Britney Spears’ lawyer is coming to her defense in the wake of her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, suddenly speaking publicly about Spears and their two sons. Federline, the former backup dancer who was married to Spears from 2004 through 2007, gave an interview to ITV this week and said the former couple’s two teenage sons have
Fox Entertainment’s Tubi is upping its free-streaming game in Latin America, set to launch in five countries in the region later this month. Tubi is set to launch its free, ad-supported streaming service in Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama, joining its current offering in Mexico (where the AVOD platform debuted in 2020).
Award-winning Doctor Who doc “Doctor Who Am I” has been snapped up by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution, Variety can exclusively reveal. Kaleidoscope are set to release “Doctor Who Am I” theatrically in the U.K. in October and are also repping international sales. Materials will be available to view at TIFF next month. Marking Vanessa Yuille directorial
Britney Spears‘ lawyer is going scorched earth on Kevin Federline … ripping him for yapping about her relationship with their boys and posting videos of family matters. Attorney Mathew Rosengart says … K-Fed’s decision to post old footage of Britney arguing with boys Sean Preston and Jayden James was cruel, bottom-the-barrel behavior. Play video content
Megan Thee Stallion has announced her long-awaited sophomore album, “Traumazine,” will be released this Friday, Aug. 12. Before her album announcement on Thursday morning, Megan thanked her “hotties” on Twitter for the love and support she’s received through what she has described as lingering label issues ahead of her release. She also told fans “We
Kaley Cuoco is surrounded by fans in the Berlin apartment where she’s living as she shoots the movie “Role Play,” in which she plays an assassin. “I’m doing all this crazy stuff, and I’m covered in blood!” she says enthusiastically about the role, as she describes (with considerably less ardor) experiencing the heatwave that’s fried
Sam Richardson’s profile has risen in recent years through roles such as eager aide Richard Splett on “Veep,” as well as the star and co-creator (with Tim Robinson) of cult hit “Detroiters” and even via the woefully under appreciated series “Champaign ILL,” which he top lined with Adam Pally. But it’s Apple TV+’s “The Afterparty”
Redbox, the struggling DVD-rental kiosk operator and video streamer, is now part of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment — the streaming aggregator that gets its name from the best-selling series of self-help books. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment announced Thursday that it has completed the acquisition of Redbox Entertainment in an all-stock transaction
MACRO Film Studios and Confluential Films has announced the start of production on the new film “Young. Wild. Free.” Directed by Thembi Banks (“Insecure,” “The Sex Lives of College Girls”), the movie stars Sanaa Lathan, Algee Smith, Sierra Capri and Mike Epps. According to the official logline for the project, Smith plays a hot-tempered high
Netflix has reaffirmed its $300 million commitment to Mexican cinema and series, announcing a slew of new movie projects to celebrate the country’s National Day of Cinema on Aug. 15 and as part of its #QueMéxicoSeVea initiative. The year-old initiative, which can be roughly translated to “Let Mexico Be Seen” has the mission “to make
Award-winning composer Harry Gregson-Williams is launching a new label for his work as a joint venture with Universal Production Music, the two parties announced Thursday. Gregson-Williams, whose credits include “The Last Duel,” “House of Gucci” and all four “Shrek” films, as well as HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” is one of the most sought-after composers in
HitCo Entertainment, the music company launched by Antonio L.A. Reid (pictured at left) and Charles Goldstuck (at right) in 2017, has been sold to Concord, Variety has learned through multiple sources. Home to such artists as Jennifer Lopez, Saint Jhn, Outkast’s Big Boi, Yella Beezy and Dixie D’Amelio, HitCo had been distributed through ADA. Concord,
Veteran rapper and activist Meek Mill and talent agency WME have formed a strategic partnership focusing on the next wave of cultural leaders, according to an announcement issued Thursday. The agency will also represent Mill in all areas. The relationship is part of Meek’s new initiative Culture Currency, “designed to expand Meek’s business while identifying
When Wanuri Kahiu first received the script for Netflix’s “Look Both Ways,” the Kenyan director felt like she was, in a certain sense, reading her own story. The dramedy focuses on Natalie (Lili Reinhart), who takes a pregnancy test on the eve of her college graduation. Her life then diverges into two parallel worlds: one
Musician and actor David Bowie has topped a Sky Arts list celebrating the 50 most influential British artists of the last 50 years. Bowie was named most influential by judges as they commended his influence across the industry and ability to transcend a variety of mediums including music, film and fashion. A team of judges
