Movies

Say Hallelujer, Madea fans! Tyler Perry is bringing back his most beloved character for an all-new adventure on Netflix. Perry will write, direct and star in the film, donning Madea’s dress, wig and devil-may-care attitude one more time. Perry retired Mabel “Madea” Simmons in 2020 with the sold-out “Madea’s Farewell Tour” (which was also filmed

For the creators of the Tony-winning Broadway musical “In the Heights,” the new, big-budget movie version wasn’t just a chance to go big with splashy song-and-dance numbers. It was also, according to playwright and screenwriter Quiara Alegría Hudes, a chance to pull in close and get intimate in ways they couldn’t on a Broadway stage.

Saban Films has landed the North American distribution rights to the upcoming action thriller “Gasoline Alley.” The film — written, directed and produced by Edward Drake — is led by Bruce Willis, Devon Sawa and Luke Wilson. Set in the underbelly of Los Angeles, Sawa plays a man drawn into a high-profile triple murder. The

In recent years, the British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Festival has become synonymous with the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, with many of the two-week festival’s screenings taking place in and around the central London venue. This year, however, Variety can reveal that the festival will take place on the opposite side of the Thames

Russia’s CTB Film Company, which celebrates its 30th anniversary next year, is set to follow its 2021 family adventure “Upon the Magic Roads” with two animated films, “The Nutcracker and the Magic Flute” and “My Sweet Monster.” The latter, scheduled for September release and already sold to several territories, including the U.S., Germany and France,

After canceling its last edition due to the pandemic, Directors’ Fortnight, a section running alongside the Cannes Film Festival, will be back with a stylish and eclectic international lineup, including Joanna Hogg’s highly anticipated “The Souvenir Part II,” Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman’s Rwanda-set sci-fi film “Neptune Frost,” and Pietro Marcello and Francesco Munzi’s “Futura.” The world premiere of

Leading Indian studio Yash Raj Films’ Yash Chopra Foundation has launched a vaccination drive for Bollywood industry personnel. YRF chair and MD Aditya Chopra has made available the sprawling premises of its Mumbai studio for the drive, which began Tuesday. The first phase is expected to inoculate 4,000 workers with the aim being to vaccinate

Abu Dhabi is stepping up efforts to become a global media and entertainment industry hub as part of a drive to diversify its oil-based economy. The oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates has consolidated its so-called culture and creative industries — basically museums and media industry infrastructure — into a single unit called DCT

After canceling its last edition due to the pandemic, Directors’ Fortnight, a section running alongside the Cannes Film Festival, will be back with a stylish and eclectic international lineup, including Joanna Hogg’s highly anticipated “The Souvenir Part II,” Clio Barnard’s “Ali & Ava,” Jonas Carpignano’s “A Chiara,” Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman’s Rwanda-set sci-fi film “Neptune Frost,” and Alice

Russian production and distribution powerhouse Central Partnership and the Latin American film group BF Films have announced their first co-production, Variety can reveal. “Schizophrenic” is a psychological horror film set in the real world of severe mental disorder. Dark stories of real patients will serve as inspiration, and a variety of schizophrenia symptoms are part

Rising filmmaker Ma Aeint has disappeared without trace after being arrested by authorities in Myanmar earlier this month. Her family has no knowledge of her whereabouts, nor formal explanation for her sudden detention. Ma Aient was a producer and co-writer on “Money Has Four Legs,” which appeared in the New Currents competition at the Busan

SF Studios is set to co-produce and distribute “UFO Sweden,” a sci-fi adventure from Crazy Pictures, a Swedish film collective whose past credits includes the 2018 hit movie “The Unthinkable.” Reinvent will handle international sales on “UFO Sweden,” which is scheduled to start shooting in the fall. SF Studios will distribute the film in the

At a time when viewers around the world remain wary of returning to cinemas, the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) once again can’t keep up with local audiences. Demand is so high that viewers are paying enormous sums to get hold of scalped tickets, including more than $300 to see an art house film released

It seems Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn aren’t quite ready to renew their vows. Despite several reports that Wilson, Vaughn, Isla Fisher and Rachel McAdams are all on board to make a sequel to the 2005 hit comedy “Wedding Crashers” for HBO Max and will start up production this summer, Wilson tells Variety that progress

