corporations like Monsanto in particular have had on the environment.
The film is being introduced to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival Marché du Film beginning next week, with CAA Media Finance handling domestic rights and Rocket Science handling international sales.
“Monsanto” tells the true story of young, untried attorney Brent Wisner (Powell) who sues the giant U.S. chemical company on behalf of Dewayne “Lee” Johnson (Mackie), who used Monsanto’s weed and pesticide product Roundup for his...
- 5/8/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.
“Star Wars” is good about keeping the content churning for fans: the franchise most recently released the highly anticipated third season of “The Mandalorian” in March, with several offshoots already in the works for the coming year, including “Skeleton Crew,” “The Acolyte” and “Lando.”
All the “Star Wars” content also means that there’s always new galactic-themed merch and gadgets to gift the biggest fans in your life. Below are 33 of the most unique, fun and nerdy (in the best way possibe) “Star Wars” goods to gift this year.
Happy Socks x Star Wars
Master Yoda, C-3Po, R2-D2, Chewie, in addition to Darth Vader, Stormtroopers and the Death Star all adorn a new set of colorful and vibrant socks from the cult-favorite brand Happy Socks. Choose your...
“Star Wars” is good about keeping the content churning for fans: the franchise most recently released the highly anticipated third season of “The Mandalorian” in March, with several offshoots already in the works for the coming year, including “Skeleton Crew,” “The Acolyte” and “Lando.”
All the “Star Wars” content also means that there’s always new galactic-themed merch and gadgets to gift the biggest fans in your life. Below are 33 of the most unique, fun and nerdy (in the best way possibe) “Star Wars” goods to gift this year.
Happy Socks x Star Wars
Master Yoda, C-3Po, R2-D2, Chewie, in addition to Darth Vader, Stormtroopers and the Death Star all adorn a new set of colorful and vibrant socks from the cult-favorite brand Happy Socks. Choose your...
- 5/8/2024
- by Anna Tingley
- Variety - Film News
Robert De Niro’s film legacy is being toasted for his 80th birthday in 2024.
During the annual Tribeca Festival, which will take place June 5 through 16, will be an inaugural De Niro Con celebration of the Oscar winner’s filmography. Auteurs Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and David O. Russell will revisit their collaborations with De Niro for panel discussions post-screenings, while De Niro’s former co-stars Christopher Walken, Billy Crystal, and more are set to add to the celebrations.
The three-day tribute will take place at Spring Studios from June 14 through 16. De Niro Con is powered by Webex Events, allowing fans to download an exclusive app to make the most of their Con experience.
Programming includes a screening series with 13 classic De Niro films, including the 50th anniversary of “Mean Streets,” live conversations with long-time collaborators, career-spanning exhibit “De Niro Is an Icon: An Exhibit & Immersive Film” with more than 300 curated...
During the annual Tribeca Festival, which will take place June 5 through 16, will be an inaugural De Niro Con celebration of the Oscar winner’s filmography. Auteurs Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and David O. Russell will revisit their collaborations with De Niro for panel discussions post-screenings, while De Niro’s former co-stars Christopher Walken, Billy Crystal, and more are set to add to the celebrations.
The three-day tribute will take place at Spring Studios from June 14 through 16. De Niro Con is powered by Webex Events, allowing fans to download an exclusive app to make the most of their Con experience.
Programming includes a screening series with 13 classic De Niro films, including the 50th anniversary of “Mean Streets,” live conversations with long-time collaborators, career-spanning exhibit “De Niro Is an Icon: An Exhibit & Immersive Film” with more than 300 curated...
- 5/8/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
"X-Men '97" has been a dream come true, delivering an even more mature, bold version of the original '90s animated series. Like its predecessor, it directly adapts comic book story arcs, with this show in particular choosing some rather bleak ones.
The season lured us in with the promise of fun nostalgia before shattering that notion with one of the darkest moments in the entire Marvel Studios history with the genocide of mutants in Genosha. This changed everything for the show and for the characters, challenging the very notion of the X-Men, what they stand for, and the legacy of Charles Xavier's work.
But it hasn't all been world-ending threats, the show still has the kind of interpersonal soapy drama fans have always loved from the original. We've got Rogue and (the late) Gambit, Cyclops and the two Jean Greys, with each character in the ensemble getting a chance to shine.
The season lured us in with the promise of fun nostalgia before shattering that notion with one of the darkest moments in the entire Marvel Studios history with the genocide of mutants in Genosha. This changed everything for the show and for the characters, challenging the very notion of the X-Men, what they stand for, and the legacy of Charles Xavier's work.
But it hasn't all been world-ending threats, the show still has the kind of interpersonal soapy drama fans have always loved from the original. We've got Rogue and (the late) Gambit, Cyclops and the two Jean Greys, with each character in the ensemble getting a chance to shine.
