The Independent Cinema Alliance has expressed disappointment over Warner Bros.’ decision to release the rest of its 2021 film state simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. In a statement released Monday, the volunteer alliance called for a return to theatrical exclusivity, writing that releasing movies solely in theaters for a period of time is
Chuck Yeager, the first person to break the sound barrier and a subject of the book and film “The Right Stuff,” has died. He was 97. Yeager’s wife, Victoria Yeager, announced his death on Twitter Monday night. “It is with profound sorrow, I must tell you that my life love General Chuck Yeager passed just
“Songbird,” the Michael Bay-produced pandemic thriller that is headed straight to streaming in North America, will be given an in-cinema release in Japan. The rights pickup was the first acquisition by the newly-formed theatrical distribution arm of Japanese pay-TV leader Wowow. The film takes place years in the future, in which a mutated strand of
Patriotic Chinese viewers flexed their muscles this weekend to topple Paul W.S. Anderson’s “Monster Hunter,” which grossed just $4.8 million before it was pulled from cinemas due to complaints that interpreted a line of dialogue to be racist and “insulting to China.” In a slow week, however, that was enough to net it a fifth
After moving last year from its longtime New York base to L.A., Cyndi Lauper’s annual benefit for homeless LGBTQ youth has found a new home for these holidays, and it’s online, of course. Taking her 10th annual “Home for the Holidays” special to a webcast format will allow for an even broader array of talent
Mark O’Brien, a longtime syndication sales executive for Warner Bros. and founder of Mighty Oak Entertainment, has died. He was 63. O’Brien died Nov. 9 at his home in Newport Beach, Calif., after battling health problems. For the past 15 years, O’Brien headed Mighty Oak Entertainment, a production and distribution company that produced comedy and
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., granted an injunction on Monday that will block the Trump administration from shutting down TikTok. There are now two injunctions preventing the administration from disabling the popular short-form video service. A judge in Philadelphia ordered a similar injunction on Oct. 30, in response to a suit brought by three
Christopher Nolan, who has supplied Warner Bros. with multiple blockbusters, has expressed deep dissatisfaction with the studio’s decision to release its entire 2021 theatrical slate simultaneously on the HBO Max streaming service “There’s such controversy around it, because they didn’t tell anyone,” said Nolan in an ET Online interview released Monday. “It’s very, very, very,
“This is a dream come true for me,” said Anastasia Brown, who joined VMG as chief content strategist in April, and heads up the label’s A&R. “I have been a fan of Leigh Nash ever since I heard that voice on her iconic hit songs like ‘Kiss Me’ and ‘There She Goes.’ As we have
In today’s TV news roundup, Hallmark Channel released its January programming slate, and the National Hispanic Media Coalition announced the graduates of its 2020 Series Scriptwriters Program. DATES Hallmark Channel’s newly rebranded January programming event, “New Year New Movies!,” announced five movie premieres: “Taking a Shot at Love,” “A New Year’s Resolution,” “Two for the Win,” “Love in
Music production has proven to be somewhat pandemic-proof as artists continue to create during the COVID crisis. While collaboration poses certain challenges, producers, engineers, mixers and beat-makers have been able work from home for the most part, either in isolation or compact pods. That’s kept the business moving and revenue streams flowing. Representing hit producers
Cleveland Berto has booked roles in the upcoming Sony drama “A Journal for Jordan” opposite Michael B. Jordan and as a series regular in the NBC drama “Chicago P.D.,” Variety has learned exclusively. Denzel Washington will direct and produce “A Journal for Jordan,” which is written by Academy Award nominee Virgil Williams and based on Dana
Keeping a movie theater running during the pandemic has been a monumental task, but planning for a new one to open after the pandemic is no picnic either. That’s the challenge facing Vidiots, the beloved Santa Monica, Calif. video store that closed in 2017 and last year announced plans to restore a vintage movie theater
A film about the life of comedy icon Carol Burnett has found its writer-director. The adaptation of Burnett’s bestselling memoir, “Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story,” will be helmed by Tara Miele, whose feature “Wander Darkly” opens this Friday. Miele will also adapt the screenplay. The movie was announced as a development title at
MONDAY, Dec. 8 Ryan Phillippe, Tom Pelphrey to Lead ‘American Murderer’ The Traveling Picture Show Company and GiGi Films have cast Tom Pelphrey as con man Jason Derek Brown in “American Murderer,” alongside Ryan Phillippe playing the FBI agent tasked to hunt him down. Idina Menzel and Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver have also been
