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DC Studios is wasting no time in setting a release date for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow now that the movie has found its director.
The high-profile movie will fly into cinemas on June 26, 2026, DC and Warner Bros. announced Tuesday. It is the second film to receive a release date since James Gunn and Peter Safran were brought in to overhaul DC under the new banner DC Studios. The first was Superman, which Gunn is currently shooting for a July 2025 release date.
Flimmaker Craig Gillespie was tapped by Gunn and Safran to shepherd Supergirl, which stars Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon). She’ll play Superman’s Kara Zor-El, the cousin of Superman. The feature film, from a script by Ana Nogueira, is inspired by the Tom King and Bilquis Evely comic, and will depart from the earnest take on the character seen on the CW Supergirl series.
The plan is...
The high-profile movie will fly into cinemas on June 26, 2026, DC and Warner Bros. announced Tuesday. It is the second film to receive a release date since James Gunn and Peter Safran were brought in to overhaul DC under the new banner DC Studios. The first was Superman, which Gunn is currently shooting for a July 2025 release date.
Flimmaker Craig Gillespie was tapped by Gunn and Safran to shepherd Supergirl, which stars Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon). She’ll play Superman’s Kara Zor-El, the cousin of Superman. The feature film, from a script by Ana Nogueira, is inspired by the Tom King and Bilquis Evely comic, and will depart from the earnest take on the character seen on the CW Supergirl series.
The plan is...
- 5/14/2024
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Warner Bros. is aiming for a flawless victory, dating “Mortal Kombat 2” for an IMAX release on Oct. 24, 2025.
The New Line sequel, first announced in January 2022, will be written by Jeremy Slater, best known for the Disney Plus Marvel series “Moon Knight.” Simon McQuoid, who directed “Mortal Kombat,” returns to direct the follow-up. Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Damon Herriman, Tati Gabrielle and Martyn Ford star, with Chin Han, Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki Sanada. Todd Garner, James Wan, Simon McQuoid, E. Bennett Walsh and Toby Emmerich are producing.
The first “Mortal Kombat,” a martial arts-inspired adaptation of the popular video game created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, opened in theaters and on HBO Max in April 2021, earning $42 million domestically and $83 million worldwide.
In a 2021 interview with Variety, McQuoid hinted at characters he’d be interested in including in a potential sequel.
The New Line sequel, first announced in January 2022, will be written by Jeremy Slater, best known for the Disney Plus Marvel series “Moon Knight.” Simon McQuoid, who directed “Mortal Kombat,” returns to direct the follow-up. Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Damon Herriman, Tati Gabrielle and Martyn Ford star, with Chin Han, Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki Sanada. Todd Garner, James Wan, Simon McQuoid, E. Bennett Walsh and Toby Emmerich are producing.
The first “Mortal Kombat,” a martial arts-inspired adaptation of the popular video game created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, opened in theaters and on HBO Max in April 2021, earning $42 million domestically and $83 million worldwide.
In a 2021 interview with Variety, McQuoid hinted at characters he’d be interested in including in a potential sequel.
- 5/14/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety - Film News
The “WandaVision” spinoff “Agatha All Along” has set its Disney+ premiere date.
The series will debut with two episodes on Sept.. 18. The announcement was made during the Disney upfront presentation to advertisers in New York on Tuesday.
Series star Kathryn Hahn took the stage with co-stars Joe Locke and Patti LuPone, who confirmed the series’ title after a number of changes. The show was first called “Agatha: House of Harkness.” The title appeared to change to “Agatha: Coven of Chaos” by July 2022, and then to “Agatha: Darkhold Diaries” in September 2023.
Related Content: Upfronts 2024 Full Coverage
Variety exclusively reported that the...
The series will debut with two episodes on Sept.. 18. The announcement was made during the Disney upfront presentation to advertisers in New York on Tuesday.
Series star Kathryn Hahn took the stage with co-stars Joe Locke and Patti LuPone, who confirmed the series’ title after a number of changes. The show was first called “Agatha: House of Harkness.” The title appeared to change to “Agatha: Coven of Chaos” by July 2022, and then to “Agatha: Darkhold Diaries” in September 2023.
Related Content: Upfronts 2024 Full Coverage
Variety exclusively reported that the...
- 5/14/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Reese Witherspoon is bringing a Legally Blonde series to Amazon’s Prime Video.
What, like it’s hard?
Amazon MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke, Witherspoon — and Bruiser the dog — announced a series order for the show Tuesday at Amazon’s first-ever upfront presentation. The show, titled Elle, will tell the origin story of Elle Woods as a 1990s high schooler. It has been in the works since early April. Witherspoon will executive produce via her Hello Sunshine banner along with series creator and showrunner Laura Kittrell (Insecure, Amazon Freevee’s High School), Hello Sunshine’s Lauren Neustadter and Lauren Kisilevsky, and Marc Platt, producer of the Legally Blonde films.
The logline for the series reads, “Elle follows Elle Woods in high school as we learn about the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman we came to know and love in the first Legally Blonde film.”
“I...
What, like it’s hard?
Amazon MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke, Witherspoon — and Bruiser the dog — announced a series order for the show Tuesday at Amazon’s first-ever upfront presentation. The show, titled Elle, will tell the origin story of Elle Woods as a 1990s high schooler. It has been in the works since early April. Witherspoon will executive produce via her Hello Sunshine banner along with series creator and showrunner Laura Kittrell (Insecure, Amazon Freevee’s High School), Hello Sunshine’s Lauren Neustadter and Lauren Kisilevsky, and Marc Platt, producer of the Legally Blonde films.
The logline for the series reads, “Elle follows Elle Woods in high school as we learn about the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman we came to know and love in the first Legally Blonde film.”
“I...
- 5/14/2024
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Tomb Raider TV series is moving forward at Amazon.
A year and change after The Hollywood Reporter exclusively revealed Emmy winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge was writing and producing an adaptation of the popular video game turned action movie Tomb Raider, the retail giant/streamer has handed out a series order for the live-action series. A worldwide casting search will begin soon for an actress to play Lara Croft in the series from Legendary Television.
The surprise announcement was made Tuesday during Amazon’s first trip to woo Madison Avenue ad buyers at TV’s upfront week in New York, with the news arriving after another video game adaptation, Fallout, has become a breakout hit for the service.
Waller-Bridge is writing the scripts for Tomb Raider. The Fleabag grad does not plan to star in the TV adaptation of the property, which spawned 2001 and 2018 film adaptations starring Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander,...
A year and change after The Hollywood Reporter exclusively revealed Emmy winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge was writing and producing an adaptation of the popular video game turned action movie Tomb Raider, the retail giant/streamer has handed out a series order for the live-action series. A worldwide casting search will begin soon for an actress to play Lara Croft in the series from Legendary Television.
The surprise announcement was made Tuesday during Amazon’s first trip to woo Madison Avenue ad buyers at TV’s upfront week in New York, with the news arriving after another video game adaptation, Fallout, has become a breakout hit for the service.
Waller-Bridge is writing the scripts for Tomb Raider. The Fleabag grad does not plan to star in the TV adaptation of the property, which spawned 2001 and 2018 film adaptations starring Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nicolas Cage will once again play Spider-Man Noir, but this time in a live-action series.
Cage is set to star in the live-action show “Noir,” which has been ordered to series at MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video. The series will debut domestically on MGM+’s linear channel followed by a global launch on Prime Video. Variety exclusively reported the series was in development in February 2023, though Cage was not attached at that time.
The announcement was made ahead of Amazon’s upfront presentation to advertisers in New York on Tuesday.
“Expanding the Marvel universe with ‘Noir’ is a uniquely special...
Cage is set to star in the live-action show “Noir,” which has been ordered to series at MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video. The series will debut domestically on MGM+’s linear channel followed by a global launch on Prime Video. Variety exclusively reported the series was in development in February 2023, though Cage was not attached at that time.
The announcement was made ahead of Amazon’s upfront presentation to advertisers in New York on Tuesday.
“Expanding the Marvel universe with ‘Noir’ is a uniquely special...
- 5/14/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
“The Boys” has been picked up for a fifth season at Amazon Prime Video.
Season 4 of the raunchy superhero show will debut June 13. “The Boys” Season 4 will launch with its first three of eight total episodes, rolling out the remaining installments on a weekly basis. The finale will stream July 18.
The series stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit and Cameron Crovetti.
Upfronts 2024: Full Coverage @ Variety.Com
“The Boys” is executive produced by showrunner Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver,...
Season 4 of the raunchy superhero show will debut June 13. “The Boys” Season 4 will launch with its first three of eight total episodes, rolling out the remaining installments on a weekly basis. The finale will stream July 18.
