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‘Separate Tables’ Screenwriter John Gay Dies at 92
57 minutes ago
John Gay, known for writing movies including “Run Silent Run Deep,” “Separate Tables,” “The Hallelujah Trail” and “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father,” died on Feb. 4 in Santa Monica. He was 92.
Gay shared an Oscar writing nom with Terrence Rattigan for the screenplay for “Separate Tables,” a 1958 romantic drama starring Burt Lancaster, Rita Hayworth, Deborah Kerr, and David Niven.
Long active in the Writers Guild of America, Gay wrote 14 feature films and 39 miniseries and TV movies, scripting projects for John Huston, Vincent Minnelli and John Sturges. He helped lead the Writers Guild through difficult negotiations while serving on the Wgaw’s Board of Directors (1971-75, 1977-79), and as Vice President (1985-87).
Gay started out in live television starring with his wife Barbara in “Mr. and Mrs. Mystery,” and went on to write for numerous live TV dramas. Lancaster helped recruit him to Hollywood, where he wrote Clark Gable-Lancaster »
- Pat Saperstein
Studios Push for $50 Early Home Movie Rentals, But Negotiations Are Complex (Exclusive)
1 hour ago
At least five of the major studios are pushing plans to get movies into homes earlier, but theater chains and studios are still far apart from agreeing on how it would happen.
Warner Bros. and Universal have been the most aggressive in pursuing an arrangement that would see certain movies receive a premium video-on-demand release within weeks of their theatrical premieres, but now other studios are joining the discussions. Twentieth Century Fox has also begun to talk early releases with theater owners, while Sony is having its own separate talks with exhibitors and is trying to devise its own plan.
Paramount, which previously did a pilot program with AMC and a few other exhibitors to release “Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse” and “Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension” on digital platforms early, has continued to seek a similar strategy. Though different studios are exploring different scenarios, the plan that has »
- Brent Lang
‘The Batman’ Officially Signs Matt Reeves as Director
1 hour ago
Matt Reeves has closed a deal to direct “The Batman.”
Reeves took over the reins as director after Ben Affleck stepped aside to focus on starring as the Caped Crusader. Reeves will also produce the movie.
News broke last week that negotiations had collapsed, but that there was a strong possibility that they could resume. WB had offered Reeves the directing gig two weeks ago after Affleck exited the film.
Sources stressed last week that it was a priority for the studio to sign a helmer as soon as possible in order to move the pre-production forward.
Related
Ben Affleck Will Not Direct ‘The Batman’ (Exclusive)
“I have loved the Batman story since I was a child,” Reeves said. “He is such an iconic and compelling character, and one that resonates with me deeply. I am incredibly honored and excited to be working with Warner Bros. to bring an epic »
- Justin Kroll
Playback: Jordan Peele on ‘Get Out’ and Art’s Role Under a Trump Regime
1 hour ago
Welcome to “Playback,” a Variety podcast.
On this week’s episode, Jenelle Riley and I welcome back Variety Senior VP Tim Gray for one last round of Oscar predictions before Hollywood’s big night on Sunday. What are the tightest races? Is there a runaway sweep on the horizon or something more varied? Lots of questions. We’ll have answers in a few days.
Later in the show (27:58) I’m talking to “Key & Peele’s” Jordan Peele, whose directorial debut, “Get Out,” bowed at the Sundance Film Festival last month. A horror film with a definitive point of view, it feels like the beginning of a promising career for the comedian behind the camera. Going to Park City was beyond his wildest dreams, however.
Jordan Peele photographed exclusively for the Variety Playback podcast
Dan Doperalski for Variety
For more, listen to the latest episode of “Playback” below. Check back »
- Kristopher Tapley
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, ‘Game of Thrones’ Actor Michiel Huisman to Star in ‘Irreplaceable You’ (Exclusive)
2 hours ago
Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Michiel Huisman will star in the romantic drama “Irreplaceable You.”
“Veep” helmer Stephanie Laing will direct from a script by Bess Wohl.
The film follows Abbie and Sam, soul mates who were destined to be together until death got in the way.
Jonathan Tropper and Farah Abushwesha are producing the movie, with The Exchange handling international sales. Production is set to start sometime next month.
Related
Gugu Mbatha-Raw to Star in Thriller ‘Fast Color’ for ‘La La Land,’ ‘Jackie’ Producers (Exclusive)
Mbatha-Raw has a busy year ahead of her, starting with Disney’s highly anticipated, live-action “Beauty and the Beast” reboot, which opens on March 17. She will then appear in the untitled “Cloverfield” sequel “God Particle” — opposite David Oyelowo — and Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time” adaptation. Mbatha-Raw was most recently seen in the gun-control film “Miss Sloane” with Jessica Chastain.
