Spanish production house Babieka Films is teaming with L.A.-based Viewfinder Pictures to co-produce a feature adaptation of Alan Jolis’ book “Speak Sunlight” (“La voz del sol”), the directorial debut of journalist-screenwriter-producer Carol Polakoff. A coming-of-age story set in Paris and Pamplona during the Franco regime, the Spanish-language “Speak Sunlight” will begin production next spring in
Movies
Korean specialty distributor D.O. Cinema has picked up local rights to Yuya Ishii’s “All The Things We Never Said,” which is bowing at the virtual edition of the Cannes Market, where it is represented by Hong Kong based sales agent Good Move Media. “Things We Never Said” stars Taiga Nakano, Wakaba Ryuya and Yuko Oshima
The Italian film and TV industry was on a roll when the pandemic hit the country particularly hard. It’s now starting to bounce back as movie theaters reopen and productions prepare to shoot, while the Venice Film Festival, set to physically take place in September, may become a symbol of the global entertainment industry recovery
German entertainment giant UFA is continuing its push into feature film with a slew of high-profile projects, including an upcoming Siegfried and Roy biopic and a sequel to the 2014 historical epic “The Physician,” starring Tom Payne (“Prodigal Son”). The ramp-up follows last year’s huge box-office success of Oscar-winner Caroline Link’s “All About Me,” based
Jan Naszewski’s Warsaw-based sales agency New Europe Film Sales has closed several deals with leading independent distributors on the upcoming supernatural drama “Lamb” by Valdimar Jóhannsson, starring Noomi Rapace. The film was picked up by distributors in France (The Jokers), Germany (Koch Films), Poland (Gutek Film), Benelux (The Searchers), Hungary (Vertigo), Czech Republic (Artcam), Austria
German cinema looks set for an exciting year with forthcoming works that include a high-profile Cannes selection celebrating one of Germany’s most iconic filmmakers, an expressionistic thriller set in 1920s Vienna, a tale of Nazi seduction and a new Thomas Mann adaptation. The COVID-19 pandemic dashed the excitement of a splashy Cannes premiere for Oskar
Emma Roberts and Jack Whitehall are starring in the near-future independent comedy “Robots” with Ant Hines directing. “Robots” is set in a near future America and follows a womanizer and a gold digger who trick people into relationships with illegal robot doubles of themselves. When they unwittingly use this scam on each other, their robot
TUESDAY, JUNE 23 Shymalan’s Next Movie Gets Summer Release Date Universal has set a July 23, 2021, release date for M. Night Shyamalan’s untitled thriller, which stars Eliza Scanlen, Thomasin McKenzie, Aaron Pierre, Alex Wolff and Vicky Krieps. Shyamalan will write, direct and produce the film. Like most Shyamalan movies, plot details are shrouded in secrecy
Lewis John Carlino, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter, director, and playwright known for writing and directing “The Great Santini,” died on June 17 on Whidbey Island in Washington state, his family has announced. He was 88. Carlino received an Oscar nomination with Gavin Lambert for best adapted screenplay for the 1978 drama “I Never Promised You a
April Reign, creator of the hashtag #, is partnering with New York-based Overture Global to launch the Ensemble digital content studio to accelerate opportunities for people of color. Reign, an advocate and cultural marketing expert, has emerged during the past five years as a prominent voice on diversity and inclusion after bringing attention to the shocking
The Cannes Film Festival’s virtual roll out continues this week with its Marché du Film, which featured composers Alexandre Desplat, a multiple Oscar winner, and John Powell in a keynote conversation on Monday morning. Moderated by Variety‘s Jon Burlingame, the composers discussed a range of topics from how they choose projects to budgets and processes.