The series stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit and Cameron Crovetti.
Upfronts 2024: Full Coverage @ Variety.Com
“The Boys” is executive produced by showrunner Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety - TV News
The Sydney Sweeney-led “Barbarella” film is taking shape, with Edgar Wright in talks to direct the picture for Sony. Jane Goldman and Honey Ross are in talks to pen the script.
Wright, best known for making the satiric zombie film “Shaun of the Dead,” is next set to direct Glen Powell in an adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Running Man.” Wright’s other directorial credits include “Last Night in Soho,” “Hot Fuzz,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” and “Baby Driver.”
The project also marks another step in Sweeney’s continued relationship with Sony Pictures — she’s most recently starred in “Anyone but You” and “Madame Web” for the studio. While “Madame Web” was largely panned by critics, Sweeney says her involvement in the film was a “strategic business decision” that’s since paid off.
“To me, that film was a building block, it’s what allowed me to build a relationship with Sony,...
Wright, best known for making the satiric zombie film “Shaun of the Dead,” is next set to direct Glen Powell in an adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Running Man.” Wright’s other directorial credits include “Last Night in Soho,” “Hot Fuzz,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” and “Baby Driver.”
The project also marks another step in Sweeney’s continued relationship with Sony Pictures — she’s most recently starred in “Anyone but You” and “Madame Web” for the studio. While “Madame Web” was largely panned by critics, Sweeney says her involvement in the film was a “strategic business decision” that’s since paid off.
“To me, that film was a building block, it’s what allowed me to build a relationship with Sony,...
- 5/13/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety - Film News
Downton Abbey is coming back to the big screen.
Focus Features and Carnival Films are working on the latest Downton movie that will be written by Julian Fellowes, the scribe who created the acclaimed TV show that ran from 2010-15. Simon Curtis is returning to direct after helming 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era.
Along with Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, and Michelle Dockery, the returning cast includes: Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Robert James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Penelope Wilton, Lesley Nicol, Michael Fox, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sophie McShera and Douglas Reith.
Paul Giamatti, fresh off an Oscar nomination for The Holdovers, is reprising his role as Cora Grantham’s brother, Harold Levinson. Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale, and Arty Froushan are among the film franchise newcomers. Elsewhere, Dominic West will also reprise his role as Guy Dexter from Downton Abbey: A New Era.
Focus Features and Carnival Films are working on the latest Downton movie that will be written by Julian Fellowes, the scribe who created the acclaimed TV show that ran from 2010-15. Simon Curtis is returning to direct after helming 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era.
Along with Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, and Michelle Dockery, the returning cast includes: Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Robert James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Penelope Wilton, Lesley Nicol, Michael Fox, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sophie McShera and Douglas Reith.
Paul Giamatti, fresh off an Oscar nomination for The Holdovers, is reprising his role as Cora Grantham’s brother, Harold Levinson. Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale, and Arty Froushan are among the film franchise newcomers. Elsewhere, Dominic West will also reprise his role as Guy Dexter from Downton Abbey: A New Era.
- 5/13/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Alex Garland’s critically-acclaimed “Civil War” has confirmed a theatrical release in mainland China. Marking the first A24 production to be released in China, it will arrive in cinemas from June 7.
Huahua Media took rights to the film for China. Tech and entertainment giant Alibaba will also be partnering with Huahua throughout the release.
Depicting a dystopian future America, the film’s story follows a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach Washington DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House. The film features an ensemble cast led by Academy-Award nominee Kirsten Dunst, and including Cailee Spaeny, Nick Offerman, Stephen Henderson, and Wagner Moura.
Founded in 2014 by veteran producer Wang Kefei, Huahua is one of the most active Chinese companies in overseas film investment and production. It has production credits including “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” “Transformers: The Last Knight,” “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” and “Star Trek.
Huahua Media took rights to the film for China. Tech and entertainment giant Alibaba will also be partnering with Huahua throughout the release.
Depicting a dystopian future America, the film’s story follows a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach Washington DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House. The film features an ensemble cast led by Academy-Award nominee Kirsten Dunst, and including Cailee Spaeny, Nick Offerman, Stephen Henderson, and Wagner Moura.
Founded in 2014 by veteran producer Wang Kefei, Huahua is one of the most active Chinese companies in overseas film investment and production. It has production credits including “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” “Transformers: The Last Knight,” “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” and “Star Trek.
- 5/16/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
Frank Jung, co-head of CAA Digital Media, is launching his own company, Franchise Media Collective.
Jung started CAA’s digital media division alongside David Freeman, who will continue to oversee the department. He’s stepping away from the major talent agency to start the new company as a professional network and marketplace for top creators that target pivotal young digital audiences for the entertainment industry.
Franchise Media Collective will offer cultural insights, host events and provide data analytics to industry consultants, advisors and company founders.
“These past two decades have been a gift, collaborating with artists whose brilliance and creativity have made a deep impact on the industry. I am also immensely grateful to have worked with so many talented and inspiring CAA colleagues, creating unforgettable memories together,” Jung said in a statement on Wednesday.
While with the CAA Digital Media department, Jung helped establish its talent representation, corporate advisory...
Jung started CAA’s digital media division alongside David Freeman, who will continue to oversee the department. He’s stepping away from the major talent agency to start the new company as a professional network and marketplace for top creators that target pivotal young digital audiences for the entertainment industry.
Franchise Media Collective will offer cultural insights, host events and provide data analytics to industry consultants, advisors and company founders.
“These past two decades have been a gift, collaborating with artists whose brilliance and creativity have made a deep impact on the industry. I am also immensely grateful to have worked with so many talented and inspiring CAA colleagues, creating unforgettable memories together,” Jung said in a statement on Wednesday.
While with the CAA Digital Media department, Jung helped establish its talent representation, corporate advisory...
- 5/15/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
John Krasinski proudly makes movies for and about the whole family. Maybe his vastly successful “A Quiet Place” franchise, with all its screechy monsters, is too much for youngsters to handle. But there’s still an undeniable, innocent loveliness to those movies, with warm moments that lean closely into the bonds of an adoring family that only grow stronger in the face of danger and despair.
So it’s perhaps no surprise that Krasinski’s latest sets its sights on a tale that this time is genuinely for kids, and not just their parents. There are no bloodthirsty brutes in the live action-animation hybrid “If,” a sweetly old-fashioned yet messily conjured children’s tale that sadly falls short of its thematic ambitions. Instead, it has oddly endearing creatures that represent a child’s wild imagination, overeager to show up and save the day for the people who envisioned them once upon a time,...
So it’s perhaps no surprise that Krasinski’s latest sets its sights on a tale that this time is genuinely for kids, and not just their parents. There are no bloodthirsty brutes in the live action-animation hybrid “If,” a sweetly old-fashioned yet messily conjured children’s tale that sadly falls short of its thematic ambitions. Instead, it has oddly endearing creatures that represent a child’s wild imagination, overeager to show up and save the day for the people who envisioned them once upon a time,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety - Film News
In the early scenes of his new fantasy film geared to families, John Krasinski is seen as a 12-year-old girl’s father who’s in the hospital preparing for what seems to be life-threatening heart surgery. To keep up his daughter’s spirits, he delivers elaborate jokes and comedy routines, leading her to complain that he needn’t bother, that she’s not a child anymore. In other words, she thinks he’s trying too hard, which is something you could also say about If.
There’s no denying the ambition and thoughtfulness on display in this effort written and directed by Krasinski, which marks a notable stylistic turn from his smash hit horror films A Quiet Place and its sequel. If, whose title means “Imaginary Friends,” aims for obvious laughs with its multitude of amusing computer-animated characters featuring all sorts of incarnations from teddy bears to melting marshmallows. But...
There’s no denying the ambition and thoughtfulness on display in this effort written and directed by Krasinski, which marks a notable stylistic turn from his smash hit horror films A Quiet Place and its sequel. If, whose title means “Imaginary Friends,” aims for obvious laughs with its multitude of amusing computer-animated characters featuring all sorts of incarnations from teddy bears to melting marshmallows. But...
- 5/15/2024
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The television industry’s annual “upfront” is usually a place where advertisers get to preview new series and specials, not blockbuster movies, so NBC raised eyebrows Monday when one of the first previews it showed to an audience at Radio City Music Hall was of the coming Universal film “Wicked.”
NBCUniversal, chief content officer Donna Langley told the crowd, was “excited to build up our story legacy across film, TV and streaming.”
Movies and premium cable series from HBO and Showtime used to be something traditional TV advertisers got their hands on only after they had made their way through theaters and pay-tv windows.
