Movies

Bill Murray’s mysterious absence from Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City” didn’t go unnoticed this week after Focus Features boarded the project and revealed new details about the film. The actor — an Anderson regular who elevated movies such as “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” and “The Royal Tenenbaums” — was one of the first to

Oscar-winning production designer Dennis Gassner had one suggestion when working with brothers Anthony and Joe Russo on the set of their latest film, “The Gray Man,” out now in theaters: “Let’s do this like a James Bond film and ‘Blade Runner 2049,’ throw it in a blender and we’ll make it work.” The espionage thriller

Director Jordan Peele launched Michael Abels’ film composing career five years ago with “Get Out.” Now, for Peele’s “Nope,” the two-time Emmy nominee has written his most ambitious score to date. “It has all these different elements,” says Abels. “There’s the awe and wonder that the characters experience, but then there’s also the satire. The

As our driver approaches the Wiltern Theatre from a jam-packed stretch of Wilshire Boulevard, Nick Nuciforo, partner and head of comedy touring at UTA, keeps his eyes locked on the line snaking out from the theater’s front entrance. It’s an early May evening, cool and breezy, and the marquee pulsates with electric blue and red. The

Steven Spielberg is set to make his first ever appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival with the world premiere of “The Fabelmans.” The Oscar winner’s latest is billed as a “deeply personal portrait of 20th Century American childhood.” Spielberg based the film on his own early years and co-wrote the script with his “Lincoln,”

Ryan Gosling said on “The Tonight Show” that Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach’s “Barbie” screenplay is “the best script I’ve ever read,” but that’s not what made him finally agree to Gerwig’s offer to star in the movie as Ken. It turns out the universe gave Gosling a bit of a push, as the actor

A long-awaited Accessibility Scorecard for film events will be released on Friday, providing a tool that could enable filmmakers and other industry professionals to make festivals more accessible. In order to draw visibility to the inaccessibility of festivals and entertainment industry events, FWD-Doc has partnered with Film Event Accessibility Working Group (FEAW), led by Cassidy

Czech director-writer Beata Parkanová is in production with Czech-Slovak feature “Tiny Lights,” about a summer’s day in the life of six-year-old Amálka that captures a moment of transformation and loss, but also brings hope that she can turn this loss into the ability to observe and tell stories, Film New Europe reports. “Tiny Lights” is

“Nope” is not a coincidence; it’s a trend. Each of Jordan Peele’s three horror features are distinctive works with varying themes. With Universal Pictures’ “Nope,” he’s surely in store for the most polarizing reception of his career, as the film’s visuals and narrative beats will divide critics and audiences. In the land of the Oscars,

Jamie Lee Curtis kick-started a playful war with Marvel earlier this year after her acclaimed A24 multiverse drama “Everything Everywhere All at Once” opened in theaters at the same time as the MCU’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” The actor went wild on social media proclaiming her movie the superior multiverse project. “I

Jordan Peele’s “Nope” grossed a solid $6.4 million in Thursday previews as it looks to be the rare blockbuster with a brain to succeed at the summer box office. The plot of the science-fiction horror film has been shrouded in mystery, but reviewers have likened “Nope’s” supernatural elements to Steven Spielberg classics such as “Close

Utopia has acquired the North American rights to Amanda Kramer’s “Give Me Pity!” ahead of the musical comedy’s North American premiere at Fantasia Film Festival. “Give Me Pity!” follows a Saturday Night variety show host who slowly unravels on screen in what Kramer has called “an untamed and intimate portrayal of diva culture, female vanity,

“Hypochondriac” informs viewers right away that it is “based on a real breakdown,” which certainly provides a new wrinkle on the now-wildly-overused “true story” proviso. Nonetheless, clarity of hindsight is not a major virtue in this adventurous first feature by writer-director Addison Heimann. The offbeat indie drama features Zach Villa as a Los Angelean whose

Netflix has officially announced that it has boarded “Copenhagen Cowboy,” a poetic neon-noir series by Nicolas Winding Refn, the Danish filmmaker of the “Pusher” trilogy, “Drive” and “The Neon Demon.” “Copenhagen Cowboy” is a thrill-inducing series set in six episodes about a young heroine, Miu (Angela Bundalovic) who travels through Copenhagen’s criminal underworld. The six-episode

Boutique West Australia film festival, CinefestOZ announced its 2022 program featuring 270 film screenings and events. In its 15th edition, the six day destination film festival will be held from Aug. 23-28, 2022 across 35 locations in Western Australia’s South West, famous as a top wine producing region.  Veteran actor, Richard Roxburgh ( “Moulin Rouge,”

