Movies

Focus Features will begin production on “Spoiler Alert,” a film adaptation of Michael Ausiello’s 2017 best-selling memoir titled, “Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies.” Ben Aldridge of “Fleabag” joins the previously-announced Jim Parsons in the movie. Kiska Higgs, president of productions and acquisitions announced the release Thursday. “The Big Sick” helmer Michael Showalter will direct the

Steve Alexander has left ICM Partners after seven years as a partner on the heels of an expose in the Los Angeles Times that included allegations of sexual misconduct against the veteran agent. Alexander is accused of having exposed himself to a male industry executive while the two were driving in Alexander’s car in 2016.

Paul Garnes has been named president of Array Filmworks. The company’s current president, Sarah Bremner, is stepping down for a personal hiatus. “Sarah is a thoughtful executive who has built a wonderful creative development team here and is respected by our showrunners and artists. I’m grateful for her time at Array, look forward to continuing

French film exhibitors, producers and distributors will benefit from a €90 million ($106 million) rescue plan from the National Film Board (CNC) to compensate for revenue loss caused by the six-month shutdown of theaters. The scheme that was approved Thursday had been pushed by film guilds since May, when theaters reopened with an audience capacity

Ben Stiller and Destry Spielberg, filmmaker and daughter of Steven Spielberg, took to Twitter to downplay the impact of Hollywood nepotism in a debate with The Black List founder Franklin Leonard. On Tuesday, Leonard responded to a tweet announcing the cast of the short film “The Rightway,” which features Hopper Penn, an actor and the

Gravitas Ventures has acquired the U.S. and Canadian distribution rights for “Finding Kendrick Johnson,” the new documentary about the complex case behind the death of a Georgia high school student, set to premiere on July 30. Director Jason Pollock, known for his previous documentary “Stranger Fruit” about the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown, promises

The Walt Disney Company clapped back at “Black Widow” star Scarlett Johansson, slamming the actress’ breach of contract lawsuit for showing “callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.” In a court filing on Thursday, Johansson said Disney’s decision to send the Marvel movie to Disney Plus at the same

It’s a peculiarity of Michael Caine’s bluff Cockney star persona that he could have plausibly played Fagin in any adaptation of “Oliver Twist” over the last 50-odd years; it’s an unfortunate failure of judgment that he has chosen to finally do so in “Twist.” Nominally updating Charles Dickens’ much-filmed yarn of crime, punishment and improvised

Starring Annie Parisse (“Law & Order,” “The Following”) and Gus Birney (“Dickinson”), Theodore Schaefer’s “Giving Birth to a Butterfly,” one of the buzz titles at August’s Fantasia Intl. Film Festival, has released a first clip ahead of the film’s world premiere in Fantasia Underground section on Aug. 9. Produced by Daryl Freimark (“A Bread Factory

Priya Swaminathan is stepping down from her role as co-head of film and television at Higher Ground, the media company founded by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. At the same time, the former president and First Lady announced several new additions to the company’s executive team, most notably hiring Joe Paulsen, an old Obama

Mena Suvari became a certified Hollywood star with her breakout work in “American Beauty” and “American Pie.” But as glamorous as her life may have appeared, Suvari was keeping a lot of secrets. Dark secrets. Now, she’s telling them all in her new memoir, “The Great Peace.” Suvari was raped when she was just 12

Sian Heder knew the sound department wasn’t going to be thrilled. About two-thirds into her movie, “CODA,” a touching melodrama about a teenage girl who is the only hearing member of her family, the writer-director wanted the audio to cut to complete silence. In the pivotal scene, 17-year-old Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) belts out a

Italian sales company True Colours has secured a seven-title slate of pics premiering in Venice across various sections, including Mario Martone’s competition entry “The King of Laughter” and high-profile doc “Django and Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained,” in which Quentin Tarantino talks about the influential Spaghetti Westerns director. Martone (“Capri Revolution”), who is a Lido aficionado, will

Principal photography for “Man & Witch,” an homage to the fantasy films of the 1980s, has wrapped after a six-week shoot on location in Scotland and Los Angeles. The film, directed by Michael Hines (“Still Game”) marks the comeback of child star Tami Stronach, best known for her role as the Childlike Empress in “The

No longer “Untitled Murder Mystery,” a starry upcoming film from Searchlight Pictures has an official title and a complete cast. “See How They Run” — starring the previously-announced Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, David Oyelowo, Adrien Brody and Ruth Wilson — is set for a wide theatrical release in 2022. Joining the five actors is a