NBCUniversal, chief content officer Donna Langley told the crowd, was “excited to build up our story legacy across film, TV and streaming.”
Movies and premium cable series from HBO and Showtime used to be something traditional TV advertisers got their hands on only after they had made their way through theaters and pay-tv windows.
- 5/15/2024
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety - TV News
The Max prequel series “Dune: Prophecy” has added Jihae in a recurring guest star role, Variety has learned exclusively.
The South Korean actress, musician, and multimedia artist is the latest casting to be announced for the series, after Variety exclusively reported that Indian superstar Tabu would also be appearing in the show.
The series was originally commissioned in 2019 under the title “Dune: The Sisterhood.” It is inspired by the novel “Sisterhood of Dune” written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The official logline states, “From the expansive universe of ‘Dune,’ created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides,...
The South Korean actress, musician, and multimedia artist is the latest casting to be announced for the series, after Variety exclusively reported that Indian superstar Tabu would also be appearing in the show.
The series was originally commissioned in 2019 under the title “Dune: The Sisterhood.” It is inspired by the novel “Sisterhood of Dune” written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The official logline states, “From the expansive universe of ‘Dune,’ created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Co-production
Indian filmmaker Dr. Bijukumar Damodaran‘s next film “Papa Buka” will commence principal photography in Papua New Guinea in July. The film will follow Indian historians Romila and Anand who go to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to write a book about the Indian soldiers who fought with the British and Australian armies against the Japanese during WWII in the country. They find 80-year-old war veteran Papa Buka who serves as a guide to take them to remote jungle villages to meet his compatriots and record their reminiscences of the war. The journey throws up some unexpected events.
The cast includes Ritabari Chakraborty (“Fatafati”) and Prakash Bare (“Pendulum”). The score is by Grammy winner Ricky Kej. The film is a rare India-Papua New Guinea production. Indian companies, Pa. Ranjith and Aditi Anand’s Neelam Productions along with Bare’s Silicon Media are producing the film alongside Native Arts And...
Indian filmmaker Dr. Bijukumar Damodaran‘s next film “Papa Buka” will commence principal photography in Papua New Guinea in July. The film will follow Indian historians Romila and Anand who go to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to write a book about the Indian soldiers who fought with the British and Australian armies against the Japanese during WWII in the country. They find 80-year-old war veteran Papa Buka who serves as a guide to take them to remote jungle villages to meet his compatriots and record their reminiscences of the war. The journey throws up some unexpected events.
The cast includes Ritabari Chakraborty (“Fatafati”) and Prakash Bare (“Pendulum”). The score is by Grammy winner Ricky Kej. The film is a rare India-Papua New Guinea production. Indian companies, Pa. Ranjith and Aditi Anand’s Neelam Productions along with Bare’s Silicon Media are producing the film alongside Native Arts And...
- 5/15/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Los Angeles-based Scatena & Rosner Films has acquired worldwide rights to horror film “The Hermit,” starring Lou Ferrigno as a cannibalistic pig farmer in his first role playing a creature since CBS TV series “The Incredible Hulk.”
They will be launching sales on the chiller, which is now in post, at the Cannes Marché du Film.
“The Hermit” is directed by U.S.-based Italian helmer Salvatore Sclafani and produced by Los Angeles- and New York-based Gerry Pass via his Chrome Entertainment shingle in tandem with Sclafani’s First Child Prods.
Dragged on a vacation to the woods, two self-absorbed teens named Lisa and Eric, played by Malina Weissman (“A Series of Unfortunate Events”) and Anthony Turpel (“Bloody Bridget”), venture off trail, stumble across a farm, go in, see animal heads hanging from the wall and “fight for their lives against an unstoppable cannibal pig farmer,” the synopsis says.
In...
They will be launching sales on the chiller, which is now in post, at the Cannes Marché du Film.
“The Hermit” is directed by U.S.-based Italian helmer Salvatore Sclafani and produced by Los Angeles- and New York-based Gerry Pass via his Chrome Entertainment shingle in tandem with Sclafani’s First Child Prods.
Dragged on a vacation to the woods, two self-absorbed teens named Lisa and Eric, played by Malina Weissman (“A Series of Unfortunate Events”) and Anthony Turpel (“Bloody Bridget”), venture off trail, stumble across a farm, go in, see animal heads hanging from the wall and “fight for their lives against an unstoppable cannibal pig farmer,” the synopsis says.
In...
- 5/15/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety - Film News
New films by Julio Medem, Alejandro Amenábar, Alberto Rodríguez, Isaki Lacuesta, Jonas Trueba and Oliver Laxe join a brace of smart thrillers in a rich Cannes lineup from Spain.
“8,” (Julio Medem)
Medem returns towhat he does best: a love story transcending time and space and a poetic critique of recent history, according to sales agent Latido Films. “Fariña’s” Javier Rey and “La Mesías” Ana Rujus star as the lovers. Morena Films produces.
Sales: Latido
“As Neves,” (Sonia Méndez)
After a magic mushroom-fueled party, teens in a snowbound Galician village discover one of them is missing. The film was well-received at the Malaga festival.
Sales: Begin Again Films
“Barren Land,” (Albert Pintó)
From a director on “Money Heist” and “Berlin,” this suspense thriller captures how the drug trade devastates friendships and lives in Andalusía’s Cádiz. Film sports a great cast: Luis Zahera (“The Beasts”), Karra Elejalde (“While at War...
“8,” (Julio Medem)
Medem returns towhat he does best: a love story transcending time and space and a poetic critique of recent history, according to sales agent Latido Films. “Fariña’s” Javier Rey and “La Mesías” Ana Rujus star as the lovers. Morena Films produces.
Sales: Latido
“As Neves,” (Sonia Méndez)
After a magic mushroom-fueled party, teens in a snowbound Galician village discover one of them is missing. The film was well-received at the Malaga festival.
Sales: Begin Again Films
“Barren Land,” (Albert Pintó)
From a director on “Money Heist” and “Berlin,” this suspense thriller captures how the drug trade devastates friendships and lives in Andalusía’s Cádiz. Film sports a great cast: Luis Zahera (“The Beasts”), Karra Elejalde (“While at War...
- 5/15/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety - Film News
Spanish sales agents are on some kind of roll. The European Film Market during the Berlinale proved robust, and Malaga Film Festival better still.
“Malaga was great for our movies,” Latido Films’ Antonio Saura reported at its conclusion. “We have one of the best lineups in our history covering all genres and all very marketable.”
That lineup includes Jim Sheridan’s drama “Recreation,” starring Vicky Krieps, and “La Casa” and “Saturn Return,” both Malaga standouts that together won seven awards.
With the market more receptive to Spanish projects, it’s important to pick the right genre mix. “Definitely for thrillers, for animated films, things are good. Spanish thrillers are prestigious now. They’ve performed well theatrically in many countries,” says Filmax’s head of international Iván Diaz. But for comedies, dramas or romantic comedies, it’s a bit more arduous. “If you’re trying to sell Spanish romantic comedies, however,...
“Malaga was great for our movies,” Latido Films’ Antonio Saura reported at its conclusion. “We have one of the best lineups in our history covering all genres and all very marketable.”
That lineup includes Jim Sheridan’s drama “Recreation,” starring Vicky Krieps, and “La Casa” and “Saturn Return,” both Malaga standouts that together won seven awards.
With the market more receptive to Spanish projects, it’s important to pick the right genre mix. “Definitely for thrillers, for animated films, things are good. Spanish thrillers are prestigious now. They’ve performed well theatrically in many countries,” says Filmax’s head of international Iván Diaz. But for comedies, dramas or romantic comedies, it’s a bit more arduous. “If you’re trying to sell Spanish romantic comedies, however,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Callum McLennan
- Variety - Film News
Spanish cinema is expanding, opening up attractive film avenues to reach the worldwide market, driven by upscale commercial projects, blending of genres and a new generation of emerging female directors.
The country’s filmmakers landed three Oscar nominations: Juan A. Bayona with “Society of the Snow” (inter- national feature and makeup and hair styling); and Pablo Berger with “Robot Dreams” (animated feature). Also, four of Netflix’s top five most-popular non-English films ever are from Spain.
“The boom in talent is making for a unique and very diverse cinema,” says Guillermo Farré, Movistar Plus+ head of original films and Spanish cinema.
“The great foreign perception of Spanish cinema is driven by the productions’ quality and their international diffusion,” says Elástica Films’ María Zamora, producer of Carla Simón’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner “Alcarrás.”
“Spanish cinema is evolving with the appearance of new voices especially female and new ways of narrating,...