Trioscope, the company behind “The Liberator” (Netflix) and George R.R. Martin-produced “Night of the Cooters,” has launched its patented Trioscope Platform to license its proprietary technology to third-party content creators. London-based production house Oiffy (“The White King,” Venice title “The Last Worker”) and Poland-based BreakThru Films (Oscar-winning “Peter & the Wolf,” “Loving Vincent”) are the
MEGA//Getty Images Julia Fox has had a busy year. She started her (and everyone else’s) 2022 with a bang with a whirlwind six-week relationship with Kanye West. Since then, she’s become a fashion icon in her own right, from opening LaQuan Smith’s NYFW show in a modern-day revenge dress to wearing a (literal) burning coat
Disney+ is giving fans a first look at upcoming U.K. original series “Wedding Season” in a new trailer. Not to be confused with the recent Netflix film, Disney+’s “Wedding Season” is a “genre busting” eight-part dark comedy that sees a bride’s new family poisoned on the night of her wedding. The Maze Runner franchise’s Rosa
Beta Film has added two new titles to its growing slate of titles from Central and Eastern Europe, acquiring international distribution rights to Serbian supernatural drama “Block 27” and the Czech crime series “Ultimatum,” the company announced on the eve of the Sarajevo Film Festival. Veronika Kovacova, Beta’s EVP of international sales and acquisitions for
In some ways it’s a year of transition for the Sarajevo Film Festival, which sees former industry head and co-director Jovan Marjanović take the helm as festival director, while long-time staffer Maša Marković takes over as head of industry. For Marković, who began her career at the long-running Bosnian fest 15 years ago, the change
Jennifer Aniston has teamed with Web3 animation studio Invisible Universe to develop a character, Clydeo, inspired by her real-life dog, Clyde. The “Friends” and “Morning Show” star has also participated with a number of other industry boldface names in the $12 million Series A fundraising round for Invisible Universe. The capital campaign for the content
When “The Real Mo Farah,” a documentary about the Olympic gold-winning athlete, aired on the BBC in the U.K. last month, it was front page news. The feature doc, which had been kept so tightly under wraps even some of those working on it didn’t know exactly what it contained, revealed that the story Farah
Red Bull Studios (RBS), one of the producers behind the electrifying documentary “The Real Mo Farah,” have set their next project, titled “The Moment: How Sports Changed the World,” Variety can exclusively reveal. Directed by Tom Jennings of 1895 Films, “The Moment” is a feature doc that explores the lasting repercussions of the 1995 Rugby
One headline number out of Disney’s quarterly results Wednesday seemed to show a notable milestone: The Mouse House had 221.1 million total subscriptions worldwide across its streaming services (Disney+, Disney+ Hotstar, Hulu and ESPN+). On that individual metric, that means Disney is now just ahead of Netflix, which ended Q2 with 220.7 million total paid
The Asian Project Market, the film financing event attached to the Busan festival’s Asian Contents & Film Market, will return this year as an in-person event. To increase the focus on regional projects it has selected 29 titles and excluded those from outside Asia. The APM will be held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention
The Malaysian government has confirmed that Marvel film “Thor: Love and Thunder” was prevented from releasing in local theaters due to its LGBT elements. A minister said on Wednesday that the government is committed to curtailing gay culture. Both “Thor” and Pixar animated film “Lightyear” were submitted by distributor Disney for classification and censorship by
Actor, writer and director Diane Morgan is set to receive the Variety Outstanding Achievement Award, distributed in association with the Edinburgh TV Festival. The honor, which is awarded as part of the Festival’s prestigious TV awards, is being awarded to the BAFTA-nominated star in recognition of her extensive body of work, which ranges from Ricky
The Indian government has approved an audiovisual co-production treaty with Australia, designed to promote joint production of films between the two countries. While details are currently scarce, producer contributions from the two countries can vary from 20% to 80% of the final total cost of the jointly produced work. “Australia has emerged as a preferred
Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light,” starring Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward and Colin Firth, will be this year’s American Express Gala at the 66th BFI London Film Festival. Written, produced and directed by Oscar and BAFTA winning filmmaker Mendes, the film also stars Toby Jones, Tanya Moodie, Tom Brooke and Crystal Clarke. Set in an English
Paris-based Urban Sales has swooped on international sales rights to Brazilian writer-director Carolina Markowicz’s awaited debut feature film “Charcoal” (“Carvão”), which is set for its world premiere at at Toronto’s prestigious Platform showcase before heading to San Sebastian for a Europe bow as part of its just-revealed Horizontes Latinos lineup. Urban Sales has also shared