SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched “The Kissing Booth 3,” out now on Netflix. For “Kissing Booth 3” star Joey King, it was imperative that the last installment end the effervescent Elle Evans’ story in a way that was “just right.” Luckily, as an executive producer on the Netflix rom-com, King got
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Joe Keery is best known for playing reformed-bad boy Steve Harrington (and rocking an instantly iconic coif) on Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” the Emmy-winning sci-fi drama that’s largely an ode to the 80s. But in his new movie “Free Guy,” Keery and the cast, led by Ryan Reynolds, pay tribute to a different decade (while keeping
MTV Documentary Films has acquired worldwide rights to “Ascension (登楼叹),” Jessica Kingdon’s observational portrait of the economic growth of China, as well as the class divides that this expansion has exposed. The pact comes on the heels of the film’s wins at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, where “Ascension” debuted to rave reviews, and awards
Chinese censors have approved the next feature from Tibetan director Pema Tseden, a Venice International Film Festival regular and one of the most influential filmmakers working in the Tibetan language. The film’s Chinese name translates to “Stranger.” It is an adaptation of a short story he wrote of the same name, which he has publicly
Heading to the Sarajevo Film Festival to celebrate the world premiere of “The Elegy of Laurel,” Dušan Kasalica is already lining up his next projects. As a director, but also as a producer, developing the upcoming film by Ivan Salatić, “Melting of the Ruler,” set to shoot in 2022. The two have established production company
Disney Plus rebounded in the second calendar quarter of the year, reeling in 12.4 million net new subscribers to stand at 116 million worldwide as of July 3 — beating analyst targets. Wall Street analysts on average had forecast Disney Plus subscribers coming in at 112.8 million for the period. Click here to sign up
The Dakota Johnson indie “Cha Cha Real Smooth” has added seven stars to its supporting cast, as production kicks off Thursday in Pittsburgh. Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Raúl Castillo, Odeya Rush, Vanessa Burghardt, Evan Assante and Colton Osorio have all joined the film project from writer-director-star Cooper Raiff. “Cha Cha Real Smooth” follows a directionless
When Sean Penn first read the script for “Flag Day,” he knew his daughter Dylan needed to play the starring role. “Rarely have I ever had an actor’s face dominate what I was reading on the first read of the script, and Dylan’s face was imprinted on it by page 30,” Sean told Variety at
Gerard Butler’s next flight is about to get more crowded, as the star’s upcoming action-thriller “The Plane,” adds five to its cast. Remi Adeleke, Haleigh Hekking, Lilly Krug, Joey Slotnick, and Oliver Trevena have signed on for the Lionsgate movie, joining Butler and previously announced stars Mike Colter, Daniella Pineda, Kelly Gale and Yoson An.
Harkening back to his earlier films about childhood, Steven Spielberg has cast a slew of young actors in his semi-autobiographical film about his adolescence as an aspiring filmmaker in Arizona, which has the working title of “The Fabelmans.” Gabriel Bateman (“Child’s Play”), Gustavo Escobar (“Instant Family”), Nicolas Cantu (“The Walking Dead: World Beyond”), Cooper Dodson
In another sign of the distressing pandemic backslide for the film industry, Sony Pictures is currently exploring alternative distribution for its upcoming animated feature “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania,” Variety has learned from multiple sources with knowledge of the effort. The fourth entry in the kid-friendly franchise, which has grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide since 2012,
WarnerMedia will require salaried and non-union U.S. employees to get vaccinated before returning to work, joining many companies, including Disney, Facebook and Google, in recently enacting vaccination policies for their workforces. “As we start to officially reopen our offices in September, we’re going to require proof of vaccination to enter a WarnerMedia office building. Clearly,
Warner Music Entertainment, the film and television division of Warner Music Group (WMG), and London and Los Angeles based television and film production company Lightbox, have signed a partnership deal to co-produce, co-develop and co-finance non-fiction film and TV projects. The deal gives Lightbox, founded by double Oscar winner Simon Chinn (“Searching For Sugar Man,”
London-based sales agency Alief has come on board “Runner,” directed by Andrius Blaževičius, which world premieres in the East of the West Competition at the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival. The film stars Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė, who was selected for Shooting Stars, European Film Promotion’s prestigious program for rising European actors, at this year’s Berlinale.
