Variety

Austrian Director Sandra Wollner’s ‘Everytime’ Wins Best Film at Sarajevo Film Festival

Sandra Wollner’s “Everytime” continued its winning streak at the Sarajevo Film Festival, where the Cannes Un Certain Regard winner took home the Heart of Sarajevo for best narrative feature film. The ...

5 days ago

Bill Maher Puts Hunter Biden in the Hot Seat: ‘I’ve Seen You With Your Dick Out’

After enduring years of character assassinations by the right, Hunter Biden is in the throes of a chaotic media blitz that’s included Twitter-trolling, posting on Substack and appearances on a number ...

5 days ago

‘Spa Weekend’ Review: Leslie Mann and Isla Fisher in a High-Concept Comedy Without the Comic Highs

I watched "Spa Weekend" and realized that the genre it’s in — the high-concept movie with the concept in the title, the comedy that puts out a vibe of "Look, I’m crass and dumb and obvious! And that’s...

5 days ago

Paramount and State A.G. to Meet Monday to Discuss Settlement of Antitrust Case

Paramount Skydance representatives are expected to meet on Monday with the California Attorney General’s office to discuss a potential settlement of the states’ antitrust case, according to two source...

5 days ago

Paramount Slams Mark Ruffalo Merger Attack as ‘Antisemitic,’ Says Company Does Not ‘Tolerate Prejudice of Any Kind’

Paramount has come out swinging against a Friday screed from Mark Ruffalo, in which the award-winning actor accused moguls David and Larry Ellison of “powering some of the most destructive and inhuman...

5 days ago

Emmy Overachiever Jason Bateman on Whether He Considers Himself an Actor or Director First

Jason Bateman is this year’s Emmy overachiever, nominated for lead limited series actor and limited series directing on Netflix’s “Black Rabbit,” and as both supporting actor and executive producer on...

5 days ago

Secret Hollywood Group’s AI Plan Focuses on Defining How AI Is Used — While Keeping Humans in Control

A group of Hollywood filmmakers, executives and actors has spent the last three years secretly meeting with Silicon Valley executives to try to address a simmering issue in the industry: how to define...

5 days ago

Vertical Media on Track to Generate $150 Billion in 2026 as the Booming Sector Fights Crowded Content Field and High Subscriber Acquisition Costs

There’s no doubt that 2026 will go down as a milestone year for the growth in popularity of vertical media content in the U.S. The sector is booming but still incredibly diffuse. That will change as m...

5 days ago

‘Harry Potter’ Star Jessie Cave Says It Was ‘Embarrassing’ to Join OnlyFans to Pay the Bills but ‘It Has Saved Me’: Lavender Brown ‘Was a Small Part 2...

Jessie Cave, the actor who portrayed Lavender Brown in three “Harry Potter” movies, appeared in a recent interview on the U.K. talk show “This Morning” and spoke openly about her decision to launch an...

5 days ago

Chris Aronson Files $4 Million Age Discrimination Suit Over Ouster at Paramount

Chris Aronson, who was let go as Paramount’s head of domestic distribution last year, has filed a lawsuit accusing the company of reneging on an agreement to pay him $1.3 million. Aronson was fired as...

5 days ago

Alex Aster on Writing Barbie World’s First-Ever YA Book, Sending Her ‘Lightlark’ Movie Producers ‘Really Smart’ Fan Casts

BookTok sensation Alex Aster stepped away from the worlds of her bestselling “Lightlark” and “Starside” novels this week to celebrate the debut of her new book, which is based on IP that predates her ...

5 days ago

Miss USA, Miss Teen USA Pageants Pulled From The CW Just a Week Before Air

The Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants have faced several controversies in recent years, and here’s the latest: Just a week before the events were scheduled to air on The CW, they’ve suddenly been pu...

5 days ago

‘The Yogurt Shop Murders’ Crew Thought Their Journey Was Done Until There Was a Big Break in the Case: ‘We Have to Rally Now’

Two days’ notice is all director Margaret Brown had to figure out how to give her true-crime docuseries “The Yogurt Shop Murders” an ending. The original four-part series, chronicling the brutal 1991 ...