“The Boss Baby: Family Business” director Tom McGrath will be the keynote speaker at the 22nd VIEW Conference, which will be held from Oct. 17-22 in Turin, Italy. The DreamWorks Animation feature is the sixth film McGrath has made with the studio. He is the co-writer and co-director of the “Madagascar” movies, and he directed

An extinction event has brought an end to Phil Tippett’s dinosaur days. The legendary “Star Wars” and “Jurassic Park” VFX artist who helped bring George Lucas’ galactic menagerie to life, who gave teeth to Steven Spielberg’s T. Rex, is preparing to unveil his greatest work, while leaving “Hollywood filmmaking” in the Mesozoic-view mirror. For the

Top Chinese social media platform Weibo has banned the official account of the German consulate in Guangzhou for “violating community standards” after it posted information about a LGBTQ film festival jointly hosted with 16 other foreign governments. The ban, which has now been in effect for more than two full days, was instated after nationalist

South Africa’s Local Motion Pictures, whose dystopian sci-fi feature “Glasshouse” will world premiere at the Fantasia Intl. Film Festival this month, has signed a three-picture deal with leading SVOD service Showmax. Under the agreement, which Local Motion signed in association with Crave Pictures, the company will produce a slate of films to be directed by

A record impresario turns a swank LP listening party into a diatribe party. When he stomps on the latest record he planned to launch, Cree (Kayne Lee Harrison) also crushes the dreams of singer Erica Wilson (singer-songwriter Christina Milian stars as the thwarted recording artist). A year earlier, Erica’s boyfriend of four years did some

“Death ends a life,” Robert Anderson noted in his 1968 play (and 1970 film adaptation) “I Never Sang for My Father,” “but it does not end a relationship, which struggles on the survivor’s mind, toward some resolution, which it may never find.” A truncated version of that memorable line — jettisoning everything after the word

M. Night Shyamalan may be known for terrifying audiences with his films, but it’s sincerity that can be truly scary to some. With his latest movie “Old” now in theaters and hitting the top spot at the box office over the weekend, Shyamalan spoke to Variety about his films, many of which contain scenes are

In “Nine Days,” out this Friday in theaters, Winston Duke plays Will, a man who spends his lonely days and nights monitoring the lives of humans on a wall of vintage TV sets inside his home. Living in a remote desert, Will watches the lives of souls he has chosen to live on Earth, and

IFC Films has set the U.S. theatrical release date for Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Bergman Island” on Oct. 15. The critically acclaimed movie world premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and will next play at Toronto, among other key fall festivals. The film stars Mia Wasikowska (“Maps to the Stars”), Tim Roth (“Once Upon a

Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” will easily sail to the top of box office charts when it opens in movie theaters on Friday. The family-friendly fantasy adventure, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, is expected to generate at least $25 million from 4,200 North American locations over the weekend, with some estimates projecting an opening north of

Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi has announced plans to retire at the end of the year. Sean Gamble, the movie theater chain’s current CFO and COO, has been named as Zoradi’s successor and will assume the CEO role effective Jan. 1, 2022. Starting Wednesday, Gamble has been upped to president and will work closely with Zoradi

Vivendi saw its revenues climb by 11.9% to €8.2 billion ($9.7 million) during the first six months of 2021, driven by the growth of Universal Music Group (UMG), pay TV banner Canal Plus Group and advertising outfit Havas Group. The Paris-headquartered company also saw its adjusted net income rise by 24% to €724 million ($857

Netflix will require actors and those who come in close proximity to them to be vaccinated against COVID-19, in accordance with Hollywood’s new return-to-work protocols. The mandate, which is the first broad production vaccination requirement to be announced by a Hollywood studio, will affect casts and “Zone A” crew — those who come in close

Tiffany Haddish and LaKeith Stanfield may be in for a scare. The two actors are in talks to star in Disney’s upcoming remake of “The Haunted Mansion,” directed by Justin Simien, who previously helmed “Dear White People” and the horror film “Bad Hair.” “The Haunted Mansion” takes its roots from the spooky theme park ride,

Eva Marie Saint is particular about one thing. “It’s Eva Marie, not Eva,” she says with the trademark lilt, the one that melted the likes of Marlon Brando and Cary Grant in such classics as “On the Waterfront” and “North by Northwest.” “I don’t want to embarrass you,” she adds to her temporarily flummoxed interviewer.