Movies

Will Ferrell brought out an adorable fluffy friend named Sophie to hawk his very R-rated new comedy, “Strays,” at CinemaCon on Wednesday. The comic actor and the border terrier teamed up to portray Reggie, a dog who is abandoned by his deadbeat owner (Will Forte). But Ferrell made it clear who has top billing. “My

New Filmmakers Los Angeles has unveiled the nominees and jury for its 11th annual awards that celebrate the work of independent filmmakers around the world. The kudos cover 16 award categories as well as an overall best new filmmaker prize. New Filmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) is a nonprofit organization that focuses on nurturing up-and-coming talent

Christopher Nolan took the stage at CinemaCon on Wednesday to unveil dramatic new footage from “Oppenheimer,” his sweeping look at the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American theoretical physicist who helped create the atomic bomb. Nolan, who has been a big advocate for the big screen and a critic of streaming, took the stage

For 50 years, it’s been a safe place for storytellers – musicians, animators, directors, writers, artists of all kinds – to learn, grow and thrive. As CalArts celebrates its golden anniversary, it also faces the future head-on.  Broad trustee emeritus Tim Disney, whose great-grandfather, Walt Disney, laid the foundation for what is now a world-class arts school,

Harrison Ford is returning to the “Indiana Jones” franchise in the upcoming “Dial of Destiny,” marking a return to the character he’s now played for 42 years. It’s been 44 years since Sigourney Weaver first played Ellen Ripley in Ridley Scott’s “Alien,” but don’t expect her to pull a Ford/”Dial of Destiny” and return to

“Shazam: Fury of the Gods” actor Adam Brody said on Wednesday that Hollywood “has been due for a reckoning in terms of our depictions of gun use and violence.” Brody was joined by two dozen Hollywood actors, directors, creators and showrunners as a part of Brady’s “Show Your Safety” campaign taking part in a roundtable

A group of Ukrainian filmmakers have won the top industry award at Swiss international documentary film festival Visions du Réel with their project “The Days I Would Like to Forget,” divided into three chapters, each of which will explore a different phenomenon of war. Filmmakers Alina Gorlova (“No Obvious Signs,” “This Rain Will Never Stop”),

Armen Nahapetian wants the world to know: “I’m not AI.” The 16-year-old actor is gaining notice, but not only for playing a teenage version of Joaquin Phoenix’s titular worrywart in Ari Aster’s epic dark comedy “Beau Is Afraid.” He added the disclaimer to his Instagram bio because people keep thinking he’s not a real person,

Searchlight Pictures has released the trailer for Taika Waititi’s upcoming sports comedy-drama film, “Next Goal Wins.” Based on directors Mike Brett and Steve Jamison’s 2014 documentary of the same name, “Next Goal Wins” follows the true story of unorthodox coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) as he attempts to turn the American Samoa national soccer team

Since joining the American Film Institute faculty as dean and executive vice president in July 2019, Susan Ruskin has kept a steady eye on what lay next in the field of film school education. Ruskin, Variety Entertainment Educator of the Year, discusses why TV and film are more alike than different, what advances in technology

Michael Shannon revealed on the “Bingeworthy” podcast that he was hesitant to reprise the role of his “Man of Steel” villain General Zod in “The Flash” due to Zack Snyder’s contentious exit from Warner Bros. Snyder directed Shannon as Zod in the 2013 Superman movie, which launched Snyder’s DC Universe. The director expanded his universe

Pour one out for the poor unfortunate souls who aren’t at CinemaCon. Attendees of the annual exhibition trade show were treated to the first-ever glimpse of Melissa McCarthy as Ursula in Disney’s upcoming “The Little Mermaid” remake, including a show-stopping rendition of the character’s signature number, “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” McCarthy didn’t perform live, but she

Chris Pine has been cast in “Wish,” Walt Disney’s upcoming animated musical. He joins an ensemble that includes Oscar winner Ariana DeBose and Alan Tudyk. News that the “Star Trek” star will add his dulcet tones to the family film came at CinemaCon. Pine most recently appeared in “Don’t Worry Darling” and “Dungeons & Dragons:

In a tech-savvy world saturated with filmmaking apps, does film school continue to hold value for aspiring writers, directors and producers? The answer is yes. From sprawling suburban campuses to big city locales, each of these programs offers cutting-edge courses and a roster of prestigious instructors that will lead budding filmmakers on a track toward

Bleecker Street has acquired the North American rights to “Jules” from director Marc Turtletaub (“Puzzle”) and starring Ben Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris, Zoe Winters, Jade Quon and Jane Curtin. Written by Gavin Steckler (“Review”), “Jules” made its world premiere at this year’s Sonoma International Film Festival where it was the opening night film and won

