News

The first official trailer for Ridley Scott's long-awaited historical action epic Gladiator II has arrived online and it's every bit as epic as you'd expect as Paul Mescal (Normal People; Aftersun; The Lost Daughter) squares off against 3x Primetime Emmy-nominee Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian; Game of Thrones; Narcos) and Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington (Training Day; Fences; Malcolm X).

As per the official synopsis, "Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.

A terrifying new trailer and poster for 20th Century Studios’ upcoming psychological horror film “The First Omen” is now available. The film, which is a prequel to the classic horror film franchise, opens April 5, 2024, exclusively in theaters nationwide.

When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate. “The First Omen” stars Nell Tiger Free (“Servant”), Tawfeek Barhom (“Mary Magdalene”), Sonia Braga (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Ralph Ineson (“The Northman”), with Charles Dance (“Game of Thrones”), and Bill Nighy (“Living”).

The film is directed by Arkasha Stevenson based on characters created by David Seltzer (“The Omen”), with a story by Ben Jacoby (“Bleed”) and a screenplay by Tim Smith & Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas...

1976's "The Omen" still holds a special place in the minds of most horror fans, introducing audiences to the adorable demon spawn known as Damien and subsequently rewriting genre rules for decades to come. It only took a couple of years for the original movie to get a (much less well-received) sequel, and there was even a full-fledged remake back in 2006, so it's not as if turning this property into a franchise is anything new. In a sense, maybe it was only a matter of time before even this untouchable classic ended up getting a prequel origin story of its own ... never mind the fact that the original had most of its backstory pretty much covered already. No matter — here comes the prequel "The First Omen"!

But what if we told you our hype for this prequel was increasing, and that's primarily due to the involvement of "Servant" star Nell Tiger Free...

Napoleon, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Joaquin Phoenix, has received a relatively low critical score of 66% on Rotten Tomatoes, falling short of Phoenix's recent movies. Only 2015's Irrational Man and 2018's Mary Magdalene earned lower critical scores for Phoenix in the past 13 years with 46% and 44%, respectively. Napoleon's score also pales in comparison to Phoenix's recent performances in C'mon C'mon (94%) and The Sisters Brothers (87%).

Napoleon has debuted with one of Joaquin Phoenix's lowest critical Rotten Tomatoes scores of the decade. Directed by Ridley Scott, the biopic follows Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) and Empress Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby) during their rise to power over France and all of Europe. The movie is set to release on November 21 in theaters, after which it will eventually be released on AppleTV+.

Despite boasting a star-studded cast, the early Napoleon reviews have reported a middling movie. Debuting at a 66 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing,...

The mouse taketh, the mouse giveth.

Following a massive release schedule shift that saw the Walt Disney Company moving most of its tentpole slate months into the future, including all MCU movies save for “Deadpool 3” into 2025, they announced Thursday they’re at least debuting “The First Omen” on April 5, 2024.

“The First Omen” centers on a young American woman who is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the Church, where she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate. The feature stars Nell Tiger Free (“Servant”), Tawfeek Barhom (“Mary Magdalene”), Sonia Braga (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Ralph Ineson (“The Northman”) and Bill Nighy (“Living”).

Arkasha Stevenson will direct a screenplay she cowrote with Tim Smith and Keith Thomas (“Firestarter”) based on characters created by David Seltzer (“The Omen...

Universal has ‘Trolls Band Together’, MetFilm has ‘Foe’ with Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal and Aaron Pierre.

Crime epic Killers Of The Flower Moon sets a new record for widest opening for director Martin Scorsese this weekend, starting in 701 cinemas – 200 cinemas more than the director’s previous widest opening.

Produced by Apple Studios, the film is released theatrically by Paramount Pictures in many international territories including UK-Ireland.

Killers is adapted by Scorsese and Eric Roth from David Grann’s 2017 nonfiction book of the same name. The narrative follows a series of murders of the Osage people in Oklahoma after oil is...

Oscar-winning cinematographer Greig Fraser was “devastated” when Warner Bros. announced that “Dune: Part Two” was shifting its release date from Nov. 2023 to March 2024.

“I was really ready to start talking about it,” he tells Variety. However, the move means he can focus his attention on his other film, Gareth Edwards’ $80 million visual spectacular “The Creator.”

Fraser shared co-cinematographer duties with Oren Soffer on the film, taking an experimental approach to shooting futuristic landscapes. The production aimed to create the grandness and visual scale of a huge blockbuster film, but on a more modest budget. And he achieved it.

