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Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s ‘Sandman’ Advances With ‘Conjuring 2’ Writer
1 hour ago
Eric Heisserer has been hired to write the script for New Line’s “The Sandman,” with Joseph Gordon-Levitt directing and starring.
The project was set up at Warner Bros. in 2013 with Gordon-Levitt coming aboard to produce with “The Dark Knight” screenwriter David Goyer for an adaptation of the DC Comics title. At the time, Gordon-Levitt had made his feature directorial debut on “Don Jon” and was eyeing the project as a possible directing and starring vehicle.
“The Sandman” was published by DC Comics for 75 issues between 1989 and 1996. It centers on the character Dream, also known as the Lord of Dreams, Morpheus, Oneiros, the Shaper, the Shaper of Form, Lord of the Dreaming, the Dream King, Dream-Sneak, Dream Cat, Murphy, Kai’ckul and Lord L’Zoril.
At the start of the series, the Morpheus character was captured and held prisoner for 70 years before escaping into the modern day and rebuilding his kingdom, »
- Dave McNary
Free Latin American VOD Platform Retina Latina Launches
1 hour ago
In an unprecedented bid, six film institutes from Mexico and Central America have pooled their resources to jointly launch Retina Latina, a free-of-charge VOD streaming platform of feature films, shorts and docus from their respective countries. The new initiative addresses the paltry exchange and distribution of Latino pics within the region. The film institutes of Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay have banded together for the initiative, with Colombia’s Proimagenes handling its administration and Banco Interamericano de Desarollo (Bid) providing support.
Retina Latina launches at the Cartagena Intl. Film Festival on March 4 and at its Mexican counterpart, Guadalajara, on March 8. The new streaming platform will include news and information on audiovisual projects across the region.
The Retina Latina slate offers a range of films, shorts and docus dating ranging from the late ’80s to as recent as three years ago, said Yenny Alexandra Chaverra from the film office »
- Anna Marie de la Fuente
Mandalay Bolsters Slate Following ‘Birth of a Nation’ Sale (Exclusive)
2 hours ago
Mandalay Pictures has unveiled a trio of new projects shepherded by VP Jason Michael Berman following the Sundance sale of Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation,” Variety has learned exclusively.
Mandalay recently bought David M. Crabtree’s script “Phasic,” which follows a young woman who is pursued by a group of supernatural hitmen after she gains the power to transform physical objects with her imagination. Crabtree, a Clio Award-winning commercial director, also wrote “For All Time” for Lionsgate.
Mandalay has also purchased “Apex” from Black List writers Dan Frey and Russell Sommer, centering on an up-and-coming female Mma fighter sidelined by a devastating injury. When a cutting-edge genetic research company offers her a unique chance to step back into the ring, she has to fight to keep her humanity alive.
Frey and Sommer developed “Apex” with visual effects expert Steven Ilous, who will direct. Ilous worked on “The »
- Dave McNary
Film Review: ‘The Prison in Twelve Landscapes’
2 hours ago
More than 2.2 million people are incarcerated in the United States, up from 300,000 people 40 years ago, but not only are stats like those absent from Brett Story’s inspired documentary, “The Prison in Twelve Landscapes,” the actual prisons are missing as well. Rather than examine the prison-industrial complex from the inside, Story crisscrosses the country and attacks the issue from varied and surprising angles — some as direct as a Kentucky mining town kept afloat by a federal pen, others as roundabout as a Los Angeles playground designed to ward off registered sex offenders. While the doc eventually tilts into righteous anger, its ingenious conceit subtly and artfully registers how mass incarceration affects society in ways the public can’t always see. The conceptual hook may confine its appeal, but “The Prison in Twelve Landscapes” is poised to tunnel into more adventurous festivals and outlets after its True/False premiere.
Composed of 12 vignettes, »
- Scott Tobias
Austin Film Society Bangs Drum for Lone Star Filmmakers
3 hours ago
Everything is truly bigger in Texas, including the 30th birthday celebration for the Austin Film Society, which finishes its year-long pearl anniversary at this year’s Texas Film Awards.
The organization, founded by Richard Linklater back when he was still slogging it out on the indiest fringes of film, gave birth to the Texas Film Hall of Fame 15 years ago. The hall will see four new Lone Star natives inducted this year, including the San Antonio-raised Carol Burnett, whom Mya Rudolph will present. (Linklater’s new film, “Everybody Wants Some,” will world premiere at SXSW the following evening, with an Austin Film Society screening several days later.)
