Top News
Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery — ordinarily rivals for consumers’ time and money — are teaming up for a triple-play bundle of Disney+, Hulu and Max.
The companies announced a new streaming bundle comprising Disney+, Hulu and Max will be available this summer in the U.S. There’s no pricing info or specific launch date at this point. Disney and Wbd said the bundle will be available for purchase on any of the three streaming platforms’ websites and offered as both an ad-supported and ad-free plan.
The apps and content from each company will remain separate. Disney recently integrated Hulu content...
The companies announced a new streaming bundle comprising Disney+, Hulu and Max will be available this summer in the U.S. There’s no pricing info or specific launch date at this point. Disney and Wbd said the bundle will be available for purchase on any of the three streaming platforms’ websites and offered as both an ad-supported and ad-free plan.
The apps and content from each company will remain separate. Disney recently integrated Hulu content...
- 5/8/2024
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety - TV News
Steve Albini, the noise rock pioneer with Big Black and Shellac who also helped engineer some of the greatest alternative rock albums of all time — Nirvana’s In Utero and Pixies’ Surfer Rosa among them — has died at the age of 61.
Staff at Albini’s Electrical Audio Recording confirmed to Rolling Stone that Albini died Tuesday night, with the New York Times adding that the cause of death was a heart attack. Albini’s death comes just a week after his acclaimed noise rock project Shellac was set to release To All Trains,...
Staff at Albini’s Electrical Audio Recording confirmed to Rolling Stone that Albini died Tuesday night, with the New York Times adding that the cause of death was a heart attack. Albini’s death comes just a week after his acclaimed noise rock project Shellac was set to release To All Trains,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
An HBO concert special based on Lady Gaga’s 2022 “Chromatica Ball” tour will premiere on the network on Saturday, May 25 at 8 p.m. Et/Pt and will be available to stream on Max.
stream 'chromatica ball tour' on max $9.99/Month
The special was filmed before a sold-out crowd of 52,000 people at Los Angeles’s Dodger Stadium in September of 2022 and features the Grammy and Oscar-winning artist performing such hits as “Bad Romance,” “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” “Shallow,” “Rain On Me,” “Stupid Love” and more.
The special was produced, directed and created by Lady Gaga; executive producers were her longtime manager...
stream 'chromatica ball tour' on max $9.99/Month
The special was filmed before a sold-out crowd of 52,000 people at Los Angeles’s Dodger Stadium in September of 2022 and features the Grammy and Oscar-winning artist performing such hits as “Bad Romance,” “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” “Shallow,” “Rain On Me,” “Stupid Love” and more.
The special was produced, directed and created by Lady Gaga; executive producers were her longtime manager...
- 5/8/2024
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety - TV News
New ‘The Office’ Series Picked Up at Peacock, First Plot Details Reveal Midwestern Newspaper Setting
The new iteration of “The Office” has been picked up to series at Peacock, Variety has learned.
As has been previously reported, the show is not a reboot or spinoff of “The Office,” but rather a new mockumentary show with a new cast set in the same universe. For the first time since the show was first revealed to be in the works in late 2023, plot details are now available. The official logline states:
“The documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch is in search of a new subject when they discover a dying historic Midwestern newspaper and...
As has been previously reported, the show is not a reboot or spinoff of “The Office,” but rather a new mockumentary show with a new cast set in the same universe. For the first time since the show was first revealed to be in the works in late 2023, plot details are now available. The official logline states:
“The documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch is in search of a new subject when they discover a dying historic Midwestern newspaper and...
- 5/8/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Travis Kelce has joined the cast of Ryan Murphy’s new horror series “Grotesquerie.”
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end has been cast opposite Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance and Lesley Manville in the FX series, which will premiere this fall. Although character details have not been revealed, this marks Kelce’s first major acting role.
Kelce confirmed the news in an Instagram Story featuring a video of himself and Nash-Betts.
“Guys, guess who I am working with in ‘Grotesquerie’?” Nash-Betts asks in the video before panning over to Kelce.
“Stepping into new territory with Niecy,” Kelce adds.
The NFL...
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end has been cast opposite Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance and Lesley Manville in the FX series, which will premiere this fall. Although character details have not been revealed, this marks Kelce’s first major acting role.
Kelce confirmed the news in an Instagram Story featuring a video of himself and Nash-Betts.
“Guys, guess who I am working with in ‘Grotesquerie’?” Nash-Betts asks in the video before panning over to Kelce.
“Stepping into new territory with Niecy,” Kelce adds.
The NFL...
- 5/8/2024
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety - TV News
Isabelle Huppert will preside over the main jury of the upcoming Venice Film Festival.
The revered French actor has a longstanding rapport with the Lido, having won Venice’s
Coppa Volpi for best actress twice, first with “Story of Women” in 1988, and subsequently with “La Cérémonie” in 1995, both directed by Claude Chabrol.
Huppert – who has made a total of eight films with Chabrol – also has a close bond with the Cannes Film Festival where in 1978 she won the best actress statuette for Chabrol’s “Violette.” In 2001, Huppert won her second best actress award at Cannes for her tour-de-force performance as a sado-masochistic music professor in Michael Haneke’s “The Piano.” In 2005, Huppert was honored by Venice with a Special Golden Lion for her titular role in “Gabrielle,” Patrice Chéreau’s costume drama about an imploded marriage.
In 2017 she gained her first Academy Award nomination for her role as a rape...
The revered French actor has a longstanding rapport with the Lido, having won Venice’s
Coppa Volpi for best actress twice, first with “Story of Women” in 1988, and subsequently with “La Cérémonie” in 1995, both directed by Claude Chabrol.
Huppert – who has made a total of eight films with Chabrol – also has a close bond with the Cannes Film Festival where in 1978 she won the best actress statuette for Chabrol’s “Violette.” In 2001, Huppert won her second best actress award at Cannes for her tour-de-force performance as a sado-masochistic music professor in Michael Haneke’s “The Piano.” In 2005, Huppert was honored by Venice with a Special Golden Lion for her titular role in “Gabrielle,” Patrice Chéreau’s costume drama about an imploded marriage.
In 2017 she gained her first Academy Award nomination for her role as a rape...