“Gareth and wanted to maximize everyone’s toil on this,” Fraser shares. “So, when we put two actors in a room together with a camera, we looked at how many people we really needed standing outside.”

Next, the pair spent extensive time ahead of production figuring out the infrastructure of the shoot.

Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal’s hot streak continues this fall with “Foe,” a new sci-fi film in which he co-stars opposite Saoirse Ronan as one half of a somewhat unhappily married couple who gets the chance to leave his life behind and live in space.

Based on the book of the same name by author Iain Reid, “Foe” is set in the year 2065 and follows a pair of farmers who live on a secluded piece of land. When a stranger (played by Aaron Pierre) shows up on their doorstep with a startling proposal, their life – and marriage – is thrown into chaos. Mescal’s character is offered the chance to live among the stars, but his wife is not. Instead, he’ll leave behind a robot clone of himself to keep his wife company.

The plot is strikingly similar to the “Black Mirror” episode “Beyond the Sea.” Reid’s book was published back in 2018.

Garth Davis,...

"Do you really want to leave her here alone, day after day?" Amazon Studios + MGM have unveiled the first official trailer for Foe, a new romantic drama from acclaimed filmmaker Garth Davis (of of the films Lion and Mary Magdalene before this). It's currently set to premiere at the New York Film Festival, and could also show up at the Telluride Film Festival this fall, before opening in theaters this October. "Some people are made for each other." Set in 2065, Hen and Junior farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior's family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger shows up at their door with a startling, inexplicable proposal. This stars Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, and Aaron Pierre. This trailer doesn't hold back on introducing the sci-fi side of this film, set in the future one of them is being...

Amazon Studios has debuted the first trailer for its upcoming sci-fi thriller “Foe,” starring Paul Mescal and Saorise Ronan.

Based on the novel of the same name, the latest feature from director Garth Davis stars Mescal and Ronan as Junior and Henrietta, a husband and wife who live about 40 years in the future on a secluded farm. The couple is offered an unexpected proposition by a stranger named Terrance (Aaron Pierre), who proposes that Junior go to space for several years to assist in the piloting of a program that helps transition humanity away from living on the deteriorating Earth. This proposition also comes with a “Black Mirror”-esque twist involving a robot version of Junior staying and watching over Henrietta in his absence. Like the sci-fi Netflix series, things quickly go badly after Junior blasts off to space and Henrietta is left with his lookalike android.

Davis is best...

Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara first locked eyes on the set of Spike Jonze's sci-fi romance film "Her" in 2012, and though they had an electric connection on screen, Joaquin initially thought that his costar didn't like him. "She's the only girl I ever looked up on the internet. We were just friends, email friends. I'd never done that. Never looked up a girl online," the "Joker" actor told Vanity Fair in 2019. The two reunited again on the set of the 2016 film "Mary Magdalene," which is where their romance took off.

Joaquin and Mara dated for a few years before privately getting engaged in 2019, per People. By 2020, the couple welcomed their first child together, River Lee Phoenix, named after Joaquin's late brother, River, who died in 1993. The two are extremely private about their personal life and keep their son out of the spotlight, but have shared some insights into their parenting experience over the years.

Exclusive: Anonymous Content has hired longtime literary agent and former UTA partner Bec Smith as a partner and manager in their Los Angeles-based lit team. We revealed Smith’s impending exit from UTA last month.

The respected veteran has amassed a client roster including directors and writers such as Coline Abert, Levan Akin, Jane Anderson, Benedict Andrews, Emily Atef, Anthony Chen, Eva Husson, Ellen Kuras, Katrin Gebbe, Sebastian Junger, Julia Leigh, Phillip Noyce, Joshua Oppenheimer, Jennifer Peedom, Maria Schrader, Tali Shalom-Ezer, Dawn Shadforth, Kirsten Sheridan, Goran Stolevski, Warwick Thornton and Max Werner.

Related Story Shocker! Anonymous Content CEO Dawn Olmstead & COO Heather McCauley Resign; Protesting Settlement To Former Top Producer Keith Redmon? Related Story UTA Partner & Top Talent Agent Brian Swardstrom Leaving Agency For New Ventures; Will Produce With 'Nomadland's Peter Spears To Start Related Story UTA Signs Cecillia Aldarondo, Filmmaker Behind SXSW-Premiering Documentary 'You Were My First Boyfriend...

