Spotify inked a new multiyear partnership deal for controversial podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which is said to be worth up to $250 million. Under the new pact, Rogan’s popular show — which has been exclusively available on Spotify for three years — will now be available on other audio platforms. In addition to continued
Month: February 2024
Larry David‘s viral attack on Elmo became the focal point of his visit later in the day to “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” where the host grilled David on answers for what would make a person want to attack the beloved “Sesame Street” character on live television. Both David and Elmo were guests on the
On her new series, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” Maya Erskine plays a character her fans may not have seen her inhabit before — a grown woman. “I was so used to playing a 13-year-old with a bowl cut where no one would even glance my way,” says Erskine, speaking from the L.A. home she shares
If her near-lifelong career is any indication, Coco Jones has put in the work. As a kid, the Tennessee native sang Whitney Houston covers at Nashville talent shows before rising as a Disney star in the 2012 film “Let It Shine.” After parting ways with Disney’s record label, the now 26-year-old regrouped, releasing music independently
Luke Evans and Milla Jovovich are attached to lead the sci-fi action thriller “World Breaker,” which will be directed by Brad Anderson. The Exchange is handling international sales and will introduce the cast to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin. Evans, whose credits include “Beauty and the Beast,” is coming off a starring
Paris-based company Indie Sales has acquired “Happy Holidays,” the sophomore feature of Oscar-nominated Palestinian filmmaker Scandar Copti. Copti’s feature debut, “Ajami,” co-directed by Yaron Shani, won the Camera d’Or Special Mention at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009 and was nominated for an Oscar in the international feature category. “Happy Holidays” takes place in contemporary
Film and media company Buffalo 8 has acquired worldwide rights to “Invaders from Proxima B,” the science fiction comedy from writer-director-star Ward Roberts (“Westworld,” “Agents of SHIELD”). The cast also includes Samantha Sloyan (“The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Haunting of Hill House,” “Midnight Mass”), Mike C. Nelson (“Shrinking,” “Black-ish”), Richard Riehle (“Office
Sheryl Lee Ralph fronts Disney Entertainment Television’s new Black History Month campaign. Variety has the exclusive first look at the launch of the Giving Flowers initiative, a video spot featuring Ralph, Chandra Wilson, Glynn Turman, Emayatzy Corinealdi and Prentice Penny. “Flowers never truly die,” Ralph says in the video. “They are as strong as the
George R.R. Martin wrote a bleak new post on his personal blog in which he shared that he had no interest reflecting on the last year because it was such a nightmare. From war in Ukraine and Gaza to hate rising across America, Martin wrote that it’s ugly to experience the news and even talk
Italy’s Coccinelle Film has scored multiple sales on German director Veit Helmer‘s gay love story “Gondola,” which world premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival. “Gondola” is the dialogue-free tale of two female cable car attendants who fall in love as they face each other going up and down the remote mountains of Georgia. It has
“Argylle” is looking to slowly ascend the box office charts this weekend. Matthew Vaughn’s latest film, a star-studded action comedy about a spy novelist, opened with $1.7 million in Thursday previews at the box office. “Argylle,” which stars an avalanche of A-listers like Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Dua Lipa and
Mark Gustafson, who won an Oscar last year for co-directing the animated feature “Guillermo del Toro‘s Pinocchio,” died on Thursday, The Oregonian reported. He was 64. Guillermo del Toro, Gustafson’s co-director on the dark reimagining of the classic tale of Pinocchio, posted a tribute to him on Friday morning. “I admired Mark Gustafson, even before
Check out the official title announcement for Sonic the Hedgehog 3! ► Sign up for a FanAlert on Fandango: https://www.fandango.com/sonic-the-hedgehog-3-2024-234545/movie-overview?cmp=Trailers_YouTube_Desc Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to be notified of all the hottest trailers: http://bit.ly/2CNniBy ► Shop Rotten Tomatoes: http://bit.ly/3KvCU1M US Release Date: December 20, 2024 Starring: Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba, Colleen
The Annecy Animation Film Festival, which hosts world premieres of buzzy U.S. movies each year, is set to expand its official lineup with the launch of a non-competitive section. Called Annecy Présente, the section will give the festival the opportunity to host gala premieres of high-profile movies. “Annecy Présente will allow festivalgoers to discover a wider range
Professional wrestler and rock musician Chris Jericho is teaming with author and filmmaker Jay Bonansinga on psychological thriller “Self Storage.” The film is based on Bonansinga’s 2016 novel of the same name. It centers on a heroin-addicted father and his son who accidentally lock themselves inside a self-storage unit. Surviving will depend on a battle
French director Thomas Bidegain is setting the record straight about Jake Gyllenhaal and Vanessa Kirby‘s exit from his project “Suddenly.” An interview with Bidegain that ran last week in the French magazine Technikart got international attention, with the headline “Four Days to Bury a Movie.” The interview suggested that Gyllenhaal and Kirby had left the
The Messenger got shot. In the wake of its spectacular flameout this week, the ill-fated digital news startup is the target of a lawsuit seeking class-action status on behalf of its 300 ex-employees — who were terminated without notice — which says the company is on the hook for severance payments and benefits. The lawsuit,
“Sam Bahadur,” a biopic of Indian war hero Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, is the latest feature from Meghna Gulzar. Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies produced the film, which released theatrically in December 2023 and proved to be a box office success. The cast is led by Vicky Kaushal (“Dunki”) as Manekshaw and also includes Sanya Malhotra
Barunson E&A, the production company behind Korean Oscar-winner “Parasite,” is investing in Base Entertainment’s upcoming Indonesian horror film “Respati.” The Korean company will also take on worldwide sales duties and pre-sell rights at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin. “Respati” tells the story of a teenager with the ability to enter other people’s dreams.
