International sales on cult martial arts splatter comedy “African Kung-Fu Nazis,” its sequel and a behind-the-scenes documentary have gone to Hong Kong-based Cappu Films. The deal, struck with filmmaker and producer Sebastian Stein of Humanmade Films, was unveiled on the
Major Hollywood studios have gone from banning generative AI outright to shunning visual effects vendors that lack an AI plan, according to Daniel Seah, CEO of “The Lord of the Rings” and “Avatar” VFX house Weta FX. Seah spoke to press in Taipei on Friday, after Weta FX signed
The former Warner Bros. exec gave a passionate 15-minute speech at the event, where she was presented with the Vanguard Award.
Jane Fonda was giddy Thursday night at the Women in Film Honors gala in Beverly Hills. “I’m so excited,” she told me while practically skipping down the red carpet. The longtime political activist is riding the Election Day blue wave that helped the Democrats take control of
A month after her departure from Warner Bros. was announced, Pamela Abdy made her first industry appearance Thursday night at the Women in Film Honors at the Beverly Hilton. The event marked a full-circle moment of sorts. On the morning of Oct. 1, Abdy was announced as WIF’s
Sue Wang, chair of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), opened the seventh Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) in Taipei on Friday by saying artificial intelligence is reshaping how the creative industries, and even human society, are defined. “We are all asking: Does
Weta FX, the New Zealand visual effects company behind “The Lord of the Rings” and “Avatar,” is partnering with Taiwanese animation and VFX outfit Moonshine Studio. The investment is part of a partnership with the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) aimed at making Taiwan
Like a Photon Creative, the Australian animation studio behind “The Pout-Pout Fish,” has lined up seven new animated features and handed international distribution rights on the full slate to Sola Media. Production finance comes from Elevate Production Finance and Alceon
Jalen Brunson, who led the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship in 53 years in June, guest starred as a cop in Thursday’s episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” He appears in the episode for one brief scene, meeting up with Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson
Daniel MacPherson, who recently starred opposite Russell Crowe in “Beast,” has signed on for “Bluefly,” a science-fiction action thriller toplined by Crowe and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. “Predators” filmmaker Nimród Antal is directing. MacPherson will play Dugan, a Special Forces
Loyd died peacefully in her sleep on Oct. 24, in Park City, Utah.
Helene Hahn Loyd, the executive who was part of the executive team that built DreamWorks SKG and was instrumental in Disney’s renaissance of the 1980s and ’90s, died Oct. 24 in Park City, Utah. She was 78. Born Helene Bulakoff in Westbury, New York, she graduated from Hofstra
Salon.com, the website that became popular in the early days of the internet offering cultural commentary, progressive political analysis, lifestyle content and more, is shutting down, the company announced Thursday. “When Salon launched in November 1995, the web was a very
A young Singaporean couple who sell pictures of the wife’s feet online end up with a corpse in their freezer in “Build to Order,” the debut feature from director Huang Junxiang, which is at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) in Taipei this week. Singaporean couple Penny
The actor opened up about Disney rejecting 'The Hunt for Ben Solo,' which he developed with filmmaker Steven Soderbergh.
Rosamund Pike will star in and produce “Feed,” a new body horror movie from “The Acolyte” director Leslye Headland and screenwriter Daniella Isaacs. Inspired by the 2022 Finnish horror movie “Hatching,” the official logline for “Feed” reads: “When a desperate mother discovers
A gay influencer in Taiwan who became famous dancing in high heels, and the filmmaker who trained his camera on him for nine years, both stare down middle age in “My Silly Flirty Boys.” The documentary from Taiwan-based Hong Kong filmmaker Frankie Sin is at the Taiwan Creative
An amnesiac sashimi chef learns he was once the star surgeon of an organ-trafficking syndicate in “Hannibal Inside,” a crime thriller series from Studio76 adapted from “The Monster Community,” a novel the producers picked up from Kadokawa Taiwan. The project is at the Taiwan
The New York Times Company is in exclusive negotiations to acquire the online movie buff community Letterboxd, the Times reported Thursday. The price is reported to be about $330 million, which amounts to more than 20 times Letterboxd’s projected earnings for 2026 of about $15
Chris Pratt will continue his journey as former Navy SEAL James Reece. Variety has learned that Pratt will again play Reece in “Savage Son,” which is based on Jack Carr’s third novel in the “The Terminal List” book series on which the main show is based. At this time, it is
Sue Wang, chair of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), says Taiwan’s content industry should make IP development and commercialization its top priority. “The challenge is not simply whether we can create good content, but whether companies have the capabilities and
'The Odyssey' star would've played John Bennett, a role that went to fellow Boston native Mark Wahlberg.
