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Naomi Ackie, the multi-faceted actress from Mickey 17 and Blink Twice, is joining the Dcu in Clayface.

Ackie is in early talks to join the up-and-coming Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries, who is playing the titular supervillain in the movie from Speak No Evil director James Watkins. Reading sessions took place in England last week with Ackie emerging as the choice. Formal negotiations are due to begin this week, according to several sources.

Mike Flanagan wrote the script for Clayface, a body horror thriller centered on a Batman villain known for his ability to alter his appearance.

The project is described as having shades and structure of The Fly, David Cronenberg’s 1986 that starred Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis and centered on the tragic relationship between a scientist who becomes fused with the DNA of a fly and the journalist writing about his discovery.

Clayface, which sources have said will have...

She's been to outer space in 3 Body Problem and the future in Alita: Battle Angel, but Eiza Gonzálezalmost ended up in a galaxy far, far away. However, she didn't realize what she was auditioning for until she met J.J. Abramsin person. The actor talked about her experience auditioning for a mystery movie that turned out to be Star Wars: The Force Awakens with Jesse Tyler Ferguson on his Dinner's On Me podcast.

At the time unknown outside of Mexico and not having an agent, publicist, or manager, González went into the audition not knowing what the film was. She read for the part three or four times before signing a non-disclosure agreement (which she had never heard of) and meeting with the director. She walked in and met Abrams, and suddenly realized that she was auditioning for the then-unreleased Star Wars sequel trilogy. She had never actually watched Star Wars,...

The third day of Cannes was noticeably sleepier, but what could compete with Tom Cruise and the cast and crew of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” storming the Croisette?

Broken silence

On the first day of the Cannes Film Festival, a letter was published condemning the silence of the Hollywood film industry over Israel’s military action in Gaza. Now, more A-listers have added their names to the list, including Joaquin Phoenix (whose “Eddington” premieres at the festival Friday), jury president Juliette Binoche, Riz Ahmed, Jim Jarmusch, Michael Moore and Guillermo del Toro, whose long-awaited take on “Frankenstein” opens later this year.

“Since the terrible massacres of 7 October 2023, no foreign journalist has been authorised to enter the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army is targeting civilians. More than 200 journalists have been deliberately killed. Writers, filmmakers and artists are being brutally murdered,” the letter stated.

What spurred the letter, specifically, was...

Joaquin Phoenix, Juliette Binoche, Pedro Pascal, Riz Ahmed and Guillermo del Toro are among a group of figures to have added their names to a letter condemning the film industry for its “silence” over the ongoing and deadly impact of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

The letter, published on the first day of Cannes and initially signed by more than 370 actors and filmmakers, also condemned Israel’s killing of Fatma Hassona, the protagonist of festival-bound doc “Put Your Soul in Your Hand and Walk.”

The new signatories also includes the likes of Rooney Mara, Jim Jarmusch, Omar Sy, Peter Straughan, Camille Cottin, Michael Moore, Boots Riley and Alice Rohrwacher.

The letter urged cinema — which it said was a “breeding ground for socially committed works” — to use its art form to “draw lessons from history, to make films that are committed” and to be “present to protect oppressed voices.”

The...

While Warner Bros. has yet to officially confirm themselves, thanks to a since-deleted WGA filing, reports from test screenings, and clues that can be deduced from the official trailer, Paul Thomas Anderson will be delivering his second Thomas Pynchon adaptation this fall with One Battle After Another. Along with Vineland updated for the modern era, following the director’s Inherent Vice a decade ago, Pynchon fans now have another major reason to celebrate this fall.

Pynchon, the genius whose reclusivity might only be matched by Terrence Malick, will release his first novel since 2013’s Bleeding Edge this October. About 12 days after One Battle After Another hits theaters on September 26, Pynchon’s Shadow Ticket arrives on October 7, Penguin Random House announced early this morning. See below a synopsis for the novel (clocking in at 384 pages) which one can pre-order here.

Milwaukee 1932, the Great Depression going full blast, repeal of Prohibition just around the corner,...

One of the directors of No Other Land is calling out the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science letter, and he isn't alone as he has support from major A-list stars. On Mar. 24, Hamdan Ballal, the co-director of the Oscar-winning Best Documentary Feature film No Other Land, was assaulted by Isreali settlers and detained near his home by the Israeli armed service. After 24 hours, when he was blindfolded and held at an Israeli army base and fearing for his life, Ballal was released.

No Other Land's Yuval Abraham, one of the film's four co-directors alongside Ballal, criticized the Academy's failure to support Hamdan following his arrest. It wasn't until after the director publicly criticized the Academy leadership that they sent out an open letter to Academy voters. Via Deadline, the Academy's letter said they were against “harming or suppressing artists for their work or their viewpoints” but also...

Updated: Hamdan Ballal and his fellow “No Other Land” filmmakers are expressing gratitude to top members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for signing a letter urging Academy leadership to take a stronger stance in condemning an attack on Ballal by Israeli settlers.