Directed by Elene Naveriani and written alongside brother Sandro Naveriani, “Wet Sand” world premieres today in the Cineasti del Presente competition at Switzerland’s Locarno Festival. Very much in line with the section’s mission statement, the Swiss-Georgian co-production is a vibrant example of emerging talent that has quickly grown into versatile auteurs with a striking control
Big World Pictures has acquired all U.S. and Canadian rights to “A Man of Integrity,” the 2017 feature from Iranian auteur Mohammad Rasoulof that won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. The film, the writer-director’s sixth, tells the story of a goldfish farmer with a keen sense
Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer for “Toma,” Dragan Bjelogrlić’s biopic about Serbian singer Toma Zdravković, which closes the Sarajevo Film Festival. “Toma” is a portrait of the iconic singer-songwriter, who was born in the former Yugoslavia and was known as much for his music as his bohemian way of life. Released
Buenos Aires-based Compañía de Cine has swooped on sales rights to “Mostro,” a trenchant take on one consequence of violence in Mexico: Its thousands of women who suddenly join the ranks of Mexico’s “disappeared.” The boutique sales company is introducing the feature to buyers at this week’s Locarno Film Festival where it world premiered Wednesday
Grasshopper Film has acquired Marta Popivoda’s “Landscapes of Resistance,” a feature-length documentary about a 97-year-old antifascist fighter that premiered in Rotterdam and will compete this week at the Sarajevo Film Festival, Variety can reveal. The deal covers U.S. non-theatrical and digital distributions rights. “Landscapes of Resistance” tells the story of Sonja, who was one of
Paula Hernández’s “El Viento Que Arrasa,”Cristian Leighton’s “El Porvenir de la Mirada” and Johnny Ma’s “Chin-Gone” feature among 14 projects selected for San Sebastian’s 9th Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, the Spanish festival’s industry centerpiece. Many projects come with high-caliber Latin American arthouse backing. “El Viento Que Arrasa” was talked up by producer Hernán Musaluppi at
In a bid to further expand its international network of young talent to South Asia, Locarno Pro, the industry section of the Locarno Film Festival, has launched an unprecedented partnership between the South Asia – Locarno Industry Academy and NFDC Film Bazaar. Aimed at young professionals active in sales, cinema management, traditional or online distribution, and
The Directors’ Guild of Japan has called on authorities in Myanmar to release filmmaker Maung Thein Dan. He has been detained and jailed pending a trial. Myanmar was wracked by a military coup on Feb. 1, 2021 which toppled the civilian government of Ang San Suu Kyi. The army has since mounted a brutal crackdown
Regal Cinemas owner Cineworld has recorded an operating loss of $209 million in its interim financial results for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021. The group’s results for the period include a period of temporary closures from January to May 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions and a limited film slate. The operating losses were
A sequel to the 2019 hit comedy “Fly Me to the Saitama” has been announced. Stars Nikaido Fumi and Gackt will return, as will director Takeuchi Hideki. Details about the production start date and story are sparce, though Takeuchi earlier told “Variety” that he was thinking of setting the sequel in the Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto,
Early in “The Lost Leonardo,” there is one of those whoa! moments that can make you think that no movie is more gripping than a great documentary mystery about the art world. In 2005, two dealers stumble onto an obscure painting of Jesus Christ, his hand raised in a sacramental gesture, that’s being offered at
Victoria Justice and Adam Demos are teaming up for a new Netflix romcom, set to film on location in Queensland, Australia. In the film, Justice stars as a hard-driving L.A. wine-company exec who, in order to land a major client, travels to an Australian sheep station where she ends up working as a ranch hand
Vertical Entertainment — the distributor behind such movies as “Miss Juneteenth,” “Shadow in the Cloud” and “Ava” — has acquired the distribution rights for “The Estate” in North America, the U.K. and Ireland. The thriller, the feature directing debut of James Kapner, and written by Chris Baker (who also co-stars in the film), will be
All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. You’ll finally be able to watch your favorite classics in 4K HD. The Criterion Collection announced today that
Los Angeles appears likely to join New York in requiring that private venues, including restaurants and movie theaters, ensure that patrons are vaccinated against COVID-19. The Los Angeles City Council voted 13-0 on Wednesday to direct the city attorney to draft an ordinance that will mandate vaccines in indoor public settings, including restaurants, gyms, retail
“Free Guy,” a sci-fi action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds, is expected to finish first at the domestic box office. The PG-13 film is on track to debut to $15 million and $18 million from 4,100 North American theaters, with some projections showing ticket sales could reach $20 million. A debut below $20 million would be