Movies

PR firm 42West has named PR veteran Susie Arons as president of strategic communications. Based in New York, Arons will oversee the bi-coastal operations of the strategic communications division and report to 42 West co-CEOs Leslee Dart and Amanda Lundberg. She will work closely with 42West entertainment marketing presidents Susan Ciccone and Tom Piechura. Prior

December 17, 2019 4:08PM PT The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that 344 feature films are eligible for the 2019 Academy Awards. To be eligible for the consideration, the films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by Dec. 31, and begin a minimum run of

Nobody in the vast media universe is more excited to see the new year dawn than Bob Bakish. The president-CEO of ViacomCBS is eager to get moving on growth initiatives that have been on the drawing board for months. The biggest change to come from the reunion of Viacom and CBS Corp. – two halves

Variety has selected its annual list of 10 Brits to Watch, an honor the publication has bestowed since 2013. For the fourth year, Variety is partnering with the Newport Beach Film Festival and Visit Newport Beach to honor those selected at the sixth annual Newport Beach U.K. Honours evening, to be held at the Langham

British visual effects and animation firm Cinesite, which won an Emmy for its work on “Game of Thrones,” has nabbed an investment from Gryphion Capital Investments and new banking facilities from Barclays and NatWest that total $112 million. The news comes as the British film and TV production sector eyes a potential upside to Brexit:

Cue the falling pianos: Warner Bros.’ Wile E. Coyote movie, “Coyote vs. Acme,” is one step closer to the big screen, having secured director Dave Green. Green will help develop the live action-animation hybrid, which is currently seeking a writer.  The animated feature follows the infamous Looney Tunes prairie woof whose objective is obliterating his

The most excellent first look at “Bill and Ted Face the Music” is here. Fans finally get a look at the two time-traveling best friends played by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. Set 29 years after “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,” the Wyld Stallyns duo have returned a little older, but hopefully not much wiser.

Adam Driver, who stars in two of the most-talked-about movies this December – “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” and Netflix’s “Marriage Story – recently walked out of an interview with NPR’s talk show “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross. Sources confirm to Variety that Driver, who was recording his side of the radio interview at

Lulu Wang didn’t know she wanted to be a filmmaker until she was a senior at Boston College and watching “Secretary.” “I don’t know if I talk about this very much, but it’s the film that made me want to make films,” Wang says on the latest episode of “The Big Ticket,” Variety and iHeart’s

December 17, 2019 11:00AM PT Will Ferrell is attached to star in Netflix’s “The Legend of Cocaine Island,” a scripted remake of the streaming service’s popular documentary of the same name, sources tell Variety. Peter Steinfeld will write the script, and Ferrell will produce with Gloria Sanchez Productions’ Jessica Elbaum and David Permut through his

Having premiered half of the 10 films shortlisted for the international feature film Oscar and four of the five movies nominated in the Golden Globes’ foreign-language category, the Cannes Film Festival has once again proven its power to position non-English films in the awards season, ahead of the Venice, Toronto and Berlin fests. Last year,

December 17, 2019 10:51AM PT Sales agent M-Appeal has picked up Leonie Krippendorff’s lesbian love story “Cocoon,” which world premieres in the Generation section of the Berlin Film Festival. Krippendorff’s debut fiction feature, set in Berlin’s multicultural Kreuzberg neighborhood, follows Nora, a shy 14-year-old girl as she makes her way into adulthood: she falls in

December 17, 2019 9:50AM PT Graham Chase Robinson, an ex-employee of Robert De Niro who made headlines last summer after the “Raging Bull” star claimed she binge-watched “Friends” episodes on the job, is asking a court to dismiss his lawsuit against her. Robinson later counter-sued De Niro, accusing him of gender discrimination and fostering an

December 17, 2019 6:15AM PT Matteo Garrone’s “Pinocchio,” starring Roberto Benigni, will have its international premiere at the 70th Berlin Film Festival the event announced Tuesday as new artistic director Carlo Chatrian unveiled the first titles for his debut edition. “Pinocchio” will play as part of the Berlinale Special Gala section, which replaces the Out

The London Film Critics’ Circle added its voice to the mix of critical precursors this awards season, announcing a slate of nominees topped by Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir.” The British writer-director’s delicate autobiographical drama won top honors at Sundance and was named the year’s best film in Sight & Sound magazine’s annual critics’ poll, but it

Following this year’s launch of the Cinema Green Lab, Les Arcs Film Festival has created €10,000 cash prize which will reward the most compelling environment-themed fiction project presented at the Co-production Village. “We have noticed that up until now, very few projects have been tackling environmental issues which are often only dealt with in documentaries.