The Academy released a statement Wednesday condemning “harming artists” but did not name the individuals involved. By Thursday morning, a letter began circulating among AMPAS members criticizing the Academy’s leadership for failing to publicly support Ballal.

As of Monday afternoon, nearly 900 Academy members — including actor Mark Ruffalo, director Ava DuVernay and Oscar-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón — had signed the letter denouncing the Academy’s silence following Ballal’s reported detainment by Israeli authorities. Most recent signatories include J.J. Abrams, Guillermo del Toro, Ben Affleck, Jane Fonda and more.

Ballal and his fellow “No Other Land” directors shared the following letter with all the signatories:

Dear friends,...

A new open letter signed by around 600 Oscar voters, including Ava DuVernay, Olivia Colman and Javier Bardem, has criticized the leadership of the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its initial response to the recent assault and arrest of Oscar winner Hamdan Ballal.

“It is indefensible for an organization to recognize a film with an award in the first week of March, and then fail to defend its filmmakers just a few weeks later,” the open letter updated Friday and signed by AMPAS members across a range of genres, including documentaries, stated.

The AMPAS voters were reacting to a statement put out Wednesday by Academy leaders Bill Kramer and Janet Yang that suggested the beating and arrest of recent Oscar-winner Hamdan Ballal is something Academy members will have “many unique viewpoints” on.

Other well-known Academy members who signed the letter include Mark Ruffalo, Oscar-winning Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer,...

When the world is falling apart, sometimes the only thing left to do is laugh - these films get it.

I saw Bong Joon-ho’s new movie over the weekend, “Mickey 17,” which can only be described as a sci-fi black comedy. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, but it was one of the most visually beautiful movies I’ve ever seen. If you want to check it out, definitely try to see it in theaters, as the small screen will not do this movie justice. Robert Pattinson is excellent as Mickey Barnes – who has one job: die. Again and again. As an ‘expendable’ on a deep-space colonization mission, he’s used to being replaced — until he refuses to go quietly, sparking a darkly comedic showdown between a man who won’t stay dead and the system that keeps trying to kill him. It’s a really great sci-fi premise,...

After a heartbreaking loss to Mikey Madison (Anora) for the Best Actress Oscar, The Substance's Demi Moore's 1996 box office bomb, Striptease, is climbing the global Max top 10 chart. Released during the prime summer season, the film was supposed to be a high-profile box office hit, but ended up being a massive financial failure in North America. It is widely considered one of the worst films of all time.

Striptease was based on Carl Hiassen's 1993 novel and follows Erin Grant, who lost her FBI job after her loser ex-husband, Darrell (Robert Patrick), was arrested for drugs. And soon after, she loses custody of her daughter, Angela to said loser ex-husband. Grant becomes a stripper at the Eager Beaver strip club in Miami, Florida, to get the $15,000 needed to file an appeal for reprieve. Soon, she catches the eye of a creepy Congressman named David Dilbeck (Burt Reynolds).

The movie...

The Sls Hotel in Beverly Hills was filled with pride and tears of joy on Monday night as the American Black Film Festival recognized five actors for their contributions to cinema at the 2025 ABFF Honors.

Captain America: Brave New World star Anthony Mackie commenced the awards presentation portion of the ceremony — hosted by comedian Zainab Johnson — by recalling words of wisdom his Marvel film co-star Giancarlo Esposito — known for early roles in Spike Lee’s School Daze and Do the Right Thing and most recently Breaking Bad, Kaleidoscope and The Gentlemen — imparted to him when he was an aspiring actor.

“He said, ‘Look here, man. You want to be a working actor, you have to work to work on your craft,’” Mackie shared. “’Sometimes that means you won’t get paid. The value is in working on your craft.’”

Esposito, who received the Excellence in the Arts Award, echoed a...

When it comes to how they navigate Hollywood, Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun might be soulmates. They both catapulted to fame thanks to massive, culture-defining genre properties only to eschew a traditional movie star path for something more eclectic. Stewart flocked to the atmospheric worlds of French director Olivier Assayas...

It’s hard to imagine an occasion that would make Sara Bareilles nervous, considering that the Grammy Award winner is a veteran of stages far and wide. But Friday night’s Celebrating Sundance Institute fundraiser at Park City’s Grand Hyatt Deer Valley proved to be such an event.

Upon taking her place in the ballroom lights to close out the starry event, Bareilles admitted that it was the “fancy room” that sent her nerves into overdrive. The fundraiser saw a long list of honorees and presenters take the stage including A Complete Unknown filmmaker James Mangold, Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, Sundance Institute’s Michelle Satter, Glenn Close, Joel Edgerton, Marielle Heller, R.J. Cutler and Tessa Thompson. Guests making the rounds included Jon Hamm, Boots Riley, Kimberly Peirce, Roger Ross Williams and more.

