Month: June 2020

When it opened in 2015, “Hamilton” instantly became both the hottest ticket on Broadway and the hardest to come by. Sure, if you were Beyoncé, Oprah, the Obamas, or just willing to shell out hundreds of dollars for nosebleed seats, you could be among those lucky enough to catch Lin-Manuel Miranda’s zeitgeist-defining musical about Alexander
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La Fabrique Cinéma, the French support program aimed at young filmmakers from emerging countries, presented a wide-ranging showcase of works from around the world at the Cannes online market on Tuesday, among them new works by Iranian filmmaker Keywann Karimi (“Drum”) and Thai helmer Sompot Chidgasornpongse (“Railway Sleepers”). They are among 10 filmmakers taking part
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The primary account of Carpe Donktum, a prominent pro-Donald Trump meme maker, has been permanently suspended by Twitter, which cited “repeated” violations of copyright infringement. Twitter’s move to kick Carpe Donktum off the platform Tuesday came just days after a video from the account — tweeted by Trump — was pulled after a copyright complaint
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Spanish production house Babieka Films is teaming with L.A.-based Viewfinder Pictures to co-produce a feature adaptation of Alan Jolis’ book “Speak Sunlight” (“La voz del sol”), the directorial debut of journalist-screenwriter-producer Carol Polakoff. A coming-of-age story set in Paris and Pamplona during the Franco regime, the Spanish-language “Speak Sunlight” will begin production next spring in
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Mexico’s Mauricio Ochmann is re-teaming with director Pitipol Ybarra for the Mexican remake of the 2018 German hit “25 KM/H” from Sony Pictures Intl. Prods. (SPIP). Ochmann and Ybarra previously collaborated on family drama “Ya Veremos,” which Pantelion/Lionsgate released in the U.S. on Labor Day weekend in 2018. Drama topped the specialty releases that weekend,
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Rob Minkoff, director of the original Disney animated classic “The Lion King,” as well as “Stuart Little,” “Stuart Little 2,” and “Mr. Peabody & Sherman,” is attached to direct and co-produce an animated adaptation of beloved children’s book “How Winston Delivered Christmas.” Written and illustrated by creator Alex T. Smith (“Claude”), “How Winston Delivered Christmas”
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Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), a leading streaming company across the Nordics, and Finland’s top local streaming service Elisa Viihde have joined forces to launch a new service in Finland. Named Elisa Viihde Viaplay, the new platform will combine Elisa Viihde Aitio’s content and the films and series package from NENT Group’s Viaplay, beginning from
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Jan Naszewski’s Warsaw-based sales agency New Europe Film Sales has closed several deals with leading independent distributors on the upcoming supernatural drama “Lamb” by Valdimar Jóhannsson, starring Noomi Rapace. The film was picked up by distributors in France (The Jokers), Germany (Koch Films), Poland (Gutek Film), Benelux (The Searchers), Hungary (Vertigo), Czech Republic (Artcam), Austria
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German entertainment giant UFA is continuing its push into feature film with a slew of high-profile projects, including an upcoming Siegfried and Roy biopic and a sequel to the 2014 historical epic “The Physician,” starring Tom Payne (“Prodigal Son”). The ramp-up follows last year’s huge box-office success of Oscar-winner Caroline Link’s “All About Me,” based
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The Italian film and TV industry was on a roll when the pandemic hit the country particularly hard. It’s now starting to bounce back as movie theaters reopen and productions prepare to shoot, while the Venice Film Festival, set to physically take place in September, may become a symbol of the global entertainment industry recovery
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German cinema looks set for an exciting year with forthcoming works that include a high-profile Cannes selection celebrating one of Germany’s most iconic filmmakers, an expressionistic thriller set in 1920s Vienna, a tale of Nazi seduction and a new Thomas Mann adaptation. The COVID-19 pandemic dashed the excitement of a splashy Cannes premiere for Oskar
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So much of creating a comedy series happens in the writers’ room, where jokes fly back and forth and writers riff off one another. With the coronavirus pandemic putting a hold on in-person rooms, a group of comedy showrunners shared their experiences running virtual rooms, among other topics, at Variety‘s virtual “A Night in the
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Reese Witherspoon (“Big Little Lies,” “Little Fires Everywhere,” “The Morning Show”) and Regina King (“Watchmen”) talked “Legally Blonde,” winning Oscars, and changing the industry for the next generation in their “Variety Studios: Actors on Actors” conversation. The two multi-hyphenate stars also discussed their current hit shows, being mothers, and the importance of streaming. Want to read
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Leading ladies Zendaya (“Euphoria”) and MJ Rodriguez (“Pose”) sat down for a discussion on representation, Marvel’s “Spiderman,” and recognizing your worth as part of their “Variety Studios: Actors on Actors” conversation. Rodriguez talked about her beginnings studying singing and songwriting at the Berkeley College of Music and her transition to TV. Zendaya also opened up
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Lewis John Carlino, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter, director, and playwright known for writing and directing “The Great Santini,” died on June 17 on Whidbey Island in Washington state, his family has announced. He was 88. Carlino received an Oscar nomination with Gavin Lambert for best adapted screenplay for the 1978 drama “I Never Promised You a
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TUESDAY, JUNE 23 Shymalan’s Next Movie Gets Summer Release Date Universal has set a July 23, 2021, release date for M. Night Shyamalan’s untitled thriller, which stars Eliza Scanlen, Thomasin McKenzie, Aaron Pierre, Alex Wolff and Vicky Krieps. Shyamalan will write, direct and produce the film. Like most Shyamalan movies, plot details are shrouded in secrecy
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