Exclusive: UTA partner Bec Smith, a company vet of 16 years, is leaving the agency, we can reveal.

Working in the Motion Picture Literary department, the respected Australian native has built a strong internationally-oriented client list (some of whom she has worked with since their first short films) including Garth Davis, Maria Schrader, Goran Stolevski, Oliver Hermanus, Joshua Oppenheimer, Warwick Thornton, Na Hong-Jin, Eva Husson, Emily Atef, Agnieszka Holland, Phillip Noyce, Ellen Kuras, Benedict Andrews, James Ponsoldt, Anthony Chen, Levan Akin, Katrin Gebbe and Andor director Ariel Kleiman.

We hear Smith is likely to segue to management — there has been interest from multiple companies over the years — where she will be able to flex her producorial instincts. Most of her clients are expected to follow.

The timeline for her departure from UTA is understood to be in the 4-6 week range.

Smith’s exit from UTA coincides with a layer of layoffs at the agency.

Charles Babalola (“The Outlaws”) has been cast as Shaka in the highly anticipated new series “King Shaka,” Showtime announced on Thursday.

The epic drama tells the story of one man’s personal journey from a stigmatized childhood to becoming a legendary king. Babalola will join series regulars Aïssa Maïga (“The Fear Index”) as Nandi, Shaka’s devoted mother who will sacrifice everything to fulfill her son’s destiny; and Thando DIomo (“The Woman King”) as Pampatha, a herder who finds her fate forever entwined with Shaka’s.

Also featured among the cast is Thapelo Mokoena (“Bulletproof”), who will guest star as Gendeyana, a Qwabe leader who grows close to Shaka and Nandi; and Warren Masemola (“Queen Sono”) as Magazwa, who provides safe haven to Shaka and Nandi but at a cost.

Production will take place next month in King Shaka’s South African hometown, KwaZulu-Natal (Kzn). The series will be...

Exclusive: Erin Moriarty (The Boys), Jai Courtney (Suicide Squad), Dina Shihabi (Archive 81) and Ryan Corr (House of the Dragon) have signed on to star in Catching Dust—an upcoming Texas noir marking the feature debut of writer-director Stuart Gatt, which will enter production in the Canary Islands this month.

The drama is set in the isolation of Texas’ Big Bend, where a lone trailer on an abandoned commune has become the reluctant hideout for Geena (Moriarty), at the behest of her criminal husband, Clyde (Courtney). Geena’s lust for life and desire for interaction with the outside world are quashed by Clyde’s insistence they remain hidden from the law and his former cohorts looking to settle old scores. Exhausted by Clyde’s controlling ways, Geena decides to leave. But then a trailer arrives carrying Amaya (Shihabi) and Andy (Corr), a couple from New York seeking a respite from the city.

With “Dune,” Denis Villeneuve confirms that he is a visionary director. Adapted from Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, “Dune” is set in the year 10191 and Villeneuve salutes his artisans who helped him create the look and sound of the film, which covers multiple interplanetary cultures and locations.

Patrice Vermette, production design

Patrice preps a lot. He is a workaholic and it’s all about details and massive visual research — whether you dig in the past or project into the future, it requires research. I knew he would add the right sensibility in the architecture, and in the way we approach the light and texture of the film.

Patrice put his imprint on every set, every detail, even the way the sand is seen. Some of these sets were so gigantic, there was no stage to hold them, so we had to build them outside. Patrice has an amazing cultural background and...

Festival

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (Nfmla) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), with presenting partners The Arab Film and Media Institute and Dutch Culture USA are partnering for a short film festival that runs across the Dec. 10 and 11 weekend.

The annual event, titled Nfmla Film Festival InFocus: Middle Eastern, Arab & Dutch Cinema, will feature virtual screenings of films followed by live Q&As. The films are by emerging filmmakers from the Netherlands, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, France, Belgium and the U.S.

The program includes the U.S. premiere of “Nervosa,” the latest work by Nfmla alum Thessa Meijer and the Tribeca award-winning short “Leylak,” by co-directors Scott Aharoni and Dennis Latos.

Festival panels will feature conversations with Palestinian director-writer Hany Abu-Assad (“Omar”), whose upcoming feature “Huda’s Salon” will be distributed by IFC Films, and Saudi Arabian filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour...

Exclusive: Manolo Cardona and his brother Juancho’s production company 11:11 Films & TV has signed a first-look deal with Vis, a division of ViacomCBS. The agreement will encompass creating and developing content including series, films, and special-format programs for a global audience.

