Movies

November 20, 2019 9:09AM PT “Joker,” the $1 billion-grossing comic-book smash, may take another look at the fraying mind of Arthur Fleck. Warner Bros. film chief Toby Emmerich has met with writer and director Todd Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver to explore possible ideas for a sequel to the drama about the early days of

November 20, 2019 8:57AM PT Mindy Kaling announced Wednesday that she will host the 22nd Costume Designers Guild Awards. “I’m thrilled to be hosting the Costumes Designers Guild Awards. Costume design and fashion are close to my heart, and I promise many, possibly too many, outfit changes,” Kaling wrote on Instagram. The Costume Designers Guild

November 20, 2019 4:39AM PT CJ CGV, the Korean movie theaters giant, is to raise $286 million from the sale of a slice of its Indonesian, Vietnamese and Chinese businesses. The company, which has its own stock market listing and is affiliated to the CJ Group, which includes CJ E&M and CJ Entertainment, said this

Despite rising political antagonism, China and Taiwan have for years been able to put aside their differences for a night of shared glitz and glamour at the annual Taipei-based Golden Horse Awards, known as Asia’s Oscars. But with cross-strait relations at a nadir, that’s about to change.  Chinese-language cinema is set for a showdown the

November 19, 2019 8:35PM PT Multi-talented multi-hyphenate Cynthia Erivo plays Harriet Tubman in Kasi Lemmons’ biopic “Harriet.” But according to “Harriet’s” screenwriter, Gregory Allen Howard, Julia Roberts — yes, white woman Julia Roberts — was once suggested by a studio executive to play the role. In a Q&A for “Harriet” studio Focus Features as well

Before film critics start summing up the present year at the movies with a deluge of Top 10 lists, Variety gazes into the medium’s future by announcing its annual 10 Directors to Watch — a lineup of filmmaking talents who’ve stood out on the recent festival circuit, or whose movies will soon be hitting screens

“Lucky Grandma,” “The Remix: Hip Hop in Fashion” and “The Nomads” were among the winners of the Napa Valley Film Festival, which ran Nov. 13-17 in various towns in the valley. The winner of the narrative feature was “Lucky Grandma,” presented by ZD Wines, which won a $10,000 cash prize, courtesy of Meadowood Napa Valley.

The Brad Pitt-starring sci-fi blockbuster “Ad Astra” will land in Chinese theaters on December 6, more than two months after its U.S. debut. Directed, co-written and produced by James Gray (“The Lost City of Z,” “Two Lovers”), the thriller also stars Tommy Lee Jones, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland and Ruth Negga. Pitt plays an astronaut

In today’s film news roundup, Fred Wolf is directing a romantic comedy in New York; Leah Remini, Chinoye Chukwu, Marielle Heller and Lulu Wang receive honors; and the topless bar documentary “Red Dog” finds a home. ‘LOVE 40’ Bluewater Lane Productions has brought on Fred Wolf to co-write and direct the romantic comedy “Love 40,”

Peter Sellers played three roles in Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 “Dr. Strangelove.” In December of that year, Variety reported that Columbia was mounting an Oscar campaign for lead actor, but was also considering three supporting-actor campaigns, for each of his characters. (They settled on one campaign, and Sellers’ nomination as lead actor was one of the

November 19, 2019 3:22PM PT “Fargo” and “Legion” creator Noah Hawley has been tapped to write and direct the next installment of the “Star Trek” franchise, sources tell Variety. Though plot details are being kept under wraps, sources tell Variety the next “Star Trek” is expected to see Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban and

The Paramount Decrees have been the rules of the road for Hollywood since the golden age of movies, but the Justice Department’s decision to do away with directives that were hammered out decades before the rise of cable or streaming has barely registered within the entertainment industry. That’s because they are widely seen as anachronisms

The cast of Disney’s “Frozen 2” gave their two cents on whether or not Princess Elsa should one day find a girlfriend in any of the future films. The idea has been a hopeful wish of fans due to Elsa’s lack of a male love interest in “Frozen” or its sequel. At the movie’s red

Luca Canfora is no stranger to designing papal vestments; his previous projects include “The Young Pope” and “The New Pope.” Coming into Fernando Meirelles’ “The Two Popes” meant Canfora knew where he could have costumes made with the highest quality, and when it came to fabric choice and constructing his costumes. Canfora had to create

November 19, 2019 11:14AM PT “Guardians of the Galaxy” star Pom Klementieff is set to join the latest installment of Paramount and Skydance’s “Mission: Impossible,” joining Tom Cruise, who is reprising his role of Ethan Hunt. Christopher McQuarrie announced the news on Instagram on Tuesday, and is returning to write and direct the seventh and

