It’s time for one last scare.

The hit horror franchise “The Conjuring” is summoning up its fourth and final movie, titled “Last Rites,” at the box office this weekend. The R-rated Warner Bros. movie has made $8.5 million in Thursday previews, the largest for the entire franchise and for a horror movie this year.

Produced by New Line Cinema, Atomic Monster and The Safran Company, “The Conjuring: Last Rites” is expected to open with around $50 million this weekend. However, some estimates are a little higher at $55 million, while Warner Bros. is playing it more safe with a $35 million projection.

The final “Conjuring” movie is hoping to go out with a bang and earn the highest opening of the series. The 2013 original horror, which introduced franchise stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, holds the record with its $41.9 million opening; it made $3.3 million from Thursday previews.

“Christy,” a sports drama that features a transformative performance from “Euphoria” star Sydney Sweeney as a female boxer, will be released by Black Bear in theaters in the thick of awards season.

Heading into the Toronto Film Festival where it will premiere, “Christy” was one of the hottest acquisition targets, but Black Bear, which financed the picture, has decided to take it off the board and make it the inaugural release of its fledgling distribution label. The film is a biopic of Christy Martin, a Wbc female super welterweight champ. It’s directed by Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner David Michôd (“Animal Kingdom”) and co-stars Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, and Katy O’Brian. “Christy” will be released in theaters nationwide on Nov. 7 and Black Bear plans to mount an Oscar campaign for the picture and for Sweeney’s performance, which is said to be chameleonic.

“We’re thrilled about the upcoming release of ‘Christy,...

Exclusive: Even with The Lost Bus set to bow at the Toronto Film Festival this weekend, Paul Greengrass is already gearing up his next high-profile project as sources tell Deadline Katherine Waterston is coming on to join the untitled pic from the Oscar-nominated director. Sources also confirm to Deadline that Andrew Garfield has officially come on to star with Focus Features now on board to distribute. Deadline first reported this past spring that the package was coming together with Garfield to Star and Focus the likely landing spot and insiders now say those deals have closed.

Greengrass is directing with Jason Blum producing through Blumhouse, alongside Greg Goodman, Joanna Kaye and Greengrass. Production is set to start this fall.

In the pic, Garfield stars as a legendary leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II. As the war burns across England, he forms an army of...

Lionsgate will develop the 1978 cult horror classic “Magic” into a newly imagined film, produced by Sam Raimi and “Weapons” producer Roy Lee, the studio announced on Wednesday.

Chris Hammond and Tim Sullivan, who have long championed the project and guided its development, will produce alongside Raimi and Lee. Raimi Productions’ Zainab Azizi will also produce, and the executive producers are Paul Fishkin with Andrew Childs for Vertigo.

The project will be written by Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, who previously wrote Raimi Productions’ upcoming survival horror thriller “Send Help” for 20th Century Studios.

The original “Magic” starred Anthony Hopkins as Corky, a magician who reaches fame alongside his ventriloquist’s dummy,...

The release date for the upcoming “Bluey” movie from Disney and BBC Studios has been revealed.

The CG-animated feature film based on the hit Australian animated children’s series is set for a global theatrical release on Aug. 6, 2027. After hitting theaters, the “Bluey” film will be available to stream on Disney+ and on ABC iview and ABC Kids in Australia.

The “Bluey” movie is written and directed by series creator Joe Brumm and is a Ludo Studio production. It will feature voice talent from the series, including Melanie Zanetti as Bluey’s mom Chilli and David McCormack as dad Bandit. Richard Jeffrey (“Bluey” Seasons 1-3) will co-direct with Amber Naismith producing. Series composer Joff Bush will provide the score.

According to a press release when the film was announced, it will “continue the adventures of Bluey, a lovable, inexhaustible, blue heeler dog, who lives with her Mum, Dad and her little sister,...

Beyond Fest will celebrate the career of Guillermo del Toro with a 12 feature retrospective series, Está Vivo: The Gods and Monsters of Guillermo del Toro. This year’s festival runs from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8 at The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, Calif.

In partnership with the American Cinematheque, Está Vivo will include new restorations, special director’s cut and rare 35mm screenings spanning from Del Toro’s debut with “Cronos” to his most recent film, “Nightmare Alley: Vision in Darkness and Light.”

del Toro will join the celebration for four specially curated blocks of programming, during which he will share his personal stories, dreams, and nightmares from his life behind the lens. Ahead of his forthcoming film “Frankenstein,” releasing later this year, the series will be divided into themes of monsters, humanity, and imagination.

