Ashutosh Gowariker, director of “Lagaan,” has been appointed festival director of the 57th International Film Festival of India by India’s Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Gowariker succeeds Shekhar Kapur, who served a two-year term as festival director across the 55th
Blue Finch Films has taken worldwide sales rights to Indonesian action crime thriller “Queen of Malacca,” excluding select Southeast Asian territories. The U.K.-based outfit unveiled the acquisition ahead of the Cannes Film Market, where the Visinema Pictures production will
On the story level, "Swapped" is quite basic, but there’s a surprise enchantment to it — it’s like a woodland fairy tale for seven-year-olds, yet on that score it’s visually ravishing and quite touching.
A new Korea-Japan content joint venture, StudioMonowa, has been launched by CJ ENM, TBS and U-Next Holdings following a signing ceremony held April 30 at the CJ ENM Center in Seoul, attended by the top leadership of all three companies. The venture pairs CJ ENM’s K-drama
Six independent film projects from across Southeast Asia will share $160,000 in production and post-production support from the Purin Film Fund, the Bangkok-based nonprofit announced for its Spring 2026 session. Four projects received production grants. On the fiction side,
After a roar of applause, Meryl Streep took the stage of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Thursday night alongside its embattled host, during her whirlwind promotional tour for the hotly anticipated sequel “The Devil Wears Prada 2.” “How are you?” Streep asked, clearly referring to
President Trump seems determined to get Jimmy Kimmel off the air. First came the pressure applied by Trump administration officials on FCC chairman (and Trump loyalist) Brendan Carr over a crack Kimmel had made on his late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” criticizing the MAGA
A handful of streaming subscribers filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to block the $110 billion merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. The plaintiffs — three current Paramount+ subscribers and two prospective subscribers — allege that they face increased prices and reduced
Fantaspoa, the Porto Alegre, Brazil-based genre film festival, brought together a record 550,000-plus attendees through in-person and online programming. The 22nd edition of the festival, which took place over 19 days and wrapped with an April 26 award ceremony, brought in more
Documentary filmmakers who use unlicensed video clips can breathe a little easier, after an appellate panel reversed itself Thursday in a closely watched copyright case involving Netflix’s “Tiger King” series. A three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that
A Utah judge has granted mutual protective orders to “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul and ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen. The former couple appeared in a Salt Lake City courtroom Thursday to discuss the protective orders that resulted from domestic
The Sony Future Filmmaker Awards have announced the shortlist for the 2026 edition, which spans the categories of fiction, non-fiction, animation, student, and future format. The chosen filmmakers will join an exclusive program of interactive sessions and masterclasses at the
Those unfamiliar with the popular anime franchise “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime” may be disappointed to learn that goopy substances are pretty much absent from the series’ second standalone movie “Tears of the Azure Sea.” For the uninitiated, the title seems to
The actor, writer, director and producer warns audiences that he’s “about to go on a run of just the dumbest shit you've ever seen in your entire life. I hope you left your brains at home.”
Director Andy Serkis says Viggo Mortensen has no hard feelings towards Jamie Dornan after Dornan took over the role of Aragorn for the upcoming “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.” Serkis appeared on the “Happy, Sad, Confused” podcast in an episode released on Thursday and
Steve Hilton, the Trump-endorsed candidate for California governor, joined in calls on Thursday for an unlimited state subsidy for film and TV production. Joined by Gloria Romero, who is running for lieutenant governor, Hilton unveiled his proposal outside the shuttered
Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter have teamed up for their collaborative song “Bring Your Love,” the lead single off the former’s upcoming album “Confessions II.” Madonna takes first verse duties before passing it to Carpenter on the single, which has touches of house and disco.
The studio was impacted by recent Disney layoffs, and let go members of its visual development team, including 16-year veteran Andy Park, whom the 'Ant-Man' actress shouted out in a recent Instagram video.
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis.
As if the multiple bomb threats targeting its premiere — impelling a pack of bomb-sniffing dogs, boosted security, and a SWAT team — weren’t enough, “Leaving Neverland,” Dan Reed’s devastating documentary examining Wade Robson and James Safechuck’s child sexual-abuse
Jesse Armstrong, the creator and executive producer behind HBO’s “Succession,” has been added to the list of speakers at this year’s Banff World Media Festival. The writer, whose credits also include the HBO film “Mountainhead,” will conduct a keynote at the fest, to be
The TSA forced Pavel Talankin, the helmer and subject of the film, to check his little gold man, but it never arrived.
Adam Scott, who is starring in the upcoming horror film “Hokum” which opens in theaters on Friday, reflected on his time playing Ben Wyatt on the hugely popular NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation” with Variety. The small-town government sitcom, which ran for seven seasons from
“Mr Nobody Against Putin” co-director Pavel Talankin’s Oscar statue has gone missing after the TSA at New York’s JFK airport confiscated his award. Earlier this year, Talankin took home the Oscar for best documentary feature. In a social media post, Talankin’s co-director David
James Cameron’s otherworldly blockbuster “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and the Ryan Gosling-led space epic “Project Hail Mary” resulted in big business for Imax. But those visually striking tentpoles weren’t enough to boost the company’s profits and revenues, both of which were down
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis.
