Though the Venice Film Festival will serve as a launching pad for several blockbusters, festival artistic director Alberto Barbera this year is introducing a section called Horizons Extra, dedicated to more offbeat works of all genres with no length constraints although they must be more than an hour long. These pics will be judged by
Venice this year has the goods and the glitz with a star-studded lineup packed with hotly anticipated titles such as Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune,” Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” and Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel,” alongside more esoteric titles. It’s likely to make the Lido a place to reignite theatrical and bolster its standing
A Kiss concert scheduled for Thursday night at an amphitheater in Pennsylvania was called off with fans gathering outside the gates to enter, after singer Paul Stanley tested positive for COVID. In a social media statement, the group emphasized that everyone in the band and crew is vaccinated. “Tonight’s #KISS show at The Pavilion at
Director Spike Lee has edited out the 9/11 truther elements of his HBO docuseries titled “NYC Epicenters: 9/11-2012 1/2,” HBO has confirmed to Variety. The new runtime for the fourth and final episode of the docuseries, slated to air Sept. 11, will be around 30 minutes shorter, and “all the exchange and theories about how
To use a football analogy, Lionsgate called a late-stage audible for sports drama “American Underdog,” moving its domestic theatrical premiere to Christmas Day from a congested Dec. 10, the company revealed in its slate presentation Thursday at CinemaCon. Lionsgate was the last distributor to show a product reel at the Las Vegas gathering of cinema
All Arts unveiled the fall lineup for “The First Twenty,” a new content initiative exploring how the first two decades of the 21st century have impacted American art and culture. “The First Twenty” includes three new specials. Premiering on Sept. 7 is “Afterwards” by playwright Enda Walsh. Jeremy Dennis’ “Ma’s House” premieres on Oct. 11
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. Liane Moriarty has made her way back to the screen with another hit show adapted from one of
Veritas Entertainment Group has optioned the rights to the upcoming novel “Dava Shastri’s Last Day” with an eye toward a premium series adaptation as a “Succession”-style dynastic saga revolving around an ultra-wealthy Indian family. The book set for release Nov. 30 by Hachette’s Grand Central Publishing is the debut from Kirthana Ramisetti, a former entertainment
Chernin Entertainment has expanded its executive leadership with three key hires: NBCUniversal veteran Bill McGoldrick, Starz exec Juan Alfonso , and Fox 21 legal pro Vibiana Molina. McGoldrick has been named executive vice president of film and television, with Alfonso serving as senior vice president over those two portfolios. Molina was named executive vice president
Addison Rae didn’t confirm nor deny whether she’s attending this year’s Met Gala, but she revealed that she’s recently became email buddies with Anna Wintour. “I got an email from her and I was freaking out,” the 20-year-old TikTok star told me at NeueHouse in Hollywood on Wednesday night at the premiere of her film
Netflix launched the first test of its plan to use mobile games to boost its core streaming-subscription business, with the introduction of two “Stranger Things” games for Android, available — for now — only to users in Poland. “Today members in Poland can try Netflix mobile gaming on Android with two games, ‘Stranger Things: 1984’
Tina Tchen, the former chief of staff for Michelle Obama who became president and CEO of Time’s Up Now and the Time’s Up Foundation, has stepped down from the women’s advocacy group. Tchen’s resignation comes amid a time of crisis for the organization, which was founded in January 2018 by Hollywood A-listers and Washington power
Republic Records has signed singer-songwriter Kim Petras, who will drop a new single tonight called “Future Starts Now.” The track is the first single from her upcoming debut album and the first release from her newly inked partnership with the label. Petras comments on the new single, “I felt so anxious at the start of
Pop star JoJo Siwa will become part of the first same-sex couple on “Dancing With the Stars” in 30 seasons of the show, ABC revealed at the Television Critics Association gathering on Thursday. The singer, who has become incredibly successful as a singer and merchandizer, will be paired with a female professional dancer on the
“Stranger Things” breakout Priah Ferguson is sticking to the spooky (and spunky) theme, signing on to star opposite Marlon Wayans in his upcoming Halloween adventure-comedy movie for Netflix. Ferguson stars in the yet-to-be-titled movie as a teenage girl who accidentally unleashes an ancient and mischievous spirit on Halloween, causing decorations to come alive and wreak
When David Oyelowo decided to step behind the camera to direct the family adventure film “The Water Man,” the Emmy, BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominated actor and producer had already overcome several hurdles just to get the movie made. Then the pandemic struck, forcing the movie into the turbulent rapids of the ever-changing film distribution landscape.
