Movies

Vivo Film, the Italian shingle at Berlin with Abel Ferrara’s “Siberia,” has a robust slate in various stages including the next drama by Laura Bispuri, whose “Sworn Virgin” and “Daughter of Mine” both launched from the Berlinale. Bispuri later this year will shoot her third feature, which is currently titled “Di Lotta e D’Amore” (“Of

In today’s film news roundup, Oona Chaplin is starring in a horror movie, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation will honor Sharon Stone, FuseFX expands, and “Let’s Scare Julie” and “Stray” get distribution. CASTING Oona Chaplin will star in Alcon Entertainment’s horror feature “Lullaby,” based on the mythological figure Lilith. John R. Leonetti (“Annabelle”) is attached

Jack Gordon, a former president of MGM International Distribution, died on Sunday at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family. He was 90. Gordon was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 13, 1929. He was the son of the Oscar-winning composer-lyricist Mack Gordon. Following his service in the U.S. Army during the Korean

Winston Duke, Benedict Wong, Zazie Beetz and Bill Skarsgård might be known for their roles in blockbuster franchises like “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Deadpool” and “It,” but in their latest film “Nine Days,” the actors collaborated on something a little less flashy, but emotionally impactful. Assembling in Variety’s Sundance Studio, presented by AT&T, ahead of

February 20, 2020 3:43PM PT MGM has attached “The Aeronauts” director Tom Harper to its romance “Forever” — a project that’s been in development at the studio for eight decades. Jonathan Glickman is producing “Forever,” based on a romantic novella by Mildred Cram (“Love Affair”), which focuses on two lovers from the past who are

“The Greatest Showman” director Michael Gracey is joining the production team of Justin Bieber’s animated film “Cupid.” The pop superstar will voice the titular Roman god and executive produce the Mythos Studios movie, directed by Pete Candeland. Black List writer Mike Vukadinovich (Hulu’s “The Runaways”) has also been hired to write the script. “Cupid” marks

There’s poetry in “Premature” — literally, if not always cinematically. Zora Howard, a spoken word artist and sometime actor who reunites with director Rashaad Ernesto Green for his second feature (they collaborated more than a decade earlier on a short of the same name), plays Ayanna, a tentatively romantic Harlem teenager navigating a relationship for

German producer Jamila Wenske of Berlin-based Achtung Panda! Media has boarded two upcoming projects that explore facets of the immigrant experience in Germany. Asli Özarslan’s “Elbow” follows the turbulent life of a young Turkish woman in Berlin and her decision to move to Istanbul, while Ali Kareem Obaid’s “The Arabic Interpreter” centers on a frustrated,

The jurors in the Harvey Weinstein trial ended their third day of deliberations on Thursday with a request to hear the testimony of Annabella Sciorra. The jury has now been deliberating for more than 14 hours, and will return for further deliberations on Friday morning. In a note to the judge late Thursday afternoon, the

Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton are starring in the family comedy “Family Jewels” for New Republic Pictures. It’s a reunion for the trio, 24 years after they starred in the Paramount comedy “The First Wives Club.” New Republic is planning a 2020 production start for “Family Jewels.” New Republic principals Brian Oliver and

The Berlinale’s European Film Market opened on Thursday with the inaugural European Film Politics Seminar, offering a look at the pressing challenges facing independent European producers in a fast-changing landscape increasingly dominated by the growing number of U.S. streaming giants. The seminar was hosted by Steven Gaydos, executive vice president of global content of Variety.

Imax is releasing a digitally re-mastered version of Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” for a one-week run at select Imax locations starting Friday. “Parasite” is the first non-English-language movie ever to win the Oscar for best picture. The South Korean film took in $5.7 million at 2,002 domestic locations during the post-Oscar weekend, lifting its cumulative

A writer writes, but there’s no evidence that Joanna Rakoff can even type when she takes the job as an assistant working for literary agent Phyllis Westberg in “My Salinger Year.” Because Rakoff went on to pen a book-length memoir about her time working for Westberg, who represented reclusive writer J.D. Salinger, we can rest

Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman Donna Langley is bolstering her executive team following the promotion of Jeff Shell to CEO of parent company NBCUniversal. Langley has upped Universal Pictures president Peter Levinsohn to vice chairman, an internal studio memo obtained by Variety said. Levinsohn, who will also keep the previous title of chief distribution officer,

Eli Roth will direct a movie based on the video game “Borderlands” for Lionsgate — a project that’s been in the works for five years. The studio said production will begin later this year. Lionsgate announced in 2015 that it had attached producers Avi and Ari Arad to “Borderlands” through Arad Prods. and said Thursday that

