“Justice League” star Ray Fisher says he will not work on any film associated with DC Films President Walter Hamada in the wake of WarnerMedia’s investigation into the alleged misconduct on the superhero film set. The announcement appears to effectively end Fisher’s brief tenure as the DC superhero Cyborg after the release of Zack Snyder’s
Amazon announced that it inked a deal to acquire Wondery, a four-year-old podcast creator and producer. Terms of the deal, under which the Wondery team will join the Amazon Music group, were not disclosed. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon was in talks to buy Wondery in a deal worth over
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists has announced their nominees for their 2020 EDA awards, with Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” leading with nine nominations including best film and director. With 25 individual categories, their awards are divided into three sections: the standard “Best Of” section, the “Female Focus” awards and “EDA Special Mentions.” Women dominated the
There’s not a lot in the way of new releases for movie lovers this week, although that might be for the best, given the state of the coronavirus outbreak. The good news: Those films that are bowing in theaters over the New Year’s weekend will filter down to streaming outlets one week later — plus,
Some 44 million people, 78% of England’s population, will be under Tier 4, the highest level of coronavirus restrictions, from Thursday, U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced in the House of Commons on Wednesday. Greater London and its surrounding areas are already in Tier 4. Cities joining London from Thursday include Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham and
Director Linda Mendoza has more than three decades years of production experience across scripted and specials content, and ironically it was HBO’s “Greater Tuna,” which she worked on in 1984, that best prepared her for Amazon Prime Video’s “Yearly Departed.” “Greater Tuna” featured two lead actors playing all of the roles of the inhabitants of
Savaged by COVID-19, global box office plunged between 57% and 76% in major markets outside the U.S., with the U.K. and Ireland leading the rout, crashing 76% against 2019, according to a Comscore study, published Wednesday. Also hit hard were China (-70%), South Korea (-71%), and Italy and Spain (both down 72%). Russia (-60%), Japan
Cinema admissions in France, Europe’s biggest movie market, plunged 70% in 2020, compared with 2019, decimated by COVID-19, which saw French cinemas shutter for 176 days this year, France’s National Film Board (CNC) announced on Wednesday. Total ticket sales came in at 65.1 million, according to the CNC, 65.2 million according to Comscore, which valued
Casting Julie Andrews as the voice of narrator Lady Whistledown on Netflix’s new buzzy period drama “Bridgerton” was such a tightly held secret that the stars of the show didn’t even know about it. Regé-Jean Page, who plays the dashing Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, says he found out when it was announced on Twitter.
A prank call from impressionist Rory Bremner could inadvertently have helped save then U.K. Prime Minister John Major’s leadership in 1993, newly released files from Britain’s National Archive have revealed. In October 1993, as part of his show “Rory Bremner, Who Else?” for U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, Bremner called member of parliament (MP) Richard Body,
Howard Rubenstein, the PR strategist who led a boutique firm favored by media moguls and other high-profile figures, died Dec. 29 at his home in Manhattan. He was 88. Rubenstein’s death was confirmed by his son, Steven Rubenstein, in an Instagram post. Steven Rubenstein now runs day-to-day operations at the firm, once known as Rubenstein
In today’s Global Bulletin, Netflix picks up the rights to Spanish feature “Sky High” for a series adaptation, French crime series “Balthazar” posts record audience numbers for TF1, Mexican filmmaker Juan Ernesto Regalado Morales receives this year’s Guillermo del Toro-backed Jenkins-Del Toro Scholarship, and French journalist Augustin Trapenard announces he’s leaving Canal Plus. ADAPTATION Netflix
Hatem Ali, the influential Syrian multi-hyphenate whose hit historical TV dramas provided collective insight across the Arab world on the roots and complexities of the region’s turbulence, died on Tuesday at 58. The cause of death, which took place in a Cairo hotel, was a heart attack, according to multiple Middle East news reports. Born
Hong Kong is to provide cash subsidies to cinema operators as the city buckles under the pressure of a fourth wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. Cinemas were ordered to close in December, causing them to miss the lucrative Christmas and New Year holiday seasons. A one-off payment of HK$100,000 ($12,900) will be paid to each
