1-20 of 131 items « Prev | Next »
‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’: Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern Join Cast
8 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro have joined the cast of “Star Wars: Episode VIII,” Disney confirmed on Monday.
The studio also announced that newcomer Kelly Marie Tran will have an unspecified role in the latest installment of the space opera.
Dern scored Oscar nominations for her work in “Rambling Rose” and “Wild,” and effectively ducked velociraptors and T-rexes in “Jurassic Park.” Upcoming projects include Jennifer Fox’s “The Tale” and Kelly Reichardt’s “Certain Women.”
Del Toro scored an Oscar playing a morally conflicted cop in “Traffic,” earned another nomination for “21 Grams,” and headlined the likes of “Sicario” and “Savages.” He next reprises his role as the Collector in “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2.” An earlier Variety report said that Del Toro will play the villain role in the new “Star Wars.”
Principal photography on “Star Wars: Episode VIII” begins Monday at Pinewood Studios in London. The film hits »
- Brent Lang
'Deadpool' Smashes Box Office Records On Way to $260 Million Worldwide Opening
14 February 2016 9:38 AM, PST | Box Office Mojo | See recent BoxOfficeMojo.com news »
Blowing away even the most lofty of expectations, Deadpool decimated the Valentine's and President's Day weekend box office in record-breaking fashion with an estimated $135 million three-day weekend. As for its incoming competition, How to be Single performed mostly as expected while fifteen years proved too long to wait to release Zoolander 2. Rewriting the box office record books, Deadpool broke Fifty Shades of Grey's previous February opening weekend record by nearly $45 million based on estimates and that's just the start. The largest opening for an R-rated film was previously $91.7 million, set by The Matrix Reloaded in 2003. That's been destroyed. The largest opening weekend for an R-rated comic book adaptation was previously set by 300 with $70.8 million. Bye, bye. This is even the largest opening weekend ever for 20th Century Fox, beating a record of $108.4 million previously held by Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Though, to be fair, Revenge of the Sith »
- Brad Brevet <mail@boxofficemojo.com>
George Clooney’s ‘Suburbicon’ Sells Around the World
8 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Alex Walton’s sales, production and financing outfit Bloom has sold George Clooney’s black comedy “Suburbicon,” which stars Matt Damon and Julianne Moore, around the world.
The movie, which was written by Joel and Ethan Coen, is produced by Joel Silver, Clooney, Grant Heslov and Teddy Schwarzman, and is expected to begin shooting this October in Los Angeles. Paramount Pictures acquired U.S. distribution rights two days ago.
The movie has now been sold to U.K (eOne); Germany (Tele Muenchen/Concorde); Spain (Tri-Pictures); Italy (Leone Films); Latin America (Sun Distribution); Canada (Elevation); Greece (Odeon); Hong Kong, (Bravos); Scandinavia (MisLabel); Romania (Odeon); Turkey (Bir); Korea (Woosung); Japan (Tohokushinka Film Corporation); India (PVR); Taiwan (Filmware); Czech Republic (Aqs); Poland (Monolith); Australia (Roadshow); former Yugoslavia (Blitz); and Middle East (Salim Ramia).
Walton commented: “We’ve had an overwhelming response to ‘Suburbicon’ at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, drumming up worthy »
- Leo Barraclough
Will ‘Deadpool’ Spawn More R-Rated Superhero Movies?
6 hours ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
In Hollywood, conventional wisdom encourages studios to repeat the success others have had with a particular genre, but the astounding performance of Ryan Reynolds‘ R-rated superhero movie “Deadpool” may prove difficult to repeat. Sure, 20th Century Fox which will no doubt greenlight a “Deadpool” sequel soon, if it hasn’t already. But other studios may have a tough time replicating its success. Beating the odds and blowing away industry tracking estimates, “Deadpool” wisecracked its way to a $150 million opening weekend despite an R-rating that was anything but restrictive. It broke numerous box office records, including biggest opening for an R-rated movie. »
- Jeff Sneider
NBA All-Star Game Ratings on TNT and TBS Up in Kobe Bryant’s Final Appearance
35 minutes ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
Kobe Bryant’s 18th and final appearance in the NBA All-Star Game helped boost viewership for this year’s event, which was at its highest level in three years.
