GETTING IN FRONT OF THE COMPETITION The International Olympic Committee said on Thursday that Swiss-based, Chinese-owned Infront Sports & Media would handle broadcast right sales in much of Asia for the next series of Summer and Winter games. The deal covers 22 territories including Afghanistan, Brunei, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
When you see a documentary about a game-changing pop star, you assume you’re going to get the story of the music, and also a good look at the life, and that there’ll be enough (on both counts) to go around. I was eager to see “Let the Canary Sing,” a documentary portrait of Cyndi Lauper, because
If you’re going to make a movie about a kraken — those giant multi-tentacled sea monsters believed to wrestle ships from below — then computer animation is hands down the way to go. The trouble with doing so at a major American studio is that it comes with the imperative to turn these fantastical creatures
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” will not be released in the United Arab Emirates after failing to pass the country’s censorship requirements, Variety has confirmed. A scene featuring a poster in the background of the frame that depicts the transgender flag and reads “Protect Trans Lives” is said to be one of the concerns that prevented
Andy Muschietti is suiting up to direct a new Batman film, Variety can report exclusively. The film is one of several new DC Studios titles mapped out by leaders James Gunn and Peter Safran earlier this year. Muschietti, behind this weekend’s superhero release “The Flash,” will direct “Batman: The Bold and the Brave.” The project
In a move certain to shock Los Angeles theatergoers, the Center Theatre Group (CTG) announced Thursday that it is canceling plans for a 2023-24 season at the Mark Taper Forum, one of the most important homes for new plays in the city, if not the country, due to severe financial concerns. The organization’s two other
Netflix’s six-part docu-series “Harry & Meghan” puts the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the center of their story. The limited series details the couple’s relationship, from their first impressions of one another to the growth of their family. However, throughout the six hours, composer Gil Talmi revealed to Variety, he composed over four hours
“Velma” has been renewed for Season 2 at Max. The announcement was made at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival by Suzanna Makkos, the executive vice president of original comedy and adult animation for Max and Adult Swim, during her “Share With” session. “Velma” debuted its first season on what was then HBO Max in
“She’s 100% a professional, and this is a great night for professionals,” said the actor Juliet Mills as she accepted Glenda Jackson’s first Best Actress Oscar on the absent winner’s behalf at the 1970 Academy Awards. On the face of it, it sounds an oddly impersonal thing to say in the circumstances — almost as
Let’s get nuts! We’ve got you covered this week with what to watch in theaters and at home. The Flash and Elemental are finally in theaters, along with the much-anticipated Black Mirror season 6, Extraction 2, and last but not least, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2. What will you be watching? Rotten Tomatoes’
SPOILER ALERT: These interviews contain spoilers from the Season 6 “Black Mirror” episodes “Joan Is Awful,” “Mazey Day” and “Beyond the Sea,” now streaming on Netflix. Back after a four-year hiatus, the long-awaited sixth season of “Black Mirror” opens — fittingly — with “Joan is Awful,” an exploration of the dubious inner workings of a fictional
In Jennifer Coolidge’s Variety Actors on Actors conversation with Jeremy Allen White, she proposes that Tanya return to “The White Lotus” as a seagull, so she can poke out the eyes of her evil husband Greg (Jon Gries). Haley Lu Richardson, who played Tanya’s assistant, Portia, weighs in on killing off Greg during this week’s
UPDATED: Spotify’s exclusive podcast deal with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has come to an end — with the couple having delivered just one show under the agreement. Spotify and Archewell Audio, the couple’s podcast production shingle, said Thursday in a joint statement that they are ending their pact. “Spotify and Archewell
“Cypher,” a drama about the astronomical rise of rapper Tierra Whack, and “A Strange Path,” which follows a young filmmaker who returns to his country of Brazil during the pandemic to reconnect with his father, won the top prizes for U.S. narrative feature and international narrative feature, respectively, at this year’s Tribeca Festival. “Between the Rains,”
Brooke Shields came up in a different time. The model and actress has been working since infancy, and when she shot to superstardom in the ’70s and ’80s, she became a lucrative commodity whose own opinion was rarely heard, but became the focus of many other people’s opinions. This is all explored in her two-part