- 5/8/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety - Film 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
Susan Buckner, an American actor best known for her role as Patty Simcox in the 1978 musical “Grease,” died May 2. She was 72. Her death was confirmed by her publicist.
At the age of 25, Buckner was cast in the role of the Rydell High cheerleader, joining a cast that included John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. As Simcox, Buckner played a solider of school spirit, with an iconic cheer cemented into fans’ minds: “Do the splits, give a yell! Show a little spirit for old Rydell! Way to go, red and white! Go Rydell, fight, fight, fight!”
Buckner continued working as an actor with guest credits across several television shows, including “The Love Boat,” “B.J and the Bear” and “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries.” She co-starred in the ABC series “When the Whistle Blows.” Among other notable feature credits, Buckner appeared in Wes Craven’s 1981 horror film “Deadly Blessing” opposite Sharon Stone, as...
At the age of 25, Buckner was cast in the role of the Rydell High cheerleader, joining a cast that included John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. As Simcox, Buckner played a solider of school spirit, with an iconic cheer cemented into fans’ minds: “Do the splits, give a yell! Show a little spirit for old Rydell! Way to go, red and white! Go Rydell, fight, fight, fight!”
Buckner continued working as an actor with guest credits across several television shows, including “The Love Boat,” “B.J and the Bear” and “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries.” She co-starred in the ABC series “When the Whistle Blows.” Among other notable feature credits, Buckner appeared in Wes Craven’s 1981 horror film “Deadly Blessing” opposite Sharon Stone, as...
- 5/7/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety - Film News
The “Blade Runner” series in the works at Amazon Prime Video has cast Michelle Yeoh in a lead role, Variety has learned.
The series, titled “Blade Runner 2099,” was ordered at Amazon in September 2022. It serves as a sequel to both the original “Blade Runner” film and the followup film, “Blade Runner 2049.” Exact plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources say Yeoh will play a character named Olwen, described as a replicant near the end of her life.
Amazon declined to comment on specific character details.
Yeoh won the Academy Award for best actress for “Everything Everywhere All at Once...
The series, titled “Blade Runner 2099,” was ordered at Amazon in September 2022. It serves as a sequel to both the original “Blade Runner” film and the followup film, “Blade Runner 2049.” Exact plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources say Yeoh will play a character named Olwen, described as a replicant near the end of her life.
Amazon declined to comment on specific character details.
Yeoh won the Academy Award for best actress for “Everything Everywhere All at Once...
- 5/7/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Some breaking news from Westeros: The Game of Thrones prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has added a major talent from Black Mirror to serve as its debut season’s lead director, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Owen Harris has boarded the HBO drama as an executive producer and will also direct the first three episodes, establishing the directorial vision for the series. Harris is best known for helming two of Black Mirror‘s finest episodes — “Be Right Back” and the widely acclaimed “San Junipero.”
In addition, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ episode count has now been revealed: The first season will be six episodes, making for a tighter opener than the 10-episode first seasons of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. The run time seems appropriate given Knight is an adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s 160-page novella The Hedge Knight rather than one of his 900-page epic novels.
Owen Harris has boarded the HBO drama as an executive producer and will also direct the first three episodes, establishing the directorial vision for the series. Harris is best known for helming two of Black Mirror‘s finest episodes — “Be Right Back” and the widely acclaimed “San Junipero.”
In addition, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ episode count has now been revealed: The first season will be six episodes, making for a tighter opener than the 10-episode first seasons of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. The run time seems appropriate given Knight is an adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s 160-page novella The Hedge Knight rather than one of his 900-page epic novels.
- 5/7/2024
- by James Hibberd
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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
Actor George MacKay has reunited with his “For Those in Peril” director Paul Wright for “Mission.”
Backed by BBC Film, Screen Scotland and Ffilm Cymru Wales with funding from the U.K. National Lottery, “Mission” is a co-production between Early Day Films (BAFTA winner “Bait”) and 65 Wilding Films (“Baltimore”). The project was developed with Screen Scotland and BBC Film.
The producers describe “Mission” as “a punk exploration of the psyche which follows alienated Dylan (MacKay) as he throws off the shackles of his solitary life in an attempt to experience the highs and lows of existence at its most extreme, embarking on a thrilling journey of self-discovery that proves both inspiring and terrifying.”
Blue Finch Films will be handling worldwide sales on the project.
“Mission” is produced by Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Early Day Films), Alex Thiele (65 Wilding Films), Marie-Elena Dyche (Meraki Films) and Lowri Roberts (Rapt), with Maisie Williams...
Backed by BBC Film, Screen Scotland and Ffilm Cymru Wales with funding from the U.K. National Lottery, “Mission” is a co-production between Early Day Films (BAFTA winner “Bait”) and 65 Wilding Films (“Baltimore”). The project was developed with Screen Scotland and BBC Film.
The producers describe “Mission” as “a punk exploration of the psyche which follows alienated Dylan (MacKay) as he throws off the shackles of his solitary life in an attempt to experience the highs and lows of existence at its most extreme, embarking on a thrilling journey of self-discovery that proves both inspiring and terrifying.”
Blue Finch Films will be handling worldwide sales on the project.
“Mission” is produced by Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Early Day Films), Alex Thiele (65 Wilding Films), Marie-Elena Dyche (Meraki Films) and Lowri Roberts (Rapt), with Maisie Williams...
- 5/9/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Documentary festival Millennium Docs Against Gravity, running in Poland from Friday to May 19 and online from May 21 to July 3, is in its 21st edition, but its industry section is a relatively recent addition. However, it is growing in size and impact.
The section started small four years ago, as Anna Szczypińska, head of the section, explains.
“At the beginning we held small, intimate networking events,” she says. “Then in 2022, when I joined, we had a short program of industry events. It included a pitching session of seven projects by Polish, Belarussian and Ukrainian filmmakers. Some panel discussions and a few networking events.”
This year’s edition reflects the emphasis of the festival organizers on growing this section. Szczypińska says, “This year we will present the 37 projects in four different pitching sessions. We are offering an extensive program of talks, masterclasses and discussion panels. These would be on different topics like distribution or the financing process.