According to Nielsen, the TNT/TBS simulcast of the game from Toronto on Sunday night averaged 7.6 million viewers, peaking with 8.7 million for a 15-minute segment from 8:45-9 p.m. Et. Sunday’s tune-in was up 6% over last year (7.17 million) when the game was also simulcast on the Turner networks, and the best since an average audience of 8.02 million watched the 2013 game on TNT. Turner said the NBA All-Star Game, won by the West 196-173, was up vs. last year in key demos, though none were provided.
The strong showing is impressive given the game took place on Valentine’s Day and had to go up against AMC’s season premiere of “The Walking Dead,” ratings for which weren’t available Monday. »
- Rick Kissell
Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez Freak Out Over ‘Bad Blood’ Grammys Win (Video)
42 minutes ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
Taylor Swift‘s “Bad Blood” won the Best Music Video at the 2016 Grammy Awards — and Swift and best friend Selena Gomez “are not ok.” “Bad Blood just won a Grammy for Best Music Video and we are not ok. @selenagomez,” Swift captioned the video, which shows Gomez and Swift screaming at the top of their lungs upon hearing the news. Watch the video below. Bad Blood just won a Grammy for Best Music Video and we are not ok.@selenagomez pic.twitter.com/EquWAq0UPg — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) February 15, 2016 »
- Beatrice Verhoeven
Why ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Lawsuit Poses ‘Uphill Battle’ for Plaintiff
42 minutes ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
The man suing Led Zeppelin for copyright infringement over their iconic song “Stairway to Heaven” is going to have a tough time proving his case in court, according to one legal expert. Entertainment attorney James Sammataro, managing partner of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan’s Miami office, told TheWrap that Michael Skidmore will face “an uphill battle” and “a steep hurdle” as he tries to prove that the classic 1971 tune infringes on the 1968 Spirit song “Taurus.” Led Zeppelin is being sued by Skidmore, trustee of the Randy Craig Wolfe Trust, who claims that “Stairway” infringes on the earlier song. (Randy »
- Tim Kenneally
‘Bitten’ Star Laura Vandervoort and Creator Daegan Fryklind Talk Season 3 Premiere, Series’ Future
51 minutes ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
As the world’s only female werewolf in a species full of men, “Bitten’s” Elena Michaels (Laura Vandervoort) is used to having the odds stacked against her, but in Season 3 of the supernatural drama (which hails from Canada’s Space channel and is acquired by Syfy for U.S. broadcast), her biggest challenge won’t be misogynistic Mutts or magic users, but the potential darkness inside herself.
Season 2 left off with an eerie premonition that saw a blood-drenched Elena burning down her family home, Stonehaven, and Vandervoort tells Variety that Elena’s chilling vision “fuels the entire season for herself and the Pack.”
Elena initially chooses not to tell the rest of the Pack about the vision “because it’s terrifying to her,” says Vandervoort. “She doesn’t quite know whether the premonition is metaphorical or will truly happen and if she can stop it, because it did show »
- Laura Prudom
5 Reasons ‘Zoolander 2’ Couldn’t Quite Hit That Mark
55 minutes ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
Ben Stiller‘s “Zoolander 2” grossed $16 million over the holiday weekend, coming in far below expectations, largely due to “Deadpool” crippling all competition and grossing $150 million while breaking numerous records — much to everyone’s surprise. In fact, no one could see “Deadpool’s” success coming. It more than doubled initial projections of $65 million to $75 million, with numbers rising as the weekend went on. And “Deadpool’s” climbing success hurt the weekend’s other openers, “Zoolander 2” and “How to Be Single.” But that’s not to say “Zoolander 2” bombed — projections of lower $20 millions were just a little overblown. Other factors played into. »
- Beatrice Verhoeven
Was Stephen Fry right to flee Twitter?
