David Permut, the Oscar-nominated producer of “Hacksaw Ridge” is going back to war with a new story about Levi Shirley, an American who died in Syria while fighting against ISIS. Permut has optioned the film rights to David Kelly’s Los Angeles Times article, “The Marines Wouldn’t Take Him, So Levi Shirley Went to War on His
In today’s film news roundup, Isabela Merced get cast opposite Jason Momoa, “Starbright” gets financing and AFM announces its speakers. CASTING Isabela Merced, formerly Isabela Moner, has come on board to portray the daughter of Jason Momoa in his upcoming revenge thriller “Sweet Girl” for Netflix. Momoa will play a devastated man who vows to
The Walt Disney Co. is seeking to throw out a lawsuit alleging that women employees are paid less than men, arguing that the suit is too sprawling and unwieldy to handle as a class action. Andrus Anderson LLP filed the suit in April, alleging that Disney’s hiring and pay practices have a discriminatory effect on
October 21, 2019 5:32PM PT Christian Bale and Matt Damon will both campaign in the lead actor category for awards for their work in Fox’s upcoming “Ford v Ferrari,” Variety has learned. “Ford v Ferrari” follows an eccentric, determined team of American engineers and designers, led by automotive visionary Carroll Shelby (Damon) and his British
The son of the late Osamu Tezuka, who is known as the “the god of manga” in Japan for his innovative and enduringly popular comics, Makoto Tezuka (also known as Macoto Tezka) long ago escaped his father’s looming shadow, carving out a career as a film and animation director. At the same time, he has
Amazon’s upcoming “Lord of the Rings” series has cast Joseph Mawle in a main role, Variety has confirmed with sources. Mawle joins previously announced cast members Will Poulter and Markella Kavenagh. Official details of Mawle’s characters are being kept under wraps, but sources say he will play a villain named Oren. Amazon declined to comment. Reps
A Tao nightclub server who alleges that Cuba Gooding Jr., pinched her rear-end last year has sued the Oscar-winning actor for sexual battery. Natasha Ashworth had previously come forward to New York law enforcement, though her name had not been released publicly. Gooding was indicted last week on four misdemeanor counts, including two counts stemming
In today’s TV news roundup, “She-Ra and the Princess of Power” Season 4 adds Jacob Tobia, and The Weather Channel announces the premiere date for its climate change special with the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. CASTING Jacob Tobia has joined Netflix‘s “She-Ra and the Princess of Power.” Voicing Double Trouble, Tobia joins Aimee Carrero, Karen Fukuhara,
October 21, 2019 3:26PM PT Flight of the Conchords’ own Rhymenoceros, Bret McKenzie, has signed on to pen the script and write the music for “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas,” based on the 1970s ABC special from the Jim Henson Company. Henson’s 1977 TV special was based on the children’s book of the same name by
HBO is appealing a judge’s decision last month that sided with the Michael Jackson estate in its battle against the documentary “Leaving Neverland.” The four-hour documentary details the allegations of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who allege that Jackson sexually abused them when they were young boys. The film won the Emmy for best documentary
Since the Recording Academy introduced the best rap album Grammy category in 1996, male stars — especially six-time winner Eminem — have dominated the rap race. Cardi B made history this past February as the first female solo artist to cross the finish line to the grand prize, for her 2018 debut “Invasion of Privacy.”