“Guillermo del Toro’s films have inspired generations of filmmakers and audiences alike in a way unlike...

The “Tomb Raider” live-action series at Amazon Prime Video is getting ready to shoot.

The series adaptation of the video game franchise is officially set to begin production on Jan. 19, 2026. In addition, Amazon MGM Studios has confirmed for the first time that Sophie Turner will star in the series as Lara Croft. The show was originally greenlit at Prime Video in May 2024, with Turner’s involvement first reported in November of that year. The show was first reported as being in development at the streamer in January 2023.

As previously reported, Phoebe Waller-Bridge will serve as creator, writer, and executive producer on the series.

David Corenswet will dust off his red trunks soon, as a sequel to James Gunn’s summer hit “Superman” will fly into theaters in less than two years.

Director and DC Films co-head James Gunn took to social media on Wednesday to announce an official title and release date for the project. “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” will hit theaters on July 9, 2027.

In his announcement, Gunn included a comic book image of Superman standing next to Lex Luthor in his Warsuit, a pretty clear signal that the sequel will continue to focus on Luthor’s antipathy for the Man of Steel. In the DC comics, Luthor (played by Nicholas Hoult in the film) creates the suit in order match Superman’s strength and abilities; it seems that after the failure of his plan to use a clone of Superman to defeat him in Gunn’s first film, Luthor has decided that...

The nonfiction book The Lost Airman: A True Story of Escape From Nazi-Occupied France is flying once again, this time with the help of A-listers Ben Stiller and Jeremy Allen White, as well as A24, who are all in various stages of talks to bring the adaptation to the screen.

If deals make, Stiller will direct and produce the adaptation of the book written by Seth Meyerowitz which would star White. A24 is in negotiations to land the package, which will be titled simply Airman.

Stiller would also produce via his long-standing production banner Red Hour Films. Also producing will be John Lesher via his Le Grisbi Productions and P.J. van Sandwijk of Storyteller Productions. Jake Gyllenhaal, who was to have starred in an adaptation being developed in the late 2010s, remains involved as producer via his Nine Stories banner.

The 2016 book tells the incredible true story of Arthur Meyerowitz,...

The epic story behind Paul McCartney’s stolen bass guitar, which was returned to him in 2024 after 51 years, will be told in a new feature-length documentary directed by Arthur Cary.

Titled “The Beatle and the Bass,” the documentary is produced by Passion Pictures, which won this year’s BAFTA with the Sundance hit “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” for BBC Arts. Fremantle is handling global distribution.

The documentary is announced as part of BBC Arena’s 50th Anniversary alongside “Turner: The Secret Sketchbooks” (also produced by Passion Pictures) and Ls Lowry’s “Lost Tapes.”

The detective story charts the saga of McCartney’s original Höfner bass guitar whose disappearance 51 years ago became one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most enduring mysteries.

McCartney, who will be featured in the film, said, “I think anything that’s nicked, you want back, especially if it has sentimental value. It just went off into...

Quiver Distribution has acquired the North American and U.K. rights to Uwe Boll’s migrant thriller “Run,” starring Amanda Plummer, James Russo (“Tulsa King”) and Ulrich Thomsen (“Lanterns”).

The film is set for a market premiere with cast and crew at this year’s AFM in Los Angeles. Quiver will then release “Run” digitally across North America and the U.K. Nov. 14, with Dubai-based Phars Film distributing it in West Asia and Germany’s Kinostar releasing the pic digitally day and date in the rest of the world, making it one of the rare global releases in the independent space.

“We’re excited to have a true global release for our movie ‘Run,’” said Boll. “To release the movie in 100 plus countries simultaneously is the future in a world in which every movie is only a click away.”

“Run” examines how the ongoing...

Isabelle Huppert, Sandrine Kiberlain (“The Divine Sarah Bernhard) and Diane Kruger (“Amrum”) will lead the cast of French director Marc Fitoussi’s next film, “All About Corinne,” which has been boarded by French banner Indie Sales.

The company, which previously worked with Fitoussi on his 2022 film “Two Tickets to Greece,” is kicking off “Corinne” sales on the fall festival circuit.

Huppert, whose latest film “The Richest Woman in the World” opened at this year’s Cannes, stars as Corinne Maclou, a background actor who dreams of one day being more than an extra. Confident her breakthrough is right around the corner, she befriends famous actor Sandrine Kiberlain, hoping it will help her achieve her goal — but there’s still a long way to go for her to be welcomed into the closed-off French cinema family.

