A hearing on whether to bring Harvey Weinstein to Los Angeles to face sex crimes charges is expected to be postponed to April. Weinstein is currently scheduled to appear before a judge in Buffalo, N.Y., on Friday. He is being held at the Wende Correctional Facility in nearby Alden, N.Y., after being sentenced in March
Movies
Amber Rasberry has joined Amazon Studios as a senior film executive, Variety has learned exclusively. Rasberry’s oversight will include day-to-day production, development and acquisitions for Amazon’s original movies slate. She will report to film co-heads Julie Rapaport and Matt Newman. The executive joins the streaming giant from Paramount Players, where she served as vice president
For those experiencing pandemic-related concert withdrawal, Ariana Grande and Netflix are offering respite. Relief is coming in the form of the concert movie of Grande’s 2019 “Sweetener” world tour, called “Excuse Me, I Love You.” It will premiere on the streaming service globally on Dec. 21. The Sweetener World Tour, which concluded a year ago,
True to its title, “Giving Voice” amplifies the lives and talents of half a dozen high school students from different American cities who aim to be finalists in the national August Wilson monologue competition. Co-directors James D. Stern and Fernando Villena’s inspirational documentary, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival pre-pandemic, chronicles Wilson’s work and
The Casting Society of America has announced its inaugural top 20 list of actors from historically underrepresented communities for 2020. The diverse and inclusive list includes Brian Michael Smith, Colin Buckingham, David Harrell, Elizabeth Frances, Elizabeth Hinkler, E.R. Fightmaster, Glenn Stanton, Jearnest Corchado, Jesten Mariconda, JJ Hawkins, Leila Ben Abdullah, Mel Mehrabian, Mo Zelof, Nabeel
Jack Dylan Grazer has been spending a lot of time at his computer during the pandemic. And it’s not just to Zoom with friends or for school. “I’ve written a few scripts, and I’m really proud of them,” the 17-year-old star of Luca Guadagnino’s HBO series “We Are Who We Are” tells Variety. Four of
The Independent Filmmaker Project has selected Steve Mc Queen and Ryan Murphy as recipients of tributes at the Gotham Awards ceremony, which will be held Jan. 11. McQueen, who won the Academy Award for best picture for “12 Years a Slave,” will receive the Director’s Tribute. Murphy, who has received six primetime Emmy Awards from
The customary, adrenaline-juiced montage of football prep and clash comes fast, furious and surprisingly early in the football melodrama “Safety,” streaming on Disney Plus starting Dec. 11. There’s a reason for the hurry, hurry, hurry. Turns out, college ball isn’t the most important goal of this heart-tugger, directed by Reginald Hudlin and written by Nick
“Wonder Woman 1984” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” both made headlines this year when their respective studios, Warner Bros. and Paramount, chose to circumvent the pandemic by shifting the titles from a theatrical to a streaming-centric release. In the case of “WW84,” Warner Bros. chose a day-and-date release on HBO Max and in
Despite the ongoing pandemic, more pilots and movies have filmed in Oklahoma this year than in 2019, according to Tava Sofsky, director of the Oklahoma Film and Music Office. Among the productions that wrapped in Tulsa and Oklahoma City are the “Reagan” biopic, starring Dennis Quaid, as well as “full-fledged features and a handful of
New York City experienced the first wide-scale coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. earlier this year. As it has worked to safely reopen, New York state has implemented various measures to ensure film and television productions could recommence. In October, the state implemented a three-tier rating system that assigns red, orange or yellow colors to locations
Hollywood is back in action, though recovery has been slow and steady, says Colleen Bell, director of the California Film Commission. She has been working closely with the state’s Department of Public Health to prioritize safety on set during the ongoing pandemic. In March, all approved projects under the California film and TV tax credit
Though a rising number of COVID-19 cases pushed Greece into its second lockdown on Nov. 7, production has continued apace since early summer, with the government putting its weight behind measures to ensure cameras continue to roll on film and television shoots despite the pandemic. Principal photography on the Woody Harrelson-starring “Triangle of Sadness,” directed
Italy, the European country initially hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, is weathering the second wave well with film and TV production chugging along at a relatively healthy pace thanks to efficient safety protocols and government incentives. Culture minister Dario Franceschini has just trumpeted a fresh injection of cash to support production, upping resources to
After a partial lifting of travel restrictions in early October, South Africa is now fully open for business, with international film and TV productions resuming in time for the Southern Hemisphere’s busy summer season. The new measures allow entry for all foreign travelers who can provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours
When the cameras again began to roll this summer on Universal’s “Jurassic World: Dominion,” one of the first major Hollywood studio films to resume production since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the restart was a boon for the island nation of Malta, where a second unit crew for the $200 million blockbuster filmed in
Film and TV productions in Germany have come back with gusto following the three-month COVID-19 lockdown earlier this year, albeit under stringent health protection requirements. Despite a second lockdown in November due to the rise in coronavirus cases, shooting continues around the country, both in studios and on location. Warners’ “Matrix 4,” Sony’s “Uncharted,” Apple
When local newspapers complain about traffic jams caused by Nicole Kidman filming (in New South Wales’ picturesque Byron Bay) and Natalie Portman stopping Sydney traffic by wearing revealing shorts, there is a sense that normality has returned to everyday life in Australia. The film industry is back in production high gear. Indeed, films starring Zac
“I was very ambivalent and nervous about working during COVID,” says “Fargo” camera operator Mitch Dubin. He flew to Chicago mid-August to finish two episodes of the series’ new season. “I have to say though, I was a little relieved [once there].” Working on one of the earlier projects to go back into production in
Although “Monster Hunter” apologized for and censored a line of dialogue that sparked anger in China from its global version, Chinese film websites and apps have taken the unusual step of deleting the title or its user ratings — indicating that the movie’s odds of returning to the Chinese big screen likely remain slim. Chinese
Kourtney Kardashian will make an appearance in the upcoming film “He’s All That” starring TikTok influencer Addison Rae, Variety has confirmed. Kardashian broke the news with an Instagram post on Tuesday that showed her looking at a script, paired with the simple caption “studying @hesallthatmovie.” The film’s official Instagram account then reposted Kardashian’s photo on
Usually, the annual MoMA Film Benefit, a glamorous night at the world’s most celebrated modern art museum, is where the forces of film, celebrity and the artistic world meld. Last year, on the raised atrium of the museum’s second floor, Laura Dern, Naomi Watts and Gwendoline Christie mingled in the low light, wearing Chanel—the event’s
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. The holiday season is back, after nine months of staying at home, binge-watching favorite TV shows and streaming
Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Nate Parker’s police brutality drama “American Skin,” which world premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 and won the Sconfini section’s best film award. Vertical is planning a theatrical and digital release for January 2021, which would make the movie eligible for the Oscars. Parker directed,
If you suspect that Hollywood has always been male-centric, there’s more evidence (not that there was ever much doubt). A new Emerson College study shows that, for 92 years, the Oscar-winning best picture has been almost twice as likely to include nominated male actors (lead and supporting) than female. The study, called “Oscar is a
Neill Blomkamp shot an entire movie during the coronavirus pandemic. The “District 9” and “Elysium” director made a supernatural horror movie over the summer in Canada’s British Columbia. Blomkamp also wrote the script for the movie, which has a cast consisting mostly of Canadian actors. The film, Blomkamp’s first since the 2015 sci-fier “Chappie,” is backed
Range Media Partners, a new management firm staffed with veteran Hollywood agents, has announced a slew of filmmaker signings. Tim Van Patten, the Emmy Award-winning director, writer and creator behind shows like “The Sopranos,” “Boardwalk Empire” and the recent HBO hit “Perry Mason,” has joined the firm. Van Patten is joined by Swedish-born Niclas Larsson, an
Alfred Molina is returning to the Spidey-verse. The actor, who portrayed the evil Doctor Octopus in Tobey Maguire’s 2004 “Spider-Man” sequel, is reprising his role for the third installment of the Tom Holland-led superhero blockbuster. The upcoming web-slinging adventure is expected to feature multiple generations of “Spider-Man” actors. Jamie Foxx will reportedly appear as Electro,
In entertainment as well as everything else 2020, has been a year like no other. The COVID-19 pandemic shuttered movie theaters worldwide and gave streaming fare an unprecedented level of popularity. Film critics Peter Debruge and Owen Gleiberman point out that “As crippling as the pandemic has been to movie studios and film festivals, this
Even the most out-there screenwriter couldn’t have imagined the year that 2020 has shaped up to be — and even if they had, who would have believed them? A global health crisis has radically redefined work and leisure habits worldwide, forcing people to hunker down at home. That means no movies (not in cinemas, at