Natalie Portman doesn’t know if “Thor: Love and Thunder” will include a breast cancer storyline for her character Jane Foster, but she’s definitely intrigued by the possibility. “It’s just very rare that these kinds of big entertainment films look at more serious, real-life issues,” she told Variety at L.A. Dance Project’s 8th annual fundraising gala
October 21, 2019 1:43PM PT Fiorella Moretti and Hedi Zardi’s Paris-based sales agency Luxbox has closed several territory deals on Carlos Sironi’s “Sole,” which screened in Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti section and Toronto Film Festival’s Discovery sidebar. The film just won the audience award at Pingyao Intl. Film Festival in China and a Special Jury
October 21, 2019 1:39PM PT Ozuna, one of Latin music’s fastest-rising stars, has signed with UTA for representation. And to kick off the relationship, the agency has landed him a role in “Fast & Furious 9.” He is also in talks to join the film’s soundtrack. Justin Lin, who directed “Fast & Furious 6,” returns
Gladys Knight may have turned 75 in May, but the celebration is still going nearly five months later. “I feel blessed,” Knight told reporters Sunday night on the red carpet outside Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill Jazz in Bel-Air, Calif. “Cause you know, we just will never know the hour, the moment, the day, the time
Who will watch the Watchmen? Turns out 1.5 million people, that’s who. The debut of the highly anticipated HBO series delivered that many sets of eyeballs across all the premium cabler’s platforms on Sunday night. For comparison, Sunday’s premiere was up 21% in linear on last week’s “Succession” season finale, and up 20% from the
October 21, 2019 12:30PM PT Melanie Lynskey has been cast in one of the main roles of the Showtime ensemble drama pilot “Yellowjackets,” Variety has learned exclusively. The project tells the story of a team of talented high school girls soccer players who survive a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. The series chronicles
The Writers Guild of America, locked in a six-month standoff with major talent agencies, has announced that it’s boosting efforts at gathering TV, streaming and film project development data to help members find new employment opportunities. The WGA made the disclosure in a message to members on Monday. The guild directed its 15,000 members to fire
Play video content Miley Cyrus is taking some thinly-veiled shots at Liam Hemsworth, suggesting he was such a bad husband … she thought all men were trash, and had no choice but to be gay. Miley and her new man, Cody Simpson, did an Instagram Live video together Sunday to reminisce about their less-than-a-month-long relationship.
October 21, 2019 12:00PM PT Jessica Goldberg is set to write a drama with a put pilot order at NBC that Amy Poehler will executive produce. The project is titled “The Mother-in-Law,” based on the novel of the same name by Sally Hepworth. It is described as a thriller centered around a woman’s complicated relationship
On the morning of Oct. 5, CAA’s Pedro Ventura was seriously injured in a random shooting in Asheville, North Carolina, that severed his spinal cord and initially left him paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe on his own. Ventura was unacquainted with the gunman — who fired multiple gunshots into the crowd
On the morning of Oct. 5, CAA agent Pedro Ventura was seriously injured in a random shooting in Asheville, North Carolina, that severed his spinal cord and initially left him paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe on his own. Ventura was unacquainted with the gunman — who fired multiple gunshots into the
Snoop Dogg and Ted Chung’s Merry Jane digital media cannabis company has teamed with eOne Music to release the first-ever commercially available song composed from sounds extracted from a cannabis plant. “Sticky Situation,” by producer FrancisGotHeat (Drake, Roy Woods, Bryson Tiller) and R&B singer Anders, both from Toronto, and featuring Los Angeles-based rapper Rich The
Exclusive TMZ.com Gervonta Davis is officially off the hook in his ATM assault case — after officials say the boxing superstar made things right with his alleged victim … using cold hard cash. TMZ Sports broke the story … 24-year-old Davis allegedly got physical with a man at an ATM at an upscale outdoor mall
Playwright Katie Cappiello is teaming with “House of Cards” creator Beau Willimon to bring an adaptation of her 2013 play “Slut” to the small screen. The show, titled “Grand Army,” is set up at Netflix with Odessa A’zion set to lead the cast. “Grand Army” follows five students at the largest public high school in
Hollywood loves a good baddie, and for the last 50 or so years, a large proportion of those villains have been Russian. Take Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), who killed Apollo Creed in the ring in “Rocky IV,” or Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman), who hijacked the President’s plane in “Air Force One,” or more recently the
Warner Chappell Music today announced the appointment of Shani Gonzales as Head of International, Executive Vice President of U.S., A&R. Based in New York, she will report to the company’s co-chair & CEO Guy Moot. Gonzales was most recently co-head of A&R at BMG U.S. and U.K., following stints at Epic Records and Def Jam. She
October 21, 2019 11:00AM PT The American Film Institute has added “The Two Popes” and “The Aeronauts” as galas during the upcoming AFI Fest along with a tribute to the late director Alan Pakula. AFI had previously announced that the romantic drama “Queen & Slim” would launch the 33rd annual festival on Nov. 14 and
October 21, 2019 11:00AM PT HBO Max is continuing its content push with an order for a “Crazy Rich Asians” inspired docuseries. Titled “The Ho’s,” the eight-episode half-hour series hails from Lionsgate TV and plunges viewers into the over-the-top world of the Ho’s, a Vietnamese immigrant family who built a multi-million dollar bank, a real
The line to see Julie Andrews at the 92nd Street Y wrapped around the square of a sprawling New York City block. Seventy years since the start of her career, 60 since she asked “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” as Lerner and Loewe’s first Eliza and 50 since she sang “The Sound of Music” before the