Jeremy Irons has been cast opposite Lady Gaga in MGM’s murder drama “Gucci,” with Ridley Scott directing. Gaga will portray Patrizia Reggiani, the ex-wife of Maurizio Gucci. She had been abandoned after 12 years of marriage by Gucci in 1985 for a younger woman. Reggiani was tried and convicted of orchestrating her ex-husband’s assassination on
Producers Stephen Robert Morse and Max Peltz are joining forces to launch a new production entity, Lone Wolf Studios. The full-service production, sales and financing film and television company will have offices in London, New York and Los Angeles. Morse, whose producing work on the Netflix documentary “Amanda Knox” earned an Emmy nomination in 2017,
Greg Dorfman has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Promotion for Elektra Music Group. Dorfman, who has been with the Warner Music family for over 25 years, will now oversee the day-to-day operations of EMG’s promotion department, including the Elektra, Fueled By Ramen, and Roadrunner labels. Based in New York, Dorfman reports to EMG Co-President Mike Easterlin. Dorfman,
Roku announced that financial experts Prof. Laurie Simon Hodrick and GP Capital Partners’ Gina Luna were elected to its board of directors. Both women also join the streaming-platform company’s audit committee. “We are thrilled to welcome Laurie and Gina to Roku’s board of directors,” Anthony Wood, Roku’s founder, CEO and chairman, said in a statement.
Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine has acquired Sara Rea’s SKR Productions, the company behind Amazon Studio’s “Making the Cut,” and is installing Rea as its head of unscripted television, marking an expansion into the unscripted space. Rea is most recently known for her work as showrunner on the Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn-hosted “Making the Cut,”
“Game of Thrones” and “Lord of the Rings” writer-producer Bryan Cogman has struck a multiyear overall deal with Entertainment One, which follows his most recent overall at Amazon Studios. Under the terms of the agreement, he is set to develop scripted television and new media projects for eOne. First up on his slate is a
Rashida Jones, an up-and-coming news executive at NBCUniversal, will take the reins at the company’s MSNBC cable-news outlet in February, setting her up to be the first Black executive to run one of the nation’s big cable-news outlets at time when that business is of growing importance to the nation’s large media conglomerates. Phil Griffin,
The final tweet on Chadwick Boseman’s Twitter account, announcing the “Black Panther” star’s death at 43, was the most-retweeted post on the platform of the year — and the most-liked of all time. The actor died Aug. 28 from colon cancer. The statement from Boseman’s account that day, as of Monday (Dec. 7), had 2.1
A federal judge on Monday dismissed most of Rose McGowan’s civil claims against Harvey Weinstein and his attorneys, but allowed her to proceed with the argument that she was defrauded when she was tricked into revealing details of her memoir. McGowan filed the federal suit in October 2019, accusing Weinstein and attorneys Lisa Bloom and
“Blindspot” creator Martin Gero is looking to set up his next project at NBC. Gero is teaming with “The 100” writer Drew Lindo to develop “No Stone Unturned,” a forensic drama which has received a script sale commitment at NBC. Inspired by the book of the same name by Steve Jackson, “No Stone Unturned” centers
Brandon Maxwell is a fashion outsider. Kind of. Beyond an A-list clientele that boasts every style star from Michelle Obama to Sarah Paulson, the self-proclaimed homebody grew up working in his grandmother’s clothing shop and dutifully watching his mother put on lipstick while he “sat in awe as a young gay kid from Texas who
Queen Latifah is set to star in the Netflix movie “End of the Road.” She will also executive produce the film, which will be directed by Millicent Shelton. The thriller centers on the recently widowed Brenda, who drives her family cross-country to start a new life after losing her job. While isolated in the desert
The CW has picked up two of its unscripted series for new seasons. Both “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” and “World’s Funniest Animals” have been renewed, the former for an eighth cycle and the latter for a second cycle. News of the “World’s Funniest Animals” pick up comes less than three months after its debut
“Big Sky” is getting a little bigger. ABC has issued an order for six additional episodes of the freshman drama, bringing the season 1 total to 16 episodes. News of the additional order comes only three episodes into the season, which premiered back in mid-November. It comes as no great surprise given that the show
Hunter Schafer is stepping into a new role on “Euphoria.” HBO has revealed the premiere date for the second “Euphoria” special episode, which Schafer co-wrote and co-executive produced in addition to leading on screen. The episode, premiering Sunday, Jan. 24 on HBO, is called “F*ck Anyone Who’s Not A Sea Blob” and follows Jules (Schafer)