Generative AI has already changed commercial advertising, is replacing countless processes within film and TV production and is poised to upend even newer technology such as virtual production, says filmmakers and technologists who have spoken to Variety on the sidelines of
When Nippon TV premiered “Tokyo Miko Ninja” in January, the Japanese broadcaster wasn’t testing the waters on AI-integrated drama production. It was, by its own account, making a declaration. Set in a stylized version of present-day Tokyo where the sensibility of the Edo period
With war in the Middle East and between Pakistan and Afghanistan reshaping viewing habits across the region, Begin CEO Jonathan Mark-Tatti sees opportunity where others see disruption. “Geopolitical instability creates economic and operational challenges, but it often increases
Filmmakers from the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia, Russia) are mounting their first organized appearance at Hong Kong FilMart, presenting a regional booth with a slate of more than 20 projects spanning horror, supernatural thrillers, comedy and socially driven drama. The
Hong Kong cinema takes a bold leap into the immersive era as veteran director and cinematographer Kwok-man Keung unveils “Harbour Dreams: Hong Kong XR Adventure” at this year’s FilMart. Hailed as the city’s first 6D multi-sensory film, the 20-minute experience blends VR, AR,
SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for the Season 4 premiere of “Invincible,” now streaming on Prime Video. The “Invincible” Season 4 premiere did something that the show, and Robert Kirkman’s original superhero comic book series, has never done before: show fans the
After weeks of worried murmurs in the Bravosphere about the status of “The Real Housewives Miami,” a source confirms to Variety that Bravo has indeed hit pause on the show, which concluded its seventh season in October. The show, though beloved among devoted Bravo fans, is the
Film and series heads Dan Lin and Bela Bajaria insist there’s no “formula” for a Netflix title.
“Sinister” and “The Black Phone” director Scott Derrickson called out the Oscars on X for excluding his frequent collaborator James Ransone from this year’s televised In Memoriam section. Ransone died by suicide in December at 46 years old. The actor starred in both of
Despite Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s recent suggestion, Netflix execs say they’re not asking filmmakers to repeat their film or TV plots in show dialogue. “There is no such principle,” Netflix film chief Dan Lin told reporters Wednesday as the streamer met with press to tout
Lorde has revealed that she’s now an independent artist after her contract with Universal Music Group expired late last year. The singer shared the news of her newfound independence in a series of community voice notes to her fans, explaining that she was looking for a “clean
Felix Solis is the latest addition to the “Rockford Files” reboot pilot at NBC, Variety has learned. Solis will appear alongside previously announced lead David Boreanaz and fellow cast members Michaela McManus and Jacki Weaver. The official logline for the show states, “Newly
Lucian Grainge, chairman-CEO of Universal Music Group, doesn’t tend to shy away from new technologies, as he explained on Tuesday in a future-focused conversation with Nvidia entertainment exec Richard Kerris, in which he made apparent his enthusiasm for AI. “I love change. I
For the first time, Variety is introducing TV Week, a dynamic, invite-only slate of events designed exclusively for TV Academy voters and guild members during the height of Emmy season. Spanning four days from May 5-8, the inaugural slate of events will cut through the noise of
Kid Rock was not a fan of Conan O’Brien Oscars joke targeting Turning Point USA’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, where the musician served as the headlining act. During his opening monologue while hosting the 2026 Oscars, O’Brien quipped: “Tonight could get political, and if that
Investors including Oracle and Silver Lake that acquired stakes in the new TikTok U.S. joint venture are reportedly paying a $10 billion fee to the Trump administration as part of the deal — and now a senior Democratic senator is looking for answers about the arrangement. In
Mary Shalaby has joined the cast of Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici’s untitled NBC comedy pilot. She will play Raya, who is described as “the flagrantly disinterested receptionist at the Grant Taggart PI Agency.” Specific plot details about the project are not yet known; the
Choreographer Lorin Latarro is no stranger to the musical “Chess.” Aside from listening to the cast recording on repeat as a theater kid, she worked on the 2019 revival at the Kennedy Center. This time around, she’s back on Broadway and curated the moves for the revival with
Jay-Z is planning to celebrate the anniversaries of two of his most celebrated albums — “Reasonable Doubt” and “The Blueprint” — with back-to-back concerts at Yankee Stadium this summer. The rapper will honor the 30th anniversary of “Reasonable Doubt” with a show on July 10,
The inaugural Skyfire Environmental Film Festival will feature documentaries “Kuleana,” narrated by Woody Harrelson, and “Fork in the Road,” backed by Nick Offerman, as the opening and closing night films, respectively. Skyfire aims to be more than a traditional film festival.
In early March, Sienna Spiro made her U.S. debut at Los Angeles’ famed Troubadour, enchanting the sold-out crowd with her bellowing, rasped mezzo-soprano as she ticked across her relatively short discography. Still, days later, she recounts the performance through a
“Saturday Night Live” has launched a new short-form series on Peacock and YouTube titled “The Rundown.” In each episode, an “SNL” alum — Dana Carvey, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Bowen Yang and Questlove are early guests — will select a favorite segment from the show’s history and
Comcast-owned network Sky has revealed its upcoming slate in the U.K. as it seeks to bolster its content following the dissolution of its deal with HBO. Among the Sky Originals coming to the network are “Meantime,” a new crime thriller starring James McAvoy, which is currently
Kilmer’s estate gave the As Deep as the Grave team permission to use his likeness, calling the technology a tool that can expand “the possibilities of storytelling”
“Fractured,” a new psychological thriller, is adding some key genre names to its cast. Jon Abrahams (“Meet the Parents,” “House of Wax”), Felissa Rose (“Sleepaway Camp,” “Terrifier 2”) and Lew Temple (“The Devil’s Rejects,” “The Walking Dead”) will star in “Fractured.” The film
Jason Bateman, who has explored the darker side of humanity in “Black Rabbit” and “Ozark,” will return to Netflix to direct “The Cackling of the Dodos,” the story of a small-town farmer who discovers a corpse in a grain bin. Sam Rockwell will star in the off-beat film opposite
Netflix is behind the original crime thriller that was written by novelist Rye Curtis.
