Jordan Peele is back with another terrifying thriller, this time taking on the 1992 horror classic “Candyman.” The official trailer for MGM and Universal Pictures’ remake was released on Thursday and tells the story of an artist fixated on a mysterious hook-handed killer, deemed the Candyman. “The urban legend is, if you say his name
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Accepting his award for original screenplay at this year’s Oscars, director Bong Joon Ho triumphantly declared, “This is a very first Oscar to South Korea.” Little did he know that the second, third and fourth were swiftly coming his way on a night that saw “Parasite” make history. Combine that with the fact that two
Tinder is having more than just a fling with its first ever original series, “Swipe Night.” The ubiquitous dating app has renewed the interactive scripted project for a second season, and it has tapped season one director Karena Evans (Drake’s “In My Feelings,” Starz’s “P Valley”) to helm the project. App users can expect it
RIO DE JANEIRO Cesar Rodrigues’ “Airplane Mode” is the most popular non-English language feature on Netflix so far in the world, Netflix disclosed exclusively to Variety on Thursday Feb. 27. The first Netflix original feature production in Brazil, released on Jan. 23, has been watched by nearly 28 million households, of which one third are in Brazil
Time moves slowly, as ever, for Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang’s, as seconds become minutes, minutes become hours, and hours become “Days,” a gentle return to form in which Tsai’s longtime star, Lee Kang-sheng, is shown suffering from some unknown physical ailment, finding short-lived solace in the hands of a stranger (28-year-old Laotian immigrant Anong Houngheuangsy)
The Far East Film Festival in Udine, one of the best-regarded specialty festivals on the calendar, is to postpone its upcoming edition. The festival is situated in North Eastern Italy where the coronavirus outbreak has recently struck hard. The festival had been scheduled to run April 24 – May 2. Udine’s 22nd edition will now
BERLIN — Giant Brazilian TV network Globo has seen its bet on shorter-format series vindicated by the selection of two of their new series at this year’s Berlinale Series Market. Distancing itself from the tradition telenovela narrative, one of Globo’s Berlinale players is ‘Unsoul’ a supernatural drama, rare in its nature as it allows its
Movistar Plus has joined The Mediapro Studio to produce “Paraíso” (Paradise), an original series destined for Movistar Plus’ digital platform. The companies previously joined forces on “Nasdrovia,” another upcoming Movistar Plus’ original. Laura Fernández Espeso, The Mediapro Studio corporate, told Variety: “Working together was easy because when the content is clear and the platform is on board,
Embattled director Roman Polanski has confirmed to the AFP that he will not be attending the Cesar Awards on Friday. The filmmaker’s latest feature, “An Officer and a Spy,” was nominated for 12 gongs this year, sparking outrage from French feminist groups and ultimately leading the 21-member board of the Association for the Promotion of
Some exciting things are brewing on St. Petersburg’s New Holland Island, where history and culture converge. Founded at the same time as the city itself, the island was mainly used for military purposes for more than 300 years. But in 2010, entrepreneurs and philanthropists Roman Abramovich and Daria Zhukova formed the initiative New Holland: Cultural
If you consider running-time alone, Russian content fills a considerable chunk of space in the official sections of the 2020 Berlinale. This is primarily because of Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s mind-boggling large-scale simulation of the totalitarian Soviet system, the “DAU” project, which comprises 14 features — two are unspooling at Berlin, accounting for more than eight hours
Less Is More, the program launched by Le Group Ouest to help young helmers such as Maimouna Doucouré (“Cuties”), has unveiled the trailer of Daria Woszek’s “Marygoround” which will have its world premiere at South By Southwest. The film, which was developed within the framework of Less Is More, revolves around Mary, a lonely grocery store
The closing film of the Berlinale’s new Encounters sidebar is the fictionalized documentary, “The Metamorphosis of Birds,” the debut feature from Portuguese director Catarina Vasconcelos. “Metamorphosis” explores the director’s family stories, building on elements developed in her debut 2014 short film, “Metaphor, or Sadness Inside Out,” which she filmed during her Master’s degree course in
BERLIN — Handled by TF1 Studio, Freddie Highmore heist thriller “Way Down” has pre-sold most of the world’s key distribution territories. At Berlin, TF1 Studio licensed Latin America with Joao Worcman’s Rio de Janeiro-based Synapse Distribution, which will release the theatrical feature, directed by Jaume Balgueró (“[REC]”) in collaboration with Ledafilms. Israel (Current Flow), Thailand (Sahamongkol
BERLIN — Produced by Primo Filmes in co-production with MPM Film, Tabuleiro Filmes and SP Cine, “Shine Your Eyes,” warmly received at Berlin, tells the story of Amadi (OC Ukeje), a Lagos musician who flies to Sao Paulo to track down his older brother Ikenna (Chukwudi Iwuji), who’s gone missing, and bring him back home.
Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar for her performance as Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen,” says Meghan Markle was “a fantastic addition to the royal family,” and she “applauds” Markle and Prince Harry’s decision to step back from royal duties, she tells Variety. Mirren, who is the subject of an homage at the
BERLIN — Robert Montgomery’s “Lady in the Lake” posed the question of whether it’s possible to make a complete film from one POV and yet create a true emotional connection with an audience if it doesn’t have a face to connect with. “Saudi Runaway” delivers a haunting POV experience via the hands of a woman,
Harvey Weinstein is “in disbelief,” but “not delusional,” about his conviction, as he remains under care at Bellevue Hospital before being transferred to Rikers Island, where he’ll be put behind bars. “He’s still in disbelief of the charges he was convicted of. He’s very consistent about his innocence,” one of Weinstein’s attorneys, Arthur Aidala, told
India’s Alliance Media & Entertainment is in the process of acquiring a library of works by late Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami for distribution in the Indian subcontinent from France’s MK2 Films. The deal covers 33 features, documentaries and shorts from Kiarostami’s oeuvre, including “Taste of Cherry,” “The Wind Will Carry Us” and “Where Is My
In today’s film news roundup, Rachel Brosnahan will try science-fiction, documentaries about Herb Alpert and Sasha Joseph Neulinger find homes, and Cameron Boyce’s “Runt” gets a premiere. CASTING Rachel Brosnahan will star with Anthony Ramos in Amblin Partners’ upcoming comedic sci-fi film “Distant.” Will Speck and Josh Gordon will direct from Spenser Cohen’s script about
Regina King is on a roll. After winning an Oscar for “If Beale Street Could Talk” and starring as masked vigilante Sister Knight in HBO’s “Watchmen,” King is gearing up to make her film directing debut with “One Night in Miami.” Adapted by Kemp Powers from his play of the same name, the film dramatizes a
February 26, 2020 5:39PM PT Netflix is developing an untitled female-led comedy with producer Jon Berg, the former Warner Bros.’ co-president of production. The writing team of Jordan Roter (“The Tear Down,” “Camp Rules”) and Monica Corcoran Harel (New York Times, Marie Claire) has been attached to write the project. Netflix is keeping the logline
There’s a school of critical thought that believes no contextual details or backstory to a film — be they to do with its source material, the circumstances of its production, or its makers’ motivation — should be examined or factored into a review of it, that the final product up on the screen is the
“Dau. Natasha,” the Russian art project-turned-movie franchise competing at the Berlinale, has triggered headlines in the local and international press over the years due to its epic scale, scenes of graphic violence and anecdotes of an allegedly oppressive work environment for women. Hours before the film’s premiere at a presser on Wednesday, Ilya Khrzhanovsky, who
A small group of Chinese move theater owners have cancelled plans to attend this year’s CinemaCon, the annual gathering of global exhibitors in Las Vegas, Variety has learned. A delegation of roughly 24 people from China have pulled out over travel restrictions in the region, a spokesperson for the National Organization of Theater Owners, which
During a TV interview this week, attorney Gloria Allred said the scope of Harvey Weinstein’s Los Angeles trial will widen to allow more women to take the stand than in New York. “You’re going to see more women who are going to be testifying in that L.A. case,” Allred said on “The View.” “I think
At first glance Elli appears to be a normal young girl living with her single father, spending idle afternoons lazing by a sunlit pool. But a disturbing reality is soon revealed: Elli is actually an android whose memories were programmed by the man she lovingly calls “Daddy.” Before long the true nature of their relationship
Legendary Entertainment has appointed veteran sports-media attorney Matthew Erramouspe to the newly developed role of chief legal officer and executive VP. Erramouspe has been co-chair of O’Melveny & Myers’ Entertainment’s Sports and Media practice group. He will report to Legendary’s CEO Joshua Grode and work closely with the heads of Legendary’s business units. “Matthew has been
In 2013, Sally Potter lost her younger brother, artist and musician Nic Potter, to early onset dementia, although the disease is so cruel, one could say that she began losing him a couple years earlier — that he started to disappear on her in 2010 — and that her film “The Roads Not Taken” is
After a long development process, Steven Spielberg is handing the directing reins on “Indiana Jones 5” to another filmmaker for the first time in the franchise’s 39-year history, Variety has learned. Sources say, while a deal hasn’t closed, “Ford v Ferrari” director James Mangold is in talks to take the job. Mangold has been put