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Idris Elba’s Lagos-set work Dust to Dreams, starring music artist Seal, will premiere in the Toronto International Film Festival’s TIFF Shorts program, the lineup of which was unveiled Thursday.

Seal is joined by Nollywood stars Nse Ukpe-Etim, Eku Edewor, Atlanta Bridget Johnson and Constance Olatunde in the drama set against a nightclub on the cusp of a new era as its dying female owner sets a succession plan in motion.

Luther and Hijack star Elba made his directorial debut on the 2018 movie Yardie.

The year’s edition of TIFF Shorts will showcase 48 short films, representing 28 countries, across seven presentations, including Strange Cuts, the Midnight Madness-adjacent strand introduced in 2024.

Further program highlights include the world premieres of Patrick Xavier Bresnan and Ivete Lucas’ The Contestant, featuring David Hasselhoff, and Disc by Cannes alum Blake Winston Rice (Tea), co-written with and starring Victoria Ratermanis and Jim Cummings.

Joecar Hanna’s Talk Me,...

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the lineup for its 2025 Short Cuts programme, celebrating the 50th edition of TIFF with a bold collection of 48 short films from 28 countries, including 20 Canadian works. From world premieres led by A-list talent to daring experimental shorts, this year’s selection reflects TIFF’s increasingly global curatorial reach.

Headlining the announcement are three major world premieres: "Dust to Dreams" by Idris Elba, "The Contestant" from Patrick Xavier Bresnan and Ivete Lucas (The Passing), featuring David Hasselhoff, and "Disc" by Cannes alum Blake Winston Rice, co-written by and starring Victoria Ratermanis and Jim Cummings.

Joecar Hanna’s "Talk Me," executive produced by Spike Lee, makes its North American premiere, as does "The Non-Actor" starring Maya Hawke and Victoria Pedretti. The documentary "All the Empty Rooms" from Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Joshua Seftel, executive produced by Adam McKay, will have its international premiere.

For the first time,...

World premieres of the Jude Law and Jason Bateman-starring limited series Black Rabbit, Sterlin Harjo’s The Lowdown, and Mae Martin and Ryan Scott’s Wayward were unveiled as part of the Toronto Film Festival‘s Primetime program, where the small screen hits the big screen.

The TIFF focus on new TV series has also booked first looks for the doc series Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League from creators Richard Brown and Tebogo Malope, Hansal Mehta’s Gandhi and The Savage, created by Houman Seyyedi.

Netflix’s Black Rabbit from creators and showrunners Zach Baylin and Kate Susman stars Bateman and Law as reunited brothers that centers on New York City’s next hotspot restaurant and lounge. The series will launch Sept. 18 on the streaming giant.

Netflix is also bringing to the Toronto TV showcase the Wayward thriller, which stars comedian Martin, Patrick J. Adams, Sarah Gadon...

Kyle Larson is arguably the best all-around driver currently behind any wheel, and is a first-place contender every time he competes in the NASCAR Cup Series – just don’t compare him to Ricky Bobby.

The series champ appeared on Tuesday’s episode of the “Games With Names” podcast, hosted by New England Patriots Super Bowl Mvp Julian Edelman. Mid-conversation he was asked whether he liked “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” the 2006 hit comedy starring Will Ferrell as a wildly successful but dim-witted NASCAR driver who coined the phrase “If you’re not first, you’re last.”

“Do (drivers) like ‘Talladega Nights?’ Is that movie funny or is that dumb for you guys?,” co-host Sam Morrill asked Larson, who somewhat hesitated to answer.

“I — I mean I like the movie,” Larson said. “I think it did not do anything good for our sport. I think it turned our sport into like a joke unfortunately.

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Who would have wondered that Liam Neeson would be the perfect son to Leslie Nielsen‘s hilariously chaotic cop, Frank Drebin, in an all-new The Naked Gun? The 2025 film follows Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr, who must solve a hilariously convoluted case to stop his police department from shutting down. The Naked Gun also stars Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, Cch Pounder, and Kevin Durand. So, if you loved the hilarious comedy, never-ending jokes, and entertaining characters in The Naked Gun, here are some similar movies you should check out next.

The Other Guys (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Sony Pictures

The Other Guys is a buddy cop action comedy film directed by Adam McKay, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Henchy. The 2010 film follows Terry and Allen, two overlooked cops who must work together...

Screenwriters from Writers Guild of America, also including David Simon and Celine Song, call out president’s ‘authoritarian assault’ on free speech

More than 2,300 members of the Writers Guild of America, including Spike Lee and Adam McKay, have signed an open letter decrying the actions of Donald Trump’s administration that represent “an unprecedented, authoritarian assault” on free speech.

The letter, a combined effort from the WGA East and West branches, cites the US president’s “baseless lawsuits” against news organizations that have “published stories he does not like and leveraged them into payoffs”. It specifically references Paramount’s decision to pay Trump $16m to settle a “meritless lawsuit” about a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. The letter notes that Trump “retaliated against publications reporting factually on the White House and threatened broadcasters’ licenses”, and has repeatedly called for the cancellation of programs that criticize him.

