Month: September 2023

The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) has elected Lisa Takeuchi Cullen its new president. The unopposed candidate will take over for outgoing president Michael Winship, who announced his decision to not seek reelection of his longtime post over the summer. In addition to electing Takeuchi Cullen president, as part of its 2023 council election,
0 Comments
Oliver Anthony has made his first serious step toward getting off the DIY train after instantly vaulting to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 without without a label or agent. UTA announced Thursday that it had signed the Virginia-based upstart for global representation in all areas. “We’re honored to represent such an authentic artist,
0 Comments
In “Expend4bles,” the action is more digitally propulsive than it was in “The Expendables” (2010), “The Expendables 2” (2012), or “The Expendables 3” (2014). Yet the preferred mode of killing is reassuringly primitive. In scene after scene, characters use knives to slit people’s throats, or they’ll sometimes jam a knife directly into the throat (the
0 Comments
In a career-spanning interview on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, “Man of Steel” writer David S. Goyer agreed with host Joshua Horowitz that Warner Bros. should’ve developed a standalone Superman sequel with Henry Cavill instead of attempting to mount a cinematic universe with “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” The studio did so in order
0 Comments
As rehearsals for “Dancing With the Stars” are being picketed by the WGA, the other union currently on strike, SAG-AFTRA, is backing the show and its cast members. In a statement to Variety, a spokesperson for SAG-AFTRA says that performers on the ABC competition series are not violating the strike rules by participating in the
0 Comments
Rupert Murdoch’s announcement that he is retiring from the boards of Fox and of News Corporation had particularly interesting timing for one journalist. “The Fall,” the new book by Michael Wolff, peers inside what we now know are the final days of Murdoch’s consequential tenure at the heart of global news. To be released Sept.
0 Comments
Howard Stern and Bill Maher are “no longer friends,” according to Stern. The SiriusXM radio host told listeners (via Entertainment Weekly) that Maher made a “sexist” comment involving Stern’s first wife and “was actually dumping on me” during an episode of Maher’s “Club Random” podcast. “He took a big shot at me,” Stern said. “Basically,
0 Comments
In the introduction for the upcoming book “Succession: Season Four: The Complete Scripts” (via Vulture), series creator Jesse Armstrong reveals a debate occurred on how to end the Emmy-winning HBO drama. The team could write one final season consisting of 10 episodes (the show’s first two seasons had that episode count, while Season 3 consisted
0 Comments
Brooke Robertson has been promoted to head of global communications and media relations at Paramount Pictures. In this role, she will oversee the film studio’s corporate brand and global communications strategies for all business units, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation and Paramount Players. She will also serve as a key stakeholder across Paramount Global’s properties,
0 Comments
In a surprising twist of events, France’s Oscar committee has chosen the culinary romance “The Taste of Things” over “Anatomy of a Fall,” Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winning film, to represent the country in the international feature film race. “The Taste of Things” (previously titled “The Pot-au-Feu”) won best director at Cannes for French-Vietnamese filmmaker Trần Anh
0 Comments
Guillermo del Toro confirmed on X/Twitter that he planned to direct a “Star Wars” movie around four years ago from a script by David S. Goyer, best known known for writing superhero movies such as “Batman Begins,” “Man of Steel” and more. The project never made it past development, but Goyer confirmed on the “Happy
0 Comments
Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland has remained defiant despite a wave of vicious political attacks and online hate speech as she prepares to release her Venice Special Jury Prize-winning refugee drama “Green Border” in Poland on Sept. 22. “I find the orchestrated hatred organized by the highest Polish officials abominable and dangerous,” the three-time Academy Award
0 Comments
“The Recruit” producer P3 Media has scored a seven-figure investment from Ready Entertainment, a company led by Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, Bernice A. King, and Ashley Bell. Founded by journalist Adam Ciralsky (the inspiration for Netflix’s hit Noah Centineo-led spy thriller “The Recruit”), P3 is expanding its lineup with upcoming feature doc “The Return.”
0 Comments
“Smash,” the TV series about the making of a fictional Broadway musical, takes an early step toward becoming a real-life Broadway musical on Sept. 22, with a pair of industry readings led by Tony nominees Robyn Hurder and Kerry Butler. Hurder (“A Beautiful Noise,” “Moulin Rouge!”) plays Ivy, an actress cast in the lead role
0 Comments
IFC Films has acquired North American and select International rights to “Stopmotion,” a psychological horror film that will have its world premiere at Fantastic Fest this September. The indie distributor will release the movie in theaters in 2024, followed by a streaming debut on Shudder, AMC Networks’ streaming service for horror, thrillers and other films about
0 Comments
Angus Cloud died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and more, the Alameda County Coroner’s Office confirmed to Variety on Thursday. His cause of death was an “acute intoxication due to combined effects of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl and benzodiazepines,” according to the Coroner’s Office. On July 31 at 11:30 a.m., Oakland police officers
0 Comments
Newly reunited NSYNC kept it real for their episode of the YouTube series “Hot Ones” — their first official interview since surprising the world with an appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this month. Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass and Joey Fatone assembled around a table to eat the show’s unbearably
0 Comments
Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” will open Animation Is Film on Oct. 18 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in the festival’s first IMAX premiere, the organization announced Thursday.  The Animation Is Film Festival, with Variety as one of the sponsors, will run from Oct. 18-22 in Hollywood. Sam Fell’s “Chicken Run” sequel “Chicken
0 Comments