The country’s filmmakers landed three Oscar nominations: Juan A. Bayona with “Society of the Snow” (inter- national feature and makeup and hair styling); and Pablo Berger with “Robot Dreams” (animated feature). Also, four of Netflix’s top five most-popular non-English films ever are from Spain.
“The boom in talent is making for a unique and very diverse cinema,” says Guillermo Farré, Movistar Plus+ head of original films and Spanish cinema.
“The great foreign perception of Spanish cinema is driven by the productions’ quality and their international diffusion,” says Elástica Films’ María Zamora, producer of Carla Simón’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner “Alcarrás.”
“Spanish cinema is evolving with the appearance of new voices especially female and new ways of narrating,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety - Film News
Israel’s foremost documentary market CoPro has unveiled its main slate ahead of the event next month.
CoPro Israel, which takes place from Jun 3 to 6 in a hybrid in-person/online format, will welcome over 80 representatives from broadcasting networks, production companies, and sales agents to Tel Aviv for a variety of industry events.
Strands include Rough-Cut, in which six documentaries in post-production will be exclusively screened to a handpicked group of decision makers and programmers, Pitch Forum, which will showcase 10 outstanding projects, and The Impact Lab, which will connect filmmakers with third sector, private sector and policy makers and honor one project with a grant.
CoPro Israel, which takes place from Jun 3 to 6 in a hybrid in-person/online format, will welcome over 80 representatives from broadcasting networks, production companies, and sales agents to Tel Aviv for a variety of industry events.
Strands include Rough-Cut, in which six documentaries in post-production will be exclusively screened to a handpicked group of decision makers and programmers, Pitch Forum, which will showcase 10 outstanding projects, and The Impact Lab, which will connect filmmakers with third sector, private sector and policy makers and honor one project with a grant.
- 5/15/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety - TV News
Cannes regular Léa Seydoux joined playful press conference for fest opener The Second Act, where talk occasionally turned serious as the actress was peppered with several questions from the international press about her thoughts on the #MeToo era.
“I have been a very fortunate person as an actress. At the beginning of my career, I worked with people who respected me, more or less,” said Seydoux. “Some women were really victims. But in my case, I can’t compare with someone women who really went through and experienced very serious things.”
#MeToo is a contentious issue in France, where the perception is the entertainment industry has been slow to evolve. Seydoux has previously spoken about challenging conditions on Blue is the Warmest Color, her 2013 Palme d’Or winner that landed her international fame, and featured a 7-minute lesbian sex scene that took 10 days to shoot, while the film involved upwards...
“I have been a very fortunate person as an actress. At the beginning of my career, I worked with people who respected me, more or less,” said Seydoux. “Some women were really victims. But in my case, I can’t compare with someone women who really went through and experienced very serious things.”
#MeToo is a contentious issue in France, where the perception is the entertainment industry has been slow to evolve. Seydoux has previously spoken about challenging conditions on Blue is the Warmest Color, her 2013 Palme d’Or winner that landed her international fame, and featured a 7-minute lesbian sex scene that took 10 days to shoot, while the film involved upwards...
- 5/15/2024
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Alyla Browne may only be 14 years old, but in the short time she’s been acting she’s somehow managed to assemble one of the most ridiculously star-studded on-screen family trees.
In Hulu’s “Nine Perfect Strangers,” she played Nicole Kidman’s daughter. In Amazon Studio’s “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart,” she was Sigourney Weaver’s granddaughter. Meanwhile, in George’s Miller’s fantasy “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” she appeared as a young Tilda Swinton.
But the fast-rising Australian is about to top all of that. In “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” she plays the Imperator Furiosa as a child, meaning she’s not just the young Anya Taylor-Joy, but the young Charlize Theron as well.
“It’s absolutely insane,” notes the teen, now juggling her studies with her first trip to Cannes for the world premiere of the one of the year’s most highly anticipated films.
In Hulu’s “Nine Perfect Strangers,” she played Nicole Kidman’s daughter. In Amazon Studio’s “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart,” she was Sigourney Weaver’s granddaughter. Meanwhile, in George’s Miller’s fantasy “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” she appeared as a young Tilda Swinton.
But the fast-rising Australian is about to top all of that. In “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” she plays the Imperator Furiosa as a child, meaning she’s not just the young Anya Taylor-Joy, but the young Charlize Theron as well.
“It’s absolutely insane,” notes the teen, now juggling her studies with her first trip to Cannes for the world premiere of the one of the year’s most highly anticipated films.
- 5/15/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety - Film News
A first clip has been unveiled for Emma Benestan’s “Animale,” which closes the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week strand this year.
The film is set in the Camargue region of the south of France, where daring youths participate in the local tradition of bull running. Only one woman, 22-year-old Nejma, takes her place in the arena. Taunting and evading the animals with increasing boldness, Nejma seeks to prove herself the equal of the men – inside and outside of the arena. But both situations put Nejma at risk, as a different threat looms over the community of riders: a bull is on the loose and young men are being killed.
After several shorts and a documentary, “Animale” is Benestan’s second fiction feature after the acclaimed “Fragile” aka “Hard Shell, Soft Shell” (2021). The filmmaker’s background is editing, having worked for several years with Abdellatif Kechiche on Palme d...
The film is set in the Camargue region of the south of France, where daring youths participate in the local tradition of bull running. Only one woman, 22-year-old Nejma, takes her place in the arena. Taunting and evading the animals with increasing boldness, Nejma seeks to prove herself the equal of the men – inside and outside of the arena. But both situations put Nejma at risk, as a different threat looms over the community of riders: a bull is on the loose and young men are being killed.
After several shorts and a documentary, “Animale” is Benestan’s second fiction feature after the acclaimed “Fragile” aka “Hard Shell, Soft Shell” (2021). The filmmaker’s background is editing, having worked for several years with Abdellatif Kechiche on Palme d...
- 5/15/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Léa Seydoux addressed France’s growing #MeToo movement at the Cannes Film Festival press conference for Quentin Dupieux’s comedy “The Second Act,” which opened the fest on Tuesday night.
“It’s a wonderful thing that women are now speaking out. Things are clearly changing and it was high time it did,” she said. “I have the impression that this change has indeed taken place. The film also plays with this idea, it also talks about very current events and this movement, where women are now speaking out, and that was of fundamental importance for this change to take place.”
Seydoux continued, “#MeToo is very important. It’s a very serious issue. However, I think it is also necessary to be able to talk about it with humor. In the film, this is highlighted in a very funny way.”
Addressing the impact of #MeToo on the way actresses are treated on set,...
“It’s a wonderful thing that women are now speaking out. Things are clearly changing and it was high time it did,” she said. “I have the impression that this change has indeed taken place. The film also plays with this idea, it also talks about very current events and this movement, where women are now speaking out, and that was of fundamental importance for this change to take place.”
Seydoux continued, “#MeToo is very important. It’s a very serious issue. However, I think it is also necessary to be able to talk about it with humor. In the film, this is highlighted in a very funny way.”
Addressing the impact of #MeToo on the way actresses are treated on set,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Ellise Shafer and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety - Film News
U.K. distributor Other Parties has launched a new production arm headed by former Amazon Studios U.K. exec Emily Guarino.
Guarino, who was most recently head of business affairs at Amazon Studios, will be the new CEO of Other Parties Productions, working alongside Other Parties founder and director of distribution Aneet Nijjar. The duo previously collaborated during film industry development program Inside Pictures.
Guarino has over two decades of experience developing and producing content, having begin her career at NBCUniversal’s international studio in London. She went on to head up legal and business affairs at A+E Networks Emea and most recently the European Originals Business Affairs team at Amazon Studios’ London HQ.
Other Parties Film Company launched in 2021 and quickly assembled a dynamic team including co-founder Aduke King, who oversees acquisition and development, former Wunderman and Thompson exec Tom Lancaster and Esmé Gartside, who heads communications.
The company...
Guarino, who was most recently head of business affairs at Amazon Studios, will be the new CEO of Other Parties Productions, working alongside Other Parties founder and director of distribution Aneet Nijjar. The duo previously collaborated during film industry development program Inside Pictures.
Guarino has over two decades of experience developing and producing content, having begin her career at NBCUniversal’s international studio in London. She went on to head up legal and business affairs at A+E Networks Emea and most recently the European Originals Business Affairs team at Amazon Studios’ London HQ.
Other Parties Film Company launched in 2021 and quickly assembled a dynamic team including co-founder Aduke King, who oversees acquisition and development, former Wunderman and Thompson exec Tom Lancaster and Esmé Gartside, who heads communications.