Legendary Entertainment has won the movie rights to Grady Hendrix’s runaway bestseller “How to Sell a Haunted House.” The studio behind “Dune” took the novel over several bids. The book received critical acclaim and an instant following thanks to its dynamic storytelling — pulling off genuine fright with its evil puppet antagonist, and a deeply

Joel Kinnaman is set to lead the alien abduction thriller “They Found Us,” from director Neill Blomkamp, for AGC Studios. AGC fully financed the project, and will launch sales via AGC International in Cannes next month. UTA Independent Film Group is co-repping U.S. rights. “They Found Us” is based on an original screenplay by Jeremy

Steven Spielberg has seen “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” the fifth installment in the long-running adventure franchise and, notably, the first entry not to be directed by Spielberg himself. “The Wolverine” and “Ford v Ferrari” director James Mangold took over filmmaking duties on “Dial of Destiny.” Anyone worried a Spielberg-less “Indiana Jones” movie

Films Boutique, the Berlin-based company behind “Pacifiction” and “The Burdened,” has come on board three international movies slated for the Cannes Film Festival. These include a pair of films set for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, “Terrestrial Verses” and “The Buriti Flower,” as well as “Tiger Stripes” which will bow at Critics’ Week. “Terrestrial Verses,” directed

London-based Sideways Film has taken world sales on British director Carey Born’s “Cyborg: A Documentary” about a man who was born color blind and has an antenna embedded in his head to help contend with this condition. Filmed in the U.K., Spain, Denmark, Australia and across the U.S. in New York, Los Angeles, San Jose and

Wattpad Webtoon Studios, the entertainment arm of the user-generated fiction and comics entertainment outfit, and Italy’s Leone Film Group have announced two new adaptations based on hit young-adult Wattpad novels. Taiwan-based author Ann Rae’s romantic mystery “The Locker Exchange,” which is set in a U.S. high school and has over 26 million reads globally on the

A galaxy of senior Indian content creators shared their insights on burning topics dominating the local landscape. They were speaking at at Indiantelevision.com’s annual industry event, The Content Hub, in Mumbai on Tuesday. At the Content Creation: No More Formulas panel, Shobha Sant, head of content alliances at Jio Studios, broke down the process behind the selection

Dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s travel ban has suddenly been lifted after 14 years, allowing the acclaimed auteur and his wife Tahereh Saeedi to reportedly leave Iran for an undisclosed location. Saeedi on Tuesday night posted a picture on Instagram showing her arriving with her husband at an undisclosed airport. It is captioned: “After 14

Berlin sales agency M-Appeal has come on board to handle world sales for “Let Me Go” (“Laissez-Moi”), the debut feature by Swiss director Maxime Rappaz, which will world premiere as the opening film of the Cannes ACID sidebar. Set in a Swiss mountain village, “Let Me Go” follows Claudine, a dedicated mother whose life revolves

American director Daniel McCabe and his team have opened up to Variety about the making of “Grasshopper Republic” at Swiss international documentary film fest Visions du Réel, where the pic is nominated in the main competition. Based on a book of photographs by Michele Sibiloni, a photographer and long-time friend of McCabe, who co-shot the

Red Zed Films and October Films’ documentary “My Name Is Happy” will have a limited U.K. theatrical run from May 21. Directed by Ayse Toprak (“Mr Gay Syria) and Emmy and BAFTA nominated Nick Read (“Bolshoi Babylon”), the film follows Mutlu Kaya, a Kurdish woman and promising singer from southeastern Turkey whose dreams were about

In college one night, I got very stoned and read T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland.” I was gripped by it, and felt I understood it — a feat I’ve never come close to accomplishing since. Yet I don’t think I was under some delusion about having glimpsed the poem’s essence. Eliot was a mystic doomsayer whose

The Scarlet Speedster has crashed CinemaCon. “The Flash,” the DC Comics superhero adventure starring Ezra Miller, played to a mostly enthusiastic audience at the annual convention of movie theater owners in Las Vegas on Tuesday evening. In the lead-up to the debut, executives at Warner Bros. and DC touted “The Flash” as “one of the

SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot points for “Beau Is Afraid,” currently playing in theaters. In the final act of Ari Aster’s three-hour anxiety trip “Beau Is Afraid,” Beau, played by Joaquin Phoenix, arrives very late for his mother’s funeral and finds himself reunited with his childhood love Elaine, played by Parker Posey. It’s

Longtime film distribution executive Kevin Wilson has been named head of theatrical distribution for Amazon Studios and MGM. News of Wilson’s promotion was shared in a memo to staff from Courtenay Valenti, Amazon Studios and MGM’s head of film, streaming and theatrical. “We are at a very dynamic and exciting time now that the integration