“We are excited to continue adding the best talent to our studio’s roster, to create quality content across the globe,” said Federico Cuervo, Senior Vice President of Vis Americas. “Manolo Cardona brings unique insights with his experience both in front and behind the camera as a successful actor and talented producer and we are thrilled to be working with him.”

Added Manolo, “We are extremely excited to work with ViacomCBS. Our vision is to develop compelling content to entertain audiences around the world and we feel this will be the perfect partnership.”

Manolo is a notable actor and producer known for his work in Narcos, Who Killed Sara?...

Mystery fans, rejoice!!

There's a new Acorn TV Original right around the corner, and it's very, very good.

P.D. James wrote 14 novels based on detective and poet Adam Dalgliesh, and the new series simply goes by the title Dalgliesh.

Bertie Carvel is bringing the enigmatic yet emotionally intelligent and empathetic Dalgliesh to life in a season set in 1970s England.

Dalgliesh specializes in solving unusual murders. The cases may sound relatively benign, but they unfold unusually and strike a chord with the viewer.

We'll first meet Dalgliesh looking into the murder of a nursing student poisoned to death during a live training demonstration (it's a death that sticks with you!).

Another investigation will involve the murders of a homeless man and a recently resigned Tory MP whose throats were slit in a London church.

Dalgliesh will also be called upon to solve a series of suspicious deaths at a home for the disabled.

Credit: Desdemona DallasIn a 1948 article, The Slow Motion of Sound, Jean Epstein envisions a radical path for the future of film sound. With the fire of a manifesto, he diagnoses that since its inception, the soundtrack had been bound to “old forms of speech and music,” and “would reveal nothing to us of the acoustic world but what the ear had itself been used to hearing for as long as one could remember.” But the essay comes at a turning point. Epstein cites improving recording technology as heralding the potential for a “deeper and more accurate realism,” one that might puncture toward and reveal inner worlds and other occulted currents—“The voices of consciousness, the old repeated melodies of memory, the screams of nightmares and the words no one ever uttered.” He advocates a sonic magnification through slowing time to a granular, microscopic scale: one that would reveal in a thunderstorm an “apocalypse of screams,...

Amazon Studios is in late-stage discussions for “Foe,” an adaptation of Iain Reid’s science-fiction novel starring Saoirse Ronan, Lakeith Stanfield and Paul Mescal.

The streamer is closing in on global rights in a competitive situation, though a deal has yet to be signed. FilmNation is handling international rights, while CAA Media Finance and UTA’s Independent Film Group are co-representing domestic rights.

Directed by “Lion’s” Garth Davis, who wrote the script with Reid based off the Canadian author’s 2018 novel, “Foe” is set in the near future, where corporate greed is destroying the environment. Mescal and Ronan, both of whom are Irish, play Junior and Hen, respectively, who have been married for seven years and live a reclusive life on a remote farm. Their lives change forever when a stranger at their door (Stanfield) tells them Junior has been selected to travel to an experimental space station orbiting Earth.

Exclusive: Manolo Cardona, star of Netflix series Who Killed Sara?, has signed with UTA.

The Hollywood agency will rep Cardona in all areas, including his on screen roles and his Mexican production company 11-11.

Cardona plays lead Alex Guzmán in the Mexican mystery thriller, known locally as ¿Quién mató a Sara?, which recently aired its second season and is expected to return for a third season.

In the series, which is one of the streamer’s most successful non-English language dramas, Cardona plays Guzmán, who after spending 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, is hellbent on finding out who killed his sister Sara and getting revenge on the Lazcano family who wronged him.

He is also set to star in Apple TV+ drama series Now and Then opposite Marina de Tavira.

Previously, he starred in Netflix’s Narcos, Mexican drama Maria Magdalena and Colombian series 2091.

Cardona owns,...

Lynne Ramsay has her sights set on a reunion with her “You Were Never Really Here” star Joaquin Phoenix. During a visit to the Valencia International Film Festival (a.k.a. Cinema Jove), where she was presented with the Luna de Valencia Award, Ramsay revealed Phoenix will lead one of her upcoming new movies. Details on the project remain scarce, although El Espanol (via The Film Stage) reports the movie is to be titled “Polaris” and Rooney Mara is attached to co-star.