The section started small four years ago, as Anna Szczypińska, head of the section, explains.
“At the beginning we held small, intimate networking events,” she says. “Then in 2022, when I joined, we had a short program of industry events. It included a pitching session of seven projects by Polish, Belarussian and Ukrainian filmmakers. Some panel discussions and a few networking events.”
This year’s edition reflects the emphasis of the festival organizers on growing this section. Szczypińska says, “This year we will present the 37 projects in four different pitching sessions. We are offering an extensive program of talks, masterclasses and discussion panels. These would be on different topics like distribution or the financing process.
- 5/9/2024
- by Murtada Elfadl
- Variety - Film News
Netflix and “Elite” creator Carlos Montero have reteamed on the new medical drama “Breathless,” and Variety has been given exclusive access to new first images from the show.
“Breathless” is produced by Montero’s El Desorden Crea and executive produced by Montero and Diego Betancor. David Pinillos and Marta Font shared directing duties, working from screenplays by Montero, Carlos Ruano, Guillermo Escribano, and Pablo Saiz.
Alongside today’s photos, Netflix released a new synopsis for the show: “The Joaquín Sorolla is much more than a public hospital in Valencia where lives are saved every day. Doctors and residents work their...
“Breathless” is produced by Montero’s El Desorden Crea and executive produced by Montero and Diego Betancor. David Pinillos and Marta Font shared directing duties, working from screenplays by Montero, Carlos Ruano, Guillermo Escribano, and Pablo Saiz.
Alongside today’s photos, Netflix released a new synopsis for the show: “The Joaquín Sorolla is much more than a public hospital in Valencia where lives are saved every day. Doctors and residents work their...
- 5/9/2024
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety - TV News
Korean sales firm Finecut has inked multiple deals for horror thriller “Noise” and for “A Traveler’s Needs,” the recent Berlin prize-winner directed by Hong Sangsoo.
“Noise” is a “multi-sensory and realistic horror” film that intertwines societal motifs of “floor noise” with suspenseful elements. Directed by Kim Soo-jin, the film centers around a woman with a hearing aid haunted by inexplicable sounds linked to her sister’s disappearance in her own apartment and attracting a malevolent presence. The film is currently in post-production.
Among the pre-completion buyers are France’s Kmbo, Red Castle Group for the Cis region, Indonesia’s Prima Cinema Multimedia and Thailand’s Iris Cinema Thailand. Finecut will screen a promotional extract at its booth and in the Cannes Market.
The Isabelle Huppert-starring, Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize-winner “A Traveler’s Needs” has scored multiple deals since launching at Berlin’s EFM. These include one with The Cinema...
“Noise” is a “multi-sensory and realistic horror” film that intertwines societal motifs of “floor noise” with suspenseful elements. Directed by Kim Soo-jin, the film centers around a woman with a hearing aid haunted by inexplicable sounds linked to her sister’s disappearance in her own apartment and attracting a malevolent presence. The film is currently in post-production.
Among the pre-completion buyers are France’s Kmbo, Red Castle Group for the Cis region, Indonesia’s Prima Cinema Multimedia and Thailand’s Iris Cinema Thailand. Finecut will screen a promotional extract at its booth and in the Cannes Market.
The Isabelle Huppert-starring, Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize-winner “A Traveler’s Needs” has scored multiple deals since launching at Berlin’s EFM. These include one with The Cinema...
- 5/9/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
The 50-strong cohort for the fourth iteration of the TV Collective’s groundbreaking Breakthrough Leaders program has been unveiled.
The initiative is in partnership with Fremantle, BBC Studios, Amazon, Sky, and ITV Studios. The program has identified and will empower 50 exceptional individuals from Black, Asian and global majority backgrounds who are poised to become the future leaders of the U.K. TV industry.
This year’s selection process saw a significant increase in female leaders and a broader geographic representation beyond London. Among those recognized are BAFTA-nominated screenwriter and director Shiva Raichandani, documentary filmmaker Georgie Yukiko-Donovan and Ellie Sabine-Singh, head of development at Chatterbox Media.
The initiative is in partnership with Fremantle, BBC Studios, Amazon, Sky, and ITV Studios. The program has identified and will empower 50 exceptional individuals from Black, Asian and global majority backgrounds who are poised to become the future leaders of the U.K. TV industry.
This year’s selection process saw a significant increase in female leaders and a broader geographic representation beyond London. Among those recognized are BAFTA-nominated screenwriter and director Shiva Raichandani, documentary filmmaker Georgie Yukiko-Donovan and Ellie Sabine-Singh, head of development at Chatterbox Media.
- 5/9/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - TV News
‘Mother of the Bride’ Review: Brooke Shields Says I Do to Netflix’s Aggressively Inoffensive Rom-Com
After “Ticket to Paradise” and “Destination Wedding” showed us the different ways in which calamity ensues when planning weddings abroad, Netflix releases “Mother of the Bride,” which combines the essential elements of both those recent romantic comedies into one passable package. The far-off setting emphasizes the lavish and luxe, though the narrative is cheaply woven and fairly threadbare. While “Mean Girls” director Mark Waters’ latest fails to add anything unique to the conversation, it does scrounge up a modest amount of heart when it comes to its saccharine sweet message of never giving up on happily ever after.
Mere seconds after her extravagant proposal, Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) begins fretting to her fiancé Rj (Sean Teale) about how to frame their engagement to her judgmental widowed mom Dr. Lana Winslow (Brooke Shields), who doesn’t even know her only child has a steady beau. Cue zany, plucky score. Mom’s been busy saving the world,...
Mere seconds after her extravagant proposal, Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) begins fretting to her fiancé Rj (Sean Teale) about how to frame their engagement to her judgmental widowed mom Dr. Lana Winslow (Brooke Shields), who doesn’t even know her only child has a steady beau. Cue zany, plucky score. Mom’s been busy saving the world,...
- 5/9/2024
- by Courtney Howard
- Variety - Film News
Bodkin, Netflix’s new darkly comic mystery series about true crime podcasting, is a slow burn, not to be confused with Slow Burn, the true crime podcast briefly adapted as an Epix series.