5 days ago

Shaquille O’Neal: Marvel Turned Me Down for the ‘Avengers’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Shaquille O’Neal will not be appearing in December’s “Avengers: Doomsday,” or any other “Avengers” film, for that matter. In an interview with Variety about his “Dunkman” league, the first professiona...

5 days ago

Mark Ruffalo Goes Scorched-Earth on Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger, Calling Out the Ellison Family’s Complicity in Palestinian ‘Genocide’

Mark Ruffalo is not staying quiet. The Oscar-nominated actor and activist, who’s currently starring in the box-office smash “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” sounded off on his Instagram Story Friday about...

5 days ago

‘Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter’ Doc Director Unpacks the Tennis Champ’s Resilience and His Retirement

Novak Djokovic is, by the numbers, one of the best tennis players in the modern era. He has spent the most weeks — 428 — ranked as the world’s No. 1 player. He holds a record 24 Grand Slam......

5 days ago

‘It Ends’: Is Alexander Ullom the Next Great Horror Director?

Alexander Ullom is dog-tired. The reason why the 28-year-old filmmaker looks “like a fuckin’ mess,” as he puts it, is because he wrapped principal photography on his sophomore movie, “4 x 4: The Event...

5 days ago

Quality Control Co-Founder Pierre ‘P’ Thomas Hospitalized After Suffering Heart Attack

Quality Control co-founder Pierre “P” Thomas is currently in the hospital receiving medical care after suffering a heart attack. A rep for Thomas confirmed to Variety that the hip-hop mogul is recover...

5 days ago

Why ‘American Doctor’ Director Quit Her ABC Executive Job and Drained Her Savings Account to Make a Documentary About Gaza Healthcare Workers

When Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist Poh Si Teng heard the news of her colleague Samer Abu Daqqa being killed by an Israeli drone strike while on assignment back in December 20...

5 days ago

Meghan Markle in Talks to Join ‘The Gentlemen’ Season 3

Just hours after it was revealed that Meghan Markle was eyeing a return to acting following her move back to the U.K., Variety can confirm that the Duchess of Sussex is in talks to join the third seas...

5 days ago

‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ TV Series Sets Netflix’s ‘Shadow and Bone’ Creator Eric Heisserer as Co-Showrunner

Attention crawlers: Eric Heisserer has been named co-showrunner of Peacock’s upcoming live-action “Dungeon Crawler Carl” TV series alongside the previously announced writer Chris Yost. Based on Matt D...

5 days ago

Bonnaroo to Take Off 2027 to Recover From Extreme Weather

Organizers for Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival have announced that the festival will be taking a “much-needed” year off in 2027. The annual festival, which takes place in Manchester, TN, has been pla...

5 days ago

How Disneyland’s Cast Members Work Behind the Scenes to Create Magic for the Holidays: ‘Storytelling Is a Centerpiece to Everything We Do at the Compa...

In a 400,000 square-foot warehouse in Cerritos, Disney cast members create magic. It’s the facility where cast members create decor for the park — right now they are putting the finishing touches on ...

5 days ago

Disney Partners With Dhar Mann Studios, Which Has Been Given a 20-Episode Series Order

Disney has sealed a pact with Burbank-based content creator Dhar Mann Studios to create new youth- and family-oriented programming for its platforms, the companies announced Friday. The deal kicks off...

5 days ago

‘Saw V’ Director David Hackl Boards Action-Thriller ‘Solar Storm’ as Jack Hudson and Lorena Andrea Cast in Lead Roles (EXCLUSIVE)

David Hackl (“Saw V,” “Dangerous”) is set to direct the neo-noir action thriller “Solar Storm” for Pelican Pictures, from a script by Joe Rabl. Jack Hudson (“The Devil’s Train”) stars and produces opp...

5 days ago

‘Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age’ Soundtrack Features New Music by Composers Hans Zimmer, Kara Talve and Anže Rozman

The soundtrack for Apple TV’s “Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age” has been released, featuring music by Hans Zimmer and fellow composers Kara Talve and Anže Rozman. The score was written by Zimmer, Talve an...

