Carol Lombardini, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, reached out to her counterpart at the Writers Guild of America in an effort to restart negotiations, sources told Variety on Tuesday. That is the first communication between the two sides since May 1, when talks collapsed and the WGA voted to go
Movies
Jess Search, producer and co-founder of U.K.’s Doc Society, has died. She was 54. Search died in London on July 31 following a brain tumor diagnosis in early June. Search was a near two-decade member and co-founder of the U.K. based Doc Society, a non-profit organization started in 2005 dedicated to producing and funding documentaries
Lionsgate has picked up the family drama film “Unsung Hero” from the Christian music duo for King + Country. Helmed by Richard Ramsey and for King + Country’s Joel Smallbone, the film tells the story of Smallbone family’s trek from Australia to America, and Joel and his brother Luke’s path to becoming Grammy-winning artists. Joel
Janet Yang has been re-elected as president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Her second-term re-election was made by the Academy’s board of governors who additionally elected a number of officer positions for 2023-2024. Yang is an Emmy-winning producer with credits on projects including “The Joy Luck Club,” “The People vs. Larry
Many reviews for Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” noted that the film felt like the director’s own version of Oliver Stone’s sprawling historical epic “JFK,” and now Stone himself has weighed in on Nolan’s latest achievement. The “Platoon” Oscar winner took to social media to deem Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” a new film classic, while also revealing he flirted
Rhona Rees is ready to shock with “Freya,” set in the near future where abortion is completely illegal and contraception is only available to men. “That’s what I like about sci-fi. If we show an extreme future that’s still preventable, it will allow us to start a conversation,” she says. “I get really emotional when
When “Haunted Mansion” production designer Darren Gilford was working with director Justin Simien to bring the beloved Disney ride back to the big screen, he had a rather unique perspective. As a former Imagineering intern, Gilford had learned first-hand how the Disneyland attractions were conceived. Gilford’s design entry point for the film was a bible
A Santa Fe judge on Tuesday denied a defense motion to throw out the “Rust” prosecution, keeping the case on track for a key hearing that begins next week. Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film’s armorer, faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. She is accused of loading a live round into Alec Baldwin’s
Following Montreal’s 2023 Frontières Market, New York sales agent Visit Films has scooped world sales rights to “Booger,” headlining “Strawberry Mansion” star Grace Glowicki and produced by Ley Line Ent. and Neon Heart Ent., behind “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Shiva Baby” respectively. A sometimes excruciating genre bending and blending body horror comedy about
“Barbie” is running into censorship headaches in the Middle East. Leading regional exhibitor Vox Cinemas – which is Warner Bros.’ local distribution partner – has pushed back the release of the hit Greta Gerwig film to Aug. 31 after initially setting a July 19 rollout out date for “Barbie” in the Middle East that would
This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. With dual strikes currently underway, it’s an uncertain time for actors – and this is a profession that is used to uncertainty. Many aren’t just wondering about
Esteemed British actor and presenter Joanna Lumley stars in short film “My Week With Maisy” by director and actor Mika Simmons. Lumley stars as Mrs. Foster, a retired lady whose cup is half empty, is starting chemotherapy and is anxious. The last thing she needs is to have to share the treatment room with a
John Campbell, 60, has been working in the film industry for 29 years as a grip and as a driver. In July, he was dropped from the industry health plan for the first time in his career, falling 7.5 hours short of the threshold needed to maintain eligibility. He signed up for COBRA — at
Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” and Universal’s “Oppenheimer” continued their domination of the U.K. and Ireland box office with a combined £21.4 million ($27.3 million) after their second weekend, per numbers from Comscore. Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” topped the charts for the second week in a row with £13.2 million, and now has a total of £47.9 million.
