Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo is set to appear on the “Strictly Come Dancing” judging panel this weekend following Craig Revel Horwood’s COVID-19 diagnosis. The Tony, Emmy and Grammy-award winning actor will join judges Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke, and head judge Shirley Balla for Musical Week on Saturday and Sunday night. Erivo has starred
Discovery has commissioned “Johnny vs Amber,” a two-episode documentary that tells the story of the breakdown of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s relationship, and how it spiralled into a celebrity court case. Being produced as a double bill by Optomen, each film is told from one of their perspectives. The documentary will feature interviews with
The Industry Program of documentary festival IDFA launches Friday as an in-person event, while also offering remote access for those who are unable to get to Amsterdam. Head of industry Adriek van Nieuwenhuijzen and market manager Selin Murat speak to Variety about what participants can expect. What was learned from the digital experimentation put in
In “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain,” everything that might (hope against hope) go right doesn’t. Everything that could go wrong does, prompted by the disregard, bias or outright bigotry that has been at work when police officers encounter people of color or people with mental illness. Chamberlain was Black and lived with bipolar disorder. Writer-director
“Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time” is two documentaries in one. It’s a film about the life and work of Kurt Vonnegut, and on that score it covers most of the bases and captures what it was that made Vonnegut the quintessential pop-philosopher novelist of his era — the quips and catchphrases and sci-fi curlicues, the
Mick Rock, a legendary music photographer for artists like David Bowie, Queen, Lou Reed, the Stooges, the Sex Pistols and more, has died. He was 72. Rock’s death was announced via his official Twitter account on Thursday night. “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share our beloved psychedelic renegade Mick Rock has
South Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ ENM is making a nearly $1 billion bet to grow into a bigger player in the global content business by buying an an 80% stake in Endeavor Content, the production entity that Endeavor was forced to divest after losing a showdown with the Writers Guild of America. CJ ENM described
Here’s what Willis is talkin’ about. Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear are bringing back their “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” franchise for a third edition this December, and this time they’ll be taking on the iconic sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes’ and its spin-off, “The Facts of Life.” Already cast in the “Diff’rent Strokes” installment
“Don’t Look Up” is the last shoe to drop for Netflix this awards season, and there’s a 50/50 chance of it making a seismic impact (pun intended). Director Adam McKay assembles a sprawling ensemble that includes Oscar-winners Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Revenant”), Jennifer Lawrence (“Silver Linings Playbook”), Meryl Streep (“Kramer vs. Kramer,” “Sophie’s Choice” and “The
Honors were given out in more than 30 categories at Wednesday’s 12th annual Hollywood Music in Media Awards, with singer-songwriters like Billie Eilish, H.E.R., Adam Levine and Rufus Wainwright being celebrated in the live webcast as well as composers including Hans Zimmer, Rachel Portman, Alberto Iglesias and Nicholas Britell. The HMMAs reward songwriters, composers and
So have we seen everything yet? AFI Fest, which just wrapped in Los Angeles, is the final prominent film festival to unveil a handful of awards hopefuls. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut, “Tick, Tick … Boom!,” from Netflix, premiered to strong reviews and plenty of Oscar buzz. As part of a banner year for Miranda that
CAA has signed documentary filmmakers Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, directors of “Writing With Fire,” which won an audience award and special jury award at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, and was just nominated for best feature honors by the International Documentary Assn. CAA will also represent Black Ticket Films, the social justice-focused production company
Check out a West Side Story Official Featurette! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Sign up for a Fandango FanALERT for West Side Story: https://www.fandango.com/west-side-story-2021-224646/movie-overview?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc Want to be notified of all the latest movie trailers? Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to stay up to date. US
Yvonne Orji has set up a variety special at HBO, Variety has learned exclusively. The project is in the early stages so details are scarce, but sources say it would incorporate comedy elements beyond traditional stand up and would dive into the Nigerian-American experience. Orji will write and executive produce in addition to starring. Odenkirk Provissiero’s
There’s no shortage of great television out there, but sifting through a slog of weaker shows in order to get to the good stuff — especially in the age of streaming — can be an exercise in patience. The good news is that steaming and binge-watching offer new potential in terms of going back and
