David A. Goodman is running unopposed for a second two-year term as president of the Writers Guild of America West. Goodman, who has become the public voice of the guild during its bitter standoff with Hollywood agents, also ran unopposed in 2017 when he succeeded Howard Rodman in the post. The WGA West announced Friday
Movies
The creator of “Transparent” is now taking on “Red Sonja.” Jill Soloway will write and direct the movie for Millennium Films, replacing Bryan Singer, whose status on the film was called into question in the wake of accusations of sexual assault and misconduct against him. Most recently, in February, Avi Lerner’s Millennium confirmed that shooting
June 21, 2019 11:10AM PT Universal Pictures has optioned the rights to “The Giver of Stars,” a new novel from “Me Before You” author Jojo Moyes, with Ol Parker attached to direct the film adaptation. Parker will also adapt the novel, which Penguin Random House will publish in October. “The Giver of Stars” is the
June 21, 2019 10:25AM PT “Actual rock stars have, like, all sorts of different guitars. I’ve just got two of the same,” “Yesterday” star Himesh Patel joked during the film’s soundtrack release party at the former Tower Records building in Los Angeles on Thursday night. Patel might not have a rock star setup yet, but
Luc Besson’s “Anna” wrapped photography in December 2017. Less than three months later, Fox released “Red Sparrow,” an extra-icy Cold War thriller about a Russian ballerina (played by Jennifer Lawrence) recruited by Soviet foreign intelligence to become an assassin and spy, trained to use her sex appeal as a weapon while leveraging her intelligence to
Fresh from the success of “Bodyguard,” Keeley Hawes has told Variety that her next move is into producing. The star has set up her own shingle, Buddy Club Productions, and will start work on its first project as soon as she has wrapped on Netflix film “Rebecca,” in which she will play Beatrice Lacy, sister
Many independent film-makers go to great lengths to get their movies made. Ecuador’s Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador had to invent his own technology in order to produce and direct “A Son of Man.” The film unspools at the Shanghai International Film Festival, including three screenings over this weekend. A passion project for Paris-based, professional explorer Fernandez-Salvador,
Chinese film studios must function as actual studios, not just tourist destinations, in order to remain viable in the long term, said Chen Jianyu, board chairman of the entity that oversees the Xiangshan Global Studios, one of China’s largest. Speaking at the Shanghai International Film Festival, on Friday, Chen cited statistics showing that China is
Disney-Pixar’s “Toy Story 4″ has launched impressively with $12 million in Thursday night previews in North America. It’s the second best preview number for an animated movie following the $18.5 million from Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” a year ago. 2016’s “Finding Dory” had been second on that list with $9.2 million. “Toy Story 4,” which brings
June 21, 2019 7:23AM PT Chinese video streaming giant, iQIYI is making strides into the interactive sector. It is launching China’s first interactive work after issuing a set of guidelines intended to standardize the creation of such content last month, the company said Friday at the Shanghai International Film Festival. “His Smile” is the first
June 21, 2019 5:15AM PT Chiwetel Ejiofor will be part of “The Old Guard.” The “12 Years a Slave” star has signed on for the Netflix and Skydance picture, which will also star Charlize Theron who also produces. Harry Melling (“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”) and Veronica Ngo (“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”) have also
June 21, 2019 3:55AM PT The Lumière Festival in Lyon, France, is launching a new section devoted to “the most outstanding restored films of the year” as it celebrates its 10th anniversary this fall. Lumière Classics will replace the New Restorations sidebar, a key part of the festival program. The section will consist of two
Now in its fifth year, European Film Promotion’s Future Frames is a next-generation showcase comprising short works by students and recent graduates of European film schools, curated by the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival in cooperation with the EFP. The program has already established itself as an important platform for discovering European talent; this year’s
Scandinavian sales outfit LevelK has acquired world sales rights to New Zealand comedy-drama “Bellbird,” the feature debut of Hamish Bennett. Produced by Orlando Stewart for Stella Maris Productions and Catherine Fitzgerald for Blueskin Films, Bellbird tells the story of a dairy farmer struggling to cope with the sudden death of his beloved wife, and the
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has extended its growing Breakthrough talent initiative to China. It has teamed with financier Yu Holdings to launch BAFTA Breakthrough China, making the announcement at the Shanghai International Film Festival. British actor Tom Hiddleston will be an ambassador for the scheme. The China initiative with Yu follows