Or maybe it was because the film that brought her to Sundance this year means so much to her.

James Mangold misses the era when movies weren’t embarrassed to make audiences feel something. The director of the Bob Dylan musical biopic “A Complete Unknown” and comic book adaptation “Logan” believes there’s a growing hostility to films that wear “their hearts on their sleeve.”

“Most of my generation, my peers, have been generally fascinated by irony or detachment. I never felt completely at home in that idiom because I felt those [films] were cool and clever, but not necessarily moving,” the newly minted Oscar nominee said at Sundance’s annual gala on Friday night, where he was feted with the second-ever Trailblazer Award (the first was bestowed to Christoper Nolan in 2024). “Movies that put their feelings on the line, the way we talk about them and use words like melodramatic or chewing the scenery or too much, we kill some of the fearlessness [of directors].”

Mangold expressed his excitement in returning to Sundance,...

The Sundance Film Festival chose well in selecting the honorees for tonight’s Gala fundraiser at the newly opened Grand Hyatt Deer Valley.

Beyond freshly minted Oscar nominees Cynthia Erivo and James Mangold in the house to receive the Visionary Award and Trailblazer Award respectively, it was Michelle Satter — the Founding Senior Director of Artists Program for the Sundance Institute — whose stirring speech unified the high-profile packed ballroom.

Satter was recognized for her decades-long commitment to nurturing artists and cultivating independent film through the Sundance Labs. As many in the room knew and as Satter mentioned, she and her husband David Latt were among the thousands who lost their homes in the wildfires that scorched LA. Horribly, this tragedy came after Satter and Latt’s youngest son Michael, an advocate in the industry for social justice, was fatally shot in November 2023 at his Miracle Mile home in a senseless murder.

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This January, Hulu is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the highly anticipated release of the mystery crime thriller Paradise to the multiple new comedy shows like Going Dutch and Shifting Gears. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Hulu this month and have an 80% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the eight best movies that are coming to Hulu in January 2025 with an 80% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Paddington (January 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97% Credit – StudioCanal

Paddington is a live-action, animated, feel-good comedy film written and directed by Paul King. The 2014 film follows Paddington, a talking bear who migrates from the jungles of Peru to the Streets of London, where he begins living with the Brown family. Paddington stars Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walter,...

The 2024 Sffilm Rainin grant recipients have officially been unveiled.

IndieWire can announce that 17 feature films were awarded $425,000 in cash grants, benefitting 22 filmmakers. Two projects have especially buzzy producers: Joie Estrella Horwitz’s “Dreamland” is produced by recent “The Fire Inside” screenwriter and “Mufasa” director Barry Jenkins, while Lucy Liu is producing “Rosemead.”

The Sffilm Rainin grant is the largest granting body for the development and production of independent narrative feature films in the U.S. The flagship partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation specifically supports films that address social justice issues — the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges — in a positive and meaningful way through plot, character, theme, or setting.

Awards are made to multiple projects once a year, for screenwriting, development, and post-production. Recipients receive an unrestricted cash grant of up to $25,000 for screenwriting, development, or post-production, and a two-month residency at FilmHouse, Sffilm’s artist residency space.

Demi Moore celebrated her 62nd birthday by eating spicy wings and reflecting on Ghost. On Friday, the actress visited Hot Ones and went through every wing without flinching as she looked back at some of her most famous roles. Right away, host Sean Evans asked about her 1990 hit co-starring Patrick Swayze, and her remarkable skill at crying onscreen.

“Ghost scared the crap out of me,” she told Evans. “To be such a young person dealing with the loss of your partner… In reading the script, I was so overwhelmed at...

The annual Sundance Film Festival gala fundraiser has unveiled its 2025 honorees. Known as “Celebrating Sundance Institute,” presented by Google TV, the gala will bestow the Vanguard Awards to “Dìdi” writer/director Sean Wang, and “Sugarcane” co-directors Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie. Both features premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

“Dìdi” won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize for Best Ensemble Cast, before being acquired by Focus Features.

“For over a decade, Sundance has been my north star, symbolizing artistic excellence and bold, distinct voices,” Wang said of the honor. “It has since also become a community of artists, an unwavering support system, and a creative home for both myself and my first feature, ‘Dìdi (弟弟)’. As the recipient of several Sundance Institute artist development programs — Ignite, Taaf, and the Screenwriters and Directors Labs — I know firsthand how deeply transformative that support can be for emerging storytellers.

The Sundance Institute announced today that Michelle Satter, Founding Senior Director of Artist Programs at Sundance Institute, will be honored at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival gala fundraiser, taking place at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah on January 24, 2025.

The event, dubbed Celebrating Sundance Institute, will see Satter recognized for her decades-long commitment to nurturing artists and cultivating independent film through the Sundance Labs, where artists convene to develop groundbreaking projects through an in-depth creative process.

