Movies

Horror maestros Jason Blum and James Wan are in advanced talks to merge their companies, Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster, into a mega house of chills and thrills. Blumhouse, known for its low-budget approach to terror, is currently under a first look deal with Universal, which would extend to Atomic Monster as long as the

Bill Treusch, an esteemed New York-based talent manager, died at the age of 80 following a long illness on Tuesday in New York City. Through Treusch’s career, he was instrumental in finding and guiding the careers of Sissy Spacek, Richard Jenkins, Melissa Leo, Christopher Walken, Tom Hulce, Diane Keaton, Eric Roberts, Tom Berenger, Peter Weller,

John Leguizamo is a bit critical of Universal and Illumination’s upcoming animated film “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which stars Chris Pratt and Charlie Day as Mario and Luigi, respectively. Leguizamo, who brought Luigi to life opposite Bob Hoskins’ Mario in 1993’s live-action “Super Mario Bros.,” told IndieWire the new film went “backwards” by having

A documentary about “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died in October 2021 after a prop gun held by Alec Baldwin went off during the film’s production, is in the works from Story Syndicate. The feature-length doc, which will explore Hutchins’ life and work, has been fully authorized by her husband, Matt Hutchins. Rachel Mason, who

Cailee Spaeny, whose credits include HBO Max’s drama “Mare of Easttown” and “Pacific Rim Uprising,” is in talks to star in the next “Alien” movie at 20th Century Studios. Director Fede Alvarez, best known for “Don’t Breathe” and 2013’s “Evil Dead” remake, also wrote the screenplay, which reboots the science-fiction horror franchise. It’s the seventh “Alien” movie

Lily-Rose Depp said in a new Elle magazine profile that she has avoided weighing in on the controversies surrounding her father, Johnny Depp, because she refuses to be defined by the men in her life. Johnny Depp spent several months this year in a court trail against Amber Heard, testimonies from which detailed his alleged

MARRAKECH  —   Netflix has been a welcome addition to the West Asia and North Africa region, boosting audience interest in independent films. What’s more, it has added momentum to a renewed interest in local voices, thanks to new content created by a generation of free-thinking filmmakers, liberated by the Arab Spring. That was the consensus opinion at the

Few other figures are so associated in an executive role with the Marrakech Film Festival from its very birth to robust strength two decades later than Faïçal Laraïchi.  Under his stewardship in various roles, the Festival has grown from an event which dazzled with its ability to attract the big names of New Hollywood and

In “Alma Viva,” Portugal’s Oscar entry which is currently screening in main competition at the Marrakech Film Festival, it’s Summer, time for Salomé to visit her beloved grandma Avo in North East Portugal.  Ever since they moved to France with her mom, she comes back every year. Avo is revered in the village, but also

“Streets of Rage,” a popular beat ’em up video game that first hit the scene in the 1990s, is getting the big screen treatment. Lionsgate has landed the motion picture rights to the Sega game and has enlisted Derek Kolstad, no stranger to the world of broken bones and crushed ribs from his stint writing

Colin Farrell will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor for his performance in “The Banshees of Inisherin” at the Palm Springs International Film Awards. “Colin Farrell reunites with Brendan Gleeson and director Martin McDonagh in the masterful comedy ‘The Banshees of Inisherin.’ Farrell gives a memorable performance as Pádraic, a sweet-souled Irish farmer trying

The Gotham Film & Media Institute announced that late filmmaker, activist and Academy Award-winning actor Sidney Poitier will receive the Icon Tribute posthumously during the 32nd annual Gotham Awards ceremony on Monday, November 28 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. The announcement of this year’s Icon Tribute follows the release of critically-acclaimed documentary

Brendan Fraser is a frontrunner to land an Oscar nomination for best actor thanks to his acclaimed performance in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale.” But you rarely get to an Oscar nomination without stops at other major precursory awards first, including the Golden Globes, which will be back in full force on NBC in 2023. Fraser

Rafiki Fariala, whose doc ‘We Students!’ became this year the first feature from the Central African Republic to play at the Berlinale, has unveiled at Marrakech’s Atlas Workshop his follow-up, the refugee-themed “Congo Boy.” Exemplifying the nascent trend towards pan-regional partnerships in Sub-Saharan Africa, “Congo Boy” is lead produced by Vicky Nelson Wackoro at CAR’s

“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” a $200 million-budgeted sequel in the “Harry Potter” spinoff series, is an anomaly in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. With just $405 million at the global box office, it’s the first film in the blockbuster franchise — out of 11 — to just barely break even in its theatrical run.

