Movies

A24 has greenlit “F*cking Identical Twins,” an R-rated musical comedy that puts a subversive spin on “The Parent Trap.” Comedians Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp are adapting the film from their two-man stage show, which premiered at Manhattan’s Upright Citizens Brigade in 2014. In addition to writing the script, Jackson and Sharp will co-star as the

Elvis has entered the building. The first trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming biopic starring Austin Butler (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was released Thursday, and the resemblance is uncanny. The trailer also confirmed that the previously untitled Warner Bros. film will be called “Elvis.” The film explores

A biopic of Afeni Shakur — the late mother of rapper Tupac and a prominent member of the Black Panther party — is in the works from Amaru Entertainment and the Shakur Estate. Titled “Peace, Love & Respect; the Afeni Shakur/Panther 21 story,” actor/singer Jasmine Guy and writer/director Jamal Joseph — who was arrested as

The Locarno Film Festival’s Locarno Pro initiative dedicated to pics in post is set to look at German films that are in their final stage of production for its upcoming edition. The fest, located in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, in a statement said that the initiative, now in its tenth edition, will celebrate the

Adam McKay is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Feb. 17 — that is, if his demands can be met. “We’re negotiating because I want mine to be one giant star in the middle of the whole intersection and they’re kind of fighting us on it,” McKay says. “So

A beloved television powerhouse hailed for her keen comedic instincts on-screen as well as having a shrewd producer’s eye for nurturing behind-the-scenes projects and bolstering the talents of others — that’s the eternally iconic Lucille Ball in a nutshell. But it also aptly describes Amy Poehler, which may be why the true-life story of Ball

The most shocking snub of the Oscar noms was Denis Villeneuve’s omission from the best directing category for his science-fiction epic “Dune.” The film’s 10-nomination haul includes best picture and adapted screenplay, the latter perceived to be its most difficult to attain. Yet, Villeneuve’s lack of recognition for directing could rally widespread support from Academy

Perhaps you know the feeling, the strange tingle of vertigo you get when you’re having an entirely normal conversation with an acquaintance, and you suddenly realize that for seemingly no reason — and often about the most inconsequential things — they are lying to you. Jöns Jönsson’s “Axiom,” a standout in this year’s Berlinale Encounters

Fremantle and Italy’s Cinecittà have entered a five-year pact involving the continuous rental of six sound stages at the iconic studios, which are currently undergoing a major revamp. The deal “confirms Fremantle’s strategic decision to make some of its top international productions in Italy: a decision that finds the perfect and natural partner in Cinecittà,”

“The Novelist’s Film,” which Wednesday earned Korean director Hong Sang-soo the Grand Jury Prize in Berlin, has scored multiple rights deals. With Seoul-based Finecut handling the rights sales, the film was licensed to Ama Films for Greece and Cyprus, Mimosa Films for Japan, L’Atalante Cinema for Spain, Arizona Films Distribution for France and to The

Anyone who’s ever scoffed at a company referring to its employees as family will immediately hear alarm bells ringing when Zhanna (Lyudmila Vasilyeva), the matriarch who runs Produkty 24, tells her workers they aren’t just employees, they’re her children. It won’t take long for “Convenience Store” to justify that skepticism and then some: A highlight

In the entertainment industry, the name WetaFX is synonymous with high-end visual effects. CEO Prem Akkaraju wants to make the firm, founded by filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, a marquee name for original content as well. As he explains on the latest episode of Variety podcast “Strictly Business,” Akkaraju has helped reorganize the company’s

Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.” Matthew McConaughey hasn’t exactly shut the door on appearing in the third installment of Channing Tatum’s stripper franchise “Magic Mike.” But the actor, who appeared in the 2012 original (but said no to 2015’s “Magic Mike XXL”), is still waiting for his phone to ring about “Magic Mike’s

These days, Tom Holland is never too far from the top of box office charts. The “Spider-Man: No Way Home” actor is returning to theaters this weekend as a different kind of vigilante in Sony’s “Uncharted,” an action adventure based on the popular video game. The film is expected to make $27 million between Friday

Any comic book movie fan hoping Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” would be the first Caped Crusader film with an R rating was surely disappointed when Warner Bros. confirmed Jan. 12 the film is rated PG-13 for “strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language and some suggestive material.” Rumors circulated for months about an

“You are not here for a cure,” the founder of a 26-day sexual therapy retreat tells the small group of women enrolled in her program at the outset of “That Kind of Summer.” Laying out the ground rules for the sensitive self-awareness exercise that follows — a loosely structured hiatus from unhealthy temptations, designed for