Emma Corrin is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming “Deadpool 3,” which features the highly anticipated pairing of Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. While plot details for the film are being kept under wraps, fans do know these two heroes will be facing off against “The Crown” Emmy nominee. Corrin is
Mark Edwin Seiler, the former president of RKO Pictures and Hemdale Films and CEO of Capella Films, died on July 7 of Parkinson’s disease. He was 75. While Seiler was at the helm of RKO, the company produced notable films including “Plenty” (1985) starring Meryl Streep, “Half Moon Street” (1986) with Sigourney Weaver and Michael
Not this again. After the two years of havoc that COVID inflicted on their business, movie theater owners thought they were past the days of blank marquees. Studios, miraculously, have been releasing films at a regular rate. And better yet, people are showing up to see them. Not to mention “Barbenheimer” — the glorious, explosive,
LAW AND ORDER The Indian parliament has passed the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, which aims to curb piracy that causes losses of INR200 billion ($2.4 billion) to the film industry, according to government estimates. Those found guilty of film piracy by way of camcording in theaters or unauthorized copying and online transmission and exhibition of a
A revolution is working through Latin American filmmaking. It’s powered by new gen cineastes, educated at top film schools, very often women, who are questioning pretty much everything everywhere all at once, re-representing themselves and questioning what can make up a movie these days. Locarno’s Open Doors is a case in point. Five takeaways on
Franco-Tunisian film and TV entrepreneur Tarak Ben Ammar is expanding the scope of his Italian operations by buying local unscripted production outfit Blu Yazmine, while also entering talks to build a large studio complex in Rome. Though Ben Ammar’s ambition to build sprawling new filming facilities in the Italian capital are in advanced talks but
Plans are underway to build a sprawling studio complex in Abu Dhabi, which is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and has served as an exterior location for portions of Hollywood franchises such as “Dune,” “Star Wars” and “Fast and Furious.” The announcement that Abu Dhabi is taking the plunge and investing in a
Former WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group chair and CEO Ann Sarnoff has joined the board of directors of Cineworld as the group emerges from Chapter 11 cases. Cineworld Group and its subsidiaries had commenced Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court in September 2022. On Aug. 1, 2023, the group, which operates the Regal cinemas chain in
Angus Cloud completed production for his role on Universal’s upcoming monster thriller from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett before his death, a source close to the project confirms. Set for an April 2024 release, the untitled feature stars Cloud alongside a cast including Kathryn Newton, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, Kevin Durand and Will Catlett.
Film workers who have been unemployed during the strike will get some help in maintaining their health insurance, the industry plan announced Monday. The Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans will extend eligibility to certain participants who otherwise would not have enough hours to qualify for benefits. The MPIPHP also announced that members will
Gravitas Ventures has picked up “Halfway to Amarillo,” a neo-western kind of comedy which is set for distribution this November. Written and directed by Burt Binder, “Amarillo” follows an author who, in a bout of writer’s block, finds that his fictional characters have leapt straight off the pages of his novel and are running amok
Warner Bros. Japan released a statement on the country’s official “Barbie” Twitter account criticizing the studio’s U.S. branch for feeding into the “Barbenheimer” craze on social media. The “Barbie” U.S. Twitter account has positively interacted with some fan posts about “Barbenheimer,” which refers to the dual summer releases of Universal’s “Oppenheimer” and Warner Bros.’ “Barbie”
Angus Cloud, the actor best known for playing the drug dealer Fezco “Fez” O’Neill on HBO’s “Euphoria,” died Monday in Oakland, Calif. He was 25. The Oakland Fire Dept. said it responded to a medical emergency at approximately 11:30 a.m., and the patient was “already deceased.” The cause of death was unknown, the fire department
Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby told Empire magazine that they made a pact to shock each other while filming Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon,” to ensure the film did not feel like a boring, overly-planned biopic. This agreement led Phoenix to slap Kirby during the filming of a heated divorce scene between their characters, Napoleon Bonaparte and
Elizabeth Banks recently told Rolling Stone that the media was behind the “gendered agenda” of “Charlie’s Angels,” her 2019 action-comedy starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska that flopped at the box office. The director told The New York Times last year that she wished the film’s marketing “had not been presented as just
Celebrities are taking to social media to pay tribute to actor Paul Reubens, best known for creating and starring as the beloved comedy character Pee-wee Herman. He died Sunday night at the age of 70 after a private battle with cancer. His career spanned from the stage to the screen, and he starred as Pee-wee