Created by Jez Scharf, boasting the Obamas’ Higher Ground among its producers and featuring Will Forte as its most prominent star, Bodkin is a show that I felt a reasonable amount of investment in by the end. But the cumulative effect belies the fact that it’s a series that does a bunch of little things well in a low-key way, rather than doing any one thing spectacularly well.
It’s a satire without any big laughs, a puzzle without many shocking twists and a character study, but of a very muted sort. If you go in looking for big reactions to anything, you’ll be disappointed. If you look for some minor insights into our instinctive love of voyeuristic storytelling,...
Created by Jez Scharf, boasting the Obamas’ Higher Ground among its producers and featuring Will Forte as its most prominent star, Bodkin is a show that I felt a reasonable amount of investment in by the end. But the cumulative effect belies the fact that it’s a series that does a bunch of little things well in a low-key way, rather than doing any one thing spectacularly well.
It’s a satire without any big laughs, a puzzle without many shocking twists and a character study, but of a very muted sort. If you go in looking for big reactions to anything, you’ll be disappointed. If you look for some minor insights into our instinctive love of voyeuristic storytelling,...
- 5/9/2024
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ukrainian production powerhouse Film.UA is developing a bone-chilling slate of horror films all set within the same cinematic universe, the company revealed exclusively to Variety on the eve of this year’s Cannes Marché du Film.
Steeped in local folklore and delving into the rituals, sorcery and mysticism that are woven into the fabric of Ukrainian culture and mythology, the films will transport viewers into a realm where ancient powers stir and darkness reigns, unspooling stories that are rooted in historical and cultural facts and set against the backdrop of current events.
“We’re not just producing movies; we’re crafting an entire universe and forming an industry of the specific genre in Ukraine,” says Iryna Kostyuk, the producer behind two upcoming features as well as last year’s animated hit “Mavka. The Forest Song.” “Our goal is to create a diverse and immersive storytelling experience that resonates with audiences on a global scale.
Steeped in local folklore and delving into the rituals, sorcery and mysticism that are woven into the fabric of Ukrainian culture and mythology, the films will transport viewers into a realm where ancient powers stir and darkness reigns, unspooling stories that are rooted in historical and cultural facts and set against the backdrop of current events.
“We’re not just producing movies; we’re crafting an entire universe and forming an industry of the specific genre in Ukraine,” says Iryna Kostyuk, the producer behind two upcoming features as well as last year’s animated hit “Mavka. The Forest Song.” “Our goal is to create a diverse and immersive storytelling experience that resonates with audiences on a global scale.
- 5/9/2024
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety - Film News
U.K. broadcaster ITV has reported mixed financial fortunes for the first quarter of 2024.
Its advertising revenue growth of 3%, with the second quarter expected to be up around 12%, is offset by the downturn in revenues from ITV Studios. Total revenue was down 7% to £887 million ($1.10 billion), between January and March, compared to £952 million ($1.18 billion) during the same period in 2023.
Within that total, ITV Studios revenues were down by 16% to £382 million (2023: £457 million), “due to the phasing of deliveries which are heavily weighted to H2 and the expected impact from both the 2023 U.S. writers and actors strikes and the weaker demand...
Its advertising revenue growth of 3%, with the second quarter expected to be up around 12%, is offset by the downturn in revenues from ITV Studios. Total revenue was down 7% to £887 million ($1.10 billion), between January and March, compared to £952 million ($1.18 billion) during the same period in 2023.
Within that total, ITV Studios revenues were down by 16% to £382 million (2023: £457 million), “due to the phasing of deliveries which are heavily weighted to H2 and the expected impact from both the 2023 U.S. writers and actors strikes and the weaker demand...
- 5/9/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - TV News
U.K. TV giant ITV on Thursday reported a 3 percent advertising revenue gain for the first quarter of 2024, with the current second quarter forecast to record stronger growth. But its ITV Studios unit posted a big drop “due to the phasing of deliveries which are heavily weighted to the second half and the expected impact from both the 2023 U.S. writers and actors strikes and the weaker demand from free-to-air broadcasters in Europe” which, the company said, “have been holding back spend until they see more certainty in the advertising market.”
ITV’s quarterly ad gain was in line with management’s forecasts. Compared to the same period in 2023, ITV had previously forecast its first-quarter 2024 ad revenue would be up 3 percent, “with continued strong growth in digital advertising revenues.”
On Thursday, the company highlighted “strong momentum into the second quarter, expected to be up around 12 percent,” helped by the Euros soccer...
ITV’s quarterly ad gain was in line with management’s forecasts. Compared to the same period in 2023, ITV had previously forecast its first-quarter 2024 ad revenue would be up 3 percent, “with continued strong growth in digital advertising revenues.”
On Thursday, the company highlighted “strong momentum into the second quarter, expected to be up around 12 percent,” helped by the Euros soccer...
- 5/9/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lady Gaga’s long-awaited Chromatica Ball will finally hit screens this month following a two year wait, the singer announced Wednesday.
The concert film, originally announced in 2022, will feature footage from Gaga’s global Chromatica Ball stadium tour, which featured music from her 2020 album, Chromatica. The movie premieres on HBO on May 28, and will subsequently be available to stream on Max.
“Put your hands up, come on!” the singer shouts in the trailer for the film. On Instagram, she elaborated: “This film chronicles a time of immense creativity… the fashion, the dance, the music. Revisiting the tour leaves me speechless the way we had each other — you all showed up for music and art in a big way, and with a level of excitement and freedom that I will never forget. Stadium after stadium. Sold-out crowds. The deafening sing-alongs. Chromatica was colorful revenge. The chaos of it all became pure energy and life.
The concert film, originally announced in 2022, will feature footage from Gaga’s global Chromatica Ball stadium tour, which featured music from her 2020 album, Chromatica. The movie premieres on HBO on May 28, and will subsequently be available to stream on Max.
“Put your hands up, come on!” the singer shouts in the trailer for the film. On Instagram, she elaborated: “This film chronicles a time of immense creativity… the fashion, the dance, the music. Revisiting the tour leaves me speechless the way we had each other — you all showed up for music and art in a big way, and with a level of excitement and freedom that I will never forget. Stadium after stadium. Sold-out crowds. The deafening sing-alongs. Chromatica was colorful revenge. The chaos of it all became pure energy and life.