Algeria’s first animation feature “Khamsa – The Well of Oblivion” by Khaled Chiheb (AKA Vynom), the tale of an amnesiac boy navigating in a strange land, will have its Middle East premiere at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival as part of the fest’s newly introduced New Vision section. Produced by Algeria’s D-Click Production, the

Spain’s Inopia Films has boarded Michal Blaško’s “Victim,” Slovakia’s Oscar submission heading to Cairo Film Festival after previous showings at Venice and Toronto. Berlin-based Pluto Film is handling sales. The film has already secured theatrical distribution in its co-production territories, Czech and Slovak Republic (Bonton) and Germany (Rapid Eye Movies). “We are currently concentrating on

The U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service has said that actor Kevin Spacey will be charged with a further seven sexual offenses. The new charges span three offenses of indecent assault, three offenses of sexual assault and one offense of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. They are all in relation to one

MAD Solutions has acquired rights for Arab territories to three films that celebrated their premieres this year at the Cannes and Venice film festivals. The deals include Fyzal Boulifa’s “The Damned Don’t Cry,” which bowed in the Venice Days sidebar at the Italian fest and will have its Middle East and North Africa premiere at

Gianfranco Rosi’s documentaries tend to plant a camera in challenging passages of everyday life that otherwise go largely unrecorded: the Middle Eastern war zones of “Notturno,” the island standoff between villagers and refugees in “Fire at Sea,” the highway-side working-class apartments of “Sacro GRA.” “In Viaggio,” however, sees him turn his gaze toward the opposite

While “Strange World” explores a fantastical environment full of mysterious creatures and flora, including flying fish and walking rock columns, the action-adventure film also includes a first for Walt Disney Animation Studios: a gay teen romance. The animated feature introduces viewers to Ethan Clade, a biracial, openly gay teenager who gets completely tongue-tied when he’s

Harvey Weinstein’s attorneys took out a binder of emails when questioning Jennifer Siebel Newsom regarding her testimony about being sexually assaulted by the fallen movie producer. The First Partner of California is a key witness in Weinstein’s Los Angeles trial, having accused Weinstein of rape. Throughout contentious and combative cross-examination, Weinstein’s attorney, Mark Werksman, spent

Steven Spielberg gave Ke Huy Quan his first movie role at 13 years old when he got cast as Short Round opposite Harrison Ford in 1984’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” Flash forward 38 years and Spielberg is still sending Quan a Christmas gift every holiday season. Quan, who is currently making the

Friends that pretend to save the world together also roast the hell out of each other. During a visit on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” Chris Hemsworth revealed that the six original actors from Marvel’s “The Avengers” used their group text chat to roast Chris Evans for his recent People magazine cover declaring him the “sexiest man

In October of 2021, Amazon Studios announced it was acquiring Trevor Beck Frost and Melissa Lesh’s “Wildcat” for a price nearing $20 million, a staggering sum for a doc of its kind. Produced by 30WEST (“Tiger King,” “Flee”), the film tells the story of former British soldier Harry Turner and conservationist Samantha Wicker, who help

It starts with elephant feces and ends with a random clip from “Avatar.” That narrative leap, one lubricated with scatology and film history, sums up the bulky 188-minute “Babylon” after its first initial, somewhat puzzling screening at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills on Monday evening.   Chazelle’s film is the one of the last

Disney is returning to Genovia for a third “Princess Diaries” movie. It’s not clear whether Anne Hathaway will reprise her role as the down-to-earth royal Mia Thermopolis in the new installment, which is being written by Aadrita Mukerji (“Reacher,” “Supergirl”). However, Hathaway recently expressed her interest in returning — with her on-screen grandmother Julie Andrews,

“To me, it’s pure joy,” says Czech filmmaker Filip Remunda (“Czech Dream,” “Steam on the River”) of shooting his latest project, “Love Exposed,” which he presented as part of the prestigious IDFA Forum this week. This is Remunda’s first time back at IDFA in 14 years. “Czech Dream,” his breakout film, was screened at the

Harvey Weinstein will face fewer charges in his current Los Angeles trial with the prosecution announcing that they are not proceeding with a key victim, Jane Doe #5. Weinstein now faces seven counts that stem from four women, rather than five Jane Does. Initially, he was facing 11 charges and maximum of 140 years in

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. There’s an old joke about Los Angeles that says the only way you know the holidays are approaching is when the Starbucks cups turn from white to red. But we in show business (and