Hosted by Texas Film Hall of Famer Mike Judge for the second year running, the evening will also honor Sony Pictures Classics co-president and co-founder Michael Barker (raised in Dallas), “Grey’s Anatomy” actor and director Chandra Wilson (hailing from Houston), and Dallas native Jesse Plemons, »
- Andrew Barker
Cary Elwes Starring in Penelope Cruz’s ‘Queen of Spain’ (Exclusive)
4 hours ago
Cary Elwes is co-starring opposite Penelope Cruz in Fernando Trueba’s comedy-drama “The Queen of Spain,” Variety has learned exclusively.
Cruz is starring in the Spanish-language film as famous movie star Macarena Granada, who flees the glitz and glamour of 1950s Hollywood to return to her roots in Madrid — where she has signed on to star in an epic Hollywood film. Cruz is also exec producing.
Elwes will play Gary Jones, an American movie star cast opposite Cruz’s character in the film.
“Queen of Spain” is the sequel to Trueba’s 1998 drama “The Girl of Your Dreams,” which also starred Cruz in a story set during the Spanish Civil War with Josef Goebbels falling in love with Macarena Granada. The film won seven Goya Awards including best film and best actress for Cruz.
Trueba and Cruz first teamed on 1992’s “Belle Epoque,” which won the Academy Award for best foreign-language film. »
- Dave McNary
‘Spider-Man’ Spinoff ‘Venom’ Revived With New Screenwriter
5 hours ago
Sony is revving up its long-in-development “Spider-Man” spinoff “Venom” that’s intended to turn into its own separate series. Sources confirmed to Variety that Dante Harper is on board to pen the script for the latest installment of the rebooted franchise.
Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are producing and overseeing the project whose plot is being kept under wraps. Palak Patel and Eric Fineman will oversee the film for Columbia.
Venom has been an enduring character in the Spider-Man universe since 1988. He’s both a key Spider-Man adversary and a star of his own solo series. Originally a villain, then an antihero, Venom is currently established as a full-fledged hero in the Marvel universe.
In the original comics, Venom is an alien symbiote that needs a human host to survive. In return, he grants the host incredible powers, rivaling those of Spider-Man.
Harper did rewrite work on the Warner Bros. pic “Edge of Tomorrow, »
- Justin Kroll
‘23 Jump Street-Men in Black’ Crossover Moving Forward With Director James Bobin (Exclusive)
5 hours ago
The surprise may have been ruined by the Sony hack fiasco, but Sony Pictures plans to move forward with its “23 Jump Street-Men in Black” crossover movie.
Sources tell Variety that James Bobin is in early talks to direct the film for Sony. Studio sources say that while no official greenlight has been given, the studio is already eyeing a June production start date. Sony had no comment.
Bobin will be stepping in for Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who directed the first two pics but are unable to direct the crossover due to their commitment to the “Han Solo” pic they’re helming at Disney. Lord and Miller are still on as producers along with Neil Moritz.
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum will return to reprise their roles as Jenko and Schmidt, respectively. The two are also producing. As for Agent Jay and Agent Kay, execs have already made »
- Justin Kroll
‘Thief’ Videogame Being Adapted Into Movie With Roy Lee
5 hours ago
Straight Up Films has acquired movie rights to Square Enix’s videogame franchise “Thief,” and will produce a movie adaptation with Roy Lee and Adrian Askarieh.
Straight Up principals Marisa Polvino and Kate Cohen will also produce. Straight Up president of production Sandra Condito will serve as executive producer along with Khalid Jones of Source Rock and Square Enix.
Adam Mason and Simon Boyes (“Misconduct”) will write the screenplay.
“Thief” was developed by Eidos-Montréal and published by Tokyo-based Square Enix with three sequels over 18 years. The game is set in a dark fantasy world ruled by a tyrant who exploits dark magic as a means of establishing control.
“This popular game is entirely unique within the genre, which is why we’re particularly excited to be working with these canny, dedicated filmmakers to bring it to the screen,” said Polvino and Cohen.
Straight Up Films co-produced the Johnny Depp sci-fier »
- Dave McNary
Box Office: ‘Zootopia’ Running Wild for $67 Million Opening
6 hours ago
Disney’s “Zootopia” is showing plenty of bounce at the U.S. box office, with the film set for a dominating $67 million weekend at 3,827 sites, according to early projections Friday.
The animated comedy easily leads all weekend moviegoing, with Gramercy’s action sequel “London Has Fallen” set to take a solid $23 million, while Paramount’s Tina Fey comedy “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” will fade quickly with less than $8 million.
Fox’s fourth weekend of surprise hit “Deadpool” remains a player with about $16 million — which will lift it past the $300 million mark on Saturday.
“Zootopia” showed clearly that it was drawing from outside its core audience of children in Thursday night previews with $1.7 million, Disney’s top non-summer preview gross for an animated movie. The film centers on a rabbit (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) trying to establish herself as a cop in a city filled with other anthropomorphic animals.
