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To celebrate the release of Jim Henson’s The Storyteller available from 24th February on DVD, we have 2 copies to give away to lucky winners!

From the creators of Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, this complete collection comprises of all 9 episodes of Jim Henson’s The Storyteller series narrated by John Hurt (The Elephant Man), plus all 4 episodes of Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Greek Myths narrated by Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore). Featuring both human actors and creations from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, The Storyteller won 2 BAFTA Awards and 1 Primetime Emmy Award.

Jim Henson’s daughter Lisa studied folklore as an undergraduate at Harvard, and suggested to her father that his creature shop could bring the European folk tales to life. It took 2 years for Academy-Award winning writer/director Anthony Minghella (The English Patient) to write, and perfect the nine original episodes. The series included the darker, scarier side...

Rafi Gavron and Shiloh Fernandez have joined the ensemble of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” sources close to the actors confirm.

The Universal film’s previously announced cast members include Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal and John Leguizamo.

Universal shared in December that the film “is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new Imax film technology. The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to Imax film screens for the first time.”

Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem “The Odyssey” remains one of the oldest pieces of literature still read by modern audiences. It chronicles the story of Greek hero Odysseus during his tumultuous journey home following the Trojan War.

Gavron is best known for his role in “A Star is Born” for director Bradley Cooper, opposite Cooper and Lady Gaga. He began his career...

Ralph Fiennes, the guest on this episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast — which was recorded last week in front of 2,000 people at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where Fiennes was honored with the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award in recognition of his Oscar-nominated performance in Conclave — has been widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest screen actors for more than 30 years.

To name just a few of the films in which the Englishman has shined: Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, Robert Redford’s Quiz Show, Kathryn Bigelow‘s Strange Days, Anthony Minghella’s The English Patient, István Szabó’s Sunshine, Neil Jordan’s The End of the Affair, David Cronenberg’s Spider, Fernando Meirelles’ The Constant Gardener, Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges, Stephen Daldry’s The Reader, Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker, Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, Luca Guadagnino’s A Bigger Splash...

Ralph Fiennes arrives for an interview with Deadline in the cramped manager’s office at the Prince Charles Cinema just off London’s Leicester Square and it is too small to swing a cat. “Mind your head,” he calls to a visitor about to be knocked out by a low beam.

“Is this divine intervention?” I joke. It’s a pertinent point, considering Fiennes plays Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, the Dean of Cardinals, the Vatican’s most powerful figure after the pope, in Edward Berger’s Conclave.

(L-r) Director Edward Berger and Ralph Fiennes on the set of ‘Conclave’

The role was gifted to Fiennes by producer Tessa Ross and has garnered the actor his third Oscar nomination, this time for Best Actor. His first Hollywood movie saw him get a Best Supporting nod for his role as the cruel Amon Göth in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List. And Fiennes’ first...

The 1990s were a golden era for the erotic thriller genre, producing films that masterfully blended sensuality with suspense. This decade saw the rise of provocative storytelling that delved deep into the complexities of human desire and power dynamics. If you loved the intricate power dynamics and steamy encounters in Babygirl, you’ll find plenty to enjoy in these seven 1990s Erotic Thrillers. Each explores themes of desire, control, and the dangerous intersections of love and power, making them perfect watches for fans of Babygirl. Whether you’re drawn to the psychological tension of Basic Instinct or the atmospheric intrigue of Eyes Wide Shut, these films capture the essence of what made the 90s such a thrilling time for cinema.

1. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut is a mesmerizing exploration of desire and secrecy. The film follows Dr. William Harford (Tom Cruise) as he navigates a clandestine...

Oscars are the most revered and sought-after award in the film industry. Even to be nominated for an Academy Award is a great achievement, let alone win one.

However, some movies are such embodiments of cinematic excellence that they bag the highest honor of the filmmaking realm in several categories. It will surely be a surprise to many, but the most Oscars ever won by a movie is 11, and three movies have done so in the 96 years of awards. And no, it’s not Titanic.

It is quite a complex task to rank masterpieces that the Academy highly acclaims. But here is an attempt to do just that.

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Credits: New Line Cinema

First on the list is the movie with the highest Oscar wins of the 21st century. The epic conclusion to...

Who said the French and British couldn’t get along? When they’re not lighting up the screen together in films like Anthony Minghella’s “The English Patient, the 1992 adaptation of Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights,” and recently in “The Return,” based on the last chapters of Homer’s “Odyssey,” pals and collaborators Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes enjoy just getting to spend a little time with one another. And thankfully, Criterion gave them the chance to do just that.

Stepping into the Criterion Closet, Binoche and Fiennes pretended not to know one another, but soon became quite intimate, a not-so-unforeseen side effect of the tight quarters they found themselves in. Binoche led most of the selection efforts, with the “Conclave” star serving as the curious pupil, having heard of many films she pulled down, but not actually having seen them. After coming across Jim Jarmusch’s moody prison comedy “Down by Law,...

