Movies

Since big-budget CG features have been so influential, it’s sometimes hard to hear the outside voices that vie for attention during awards season. GKids regularly reminds us that hand-drawn animation continues to attract Oscar nominations — for such Irish films as “The Secret of Kells”; French offerings, including “Ernest and Celestine,” and great titles from

November 1, 2018 10:32AM PT Bette Midler is in negotiations to portray Bella Abzug opposite Julianne Moore in the Gloria Steinem biopic “The Glorias: A Life on the Road.” Alicia Vikander is in talks to play Steinem in her 20s and 30s. Julie Taymor is directing the movie for June Pictures, and Sarah Ruhl is adapting

As the year winds down, it’s clear that 2018 was an atypical time for animated features vying for Oscars and other awards. Not all big-name studios fielded contenders: Pixar/Disney had the billion-dollar baby “Incredibles 2,” while Disney Animation’s holiday entry — “Ralph Breaks the Internet” — is poised to repeat the box office and critical

A24 has acquired the North American rights to military drama “The Kill Team,” starring Alexander Skarsgard, Nat Wolff and Rob Morrow. The deal was announced Thursday on the second day of the American Film Market in Santa Monica, Calif. A24 is planning to release the film, written and directed by Emmy and Academy award nominee Dan

November 1, 2018 8:26AM PT Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, and Salma Hayek are officially returning for a “Hitman’s Bodyguard” sequel. Lionsgate will release “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” in North America, the studio announced Thursday at the American Film Market in Santa Monica, Calif., where Millennium Media is handling sales. The original movie was released

Mediaset España, Spain’s top-rated broadcaster, is reinforcing its content strategy with the launch of new brand Mediterráneo to integrate its affiliate production companies, as it unveils a strong TV drama slate for the 2018-19 TV season. With a €40 million-€50 million ($45.30-$56.60 million) annual investment, ME represents a key pillar for the Spanish TV fiction

Viola Davis and Stephen Curry have signed on as executive producers of “Emanuel,” a documentary about the 2015 mass murder of black churchgoers by a white supremacist. Unanimous Media, the production company of NBA superstar Curry, and Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions join as executive producers of the film alongside Dane Smith, David

November 1, 2018 5:05AM PT Powerhouse Chinese entertainment group Fantawild is using the American Film Market to begin sales of “Blast Into the Past,” the sixth film in its hit “Boonie Bears” franchise. The film is in post-production and will be released in Chinese theaters in time for February’s Chinese New Year peak period. The

China’s HGC Entertainment Group is launching a trio of completed Chinese animation movies at this week’s American Film Market. It will also handle Asian sales of Norwegian adventure film “Amundsen.” “The Wind Guardians” is the story of a blind boy whose mother makes a dreadful trade with a monster in order to restore her son’s

November 1, 2018 4:35AM PT Amazon has scored “Make Us Dream,” a feature documentary about Liverpool and England soccer star Steven Gerrard. The film is produced by James Gay-Rees, whose previous projects include “Senna,” about motor-racing legend Ayrton Senna, and Amy Winehouse biopic “Amy.” “Make Us Dream” will be shown in U.K. cinemas on Nov.

BARCELONA— A portrait of Francesc Boix, a Catalan photographer who managed to survive one of the most atrocious Nazi camps, “The Photographer of Mauthausen” will be released in Spain on Oct. 26 by Filmax. It’s the sophomore sally of producer-turned-director Mar Targarona who, alongside Joaquin Padró, is behind production of films such as Juan Antonio

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has revealed its newest roster of Breakthrough Brits, talent whom the organization identifies as ones to watch. Actors Jessica Barden and Paapa Essiedu and writer and director Lucy Cohen are among a 19-strong lineup that spans film, TV and gaming. Previous Breakthrough Brits have gone on to

When an extravagant, exuberant billionaire patriarch drops dead at the dinner table, a mad scramble for his fortune ensues among his extended family, household staff and a few mistresses. EbonyLife, the Nigerian lifestyle TV network and production company, is also hoping to strike gold with “Chief Daddy,” a new ensemble comedy starring some of the

New York-based Kino Lorber has taken North American rights to “The Chambermaid,” the feature debut of Mexico’s Lila Aviles that took the Best Film and the Warrior of the Press awards at Morelia Intl. Film Festival last week. “The Chambermaid” will get an U.S. premiere on Nov. 10 at the AFI Fest in Los Angeles.

