Movies

Pablo Larraín’s “Spencer” has found its Prince Charles in “Poldark” star Jack Farthing. Production has also moved to the U.K. The film, which unveiled a second image of star Kristen Stewart as Diana, focuses on one weekend in the life of the late princess, as she spends the Christmas holiday with the royal family at

Swiss documentary film festival Visions du Réel (VdR) has revealed the full lineup for its 52nd edition, which, for the second year running, will screen as a online event, this round round over April 15-25. The program, which comprises of 142 films originating from 58 countries, was revealed live in a Zoom press conference this

Johnny Depp has failed in his attempt to challenge the ruling in the U.K. High Court that he was violent to his former wife Amber Heard. Last year, the actor waged a three-week libel case against the publisher of The Sun newspaper over a 2018 article calling him a “wife beater.” Depp claimed that Heard’s allegations

Huh Moon-young has been announced as director of the Busan International Film Festival following the recent departure of Jay Jeon. Huh is a film critic and has until recently been program director of the Busan Cinema Center. He was previously a Korean cinema programmer at the Busan festival for five years from 2002 after having

An award-winning documentary about Hong Kong’s 2019 protests that has been effectively banned in its hometown has been set as the showpiece of the Taiwan International Documentary Festival. “Inside the Red Brick Wall” will play as the festival’s opening film, organizers announced on Thursday. The festival is set to run April 30 – May 9,

The Cineworld Group cinema exhibition group is to raise an additional $213 million of liquidity as a cushion against further coronavirus disruption. The new funding, being raised through the issue of a convertible bond due in 2025, was announced on Thursday after the company revealed EBITDA losses of $115 million. With all sites temporarily closed

Every so often, watching an overly tidy, ultimately sentimental indie drama that pretends to be “real” but isn’t, I’ll peer through the movie and catch a glimpse of the better, more honest, less diagrammed drama it might have been. “Islands” gave me the opposite experience. It is indeed a good movie, and quite an honest

Nothing new to see here, move along. Like the stereotypical narratives we have come to expect from Hollywood about Africa, “Coming 2 America” offers nothing new to audiences despite the 33 years that separate the original from the sequel. The fictional country of Zamunda is a mixed bag of persistent stereotypes about African poverty, disease,

Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s stylish, snowy spy thriller “Impasse” is set to debut in China over the May 1 Labor Day weekend, joining what will be an unusually competitive line-up. “Impasse” was supposed to hit screens last year, but its release was pushed back to this upcoming April 30 due to the pandemic. Starring Zhang

The “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy will be re-released successively in Chinese theaters throughout April in restored 4K, Imax and 3D versions, just in time for the 20th anniversary of the first movie’s China debut. The re-runs come just after James Cameron’s 12-year-old “Avatar” returned to Chinese screens on March 12 for an unexpected

“Spiral: From the Book of Saw,” the ninth installment in the Saw horror franchise, will premiere in theaters a week earlier than originally planned. The film, starring Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson, is now set to debut on May 14. Lionsgate, the studio behind “Spiral,” opted to move up opening weekend because cinemas in

Pierce Brosnan is taking on his first role as a superhero. The actor has been cast as Dr. Fate in DC and New Line’s “Black Adam” alongside Dwayne Johnson, who is playing the titular role. Dr. Fate, also known as Kent Nelson, is a founding member of the Justice Society who gains superpowers through putting

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a Norwegian reporter who accused the Hollywood Foreign Press Association of freezing her out of access to celebrity interviews. Kjersti Flaa sued the organization last August, saying that she had been repeatedly denied membership. In the complaint, she argued that the HFPA functions like a cartel, as

The Oscars have issued a mandate that there will be no Zoom acceptance speeches during this year’s telecast, but that decision is causing consternation among nominees, who are worried they won’t be able to make the trek to Los Angeles. Studio executives, awards strategists, personal publicists, and the stars and filmmakers who are up for

Ron Livingston has been cast in “The Flash” and will portray the eponymous superhero’s father, Henry Allen. He replaces Billy Crudup, who recently departed the role because of scheduling conflicts for the Apple TV Plus drama “The Morning Show.” Production for “The Flash” had been postponed due to the pandemic and is expected to begin