Billie Eilish and Paul Rudd are set to host the last two “Saturday Night Live” episodes of 2021. Eilish will host her very first “SNL” and will appear for the second time as a musical guest on the late-night sketch show on Dec. 11, followed by People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” winner Rudd, who will host
Fast-growing Korean conglomerate CJ ENM, the distributor of “Parasite,” is in talks to acquire the majority of Endeavor Content in a deal valued between $900 million and $1 billion. CJ ENM came in with most attractive bid for 80% of the production-distribution unit out of a wide field of financial and strategic suitors, a source
Annabella Sciorra has been set to star in “Fresh Kills,” an upcoming feature film set in the world of organized crime. Jennifer Esposito is writing and directing the film, marking her feature directorial debut. She will also act in “Fresh Kills” alongside Sciorra. Inspired by Esposito’s upbringing in Staten Island, “Fresh Kills” tells the suspenseful
Hailee Steinfeld and Jeremy Renner brought some holiday cheer to Hollywood Blvd. on Wednesday night for the launch of their new Disney plus series “Hawkeye.” The dress code for the event was “Marvel holiday chic” and guests were certainly feeling festive, with fans rocking a mix of Christmas sweaters and Santa hats as well as
A new “Earthworm Jim” animated TV series is in development, Variety has learned exclusively. The project hails from Interplay Entertainment Corp., which owns the rights to the “Earthworm Jim” games. Interplay has partnered with APA to bring the project to television. Like the games, the series would follow the adventures of the titular Jim, a worm
NBCUniversal has retained rights to the English Premier League, a growing part of its sports offering in the streaming era, agreeing to a six-year rights extension with the sports organization. Under terms of the new deal, which starts with the 2022-23 season, NBC Sports, Peacock, Universo and Telemundo Deportes will present 380 soccer matches a
Brett Morgen, the freewheeling director behind “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck,” “Jane” and “The Kid Stays in the Picture,” is finalizing a top-secret David Bowie project based on thousands of hours of rare performance footage of the musician, most of it previously uncirculated, sources confirm to Variety. Morgen has been at work on the Bowie
Jurnee Smollett has landed the female lead in “The Burial,” a new courtroom drama from Amazon Studios. The “Lovecraft Country” actor will star opposite Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones in the Maggie Betts-directed project. Based on a true story, the film follows a bankrupt funeral home owner who decides to sue a rival businessman
Success in the TV industry has long been measured by Nielsen. Now WarnerMedia wants to be judged by a different yardstick. The owner of popular media outlets like HBO, CNN and TNT intends to offer its own audience-measurement data next year, with hopes of doing some deals based on its efforts in the 2022 upfront,
Amazon has ordered the dark comedy “The Consultant” to series and cast Christoph Waltz to star. The series is based on Bentley Little’s 2015 novel of the same name. “The Consultant” follows a sinister relationship between boss and employee and looking at how far workers will go to get ahead and survive. Tony Basgallop serves
“Squid Game” isn’t the only K-Drama dominating Netflix, and classics like “Seinfeld” never seem to grow old. Highlights from Nielsen’s Streaming Top 10s (which includes original series, acquired series, movies and overall programming) from the week of Oct. 18 through 24 include the South Korean noir thriller “My Name” making one of the Top 10s,
Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell’s upcoming movie “Spirited,” a musical rendition of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol,” will feature all-new songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Three rising songwriters, Sukari Jones, Khiyon Hursey and Mark Sonnenblick, will write the tunes with Pasek and Paul, the duo behind “La La Land,” “Dear Evan
Among its many surprising pieces of entertainment history arcana, the Variety Archives contain stories from the 1930s involving an arena sadly familiar to business managers: government seizures of entertainers’ assets. But these seizures took place not because of any financial malfeasance, but because the artists were Jewish. As early as 1933, Variety was reporting on
Netflix’s “Don’t Look Up,” the last shoe to drop this awards season, was unspooled before a crowd of BAFTA voters at the Harmony Gold Theatre on Wednesday night. In attendance for a Q&A with the Oscar-winning stars Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Revenant”), Jennifer Lawrence (“Silver Linings Playbook”) and Meryl Streep (“Kramer vs. Kramer,” “Sophie’s Choice” and
Actress Kristen Stewart delivers the performance of her career in Pablo Larraín’s “Spencer,” which has thrust her to the forefront of the best actress conversation. But when asked about her thoughts about possibly nabbing her first nom, she bluntly, albeit sarcastically, tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast, “I don’t give a shit.” Adds Stewart: “The Oscars