Harrison Ford is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration after an incident that occurred on a runway at Los Angeles’ Hawthorne Municipal Airport on April 24. The FAA said in a statement to Variety that the 77-year-old actor was piloting an airplane that crossed the runway as another plane tried to land, putting the aircrafts
Movies
A relatively modest, low-key tale about global refugee issues that are usually portrayed in a higher dramatic key, “The Flood” makes a somewhat underwhelming first impression. But it gradually overcomes that to arrive at a potent (if still quiet) cumulative impact, bolstered by strong performances from leads Ivanno Jeremiah and Lena Headey. A nonstarter on
In today’s film news roundup, “Maze Runner” director Wes Ball gets a sci-fi gig, Montreal’s Fantasia festival goes virtual, Saudi fantasy drama “Scales” finds a home, and “Point Defiance” and “Waterlily Jaguar” are set for release. PROJECT LAUNCH “Maze Runner” director Wes Ball will direct an adaptation of the sci-fi adventure “The First Fifteen Lives
Skydance Media has named veteran entertainment executive Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon to the newly created post of general counsel. The company has also promoted Jun Oh to president of global business and legal affairs. The moves come following Skydance’s acquisition of Ilion Studios in Madrid earlier this month and reflect the company’s continued commitment to expansion.
“The Half of It,” a coming-of-age drama written and directed by Alice Wu, and actors Steve Zahn and Assol Abdullina were among the winners of the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival’s slate of juried awards. “The Half of It,” which will be released on Netflix on May 1, follows a shy, straight-A student named Ellie Chu
Embattled AMC Entertainment Holdings has opted to delay filing its financial reports due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has resulted in the exhibitor closing all its theaters. In an 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said on Wednesday that it will delay filing its first-quarter results and its proxy until June.
Actor Vin Diesel has been mired in a years-long struggle for an illustrious credit from the Producers Guild of America for his contributions to the billion-dollar “Fast and Furious” movie franchise, numerous sources tell Variety. A cryptic Sunday night Instagram post from Diesel about “mitigating a war” with the PGA, a trade association representing film
Is watching a movie in a theater a different experience from watching it at home? There are two answers to that, and both of them are correct. The answers are: 1) Yes, of course it is! and 2) It’s sort of different, but not really. It’s a different experience for all the reasons you know
On a Sunday night last November, as part of the traditional awards-season ritual, around 100 people drove up Mount Olympus Drive to a gathering at the home of sound engineer John Ross and his wife Nancy for a screening of “Joker.” The evening included pre-screening cocktails in addition to a 10-minute Q&A with director Todd
Cineworld, owner of the Regal Entertainment exhibition chain, is joining AMC Theatres in refusing to play Universal Pictures films in the wake of NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell’s promise to open titles on premium VOD and in theaters concurrently. “Universal’s move is completely inappropriate and certainly has nothing to do with good faith business practice, partnership
“Big Bang Theory” star Kaley Cuoco has found her first major movie role following the end of her popular series, signing on for the female lead opposite Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson in Sony’s action-comedy “Man From Toronto.” Harrelson recently replaced Jason Statham in the pic. The film revolves around a case of mistaken identity
By now, the waves of event cancellations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have become so routine that they almost don’t merit mention. But it was scarcely a month and a half ago that the cancellation of SXSX — the first major domino in the festival calendar to fall — really brought the reality
The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC) has said the lucrative PVOD release of “Trolls World Tour” should not be used a reference point to “redesign” the business model around releasing. The Brussels-based organization, which represents European cinema operators, spoke out in response to growing tensions between exhibitors and Universal over the straight-to-VOD release of “Trolls
The Grand Theatre is one of those civic treasures that always seems to need saving. It was built as an opera house in the tiny sawmill town of New London, Wis., in 1895. A century later, it was a run-down movie theater, desperate for a renovation. The town’s voters agreed to tax themselves to restore
The Locarno Film Festival has announced the cancellation of its 73rd edition due to Swiss government restrictions. In its place, the festival has set up an initiative to support independent cinema. The prominent Swiss summer fest, which was scheduled to run August 5-15, is known as a champion of international indie cinema and the industry
