Movies

For all the peril that darkens its fringes, there’s an indomitable youthful exuberance that thrums through Catalina Arroyave Restrepo’s debut feature “Days of the Whale.” It makes the slight, and somewhat familiar, small-scale story, following a few days in the lives of a pair of Medellín-based graffiti artists, feel fresh enough as to be wet

In today’s film news roundup, Freewater Creative Development is unveiled, David Oyelowo gets a directing gig and Lionsgate has a faith-based slate in the works. DEVELOPMENT LAUNCH Production-finance company Buffalo 8 is launching Freewater Creative Development and has hired veteran journalist Kyle Ryan to head the new division, Variety has learned exclusively. Buffalo 8 is

March 27, 2019 5:25PM PT Two recovering addicts strive to help South Florida junkies get clean in Pat McGee and Adam Linkenhelt’s insightful documentary. As if it weren’t difficult enough to survive their drug habits — as well as lives on the streets — addicts in Delray Beach, Fla. must also contend with a predatory

Matteo Garrone’s gritty revenge drama “Dogman” was the big winner at Italy’s 63rd David di Donatello Awards, the country’s equivalent of the Oscars, taking home nine trophies Wednesday night from a field-beating 15 nominations. Somewhat surprisingly, however, the sweep did not include a best-actor prize for Marcello Fonte, who had previously won that accolade at

March 27, 2019 4:57PM PT Angelina Jolie is in talks to star in Marvel Studios’ “The Eternals,” in what would be Jolie’s first venture into the superhero realm. Details about the movie and what character Jolie would play are being kept under wraps. Created by Jack Kirby in 1976, the story of “The Eternals” is

J.J. Abrams has added his name to the more than 750 showrunners and screenwriters backing the Writers Guild’s battle against talent agencies taking packaging fees and owning production companies. Abrams sent a message out Wednesday afternoon, four days after the letter of support was issued. The 15,000 members of the WGA will begin five days

Amazon Prime will ring in the beginning of Spring by adding fresh content to its streaming slate this coming April. While the subscription service sees new titles added every month, its newest additions seem to be particularly noteworthy, including “A Quiet Place” which earned an Academy Award nomination this year in the sound editing category.

Jim Jarmusch’s zombie movie “The Dead Don’t Die,” starring Bill Murray, will open on June 14. Focus Features’ “The Dead Don’t Die” also stars Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones, Rosie Perez, Iggy Pop, Sara Driver, RZA, Selena Gomez, Carol Kane, and Tom Waits. The movie is written

Following the likes of Willie Nelson Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Whoopi Goldberg and Melissa Etheridge, the latest to enter the burgeoning legal cannabis market are Hollywood heavies Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The two longtime collaborators, both natives of Vancouver, today announced Houseplant, which is described as “an elevated Canadian Cannabis company” with a focus

The top negotiator for Hollywood agents has told members that the Writers Guild of America will not make a deal until near the April 7 expiration of the franchise agreement. Karen Stuart, executive director of the Association of Talent Agents, issued the missive at mid-day Wednesday and blamed the guild over the lack of progress

March 27, 2019 12:46PM PT Sonequa Martin-Green is in negotiations to join LeBron James in Warner Bros.’ “Space Jam 2,” sources tell Variety. Terence Nance, creator of the HBO show “Random Acts of Flyness,” is directing the untitled sequel, with “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler producing with James and his partner Maverick Carter (through their

March 27, 2019 11:17AM PT Andy Leyshon is leaving STX Entertainment and Llewellyn Radley and Rhiannon Harries have been handed new roles in a rejig announced Wednesday. Radley and Harries will report to John Friedberg, who has just taken the helm at international following David Kosse’s departure for Netflix. Leyshon will exit as managing director,

Disney’s upcoming adaptation of “Dumbo” is taking flight this weekend. Directed by Tim Burton, the studio’s live-action re-imagining of the 1941 cartoon is expected to earn roughly $50 million when it launches in 4,200 North American venues. Independent tracking services anticipate the opening weekend could fall anywhere between $40 million and $58 million. Should those

Music Box Films has acquired all U.S. rights to François Ozon’s “By the Grace of God,” a drama about the activist group that pushed French authorities to address a sex-abuse coverup in the Roman Catholic Church. The film world-premiered in competition at the Berlin Film Festival and went on to win the Silver Bear Grand

Every night, after the last show ended at the AMC theater in Santa Monica, Maria Alvarez arrived at work. She and her husband had a key to let themselves in. It was after midnight, and the building was empty. Together, they cleaned all seven auditoriums. They vacuumed the carpets and mopped the floors. They cleaned