Jude Law, the guest on this episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, is an Englishman who has been one of the world’s finest screen actors for some 30 years.

Twice Oscar-nominated before he was even 30, first for his breakout supporting turn in 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley and then for his first major leading role in 2003’s Cold Mountain, both of which were directed by Anthony Minghella, he has also been directed by Clint Eastwood, David Cronenberg, Steven Spielberg, Sam Mendes, David O. Russell, Kenneth Branagh, Mike Nichols, Martin Scorsese, Joe Wright, Steven Soderbergh, Wes Anderson, Paolo Sorrentino and Brady Corbet, among others.

And now, at the age of 51, he is starring on the well-received Disney+ series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and has given what many regard as his finest performance yet as an FBI agent on the hunt for white nationalists in 1980s Idaho in Justin Kurzel...

Jude Law’s career has been exceptional and he’s delivered some unforgettable performances. The actor has a wide range and has starred in psychological thrillers, as well as movies about the wizarding world. So we already know that Law loves to reinvent himself continuously.

Jude Law | Jimmy Kimmel Live / YouTube

But even with such an impressive repertoire, the role that he holds dear to his heart might surprise people. Law’s answer to a simple question reveals just how much that character and movie meant to him, and it’s something that you could never have guessed.

Jude Law Would Love To Play Dickie Greenleaf From The Talented Mr. Ripley Again Jude Law in The Talented Mr. Ripley | Paramount Pictures

In an interview with Collider, Jude Law was asked about the role that he would want to revisit, and without a second thought, he spoke about Dickie Greenleaf. After decades,...

Jude Law has been killing a wide range of roles since he broke out in Anthony Minghella’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley” in 1999. Twenty-five years later, Law’s latest performance as grizzled FBI agent Terry Husk in hardboiled ’80s actioner “The Order” is a departure: The actor not only masters an American accent, but he’s embodying a gun-wielding Western masculine archetype: rugged, angry, laconic, righteous. Think Clint Eastwood, although Law told me that he channeled Gene Hackman and Paul Newman in our video interview (above).

Law’s latest incarnation since he founded Riff Raff Entertainment in 2017: producer. “I love finding material,” he said. “I love reading. I love thinking about who would be good in what role and taking the reins and being able to nurture ideas. I still sit and hope that I get phone calls from certain filmmakers who are making their own things, but when...

Gwyneth Paltrow Never Watched Avengers Endgame ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Yep, you read that right. Gwyneth Paltrow, aka Pepper Potts herself, admitted she’s never watched Avengers: Endgame. “I stopped watching them at some point. I’ve never seen End Game. I can’t keep track of who’s what,” she said during a candid chat at the Red Sea Film Festival. And sure, she might get around to it someday, but for now? She’s good.

This wasn’t just a casual confession—it came during a career deep dive where Paltrow spilled on her Hollywood-to-Goop journey. “Entrepreneurship and acting are very similar. Both require the same kind of energy,” she told the crowd in Jeddah. And honestly, the woman’s been busy. From slaying the wellness game to managing inventory and P&Ls, she’s got her hands full.

But back to Marvel. It turns out that Gwyneth wasn...

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The shocking ending of Saltburn reveals the true intentions behind Oliver Quick's obsession with Felix Catton and the luxurious Saltburn estate. Ollie (Barry Keoghan) is introduced as a lonely outcast at the prestigious Oxford University who becomes unlikely friends with the larger-than-life Felix (Jacob Elordi) and his socially elite friends. Transfixed by Felix's carefree lifestyle and effortless ability to get everything he wants, Ollie devises a master plan of winning Felix over, which is fully revealed in the final moments of Emerald Fennell's provocative dark thriller.

Saltburn is the sophomore directorial effort by Fennell, who rose to prominence as a director with her Oscar-winning 2020 film Promising Young Woman which stars Carey Mulligan. The film has apparent similarities to the plot of Anthony Minghella's 1999 classic The Talented Mr. Ripley, in which Matt Damon's con artist protagonist Tom Ripley becomes enamored...

The filming of "Schindler's List" was, to put it mildly, a difficult experience for Steven Spielberg. Principal photography took place in Poland in and around many of the concentration camps where Jewish captives were murdered en masse. The weight should be too much for any human being to bear, and it absolutely cut through Spielberg. As he said in Joseph McBride's "Steven Spielberg: A Biography": "I was hit in the face with my personal life. My upbringing. My Jewishness. The stories my grandparents told me about the Shoah. And Jewish life came pouring back into my heart. I cried all the time."

This was not fertile grounds for laughs, but to get through the making of such a soul-scarring motion picture, Spielberg needed some semblance of levity. And so, when he knocked off for the day, he would repair to his quarters in Poland and find lighthearted solace...

