Peter Sohn’s latest film, “Elemental,” from Disney/Pixar, tells the story of characters made of opposite elements who fall in love. The story is a metaphor for the director/writer’s life where he stepped out of the element of his own Korean culture to marry for love and pursue a career in animation. The animated tale closed
Movies
The total U.K. and Ireland box office for May 2023 is £78.2 million ($97.7 million) which is 19% lower than May 2022, per numbers released by Comscore. Year-to-date 2023 is currently running 1% behind the same period in 2022. This is in contrast to most other territories where 2023 is significantly higher than last year,
“Prey” director Dan Trachtenberg wanted his “Predator” spinoff, which is set in 1719, to be shot in a naturalistic way, so cinematographer Jeff Cutter made use of available light whenever possible — especially from fire and the moon. (L-R): Director of Photography Jeff Cutter on the set of 20th Century Studios’ PREY, exclusively on Hulu.
British actor Tobias Menzies, Emmy winner for Netflix’s “The Crown,” has joined the cast of Apple Original Films’ Formula One racing feature, Variety can reveal. Menzies joins a cast led by Brad Pitt, alongside Damson Idris (“Snowfall”) and BAFTA winner Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”). The as yet untitled film stars Pitt as a former driver
What’s up, danger? After nearly five years, it’s time to swing back into the Spider-Verse, as Sony’s sequel, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” has webbed up $17.35 million in Thursday previews at the box office. The animated sequel is expected to open at $80 million this weekend, with some projections going as high as $90 million
Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired all North American rights for Catherine Breillat’s explosive drama “Last Summer” which competed at the Cannes Film Festival. Produced by Said Ben Said at SBS, the film stars Léa Drucker as Anne, a brilliant lawyer who lives in perfect harmony with her husband Pierre and their six and eight‐year‐old daughters in
Harrison Ford is taking some responsibility for the tension that developed with Brad Pitt during the making of their 1997 thriller “The Devil’s Own.” The film, which notably marked the last directorial effort from Alan J. Pakula (“All the President’s Men,” “Klute”), earned mixed reviews but grossed $140 million worldwide. Ford has often said in
The U.K.’s Stigma Films has snapped up TV rights for Jeffrey Boakye’s “I Heard What You Said,” an Amazon Best Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2022. Told via a series of encounters based on the challenging and outrageous things people have said to him or about him, Boakye, a Black, male English teacher who has
Indian cinema superstar Rajinikanth has wrapped principal photography on Sun Pictures’ “Jailer.” The film is directed by Nelson, who previously helmed the hits “Kolamaavu Kokila” (2018), starring Nayanthara, “Doctor” (2021), starring Sivakarthikeyan and “Beast” (2022), starring Vijay. While the plot is under wraps, the film belongs to the action genre. The cast includes Kannada-language cinema
Tom Holland has given an update on the development of his fourth “Spider-Man” movie. At the premiere of his new Apple TV+ show “The Crowded Room” in New York City on Thursday night, Holland told Variety that though he can’t share too much, he has “been having meetings” about the next chapter in the Marvel
While many horror movies are saddled with two-dimensional characters, the biggest strength of “The Boogeyman” is centering the story around a family that genuinely seems to love each other, which ratchets up the tension. The film’s cast had a unique path to finding the chemistry before the cameras even rolled, taking two weeks to act
Sergio Calderón, a longtime actor who appeared in films including “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” and “Men in Black,” died Wednesday of pneumonia. He was 77. Calderón’s representative, Julie Smith, confirmed his death to the LA Times on Thursday. Calderón appeared in the 1997 film “Men in Black,” where he played the floating
While Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix and Jack Nicholson are the faces that pop into one’s head when the name “Joker” is said, no list of the best on-screen Jokers is complete without Mark Hamill. The “Star Wars” icon voiced the Batman villain on “Batman: The Animated Series,” which originally aired for 85 episodes on Fox
This is not 2008. That was the message sent on Thursday by the Writers Guild of America, which argues that the current strike — now a month old — will not end the way the last one did 15 years ago. In 2008, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers got a deal with
Glenn Farr, the Oscar-winning editor known for his work on “The Right Stuff” and “Commando,” has died. He was 77. Farr died on May 25 due to complications from a brain tumor, said his friend and fellow editor Janice Hampton. In 1984, Farr won the Academy Award for editing with Philip Kaufman’s “The Right Stuff,”
