Movies

When it comes to life’s most difficult negotiations, sometimes you need a squishy friend by your side.  That’s SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher’s policy for the contentious ongoing contract talks her union is embroiled in with Hollywood’s major film and TV studios. “The Nanny” star has come to the table for weeks armed with a heart-shaped

Boutique sales agent, House of Film has acquired worldwide rights, excluding Asia, to represent the Malaysian mythical horror film “Curse of the Totem” (aka “Sumpahan Jerunei”) from Produksi Seni Duapuluh-Duapuluh SDN BHD.  Based on the 13th Century Borneo sacrificial rituals, “Curse of the Totem” tells the story of Dr. Sani who goes in search of his wife,

Disney confirmed in June that a third “Hocus Pocus” movie was in development. Now, screenwriter Jen D’Angelo has confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that the next Sanderson sisters tale is still in the story development phase following the end of the WGA strike. “We’re still in the story phase, we’re still working on it,” D’Angelo said.

In an alternate universe, “Drake & Josh” star Josh Peck landed the role of Edward Cullen in “Twilight” over Robert Pattinson. At least that’s what the actor revealed on a recent episode of his “Good Guys” podcast, which featured “Twilight” actor Taylor Lautner as a guest. Lautner played the werewolf Jacob Black in the blockbuster

The “Fantastic Beasts” movie franchise is “parked,” director David Yates said in a new interview with Total Film magazine. The franchise, headlined by Eddie Redmayne, is a prequel to “Harry Potter” that was designed by author J.K. Rowling as a five-film series. Three films have been released — “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”

Joe Hunting, director of the HBO film “We Met In Virtual Reality,” is starting a production company called Painted Clouds, focusing exclusively on virtual reality filmmaking. The company aims to create original films and series using real time VR, including the popular platform VRChat. For Painted Clouds, productions will make use of virtual cinema cameras

Andrew Haigh has described “All of Us Strangers,” a spectral meditation on love and loneliness, as a deeply personal film, one infused with his own feelings about parents and relationships. That’s not unique — write what you know is an adage for a reason. But “All of Us Strangers” may be one of the only

Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films have acquired U.S. rights to “Bring Him to Me,” a mob thriller starring Barry Pepper (“Saving Private Ryan”) and Sam Neill (“Jurassic Park”). The film will open in select theaters and on digital on Jan. 19, 2024. Written by Tom Evans and directed by Luke Sparke, “Bring Him to

Bhutan’s official Oscar entry “The Monk And The Gun,” Pawo Choyning Dorji‘s follow-up to “Lunana: A Yak in The Classroom,” has been bought by a raft of well-established international theatrical distributors. Following its festival premieres at Telluride, Toronto, Rome and Busan, “The Monk and the Gun” has been sold by Films Boutique to Pyramide Distribution

America Ferrera, Eva Longoria, Greta Lee, Yara Shahidi, Celine Song and Linda Yvette Chávez will be feted at the 2023 WIF Honors. The annual benefit will be held on Thursday, Nov. 30, in Los Angeles, as WIF (formerly known as Women in Film, Los Angeles), celebrates 50 years of working for gender equity in Hollywood.

Gkids has announced the acquisition of the North American rights for the upcoming French sci-fi animation film “Mars Express,” directed by Jérémie Perin in his feature debut. The film’s synopsis reads: “In 2200, private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner Carlos Rivera are hired by a wealthy businessman to track down a notorious hacker.

Like “Testament” — the 1983 made-for-TV movie that imagined the fallout, both nuclear and psychological, after an atomic bomb is dropped on American soil — “Leave the World Behind” depicts a plausible doomsday scenario from the perspective of a handful of ordinary characters. Not military experts, not scientists, but two families obliged to shelter under

Shannon Lee, daughter of the legendary actor and martial artist Bruce Lee, recently told The Telegraph that she remains unaware why Quentin Tarantino decided to portray her father as “the a-hole” in his 2019 movie “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Shannon Lee spoke out against the film’s portrayal of Bruce Lee at the time,

Taron Egerton is set to front a new crime thriller from Black Bear and Fifth Season. Titled “She Rides Shotgun,” it is based on the blockbuster novel of the same name by acclaimed crime author Jordan Harper and directed by Nick Rowland (“Calm With Horses”). Egerton, who has most recently been seen in “Tetris” and

In 1992, being out at work in Hollywood wasn’t really much of a thing and yet, I found myself coming out to Steven Spielberg in his office. I had started my career in film as the DGA trainee on “The Color Purple” in 1985, keenly aware of how astonishing it was not only to have