- 5/8/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
“I Saw the TV Glow” is a film that will have you searching for the soundtrack on your ride home from the theater. It’s an assembly of incredible tracks that collectively capture the emotional journey of Owen (Justice Smith) growing up in a suburban world where he can’t be his true self.
“Music was such a formative part of my teenage years and remains such a formative part of my life,” director Jane Schoenbrun said when they were on an upcoming episode of the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast to discuss “I Saw the TV Glow.” “It just made sense that this very teenage movie needed a classic teenage soundtrack.”
The writer/director started with an ambitious plan: Ask their favorite modern bands to write songs for the film’s fictional 1990s TV show, “The Pink Opaque,” which becomes Owen’s obsession after new friend Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) introduces it to him.
“Music was such a formative part of my teenage years and remains such a formative part of my life,” director Jane Schoenbrun said when they were on an upcoming episode of the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast to discuss “I Saw the TV Glow.” “It just made sense that this very teenage movie needed a classic teenage soundtrack.”
The writer/director started with an ambitious plan: Ask their favorite modern bands to write songs for the film’s fictional 1990s TV show, “The Pink Opaque,” which becomes Owen’s obsession after new friend Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) introduces it to him.
- 5/8/2024
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
It's officially official: We are returning to the "Office" universe. Yes, we say universe because NBC's beloved sitcom isn't being revived or rebooted. Rather, the powers that be have opted to craft a spin-off of sorts set in the same world as the American version of "The Office," albeit centered on a new cast of characters in a new location. Per a press release, the series is set to begin filming in July for an eventual release on the streaming service Peacock, and the first plot details have been revealed.
The currently untitled "Office" spin-off hails from Greg Daniels, who officially came on board to develop the project last year. He also adapted the original British "Office" series for American television. Daniels is working alongside "Nathan for You" co-creator Michael Koman. The show has been ordered to series at Peacock and is being described as "a new mockumentary series...
The currently untitled "Office" spin-off hails from Greg Daniels, who officially came on board to develop the project last year. He also adapted the original British "Office" series for American television. Daniels is working alongside "Nathan for You" co-creator Michael Koman. The show has been ordered to series at Peacock and is being described as "a new mockumentary series...
- 5/8/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Michael Douglas has starred in some of the most iconic erotic thrillers ever made, from “Basic Instinct” to “Fatal Attraction,” so he knows a thing or two about crafting a memorable movie sex scene. In a new interview with The Telegraph, the actor gave his honest opinion about intimacy coordinators becoming the new normal in Hollywood when it comes to filming intimate moments on set.
“I’m past the age where I’ve got to worry about that. But it’s interesting with all the intimacy coordinators,” Douglas said when the topic of sex scenes came up during the interview. “It feels like executives taking control away from filmmakers — but there have been some terrible faux pas and harassment.”
“Sex scenes are like fight scenes, it’s all choreographed,” Douglas continued. “In my experience, you take responsibility as the man to make sure the woman is comfortable, you talk it through.
“I’m past the age where I’ve got to worry about that. But it’s interesting with all the intimacy coordinators,” Douglas said when the topic of sex scenes came up during the interview. “It feels like executives taking control away from filmmakers — but there have been some terrible faux pas and harassment.”
“Sex scenes are like fight scenes, it’s all choreographed,” Douglas continued. “In my experience, you take responsibility as the man to make sure the woman is comfortable, you talk it through.
- 5/8/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
Lionsgate International will launch sales in Cannes next week on Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk, which The Hunger Games franchise director Francis Lawrence will develop, direct, and produce.
Genre maestro Roy Lee will produce with Lawrence and the latter’s about:blank producing partner Cameron MacConomy, and Steven Schneider.
Lionsgate picked up the project late last year after it had been at New Line. Jt Mollner is adapting the screenplay based on the 1979 novel published under King’s pseudonym Richard Bachman.
The Long Walk focuses on a dystopian America where people are entertained by the brutal titular event in which...
Genre maestro Roy Lee will produce with Lawrence and the latter’s about:blank producing partner Cameron MacConomy, and Steven Schneider.
Lionsgate picked up the project late last year after it had been at New Line. Jt Mollner is adapting the screenplay based on the 1979 novel published under King’s pseudonym Richard Bachman.
The Long Walk focuses on a dystopian America where people are entertained by the brutal titular event in which...
- 5/8/2024
- ScreenDaily
After years of teasing, it’s finally happening– “The Office” is returning. But fans of the original series should have tempered expectations. This isn’t “The Office” you have grown to love over the years. This isn’t about Dunder Mifflin, Jim and Pam, Dwight’s antics, or even Stanley’s crosswords. This is a new ‘Office.’
