movies
EntertainmentVarietyCAA Signs U.K.-Based ‘Slow News’ Podcast and Audio Platform Tortoise Media
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has signed audio-first British media platform Tortoise Media. Tortoise Media, which focuses on “slow news,” was co-founded by James Harding, a former BBC News director and Times of London editor; Katie Vanneck-Smith, the former president of the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones; and Matthew Barzun, former U.S. Ambassador to the […]
EntertainmentVarietySam Neill and Christoph Waltz to Star in ‘The Portable Door’ Film Adaptation (EXCLUSIVE)
Sam Neill, Christoph Waltz and Patrick Gibson will head the cast of “The Portable Door,” a fantasy adventure film adapted from the series of novels by Patrick Holt. The film is now shooting in Queensland, Australia, with Jeffrey Walker (“Ali’s Wedding,” Sky’s “Lambs of God”) directing from a script by Leon Ford (“Griff the Invisible”). The story […]
EntertainmentVarietyCharades Films Boards Morena’s ‘Piggy,’ a Buzzy Debut Feature from Spain’s Carlota Pereda (EXCLUSIVE)
Paris-based Charades Films has boarded Carlota Pereda’s rural thriller “Piggy” (“Cerdita”), one of the most awaited feature debuts of the year from Spain. Written and directed by Pereda, “Piggy” is produced by Morena Films and France’s Backup Media, the outfit behind “Still Alice,” “Submergence” and Ari Folman’s Cannes entry “Where Is Anne Frank.” Charades will […]
EntertainmentVarietySnap, Universal Music Group Ink Global Licensing Deal Covering UMG’s Full Catalog
Universal Music Group and Snap announced a multiyear global agreement that will let Snapchat’s users incorporate UMG’s catalog of recorded music and content into creative tools, including Sounds on Snapchat and augmented reality Lenses. Under the terms of the deal, UMG’s entire recorded music catalog is available on a global basis in Snapchat’s Sounds tool, […]
EntertainmentVarietyTilda Swinton, Orson Welles, David Lynch Titles Feature in Cannes Classics Selection – Global Bulletin
CANNES CLASSICS Mark Cousins‘ documentary “The Storms Of Jeremy Thomas,” following the legendary “The Last Emperor” and “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” producer’s annual drive to Cannes, will be the pre-opener at the Cannes Classics selection this year. Restored titles this year include “Friendship’s Death” by Peter Wollen (1987, U.K.), starring Tilda Swinton; “F For Fake” […]
SportVariety‘LFG’ Review: Bring Out the Vuvuzelas as the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Takes on Its Employer
A handful of players from the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team riff on what the letters LFG — their rallying cry — stand for exactly. The flow of close-ups in the winning and timely doc “LFG,” from Jennifer McDonald to Samantha Mewis to Kelley O’Hara to Megan Rapinoe to Becky Sauerbrunn, has the feel of […]
EntertainmentVarietyEli Roth Directing Shark Documentary ‘Fin’ for Discovery Plus (EXCLUSIVE)
Eli Roth, the horror filmmaker behind such blood-spattered classics as “Hostel” and “The Green Inferno,” wants to scare viewers into social action with his latest film, the documentary “Fin.” He’s devoting his cinematic prowess to an important environmental cause, exposing a vast criminal enterprise that has led to the deaths of millions of sharks. These […]
EntertainmentVariety‘Expats’ Amazon Series Casts Sarayu Blue (EXCLUSIVE)
The Amazon series adaptation of of Janice Y.K. Lee’s novel “The Expatriates” has cast Sarayu Blue, Variety has learned exclusively. Blue joins previously announced cast member Ji-young Yoo. Set against the fabric of Hong Kong, “Expats” is the story of an international community whose lives are bound together forever after a sudden family tragedy. The show […]
EntertainmentVarietyJonathan Wysocki Feature Debut ‘Dramarama’ to Hit Theaters in August
Writer-director Jonathan Wysocki’s feature film debut, “Dramarama” is set for a limited theatrical release in Los Angeles, Calif., beginning Aug. 13. The coming-of-age comedy was funded through a Kickstarter campaign and first premiered at Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival last summer. It has since screened at San Francisco International Film Festival, SCAD Savannah Film […]
EntertainmentVarietyQuiver Distribution Takes ‘East of the Mountains,’ Starring Tom Skerritt, Mira Sorvino (EXCLUSIVE)
Quiver Distribution, owned by digital media giant Premiere Digital, has acquired “East of the Mountains,” starring beloved veteran secondary actor Tom Skerritt, seen in “Alien,” “Top Gun,” and “MASH,” in his first lead role where he plays opposite Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino (“Mighty Aphrodite”) and Annie González (“Gentefied”). Directed by S.J. Chiro (“Lane 1974”), […]
EntertainmentVarietySheena Easton on Singing ‘For Your Eyes Only’ and Loving Billie Eilish’s Bond Song
When it premiered in cinemas on June 24, 1981, the James Bond thriller “For Your Eyes Only” was notable for two main reasons. First, it was the grittiest and most realistic Bond adventure since “From Russia with Love” almost two decades earlier. And second, it instantly established an iconic new theme song that was embraced […]
EntertainmentVarietyRufus Wainwright on Creating a ‘Somber Samba’ Closing Song for ‘Rebel Hearts’ Documentary (EXCLUSIVE)
When Rufus Wainwright was asked to write a closing theme song for “Rebel Hearts,” a documentary about a renegade order of socially activist nuns that opens this weekend, he didn’t require the preamble that virtually any other singer-songwriter would have. It was intergenerationally personal for him, as he was already intimately familiar with the subject […]
EntertainmentVarietyUniversal Music U.K. Appoints Simon Johnson to Managing Director of Strategy, Growth and eCommerce