More than 2,300 members of the Writers Guild of America West and East, including no shortage of heavy hitters, have signed the union’s open letter decrying the Trump administration’s “recent threats to the free press.”

“We are members of the Writers Guild of America who speak with one voice to decry the dangerous and escalating attacks on the First Amendment, independent media, and the free press,” the letter reads in part. “[Trump] regularly calls for the cancellation of news and entertainment television shows that criticize him in late-night and, most recently, The View.”

It ends with the ominous line, “This period in American life will not last forever, and when it’s over the world will remember who had the courage to speak out.” Read the letter and list of signatories in full below.

Related: How Public Media Lost The Federal Funding Battle, And What Happens Next To Stations, NPR...

Netflix's new fantasy movie with a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score has cracked their top five most popular movies of all time. Far and away, Netflix's most-watched movie of all time is Red Notice (2021) with 230.9 million views. Carry-On (2024) and Adam McKay's Don't Look Up (2021) are fairly far behind, rounding out the top three with 172 million and 171 million views, respectively.

The back half of the top 10 includes The Adam Project (2022), starring Ryan Reynolds, in fifth place with 157.6 million views, and Bird Box (2018), starring Sandra Bullock, right behind in sixth with 157.4 million views. Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz's action-comedy Back in Action (2025) ranks seventh with 147 million views, and the star-studded apocalyptic thriller Leave the World Behind (2023) in eighth with 143 million views.

Rounding out the top 10 are the action thriller The Gray Man (2022), starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, in ninth with 139 million views, and Millie Bobby Brown's dark fantasy flick...

More than 2,300 members of the Writers Guild of America have signed an open letter decrying recent actions taken by President Trump and his administration that they say represent “an unprecedented, authoritarian assault.”

The WGA East and WGA West union members signing the letter include Spike Lee, Adam McKay, Ilana Glazer, Mike Schur, Liz Merriwether and Tony Gilroy.

The letter cites Trump’s “baseless lawsuits” against news organizations that have “published stories he does not like and leveraged them into payoffs”; for example, it points to Paramount Global’s agreement last month to pay Trump $16 million to settle “a meritless lawsuit” against CBS over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris that Trump alleged was deceptively edited. In addition, the letter notes, Trump has “retaliated against publications reporting factually on the White House and threatened broadcasters’ licenses,” and has regularly called for the cancelation of news and entertainment TV shows that criticize him.

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Happy Gilmore 2 is a sports comedy film directed by Kyle Newacheck from a screenplay co-written by Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler. The 2025 legacy sequel film picks up the story of Happy Gilmore as he has given up golf after a tragedy and taken up excessive drinking instead. Due to his alcoholism, Happy loses everything from his fortune to his house, and when his daughter wants to go to an elite ballet school, he must return to the golf course to earn the money. Happy Gilmore 2 stars Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Benny Safdie, Bad Bunny, Ben Stiller, and Margaret Qualley. So, if you loved the bonkers story, hilarious comedy, and entertaining characters in Happy Gilmore 2, here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Happy Gilmore (Starz) Credit – Universal Pictures

Happy Gilmore is...

Unlike other daily challenges, Framed presents itself as a series of puzzles that must be decoded in an attempt to correctly guess the name of the movie in question. These puzzles are based on both niche and popular movies, which might throw certain players off while attempting to solve them.

As such, I will be listing the results for all 4 of today’s Framed puzzles – in no particular order, along with a breakdown of the entire problem-solving procedure. Let’s get started.

Spoiler Alert !!!Spoilers for Framed ahead! Framed Classic Solution for Today Image Credits: Framed/FandomWire

Today’s Framed Classic puzzle is more of the same. It has you type in the correct name of the movie from a total of 6 frames. Each frame will make the movie progressively easier to identify, and you will have a total of 6 attempts here before it’s game over.

Today’s answer...

Over the past five years, seeing a straight-up comedy that puts big laughs first and foremost has become a rarity. Gone are the days when filmmakers like Judd Apatow and Adam McKay were given big summer blockbuster release dates for their star-studded comedies, and multiplex general audiences are far worse for it. There's nothing better than sharing a fit of laughter with a big group of people. While there are blockbusters that come with a fair share of jokes, whether it's something like "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" or the video game-infused action of "Free Guy," rarely do we get to sit down in the theater for a movie that has the explicit goal of making us laugh.

Thankfully, "The Naked Gun" has the power to change that, as long as audiences give it a chance to tickle their funny bone. 

Directed by Akiva Shaffer (one-third of the "Saturday Night Live...

After smashing Sundance with its horror breakout hit “Together” starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, the Melbourne-based company Princess Pictures is poised to expand its footprint in the feature film arena with a raft of bold projects boasting award-winning talent and creatives.