Other honorees will include Dìdi filmmaker Sean Wang, as well as the Sugarcane duo of Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, who debuted their latest films at this past year’s festival and will respectively receive the Vanguard Awards for Fiction and NonFiction.

The Vanguard Award recognizes emerging artists whose work highlights the art of storytelling and creative independence. Past recipients have included Celine Song, Maite Alberdi, W. Kamau Bell, Nikyatu Jusu, Ryan Coogler,...

Demi Moore, whose performance in Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” as been praised as Oscar-worthy, will receive a career tribute at the French Cinematheque in Paris on Nov. 5, ahead of the movie’s local release.

The day-long retrospective and tribute are being co-hosted by Mubi, the global arthouse distributor and streamer which has successfully released the bold and bloody movie in the U.S., the U.K., Latin America, German and most other international territories, as well as Metropolitan which handles the French theatrical release, and the French Cinematheque.

The feminist body-horror movie stars Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, a recently fired daytime-tv who uses a black market drug that creates a younger version of herself, with dangerous side effects.

Underscoring Mubi’s big theatrical push, the movie already ranks as an indie hit, having grossed $53.6 million worldwide since its Sept. 20 release, including $14.5 million in North America. It’s Mubi’s biggest B.

The sports genre can tell every kind of story, from a heartwarming underdog's redemption to a swan song for an aging star or a comedic twist on the sport at hand. With Yassir and Isaiah Lester's The Gutter, the filmmaking duo attempt to strike a chord similar to the likes of the Farrelly brothers' Kingpin and Rick Famuyiwa's Dope, delivering broadly humorous jokes amid a tale of an unlikely bowling superstar. And while they do often find their own unique rhythm, the movie still often largely feels too familiar to fully stand out.

The Gutter

Director Isaiah Lester, Yassir LesterRelease Date March 12, 2024Writers Yassir LesterCast Paul Scheer, Susan Sarandon, D'Arcy Carden, Adam Brody, Kim Fields, Shameik Moore, Paul Reiser, Adam PallyRuntime 89 MinutesGenres Comedy

The Gutter is led by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's Shameik Moore as Walt, a ne'er-do-well twentysomething who lands a job at a local rundown bowling alley.

If the name Jharrel Jerome sounds vaguely familiar, it should. The 27-year-old actor made his debut in Barry Jenkins‘ drama film “Moonlight” (2016), and his career has been on an upward trajectory ever since. Following that performance, he appeared in Ava DuVernay’s Netflix miniseries “When They See Us” (2019) and Boots Riley’s limited series “I’m a Virgo” (2023). The rising star’s next role is “Unstoppable,” an underdog sports drama that had its world premiere at the recent Toronto International Film Festival in September (read our review).

Continue reading ‘Unstoppable’ Trailer: Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez & More Star In An Underdog Sports Drama at The Playlist.

After the success of his 2018 debut film Sorry to Bother You, producer, director, and screenwriter Boots Riley continues to make intriguing, unique projects, with the creator behind Amazon's miniseries I'm A Virgo bringing together an all-star cast for his next movie, I Love Boosters. Neon will be producing the film, which is said to be about a group of equal opportunists, or shoplifters, called "boosters." Audiences can surely expect Riley's visual style and wild concepts to come through in the film.

Known for his out-of-the-box ideas, Riley's next film will be sure to impress with it's star-studded cast. Keke Palmer, who recently starred in Jordan Peele's film Nope, The Substance star and Hollywood icon Demi Moore, and Blink Twice's Naomi Ackie are said to join Sorry To Bother You's Lakeith Stanfield in I Love Boosters (via Deadline). The film is set to begin production this fall and...

Sorry To Bother You director Boots Riley has brought together a strong cast for his new movie, I Love Boosters. More here.

2018’s Sorry To Bother You (pictured) was one of the most impressive films of that year. It was rich with ideas and it boasted the kind of visual and sonic design that could only emerge from a talented multihyphenate who works across film and music. That of course is Boots Riley and even more impressively, it was his debut feature film.

Five years on from the release of Sorry To Bother You, we haven’t seen Riley return to filmmaking. Instead, he’s been working in music, art and television. He wrote and directed I Love Virgo, the Amazon-backed 2023 show that like Sorry To Bother You, blended high-concept storytelling with dazzling production design.

Perhaps it didn’t work quite as well as his feature debut and that might...

Exclusive: The Black List won’t be releasing its 20th anniversary tally until later this year, but the Franklin Leonard-founded platform is rolling into the Bay Area with a new collaboration and a deep bench of partners.

Focusing on the talent-rich San Francisco and Oakland region, the brand new Bay List will announce 10 inaugural projects next summer. If you are part of the 415, 510 or 628 area codes, among others, you have until April 8, 2025 to submit an eligible project. Find out more info about Leonard and Blindspotting creator/showrunner Rafael Casal‘s brainchild here.

