Streaming hits like “WandaVision” and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” failed to deliver the kind of Disney Plus subscriber numbers that Wall Street was looking for, as the Walt Disney Company reported a mixed quarterly report on Thursday. The entertainment conglomerate’s stock fell sharply, dropping more than 4% in after-hours trading. Disney’s $15.61 billion
Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and 20th Century’s “Free Guy” will open in movie theaters exclusively, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced during a Q2 earnings call on Thursday. But both films will only play in theaters for 45 days before transitioning to home viewing on VOD and streaming. The decision
Jason Schwartzman, Eric Roberts and Eric Andre are joining the cast of Danny McBride’s “The Righteous Gemstones,” the HBO comedy centered on a famous televangelist family with a penchant for greed. The nine-episode Season 2, which is currently in production, will see Schwartzman in the recurring role of Thaniel, a journalist working on a story
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can resume most typical pre-pandemic activities without wearing a face mask or social distancing. However, rules in place by federal, state, local, tribal or territorial laws, including local business and workplace guidances, must still be observed. “Anyone who
The acclaimed filmmakers behind HBO Max’s recent nonfiction hit “Tina” have inked an exclusive first-look deal with Imagine Documentaries. Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin have entered into a one-year agreement with the division of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine, it was announced today by leaders Justin Wilkes and Sara Bernstein. Under the deal, Lindsay
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year
Volcanicas, the Latin American feminist journal ordered by a Bogota judge on May 4 to rectify its damning sexual harassment and abuse allegations towards Oscar-nominated Colombian filmmaker Ciro Guerra, has updated its reporting with more detail in the original testimonies. The outlet has also gathered new testimonies from more women and witnesses, including the therapist
Kathryn Hahn will move from putting a hex on the Scarlet Witch to trying to outmaneuver Benoit Blanc. She joins the ever-expanding ensemble cast of “Knives Out 2,” where she will rub shoulders and drop clues alongside Dave Bautista, Janelle Monae, Edward Norton and, of course, Daniel Craig (reprising his role as expert detective Blanc).
Mavis Stapes will receive the Icon Award and Black Pumas, Arlo Parks and Fantastic Negrito are among the performers at the 10th Anniversary A2IM Libera Awards, presented by Merlin and streaming exclusively on A2IM’s official YouTube channel on June 17, beginning at 6 p.m. ET. Rapper Lecrae, singer-songwriter Yuna and Canadian-Colombian singer Lido Pimienta will
Cowboy Jack Clement, legendary in music circles for everything from being present at the birth of rock ‘n’ roll at Sun Studios to writing hits for Johnny Cash to eventually working with U2, has been pegged as the subject of a feature film that Nashville’s Visionary Media Group has signed a deal with Clement’s estate
ABC News will expand its recent “Soul of a Nation” series with two primetime specials designed to commemorate the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death and Juneteenth. “After Floyd: The Year that Shook the World – A Soul of a Nation Special,” will air Tuesday, May 25 from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., and will
Five unscripted shows are coming back for another season at ABC, including newcomers “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” and “Supermarket Sweep.” “Supermarket Sweep” the celeb-heavy “Wheel” will each return for a Season 2 in 2021-2022, though both are versions of previously well-known formats. The former, hosted by Leslie Jones, is a revival of the original series
Jackée Harry and George Wallace have joined the cast of the Freeform comedy pilot “Everything’s Trash” in recurring roles, Variety has learned exclusively. The iconic pair join previously announced series star Phoebe Robinson in the half-hour pilot. It follows Phoebe, a 30-something podcast star navigating her messy life. When her younger brother Jayden emerges as
Charlotte Brändström has signed on to direct two episodes of Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings” TV series, joining an impressive international creative team that includes Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”) and British Chinese director Wayne Che Yip. “I’m very excited to be guided through Middle-earth by J.D.’s and Patrick’s vision and
Ellen Pompeo, star of long-running ABC hit “Grey’s Anatomy,” is set to host her first podcast — a weekly show in which she plans to get real on a range of topics with her guests. For “Tell Me with Ellen Pompeo,” the actor is teaming with Cadence13, the podcast studio that is part of radio
