They called themselves United Artists, but the trades called it a “rebellion against established producing and distributing arrangements.” Paramount Pictures founder Adolph Zukor reportedly said, “The inmates have taken over the asylum.” But when Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith went before the cameras on Feb. 5, 1919, to announce the creation
With multiple recent events celebrating United Artists’ centennial, and anticipation growing for the release of the next James Bond film in 2020, industry folk and fans alike are being reminded of UA’s scope and impact. “UA’s primary legacy is that it never left its core mission, allowing visionary artists to control the filmmaking process,” says
Angel Olsen has been nothing if not transparent about the path that led to “All Mirrors.” She’d initially planned to release two versions of the same album, one a “raw and real” solo outing, and another with a full band. Somewhere on the way toward the latter version, a 14-piece orchestra came into the picture
October 4, 2019 4:45AM PT Haifaa Al Mansour’s “The Perfect Candidate,” about a Saudi doctor who challenges the patriarchal system in her country by running in municipal elections, has been selected as Saudi Arabia’s contender for the international feature film Oscar. The tale of female empowerment and individualism, which screened at Venice and Toronto, is
Spanish journalist and editor David Jimenez’s revealing autobiography “El Director” is being made into a TV series by Fremantle. Jimenez was a seasoned international correspondent, covering conflicts, disasters, and major events for over two decades, before becoming editor in chief of Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo in 2015. In his book he details how he
October 4, 2019 12:46AM PT SAG-AFTRA has commended California Gov. Gavin Newsom for signing legislation that institutes penalties for nonconsensual digital sexually explicit videos, also known as “deep fakes.” The legislation, Assembly Bill 602, targets companies and individuals who create and distribute the videos in California without the consent of the individual being depicted. SAG-AFTRA said the
Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and CEO Meg Whitman are slated to hit the CES 2020 keynote stage in Las Vegas to talk up their billion-dollar bet on mobile TV streaming, three months ahead of its scheduled debut. The duo are to deliver a keynote presentation at the annual consumer-electronics convention on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020,
October 3, 2019 7:58PM PT “Leaving Las Vegas” director Mike Figgis slammed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Brexit process. “We have a Prime Minister who wants to be Donald Trump, but is a complete fool,” Figgis said Friday in Busan. Figgis is set as competition jury president at the Busan International Film Festival
In today’s film news, 25th anniversary showings of “Friends” draw impressively, Screen Gems is developing a Santa Muerte movie and Australian story “ATM Boy” is in the works as a feature film. ‘FRIENDS’ ANNIVERSARY Fathom Events’ three-night showing of NBC’s sitcom “Friends” generated $2.9 million from over 1,600 North American theaters — the second-highest-grossing 2019
October 3, 2019 7:00PM PT Marine vets stretch their code of loyalty to the breaking point for a buddy’s civilian brother in this polished but problematic tale. Though such niceties tend to get lost in the blunt language of “hawks” and “doves,” there’s actually a more useful distinction to be drawn when it comes to
October 3, 2019 6:42PM PT [embedded content] Ian McKellen is up to no good in the new trailer for Warner Bros. upcoming film “The Good Liar.” Based on the novel by Nicholas Searle, the New Line drama follows Roy Courtnay (McKellen), a career con artist who sets his sights on well-to-do widow Betty McLeish (Helen
An extended version of “48 Hours with Kygo” will be available to stream on Hulu and ABC News Live beginning Oct. 4. A “Nightline” segment with the DJ originally premiered Wednesday night. In the exclusive interview, “Nightline” shadowed the Norwegian artist-producer, whose real name as Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll, for an entire weekend as he performed three
October 3, 2019 4:47PM PT Los Angeles music venue the Roxy paid tribute to Kim Shattuck, devoting the club’s high visibility Sunset Strip marquee to the Muffs singer and songwriter. A prominent figure in the alt-rock scene of the late ’80s and ’90s, Shattuck died on Oct. 2 at age 56 after a battle with
Navid Mahmoudi’s Afghanistan-Iran production “Seven and a Half” will have its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival’s ‘A Window on Asian Cinema’ strand. Mahmoud previously wrote and produced “A Few Meters of Love,” which was Aghanistan’s entry to the Oscars in 2014. “Parting,” which he wrote and directed, was the country’s entry in
When director Sam Mendes told frequent collaborator Roger Deakins he wanted to film his upcoming World War I drama “1917” to appear as one continuous take, the renowned cinematographer had just one question: “Why?” It was a valid query, Mendes admits. “I want to step every step with the characters, I want to breathe every