- 5/9/2024
- by Zoe G Phillips
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jerry Seinfeld has apologized to Howard Stern for comments he made about the radio personality in a recent podcast interview, including that Stern lacked “comedy chops.”
“I really feel bad for what I said about my friend Howard Stern in a conversation with David Spade and Dana Carvey, talking about the glut of comedy podcasts,” he told TMZ, referring to his appearance on Carvey and Spade’s “Fly on the Wall” podcast.
While discussing the popularity of podcast culture with Carvey and Spade, Seinfeld asked the two fellow comedians, “Howard Stern invented this, right?”
“But we’re better than him now,...
“I really feel bad for what I said about my friend Howard Stern in a conversation with David Spade and Dana Carvey, talking about the glut of comedy podcasts,” he told TMZ, referring to his appearance on Carvey and Spade’s “Fly on the Wall” podcast.
While discussing the popularity of podcast culture with Carvey and Spade, Seinfeld asked the two fellow comedians, “Howard Stern invented this, right?”
“But we’re better than him now,...
- 5/9/2024
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety - TV News
Whoopi Goldberg took a moment this week to spotlight her friendship with Maggie Smith, remembering a time when the British actress offered support amid news that Goldberg’s mother’s health had taken a turn for the worse.
Goldberg told People she was in performing in the stage adaptation of Sister Act in London when her late brother, Clyde K. Johnson, called to tell her their mother was on life support following an aneurysm. Smith, who co-starred with Goldberg in the Sister Act films, happened to be visiting the production that day.
“Having Maggie Smith be there, and being able to fall apart and having her say, ‘Listen, my friend. We’ll get you through this. We’ll get you through this. We’ll get you to the hospital so you can get her. Get you back to Berkeley so you can get home,’” Goldberg said.
Goldberg said that Smith...
Goldberg told People she was in performing in the stage adaptation of Sister Act in London when her late brother, Clyde K. Johnson, called to tell her their mother was on life support following an aneurysm. Smith, who co-starred with Goldberg in the Sister Act films, happened to be visiting the production that day.
“Having Maggie Smith be there, and being able to fall apart and having her say, ‘Listen, my friend. We’ll get you through this. We’ll get you through this. We’ll get you to the hospital so you can get her. Get you back to Berkeley so you can get home,’” Goldberg said.
Goldberg said that Smith...
- 5/9/2024
- by Zoe G Phillips
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After producing the upcoming documentary “The Blue Angels,” J.J. Abrams and Glen Powell are in early talks to team up for a new movie, with Abrams eyeing Powell to star in his next directorial effort.
Deals have yet to close, but in the aftermath of “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Anyone but You,” no one’s career has been hotter than Powell’s, who continues to garner interest from big-name filmmakers and studios.
There’s no telling when this project would fit into Powell’s jam-packed production schedule. He’ll next be seen starring in Netflix’s “Hit Man,” which he co-wrote with director Richard Linklater, but he’s also set to star in Edgar Wright’s “The Running Man” reboot for Paramount. That news was revealed at CinemaCon, where the actor also promoted Universal’s “Twisters” as a prospective summer blockbuster. Also in the works is “Chad Powers,” a half-hour...
Deals have yet to close, but in the aftermath of “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Anyone but You,” no one’s career has been hotter than Powell’s, who continues to garner interest from big-name filmmakers and studios.
There’s no telling when this project would fit into Powell’s jam-packed production schedule. He’ll next be seen starring in Netflix’s “Hit Man,” which he co-wrote with director Richard Linklater, but he’s also set to star in Edgar Wright’s “The Running Man” reboot for Paramount. That news was revealed at CinemaCon, where the actor also promoted Universal’s “Twisters” as a prospective summer blockbuster. Also in the works is “Chad Powers,” a half-hour...
- 5/9/2024
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety - Film News
Glen Powell continues to be one of Hollywood’s most in-demand leading men of the moment.
The actor is in early talks to star in the next film from director J.J. Abrams, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. No deal is yet in place, and plot details are currently under wraps, although the project does not involve time-travel, putting to rest recent rumors about Abrams’ potential plans.
A representative for Abrams’ production company, Bad Robot, declined to comment.
Powell and Abrams are both producers on Paul Crowder’s documentary film The Blue Angels, which hits IMAX on May 17 before streaming on Prime Video a week later. The project follows a year with the Navy’s highly regarded Flight Demonstration Squadron.
Earlier on Wednesday, THR reported that Powell is set to star opposite Anthony Mackie and Laura Dern in writer-director John Lee Hancock’s legal drama Monsanto. Rocket Science is set to...
The actor is in early talks to star in the next film from director J.J. Abrams, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. No deal is yet in place, and plot details are currently under wraps, although the project does not involve time-travel, putting to rest recent rumors about Abrams’ potential plans.
A representative for Abrams’ production company, Bad Robot, declined to comment.
Powell and Abrams are both producers on Paul Crowder’s documentary film The Blue Angels, which hits IMAX on May 17 before streaming on Prime Video a week later. The project follows a year with the Navy’s highly regarded Flight Demonstration Squadron.
Earlier on Wednesday, THR reported that Powell is set to star opposite Anthony Mackie and Laura Dern in writer-director John Lee Hancock’s legal drama Monsanto. Rocket Science is set to...
- 5/9/2024
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“How do I say this in a PG way?” asks Ncuti Gatwa, with a mischievous smile, ahead of the Los Angeles premiere of Doctor Who, which streams on Disney+ on May 10. Gatwa, who assumes command of the time and space-traveling Tardis as the Fifteenth Doctor, takes a pause before thoughtfully conveying his distinctive approach to expressive, headline-making style to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I’m someone that very much wears my heart on my sleeve. My emotions are very clear for everyone to see, so I like pieces that have a mixture of strength and vulnerability,” says Gatwa, who stole scenes as a Ken in Barbie, as well as on the film’s London premiere red carpet stunting in custom Valentino silver sequin short-shorts, a billowing cut-out cape and jaunty cowboy hat. “I always like something a little sexy, sensual.”
Through his close collaboration with stylist Felicity Kay, the Sex Education...
