Since its founding in 2003, Rooster Teeth has built a large following for original shows like “Red vs. Blue” and “RWBY,” as well as other fan-direct content distributed across its own branded channels. But the first season of the new “Transformers: War for Cybertron” trilogy — produced by Rooster Teeth Studios — will premiere on
The Wu-Tang Clan’s first album, “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers),” was released in late 1993, and it sold respectably, though its cultural impact far outpaced its initial commercial fortunes. By the time the group’s second release, the mammoth double album “Wu-Tang Forever,” arrived in 1997, the Staten Island nine-piece was arguably the hottest commodity in
Cinemas across India will remain closed at least until Aug. 31, the country’s Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed Wednesday. The third phase of Indian unlocking comes into effect Aug. 1, but in this phased reopening process, cinema halls, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theaters, bars, auditoriums and assembly halls remain prohibited, according to a notice released
Even if you haven’t experienced one, you might be familiar with the sensation of a panic attack or a supposedly irrational fear like claustrophobia, both of which can suffocate their victims with a feeling of impending death. Once triggered, those internal alarms present a lonely state of being — an alternate plane of existence with
Cineworld will begin reopening its cinemas in England with a lineup featuring a special 4DX screening program that includes four films projected for the first time in the chain’s exclusive multi-sensory 4DX extreme cinema format. Christopher Nolan’s “Inception,” Chris Columbus’ “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” Alfonso Cuarón’s “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
In June, two perennial Food Network shows, Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” and Robert Irvine’s “Restaurant: Impossible,” went back into production. It was the first time either show shot on location since the coronavirus pandemic brought all television and film production to a dramatic halt in mid-March. They were filmed under strict, new COVID-19
When Latosha Stone first attempted the sport that would later become her lifeblood, it did not go as planned. She was in sixth grade and using a “crappy” Penny board; she fell off the skateboard as soon as she started, hurt her arm, and shelved the hobby. Then, in high school, she took it up
Taiwan, one of the few places in the world that did not shut its cinemas or production industries due to the coronavirus, is intent on ramping up the volume of film and TV that is made on and with the self-governed island. A new government initiative will support an additional 100 hours per year of
Instagram blurred a discredited coronavirus conspiracy theory viral video posted by pop icon Madonna on Instagram with a caption stating: “False Information – Reviewed by independent fact-checkers.” The video was subsequently deleted from Madonna’s Instagram page. The video is by Houston-based Dr. Stella Immanuel who advocates hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus cure. “The Truth will set
The Americana Music Association Foundation has rolled out an initial lineup for its online “Thriving Roots” conference in September, including several “intimate conversations” between stars of roots-based music or, in the case of Ken Burns, one of their equally famous chroniclers. Burns will be joined by Emmylou Harris for “Country Music: One Year Later,” a
Oren Moverman began his career as a screenwriter, contributing to such landmarks of independent film as “Jesus’ Son” and “I’m Not There.” In 2009, he made his directorial debut with “The Messenger,” an Iraq-war homefront drama that attracted major critical acclaim as well as two Oscar nominations (for best original screenplay and for Woody Harrelson
U.S. documentary specialist Submarine Entertainment and Israel-based sales company Cinephil are teaming up with Participant Media to distribute the Luke Holland-directed documentary “Final Account,” about the legacy of Nazism, which is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September. Submarine is teaming with Participant to jointly represent the film’s domestic sales, while Cinephil will
TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer is hitting back at Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, ahead of Zuckerberg’s appearance at a congressional hearing on Big Tech. Facebook’s “attacks” on TikTok, which is owned by Chinese internet giant ByteDance, are “disguised as patriotism and designed to put an end to our very presence in the U.S.,” Mayer, who took
Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer, will be honored with Variety’s Vanguard Award at the annual Mipcom international content sales conference set for Oct. 12-15 in Cannes. The Vanguard Award recognizes individuals and companies that have made a significant contribution to the global business of entertainment. Sarandos will receive the kudo and take part in a Q&A with
Netflix has ordered a new animated comedy series from “Norsemen” creators Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen, the creatives’ first foray into the cartoon arts at a time when adult-focused animation is booming and live-action production has slowed or stopped in many territories. “Captain Fall” will track titular Jonathan Fall, a wet-behind-the-ears yet good-hearted sea
Academy Award nominee Stanley Tucci (“The Lovely Bones,” “The Devil Wears Prada”) is set to star as a buccaneering treasure hunter in “La Fortuna,” a modern-day six-part adventure thriller from AMC Studios and Spain’s Movistar Plus, representing one of the most ambitious drama series to come out of Spain to date. Linking AMC Studios to
Dear Wiley, How are you? I ask that sincerely, as I’m sure the past week has been challenging for you, as it has been for many of us. Your words have hurt. Like a broken record, they’re anti-Semitic tropes we’ve heard for time immemorial. They go back to the very dawn of civilization, and they
Ahead of Spotify’s earnings call for its 2020 second-quarter results on Wednesday morning, the company’s cofounder and CEO Daniel Ek and CFO Paul Vogel got on the phone for a short call with Variety’s Jem Aswad and Todd Spangler. The conversation follows in full. How did you launch in 12 countries, including Russia, during a pandemic?
