Movies

Armenia has chosen Arman Nshanian’s feature film debut “Songs of Solomon” as its official submission to the 93rd Academy Awards in the international feature film category. “Songs of Solomon,” written by Audrey Gevorkian and based on “The Past Unsung” by Sirvart Kavoukjian, explores the life of the composer Archbishop Solomon, also known as  Komitas, who had

Specialty distributor Shout! Studios has secured all North American rights to ecology-themed Chinese animated feature “The Legend Of Hei.” In a partnership with France’s Play Big, it will give the film a release in the U.S. and Canada. “The Legend Of Hei” is a heart-warming fantasy about a cat spirit who goes on a journey

Lou Eyrich calls herself one of the “luckiest designers in town.” The Emmy-winning costume designer and producer is part of Ryan Murphy’s go-to team when it comes to creating the look of his shows. Eyrich worked on Murphy’s recent “Hollywood” and “Ratched,” as well as “The Boys in the Band” and “The Prom,” which is

Netflix has unveiled the animated feature film “The Magician’s Elephant,” with a voice cast including Noah Jupe, Pixie Davies, Sian Clifford, Natasia Demetriou, Dawn French, Brian Tyree Henry and Benedict Wong. “The Magician’s Elephant” is based on Newbery Award winner Kate DiCamillo’s novel of the same title. The film, currently in production, marks the directorial

Global Screen, the Munich-based sales company owned by Will Smith and Marc Forster’s Telepool, has closed distribution deals for major territories on “Plan A,” a true World War II story, starring August Diehl (“A Hidden Life,” “Inglourious Basterds”) and Sylvia Hoeks (“Blade Runner 2049,” “The Girl in the Spider’s Web”). Signature Entertainment has acquired all

U.K. producers are in discussions with the government to extend the £500 million ($664.6 million) COVID-19 insurance scheme for Film & TV production. As first reported by Broadcast, producers are seeking to extend the deadline by six months, to June 2021. U.K. producers’ body Pact is currently gathering information to support the extension, which will

Rolling off the Oscar-nominated animated feature “Mirai,” Paris-based sales company Charades is set to reteam with Japanese auteur Mamoru Hosoda on his next directorial outing, “Belle.” “Belle” follows a fruitful collaboration between Charades, Hosoda and his production company Studio Chizu. “Mirai” world premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight in 2018 and was acquired by GKids for

Bold, vibrant and darkly comical, “Promising Young Woman” starring Carey Mulligan has garnered critics’ and journalists’ attention since its debut at the Sundance Film Festival. Focus Features has held three all guild screenings comprised of voting members of the Academy, BAFTA and other voting bodies. Variety has learned exclusively that Emerald Fennell’s film has been

Filmmaker Ryan White says his documentary feature “Assassins” one of the hardest documentaries he’s made. White’s credits include: “Visible: Out on Television” and “The Keepers.” The road to “Assassins,” now streaming on virtual cinema took White down into the underbelly of Malaysia, dark alleys, taxis and a dive into the North Korean regime. Kim Jong-nam

MONDAY, Dec. 14 Greenwich Acquires North American Rights to ‘Days of the Bagnold Summer’ Greenwich Entertainment has bought North American distribution rights to “Days of the Bagnold Summer,” the directorial debut of Simon Bird (star of “The Inbetweeners”), for a Feb. 19 release in theaters and on demand. Bird’s comedy, which premiered at the Locarno

Rachael Leigh Cook, the star of the 1999 film “She’s All That,” has joined the cast of Miramax’s gender-swapped remake, titled “He’s All That.” Cook will portray the mother of Padgett Sawyer, the remake’s protagonist, played by TikTok star Addison Rae. In the 1999 original, Cook played Laney Boggs, the lovable art nerd who was

Warner Bros. has shuffled around release dates for three of the studio’s upcoming movies: “Mortal Kombat, “Tom and Jerry” and Hugh Jackman’s sci-fi drama “Reminiscence.” “Mortal Kombat,” a live-action adaptation of the popular video game, was originally set for Jan. 15, 2021, and will now open on April 16, 2021. “Reminiscence,” which was initially slated

Leave it to director Steven Soderbergh and composer Thomas Newman to go retro ’60s with the music for their fourth collaboration, “Let Them All Talk.” Accompanying Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, Dianne Wiest and the rest of Soderbergh’s cast crossing the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 is a jazz score that might easily have been

“Trinkets” star Quintessa Swindell will portray the superhero Cyclone opposite Dwayne Johnson in New Line and DC Comics’ “Black Adam.” Cyclone is a junior member of the Justice Society with the power to manipulate wind and sound. Aldis Hodge has been cast as Hawkman and Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher — both members of DC’s

