Movies

As of Valentine’s Day 2023, Ben Affleck’s often-mocked comic book movie “Daredevil” is 20 years old. Yahoo Entertainment marked the occasion by sitting down with the 2003 comic book movie’s director, Mark Steven Johnson, who admitted that part of the movie’s failure came from his decision to over-cram the story. “Looking back on it, one

The African American Film Critics Association has set producer and comedian Roy Wood Jr. to host its 14th annual AAFCA Awards, set for March 1 at the Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills. Wood’s credits include “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” “Sullivan and Son” and “The Neutral Ground,” as well as his upcoming mini-series

Dermot Mulroney, Shane Paul McGhie and Kim Coates will be joining Tubi’s actioner “The Getback” alongside the previously-announced Theo Rossi (“Sons of Anarchy,” “Emily the Criminal,” “Luke Cage”). Rossi leads the film as Mal Cooper, a bounty hunter who must retrieve a con artist criminal accountant and keep him alive. Upon finding the criminal, the

A live-action adaptation of “How to Train Your Dragon” is soaring to theaters in 2025. Dean DeBlois, who wrote and directed the animated trilogy — 2010’s “How to Train Your Dragon,” 2014’s “How to Train Your Dragon 2” and 2019’s “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” — is returning to write and direct

The ninth annual Variety Artisans Awards celebrated the craftspeople behind Oscar-nominated films at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Monday. A crowd of movie lovers, local Academy members and students from the nearby University of Santa Barbara came to see the artisans discuss their processes and talk about the biggest misconception people have about

“Avatar: The Way of Water” introduces Jemaine Clement as Dr. Ian Garvin, a marine biologist working for the villainous Resources Development Administration. It turns out that role could’ve gone to none other than Marc Maron, had the actor and beloved podcast host’s audition not been completely “ridiculous.” Maron opened up on the “Happy Sad Confused”

Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon have authorized “Daytime Revolution,” a documentary about the week John Lennon and Ono co-hosted “The Mike Douglas Show” in early 1972, a few months after the release of their single “Happy Christmas (War Is Over).” The Shout! Studios, Creative Differences, and CBS Media Ventures feature docu uses archival footage from

CAA has signed director Saim Sadiq, who helmed “Joyland,” Pakistan’s official entry for the 95th Academy Awards, for representation. Sadiq was named one of Variety’s “10 Directors to Watch” for 2023 in recognition of the film, which marks his debut feature. “Joyland” made its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival — becoming the

Jonathan Majors’ career is about to enter a new level with the release of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” Majors stars as Kang the Conquerer, the new Thanos-sized villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe whose arc will extend all the way through at least 2025’s “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” But Majors revealed in a new

Disney has unveiled a new teaser for its live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid,” beckoning viewers to become part of Ariel’s world. The upcoming musical, directed by Rob Marshall, reimagines the original 1989 animated film with live actors. The new adaptation will once again see the mermaid Ariel fall for a human prince who lives

One of the great charms of the first two “Ant-Man” movies is how little they have to do with the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sure, Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang tussles with Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson in the 2015 original. And yeah, the introduction of the Quantum Realm in the 2018 sequel lays the groundwork for

Ahead of its world premiere screening as part of Berlinale’s Generation 14plus strand, Alief has swooped on global sales to Dominican director Victoria Linares Villegas’s second non-fiction feature, “Ramona,” and has provided Variety exclusive access to its first look trailer. After its Berlin run, “Ramona” is set for a North American bow at the True False Documentary

Charades has dropped the trailer for “Disco Boy,” the anticipated feature debut of Giacomo Abbruzzese, starring Franz Rogowski (“Passages”) which is competing at the Berlin Film Festival. The movie is produced by the rising French production company Films Grand Huit. Shot across two continents by Hélène Louvart (“Invisible Life,” “Happy as Lazzaro”), the movie boasts

Netflix Edward Berger“All Quiet on the Western Front” Before director and co-screenwriter Edward Berger’s 2022 version, Erich Maria Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” had never been adapted in its native German. The director thrilled at the opportunity to bring it to life for new audiences with a depiction of World War I that

Netflix is gearing up to release a documentary film about Pornhub, the controversial sex video platform that features user-uploaded content. “Money Shot: The Pornhub Story” will debut on Netflix worldwide on March 15, 2023. The documentary, from Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions, looks at the history of the internet’s most famous adult entertainment platform and the

