February 6, 2019 8:00PM PT Berlin-based sales agency Picture Tree Intl. (PTI) has forged a strategic partnership with Studio Hamburg Enterprises (SHE), which kicks off with jazz documentary “It Must Schwing! The Blue Note Story,” executive produced by Wim Wenders and directed by Eric Friedler. The film is about the two young émigrés from Berlin,
Movies
February 6, 2019 8:00PM PT Munich-based sales agency Beta Cinema has closed sales in further major territories for “The Keeper,” which stars David Kross (“The Reader”) and Freya Mavor (“The Sense of an Ending”). The film is based on the true story of Bert Trautmann, a German who went from being a prisoner-of-war to become
In today’s film news roundup, “The Wizard of Oz” sets a modern-day record, “Monster Hunter” gets a release date and Dwayne Wade gets a documentary. RECORD SET The 80th anniversary re-release of “The Wizard of Oz” has grossed more than $2 million at the domestic box office, becoming the highest-grossing classic film for Fathom Events.
February 6, 2019 6:00PM PT Nick Jonas is returning to Sony’s sequel to “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” reprising his role as Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough. The plot of the film is being kept under wraps. Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan are also set to return and Awkwafina is in final negotiations
February 6, 2019 5:50PM PT Amy Sherman-Palladino, creator and showrunner of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” is in talks to direct a remake of “Gypsy.” New Regency is on board to finance with Joel Silver producing. STX Entertainment had agreed in 2016 to finance Barbra Streisand’s proposed remake of “Gypsy,” but backed out a few months
February 6, 2019 5:23PM PT Leaders of the Writers Guild of America have held their first meeting with Hollywood agencies to discuss the guild’s proposals to significantly revamp key rules for talent agents. The meeting took place on Tuesday — two months before the current agreement expires. There was no comment from the WGA or
February 6, 2019 5:03PM PT Dwayne Johnson is the latest actor to explain why he won’t be hosting the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony. In response to a fan on Twitter, the actor explained that he was the Academy’s first choice to host the show this year, but due to filming commitments for his upcoming “Jumanji”
Munich-based world sales company Global Screen has sold its 3D animation movie “Tabaluga” to more than 50 territories, including the U.K., Spain and Russia. The pic centers on Tabaluga, “a brave little dragon, who, with the help of beautiful ice princess Lilli, not only finds his fire and the power of love, but also succeeds
“Alita: Battle Angel” star Rosa Salazar has a message for politicians who want to build walls. “We’re here to stay, baby,” she says. “Ain’t no wall going to keep us out.” Salazar realizes starring in “Alita” comes with a responsibility. “Just being a Latinx actress at the helm of something like this in itself is
Oscar-nominated British actress Olivia Colman is set to receive a BFI Fellowship, the British Film Institute’s highest honor. Colman will receive the accolade at the BFI chairman’s dinner on March 6 in London, hosted by BFI chair Josh Berger of Warner Bros. The honor comes after Colman’s Oscar and BAFTA nominations for her star turn
“Candyman” director Bernard Rose has helmed a new Japanese film, “Samurai Marathon,” which HanWay Films will introduce to buyers in Berlin. The picture has an original score by Philip Glass and is produced by HanWay’s Jeremy Thomas. Thomas has a pedigree in Japanese cinema, making films including “13 Assassins” and “Hara-Kiri.” He has again teamed
February 6, 2019 1:12PM PT Jerusalem’s Sam Spiegel International Film Lab will honor Michael Barker, Sony Pictures Classic’s co-president and co-founder, with this year’s Force-of-Nature filmmaking award. The accolade seeks to honor extraordinary personalities committed to the development of cinema. Barker is being recognized for his work as a “cultural master-builder” at United Artists Classics, Orion
February 6, 2019 1:05PM PT Japanese sales and distribution firm Gaga Corporation is launching sales of Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda’s starry new project “The Truth” in Berlin, one of six Japanese titles the company is bringing to the European Film Market. Kore-eda won the top prize at Cannes for “Shoplifters” last year. “The Truth” stars Catherine
February 6, 2019 1:00PM PT Lily Collins in joining Simon Pegg in the independent thriller “Inheritance.” Vaughn Stein, who recently helmed “Terminal” with Pegg and Margot Robbie, is directing. “Inheritance” explores what happens when the patriarch of a wealthy and powerful family suddenly passes away, leaving his wife and daughter with a shocking secret inheritance
February 6, 2019 12:22PM PT Paul Greengrass is in talks to reunite with Tom Hanks on the big-screen adaptation of “News Of The World.” The two previously teamed on “Captain Phillips,” a 2013 thriller that was a major box office success and also scored the pair some of the best reviews of their careers. A