Ilana Glazer’s “False Positive” is popping up at Hulu. The A24 film, co-written and produced by Glazer and John Lee is set to debut as a Hulu original in 2021. “False Positive” marks Glazer and Lee’s feature film co-writing debut, after working together on “Broad City.” Glazer stars in the film as Lucy, who after

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. As 007 fans know all too well, no big-budget film in recent memory has been plagued by more

Chris Pine is in negotiations to star in “Dungeons and Dragons,” Paramount and eOne’s upcoming film adaptation of the popular fantasy role-playing game. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, the duo best known for “Game Night” starring Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman, are directing the movie and writing the screenplay, which is based on a

Veronica Cartwright has been cast in the upcoming biopic “How to Talk with Spirits,” Variety has learned. “The Birds” and “Alien” star will play real-life psychic June Ahern in the supernatural thriller based on Ahern’s life and book of the same title. The indie film, directed and produced by “Shopping for Fangs” and “Drift” filmmaker

Sophie Dawson’s cannibal drama “Headhunter” and Jingyi Shao’s basketball story “Chang Can Dunk” earned the top spots on the 2020 edition of The Black List. “Headhunter” follows a cannibal who chooses his victims based on their Instagram clout, but he finds his routine shaken by a man who wants to be eaten. “Chang Can Dunk”

Robin Wright’s directorial debut “Land” will debut in theaters next year. The drama, which stars Wright and Demian Bichir, is set to release in the U.S. on Feb. 12, 2021. “Land” centers on Wright’s character, who goes off the grid and retreats into the wilderness after suffering an unfathomable loss. When she crosses paths with

The publishing and production entity of best-selling author Michael Crichton’s estate has signed with Range Media Partners, Variety has learned. CrichtonSun, run by Sherri Crichton and partner Laurent Bouzereau, will partner with Range to produce, package and develop a slate of projects from the Crichton archives. Projects in the works include several television series as

Actor Tye Sheridan is wearing a different hat with his new media-tech startup — which he claims will let indie filmmakers deliver blockbuster-level VFX on a fraction of the budget. Sheridan (above right) co-founded Wonder Dynamics with visual-effects artist Nikola Todorovic (above left). Over the last four years, the duo have been quietly experimenting with

PR vets Carleen Donovan, Chloe Walsh and Jen Appel have announced the launch of the Oriel Company, which is described as a “modern creative lab and idea house handling media relations, integrated communications, and entertainment consulting.” for musicians, actors and brands. Its initial client list includes Kelsea Ballerini, André “3000” Benjamin, Arctic Monkeys, Phoebe Bridgers,

“Nomadland,” a major Oscar contender that has been snapping up film awards, has released its first trailer. Directed by Chloe Zhao, “Nomadland” stars Frances McDormand as Fern, a woman experiencing homelessness who travels across the West in a van looking for a job. Fern lost everything in the Great Recession, and seeks the wisdom and

“The Dark Knight,” “Shrek,” “Grease,” “The Blues Brothers,” “Lillies of the Field,” “The Hurt Locker,” “A Clockwork Orange,” “The Joy Luck Club” and “The Man With the Golden Arm” are among this year’s additions to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. “This is not only a great honor for all of us who

In any year, Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” would be a historic achievement. But in 2020, amid a worldwide reckoning on racial injustice while a pandemic has wreaked havoc on the entertainment industry — blurring the lines between film and TV — this five-part series is an auspicious game-changer. Shining a light on little-known tales of

Universal’s animated adventure “The Croods: A New Age” led another quiet weekend at the domestic box office. The film generated $3 million in its third weekend of release, bringing its total to $24.1 million. Overseas, “The Croods” sequel earned another $8.4 million for a global tally of $76.3 million. Thanks to an unprecedented agreement that

Thomas Vinterberg’s “Another Round” took home the top prize at the 33rd European Film Awards. The Danish dramedy swept Saturday’s virtual ceremony, nabbing additional wins for best director and best actor for Mads Mikkelsen, who plays an alcoholic high school teacher. Vinterberg also won best screenplay for the feature, along with co-writer Tobias Lindholm. When

Actor Carol Sutton, who made appearances in “Steel Magnolias” and “Queen Sugar,” died Thursday night of complications from COVID-19. She was 76. The actor spent her last months at the Touro Infirmary in her native city of New Orleans, where she was treated for the virus. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell confirmed Sutton’s death and

Michael Bay’s “Songbird” now available on-demand, is a pandemic thriller shot in Los Angeles during lockdown. The film stars Demi Moore, Paul Walter Hauser and Craig Robinson and takes place years in the future, in which a mutated strand of coronavirus, called COVID-23, continues to wreak havoc on the world’s population. As the country-wide lockdown