The banner’s inaugural live-action feature film slate includes “Stillwater,” a crime thriller produced with “Animal Kingdom” filmmaker David Michôd, actor Joel Edgerton and producer Brad Zimmerman (“The Outfit”); as well as Michael Shanks’s follow up to “Together,” “Hotel Hotel Hotel Hotel,” which is based on his Black List script and produced with “Don’t Look Up” filmmaker Adam McKay’s outfit; and “Axis of Impersonators,” a timely documentary feature with producer/directors Alexis Spraic (“Shadow Billionaire”) and Nick Coles.

“Stillwater” is based on the first novel of Tanya Scott, a doctor and medical educator turned writer with years of experience working in mental health care. The story revolves around Jack Quinn,...

Ryan Gosling is trading in Ken’s fur coat for a bulletproof vest. The La La Land star is set to headline Tough Guys, a new action comedy that pairs him with none other than his Barbie co-star Will Ferrell. The project is in development at Amazon MGM Studios, Deadline has confirmed, with both stars set to produce through their respective banners. And no, this is not a sequel to The Fall Guy, nor is it a sequel to their Jimmy Kimmel bit, Knife Guys. Or even Guys and Dolls.

Originally written as a spec script by Daniel Gold, Tough Guys tells the story of two criminal henchmen who are fed up with being expendable cannon fodder. Tired of their roles in the shadows, they decide to ditch the underworld entirely and rewrite the rules on their own terms — by breaking free and forging a new path. Expect equal parts bullets and belly laughs,...

Watching Will Ferrell and John C Reilly as a pair of large adult sons feels like witnessing the dying embers of the gen X sensibility – before the world got cruel and idiots took over

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It’s 2008. George W Bush is wrapping up his presidency. The world’s economy is in turmoil, but Obama is ascendant. The US’s – and the world’s – problems will soon be solved once and for all.

The peak comedy of this era is, of course, Step Brothers. Adam McKay’s previous hit collaborations with Will Ferrell, Anchorman and Talladega Nights, hit a rich seam of man-children being elevated to folk-hero status. We could call it a thematic trilogy, if we were being a bit pretentious – like Ingmar Bergman’s faith trilogy, but with more prosthetic testicles.

Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop...

Like it or not, Adam Sandler is among the most successful movie stars of the last three decades and has remarkably been able to make films that have resonated with multiple generations of comedy fans. While many former alumni of “Saturday Night Live” struggled to develop film careers, Sandler developed his own brand of ridiculous comedies, which led to the development of Happy Madison Productions. Despite the scathing reviews that many of his films earned from critics during their initial release windows, several have grown cult fandom from those who grew up with them. Sandler was also ahead of the game when it came to the profitability of streaming, as he was among the first Hollywood stars to sign a deal with Netflix.

Sandler has certainly been known to phone it in, as films like “Grown Ups,” “Little Nicky,” “Blended,” and “Jack and Jill” rank among the worst comedies of the 21st century.

This July, Netflix wants to help you beat the heat by giving you plenty of reasons to stay in the air conditioning while crying tears of laughter! Get ready for the streaming network’s Summer of Comedy movie collection, an event honoring actors and comedians who made their mark on entertainment over the past 50 years!

Per Netflix’s press release:

The Netflix collection features a lineup of fan-favorite movies, many of which feature SNL alumni, including Tina Fey (Baby Mama), Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore), Will Ferrell (Old School), John Belushi (National Lampoon’s Animal House), Eddie Murphy (The Nutty Professor), Ben Stiller (Zoolander), Amy Poehler (Blades of Glory), Mike Myers (Wayne’s World), Kenan Thompson (Good Burger), Dan Aykroyd (Coneheads), Kristen Wiig (MacGruber), Chris Farley (Tommy Boy), Molly Shannon (Superstar), Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers), and many more.

In addition to a collection in your Netflix Queue, the Paris Theater in New...

Film distributor Abramorama has appointed producer Damon G. Smith as SVP, business growth and creative strategy.

Smith, whose credits include “100 Years of Warner Bros.” and “Sisters With Transistors,” joins the executive team to drive the next phase of Abramorama’s evolution, expanding the company’s brand presence and creative partnerships across the global entertainment landscape as it celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Smith will work closely alongside Karol Martesko-Fenster, CEO and president of Abramorama, to identify new growth opportunities, enhance creative development, and deepen the company’s relationships with filmmakers, content owners, and strategic partners, with a special focus on music centric and social issue documentaries.

Martesko-Fenster said, “Having collaborated with Damon across various ventures for over fifteen years,” Martesko-Fenster added, “I have witnessed firsthand his visionary thinking and collaborative spirit, so we are thrilled to welcome him to the team. Damon’s proven track record as a producer and curator of bold,...

What Is Ryan Gosling’s Favorite Comedy Movie?(Photo Credit –YouTube)

Ryan Gosling could’ve said Casablanca. He could’ve said Citizen Kane. But no, he picked Step Brothers. While chatting with Still Watching Netflix to promote The Gray Man two years ago, Gosling dropped the kind of cinematic confession that instantly earns him honorary couch potato status.