Universal Music U.K. has appointed media and tech exec Simon Johnson to the newly created role of managing director of strategy, growth and e-commerce. The music label said the new post signals Universal Music U.K.’s “ambition to supercharge and open up new commercial opportunities for its artists.” Johnson will take up the new post on […]
EntertainmentVarietyColman Domingo to Adapt His Play ‘Dot’ as TV Series for AMC Studios, ALLBLK
Colman Domingo, known for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Zola,” is adapting his award-winning play “Dot” as a dramedy entitled “West Philly, Baby.” The series, a co-production between AMC Studios and the AMC Networks-owned streamer ALLBLK, is one of the first projects from Domingo’s Edith Productions to be developed under its […]
EntertainmentVarietySaban Films Strikes Distribution Pacts in Multiple Major European Markets
Saban Films has made another major step in its global distribution push. Ahead of the Cannes film festival, the North American-based company has unveiled new distribution deals with partners across 11 territories, with a view to acquiring product in the Cannes market. The fresh set of pacts in question are with Splendid in Austria and […]
NewsVarietyGloria Estefan, Sting and More Join Vax India Now Virtual Fundraiser
Gloria Estefan, Sting, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Yo-Yo Ma and David Foster, Norwegian DJ Alan Walker, Aasif Mandvi, Nishat Khan, Ranjani Gayatri Sisters and Matteo Bocelli will unite for global virtual fundraiser Vax India Now. More celebrities will be announced as the July 7 event date approaches. Through a global effort, Vax India Now aims […]
EntertainmentVarietyNew Docuseries ‘The Hair Tales’ From Tracee Ellis Ross and Michaela Angela Davis to Debut Simultaneously on OWN and Hulu
Tracee Ellis Ross and Michaela Angela Davis will executive produce and narrate a new docuseries about Black women, beauty and identity through the distinctive lens of Black hair. “The Hair Tales” hails from the Onyx Collective, Disney’s recently launched content brand for creators of color and underrepresented voices on Hulu. The docuseries, produced by Joy […]
BusinessVarietyA+E Networks Acquires 35% in Newen-Owned TV Movie Producer Reel One (EXCLUSIVE)
A+E Networks has acquired a 35% stake in the Canadian production banner Reel One, a majority-owned subsidiary of Newen, which is itself owned by France’s TF1 Group. Headquartered in Montreal with offices in Los Angeles, London and Buenos Aires, Reel One was founded in 2001 by Tom Berry and acquired by Newen in 2019. The […]
EntertainmentYahoo Movies UK'Turner & Hooch' trailer sees Josh Peck take the lead in new Disney+ series
Josh Peck stars as the son of the character played by Tom Hanks in the film of the same name.
PoliticsVarietyBrian Williams Bashes Rep. Matt Gaetz Over Military and Critical Race Theory Critiques
Brian Williams didn’t shy away from criticizing Matt Gaetz, the controversial U.S. Representative from Florida and ally of President Donald Trump, after Gaetz launched his own criticism of the U.S. military. In the closing minutes of his MSNBC political news show “The 11th Hour” on Wednesday night, Williams aired a clip of Joint Chiefs of […]
EntertainmentVarietyVincent Cassel, Eva Green Star in Apple TV Plus Anglo-French Series ‘Liaison’
César award winner Vincent Cassel (“Black Swan,” “Westworld”) and BAFTA award winner Eva Green (“Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children”) headline “Liaison,” the first French and English-language Apple original for streamer Apple TV Plus. The series is billed as “a high-stakes, contemporary thriller exploring how the mistakes of our past have the potential to destroy […]
CelebrityThe WrapBlink-182 Bassist Mark Hoppus Reveals He’s Undergoing Cancer Treatment: ‘I’m Trying to Remain Hopeful and Positive’
Mark Hoppus, one of the founding members of the iconic band Blink-182, has revealed that he is battling cancer. The singer and bassist announced the news on Wednesday, posting a brief statement to his Twitter. Hoppus didn’t get into specifics on his diagnosis, beyond noting that he’s been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for three months now. That said, he remained optimistic about his future. “It sucks and I’m scared, and at the same time I’m blessed with incredible doctors and family and fri
EntertainmentVarietyConfused About Where to Watch the Latest Blockbuster? You’re Not Alone
For Samantha Follows, a 54-year-old bartender in Los Angeles, the frustration has become routine. A friend will recommend a movie to watch, and thus begins an arduous mission to find out where she can actually view said movie. “It drives me crazy,” Follows says. “I’ll go through a ridiculous experience of going online… it says […]
BusinessThe WrapBuzzFeed to Go Public in SPAC Merger at $1.5 Billion Valuation
BuzzFeed on Thursday announced plans to go public following a merger with the special-person acquisition company 890 Fifth Avenue Partners Inc. When the deal closes, BuzzFeed’s implied valuation will be $1.5 billion. With the funding from the merger, the company also announced plans to acquire Complex Networks for $300 million — $200 million in cash and $100 million of equity. Proceeds from the merger will include up to $288 million in trust and another $150 million in convertible note financing
BusinessVarietyBuzzFeed Valued at $1.5 Billion in SPAC Deal to Go Public, Will Acquire Complex Networks for $300 Million
BuzzFeed is going public in a deal with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), which will give the digital media company an implied valuation of $1.5 billion once the pact closes, the company announced. BuzzFeed will become a publicly traded company through a merger with 890 Fifth Avenue Partners, a SPAC that holds $288 million […]