The rest of the cast includes Emmanuelle Bercot, Anne Marivin, Ana Girardot, Vincent Dedienne and Thomas Jolly,...

For star Saoirse Ronan, the appeal of a project like director Jonatan Etzler’s English-language debut “Bad Apples” is easy to see, harder to parse. “There’s kind of nothing out there like it,” the actress told IndieWire in advance of the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this week.

In her first interview for the film, Ronan wasn’t putting it on: There really isn’t much like “Bad Apples,” and that’s a compliment. Consider two things: the film’s short synopsis, which doesn’t sound exactly funny, and one of the main inspirations for Etzler casting the four-time Oscar nominee in a film that is, indeed, very funny.

It was her work on “Saturday Night Live,” which she hosted in 2017. When I mentioned to Etzler that Ronan’s turn in the film was so amusing and such a good show of her underutilized...

Sean Penn has joined Marianna Brennand’s debut feature “Manas” as executive producer. The Brazilian film won Brennand the best director award at Venice Days, the independent parallel section of the Venice Film Festival.

Penn joins “I’m Still Here” director Walter Salles, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, and “I’m Still Here” producer Maria Carlota Bruno as the film’s executive producers.

Watch the “Manas” trailer here.

Penn remarked, “In the tradition last fulfilled by Walter Salles’s ‘I’m Still Here,’ Marianna Brennand’s film ‘Manas’ continues Brazil’s most enduring cinematic legacy. Films of striking social relevance that never fall to polemic or sensationalism, but instead so trustingly fulfill their characters’ plight and courage. ‘Manas’ is deeply emotional, stirring, and God forbid… important. I felt as if I had to put my skin back on after watching it.”

Speaking on Penn’s support for the film and addition as executive producer,...

Exclusive: Caroline Stern,managing director and owner of London-based Canoe Film,is at Toronto International Film Festval (TIFF) selling Eva Thomas’s Discovery entryNika & Madison and has announced she is opening a sister sales company in Canada.

Screen understands Stern wanted to open a Vancouver office to better serve filmmakers on both continents and support compelling early-stage projects through her global network filmmaker, financier and studio contacts.

Stern, who will base herself in Vancouver with frequent visits to the UK, launched Canoe in 2017. The company sells five to six films a year, each with bespoke distribution strategies. She works closely...

"Motor City," a violent revenge thriller set in the 1970s, made its North American premiere Thursday night at the Toronto International Film Festival. So far, the movie's biggest claim to fame is its leading man, Alan Ritchson, who's best known for his starring role in the Prime Video series "Reacher." For fans of that series, which is all about watching Ritchson's character beat up bad guys with the ease and confidence we all wish we could have, this new movie of his will be right up your ally. 

Making it an even stronger fit for "Reacher" fans is that Ritchson's character here, John Miller, doesn't just keep Reacher's toughness and...

In some early dealmaking at the Toronto Film Festival, Netflix has picked up “Saturn Return,” a hot project that CAA is pitching with Rachel Brosnahan, Charles Melton and Will Poulter attached to star.

Plan B — Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner’s company, which just announced its first international outpost in London — is producing “Saturn Return” with Emily Wolfe, who joined Plan B in 2022.

“Saturn Return” will be directed by Greg Kwedar, whose recent film “Sing Sing” earned an Oscar nomination for best screenplay.

Deadline first reported news of the sale.

More to come…

More from VarietyIn 'Love + War,' Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographer Lynsey Addario Gets Candid About Risking Her Life, Being a Mom and Not Having It AllEli Roth and Snoop Dogg to Produce Horror Movie 'Don't Go in That House, Bitch!'Paula Devonshire Wins Canada Media Producer Association's 2025 Feature Producer Indiescreen Award at Toronto...

Like Icarus, it’s always possible for movie sound design to fly too close to the sun; too many audio layers and the sound of a moment can start to melt into a mess of nothing. So the filmmakers behind “Kpop Demon Hunters” — in addition to working so diligently on turning the film’s musical numbers into true bops — started working with supervising sound editor and re-recording mixer Michael Babcock very early, before animation had even begun.

Babcock and directors Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang wanted to start figuring out the demonic voices for the evil boy band Saja Boys and for how Huntr/X lead singer Rumi (Arden Cho) would express herself in moments of stress. This meant Babcock, who has a musician’s background himself, went to work studying the sound of K-pop and of pop music generally, in order to find out the right sonic approaches that would be fantastic and transporting,...

