Uri Singer has obtained the rights “Invitation to a Beheading,” a surrealist and politically charged work by Vladimir Nabokov, the author of “Lolita.” Singer has been carving out a niche for himself by developing literary classics into potential films. He recently obtained the rights to Kurt Vonnegut’s “Hocus Pocus” and Don DeLillo’s “The Silence.” He
Month: September 2021
The Recording Academy, Berklee College of Music Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship and Arizona State University have announced the launch of the “Women in the Mix Study,” which will survey women and gender-expansive people working in the American music industry to better understand their roles and realities within the field. According to the announcement, the goal
Zackery Michael Never has it been clearer that fashion is ripe for change. It’s an empowering moment to reimagine the life cycle of your wardrobe and to seek out repurposed staples that are crafted to last. This autumn, a bag from the Coach (Re)Loved Collection feels like a step in a more responsible (not to
Joe Rogan, the mega-popular podcaster who has questioned the necessity of the COVID vaccine on his show, revealed to his fans that he was sick from coronavirus and has to postpone a live show. Rogan took to Instagram on Sept. 1 to share a message titled “I GOT COVID. My apologies, but we have to
Just last week, Hearst Magazine collaborated with Hearst Black Culture and HearstLab to debut the first Celebrate Black: A Virtual Style Summit. Hearst partnered with Nike to host three-day series that was moderated by Hearst’s very own staff members as they spoke and the important work being done within the company that helps amplify the
At the Venice Film Festival, the masks stay on, even during the standing ovation. At least that became protocol during the festival’s opening night movie, “Parallel Mothers,” on Wednesday night in Italy. Director Pedro Almodóvar and his muse Penelope Cruz didn’t so much as touch their face coverings during an enthusiastic five-minute standing ovation at
NBC’s “Annie Live!” has booked Jane Krakowski as Lily St. Regis. Krakowski reunites with her “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” co-star Tituss Burgess in this live holiday musical, as she will play the sassy and sticky-fingered partner of his swindler, Rooster Hannigan. The character duo will plot to get rich — and duet on “Easy Street.” The
Gregg Leakes, NeNe Leakes’ husband who appeared on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” with her, has died of cancer, his family’s publicist confirmed to Variety. He was 66. “Today the Leakes family is in deep pain with a broken heart. After a long battle with cancer, Gregg Leakes has passed away peacefully in his home
All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. The MCU is back in full force ahead of the opening weekend for “Shang-Chi,” the first-ever Asian-American Marvel
When director Destin Daniel Cretton took his first meeting with Marvel Studios roughly two and a half years ago to discuss “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” he never actually expected to be handed the reins of the latest film in the biggest movie franchise in cinema history. Up to that point, Cretton
The “Vacation Friends” will be back for another wild and raunchy ride, as 20th Century Studios has set a sequel to the couples comedy starring John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji and Meredith Hagner. “Vacation Friends,” which is now streaming on Hulu, followed Marcus (Howery) and Emily (Orji), a straight-laced couple who head to
The 78th Venice Film Festival opened on Wednesday with the world premiere of Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers,” starring Penélope Cruz and Milena Smit, who strutted down the walled-in red carpet alongside other top talent, and Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella. Venice has been forced to place a wall-like outer barrier shielding the long catwalk entirely, in
Once news broke that Olivia Rodrigo had added members of Paramore to songwriting credits on her summer smash “Good 4 U,” observers immediately began calculating what that meant for Hayley Williams and Josh Farro, the credited members of the long-running group. The Disney star/singer’s song bowed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in
Arthur Smith has been a prolific producer of unscripted television for 30-plus years. His A. Smith & Co. banner has zigged and zagged through many trends and phases of demand for reality and competition fare. But as Smith details on the latest episode of Variety podcast he’s never seen a bull market like the past
Twitter’s latest feature, Super Follows, are beginning to roll out Wednesday, the social media company has announced. Revealed earlier this year, Super Follows grant VIP access to certain users’ exclusive, subscriber-only tweets, separate from standard, public tweets. Super Follows come at a monthly subscription cost of either $2.99, $4.99 or $9.99, set by the designated