“You tell people your favorite movie is On the Waterfront when it’s really Step Brothers,” the Barbie star admitted. And frankly, that’s a good take. Let’s break that down: Step Brothers, a film once described by critics as a chaotic mess with juvenile humor, is Gosling’s go-to feel-good flick.

“You could be in a bad place in your life, you could be in a great place in your life, it’s always the right time,” he said during the chat. And just like that, he gave us the...

Byron Mann’s debut in Korean cinema has proven that cross-cultural casting can pay off at the box office.

The actor’s new film “Big Deal” opened at No. 3 in South Korea, landing just behind “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” in a competitive marketplace.

For Mann, whose credits span from Adam McKay’s “The Big Short” to Netflix’s “Altered Carbon” and productions across Asia including the Hong Kong-set romantic comedy “The Modelizer,” the Korean film marked a unique experience that required him to completely overhaul his character’s dialogue while navigating an unfamiliar production system.

“When they reached out to me, I actually thought they made a mistake,” Mann tells Variety. “I thought, ‘You know they know I don’t speak Korean, right? I mean, they know I’m not Korean either, right?'”

The confusion cleared up once Mann and his manager read the script. His character...

Will Ferrell's 2015 collaboration with the director of Anchorman and Step Brothers has become a hit on Netflix a decade after it premiered. After getting his start on Saturday Night Live, Will Ferrell quickly became an icon on the big screen in films like Elf and the aforementioned Anchorman. Known for his bombastic and childish characters, Ferrell excels at a style of comedy that is so immature that it comes back around to being clever and hilarious. Some of his films are legitimate comedy classics, and Ferrell continues to be one of the genre's biggest stars.

Ten years after it debuted, Ferrell's 2015 comedy Get Hard has become a bona fide streaming hit on Netflix, bursting into the top 10. As of June 12, the Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart vehicle peaked at the second place spot before being bumped down to third (via Flix Patrol). Interestingly, Get Hard is a collaboration between...

Jesse Armstrong’s Mountainhead (2025) marks a sharp, acerbic entry into the growing canon of tech-world satires. Known best for his masterwork Succession, Armstrong crafts a darkly comedic chamber piece that follows four tech billionaires on a retreat gone sideways. With performances from Steve Carell as the chillingly detached mentor Garrett, Corey Michael Smith as the volatile tech mogul Ven, Jason Schwartzman as the insecure host Souper, and Ramy Youssef as the socially tone-deaf AI genius Jeff, Mountainhead is a clever, intimate dissection of power, ego, and the absurdities of modern capitalism. The film, shot with the cold precision reminiscent of early David Mamet, blends dry humor, existential dread, and social satire, placing it in conversation with a host of contemporary films critiquing the elite.

If you found Mountainhead riveting, sardonic, and scarily familiar, here are 10 movies like Mountainhead that echo its thematic cynicism, character-driven tension, and corporate absurdity.

1. The Menu...

It's been more than a decade since we last saw Christian Bale's Dark Knight on-screen, and so far the actor has dodged the nostalgia-induced cameo frenzy of recent years. But it seems Bale could be convinced to return as Batman for a "Dark Knight 4" on one very specific condition.

When the actor was first considering to play Batman in Christopher Nolan's 2005 reboot, "Batman Begins," he faced significant pressure not to don the cape. But Bale ignored every warning against playing the Dark Knight, and instead took those warnings as a challenge. In an interview with GQ, the actor recalled how he was told, "Hey, you know, if you play Batman, that's it. You're never gonna play anything else again. You will always be Batman." Rather than listening, however, Bale set out to prove the naysayers wrong. "I went, 'Bring it on. Let's see if that happens,'" he continued.

The Gold Standard is a Gold Derby series where we speak to legendary figures in Hollywood who take us through their award-worthy greatest hits. Below, Danny McBride revisits his greatest hits, up to the recently concluded, Emmy-contending, always side-splitting The Righteous Gemstones.

There’s been no shortage of Hollywood producers and filmmakers who have enlisted Danny McBride to bring his inimitable brand of coarse, Southern-drawled comedy to their projects. But whether it’s The Foot Fist Way or Eastbound & Down or Vice Principals or The Righteous Gemstones, the most enduring, most McBride-ian works don’t merely feature the onscreen talents of the 48-year-old Georgia native. He has played a formidable role in creating them.

“I would definitely not make it as an actor if I had to rely on other people hiring me to sustain my career,” McBride tells Gold Derby. “I don’t think I could pull it off.

What do you get when you pair two beloved comedic actors with the Academy Award-winning director of "Rain Man"? One of the worst flops of the early-2000s, apparently. Dark comedy "Envy" debuted in 2004 and proved to be a critical and commercial disaster, despite an all-star cast and an ostensibly capable filmmaker at the helm (though we are also talking about the director who oversaw muted mob drama "The Alto Knights").

Directed by Barry Levinson, "Envy" starred Ben Stiller and Jack Black as best friends Tim Dingman and Nick Vanderpark. After Nick invents a spray that he claims can vaporize dog poop, Tim declines to invest and support his pal, but he soon regrets his decision when Nick becomes incredibly rich of the back of his harebrained scheme. The tension between the two reaches a fever pitch, which is when none other than Christopher Walken shows up in the role of J-Man,...