Expanding Frontiers in a Pandemic World, an online Sanfic Industry panel discussion held March 23, can likely be summed up by a Charles Dickens quote: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….” Moderated by Storyboard Media producer Gabriela Sandoval, co-founder of the Santiago, Chile-based Sanfic, the panelists included Guadalajara Film

Houston Tumlin, known for his role in “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” as a young actor, has died. He was 28. In his only role as an actor, Tumlin played Walker Bobby, the 10-year-old son of Will Ferrell’s main character Ricky Bobby. Tumlin was part of a star-studded cast that included Ferrell, John

Sony Pictures is in early development on a new adaptation of the classic sitcom “Bewitched,” starring Elizabeth Montgomery. Montgomery starred for eight seasons as Samantha Stephens, a witch married to an ordinary man named Darrin (Dick York and later Dick Sargent) and whose magical powers often cause — yet, sometimes solve — a few wrinkles

Cary Fukunaga is directing the film adaptation of the sci-fi comic book series “Tokyo Ghost” for Legendary. “Tokyo Ghost” is set in the year 2089, when humanity has become fully addicted to technology as an escape from reality. It follows the story of peacekeepers Debbie Decay and Led Dent, who work in the Isles of

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced Wednesday the launch of a Spain Audiovisual Hub plan to offer a total €1.6 billion ($1.9 billion) over 2021-25 to power up Spanish film and TV production, and encourage big foreign players to shoot and set up production centers in Spain. One early beneficiary of the scheme, according to

Producers Guild leaders won’t be hosting their annual awards show in person as hoped mid-pandemic. Instead, they promise a virtual event on March 24 that will give members a chance to celebrate their accomplishments following a year marked by production stoppages and a shattered theatrical marketplace. “We’re hoping it will be an efficient awards show

Brad Peyton, who directed Dwayne Johnson movies “San Andreas” and “Rampage,” is attached to helm character-driven action thriller “Sniper Elite,” inspired by the stealth-shooter game franchise, which has sold more than 30 million units. The movie will see an elite Allied sniper, Karl Fairburne, engage in a cat-and-mouse chase through the streets of London at

“The Six,” a documentary film shining a searchlight on the little-known Chinese aspects of the familiar Titanic story is headed for theatrical release next month in the Middle Kingdom. With James Cameron on board as executive producer and contributor, it could make waves in other markets as well. The 97-minute feature will debut in Chinese

Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety“… With the West End set to reopen in May, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cinderella” musical, with a book by freshly minted Oscar nominee Emerald Fennell, is back in rehearsals. “We just had our first run-through for Emerald,” Lloyd Webber tells me. “She hadn’t actually heard her script for the

Issa Rae is sticking with HBO. Rae has reupped her commitment, inking an new five-year overall deal that brings her Hoorae media label in partnership with WarnerMedia. The pact gives HBO, HBO Max and Warner Bros. television exclusive rights to Rae’s work in TV, plus a first-look film deal that spans WarnerMedia brands, including Warner

Clara Amfo, Edith Bowman and Dermot O’Leary will host the EE BAFTA Film Awards, which for the first time, will take place over a weekend on April 10 and 11. Amfo, a popular BBC Radio 1 presenter, will host the awards’ opening night on April 10, and will be joined by a yet-to-be-announced panel of

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan has tested positive for COVID-19 and is self isolating at home, his spokesperson revealed on Wednesday. “Mr Aamir Khan has tested positive for COVID-19. He is at home in self quarantine, following all the protocols and he’s doing fine,” the spokesperson said. “All those who came in contact with him in

Tues. March 23 Ted Hope To Co-lead New Entertainment And Creative Industries Program At ASU Ted Hope, the former Co-Head at Amazon Movies, will join Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management as the marquee professor of practice in the new Master of Arts in Global Affairs and Management in the Creative Industries (MGCI).

George Segal, whose long career included playing Albert “Pops” Solomon on “The Goldbergs,” and garnering an Oscar nom for supporting actor for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” died Tuesday. He was 87. His wife Sonia announced his death, saying, “The family is devastated to announce that this morning George Segal passed away due to complications

She’s played a queen, and now she’ll be a god. Helen Mirren has joined New Line’s DC comics adaptation “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” as Hespera, the villainous daughter of the god Atlas. Practically the entire team behind 2019’s “Shazam!” is returning for the sequel, including stars Asher Angel (who plays teenager Billy Batson, who