The Motion Picture Assn. has raised concerns that recent changes to South Africa’s tax incentive scheme and other regulatory proposals could stunt the development of the country’s film industry, according to an MPA rep. Under the new guidelines, productions that fail to meet certain benchmarks for supporting black-owned businesses are faced with the prospect of not

Screen Media has bought North American rights to the action thriller “Cold Blood Legacy,” starring Jean Reno and Sarah Lind, Variety has learned exclusively. The film is directed by Frédéric Petitjean from his own script. “Cold Blood Legacy” centers on a legendary hitman, portrayed by Reno, who enjoys the isolation of his lakeside cabin. When

Tom Hughes and Mila Jovovich will star in the swashbuckling adventure movie “Corto Maltese” with French director Christophe Gans attached. Gans, whose credits include the French “Beauty and the Beast,” “Silent Hill” and “Brotherhood of the Wolf,” will direct from a script by William Schneider. Samuel Hadida is producing the film through his Davis Films alongside Spain’s production

October 31, 2018 10:28PM PT Stacy Martin will star in “Archive,” the sci-fi movie from Gavin Rothery, the concept designer on Duncan Jones’ film “Moon.” Martin (“Vox Lux”) will star opposite Theo James (“Divergent”) in “Archive.” Set in a remote secret facility that works on artificial intelligence, the film follows  George (James), who is developing

October 31, 2018 10:19PM PT Moviehouse Entertainment has boarded “Sunburn” and is kicking off the international sales effort at AFM. The deal comes as work gets under way on a sequel to the British-produced horror movie. Anthony Alleyne wrote, directed and produced “Sunburn” through his Born Wild banner, alongside Lee Cooper’s Proper Charlie Prods.; they

Italian sales company True Colours has taken world sales on high-end biopic “Amazing Leonardo,” directed by Mexican helmer Jesus Garces Lambert and produced by Comcast-owned paybox Sky for play on both TV and theatrical in 2019, which will mark the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death. The “Leonardo” biopic, toplining Italian A-lister Luca Argentero

October 31, 2018 10:00PM PT Embankment Films has sold British rights to Lionsgate U.K. for romantic drama “Summerland,” starring Gemma Arterton and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Variety has been given the exclusive first-look image for the film, which has just wrapped production. The pic is the feature debut of British playwright Jessica Swale, who won an Olivier

Georgina Campbell (“Black Mirror”) and Faye Dunaway are set to star in “Visceral,” a female-driven action thriller that will mark the English-language debut of Frederic Jardin (“Sleepless Night”). Bac Films has come on board to handle international sales and distribution in France. Marco Cherqui at CPB Films (“A Prophet”) is producing the thriller with Frida

Variety has been given exclusive access to the first teasers for Syllas Tzoumerkas’ female revenge story “The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea” – being sold at AFM by Jan Naszewski’s New Europe Film Sales. Set in a small eel-farming town in the west of Greece it’s a story of two women, who live solitary lives

One of England’s most distinguished concert composers tried his hand at film music for the first time this year, and the result was the charming and period-appropriate music for Keira Knightley in “Colette,” about the turn-of-the-century French novelist. Thomas Adès is well known in the U.K. for his operas “The Exterminating Angel” and “The Tempest,”

Bernardo Zupnik, one of the Argentine film industry’s most senior figures, has been voted in as the president of Argentina’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Cecilia Roth, famed for her performances in early Pedro Almodovar films, will serve as vice-president, and producer-turned-director Juan Vera, who has just debuted behind the camera with Ricardo

Harvey Weinstein has been accused of sexually assaulting a minor in an amended class action complaint filed Wednesday in New York. The fallen movie mogul vehemently denied the accusation, brought forth by an anonymous woman who said she was repeatedly attacked from 2002 to 2011, beginning when she was 16 and an aspiring model trying

If a director and composer have success on their first film together, they typically work together again. But it is unprecedented for a composer to score that second project 40 years after the film is shot… and 30-plus years after the director’s death. That’s what happened with French composer Michel Legrand, who — 44 years after

Conceived just a smidge over two centuries ago, E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 short story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” has been told and retold so many times over the years — as a ballet by Tchaikovsky, as a novel by Dumas, as a Christmas cartoon by Barbie — that we can reasonably conclude there’s no

Coming off an Oscar this year for his “The Shape of Water” score, Alexandre Desplat has some significant laurels to rest on, but the kudos haven’t put a crimp in his tirelessness. The prolific French composer has three scores in contention for this year’s awards and has even managed to squeeze in the creation of

Netflix will release three major award contenders exclusively in theaters before debuting them on the streaming service. Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” considered to be an Oscar favorite, will receive the longest of these theatrical engagements. The film will be in cinemas for roughly three weeks, beginning on Nov. 21, before debuting on the streamer on Dec.