Cinema Guild has bought North American distribution rights to “Dry Leaf,” Georgian filmmaker Alexandre Koberidze’s follow up to “What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?” which competed at the Berlinale in 2021.

“Dry Leaf,” meanwhile, had its world premiere at the 78th Locarno Film Festival in August, where it

competed for the Golden Leopard.

The film will have its North American Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and will go on to play at the New York Film Festival. Cinema Guild will open the film theatrically in 2026,

followed by a national theatrical rollout.

Set against the quiet landscapes of rural Georgia, “Dry Leaf” follows Irakli (David Koberidze), a

father searching for his missing daughter, Lisa, a young sports photographer who vanished while documenting football fields in remote villages. Joined by Lisa’s enigmatic friend Levani

Otar Nijaradze), he embarks on a journey across the countryside, encountering strangers,...

Is Ryan Reynolds returning as Deadpool in “Avengers: Doomsday” or not? It’s a question the actor himself ignited online after he posted on social media in August a photo of a spray-painted “A” on top of the classic Avengers logo. Marvel fans went into a frenzy. Then rumors hit that Reynolds and Robert Downey Jr., who is making his grand Marvel return in “Doomsday” as the villainous Doctor Doom, were feuding on set.

Not so fast. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Reynolds claimed he has not even stepped foot on the “Avengers: Doomsday” set. The actor was promoting the documentary “John Candy: I Like Me,” in which he is a producer. The doc reveals Reynolds sprinkled Easter eggs about Candy into “Deadpool,” “Deadpool 2” and “Deadpool and Wolverine.” When asked if he’s doing the same in “Avengers: Endgame,” Reynolds laughed off the question.

“There’s four that I’ve got in there,...

Being an ambitious working woman with children comes with plenty of challenges. But being a female war photographer with children is a Herculean effort that Oscar winners Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin

capture in their documentary “Love + War.”

The National Geographic film chronicles Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Lynsey Addario’s ascent in the male-dominated world of conflict photography. The 96-minute doc, which premieres at TIFF on Sunday, juxtaposes Addario’s real-time camera work on the ground in Ukraine with her home life in London, where she is raising two young sons with her husband, former journalist, Paul de Bendern.

“Love + War” begins in Ukraine. Addario was there when Russia invaded the country. After narrowly avoiding a missile strike, Addario takes a photo of a family killed by Russian mortar fire as they tried to flee the country. That image appeared on the front page of The New York Times and garnered international attention.

Eli Roth will present a Snoop Dogg haunted house project to buyers at Toronto International Film Festival that he is directing and Media Capital Technologies and The Horror Section are fully financing and producing.

Snoop will serve as producer on Don’t Go In That House, Bitch! alongside Roth and write and produce the film’s soundtrack. Plot details remain under wraps. He reunites with Roth after the latter directed his 2012 music video La La La.

Producers include Media Capital Technologies’ Christopher Woodrow and Raj Singh. Executive producers are Jon Schnaars and Holly Adams for The Horror Section alongside Connor Digregorio,...

Eli Roth and Snoop Dogg are set to produce “Don’t Go in That House, Bitch!”

Media Capital Technologies and the Horror Section are on board to fully finance and produce the film. In addition to producing, Snoop will also write and produce music for the film’s soundtrack.

Plot details are being kept under wraps. However, the film is being described as the ultimate haunted house movie from the duo. Roth and Snoop collaborated on the rapper’s 2012 “La La La” music video, which Roth directed. Fans got an early look at “Don’t Go in That House, Bitch!” via a fake trailer that was released in August.

McT’s Christopher Woodrow and Raj Singh are on board as producers. Executive producers include Jon Schnaars and Holly Adams for The Horror Section alongside Connor Digregorio, Eli Massillon, and Lorenzo Antonucci for McT.

Roth will present his vision for the...

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.

Ohana means family, which means no one gets left behind, not even Stitch. “Lilo & Stitch,” the live-action remake of Disney’s classic animated feature, officially landed on Disney+ as of Sept. 3 and is available to stream now.

Stream 'Lilo & Stitch' On Disney+

For a limited time, Disney+ is offering a new streaming bundle with Disney+, ESPN Unlimited, and Hulu. Priced at $29.99 per month with ads or $38.99 ad-free, the deal runs through Jan. 5, 2026, for eligible new subscribers before renewing at $35.99 to $44.99 per month after 12 months. Learn more about the ESPN Unlimited bundle here.

