Becoming Nicholas Sparks’ literary agent and then film production president might not seem like the best preparation for making a romantic drama about cannibalism, but Per Capita Prods. founder Theresa Park is transitioning to a wider, edgier range of projects with ease. Park is producing an animated children’s show based on Michael Buckley’s bestselling fantasy
The Zurich Film Festival will honor Italian director and screenwriter Luca Guadagnino at its 18th edition, which runs Sept. 22-Oct. 2. He will receive its “A Tribute To…” award on Sept. 30 before the screening of his latest film “Bones and All,” which plays in the Gala Premiere section, and will hold a public masterclass
Maybe she meant to call her new album “1979.” Taylor Swift has unveiled three additional album covers for her October release “Midnights,” each of which is being promised as only being available for the next seven days, as a pre-sale in both vinyl and CD formats. Even more than the more permanent cover that was
Don DeLillo’s debut novel, “Americana,” is set to be adapted 51 years after it was first published. “White Noise” producer Uri Singer (“Tesla,” “The King of Oil”) has bought the rights to the 1971 novel, continuing his streak of adapting a string of DeLillo works that have been deemed “unadaptable.” “Americana” tells the story of
Gregoire Melin’s Kinology, the banner behind “Annette,” has boarded “Queens,” Yasmine Benkiran’s feature debut, which will make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The uplifting Moroccan movie will unspool on closing night of Critics Week. Kinology represents the film in international markets. The sprawling, colorful adventure film opens in Casablanca, where a trio
Revered writer-director Paul Schrader is enjoying a late career renaissance, with “Master Gardener” being his third successive film to premiere at Venice after “First Reformed” and “The Card Counter.” The film follows Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton), the conscientious horticulturist of the historic Gracewood Gardens estate, which is owned by wealthy dowager Norma Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver).
SAG-AFTRA members have voted overwhelmingly to approve a new contract with Netflix that allows actors more freedom to work on shows on other platforms. The union announced that 89.03% voted in favor of the agreement, which is expected to cover the next four years. The union had been focused on addressing “exclusivity,” under which TV
Marion Cotillard will star as Coco Chanel in “Rencontre(s),” an immersive, interactive, and multi-sensorial project that whisks participants back to Paris of the Roaring Twenties. Making its world premiere as part of the Venice Film Festival’s recently rebranded Venice Immersive showcase for new-media projects, the pop-history experience mixes live elements with 2D animation and XR
A new docuseries about Armie Hammer arrives on Discovery+ Friday, promising to delve deep into the headline-making accusations leveled against the actor over the past year, in addition to his wealthy family’s dark past. The trailer for “House of Hammer,” which dropped earlier this month, includes clips of conversations with the actor’s ex-girlfriends Courtney Vucekovich
South Korea’s leading entertainment group CJ ENM has appointed Steve W. Chung as its global chief growth officer. He will be based in Los Angeles. Previously, Chung served as chief growth officer at Fox Corporation. Prior to that Chung was the founder and CEO of Frankly, a publicly-traded media tech company based in San Francisco. He
In a world where politicians use mental health as mere talking points when discussing gun violence and suicide rates, Steve Buscemi’s “The Listener” addresses the crisis head-on. Written by Alessandro Camon, the Oscar-nominated scribe of “The Messenger” (2009), the film follows a helpline volunteer named Beth, played by Tessa Thompson, who is an integral part
Avril Lavigne, the princess of pop-punk, was crowned with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday. Timed to the 20th anniversary of her debut album “Let Go,” the ceremony was a full-circle moment for Lavigne, who told Variety in an interview that she had visited the famed boulevard on her first trip
Amanda Mackey, the award winning casting director behind films such as “A League of Their Own” and “Smokin’ Aces” has died. She was 70. “We are heartbroken to hear about the passing of Casting Director Amanda Mackey. She was an inspiration to many in our field and everyone at CSA sends our condolences to her
For many “Star Wars” fans, John Boyega included, the axed “Duel of the Fates” movie will forever be the best “Star Wars” film never made. “Duel of the Fates” was the original script written for Episode IX, which was to be directed by “Jurassic World” filmmaker Colin Trevorrow. When he exited the project over creative
It’s fall film festival season and there’s a whole new crop of literary-minded films coming to screens through the rest of the year. Since the films that premiere at festivals like Telluride, Venice, Toronto and New York are the ones that fill awards nominations lists a few months later, the festivals provide an early peek
