Movies

January 14, 2019 5:44PM PT The Agency for the Performing Arts has named three executives to the top of motion picture and television literary departments. Sheryl Petersen and Ryan Saul will serve as co-heads in motion picture, the agency announced on Monday, and Lindsay Howard Parker will take TV. “Sheryl, Ryan and Lindsay have done

January 14, 2019 4:27PM PT The final days of filming writer-director Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of James Baldwin’s “If Beale Street Could Talk” were dedicated to moments that foreshadowed its entire plot: Having run into the recently incarcerated Daniel (Brian Tyree Henry) on the streets of Harlem, the struggling artist Fonny (Stephan James) invites his friend

January 14, 2019 2:27PM PT KiKi Layne is on a roll. Not only has she received rave reviews with her feature film debut in “If Beale Street Could Talk,” but she’s following up the Barry Jenkins-directed movie with a big-screen adaptation of “Native Son.” Directed by Rashid Johnson from a screenplay by Suzan-Lori Parks, “Native

Steven Spielberg has cast 17-year-old high schooler Rachel Zegler as Maria in his remake of “West Side Story.” She will make her film debut opposite Ansel Elgort as Tony. Broadway veteran Ariana DeBose has been cast as Anita and David Alvarez as Bernardo. Theater performer Josh Andrés Rivera has been cast as Chino. Spielberg has

January 14, 2019 1:39PM PT Incoming Skydance Animation head John Lasseter was grilled for over an hour and a half on Monday by concerned staffers who wanted to know more details about the allegations of sexual harassment that cost him his job Disney. The animation guru also fielded blunt questions, many of them from younger

Skydance’s decision to hire John Lasseter to head its animation division has put Paramount Pictures in a bind. The studio was not consulted about the decision to bring Lasseter on board, according to insiders. This omission is remarkable because Skydance has a distribution pact with Paramount and the two companies are pairing on a number

The Killers have released the new track, “Land Of The Free,” with a video by Academy Award-winning director Spike Lee, that condemns President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico and his anti-immigration stance. The “BlacKkKlansman” director filmed the video over a few weeks toward the end of 2018, traveling to the U.S.-Mexico border to

Fandango is exclusively vending tickets to “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” early-access screenings taking place nearly three weeks before the DreamWorks Animation movie hits wide theatrical release. The “How to Train Your Dragon 3” pact is all in the family: NBCUniversal owns both Fandango and DWA (which is housed within Universal Pictures).

January 14, 2019 11:22AM PT Dan Trachtenberg, who broke out with “10 Cloverfield Lane,” will direct Sony Pictures’ adaptation of the hit video game “Uncharted.” Trachtenberg replaces Shawn Levy, who had to depart the project due to scheduling conflicts. Sony has been hoping to work with Trachtenberg since “10 Cloverfield Lane” opened in 2016. “Uncharted”

SAG-AFTRA is accusing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of intimidation in trying to limit actors from presenting on awards shows other than the Oscars. The union leveled the accusation on Monday, asserting that AMPAS is using “extraordinary and unwarranted pressure” on actors, adding that it is “outrageous” that SAG-AFTRA members are being

January 14, 2019 10:20AM PT The Merc with a Mouth is officially coming to China. Or at least, a Merc with a somewhat washed-out mouth. Fox is releasing a PG-13 reimagining of “Deadpool 2” in the Middle Kingdom on Jan. 25, Variety has confirmed. The Mandarin Chinese title translates to “Deadpool 2: I Love My Home,”

Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Louis Garrel’s critically acclaimed drama “A Faithful Man,” which had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI award. Sold to Kino Lorber by Wild Bunch and CAA Media Finance, the movie also played at the New York and San Sebastian film

Hollywood publicists have selected nominees for the best publicity campaigns of 2018. On the film front, Disney’s “Black Panther,” Fox’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Paramount’s “A Quiet Place,” Sony’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” Universal’s “Halloween,” and Warner Bros.’ “Crazy Rich Asians” received nods for the Maxwell Weinberg award for top movie publicity campaign of 2018. Nominated for

“The Upside,” a feel good film about the bond that forms between a wealthy quadriplegic and his caretaker, scored a surprising box office victory last weekend. The movie had to overcome a series of obstacles and setbacks before it topped charts. In the weeks leading up to the drama’s release, star Kevin Hart had been

MADRID — New York-based independent distributor Monument Releasing, founded by Visit Film’ Ryan Kampe, has secured North American distribution rights to “Our Time,” from Mexico’s Carlos Reygadas, winner of Cannes Jury (“Still Light”) and Director (“Light After Darkness”) prizes. Monument Releasing will open “Our Time” in cinema theaters in North America in June 2019, followed

Gretchen Carlson’s new two-hour Lifetime documentary, “Gretchen Carlson: Breaking the Silence,” focuses not on her $20 million settlement in 2016 against the late Roger Ailes and Fox News, but on the everyday occurrences of sexual harassment that American women experience in the workplace. The A+E Originals-produced special, which airs Monday at 8 p.m., examines several

January 14, 2019 3:21AM PT James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and casting director Lucinda Syson will collect Artios Awards in London after the Casting Society of America joined forces with the British Independent Film Awards to add a U.K. component to its prize proceedings for the first time. The accolades will be handed out Jan.