Paul Engelen, the British makeup designer who earned two Emmys and two Oscar nominations in a fabulous career that included work on Reds, Batman, The Phantom Menace, Gladiator and Game of Thrones, has died. He was 75.

Engelen died Nov. 3 of cancer at his home in West Sussex, England, his son-in-law (and fellow makeup designer) Daniel Lawson Johnston told The Hollywood Reporter.

Engelen also did makeup for three James Bonds — Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig — on the 007 films The Man With the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), Die Another Day (2002), Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008).

He teamed with Blake Edwards on Victor/Victoria (1982), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) and Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), with Steven Spielberg on Empire of the Sun (1987) and Munich (2005) and with Ridley Scott on Gladiator (2000), Kingdom of Heaven (2005) and Robin Hood (2010).

Engelen shared his first Academy Award nom with Rick Baker...

“What a thrill to be here in the Criterion … cupboard,” said Jude Law as he cheekily hinted at his British sensibilities within what is actually — quite famously — known as the Criterion Closet. Though America has many faults, this is not one of them and we will forgive Law this grievous correction.

Taking a stop in the closet amidst promoting his period cop thriller “The Order” and the upcoming Disney+ series “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,” Law took home six films that reflect his broad appreciation for cinema and all it can offer. After pulling off Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Stalker” and discussing its “stillness” alongside another one of the filmmaker’s epic works, “Andrei Rubelev,” the actor selected a classic French film with connections to one of his earliest roles.

“So this holds a very special place in my heart. ‘Purple Noon’ or ‘Plein Soleil,’ which was the first realization of ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley...

Returning to Greece with the historical drama “The Return” proved an emotional affair for Juliette Binoche, Ralph Fiennes and director-producer Uberto Pasolini. “Meeting this dream, this need inside Uberto and his passion for the story… We were really moved,” said Binoche before bursting into tears alongside her co-star and director at the film’s press conference at the Thessaloniki Film Festival.

“It was moving because that is what you wish for as an actor,” continued Binoche with a quavering voice, while a visibly teary-eyed Pasolini sat alongside her. “We know how difficult it is [to get a film made]. When we had [Pasolini] go home with the hard drives he could work with and complete this wish, it felt like we were okay. We’re okay.”

“The Return,” based on Homer’s ancient Greek poem “Odyssey,” is a passion project 30 years in the making for the “Still Life” and “Nowhere Special” director, best known as the...

Some audiences might have first spotted Matt Damon during a notable dinner scene in Donald Petrie's hit 1988 drama "Mystic Pizza." Thereafter, Damon turned up as an extra in "Field of Dreams" and as one of the many handsome students in the 1992 boarding school thriller "School Ties," both of them with his longtime friend and collaborator Ben Affleck. Damon went on to score some considerable screen time in Edward Zwick's "Courage Under Fire" before delivering his first lead performance in 1997 in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Rainmaker." That same year, Damon and Affleck became acclaimed Academy darlings for writing and starring in Gus Van Sant's "Good Will Hunting." The pair won Oscars for their screenplay and have both been major Hollywood players since.

Damon, having gained the clout to be picky and the fame to be noticed, thereafter became attracted to projects by established directors. After having alreayd...

The Gotham Film & Media Institute will honor Franklin Leonard and his company, the Black List, with the Gotham Anniversary Tribute at its annual film awards ceremony in December.

The honor recognizes the 20th year of The Black List, which Leonard founded in 2005 as a platform dedicated to nurturing written storytelling and empowering writers to maximize their professional potential.

The award will be presented at the 34th annual Gotham Awards on December 2 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. With its timing just after Thanksgiving, the event typically helps sound the opening bell for the serious phase of Oscar season.

The Anniversary Tribute was created by The Gotham in order to recognize major milestones and influential individuals. Last spring, Mariska Hargitay received the honor at the inaugural Gotham TV awards for her outstanding run on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

“With the Black List, Franklin Leonard has undeniably...

Kate Hudson had to come out of her shell for her scene-stealing turn in Max Minghella’s TIFF-selected dark comedy “Shell.”

The feature, which was written and directed by Minghella and is led his “Handmaid’s Tale” co-star Elisabeth Moss, marks Minghella’s sophomore feature after his 2018 directorial debut “Teen Spirit.”

For Hudson, working with longtime family friend Minghella helped push her into the territory of camp onscreen. Hudson plays a guru-adjacent beauty cosmetics company CEO who enlists an aging actress (Moss) as a client. However, the company has a dark secret…

Kaia Gerber, Arian Moayed, Este Haim, and Elizabeth Berkley also star.

“When you’re making movies, you’re sort of reliant on [director] Max for the tone,” Hudson said of channeling her onscreen alter-ego of CEO Zoe during a recent conversation with IndieWire. “You’re sort of like, ‘How far do I go here? How much do I lean...