“I’m someone that very much wears my heart on my sleeve. My emotions are very clear for everyone to see, so I like pieces that have a mixture of strength and vulnerability,” says Gatwa, who stole scenes as a Ken in Barbie, as well as on the film’s London premiere red carpet stunting in custom Valentino silver sequin short-shorts, a billowing cut-out cape and jaunty cowboy hat. “I always like something a little sexy, sensual.”
Through his close collaboration with stylist Felicity Kay, the Sex Education...
- 5/9/2024
- by Fawnia Soo Hoo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
An intruder was detained in Toronto on Wednesday after allegedly attempting to gain access to Drake’s mansion. The incident comes one day after the rapper’s security guard was shot outside the same residence.
“Officers were called after a person attempted to gain access to the property,” a police spokesperson told CityNews.
“Officers were called after a person attempted to gain access to the property,” the Toronto Police Department told Toronto’s CityNews. “The person was apprehended under the Mental Health Act.”
No other details on the suspect were made available.
On Tuesday, Toronto Police posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the shooting, which occurred at Bayview Avenue and Lawrence Avenue in the city’s Bridle Path district, left one man with “serious injuries” which had to be treated at nearby Sunnybrook Hospital.
Inspector Paul Krawczyk of the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force said during a press conference...
“Officers were called after a person attempted to gain access to the property,” a police spokesperson told CityNews.
“Officers were called after a person attempted to gain access to the property,” the Toronto Police Department told Toronto’s CityNews. “The person was apprehended under the Mental Health Act.”
No other details on the suspect were made available.
On Tuesday, Toronto Police posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the shooting, which occurred at Bayview Avenue and Lawrence Avenue in the city’s Bridle Path district, left one man with “serious injuries” which had to be treated at nearby Sunnybrook Hospital.
Inspector Paul Krawczyk of the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force said during a press conference...
- 5/9/2024
- by Zoe G Phillips
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When “A People’s History of Black Twitter” was published in 2021, the social media platform appeared powerful as ever. As it had been for over a decade, the site was a hub of community and influence, where users might go to bullshit with friends, to organize with activists, to read and report news in real time, maybe even to mingle with a celebrity or two. Sure, it had its problems with trolls or bots or poor moderation; sure, TikTok was already moving in fast. But Twitter seemed to be, if not thriving, at least chugging along with no obvious end in sight.
A lot can change in three years, however — and a lot has, particularly since Elon Musk’s acquisition of the site in 2022. Onyx Collective’s Black Twitter: A People’s History reiterates and expands on Jason Parham’s Wired article, braiding together interviews with journalists, comedians and other commentators...
A lot can change in three years, however — and a lot has, particularly since Elon Musk’s acquisition of the site in 2022. Onyx Collective’s Black Twitter: A People’s History reiterates and expands on Jason Parham’s Wired article, braiding together interviews with journalists, comedians and other commentators...
- 5/9/2024
- by Angie Han
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nishtha Jain’s “Farming the Revolution” — winner of the best international feature documentary prize at Hot Docs — captures the vast emotional scope of revolutionary movements. Chronicling the lengthy stand-off between Indian farmers and the Modi government, during which tens of thousands of Sikh and Punjabi farm workers occupied highways and state borders, the film is remarkable in its audio-visual inquiry into protest as a cultural movement, and in its excavation of the emotional highs and lows involved in making lasting change.
Over eight months between 2020 and 2021, millions of people would weave in and out of these caravans of trucks and makeshift houses surrounding New Delhi, in the hope of curbing new laws that would open Indian agriculture to predatory corporate interests while plunging farmers into poverty. Jain captures the sweeping magnitude of the protests through overhead drone shots and careful compositions on the ground — she often shoots large crowds from just above eye level,...
Over eight months between 2020 and 2021, millions of people would weave in and out of these caravans of trucks and makeshift houses surrounding New Delhi, in the hope of curbing new laws that would open Indian agriculture to predatory corporate interests while plunging farmers into poverty. Jain captures the sweeping magnitude of the protests through overhead drone shots and careful compositions on the ground — she often shoots large crowds from just above eye level,...
- 5/9/2024
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Variety - Film News
Spoiler Alert: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 11, Episode 10 of “The Masked Singer,” “Quarter Finals: Final Four,” which aired May 8 on Fox.
“This Is Us” star Chrissy Metz knew “The Masked Singer” would be a challenge. But that’s why Metz, who was revealed as latest celebrity to be unmasked on Wednesday night’s quarter finals, figured she had to do it.
“When I watched the show, and I would see either my friends or peers on the show, I’m like, how do they do it?” said Metz, who was revealed as the Poodle Moth.
“This Is Us” star Chrissy Metz knew “The Masked Singer” would be a challenge. But that’s why Metz, who was revealed as latest celebrity to be unmasked on Wednesday night’s quarter finals, figured she had to do it.
“When I watched the show, and I would see either my friends or peers on the show, I’m like, how do they do it?” said Metz, who was revealed as the Poodle Moth.
- 5/9/2024
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety - TV News
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
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
Piers Morgan Teases Interview With Real-Life ‘Baby Reindeer’ Stalker as Netflix Responds to Hysteria
Another day, another series of Baby Reindeer headlines.
The breakout hit limited series from Netflix — created by and starring Scottish comedian Richard Gadd inspired by a traumatic, six-year-long stalking incident — has inspired a flurry of coverage following an April 11 debut as it rocketed to the top of the streamer’s TV viewing charts for three straight weeks. Because Gadd pulled from personal experience to craft the true crime tale, journalists and internet sleuths have attempted to track down the real people behind Baby Reindeer‘s characters.
The focus has fallen on two characters in particular: the stalker Martha, played by Jessica Gunning, and the creative mentor Darrien who drugged and sexually assaulted Gadd, played by Tom Goodman-Hill. The fever burned so hot and inspired so many stories that Gadd took to Instagram to urge fans to stop the speculation because innocent people were getting caught in the mess. “That’s...
The breakout hit limited series from Netflix — created by and starring Scottish comedian Richard Gadd inspired by a traumatic, six-year-long stalking incident — has inspired a flurry of coverage following an April 11 debut as it rocketed to the top of the streamer’s TV viewing charts for three straight weeks. Because Gadd pulled from personal experience to craft the true crime tale, journalists and internet sleuths have attempted to track down the real people behind Baby Reindeer‘s characters.