Huisman cut his teeth on the TV circuit, »
- Justin Kroll
Creative Coalition Members to Carry Crayons, Paintbrushes During Oscars Weekend Events (Exclusive)
2 hours ago
Members of the Creative Coalition advocacy group will carry crayons and paintbrushes at awards events this weekend, Variety has learned exclusively.
The “Operation Paintbrush” effort is part of the group’s Right to Bear Arts campaign to support government funding for the arts. A Jan. 19 report in The Hill said that members of President Trump’s transition team have a plan to shrink the federal bureaucracy that would include eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts, the main outlet for government grants to arts organizations.
Another part of the plan would privatize the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, which provides funding to the Public Broadcasting System and public radio stations, including National Public Radio.
“Supporting the arts isn’t a red state issue or a blue state issue, it is an American issue,” said Tim Daly, president of the Creative Coalition. “Our government should be proud to support the organizations that »
- Dave McNary
Oscar Wilde Awards Honors Irish-Hollywood Connection
3 hours ago
Oscar Wilde Awards honoree Martin Short, known for his zingers and stinging observations, was asked if anyone in the current presidential administration is ripe for satire. “Everyone is ripe for satire,” he says, “particularly in this administration. But it’s hard to satirize, hard to go broader than what we have seen.”
Asked if his talk-show character Jiminy Glick would have anything to say about the current Trump administration, Short demurs. “I’m not going there.”
Short feels a connection to the Wilde Awards. “My mother was half-Irish, my father was 100%,” he offers. Short, who has credits going back to 1972, says his father introduced him to film. They watched Ireland-set films such as “The Quiet Man” and “Shake Hands With the Devil.”
And while fans admire his wit, the performer freely admits, “I don’t know that if I could compare to Oscar Wilde.”
The comic actor is one of »
- Will Thorne
Oscar Nominated Actresses Make Bold and Varied Fashion Choices
3 hours ago
From a rape victim in “Elle” to a crack-addicted mother in “Moonlight,” this year’s nominated female roles are confronting, arresting, and varied. The same can be said for the actresses who play them, who choose to lead, rather than follow, with their choices in both film and fashion.
Viola Davis made a pointed statement on the Golden Globes red carpet. “The bright yellow was a symbol of hope and optimism,” says stylist Elizabeth Stewart of Davis’ Michael Kors gown. “It was very intentional. It feels like we’re living in dark times, and we’ve been choosing colors and dresses that symbolize hope.”
Nicole Kidman, too, is not one to shy from a bold choice. Twenty years after her chartreuse Dior catapulted her to the top of the best-dressed list, the “Lion” nominee had no hesitation about the divisive Gucci she wore to the SAG Awards. “I fell in love with the dress, »
- Claire Coghlan
All Def Movie Awards: ‘I Don’t Have Anything Against’ the Oscars, Russell Simmons Says
3 hours ago
The All Def Movie Awards returned to Los Angeles on Wednesday night to honor films and actors, with the goal of recognizing entertainers who are often overlooked by other award shows. The production, hosted by the digital programming platform All Def Digital and television network Fusion, kicked off at the Belasco Theatre in downtown L.A., just days before the Oscars.
“It’s just about celebrating diversity in general,” mused All Def Digital founder Russell Simmons. “It’s a funny take on an issue that we are all working on, which is to be inclusive and to see each other as the same.”
And a funny take it was. The ceremony, which launched last year following the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, was definitely not your typical production. From Snoop Dogg smoking inches away from the main stage to host Mike Epps discussing being arrested four days prior to the live show’s taping, »
- Chelsea Battle
Anita Hill: The Need for Female Equality and Diversity in Hollywood (Opinion)
4 hours ago
In this exclusive op-ed, attorneys and activists Anita F. Hill and Kalpana Kotagal discuss why Hollywood needs to embrace women and minorities now more than ever.
It is a difficult time to be a woman in this country. We just elected as president a man whose actions range from shocking disregard for women to brazen attacks on them. The number of women in Donald Trump’s cabinet is appallingly anemic. His repeated and nasty attacks on everyone from Alicia Machado to Elizabeth Warren, along with his and Congress’ regressive agenda, offer a preview of the coming threats to gender pay equity, reproductive rights, and protections from domestic violence and sexual assault, to name just a few.
