Michael “Finatik” Mule and Isaac “Zac” De Boni, better known as the production duo FnZ, were scouring YouTube for fresh sounds when a clip from the obscure ’70s horror movie “Invasion of the Bee Girls” caught their attention. They turned a portion of the soundtrack into a spooky sample, which would eventually accompany the viral
Edgar Wright appeared on the latest episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast and went on a reflective rant about the current state of Hollywood and IP (via IndieWire). Without calling out any franchises in particular, the “Scott Pilgrim” and “Baby Driver” director expressed frustration over the lack of breathing room when it comes to
For the past seven years, Variety has honored the top songs of the year and the Hitmakers behind them, with a special issue of the magazine and accompanying online rollout, and a celebration taking place in Los Angeles. We’ll be presenting all of the above over the coming week — including major articles on our
“It’s more than a concert,” says Beyoncé near the beginning of her sprawling concert movie “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.” “It’s a culture, it’s a state of mind, it’s a release, it’s a fantasy come true.” For fans who were able to catch the record-breaking Renaissance World Tour before its conclusion in early October, they
One week of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” has been canceled unexpectedly as Colbert recovers from surgery following a ruptured appendix. The news came via a post on the CBS show’s official Threads page on Monday. “Sorry to say that I have to cancel our shows this week,” the post reads. “I’m sure you’re
Only a comedic mind like John Mulaney’s could mine gold from one of the lowest points of his life. The comic released his third Netflix special, “Baby J,” in April. In stark relief to his previous, more ebullient hours, his latest work examined his 2020 drug relapse and the intervention that led to a successful
Elliot Silverstein, known for directing films such as “Cat Ballou” and “A Man Called Horse,” died on Nov. 24 in Los Angeles, his family confirmed via Legacy. He was 96. After working on episodes of TV series like “The Twilight Zone,” “Naked City” and “Route 66,” Silverstein made his feature directorial debut in 1965 with
The 33rd annual Gotham Awards will be held on Nov. 27 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. The livestreamed event can be viewed on Variety’s YouTube account beginning at 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET. [embedded content] The metaphysical drama “All of Us Strangers,” which follows a gay man reconciling his past, led the
James Cameron described post-production on “Avatar 3″ as “hectic” during a recent New Zealand press conference moderated by 1News chief correspondent John Campbell. Cameron used the discussion to celebrate New Zealand as his main production hub, announcing his plan to make movies there “indefinitely” and revealing that he will finally become a New Zealand citizen
Jennifer Lopez‘s ninth studio album finally has a release date. The full-length “This Is Me…Now” will arrive on Feb. 16, 2024, in tandem with a new short film that has been acquired by Amazon MGM Studios. “This Is Me…Now” is Lopez’s first studio album in nearly a decade and celebrates the anniversary of its sister
According to Marlon Wayans, the number one rule in comedy is “You can’t be afraid to offend.” Four of today’s hottest comics came together for Variety’s stand-up comedy roundtable — Marlon Wayans (“God Loves Me”), Tom Segura (“Sledgehammer”), (“Salute Me or Shoot Me”) and Matt Rife (“Natural Selection”) — to discuss the state of comedy. In the
If John Woo had permitted the characters in “Silent Night” to speak, chances are that audiences would laugh them off the screen. Instead, the director gets right down to business, opening with a wordless chase sequence in which a sad dad (Joel Kinnaman) in a corny Christmas sweater sprints after a pair of speeding cars.