5 days ago

Seth Rogen, Colman Domingo, Danny Boyle Join Speakers Lineup at Toronto Market Summit

The Toronto Intl. Film Festival’s Market, which runs Sept. 10-16, has added Seth Rogen, Colman Domingo and Danny Boyle to its list of speakers. The industry program, known as TIFF: The Market, has fin...

5 days ago

Edward Bluemel Suits Up as Detective Poirot in First Look at BBC and BritBox Series ‘Hercule’

Edward Bluemel has suited up as famed Agatha Christie detective Hercule Poirot in a first look at the upcoming BBC and BritBox series “Hercule.” The six-part show, which is shooting now in Liverpool, ...

5 days ago

Sam Smith Wears Their Heart on Their Sleeve With the Lovestruck ‘Hazel Eyes’: Album Review

It’s sometimes easy to forget what a massively successful artist Sam Smith is: five Grammys, an estimated 65 million albums sold and nearly 60 billion streams, a James Bond theme and multiple No. 1 si...

5 days ago

Box Office: ‘Insidious: Out of the Further’ Makes $3 Million in Previews

Halloween is coming a little early this year, as “Insidious: Out of the Further” is opening in theaters this weekend. The sixth entry in Sony’s horror franchise has made $3 million in Thursday preview...

5 days ago

Sandra Bullock Joined Social Media to Fight Scammers ‘Using My Name and Likeness’ to Defraud Fans — Not Just to Promote ‘Practical Magic 2’

Sandra Bullock revealed on the “SmartLess” podcast (via People) that she was forced to join social media to combat scammers ripping off her likeness in order to defraud people out of money. The Oscar ...

5 days ago

Prince Harry, Elton John and More Ordered to Pay Initial $13 Million to Daily Mail Publisher After Losing Privacy Case

Prince Harry looks like he might be returning to the U.K. with a sizeable bill to pay. The prince is among a group of seven high-profile figures — including Elton John and Liz Hurley — who have been o...

5 days ago

RFK Jr. Blasts CNN’s Erin Burnett as Having ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ Over Report Finding His ‘Affordable’ Family Meal Costs 3.6 Times What Health ...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lashed out at CNN anchor Erin Burnett, claiming she is afflicted with “Trump Derangement Syndrome” that has left her without “common sense” or “basic arithmetic.” RFK Jr., Trump’...

5 days ago

Kenneth Branagh on Doing His Own Stunts as a KGB Operative in ‘Mayday,’ Bonding With Ryan Reynolds Over Soccer: ‘We Can Be Pretty Nerdish’

While he may not be known as an action star, Kenneth Branagh absolutely wanted to give it a go for “Mayday,” his upcoming Apple TV Cold War action-comedy in which he co-stars with Ryan Reynolds. He ju...

5 days ago

Canada’s H264 Nabs Colombia’s ‘Where the River Begins’ Ahead of Toronto Fest World Premiere

Canadian distributor h264 has pounced on worldwide sales rights to “Where the River Begins” (“Donde comienza el rio”) by Colombian-Canadian filmmaker Juan Andrés Arango (“La Playa DC”), ahead of its w...

5 days ago

‘Supporting Role’ Director Ana Urushadze Preps ‘Fear of Butterflies,’ a Detective Story With ‘Mysticism and a Touch of Body Horror’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Georgian director Ana Urushadze (“Scary Mother”), whose Rotterdam prizewinner “Supporting Role” plays in competition this week at the Sarajevo Film Festival, is prepping her third feature film. “Fear ...

5 days ago

Meghan Markle Eyes Acting Return After Move Back to the U.K.

Meghan Markle is eyeing a return to the screen as she and Prince Harry move back to the U.K., Variety has confirmed. Following the shock announcement on Wednesday that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex a...

5 days ago

Meghan Markle Eyeing Acting Return After Move Back to the U.K.

5 days ago

‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ Director Calls Israeli Investigation Into Killing of Palestinian Girl a ‘Smokescreen’: ‘What Is Needed Is Justice’

Kaouther Ben Hania, the director of last year’s Oscar-nominated docudrama “The Voice of Hind Rajab” — about the killing of a 5-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza by Israeli forces — has rejected the ne...

