Movies

“A lot of Goop,” one of the attendees remarked on leaving Gwyneth Paltrow’s In Conversation talk taking place at the Red Sea Film Festival. “A bit lopsided,” another agreed. Many of the gathered gripped Marvel posters and wore Marvel T-shirts, but everyone was happy to welcome an actor whose career has spanned films as diverse

Indie distributor Bitters End is to give a theatrical release in Japan to Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” The film is controversial in Japan where the two atomic bombs were detonated in 1945, killing hundreds of thousands of Japanese citizens. The film was released in most territories in July by Universal and went on to gross $950

Jennifer Lopez is attached to star in a feature adaptation of the 1993 Broadway musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” written and directed by “Dreamgirls” filmmaker Bill Condon, Variety has confirmed with a source close to the production. The music is by legends John Kander and Fred Ebb, based on the novel by Manuel Puig

Timothée Chalamet admitted to GamesRadar+ that he originally worried “Wonka” might be a “cynical money grab” given Hollywood studios’ recent trend of rebooting every bit of IP it possibly can. Chalamet was offered the chance to lead the film, which is a musical prequel that tells the story of how Willy Wonka became a world

Indian filmmaker and TV personality Karan Johar has become the first Indian director to receive the Variety Vanguard Award, presented by the Red Sea International Film Festival, recognizing industry leaders who have significantly contributed to the global entertainment business. On Saturday, Variety’s executive editor of film and media, Tatiana Siegel, handed Johar his award at

Mahershala Ali recently told Entertainment Weekly that he is feeling optimistic about his upcoming Marvel movie “Blade,” in which he will star as the comic book vampire hunter. The film, which won’t begin production until next year, has had a dramatic development period, to say the least. Marvel first announced the project at Comic-Con 2019.

While the LGTBQ rights movement has made tremendous strides since that first rock was thrown at the Stonewall Inn in New York City in 1969, there are still many areas of the U.S. where the queer community doesn’t feel safe. In the new Hulu documentary, “We Live Here: The Midwest,” director Melina Maerker and producer

Jonathan Majors’ ex-girlfriend testified Wednesday that she did not want to involve the police after he allegedly assaulted her in March, and that she regretted getting him in trouble. On her second day on the witness stand, Grace Jabbari, 30, tearfully spoke about the aftermath of the incident that resulted in Majors’ arrest. She told

Ridley Scott‘s “Napoleon” is a movie that French people love to hate. But despite harsh criticism in France, the historical epic smashed the box office and grossed over $9.76 million from 1.15 million tickets sold in its first two weeks in theaters. Ironically, “Napoleon” got the lowest score of all of Scott’s recent movies on

From production designers to composers, the creatives behind the biggest films of this year sat down to chat with Variety’s senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay during Variety’s A Night With Artisans. The creatives who helped build the Los Alamos set for “Oppenheimer” or acquired 1,000 blankets for “Killers of the Flower Moon” shared their creative

Casey Wilson said on a recent episode of her “Bitch Sesh” podcast that working with Tim Allen on an episode of his Disney+ series “The Santa Clauses” was “the truly single worst experience I’ve ever had with a co-star ever.” Wilson, best known for her roles on “Saturday Night Live” and “Happy Endings,” guest starred

As Fantasia Barrino rides the awards season buzz for her feature film acting debut in “The Color Purple,” the second season “American Idol” winner is thinking of her next moves on the big screen. “I want something very challenging,” Fantasia told Variety Tuesday night at Elle’s Women in Hollywood event in Los Angeles, where she

“Killers of the Flower Moon” has been named best picture by the National Board of Review, the organization announced on Wednesday. Co-distributed by Apple Original Films and Paramount Pictures, the crime epic also nabbed prizes for director Martin Scorsese and actress Lily Gladstone. Scorsese’s win for directing is notable, as he is now tied with

Brainstorming about how “Trolls: Band Together” should look, the creatives decided they wanted to take the colorful creatures to a different world than the previous two installments of the animated franchise.In this tale, Queen Poppy (Anna Kendrick) learns that Branch (Justin Timberlake) was once part of her favorite boyband, BroZone. When his brother Floyd (Troye

Shudder, AMC Networks’ streaming service for horror, thrillers and movies about the supernatural, has picked up distribution rights to “In a Violent Nature” ahead of its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. It’s the debut feature film from writer and director Chris Nash and it is slated to screen in Sundance’s Midnight Section.