Hala Matar is the first of her kind. The director tells The Hollywood Reporter she is the first female Bahraini director to make a feature film. After growing up in the Middle East and studying theater at school, Matar studied in America at the University of Virginia. By mistake, she enrolled in a cinematography class, but it ended up changing the course of her life.

“I felt like it spoke to me more,” Matar says. “Because I feel like I communicate better visually. Theater concentrates on dialogue.”

Now, her most recent project, Electra, will get its premiere on Thursday at the Oldenburg Film Festival, which notoriously champions indie movies like Matar’s. Co-written with Daryl Wein and Paul Sado, Matar’s film is backdropped by a deliciously extravagant Italian palazzo where a journalist, Dylan (played by Wein), and his photographer girlfriend Lucy (Abigail Cowen) are staying with a relatively obnoxious...

On the heels of its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Aug. 31, Aussie filmmaker Justin Kurzel’s The Order arrived at the Toronto International Film Festival this week. And, as was the case on the other side of the ocean, the film — which King Richard Oscar nominee Zach Baylin adapted from Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt’s 1989 book The Silent Brotherhood, about the FBI’s pursuit of a domestic terror group in the 1980s — was largely embraced by critics and audiences. As for awards season prospects, it has one in particular: lead actor Jude Law.

The British actor is no longer the pretty boy you may remember from his Oscar-nominated turns decades ago in the late Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) and Cold Mountain (2003). Now 51, he has experienced plenty of personal and professional ups and downs; looks like he has; and, it turns out, has come...

Jude Law’s appearance as rich, beautiful playboy Dickie in the 1999 film The Talented Mr Ripley secured his international film stardom, but now the British actor has shared why he almost turned down the role.

Law told The Times of London that he was panicking about being typecast at that stage in his career. He said:

“It was delusion and madness. There was a panic in my head that I was going to be typecast as this good-looking guy. That’s where my 23-year-old brain was. What I missed, idiotically, were the complexities of that role, but honestly? I just wanted to be taken seriously.”

The Talented Mr Ripley film, also starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon and Philip Seymour Hoffman, was directed by Oscar winner Anthony Minghella and went on to make more than $120million at the box office. Based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith, it has recently been...

Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche reunited over a quarter-century after they starred together in the Oscar-winning The English Patient to star in the classical drama The Return, which had a world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Saturday night.

While Fiennes was not on hand at TIFF owing to acting duties back in Britain, Binoche paid tribute to her co-star as she insisted they share similar qualities, despite coming from different countries and backgrounds.

“I always love working with him (Fiennes), because there’s so much rhythm, around the weight of words, the weight of silence and still is. It’s very genuine,” Binoche told the Roy Thomson Hall audience after receiving a short, yet brisk standing ovation when The Return concluded.

“And I feel very much like, even though we’re husband and wife in this film, we’re like brother and sister. We’re very much alike,...

It’s been nearly 30 years since Juliette Binoche peeled a plum and slipped it into Ralph Fiennes’ mouth.

That’s the first scene between the actors in The English Patient (1996), with Binoche playing Hana, the nurse to Fiennes’ titular character, a severely burned and bedridden patient with a mysterious past. The rest, of course, is history. Anthony Minghella’s literary epic became a cinematic phenomenon, earning $232 million worldwide — still the highest-grossing film in the history of Miramax — and dominated the 1997 Academy Awards, taking nine Oscars, including those for best film and for Binoche, best supporting actress. Seinfeld even did an episode about the movie.

Now, Binoche and Fiennes have finally reunited onscreen in The Return, which has its world premiere on Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Toronto Film Festival (Bleecker Street is releasing across North America on Dec. 6, with HanWay Films selling the movie worldwide). Directed by Uberto Pasolini (Still Life,...

Is it wrong to say something good came out of fascism? Probably. And it should be noted that Venice International Film Festival’s founder, Guiseppe Volpi, though a leading figure within Italy’s National Fascist Party, did ultimately oppose Benito Mussolini‘s government and the country’s alliance with Germany and Adolf Hitler. Nonetheless, his legacy is tainted as a result of this association, even with his and his family’s massive contributions to cinema.

The Venice International Film Festival began in 1932 as a result of Italy’s growing appreciation and interest in film. The Floating City had already played host to an arts festival known as Venice Biennale since 1893, so this film section was tied in and quickly overshadowed all other showcases. The actual event is held on the island of Lido rather than in the city’s central hub. This location was chosen in order to increase tourism...

Shakespeare in Love Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow is returning to the big screen.

The Goop founder will join Timothée Chalamet in A24’s Marty Supreme, to be directed by Josh Safdie from an original screenplay he co-wrote with Ronald Bronstein. Plot details remain under wraps, but while it was previously rumored to be loosely inspired by a pro ping-pong player, the movie is said to be a fictionalized original film.

