Studiocanal’s Red Production Company has secured the rights to Irish novelist John Boyne’s latest critically-acclaimed novel “The Echo Chamber,” after a competitive auction. The novel will become a 10-part returnable series, which Boyne will adapt for screen. Boyne is the author of 2006 novel “The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas,” which has sold more than
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched the Dec. 6 episode of “The Bachelorette.” With Michelle Young’s “Bachelorette” journey coming to a close in just two weeks, Monday night marked the seasonal tradition of “The Men Tell All” — and they came ready to talk (and, of course, argue). The night got off
Traveling photographer Pedro is a drawn, taciturn type, who prefers to let his camera do the talking. Whether he’s shooting a coy bride or a gang of white huntsmen posing with their Indigenous human kill, his mien is impassive, his brow furrowed, seeking composed perfection in the most rattling of images. “White on White” likewise
There are three white fortresses that neatly demarcate the divides so evocatively drawn in Igor Drljača’s “The White Fortress,” recently named Bosnia and Herzegovina’s submission for the 94th Oscars. There’s the grim, encircling tower block in which scrappy low-level hustler Faruk (Pavle Čemerkić) lives with his grandmother. There’s the modernist dream home perched on a
The Walt Disney Company has found its replacement for longtime chief communications officer Zenia Mucha, sources tell Variety. Geoff Morrell, currently the executive vice president of communications and advocacy at oil and gas company BP, has landed the job. After nearly 20 years in the role at Disney, Mucha announced this summer she would be
With the cast of up-front and behind-the-scenes personalities being honored or presenting at Variety‘s Hitmakers, presented by Peacock & Girls5eva. it was hard to pick out highlights. But if we could get Jack Harlow talking about the last award he won before being named Variety’s Hitmaker of Tomorrow (spoiler: he was in the second grade!),
Hong Kong’s Oscar submission is an entertaining feel-good biography of So Wa-wai, the national sporting hero who won 12 medals in five Paralympic Games from 1996 to 2012. Focused on the powerful bond between the disabled runner and his fiercely dedicated mother, “Hero” injects just enough gritty drama about the champion’s financial and emotional battles
Jussie Smollett, the former “Empire” star, took the stand in a Chicago courtroom on Monday and denied that he staged a hate crime against himself nearly three years ago, according to local reports. Smollett, 39, walked the jury through his version of the events of Jan. 29, 2019, when he alleges he was attacked by
The suspect in the shooting death of Beverly Hills philanthropist Jacqueline Avant was charged with murder on Monday. Aariel Maynor, 29, of Los Angeles, was also charged with attempted murder for allegedly firing at a security guard, who was unhurt. He also faces charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is hoping that top talent will participate in the announcement of Golden Globe nominations on Dec. 13. Variety has obtained a letter, signed by HFPA president Helen Hoehne, that was sent last week inviting celebrities to participate in the announcement. In the past, about three or four celebs were usually
Adele kept her hold on both the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and Billboard 200 album chart this week, even as holiday records began their annual December takeover of both rankings in earnest. Her fourth album, “30,” spends a second week in the No. 1 slot, with 288,000 album equivalent units. It’s the biggest second
Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s largest live-entertainment company, has closed its long-in-the works acquisition of a 51% controlling interest in OCESA Entretenimiento, a leading promoter in Latin America. The aggregate purchase price was MXN $8,835 million (around U.S. $415 million), 7% of which will be held back and retained by Live Nation to cover operating losses,
Shares of BuzzFeed dropped 11% on the company’s first day of trading as a public entity after merging with a special purpose acquisition company — a disappointing debut for the 15-year-old digital media player, which is unprofitable. BuzzFeed stock started trading on Nasdaq under the symbol “BZFD” on Monday. Shares opened at $10.95 per share
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), a stalwart defender of Donald Trump, will step down from his seat in Congress to become CEO of the ex-president’s Trump Media & Technology Group in 2022. Nunes, currently a ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee who once unsuccessfully sued Twitter alleging defamation over parody accounts purporting to be his
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. Steven Spielberg’s highly anticipated “West Side Story” adaptation, premiering Dec. 10, has already received rave reviews from critics
Colin Farrell has officially signed on to star in and executive produce a series spinoff of “The Batman” in which he would again play The Penguin, Variety has learned exclusively from sources. Farrell will first portray the villainous character in “The Batman” starring Robert Pattinson, which is due to be released on March 4, 2022.