Up, up and away! The Sundance Film Festival has announced the lineup for its 40th edition, which will take place in Park City, Utah, from Jan. 18–28, with the online component starting Jan. 25. The program includes Christopher Reeve doc “Super/Man,” two films apiece from indie darlings Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg, plus fresh projects

Simu Liu has been announced as the host of the 21st Unforgettable Gala (UNFO), the annual awards show honoring the entertainment industry’s Asian Pacific Islander community. The “Barbie” and “Shang Chi” star returns as emcee after serving in the role in 2019. The Unforgettable Gala, which will take place Dec. 16 at the Beverly Hilton,

Director Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated feature, “The Boy and the Heron,” centers around themes of loss, grief, death and the afterlife through the eyes of Mahito, a boy who finds maturity and acceptance after traveling to a fantastical world. In Tokyo during World War II, Mahito watches a hospital burn with his mother inside. Throughout

Two industry insiders have raised more than $75 million to fund the launch of a studio that aims to elevate production values for faith-based, uplifting and inspirational movies and TV shows. Director-producer Jon Erwin (“Jesus Revolution,” “Woodlawn”) and former YouTube and Netflix executive Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten have joined forces to create the Wonder Project, a

James Cameron hasn’t made many commercial disappointments, but “The Abyss” is one of them. Released in 1989 after the back-to-back successes of “The Terminator” and “Aliens,” Cameron created his first of many underwater worlds with an adventure about the crew of a drilling rig that encounters “non-terrestrial intelligence” — a fancy phrase for aliens —

With a fast-growing box office expected to hit the billion-dollar mark by 2030 and rising numbers of streaming subscriptions, Saudi Arabia is at a key point in its journey into becoming a key global player when it comes to TV and film production. However, with a market that is only five years old — with

Colombia‘s film landscape is undergoing a significant evolution. As streaming platforms grow in the country and international productions leverage Colombia’s tax incentives, new avenues have emerged for filmmakers to venture into uncharted territories.  Selected for San Sebastián’s New Directors competition, Juan Sebastián Quebrada’s “The Other Son” exemplifies this transformation. Franco Lolli’s work has undeniably carved

Berlin’s European Film Market has unveiled a new finance forum in collaboration with conference producer Winston Baker and the inaugural edition of AfroBerlin, focusing on the African film industry, among its new initiatives in its forthcoming edition, which runs Feb. 15-21. Winston Baker’s Entertainment Finance Forum Berlin, taking place Feb. 16, “will bring an international

Dubai-based distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has picked up Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region distribution rights to groundbreaking Saudi drama “Norah,” which world premiered in competition at the Red Sea Film Festival. Directed by pioneering Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi, making his feature film debut, “Norah” is set in 1990s Saudi Arabia, when conservatism

Wang Jianlin, the Chinese billionaire who previously sought to buy a controlling position in Hollywood, is preparing to complete his imminent exit from the film industry. The troubled conglomerate is facing debt repayment pressure. Wanda Film, which remains China’s largest cinema operator, Wednesday said in a regulatory filing to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange that Wang

Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning filmmakers have formed a trade organisation called Film Association in an effort to hold sway in regulations being laid out for the country’s booming film industry. The Saudi Film Association, announced during the ongoing Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, comes five years after the government removed its 35-year-old religion-related ban on

Leading Japanese publishing house Kodansha has struck a deal with new production company Majestic Limited for a feature film adaptation of its “Origin” comic. Created by Boichi (“Dr. Stone,” “Sun-Ken Rock”), a renown Korean manga artist (real name Park Mu-jik) who is based in Japan, “Origin” is set in a near-future where humanity has achieved

Singapore’s Refinery Media has launched a global co-production fund that will allocate up to 50% of production budgets for projects exploring the use of virtual production in films, series and unscripted shows. The fund was revealed at Singapore’s Asia TV Forum and Market. “Asia’s Next Top Model,” “SupermodelMe Revolution” and “The Century Egg” are among

“Frankly, I’m exhausted,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher told Variety minutes after the union disclosed the ratification vote tally that sealed the deal on its hard-fought new three-year contract. Drescher and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s union’s national executive director and chief negotiator, took a moment to reflect Tuesday evening on the winding road that led the union

SAG-AFTRA members have voted to ratify their contract, officially ending the longest labor battle in Hollywood history. The contract was approved with 78% voting in favor. Turnout was 38%. “This contract is an enormous victory for working performers, and it marks the dawning of a new era for the industry,” Fran Drescher, the union’s president,