Piper Laurie, who blossomed as an actress only after extricating herself from the studio system and went on to rack up three Oscar nominations, has died. She was 91. Laurie’s manager Marion Rosenberg confirmed the news to Variety, writing, “A beautiful human being and one of the great talents of our time.” Laurie scored her first
The coveted Lumière Classics label is today as sought-after in the heritage film industry as any prestigious film festival label for contemporary film fare. Launched back at the 2019 edition of the Lumière Film Festival, Europe’s leading classic film event, the label was created to showcase a carefully curated selection of restorations of 20th century
The odds weren’t in director Francis Lawrence‘s favor after splitting “Hunger Games: Mockingjay” into two parts. In a recent interview with People magazine, Lawrence admitted he wouldn’t divide the final book into two films if he had the opportunity. “I totally regret it. I totally do,” he said. “I’m not sure everybody does, but I
Sir Michael Caine has confirmed his official retirement from acting at age 90. The veteran British actor announced the news in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today show on Saturday. “I keep saying I’m going to retire. Well, I am now,” Caine said. He had previously suggested his retirement was imminent in an interview
Fox will utilize its NFL doubleheader on Sunday, January 7, to help launch the network’s latest animated comedy, “Grimsburg.” The show, starring Jon Hamm (who also executive produces), will air immediately following the second game in all time zones. The scheduling strategy was set to be announced on Saturday at the New York Comic-Con, where
It’s the early 1950s — and society thinks women like Brie Larson’s character Elizabeth Zott belong at home and not in a science laboratory. Apple TV+’s “Lessons in Chemistry” follows Elizabeth, who dreams of being a chemist, but the world has other plans. Rather than listen to any of her ideas, the men at the
Before the world premiere of long-awaited sequel “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” at the BFI London Film Festival, the team behind the Aardman production revealed that they set out to make a “feminist classic” that is also an “homage to heist films.” “Dawn of the Nugget” comes 23 years after the original “Chicken Run”
Nearly a quarter-century has passed since Aardman hatched its first feature, and the generation that flipped for “Chicken Run” — tickled by the novelty of watching a pseudo-serious genre movie rendered silly by an ensemble of stop-motion poultry — has grown up to be parents. Distributed by DreamWorks, the 2000 toon reimagined “The Great Escape”
Kids spend more than 60 minutes consuming content a day on any device, and that figure is higher in the U.S., according to Ivan Colecchia, senior VP business development, at analytics firm The Insights Family. Colecchia outlined several key trends for kids entertainment for the year ahead in a presentation at MipJunior kids content and
Federation Kids & Family is unveiling a new animated series at MipJunior as part of a strong lineup of toon series and live-action series. “The New Adventures of the Triplets,” by Nicole Lambert, is an animated show aimed at 3-to-6-year-old kids that chronicles the comic escapades of three loveable children — each of whom
Delivering MipJunior’s keynote on Saturday, a composed Ramsey Naito, president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation talked up some of the recurrent themes at this weekend’s kids content confab, not to mention the network’s strategies for its slew of successful franchises. In her current position, the Nickelodeon veteran has overseen huge expansion. Five years ago,
“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is doing all too well in theaters. The concert film made a cool sum of $39 million on its opening day from 3,855 North American locations, a figure that includes $2.8 million in Thursday previews. That ranks as the second-biggest October opening day ever, behind only the 2019 prestige comic
Coming off another year marked by uncertainty and conflict, ordinary, unlikely heroes take center stage in a slew of new shows. While crime especially the Nordic-inspired kind is not going anywhere, and there are quite a few spectacles waiting around the corner, including Mipcom world premiere “Concordia,” intimate stories about families and friends butting heads
Do you want a side of fries — or maybe a T-shirt or hoodie — with your next binge-worthy Netflix show? Netflix announced plans to open its first permanent bricks-and-mortar locations, initially targeting two in the U.S. in 2025. (The company has not said where those will be.) The outlets will be kind of mini
Hansal Mehta‘s “The Buckingham Murders,” which premieres at the BFI London Film Festival, will be the first in a franchise. Written by Aseem Arrora, Raghav Raj Kakker and Kashyap Kapoor, the film follows Jasmeet Bhamra (portrayed by Kareena Kapoor Khan), a detective and mother who, after losing her own child, must investigate the murder of