The company...
- 5/15/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety - Film News
Neon has acquired the North American rights to award-winning filmmaker Julia Ducournau’s (Titane, Raw) genre-defying film Alpha.
Leading the cast are Golshifteh Farahani (The Patience Stone, Paterson) and Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian, A Prophet), with principal photography on the film commencing next fall.
Producers are Jean des Forêts and Amelie Jacquis of Petit Film and Eric & Nicolas Altmayer of Mandarin & Compagnie, with Frakas Productions co-producing.
Charades and FilmNation Entertainment are handling sales in the rest of the world during the Cannes Film Festival and market.
The deal was negotiated by Neon’s president of acquisitions & production Jeff Deutchman with Charades’ Carole Baraton and FilmNation Entertainment’s CEO Glen Basner on behalf of the filmmakers.
The deal marks Neon’s second collaboration with Ducournau following Titane, which the studio picked up ahead of its premiere in Cannes in 2021 and went on to win the Palme d’Or.
Neon also...
Leading the cast are Golshifteh Farahani (The Patience Stone, Paterson) and Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian, A Prophet), with principal photography on the film commencing next fall.
Producers are Jean des Forêts and Amelie Jacquis of Petit Film and Eric & Nicolas Altmayer of Mandarin & Compagnie, with Frakas Productions co-producing.
Charades and FilmNation Entertainment are handling sales in the rest of the world during the Cannes Film Festival and market.
The deal was negotiated by Neon’s president of acquisitions & production Jeff Deutchman with Charades’ Carole Baraton and FilmNation Entertainment’s CEO Glen Basner on behalf of the filmmakers.
The deal marks Neon’s second collaboration with Ducournau following Titane, which the studio picked up ahead of its premiere in Cannes in 2021 and went on to win the Palme d’Or.
Neon also...
- 5/15/2024
- by Lily Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It always helps to have a well-informed local on the payroll.
Nikki Beach CEO Lucia Penrod was recently reminded of how helpful that can be when Célia Gumbau-Serra, the president of the company’s beach club division who was born in Cannes, reached out with a piece of real estate gossip. “She’s very well-connected and she called to say, ‘You’re not going to believe this but there is a family in Cannes that has been in business for 37 years and they want to retire.’ I thought she was kidding. Can you imagine? A beach club location for sale in Cannes in 2023? It felt too good to be true.”
Nikki Beach jumped at the chance to secure the location in Cannes where the company has hosted pop-ups of its luxury beach club concept for two decades during the film festival, most notably in front of the Carlton Hotel. But...
Nikki Beach CEO Lucia Penrod was recently reminded of how helpful that can be when Célia Gumbau-Serra, the president of the company’s beach club division who was born in Cannes, reached out with a piece of real estate gossip. “She’s very well-connected and she called to say, ‘You’re not going to believe this but there is a family in Cannes that has been in business for 37 years and they want to retire.’ I thought she was kidding. Can you imagine? A beach club location for sale in Cannes in 2023? It felt too good to be true.”
Nikki Beach jumped at the chance to secure the location in Cannes where the company has hosted pop-ups of its luxury beach club concept for two decades during the film festival, most notably in front of the Carlton Hotel. But...
- 5/15/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Langley Is Woman in Motion in Cannes
Kering’s Women in Motion has unveiled the details for its 2024 program, headlined by a series of A-listers and Universal chairman Donna Langley who will sit for conversations about representation in cinema. The schedule for the invitation-only talks features singer, songwriter and composer Yseult (May 15), actress and filmmaker Judith Godrèche (May 17), Langley ahead of her Women in Motion Award ceremony (May 18), Cannes veteran Julianne Moore (May 19), Cate Blanchett, producer Coco Francini and Dr. Stacy L. Smith (May 20), Emilia Perez star Zoe Saldana (May 20), and Anaïs Demoustier (May 21).
Donna Langley at the 96th Oscars on March 10, 2024. Cannes Vet Kruger Joins “Transcending Borders”
Breaking Through The Lens has booked an afternoon rendezvous in the Campari Lounge at the Palais on May 19, a session that will feature Diane Kruger and the distribution of a special grant that supports directors of marginalized gender.
The event, “Transcending Borders,...
Kering’s Women in Motion has unveiled the details for its 2024 program, headlined by a series of A-listers and Universal chairman Donna Langley who will sit for conversations about representation in cinema. The schedule for the invitation-only talks features singer, songwriter and composer Yseult (May 15), actress and filmmaker Judith Godrèche (May 17), Langley ahead of her Women in Motion Award ceremony (May 18), Cannes veteran Julianne Moore (May 19), Cate Blanchett, producer Coco Francini and Dr. Stacy L. Smith (May 20), Emilia Perez star Zoe Saldana (May 20), and Anaïs Demoustier (May 21).
Donna Langley at the 96th Oscars on March 10, 2024. Cannes Vet Kruger Joins “Transcending Borders”
Breaking Through The Lens has booked an afternoon rendezvous in the Campari Lounge at the Palais on May 19, a session that will feature Diane Kruger and the distribution of a special grant that supports directors of marginalized gender.
The event, “Transcending Borders,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bob Yari’s startup mini-major Magenta Light Studios has found its first in-house film production in “Summerhouse,” a period drama set against the anxiety of the Vietnam War.
“Bombshell” and “Halloween” star Malcolm McDowell will lead the project with Jacob Ward, an up-and-comer who made his debut in Ray Romano’s 2022 film “Somewhere in Queens.” Ed Kaplan (“2 Graves in the Desert”) will write the script and direct, with Shelly Jonson as director of photography.
Production will begin in Connecticut this month. Moonstone Entertainment will represent the international sales, previewing for buyers out of Cannes’ Marche du Film.
“Summerhouse” follows college grad Ned Stern (Ward) awaiting his draft into the Vietnam War. Ned spends his last summer of freedom caring for a belligerent wealthy alcoholic man (McDowell) at his lakeside mansion, only to find himself falling in love with a free-spirited and wild girl while questioning his commitment to his country.
“Bombshell” and “Halloween” star Malcolm McDowell will lead the project with Jacob Ward, an up-and-comer who made his debut in Ray Romano’s 2022 film “Somewhere in Queens.” Ed Kaplan (“2 Graves in the Desert”) will write the script and direct, with Shelly Jonson as director of photography.
Production will begin in Connecticut this month. Moonstone Entertainment will represent the international sales, previewing for buyers out of Cannes’ Marche du Film.
“Summerhouse” follows college grad Ned Stern (Ward) awaiting his draft into the Vietnam War. Ned spends his last summer of freedom caring for a belligerent wealthy alcoholic man (McDowell) at his lakeside mansion, only to find himself falling in love with a free-spirited and wild girl while questioning his commitment to his country.
- 5/15/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety - Film News
Paris-based sales house Charades has sold the Argentinian Western-inspired documentary “Gaucho Gaucho” across much of Europe.
The film — which won a Sundance Jury Prize in January and recently played at Cph:dox — has landed deals with Tandem (France), Filmin (Spain), Selmer Media, M2, Praesens (Switzerland) and Bantam Films (Benelux). Variety understands a U.K. sale is currently under discussion.
Directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, the duo behind the box office hit “The Truffle Hunters,” “Gaucho Gaucho” explores the story of a community of cowboys and cowgirls in Northern Argentina who live outside the modern world.
Produced by Dweck and Kershaw for Beautiful Stories Prods., the film is shot in black-and-white and celebrates the beauty and passion of a group of skilled Argentine cowboys and cowgirls, known as gauchos. It weaves together a mosaic of tales about gauchos confronting the fragility of their world in the face of unprecedented change.
The film — which won a Sundance Jury Prize in January and recently played at Cph:dox — has landed deals with Tandem (France), Filmin (Spain), Selmer Media, M2, Praesens (Switzerland) and Bantam Films (Benelux). Variety understands a U.K. sale is currently under discussion.
Directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, the duo behind the box office hit “The Truffle Hunters,” “Gaucho Gaucho” explores the story of a community of cowboys and cowgirls in Northern Argentina who live outside the modern world.
Produced by Dweck and Kershaw for Beautiful Stories Prods., the film is shot in black-and-white and celebrates the beauty and passion of a group of skilled Argentine cowboys and cowgirls, known as gauchos. It weaves together a mosaic of tales about gauchos confronting the fragility of their world in the face of unprecedented change.
- 5/15/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety - Film News
A stirring, expertly judged thriller powered by a pair of blazing performances, Ghost Trail (Les Fantômes) kicks off Cannes’ Critics’ Week sidebar in first-rate form.