Forget the fear of flying. In the upcoming six-episode thriller “Nightsleeper,” the real danger awaits on a train travelling from Glasgow to London. “When we were developing the show, we got all these experts in one room and asked: ‘How do you hack a train?’ An hour later, they said: ‘This is scary. We could
Taika Waititi revealed on a new episode of the “SmartLess” podcast that he had no interest in joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a director. The filmmaker has directed two MCU movies: 2017’s “Thor: Ragnarok,” which is widely considered one of the best Marvel movies, and 2022’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” which is one of
Melita Toscan du Plantier has been the driving force behind the Marrakech Film Festival ever since her late husband, revered French producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier, wrote to Morocco’s king two decades ago expressing “his ambition for a big international festival in Morocco,” as she recounts. The festival’s 20th edition is currently underway in the
Kaleem Aftab, director of international programming at the Red Sea Film Festival, has cast his net wide in selecting the 14 films in the festival’s International Short Film Competition program. Aimed at attracting emerging talent from across Africa, Asia and the Islamic world, the section includes fiction, animation and documentary in films that average 15-20
“Wish” misfired in its opening weekend, extending Disney‘s bleak box office fortunes. The animated musical fable, about the Wishing Star that so many Disney characters have wished upon over the studio’s century-long history, failed to become the de facto choice for families around Thanksgiving. “Wish” opened in third place with a dull $31.7 million over
Chile-based Escala Humana Prods., led by Sebastián Brahm, is developing an ambitious English-language series titled “Golpe” about a little-known story behind the CIA’s involvement in the fall of Chile’s first Socialist president, Salvador Allende. Intended for a U.S. audience and based on declassified U.S. government documents, the first season of the historical crime drama series,
Kanye West appeared on stage in Dubai on Sunday night alongside Lil Durk and Ty Dolla Sign, where the trio gave a surprise performance of their new song “Vultures.” The performance took place during Lil Durk’s show at night club Blu Dubai, which posted clips of the song on social media. On the club’s Instagram
Paramount+ has revealed its lineup for Brazilian comic convention CCXP. The streamer will host a panel on the event’s Thunder Stage on Dec. 2 hosted by Brazilian stars Hugo Gloss and Nicole Bahls. It will feature talent from “Halo” Season 2, including Pablo Schreiber who plays Master Chief in the show, Joseph Morgan, who plays
“Frenchie Shore,” the local adaptation of the popular American reality show “Jersey Shore,” rivaled Ridley Scott’s historical epic “Napoleon” as November’s most polarizing entertainment topic in France. Since launching on Paramount+ and MTV France on Nov. 11, the reality show has inundated social media, especially TikTok where users have been posting sexually explicit, yet blurred,
Taylor Swift announced Monday morning that her “Eras Tour” film will be released for streaming on her birthday, Dec. 13 — and that, as hoped by fans, it will include songs from the tour not included in the movie’s theatrical release. “Well, so, basically I have a birthday coming up and I was thinking a
Jointly organized by Cannes’ Marché du Film with a Thierry Fremaux Cannes Film Week adding star auteur glamor, Ventana Sur turns 15 this week unspooling Nov. 27-Dec.1 at its usual venue of the Universidad Católica Argentina in Buenos Aires’ Puerto Madero, its most modern and most chic of districts. Founded with Argentina’s INCAA film-TV agency
An idyllic getaway goes awry after a freak accident leaving teen Lidia (Zoe Arnao) and her father, Pablo (Hugo Silva) to mourn the loss of the family matriarch (Paula Echevarria) by escaping to their isolated lighthouse where the paranormal flirts with their fragile dispositions while a troubled family friend (Sergio Castellanos) stirs the pot on the periphery. A
The Dominican Republic (DR) has been making bold strides in its film industry, reporting dynamic growth and earning kudos both at home and internationally. Ironically, what spurred its growth was a global pandemic. As many countries remained in lockdown, DR opened its borders to more location shoots by June 2020. “It was precisely during the
The producers of “F9,” the ninth instalment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise, have been fined over $1 million in a U.K. court after a stunt performer suffered “life-changing” injuries on set. FF9 Pictures Limited, a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, received the fine after they pleaded guilty to breaching the U.K.’s Health and Safety at
In a notable prestige project package from Chile, Gonzalo Maza, co-writer of Sebastian Lelio’s Academy Award-winning “A Fantastic Woman,” has boarded “I Don’t Know How to Say Goodbye,” a drama thriller non-fiction series to be directed by Carola Fuentes and produced by Rafael Valdeavellano, re-teaming after their collaboration as co-writers and directors on the admired
Prime Video has pounced on Mexican comedy “Tequila Repasado” by Gabriela Tagliavini., which it premieres worldwide on Dec. 22. Co-produced by Sony Pictures Int’l Prods and Mexico-based Itaca Films and Feel Good Films, the comedy was originally written in English by Judd Pilot (“Coach”) and Gerald B. Fillmore (“Muertos S.L.”) to be later adapted for
The Philippines’ ABS-CBN is to launch its new series “The Bagman” at next month’s ATF market in Singapore. Series star Arjo Atayde will attend as part of the promotional team. “The Bagman” is a spin-off from the original, locally-produced digital series “Bagman” that was aimed at the Filipino audience. The new series is intended as
Multi-territory European cinema operator, Pathe Cinemas has expanded its existing deal with premium large format technology company Imax. The new agreement sees the addition of five new Imax With Laser systems in Europe, including four in France. The new agreement also spans distribution, with Imax and Pathe Live, Pathe’s subsidiary dedicated to production and distribution