Movies

Edgar Ramírez has signed on to star opposite Jessica Chastain in Lucía Puenzo’s upcoming independent drama “Losing Clementine.” The film is based on the 2012 novel by Ashley Ream, as adapted by screenwriter Ann Cherkis (“Better Call Saul”). The project was first unveiled during the 2019 American Film Market. Chastain will portray the bipolar Clementine

Drama critics have a word for COVID-19, courtesy of the ancient Greeks: “nemesis.” In theater, this useful term of art applies to the inevitable downfall that awaits the wicked, the prideful and the overly confident. Decades from now, historians will look back on the coronavirus outbreak as the thing that derailed President Donald J. Trump,

In a new cover story with Variety, director Spike Lee talked about working with Chadwick Boseman on “Da 5 Bloods.” The Vietnam war drama, which came out on Netflix over the summer, would be one of the last roles for the 43-year-old actor, who died in August from colon cancer. “I didn’t know Chad was

Rooftop Films, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that champions independent cinema, has announced recipients of its 2020 filmmaker fund grants. The awards, consisting of 20 cash and service grants to independent filmmakers, were supported by the James Levine Foundation. Among the honorees, Lucy Walker (“Bring Your Own Brigade”) and Ben Mullinkosson (“The Last Year of Darkness”) were

David Bowie origin story “Stardust,” starring Johnny Flynn as the musician, has secured distribution in Italy with a deal inked with I Wonder Pictures ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Rome Film Festival this month. Flynn and director Gabriel Range will be in Rome for the red carpet event on Oct. 16 to

S.S. Rajamouli, director of the enormously successful “Baahubali” franchise, has restarted his next magnum opus “RRR” (Roudram Ranam Rudhiram) in Hyderabad with stars N.T. Rama Rao Jr. (“Temper”) and Ram Charan (“Rangasthalam”). The film is a period action drama about Indian freedom fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju. The cast also includes Bollywood stars

For three decades Spanish filmmaker Juanma Bajo Ulloa has consistently delivered his own unique brand of cinema, playing with genres while exploring family dynamics like a kid with toys. Now, the award-winning filmmaker is back with fairytale thriller “Baby,” world premiering in competition at this year’s Sitges Film Festival. Latido Films, the film’s sales agent,

The Karlovy Vary Film Festival, the Czech Republic’s premiere industry event, announced Wednesday it will launch in abridged form Nov. 18 in the spa town where it had to be canceled in July due to COVID-19 restrictions. With a non-competitive program and screening top titles from other major fests, Karlovy Vary will run for four

Just three months after the release of “Greyhound,” a first look trailer for Tom Hanks’ next project, “News of the World,” is here. The minute-long clip was released today by Universal Pictures, in addition to first look images provided to Vanity Fair. The official trailer is said to be coming soon, and the film is

In movies and TV, covering up a crime, even one as drastic as murder, is as common an occurrence as sneezing. “The Lie” is all about a coverup, but Jay (Peter Sarsgaard) and his 15-year-old daughter, Kayla (Joey King), are hiding a crime that doesn’t feel like a crime. They’re hiding a freak accident as

Slinky — the popular springy children’s toy — is getting the Hollywood treatment. Tamra Davis, the filmmaker of “Billy Madison” and “Half Baked,” is set to direct “Slinky,” a movie based on the true story behind the inception of the playroom staple. Though the Slinky was created by Richard James, the film will center on

A Texas grand jury has indicted Netflix on a charge of disseminating lewd material by distributing the French film “Cuties.” The grand jury in Tyler County, Texas, returned the indictment on Sept. 23 under a state law that forbids “the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of an unclothed, partially clothed, or clothed

Universal’s “Dear Even Hansen” film adaptation is continuing to round out its cast, with singer-songwriter Liz Kate as the newest addition. Kate will join a star-studded cast, including Amy Adams, Kaitlyn Dever and Amandla Stenberg. Ben Platt, who won a Tony for his performance on Broadway, is expected to reprise the lead role. It’s unknown

SF Studios has boarded “Toscana,” Mehdi Avaz’s upcoming romantic drama starring Anders Matthesen that just started filming. A tribute to love and food, “Toscana” also stars Christiana Dell’Anna (“Gomorra”) and Andrea Bosca (“Quantico”), as well as Ghita Nørby (“Silent Heart”), Lærke Winther (“Dicte”) and the singer Christopher. Matthesen, one of Denmark’s most popular actors, previously

Between the cascade of release date changes announced by Warner Bros. yesterday — including moving “Dune” to Oct. 1, 2021, “The Batman” to March 4, 2022 and “The Flash” to Nov. 4, 2022 — and Disney’s announcement on Sept. 23 that the studio was moving the bulk of its 2020 feature releases to 2021, it’s