“Much Ado About Dying,” Scott Chamber’s documentary about elderly care that won the best directing award at IDFA in 2022, has been acquired by First Run Features for the U.S. and Canada. The feature, produced by Soilsiú Films and Tiffin Films, will have its U.S. festival premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival ahead of
While other media companies have been paring back content spending, Amazon shelled out more than $2 billion more in 2023 for TV shows, movies and music than it did a year earlier. Amazon’s total video and music expense last year was $18.9 billion, representing a 14% increase from $16.6 billion in 2022, according to the
Just days after the Russian blockbuster “The Master and Margarita” surged to the top of the domestic box office, Kremlin cronies, pro-war propagandists and an army of online trolls have waged a campaign to discredit the film and its director, Michael Lockshin, a U.S. citizen who was raised in the Soviet Union and has been
For Italian conductor Beatrice Venezi, 2024 kicked off on a decidedly sour note. On New Year’s Eve the baton-wielding Venezi, a friend of right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, was heckled at the Opéra de Nice by French anti-fascist protesters as she took to the podium. The incident reflected tensions rippling through European entertainment industry circles
Actor, film producer and executive Chen Xi has been appointed as board director, chair and representative of Wanda Film, China’s largest cinema operator. Chen (who is also known as Chen Zhixi and who sometimes uses the English name Yedda Chen) becomes one of the highest-positioned women in the Chinese film industry. It is heavily dominated
RIPE FRUIT Fruit Chan has been named as the filmmaker in focus at this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (March 28-April 8). The maverick director will be honored with a commemorative book, a face-to-face interview and the screening of ten of his movies. These include: 1997’s “Made in Hong Kong,” 1998’s “The Longest Summer,” 1999’s
The first female-led film in leading Indian studio Yash Raj Films‘ (YRF) spy universe has found its director in Shiv Rawail, Variety has learned. Alia Bhatt (“Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani,” “Heart of Stone”) and Sharvari (“Bunty Aur Babli 2”) will play super agents in the as-yet-untiitled film. Rawail, who had previous stints as assistant
Global streaming giant Netflix has made a significant ongoing commitment to production of original content from Southeast Asia and in the Chinese-language. For 2024, Netflix has unveiled a slate of four Chinese-language series, all hailing from Taiwan. From Thailand, it detailed seven series and one film. From Indonesia, it has committed to five films and
“Dave” is going on hiatus, as its co-creator and star Dave Burd, aka Lil Dicky, eyes other projects. FX Networks has not officially renewed the comedy series for Season 4. The third season aired from April-May in 2023. “After some back and forth, there are no current plans for a fourth season of ‘Dave’ right
Chuck Philips, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist renowned for his reporting on dark corners of the music industry, died in January at age 71. No exact date or cause of death has been given by the family. As one of the Los Angeles Times‘ most prominent entertainment journalists in the 1990s and 2000s, Philips shared
DreamWorks Animation’s latest feature, “Orion and the Dark,” is all but guaranteed to surprise you. It’s skipping theaters and going straight to Netflix, for starters. On a story level, it reveals the little-known fact that every time humans fall asleep, they’re being bludgeoned or smothered into unconsciousness by a little blue gremlin. But the biggest