It’s been 15 years since screenwriter Tina Fey brought peace to the teenage girl world with the groundbreaking “Mean Girls.” Now it’s her frequent creative partner Amy Poehler’s turn to stride the hallways of a contemporary high school, searching for harmony and justice among the heightened emotions and high-stakes conundrums of young adults. Marking the
Month: March 2021
Polish director Paweł Maślona (“Panic Attack”) is prepping a lavish period drama about the American Revolutionary War hero Tadeusz Kościuszko. Produced by Leszek Bodzak and Aneta Hickinbotham for Aurum Film, the production house behind Jan Komasa’s Oscar-nominated “Corpus Christi,” the historical epic — with the working title “Scarborn,” from a script by Michał A. Zielinski
“The Mandalorian” star Simon Kassianides is set to make his feature screenwriting debut. The actor, who plays Axe Woves on the hit Disney Plus Star Wars series, has sold the psychological thriller “The Weatherman” to U.K.-based production house Raw. The film is said to be female-led and in the vein of Christopher Nolan’s “Memento,” with
Constance Wu has been cast in the upcoming Amazon thriller series “The Terminal List,” Variety has learned. She joins previously announced series lead Chris Pratt and recently announced fellow cast member Taylor Kitsch. The series follows James Reece (Pratt) after his entire platoon of Navy SEALs is ambushed during a high-stakes covert mission. Reece returns home to
San Diego Comic-Con, the largest fan convention in North America, will not be held in person in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers announced on Monday. Instead, the event will be held virtually over three days, from July 23-25. In addition, Comic-Con International, the organization behind SDCC, is planning an in-person convention in San
Sunday’s 78th Golden Globe Awards, the HFPA’s first-ever bicoastal and virtual show, was hosted by longtime collaborators Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who had previously hosted the event consecutively from 2013 to 2015. Not even these fan-favorite female powerhouses, however, could save the socially distanced soirée from soured ratings. Last night’s three-hour awards broadcast drew a mere 5.4
CAA has signed Nathan Foad for representation in all areas, Variety has learned exclusively. He will continue to be represented in the U.K. by Ligeia Marsh and Emma Higginbottom at Curtis Brown. Foad is a television comedy writer and actor based in the U.K. He was recently selected to join the BBC Comedy Room initiative’s class of 2020,
Rapper Clifford “T.I.” Harris and his wife, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, have been accused of engaging in sexual abuse and drugging multiple women over the past 16 years, according allegations leveled Monday at a virtual news conference. Attorney Tyrone A. Blackburn detailed the allegations of six anonymous women who claim T.I., Tiny and their associates abused
Universal Music Publishing has signed rising British singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone, whose debut EP received a rave review in Variety last fall, to an exclusive, global publishing agreement. The 21-year-old singer was voted No. 2 on the BBC Sound of 2021 Poll, and Vevo’s DSCVR’s Artists To Watch 2021 and was named an Apple Up Next Artist last
Swiss filmmaker Tim Fehlbaum’s dystopian feature “Tides” is screening in this year’s Berlinale Special section and looking to make a mark at the European Film Market while in town. “Tides” has science fiction in its production DNA, co-produced by leading European independent company Constantin, which has established itself among the world’s leading producers of genre
Learn everything you need to know before you watch ‘The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run’, available on digital platforms March 4! ► Watch The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run on FandangoNOW: https://www.fandangonow.com/details/movie/the-spongebob-movie-sponge-on-the-run-2020/MMV3B1CABCBB2170E864BD086902AE9E5B87?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc Watch More: ► The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZbXA4lyCtqoLEPQ6pxqVLYAIhh2H0ctI ► Hot New Trailers: http://bit.ly/2qThrsF ► Movieclips Originals: http://bit.ly/2D3sipV
Keshet International has come on board as sales agent on the drama-comedy “Pørni.” The six-part Norwegian show, produced by Monster Scripted for NENT Group’s streamer Viaplay, is world premiering as part of Berlinale Series Market Selects. “Lilyhammer” actor Henriette Steenstrup makes her debut as creator/writer on top of headlining the show. Gunnar Vikene (“Occupied”) and
When NBC is evaluating new reality series and formats to potentially pick up, they ask themselves, “What’s our spinning chair?” Jenny Groom, NBCUniversal’s executive vice president of unscripted content, says. That unique element was “enough to really drive the format” of “The Voice” for the broadcast network when it first launched in 2011 and since,
A few months before production began on the 19th season of NBC’s singing competition stalwart “The Voice,” coach Blake Shelton didn’t know if they’d be able to do the show. The world was in the middle of a pandemic, and rather than put the show together remotely, with everyone filming themselves in the self-isolation of