“I’ve been a longtime admirer of the arts community in the Bay generally so it was a no-brainer to jump in when Rafa reached out about being a part of it directly,” Leonard told Deadline on Tuesday. “Little did I appreciate just how big the Bay does things. It’s a real honor to be partnered up...

Leading premium podcast network Audacy Podcasts today announced a strategic partnership with acclaimed storytelling nonprofit The Moth to handle sales and distribution for the organization's award-winning podcast, including video, social and sponsorships for live events.

To date, The Moth's podcasts have been brought to listeners in partnership with Prx. Prx will continue to represent The Moth on public radio, which includes continued distribution of “The Moth Radio Hour” to more than 560 stations nationwide.

The Moth podcast feed will move to Audacy on January 1, 2025, and be accessible on the Audacy app and everywhere podcasts are available. The Moth will continue its release schedule with new and encore episodes of "The Moth Radio Hour" on Tuesdays and original episodes of "The Moth Podcast" on Fridays.

For over 27 years, The Moth has forged the modern storytelling movement, presenting over 60,000 true, personal stories to standing-room-only crowds at events and through storytelling workshops worldwide. Since...

Jharrel Jerome, the voice behind the evil Miles Morales teased at the end of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, says joining the beloved animated franchise is a dream come true. While the live-action superhero genre is having a turbulent time, its animated counterpart is thriving, thanks in large part to Sony's animated Spider-Verse movies. Following Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) after he's bit by a radioactive spider from another dimension, the Spider-Verse movies see Morales, a.k.a. Spider-Man travel the multi-verse, coming face to face with dozens of Spider-Man variants. While most are good, at the end of the latest film, Across the Spider-Verse, Morales meets his evil counterpart, who becomes The Prowler.

Speaking to Collider at the Toronto International Film Festival, Jharrel Jerome was asked what it meant for him to join such a beloved cinematic universe. For Jerome, it was a lifelong dream come true. "Its...

As this morning’s Emmy nominations prove, there may be less TV being made nowadays, but the quality certainly hasn’t declined with the quantity.

As widely expected, The Bear, Baby Reindeer, True Detective: Night Country and Shōgun were mentioned more than once by past Emmy winners Sheryl Lee Ralph and Tony Hale on Wednesday morning. As Television Academy Chair Cris Abrego said, “it was an exceptional year in television.” It certainly seemed exceptional that, for the first time in a long while, the names Succession and Ted Lasso were not heard when the nominations were read, as those multiple winners have wrapped up their runs.

Related: Emmy Nominations Analysis: Fresh Blood Livens Up The Race For TV Gold

There were surprises like the long-overlooked Reservation Dogs, which also has ended, but other names and shows that are far from wrapped up or new on the scene were overlooked. Our...

Jessica Alba, Lily Gladstone, Greta Lee, Catherine O’Hara, and S.S. Rajamouli, director of “Rrr,” are among the 487 artists and executives invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. With all expected acceptances, AMPAS membership will rise to 10,910 from 10,817 last year, with 9,934 members eligible to vote in the upcoming 97th Oscars in 2025—an increase from last year’s 9,375.

This year’s invitees include 44% women, a 4% increase from 2023, and 41% from underrepresented ethnic and racial communities, marking a significant 7% rise. The actors, casting directors, costume designers, documentary, executives, makeup artists and hairstylists branches have invited more women than men. The actors, directors, documentary, and writers branches mainly comprised artists from underrepresented communities.

The directors branch features the most impressive array of filmmakers from both international and domestic spheres, such as Lila Avilés (“Totem”), Jayro Bustamante (“La Llorona”), Jd Dillard (“Devotion”), Alice Diop (“Saint Omer”), Boots Riley (“Sorry to Bother You...

Four hundred and eighty-seven members of the global film community — among them Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone, Past Lives filmmaker Celine Song, CAA managing partner Chris Silbermann, and SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland — are receiving invitations on Tuesday to become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization announced this morning.

“We are thrilled to welcome this year’s class of new members,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “These remarkably talented artists and professionals from around the world have made a significant impact on our filmmaking community.”

Invitees who wish to accept, as the vast majority tend to, will join the specific branch of the Academy that invited them. Eight were invited by more than one branch — Michael Andrews (film editors and short films/feature animation), Bahram Beyzaêi (directors and writers...

Exclusive: Members of the Hollywood guilds are throwing their weight behind IATSE and the Basic Crafts as the below-the-line unions continue to chip away at new three-year deals with the studios.

Deadline has obtained a letter of solidarity signed by nearly 400 members across the WGA, PGA, DGA and SAG-AFTRA. Signatories include Alan Ritchson, Amy Schumer, Lily Waschowski, Boots Riley, Connie Britton, Chelsea Handler, Mark Ruffalo, Lamorne Morris, Gina Prince Bythwood, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Charlie Kaufman, Kerry Washington, Quinta Brunson, Natasha Lyonne, Ryan Coogler, Will Forte, and Sarah Polley.