5 days ago

Woody Harrelson Ready to Direct Another Live Film, Compares Jason Bateman’s ‘The Cackling of the Dodos’ to Martin McDonagh and the Coen Brothers

Almost a decade after taking on an unusually challenging directorial debut with the world’s first live-streamed feature film in “Lost in London,” Woody Harrelson is finally ready to direct again. The ...

5 days ago

Sriram Raghavan Developing New Thriller in the ‘Johnny Gaddaar’ Zone for India’s Matchbox Shots as ‘Operation Safed Sagar’ Soars on Netflix Charts (EX...

Indian auteur Sriram Raghavan is developing a new thriller for Matchbox Shots set in the tonal zone of his 2007 film “Johnny Gaddaar,” as the Mumbai production house grows its slate on the strength of...

5 days ago

Folk Horror ‘Wolf Days,’ Family Drama ‘The First Week of August’ Win at Sarajevo Industry Awards

Emilija Gašić’s folk horror “Wolf Days” and Filip Mojzeš’ family drama “The First Week of August” won the top prizes in the Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink Industry Days, the industry section focuse...

5 days ago

Jacob Elordi Ducks James Bond Question at London World Premiere of Ridley Scott’s ‘The Dog Stars’ When Asked if He’s Been Auditioning: ‘I’m Here on Ho...

Jacob Elordi was the star guest in London on Thursday night as he touched down for the world premiere of Ridley Scott’s latest feature “The Dog Stars.” The actor’s arrival in Leicester Square was imme...

5 days ago

‘The Marching Band’ Review: Brothers From Opposite Worlds Are United by Music in a Finely Tuned French Crowdpleaser

“The Marching Band” blasts through more story in its first 12 minutes than many films now manage in two hours. In those first 720 seconds we meet Thibaut (Benjamin Lavernhe), a well-heeled classical m...

5 days ago

‘Good People’ Review: Milcho Manchevski’s Haunting Documentary Revisits the Kočani Nightclub Fire Through Survivors’ Eyes

On March 16, 2025, a fire broke out at the Pulse nightclub in the small North Macedonian town of Kočani, injuring hundreds and killing 63 people due to burn damage, smoke inhalation and other physical...

6 days ago

Icelandic Producer Hlín Jóhannsdóttir Sets ‘Just a Kid’ With Alief Ahead of Haugesund and Reunites with ‘Driving Mum’ Team (EXCLUSIVE)

Veteran Icelandic producer Hlín Jóhannsdóttir of Ursus Parvus, behind titles from some Iceland’s most renowned filmmakers including Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Dagur Kári and Rúnar Rúnarsson, has signed...

6 days ago

Amazon MGM Studios Unveils Teaser for Kunal Kemmu’s ‘Vibe’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Amazon MGM Studios has released the teaser for “Vibe,” an action comedy written and directed by Kunal Kemmu that follows two ordinary friends who unexpectedly become the country’s last line of defense...

6 days ago

Chris Hansen Says He Refused to Sign His Life Away to Preview Robert Pattinson’s ‘Primetime,’ So A24 Wouldn’t Screen It for Him

Chris Hansen didn’t get to take a seat for the new A24 movie “Primetime.” The 66-year-old veteran journalist went to the offices of indie distributor A24 to watch the Lance Oppenheim film, in which he...

6 days ago

Jaafar Jackson: ‘Michael’ Sequel Will Give ‘More Insight’ Into Child Abuse Allegations and ‘Let His Voice Be Heard’

Now that the second “Michael” movie is closer to starting production, star Jaafar Jackson says it will indeed address the criticisms and child abuse allegations Michael Jackson faced in the ’90s. Mic...

6 days ago

Ariana Grande Blasts Trump Administration for Using ‘We Can’t Be Friends’ in Social Post: ‘Your Truth Is False’

Ariana Grande has once again spoken out against the Trump administration for using one of her songs in a post on social media, this time for setting “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” as the s...

6 days ago