Revolving around a Syrian exile tracking down his former torturer in France, French director Jonathan Millet’s feature-length fiction debut is a work of visceral intensity and formidable control, pulling you into a tight grip and holding you there. The cat-and-mouse premise and brisk, nerve-jangling execution are familiar from numerous other geopolitically timely spy/manhunt tales on big and small screens. But if Ghost Trail doesn’t necessarily buzz with novelty, it boasts a bracing sense of craftsmanship and purpose — of “understanding the assignment,” as the kids might say — both behind and in front of the camera.
Working from a screenplay (“inspired by true events”) co-written with Florence Rochat, Millet displays a shrewd grasp of paranoid-thriller mechanics: fluid camerawork, crisp cutting, propulsive music, anxiety-spiking sound design.
Revolving around a Syrian exile tracking down his former torturer in France, French director Jonathan Millet’s feature-length fiction debut is a work of visceral intensity and formidable control, pulling you into a tight grip and holding you there. The cat-and-mouse premise and brisk, nerve-jangling execution are familiar from numerous other geopolitically timely spy/manhunt tales on big and small screens. But if Ghost Trail doesn’t necessarily buzz with novelty, it boasts a bracing sense of craftsmanship and purpose — of “understanding the assignment,” as the kids might say — both behind and in front of the camera.
Working from a screenplay (“inspired by true events”) co-written with Florence Rochat, Millet displays a shrewd grasp of paranoid-thriller mechanics: fluid camerawork, crisp cutting, propulsive music, anxiety-spiking sound design.
- 5/15/2024
- by Jon Frosch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Veronika Yasinska and Nadiia Zaionchkovska launched the all-rights distribution and co-production outfit Green Light Films last summer, betting on a future for the Ukraine theatrical business in the middle of the ongoing war.
Now at their first Cannes as buyers, they can point to a string of specialty successes, including Jade Halley Bartlett Miller’s Girl, which earned around $284,000 locally, the Ukrainian documentary Us, Our Pets and the War from Ukrainian YouTube Star Anton Ptushkin, which at $115,000 and counting is the second highest-grossing Ukrainian film of the year, and, perhaps surprisingly, Alex Garland’s Civil War, which has earned more than $266,000 in Ukraine to date.
“Of course, marketing Civil War for our audience was a challenge,” notes Green Light Films Cco Zaionchkovska. “For other countries, this was a dystopian sci-fi drama, for our audience, it’s a documentary.”
From a standing start, Green Light Films has carved out “17 percent of...
Now at their first Cannes as buyers, they can point to a string of specialty successes, including Jade Halley Bartlett Miller’s Girl, which earned around $284,000 locally, the Ukrainian documentary Us, Our Pets and the War from Ukrainian YouTube Star Anton Ptushkin, which at $115,000 and counting is the second highest-grossing Ukrainian film of the year, and, perhaps surprisingly, Alex Garland’s Civil War, which has earned more than $266,000 in Ukraine to date.
“Of course, marketing Civil War for our audience was a challenge,” notes Green Light Films Cco Zaionchkovska. “For other countries, this was a dystopian sci-fi drama, for our audience, it’s a documentary.”
From a standing start, Green Light Films has carved out “17 percent of...
- 5/15/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Italian auteur Pietro Marcello – whose 2019 film “Martin Eden” made a splash on the international art-house scene – is shooting “Duse,” a movie about legendary Italian stage diva Eleonora Duse. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi stars as Duse and Noémie Merlant (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”) plays her daughter.
The Match Factory has acquired international rights to “Duse” and is kicking off sales on this buzzy biopic in Cannes. See an exclusive first-look image above.
Duse, who lived between 1858 and 1924, was considered by many the greatest actress of her time. She performed in many countries, most notably in plays by Gabriele D’Annunzio and Henrik Ibsen.
Marcello’s “Duse” will look at the latter part of her life when she is 60 “and her legendary career is now long over,” says the provided synopsis.
“But in the brutal years between the First World War and the rise of fascism, the Divina chooses to return to...
The Match Factory has acquired international rights to “Duse” and is kicking off sales on this buzzy biopic in Cannes. See an exclusive first-look image above.
Duse, who lived between 1858 and 1924, was considered by many the greatest actress of her time. She performed in many countries, most notably in plays by Gabriele D’Annunzio and Henrik Ibsen.
Marcello’s “Duse” will look at the latter part of her life when she is 60 “and her legendary career is now long over,” says the provided synopsis.
“But in the brutal years between the First World War and the rise of fascism, the Divina chooses to return to...
- 5/15/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety - Film News
The Christmas movie is a genre unto itself. It includes all types of films, from classics like It’s a Wonderful Life to comedies like Home Alone to actioners like Die Hard. But while any movie can pop a tree and some stockings in the frame, a memorable Christmas movie must do one thing: make the audience feel the spirit of the season, an objective clearly at the heart of Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point, which will see its Cannes world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight program.
The third feature from director-writer Tyler Taormina (Ham on Rye), Miller’s Point employs a framing story about a multigenerational Italian family coming home for the holidays. But the film is more tone poem than plot-driven narrative, with an atmosphere of holiday nostalgia permeating every scene. A soundtrack of ’60s pop hits plays like a loop of Christmas songs, almost tricking the ear,...
The third feature from director-writer Tyler Taormina (Ham on Rye), Miller’s Point employs a framing story about a multigenerational Italian family coming home for the holidays. But the film is more tone poem than plot-driven narrative, with an atmosphere of holiday nostalgia permeating every scene. A soundtrack of ’60s pop hits plays like a loop of Christmas songs, almost tricking the ear,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Shannon L. Bowen
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Principal photography has begun on “The Captive,” a historical epic from “The Others’” Alejandro Amenábar, starring Julio Peña (“Berlin”) as “Don Quixote” author Miguel de Cervantes, a prisoner of Ottoman corsairs, seen in a very first still from the film, alongside Alessandro Borghi (“Suburra”), playing his captor, which has been shared in exclusivity with Variety.
Paris and London-based production, finance and sales house Film Constellation handles worldwide sales. Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture is on board to release the film in Spain in 2025.
If Peña look spruce but worse for wear, little wonder. An origins story of the early flowering of literary genius in Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote” and slice of mean street life “Rinconete and Cortadillo,” this story is wrapped in a historical thriller.
“The Captive,” no ordinary bio, turns on an episode in Cervantes life which was to shape not only his gift for storytelling...
Paris and London-based production, finance and sales house Film Constellation handles worldwide sales. Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture is on board to release the film in Spain in 2025.
If Peña look spruce but worse for wear, little wonder. An origins story of the early flowering of literary genius in Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote” and slice of mean street life “Rinconete and Cortadillo,” this story is wrapped in a historical thriller.
“The Captive,” no ordinary bio, turns on an episode in Cervantes life which was to shape not only his gift for storytelling...
- 5/15/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety - Film News
The film adaptation of popular comic strip “Natacha (Almost) Air Hostess” boasts an all-star cast.
The cast includes Camille Lou (“Anthracite”), Vincent Dedienne (“We Can Be Heroes”), Fabrice Luchini (“The Empire”), Didier Bourdon (“Cocorico), Elsa Zylberstein (“Coup de Chance”), Isabelle Adjani (“Wingwomen”) and Baptiste Lecaplain (“Meet the Leroys”).
The film is loosely based on the comic strip of the same name created by screenwriter François Walthéry, which was published by Editions Dupuy, and which comprises 23 albums and has sold more than five million copies.
The story follows Natacha, who, since she was a child, has dreamed of becoming an air hostess so that she can break free from the constraints of an age where women are expected to remain at home. Just as her dream is on the verge of becoming a reality, she finds herself involved against her will on an adventure on the trail of a bunch of...
The cast includes Camille Lou (“Anthracite”), Vincent Dedienne (“We Can Be Heroes”), Fabrice Luchini (“The Empire”), Didier Bourdon (“Cocorico), Elsa Zylberstein (“Coup de Chance”), Isabelle Adjani (“Wingwomen”) and Baptiste Lecaplain (“Meet the Leroys”).
The film is loosely based on the comic strip of the same name created by screenwriter François Walthéry, which was published by Editions Dupuy, and which comprises 23 albums and has sold more than five million copies.
The story follows Natacha, who, since she was a child, has dreamed of becoming an air hostess so that she can break free from the constraints of an age where women are expected to remain at home. Just as her dream is on the verge of becoming a reality, she finds herself involved against her will on an adventure on the trail of a bunch of...