Paltrow’s most recent movie credit was five years ago in Avengers: Endgame, and she’s also starred in Sliding Doors, Proof, Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums, Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, David Fincher’s Seven, the Farrelly brothers’ Shallow Hal and Alfonso Cuarón’s Great Expectations during her long career.

Marty Supreme will be produced by Eli Bush, Anthony Katagas, Bronstein, Safdie, Chalamet and A24. The project reunites Safdie with A24 after the company produced his two most recent films,...

Matt Damon isn’t someone fans immediately think of when talking about superhero movies, but over the years, he has had a couple of surprise cameos that always catch viewers off-guard. In fact, he was in Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 2 but it seems like no one actually spotted him until a little later.

Matt Damon in Deadpool 2 / 20th Century Studios

This is because he wore prosthetics in the movie and was credited using another name. The backstory of his cameo is truly as interesting as the character he played in the film.

Matt Damon Was In Deadpool 2 But No One Knew About It

On Allen Tsai’s YouTube channel, he shared a fun fact about Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 2 movie that many fans are certainly not aware of:

In Deadpool 2, the redneck is actually Matt Damon with 4 hours of prosthetic makeup. He’s credited as Dickie Greenleaf,...

Casting director Avy Kaufman admits even she was skeptical when Steven Zaillian asked her to come on board to cast “Ripley,” the Netflix limited series based on Patricia Highsmith’s classic novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” The story had already been adapted to screen, most notably in Anthony Minghella’s Oscar-nominated 1999 film.

“At first, I was wondering why Steve was doing this,” Kaufman says bluntly. “I’ve been lucky enough to work with him on many other projects, so I know how talented he is, but to reboot is really risky.” But the final product, which boasts 13 Emmy nominations, including a nod for casting, quelled any doubts. “It’s like a piece of art,” Kaufman raves. “I was really impressed. It tells so many different stories and gets inside the characters. I just think it’s a masterpiece.”

Kaufman first worked with Zaillian on his feature directorial debut, 1993’s “Searching for Bobby Fischer...

Matt Damon is hesitant about reprising his role as Ripley due to his strong emotional connection to the original movie. The Talented Mr. Ripley is Damon's favorite film that he's made, and it holds deep personal significance for him. Damon finds it difficult to watch the new adaptation, Netflix's Ripley, despite rave reviews.

Matt Damon addresses potentially revisiting his role from The Talented Mr. Ripley after experiencing difficulty watching the new Netflix series. Damon starred in the 1999 film, directed by Anthony Minghella and based on Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel, as the titular talented Tom Ripley, a charismatic yet troubled young man who becomes involved in a perilous web of deception and murder after a wealthy businessman hires him to bring his son back from Italy. Netflix's new limited series, Ripley, is based on the same novel and stars Andrew Scott as the titular character.

During a recent interview with...

The Matt Damon-Affleck dream team continues, except not with Ben this time, but Casey. Doug Liman‘s upcoming Apple TV+ action thriller “The Instigators” celebrated its premiere in New York City on Wednesday, July 31 at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

While Matt Damon and Casey Affleck were just in a film together last year with “Oppenheimer,” we see the duo sharing nearly every second of screen time in this alongside each other as they seek to rob a corrupt politician’s ill-gained earnings. Affleck serves as a co-writer for this, his first writing credit since his 2019 post-apocalyptic drama “The Light of My Life.”

“First of all, [co-writer] Chuck MacLean had a great idea, Chuck had a fantastic beginning for the script,” Affleck told IndieWire. As for if he sought inspiration from any other films, he told us that “‘Midnight Run,’ ‘The Sting,’ and ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ were definitely talked about a lot.

In June 2014, Miramax Film Corp. and the Saul Zaentz Company settled a $20-million lawsuit over profit sharing on Zaentz’s 1996 Best Picture winner “The English Patient.” The celebrated film earned $232 million at the box office and a reported $75 million in video sales.

Zaentz claimed Miramax, then owned by Disney, had padded expenses to reduce the profits — thus reducing Zaentz’s percentage payout. Miramax, he argued, shouldn’t have deducted $17.5 million of theatrical advertising expenses, since the money also benefited the home entertainment release of the movie.

That wasn’t the only time Zaentz had battled over the backend — Hollywoodspeak for taking a percentage of the profits in lieu of a bigger upfront fee. In 2005, the music and movie mogul behind “Amadeus” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” reached an out-of-court settlement in his $20 million suit against New Line Cinema over foreign royalties from “The Lord of the Rings” movie trilogy.

Paramount has appointed former Showtime executive Geoff Stier executive vice president of production at the motion picture group.

Stier will report to motion picture group co-presidents Daria Cercek and Michael Ireland.

