Ian McKellen will not perform in the final three shows of the West End run of play “Player Kings” after suffering a fall on Monday. “Player Kings” announced on social media on Thursday that David Semark would take over McKellen’s role for its final performances in London.
British/Ukrainian production outfit United Heroes is set to adapt Live, Fight, Survive, British soldier Shaun Pinner’s autobiographical memoir of his harrowing experience in the Ukraine war, as a feature film with the working title The English Warrior. Pinner’s book is a raw,
TOLEDO, Spain — Launched in November, Banijay Branded Entertainment (BBE), has closed strategic partnerships aligned with software, insights and data company, Launchmetrics, and Banijay Iberia’s creative agency IMA, in order to enhance the expertise and appeal to clients of
GRAND CANAL France’s Canal+ Group has increased its stake in multi-territory Asian video streamer Viu to 36.8%. It says that the move is in accordance with the terms of the strategic partnership with Viu owner PCCW Group announced a year ago and follows the satisfaction of key
The stars of “Kalki 2898 AD” revealed details of the anticipated Indian sci-fi epic at a national press launch in Mumbai on Wednesday. While a budget for the film has not been officially revealed, Variety understands that it is in the region of $72 million. If correct, that
Leading Danish actor Trine Dyrholm, who headlined Oscar winner “In a Better World” and Sundance Audience Award winner “Queen of Hearts,” is to star in four-part miniseries “Dependency.” Maren-Louise Käehne, whose credits include “Queen of Hearts,” “Blackwater” and “The Legacy,”
India’s Doc Film Bazaar, which is part of the Mumbai International Film Festival, has unveiled the winners of its inaugural edition. The awards, sponsored by Prasad Lab, are aimed at supporting post-production efforts, particularly in digital intermediate (DI) services.
“Extremely Unique Dynamic,” a comedy drama film that plays at the Frameline Festival in San Francisco, is set for release later this year in North America. North American rights to the picture were acquired by distributor Strand Releasing, which says it plans a late fall
Kendrick Lamar did not half-step during the opening of his “Pop Out” concert in Los Angeles on Wednesday night: He not only opened his set with the Drake diss “Euphoria,” he rolled out a new verse for it: ““Give me Tupac’s ring back and I might give you a little respect.” The
SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from the season finale of “Top Chef.” The utensils are down, the knives are packed, and “Top Chef” has crowned its latest winner. Season 21 began in Wisconsin before decamping for the Caribbean, where contestants visited Curaçao and
Chinese industry executives will get a first taste of “Coolie,” a big-budget historical miniseries that focuses on the enslaved Chinese workers in Cuba in the 1860s. MM2 Entertainment is handling China rights to the production on behalf of I.E. Entertainment. The Suharjono
Dave Filoni isn’t ruling anything out when it comes to Star Wars. Lucasfilm’s chief creative officer said this week that an R-rated installment of the George Lucas-originated franchise could be “interesting.” “Sure, I mean, I don’t know. It think it’s interesting,” Filoni said
Goldie Hawn has one wish before her family gets “too old.” During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa, the Oscar-winning actress said she would love to make a movie with her family after host Kelly Ripa pitched her on a Thanksgiving
Korean multi-talent Yeon Sang-ho is getting back in business with Netflix for his next feature film — with a little help from Oscar-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón. Yeon has signed to direct a movie adaptation of his own popular Korean webtoon, Revelations, with Cuarón onboard
King Henry VIII is most associated with ordering the killings of two of his wives while he had his marriages to another three annulled. Usually forgotten or rarely mentioned is sixth and final spouse Catherine Parr. But Alicia Vikander is hoping her portrayal of Parr in the new
Looking back to his claim to fame following 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, Jude Law is “proud” of how he handled all the extra attention and scrutiny. The Oscar-nominated actor had already landed several movie and theater roles early in his career, but it was the Anthony
In “Satisfied,” Renée Elise Goldsberry’s vlogs capture how the singer-actor secured the role of Angelica Schuyler in what would become the 2015 Broadway phenomenon “Hamilton,” while also enduring fertility issues and trying to mother her two young children. The Tony winner
The Queen music catalog, along with a number of other rights, is in the process of being acquired by Sony Music for £1 billion (around $1.27 billion), two sources confirm to Variety. The news was first reported by Hits; according to their report, the only revenue not covered in
SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from the Season 10 finale of “Jet Lag: The Game,” now streaming on Nebula. “Jet Lag: The Game” dropped its Season 10 finale Wednesday on Nebula, featuring the epic conclusion to the Down Under saga of the travel game show and the
Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” has spent its first eight weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart — a very good number that looks to get better. It may not vacate the top spot any time soon, between the album’s still-blockbuster streaming numbers, the
Vertigo Releasing has acquired “Your Monster,” the debut feature from writer-director Caroline Lindy, from Bankside Films. The film blends romantic musical elements with comedy-horror and stars Melissa Barrera (“Scream,” “Abigail”), Meghann Fahy (“The White Lotus”), Tommy Dewey
Swift's classic scored one of the most iconic moments in The Bear's second season
TOLEDO, Spain — Delivering a masterclass on the first full day of Conecta Fiction in Spain’s Toledo, Javiera Balmaceda – Amazon Studios’ head of international originals, Latin America – underscored one of the perils of frequent air travel, in her case around South America: a
Styled after addicting and aesthetically apt crime dramas “Mindhunter” and “True Detective,” author Ignacio del Valle and writer-director Rai García (“Al salir de clase”) are readying an upcoming series, “Black Suns” (“Soles Negros”), based on the fourth installment of del