Kiernan Shipka has signed on to star in supernatural thriller “Treat,” studio Cadence13’s first feature-length podcast — which the company describes as an “audio movie.” “Treat” is in production now and is scheduled to premiere on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, timed for Halloween, available worldwide on all major podcast platforms. The project comes from C13Features,
A jury has yet to vote, if the case should make it to court, on whether the former members of Nirvana and their associates sexually exploited a child by putting an unclothed 4-month-old boy on the cover of the classic 1991 album “Nevermind.” But the general public has done a lot of weighing in on
In honor of Women’s Equality Day (August 26), HBO Max announces the launch of its “So She Did” campaign, which champions the network’s female pioneers in front of and behind the camera. The campaign kicks off with a film that celebrates the women who have been told they are “too much” and break all the
After nearly six decades, a private recording of a rare, nightclub performance by John Coltrane of his magnum opus, “A Love Supreme,” is set for commercial release this fall. Recorded in late 1965 on the culminating evening of a historic week-long run at the Penthouse in Seattle, “A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle” captures Coltrane as he began to expand his classic quartet
“Star Trek: Prodigy,” the latest addition to the expanding universe of “Trek” series on Paramount Plus, is adding sci-fi heavyweights John Noble (“Fringe”) and Jimmi Simpson (“Westworld”) to its series regular cast, the streamer announced on Thursday. Noble will voice the animated series’ lead villain, known as the Diviner, who rules the mining asteroid of
CinemaCon attendees had an action-packed morning viewing footage from Paramount’s Tom Cruise starrers “Mission: Impossible 7” and “Top Gun: Maverick.” Tom Cruise didn’t appear in person, but was onscreen for Paramount’s presentation in Las Vegas on Thursday. For “Mission: Impossible 7,” Cruise appeared on video describing the harrowing motorcycle stunt jumping off a mountain in
The 2021 American Film Market will once again go virtual, following the online format of last year’s event that took place in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Independent Film and Television Alliance made the official announcement Thursday, roughly two months after organizers signaled that AFM could return as an in-person event this year.
The FX on Hulu series adaptation of “Under the Banner of Heaven” has set its main cast. Sam Worthington (“Avatar,” “Clash of the Titans”), Denise Gough (“Andor,” “Angels in America”), Wyatt Russell (“The Falcon and the Winter Solider,” “Lodge 49”), Billy Howle (“The Serpent,” “Outlaw King”), Gil Birmingham (“Yellowstone,” “Hell or High Water”), Adelaide Clemens
The City of Atlanta and Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Film & Entertainment have launched the Set South Production Assistant Training Program, a partnership with United Way of Greater Atlanta, and The Georgia Film Academy (GFA), with guidance from Bloomberg Associates, a pro-bono municipal consulting firm founded by Mike Bloomberg. The free, full-time training program, set
Amazon Prime Video has had a presence in Europe for a number of years now, but its regional originals boss Georgia Brown says it is finally “off to the races” with dedicated content and business affairs executives on the ground — not to mention the forthcoming production of one of television’s most ambitious originals to
The cast of the original “Wonder Years” will guest star across ABC sitcoms on the night of the reboot’s premiere, Sept. 22. First, Dan Lauria, who played patriarch Jack Arnold on the late-1980s and early-’90s family sitcom, will appear on “The Goldbergs,” which airs at 8 p.m. on the Alphabet network. That will be followed
Emmy nominated actress Kate Winslet admits that she has spent the past year eating far too much Cheez Whiz. In HBO’s Emmy nominated show, “Mare of Easttown” Winslet plays a no-nonsense police detective who eats the liquid spray cheese right from the can. And yes, the British actress confesses she “actually likes Cheez Whiz… I
The Toronto International Film Festival announced that Dionne Warwick and Danis Goulet will be honored at the TIFF Tribute Awards on Sept. 18. Warwick, the famed singer of “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Walk on By,” will receive the Special Tribute Award. She is the subject of “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over,” a
Netflix has tapped Victoria Mahoney to direct its sequel to “The Old Guard,” the superhero action-adventure led by Charlize Theron. “The Old Guard” premiered on Netflix in July 2020 and, by the streaming service’s vague metrics, appears to have been a hit, garnering 78 million views in its first four weeks. Along with Theron, the