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences
Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City,” fresh from its triumphant world premiere at the Cannes fest, opens the 38th Guadalajara Film Festival (FICG) which touts new sections this year, including a branded series showcase and midnight screenings of Italian fright maestro Dario Argento’s horror films. Eva Longoria’s feature directorial debut, “Flamin’ Hot,” which had its West Coast
The fine line between being right and being righteous is at the center of Idan Haguel’s “Concerned Citizen.” The Tel Aviv-set film follows a young gay man living in a neighborhood that’s supposedly on the upswing who has to question whether his commitment to bettering this increasingly gentrified community is all that selfless — or
Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is officially rated R, Variety has confirmed with Universal Pictures. The film is Nolan’s first for the studio after his lengthy tenure at Warner Bros., where he directed tentpoles such as “Interstellar,” “Inception” and his Dark Knight trilogy. “Oppenheimer” will be Nolan’s first R-rated feature since 2002’s “Insomnia.” The director confirmed last
Dwayne Johnson is returning to the “Fast and Furious” universe with a new standalone film, reprising his franchise role as Luke Hobbs. Universal Pictures announced the project on Thursday. Longtime “Fast and Furious” collaborator Chris Morgan wrote the untitled film’s script. Plot details were not available, though individuals familiar with the deal said the new
After being greeted with a seven-minute standing ovation on opening night of the Cannes Film Festival, Johnny Depp’s comeback movie “Jeanne du Barry,” directed by Maiwenn, has charmed French audiences after debuting in cinemas. The costume drama, which stars Depp as the French King Louis XV and marks his first leading role in three years,
Back in April, James Gunn told me what he was looking for in the new Man of Steel for “Superman: Legacy.” “The next Superman has to be someone who has all the humanity that Superman has, but he’s also an alien,” he said. “It’s gotta be somebody who has the kindness and the compassion that
The Tribeca Festival has unveiled the jury members who will select winning projects in the film, immersive, games and audio storytelling sections for its 2023 edition. It’s a collection of directors, writers, actors, producers and cultural leaders that includes Oscar winner Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) and Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”).
Not even Tom Hanks loves every Tom Hanks movie. And he knows you don’t either. The two-time Oscar winner recently participated in a lengthy discussion with The New Yorker (via IndieWire) and got honest about the different factors that are at play when it comes to his experiences with his own movies. “Ok, let’s admit
Tallulah Willis, daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, has penned an emotional essay for Vogue in which she recounts her family coming to terms with Bruce’s dementia. The actor’s family announced in March 2022 that Willis has aphasia diagnosis, a language disorder caused by brain damage that affects a person’s ability to communicate, and
Nearly a year after he was fired from Disney by former CEO Bob Chapek, Peter Rice has set a film and TV production deal with A24, Variety has confirmed. It’s his first major move after he was ousted. A24, hot off a leading nine Oscar wins with “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “The Whale”
The colorful world of Michel Gondry, the Oscar-winning writer-director of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” is the subject of an upcoming feature documentary represented worldwide by Reservoir Docs. Directed by François Nemeta, “Michel Gondry: Do it Yourself” is an 80-minute documentary shedding light on Gondry’s “inventive and unusual creative process,” from his first video
Robert De Niro is going from Cannes to Tribeca, as the world-renowned actor prepares to kick off the 22nd edition of the film festival he co-founded in 2001 with Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff. It runs from June 7 to 18 across New York City. De Niro recently appeared at Cannes Film Festival for the
Chanel and the Tribeca Festival’s annual Artist Award Program dinner will take place June 12 in New Yor City. Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Paula Weinstein and Chanel host the festivities. Artists Ana Benaroya, Beverly Fishman, Christie Neptune, Lisa Lebofsky, Natia Lemay, Patricia Encarnacion, Renee Cox, Sheree Hovsepian, Shinique Smith, and Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz will honored.
AMC Theatres is mothballing its on-demand movie service — and moving users and their content libraries over to Vudu, the video rental and sell-through streaming platform owned by NBCUniversal’s Fandango. Starting Thursday, June 1, AMC Theatres On Demand users can transfer their accounts to Vudu, which now serves as the theater chain’s streaming platform. With