Winona Ryder offered new details about an encounter with Mel Gibson in which she alleges that the “Braveheart” star made homophobic and anti-Semitic remarks, claiming that he made the comments at a party in the 1990s. The actress has accused Gibson of making bigoted comments in her presence for years, but those allegations resurfaced in
When movie theaters announced plans to reopen, their mission was simple: Convince audiences it will be safe to return to cinemas in the age of coronavirus. That meant reducing seating capacity to help ensure physical distancing, implementing rigorous cleaning procedures and encouraging contact-less payments when possible. It involved a splashy ad campaign, boasting A-list filmmakers,
Composer Hans Zimmer must be glad that ASCAP’s 2020 Screen Music Awards are virtual, because he’s so busy with upcoming films that he wouldn’t have time to pick up his Top Box Office award for last year’s “The Lion King” anyway. He is, however, doing a Q&A with Mitchell Leib, Disney’s president of music &
In the last few years, Zendaya has soared in her career, making the jump from the Disney Channel to starring in HBO’s “Euphoria” and big-screen blockbusters such as “The Greatest Showman.” But one of her first post-Disney roles was as MJ in 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and its 2019 sequel “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” In an
As we reach the midpoint of 2020, it’s clear that the new decade has already been a strange one. Many have been turning to movies as a welcome means of escape, and comedy as a genre feels more important than ever. Comedies provide comfort in uncertain times, and some bring more to the table by
Anne Hathaway and Bill Murray are starring in the canine drama “Bum’s Rush,” with Robert Duvall in talks to come on board. Rocket Science announced the castings on Tuesday at the virtual Cannes Market. CAA Media Finance represents the domestic rights, with Rocket Science handling international sales. Aaron Schneider, who directed the upcoming Tom Hanks
Mel Gibson is hitting back at explosive claims by Winona Ryder that the Oscar-winning actor and director made anti-Semitic and bigoted remarks and accusing the “Stranger Things” star of lying about their interactions. “This is 100% untrue,” a representative for Gibson said in a statement to Variety. “She lied about it over a decade ago,
Leonardo DiCaprio, Barry Jenkins and Netflix are collaborating on a movie version of the Oscar-nominated documentary “Virunga” about the battle to save the Congo’s endangered mountain gorillas. DiCaprio is producing with Jennifer Davisson and Phillip Watson for Appian Way, along with Joanna Natasegara for Violet Films. Orlando von Einsiedel, who directed the 2014 documentary, is
The docu-thriller is a difficult subgenre to get just right. Finding tension and jeopardy in the real-life crises of others can all too often feel exploitative or trumped-up, spuriously shaped for the viewer’s entertainment. In “Saudi Runaway,” an intimate study of female oppression and liberation where the stakes couldn’t be much higher, director Susanne Regina
Benjamin Ree’s “The Painter and the Thief,” Jóhann Johánsson’s “Last and First Men,” Oliver Hermanus’ “Moffie” and Amanda Kernell’s “Charter” are some of the titles announced for the upcoming 10th Atlàntida Film Festival, the largest online film festival in Europe, organized by Spain’s Filmin platform. The event will take a double format –one on-site in
Munich-based sales agent Global Screen has sold 3D animated movie “OOOPS — The Adventure Continues,” which has its market premiere at Cannes’ online market, to multiple territories. Variety has been given exclusive access to the film’s trailer. The film is the follow-up to “OOOPS Noah Is Gone,” which was the most successful German production in
U.S. documentary specialists Cargo Film & Releasing have snapped up world rights to an Alec Baldwin-narrated feature documentary investigating the water poisoning crisis in Flint, Michigan. (Watch a trailer for the film above.) Directed by British “You’ve Been Trumped” filmmaker Anthony Baxter, and co-produced with the BBC, the film, which is being shopped to buyers
Spain took the spotlight at the Marche du Film on Tuesday afternoon with a Cinema From Spain panel in which sales agents were given a platform to present one of their features currently selling in the market. Moderated by Tito Rodríguez, marketing policy director at Spain’s Institute of Cinematography and the Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), the
After a partnership that has spanned two decades, Fully Formed Entertainment founders Andrew Form and Brad Fuller are parting ways as Form is in talks to board John Krasinski’s production banner Sunday Night. Discussions are still underway, but sources say Form would join Krasinski and his partner Allyson Seeger at the company in an unknown
After her Oscar nomination for producing the 2017 animated short “Lou,” Dana Murray is making her feature producing debut with “Soul,” the third Disney/Pixar film from director Pete Docter to be named as a Cannes Official Selection. Jamie Foxx voices the role of a middle-school band teacher who is transported to the Great Before, a
MK2 Films (“Maria By Callas,” “Portrait of A Lady On Fire”) has come on board “Louis Armstrong: The Cause of Happiness,” a feature documentary exploring the many faces of the jazz music icon, and set against the backdrop of the social, cultural and political milestones of U.S. 20th century history. Now in pre-production, “Louis Armstrong:
The Cineworld Action Group, an independent org representing the cinema operator’s U.K. staff, has begun a petition demanding that management require cinema patrons to wear masks, in addition to cinema staff. The petition is in response to a statement by Cineworld CEO Mooky Greidinger, who said in a recent interview that staff would be required
With the nation’s movie theaters slowly reopening, online ticket seller Fandango has launched a program aimed at helping audiences go back to theaters. “We are working closely with our friends in exhibition to help get their ticketing back online and film fans back in seats with peace of mind,” said Melissa Heller, Fandango’s VP of
“Jackie” filmmaker Pablo Larrain may be set to direct Kristen Stewart in Lady Diana film “Spencer,” but the pair will first collaborate in a new collection of short films from Netflix. Filmed during COVID-19 and across various states of global lockdown, “Homemade” unites 17 leading filmmakers in a compendium of short films — available to