Variety

ARP has acquired French rights to Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada,” starring Richard Gere, Uma Thurman, Michael Imperioli and Jacob Elordi. News of the deal comes as the feature — which Arclight is repping for international sales — prepares for its world premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival next month. Written and directed by Schrader, “Oh, […]

The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative has partnered with Variety to establish an annual award named in honor of the legendary actor that will recognize groundbreaking achievements in storytelling. The Mary Tyler Moore Visionary Award will honor the life and legacy of pioneering star of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Ordinary People” and “The Dick […]

Amy Schumer was in the zone. This was in March, when she was filming on the street in Brooklyn for her upcoming movie “Kinda Pregnant,” a comedy about a woman who pretends to be knocked up for attention. In one take, Schumer emerged from a subway station while answering a phone call — and was […]

Jenny Gorotiza has been promoted to vice president of marketing for Island Records, it was announced today by Jay Schumer, executive VP/head of marketing and business development. Gorotiza has served as senior director of marketing at Island since 2021. Based in New York, Gorotiza wil continue to work on marketing campaigns for Shawn Mendes, Keshi, […]

After being selected as the NFL’s No. 1 draft pick, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams is ready to make his NFL debut as a member of the Chicago Bears. However, before the first game of the 2024-25 season, you can show your love and support for Williams with his new player’s jersey. There are a […]

Robert Downey Jr. called it “mind-blowing” to see Jeremy Renner up on his feet and celebrating at Chris Evans’ wedding last September. The Captain America actor tied the knot with Alba Baptista in a private ceremony in Cape Cod, Mass., and was surrounded by his longtime Marvel co-stars. Renner was hospitalized at the start of […]

Jimmy Failla isn’t taking over Fox News Chanel, but he has, at least for one short period in the late afternoon, seized control of a portion of its New York ground-floor facilities. The space is typically devoted to a space for guests to hang out and a section for hair and makeup, but Failla uses […]

Just John Films have optioned Jennifer Wright’s biography of Victorian abortionist Madame Restell, Variety can confirm, with the writer behind Netflix’s “Persuasian” film set to adapt the book for screen. Published by Hachette, the New York Times-bestseller “Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York’s Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist” recounts […]

In FX’s gripping new miniseries “The Veil,” right versus wrong isn’t a straightforward calculation, and truth is more confounding than it seems. The action series follows cunning MI6 agent Imogene Salter (a captivating Elisabeth Moss), whose ability to assume a new identity in the blink of an eye makes her a singular asset for the […]

Amid Paramount Global’s removal of Bob Bakish as CEO and the ongoing uncertainty of a company sale, it was business as usual for the first quarter at the media conglomerate — which included a $1.3 billion charge for content write-offs as well as layoffs. Paramount Global reported Q1 2024 earnings Monday, announcing Bakish’s exit and […]

International Emmy-winning French animation producer-distributor Dandelooo has closed a deal with Korea’s Dream Factory Studio for the latter’s new CG preschool series “PongPong Dino.” Targeted at 2-4-year-olds, “PongPong Dino” is a new IP produced by Dream Factory and directed by animator Tacken Chae. In the show, the audience is invited to a world where playing […]

Global Screen, the Munich-based international sales outfit, has boarded worldwide sales on “The Trek,” the upcoming first feature from leading South African cinematographer and director Meekaaeel Adam. The film is a horror-Western, in which starvation, suspicion and madness plague a family as they cross the Kalahari Desert under the eyes of primeval spirits. “The Trek” […]

Italian period drama “My Place Is Here” is being released in Italy by Adler Ent. on May 9, and is being sold at Cannes by Beta Cinema. Variety speaks to the film’s directors, Daniela Porto and Cristiano Bortone, and debuts its trailer (below). “My Place Is Here” is set in the years following the end […]

FREE STREAMING Freely, the new free streaming service backed by Britain’s public service broadcasters (PSBs) that delivers live TV over broadband, has launched. The initiative is from Everyone TV, the organization which runs free TV in the U.K. and is jointly owned by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Paramount Global’s Channel 5. Announced last year, the service allows viewers […]

Berlin-based sales agency Picture Tree Intl. has acquired the supernatural crime thriller “The Osha Rule,” and will start seeking distribution partner at the Cannes Film Market. The film will start principal photography in August 2024. “The Osha Rule” blends crime with supernatural horror and revolves around a young Latino gang member forced into a Santería […]

“Joyguru,” a fictionalized account of the life of Indian mystic artist and music icon Parvathy Baul, will launch sales at the upcoming Cannes Film Market. Parvathy Baul is a leading exponent of the syncretic Baul minstrel music tradition that is hugely popular and culturally influential across eastern India and Bangladesh. Written and directed by actor-turned-filmmaker […]

A distinctive, dynamic R&B vocalist who seemed on the verge of major stardom through the 1960s, Jackie Shane disappeared soon after — so completely that many fans and former associates assumed her dead. It was a riddle rendered all the more mysterious by her singular status within that field as a more-or-less “out” transperson, her […]

“Daughter of Genghis” has been billed as a portrait of a nationalist gang leader at this year’s Hot Docs Film Festival. And while it follows Gerel Byamba, the leader of an entirely-female, ultra-nationalist Mongolian group called Gerel Khas, it is also a surprisingly poignant documentary portrait of a widow and her orphaned son trying to […]

A film that pivots around a court case about its own making, buried treasure documentary “A Band of Dreamers and a Judge” features hints of allure that eventually wane. Shot in Iran, where unauthorized excavations remain illegal, Hesam Eslami’s chronicle of a group of treasure hunters is an occasionally intense process piece that often loses […]

Earlier this month, Arkansas’ Pulaski County turned down and returned a $60,000 check sent by Lucky 8, the production company behind the Netflix docuseries “Unlocked: A Jail Experiment.” Pulaski County is where “Unlocked” was filmed, and Lucky 8 apparently intended the check as reimbursement for any costs the county incurred during production. But in a […]

When Taylor Swift has just introduced 31 brand new songs to the world, as she did in April with the deluxe double-album that is “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology,” it may be a fool’s errand to immediately assess where where all that fresh grist fits into the overall scope of her catalog. Foolish, and […]

Visinema Studios, the family division of leading Indonesian entertainment company Visinema Group, is set to make its debut in live theater with “Keluarga Cemara: The Musical.” “Keluarga Cemara” (aka “Cemara Family”) has previously existed as a classic Indonesian novel about a family facing up to financial hardship, but emerging resilient and optimistic. It has since […]

The three Paramount Global executives installed to run the company after Bob Bakish was removed as CEO sought to reassure employees that they have a long-term strategy. On Monday, Paramount Global said Bakish was stepping down as CEO and leaving the board. In his place, the company established an “Office of the CEO” committee led […]

“Nuremberg,” a historical thriller set in post-war Germany, will launch its sales through WME Independent at the Cannes Film Festival next month. The film stars Russell Crowe, Rami Malek and Michael Shannon. Richard E. Grant, Leo Woodall, John Slattery, Mark O’Brien, Colin Hanks, Lydia Peckham, Wrenn Schmidt, Lotte Verbeek and Andreas Pietschmann round out the […]

Ethan Hawke was nominated at the 2002 Oscars for best supporting actor for his performance in Antoine Fuqua’s crime thriller “Training Day.” He lost the prize to Jim Broadbent (“Iris”), but he immediately got some much-needed perspective from his “Training Day” co-star Denzel Washington, who happened to win the Oscar that same night for best […]