In a pivotal move underscoring the international appeal of Brazilian narratives, Rafael Primot’s “Black Rain” is set for an exclusive global launch through The Creators Bridge. The series, which delves into contemporary themes such as unconventional families, fraternal love and diversity, does so with a mature and nuanced lens. In the storyline, brothers Zeca (Marcos
First, the bad news. A session helping to launch an extended MipJunior on Friday afternoon, underscored just how hard the kids TV business is suffering. Prefacing a panel discussion on the State of the Kids Entertainment Industry, Challenges & Opportunities, Ampere Analysis’ Cyrine Amor suggested global kids TV commissions were down 48% through August 2023. That’s a
One sign of a terrific actor is that he can hold you even when he’s not doing anything. Pierce Brosnan is like that. I wouldn’t call him a minimalist, though he never wastes a word or a movement; he has the precision of an expensive watch. Yet as he’s gotten older (he’s now 70, with
Jennifer Gamez and Kellie Marsalli were strangers until a chance encounter at AMC Lincoln Square 13 on Friday night. As one ascended and the other descended the escalator at one of New York City’s busiest movie theaters, they swapped friendship bracelets to commemorate being among the first to watch the “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour”
Although Adam Driver portrays legendary sports-car magnate Enzo Ferrari in Michael Mann‘s biographical drama, the actor didn’t get to drive one of the 1950s-era replicas for “Ferrari.” Instead, he drove an “open-wheel single seater” that was modified to connect a camera to it. Asked how it was getting behind the wheel of that particular vintage
Party’s over. Apple TV+ has pulled the plug on its murder mystery comedy series “The Afterparty” after two seasons, Variety has confirmed. The anthology series starred Tiffany Haddish as an ex-cop private eye looking to solve murder cases. Sam Richardson and Zoë Chao also starred as a couple who return to accompany Haddish’s character after
Get ready to unleash your inner chef with AppleTV+’s “Lessons in Chemistry” and learn how to make the perfect lasagna. Adapted from the Bonnie Garmus novel, Brie Larson plays Elizabeth Zott, a scientist turned cooking show host. And for the 1950s, she is a woman well ahead of her time who stands up to the
SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses some general plot developments in Season 2, Episode 2 of “Loki,” currently streaming on Disney+. For 30 years, Dan Deleeuw has worked in visual effects, from “The Mask” to “Armageddon” to “Night at the Museum” — but he always had a dream that one day, he might get to direct.
Darren Aronofsky‘s Sphere film, “Postcard From Earth,” is responsible for establishing all kinds of historic cinematic firsts — like the fact that it is the only movie ever to be released in 18K resolution on a screen that spans 160,000 square feet. But movie buffs will particularly enjoy one first that doesn’t fully reveal itself
Tom Oyer, senior vice president of member relations and awards at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, is exiting his post after 16 years, Variety has learned exclusively. On Friday, Oyer shared the news of his departure in a letter sent to colleagues and industry professionals. A beloved figure by Academy members and
“Kensday” may soon be everyday. “Community” star and “The Masked Singer” panelist Ken Jeong is eyeing a daytime talk strip for 2024, to be developed and produced by Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury shingle. Jeong will executive produce with Jim Biederman (“The Kids in the Hall,” “The Howard Stern Radio Show.” “Ken is one of a handful of
For once, Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard aren’t the most dysfunctional pirate couple on the deck of Max’s comedy series “Our Flag Means Death.” In Season 2’s fourth episode, titled “Fun and Games,” that distinction belongs to legendary pirates Anne Bonny (Minnie Driver) and Mary Read (Rachel House). As the series has done with the shared
The red carpet for Sofia Coppola‘s “Priscilla” premiere in L.A. on Monday has been canceled amid current world events, distributor A24 confirmed. Furthermore, the venue for the screening has been changed because of a dispute between IATSE and the Hollywood Legion Theater, which is a part of the veterans’ organization American Legion. A representative for the
The Whole Spiel — the new company co-founded by former NBC Entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy — and Red Bull’s Terra Mater Studios have teamed up to develop a slate of drama series. The projects include a reimagined “Tarzan” series, wildlife crime investigation “Rogue,” geopolitical drama “A New King” and true history drama “The Executioner.” In
Netflix is developing a limited series based on the life of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Variety has learned exclusively from sources. The series will be based on the critically acclaimed book “JFK: Coming Of Age In The American Century, 1917-1956” by Fredrik Logevall. The book, originally published in 2020, is the first part of