MSR Media announced that Malin Åkerman (“Watchmen”), Connie Nielsen (“Wonder Woman”), Philip Winchester (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”) and Jack Donnelly (“Atlantis”) have been cast in the upcoming romantic comedy film “A Week in Paradise.” The film will follow Maggie (Åkerman), a film star who escapes to a tropical hotel in Nevis after discovering

Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov is banned from leaving his home country and thus cannot legally attend the Cannes Film Festival this summer, where his film “Petrov’s Flu” will debut in competition, his lawyer told AFP Monday. The 51-year-old helmer was sentenced in June 2020 to a three-year suspended prison sentence and issued a fine over

Seventeen Russian projects and nine international projects from eight countries have been selected to take part in WEMW Goes to Russia, a new international co-production forum organized by Russian state film promotion body Roskino and When East Meets West, the Trieste Film Festival’s co-production platform. The projects will be presented to potential co-production partners during

While filming Jon M. Chu’s “In the Heights” (out in theaters and HBO Max on Friday) cinematographer Alice Brooks fell in love with “the people, the smells, the sounds and the taste of Washington Heights.” That relationship is captured through her framing of the film. From the shoe shot of Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) to the

MoviePass has been dead for nearly two years. But the execs behind ill-fated company have only just reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over charges that they misled customers and also failed to take reasonable steps to protect user data. The principal executives of MoviePass — the theater-subscription company that shut down in

As the premier platform for new Russian content, the Key Buyers Event is putting its muscle behind showcasing the hottest Russian talents ready to take off on the global stage. “Our key goal is to promote top national projects that will put their creators and cast on the spotlight,” said Evgenia Markova, head of Russian

“The Lunchbox” casting director and producer Seher Aly Latif died in Mumbai on Monday of a renal failure. She was in her early 40s. Latif was one of the most sought-after casting directors for international projects set in India or with a significant India component. Her casting director credits include “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”

Gabrielle Union and Jeremy Pope have been cast in the A24 movie “The Inspection,” based on the life of filmmaker and Marine Corps veteran Elegance Bratton. Bratton is writing the screenplay and directing the film in his feature debut. It will begin shooting later this summer. Pope, who received Tony Award nominations for “Ain’t Too

The first global film event to be staged in 2021, the 73rd edition of the Cannes Film Festival, will take place under strict security and health guidelines. Variety spoke exclusively with Cannes general secretary François Desrousseaux, who has been hammering out protocols with the festival’s organizers, producers and Cannes regional authorities, while conducting discussions with

Paris-based company Indie Sales has boarded Vincent Le Port’s debut feature “Bruno Reidal — Confession of a Murder,” which is set to world premiere in competition at Cannes’ Critics’ Week, the festival’s parallel strand dedicated to first and second films. The film will also vie for a Caméra d’Or award. Le Port is a former

Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan are attached to star in “She Said,” about The New York Times sexual harassment investigation against Harvey Weinstein that kicked off the #MeToo movement. Mulligan and Kazan are in final negotiations for the Universal Pictures movie to play Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, the authors of the book “She Said:

Jennifer Lopez, actor, singer and CEO of Nuyorican Productions, has inked a multi-year, first-look deal with Netflix. Along with producing partners Benny Medina and president of Nuyorican Productions Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Lopez will produce a slate of film and television content, both scripted and unscripted, that showcase diverse female actors, writers and filmmakers. Two Netflix features

The Tribeca Film Festival and Chanel have teamed to present Art Is New York/New York Is Art. The program invited more than 60 artists to contribute original sketches inspired by the relationship between art and New York City. The works will be posted on vacated storefronts throughout lower Manhattan. Contributing artists include Julian Schnabel, Kiki

FESTIVALS The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) has unveiled its masterclass lineup for this year’s online festival taking place June 14–July 16. Classes will be held by creative team members of major global programs including “It’s a Sin,” hosted by creator Russel T. Davies, director Peter Hoar and actor Nathaniel Curtis; Warner Bros. Television’s Peabody-winning series

This summer, the movie theater business is essentially starting at square one. For nearly a century, the studio executives responsible for rolling out movies big and small had relied heavily on facts, figures and past precedent to calculate how a film might perform at the box office. Those instincts helped fuel a $42.5 billion-a-year global

“F9,” the latest installment of Universal’s action-packed “Fast & Furious” franchise, is the teased “planetary blockbuster” heading to the Cannes Film Festival, Variety has learned. Starring Vin Diesel, John Cena and Michelle Rodriguez, the highly anticipated movie is already a major international B.O. milestone, having grossed over $250 million worldwide, including $203 million in China