Movies

The company formerly known as Blackhall Studios announced a new name and a new investor on Tuesday, as it pursues an ambitious construction agenda in Georgia, Los Angeles and the United Kingdom. The company — which was bought last year by Commonwealth Asset Management — will now go by Shadowbox Studios. The company’s new investor

Tyler Perry announced a donation for $500,000 to the Apollo Theater during the venue’s annual spring benefit gala on Monday. Perry made the announcement during his acceptance speech for the organization’s Impact Award. Perry was presented the award by Whoopi Goldberg. “My studio [in Georgia] was once a former Confederate-owned army base where there were

Is Comcast poised to make a big move? The cable and media giant has missed out on some snazzy acquisitions in recent years, failing to outmaneuver Disney to buy the bulk of 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets and falling just short of nabbing WarnerMedia. Losing out on the latter stunned Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and

Sorry, Comcast Xfinity customers: Your free access to the Peacock Premium streaming service is going to come to an end. Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal, said that making Peacock available to Comcast cable and broadband customers for no extra charge helped the fledgling streamer achieve traction after it launched in mid-2020, speaking Tuesday at the

Netflix has released the first trailer for “Persuasion,” the upcoming period film starring Dakota Johnson, based on the classic 1817 Jane Austen novel. Published after Austen’s death, “Persuasion” was the final completed work of the writer (who, as the trailer for the film reminds us, also penned “Emma” and “Pride & Prejudice”), and is considered

Nico Santos, from “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Superstore,” will star in Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” in an unspecified role. Stantos joins an already sprawling ensemble, including the returning cast Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Sylvester Stallone and Elizabeth Debicki, as

Brian Gersh has been named president of Network Entertainment USA. He brings three decades of experience in the entertainment industry, having worked as an executive, agent, manager, and producer, where he has greenlit scores of film and television projects around the world. Prior to his promotion, Gersh served as SVP at Network Entertainment USA. “Brian

Music Box Films has acquired North American rights to “Rodeo,” the bold feature debut of Lola Quivoron which premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes where it won the Coup de Cœur du Jury special prize. Produced by Charles Gillibert (“Annette”) at CG Cinema and represented by Les Films du Losange, “Rodeo” stars newcomer Julie

When left-wing coalition leader Gabriel Boric was elected to the Chilean premiership in 2021, he was 35 years old. When, a few months later, he was sworn in as the nation’s youngest-ever president — also the youngest state leader in the world — revered Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzmán was 80. “My Imaginary Country” is Guzmán’s

Hans Zimmer is starting to hint at his work on the score to “Dune: Part Two.” During awards season, director Denis Villeneuve would often joke how Zimmer would continue to send him music long after fellow Oscar-winner editor Joe Walker had finished working on the film. Said Villeneuve: “[Joe] didn’t hear from Hans for a

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions have acquired North American rights to “The Good House” from Amblin Partners, in association with Participant. The film will have its U.S. premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 18, with Roadside Attractions setting a wide release date for September 30 exclusively in theaters. The film, starring Sigourney Weaver and

Vivendi is on track to own a 57.35-percent stake in Lagardère, the French media, publishing and travel retail conglomerate, following a public tender offer which took place May 27 to June 9. If approved by the anti-trust board, Vivendi will also own 47.33% of the voting rights of Lagardère. As part of the IPO, which

Revolutionary U.S. producer Jason Blum, known for shepherding hit horror franchises such as “Paranormal Activity” and “The Purge,” and more recently the films “Whiplash,” “Get Out,” and Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” will be honored by the Locarno Film Festival with its Raimondo Rezzonico Prize for a producer who epitomizes the indie ethos. The prominent Swiss fest

Hajni Kis’ first feature “Wild Roots” (“Külön falka”) was named best feature film at the Hungarian Film Awards. Kis also won best first feature director and best screenplay with Fanni Szántó. Women were awarded in 12 categories at the awards, perhaps heralding the beginning of a new era in Hungarian filmmaking, Film New Europe reports.

“You’re not gonna like the way this story ends,” announces the teenage narrator of “Don’t Make Me Go” as the film opens, “but I think you’re gonna like the story.” The first half of that sentence is so accurate it complicates the second. The movie’s ending is misguided to the point of being perplexing rather

“Unicorn Wars” (Alberto Vázquez) Alberto Vázquez, the director of “Birdboy: The Forgotten Children,” a Gkids pickup for North America, delivers an apocalyptic anti-war parable narrating the ancestral war between teddy bears bigots and environmentalist unicorns with irreverent visual exuberance and moments of real horror. WIP’S “They Shot the Piano Player” (Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal) Trueba and

Fortified by top executive appointments, London-based Academy Award winning Passion Pictures is driving powerfully into long-form animation. It has already produced episodes of cult Netflix series “Love, Death & Robots” – “Life Hatch” and “Ice,” which scored three Emmy Awards – as well as Netflix’s “Headspace,” Disney’s “101 Dalmatian Street” and Nickelodeon’s “Lego City Adventures.”