- 5/15/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Four-time Academy Award-nominated Ethan Hawke is attached to star in “The Last of the Tribe,” a jungle thriller set in Brazil’s Amazon. Written by Mark Bailey, “The Last of the Tribe” is produced by Brazil’s Academy Award-nominated Fernando Meirelles and Academy Award-winning producer Ed Saxon.
Hawke is set to play William Phelan — a washed-out Chicago cop turned corporate gun-for-hire — who finds himself in a wildly unfamiliar landscape, his assignment the murder of the last surviving member of an uncontacted Indigenous tribe.
“A broken man standing at an unlikely crossroads, Phelan is given the chance to save a life and reclaim his soul,” the film’s synopsis runs.
Hawke will be joined by the Indigenous Brazilian actress-model Zaya Guarani, born in the Amazon’s Port Velho. Seen in Darren Aronofsky’s “Postcard From Earth,” the environmental activist has used her visibility as a fashion model to further her advocacy...
Hawke is set to play William Phelan — a washed-out Chicago cop turned corporate gun-for-hire — who finds himself in a wildly unfamiliar landscape, his assignment the murder of the last surviving member of an uncontacted Indigenous tribe.
“A broken man standing at an unlikely crossroads, Phelan is given the chance to save a life and reclaim his soul,” the film’s synopsis runs.
Hawke will be joined by the Indigenous Brazilian actress-model Zaya Guarani, born in the Amazon’s Port Velho. Seen in Darren Aronofsky’s “Postcard From Earth,” the environmental activist has used her visibility as a fashion model to further her advocacy...
- 5/15/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety - Film News
Gravitas Ventures has picked up the documentary Stylebender, on the UFC Middleweight phenomenon and former world champion Israel Adesanya, for North America.
Zoë McIntosh followed Adesanya, known in the ring as “the last stylebender” for five years making the non-fiction feature, which premiered at the Tribeca film festival last year. Stylebender is less a classic sports doc than an exploration of Adesanya’s origins, family upbringing, and his struggles, as a shy Nigerian kid, growing up in rural New Zealand in the 2000s, to find his own way in the world. We see Adesanya working with his trainer and mentor, Eugene Bareman, as well as his therapist, as he discusses issues of masculinity, bullying, and mental health.
“After screening Stylebender in Tribeca, I could feel in my bones there was something supremely special about this film, and about Adesanya’s story,” said Gravitas’ Danielle Gasher. “There is a vulnerable and...
Zoë McIntosh followed Adesanya, known in the ring as “the last stylebender” for five years making the non-fiction feature, which premiered at the Tribeca film festival last year. Stylebender is less a classic sports doc than an exploration of Adesanya’s origins, family upbringing, and his struggles, as a shy Nigerian kid, growing up in rural New Zealand in the 2000s, to find his own way in the world. We see Adesanya working with his trainer and mentor, Eugene Bareman, as well as his therapist, as he discusses issues of masculinity, bullying, and mental health.
“After screening Stylebender in Tribeca, I could feel in my bones there was something supremely special about this film, and about Adesanya’s story,” said Gravitas’ Danielle Gasher. “There is a vulnerable and...
- 5/15/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Asian audiences are increasingly turning to homegrown content in their streaming choices. Asian titles powering 80% of premium VOD engagement and customer acquisition, according to new research from research and consultancy firm Media Partners Asia.
“The Rise of Asian Content” is based on passive tracking of 40,000 users by sister company Ampd in nine major Asian markets – Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand – over 15 months between Jan. 2023 and March 2024.
“Content originating from Korea, Japan, China, Indonesia and Thailand drives 70-75% of premium VOD engagement, acquisition and hits in Asia,” said MPA lead analyst Dhivya T.
“While the impact and...
“The Rise of Asian Content” is based on passive tracking of 40,000 users by sister company Ampd in nine major Asian markets – Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand – over 15 months between Jan. 2023 and March 2024.
“Content originating from Korea, Japan, China, Indonesia and Thailand drives 70-75% of premium VOD engagement, acquisition and hits in Asia,” said MPA lead analyst Dhivya T.
“While the impact and...
- 5/15/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - TV News
“Golden Horse Goes to Cannes” is looking to make a splash on the Croisette, marking a collaboration with the festival’s Marché du Film that aims to showcase the “diversity, vigor and bold competence of Taiwan cinema, ranging from epic, romance, comedy, fantasy and gender awareness.”
The reality of that promise, for those on the ground in France, will be the presentation on May 16 of five projects featuring the leading lights of contemporary Taiwanese cinema. They’ve been selected by the Golden Horse organization, the people behind Taiwan’s famed annual festival and awards night, to showcase the strength in depth boasted by a market that has always punched above its weight in terms of talent.
New works from directors Chen Yu-hsun, Yang Ya-che, Huang Xi, Giddens Ko, and John Hsu will be on show, and they feature some of the island’s biggest stars, among them Sylvia Chang, who...
The reality of that promise, for those on the ground in France, will be the presentation on May 16 of five projects featuring the leading lights of contemporary Taiwanese cinema. They’ve been selected by the Golden Horse organization, the people behind Taiwan’s famed annual festival and awards night, to showcase the strength in depth boasted by a market that has always punched above its weight in terms of talent.
New works from directors Chen Yu-hsun, Yang Ya-che, Huang Xi, Giddens Ko, and John Hsu will be on show, and they feature some of the island’s biggest stars, among them Sylvia Chang, who...
- 5/15/2024
- by Mathew Scott
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After four Oscar wins for “All Quiet on the Western Front” last year and the Oscar nomination for “The Teachers’ Lounge” this year, Germany’s film sector seemed to be on the up, but while a government plan to revamp the country’s film funding system is broadly welcomed, its painfully slow progress is also causing some anxiety.
The fact that Cannes’ various sections contain not one feature by a German filmmaker may be seen as a cause for concern, but 13 German productions and co-productions have been selected. This underscores how Germany’s current funding structures nurture co-productions, which in turn benefits local producers. For example, both Karim Aïnouz’s “Motel Destino” and Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour” in the Competition section have Germany’s Match Factory Productions as a co-producer.
The Berlinale was a better showcase for German talent, with Matthias Glasner picking up the screenplay award for “Dying,” and...
The fact that Cannes’ various sections contain not one feature by a German filmmaker may be seen as a cause for concern, but 13 German productions and co-productions have been selected. This underscores how Germany’s current funding structures nurture co-productions, which in turn benefits local producers. For example, both Karim Aïnouz’s “Motel Destino” and Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour” in the Competition section have Germany’s Match Factory Productions as a co-producer.
The Berlinale was a better showcase for German talent, with Matthias Glasner picking up the screenplay award for “Dying,” and...
- 5/15/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
It is a great year for Ireland at Cannes, with five Irish films world premiering at the festival. Among the crop are Yorgos Lanthimos’ highly-anticipated “Kinds of Kindness,” Ariane Labed’s feature debut “September Says” and Ali Abbasi’s Trump biopic “The Apprentice.”
Not only does Ireland have a slew of high-profile talent like actors Cillian Murphy and Ruth Negga, cinematographer Robbie Ryan and director Lenny Abrahamson, but the country also boasts locations that have attracted recent productions such as “Cocaine Bear” and “Abigail.” “We are a small country to get around but very diverse,” head of U.S. production and partnerships Steven Davenport told Variety.
“We can double as the U.K. and U.S.,” Davenport added. “We have modern locations now since the headquarters of Google, Facebook, Twitter and Apple are all based in Ireland. You get this modern look with a futuristic feel to it and five...
Not only does Ireland have a slew of high-profile talent like actors Cillian Murphy and Ruth Negga, cinematographer Robbie Ryan and director Lenny Abrahamson, but the country also boasts locations that have attracted recent productions such as “Cocaine Bear” and “Abigail.” “We are a small country to get around but very diverse,” head of U.S. production and partnerships Steven Davenport told Variety.
“We can double as the U.K. and U.S.,” Davenport added. “We have modern locations now since the headquarters of Google, Facebook, Twitter and Apple are all based in Ireland. You get this modern look with a futuristic feel to it and five...
- 5/15/2024
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety - Film News
European Film Promotion is playing host at the Cannes Film Festival to 20 up-and-coming European producers, selected for its Producers on the Move program. Variety invited the producers to share details of their upcoming projects.
Katharina Posch, Austria
“I’m Not Here to Make Friends”
Director: Julia Niemann
“I’m Not Here to Make Friends” is a sleek and sunny psycho thriller about a reality TV show set on a remote island. Playing with elements of horror and satire it asks the question: Why do we want to be seen so badly?
