Missy Elliott is joining Universal Pictures’ untitled Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry musical project. She joins Halle Bailey, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Oscar nominee Brian Tyree Henry and Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph in a coming-of-age musical set in Virginia Beach in the summer of 1977 and inspired by the Atlantis Apartments, located in Williams’ childhood neighborhood.
Month: April 2024
The feature adaptation of “Avengelyne” from Olivia Wilde, Margot Robbie and “X-Men” producer Simon Kinberg is being set up at Warner Bros. The studio is close to finalizing a seven-figure film rights deal. Robbie is eyeing the role of the titular angel who fights the forces of evil and often finds herself face-to-face with demons
Hot Docs is to honor Canadian writer-producer-director Alison Duke with the Don Haig Award, which recognizes “creative vision and entrepreneurship,” as reflected in her work, as well as a track record of mentoring emerging Canadian filmmakers. The award is presented to a Canadian independent producer with a feature-length film at the festival, with the recipient
Scottish actor Brian McCardie, who played Tommy Hunter in the BBC series “Line of Duty,” died on Sunday. He was 59. His sister, Sarah McCardie, shared the news in a post on her X account. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brian James McCardie (59), beloved son, brother, uncle and
Esperanza Spalding, the five-time Grammy winner and bass virtuoso, is returning to New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club with a 12-night residency in early 2025. Spalding will play two shows each night — that’s 24 shows total — from Feb. 18 to 23 and from Feb. 25 to March 2. As per usual with the
Contrary to what you might have heard in a certain song, there are, in fact, quite a few ways to rock. And few people know that better than Sammy Hagar. Throughout his half-century career, Hagar has witnessed or actively participated in just about every major phase of rock and roll. He was there, as a
In the ongoing war between hip-hop titans, Kendrick Lamar has released “Euphoria,” a response record that comes in the wake of Drake’s “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle.” On the track, Lamar lays out a series of bars that addresses much of the fallout from his verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” a
Watts: Actor and exec producer Sevigny and Ringwald: Actors Just as Truman Capote had his coterie of elegant Gotham society ladies, “Feud” creator Ryan Murphy leaned on his stable of accomplished female actors to portray them in Season 2 of the FX anthology series: “The Watcher” alum Watts plays Babe Paley, wife of longtime CBS president
In January, MBC Group CEO Sam Barnett led the Middle East’s largest broadcaster through a very successful IPO, which gave the Saudi-owned linear TV operator and streamer a $222 million financial boost. This was preceded by the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023, that, as expected, has been taking its toll, in terms of
ChaiFlicks, the prime streaming service for Jewish storytelling, has acquired the rights to premium Austrian limited series “Kafka” from ORF Enterprise, the global distribution arm of Austrian pubcaster ORF. The six-part series is due to launch June 6 in North America for ChaiFlicks, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the death of the world celebrated
Paramount Global‘s ouster of CEO Bob Bakish did not reassure investors that there’s a favorable exit in store for the media conglomerate. Shares of the company were down more than 4% in trading Tuesday to under $12/share, after Bakish’s exit was officially announced and he was replaced by three senior execs tasked with running Paramount
U.K. outfit Curzon — part of the Cohen Media Group — is set to relaunch Artificial Eye, the arthouse distribution label that was established in 1976 and has been on hiatus for the last decade. The label, first founded by film enthusiasts Andi and Pam Engel and part of the Curzon group since 2006, became renowned for
Jimmy Failla isn’t taking over Fox News Chanel, but he has, at least for one short period in the late afternoon, seized control of a portion of its New York ground-floor facilities. The space is typically devoted to a space for guests to hang out and a section for hair and makeup, but Failla uses
Jenny Gorotiza has been promoted to vice president of marketing for Island Records, it was announced today by Jay Schumer, executive VP/head of marketing and business development. Gorotiza has served as senior director of marketing at Island since 2021. Based in New York, Gorotiza wil continue to work on marketing campaigns for Shawn Mendes, Keshi,
“Hell’s Kitchen,” a musical inspired by Alicia Keys’ teenage years in New York City, and “Stereophonic,” the story of a rock group in danger of splintering, dominated the 2024 Tony Awards nominations. The two shows, one focused on a pre-celebrity pop titan coming into her talent and the other examining a darker, druggier side of
