Ryan Reynolds will produce and star in the monster comedy “Everyday Parenting Tips” for Universal Pictures. The project is based on Simon Rich’s New Yorker humorous short story from May 2020, which was published in a Q&A format and included, “Q: When my child gets upset about monsters, my husband makes jokes to try to
Bindu de Stoppani, the India-born but Switzerland-raised multi-hyphenate who directed Swiss films “Jump” and “Finding Camille,” is set to direct her third feature, a female-driven dramedy titled “40 & Climbing” set in an Alpine valley and featuring a strong Italian cast. Italy’ s Anna Ferzetti, who recently scooped multiple local prizes for her role in
For Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood issue, we interviewed TikTok stars about their lives in quarantine. Charli D’Amelio doesn’t know how she became the most-followed person on TikTok. Since posting her first video in May 2019, the 16-year-old has danced with Jennifer Lopez, appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” performed at the NBA
FilmLA is reporting that 18 film permit applications are being submitted per day since resuming remote operations on June 15 — about 34% of the pre-pandemic level. The number of daily applications for location shooting in Los Angeles has risen from the average of 14 it reported on July 1. FilmLA, which closed down in
Three E! entertainment news shows — “E! News,” “Pop of the Morning,” and “In the Room” — have been canceled, Variety has learned. The trio of programs are based in New York, after E!’s move just a year ago to expand its slate of entertainment news programming and introduce new programs. “E! News” had transitioned its
A lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles alleges that Takeoff, a rapper with the hip-hop group Migos, raped a woman at a party in June. The unnamed woman filed the suit as a Jane Doe, with her attorney saying she “fears retaliation from speaking out.” The filing to the Superior Court of California includes a
A reckoning is happening in fashion, and brands are struggling to figure out how to make necessary changes and move forward. For too long, the industry has been operating with bias, promoting a certain image that, by and large, left people of color out of the framework. From corporations to media outlets to social media
An attorney for the state of New Jersey urged a judge on Wednesday to keep theaters closed, arguing that fans are free to watch movies at home without creating a risk to public health. The National Association of Theatre Owners, and several major theater chains, are seeking an injunction that would allow theaters to reopen
Apple has given a straight-to-series order to a drama that hails from Adam Perlman as well as Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey’s Team Downey production company. The Downeys and Amanda Burrell will executive produce on behalf of Team Downey, with Robert also potentially playing a supporting role. Perlman will serve as writer and executive
How many perfect strangers are there left at this point? Regina Hall is the latest star to add her name to Hulu’s “Nine Perfect Strangers” series, joining previously announced cast members Melissa McCarthy, Nicole Kidman, Manny Jacinto, Luke Evans, and Tiffany Boone, among others. News of Hall’s casting comes less than a week after Michael
Phoebe Bridgers was already a rising star when her sophomore full-length “Punisher” was released in June, but the rapturous response the album has received from fans and critics has vaulted her career into the fast lane. Needless to say, Bridgers’ view of her incipient stardom is almost entirely from her Los Angeles apartment. “I find
Gaming entertainment company Rovio Entertainment Corp. has appointed IMG as the exclusive worldwide consumer products licensing agent for its “Angry Birds” franchise. The partnership will give Rovio the opportunity to develop a holistic consumer products strategy for the mobile app-turned-blockbuster across all content and platforms. “Over the years, Rovio has worked with a number of
Rowan Blanchard was about six months into her Vancouver-based shoot for Season 2 of TNT’s dystopian thriller “Snowpiercer” when COVID-19 struck North America. “We were so close to finishing. They had two episodes left on Season 2 and they immediately sent everyone home,” says Rowan’s mother, Elizabeth Blanchard. The sudden pivot from working nonstop to
If the finale of “Greenleaf” were wrapped up in a perfectly packaged bow, with complications or heartstrings pulled, it wouldn’t really be a “Greenleaf” ending at all. Throughout its five seasons, the OWN drama tackled faith on TV in a way that few others of its kind have, slowly rolling out the flaws of the
The rising tide of programming for the small screen, along with a greater push for diversity in Hollywood, has increased the number of roles for actors of color overall in recent years. And while it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how many of those gains have been made by younger performers — organizations such as SAG-AFTRA