The focus has fallen on two characters in particular: the stalker Martha, played by Jessica Gunning, and the creative mentor Darrien who drugged and sexually assaulted Gadd, played by Tom Goodman-Hill. The fever burned so hot and inspired so many stories that Gadd took to Instagram to urge fans to stop the speculation because innocent people were getting caught in the mess. “That’s...
- 5/8/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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
Alec Berg and Adam Countee are moving from Silicon Valley to the world of F1.
Hulu is teaming with the duo for Downforce, a comedy that has been picked up to pilot at the Disney-run streamer.
Described as Entourage set in the world of Formula 1 racing, Downforce follows what happens when the heiress to a dynastic racing team is thrust back into the family business and the hard choices she must make about the future of the team and her family’s legacy.
Berg and Countee will write and serve as showrunners on the potential series, which is produced by ABC Signature. Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey will exec produce alongside Berg, Countee, Aussie F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo and Amy Solomon. The latter serves as head of development for Berg’s ABC Signature-based production company after working with the writer-producer on Barry and Silicon Valley. Ricciardo...
Hulu is teaming with the duo for Downforce, a comedy that has been picked up to pilot at the Disney-run streamer.
Described as Entourage set in the world of Formula 1 racing, Downforce follows what happens when the heiress to a dynastic racing team is thrust back into the family business and the hard choices she must make about the future of the team and her family’s legacy.
Berg and Countee will write and serve as showrunners on the potential series, which is produced by ABC Signature. Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey will exec produce alongside Berg, Countee, Aussie F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo and Amy Solomon. The latter serves as head of development for Berg’s ABC Signature-based production company after working with the writer-producer on Barry and Silicon Valley. Ricciardo...
- 5/8/2024
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hulu has given a piot order to “Downforce” (working title), a comedy pilot written and executive produced by “Silicon Valley” writers Alec Berg and Adam Countee.
The official logline for “Downforce” reads, “When the heiress to a dynastic racing team is thrust back into the family business, she needs to make some hard choices about the future of the team and her family’s legacy.”
The pilot will be produced by ABC Signature, where Berg and Countee both have overall deals. Non-writing executive producers include Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey of Temple Hill as well as Daniel Ricciardo, Amy Solomon and Lionsgate Television.
The official logline for “Downforce” reads, “When the heiress to a dynastic racing team is thrust back into the family business, she needs to make some hard choices about the future of the team and her family’s legacy.”
The pilot will be produced by ABC Signature, where Berg and Countee both have overall deals. Non-writing executive producers include Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey of Temple Hill as well as Daniel Ricciardo, Amy Solomon and Lionsgate Television.
- 5/8/2024
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety - TV News
Maya Rudolph’s Saturday Night Live hosting gig appears to be a long time in the making. In this week’s promo for the actress’ upcoming episode, the SNL alum emerges from a Studio 8H closet after 17 years in hiding.
SNL castmembers Andrew Dismukes and Chloe Troast find Rudolph in her hiding place, where she sits in a prairie-like outfit and tells them over a bowl of oatmeal, “Oh, hello there! I wasn’t expecting visitors.”
The Loot star goes on to tell the shocked comedians she’s been there since 2007 when she left SNL after seven years as a castmember.
“Why would I leave? I have everything I need here,” she says, pointing to “my books, my porridge, my dear friend Kenny.” The camera then pans to a mop with googly eyes.
When Troast asks, “Aren’t you supposed to be hosting this week?” Rudolph responds, “Oh I am.
SNL castmembers Andrew Dismukes and Chloe Troast find Rudolph in her hiding place, where she sits in a prairie-like outfit and tells them over a bowl of oatmeal, “Oh, hello there! I wasn’t expecting visitors.”
The Loot star goes on to tell the shocked comedians she’s been there since 2007 when she left SNL after seven years as a castmember.
“Why would I leave? I have everything I need here,” she says, pointing to “my books, my porridge, my dear friend Kenny.” The camera then pans to a mop with googly eyes.
When Troast asks, “Aren’t you supposed to be hosting this week?” Rudolph responds, “Oh I am.
- 5/8/2024
- by Zoe G Phillips
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bravo has announced the date for the Season 11 “Vanderpump Rules” three part-reunion, the first of which premieres May 14 at 8 p.m. Et with extended and uncensored versions available to stream the next day on Peacock.
The reunion will feature Lisa Vanderpump, Ariana Madix, James Kennedy, Katie Maloney, Lala Kent, Scheana Shay, Tom Sandoval, Tom Schwartz and Brock Davies with Andy Cohen serving as host. Ally Lewber and Jo Wenberg will join the group in Part 2.
The 11th season of the show began filming a few months after the events of the Scandoval, a secret affair in which Sandoval cheated on...
The reunion will feature Lisa Vanderpump, Ariana Madix, James Kennedy, Katie Maloney, Lala Kent, Scheana Shay, Tom Sandoval, Tom Schwartz and Brock Davies with Andy Cohen serving as host. Ally Lewber and Jo Wenberg will join the group in Part 2.
The 11th season of the show began filming a few months after the events of the Scandoval, a secret affair in which Sandoval cheated on...
- 5/8/2024
- by Jack Dunn and Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - TV News
The “Friday the 13th” prequel series in the works at Peacock from A24 is in search of a new showrunner.
Bryan Fuller — who was announced as the show’s writer, executive producer, and showrunner when it was first ordered to series in 2022 — took to Twitter to announce that he has been fired from the show due to creative differences.
“For reasons beyond our control, A24 has elected to go a different way with the material,” he said. “We hope the final product will be something ‘Friday the 13th’ fans all over the world will enjoy.”
Trouble on the series was...
Bryan Fuller — who was announced as the show’s writer, executive producer, and showrunner when it was first ordered to series in 2022 — took to Twitter to announce that he has been fired from the show due to creative differences.
“For reasons beyond our control, A24 has elected to go a different way with the material,” he said. “We hope the final product will be something ‘Friday the 13th’ fans all over the world will enjoy.”