“Lilo & Stitch” premiered in theaters on May 23. The film follows a young Hawaiian girl named Lilo (Maia Kealoha) who befriends an unidentified blue alien who crash-lands onto Earth from space. Stitch quickly becomes a close friend for Lilo,...

I've never felt such love ... or such spoilers. This article discusses major plot details from "Foundation" season 3, episode 9.

Maybe it's a blessing in disguise that "Foundation" is a little more niche than some of its more mainstream counterparts. Unlike "House of the Dragon" or any given superhero product, the Apple TV+ series has always had the freedom to depart from its source material and follow its own instincts as the writers see fit. That's not to say the Isaac Asimov books are no longer the show's guiding light, as proven on many an occasion (most recently with a reference to another of the author's sci-fi stories). But viewers may be...

Yes, yes, yes, star and producer Emma Stone did indeed shave her head for her latest role in long-time collaborator Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest film, “Bugonia.” After much chattering about the status of the Oscar winner’s seemingly clean-cut visage in the lead-up to the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, once the camera train themselves on Stone’s noggin during the film’s first act, there’s no doubt. Yes, this is real.

As IndieWire’s own Ryan Lattanzio noted in his review of the film from Venice, “Emma Stone actually shaved her head for the movie, appearing to do so on camera with commendable, unfazed dedication to the task.” But while Stone did undergo a big snip for the film, it didn’t come without some jitters on her part, as she explained during a recent screening of the film in New York City.

In the film,...

Paula Devonshire, at Devonshire Productions, has won the Canadian Media Producers Association’s (Cmpa) 2025 Feature Film Producer Indiescreen Award.

The plaudit was announced Sept. 4 at the Indiescreen Awards, held at a packed ceremony at the Sutton Place Hotel on the opening evening of the 50th annual Toronto Film Festival.

The award, which recognizes a producer’s filmmaking accomplishments over the course of their career, comes with a C$20,000 cash prize and is presented in partnership with Telefilm Canada.

Recognized by the jury for her personal and purposeful body of work that consistently highlights diverse voices and untold stories, the Toronto-based Devonshire serves as executive producer on Clement Virgo’s “Steal Away,” Eva Thomas’s “Nika & Madison,” and Gail Maurice’s “Blood Lines,” all of which are premiering at this year’s festival.

Vancouver-based Leena Minifie, from Stories First Productions, was the recipient of the Cmpa’s 2025 Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Indiescreen Award,...

Mark Ruffalo is playing coy about his reported return as Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Variety reported in August that he was circling an appearance as the Hulk in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” although it was unclear at the time if a deal had closed for him to reprise his fan favorite superhero. Ruffalo said in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight that his return remains unclear even to him.

“I don’t know! I’m still waiting to hear,” Ruffalo responded when Et expressed excitement over him “stepping back into the Hulk” for the new ‘Spider-Man” movie. “I haven’t read a script yet. If it does happen, it would be incredible.”

“I grew up with this. It’s changed my life in the best ways,” Ruffalo added. “Each time it’s this new director and new world… it’s so exciting. There’s nothing else like it.

Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal have been wanting to make “The History of Sound” for five years. But the two actors were both in such demand that it kept being pushed back until they finally became available at the same time.

Now, O’Connor finds himself in the odd position of having to promote four movies coming out this fall. Is he tired? “Yeah, I am,” he said on Zoom just after the Telluride Film Festival. “I’ve maxed out a little bit.”

The two actors met during the pandemic, on Zoom, after O’Connor watched “Normal People” and like many of us, believed he was discovering an exciting young talent. He emailed his American agent: “You have to see this kid. He’s amazing.” His agent had already signed him. It turns out Mescal had been watching O’Connor, as well. The two got on famously, and have been chums ever since.

As France’s role as a hub for international production continues to gain momentum, a new breed of international sales company, The Pool Films, is making its debut in the fall festival circuit with a one-stop-shop model incorporating financing, co-production, post production and filming location as part of its services.

Based in Paris, The Pool Films is being launched by international sales veteran Gilles Sousa and producer Tim Belda, with the backing of Digital District Group – the VFX house behind Netflix’s “Under Paris” and “Lupin,” among others — and the Victorine Studios. The latter is a Hollywood-style centenary venue in the French Riviera, in Nice, which has hosted many iconic films, including François Truffaut’s “Day for Night,” Marcel Carné’s “Children of Paradise” and Jacques Tati’s “My Uncle.”

Sousa, who co-founded Pulsar Content where he headed international sales following a long tenure at Bac Films, knows the festival and market circuit inside out.