Buying a used designer handbag is a trust fall. You risk it all for the potential of finding your dream investment bag at a discount, while anxieties of authenticity, quality, and value retention lurk in the back of your mind. Am I going to destroy my vintage Birkin bag if I clean it with water?
The Beijing International Film Festival will go ahead after all, organizers announced Wednesday. The festival was originally scheduled for late April, but was postponed in March due to the coronavirus outbreak. It was replaced with a hastily pulled together online event in early May, operated in partnership with streaming platform iQIYI. Now, the 10th edition
South Korean animation “Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs” opens Wednesday in some 300 cinemas in France, giving the fairy tale derivative a further chance demonstrate its resistant to coronavirus. Using the fairy tale format to tell a story about the true meaning of beauty, the film was written and directed by Hong Sung Ho
Spotify’s user and subscriber growth came in at the top end of expectations, but the company’s bottom line was hit by a 48% increase in operating costs from stock-related compensation charges. In addition, ad revenue fell 21% — which Spotify blamed on the coronavirus pandemic — but the drop wasn’t quite as bad as forecast.
Jan Naszewski’s Warsaw-based sales outfit New Europe Film Sales has acquired world sales rights to “A Piece of Sky,” Swiss director Michael Koch’s sophomore feature, which was selected for The Films After Tomorrow strand of the Locarno Festival. “A Piece of Sky” is based on the real-life story of Anna and Marco, a couple who
The Edinburgh TV festival has revealed the 30 successful candidates selected for its popular ‘Ones to Watch’ program. Reflecting the nature of the U.K. television industry, more than 70% of the candidates, including producers, directors, writers and journalists, are freelance, and the rest are from leading production companies and broadcasters, including the BBC, Lime Pictures,
Hipgnosis Songs Fund has acquired the music catalogue of four time Grammy winner Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, who will also be joining the investment adviser’s advisory board with immediate effect. Hipgnosis has acquired 100% of Rodney Jerkins’ Writer’s Share of Income in his early works and 100% of his Publishing interest and Writer’s Share of Income
South Korea came relatively late to the zombie-cinema sweepstakes, making up for lost time most notably with 2016’s “Train to Busan,” which has already generated a sequel. Nonetheless, “Zombie for Sale” will seem most familiar not necessarily to horror fans, but rather those who grokked the comedy of family dysfunctionalia in prior genre-expanding local breakouts
Who would have thought a romantic comedy on the pain of being different could become such ironic and timely viewing in a global pandemic? In “I Weirdo,” a kooky and innovative debut by Taiwanese writer-director Liao Ming-yi, a couple with OCD trying to fit in to so-called “normal” society now looks like social-distancing heroes in
What do Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Lionel Richie, Courtney Love, Panic! at the Disco, Pearl Jam, Sia, Aerosmith, Lorde and Linkin Park have in common? Among probably many other things, one definite is a desire for politicians to keep their grubby hands off their music. (Unless, perhaps, they ask nicely.) Those and dozens of
Lena Waithe and CBS’ chief creative officer David Nevins have been conducting a “great social experiment” over the past couple months, Waithe tells Variety. The findings of her preliminary research on “Twenties” — the semi-autobiographical sitcom she has been shopping for over a decade that began airing its eight-episode season on BET in March —
The theatrical window has been shattered, and it’s a pretty good bet that it will never be patched back together. That means that the movie business will never look the same. The Universal and AMC Theatres deal enabling the studio to release new movies on premium video on-demand within three weeks of their debut has