The letter, addressed directly to the Alliance of Motion Picture Television Producers, urges the Carol Lombardini-led group to give the unions “a fair contract that acknowledges their essential contributions to production and allows these behind-the-scenes artists, artisans, and craftspeople to live and retire with dignity.”

“We support their requests for protectionists from emerging tech and AI, wage increases commensurate with cost of living increases,...

The nominations for the eighth annual Black Reel Television Awards are out. Topping the list is Genius: MLK/X, Season 4 of National Geographic’s biographical series, and Abbott Elementary is next with 12.

Amazon’s Prime Video leads all networks with 19 noms, fueled Gen V, I’m a Virgo, Them: The Scare and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The streamer edged rival Netflix, which received 19 nominations. But Netflix claimed the most nominated shows, with 11 titles receiving recognition vs. Prime Video’s four.

See the full list below. The Black Reel TV Awards will be handed out

Mr. and Mrs. Smith star Donald Glover nabbed four individual nominations, achieving a trifecta by being nominated for lead performance, directing and writing (twice). Michelle Buteau received nominations for comedic writing and acting in the freshman year of her Netflix dramedy Survival of the Thickest.

BET+ was the breakout network this year, garnering its first two...

“13-foot tall Black Man in Oakland.”

That’s how “I’m a Virgo” creator Boots Riley pitched his latest show to actor Jharrel Jerome. “This is the wildest title to an email I’ve seen. I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Jerome tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast. A week later, Riley was in his hotel room, with a briefcase painting a picture of how this show would look like – and he had mini figurines so Jerome could have a visual.

And yes, Jerome was concerned, he thought he’d be acting in front of a green screen all day long. But that wasn’t the case. Riley — who had the entire show mapped out in his mind, long before the streaming service was involved — wanted to do everything practical and in-camera. As part of that presentation, Riley showed how he’d use specific camera angles and...

The Deadline Studio at Prime Experience, featuring interviews with the cast and creatives from some of Prime Video’s buzziest TV programs in the awards-season race, recently wrapped its run on the sidelines of Prime Video’s FYC event.

Click here to watch all the panels.

This year’s lineup included conversations with the likes of Nicole Kidman and Lulu Wang from Expats; Donald Glover and Maya Erskine from Mr. and Mrs. Smith; Walton Goggins and Jonathan Nolan from Fallout; I’m a Virgo’s Jharrel Jerome and Boots Riley; Rosamund Pike and Rafe Judkins from The Wheel of Time; and Uma Thurman, Nicholas Galitzine, Taylor Zakhar Perez and Sarah Schechter from Red, White & Royal Blue.

Also sitting down, from the specials and unscripted side, were Garth Brooks to discuss his Amazon live concert event; Tig Notaro, Jenny Slate and Jim Gaffigan on their stand-up specials; and the creators of...

“Definitely the most challenging thing I’ve had to do thus far as an actor, a lot of mental gymnastics involved,” Jharrel Jerome admits about the uniqueness of his role in the Boots Riley-created absurdist series I’m A Virgo, on which he plays a previously extremely sheltered 13-foot-tall Oakland teen. “At no point do I look my scene partners in the eye, and as an actor that’s so critical, you know, as connection.”

Jerome, an Emmy winner for When They See Us, was joined by Riley and co-stars Olivia Washington and Walton Goggins, plus costume designer Deirdra E. Govan, for a conversation about their series at Deadline Studio at Prime Experience.

Watch the interview here and see photos from the event below.

Launched in June 2023 with all seven episodes, the small-screen debut of Coup frontman and Sorry to Bother You director Riley is a true display of originality...

Nearly a month after Jonathan Glazer’s Oscars speech reverberated across Hollywood and caused a wave of controversy, 455 Jewish creatives (and counting) have signed a letter in a show of support.

“We were alarmed to see some of our colleagues in the industry mischaracterize and denounce his remarks. Their attacks on Glazer are a dangerous distraction from Israel’s escalating military campaign which has already killed over 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation,” reads the letter, published amid the continued conflict in the Middle East. “We grieve for all those who have been killed in Palestine and Israel over too many decades, including the 1200 Israelis killed in the October 7 Hamas attacks and the 253 hostages taken.”

The letter is signed by a mix of actors, writers, producers, filmmakers and other creatives. Among those backing Glazer are Joker star Joaquin Phoenix; Killer Films vet Pamela Koffler...

Update: More than 300 Jewish creatives — including eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, “SNL” star Sarah Sherman, actor and documentarian Alex Winter and “Seinfeld” writer Larry Charles — have added their names to the list of signatories of an open letter in support of Jonathan Glazer’s Oscars speech.

The number of signees now sits at 492, having more than tripled since Variety first published the April 5 letter, which criticized the attacks on Glazer for being a “dangerous distraction” from the mounting death toll in Gaza while also contributing to the “suppression of free speech and dissent.”