Roc Espinet “I’m a big fan of 2D, keeping a handcrafted look and strong emotions, like in Ghibli movies. Having said that, I always want to complement it with a contemporary narrative concept and bold and crazy camera movements,” Catalan animator Espinet says. He’s a regular collaborator of Alberto Vázquez (“Unicorn Wars,” “Birdboy”) and has

Speaking on Monday at the 6th Women in Animation (WIA) Summit at the Annecy Animation Festival, Chris Mack, director, Grow Creative at Netflix, addressed issues of labor shortage and inclusivity in the animation industry. “Never before in the history of person kind have we told these many stories, or pumped these many dollars into entertaining the

Alberto Vázquez’s “Unicorn Wars” is an Annecy  competition frontrunner. “They Shot the Piano Player,” from Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal, weighs in as one of the festival’s most anticipated works in progress. A bevy of Annecy MIFA unveils and score of Spanish titles, sometimes sneak peeked at other events, form part of a historic growth on

Following the success of his dystopian coming-of-age tale “Birdboy,” Spanish illustrator Alberto Vázquez brings another graphic novel to the big screen with his highly anticipated second feature “Unicorn Wars.” The film takes place between two worlds: an unscrupulous and industrial bear Bootcamp, where foul-mouthed pastel warriors prepare for battle, and a serene enchanted forest where

Kinology (“Annette”) has closed a raft of deals on two highlights from its slate, “Argonuts,” an animated feature produced by TAT Productions, the banner behind “The Jungle Bunch,” and Emmanuel Mouret’s “Diary of a Fleeting Affair” which premiered at Cannes. A Pixar/Dreamworks-style family film, “Argonuts” is a comedy adventure set in a magical yet hostile

Every entry in the “Despicable Me” franchise is technically a Minions movie, since one way or another, the adorable yellow buggers manage to steal the show. But the fun thing about 2015’s stand-alone prequel was just that: It allowed the Minions to stand alone, pairing them with someone other than Gru for a change. Gru’s

During a storyteller conversation with Gayle King at Tribeca Film Festival, Tyler Perry spoke publicly for the first time about the moments after Will Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. Perry was seen speaking to Smith after the incident, but the actor-director-producer made it clear that he was “de-escalating” the situation, rather than

A new DC star is born. Lady Gaga is in early negotiations to join “Joker: Folie à Deux” as Joker’s partner-in-madness, Harley Quinn, for what would be a musical sequel to director Todd Phillips’ 2019 blockbuster. Speculation that Harley Quinn would appear in the movie first bubbled to the surface after Phillips posted the cover

Cheyenne Jackson is adding producer to his resume. The actor and singer has quietly launched a production company, Shiny Boy Entertainment, with his husband Jason Landau, the couple exclusively tells me. Their first project is “Brutal,” director Sam McConnell’s comedy short about a news anchor (Jackson) who acquires a leaked sex tape of a longtime

Chris Evans certainly has the market cornered on superheroes, voicing the iconic space ranger Buzz Lightyear shortly after hanging up (and handing over) his shield as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Captain America. At the world premiere of the Disney-Pixar animated movie on June 8, Evans admitted that taking on the voice role was “intimidating,” especially

HBO Max Latin America has unveiled a new take on the Dark Knight in the upcoming animation feature “Batman Azteca: Choque de Imperios” (“Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires”) in the first ever collaboration between Warner Bros. Animation, Particular Crowd, Mexico’s Anima and “Book of Life” producer Chatrone. The new project was announced Monday night at

Seasoned film and television animator Robert Valley is tackling a new project about the life of Billy Rose — a songwriter, Broadway producer and unwitting activist. “American Rose” will tell the roving true story of Rose, once married to comedian and multi-hyphenate Fanny Brice and producer of “Carmen Jones,” the first musical on Broadway to

If you happened to catch the new Adam Sandler film “Hustle” on Netflix over the weekend — as many did, judging by the fact it immediately shot to #1 on the streamer — you might have been intrigued by the actor starring opposite the comedy legend. Sandler plays a Philadelphia 76ers scout named Stanley Sugarman