Germany’s Pixable Studios has boarded coming of age “Finisterra,” one of the TV series projects which Portuguese outfit Take It Easy is promoting at this year’s Conecta Fiction & Entertainment edition. Lisbon-based Take It Easy produced Oscar-shortlisted LGBTQ+ live action
When late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon has an idea for a sketch, there are twopeople he can trust to bring it to life: “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” production designers Kelly Hanson and Heather Wolensky. Whether it’s a “Miami Vice” cop spoof, a Kentucky Derby
For nearly half a century, Frameline has celebrated queer stories — and queer identity — with the San Francisco Intl. LGBTQ+ Film Festival. It’s the oldest and longest-running festival of its kind in the world and, with an annual attendance of more than 60,000 for the 120-plus
A ranking of all The Hunger Games movies? We volunteer! We volunteer this tribute! With the recent news that Lionsgate is developing a new Hunger Games movie based on Suzanne Collins’ forthcoming fifth novel in the saga (titled The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping), we
Disney landed at the CineEurope trade show on Wednesday riding wave of goodwill from across the industry thanks to the outstanding success of its latest release “Inside Out 2.” Before their slate presentation to European exhibitors on Wednesday — the final show from the major
The four-part film, Simone Biles Rising , premieres July 17
“This is a true story.” So begins “Baby Reindeer,” and those five words, which appear on a title card, have ignited a firestorm of controversy. Now, Netflix’s runaway hit about an aspiring comedian named Donny Dunn is facing uncomfortable scrutiny over its depiction of thinly
It’s 1996 in Bilbao, and adolescent strife reaches a crescendo in David Caiña’s series concept, “Outcasts” (“Makarras”), attending Spain’s Conecta Fiction & Entertainment Market to pitch to industry leaders as part of the SGAE Foundation selections slated for presentation. The
Season 21 of “Top Chef” was the venerated food competition’s first without longtime host Padma Lakshmi. Nevertheless, the show adapted without her, and will culminate on June 19 with a finale set aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean. Out of 16 chefs who competed in Wisconsin,
Spanish creators will pitch their series projects to producers as the SGAE Foundation celebrates its eighth consecutive year of boosting regional talent at this year’s Conecta Fiction & Entertainment market. Heading to the forum are six projects from writers and filmmakers
Attending this year’s Conecta Fiction & Entertainment industry get-together in Toledo, Spain, Omdia Senior Director Maria Rua Aguete addressed a crowd of producers, sales agents, distributors and other industry professionals to discuss global trends in streaming video. Here are
Apple Tree Productions, the Danish company headed by “The Killing” producer Piv Bernth, is reteaming with the creative duo behind feelgood period drama “Chorus Girls,” Ditte Hansen and Louise Mieritz, Bernth told Variety at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. Hansen and
Embarrassed? Hardly. Sad and fearful? No way. Joyous? Absolutely. That was the vibe on the morning of June 17 when Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman cracked open the champagne to toast those who had worked on the making and marketing of Inside Out 2, which is the
SPOILER WARNING: This story mentions major plot developments in episode 4 of “The Acolyte,” now streaming on Disney+. Who is that mysterious masked Sith master in “The Acolyte?” Costume designer Jennifer Bryan knows, and her lips are sealed. She’s not spilling any secrets as to
“I spend a lot of my time trying to plan these things,” Taylor Swift said with a grin — and with classic understatement — as she strapped on her acoustic guitar for the “surprise songs” segment of her “Eras” tour stop in Cardiff, Wales. “I like to challenge myself to do
The sultans of media and tech will break out their windbreakers and puffy vests for Allen & Co.’s annual Sun Valley conference next month. It’s a chance for these high-net-worth individuals to look “oh so casual” as they discuss the state of their industries and the world. The
Verzuz, the online platform launched during the pandemic by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, has struck a distribution partnership with Elon Musk’s X. The pair made the announcement during Cannes Lions conference in France on Wednesday. Earlier in the year, Swizz and Timbaland
Ian Karmel, comedian and Emmy-winning former co-head writer for “The Late Late Show With James Corden,” describes his journey from childhood to working through internal struggles that led him to drop 200 pounds in his recent memoir “T-Shirt Swim Club: Stories from Being Fat in
Veteran Quebec director Erik Canuel, best known for his box office hit Bon Cop, Bad Cop, has died. He was 63. Canuel died on June 15 in Montreal after complications from secondary plasma cell leukemia, according to Montreal-based communications firm Annexe. He was first
Paris’ historic La Clef cinema can turn the page on a five-year fight for survival thanks in no small part to donations from filmmakers Quentin Tarantino, David Lynch, and Celine Sciamma, among several more. The no-strings-attached donations will allow the community-run rep
TOLEDO, Spain — Brazil’s Ventre Studio is readying a powerful slate of scripted series mining the rapidly growing Portugal-Brazil co-production axis, which Ventre itself has helped forge with “Godless John,” produced by Ventre Studio and Canal Brasil as well as Coral Europa and
Paramount Global and its predecessor companies have gone through several tumultuous decades. Here’s a timeline of key events that led up to the company’s most recent M&A drama, in this week’s cover story: What Went Wrong: Inside Paramount’s Failed Merger Talks and the Battle to
Glaz Entretenimento, one of the fastest growing outfits in Brazil and Portugal, and global company Boat Rocker have struck a co-production-distribution deal on fantasy mystery TV series project “Human Nature.” Created and executive produced by Denis Nielsen (“3%,” “Rensga
For Shari Redstone, it was nothing personal. But the longer the negotiations went on, the more Redstone fell out of love with the idea of marrying her family’s legacy to David Ellison’s Skydance Media. So on June 11, as board members of Paramount Global were about to hold a key