Colombian-Canadian director Lina Rodríguez’s third feature, “My Two Voices”,  a 68 min documentary that through its short runtime  artfully orchestrates a polyphony of emotions, colors, textures and voices in its portrayal of three immigrant women. Produced by Canada’s Rayon Verde, the same production company behind her previous film “This Time Tomorrow,” Rodríguez’s meticulous approach interweaves

David Duchovny (“Californication”) and Ron Livingston (“A Million Little Things”) round out the cast of Signature Films’ inheritance battle comedy “The Estate.” The actors join a star-studded cast that includes leads Toni Collette and Anna Faris, alongside Kathleen Turner, Rosemary DeWitt and Keyla Monterroso. Production is currently underway in New Orleans. Directed by Dean Craig,

Miami-based FiGa Films has announced a flurry of sales and acquisition activity during the EFM. Among its stellar pics is ‘Nudo Mixteco,” the first indigenous film it has handled, which HBO Max has picked up for the U.S., to bow in May. Uruguayan doc, “Straight to VHS,” winner of the prestigious critics award, the Fipresci, at

Forbes Entertainment and Entertainment One have partnered to produce multiple projects based on the alleged bitcoin laundering operation of Heather Morgan and Ilya Lichtenstein, the companies announced Wednesday. As reported by The New York Times, Morgan and Lichtenstein were arrested on Feb. 8 under charges relating to a 2016 hack of the Bitcoin virtual currency

The Berlin Film Festival’s awards ceremony is under way, with M. Night Shyamalan’s jury soon to announce their selections from the festival’s official competition. Follow here for an updating list of the night’s winners below. DOCUMENTARY JURY AWARDS Berlinale Documentary Award: “Myanmar Diaries,” The Myanmar Film Collective Special Mention: “No U-Turn,” Ike Nnaebue GWFF JURY AWARD Best

Having long been mired in a writer’s block that she fears might be terminal, celebrated novelist Junhee decides the solution is to try another medium altogether, and sets out make a film. She has an actor, and a cinematographer, but no clear idea of what her film should be about — and that’s okay, she

The 27th Critics Choice Awards are going global. The Critics Choice Association announced Wednesday morning that its upcoming awards ceremony’s telecast will unfold with broadcasts from events in both London and Los Angeles. “The role of the Critics Choice Awards in the entertainment world has grown exponentially over the past quarter century,” Joey Berlin, CEO

Tom Holland is no stranger to stunt-work, with six movies as the Marvel hero Spider-Man under his belt. And now, there’s “Uncharted.” He plays young treasure hunter Nathan Drake in Sony’s feature film adaptation of the PlayStation video game series of the same name. The actor spent his time on set getting hit by cars

WarnerMedia has partnered with Black Beauty Roster and its network of 10,000 vetted beauty professionals in an effort to advance diversity in hair and makeup on set. Through the new relationship, WarnerMedia and Black Beauty Roster (BBR) aim to address a problem that is twofold — first, addressing the concerns of talent of color who’ve

Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios and David Oyelowo’s Yoruba Saxon have partnered with Netflix to produce the film adaptation of “Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun.” Based on the upcoming book by British-Nigerian author, journalist and hair care educator Tọlá Okogwu, “Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun” tells the tale of a teenager who

Uzbekistan-born Michael Borodin makes a searing feature debut with the Russia-Turkey-Slovenia co-production “Convenience Store,” a story of modern slavery in Moscow, taking places under the noses of thousands of indifferent witnesses. Demonstrating his interest in pressing social issues, Borodin’s Berlinale Panorama selection was inspired by his personal experience as an illegal immigrant to Russia and

The newly merged broadcaster TelevisaUnivision and Salma Hayek Pinault’s Ventanarosa Productions have forged a two year first-look pact in which the latter will produce Spanish-language films exclusively for TelevisaUnivision’s upcoming SVOD streaming service, ViX Plus. The first project under the deal is romantic fantasy pic “Quiero tu Vida” (“I Want Your Life”), which follows Nico,

After spending more than a decade in development and rotating through multiple directors, Sony’s “Uncharted” movie, based on the popular PlayStation video-game series, is finally set to hit the big screen on Feb. 18, much to the delight of gamers everywhere. For the film’s crew, the challenge was to keep key aspects of the movie

All great actresses of a certain age should get to anchor as many starring vehicles as the indefatigable Isabelle Huppert. Her prolific output and enduring marquee-name status are testament to French cinema’s continued interest in women past the age where Hollywood mostly confines them to secondary mom roles. But that doesn’t mean every project is