What do we owe to the people we love? Even devoted partners can have radically different answers to this seemingly straightforward question — a tragedy explored at some length in Cai Shangjun’s “The Sun Rises on Us All,” which closes out the Venice Competition on a drawn-out yet engrossing note of cautionary regret for the damage devotion can do. But if it’s a morality melodrama it is saved from preachiness by actors Xin Zhilei and Zhang Songwen who are outstanding in summoning the convincing chemistry of ex-partners whose passion has long since soured but whose fates remain intertwined, as can happen, when love binds two people tightly together, then leaves.

As composer Guo Sida’s sparingly applied but tone-setting piano motif plays – softly ascending, optimistic notes that resolve in a minor key — 35-year-old Meiyun (Xin Zhilei) is having an ultrasound at a busy hospital. She is pregnant, though it’s early,...

Freud thought that, at least for some of us, the guilt comes before the crime. Seeking punishment for a pre-existing (probably Oedipal) feeling of shame and inadequacy, some of the incarcerated seek a reality that fits their self-identity. For them, crime is simply a tool for the good stuff: punishment and pariah status. Criminality as kink.

With his latest neo-noir, Cai Shangjun offers a full-throated endorsement of one of Freud’s more contentious theories with a tale of a toxic romance necessitated by an irresistible vicious cycle. Set in gritty, smoke-filled Guangzhou — the world’s sweatshop and home to the “Shein village” of cut-price clothing makers — Shangjun’s China is not a happy or a healthy place. Nor are his characters. But good people rarely make for good movies.

Meiyun (Zhilei Xin) runs her own clothing brand in a slick shopping mall, where she broadcasts live walkthroughs of her latest products to fussy customers,...

Spoiler Alert: The following story includes details about the documentary “aka Charlie Sheen,” premiering on Netflix on Sept. 10.

Charlie Sheen is back.

Sort of.

The actor is not only almost eight years sober, but he’s telling his story in a new two-part Netflix documentary series, “aka Charlie Sheen.”

Directed by Andrew Renzi, “aka” chronicles Sheen’s rise to fame in the 1980s and 90s and his horrific and very public drug-fueled meltdown in 2011. His “tiger blood” and “winning” spiral resulted in him being fired from “Two and a Half Men.”

“It’s kind of hard to watch, but I think it’s important to watch,” Sheen, who turned 60 on Sept. 3, told me Thursday at the doc’s premiere at the Tudum Theater in Hollywood. “Let’s chart a path where or chart a course where we don’t make those kind of decisions and wind up something that looks like that again.

Steven Spielberg is one of the greatest, most beloved filmmakers of all time. He's the man that directed both "Jurassic Park" and "Schindler's List" in the same year. One of those films went on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time up to that point, while the other won the Best Picture Oscar. There's really nothing he can't do when he's firing on all cylinders. That's why it might be surprising to learn that when he pitched a "Call of Duty" film, Activision turned him down.

We only just learned that Paramount has made a deal with Activision to produce a live-action "Call of Duty" movie. Skydance merged with Paramount earlier this year,...

It's been another incredible year for horror, as many of the best and most surprising movies of 2025 have been horror films. It's in the horror space that originality and boundless creativity is allowed to thrive, and the result is audiences getting stories we've never seen before. Whether it's Ryan Coogler's rollicking crowd-pleaser sensation "Sinners," wildly imaginative and surprisingly emotional franchise reimaginings like "Final Destination Bloodlines" and "28 Years Later," or indie darlings like "Together" and "Presence," horror is having a fantastic moment.

Then there's "Weapons," Zach Cregger's hugely anticipated follow-up to "Barbarian," a wholly original, explanation-defying movie that's twisted, scary, and a surprisingly funny story about a suburban nightmare.

Fresh off helming the most popular movie musical of last year, IndieWire can exclusively share that acclaimed “Wicked” filmmaker Jon M. Chu will receive the Vanguard Director Award at the 2025 Scad Savannah Film Festival. The honor, in recognition of his visionary storytelling, will be bestowed upon Chu on Sunday, Oct. 26, during an award presentation that will include a conversation about his career, featuring select clips from Chu’s filmography, as well as chatter about his upcoming film with Universal Pictures, “Wicked: For Good.”

“Jon M. Chu embodies what it means to be a Vanguard,” said Christina Routhier, senior executive director of the Scad Savannah Film Festival via a statement. “From guiding global icons with a steady, inspired hand, to collaborating with authors, designers, and musicians at the highest level, Chu’s vision turns cultural moments into cinematic milestones. For Scad students, his career is a masterclass in how storytelling shapes culture,...

