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2024 was full of celebrated movies, with one reason for their success being the hired onscreen talent. To carry a sci-fi epic, an animated feature, or an enthralling drama, the ideal cast is required to move the story forward. Even better, the cast needs capable big-name stars, as well as some intriguing newcomers, to persuade people to check out the movies in the theater.

As seen by these entries, audiences turned up to their local movie theaters to see recognizable and excitingly new movie stars. These original films and long-awaited sequels received praise for having tons of creativity, but an even bigger highlight was that they had some of the most insanely stacked casts of the year. From legacy sequels such as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Gladiator II to animated hits like Transformers One and The Wild Robot, these 2024 movies had unbelievable ensemble casts.

If's Live-Action And Voice Casts Had Many...

Diane director/screenwriter Kent Jones on his terrific cast: "I'm working on a movie with Andrea Martin? That woman is a genius. So is Mary Kay, obviously. You know, Joyce Van Patten, I just watched Mikey and Nicky before I made the movie." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

In the final instalment of my conversation with Kent Jones on Diane, which stars Mary Kay Place and is executive produced by Martin Scorsese, we discussed the casting by Jodi Angstreich of Joyce Van Patten, Andrea Martin, Deirdre O'Connell, Estelle Parsons, Barbara Andres, and Phyllis Somerville in meaningful roles, watching Elaine May's Mikey and Nicky before filming, the soundtrack that includes Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, John Cage, Right Said Fred, the Peppermint Trolley Company, and what is or is not a MacGuffin.

Kent Jones: "Mary Kay and I talked about what she would move to and that would be the Leon Russell song.

Kent Jones accepts Tribeca Film Festival Founders Award from Jane Rosenthal, Fiona Carter (At&T), and Robert De Niro Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

In the second instalment of my conversation with Diane director/screenwriter Kent Jones, he connects filmmakers Claire Denis, Olivier Assayas, David Fincher, Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, a scene from Martin Scorsese's Gangs Of New York between Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio, and his Diane team of Carisa Kelly and Debbie De Villa.

Diane, starring Mary Kay Place with a terrific supporting cast including Jake Lacy, Joyce Van Patten, Andrea Martin, Deirdre O'Connell, Estelle Parsons, Barbara Andres, Phyllis Somerville and Charles Weldon, will be having having its International Première in competition at the Locarno International Film Festival on August 3.

Kent Jones with Gone Girl director David Fincher at the 52nd New York Film Festival Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

At this year's Tribeca Film Festival, Diane was the big winner,...

Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal announced Diane as the winner of the Best Us Narrative Feature of the Tribeca Film Festival Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Hitchcock/Truffaut director Kent Jones's first feature Diane, executive produced by Martin Scorsese, with Mary Kay Place in the title role, took home three Tribeca Film Festival Awards, including Best Cinematography by Wyatt Garfield. The film has a terrific supporting cast including Jake Lacy, Joyce Van Patten, Andrea Martin, Deirdre O'Connell, Estelle Parsons, Barbara Andres, Phyllis Somerville, and Charles Weldon.

At The Roxy, Kent talked with me about his costume designer Carisa Kelly, Richard Bruno's work for Raging Bull, and the fact that costume design is just as much what Wendy Chuck does for Tom McCarthy's Spotlight and Alexander Payne's films as what Milena Canonero did for Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon. Kent spoke about the difference between growing up in...