1 hour ago | Hitfix | See recent Hitfix news »
Comedian Stephen Fry hosted the BAFTA awards this weekend and after referring to costume designer Jenny Beaver as a "bag lady" was immediately subject to a storm of Twitter rage. Whether the outcry was founded or not, Fry felt that the response was invasive enough that he almost immediately quit Twitter. Social media as a hub of current civil discourse is a given right now. Is that a good thing, though? Did Fry make the right move? Or was there another option to use the backlash as an opportunity to start an actual dialogue? Louis Virtel and Roth Cornet discuss in the video above or below. Take a look and let us know what you think here or [yep] on Twitter! Louis: @LouisVirtel Roth: @RothCornet »
- Roth Cornet
Meet the Director of BAFTA-Winning Jordanian Oscar Entry 'Theeb'
1 hour ago | Thompson on Hollywood | See recent Thompson on Hollywood news »
The first thing you notice about Naji Abu Nowar is his plummy British accent. In fact, he was educated in London, and picked up the coveted BAFTA Sunday night for outstanding debut by a British director for "Theeb," which won the director's first prize at the 2014 Venice Horizons section, and eventually landed the Jordanian Oscar entry an Oscar nomination. Because "Theeb" is set among nomadic desert Arabs during the same troubled period as "Lawrence of Arabia," it's easy to cite the influence of David Lean, but while Nowar admires the director, "he was not an influence on this film," except as to how not to shoot day for night scenes. "Lean shot on sand, which reflects light with a blue twinge that I didn't like," Nowar told me on the phone. "We discovered that with black basalt volcanic rock in the desert, you don’t get the reflection in the day for night scenes. »
- Anne Thompson
Watch: Why Jonathan Demme's 'Stop Making Sense' Is a Concert Film for the Ages
1 hour ago | Thompson on Hollywood | See recent Thompson on Hollywood news »
Jonathan Demme’s 1984 film documenting Talking Heads' three-night stand at the Hollywood Pantages is one of the great concert films of all time. Thanks to Heads frontman David Byrne’s ingenious staging, the film works in a narrative vein as well, beginning with Byrne alone on the stage fidgeting through the schizo rhythms of "Psycho Killer" and ending with the introverted singer transformed into a total party animal, speed-jogging around the stage to "Life During Wartime." Demme’s direction is simple yet elegant and the camera always seems to be in exactly the right place. One of the most joyful movies ever made, be sure to see (and hear) it with a proper sound system. »
- Trailers From Hell
5 Things You Probably Forgot From ‘Better Call Saul’ Season 1
1 hour ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
Before there was “Better Call Saul,” there was “Breaking Bad.” But that’s only sort of true. Because the events of “Breaking Bad” take place after those of “Saul.” Actually: That’s not 100 percent true, either. Parts of some episodes of “Saul,” like the Season 2 premiering debuting tonight on AMC, take place after “Breaking Bad,” in a not-too-distant future in which the former Saul runs a Cinnabon. The main point here is that the show is a bit confusing. Let’s be honest: As great as the Vince Gilligan/Peter Gould prequel/sequel was last year, the time that has passed and overabundance of. »
- Tony Maglio
TV Remake of Angelina Jolie’s ‘Salt’ in Works at Sony
1 hour ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
Angelina Jolie‘s “Salt” is the latest film to get the TV-series-adaptation treatment. Sony Pictures Entertainment is developing the 2010 CIA spy thriller as a potential TV show and is selling it to buyers and co-production partners at the European Film Market at the Berlin Film Festival. Phillip Noyce directed the original film, about Evelyn Salt (Jolie), a CIA agent released from a North Korean prison camp who turns out to be a Russian double-agent. Also Read: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's 'By the Sea' Sinks at Box Office The main character was originally written as a man. »
- Linda Ge
‘Deadpool’ Was No. 1 in Every Foreign Market Except One
1 hour ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
“Deadpool” dominated the overseas box office this weekend, as the R-rated saga of the sardonic Marvel superhero matched its record-breaking domestic total with an eye-popping $150 million internationally. “Deadpool” opened at No. 1 in 60 of the 61 markets in which Twentieth Century Fox rolled it out and, as it did in North America, shattered multiple records along the way. So what country opted for something other than Marvel’s foul-mouthed bad-ass with a bad attitude played by Ryan Reynolds? That would be Poland, no joke. Moviegoers there opted for a held-over and romantic film, “Planeta Singli” (Single Planet). It’s directed by one of that. »
- Todd Cunningham
The new trailer for this Michael Shannon science-fiction film feels 'Special,' indeed
1 hour ago | Hitfix | See recent Hitfix news »
