It’s not every day I get to review a documentary about a subject I feel personally close to, so let me put my bias right out there. “Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World” is a movie about one of my favorite New York restaurants — and, in fact, countless
Movies
Matthew Loeb is heading into what is likely to be the most consequential negotiation of his 16-year tenure to date as international president of IATSE. The union’s contract talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are set to begin March 4. After last year’s protracted strikes by the Writers Guild of America
The descendants of Walt Disney and his brother Roy O. Disney have weighed in on the bid by two activist investment firms to win seats on the board of the Walt Disney Co. Nelson Peltz, the activist investor who runs hedge fund Trian Partners, is waging a proxy-fight battle to install himself and ex-Disney CFO
Gravitas Ventures has acquired worldwide rights to Uinta Productions and Paper Street Pictures’ “Snow Valley,” the directorial debut from the late Brandon Murphy. Murphy, who died in January 2022, was the screenwriter for “Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.” He also wrote the script for “Snow Valley,” which was in post production at the time of his death.
No one was shocked more than Hayden Christensen when he landed the role of Anakin Skywalker in George Lucas’ “Star Wars: Attack of the Clones” and “Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith.” Christensen was far from the biggest name that Lucasfilm was trying to lure into its galaxy far, far away. When he had
Former Verve CEO Bill Weinstein has filed a lawsuit against the talent agency, alleging that he was improperly ousted from the company on Feb. 19 by two partners who are looking to sell the company. Weinstein’s suit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses Verve partners Bryan Besser and Adam Levine of “a misguided
When “Dune: Part One” wrapped, composer Hans Zimmer continued to write more music for the sci-fi epic. He was told to stop, but Zimmer insisted he would carry on, so much so that director Denis Villeneuve would joke that the composer was locked in the studio. Except it wasn’t completely a joke. Like many, Frank
James Gunn announced that Feb. 29 marked the start of filming on his new “Superman” movie, which will kick off the rebooted DC Universe under the supervision of him and his DC Studios co-boss Peter Safran. Gunn also revealed that his movie, which had been titled “Superman: Legacy,” is now simply called “Superman.” “Overjoyed to
Oscar-winning directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known professionally as Daniels, will debut their cinematic follow-up to “Everything Everywhere All at Once” in 2026. Universal Pictures, which recently signed an exclusive first-look deal with the filmmakers, added to its release calendar an “Untitled Event Film Directed by Daniels” on June 12, 2026. There is zero information
Emily Blunt is in talks to join Benny Safdie’s solo directorial debut “The Smashing Machine,” an A24 feature film starring Dwayne Johnson as MMA and UFC champion Mark Kerr, Variety has confirmed. The film will begin production this summer. Blunt is in talks to play Dawn Staples, Kerr’s wife. Per the studio, “While trying to
SANTA FE, N.M. — The director called “action,” and Alec Baldwin emerged from a wooden shed and advanced toward the camera, firing shots from an old pistol. As soon as he heard “cut,” the actor wanted to do the take again. “One more! One more! One more! Right away!” Baldwin shouted. “Let’s reload!” Hannah Gutierrez
Shannon Walsh’s documentary “Adrianne & The Castle,” which will make its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 9, tells the love story of Alan St. George and his late wife, Adrianne, via fantastical musical re-enactments. Before her death, St. Georges, a mascot-maker and artist, hand-built Havencrest Castle, a
Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan, whose film “Mommy” received the Cannes Jury Prize in 2014, will head the jury of Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival. “I am humbled and delighted to return to Cannes as President of the Un Certain Regard Jury,” he said in a statement. “Even more than making films myself,
Will Forte posted a note to the cast and crew of “Coyote vs. Acme,” four months after Warner Bros. shelved the Looney Tunes comedy after filming was completed. Warner Bros. opted to take a $30 million tax write-off instead of release the film, then later announced it would let the filmmakers shop “Coyote vs. Acme”
Fredrik Backman’s bestselling novel “Anxious People” is set to be adapted into a feature film by “The Little Mermaid” screenwriter David Magee. Fredrik Wikström Nicastro’s Hope Studios is producing the project. “’Anxious People’ is a heartwarming and uplifting comedy about a group of strangers that get caught up in an unusual hostage situation on Thanksgiving,”
GKIDS is bringing the hand-painted animated film “Chicken for Linda!” to select theaters nationwide. It will be released April 5 in New York City at the Angelika Film Center and April 12 in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Royal. Starting April 15, “Chicken for Linda!” will play in select additional theaters nationwide in its original
