Huayi Brothers, China’s longest-established private-sector film studio, has publicly pledged to deepen its ties to the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), burnishing its patriotic credentials after a year of massive financial losses and the cancellation of its summer blockbuster, “The Eight Hundred,” by party censors. The firm has established a “CCP Huayi Brothers Media Co.
Movies
Michael Barker, the lauded co-president and co-founder of Sony Pictures Classics, was celebrated with an honorary career tribute in Jerusalem as part of the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab. Barker, who made his first trip to Israel to attend the event, received the Force-of-Nature in Filmmaking Award. Founded by Renen Schorr and run by producer
Boris Akopov’s feature debut “The Bull” announces in serious text at the outset that it is based on a true story. But the film unfolds along such formulaic lines, from its arc of gritty tragedy to its use of counterpointing pop tracks over vivid scenes of violence, that life, in this scuzzy Russian suburb in
July 8, 2019 8:03PM PT The famous Chinese folktale gets an origins story in this colorful animation aimed at grown-ups The fourth feature by China’s Light Chaser Animation Studios — and its first co-production with Warner Bros. — is a lively prequel to the Chinese legend that’s inspired countless screen adaptations since the silent era.
In today’s film news roundup, Screen Gems is rebooting “Look Who’s Talking,” “Gilmore Girls” star Yanic Truesdale gets cast and Sony hires a veteran marketer. REBOOT DEVELOPMENT Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems is developing a reboot of “Look Who’s Talking” with Jeremy Garelick writing and directing. The studio is planning to feature a diverse cast similar
At first glance, Zhai Yixiang’s “Mosaic Portrait” looks like it pursues the same semi-journalistic agenda as so much social-issue cinema: Xu Ying (Zhang Tongxi), a 14-year-old girl from a rural Chinese village, is discovered to be pregnant, and names one of her schoolteachers as the father. Ying’s father, Xu Guangjun (Wang Yanhui) — a frequently
Netflix has taken over Dwayne Johnson’s action movie “Red Notice” from Universal Pictures and added Ryan Reynolds to the cast. “Red Notice” had been in the works at Universal, but the studio announced Monday that it’s vacating the previously announced Nov. 13, 2020, release date in favor of an untitled event film. Johnson reteams with
Gandja Monteiro, who has gained recognition for her work on Starz’s series “Vida,” will direct Universal Pictures’ “Talent Show,” based on an idea by Duane Adler from the “Step Up” franchise. Lena Waithe wrote the latest version of the script, with an earlier version by Adler. “The Hate U Give” producers George Tillman Jr. and
July 8, 2019 1:00PM PT “The Farewell” filmmaker Lulu Wang will direct the science fiction movie “Children of the New World.” Plot details are being kept under wraps, though it will be adapted from Alexander Weinstein’s collection of short stories of the same name. Big Beach and Votiv are distributing “Children of the New World,”
July 8, 2019 12:23PM PT Newcomers Celeste O’Connor and Logan Kim have signed on to join the ensemble cast of “Ghostbusters 2020,” sources tell Variety. The pair joins Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, “Stranger Things” star Finn Wolfhard, and “Gifted” star Mckenna Grace. Jason Reitman, whose father Ivan Reitman directed the original “Ghostbusters,” will helm “Ghostbusters
July 8, 2019 12:05PM PT Jessica Chastain shared a behind-the-scenes look of working with director Simon Kinberg and stars Diane Kruger, Fan Bingbing, Penelope Cruz and Lupita Nyong’o on the upcoming female-led spy thriller “355” on her Instagram. In the footage, Chastain meets Kinberg on a Parisian street with the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower.