Perhaps the messages coming out of Washington are not surprising, but as the recent Women’s March and the subsequent organizing demonstrate, politicians are not the sole purveyors of our nation’s ideals. The film industry, »
- Anita Hill and Kalpana Kotagal
‘Empire’ Actor Bryshere Gray to Star in Indie Drama ‘Canal Street’
4 hours ago
“Empire” actor Bryshere Gray is starring in the independent drama “Canal Street” with production starting in Chicago, Variety has learned exclusively.
The leading cast includes Yancey Arias, Lance Reddick, Katie Chang, “Bosch” star Jamie Hector and Kevin Quinn. Other cast members are Woody McClain, Harry Lennix, Jon Seda, Will Yun Lee, Michael Beach and Giovanni Watson.
Red Guerilla Entertainment is the film’s production company. “Canal Street” is directed, co-written and exec produced by Rhyan Lamarr, who filled the same roles for his 2016 film “Restored Me.”
Producers are Amir Windom, Adam Key, Charlie Mac, Chris Jamerson, Anita Luckett, Ronique Shaw and Reggie Hunter. Windom is a veteran recording executive who is supervising the music.
“Canal Street” is a story about the reasons for the deep-seated divisions within the city of Chicago and the city’s diversity, touching on themes of family, friendship, and forgiveness.
“‘Canal Street’ is a visual and »
- Dave McNary
SXSW: ‘Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo’ Bought by Gravitas
4 hours ago
Gravitas Ventures has acquired worldwide rights from Haviland Digital to the documentary “Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo” ahead of its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival.
Gravitas is planning an April 14 day-and-date release in theaters across the U.S. and VOD.
The film includes archival footage and stories from the creator of Mission Control, Dr. Chris Kraft, retired Nasa Flight Directors Gene Kranz (portrayed by Ed Harris in “Apollo 13”), Glynn Lunney and Gerry Griffin. Also appearing are Flight Dynamics Officer Jerry Bostick, Flight Controller John Aaron, astronaut Captain James Lovell (played by Tom Hanks in “Apollo 13”), and moonwalkers Charlie Duke and the late Captain Gene Cernan.
“Mission Control” explores the faltering start of the program to the Mercury and Gemini missions, the tragic Apollo 1 fire and the Moon landings.
“Mission Control” was directed by David Fairhead and produced by Keith Haviland and Gareth Dodds. »
- Dave McNary
China’s Recon Buys 51% of Avi Lerner’s Millennium Films for $100 Million
5 hours ago
China’s Recon Holding has reached an agreement to acquire a 51% stake in Avi Lerner’s independent production company Millennium Films for $100 million.
The announcement was made Thursday, nine days after reports had emerged that a deal was in the works.
Recon Holding is controlled by Recon Group, a multinational conglomerate which owns the Aston Villa Football Club and is led by Tony Jiantong Xia. It said that the deal should close in the second quarter.
Millennium is an action specialist with its key properties being the Sylvester Stallone franchises “The Expendables” and “Rambo” along with the films “Olympus Has Fallen” and “London Has Fallen.” Millennium has generated over $1.2 billion in worldwide box office revenues since 2011.
The company’s upcoming film slate includes “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L, Jackson; “Escobar,” starring Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz; and “Hunter Killer,” starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman. »
- Dave McNary
Martin Scorsese on Reuniting With De Niro for ‘Irishman,’ the Sinatra Biopic That Got Away
9 hours ago
London – “The joy of creating a film has to be in making something, even in the worst circumstances. It’s about the passion,” Martin Scorsese told a packed audience at a special event celebrating the director’s career at London’s BFI Southbank on Wednesday night. “To retain that passion is the key.”
Scorsese spoke about his passion, his work with film preservation and how the industry has changed during his long career. The Oscar-winning director also spoke about his upcoming project “The Irishman,” though he avoided mention of the rumors currently swirling around financing and rights to the film, including the possibility that Netflix could take worldwide rights in an eyebrow-raising deal.
The long-gestating “Irishman” is set to reunite Scorsese with Robert De Niro for a ninth time and would mark his first collaboration with Al Pacino. “Al and I have been trying to get to do a »
- Robert Mitchell
India Bans Female Empowerment Movie ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’
11 hours ago
India’s film censor has denied a theatrical release to Alankrita Shrivastava’s woman empowerment drama “Lipstick Under My Burkha.”
In 2016 the film won the Spirit of Asia award at the Tokyo International Film Festival and the Oxfam award for best film on gender equality at the Mumbai Film Festival.
The Central Board of Film Certification (Cbfc) letter to the producer Prakash Jha stated: “The story is lady oriented, their fantasy above life. There are contanious sexual scenes, abusive words, audio pornography and a bit sensitive touch about one particular section of society, hence film refused.”