You’ve probably heard the adage that Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist, but in hindsight, it feels prescient. Since the start of his career, which rang off with a feature on the inescapable smash “See You Again” with Wiz Khalifa in 2015, Puth has gone from wallowing in
Apple hit another high note in the first three months of 2026, delivering an earnings beat driven by a surge in iPhone sales and continued momentum in its Services segment. Apple’s Services business revenue in the quarter grew 16.3% to $30.98 billion. That beat Wall Street
The “Golden” age of women in music was celebrated Wednesday night at the Hollywood Palladium, as Billboard hosted and livestreamed its annual Billboard Women in Music event, with a heavy-hitting list of honorees from multiple genres performing as well as picking up trophies —
Ian Somerhalder revealed in a new interview with E! News that he was forced to claw himself and his family out of debt in the eight-figure range (an exact number was not given but it was $10 million or more) after he retired from acting. Somerhalder said “financial upheaval” is
On today’s episode of “Daily Variety” podcast, we look ahead at plans for Variety’s TV Week celebration in a conversation with Variety’s Emily Longeretta. And we take a Vintage Variety look back at the momentous launch of television in the U.S. on the opening day of the New
Kamala Harris blasted the Trump administration as “corrupt, incompetent [and] callous” while speaking at Public Counsel’s annual William O. Douglas Award Dinner on Wednesday night in Beverly Hills The former vice president was honored with the organization’s William O. Douglas
Roku beat Wall Street earnings forecasts for the first quarter of 2026 and raised its full-year profit guidance as the company continues its upward rise on the streaming-video tide. In addition, for the first time, Roku reported results for its advertising and subscriptions
Samsung is one of the many brands capitalizing on the buzz surrounding “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” hitting theaters this weekend. The behemoth tech company is among those set to make an appearance in the long-awaited sequel, starting with a custom TV spot starring character Jin
Florals for Spring? So unoriginal. Asking too many questions? Bore someone else with those. No matter the circumstances, expect Meryl Streep's Runway boss to offer a jab and brutal honesty.
Senators voted on April 30 to restrict themselves from prediction markets as there is an increasing concern of insider trading by government officials, CNBC reports. The resolution was spearheaded by Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno and immediately prohibits senators and staff from
The Film Sales Company has acquired worldwide rights to “The Wedding Entertainer (The Tale of Moishe Badhan),” the latest feature from director Gidi Dar, ahead of its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. The comedic drama, which will debut June 4 at Tribeca, stars Shuli
In a competitive situation, Amazon Prime Video has landed the thriller series “The Second Lady” for development, Variety has learned from sources. The show is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Irving Wallace. Jessica Sharzer is adapting the book for the screen
T-Mobile Fiber has a limited-time deal aimed at making the switch to fiber internet simple. Right now, you can get fiber starting at $45/month for 300-Mbps speeds with Fiber AutoPay, plus taxes/fees. Additionally, the best deal is the fastest plan for $70/month for 2-Gig speeds
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis.
Evangeline Lilly, who plays Hope van Dyne/Wasp in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, took to Instagram to blast Disney for firing Marvel employees amid the recent layoffs that saw 1,000 staffers let go from the company at large. Lilly was particularly outraged over the axing of
Josh Penn, the Academy Award-nominated producer behind “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” has launched Serenade, a new production company focused on documentary and narrative films. Serenade’s first film, “The Oldest Person in the World,” was directed by Sam Green and premiered at
Two weeks before “Off Campus” premieres on Prime Video, the college romance series has announced two new cast additions for Season 2. India Fowler (“Fear Street: Prom Queen”) will appear in the series regular role of Grace Ivers, the love interest of John Logan, played by
A TV series adaptation of Anika Jade Levy’s critically acclaimed debut novel, “Flat Earth,” is in the works at Vice Studios with Levy as co-creator. Published by Catapult Books in the US and Little, Brown in the UK in November 2025, “Flat Earth” is described as “a wry, sharply
Starz has ordered a family drama series set in the world of Black rodeo in Southeast Texas. The untitled, one-hour series has received an eight episode order at the premium cabler. It marks Starz’s second wholly owned series since the network was spunoff from Lionsgate in 2025,
Former “Dateline NBC” personality Chris Hansen, who now hosts “Takedown with Chris Hansen,” will host CrimeCon’s 2026 Clue Awards. The annual event, which takes place Saturday, May 30, at Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace as part of the three-day CrimeCon convention, recognizes true
Directed by Jon Favreau, the movie is a big screen continuation of Disney+’s streaming series 'The Mandalorian.'
“Blair Witch” is back: Horror director Dylan Clark is set to helm a new imagining of “The Blair Witch Project” for Lionsgate. Returning to the film are original stars Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams as executive producers. Also on board from the 1999 production are
ABC has renewed both its revival of “Scrubs” and the multi-cam comedy “Shifting Gears,” Variety has learned. This will be the second season of the revival and the show’s 11th season overall. “Shifting Gears” will return for its third season after airing its second between
American High is partnering with Netflix to bring their viral short-form series “Minimum Wage” to the streamer. Variety has learned exclusively that Netflix has given “Minimum Wage” a 28 episode order, with the show set to launch on Netflix later this year. Each episode will