March 27, 2019 5:50AM PT Patrick Schwarzenegger, the star of romantic drama “Midnight Sun,” and Rupert Everett, whose recent credits include “The Happy Prince,” are among the latest additions to the cast of sci-fi thriller “Warning.” Others joining the pic include “Cold War” star Tomasz Kot, Kylie Bunbury, who will next be seen in miniseries

After delivering the Netflix original series “The Spy” with Sacha Baron Cohen, Alain Goldman’s Paris-based company, Legende, is on track to produce three more premium drama series: Yehonatan Indursky’s “Shtetl,” Olivier Dahan and Frédéric Krivine’s “Les Enfants du Paradis” (working title), and “Ulysse.” “Les Enfants du Paradis” is being developed by Krivine, the creative force

March 26, 2019 7:40PM PT The Writers Guild of America, which is threatening to require members to fire their agents, has posted a scathing video attacking how major agencies conduct packaging. Titled “Agency Conflicts of Interest,” the video explains that compensation for writers has declined by 23% between 2014 and 2016 and blames the agencies

TPG Capital, the massive private equity firm that owns Creative Artists Agency, is buying payroll specialist Entertainment Partners for an undisclosed price. Entertainment Partners’ management team, led by president and CEO Mark Goldstein, will continue in their roles. The agreement was announced Tuesday with plans to close the deal during the second quarter. “We’re thrilled

March 26, 2019 5:16PM PT Top CAA talent agent and actor-whisperer Jim Toth has made a surprise leap to content creation and acquisition, joining Jeffrey Katzenberg’s mobile video startup Quibi. Toth, known for his deep stable of talent and one of the most successful in his generation of agents, will assume the title of head

March 26, 2019 3:36PM PT “Life in Pieces” star Zoe Lister-Jones will write and direct Sony Pictures’ remake of “The Craft” for Blumhouse and Red Wagon Entertainment. Doug Wick, the producer of the original “The Craft,” will return in the same capacity along with partner Lucy Fisher through their Red Wagon banner. Jason Blum is

Carol Burnett’s bestseller “Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story” is in the works as a movie at Focus Features with Burnett, Tina Fey, Eric Gurian, and Steven Rogers producing. Burnett will produce through her Mabel Cat Productions with Fey and Gurian under their production banner Little Stranger along with Rogers (“I, Tonya”). The sibling

Leaders of the Writers Guild of America have sent members contingency plans for the possible expiration of its agency franchise agreement on April 7 — and admitted that it may be a rocky road. Members received the letter Tuesday from the guild’s negotiating committee as the WGA and agents were about the hold their seventh

Entertainment One and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment have signed a multi-year, multi-territory distribution agreement. UPHE will serve as the home entertainment distributor of eOne’s offerings across both physical and digital formats. The pact covers film, television, and select family content and includes all sales, marketing, and distribution, spanning the U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, Spain, Australia,

March 26, 2019 11:59AM PT The AFI Conservatory and the Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation have partnered to launch the second annual Young Women in Film Intensive. The AFI Campus in Los Angeles will host 45 high school girls for an eight-week filmmaking workshop, where students will receive mentorship from current fellows and working

Toni Collette, Jessie Buckley, and David Thewlis are joining the cast of Netflix’s film “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” sources tell Variety. Charlie Kaufman is writing and directing the movie, which stars Jesse Plemons. Based on Ian Reid’s 2016 novel, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” follows Jake (Plemons), a man going on a road trip

At the finish line of its sale to 1091 Media, distributor the Orchard’s film and TV head Paul Davidson is parting ways with the company. In an amicable split, the creative executive addressed staff in person and in a company-wide memo on Tuesday in New York City to inform them of his decision. “While I

The key image in Walt Disney’s 1941 “Dumbo” is something out of a fairy-tale daydream: Dumbo, the baby elephant with long-lashed goo-goo eyes, a cuddly grin, and ears as long and floppy as wings, flapping those ears to soar around a circus big top, flying over the crowds with a freedom as touching as it

March 26, 2019 9:00AM PT “Guys and Dolls,” the venerable Broadway musical, is set to return to the big screen. TriStar Pictures has purchased remake rights to the original Damon Runyon short stories about gamblers and gangsters that inspired the shows, as well as the rights to the Broadway musical with its book by Jo

March 26, 2019 8:45AM PT Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women,” Cate Shortland’s “Black Widow,” Patty Jenkins’s “Wonder Woman 2,” and Elizabeth Banks’s “Charlie’s Angles” are among the ten most tracked projects on IMDbPro. Ava DuVernay (“Selma”), Sofia Coppola (“Lost in Translation”), Chloé Zhao (“The Rider”), and Susanne Bier (“After the Wedding”) rank among the most widely