At Showtime he served as senior vice president of original programming, developing and supervising production on titles including Emmy-nominated Ripley for Netflix and Fellow Travelers for Showtime and Paramount+, as well as Halo on Paramount+.

Prior to Showtime, Stier was head of US production for Fabula for Pablo Larraín and Juan de Dios Larrain; and EVP of production at Paramount from 2009-2017, when he oversaw titles like True Grit,...

Anthony (Tony) Cianciotta, a Canadian film industry veteran of 50 years, has died. The well-regarded distribution and exhibition executive passed away peacefully on June 26. He was 85.

Cianciotta started his career in the film industry in 1965, in Toronto, as a key film buyer for the J. Arthur Rank Organization, which ultimately became Cineplex Odeon in 1980.

Following that, Cianciotta held a variety of prominent executive positions, including Vice President and General Manager at 20th Century Fox, Canada and Senior Vice President, Film at Cineplex Odeon, among others. He is perhaps most recognized for his tenure as Senior Vice President and General Manager of theatrical distribution at Alliance Releasing from 1992 to 1997.

Cianciotta is remembered for his ability to establish theatrical release strategies in Canada with great precision. From platforming groundbreaking films like Cinema Paradiso, Mediterraneo, The English Patient, Pulp Fiction and Trainspotting, to working on blockbuster such as the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise,...

The Canadian industry is paying tribute to distribution veteran Tony Cianciotta, who died last month (June 26). He was 85.

Cianciotta began his career in 1965 in Toronto as a film buyer for J. Arthur Rank Organization, which became Cineplex Odeon in 1980.

He went on to work in senior executive roles such as vice president and general manager at 20th Century Fox, Canada, and senior vice president, film at Cineplex Odeon, among others, before becoming senior vice president and general manager at Alliance Releasing from 1992-97.

In this role he championed Cinema Paradiso, Mediterraneo, The English Patient, Pulp Fiction and Trainspotting and many others,...

Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars, starring Clint Eastwood, is set for a remake now in development from Euro Gang Entertainment.

The classic film, directed by Leone in 1964, created the “spaghetti Western” and was itself a remake of Akira Korosawa’s 1961 film Yojimbo. The latest version will come from Gianni Nunnari and Simon Horseman’s Euro Gang Entertainment and Italian production partner, Enzo Sisti and Fpc S.r.l., and Rome-based Jolly Film, the film’s original producer and distributor.

Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars, about a drifting and detached gunfighter who plays two rival families against each other in a town torn apart by greed, pride and revenge, made Eastwood a star. A Fistful of Dollars was also the first of a trilogy that included For a Few Dollars More and The Good the Bad and the Ugly, films about the “man with no name” that starred Eastwood.

Exclusive: Saddle up! One of the great westerns is getting a remake.

Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood classic A Fistful Of Dollars is set for a movie remake from Euro Gang Entertainment, the company founded by Hollywood vet Gianni Nunnari (300) and Simon Horsman (Magazine Dreams), alongside Italian production vet Enzo Sisti (Ripley) of Fpc, and Rome-based Jolly Film, which produced the original movie.

Hit western A Fistful of Dollars is the story of a wandering gunfighter with no name who plays two rival families against each other in a town torn apart by greed, pride, and revenge.

The film, released in the mid ’60s, helped launch the “spaghetti western” genre and Eastwood’s career (and others including that of composer Ennio Morricone). Its huge success spawned two more films in an iconic trilogy also comprising For a Few Dollars More and The Good the Bad and the Ugly, all starring Eastwood.

Looking back to his claim to fame following 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, Jude Law is “proud” of how he handled all the extra attention and scrutiny.

The Oscar-nominated actor had already landed several movie and theater roles early in his career, but it was the Anthony Minghella-directed movie, in which he starred alongside Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow, that truly changed his life.

“It was just a wonderful period of my life,” Law recently told People magazine. “It felt like everything I’d hoped acting and that career could provide was happening.”

He added of the film, “The success, or the response it got, was life-changing. Really.”

While Law initially relished in his newfound Hollywood fame, he quickly realized some of the negative sides of the spotlight — the extra eyes on his private life.

“I think there was an expectation suddenly and attention to choices I was making,...

Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

What makes this show addictive is also what makes it disturbing, devastating and occasionally funny: its brutal honesty. Richard Gadd’s account of stalking and abuse spares no one, least of all his semi-autobiographical stand-in. But it also finds empathy for imperfect victims and troubled perpetrators alike — the latter played by Jessica Gunning with ferocious commitment. — Angie Han

Extraordinary (Hulu)

In a TV landscape teeming with superpowered folks, this series stands out — and not just because its protagonist, Jen (Máiréad Tyers), is the rare adult in her universe without a special ability. Really a quarterlife coming-of-age comedy in genre packaging, the second season digs even deeper into its characters’ psyches to explore themes as relatable as sexuality and loss. — A.H.

