Of all the panels and Q&As happening during this year’s Telluride Film Festival, probably the most anticipated one featured a visit from rock royalty in the form of an unbilled (but not terribly secret) appearance by Bruce Springsteen in a group discussion following the
At “Saturday Night Live,” there’s drama before you get to the comedy. Every year at about this time, credulous observers of the venerable late-night NBC showcase get flustered by a series of cast changes that roll out about four to six weeks ahead of the next season premiere of
After a month-long soccer tournament where teams from Major League Soccer and Liga MX battled each other to advance, we’re finally down to the last two teams at the center of the Leagues Cup Final. The Seattle Sounders FC faces off against Inter Miami CF for a chance to hoist
Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley star in — and are generating considerable Oscar buzz for — the adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell’s bestselling 2020 novel of the same name.
Jude Law stars as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Paul Dano as his behind-the-scenes advisor in the political thriller from French director Olivier Assayas.
“The Wizard of the Kremlin,” a political thriller starring Jude Law as Vladimir Putin and Paul Dano as his former right-hand man and spin-doctor Vadim Baranov, earned a hugely enthusiastic 10-minute standing ovation at this year’s Venice Film Festival. While the film belonged
The song “Spooky,” that catchy little anthem about being befuddled by love, plays twice in Jim Jarmusch’s lovely triptych melancomedy “Father Mother Sister Brother.” Its laid-back, liquid rhythms are a perfect mood-setter for a film that also understands that loving someone
The May to Labor Day season initially soared, but global grosses took a nosedive as foreign movie ticket sales plunged further and a glut of male-skewing tentpoles battled for scraps in the U.S.
Lanthimos and Stone's prior collaborations include the Academy-embraced 'The Favourite' and 'Poor Things.'
Damien Hauser explores finding meaning in a tragic world in his fourth feature, premiering at Venice Days, and used AI with an eye on its limitations: “I tried to make a film which AI couldn't do.”
The holiday closes out a fraught summer for Hollywood, with domestic revenue barely able to match last year's disappointing haul.
Box office, welcome to the dog days of summer. In this terribly sluggish Labor Day holiday weekend, a horror movie in its fourth weekend of release was No. 1 while a 50-year-old blockbuster beat out two newcomers. “Weapons,” after briefly ceding the crown to Netflix’s “Kpop
The third season of “Jujutsu Kaisen” will premiere in January 2026, Crunchyroll revealed during a live-streamed fifth anniversary special for the Crunchyroll Anime Award-winning series. Crunchyroll will stream the new season exclusively worldwide, excluding Asia, with episodes
If you can’t be in Venice this year, Variety is bringing Venice to you. We’re publishing daily digital editions, running Aug. 29 – Sept. 2, including all the latest news, reviews and star-studded red carpet coverage from the Lido. To catch up on Day 3, please click below.
The WWE is going to “The City of Light” with WWE Clash in Paris 2025. Although the company has put on arena shows throughout the continent, this is the first time in nearly three years since the WWE hosted a big stadium event Europe. The last WWE event in France was Backlash
Hulu series about disgraced college quarterback, based on co-producer Eli Manning's concept, premieres September 30
I wish I could say that "The Wizard of the Kremlin" was a movie as gripping as Law’s Putin is himself, or one that exerts the total amoral fascination of Baranov’s postmodern totalitarian scheming. But the movie, directed by Olivier Assayas (from a script he co-wrote with
The last time Amanda Seyfried was at the Venice Film Festival to premiere a film was in 2017 for “First Reformed,” playing a parishioner in modern day New York. For her latest trip to the Lido, she’s gone back almost 300 years but has been upped to full-blown religious leader.
Sean Penn is set to be the guest of honor at this year’s Lumiere Festival, an event dedicated to heritage cinema that’s headed by Cannes boss Thierry Fremaux. Hosted in the city of Lyon, the birthplace of the Lumiere brothers, the festival celebrates classic films, and honors
Mark Jenkins’ 2019 debut “Bait” was a microbudget monochrome portrait of a Cornish coastal community that reveled in its old-school, hand-processed aesthetic and proved a surprise indie hit in U.K. theaters. The firm stand against gentrification taken in its onscreen narrative,
The stars and creators of Spinal Tap II: The End Continues discuss making the long-awaited sequel — and pulling Paul McCartney and Elton John into their world
In a historic deal, the African Union of Broadcasters (AUB) has secured exclusive free-to-air rights to “The Road to LA ’28,” a 12-part documentary series following the personal journeys of African athletes as they prepare for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The series is
A Venice Film Festival press conference for Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Father Mother Sister Brother’ took a turn when the growing backlash against Mubi came up with both the filmmaker and star Indya Moore weighing in.
Jim Jarmusch has added his voice to the growing backlash against Mubi after the arthouse distributor took on an investor with close ties to the Israeli military earlier this year. Mubi co-produced the director’s latest movie “Father Mother Sister Brother,” which premieres on
Paul Dano stars in the Olivier Assayas-directed feature as the Kremlin's go-to spin doctor and propagandist, while Jude Law inhabits a ruthlessly ambitious young Vladimir Putin.
