Faye Bradley Hong Kong Design Institute has announced the opening of a new virtual production studio at Shaw Studios, one of the biggest and most comprehensive film facilities in the Greater Bay Area. It is intended to support professional education in the sector and enhance filming facilities in the city. The new studio boasts state-of-the-art
Netflix has ordered the limited series “Untamed” with Erica Bana attached to star, Variety has learned exclusively. The six-episode series hails from writers Mark L. Smith and his daughter, Elle Smith. The series is described as a character driven mystery thriller in which Bana plays Eric Inman, “a special agent for the National Parks Service
Chinese creatives are refining a new trend in entertainment: the super-short streaming series. Each episode in the series typically lasts less than two minutes, making them easily consumable on mobile devices. Each series consists of 20 to 100 episodes in total, and covers a wide range of genres such as comedy and romance. “The mini-drama
Korean American writer and director Josh Kim journeys to the Hong Kong — Asia Film Financing Forum with “Camellia Girl,” which is in development. His track record notably includes Thailand’s 2015 Oscar entry “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time),” the HBO Asia horror-drama series “Forbidden” and a body of shorts for Apple, Google, NPR
Kristen Stewart has responded to critics of her recent Rolling Stone cover, which prompted controversy upon its release. As a guest on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” Stewart was asked why she believes the cover, which shows her with her hand inside her jockstrap, has received such negative attention. Colbert initiated the conversation after
The third installment of the “Venom” franchise finally has a title, “Venom: The Last Dance.” Sony has also moved up the film’s release date to Oct. 25, 2024, from the previously-announced Nov. 8 date. Plot details are still under wraps, but Tom Hardy will return as the lethal protector Eddie Brock/Venom in the film, also starring Juno
Sydney Sweeney is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, but fans are sure to be shocked by her wild new horror movie that pushes her creativity in front of and behind the camera to new extremes. “Immaculate” is the third project that director Michael Mohan and Sweeney have collaborated on, after the 2018 series “Everything Sucks!”
Chinese television production company Linmon Pictures is deepening its ties with the Thai entertainment industry, announcing two upcoming projects: “Under the Skin,” a Thai remake of popular Chinese series, alongside “The Fairest Lady,” marking Linmon’s debut Thai production. The projects were announced at a panel discussion on March 12 at Hong Kong’s FilMart. During last
Jerry Foley, who served as director of “The Late Show with David Letterman” from 1995 until the end of its run — died March 10 at the Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y. A family friend said he died following a ski accident in Vermont. He was 68. Foley, who was the brother of director
Arvin Chen, the American-Taiwanese director, is two months into shooting “Coolie,” one of the most ambitious independently produced TV series originating from Asia, and is currently shifting filming from the Dominican Republic to Panama (see first-look image above). “Having directed some episodes of [Apple TV+’s] ‘Pachinko,’ which was also a period piece in three languages
“The Echo of the Leopard,” which has been selected for the 22nd Hong Kong — Asia Film Financing Forum, marks a confluence of the talents of Hanna Jalali and Moeinoddin Jalali, who are based in both Ukraine and Iran. The filmmakers are graduates of the Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University.
Philippines horror film “Legend of the Tall Grass” (aka “Talahib”), directed by Alvin Yapan, has been picked up for international sales by U.S.-Thai finance, production and sales firm EST N8. Set in an abandoned subdivision, the story follows police officer Bong and police inspector Roman as they investigate a string of paranormal killings amidst the
Dominic Sangma‘s “Rapture” (“Rimdogittanga”), which was a nominee at the recently concluded Asian Film Awards, has been snapped up for French distribution by Capricci, it was revealed at Hong Kong rights market FilMart. The film revolves around a 10-year-old boy who suffers from night blindness and for whom every night is terrifying when his village
Indonesia’s KawanKawan Media has wrapped principal photography on feature “Tale of the Land,” it was revealed at Hong Kong rights market FilMart. KawanKawan is the production company behind Makbul Mubarak’s Venice winner “Autobiography” and Amanda Nell Eu’s Cannes-winning “Tiger Stripes.” “Tale of the Land” participated at FeatureLab Torino Film Lab in 2017, followed by the
“Vanderpump Rules” stars Scheana Shay and her husband, Brock Davies, have been cast as guest stars in an upcoming “Lopez vs. Lopez” episode, set to air on April 23. In the NBC comedy series starring George Lopez and his daughter Mayan Lopez, Shay and Davies join Season 2 as characters named Erica and Justin, respectively.