Fantasmas (HBO)

A show that could only have come from Julio Torres, the surreal mind behind Los Espookys, Fantasmas follows a writer trying to avoid being evicted.

The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss turned to the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy to help create their highly anticipated follow-up to Game of Thrones. Alongside Alexander Woo, they worked to parse a TV audience-friendly narrative from the popular, if scientifically dense, odyssey about an encounter with an alien civilization looking for a new and viable planet.

$34.49 $56.97 39% off Buy 'Remembrance of Earth's Past' trilogy on Amazon All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The author of six novels, Doerr won the Pulitzer Prize for his 2014 novel about two teenagers on opposite sides of World War II. The Netflix miniseries — which also follows the tandem stories of Werner, the orphan forced to enlist as a Nazi soldier, and Marie-Laure, a blind girl sending radio broadcasts for the Allied soldiers — has garnered criticism for its relative dreariness, but its source material is full of hope and,...

Jude Law has been teasing audiences for decades now. His looks, charm, tenacity, and willingness to channel that success in interesting, unexpected directions have always been admirable. But one of his riskier pivots — perhaps only in retrospect — was David O. Russell’s 2004 ensemble black comedy, “I Heart Huckabees.” Co-starring Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin, Jason Schwartzman, Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts, and many others, the film follows a group of interconnected lives all being investigated by “existential detectives.” Law had admired Russell and, unlike some of Russell’s past players, continues a relationship with the auteur to this day, but knows the film and the process of making it can be viewed with a negative light.

“The experience of making that film was bizarre,” said Law in a recent interview with Vanity Fair. “We were all there doing it for nothing, just loving being in each other’s company and playing. I remember fantasizing,...

The Talented Mr. Ripley is one of my favourite movies. The adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s first Ripley novel is a twisty tale of deception and murder, which features a fantastic ensemble cast, including Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Jude Law. Every element really came together perfectly, but Jude Law almost didn’t take part as he initially turned down the project.

While speaking with Vanity Fair, Jude Law revealed his fears of being typecast and the terrible advice he received from his agent at the time, which caused him to turn down The Talented Mr. Ripley.

“It’s not something I’ve necessarily ever shed light on before, but it’s certainly something that I’ve become aware of the older I’ve gotten. The reason I had that reaction [to Ripley] had a great deal to do with one of the agents I was with at the time,...

Charlie Hunnam is set to lead Ed Brubaker’s Prime Video graphic novel series Criminal. He joins the previously announced series regular cast of Adria Arjona, Richard Jenkins and Kadeem Hardison.

Criminal is an interlocking universe of crime stories based on the multi-Eisner Award-winning graphic novel series created by Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

Hunnam stars as the protagonist, Leo, a brilliant master thief who sees all the angles, and specializes in plans with no guns and no violence. Like a chess player, Leo thinks three moves ahead. Other crooks think he’s a coward, especially compared to his father Tommy, who went to jail for murdering the most feared man in the city, Teeg Lawless.

As Deadline previously revealed exclusively, Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden are confirmed to direct the first four episodes. The series is executive produced by Brubaker and Jordan Harper, alongside Phillips,...

Exclusive: Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories has teamed with producer Monica Saunders-Weinberg to adapt Fiona McIntosh’s novel The Pearl Thief as a feature film. One Life screenwriter Nick Drake is attached to write.

The Pearl Thief is billed as a sweeping, epic story love and betrayal set between 1939 and the early 1960s. Saunders-Weinberg acquired the rights and took the project to Nine Perfect Strangers maker Made Up Stories, which then attached Drake to the project.

Synopsis reads: “The stakes are high in this gripping novel set between the city of Prague and its snowy woodlands on the cusp of World War II, and later in the streets of Paris, London, and the heather-covered moors of Yorkshire in 1963.”

The plot will follow Katerina, a museum curator determined to overcome the trauma of her past and avenge the pain inflicted upon those she loved and those she’ll never know.

On June 6, the 2024 IndieWire Honors ceremony will celebrate 13 creators and stars responsible for some of the most stellar work of the TV season. Curated and selected by IndieWire’s editorial team, the event is a new edition of previous IndieWire Honors ceremonies, this time focused entirely on television. We’re showcasing their work with new interviews leading up to the Los Angeles celebration.

Dakota Fanning is ready to argue. You name the time, the place, and she’s ready to go.

“I can argue. I can outargue the best of ’em,” said Fanning. “My whole family and everyone that knows me [knows] I missed my calling: I could have been a good lawyer.”

Fanning’s portrayal of Marge Sherwood in Netflix’s “Ripley” suggests that the aspiring American writer who’s relocated to the Italian seaside may have missed her calling, too. Hiding behind that chirp of a name is a...