It’s not every day you see a studio head riding a Harley. But that’s precisely where you could find Focus Features’ chairman Peter Kujawski on Wednesday night in Downtown Los Angeles at the trailer re-launch for “The Bikeriders.” Technically, Kujawski was revving the engine of the Harley-Davidson Jumpstart, a ride simulator. But Focus is doing
Anchor Bay Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights to “Daddy,” a sci-fi film that will be released in 2024. The news comes as Anchor Bay is being relaunched after Umbrelic Entertainment chiefs Thomas Zambeck and Brian Katz bought the company’s trademark. Anchor Bay was included in Starz’s 2016 sale to Lionsgate. Under Zambeck and Katz, Anchor
Ray Winstone joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe to play the villainous Dreykov in the 2021 tentpole “Black Widow,” led by Scarlett Johansson in the title role. The actor had a decent enough time making the movie. But the same can’t be said for coming back for Marvel reshoots. “It was fine until you have to
Matthew Vaughn is already deep into producing his next feature film, a caper titled “The Stuntman,” Variety has learned. Helmed by stunt performer turned director Damien Walters, the film tells the story of two brothers who both become stuntmen. The feature, which is currently in production, comes from Vaughn’s Marv Studios banner along with Walters’
Hulu has unveiled the first official trailer and release date for “Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told,” its original documentary on Atlanta’s legendary annual HBCU Spring Break phenomenon of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. Set to make its world premiere at SXSW’s film festival before arriving on Hulu March 21, the doc features interviews with politicians,
Akin Omotoso, the filmmaker behind Disney Plus’ Giannis Antetokounmpo biopic “Rise,” has been attached to direct “The Plot to Save South Africa,” an adaptation of Justice Malala’s gripping book about a 1990s white supremacist plot that almost plunged the young democracy into civil war. “The Plot to Save South Africa” will be produced by Johannesburg-based
Well-established Italian producers Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Mieli — who left their Fremantle-owned banners, Wildside and The Apartment, respectively, earlier this year — are returning to the growing TV and film powerhouse with their new scripted outfit. The duo — who co-founded “The Young Pope” and “My Brilliant Friend” production house Wildside in 2009 before Mieli exited to set up The
The Doha Film Institute’s unique Qumra incubator kicks off Friday with six days of master classes, labs and mentoring sessions and some 200 industry professionals – including programmers from Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin and many other major festivals – expected to make the trek to the Qatari capital. Qumra, which is an Arab word believed
“Drishyam,” a hit Indian thriller in which an ordinary man confounds the police in order to protect his family, is to be re-made in English. Production is by India’s Panorama Studios with U.S. companies Gulfstream Pictures and JOAT Films. The film was first made in 2013 in the Malayalam language, before being remade in Hindi
AMC Theatres will release three new Nicole Kidman-led ads in its theaters starting in March, Variety has confirmed. On March 1, a new 30-second version of the “We Make Movies Better” ad will make its theatrical debut at AMC locations nationwide. AMC Theatres will then rotate in two other never-before-seen-in-theaters versions of the original pre-show
Paramount Pictures has boarded the new horror film “Vicious,” led by Dakota Fanning and directed by Bryan Bertino. Fanning will star as a young woman who is left a strange present by a late-night visitor, and quickly realizes she is fighting for her life after slipping down a disturbing rabbit hole contained inside the gift.
SANTA FE, N.M. — The “Rust” trial boiled over in hostile bickering between the prosecution and the defense on Wednesday, after the defense poked several holes in the Sheriff’s investigation. Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film’s armorer, is on trial for involuntary manslaughter in the October 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The prosecution has argued
Ivo (Minna Wündrich) spends her days tending to terminally ill patients. In her capacity as a palliative care nurse, she’s not responsible for saving them — that’s the doctors’ concern — though this 40-ish single mother does her best to listen to their complaints and ease their pain. It can be a draining experience, both
A fitfully kooky 23andMe-gone-wrong scary story, “Amelia’s Children” follows an American couple in Portugal as they become entwined in an ancient bloodline of witchcraft. The horror project makes for an intriguing follow-up to Lisbon-based filmmaker Gabriel Abrantes’ much lighter 2018 feature “Diamantino” (that one co-directed with Daniel Schmidt), which lampooned soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo’s patriotic