New additions also include Oscar-winning “Anatomy of a Fall” co-writer Arthur Harari, veteran U.K. producer and Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas, “Girls” co-showrunner and co-writer Jenni Konner and “The Hunger Games” writer and director and four-time Oscar nominee Gary Ross. Many members of the Israeli film community have also signed the open letter, including Oren Moverman, Nadav Lapid,...

Miriam Margolyes has called on all Jews “to shout, beg, scream for a ceasefire” in Gaza as the Palestinian territory continues to deal with rising death tolls and, according to aid agency Unrwa USA, is facing a “man-made famine.”

The veteran British-Australian actress and activist, who is best known for starring as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film franchise, released a video on Saturday via the Jewish Council of Australia, in which she said Israel’s prosecution of its war in Gaza has left her “so ashamed of Israel.”

She added, “To me, it seems as if Hitler has won. He’s changed us Jews from being compassionate and caring and do unto others as you would have them do unto you into this vicious, genocidal nationalist nation, pursuing and killing women and children.”

Margolyes said that she condemned Hamas’ actions. On Oct. 7 last year, Hamas launched a terrorist...

In the weeks since the 2024 Academy Awards, figures throughout Hollywood have continued to declare their support for director Jonathan Glazer. While accepting the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film for The Zone of Interest, a film that centers on the Holocaust, the Jewish director criticized the dehumanization of “victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza.”

The most recent show of support comes from an open letter signed by more than 150 Jewish creatives, including Joaquin Phoenix, Elliott Gould, Ilana Glazer, Chloe Fineman, Todd Haynes,...

More than 150 Jewish industry professionals, including Joaquin Phoenix, Joel Coen, and Todd Haynes, have lent their names to a new open letter penned in support of Jonathan Glazer’s much-debated Oscars acceptance speech. Scroll down to read the full letter and list of names.

The full list of signatories first reported on by Variety features 151 names from across the film and TV world like Sorry to Bother You filmmaker Boots Riley, veteran indie director Nicole Holofcener, British auteur Mike Leigh, Passages filmmaker Ira Sachs, and Gossip Girl actor and writer Tavi Gevinson. Deadline was handed a copy of the letter and its signatories. We have also contacted reps for several names listed to confirm their involvement.

The open letter states that the signees “support Jonathan Glazer’s statement from the 2024 Oscars,” adding they have been “alarmed” to see their industry colleagues “mischaracterize and denounce his remarks.”

“Their attacks on Glazer...

Cinereach has announced a new direction for the organization under the leadership of new CEO Jennifer Strachan.

Cinereach will primarily operate as a media incubator focused on narrative research and strategy development, with the goal of advancing stories that spark greater curiosity, understanding, empathy, and agency. Cinereach’s production work will also expand beyond film, to new and emerging media platforms.

Under Strachan’s leadership, Cinereach has developed a proprietary research method, produced in collaboration with community partners and issue experts. Cinereach’s researchers and partners will deconstruct social issues, map out their ecosystems, and ultimately identify highly entertaining narrative opportunities for film, television and emerging media. They’re currently incubating topics with partners including: climate visibility in partnership with Good Energy, civic leadership with Partnership for Public Service, and Black female identifying creators in partnership with Soul Center.

“Cinereach has and always will be committed to telling powerful stories in collaboration with great storytellers,...

The 2024 Independent Spirit Awards took place on Sunday at the traditional Santa Monica beach tent location, with Aidy Bryant hosting. “Past Lives” took home the coveted Best Feature award, with “Beef” being honored as Best New Scripted Series. Check out the full list of winners and nominees below.

Best Feature

“Past Lives”

Producers: David Hinojosa, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon

“All of Us Strangers”

Producers: Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Sarah Harvey

“American Fiction”

Producers: Cord Jefferson, Jermaine Johnson, Nikos Karamigios, Ben LeClair

“May December”

Producers: Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Grant S. Johnson, Pamela Koffler, Tyler W. Konney, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Christine Vachon

“Passages”

Producers: Michel Merkt, Saïd Ben Saïd

“We Grown Now”

Producers: Minhal Baig, Joe Pirro

Best Lead Performance

Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”

Jessica Chastain, “Memory”

Greta Lee, “Past Lives”

Trace Lysette, “Monica”

Natalie Portman, “May December”

Judy Reyes, “Birth/Rebirth”

Franz Rogowski, “Passages”

Andrew Scott, “All of Us Strangers”

Teyana Taylor,...

Sorry to Bother You is a strange movie that became a surprise hit when it opened in the summer of 2018. Made on a budget of $3.2 million, the movie earned $18.3 million worldwide. The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews from critics. Yet despite all the critical acclaim and rather impressive box office numbers considering its minor budget, it has largely been forgotten about and ignored in recent years and also failed to grab any major award nominations in its year of release.