My guest this week is Andrew Scott.

In this episode we dig into Scott’s early start in a cereal commercial and his job in a bizarre supermarket, along with the “empathy game” that is acting, and how it cured him of a childhood speech impediment.

Scott also reveals his profound grief at the recent passing of his beloved mother, the legacy of kindness she left him with and why she was “a total hero”.

In Netflix’s limited series Ripley, Scott plays the titular role of Tom Ripley, a scheming grifter set on inserting himself into the life of rich playboy Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn). Based on the novels by Patricia Highsmith, Anthony Minghella’s 1999 film version, The Talented Mr. Ripley, starred Matt Damon and Jude Law. Scott explains why this new series written and directed by Steven Zaillian stood out to him as a fresh and different take on the story,...

In Netflix’s Ripley — Steven Zaillian’s foray into the world of con man Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott) based on Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley — Eliot Sumner’s Freddie Miles is English. Considering that in both the book and previous 1999 movie, the character is very American, the singer-actor took a risk with the audition.

“I got sent the audition in February 2021, and this was still pandemic time, so I’d been doing a lot of tapes but not getting much work, and this one comes up and I couldn’t really believe it,” says Sumner, whose parents are Sting and actress Trudie Styler. “I thought that I definitely wouldn’t get it. I did it the way that I heard it in my head, and I risked it all by playing Freddie as an English person. Intuitively, I thought it might add some contrast to the rest of the characters.

Exclusive: Radhika Apte (Sister Midnight), Naveen Andrews (The Dropout) and Ken Leung (Avatar: The Last Airbender) have signed on to star opposite the previously announced Sky Yang in Last Days, the next film from the Fast & Furious franchise’s Justin Lin.

Based on the Outside Magazine article The Last Days of John Allen Chau by journalist Alex Perry, this is the story of John Allen Chau, who believes he has been chosen to save the souls of the uncontacted tribe of North Sentinel Island. Designated as a protected site by the Indian government, John sets on a harrowing journey to proselytize the Sentinelese in his desperate search for identity, purpose, and belonging.

Written by Ben Ripley (Source Code), and marking Lin’s return to his indie roots, the film has just kicked off production in Thailand. In addition to directing, Lin is producing through his Perfect Storm Entertainment, overseen...

This coming weekend, the Saxophone Museum in Fiumicino will become a focal point for music enthusiasts as it hosts two days dedicated to celebrating the rich sounds of one of the most revered wind instruments, the saxophone. The events, scheduled for Saturday, May 4th, and Sunday, May 5th, aim to blend music, education, and jazz history in a dynamic showcase.

The weekend kicks off on Saturday at 6:30 Pm with a performance by the Jam Session band, an exceptional ensemble comprised of thirteen young musicians. This free concert is open to the public and stands as a homage to the power of music as a universal language, a cultural bridge, and a tool for social integration. Featuring a vibrant and energetic repertoire that includes some of the most celebrated pieces by Duke Ellington, Robert Johnson, Joan Tizol, Dizzy Gillespie, Walter Donaldson, Kansas J McCoy, and Herbie Hancock, the performance is...

“Film is forever.”

Nicole Kidman, the 49th recipient of the prestigious AFI Life Achievement Award, made her acceptance speech on the Dolby Theatre stage on Saturday, April 27 about the filmmakers who’ve shaped her career — and her love for movies and storytelling.

The Academy Award-winning actress was joined by presenters including her “Big Little Lies” co-stars Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep, a past AFI recipient who handed Kidman the honors at the night’s end. “Can I just say, Meryl Streep? I just loved you. I always loved you. I don’t know what it is. You’re a beacon of excellence and warmth and generosity, and you’ve been my guiding light. To see this from you, you have no idea. My husband can attest, my parents can attest, it’s always been you, and no one can touch you.”

Kidman’s opening remarks set the tone for a...

Hollywood legends gathered Saturday night to celebrate Nicole Kidman as she received the prestigious AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed by the American Film Institute.

The ceremony featured tributes from Kidman’s esteemed peers and collaborators, including Meryl Streep, Zoe Saldaña, Naomi Watts, Zac Efron, David E. Kelley, Morgan Freeman, Keith Urban, Aaron Sorkin and Reese Witherspoon. The audience also included Lee Daniels, Mimi Leder and “Expats” creator and director Lulu Wang along with Kidman’s co-stars Ji-young and Sarayu Blue. The 56-year-old Oscar-winning actress expressed her deep gratitude for her distinguished career.

Kidman was visibly moved by the accolades from numerous distinguished colleagues, including Miles Teller, who was personally cast by Kidman in his first-ever film role “Rabbit Hole ” which was also her first produced feature. However, her husband, Keith Urban, shared intimate details about their life together, highlighting when he entered rehabilitation for substance abuse five months into their marriage,...