Keanu Reeves is terrified when it comes to acting and deepfake technology. During a recent interview with Wired ahead of the release of “John Wick: Chapter 4,” Reeved railed against deepfake technology making its way into Hollywood. “The Matrix” and “John Wick” actor even confirmed that he has a clause in every one of his

Kino Lorber has bought U.S. rights to Jean-Paul Salomé’s true life thriller “The Sitting Duck,” starring Isabelle Huppert as the French union organizer and whistleblower Maureen Kearney. Represented in international markets by The Bureau Sales, “The Sitting Duck” world premiered at Venice where it won the Premio Fondazione FAI Persona Lavoro Ambiente Prize. The film

Films Boutique has closed a flurry of deals on “Subtraction,” Mani Haghighi’s Iranian noir thriller which world premiered at Toronto in the competition Platform section. The Berlin-based company has closed deals in France (Diaphana in association with Kinovista), Russia and CIS (A One), Canada (Films We Like), Ex-Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom), Middle East (Fron Row), Poland

Submarine Entertainment is launching sales at Berlin’s European Film Market on high-profile doc “Milano — The Inside Story of Italian Fashion,”  directed by John Maggio (“The Perfect Weapon”). Billed as the definitive story of the explosion of Italian fashion in the 1970s and 80s, as told by the insiders, the star-studded doc extensively features Giorgio

“Avatar 2: The Way of Water” star Jamie Flatters looks unrecognizable in stills from his upcoming indie feature “Black Dog,” revealed here exclusively by Variety. Shedding his blue CG ensemble, Flatters, who plays Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington’s eldest Na’avi son in James Cameron’s billion-dollar smash, reverts to type in “Black Dog” as a London

Hong Kong-based sales agency Golden Network Asia has amassed a large collection of advanced sales on upcoming Jackie Chan-starring film “Ride On.” The film, pitched as an action dramedy and one in which Chan pays homage to old-school stunt men, has recently been given an April 7 release date in mainland China. The date also

Angela Schanelec’s “Music,” which will have its world premiere on Feb. 21 in competition at the Berlinale, has debuted its trailer with Variety. The film, which stars Aliocha Schneider and Agathe Bonitzer, is freely inspired by the myth of Oedipus. International sales are handled by Shellac. Found at birth abandoned on a stormy night in

The European Film Market kicking off this week in Berlin could mark a return to a familiar, old-fashioned balance of power between buyers and sellers. And as the impact of the pandemic retreats, there is cautious optimism that activity levels may now be more sustainable and fairer. Certainly, leading film sales companies and local distributors

“Femme,” written and directed by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, has debuted a teaser and poster (below) ahead of its premiere Sunday in the Panorama section of the Berlin Film Festival. The film stars Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George MacKay. Anton is handling international sales. The film centers on Jules, whose life and career

Lady Gaga is putting on a happy face. Director Todd Phillips has shared a new look at “Joker: Folie à Deux,” posting an image depicting star Joaquin Phoenix in the arms of Gaga. “Happy Valentines Day,” reads Phillips’ brief caption on Instagram. The image marks the public’s first look at Gaga in the film. Gaga

Shannon Elizabeth became a teen movie icon with her breakthrough role in 1999’s “American Pie.” She played Nadia, the foreign exchange student from Czech Republic who Jason Biggs’ Jim wants to lose his virginity to before high school graduation. Elizabeth recently revealed on the “Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum” podcast (via The Independent) that

Richard J. Anobile, a noted author of film books and post production supervisor and producer, died Feb. 10 in Toronto after a brief illness. He was 76. Born in New York, Anobile wrote more than 30 film books. His started out with books about the Marx brothers, including “Why a Duck” in 1971, followed by

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen its fair share of memorable villains, from Josh Brolin’s Thanos to Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Cate Blanchett’s Hela. But according to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, no villain has gotten higher test screening scores than Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conquerer. Kang debuts in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which

“Championext”(“Campeonex”), the anticipated follow-up to Javier Fesser’s Spanish comedy triumph “Champions” (“Campeones”) which scooped Forqué, Goya, and Feroz awards for best picture and delighted audiences to the tune of a stellar €18.5 million ($21.4 million) box office grab, has been acquired for international sales by Latido Films (“The Beasts”).  Written by Fesser (“Camino”) and Athenea

Fans of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man are getting good news from Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who confirmed in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly that Holland’s fourth “Spider-Man” movie is now being written. Marvel had one of its biggest hits ever with Holland’s third-outing, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which became the first pandemic release