Stars waved as usual from the city’s water taxis, but there was a repeated focus on films that help audiences interpret a chaotic world

For most of its 82 years, Venice has been perceived as the world’s most glamorous film festival. This year was no exception: stars including Julia Roberts, Cate Blanchett, Jude Law and George Clooney dutifully waved from canals and trooped down red carpets (although Law tripped while on a water taxi and Clooney got ill).

But the films themselves struck a different note. Jury president Alexander Payne may have rebutted questions about current affairs during his opening press conference, declaring himself concerned only with discussing cinema,...

“Any character that I play, I always ask, ‘What’s their monologue?’” Matthew McConaughey says. “Whether it’s subtext or whether it’s spoken, you gotta have your monologue before you can say your dialogue.”

And dialogue is something that McConaughey, with a Southern drawl that veers between seductive and evangelical, excels at delivering. But when he read the script for his new film, “The Lost Bus,” McConaughey wasn’t sure it was for him. As a fan of “Captain Phillips” and “United 93,” he wanted to work with director Paul Greengrass, and the topic, a true story about a bus driver named Kevin McKay who rescued 22 children during the 2018 Camp Fire, was the kind of propulsive adventure that he loves. But there was nothing for McConaughey to access — no inner monologue to explain what turned Kevin from an ordinary guy into an extraordinary hero.

After talking with Greengrass, McConaughey realized he’d been wrong.

Let's get this out of the way right up front. Not every film on this list is disturbing to you in particular, and some of us have watched them multiple times. Calling a movie disturbing is no different than calling it funny, good, scary, or bad -- they're subjective opinions that don't always hold true for other viewers. Still, the movies below succeed at getting under your skin to the point where they leave you some degree of worried, anxious, and unsettled.

It would be easy enough to list films featuring grotesque cruelties and vicious assaults, but there's more to being disturbed beyond mere violence. Sometimes it's the emotional or mental toll that weighs heaviest.

Three buddies take a cross-country road trip under the false belief their band is opening for Green Day in the coming-of-age comedy “New Years Rev,” premiering at Toronto Intl. Film Festival on Sept. 12.

In the trailer, Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman and Ryan Foust borrow a taxi and hit the highway, encountering cute girls and rock music on their journey to Los Angeles.

The members of Green Day — Billie Joe Armstrong, Tré Cool and Mike Dirnt — also appear and perform in “New Years Rev.” The band developed the movie with producer Live Nation Productions. CAA Media Finance is handling sales for the film.

“New Years Rev” is directed by Lee Kirk and also stars “The Office” favorites Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, alongside Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, Keen Ruffalo, Mckenna Grace, Fred Armisen, Bobby Lee and Sean Gunn.

The movie comes off the heels of Green Day’s headlining performance at 2025’s Coachella Music Festival.

This article contains spoilers for "The Paper" season 1, episode 10, "The Ohio Journalism Awards."

The relationship between Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) is the feel-good romance of "The Office." Be that as it may, sparks didn't fly between the pair overnight. When we first meet Pam, she is stuck in an unhappy relationship with Dunder Mifflin's manly warehouse worker Roy (David Benman), so she doesn't exactly get together with Jim right away. The storyline is a classic example of the will-they-won't-they trope that many TV shows (including some of your favorite sitcoms) have utilized to keep us hopeless romantic viewers hooked for years, giving "The Office" a healthy dose of mushy anticipation.

Exclusive: Budapest-based sales outfit Luminescence has boarded Randolph Zaini’s Indonesian horror film A Woman Called Mother.

The film is set to world premiere in official selection at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, which runs from September 18 to 25.

The film is being released theatrically in Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Cambodia and Thailand via Multivision Plus. Its Indonesian release date is set for September 25.

A Woman Called Mother is about the teenage girl who moves with her family to a new city for a fresh start after a difficult few years, but the demon following them will force them to confront their most primal fears.

Bleecker Street has hired veteran media executive Christine Manna as the indie studio’s new EVP of home entertainment. She brings more than 20 years of experience in managing the home release of hundreds of films across multiple studios.

“We are so thrilled to have Christine join the team at this critical moment in the company’s evolution,” Bleecker Street CEO Kent Sanderson said in a statement. “Her expertise and decades of experience will be integral to amplifying Bleecker’s ongoing efforts in addressing and succeeding in the ever-changing landscape of sharing great theatrical films with audiences at home.”