Owen Wilson is set to star in a comedy series at Apple TV+ set in the world of professional golf, Variety has learned. The untitled series hails from writer Jason Keller. Apple has given the series a 10-episode order. Per the official description, Wilson will star as Pryce Cahill, “an over-the-hill, ex-pro golfer whose career
Texas governor Greg Abbott is slamming the artists boycotting SXSW due to the festival’s U.S. Army sponsorship — but SXSW doesn’t want his support. “Bands pull out of SXSW over U.S. Army sponsorship. Bye. Don’t come back,” Abbott wrote on X on Tuesday. “Austin remains the HQ for the Army Futures Command. San Antonio is
The standoff between Universal Music Groupand TikTok over royalty payments and AI policies has resulted in a near-complete blackout of all music owned, distributed and published by the company on the platform — the videos are still there, but the music is muted. Yet new songs by UMG artists, including Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello and Niall
Beau DeMayo, the showrunner and executive producer behind Disney+’s upcoming animated series “X-Men ’97,” has been fired ahead of the March 20 premiere, Variety has confirmed. DeMayo had completed work on Seasons 1 and 2 of “X-Men ’97” ahead of his exit. He will not attend the March 13 Hollywood premiere for the show. His
Ari Aster has assembled an all-star cast for his next film, “Eddington,” recruiting Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Pedro Pascal, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward and Clifton Collins Jr. A24 is financing and producing the movie, which — based on Aster’s track record — we can only assume will give us nightmares. Plot
A Santa Monica judge has set an August 2025 trial date for a rape lawsuit against director Roman Polanski. The plaintiff alleges that Polanski raped her in 1973, when she was underage, at his home in Benedict Canyon. According to her lawsuit, she had met him at a party months earlier. Polanski invited her to
It’d be easy enough for The Black Keys — singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney — to remain in rock star mode at this point in their career. After all, they’ve reached the top of their craft: radio hits, arena tours, festival headlining slots, and twelve albums. But that vibe doesn’t reflect their modest
Academy Award-winning producer Daniel Dreifuss (“All Quiet on the Western Front”) has boarded “Red Men,” the latest feature from Mexico’s Hari Sama, best known for his lauded autobiographical pic “This is not Berlin,” which world premiered at Sundance in 2019. Described as an “edgy and provocative coming-of-age story” about the life of Austrian expressionist painter
CBS has renewed the comedy “Ghosts” for Season 4 and the drama “Fire Country” for Season 3. Both shows launched their new seasons in mid-February due to the impact last year’s dual writers’ and actors’ strike had on broadcast production schedules. “’Ghosts’ and ‘Fire Country’ are proven viewer favorites on both broadcast and streaming thanks
Together with Spotify, the 100 Percenters, who have long rallied for more equitable treatment for songwriters in the industry, will offer career grants of $2,500 each to ten professional songwriters and producers. The partnership is supported by Spotify’s Creator Equity Fund as the latest part of its ongoing commitment to fostering equity in the audio
Despite reports that she was gearing up to shoot a performance tomorrow at Los Angeles’ Hollywood sign, Taylor Swift will not appear at the famed landmark, Variety can confirm. News reports Tuesday morning indicated production had been in full swing for a Swift performance in partnership with Disney+, much to the chagrin of the surrounding
“Salem’s Lot,” the long-gestating adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 bestselling novel about vampires, will debut on streaming instead of premiering in theaters. New Line, the studio behind the horror film, officially announced that “Salem’s Lot” will appear on Max in 2024. Variety previously reported that the movie was forgoing a traditional theatrical rollout in favor of
Robert Pattinson is delaying his return to Gotham. The gritty comic book sequel “The Batman Part II,” in which Pattinson will become the Caped Crusader again, has been postponed a year, from Oct. 3, 2025 to its new date on Oct. 2, 2026. In addition to the move, Warner Bros., the studio behind the superhero
After sitting out “Scream 6” over a salary dispute, franchise star Neve Campbell has announced her return in the upcoming seventh movie. “Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!!” Campbell posted on Instagram Tuesday. “It’s always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the ‘Scream’ movies. My appreciation for these films
Riot police were deployed Tuesday night in Thessaloniki and protests across the city were banned ahead of the premiere of Greek filmmaker Elina Psykou’s “Stray Bodies.” Far-right groups had previously announced plans to disrupt the opening night of the documentary, whose poster features a bare-breasted pregnant woman nailed to a cross and had been deemed