Shonka Dukureh, the singer and actor who portrayed Big Mama Thornton in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” was found dead in her Nashville, Tenn. apartment on Thursday, police confirmed. She was 44. According to a tweet from the Metro Nashville Police Department, no foul play is evident in Dukureh’s death. “Dukureh, a Fisk Univ graduate, was found

Bollywood star Ranveer Singh is holding nothing back in the new issue of Paper Magazine, where he graces the cover fully nude and tells off his haters with an explicit takedown. Singh is one of the biggest Bollywood stars in the world and has a social media following of well over 50 million. He’s made

The wolf pack is back. The first teaser for the upcoming film sequel to “Teen Wolf” was released at Comic-Con on Thursday, showcasing the return of the original show’s cast in the Paramount+ original movie. One of the biggest reveals of the trailer came in the final moments, when Crystal Reed’s character Allison returns from

Issa Rae’s Hoorae media company has expanded its ranks, hiring new executives Sarah Al-Qatou and Gaby McCormick, and announcing the promotion of Jax Clark. All three executives will report to Sara Rastogi, EVP of development and production at Hoorae. News of the executive expansion comes as Hoorae celebrates the launch of the HBO Max series

The official first trailer for “Oppenheimer” is debuting exclusively in movie theaters. The brief teaser is attached to showings of Jordan Peele’s “Nope,” which makes sense as both movies are backed by Universal Pictures. “Nope” screenings began as early as 4:30pm ET in New York City on Thursday, July 21. Nolan did a similar theatrical-only

“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” kicked off San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday as the first panel held at the massive Hall H, and it came with a fantastical trailer and slew of A-list stars. Chris Pine — donning chin-length blonde hair — Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Sophia Lillis and Hugh Grant took the stage

The 75th Annual DGA Awards, honoring the best directors in film and television, will take place Feb. 18 next year, the Directors Guild of America announced Thursday. The ceremony takes place three weeks ahead of the Oscars, which are set for March 12. In addition, the guild also announced the schedule for the voting and

Jessica Alba criticized Marvel movies in a recent interview with Glamour UK, saying the franchise remains far too dominated by white actors. Alba is a veteran of the comic book film genre, having starred as Sue Storm in “Fantastic Four” (2005) and “Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer” (2007). Diversity was almost non-existent in

The New Yorker has acquired Israeli documentary shorts “Holy Holocaust” and “Herd.” Jerusalem-based sales agent Go2Films has secured a worldwide digital distribution deal with the publication for the pair of award-winning films. “Holy Holocaust” is directed by Osi Wald and Noa Berman-Hertzberg, while “Herd” is helmed by Omer Daida. Both films are currently nominated for

Anthony McCarten, the Oscar-nominated writer of “The Darkest Hour” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” has sold the rights to “Going Zero” to Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. The novel is described as a high concept thriller. McCarten will then adapt and produce the novel for the screen. “Going Zero” certainly sounds of the moment. McCarten’s novel will

Actor and filmmaker George Clooney, seven-time Grammy Award winner Gladys Knight, best-selling rock band U2, contemporary Christian singer Amy Grant and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tania León will receive Kennedy Center Honors this year. The five honorees will be feted for their lifetime artistic achievements at the 45th annual ceremony, to be broadcast during the 2022-2023

In a move that will have subscribers lunging for the parental controls, Disney+ announced that “Deadpool,” “Deadpool 2” and “Logan” will be joining the streaming service. The very, very R-rated superhero flicks will make their debut on July 22, dramatically ratcheting up the amount of blood splatter and the number of f-bombs currently available on

Netflix veteran Todd Yellin, who has led the streamer’s product teams spanning functions from user interface to pricing, is leaving the company. Yellin, who has worked at the company for almost 17 years, will stay on at Netflix through September to help recruit his successor. The exec is credited with an array of developments, including

Fans at Comic-Con will Saturday get a fresh taste of Sony’s “Knights of the Zodiac,” a fantasy action film based on the popular Japanese “Saint Seiya” manga and anime series. Tomek Baginski directs a diverse cast headed by Famke Janssen and Sean Bean, as well as American-born Japanese sensation Mackenyu in the title role as

Newly named Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer is set to attend the upcoming Venice Film Festival along with other Academy senior leaders, in what is being touted as the first time an official AMPAS delegation makes the trek to the Lido. Kramer will attend the fest’s opening night on Aug.