“House of the Dragon” co-showrunner, executive producer, and director Miguel Sapochnik is exiting the HBO series ahead of its second season, Variety has confirmed. The show, a prequel to HBO’s megahit “Game of Thrones,” was renewed for Season 2 shortly after it premiered. Sapochnik will continue to be credited as an executive producer on the
For any adult still avoiding animation out of some stubborn refusal to understand its advantages as a both visual and storytelling medium, “Pantheon” makes its ambitions known from the get-go. After the eerie opening theme, scoring a fluorescent string of code smashing through a Greek statue, the show cuts to a high-school classroom, where a
After a grueling, hard-fought and ultimately victorious legal battle over streaming rates for the years 2018-22, the National Music Publishers’ Association, the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and the Digital Media Association today have announced a settlement with streaming services for certain mechanical streaming rates in the U.S. for the years 2023-2027: 15.35%. The announcement comes
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s career thus far has included an Emmy-winning turn on HBO’s “Watchmen,” awards buzz for playing Bobby Seale in “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and movies like “Candyman,” “Aquaman” and “The Matrix Resurrections.” Such an eclectic balance of film and TV projects is the result of Abdul-Mateen’s curation, as he’s made it
As Unifrance’s Daniela Elstner sees it, the wealth of talent in this year’s Venice slate imparts a good bill of health for the French industry writ large. “Today, festival directors look to France in a slightly different way,” Elstner says. “We can find eminences like Frederick Wiseman alongside [emerging talents] like Alice Diop. That’s the
The cast of Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming $100 million epic feature “Megalopolis” is shaping up — and it includes Shia LaBeouf. Reports surfaced earlier this month indicating that the controversial actor was circling a leading role in Coppola’s passion project. Now, with production slated to begin this fall, LaBeouf’s casting has been confirmed. Also set
The 2022 Venice Film Festival got off to a quieter start on Wednesday night with the premiere of “White Noise.” Noah Baumbach’s Netflix-backed adaptation of the Don DeLillo novel, which stars Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig, was met with a tepid 150-second standing ovation. That ranks as a short smattering of applause on the Lido,
Sandbox Films and Gamechanger Films will develop “Under the Dream,” a new documentary feature that will be co-directed and co-produced by Saelyx Finna, Mia Imani and Laurie Polisky. The film is a creative documentary about the uncharted realm of dream technology and the Black-led movement to protect our minds at night. Gamechanger CEO Effie Brown, and Sandbox Film’s Jessica Harrop, head of production and development, and founding director Greg Boustead
Travis Fimmel (“Vikings,” “Warcraft”), Simon Baker (“The Mentalist,” “Breath”) and Phoebe Tonkin head the adult cast of “Boy Swallows Universe,” an Australia-set fantasy-drama series. Production has now begun in Brisbane, Queensland. The eight-part limited series is an adaptation of Trent Dalton’s international best-selling novel “Boy Swallows Universe” and is being produced by Brouhaha Entertainment, together with
Tig Notaro is joining “The Morning Show” for Season 3 in a recurring role, Variety has confirmed. The “One Mississippi” creator and star will portray Amanda Robinson, the chief of staff to corporate chief Paul Marks (played by Jon Hamm). Other previously announced cast members include Hamm and Nicole Beharie, as well as returning star
After two years of a pandemic-induced hiatus, the Pencils of Promise gala will return for an in-person ceremony on Oct. 20 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens. The benefit for the organization, a non-profit that builds schools and increases educational opportunities in the developing world, will be hosted by Scooter Braun and
The lineup of performers for the 2023 Americana Honors and Awards has been revealed, with Brandi Carlile, Lucinda Williams, Allison Russell, the Indigo Girls, Chris Isaak and Lukas Nelson among those set to take the stage Sept. 14 at Nashville’s storied Ryman Auditorium. The roster includes mostly artists who are either up for the annual
The Gorillaz have shared the star-studded tracklist for their new album “Cracker Island,” to be released Feb. 24 via Warner Records. On the 10-track bill is Bad Bunny, Stevie Nicks, Beck, Adeleye Omotayo, Thundercat, Tame Impala and Bootie Brown. The set’s announcement arrived on Wednesday morning with its first Tame Impala and Bootie Brown-featuring single
In a commentary published in the New York Times, Ashley Judd explains why she has filed a petition attempting to block the release of a report on the death of her mother, Naomi Judd — saying that “the horror” of the experience “will only worsen if the details surrounding her death are disclosed by the
Jennifer Fox, the Oscar nominated producer of “Michael Clayton” (2007), has been tapped to produce the 13th Governors Awards for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Marking her fourth time producing the event, Fox will assemble the annual ceremony where Euzhan Palcy, Diane Warren and Peter Weir will receive Honorary Oscars and Michael