Although he had spent the better part of his career making scathing political and social satires like “Peep Show” and “In the Loop,” Jesse Armstrong became a household name to American entertainment pundits thanks to “Succession,” the epic HBO drama series that became hailed as an instant classic. With its Shakespearean themes, shockingly relevant material, and powerful performances, “Succession” proved to be a natural heir apparent to classic shows like “Mad Men” or “The Sopranos.” It’s been unsurprising that many of its key creatives have doubled down on their film careers in wake of the brilliant “Succession” finale; frequent director Mark Mylod made his cinematic debut with “The Menu,” Kieran Culkin took home an Oscar for “A Real Pain,” and Jeremy Strong has landed many acclaimed parts, and even recently served on the Cannes jury.

Armstrong may have been the creative instigator of “Succession,” but his new feature “Mountainhead” is a singular effort.

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Mountainhead is a satirical comedy-drama film written and directed by Jesse Armstrong. The HBO film revolves around four billionaire friends as they gather for a secluded weekend retreat at a mountain head villa while the whole world struggles because of major financial turmoil. Mountainhead stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef. So, if you loved the biting dark comedy, pointed satire, and compelling but unlikable characters in Mountainhead, here are some similar movies you should check out next.

In the Loop (AMC+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – BBC Films

In the Loop is a British satirical dark comedy film directed by Armando Iannucci, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, and Tony Roche. Based on the British series The Thick of It, the 2009 film revolves around the fallout that followed after...

Adam McKay had no one else but Christian Bale in his mind for his 2018 film, Vice. He wrote and directed the dark comedy film, which explored the rise of a Washington insider to the Vice President of the United States. If you have seen Bale and former VP Dick Cheney, you know that they look nothing alike physically.

However, Bale continued to amaze us with his transformation, as he nailed the look of Cheney to the last detail. He was a contender for an Oscar for the role, however, the award went to Rami Malek for his performance in Bohemian Rhapsody. Many still believe that the Oscar belonged to Bale that year.

Christian Bale nailed his role in Vice, but the film got an average reception Christian Bale as Dick Cheney in Vice | Credits: Annapurna Pictures

Christian Bale has made many extreme transformations in his career. If 2004’s The Machinist...

For the successful reputation that Marvel Studios was known for, particularly during its first three phases, it can be easy to forget that the road from "Iron Man" to "Avengers: Endgame" was not always smooth. Sure, fans often like to discuss the trajectory of the entire Infinity Saga as if it were all masterfully executed, but we sometimes forget about the bumps along the way. Some of those bumps include Phase 1 actors like Terrence Howard and Edward Norton dropping from their roles, filmmakers-for-hire dropping from projects due to the dreaded "creative differences" with Kevin Feige, or, at least in one case, a film being pulled from the slate altogether.

During its golden age, Marvel Studios developed a reputation as a studio whose cinematic output was, at the very least, competent. Sure, some of that leads to formulaic plots, but the dynamic characters portrayed by talented actors helped make these films...

If you take the time to examine every movie from "Anchorman" director Adam McKay, you'll eventually find provocative, self-serious satires of male-driven problems of power in our world, including "The Big Short" and "Vice." But years before this purposeful filmmaking shift, McKay left it all out on the field, saying everything he needed to say on the subject in the guise of a stupid, absurd, and improv-heavy buddy comedy starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.

2008's "Step Brothers" is an immediate lightning bolt of laughter. It's bold, vulgar, and always chasing the most specific choice possible. It's a comedy for contemporary comedy nerds' dreams, playing with beloved concepts of sketch and improv to heighten games in ways never quite seen in studio cinema before. It's a constant barrage of body blows toward a post-George W. Bush world, reckoning with the soothsaying horrors of pre-recession capitalism and toxic masculinity...

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It's his most recent film, so it's tough to truly say how history will ultimately judge it, but it's safe to say that 2019's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" is looked upon very favorably in Quentin Tarantion's filmography. As his second collaboration with Brad Pitt following his 2009 war masterpiece "Inglourious Basterds," it was a major success that ultimately netted the star a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work as stuntman Cliff Booth.

Tarantino has now given author Jay Glennie access to write books about the making of many of his films. It all begins with "The Making of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," which hits shelves on November 11 from Insight Editions. In an excerpt from the book published by Deadline, it's revealed that Tarantino and Pitt had similar ideas when it came to crafting the character of Cliff Booth.

In the days before cable television got serious about creating original programming, the networks were just about the only game in town if you wanted to watch a new hour-long drama or half-hour sitcom. This meant it was on three broadcast entities to serve a diverse array of viewers with cop procedurals, family-friendly comedies, urbane farces, nighttime soaps, Westerns and science fiction. There were certain formulas that worked and got rehashed as needed, but the networks were always on the lookout for something out of the ordinary, a smarter-than-average take on one of the aforementioned genres, or, even better, a daringly innovative series that captured the public's imagination. Shows like "Soap," "St. Elsewhere" and "Twin Peaks" pulled this off with stunning élan, but when a network risk went south there was always the chance that you'd wind up with a pop cultural punchline like "My Mother, the Car," "Supertrain," or "Cop Rock.