Sylvester Stallone is set to star in a new drama series at Paramount Plus from Taylor Sheridan and Terence Winter, Variety has learned. The series, set in present day, follows legendary New York City mobster Sal (Stallone), who is faced with the startling task of reestablishing his Italian mafia family to the modernized, straight-shooting town of
Friends of Jacqueline Avant, the wife of music mogul Clarence Avant, are reeling from her shocking death at the age of 81 after a shooting and home invasion. As they process the tragedy, they are also shining a light on her charitable work and personal kindnesses. “Grace is one of those things you can’t predict.
Shondaland has hired of Megha Tolia as the company’s first president and COO. In the newly created position, Tolia will oversee company operations including growth, strategic planning and finance. She will report to Shonda Rhimes, founder and CEO. “Over the past few years, Shondaland has expanded into many new business areas while simultaneously growing the
Chris Cuomo, terminated from a prominent CNN anchor job over the weekend, is giving up another perch. Cuomo is also leaving SiriusXM, where he hosted a regular weekday radio program, “Let’s Get After It” — a title borrowed from a catchphrase he employed as part of his primetime program on CNN. “The way my time
BTS is taking an “extended period of rest” to recharge ahead of their upcoming “new chapter,” the K-pop group announced on Sunday. A statement posted to BigHit Music’s social media accounts reads, “We would like to inform you that BTS is planning to take a second official extended period of rest since their first in
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the eligibility lists for animated, documentary and international feature, set to have another very competitive year. There are 26 animated features eligible for this year’s awards, although some of the films have not yet had their required qualifying release in order to fulfill the requirement with
WASHINGTON, D.C. — To the delight of a standing-room-only audience that included the First Family, the Kennedy Center Honors paid hearty tribute on Sunday night to actor-singer Bette Midler, opera bass-baritone Justino Diaz, Motown founder Berry Gordy, “Saturday Night Live” honcho Lorne Michaels and singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. The event, last staged before a live audience
“AP Bio” has been canceled at Peacock. Series creator Mike O’Brien broke the news in a tweet on Monday. “I’m sad to announce that AP Bio will not be renewed for a 5th season,” he wrote. “But mostly I’m feeling grateful right now. To all the fans who watched the show and fought for it
UPDATED: Drake has withdrawn his two 2022 Grammy nominations, a rep for the Recording Academy has confirmed to Variety. Reps for Drake did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Sources tell Variety that the decision was made by Drake and his management and the Grammys honored the request, although his motivation was unclear at
A new study from the advocacy group Collectif 50/50 surveying French films from 2019 has revealed that 62% of local film protagonists are perceived as white, highlighting the underrepresentation of visible minorities in French cinema. The study, titled Cinégalités, was unveiled during a day-long conference hosted by Collectif 50/50 on Dec. 8 with several panels
Sean Baker likes to turn his camera on the people and places Hollywood usually ignores. In films like “Tangerine,” the story of a transgender sex worker that was shot with an iPhone, and “The Florida Project,” a look at an unemployed single mother and her young daughter who live in a rundown motel in the
Steven Spielberg’s coming-of-age drama “The Fabelmans,” a movie loosely based on the filmmaker’s childhood, will debut in theaters around next Thanksgiving. The film, from Universal Pictures and Amblin, has been scheduled to open on Nov. 23, 2022. Though the release calendar could change before then, “The Fabelmans” is currently slated to premiere on the same
CAA has signed Khadar Ayderus Ahmed, the up-and-coming director of “The Gravedigger’s Wife,” Somalia’s first ever official submission for the Oscars international feature film race. “The Gravedigger’s Wife,” Ahmed’s feature debut,” world premiered at Cannes’ Critics’ Week and went on to win the Amplify Voices Award at Toronto. The film also played BFI London, Chicago
John Stankey, CEO of AT&T, said an effort by Democratic leaders in Congress to characterize the proposed merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery as an anticompetitive threat to the media industry was “unfounded.” “What is articulated in those letters is really unfounded,” said Stankey, speaking Monday at UBS’s Global TMT Conference, referring to a communication from