Trouble on the series was...
- 5/8/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
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
Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are teaming up on a streaming bundle.
The two entertainment giants will launch a bundle this summer that combines the Disney+, Hulu, and Max streaming services. Specific pricing is still to be determined, but there will be both ad-free and ad-supported options of the bundle.
Disney+, Hulu and Max all offer both less expensive ad-supported plans, and more premium ad-free options.
The deal between the companies is significant, as a Max-Disney+ bundle is filling a niche not currently served in the market. In their announcement, the companies are framing the bundle as the “best value in entertainment.”
Disney has been reticent to partner with other competitive companies on streaming bundles, until now. The company has instead leaned on its own Disney Bundle, with options including Disney+ and Hulu, or Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+.
Both Wbd and Disney have offered their services through third parties, like Verizon,...
The two entertainment giants will launch a bundle this summer that combines the Disney+, Hulu, and Max streaming services. Specific pricing is still to be determined, but there will be both ad-free and ad-supported options of the bundle.
Disney+, Hulu and Max all offer both less expensive ad-supported plans, and more premium ad-free options.
The deal between the companies is significant, as a Max-Disney+ bundle is filling a niche not currently served in the market. In their announcement, the companies are framing the bundle as the “best value in entertainment.”
Disney has been reticent to partner with other competitive companies on streaming bundles, until now. The company has instead leaned on its own Disney Bundle, with options including Disney+ and Hulu, or Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+.
Both Wbd and Disney have offered their services through third parties, like Verizon,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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
Jessica Gunning, who plays the haunting stalker Martha in Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer,” says creator and star Richard Gadd was on her radar even before she auditioned for the show — ever since she saw his one-man show “Monkey See Monkey Do” at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
“I just thought it was one of the most profound things I’ve ever seen really on stage,” she said. “Then I tried to go and see ‘Baby Reindeer’ the play, but it was sold out. So, I actually bought the play text, which is a bit Martha of me.”
Gadd, Gunning, actor Nava Mau,...
“I just thought it was one of the most profound things I’ve ever seen really on stage,” she said. “Then I tried to go and see ‘Baby Reindeer’ the play, but it was sold out. So, I actually bought the play text, which is a bit Martha of me.”
Gadd, Gunning, actor Nava Mau,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - TV News
Jude Law and Alicia Vikander star as real-life King Henry VIII and his sixth wife, Katherine Parr, in Karim Aïnouz’s Firebrand trailer.
The film, based on true 16th-century events, follows Parr’s pursuit of survival in her marriage to the king, after the first five of his wives met untimely ends — divorced, beheaded, died, divorced and beheaded again.
“Katherine’s fate was to change the kingdom, forever,” the trailer’s narrator muses.
“When Henry appoints [Katherine] as Regent, the nation’s ruler during his absence when he departs to fight overseas, he lays a dangerous path for her,” the Firebrand synopsis reads. “Henry’s courtiers, suspecting she’s sympathetic to radical Protestant beliefs that have taken root in the kingdom and are a threat to their power, scheme against her and cast doubts upon her fidelity to the increasingly ailing and paranoid King.”
When the king returns, his courtiers convince...
The film, based on true 16th-century events, follows Parr’s pursuit of survival in her marriage to the king, after the first five of his wives met untimely ends — divorced, beheaded, died, divorced and beheaded again.
“Katherine’s fate was to change the kingdom, forever,” the trailer’s narrator muses.
“When Henry appoints [Katherine] as Regent, the nation’s ruler during his absence when he departs to fight overseas, he lays a dangerous path for her,” the Firebrand synopsis reads. “Henry’s courtiers, suspecting she’s sympathetic to radical Protestant beliefs that have taken root in the kingdom and are a threat to their power, scheme against her and cast doubts upon her fidelity to the increasingly ailing and paranoid King.”
When the king returns, his courtiers convince...
- 5/8/2024
- by Zoe G Phillips
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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
The official trailer for Apple TV+’s Fancy Dance sees Lily Gladstone’s Jax on a mission to find her missing sister, as the risk of losing custody of her niece, Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson), looms.
Following her sister’s disappearance, Jax and Roki have been scraping by on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma, according to the film’s description. As Roki prepares for the upcoming powwow, the women hit the road to try to find Roki’s mother in time for the event.
“What begins as a search gradually turns into a far deeper investigation into the complexities and contradictions of Indigenous women moving through a colonized world while at the mercy of a failed justice system,” the logline reads.
Gladstone and Deroy-Olson star alongside Ryan Begay, Crystle Lightning, Audrey Wasilewski and Shea Whigham.
Fancy Dance premiered to critical acclaim at 2023’s Sundance Film Festival but didn’t receive distribution until over a year later.
Following her sister’s disappearance, Jax and Roki have been scraping by on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma, according to the film’s description. As Roki prepares for the upcoming powwow, the women hit the road to try to find Roki’s mother in time for the event.
“What begins as a search gradually turns into a far deeper investigation into the complexities and contradictions of Indigenous women moving through a colonized world while at the mercy of a failed justice system,” the logline reads.
Gladstone and Deroy-Olson star alongside Ryan Begay, Crystle Lightning, Audrey Wasilewski and Shea Whigham.
Fancy Dance premiered to critical acclaim at 2023’s Sundance Film Festival but didn’t receive distribution until over a year later.
- 5/8/2024
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Millennium Docs Against Gravity Festival, taking place in seven cities in Poland from Friday to May 19 and then online from May 21 to July 3, has grown exponentially in the last few years. In fact it is now, as the people behind it proclaim, the largest film festival in Poland.
Artistic director Karol Piekarczyk explains, “There is a culture of watching films and of watching films with subtitles in Poland. There are a lot of arthouse cinemas, in comparison to the U.K. for example. Even in small cities.”
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, audiences mainly choose films based on topic. We as programmers focus more on the quality.
Artistic director Karol Piekarczyk explains, “There is a culture of watching films and of watching films with subtitles in Poland. There are a lot of arthouse cinemas, in comparison to the U.K. for example. Even in small cities.”
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, audiences mainly choose films based on topic. We as programmers focus more on the quality.
- 5/8/2024
- by Murtada Elfadl
- Variety - Film News
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