“I am honored to be joining Bleecker Street at such an exciting time in its growth, ” Manna said in a statement. “The company has built an incredible reputation for curating films that truly connect with audiences, and I look forward to expanding that mission into the home entertainment space.”

Prior to joining Bleecker Street,...

Film-making studio Fable has announced it will attempt to recreate the 43 minutes cut from the auteur’s 1942 film using AI

An AI company is to reconstruct the missing portions of Orson Welles’ legendary mutilated masterwork The Magnificent Ambersons, it has been announced.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Showrunner platform is planning to use its AI tools to assist in a recreation of the lost 43 minutes of Welles’ 1942 film, removed and subsequently destroyed by Hollywood studio Rko.

The original lighsaber used by Darth Vader in “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” and its sequel “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” has been sold at an auction for $3,654,000.

According to Propstore, the movie memorabilia auction house, the prop is the only hero lightsaber from “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) and “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” (1983) with verifiable screen use ever to be offered at public auction. Originally used by actor David Prowse, who played Darth Vader, it now holds the title of the highest-priced “Star Wars” item ever sold at auction.

Propstore

Brandon Alinger, Propstore COO said, “The result marks a landmark moment not just for Propstore, but for the entire world of film collecting. To see a ‘Star Wars’ lightsaber — the symbol of one of cinema’s greatest sagas — become the highest-valued piece of the franchise ever sold at auction is incredibly special. It speaks...

Exclusive: Motion Picture Exchange (Mpx) is at Toronto International Film Festival with a slate of completed titles featuring Gen Z Drama All There Is starring Mena Suvari and Jason Priestley.

Kit Williamson directed the story about atroubled teenager whose world is upended when a tragedy involving her best friend is blamed on her filmmaker father’s controversial sci-fi film.

The new slate includes Sarah T Schwab’s horror thriller Crybaby Bridge starring Sydney Mikayla, Erik King Kevin Breznahan, and Lorencia Lozano. The Cardinal Flix production centres on a pregnant teen’s family who move to the countryside for a fresh...

Finally, Venice Film Festival attendees can rest their hands. That’s after days of clapping and hollering at premieres, resulting in standing ovations that lasted into the double digits.

But lengthy rounds of applause don’t necessarily translate to gold statues. After warm receptions in Italy, which films on the 2025 lineup will find their way into the awards race? Venice has more and more been able to position itself as a major launchpad for the Oscars — and this year’s slate offered such hopefuls as Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone’s latest collaboration “Bugonia” (six-minute ovation), Bennie Safdie’s wrestling drama “The Smashing Machine,” starring Dwayne Johnson (15-minute ovation) and director Mona Fastvold’s musical epic “The Testament of Ann Lee” with Amanda Seyfried as a singing and dancing Shaker (15-minute ovation).

Movies weren’t the only subject of chatter on the Lido. Politics often took center stage, with a...

Amir Azizi’s Inside Amir and UK feature Bearcave were among the winners of the 2025 edition of Giornate degli Autori, the independent sidebar of the Venice Film Festival.

Iranian filmmaker Azizi received the €20,000 cash director’s award.

Inside Amir follows a young man in Tehran on the verge of emigrating to join his girlfriend Tara in Italy; but facing up to his decision in his final days in Iran.

Written and directed by Azizi, the film is produced by Azizi, Elham Azizi and Ali Azizi for Fog Films.

“It reminds us of how daily routines, movements, and conversations with friends provide both security and freedom,...

Source: Courtesy of Al Bravo Films / Premier Entertainment Group

The Hook

Exclusive: Premiere Entertainment Group (Peg) is in Toronto and has begun talks with international buyers on noir thriller The Hook starring Michael Jai White and Malin Akerman.

President and CEO Elias Axume just closed a North American deal in Toronto with ITN.

Production took place in Las Vegas last month on the story of a former FBI profiler (White) who left the force after a brutal case shattered his faith in justice. Years later he is pulled back into action and teams with his old partner (Akerman) when a familiar pattern pattern emerges.

Source: Courtesy of Al Bravo Films / Premier Entertainment Group

The Hook

Exclusive: Premiere Entertainment Group (Peg) is in Toronto and has begun talks with international buyers on noir thrillerThe Hook starring Michael Jai White and Malin Akerman.

Production took place in Las Vegas last month on the story of a former FBI profiler (White) who left the force after a brutal case shattered his faith in justice. Years later he is pulled back into action and teams with his old partner (Akerman) when a familiar pattern pattern emerges.

John J. D’Angelo directs from his screenplay, and Al Bravo and Mike Pizzimenti...