Break out the nunchucks because Keanu Reeves has officially closed a deal to return as John Wick in Lionsgate’s animated prequel movie about the legendary hitman. As previously announced, the story recounts the origins of Wick as he completes the Impossible Task — the killing
The Knicks star is making a guest appearance on the beloved NBC drama, and we found the best ways to watch without paying a dime
Lionsgate turned in another strong quarter — helped again by the studio’s blockbuster biopic on the King of Pop. For the three months ended Sept. 30, Lionsgate’s Q2 of fiscal 2026, the company reported revenue of $668.8 million, up 41% year over year. Operating income came in
And the real winner of the U.S. 2026 midterms is — Steve Kornacki? More viewers of traditional TV elected to watch NBC News coverage of the voting during primetime, according to data from Nielsen, but the figures suggest some shifts in overall viewership patterns — some
Comms executive Shari Rosenblum is departing 20th Television and 20th Television Animation after nearly three decades, Variety has sadly learned. Rosenblum most recently served as the SVP and head of publicity for Disney Television Studios’ 20th Television and 20th TV
Katseye has postponed two shows on their current “Wildworld” tour due to member Megan Skiendiel’s illness. The group has postponed tonight’s show at Chicago’s United Center, as well as their performance at Minneapolis’ Target Center this Saturday. The news was announced via the
Matt Damon still can’t get “Ted” out of his head. Damon confirmed he passed on starring in the 2012 comedy as the foul-mouthed teddy bear’s best friend, John, who was later played by Mark Wahlberg “I don’t want to live with the regret, but I can tell you that I passed on ‘Ted’
"I texted him immediately," the 'Star Wars' actor said of contacting the filmmaker after learning about the incident.
Perspective Films, a new documentary co-production initiative led by independent producer Jess Devaney, has unveiled its inaugural slate of films, Variety can report exclusively. The subjects of Perspective’s first five documentaries include the clash between federal
Netflix has hired Roberto Stanichi as its vice president of consumer products and experiences, poaching him away from his role as Mattel’s chief marketing and brand officer. At Netflix, Stanichi will be tasked with overseeing Netflix’s global consumer products and licensing
Tim Robbins and Giancarlo Esposito are set for guest star roles in the new Monsterverse series in the works at Apple TV, Variety has learned. Robbins and Esposito will appear opposite series lead Wyatt Russell and previously announced cast members Millie Brady, Pilou Asbaek,
Fox Entertainment Studios has sealed a first-look development and producing deal with Cottage Industry Entertainment, the shingle launched by executives Lisa Hamilton Daly and Alysia Cotter Thomas. Among the slate of scripted television series and feature films in the works is
Travis Knight built 231 puppets and 136 sets to make “Wildwood.” Over the Laika film’s opening three-day weekend, audiences at 2,942 theaters bought enough tickets to cover roughly a 10th of what the film reportedly cost. “Wildwood” opened to $12.2 million, behind DC’s
Former U.S. Navy pilot Joy Bronson helmed the feature that has landed distribution from Abramorama and will get preview screenings timed to Veterans Day.
Kimmarie Johnson, a model and actress who appeared in “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Dude, Where’s My Car?” and more, died Wednesday, Nov. 4, after suffering a “heart event” at her Los Angeles home on Oct. 27. She was 50. Johnson had been taken to Cedars-Sinai Hospital and was
Things are still looking gilded for HBO’s “The Gilded Age.” The series returned on Nov. 1 to its most-watched season premiere yet, averaging nearly 4 million viewers across platforms, according to the cabler/streamer. In the first three days of availability, “The Gilded Age”
Nithya Raman will be the next mayor of Los Angeles, as incumbent Karen Bass conceded defeat after a hard-fought campaign. In a video, Raman thanked Bass for her service and vowed to provide a city government that is “actually capable of delivering on its promises.” She cited
One of the final film projects of the late Hollywood icon David Lynch is heading to the American Film Market with a fresh cast and a production start date. The psychological thriller “Hyena,” which Lynch exec produced, will star Kiernan Shipka, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Edgar
Hey! Listen! “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” remake is out, and the initial response from critics is overwhelmingly positive. And while it’s still too early to tell exactly what gamers will make of the reimagined title, which released Thursday, musician Jon Batiste has
Irish artist-turned-filmmaker Myrid Carten, who won three BIFAs for her feature debut and made the U.K. BAFTA Breakthrough list, talks to THR about her journey so far – and what lies ahead.
We are all about to get a very loud wake-up call from T-Mobile. The telecommunications provider, one of the biggest and most colorful advertisers in the U.S., has dispatched actor Bryan Cranston in a new campaign that may surprise those who have grown familiar with its playful
Directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi's acclaimed feature has grossed $1.3 million domestically since opening Oct. 16.
Levon Hawke (“Blink Twice,” “The Crowded Room”) will star opposite Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”) in the drama “Twenty-Seven.” In the film, written and directed by Gregory Caruso, Hawke portrays a 27-year-old aspiring screenwriter attempting to manage his
“She’s totally fine, thank God,” actor says of Luciana Damon, who attended Oscars afterparty just a week after surgery
LIV Golf, the pro-golfing startup venture whose biggest investor had been the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, is shutting down after it couldn’t reach an agreement with a new investor on a bankruptcy reorganization. The league was founded in 2021 by a group of pro
Warner Records was hit with approximately a dozen layoffs across the company this week, including executive marketing VPs Victoria “Torie” Mason and Dalia Ganz and senior VP of publicity Fount Lynch, sources confirm to Variety. At least five of the layoffs took place at the
Couldn’t make the cross-country journey to catch “The Odyssey” in Imax 70mm last summer? Luckily, you’ll have another chance. Universal, starting Dec. 11, is re-releasing Christopher Nolan’s epic on more than 1,000 screens in the U.S. and Canada in all formats, including Imax
Originally scheduled to premiere Nov. 4, Korean romance series “The Remarried Empress” surprise-dropped its first four episodes one day early on Disney+ and Hulu amid intense anticipation for the series and high hopes from producer Webtoon Entertainment. Following sold-out