Gloria Allred is representing three of the six women who have testified in Harvey Weinstein’s criminal trial. The high-profile attorney has been accused by Weinstein’s legal team of having plans to sue the former Hollywood honcho after his rape trial concludes. During closing arguments, Weinstein’s lead attorney Donna Rotunno said Allred sits in court every

Chilean indigenous communities are turning to film to portray their world values, social problems and identities. That’s the case for Leo Pakarati, of the Rapa Nui from Easter Island, and Mapuche Claudia Huaiquimilla. Both will present their recent works as case studies at the European Film Market’s Chile Country in Focus. Pakarati’s documentary plumbs the impact

Noah Centineo has 18.3 million followers on Instagram. That’s about 17 million more than he had when “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” was released just 18 months ago. Even so, the 23-year-old Florida native insists fame hasn’t gotten in the way of his daily life. “It’s not like I have them following me

Chilean producers to track, who will be forming part of the Berlinale’s 2020 Country in Focus dedicated to Chile. Five are well-known, another five on the rise : Up-and-coming María José Díaz  Dos Be Producciones An executive producer and investigative journalist for TV series and doc-features, Diaz is an executive producer at Dos Be Prods.

February 20, 2020 9:45AM PT Wes Anderson, the acclaimed filmmaker behind two of the generation’s best-loved stop-motion features: the Oscar-nominated feature “Ilse of Dogs” and 2010’s Annecy Cristal for a feature film-winner “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” will be in France this June to celebrate the Annecy International Animation Film Festival’s 60th anniversary. It’s Anderson’s first visit to

February 20, 2020 6:03AM PT CBS All Access and Showtime are on track to garner a combined 16 million subscribers by year’s end, ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish told investors on Thursday. ViacomCBS’ subscription streaming offerings ended 2019 with 11 million subscribers in total, a 50% gain over 2018. CBS Corp. previously forecast the two streaming

Bong Joon-ho and the key cast of quadruple Oscar-winning black comedy “Parasite” returned home to South Korea this week. At a press event in Seoul on Wednesday they reflected on lessons from the Academy Awards. “Compared to Hollywood studios and Netflix, our Oscars campaign was smaller. Other nominees had enormous ads on billboard and TV

London-based distributor Dogwoof and music films specialist Eagle Rock have partnered on international sales for the Natalie Johns-directed “Max Richter’s Sleep.” The film follows the ground-breaking British-born German composer — who rose to prominence with the Golden Globe-winning “Waltz with Bashir” and whose credits include “Ad Astra” and “Shutter Island” — as he created his

February 20, 2020 3:38AM PT Megan Fox, best known for “Transformers” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” is set to star in suspense thriller “Aurora.” Arclight Films will start worldwide sales for the movie at the European Film Market in Berlin. “Aurora,” to be directed by Lazar Bodroža (“A.I. Rising”), tells the story of a female

Herbert L. Kloiber, former managing director of Tele München Group, has launched a new media venture focusing on European film and series projects. Munich-based Night Train Media is looking to develop, co-produce, finance and distribute in-house and third-party projects. Speaking to Variety, Kloiber said it was the ideal time to launch the company “in this

British actor Jeremy Irons, this year’s president of the international jury at the Berlin Film Festival, has spoken out about prior controversies surrounding his alleged views on sexual abuse, same-sex marriage and abortion. Irons opened the jury’s press conference on Thursday, calling it a “privilege” to have been named president, but wasted no time in

“Veep” creator Armando Iannucci has teamed with “Intouchables” and “Death of Stalin” producer Yann Zenou on a coming-of-age theatrical feature comedy set in the world of amateur sumo wrestling. Rocket Science is handling worldwide sales at the European Film Market. Iannucci will act as executive producer. Other producers, alongside Zenou, on the project are Emily

Saudi Arabian film director Mahmoud Sabbagh, who made a splash with groundbreaking romcom “Barakah Meets Barakah” and black comedy “Amra and the Second Marriage,” roughly a year ago became president of Saudi’s Red Sea International Film Festival, the kingdom’s first full-fledged festival and market. The ambitious event, which will run March 12-21 in Jeddah, recently

Liam Neeson is set to star in the action crime thriller “Memory” to be directed by the U.K.’s Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale,” “Goldeneye”). STX International is handling the international sales rights and will unveil the project at the Berlin Film Festival’s European Film Market. “Memory” follows Neeson as an expert assassin who himself becomes a target

Pulsar Content, the Paris-based sales company launched at Toronto, has acquired “Wild Indian,” a thriller executive produced by and starring Jesse Eisenberg, along with Michael Greyeyes (“Fear the Walking Dead”). The film marks the feature debut of Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr., whose shorts have played at Toronto and Sundance. “Wild Indian” was developed at the