Paramount’s “Transformers” spin-off “Bumblebee” far outstripped local competitors at China’s weekend box office to bring in $25.8 million, according to figures from consulting firm Artisan Gateway. Yet despite strong praise from audiences about the film’s more character-focused storytelling and the cuteness of its eponymous Autobot, the new origin story has still under-performed compared to the

January 13, 2019 3:24PM PT Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took to Instagram Friday to speak out about an interview published by a British tabloid that quoted the actor as “smacking down snowflakes,” stating that it never took place. “I can’t believe I have to do this again and set the record straight on something again,”

A few weeks ago, Lars von Trier’s “The House That Jack Built,” starring Matt Dillon as a Pacific Northwest serial killer with a pushy manner and a twisted smile, opened on 32 screens and grossed just $34,000 — a little over $1,000 per screen. That is, by any standard, an abysmal opening, but it’s a

Paramount’s “Transformers” spinoff “Bumblebee” led the international box office again, generating $35.6 million in 64 markets. The autobot origin story, starring Hailee Steinfeld, has now earned $256.3 million overseas for a worldwide haul of $364 million. While ticket sales are way below even the worst reviewed installments in the sci-fi franchise (“Transformers: The Last Knight”

Inclusion was the big winner at the L.A. Film Critics Association Awards, which was held Saturday night at the InterContinental in Century City. “This year’s winners are the most diverse in LAFCA’s 43-year history,” announced its president, Claudia Puig, adding that 14 out of their 18 awards were won by women and people of color.

In a surprise box office victory, STX’s “The Upside” doubled expectations with its $19.5 million debut, enough to defeat “Aquaman’s” three-week reign in North America. Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart co-star in “The Upside,” which marks the studio’s first No. 1 opening. It also ranks as STX Film’s second-best start behind “Bad Moms,” which launched

January 13, 2019 3:49AM PT UPDATED: Rajkumar Hirani, one of India’s most successful filmmakers, has been accused of sexual harassment. His accuser is a woman assistant director who worked on Hirani’s 2018 blockbuster “Sanju.” Hirani has denied all accusations. The alleged harassment took place during the post production process of “Sanju.” The film was released

January 12, 2019 3:53PM PT Death forces a reunion between estranged rural Pennsylvania father and son in this atmospheric if sketchy indie drama. If not for a cell phone that’s promptly taken away from our juvenile protagonist, you might think “Buck Run” takes place in the late ’70s or early ’80s. Evidently, it was that

Phase 1 of awards season wraps Monday, Jan. 14, when Oscar-nomination voting ends. So before Phase 2 (Jan. 22 nominations through the Feb. 24 ceremony), it’s time to reflect on the lessons of Phase 1 (though “lessons” may be misleading, since it implies everyone has learned something). 1. It’s an annual tradition to stir up

The 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival announced the winners of its juried prizes Saturday, with critical darling “Shoplifters” taking the award for best foreign language film of the year. The festival, held from Jan. 3-14, 2019, screened 226 films from 78 countries. Juried awards had five categories, including New Voices New Visions Award for unique viewpoints from

Jo Andres, Steve Buscemi’s wife of 31 years and a prominent filmmaker and choreographer, has died. She was 64. Buscemi was photographed participating in her funeral, which included a wicker casket, Wednesday morning in Brooklyn, New York. Buscemi’s “Big Lebowski” co-star, John Turturro, and his cousin, “Sopranos” star Aida Turturro, were seen paying visits to the

A likable enough, Amblin-esque update to the classic Arthurian legend, “The Kid Who Would Be King” is hardly the first time a group of adolescents have saved England from supernatural harm in a Joe Cornish movie. That said, much of the attitude and originality that drew fans to the irreverent writer-director’s inner-city alien-invasion debut “Attack

In  today’s film news roundup, “Coming to America 2” gets a director, Quincy Jones and James Blum get an honor and production begins on the Julia Louis-Dreyfus-Will Ferrell’s comedy-drama “Downhill.” DIRECTOR ATTACHED Paramount Pictures has hired “Hustle & Flow” helmer Craig Brewer to direct its sequel to the 1988 Eddie Murphy comedy “Coming to America.”