With a $65 million-plus opening, »
- Dave McNary
Disney Developing ‘Nutcracker’ Pic; Lasse Hallstrom to Direct
6 hours ago
Disney is developing “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” with Lasse Holstrom set to direct, continuing its model of developing classic fairy tales.
The project is based on “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E.T.A. Hoffmann, with Ashleigh Powell onboard to write the script.
The story, which has been adapted into a wildly popular ballet, follows young girl Clara, who receives a nutcracker doll from her godfather on Christmas Eve. When the girl goes to check on it later that night, the clock strikes 12 and she finds herself thrust into a fantastical world where she is in the middle of a war between gingerbread soldiers and an army of mice.
Mark Gordon is producing with Lindy Goldstein is executive producing. Sam Dickerman and Allison Erlikhman are overseeing the project for Disney with Sara Smith overseeing for the Mark Gordon Company.
Powell is currently developing The New York Times best-selling »
- Justin Kroll
Hulu Acquires ‘He Named Me Malala’ Documentary Exclusive Streaming Rights
6 hours ago
Hulu has picked up the exclusive streaming rights to “He Named Me Malala,” a documentary from filmmaker Davis Guggenheim about a Pakistani girl attacked by the Taliban.
The 87-minute documentary centers on Malala Yousafzai, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was severely wounded in an attack by Taliban militants for advocating for girls’ education when she was returning home on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley in 2012. The shooting, which occurred when she was 15, sparked international outrage.
“He Named Me Malala,” which made its TV debut on National Geographic Channel on March 1, will be available on Hulu’s subscription VOD service this summer under the pact with National Geographic Channels. Hulu also is joining National Geographic Channels and Fox Searchlight Pictures in partnership with the Malala Fund to raise awareness for girls’ rights to education and safe schools.
The documentary from Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth,” “Waiting for Superman »
- Todd Spangler
Sex Drama ‘Bang Gang’ Bought by Samuel Goldwyn
7 hours ago
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights to sex drama “Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)” from Films Distribution.
The feature debut of French filmmaker Eva Husson had its world premiere in September at the Toronto Film Festival in the inaugural Platform section. It will screen Friday at Rendez-Vous, co-presented with UniFrance, in New York.
Husson’s film explores the sexual exploits and awakenings of a group of teenagers in Biarritz, France, in the age of social media. Samuel Goldwyn Films is planning a limited theatrical release in late spring.
The film stars Marilyn Luna as a the brash George, who will stop at nothing to keep a boy’s eyes and hands on her. The object of her affection, played by Finnegan Oldfield, has a sense of intimacy that runs only skin-deep, leading to George bringing her friends — played by Daisy Broom, Fred Hotier and Lorenzo Lefebvre — into the bedroom with them. »
- Dave McNary
MGM Developing ‘Kidrobot’ Pic With Robert Rugan Directing
7 hours ago
MGM has tapped Robert Rugan to direct a film based on popular toy brand Kidrobot, sources confirmed for Variety. “The Last Airbender” producer Scott Aversan is producing the project.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources say the robot-focused project will be live action — not animated. Matt Ember and Tom Astle, whose recent work consists of animated films “Home” and “Epic,” penned the script.
The adaptation was at one point set up at Paramount, but MGM picked up the film rights last year.
Rugan cut his teeth on the commercial scene for years, shooting for such companies as Visa, IFC, HBO and Kodak.
He was also behind popular video “Wiley vs Rhodes,” a live-action spoof of a Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon. Sources say the video played into Rugan landing the gig based on the quality of live-action material based on something that was animated.
The »
- Justin Kroll
Watch: Tyler Perry Returns With a Shotgun Blast in First Trailer for ‘Boo! A Madea Halloween’
8 hours ago
Tyler Perry’s Madea had returned in the first teaser trailer for “Boo! A Madea Halloween” with a shotgun blast to greet trick-or-treaters on her front porch.
“I don’t play that Halloween bull,” she proclaims in the midst of the mayhem of a worldwide pandemic.
The trailer concludes with Madea chortling as the strains of Rick James’ “Superfreak” play.
Lionsgate is releasing the comedy on Oct. 21. Perry is writing, producing, directing and starring. Ozzie Areu and Will Areu will also be producers on the film.
The film originated from Perry and Chris Rock including a fictitious Madea Halloween movie in Rock’s 2014 film “Top Five.” Lionsgate then approached Perry and suggested that they make the movie.
The film also stars Bella Thorne, Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely, Andre Hall, Yousef Erakat, Lexy Panterra, Diamond White, Liza Koshy, Brock O’Hurn, Jimmy Tatro, Jc Caylen, Kian Lawley and Mike Tornabene.