The film chronicles the secret lives of four women of different ages in small town India as they search for different kinds of freedom.
“This is an attack on women’s right to tell their stories, from a female perspective,” Shrivastava told Variety from Scotland, where the film is to have its U.K. »
- Naman Ramachandran
Dance Documentary ‘Step’ Gets July Release Against ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’
19 hours ago
Fox Searchlight Pictures has set a July 7 release for Amanda Lipitz’s documentary “Step” — making it the first title to go up against Sony’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
Fox Searchlight bought rights to the movie last month following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
The film, featuring Blessin Giraldo, Cori Grainger, Tayla Solomon, Gari McIntyre, and Paula Dofat, documents the senior year of a girls’ high-school step dance team in inner-city Baltimore. Each student is trying to become the first in their families to attend college and striving to make their dancing a success against the backdrop of social unrest in the troubled city.
“Step” is a Stick Figure, Impact Partners, Vulcan, and Scott Rudin production, and produced by Lipitz and Steven Cantor. Exec producers are Dan Cogan, Geralyn Dreyfous, Jenny Raskin, Rudin, Paul G. Allen, Carole Tomko, Micheal Flaherty, Valerie McGowan, »
- Dave McNary
Demi Lovato on Her New Documentary: Mental Health Is ‘Just as Important as Physical Health’
20 hours ago
In 2008, at age 16, Demi Lovato became a rising star, landing the lead role in Disney Channel’s hit original movie “Camp Rock” alongside the Jonas Brothers, rapidly becoming a teen icon. That same year, she signed a recording deal with Hollywood Records, releasing her debut album “Don’t Forget,” which bowed at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 100. Before the release of the album, Lovato began her own tour, and appeared on the Jonas Brothers’ Burnin’ Up Tour.
Though Lovato’s success was apparent, her internal struggles were largely shielded. In 2011, with a history of drug abuse and self-harm, she entered rehab, where she was diagnosed with bipolar depression. Since her diagnosis, Lovato has been vocal about living with a mental illness and her journey through recovery. She is the spokesperson for Be Vocal, an initiative focused on helping individuals and communities with mental illness advocate for themselves and for others. »
- Sarah Ahern
The Afterlife Is Real in Trailer for Robert Redford, Jason Segel and Rooney Mara’s ‘The Discovery’
20 hours ago
Netflix dropped its first full trailer for “The Discovery,” the sci-fi film starring Robert Redford, Jason Segel, and Rooney Mara that offers a new take on the meaning of life and death.
Redford plays Dr. Harper, a scientist whose verification of the afterlife, or a “new plane of existence” changes the way people think about death. In fact, it seems to make people want it, sparking more than a million suicides around the world by those attempting to “get there.”
“How can you keep a discovery so vital to our existence a secret?” Redford’s Harper says in the trailer after Mary Steenburgen’s journalist character asks a question about his personal responsibility.
Related
Jason Segel’s Takeaway From Sundance Sci-Fier ‘The Discovery’? Robert Redford Is ‘the Ultimate Man’
The trailer also seems to suggest some manipulation of time with rewinds and repetitive shots. Spooky characters come in and out of frame, »
- Dani Levy
25 Genre Films That Should Have Been Nominated for Best Picture
20 hours ago
Despite their box office popularity, genre films rarely earn Academy Award nominations for best picture. Here are 25 sci-fi, horror and thriller films that, in retrospect, were probably superior to many of the films that were nominated for Oscar’s top prize.
Related storiesWhat Hollywood Needs to Do to Make Real Progress in Diversity (Guest Column)Anthony Anderson to Host Live Post-Oscars Special for ABCOscar Best Picture Nominees Get the Honest Trailer Treatment »
- Matthew Chernov
Food Network Star Alton Brown Dishes on Oscar DPs
20 hours ago
Why care what longtime Food Network personality Alton Brown thinks about the nominees in the Oscar’s cinematography category? Because he knows lenses, film stock, and formats as well as he knows ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques.
“I started off as a cameraman when I was still in college, and moved into shooting music videos in the ‘80s, then became a full-time cinematographer and a director-cameraman for TV spots, which I did for about 10 years,” Brown says.
Eventually burnt out by the ad business, Brown saw two choices. “I could either move on to New York or Hollywood and concentrate on shooting, or I could go to culinary school and try to make a food show.”
He chose the latter, resulting in the groundbreaking 14-season series “Good Eats,” which holds up so well that repeats continue airing today. Brown directed 200 of its 250 episodes. He calls his latest show, “Iron Chef Gauntlet, »
- Paula Hendrickson
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