“Zende,” a feature documentary about supercop Madhukar Zende, who arrested the notorious Charles Sobhraj twice, will have its world premiere at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. Produced by Dora Digs Studios and directed by debutant Akshay Shah, “Zende” is one of the first Indian feature documentaries to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to recreate

XYZ Films has acquired North American sales rights to the horror-thriller “Deus Irae,” the debut feature of Argentine filmmaker Pedro Cristiani, and will introduce the film to buyers at the upcoming AFM. Variety has been given exclusive access to the film’s bone-chilling trailer (see below). Premiering at the Mar Del Plata Film Festival in November,

Film Movement has acquired U.S. rights to Jessica Hausner‘s thought-provoking dark comedy “Club Zero,” which competed at the Cannes Film Festival. Represented in international markets by Coproduction Office, “Club Zero” stars Mia Wasikowska as an eating instructor at an elite boarding school who exerts a dangerous influence over her students. When parents become concerned, calling

Hollywood is hurting. The financial backbone of the industry — linear television — is rapidly shrinking as consumers continue to cut the cord at alarming rates. At the same time, YouTube, TikTok and other innovative digital services continue to earn more consumer attention each day with their seductive offerings. Most acutely, production remains halted due

Hollywood has not been successful at turning video games into movies — a disappointing streak that “Five Nights at Freddy’s” fails to correct. Despite being shepherded by savvy low-budget horror producer Jason Blum, this is a rather empty and unexciting effort at attracting horror fans during Halloween season. Director Emma Tammi’s film squanders the game’s

Six film projects currently at development stage have been selected to take part in a workshop session as part of mylab+@Jogja next month. The six share a common characteristic of Indonesian co-production and a recurring theme of luminescence. “This theme underscores the importance of having the distinctive light of Asian cinema arise from its own

A TIFFCOM seminar on Thursday demonstrated both a sense of incredulity that Japanese animation “Suzume” could have enjoyed such wide international success and conveyed the depth of passionate behind-the-scenes strategizing that made it happen. Since its release in Japan at the end of 2022 and international expansion in spring of 2023, following a Berlin festival

Slamdance has announced the winners of its annual screenplay competition, with Mike Ackerman’s feature-length script “This End Up” winning the grand prize. Slamdance announced the awards — recognizing writers across the categories of feature film, horror/thriller, TV pilot, short film and a special mentorship award — during a ceremony held at Los Angeles’s Westwood Landmark

Jayant Rohatgi’s feature directorial debut “Sumo Didi” has its world premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival‘s Asian Future strand. The film is based on the life of Hetal Dave, India’s first professional female sumo wrestler. Rohatgi, a veteran of TV commercials, was on the lookout for a story with a strong human connection to

Matthew Lillard, Harvey Guillén and more have joined Mike Flanagan‘s upcoming Stephen King film adaptation, “The Life of Chuck.” “I’m pleased to announce the rest of our ensemble who join Tom Hiddleston, Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan and Jacob Tremblay to the production which kicked off in Alabama under an interim agreement earlier this

Horror fans hoping the PG-13-rated “Five Nights at Freddy’s” might go the “M3GAN” route and release an R-rated cut on streaming at a later date are not in luck. Director Emma Tammi has stated in several interviews ahead of the film’s release that her film was always designed to be PG-13 and an R-rated cut

The planned Wednesday bargaining session between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers was pushed back a day after the union told management it needed more time to respond to the latest offer put on the table. The sides had been expected to meet today at SAG-AFTRA headquarters in Los Angeles. The

This year’s AFI Fest is back in full glory, featuring a rich lineup of critical favorites plus a slate of five films curated by guest artistic director Greta Gerwig, whose latest film, “Barbie” has grossed $1.4 billion. Returning to Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre and screening films from October 25-29, the event will feature Gerwig’s curated

Michelle Williams has, in an act of profound sympathy and of ecstatic transformation, given another astounding performance in a career full of them. And it’s in the unlikeliest of venues. One might expect the audiobook for Britney Spears’ memoir “The Woman in Me” to have been narrated by its author — herself no stranger to

Universal and Blumhouse’s haunted horror film “Five Nights at Freddy’s” looks to make a killing in its box office debut. The video game adaptation is expected to collect at least $50 million over the weekend, but analysts suggest the final number may be higher. “Five Nights at Freddy’s” will open simultaneously on Peacock, which makes