Read More: Dakota Johnson Describes Her Cameo In ‘The Office’ Series Finale Like “Crashing Someone’s Birthday Party”
According to THR, “The Office” creator Greg Daniels and writer-producer Michael Koman are teaming up to bring a new generation of “The Office” to life, and Peacock has ordered it to series.
Continue reading ‘The Office’ Reboot Starring Domhnall Gleeson Has Officially Been Ordered At Peacock at The Playlist.
Read More: Dakota Johnson Describes Her Cameo In ‘The Office’ Series Finale Like “Crashing Someone’s Birthday Party”
According to THR, “The Office” creator Greg Daniels and writer-producer Michael Koman are teaming up to bring a new generation of “The Office” to life, and Peacock has ordered it to series.
Continue reading ‘The Office’ Reboot Starring Domhnall Gleeson Has Officially Been Ordered At Peacock at The Playlist.
- 5/8/2024
- by Martin Miller
- The Playlist
Lily Gladstone’s “Fancy Dance” is finally set to debut to a wide audience.
After Gladstone championed the indie film at the 2023 IndieWire Honors, the feature was acquired by Apple Original Films. Erica Tremblay co-wrote and directed “Fancy Dance,” which follows Jax (Gladstone) and her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma. Jax is searching for her sister, Roki’s mother, after Roki’s grandfather Frank (Shea Whigham) has filed to take custody in her absence. Jax and Roki embark on a roadtrip to find Roki’s mother in time for a powwow. The search becomes a “deeper investigation into the complexities and contradictions of Indigenous women moving through a colonized world while at the mercy of a failed justice system,” per the film’s synopsis.
Ryan Begay, Crystle Lightning, and Audrey Wasilewski also star.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” Oscar nominee Gladstone executive produced the film along with Forest Whitaker,...
After Gladstone championed the indie film at the 2023 IndieWire Honors, the feature was acquired by Apple Original Films. Erica Tremblay co-wrote and directed “Fancy Dance,” which follows Jax (Gladstone) and her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma. Jax is searching for her sister, Roki’s mother, after Roki’s grandfather Frank (Shea Whigham) has filed to take custody in her absence. Jax and Roki embark on a roadtrip to find Roki’s mother in time for a powwow. The search becomes a “deeper investigation into the complexities and contradictions of Indigenous women moving through a colonized world while at the mercy of a failed justice system,” per the film’s synopsis.
Ryan Begay, Crystle Lightning, and Audrey Wasilewski also star.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” Oscar nominee Gladstone executive produced the film along with Forest Whitaker,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Jeremy Strong could be joining Jeremy Allen White in “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” the 20th Century Studios movie about Bruce Springsteen and the making of his 1982 album, “Nebraska.”
The “Succession” star is in talks to play Springsteen’s (White) longtime manager Jon Landau in the Scott Cooper-directed feature. Cooper is also writing the film, which is based on Warren Zane’s 2023 book “Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.”
“Nebraska,” the follow-up to Springsteen’s 1980 double album “The River,” was expected to be a blockbuster rock record with the E Street Band. Instead, it was a stripped-down solo album made on a four-track recorder. The book tells the story of Springsteen’s artistic journey in the creation of the record.
Springsteen and Landau are involved in the making of the movie, which is expected to start shooting in the fall.
“It is a once-in-a-lifetime honor...
The “Succession” star is in talks to play Springsteen’s (White) longtime manager Jon Landau in the Scott Cooper-directed feature. Cooper is also writing the film, which is based on Warren Zane’s 2023 book “Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.”
“Nebraska,” the follow-up to Springsteen’s 1980 double album “The River,” was expected to be a blockbuster rock record with the E Street Band. Instead, it was a stripped-down solo album made on a four-track recorder. The book tells the story of Springsteen’s artistic journey in the creation of the record.
Springsteen and Landau are involved in the making of the movie, which is expected to start shooting in the fall.
“It is a once-in-a-lifetime honor...
- 5/8/2024
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety - Film News
Returning for its fourth edition, the experimentally-focused Prismatic Ground film festival will once again host a series of screenings across several NYC theaters and via a free streaming platform. Running from May 8 through 12, the program kicks off with an appropriately urgent Opening Night screening at the Museum of the Moving Image of Palestinian filmmaker Michel Khleifi’s Fertile Memory (1981), preceded by a reading from poet Hala Alyan and concluding with a post-film discussion between Bidoun magazine’s Tiffany Malakooti and researcher, writer and curator Adam HajYahia. “Most of my energy and attention in the last several months has been focused […]
The post “This Is a Safe Space for People Who Are Against Genocide, And Who Want to See a Liberated Future for All”: Inney Prakash Previews Prismatic Ground 2024 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “This Is a Safe Space for People Who Are Against Genocide, And Who Want to See a Liberated Future for All”: Inney Prakash Previews Prismatic Ground 2024 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/8/2024
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
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