Lady Gaga is teaming up with Apple Music for a weekly show, “Gaga Radio,” in which she will chat with some of the leading lights of dance music and debut exclusive DJ mixes, starting this Friday, the service announced today. The show is described as being an outgrowth of her recent album-length return to dance
Billy Goldenberg, the Emmy-winning composer and songwriter, died Monday night at his home in New York City. He was 84. Goldenberg wrote the themes for such 1970s TV series as “Kojak,” “Harry O” and “Rhoda,” composed the pilot scores for “Night Gallery” and “Columbo,” and won Emmys for the TV-movie “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom”
On July 29, in a congressional antitrust hearing, the CEOs of four of the world’s biggest tech companies endured a five-plus-hour cross-examination filled with combative and accusatory questioning. The livestreamed bipartisan grilling was aimed at making the case that the rich corporate quartet — Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Alphabet — have repeatedly abused their outsize
UPDATED: ICM Partners has signed franchise agreement with the Writers Guild of America, Variety has learned. “We are looking forward to getting back to work for our writer clients,” said the company’s co-president, Kevin Crotty. “The pandemic has caused tremendous hardship and every facet of our industry is greatly challenged because of it. It was
Nonprofit PEN America on Wednesday issued a moral clarion call to Hollywood to step up its efforts to resist Chinese censorship and increase transparency, criticizing studios and the MPA for appearing to defend free speech at home only when financially convenient. The New York-headquartered free speech advocacy group detailed the mechanisms by which China influences
Directed by former competitive swimmer Pascal Plante and featuring a two-time Olympic athlete in the title role, “Nadia, Butterfly” qualifies as both a sports movie and not-a-sports movie — which is to say, Plante’s aloof, intermittently engaging second feature takes a backstage look at a defining moment in a swimmer’s career, but it does so
NBCUniversal’s Peacock announced that all eight Harry Potter films will be available to stream in windows starting later this year and rolling into 2021 — including on Peacock’s free, ad-supported tier. The octet of movies based on J.K. Rowling’s famed fantasy book series is set to roll off HBO Max as of Aug. 25, after
The Television Academy’s willingness to nominate a number of newcomers has shaken up the majority of the key races. Here, Variety breaks down the early odds in 14 categories at the 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Drama SeriesWith last year’s winner (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”) no longer in the running, there was a big vacant
Reconnecting with his Jewish heritage was part of the creative process for Seth Rogen on his new comedy, “An American Pickle.” For one, the actor learned to speak Yiddish for the first time for the film. “I had heard [Yiddish] my whole life, but I did not know it,” Rogen said Tuesday during the film’s
In honor of the 55th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act, Magnolia Pictures, Participant and Color Farm Media will host a series of live events tied to the milestone and the documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble.” Producers will first lead a live tweet event of the film at 8 p.m. ET on
IFC Films Unlimited, the streaming arm of IFC, has expanded to Canada. It will be made available on Amazon Prime beginning Wednesday. Customers can subscribe directly to IFC Films Unlimited for $5.99 CAD per month. The subscription service also offers access to movies from IFC’s other labels Sundance Selects and genre label IFC Midnight. The
Exclusive “There is no county line at which Kobe Bryant’s celebrity suddenly evaporates.” That’s Vanessa Bryant‘s key argument as to why the court should REJECT a requested venue change in her wrongful death lawsuit — claiming Kobe’s legacy expands way beyond L.A. As we previously reported, Island Express Helicopters and the estate for pilot Ara
Like the rest of us, the talents on this year’s Young Hollywood list have had their lives disrupted by the coronavirus: Productions were halted and tours canceled. But these artists, who include actors, musicians and digital stars, have continued to flourish during the pandemic-forced shutdown of the entertainment industry, flexing new creative muscles or simply
Pete Hamill, perhaps the last of a generation of celebrity newspaperman, has died of heart and kidney failure after undergoing emergency surgery for a fractured right hip. He was 85 and had been in failing health for several years. Hamill, in columns, profiles, novels, and memoirs, was hailed for his muscular, energetic prose. His writing pulsated
Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in early July quietly made a surprise appearance at an open-air film screening in Rome’s central Piazza San Cosimato, where the country’s leader and his girlfriend wore masks and sat on pillows in a socially distanced spot on the pavement. They attended the thriving “Il Cinema in Piazza” summer arena