The American Film Institute has unveiled its lineup of 124 films, adding notable titles including the documentaries “Belushi,” “Citizen Penn” and “Hopper/Welles” and the Albert and Allen Hughes thriller “Dead Presidents.” AFI Fest, which is going virtual this year without the usual glitzy Hollywood premieres at the TCL Chinese Theatre, had announced previously that Rachel

Film producer Edward S. Feldman, who received an Academy Award best picture nomination for “Witness,” died on Oct. 2 in Los Angeles, according to his publicist. He was 91. He was also nominated for BAFTA Awards for “Witness” and “The Truman Show.” In 1977, he received an Emmy nomination in the limited series category for “21

The Second City, the comedy institution that launched the careers of Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Bill Murray and Tina Fey, is being put up for sale. It marks only the second time in the brand’s 60-year history that it has been on the block. Investment bank Houlihan Lokey will advise on the sale. The announcement

The first official trailer and new poster for the documentary feature film “Collective,” which debuted at the Venice Film Festival last year, has been shared exclusively with Variety. Directed by Alexander Nanau (“Toto and His Sisters”), the film follows a team of investigative journalists at the Romanian newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor as they try to uncover

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Almost Famous,” Cameron Crowe, Patrick Fugit, and Michael Angarano reunited on Zoom to discuss how William Miller made being uncool “the coolest.” In the conversation, Crowe pays tribute to the film’s casting director Gail Levin, who would “stay up all night for 10 months” to find the right actors

The Pingyao International Film Festival, founded by Chinese helmer Jia Zhangke and former Venice head Marco Muller, has released its full lineup of global and local films. The selections in the two main sections focus on first or second features. The festival is set to take place from Oct. 10-19 in the ancient city of

After several blockbuster postponements including James Bond film “No Time To Die,” the ongoing crisis in the U.K. and Ireland exhibition sector has claimed its first victim in Phyllida Lloyd’s Sundance Film Festival title “Herself.” Distributor Element Pictures announced Tuesday: “We can’t wait to share #HerselfFilm with UK & Irish audiences, but unfortunately we are

France’s National Film Board (CNC) has launched a workshop for producers who work in the film, TV and video games industry, along with other measures aimed at uncovering and preventing sexual misconduct during shoots and post-production. The CNC collaborated with feminist orgs 50/50 Future and the European Association Against Violence Towards Women in the Workplace,

Rick Famuyiwa will direct the upcoming docuseries on Lakers great Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Variety has learned. The “Dope” filmmaker will work alongside editor Dirk Westervelt (“Ford Vs. Ferrari”) and Rachel Morrison (“Black Panther”), who have already begun pre-production on the film. The series, which has been likened to ESPN’s penetrating look at Michael Jordan, “The

Rome Film Festival artistic director Antonio Monda on Monday unveiled a rich lineup for the event’s 15th edition, which is on track to take place Oct. 15-25 as a physical event. It comprises 24 titles repping a well-assorted mix of mainstream movies in the official selection – such as Pixar’s “Soul,” the fest’s opener –

Hungarian writer-director Kristóf Deák, who won an Academy Award for best live-action short, has started shooting his debut theatrical feature, “The Grandson.” The coming-of-age drama, disguised as a crime thriller, with darkly comic undertones, will shoot for 40 days on location in Budapest. NFI World Sales is handling global distribution, with an expected release date

Actor Daniel Craig, who plays James Bond, has defended the decision to delay keenly anticipated film “No Time To Die” to April 2021. “This thing is just bigger than all of us,” Craig said, while appearing on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon,” on Oct. 5, celebrated as James Bond Day, commemorating the release date

Universal Pictures’ “The 355,” a woman-led spy thriller starring Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Diane Kruger, Fan Bingbing and Penelope Cruz, has released a first trailer for the film, which is set for a theatrical release on Jan. 15, 2021. The movie follows a team of spies from various international agencies who must band together to prevent brewing conflicts and halt an

While most actors have a long wait ahead of them before their next starring role is devoured by audiences, actor Ali Fazal has two major performances coming out: Season 2 of Amazon India Original series “Mirzapur,” streaming Oct. 23, and a feature role in Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie adaptation “Death on the Nile,” set for

“The Batman” will no longer hit theaters in 2021. In another major release calendar overhaul, Warner Bros. has delayed the comic book adventure and a number of other movies, including “The Flash” and “Shazam 2.” “The Batman” — starring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader — had been scheduled for Oct. 1, 2021. It’s now