Elizabeth Olsen has joined Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac on the cast for the vampire thriller ‘Flesh of the Gods.’

Set in “glittering ’80s L.A.,” where married couple Raoul (Isaac) and Alex (Stewart) each evening descend from their luxury skyscraper condo and head into the city’s electric nighttime realm. When they cross paths with a mysterious and enigmatic figure known as Nameless (Olsen) and her hard-partying cabal, the pair are seduced into a glamorous, surrealistic world of hedonism, thrills and violence.

Also in news – Jude Law & Andrew Garfield set for Siegfried & Roy series ‘Wild Things’

The project is written by Andrew Kevin Walker from a story he created with Cosmatos, and produced by Adam McKay and Betsy Koch of Hyperobject Industries. Isaac and Gena Konstantinakos also produce for Mad Gene Media.

The movie is scheduled to start shooting later this year, and it marks the third time that...

Nearly 92, more controversial than ever, and coming off perhaps the least-liked film of his career, Roman Polanski has not entirely been expected to direct again. Yet he, still among our greatest filmmakers, doesn’t seem content to let The Palace‘s final shot close his story. (That will mean nothing if you’ve not seen the film; those who have understand fully.) Polanski recently met with Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Maciej Wróbel, who revealed that their conversation concerned “plans related to the production of a new film” that will shoot in the director’s native country. [Wiadomości Gazeta]

As Polanski tends to keep a low profile, we’ve no pre-existing details on what it might be, though this hint of advanced funding and logistics stages suggests word would arrive shortly. As for who agrees to star in it or what festival opts to premiere it––that should be...

MCU icon Elizabeth Olsen, known for playing Wanda Maximoff in the superhero franchise, has joined Oscar Isaac and Kristen Stewart for the latest project by Panos Cosmatos titled Flesh of the Gods. The director, known for his revenge tale led by Nicolas Cage, Mandy, teams up with producers Adam McKay and Isaac, as they attempt to find a buyer for the project at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Olsen is now attached to the vampire project written by Se7en's Andrew Kevin Walker and Cosmatos. Per Deadline's report, the film's logline goes as follows: "Isaac and Stewart will portray Raoul and Alex, a married couple in glittering '80s L.A. who descend each evening from their luxury skyscraper condo and head into an electric nighttime realm. When they cross paths with the mysterious and enigmatic Nameless (Olsen) and her hard-partying cabal, Raoul and Alex are seduced into a glamorous,...

After playing a powerful witch in the MCU for the past few years, Elizabeth Olsen is set to don a pair of fangs as a mysterious vampire in Flesh of the Gods.

Fans had been waiting for news on Panos Cosmatos' next project since 2018's surreal masterpiece, Mandy, and last year, we got word that the filmmaker has enlisted a couple of A-list stars for what sounds like an intriguing horror thriller.

Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac are to play the leads in the movie, which is decribed as a vampire thriller set in Los Angeles "during the glittering 1980s," and Deadline reports that Olsen will be joining them.

The story outline reads: "Raoul and Alex, a married couple in glittering ’80s L.A. who descend each evening from their luxury skyscraper condo and head into an electric nighttime realm. When they cross paths with the mysterious and enigmatic Nameless (Olsen) and her hard-partying cabal,...

Elizabeth Olsen will co-star with Kristin Stewart and Oscar Isaac in Flesh Of The Gods, the new film from Mandy director Panos Cosmatos.

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe already know that Elizabeth Olsen can chart darker territory, with her Scarlet Witch character being the recipient of one of the gnarlier character trajectories in the film and TV franchise. The actor recently admitted that MCU movies aren’t the ‘kind of art’ that she consumes, though, even if she’s done a very fine job starring in them.

With the news (thanks Deadline) that Olsen is joining Panos Cosmatos’ upcoming vampire thriller, Flesh Of The Gods as the lead vampire, we’re guessing that she’s about to plum even darker depths. After all, Cosmatos is the director of Mandy, the unhinged Nicolas Cage revenge thriller that treated us to one of Cage’s wildest performances – and that’s saying something.

Gold Derby's top news stories for May 13, 2025.

Watch the trailer for Kim Kardashian's legal drama All's Fair

Hulu released the trailer for All's Fair, a juicy new legal drama from creator Ryan Murphy. Murphy has assembled an all-star cast — Kim Kardashian, two-time Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts, Emmy winner Niecy Nash-Betts, BET Award winner Teyana Taylor, Emmy winner Sarah Paulson, and eight-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close — to play the partners at an all-female divorce law firm. "In a world where money talks and love is a battleground, these women don’t just play the game—they change it," according to the synopsis. Matthew Noszka also stars. Murphy writes, directs, and executive-produces. The series premieres this fall.