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Beware: the merciless fungal virus in “The Last of Us” is making its way to Universal Studios as part of the theme park’s limited-run Halloween Horror Nights. The hit HBO show, adapted from Naughty
During a lively Tribeca Festival masterclass discussion on genre filmmaking, director Mike Flanagan spoke with writer Justina Ireland, who was in the writers’ room for Flanagan’s upcoming Netflix series “The Fall of the House of Usher,” about how he was able to continue making the series after on-set disruption. In April 2022, Variety reported that
If it was up to Samuel L. Jackson, then his Marvel character Nick Fury would be in every Marvel movie. The actor spoke about his Marvel tenure to Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet for “Secret Invasion,” the upcoming new Marvel series on Disney+ that features Jackson’s Nick Fury in the lead role. “I don’t
I’m trying with all my might not to be a broken record here…but I have to live my truth, and my truth is that I live in the Dr. Martens Jadon platform boot. I confess! I like playing with trends and fads as much as the next fashion editor, but as with many things in
Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser has launched Absurd Ventures, which aims to produce video games, TV, film and a wide range of multiplatform content. Absurd Ventures will focus on creating characters and worlds that can be expressed in many different forms. In addition to video games, live-action and animation, Absurd Ventures also has its eye
In another shocker for the Walt Disney Co., Christine McCarthy is stepping down from her role as executive VP and chief financial officer and will take a family medical leave, Disney said Thursday. Kevin Lansberry has been named interim CFO for the media giant as of July 1. “Christine McCarthy is one of the most
“Argylle,” a new globe-trotting spy adventure from director Matthew Vaughn, is coming to theaters in 2024. The film, which is being produced by Apple Original Films and distributed by Universal Pictures, will land on the big screen on Feb. 2 before streaming on Apple TV+ on a later date. “Argylle” follows Henry Cavill as a
Denmark is the latest European country to push for a levy on streamers’ local turnover to fund local TV and film content. It’s now coming closer to pulling through a bill which could allow for extra subsidies to finance the production of Danish movies, fiction series and documentaries. After failing to receive support with its
“Billions” will officially end with Season 7 at Showtime. The show, which is set in the world of high finance and politics, originally debuted on the premium cabler in 2016. Season 7 will consist of 12 episodes and is set to debut on Paramount+ with Showtime on August 11 before making its linear debut August
Production designer Tamara Deverell was tasked with creating eight different periods and working with eight different directors for Netflix’s “Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.” The anthology series required Deverell, 2020’s artisan award recipient for production design, to tap into her love for building gritty sets and build everything from a brutalist architecture room inspired
Disney+ has put the brakes on original commissions in Canada until at least the end of the year, Variety can reveal. Sources indicate that the Mouse House has put a pin in local programming from across its brands in Canada, and isn’t actively commissioning. It’s understood that this mandate will be in place until the
Eva Longoria jokes that she’s taking an extended vacation to get some rest after her whirlwind promotion of “Flamin’ Hot,” her feature film directorial debut. “I am going to sleep for about three months,” Longoria told me Thursday morning. “When I come up for air, I hopefully will know what I’m doing next.” Joking aside,
When listeners look back at what was their favorite late-spring/early-summer 2023 anthem, for many, it will surely be New York rapper and vocalist Toosii’s warmly embraceable “Favorite Song.” A spare, banging ballad with a gorgeous, sinewy melody, a subtly contagious chorus and a positive, romantic message (“You look good without no make-up, no lashes, even
Season 5 of Netflix’s historical drama “The Crown” covers Peter Morgan’s reimaginations of some of the most polarizing experiences endured by the royal family in the ‘90s. Elizabeth Debicki, who plays the beloved Princess Diana, tells Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast that she felt the “heaviness” and “weight” of playing the late icon. “It’s a unique
One of the most talked-about series on network television as of late has now made a showing on Nielsen’s weekly streaming rankings. “S.W.A.T.,” the CBS series starring Shemar Moore, took the No. 8 position with 625 million minutes viewed from May 15 to 21. This viewing window began one week after CBS canceled “S.W.A.T.” after