“Sam Bahadur,” a biopic of Indian war hero Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, is the latest feature from Meghna Gulzar. Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies produced the film, which released theatrically in December 2023 and proved to be a box office success. The cast is led by Vicky Kaushal (“Dunki”) as Manekshaw and also includes Sanya Malhotra
Barunson E&A, the production company behind Korean Oscar-winner “Parasite,” is investing in Base Entertainment’s upcoming Indonesian horror film “Respati.” The Korean company will also take on worldwide sales duties and pre-sell rights at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin. “Respati” tells the story of a teenager with the ability to enter other people’s dreams.
“Much Ado About Dying,” Scott Chamber’s documentary about elderly care that won the best directing award at IDFA in 2022, has been acquired by First Run Features for the U.S. and Canada. The feature, produced by Soilsiú Films and Tiffin Films, will have its U.S. festival premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival ahead of
While other media companies have been paring back content spending, Amazon shelled out more than $2 billion more in 2023 for TV shows, movies and music than it did a year earlier. Amazon’s total video and music expense last year was $18.9 billion, representing a 14% increase from $16.6 billion in 2022, according to the
Just days after the Russian blockbuster “The Master and Margarita” surged to the top of the domestic box office, Kremlin cronies, pro-war propagandists and an army of online trolls have waged a campaign to discredit the film and its director, Michael Lockshin, a U.S. citizen who was raised in the Soviet Union and has been
For Italian conductor Beatrice Venezi, 2024 kicked off on a decidedly sour note. On New Year’s Eve the baton-wielding Venezi, a friend of right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, was heckled at the Opéra de Nice by French anti-fascist protesters as she took to the podium. The incident reflected tensions rippling through European entertainment industry circles
Actor, film producer and executive Chen Xi has been appointed as board director, chair and representative of Wanda Film, China’s largest cinema operator. Chen (who is also known as Chen Zhixi and who sometimes uses the English name Yedda Chen) becomes one of the highest-positioned women in the Chinese film industry. It is heavily dominated
RIPE FRUIT Fruit Chan has been named as the filmmaker in focus at this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (March 28-April 8). The maverick director will be honored with a commemorative book, a face-to-face interview and the screening of ten of his movies. These include: 1997’s “Made in Hong Kong,” 1998’s “The Longest Summer,” 1999’s
The first female-led film in leading Indian studio Yash Raj Films‘ (YRF) spy universe has found its director in Shiv Rawail, Variety has learned. Alia Bhatt (“Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani,” “Heart of Stone”) and Sharvari (“Bunty Aur Babli 2”) will play super agents in the as-yet-untiitled film. Rawail, who had previous stints as assistant
Global streaming giant Netflix has made a significant ongoing commitment to production of original content from Southeast Asia and in the Chinese-language. For 2024, Netflix has unveiled a slate of four Chinese-language series, all hailing from Taiwan. From Thailand, it detailed seven series and one film. From Indonesia, it has committed to five films and
“Dave” is going on hiatus, as its co-creator and star Dave Burd, aka Lil Dicky, eyes other projects. FX Networks has not officially renewed the comedy series for Season 4. The third season aired from April-May in 2023. “After some back and forth, there are no current plans for a fourth season of ‘Dave’ right
Chuck Philips, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist renowned for his reporting on dark corners of the music industry, died in January at age 71. No exact date or cause of death has been given by the family. As one of the Los Angeles Times‘ most prominent entertainment journalists in the 1990s and 2000s, Philips shared
DreamWorks Animation’s latest feature, “Orion and the Dark,” is all but guaranteed to surprise you. It’s skipping theaters and going straight to Netflix, for starters. On a story level, it reveals the little-known fact that every time humans fall asleep, they’re being bludgeoned or smothered into unconsciousness by a little blue gremlin. But the biggest
Donald Glover is the new Brad Pitt, at least when it comes to Prime Video’s eight-episode “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” series. Glover stars in and co-created the reimagining of Pitt’s 2005 action-comedy, which famously paired the A-list actor with Angelina Jolie. “I’m not a big fan of remakes, so this was kind of a big
Christopher Nolan recently appeared on the “Countdown to the BAFTAs” podcast and reflected on the record-breaking box office success of “Oppenheimer,” which has earned $958 million worldwide to become the highest-grossing biographical drama in film history. Those box office numbers are more or less unheard of for an incredibly dense, three-hour, R-rated historical drama. “Everybody