Using historical recreation, comedy and the tropes of horror, many of the most impactful movies of 2020 dramatized important cultural conversations — some that audiences began examining long ago, and others they may still be reluctant to broach at all. Social commentary has become an additive, even essential element in the resonance of a contemporary
Long ago, about a year ago to be exact, when COVID-19 first reared its ugly head and the United States was not yet the fiery petri dish of percolating viral plague it would soon come to be, friends and I gathered in our Los Angeles area homes, expecting lockdown to last three, four weeks, at
After enduring endless months of COVID-19 lockdown, Chile’s film and TV industry is revving up production once more. And several women are leading the charge. Various high-profile titles are either in production or setting up dates, such as season two of Lucía Puenzo’s hit series “La Jauria” and, starting this month, Francisca Alegria’s debut feature,
A year after featuring as the European Film Market’s focus country, Chile returns with a delegate of more than 20 producers who will participate in a virtual stand, backed by ProChile and the Ministry of Culture. Bastard. The Inheritance of a Genocide(Pepe Rovano)In this Chilean-Italian co-production between Totoral Films and Media Lab, Rovano faces down
Scandinavia’s film industry has proven resilient in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, bolstered by well-established production and sales banners, as well as high-profile talent who have seized opportunities from streamers and broadcasters. Spanning Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland, the Nordic film biz has been able to ride through the health crisis better than
MK2 Films has boarded Italian-American filmmaker Jonas Carpignano’s anticipated movie “A Chiara” which recently wrapped shooting in Calabria, in Southern Italy. Carpignano’s third feature, “A Chiara” is now in post and will be ready this summer. Carpignano made his feature debut in 2015 with “Mediterranea,” which premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week. His sophomore outing, “A
The Party Film Sales has closed further deals on Filippo Meneghetti’s romance “Two of Us,” which represents France in the international feature film race at the Oscars and is part of 15 shortlisted films. Headlined by Martine Chevallier and Barbara Sukowa, the Golden Globe-nominated feature debut follows Nina and Madeleine, two pensioners who have hidden
Lady Gaga‘s dog walker — who was shot in the streets before a couple of her pooches were kidnapped in plain sight — is on the mend and has kind words for his supporters. Ryan Fischer posted an update on his health Monday, uploading two photos himself from his hospital bed … one where he’s
It’s been fourteen years since Kate Hudson “frosted herself” for How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Since then, the Music actress has worn countless red carpet looks that rival Andie Anderson’s iconic yellow dress, but last night’s Golden Globes outfit doubled down on the diamonds. For the virtual awards show, Hudson frosted herself—apologies,
Republic Records has hired Ben Facey as executive vice president of global marketing & digital strategy, EVP and General Manager Jim Roppo announced Monday morning. He is based in the Republic’s New York headquarters. According to the announcement, in this newly established post, Facey will architect, implement, and shepherd international marketing campaigns and digital initiatives for the label’s entire roster.
Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” has set a China release date of March 26, five days ahead of its U.S. debut in theaters and on streaming. The past two installments of the franchise have made more money in China than in North America, and with U.S. cinemas still closed in much of
While Netflix had a lot to celebrate after Sunday night’s Golden Globes wins, one superstar collaborator was not joining in the toasting. Taylor Swift took to social media Monday morning to join in complaints already being made by her fans about a line on the series “Ginny & Georgia” that the singer called “lazy,” “deeply
Universal Music Group has elevated Ethiopia Habtemariam to chairman & CEO of Motown, reporting directly to UMG Chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge. She had been president of the label since 2014. According to the announcement, in connection with Habtemariam’s promotion, Motown will have “greater creative and commercial independence to advance its mission of artistic, social and
Tech giant Apple has now reopened all 270 of its retail locations in the U.S. in some capacity, nearly a year after shutting them down indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic. Apple on March 13, 2020, had announced the closure of all Apple Stores outside of China as a precaution to slow the spread of
Rose Glass’ genre-bending drama “Saint Maud” stars Morfydd Clark, whose portrayal of a nurse spiraling down into a whirlpool of ecstatic faith after the death of a patient under her care has mesmerized audiences and critics. It’s a star-making vehicle for Clark, who’s in New Zealand, shooting “The Lords of the Rings” series for Amazon.
France’s former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, was on Monday sentenced by the Paris judicial court to a three-year jail term after being found guilty of corruption and influence peddling in a case dating back to 2014, according to French news channel BFMTV. The three-year sentence includes just one year of imprisonment — two years have been