Jude Law had no qualms about portraying the ruthless Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Olivier Assayas’ political thriller “The Wizard of the Kremlin,” which premiered Aug. 31 at the Venice Film Festival. “I hope not naively, but I didn’t fear repercussions. I felt confident, in
There is not much more to the secluded Italian village of Remis, the setting for Paolo Strippoli’s crackling supernatural horror “The Holy Boy,” than the road that runs through it, a high school, a tavern and the low-roofed dwellings that house an unusually contented community.
Doha Film Institute CEO Fatma Hassan Alremaihi was fêted Saturday on the rooftop terrace of Venice’s The Gritti Palace hotel where she received Variety’s 2025 Achievement in International Film Award just as rays of sunshine pierced through light clouds at the packed afternoon
Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke took the stage at the Venice Film Festival for a wide-ranging masterclass that spanned his career, his parallel work as a distributor, and his thoughts on the future of cinema in the age of AI. Jia, who first attended Venice in 2000 with his second
The spark between two soon-to-be lovers ignites inside a Latin nightclub in New York City, as the pair dance with clumsy playfulness to the Spanish romantic ballad “Un Velero Llamado Libertad” (A Sailboat Named Freedom). Their origins and struggles couldn’t be more disparate:
With the 4K restoration of master Bimal Roy’s “Do Bigha Zamin” (Two Acres of Land) set for its world premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival’s Classics section, India’s Film Heritage Foundation director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur is reflecting on the monumental effort to
Kenyan filmmaker Vincho Nchogu makes her feature directorial debut with the pastoral drama “One Woman One Bra,” a story of womanhood, community and the struggle to reshape African narratives that debuts in the Biennale College Cinema strand of the Venice Film Festival. Written
Continuing a great year for Arab cinema at major festivals — with films such as “Once Upon a Time in Gaza,” “The President’s Cake” and “The Little Sister” winning major awards in Cannes — the Venice Film Festival is packed to the brim with talent from the region. Titles include
Gastón Solnicki’s buzzy new film “The Souffleur,” starring Willem Dafoe and world premiering in Venice Horizons, has found a home in Italy. Magnify has sold the film to Revolver & Madison Group for distribution in Italy. The company is planning a wide theatrical release for the
More than three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, two films premiering in the Venice Days sidebar of the Venice Film Festival explore a different conflict that embroiled the Kremlin decades ago — and, in the process, draw chilling parallels to
Dustin Hoffman and Leo Woodall make quite the pair in “Tuner.” Hoffman’s character, veteran piano technician Harry Horowitz, is losing his hearing, while his people-shy apprentice (played by “White Lotus” breakout Woodall) has a condition called hyperacusis, which obliges Niki
George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Billy Crudup and Laura Dern shine in Noah Baumbach's meta film, which looks poised to contend for Oscars in a host of categories, including best picture.
For decades, trailblazing journalist E. Jean Carroll had been among the most influential voices in media, penning a dedicated advice column for Elle Magazine until 2019, after countless accolades to her name as a TV host, “SNL” writer, bestselling author and pioneering woman
It’ll be hard for the Academy to resist “Sentimental Value.” After finishing as runner-up to the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and now, making a quietly rapturous North American debut at Telluride, Joachim Trier’s Norwegian drama “Sentimental Value” is shaping
Mark Knoller, the longtime CBS News radio correspondent and veteran political journalist, has died in Washington, D.C. He was 73. CBS News confirmed his death on Saturday, noting he had been in ill health and suffered from diabetes. Knoller was an editor and radio reporter for
Becoming a meme doesn’t guarantee you make it into the final cut. Jeremy Strong fans will learn this the hard way come October 24, when “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” hits theaters. Variety can report that a divisive monologue performed by Strong in the film’s official
Jay Roach, the director, also praises the 'Doctor Strange' actor's comedic talent, telling THR: "I don't think people expect him to be that funny, and he's freaking hilarious."
With a shaved head, expert line deliveries and the assembly of another all-time memorable character, Emma Stone continues driving this golden age of cinema. She might just be our modern-day Katharine Hepburn. Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos, Oscar-nominated director of “Poor
Snoop Dogg has responded to the backlash surrounding his comments about LGBTQ+ representation in Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear.” On Wednesday, Hollywood Unlocked reposted an interview with media personality TS Madison on Instagram, in which she discussed Snoop Dogg’s push back
True crime fans who have been begging Dave Franco to star in a biopic about Luigi Mangione – the alleged killer of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson – may be sated by Yorgos Lanthimos’ new film “Bugonia.” Emma Stone, Lanthimos’ most decorated collaborator and a producer on
Disney has unveiled the release date and title for “Ice Age: Boiling Point,” the sixth installment in the animated prehistoric franchise. The announcement was made during Saturday’s Destination D23: A Journey Around the Worlds of Disney in Orlando, Fla.. The film is set to hit
Walt Disney Animation Studios has unveiled the title and logline for its latest original film: “Hexed.” Disney Animation’s chief creative officer, Jared Bush, revealed the project Saturday during Destination D23: A Journey Around the Worlds of Disney in Orlando, Fla.. Josie
The ’Frankenstein’ auteur was joined on the Lido by his stars Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Christoph Waltz, Mia Goth and others for Saturday’s red carpet world premiere.
Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” injected some life into Venice on Saturday night, earning a rapturous 13-minute standing ovation, the longest of the festival so far. Oscar Isaac, who plays the titular mad scientist, and Jacob Elordi, who embodies his monstrous creation,
The sixth installment in the franchise marks its return to theaters since 2016's 'Collision Course.'