Ben Roberts has been named CEO of the British Film Institute, filling the role being vacated by Amanda Nevill, who has held the position for 17 years. Roberts joined the BFI in 2012 as director of its film fund. He was upped to deputy CEO late last year. He starts as CEO in Feb. “Ben

Focus, an international show in London for professionals working in production, attracted a record number of attendees and exhibitors in its fifth edition, which ran Dec. 3-4. The event boasted an expanded conference schedule, plus a series of networking events. More than 3,400 professionals – including visitors, exhibitors, and members of international delegations – from

Disney’s third and final film in the latest Star Wars trilogy, “The Rise of Skywalker,” had its world premiere Monday night in Los Angeles with audience members quickly taking to Twitter afterward to share their first reactions. The review embargo for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” lifts on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 12:01 a.m.

Though Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said in an interview on Sunday that future Star Wars films will move away from a three-movie structure, Disney CEO Bob Iger says that isn’t necessarily the case. “Oh, I don’t know about that,” he told Variety‘s Marc Malkin at the premiere for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” when

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” nabbed five Golden Globe nominations and is a box office success, grossing over $370 million worldwide — a feat that the drama, starring Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, achieved without being released in China. The film was originally scheduled for a theatrical bow in the country on Oct. 25,

The Oscars shortlist was revealed today outlining remaining contenders in nine categories including best original song and score. Credit the music branch for offering a few surprises in its choices for the year’s best song, including no fewer than five from Disney movies and three from documentaries. The 300-member music branch chose 15 songs from

Barron Trump could be coming to the big screen soon, in a wild scripted ride that imagines President Donald Trump’s 10-year-old son attempting to thwart his presidential ambitions. “Barron: A Tale of Love, Loss & Legacy” by screenwriter Nicolas Curcio has rated on the annual Black List, a ranking of Hollywood’s best unproduced scripts, which

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced shortlists in consideration for the Oscars in nine categories: documentary feature, documentary short subject, international feature film, makeup and hairstyling, music (original score), music (original song), animated short film, live action short film and visual effects. The full lists are below: DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Fifteen films will

One of the most memorable moments from the first “Cats” trailer features Bombalurina — a self-assured feline played by Taylor Swift — lounging in a hammock as she sprinkles a bedazzled can of catnip over the Jellicle Ball. On Monday morning, prior to the world premiere of the Universal Pictures release adapted from Andrew Lloyd

December 16, 2019 2:30PM PT Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions and Weed Road Productions are ramping up the adaptation of “Firestarter.” Keith Thomas has been tapped to direct the reboot based on Stephen King’s novel. Sources exclusively tell Variety that Blumhouse also acquired domestic distribution rights to Thomas’ upcoming horror film “The Vigil.” Scott Teems, who

Fans of “Silicon Valley” will find it hard to recognize Kumail Nanjiani in his upcoming role in Marvel’s “Eternals.” The 41-year-old actor showed off his new — positively ripped — physique on Instagram on Monday. Nanjiani shared his thoughts about his six pack and ripped biceps, saying the transformation would’ve been impossible without trainers and

The scabrously-titled absurdist drama “Cook F**k Kill” from Slovak multihyphenate Mira Fornay (“Little Foxes,” “My Dog Killer”) is a playful, provocative exploration of family violence and dysfunction that uses repetition, transgression, black comedy, and folk tales to make its points. Examining unhealthy relationships, it’s structured as a prologue and three chapters, all of which make

December 16, 2019 1:14PM PT Live long and prosper? That may not be the case for Quentin Tarantino’s “Star Trek” movie. As Variety previously reported, Tarantino was set to produce and possibly direct an R-rated “Star Trek” movie for Paramount with J.J. Abrams producing and “The Revenant” scribe Mark L. Smith writing the script. But

‘Tis the season for controversy. “The First Temptation of Christ” — a Netflix Christmas comedy special that portrays a gay Jesus and Mary smoking weed — has sparked backlash. A petition has circulated demanding the special to be pulled on the grounds that it is offensive to Christians. “The First Temptation of Christ” was created