In a message to members on Tuesday, SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris and national executive director David White said that many productions will remain on hiatus for the next few weeks as Los Angeles County experiences a continued surge in COVID-19 cases. “We are writing to let you know that we are closely monitoring the recent
Joe Clark, the New Jersey principal who inspired the 1989 film “Lean on Me” starring Morgan Freeman, has died. He was 82. Clark’s death was announced by his family, who said he died on Tuesday after a long illness. Clark was the principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, N.J. from 1983 to 1989. Known
The Writers Guild of America has flatly rejected the latest proposal from WME to end the nearly two-year standoff that has kept the agency from formally representing some of its most lucrative clients. In a message sent Tuesday evening, the WGA told members that WME had not yet agreed to the same restrictions on ownership
Exclusive Early reports of shots being fired in downtown Nashville before Anthony Quinn Warner blew his RV and himself to smithereens may be bogus — because we’ve now learned there’s no evidence he or anyone opened fire. Federal law enforcement sources involved in the investigation and with direct knowledge tell TMZ … yes, officers initially
A number of CBS Studios productions — including “NCIS,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Seal Team,” “Why Women Kill” and “Diary of a Future President” — are extending their holiday hiatus by one week amid the spiking COVID-19 surge in Los Angeles County, Variety has learned. Those productions will resume on Jan. 11. Other CBS Studios shows
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay has partnered with outgoing Warner Bros. Television chairman Peter Roth to launch Array Crew, a division of Array Alliance. which will serve as a database to highlight below-the-line talent. The announcement was made in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, where Roth and DuVernay said that Array Crew is in the
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Bridgerton,” streaming now on Netflix. Netflix pulled out all the stops for Shondaland’s debut scripted series “Bridgerton,” a bonnet-busting take on the period drama that follows the society debuts of the Bridgerton and Featherington clans of Regency-era London. Most fans of the show, which
Singer Petula Clark has issued a statement conveying her dismay at her 1960s classic “Downtown” being blared from an explosives-laden recreational vehicle before it blew up in downtown Nashville Friday morning. “I feel the need to express my shock and disbelief at the Christmas Day explosion in our beloved Music City. I love Nashville and
Chinese director Guan Hu is riding high right now: Despite languishing in government censorship purgatory for over a year, his patriotic war epic “The Eight Hundred” has risen to become the highest grossing film in the world in 2020, with sales of $461 million. His next confirmed move? More jingoistic propaganda. Guan is executive producer
Chinese director Guan Hu is riding high right now: Despite languishing in government censorship purgatory for over a year, his patriotic war epic “The Eight Hundred” has risen to become the highest grossing film in the world in 2020, with sales of $461 million. His next confirmed move? More jingoistic propaganda. Guan is executive producer
WWE Star Shad Gaspard‘s widow claims the Venice Beach lifeguards on duty the day her husband died left him to fend for himself … and she wants L.A. and California to pay for her loss. Siliana Gaspard filed a wrongful death suit … alleging the lifeguards weren’t up to snuff in protecting Shad from drowning,
Spanish-language media giant Univision has formally changed hands now that the FCC has granted the new owners’ petition regarding foreign ownership restrictions. Wade Davis, former chief financial officer of Viacom, has taken the reins as CEO, as expected. Davis’ ForgeLight investment banner and Searchlight Capital Partners led the acquisition of a majority stake in Univision
Even Superman has a difficult time raising children. In a minute-long trailer for The CW’s upcoming series, “Superman & Lois,” the man of steel (played by Tyler Hoechlin) returns as a stressed-out parent raising two sons Jonathan Kent (Jordan Elsass) and Jordan Kent (Alexander Garfin) with his longtime love interest and now wife Lois Lane
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Young Thug’s latest stop on his Let’s-Disrespect-Rap-Legends tour lands on the doorstep of Jay-Z … whom he claims doesn’t even have dozens of songs people know by heart, unlike himself. YT made the controversial comment on an episode of the Barstool podcast ‘Million $ Worth of Game‘ … where Thug boastfully claims his own tunes
British actor Michael Sheen, BAFTA nominee for “The Queen,” has finally revealed why he returned the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) honor presented to him by the Queen in 2009. The decision to return the OBE stemmed from a deeper understanding of the relationship between Wales, where Sheen is from, and the