Daniel Day-Lewis' screen return Anemone finds release date

Focus Features will give drama Anemone a limited release on Oct. 3 and expand to wide release on Oct. 10. The film will mark three-time Academy...

The Assessment and Marvel Cinematic Universe actor Elizabeth Olsen is sharpening her incisors for Panos Cosmatos‘s upcoming ’80s-style vampire thriller Flesh of the Gods. She joins Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac, who, according to Deadline, play “Raoul and Alex, a married couple in glittering ’80s L.A. who descend each evening from their luxury skyscraper condo and head into an electric nighttime realm. When they cross paths with the mysterious and enigmatic Nameless (Olsen) and her hard-partying cabal, Raoul and Alex are seduced into a glamorous, surrealistic world of hedonism, thrills, and violence.”

Panos Cosmatos directs The Flesh of the Gods from a screenplay by Se7en scribe Andrew Kevin Walker, based on a story by Cosmatos and Walker. Adam McKay joins the project as a producer alongside Betsy Koch of Hyperobject Industries and Gena Konstantinakos and Isaac for Mad Gene Media. The Flesh of the Gods heads to Cannes this week,...

It was announced almost exactly one year ago that visionary director Panos Cosmatos (Mandy) has enlisted Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac to star in his new movie Flesh of the Gods, and Deadline reports today that Elizabeth Olsen has also now joined the cast.

Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en, The Killer) wrote the screenplay for Flesh of the Gods, an ’80s-set vampire movie set in a “glamorous, surrealistic world of hedonism, thrills and violence.”

Deadline details, “Oscar Isaac and Kristen Stewart will portray Raoul and Alex, a married couple in glittering ’80s L.A. who descend each evening from their luxury skyscraper condo and head into an electric nighttime realm. When they cross paths with the mysterious and enigmatic Nameless (Elizabeth Olsen) and her hard-partying cabal, Raoul and Alex are seduced into a glamorous, surrealistic world of hedonism, thrills and violence.”

“Like Los Angeles itself, Flesh of the Gods inhabits...

Elizabeth Olsen has been in different critically acclaimed projects, and one of her most recognizable roles is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where she plays Wanda Maximoff/ the Scarlet Witch. However, she is now going further into the fantasy world with a vampire thriller.

Per Deadline, Olsen has just joined Twilight's Kristen Stewart and Dune: Part One's Oscar Isaac in the vampire thriller Flesh of the Gods. The film is described as a "hedonistic '80s vampire thriller," and will have Mandy director Panos Cosmatos at the helm. Stewart and Isaac's casting was announced early this month.

In Flesh of the Gods, Isaac and Stewart will portray Raoul and Alex. The film's description reads that it follows the duo as "a married couple in glittering ’80s L.A. who descend each evening from their luxury skyscraper condo and head into an electric nighttime realm. When they cross paths...

Exclusive: Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Elizabeth Olsen has joined Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac to co-star in vampire thriller Flesh Of The Gods from director Panos Cosmatos (Mandy).

Isaac and Stewart will portray Raoul and Alex, a married couple in glittering ’80s L.A. who descend each evening from their luxury skyscraper condo and head into an electric nighttime realm. When they cross paths with the mysterious and enigmatic Nameless (Olsen) and her hard-partying cabal, Raoul and Alex are seduced into a glamorous, surrealistic world of hedonism, thrills and violence.

The film is written by Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en) based on a story by Cosmatos and Walker, and is produced by Adam McKay and Betsy Koch of Hyperobject Industries and Gena Konstantinakos and Isaac for Mad Gene Media.

Domestic rights are co-repped by CAA Media Finance and WME Independent, with XYZ Films continuing international sales at this week’s Cannes market.

The triennial Sloan Film Summit from nonprofit arts organization Film Independent is back for 2025. IndieWire can announce that the science and technology-focused film program will include screenings of indie hits “Magma” and “Love Me” among its highlights.

Film Independent hosts the festival in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Film Program under its broader effort in the Public Understanding of Science and Technology; this is the eighth Sloan Film Summit after its inaugural year in 1999. This year’s summit will take place May 9 through May 11 at the Garland Hotel in Los Angeles, and feature a keynote address from astronomer Amy Mainzer.

“We’re delighted to partner with Film Independent to host this unique summit held only once every three years to celebrate the Sloan Foundation’s pioneering and prolific Film Program,” Doron Weber, Vice President and Program Director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, said. “With a network of a dozen film schools,...

The May 4 series finale of HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones marked the end of a grand experiment for its creator and star. Tired of the whiplash that came with shooting his previous series Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals back east, Danny McBride and his wife formally relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, with their two sons in 2017. That’s where he wrote, filmed and finished his end of postproduction on all four seasons of the megachurch comedy.

“Nobody would ever let us shoot in town,” McBride says of Los Angeles. “We were always just barely given permission to do stuff. And we had to find the rebates. It got to the point where it was like, ‘Why are we living in L.A. just to work in a writers room?’ ”

As California production tanks, it’s hard to not look at McBride’s move as ahead of its time. The actor and showrunner,...