Welcome back to this week’s What to Watch! 2024 is an exciting year for entertainment and we’re highlighting the most anticipated Black led movies and TV shows of 2024. What will you be watching? ► Learn more about Genius: MLK/X: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/genius/s04?cmp=Trailers_YouTube_Desc ► Learn more about Mr. & Mrs. Smith: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/mr_and_mrs_smith_2024?cmp=Trailers_YouTube_Desc ► Learn more about Bob
Mindy Kaling‘s upcoming Netflix comedy series set in the world of pro basketball has added three new cast members, Variety has learned. Brenda Song, Scott MacArthur, and Drew Tarver are all joining the show alongside previously announced series lead Kate Hudson. The untitled series received a 10-episode order at Netflix in June 2021. The official
Julia Fox is set to host and executive produce “OMG Fashun,” a new design competition series at E!, with Law Roach co-hosting. The series premieres with two episodes on May 6 at 9 p.m. In each episode, three contestants are challenged to create “create a boundary-breaking look born of Fox’s beautifully bold brain using materials
Universal Music CEO Lucian Grainge issued a letter to UMG employees on Thursday to announce a restructuring of its current operating model. In the memo obtained by Variety, Grainge writes the move marks “the start of the next powerful wave of [UMG’s] commercial and creative growth and success,” under which Interscope Geffen A&M’s John Janick and Republic’s Monte Lipman will
Brad Pitt is likely reuniting with Quentin Tarantino for the filmmaker’s 10th and ostensibly final feature, “The Movie Critic.” The status of the deal is unclear. Tarantino has remained tight-lipped about “The Movie Critic,” but it’s reportedly set in southern California during the 1970s and center on a cynical film reviewer. It’s rumored to be
Fans of NBC’s beloved sitcom “The Office” got huge news at the start of 2024 when it was revealed that showrunner Greg Daniels had opened a development room to officially begin planning a reboot. Details on a new iteration of “The Office” are scarce, but Emmy winner Bryan Cranston recently floated the idea to some
The “Suits” spinoff, “Suits: LA” has landed a pilot order at NBCUniversal. Production is scheduled to start in late March in Vancouver. The new iteration will follow Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor from New York, who has reinvented himself representing the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. “His firm is at a crisis point,
Bruce Springsteen‘s official Instagram announced on Thursday that his mother Adele Ann Springsteen died Wednesday. The rocker paid tribute to his mother by quoting lyrics from his song “The Wish,” which describes his younger years. “I remember in the morning mom hearing your alarm clock ring. I’d lie in bed and listen to you getting
Meta cruised past Wall Street forecasts for the fourth quarter of 2023, turning in a record $40.1 billion in top-line revenue as net income tripled. The strong results reflect a healthy rebound in digital advertising after a downturn in 2022 that led Meta to cut back its workforce. The social media giant, already staggeringly large,
Amazon reported its fourth-quarter 2023 earnings Thursday, revealing results for its October Prime Day event and the holiday shopping season. Wall Street projected Amazon would post $24.2 billion for its Amazon Web Services (AWS) division and hit $14.2 billion in ad sales for the quarter ended Dec. 31, per StreetAccount. Amazon reported $14.7 billion in ad sales,
Apple turned in another record quarter in its services business, as strong iPhone 15 sales boosted total revenue 2% in the last three months of 2023 — rebounding after four quarters of year-over-year top-line declines. Apple’s services business grew 11% in the quarter, to $23.1 billion. That was slightly less than analyst predictions of services
As the nominees for the animated feature Oscar were unveiled this year, one thing was clear: 2D and 2D-influenced animated films are dominating awards season. Among this year’s nominees, “The Boy and the Heron,” “Nimona,” “Robot Dreams” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” all used traditional 2D techniques or other methods to create a 2D look.
Netflix will not be moving forward with a second season of “Obliterated,” Variety has confirmed. Hailing from “Cobra Kai” creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald, the comedy followed a special forces team who — after believing they’d thwarted a deadly threat to Las Vegas —celebrates their victory accordingly with a party filled with
FX has ordered a limited series adaptation of the Patrick Radden Keefe book “Say Nothing,” Variety has learned. The nine-episode series explores The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Lola Petticrew (“Tuesday,” “Dating Amber,” “Bloodlands”), Hazel Doupe (“Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale,” “You Are Not My Mother,” “Smother’), Anthony Boyle (“The Plot Against America,” “Manhunt,” “Masters of the
Justine Triet, the French director whose Palme d’Or winning film “Anatomy of Fall” is nominated for five Oscars, has signed with CAA. Triet is the only woman nominated for a directing Oscar this year. Since “Anatomy of a Fall” world premiered at Cannes, it went on to have a thriving run in the North American