Elisa Heene, Belgium
“Nightshade”
Director: Leni Huyghe
“Nightshade” by Cinéfondation talent Leni Huyghe is a psychological thriller about Leanna, a chemist, who starts experimenting with the poisonous plant Nightshade and discovers its hallucinatory powers. Leana gets addicted and loses herself in a dreamlike world, where the midwife Marta is accused of witchcraft.
Kalin Kalinov, Bulgaria
“Axis of Life”
Director:...
Katharina Posch, Austria
“I’m Not Here to Make Friends”
Director: Julia Niemann
“I’m Not Here to Make Friends” is a sleek and sunny psycho thriller about a reality TV show set on a remote island. Playing with elements of horror and satire it asks the question: Why do we want to be seen so badly?
Elisa Heene, Belgium
“Nightshade”
Director: Leni Huyghe
“Nightshade” by Cinéfondation talent Leni Huyghe is a psychological thriller about Leanna, a chemist, who starts experimenting with the poisonous plant Nightshade and discovers its hallucinatory powers. Leana gets addicted and loses herself in a dreamlike world, where the midwife Marta is accused of witchcraft.
Kalin Kalinov, Bulgaria
“Axis of Life”
Director:...
- 5/15/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
John Malkovich has transformed into Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache in first look images from biopic “The Yellow Tie.”
“The Yellow Tie” is part of a new spate of conductor biopics that also includes “Tar” and “Maestro.” The film, which Vmi Worldwide will introduce to buyers in Cannes, spans seven decades of Celibidache’s life, with Ben Schnetzer (“3 Body Problem”) playing the musical virtuoso in his youth as he battles personal and global instability to become the youngest ever conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and eventually one of the world’s most celebrated conductors.
Ben Schnetzer in ‘The Yellow Tie’ (Adi Marineci/Oblique Media courtesy of Celeb Films)
For the role, Malkovich conducted a concert in Bucharest surrounded by 4,300 extras.
“The Lord of the Rings” star Sean Bean plays Celibidache’s harsh father, who throws out his son after discovering he wants to pursue a career in classical music,...
“The Yellow Tie” is part of a new spate of conductor biopics that also includes “Tar” and “Maestro.” The film, which Vmi Worldwide will introduce to buyers in Cannes, spans seven decades of Celibidache’s life, with Ben Schnetzer (“3 Body Problem”) playing the musical virtuoso in his youth as he battles personal and global instability to become the youngest ever conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and eventually one of the world’s most celebrated conductors.
Ben Schnetzer in ‘The Yellow Tie’ (Adi Marineci/Oblique Media courtesy of Celeb Films)
For the role, Malkovich conducted a concert in Bucharest surrounded by 4,300 extras.
“The Lord of the Rings” star Sean Bean plays Celibidache’s harsh father, who throws out his son after discovering he wants to pursue a career in classical music,...
- 5/15/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety - Film News
Filmax has nabbed sales rights to “May I Speak With the Enemy,” a biopic focusing on the Spanish Civil War years of Miguel Gila, who went on to pioneer stand-up in Spain. Gila developed a comedy of the absurd informed by his experiences in the conflict.
“May I Speak With the Enemy” is produced by Pecado Films, a producer on Victor Erice’s “Close Your Eyes,” and Arcadia Motion Pictures, behind Oscar-nominated “Robot Dreams” and Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts.”
Co-written by Alexis Morante from an original idea by Pecado producer José Alba, “May I Speak” stars newcomer Oscar Lasarte, a comedian and magician, as a young Gila, just 17 when he heads for the trenches, to suffer through battles, hunger and a botched execution by a drunken firing squad.
The experiences inspired one of his most famous sketches, where he phones up the enemy to ask them to stop the war and,...
“May I Speak With the Enemy” is produced by Pecado Films, a producer on Victor Erice’s “Close Your Eyes,” and Arcadia Motion Pictures, behind Oscar-nominated “Robot Dreams” and Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts.”
Co-written by Alexis Morante from an original idea by Pecado producer José Alba, “May I Speak” stars newcomer Oscar Lasarte, a comedian and magician, as a young Gila, just 17 when he heads for the trenches, to suffer through battles, hunger and a botched execution by a drunken firing squad.
The experiences inspired one of his most famous sketches, where he phones up the enemy to ask them to stop the war and,...
- 5/15/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety - Film News
Leading Japanese TV producer Morii Akira and South Korea’s J.Q. Lee are joining forces to create an action-driven series built around a protagonist with special powers.
The pair are both currently riding high, developing or producing additional seasons for their recent hit shows. Morii is currently working on a third season of Netflix original, dystopian series “Alice in Borderland.” Lee is working on Season 2 of Korean hit “All of Us Are Dead.”
The untitled new series is pitched as “an action-packed spectacular drama, featuring a protagonist with unique abilities never before seen in movies or Japanese comics [and] promising an unprecedented viewing experience,...
The pair are both currently riding high, developing or producing additional seasons for their recent hit shows. Morii is currently working on a third season of Netflix original, dystopian series “Alice in Borderland.” Lee is working on Season 2 of Korean hit “All of Us Are Dead.”
The untitled new series is pitched as “an action-packed spectacular drama, featuring a protagonist with unique abilities never before seen in movies or Japanese comics [and] promising an unprecedented viewing experience,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - TV News
Manoj Bajpayee, known as one of India’s finest actors, is adopting a mass-market action hero persona in upcoming film “Bhaiyya Ji.”
The story, where Bajpayee’s character faces off against a powerful man and his henchmen to seek revenge for wrongs done to his family, is literally ripped from the headlines. The actor read the real-life story in a newspaper several years ago and it stayed with him.
“I wanted to do an independent film and really explore this mindset of revenge, where it comes from, really analyze it and find the psychology of revenge in the human mind, that fascinated me,” Bajpayee told Variety. While shooting courtroom drama “Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai” (2023), the actor mentioned it to director Apoorv Singh Karki, who was similarly fascinated by the idea.
“I just wanted his opinion on it. But this guy jumped up and said, ‘I’m a big fan of mass entertainers,...
The story, where Bajpayee’s character faces off against a powerful man and his henchmen to seek revenge for wrongs done to his family, is literally ripped from the headlines. The actor read the real-life story in a newspaper several years ago and it stayed with him.
“I wanted to do an independent film and really explore this mindset of revenge, where it comes from, really analyze it and find the psychology of revenge in the human mind, that fascinated me,” Bajpayee told Variety. While shooting courtroom drama “Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai” (2023), the actor mentioned it to director Apoorv Singh Karki, who was similarly fascinated by the idea.
“I just wanted his opinion on it. But this guy jumped up and said, ‘I’m a big fan of mass entertainers,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Is there a harder-working actor in the movie business than Willem Dafoe? The 68-year-old, who splits his time between Los Angeles, New York and Rome, has appeared in more than 150 films, co-starring in everything from superhero features to dozens of movie-buff favorites from David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Lars von Trier, Paul Schrader, Oliver Stone, Julian Schnabel, Wes Anderson, Sean Baker, Spike Lee, Robert Eggers and so many more.
Fresh from his acclaimed performance in Yorgos Lanthimos‘ recent awards season favorite Poor Things, Dafoe is already returning to Cannes this month in the Greek director’s much-buzzed-about follow-up, Kinds of Kindness. Described as a surrealist fable set in the present day, the new project is an anthology film told in three parts, reuniting Lanthimos with the provocative screenwriting partner of his early career, Efthymis Filippou (Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer). The film’s multi-Oscar-feted key cast — Dafoe,...
Fresh from his acclaimed performance in Yorgos Lanthimos‘ recent awards season favorite Poor Things, Dafoe is already returning to Cannes this month in the Greek director’s much-buzzed-about follow-up, Kinds of Kindness. Described as a surrealist fable set in the present day, the new project is an anthology film told in three parts, reuniting Lanthimos with the provocative screenwriting partner of his early career, Efthymis Filippou (Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer). The film’s multi-Oscar-feted key cast — Dafoe,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Harry Shearer has voiced dozens of characters on Fox’s “The Simpsons,” from Mr. Burns to Ned Flanders and Principal Skinner, but he was replaced as the voice of Springfield physician Dr. Hibbert when producers of the show vowed in 2020 to no longer have white actors voice characters of color. Shearer recently reflected on the change during an interview with The Times of London.
“Folk say the show has become woke in recent years and one of my characters has been affected,” Shearer said. “I voiced the Black physician, Dr. Hibbert, who I based on Bill Cosby. Back then he...
“Folk say the show has become woke in recent years and one of my characters has been affected,” Shearer said. “I voiced the Black physician, Dr. Hibbert, who I based on Bill Cosby. Back then he...
- 5/15/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - TV News
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