Jimmy Fallon, host of “The Tonight Show,” and NBCU are expanding their programming together under a new development deal. “The Kids Tonight Show,” a late-night program hosted by young people, is among the projects being developed under a new pact struck between NBCUniversal and Fallon’s production outlet, Electric Hot Dog. The late-night host and his
In an effort to buff its unscripted catalog, Peacock has ordered four spinoff series, including “Top Chef Family Style” and “Below Deck Down Under.” The streamer also nabbed the kids version of “American Ninja Warrior” and a baking-themed spinoff of the DIY series “Making It.” Hosted by Meghan Trainor, “Top Chef Family Style” will feature
All eyes will be on the Canadian TV industry over the next month as major players such as public broadcaster CBC, Bell Media, Rogers and Corus unveil their 2021-22 upfront plans. But this year, in the wake of heavy hitters like “Schitt’s Creek” and “Kim’s Convenience” coming to an end, the pressure for networks to
Jason Kilar, CEO of WarnerMedia, revealed his biggest regret from his time helming Hulu was being unable to convince the board to let the company launch Hulu service globally. “I think it’s totally fair to bash, candidly, Hulu’s lack of global footprint that could have been possible starting in 2008,” said Kilar, speaking Thursday at
Netflix has given a series order to “Uncoupled,” a comedy from Darren Star and Jeffrey Richman about a newly single gay man whose life changes after his husband walks out on him. Netflix has ordered eight half-hour episodes of the single-camera comedy from MTV Entertainment Studios and Jax Media. Star and Richman created the series
In the space of just a few weeks, a group of Madison Avenue heavyweights — with names like General Motors, Interpublic Group and WPP — has made public guarantees of ad money for some of the industry’s smaller media outlets, all owned by Black entrepreneurs. Getting these companies to talk about ad spending in public
Millie Bobby Brown is ready to solve more mysteries as teenage super-sleuth Enola Holmes in a sequel to last year’s hit Netflix film. Henry Cavill will reprise his role as Enola’s big brother Sherlock Holmes in the new adventure, which puts a dynamic female twist on the world’s greatest detective and his brilliant family. Director
The producers of the “Saw” movies have cast plenty of talented actors over the years, including Danny Glover, Cary Elwes, Donnie Wahlberg, and now Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson in “Spiral.” But the true stars of the franchise are the diabolical traps that each new movie offers. Frequently accompanied by creepy audio messages delivered
Alexandre Aja has been infatuated by the genre of one-location cinema. The director’s latest film, “Oxygen,“ marks his deepest descent into this tingling fascination. In the likes of “Buried” with Ryan Reynolds or “Locke” with Tom Hardy, the entire film takes place in one medical cryo unit no longer than a coffin. Our protagonist, Liz (Mélanie
In Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead,” Las Vegas is infested with zombies and, in particular, one zombie tiger that instantly sank its undead fangs into fans’ hearts when it appeared in the first trailer. In a surprising turn of events, long before Carole Baskin became a household name in Netflix’s “Tiger King,” she was
Max Minghella never expected to be an actor. The son of “The English Patient” director Anthony Minghella and dancer-choreographer Carolyn Jane Choa, Minghella says, “I one-thousand-percent anticipated working in movies, but acting was probably the last thing I thought I’d end up doing.” That all changed when he was 16 and caught a production of Kenneth Lonergan’s “This Is
Gemma Arterton (“Black Narcissus”) and Shazad Latif (“Star Trek: Discovery”) will join James Norton (“McMafia”) in the thriller “Chasing Agent Freegard.” “Chasing Agent Freegard” is based on the story of British conman Robert Hendy-Freegard, who masqueraded as an MI5 agent and fooled several people into going underground for fear of assassination by the IRA. Arterton’s
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year
Variety will bestow its inaugural Voice of Inspiration Award to filmmaker Eddie Huang at the Reel Works 20th anniversary gala. The honor will be presented each year to a creative who is using their platform to tell interesting stories and inspire others. This year’s award will be presented May 26 in conjunction with the 20th
“Jungle Cruise,” a big-budget family adventure starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, will premiere simultaneously in theaters and on Disney Plus on July 30. The film will be available to rent on Disney Plus Premier Access. Disney used a similar strategy with “Mulan” and “Raya and the Last Dragon” and plans to debut upcoming films