July 8, 2019 10:36AM PT John Turturro’s “Big Lebowski” spinoff, “The Jesus Rolls,” which follows his “Lebowski” character Jesus Quintana, is scheduled to hit theaters in early 2020. Screen Media purchased the rights to the film, which Turturro directed from his own script. “Jesus Rolls” also stars Bobby Cannavale and Audrey Tautou and features Jon
July 8, 2019 10:29AM PT Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Sony Innovation Studios has acquired Nurulize, a startup whose software lets users edit, color and enhance volumetrically captured images in a real-time collaborative environment. Terms of the acquisition aren’t being disclosed. Under the deal, Nurulize’s 12 employees are joining Sony Innovation Studios, which the company launched last
Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren are set to return for “Fast & Furious 9,” Vin Diesel has announced. The actresses will be joining Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, and John Cena. “Fast & Furious 9” is scheduled to be released on May 22, 2020 by Universal Pictures. Theron
The glitz and glam of Judy Garland’s prolific career didn’t come easy. In the new trailer for “Judy,” Garland (portrayed by Renee Zellweger) fights through her fair share of emotional and financial turmoil. “Judy” shows the world through Garland’s eyes 30 years after her star-making role in “The Wizard of Oz.” The musical biopic is
July 8, 2019 9:02AM PT Samuel L. Jackson has joined Chris Rock in Lionsgate’s upcoming “Saw” reboot. Production has officially begun on the film, in which Rock will play a police detective investigating a series of grizzly crimes. Jackson will portray Rock’s father. Max Minghella, who stars in Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and recently directed
July 8, 2019 7:56AM PT SPI International has acquired the Film1 premium movie channel brand in the Netherlands from Sony Pictures Television. Sony acquired the channels in 2015 from Liberty Global. It said a year ago that it was launching a branded Film1 streaming service in the Netherlands with titles including “Blade Runner 2049” and
July 8, 2019 7:20AM PT Jacqueline Dupuis will be stepping down as executive director of the Vancouver International Film Festival, Variety has learned. After eight years in the post, Dupuis is departing to pursue other interests. She will leave the position after the 38th annual festival, which runs Sept. 26 through Oct. 11. “I joined
Sony’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home” might not have saved the summer from box office doldrums, but its successful start lifted the spirits of a movie business that was in a depressive state. The superhero adventure, starring Tom Holland as the masked web-slinger, opened ahead of the July 4th holiday and collected a mighty $185 million
China’s Parallax Films has sold the U.S. rights to the Chinese art house film“Girls Always Happy” to New York-based Icarus Films, with a licensing period of five years. The title is the feature film debut of young Chinese female filmmaker Yang Mingming. It stars Nai An — best known as the longtime producer for Chinese
July 8, 2019 5:13AM PT With an unprecedented Tuesday wide release, “Spider-Man: Far from Home” dominated the South Korean box office. Showing on more than 2,140 screens nationwide, the Sony release earned $33.1 million from 4.52 million admissions over six days. That includes $21.3 million from 2.86 million admissions earned over the Friday to Sunday
Barbra Streisand went deep, not shallow, in her song choices for a massive show Sunday night at London’s Hyde Park. As expected, or at least hoped for, the presence of Kris Kristofferson as an opening act on the bill did result in a “Star is Born” flashback, as the duo revived “Lost Inside of You,”
Jack Charlton is the subject of a new feature documentary from the producers of “Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager.” Charlton was part of England’s 1966 World Cup winning team and is also hugely popular in Ireland after a stint managing its national team. Noah Media has teamed with Charlton and his family on the
Camsing International, the Chinese firm that has owned the late Stan Lee’s Pow! Entertainment since 2017, has revealed that its founder and chairwoman Lo Ching has been detained by mainland Chinese authorities. The company’s shares crashed by more than 85% on Monday morning. Camsing revealed Lo’s detention in a filing to the stock exchange in
Czech-born Milos Stehlik, an award-winning film critic and commentator for National Public Radio station WBEZ and the film curator, founder and artistic director of the pioneering media arts center Facets Multimedia in Chicago, died Saturday of cancer. Stehlik founded Facets in 1975, screening hard-to-find international and independent films in a Chicago Lutheran church. When the
In honor of the women’s U.S soccer team beating out the Netherlands in Sunday’s World Cup Final, watch these inspiring female athletes bring their star-power to the silver-screen. From “Bring it On” to “Bend it Like Beckham,” we have you covered with movies that run the athletic gamut. [embedded content] “Bring it On” Two rival
July 7, 2019 9:36AM PT [embedded content] Mulan is ready to bring honor to us all. Disney released first-look footage for the upcoming live-action remake of “Mulan,” starring Chinese-American actress Liu Yifei. In the teaser, debuted during halftime of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Yifei shows off her sword-fighting skills as she gets ready to
Sony’s “Spider-Man Far From Home” is off to a heroic start overseas, crossing $395 million in ticket sales during its first 10 days of release. The comic book adventure, starring Tom Holland as the web-slinging hero, is nearing the $600 million mark worldwide, with ticket sales currently at $580 million globally. In North America, “Far
Dylan Leiner, executive vice president, acquisitions and production at Sony Pictures Classics, has called on filmmakers and distributors to work more closely together, following decades when middle-men had sought to keep them apart, and challenged filmmakers to be more entrepreneurial. Leiner, speaking at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival about sustainability in the movie biz, said
July 7, 2019 8:25AM PT Shock took over social media Sunday as Disney Channel fans paid tribute to “Descendants” star Cameron Boyce, who died Saturday night due to an ongoing medical condition. Among those remembering the 20-year-old actor was Adam Sandler, who worked with Boyce on the movie ”Grown Ups” and Grown Ups 2.” “Too