Studiocanal has come on board “Bac Nord” from Cedric Jimenez (“The Man With the Iron Heart”), a French crime thriller with Gilles Lellouche set in the dangerous northern neighborhoods of Marseille. The movie reteams Studiocanal with Hugo Sélignac and Vincent Mazel at Chi-Fou-Mi Productions, the Paris-based company behind the Cesar-nominated “Sink or Swim,” one of
June 20, 2019 11:46PM PT Vera Farmiga and Martin Csokas play a couple coping with the loss of their baby — and with a son, played by Jacob Tremblay, who’s decided to be a Mongolian nomad. Laughs and tears ensue, few of them convincing. “Burn Your Maps” is one of those movies that’s glib and facile
Writer, producer, director and horror mega-fan Mick Garris assembles a cadre of like minds to create “Nightmare Cinema.” This anthology feature is basically a two-hour, big-screen version of the several macabre TV anthology series he’s been involved with since the mid-’80s “Amazing Stories.” Comprising five directors’ tales linked by the inimitable Mickey Rourke as a
Time spent in a modern war zone can be traumatic for participant and observer alike, yet across continents and cultures, the shared experiences of living and loving in the wake of such experiences can be startlingly similar. This is multi-faceted and overarching theme woven throughout Ben Lawrence’s sensitive and affecting new Australian drama “Hearts and
In today’s film news roundup, Elizabeth Banks will receive the Pioneer of the Year Award, “The Great Hack” launches a festival, Women In Media launch the CAMERAderie Initiative and UCLA, University of Michigan and USC are receiving $50 million. BANKS HONORED The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation has selected Elizabeth Banks as the recipient
The economics of China’s film industry is no longer an unbroken story of double digit growth. Nor was 2018 quite as bad many companies have portrayed. A major report on the business, published in Shanghai this week by the China Film Association, in partnership with the Motion Picture Association, showed the number of cinemas grew
Batman, Julia Roberts and Spike Lee are among the names selected to be inducted into the 2020 Walk of Fame. The full list of honorees was announced by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s Walk of Fame Selection Committee via an exclusive livestream by Variety. Chosen from hundreds of nominees during a selection meeting in June,
Rajkumar Hirani, the Indian film director who is part of the Shanghai International Film Festival’s competition jury, says he is pleased by the reception that Indian films are getting in China. But in conversation in Shanghai he sidestepped the accusations of sexual assault that were recently levelled against him. “I don’t think we should talk
June 20, 2019 3:41PM PT “The Departed” star Ray Winstone has joined Marvel’s “Black Widow” standalone movie, sources tell Variety. “Stranger Things’” David Harbour and “Midsommar’s” Florence Pugh are also on board to star alongside Scarlett Johansson. Cate Shortland has signed on to direct from Jac Schaeffer’s script, with Kevin Feige producing. Marvel had no
June 20, 2019 3:03PM PT Paramount Pictures and Entertainment One have closed a deal to co-finance “Clifford The Big Red Dog” and “Monster Problems,” with “Maze Runner” star Dyan O’Brien. Under the deal, announced Thursday, eOne will distribute all rights directly in Canada and the UK, excluding television in the UK, and Paramount shall distribute
June 20, 2019 2:16PM PT Top Hollywood publicist and executive Joy Fehily has resigned from her post at public relations firm PMK-BNC, individuals familiar with the move told Variety. Fehily steps down in the midst of a five-year deal with the show business institution, insiders said, which reps A-list actors and below-the-line talent as well
At Wednesday night’s world premiere of the “Child’s Play” remake, it was obvious that evil doll Chucky — the star of seven films over three decades — had a little work done. And now he bears a striking resemblance to Donald Trump. “Oh, you caught that?” Aubrey Plaza asked Variety on the black carpet outside
In a prolific career that has yielded numerous iconic movies, Ron Howard is set to direct his first animated film. The project is one of four ambitious, original animated and live-action hybrid films he and Brian Grazer have set up through their company Imagine Entertainment, in a joint venture with Australian production engine Animal Logic
There are times that “The Big Ticket” podcast will feature guests who you may not necessarily think of when you think of movies. But as I’ve said since the launch of the podcast, who doesn’t love talking about movies? With that in mind, this week’s guests are “Broad City” co-creators and stars Ilana Glazer and
June 20, 2019 11:14AM PT The opening date of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has been delayed again, this time to an unspecified date in 2020. The museum, now under construction at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, has long been beset by delays and cost overruns. In December 2018, the Academy