Movies

CBS Films will be folded into CBS Entertainment Group over the next 12 months, Variety has learned. Before that change takes place, the company is committed to releasing its next four scheduled films in theaters. They include “Five Feet Apart,” “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” “Pavarotti,” and “Lexi.” Several of these movies are

Is it possible to disrupt yourself? That’s a question that’s been on my mind a lot as Netflix, hoping to court filmmakers and garner awards recognition for them, has stumbled, reluctantly, haltingly into exclusive theatrical distribution. Film festivals and the streaming company have traded barbs, Netflix has suggested that movie theaters are killing cinema, pundits

Making any movie is hard, but nothing is more challenging than creating a film that looks fun and effortless — and original. Warner Bros.’ “Crazy Rich Asians” succeeds on all three counts, and the film’s popularity proves that it struck a nerve with filmgoers. “From the start, we wanted more than a romantic comedy,” director

January 11, 2019 2:24PM PT New Line is reviving its “Final Destination” franchise, which has been dormant since 2011, and has tapped “Saw” screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan to write the sixth installment. The five films grossed nearly $700 million worldwide between 2000 and 2011. Unlike most horror franchises, the antagonist was Death as

Kevin Hart-Bryan Cranston’s “The Upside” is showing surprising strength in its opening weekend by narrowly topping “Aquaman” for the No. 1 spot at the North American box office, early estimates showed Friday. STX’s “The Upside” is launching with as much $7 million on Friday, including $1.1 million from previews, and could wind up the weekend

January 11, 2019 12:30PM PT Art Marcum and Matt Holloway have been tapped to pen Sony Pictures and Mattel Films’ “Master of Universe” reboot with brothers Adam and Aaron Nee still directing. Mattel Films is partnering with Sony Pictures on the feature film, which is based on Mattel’s beloved toy-line that spawned a successful animated

David Ellison and his company Skydance Media reached out to advocacy group Time’s Up before hiring John Lasseter, Variety has learned. The overtures were made in November through an intermediary. An insider depicted them as information gathering in nature. Lasseter was ousted from his job running Pixar and overseeing Disney’s animation empire after he was

January 11, 2019 11:33AM PT Fox 2000 has hired 25-year-old Hannah Marks to direct the film adaptation of John Green’s bestselling young adult novel “Turtles All the Way Down.” Marks is one of the youngest female studio directors in history. She will direct from a screenplay by Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker. Temple Hill’s Isaac Klausner and Marty Bowen

If you were wondering, that was Adam Lambert wearing a trucker hat in “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The “American Idol” alum took to Twitter to confirm the highly speculated cameo Friday. “Who is he?” the pop star joked, plugging the movie’s digital release next week. In the brief scene, Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) is talking to his girlfriend

January 11, 2019 11:07AM PT Billy Zane will produce and take the lead role in “Waltzing With Brando,” playing Marlon Brando in a film based on a memoir by the iconic actor’s architect, Bernard Judge. The memoir tells the story of how Brando plucked Judge, an obscure but idealistic Los Angeles architect from his stable existence

Almost a year after “Black Panther” first hit theaters, stars Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o — nominated for the Screen Actors Guild’s Best Ensemble award — sat down for Variety‘s Screening Series to discuss the film’s incredible impact. After Jordan joked that he knew it had become a genuine phenomenon once he “started seeing the memes,”

January 11, 2019 10:45AM PT Peter Sollett has been brought on to write and direct Warner Bros.’ long-anticipated film adaptation of the popular video game “Minecraft.” The pic will be produced by Vertigo’s Roy Lee and Jon Berg. Jill Messick, who died last February, is also still credited as a producer. The video game developer

STX Entertainment and China’s Alibaba Pictures are partnering to co-produce and co-finance projects in the UglyDolls universe, including the upcoming “UglyDolls” animated movie. The deal, announced Friday, includes a previously announced animated TV series with Hulu, digital and print publishing, mobile and educational games, soundtrack and music, and merchandising and licensing programs covering toys, dolls,

The publisher of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” book series sued Netflix in federal court on Friday, alleging that the film “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” infringes on its trademarks. The film debuted last month on the streaming service. Like the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, the film allows viewers to direct the character’s action, leading to

There’s a road less taken in art as well as life, it seems. Although “Bandersnatch” offered viewers a choose-your-own-adventure experience in its tale of a talented but tormented young video-game programmer, some story pathways wound up being trodden much less frequently, while a few others remained hidden or completely inaccessible, “Black Mirror” creator Charlie Brooker says. About 250 different

Twentieth Century Fox’s effects-heavy sci-fi action film, “Alita: Battle Angel” has secured a theatrical release in mainland China. It will play in February as the first Hollywood title to enter Middle Kingdom theaters after the Chinese New Year holidays. The Feb. 22 date is some two weeks after the film’s commercial run begins on Feb.

