Movies

In 1999, there was a film released about a child who sees ghosts that was a massive hit. Five weeks after it came out, “Stir of Echoes” was released. “There’s no way that ‘The Sixth Sense’ wasn’t going to be a massive hit,” remembers Kevin Bacon. “Both myself and [writer-director David Koepp] — and probably

After the viral Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest held in New York City in October, several other contests began to pop up across the globe, from a Harry Styles one in London to a Paul Mescal one in Dublin. Oscar-nominated actor Dev Patel got his very own lookalike competition in San Francisco in November in an

Austin Butler is set to star in Luca Guadagnino‘s new interpretation of the book “American Psycho” by Bret Easton Ellis for Lionsgate. While there had been rumors that Jacob Elordi was being eyed to play Patrick Bateman, that casting didn’t come to pass. Elordi and Butler have something in common, having both played very different versions

“Chasing Chasing Amy” filmmaker Sav Rodgers has signed with Sandstone Artists for management representation. Rodgers enters the partnership as he looks to expand into scripted content while continuing his documentary work. “Chasing Chasing Amy” explores the complex legacy of Kevin Smith‘s 1997 cult classic movie “Chasing Amy” on LGBTQ+ people and its life-saving impact on Rodgers, who made his

The stunning fall of the Syrian government early Sunday — a bloodless coup by Islamist rebels that ended the brutal 50-year rule of the Bashar Assad regime — has been reverberating across the global film community. There’s widespread elation among displaced Syrian filmmakers, but also fear about what the future holds. All are happy that Assad is gone. But

Paris prosecutors have requested a five-year prison sentence for filmmaker Christophe Ruggia over sexual assault charges involving actor Adele Haenel when she was a minor, Le Monde reports. Haenel is the star of the Cannes prize-winning film “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and “BPM.” The sentence, requested on Tuesday, includes two years under house

Netflix has unveiled that its documentary on one man’s quest for immortality, “Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever,” debuts on the streamer New Year’s Day 2025. According to the official synopsis, the film explores the question, “How far would you go to live forever – or even just slow down the aging

A long-overdue shake-up is coming to Hollywood’s most celebrated night. For the first time in history, the Oscars will be streamed on Hulu and aired live on ABC, making the ceremony more accessible than ever. The potential game changer, announced jointly by ABC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, indicates a significant

British exhibition giant Cineworld is closing a total of 11 theaters across the U.K. as part of a completed restructuring plan aimed at stabilizing the chain’s operations heading into 2025. Five locations – Glasgow Parkhead, Bedford, Loughborough, Yate and Swindon Regent Circus – were shuttered following the plan’s July announcement. Six additional sites in Castleford,

“Quantum of Solace” star Gemma Arterton has weighed in on the prospect of a female James Bond, suggesting that such a change might not align with the franchise’s tradition. “Isn’t a female James Bond like Mary Poppins being played by a man?” the actor told The Times. “They talk about it, but I think people

Emma Roberts thriller “Fourth Wall” is set to start shooting early next year in Saudi Arabia’s brand new AlUla Studios. The previously announced film is written by Jerry Kontogiorgis and produced by Greg Silverman and Grant Torre of Hollywood indie Stampede Ventures. It will be the first feature by U.S. director Alexis Ostrander, who has

Marisa Tomei, who is attending the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia this week, is looking for film and stage roles that address the themes confronting women in the post #MeToo era, she tells Variety. Tomei, who won the 1993 Oscar for best actress in a supporting role for “My Cousin Vinny” and received

Saudi powerhouse MBC Studios has inked a partnership deal with best-selling Saudi author Osamah Almuslim under which his novel “Jahim Al-Abirin” (“Travellers’ Hell”) will be made into a high-end horror film for the theatrical market helmed by rising director Hana Al-Omair. Hana Al Omair, who directed Netflix’s first Saudi original series “Whispers,” joined MBC earlier this year

The jury for European Shooting Stars, the program that promotes rising actors from Europe, has revealed its 2025 lineup. Shooting Stars from previous editions have included Riz Ahmed,  Leonie Benesch, George MacKay, Carey Mulligan, Alba Rohrwacher, Bill Skarsgård, Alicia Vikander and Maisie Williams. The actors will be presented to the international press, film industry and