November 19, 2019 11:04AM PT “Don’t Breathe” director-producer Fede Alvarez is teaming with Legendary Pictures for an untitled White House horror movie. The project, described as “The Shining” set in the White House, will be directed by Alvarez from a script by Joe Epstein and produced by Alvarez’s Bad Hombre Films. Legendary announced the horror

November 19, 2019 10:00AM PT Awkwafina’s film “The Farewell” explores the Chinese tradition of not disclosing terminal illnesses to elderly family members. The actor discussed her evolving thought process on the subject matter with Taron Egerton (“Rocketman”) during a conversation for “Variety Studio: Actors on Actors.” Egerton began the interview by asking Awkwafina about her

Once upon a time in New York City, two young talents set off on a near-impossible quest: a successful Broadway career. Since childhood, Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell had focused on their quest with a ferocious drive — and learned to avoid the trolls. In Long Island, Menzel, the daughter of a pajama salesman, spent

Nearly two weeks after suffering a stroke reported as minor, French screen icon Catherine Deneuve is “feeling fine” but still recuperating in a Paris hospital, her publicist said Tuesday. The 76-year-old actress suffered what her family called a “very limited” ischemic stroke – an incident caused by reduced blood flow to the brain – on

Fourteen years ago, when I was a staff reporter for the Los Angeles Times, I wrote a story about how theater owners were up in arms over comments made by Walt Disney Co.’s new chief executive, Bob Iger, suggesting that the health of the movie business may require the simultaneous release of movies in multiplexes

November 19, 2019 9:10AM PT [embedded content] Universal Pictures debuted the full length trailer for “Cats” Tuesday, giving viewers another look at “digital fur technology” and attempting to answer what Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical is actually about. “Tonight is a magical night,” Judi Dench’s Old Deuteronomy narrates in the new footage, “where I choose the

Taron Egerton spoke about the priceless present Elton John gave him when he moved into John’s home before filming “Rocketman.” Egerton discussed his living situation with Awkwafina (“The Farewell”) during a conversation for “Variety Studio: Actors on Actors.” “Before we started, [John] and [his husband, David Furnish], who produced the film, really allowed me into

November 19, 2019 9:00AM PT New Cadence Productions has acquired North American rights to the transgender family drama “Everybody Changes,” Panama’s official selection for the 92nd annual Academy Awards. The movie from writer-director Arturo Montenegro tells the true story of a Panamanian couple with three children who grapple with the father’s decision to come out

The Producers Guild of America has unveiled the nominations for its 2020 Documentary Motion Picture awards. “Advocate,” “American Factory,” “Apollo 11,” “The Cave,” “For Sama,” “Honeyland” and “One Child Nation” were nominated. The winner will be announced on Jan. 18 at the 31st Annual Producers Guild Awards at the Hollywood Palladium. The PGA said Tuesday

“Parasite,” a twisty look at a poor family’s attempts to insinuate itself into the lives of its rich employers, is a worldwide box office phenomenon, a critical sensation and a bona fide awards contender. It’s also the rare Korean film to be embraced in the United States, where it has racked up $12.5 million and

Tragicomedy “The Favourite” has walked away with four craft prizes – cinematography, editing, costume design, and hair and makeup – of the European Film Awards. The craft awards were decided by a jury drawn from various below-the-line professions. The 32nd European Film Awards will take place on Dec. 7 in Berlin. Robbie Ryan picked up

November 18, 2019 11:00PM PT Hong Kong’s Edko Films has set a February 2020 release for upcoming romantic drama “Love You Forever.” The film is directed by Yao Tingting, who previously made another nostalgic romance “Yesterday Once More,” which went on to enjoy a $27 million global success in 2016. Edko’s Bill Kong is named

In today’s film news roundup, Steven Zaillian’s script for “The Irishman” wins an award, MGM hires a trio of marketing execs, MTV Documentary Films sets three new projects; and “The Caretaker of Lorne Field” is becoming a movie. AWARDS Steven Zaillian’s screenplay for Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” will receive the best original screenplay award at

Just a day before its scheduled China debut, director Lou Ye’s latest film, “Saturday Fiction,” has been pulled from its slot as the opener of the mainland’s Golden Rooster Film Festival because of unspecified “internal production problems,” according to Chinese film website Mtime. Speculation has been spreading online that it will also be yanked from

DeVon Franklin has signed a first-look producing deal at Paramount Pictures. Under his Franklin Entertainment banner, Franklin previously produced inspirational and faith-based films, including this year’s “Breakthrough,” starring Chrissy Metz, as well as “Miracles From Heaven,” with Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah, and the animated film “The Star,” toplined by Zachary Levi, Gina Rodriguez, Oprah