Production »
- Dave McNary
Bruce Willis’ ‘Death Wish’ Remake Sets Israeli Directing Team
9 hours ago
Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado will direct the remake of “Death Wish,” starring Bruce Willis.
The Israeli directing team helmed the 2013 black comedy “Big Bad Wolves,” which was an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival.
Paramount released the original “Death Wish,” starring Charles Bronson, in 1974 with Michael Winner directing and Dino De Laurentiis producing. The $3 million film was a major success, grossing $22 million at the box office.
Former MGM co-chairman Roger Birnbaum is producing the new project. He was a producer on the “Rush Hour” franchise, “Bruce Almighty” and 2009’s “Star Trek” before joining with Spyglass partner Gary Barber to take over MGM in 2010. Birnbaum returned to producing in 2013.
Joe Carnahan, Dan Gilroy and Graham Yost have worked on the script for the remake. The 1974 original was based on the Brian Garfield novel about vigilante Paul Kersey, who goes after criminals when his wife is murdered and his daughter »
- Dave McNary
SXSW Film Refines Its Identity
9 hours ago
After announcing this year’s lineup, SXSW’s film head Janet Pierson noted that the lineup conformed to a characterization that had long been attributed to the fest. “We’ve been told we program the way real people watch movies,” she said, “sometimes for fun, sometimes for mind expansion, then there’s the art, and who doesn’t love a great surprise?”
It was, in many ways, precisely the descriptor that the festival had been lacking. The Austin confab’s film section has arguably suffered from a sort of middle-child syndrome. For all its growing maturity over the past decade, it’s found it hard to escape its reputation as the scrappier, lesser-storied younger sibling to SXSW’s foundational music offering, or as the more sedate counterpart to the flashy Interactive digital component.
With past triumphs spanning career-sparking breakouts “Short Term 12” (which first put Oscar winner Brie Larson on »
- Andrew Barker
Seth Rogen, Zach Galifianakis Astronaut Comedy Gets Launch Date
10 hours ago
Universal has set a Memorial Day weekend release of May 26, 2017, for its untitled sci-fi comedy, starring Zach Galifianakis, Bill Hader and Seth Rogen as a trio of astronauts.
The dating, announced Friday, sets up a showdown with Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.” “Dead Men Tell No Tales” is the fifth movie in the “Pirates” franchise, which has grossed $3.7 billion since it was launched in 2003.
The studio announced the project, also known as “The Something,” a month ago. The film will mark “22 Jump Street” writer-producer Rodney Rothman’s directorial debut. The story centers on astronauts who happen upon a mysterious craft and find that they are not equipped to represent humankind in a battle of intelligent life.
Rothman is producing the R-rated comedy with Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver, who are producing under their Point Grey Pictures banner. Good Universe’s Nathan Kahane and Joe Drake executive produce. »
- Dave McNary
‘Increasingly Dire’ Film Industry Has Fewer Winning Films, Studios (Analyst)
10 hours ago
The film industry faces an “increasingly dire” outlook as audiences continue to shrink in the U.S., with too many studios producing too many tentpole films, which end up cannibalizing each other’s audiences, analyst Doug Creutz reported Friday.
The Cowen and Company entertainment expert said that there is no easy solution for Hollywood studios but that a “slow-moving consolidation” is the likely end result.
In “Another Memo to Hollywood. Prediction? Pain,” Creutz says the industry’s woes are demonstrated by the fifth consecutive year in which domestic box office demand “has taken a step function lower.” The fight for remaining audiences has become increasingly fierce as “the market appears to be condensing into fewer, but bigger, hits,” as studios crank out more films in the $100 million-plus budget range.
The analyst reports that, when the video game industry faced a similar dilemma, with fewer but bigger hits, it resulted in dramatic change. »
- James Rainey
Box Office: ‘Zootopia’ Jumps to Record $1.7 Million on Thursday
11 hours ago
Disney’s “Zootopia” hopped to $1.7 million at Thursday night preview showings in the U.S.
The animated comedy is expected to dominate weekend moviegoing with at least $60 million at 3,827 sites.
“Zootopia” is opening against action sequel “London Has Fallen” and Tina Fey comedy “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” along with Fox’s fourth weekend of “Deadpool.”
The Thursday night preview number for “Zootopia” is Disney’s top non-summer preview gross for an animated movie. Disney opened “Big Hero 6″ in early November, 2014, with $1.4 million in previews on its way to a $56 million opening weekend.
“Zootopia” centers on a rabbit (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) trying to establish herself as a cop in a city filled with other anthropomorphic animals. It bows in 3,827 theaters, including 365 Imax, 325 premium large format and 3,100 3D engagements.
The Rotten Tomatoes score is at 99% with 97 of 98 reviews “fresh” and its international total is $98 million after three weekends with openings in China, »
- Dave McNary
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