Acclaimed Afghan filmmaker Siddiq Barmak has joined Kazakhstan‘s Oscar hopeful “Bauryna Salu” as executive producer. The film, directed by Askhat Kuchinchirekov, is Kazakhstan’s submission for the international feature category at the Academy Awards. “Bauryna Salu” follows a traditional Kazakh custom where firstborn children are raised by their grandparents rather than biological parents. The story centers

Back in June 2019, J.J. Abrams struck a massive overall deal that would keep him in the fold of Warner Bros., his home studio since 2006. The five-year pact, pegged at $500 million at the time, had a unique structure that allowed Abrams to draw from a significant pool of money to sign other writers

Sci-fi epic “Kalki 2898 AD” and Netflix’s period drama series “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar” secured the top spots on IMDb‘s Most Popular Indian Movies and Web Series lists for 2024, respectively. The rankings, based on page views from IMDb’s 250 million monthly visitors, showcase the expanding reach of Indian content across genres and languages. The

CJ 4DPLEX is ramping up its presence in the Asia-Pacific region through strategic partnerships with major exhibitors Event Cinemas in Australia and Showtime Cinemas in Taiwan. The cinema technology company, headquartered in Seoul with international offices in Los Angeles and Beijing, is part of the CJ Group conglomerate that includes CJ CGV, the world’s fifth-largest

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual

Martha Luttrell, a talent agent who represented a notable array of directors, actors, writers and musicians, died on Dec. 9 in Calabasas, Calif. She was 80. Luttrell’s death was confirmed to Variety by her friend Holly Goldberg Sloan, with the cause being pancreatic cancer. As a one-time representative for directors Martin Campbell, Paul Weiland, Mick

Ariana Grande really wants to get to know Selena Gomez more. So much so that she asked to sit with the “Emilia Pérez” star at the Academy Women’s Luncheon on Tuesday at the Academy Museum. “I respect her so much, and I’ve always adored her,” the “Wicked” star told me. “I was really happy for

“Zurawski v Texas,” a reproductive rights documentary which unfolds like a legal thriller, has found a streaming home in indie service Jolt. The nonfiction work is currently available to stream on the platform following an acclaimed festival run and awards-qualifying release. It boasts star power courtesy of Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, Hillary Clinton and Chelsea

On the day that “Happy Gilmore 2” wrapped principal photography, Adam Sandler called in to “The Dan Patrick Show” to discuss the comedy sequel, dishing on some cameos for the film and teasing a potential release date for the Netflix production. “They’re going to yell at me no matter what, because they asked me to

Jim Carrey said in April 2022 that he was likely retiring from acting after reprising the evil Dr. Robotnik in “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” which opened in theaters the same month. It was Carrey’s second time playing the video game villain. He first starred as Robotnik in 2020’s “Sonic the Hedgehog,” which marked Carrey first

“Kraven the Hunter” could get declawed in its big screen debut. The comic book spinoff, set in Sony’s universe of Marvel characters, is targeting a paltry $13 million to $15 million from 3,200 theaters its opening weekend. Based on projections, “Kraven the Hunter” could contend with February’s misfire “Madame Web” ($15.3 million debut) for the

Two members of the Animation Guild negotiating committee said Tuesday that they will vote against ratifying a new contract because it lacks enough protections against artificial intelligence. Mike Rianda, the director of “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” said on Instagram that the AI terms in the deal are “far from what we were going for,”

“Eno” was already a groundbreaking documentary, as the first non-fiction feature film to screen in a different randomly-generated version each showing. But since its January premiere at Sundance, the documentary about the music and creative process of Brian Eno has only been available to screen at special roadshow theatrical engagements — from which it has

Angel Studios is set to produce and distribute “Fablehaven,” a film adaptation of Brandon Mull’s New York Times best-selling fantasy book series. “Fablehaven” is in the early stages of pre-production and is preparing to shoot in late summer of 2025. Angel Studios reached an agreement with Haven Films, partnering to begin development of the motion

National Cinema Day, an annual event in which movie theater tickets are heavily discounted, is returning in 2025 with a new title and expanded programming that won’t confine the affordable festivities to one day. Retitled “@ the Movies,” the initiative — hosted by The Cinema Foundation, the non-profit branch of the National Association of Theatre

Yes, Timothée Chalamet pre-recorded his vocals to play Bob Dylan in James Mangold‘s “A Complete Unknown,” but he also sang live. Mangold decided he was going to go with the live performance after being blown away by the actor’s performance. Mangold is no stranger to his actors singing live. Joaquin Phoenix did it for “Walk