Billy Magnussen, Ella Purnell and Ariana Greenblatt are set to star in the upcoming serial killer teen comedy “Hot Ted” directed by SNL alumni Hannah Levy in their feature directorial debut.

Protagonist Pictures, led by CEO Dave Bishop, is launching worldwide sales at the upcoming Cannes Film Market.

“Hot Ted” follows true-crime podcast enthusiast Zoe (Greenblatt), who is unwillingly sent to Shady Pines Camp for the summer by her parents. When camp counsellor Liz doesn’t arrive for breakfast one day, counsellor Amy (Purnell) tells everyone she’s had to leave for a “family emergency.” But Zoe doesn’t buy it, and is convinced fellow counsellor Ted (Magnussen) is behind Liz’s disappearance. As per the synopsis, “Ted’s got all the hallmarks of a classic serial killer: he’s not on social media, and he owns a van. The only trouble is, he’s too hot to be a murderer.

Exclusive: Part of Hollywood’s cohort of ethical AI advocates, Natasha Lyonne is walking the talk with her upcoming feature directorial debut.

Ahead of the Season 2 premiere of Poker Face, returning May 8 with three episodes on Peacock, the 2x Golden Globe nominee told Deadline how she plans to utilize artificial intelligence in Uncanny Valley, in contrast from the “dirty model” on which the tech is often built.

“I just heard we have this first clean foundational model that is copyright-clean that you can build on, but ultimately that is a tool,” explained Lyonne. “That’s not going to omit any department heads or production designers or cinematographers. This movie I’m doing with Brit Marling is actually a real film.”

Comparing the film’s use of AI to “a green screen or something like that,” Lyonne says the tool will allow her “to do a film at a greater scale,...

Halle Berry, Payal Kapadia, Alba Rohrwacher, Leïla Slimani, Dieudo Hamadi, Hong Sangsoo, Carlos Reygadas and Jeremy Strong have been announced as members of the Cannes Film Festival’s main Competition jury for its 78th edition running from May 13 to May 24.

They join previously announced Jury President Juliet Binoche. Together, they will award the Palme d’Or to one of the 21 films in the main Competition, as well as the Grand Prix, Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Actor awards.

U.S. Actress and filmmaker Berry was the first African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Marc Forster’s Monster’s Ball (2002).

Alternating between blockbusters and independent productions, her credits include Jungle Fever (1991), Dorothy Dandridge (1999), X-Men (1999), Swordfish (2002), Die Another Day (2003), Gothika (2003), Frankie & Alice (2011), Cloud Atlas (2012), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) and John Wick Parabellum (2019).

In 2020, she directed her first film, Bruised. Also a producer,...

How did Jennifer Lawerence rebuild her career with 3 movies? ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Known for her goofy interviews, unfiltered charm, and powerhouse performances, J-Law has never been one to stay down for long. She went from Oscar-winning superstar to slightly overexposed to the queen of the greatest career glow-up ever.

Instead of chasing every big-budget movie, Jennifer picked her projects with heart, soul, and a sprinkle of chaos, and the results were pure magic. With just three carefully chosen films, she reminded everyone why she’s Hollywood’s forever girl-next-door with a rebel streak. Buckle up, because Jennifer’s comeback is the ultimate masterclass in falling, laughing, and running straight back into the spotlight.

Dark Phoenix (2019)

When Dark Phoenix hit theaters, it was supposed to be the X-Men’s epic cosmic sendoff, but instead, it tripped over its cape and lit a tiny dumpster fire. Still, Jennifer Lawrence, queen of unbothered coolness,...

On Thursday Don’t Look Up filmmaker Adam McKay appeared at the virtual town hall of a grassroots group attempting to help organize a general strike, encouraging participants to “shut down this broken, befouled economy.”

McKay joined a town hall for the “General Strike 4 Resignations” group alongside Chris Smalls, the co-founder and former president of the Amazon Labor Union and one of the subjects of the 2024 documentary Union, which McKay executive produced.

The idea of a general strike — however realistic or unrealistic — has gained momentum in select activist and labor circles in the last few years as a means of changing the status quo in the U.S. The general idea is that if enough working people, unionized or not, withhold their labor across the country, they can establish enough leverage to change policy.

While still far from mainstream, two leaders of major stateside unions — Association of Flight Attendants international president...

Film and TV studio Fifth Season has promoted Sheridan Thayer to executive vice president and head of television physical production, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively. The company has additionally hired Lauren Deitch from Netflix as vice president of television development and production.

Fifth Season is the studio behind Apple TV+ hit Severance; Thayer contributed to that one in her former role as senior vice president and deputy head of television production. She’ll continue reporting to Todd Sharp, Fifth Season’s president of production and current; Deitch will report to Jill Arthur and Noah Greenshner, executive vice presidents of television development and production.

“Sheridan’s advancement reflects the exceptional impact she has had on Fifth Season’s television division over the past few years,” Sharp told THR. “I’ve been fortunate to work alongside her during multiple stages of her career, so I know firsthand her quality and the...