This capitalist satire, directed by rapper Boots Riley, says a lot about where our world is going while also doing it in the most surrealist, fun, scary, and confident ways. Led by Lakeith Stanfield and with great supporting performances by Tessa Thompson, Steven Yeun, and Danny Glover. There are many twists and turns in the movie that aren't going to be spoiled here, but what's...

Following a turbulent year marked by dueling industry strikes and the violent contraction–if not yet full pop–of the streaming bubble, 2024 has thus far been pretty good to Hollywood. It certainly helps that we’re in the middle of awards season, which for cineastes amounts to a three-month holiday largely characterized by voluminous binge-watching. And not just binge-watching of the year’s top films. For the curious, the season also offers up a smuggler’s bounty full of talking special post-screening Q&As, roundtables, filmmaker panels, celebratory cocktail receptions and more.

Traditionally Film Independent’s Directors Close-Up series has been a little bit of all of the above, presenting behind-the-scenes insight into the year’s most important works of cinema, straight from the mouths and brains of filmmakers themselves. As the virtual portion of this year’s programming winds down (see below), we’re looking ahead now to our...

Mubi has unveiled their February 2024 lineup, featuring Roy Andersson’s little-seen 1991 short World of Glory, Nicole Holofcener’s Lovely & Amazing starring Catherine Keener with an early Jake Gyllenhaal performance, and special Black History Month selections: Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer, Kasi Lemmon’s Eve’s Bayou, Carl Franklin’s One False Move, and more.

Check out the lineup below, including recently added January titles, and get 30 days free here.

Just-Added

American Movie, directed by Christopher Smith | Festival Focus: Sundance

Pieces of April, directed by Peter Hedges | Festival Focus: Sundance

The Blair Witch Project, directed by Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez | Festival Focus: Sundance

But I’m a Cheerleader, directed by Jamie Babbit | Festival Focus: Sundance

Secretary, directed by Steven Shainberg | Festival Focus: Sundance

Medicine for Melancholy directed by Barry Jenkins | First Films First

Antiviral, directed by Brandon Cronenberg | First Films First

Shithouse, directed by Cooper Raiff | First Films First

Age of Panic,...

After being postponed due to the strikes, the 14th annual Governors Awards will take place Jan. 9. Honorary Awards will be presented to Angela Bassett, Mel Brooks and editor Carol Littleton, with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award bestowed upon the Sundance Institute’s Michelle Satter.

Satter might have a shorter IMDb page than her fellow honorees, but her work at the institute founded by Robert Redford has influenced the industry across genres and borders, helping to launch or steer the trajectories of many of Hollywood’s leading artists.

As the founding director of Sundance’s feature film program (the institute’s inaugural program), Satter has supported and spurred on early works by some of today’s most in-demand filmmakers, including Damien Chazelle, Ryan Coogler, Boots Riley, Lulu Wang, Paul Thomas Anderson and Quentin Tarantino, to name just a few.

“For over 40 years, I have had the incredible opportunity to develop and...

Boots Riley is an interesting man. Maybe it’s because of his musical background or just his own clear idea of his creative journey, but he definitely marches to the beat of his own drum. After making one of the most stylish directorial debuts of the past 10 years with “Sorry to Bother You,” he didn’t turn that success into a golden ticket to make a blockbuster or another high-profile film.

Continue reading Boots Riley’s New Film Is Said To Be About Female Shoplifters & Will Be Released Via Neon at The Playlist.

The director of 2018’s Sorry To Bother You – Boots Riley – is finally getting his next film up and running with Neon backing the project.

If you saw Sorry To Bother You in cinemas back in 2018, whether you loved it or hated it, there was no arguing that the film heralded the arrival of a filmmaker with ideas.

It was one of this writer’s favourite films of the year, attacking corporate-driven American culture through clever satire, compelling weirdness and unbridled creativity. I dug into the sheer design of the film in fact back in 2020, right here.

Boots Riley was the filmmaker behind Sorry To Bother You and in the years since, we haven’t seen a cinematic follow-up from him. Riley did create the Amazon series, I Am Virgo. That was another big creative swing, although for this writer at least, perhaps a switch to longer-form storytelling lost some of...

RedBird Imi, the media investment firm headed by ex-CNN chief Jeff Zucker, has made an investment in Media Res, the studio behind Apple TV+’s hit series “The Morning Show.”

Financial details of the deal weren’t disclosed. It’s the first investment by RedBird Imi into scripted entertainment. Media Res founder and CEO Michael Ellenberg will retain a majority ownership and continue to run day-to-day operations of the company, while Zucker will take a seat on the board.

Media Res, based in L.A., said it will use the investment to “strike new strategic partnerships” and to continue its mission of “championing artists’ original ideas and sourcing projects from exceptional IP.”

Season 3 of “The Morning Show,” starring and executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, last month became the most-watched drama to date on Apple TV+. Media Res’ current slate includes the second season of the Apple TV+ series “Pachinko,...