When wielded properly, light can be as transformative to an image as a chisel is to stone. It accentuates the properties of an image, and is ultimately the thing that allows a three-dimensional space to exist on screen in the first place. During my run through Capcom’s recent remake of “Resident Evil 2,” I found
February 6, 2019 11:51AM PT Pre-production on the sequel to the Paramount hit “World War Z” has been shutdown, sources tell Variety, after a budget for the film could not be reached. Brad Pitt was set to return and his “Seven” and “Fight Club” director David Fincher was on board to helm. Producers told Variety that
After a dreary January at the domestic box office, a squad of plastic figurines and a mind-reading Taraji P. Henson are here to lend a helping hand. Warner Bros.’ animated sequel “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” and Paramount Pictures’ comedy “What Men Want” are two movies hoping to entice moviegoers after audiences largely
February 6, 2019 11:07AM PT The British Academy has suspended Bryan Singer’s BAFTA nomination for “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The director faces accusations of sexual assault, which he denies. BAFTA said the suspension would remain in place while these allegations are resolved. “Bohemian Rhapsody” received seven BAFTA film nominations in all. Those noms all remain in place, but Singer’s name, who
CAA has set new leadership group structure in its motion picture group starting by tapping Todd Feldman, Risa Gertner, Joel Lubin, and Jack Whigham as the new co-heads of the department. In addition, motion picture agent Maha Dakhil and Roeg Sutherland, head of CAA Media Finance, have assumed leadership positions overseeing CAA’s international film group,
The Sundance Film Festival may have wrapped up on Saturday, but the sales haven’t stopped. Netflix has finalized a deal for North American rights to “I Am Mother,” a sci-fi thriller that stars Hilary Swank. The film strikes a cautionary note about the dangers of automation. It is set in a dystopic future, one in
February 6, 2019 7:01AM PT Popular Chinese director Ning Hao has seen his comedy fantasy film “Crazy Alien” gross more than $100 million at the mainland China box office after just two days on release during the Chinese New Year holiday period. It’s the highest two-day total for any film in the Middle Kingdom so
European cinema admissions hit 1.25 billion for the fourth consecutive year in 2018, despite dropping 3.3% from the record level set in 2017, according to figures released Wednesday by the International Union of Cinemas, or UNIC. Total box office revenue across Europe hit at least €8 billion ($9.1 billion), also for the fourth year running. The figures
While the Cannes and Venice film festivals have often chased the same star-studded U.S. movies to add red-carpet glitz and early awards buzz to their events, Europe’s other top festival, the Berlinale, has traditionally followed its own path due to timing and a politically minded editorial bent. But the upcoming departure of festival director Dieter
As Germany gears up for Thursday’s opening of the Berlinale, one of the world’s biggest and most important film festivals, the country’s exhibition sector is dealing with its worst downturn in a decade. Local box office fell 14.8% to €899.3 million ($1.03 billion) last year, according to figures released Wednesday by the German Federal Film
Giant screen company, IMAX looks set be one of the biggest winners of the peak box office season in China that comes with the Lunar New Year holidays. For the second year in a row, the company has programmed its 600-plus Middle Kingdom venues with three local films. In its earlier years in China, the
Gary Oldman, Armie Hammer and Evangeline Lilly are set to star in Nicholas Jarecki‘s opioids thriller “Dreamland.” Principal photography is underway in Montreal and Detroit. German actress Veronica Ferres also stars. Lisa Wilson handles foreign sales through her Solution Entertainment Group and will offer the film to buyers at Berlin’s European Film Market. William Morris
It was a great night for Marvel at the 17th annual Visual Effects Society Awards on Tuesday night. The comic book publisher’s wares led the film fields, with “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” nabbing four wins apiece. “Spider-Verse,” a dominant animated feature on the awards circuit this year, swept each of its
In today’s film news roundup, a film about a white lion named Charlie is getting a U.S. release, 3 Arts makes a key hire and Gravitas buys the documentary “Mosul.” RELEASE DATE Ledafilms Entertainment Group has set an April 12 release for the family adventure film, “Mia and the White Lion,” Variety has learned exclusively.
February 5, 2019 9:18PM PT In this week’s edition of the Variety Movie Commercial Tracker, powered by the TV advertising attention analytics company iSpot.tv, Universal Pictures claims the top spot in spending with its “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” movie ad that ran during Super Bowl LIII. Ads placed for the “Fast and