Former football star Ricky Williams is telling his story with a new biopic, titled “Ricky Williams in Australia,” produced by Modern Magic. Williams will co-write the movie — which explores the former NFL star’s life and year of sabbatical in Australia — with Modern Magic co-founder and Academy Award-winner Rodney Rothman. Rothman will also direct
Paramount has delayed its Tom Cruise tentpoles “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Mission: Impossible 7,” amid a surge in the delta variant of COVID-19. “Top Gun: Maverick” will now open in theaters on May 27, 2022, instead of Nov. 19, 2021, while another Cruise-led adventure, “Mission: Impossible 7,” will debut on Sept. 30, 2022, instead of
Sony has pounced on a new release date for “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” pushing the blockbuster sequel from Nov. 11 to Nov. 19. The minor shift came minutes after Paramount took “Top Gun: Maverick” off its Nov. 19 spot and delayed the Tom Cruise tentpole to 2022. With the absence of the action-packed “Top Gun: Maverick,” Sony
Veteran marketing executive Lucinda Martinez has joined Netflix as vice president of multicultural marketing, after more than 20 years with HBO. In this newly created position, Martinez will build a multicultural marketing team and lead Netflix’s targeted marketing efforts to the Latino, Black, Asian, LBGTQ and faith audiences. Martinez begins her new role later this
All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Despite the convenience of digital technology, an increasing number of music fans are turning to – or returning
Julie Plec and Greg Berlanti’s series “The Girls on the Bus” has moved to The CW from Netflix for development, Variety has confirmed. The series is an adaptation of Amy Chozick’s best-selling book “Chasing Hillary,” with Chozick set to co-write the series. Titled “The Girls on the Bus,” the series is inspired largely by the
Following the historic box office success of Nia DaCosta’s horror flick “Candyman,” Jordan Peele and his Monkeypaw Productions banner (behind “Candyman” along with MGM), have inked a new creative TV partnership with Universal Studio Group. The exclusive pact follows Peele’s existing bond with the company, established in 2019 with a Universal Pictures deal to write
Nielsen’s decades-old track record of measuring the TV business was dealt a serious blow Wednesday after an industry organization decided to suspend its backing of the company’s national ratings service and also cancel an agreed-upon hiatus for its support of Nielsen’s local TV efforts as well. The suspension is the latest salvo in a months-long
Variety has announced its 10 Actors to Watch for 2021, an honor the publication has bestowed since 1998. Past honorees include many future Oscar winners and nominees including Mahershala Ali, Timothée Chalamet, Viola Davis, Adam Driver, Brie Larson and Lupita Nyong’o. This year’s honorees will be feted in Oct. 22 issue of Variety as well as at
If you’d like to see what a challenge it was to stage an elaborate Super Bowl Halftime Show during a pandemic, look no further than the forthcoming Showtime documentary on the Weeknd’s dazzling performance during the 2021 game. The brief clip below shows just how much planning went into the performance, which was seen by
There’s a lot riding on “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” the Marvel movie that opens in theaters this weekend, and not because it’s the first installment in the premier film franchise to feature an Asian star and predominately Asian cast. Though it marks an important step in onscreen representation, “Shang-Chi” will also
Elton John has announced the forthcoming release of “The Lockdown Sessions,” an album of collaborations recorded remotely over the last 18 months, out October 22, featuring more than 20 collaborators, including Dua Lipa, Brandi Carlile, Charlie Puth, Eddie Vedder, Gorillaz, Lil Nas X, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Rina Sawayama, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Years &
Justin Bieber will perform at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards, where he also scored a leading seven nominations this year. This will be the first time in six years that Bieber takes the stage at the VMAs, set for Sunday, September 12, and hosted by Doja Cat. The show will air live from the
In advance of the Sept. 17 release of his debut full length album “Montero,” Lil Nas X released his full track list and features in a hypnotic video version of his just-released cover art. The album includes the previously released singles “Industry Baby,” “Sun Goes Down” and the title track, although not the seasonal song
WarnerMedia Kids & Family is building out a new family programming block called ACME Night on Cartoon Network, with a Steve Urkel animated musical film among the first projects greenlit. “Did I Do That to the Holidays? A Steve Urkel Story” was announced alongside titles like “Merry Little Batman” and an untitled ”Looney Tunes Cartoons” movie.