At this point, I don't want to see another frame of Midnight Special until I get to sit down in a theater and see the movie, because the two trailers they've released for it and the reviews out of Berlin have me convinced we're about to see something very special, no wordplay intended. Little wonder. Jeff Nichols has been quietly building a great filmography, and Michael Shannon has been his consistent muse so far. I remember the feeling of seeing Shotgun Stories for the first time and being amazed by both Shannon and Nichols. This new trailer for Midnight Special feels both intimate and emotionally charged, something that we don't see nearly enough of in science-fiction these days. The entire cast looks great, and it's interesting to see Adam Driver leaning into the genre between this and Star Wars. Not something I would have called based on his earlier work, »
- Drew McWeeny
‘Making a Murderer': Brendan Dassey Denied Sexual Abuse in Psych Evaluation
1 hour ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
Steven Avery did not sexually assault Brendan Dassey, according to a 2006 psychological evaluation that raises new questions about a reporter’s theory of the “Making a Murderer” case. Dan O’Donnell, who covered Steven Avery’s trial and now hosts the popular “Rebutting a Murderer” podcast, told TheWrap last week that everyone involved in the case — including the “Making a Murderer” filmmakers — ignored the possibility that Avery molested his nephew, Dassey. Both Avery and Dassey are serving life sentences, convicted of killing Teresa Halbach. O’Donnell pointed to a May 2006 phone call in which Dassey told his mother that he had. »
- Brian Flood
Studiocanal Taps Campos, Woolfe, Ramps Up Int’l Sales Operations
1 hour ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
Underscoring expansion in TV sales, a key growth area for Studiocanal, the European film-tv group has tapped Beatriz Campos as vice president of sales and Elise Woolfe as sales manager. Both will join the London office of the Euro studio’s TV business unit.
The appointment comes as Studiocanal continues to fire up its roster of TV company acquisitions and production company joint ventures, as well as third-party distribution acquisitions, bidding fare to establish its status as one of Europe’0s key go-to companies for high-end TV drama, as it consolidates as the signature show source of broadcasters in free and pay TV worldwide.
“Beatriz and Elise are the perfect fit in context of the overall strategy of Studiocanal’s global sales staff,” said Rodolphe Buet, Studiocanal president, international marketing and distribution for films, library and TV series.
“The steady growth of our television business unit has enabled the expansion of the international sales team, »
- John Hopewell
'Hateful Eight' D.P. addresses the 'Star Wars'-Arclight controversy that so enraged Quentin Tarantino
1 hour ago | Hitfix | See recent Hitfix news »
Back in December, Quentin Tarantino went on a much-publicized rant against Disney on The Howard Stern Show, claiming that the studio engaged in "extortion" by bullying the Arclight theater in Hollywood to push The Hateful Eight out of its famed Cinerama Dome to make room for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. At the time, neither Disney nor the Arclight replied to HitFix's request for comment and the story effectively died, with even the normally-verbose Tarantino falling silent on the matter. It's only now, two months after the original story broke, that the controversy has resurfaced in a Deadline interview with Hateful Eight cinematographer Robert Richardson, who tells the site that the alleged incident "hurt Quentin, emotionally" while further insinuating that the Arclight actually backed out of a contract made with Hateful Eight distributor The Weinstein Company to screen the film in the Dome (a decision Tarantino contended was made after »
- Chris Eggertsen
'Survivor: Kaoh Rong' Brawn tribe: Exclusive winning odds and analyses
2 hours ago | Gold Derby | See recent Gold Derby news »
Premiering Wednesday on CBS, "Survivor: Kaoh Rong" will be the second iteration of the "Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty" theme where 18 new castaways are divided into three tribes based on their cunning, strength or good looks. To help guide your predictions, we've watched all of their pre-game interviews and provide quick analyses on each contestant as well as their exclusive Gold Derby odds to win Season 32. Below, see our take on the To Tang (Brawn) tribe and then hurry and make your "Survivor" predictions for a chance to win our prize of a $100 Amazon gift certificate. It's fun and easy, so start now by scrolling down to predict who will be voted out first. -Break- Who will win 'Survivor: Kaoh Rong'? See exclusive predictions Alecia Holden -- 10/3 odds to win Currently the leader in our projections to win the season, Alecia is somewhat of an enigma considering her placement on the Brawn tribe. »
1-20 of 131 items « Prev | Next »
« Prev | Next »