Lee Chang-dong’s smoldering drama “Burning” picked up the largest number of nominations Friday for the 2019 edition of the Asian Film Awards. The Korean adaptation of a Japanese short story was nominated in eight categories, including best film. Other best film nominees were Pema Tseden’s “Jinpa,” Wen Muye’s “Dying to Survive,” Rajkumar Hirani’s “Sanju,” and

For weeks, director Barry Jenkins and the department heads of his latest film, “If Beale Street Could Talk,” met at production designer Mark Friedberg’s Manhattan home, where they crafted the look of the movie, released on Christmas Day, scene by scene. Costume designer Caroline Eselin, who had worked with Jenkins on his Oscar-winning “Moonlight,” cherished

January 10, 2019 10:40PM PT Futuristic technology and exclusive services at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) are making premium air travel less crazed at the perennially jammed airport. Three exclusive lounges at LAX give select first class passengers and high profile types means to avoid the paparazzi, crowded TSA lines and major negatives of mass

January 10, 2019 10:22PM PT Rampant silliness and gaping plot holes test audience patience in Jeffrey Nachmanoff’s sci-fi thriller. How late can a thriller spring a plot twist that at least partially compensates for all the cavernous plot holes, risible dialogue, and ludicrously illogical behavior that precede it? Probably not nearly as late as the

When planning an elegant A-list dinner for 10 to gala parties for a thousand, event planners have a sophisticated mix of locations to choose from in New York and Los Angeles. Variety looks at new and updated venues that cater to gatherings during Hollywood’s awards season, and throughout the year welcome all kinds of happenings

“If Beale Street Could Talk” star Colman Domingo admires the tenacity, humor and heart of his character Joe Rivers — “an everyman with simple needs who does the extraordinary.” The playwright, director and Tony-nominated actor pushes boundaries himself, with his work and wardrobe. “I have always been a bit of a peacock,” he says. “I’ve

RaMell Ross’s debut feature, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” took the top prize at the Cinema Eye Honors Thursday night in New York, winning outstanding nonfiction feature. Bing Liu’s much-lauded skateboarding doc “Minding the Gap,” which tied the Cinema Eye record for most noms with seven, took home three trophies, including outstanding achievement in

“Green Book” screenwriter Nick Vallelonga has apologized for posting a tweet espousing a debunked conservative narrative that American Muslims could be seen cheering after 9/11. “I want to apologize,” Vallelonga said in a statement issued Thursday night. “I spent my life trying to bring this story of overcoming differences and finding common ground to the

In today’s film news roundup, casting directors have a new master contract, Roy Wood, Jr., is hosting the WGA Awards in New York, and the Santa Barbara Film Festival unveils its opening and closing films. CONTRACT RATIFICATION Casting directors and casting associates have ratified a three-year successor agreement to its master contract with studios and

Many twenty-somethings today have never heard of Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel. But they definitely know of Homer Simpson’s catchphrase “D’oh!,” which was inspired by a character in Laurel and Hardy films, and popular modern duos like Key and Peele. John C. Reilly, who played Hardy in Sony Classics’ comedy-drama “Stan & Ollie,” says contemporary

While awards season is consuming stylists and fashion-forward campaigners, executives, agents and other industry mavens must still figure out what to wear to the office each day, without the help of an expert. Thankfully, Hollywood is loaded with options, and these fearless designers are ones-to-watch… and to wear in the office and around town. Veronica

Filmmakers have been making message movies since the birth of the art form, as Hollywood has long embraced the notion of observing progressive social change through mass entertainment. From some of the earliest talkies to outright propaganda pieces, to the Stanley Kramer dramas of the ’50s and ’60s and the resurgence at the studio level in

Two days had passed since Kiki Layne and Stephan James had attended their first Golden Globes and the “If Beale Street Could Talk” co-stars were still trying to wrap their heads around having been there. “It was such a special night — and pretty unreal,” says James, who was also nominated for his work opposite Julia Roberts

January 10, 2019 3:40PM PT Roughly 22 people have been affected by layoffs at the Hollywood Reporter–Billboard Media Group, as well as its corporate owner Valence Media, individuals familiar with the staff reduction told Variety. Dana Miller, chief marketing officer for both the show business and music trade publications, was cut — as well as several