Darren Star is setting his sights on Napa Valley. Netflix announced Wednesday that Star and David Schulner have set the romantic comedy series “Uncorked” at the streamer. Per the official logline, the show “delves into the life of a talented but self-destructive winemaker who
Martin Scorsese will host a special Easter episode of his Fox Nation series “The Saints” about the Virgin Mary. Titled “Mary,” the episode will premiere on the streamer on March 27. It begins with Scorsese sharing personal details about what Easter meant to him as a child
Speaking through a spokesperson for the first time since news of the investigation broke, Mortensen shifted the focus to the two-year-old son he shares with Paul
Break out the giant sandwiches! The live-action “Scooby-Doo” series at Netflix has found its Mystery Inc. gang. Variety has learned that Maxwell Jenkins will play group leader Fred Jones alongside Tanner Hagen as Norville “Shaggy” Rogers and Abby Ryder Fortson as Velma Dinkley.
Director Richard Rowley discusses 'Hell's Army,' his new CPH:DOX doc about the rise of the Wagner Group — and why he thinks it's a warning about where democracy is headed: "Mercenary armies are what states turn to when they've been taken over by oligarchs and authoritarians."
The ‘Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette’ star joins Kevin Costner and Jake Gyllenhaal in the film from directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa.
The actors of Fox’s reboot of the popular lifeguards-and-love series “Baywatch” will get some assistance on land as they go about their ocean-based rescues. Fox has struck a season-long sponsorship deal with Toyota that will essentially make the automaker’s Tacoma another
Gabriel Iglesias was in the throes of an existential crisis or, in his words, “bummed out.” “I was kind of thinking to myself, ‘What do we do now?’” recalls the comedian, known to fans as “Fluffy.” “Are we done? Have we jumped the shark? Should we call it a day?” The problem
On today’s episode of “Daily Variety” podcast, we’ll hear from Variety’s Marc Malkin on his chat with Zendaya on the red carpet for A24’s The Drama. And Variety reporter Jack Dunn details one of his cult-favorite digital series, Tim Heidecker’s “On Cinema at the Cinema” and why
A panel at the Copenhagen doc festival's industry conference also discussed a key reason for the documentary Oscar win for 'Mr. Nobody Against Putin' on Sunday.
The curtain has officially come down on Bob Iger’s second run as CEO of Disney — marking the end of a years-long succession drama at the company. At the media giant’s 2026 shareholders meeting Wednesday, held virtually, Iger passed the torch to incoming CEO Josh D’Amaro,
An emboldened and cheerful CEO Josh D’Amaro announced the additions to the movie studio’s theatrical release calendar when running the company’s shareholder meeting for the first time in the top role.
Disney has added “Incredibles 3” and “Lilo & Stitch 2” to the release calendar for summer 2028. A live-action “Lilo & Stitch” sequel will open on May 26 followed the third “Incredibles” installment on June 16, Disney’s incoming CEO Josh D’Amaro announced on Wednesday’s
IFPI, the London-based association of global record labels, has released its top-line growth figures covering 2025 – and the news is encouraging. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, global recorded music revenues grew 6.4 percent last year to
The star is a newfound Twihard after she watched all five films in a day ahead of shooting the A24 dark comedy opposite Pattinson.
The show is called “Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale,” but Buffy Anne Summers is barely in it. Rather than revolving around Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy, the shooting draft for the show’s pilot episode — written by sisters Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, and obtained by
The first season of Prime Video’s rebooted “American Gladiators” will premiere on April 17. The first three episodes of the competition series will be exclusively available on the streamer, followed by three new episodes on April 24, and the final four episodes on May 1. Each
“Dunesday”? “Doomsdune”? Whatever the nickname, cinema operators are bracing for a box office battle royale on Dec. 18. That’s when two of this year’s biggest movies — Disney’s Marvel adventure “Avengers: Doomsday” and Warner Bros. and Legendary’s sci-fi epic “Dune: Part III” —
Karyn Kusama has boarded the “Life Is Strange” TV series currently in the works at Amazon Prime Video, Variety has learned exclusively. Kusama is now attached to direct the first two episodes of the video game adaptation in addition to executive producing under her Familystyle
The cultural obsession with stories of real-life stories of mystery, justice and deception was spotlighted at Variety’s True Crime Summit presented by Investigation Discovery at SXSW on Friday. The most influential voices in the true crime space lead the day’s programming,
“Million Dollar Secret,” Netflix’s reality competition series hosted by Peter Serafinowicz, will return for Season 2 on April 15 with three new episodes. The following three episodes of the eight-episode season will be released on April 22, and the final two on April 29. In the
The Aardman team pile up the horror film in-jokes in 'Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom,' the new claymation feature which GKIDS is releasing stateside.
The Lady Jessica actress discusses her lack of screen time in the highly anticipated sequel.