The coronavirus has brought the movie theater business to the edge of ruin. Exhibitors have shuttered cinemas across the country, leaving them without any way to pay the bills. Thanks to the federal stimulus, however, many of those circuits have been saved from bankruptcy, according to John Fithian, CEO of the National Assn. of Theatre Owners. The exhibition industry lobbyist says
Taking one big bull by the horns, the second online industry talk at Switzerland’s Visions du Réel debated Tuesday evening the impact of COVID-19 across pretty much the whole of the movie value chain. At least five of the six panelists on the online round table, The Film Industry in Corona Times: Labs, Markets, Sales,
Prominent members of the Indian film industry took to social media to share an outpouring of grief following the death on Wednesday of top actor Irrfan Khan. Khan starred in Indian films including “Salaam Bombay,” Asif Kapadia’s BAFTA winner “The Warrior” and Tigmanshu Dhulia’s “Paan Singh Tomar.” His credits in Hollywood included “The Life of
Noah Media Group has acquired international sales rights to Lorton Entertainment’s “Make Us Dream,” the story of soccer star Steven Gerrard, produced by Oscar-winner James Gay-Rees (“Amy,” “Senna”), and “Bleed Out,” HBO’s critically acclaimed documentary investigating medical malpractice in the U.S., produced by Oscar-winner Dan Cogan (“Icarus”). “Make Us Dream” tells the story of Liverpool
The British Film Institute’s newly installed chief executive, Ben Roberts, has said one “silver lining” of COVID-19’s devastating impact on the U.K. film industry is a “radical rethink” for the financing and distribution prototypes surrounding independent film, which are now operating on a more equal playing field online. “We absolutely cannot miss this moment to
Losses at Huayi Brothers Media one of China’s longest-running private sector film studios, hit $567 million in 2019. CEO Jerry Ye (aka Ye Ning) has resigned and will be replaced as head of film operations by James Wang Zhonglei, co-founder of the group and its current deputy chairman. The company issued several dozen documents to
Irrfan Khan, the wide-eyed actor who enjoyed art house acclaim in his native India and crossover-success with major Hollywood roles including “Life of Pi,” “Jurassic World” and “Inferno,” died on Wednesday. He was 53. Khan was previously diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018 and underwent extensive treatment in London. He recovered well enough to
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made some big announcements Tuesday regarding the 2021 Oscars, but insiders say they probably won’t have too much impact on today’s awards business. “I wasn’t surprised by anything,” one awards consultant said. “I had a feeling most of this was coming.” Getting the most traction is the
In today’s film news roundup, Romola Garai’s “Amulet” and crime drama ”Punching And Stealing” find homes and the Human Rights Watch Film Festival unveils a digital edition. ACQUISITIONS Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, has acquired North American rights to the horror movie “Amulet,” the feature directorial debut of actress-turned-filmmaker Romola Garai. The film,
Ellie Chu is a small-town Cyrano, with a twist, in Netflix original “The Half of It,” which could well be the most literary high school movie to come along in the short lives of its adolescent audience — and not just because writer-director Alice Wu was loosely inspired by a late-19th-century French play that most
Lionsgate has hired “American Hustle” scribe Eric Warren Singer to write “Now You See Me 3,” the latest installment in the franchise based on a fresh take by Singer. The first two movies in the “Now You See Me” series have taken in $687 million worldwide cumulatively. The previous films starred Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson,
Julie Nathanson, a veteran publicist who served as a senior executive at Rogers & Cowan for more than 20 years, died of cancer April 26 at her home in Hollywood. She was 68. During her long career Nathanson represented such stars as Raquel Welsh, Michael Urie, Terry Bradshaw, Frank Langella, Bruce Greenwood and “American Pickers”
Fewer than half of Americans plan to go to concerts, movies, sports events and amusement parks when they reopen to the public until there is a proven coronavirus vaccine, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday. The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 4,429 American adults from April 15 to 21, asking about their previous attendance
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has tweaked its Oscar eligibility rules in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. During a meeting on Tuesday, the board of governors approved a temporary hold on the requirement that a film needs a seven-day theatrical run in a commercial theater in Los Angeles County or New
Theaters are still months away from reopening in California, according to a plan laid out on Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. In his daily briefing, Newsom outlined a four-stage plan to reopen the economy. He did not offer a specific timetable, but the plan calls for theaters to reopen in “Stage 3,” which Newsom said