October 3, 2019 4:30PM PT NBC is developing a drama series on which CNN political correspondent Dana Bash will serve as a consulting producer, Variety has learned. Titled “The Hill,” the series is described as a character drama that lives at the supercharged intersection of media and Capitol Hill where everything is transacted: information, sex, love,
In today’s roundup, a premiere date is announced for upcoming drama series “King Ester” and Starz acquires six new titles to premiere this fall/winter. DATES Drama series “King Ester” is slated to premiere on Issa Rae Presents: Issa Rae Productions Youtube channel on Oct. 17, Variety has learned exclusively. Starring “Pose’s” Angelica Ross and Janet
October 3, 2019 4:15PM PT Renowned media investor John Malone has sold off his remaining stock holdings in Lionsgate, the studio that has grappled with a steep decline in its share price during the past two years. On Thursday, Malone and Malone-affiliated trusts sold a total of 2.4 million shares for $22 million to Mark
One way or another — and really, we’re definitely talking a couple of ways — Maren Morris is going to hear her name announced a lot in mid-November. She’s up for six trophies at the CMA Awards Nov. 13 and is a favorite to win several of them. Just one week later, on Nov. 20,
October 3, 2019 4:00PM PT The team behind “Big Mouth” is doing another animated show for Netflix. Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett and Kelly Galuska are now working on the show “Human Resources” for the streamer, which is described as a workplace comedy set in the world of the monsters from “Big
World sales rights to gay drama “Suk Suk” were picked up by Films Boutique, on the eve of the film’s world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival. Directed by Ray Yeung (“Front Cover,” “Cut Sleeve Boys”), “Suk Suk” is the story of two elderly men who have spent all their lives hiding their sexuality,
In the run-up to the 2020 Grammys, you’ll often hear comments about how Madonna’s “Madame X” or Bruce Springsteen’s “Western Stars” is a shoo-in for an album of the year nomination, if not a win, because the Recording Academy especially likes to reward veterans in that category, as kind of a career achievement nod. Well,
“Steel Rain” duo Jung Woo-sung and Kwak Do-won are reuniting in political action drama “Summit: Steel Rain.” While the director and key cast from “Steel Rain” remain the same, Lotte Cultureworks has come on board to replace the film’s previous investor-distributor Next Entertainment World. Lotte will be handling the film’s international sales at Busan International
Beyoncé is the Meryl Streep of the Grammys — and she’s the Glenn Close, too. Like Streep, she’s the woman with the most nominations in her field (66, including her work with Destiny’s Child, her husband Jay Z and various collaborators), pretty much guaranteed multiple nods every time she opens her mouth. And as with
Cinedigm, an independent content distributor and digital platform operator, has acquired North American rights to cross-cultural holiday drama “A New Christmas.” The film will have its world premiere at the Heartland International Film Festival on Oct. 13. Cinedigm plans to release it in North American cinemas, on digital and on demand in December. “A New
The 22nd SCAD Savannah Film Festival has set a program packed with potential awards contenders, including screenings of “Parasite,” “Just Mercy,” “The Report,” “Waves,” “The King,” “Harriet” and “Honey Boy.” The Georgia event kicks off Oct. 26 with opening night film “The Aeronauts,” directed by Tom Harper, and closed Nov. 2 with a gala screening
October 3, 2019 2:31PM PT Lee Daniels is getting into business with ABC. The Disney-owned network has issued a put pilot commitment for “Cupcake Men,” a comedy series executive produced by the “Empire” creator and hailing from his Lee Daniels Entertainment banner, as well as SMAC Productions, 20th Century Fox Television and ABC Studios. The
Japanese-American singer-actress Masumi will make her big screen debut opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers in “Yakuza Princess,” which has completed filming in Brazil. The Japanese-styled thriller also stars Tsuyoshi Ihara (“Letters From Iwo Jima”). “Princess” is an adaptation of a Brazilian graphic novel “Samurai Shiro” by Danilo Beyruth, in which a Japanese gang boss is killed,
The best new artist contest at January’s Grammy Awards is shaping up to be one of the most competitive races we’ve seen in years. At one point, it seemed like 17-year-old Billie Eilish, the biggest teen to rock the charts since Lorde’s 2013 Grammy-winning debut — if not since the advent of Taylor Swift —
Roc Nation has named sports and entertainment executive Brett Yormark as co-CEO of Roc Nation Unified and President of Business Operations & Strategy. According to the announcement, in this role Yormark (pictured above) will work with the Roc Nation COO, CEO and board to develop and execute long-term organizational objectives. Yormark’s brother Michael (pictured below)