After a five-month stint in art deco concert venue/nightclub Voltaire at Las Vegas casino The Venetian, Kylie Minogue has just two more performances left before the conclusion of her concert series “More Than a Residency.” Given the grueling schedule she’s maintained since the beginning of the promotional cycle for “Tension,” her sixteenth album, it feels
Warner Bros.’ “Challengers,” led by Zendaya, debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £1.6 million ($2 million), according to numbers from Comscore. In its third weekend, Studiocanal’s “Back to Black” dropped to second place with £1.4 million for a total of £8.9 million. In third position, in its fifth weekend, Universal’s “Kung Fu
Oprah Winfrey is off the board of WeightWatchers — but she’s continuing to work with the company as part of her efforts to change the cultural conversation about weight. Winfrey will host “Making The Shift: A New Way to Think About Weight,” a three-hour event on Thursday, May 9, from 6-9 p.m. ET that will
The second annual Cannes Investors Circle has revealed its lineup, including films from Ruben Östlund and Lorcan Finnegan. Taking place at the Marché du Film during the Cannes Film Festival, the Investors Circle showcases 10 never-before-seen films in various stages of development to an exclusive group of film financing experts and investors. According to a
In the coming months, British actors’ union Equity and producer trade body Pact are expected to kick off negotiations to thrash out new contracts that will cover the vast majority of U.K. TV and indie film. There’s going to be several major sticking points on the table, many that are near-identical to those that dominated
Lily Collins is in Rome to shoot a portion of “Emily in Paris” Season 4, which wrapped filming in France last week, she announced on Instagram. The hit Netflix show started shooting in January in Paris ahead of the Olympic Games, which will kick off on July 26, for which the French capital is now
International Emmy-winning French animation producer-distributor Dandelooo has closed a deal with Korea’s Dream Factory Studio for the latter’s new CG preschool series “PongPong Dino.” Targeted at 2-4-year-olds, “PongPong Dino” is a new IP produced by Dream Factory and directed by animator Tacken Chae. In the show, the audience is invited to a world where playing
Global Screen, the Munich-based international sales outfit, has boarded worldwide sales on “The Trek,” the upcoming first feature from leading South African cinematographer and director Meekaaeel Adam. The film is a horror-Western, in which starvation, suspicion and madness plague a family as they cross the Kalahari Desert under the eyes of primeval spirits. “The Trek”
FREE STREAMING Freely, the new free streaming service backed by Britain’s public service broadcasters (PSBs) that delivers live TV over broadband, has launched. The initiative is from Everyone TV, the organization which runs free TV in the U.K. and is jointly owned by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Paramount Global’s Channel 5. Announced last year, the service allows viewers
Berlin-based sales agency Picture Tree Intl. has acquired the supernatural crime thriller “The Osha Rule,” and will start seeking distribution partner at the Cannes Film Market. The film will start principal photography in August 2024. “The Osha Rule” blends crime with supernatural horror and revolves around a young Latino gang member forced into a Santería
“Joyguru,” a fictionalized account of the life of Indian mystic artist and music icon Parvathy Baul, will launch sales at the upcoming Cannes Film Market. Parvathy Baul is a leading exponent of the syncretic Baul minstrel music tradition that is hugely popular and culturally influential across eastern India and Bangladesh. Written and directed by actor-turned-filmmaker
Italian period drama “My Place Is Here” is being released in Italy by Adler Ent. on May 9, and is being sold at Cannes by Beta Cinema. Variety speaks to the film’s directors, Daniela Porto and Cristiano Bortone, and debuts its trailer (below). “My Place Is Here” is set in the years following the end
A distinctive, dynamic R&B vocalist who seemed on the verge of major stardom through the 1960s, Jackie Shane disappeared soon after — so completely that many fans and former associates assumed her dead. It was a riddle rendered all the more mysterious by her singular status within that field as a more-or-less “out” transperson, her
A film that pivots around a court case about its own making, buried treasure documentary “A Band of Dreamers and a Judge” features hints of allure that eventually wane. Shot in Iran, where unauthorized excavations remain illegal, Hesam Eslami’s chronicle of a group of treasure hunters is an occasionally intense process piece that often loses
“Daughter of Genghis” has been billed as a portrait of a nationalist gang leader at this year’s Hot Docs Film Festival. And while it follows Gerel Byamba, the leader of an entirely-female, ultra-nationalist Mongolian group called Gerel Khas, it is also a surprisingly poignant documentary portrait of a widow and her orphaned son trying to
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