“He’s crazy, but he’s the best actor I’ve ever met. Everything he does on the set has a reason,” Ramsay said at the festival. “It’s much more difficult when you come up with an original idea like this, but it’s impossible not to get excited when you’re preparing a movie with Joaquin.”

Ramsay and Phoenix earned great acclaim with “You Were Never Really Here,...

Exclusive: Andrew Bernstein, a director and exec producer of HBO’s The Outsider, is heading to 19th Century London after boarding the premium cable network’s drama The Nevers.

Bernstein has joined the show as an executive producer and director.

It comes after the finale of part one of the first season of the series, which has aired six episodes and will return for another six next year. The show is currently in pre-production and is set to return to filming the second half of the season this summer.

Philippa Goslett, the British filmmaker behind features Mary Magdalene and How To Talk To Girls At Parties, is showrunner of the period drama after Joss Whedon, a somewhat unusual combo of writer, director and showrunner, exited the series last November.

In addition to his work on Jason Bateman-fronted The Outsider, which was based on Stephen King’s novel, he also...

Business affairs executive Sara McFarlane, whose credits include Lion, On The Rocks, and Top Of The Lake, has launched E/S Collab, a boutique executive-producing and business affairs consulting firm for producers and creatives.

Based in New York, E/S Collab has opened its doors with a roster of clients that includes Justin Geldzahler for his debut feature Glue Trap, as well as production companies Fork Films, Roller Coaster Road Productions, 1888 Productions, and Studio Unko, Acuity Productions and Jml Productions in Australia.

E/S Collab plans to work across film, TV, podcast, and other forms of media, handling all the business elements of the creative process, from development, through production, and beyond.

McFarlane started her career at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and See-Saw Films before moving to film financing firm Fulcrum Media Finance, where she worked on Lion, Top of the Lake: China Girl,...

“The Nevers,” Joss Whedon’s steampunk brainchild and HBO’s latest original series, drew over 1.4 million viewers across linear telecasts and digital during its premiere on Sunday night. The show scored the best debut for a new original series on HBO Max and surpassed viewership for other popular shows on the streamer, including Misha Green’s horror drama “Lovecraft Country” and David E. Kelley’s psychological thriller “The Undoing.” This preliminary number will likely increase significantly as viewing across HBO’s platforms and additional telecasts are factored in.

Per the logline, the fantastical, sci-fi period drama set in Victorian London takes place after the supernatural events of August 1896, in which certain people — mostly women — are granted extraordinarily abnormal abilities, from the wondrous to the disturbing. But, no matter their particular “turns” (aka powers), all who belong to this new underclass of “The Touched” are in grave danger. It all falls to mysterious,...

Following on from their collaboration on Stateless and the upcoming ABC drama Fires, Liz Watts has signed an overall television deal with Matchbox Pictures.

The deal will see the NBC Universal-owned company work with Watts to develop and produce high-end television projects for the Australian and global market.

Watts was an executive producer on Matchbox’s Stateless for the ABC/Netflix, and is also serving as executive producer on Fires, a six-part anthology co-created by Tony Ayres and Belinda Chayko, drawing on the experiences of those who had their lives devastated by last summer’s bushfires. The series is expected to into production later this year, from scripts penned by Chayko, Jacquelin Perske, Mirrah Foulkes, Steven McGregor and Anya Beyersdorf.

Matchbox MD Alastair McKinnon said: “Liz’s incredible skill set and wealth of experience across film and TV make her the perfect addition to the exceptional talent we have at Matchbox.

The upcoming Joss Whedon HBO series “The Nevers” has selected Philippa Goslett as its new showrunner and executive producer.

Goslett takes over the role from Whedon, whose exit from the show was reported back in November. Whedon said in a statement at the time his departure was due to being unable to meet “the physical challenges of making such a huge show during a global pandemic.”

“The Nevers” is still due to debut in 2021. According to an individual with knowledge of the production, production on the first season was interrupted by the pandemic, with the first half of the first season completing production in the U.K. in the fall. Goslett will oversee the second half of Season 1, which is currently in pre-production.

Goslett most recently wrote the 2018 feature “Mary Magdalene” starring Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Tahar Rahim. Her other credits include “How to Talk to Girls at Parties,...

Philippa Goslett has been named the new showrunner of HBO’s upcoming sci-fi drama “The Nevers,” following the exit of series creator Joss Whedon late last year.

Starring Laura Donnelly, “The Nevers” was picked up straight-to-series in 2018 and was set to be Whedon’s first TV project since “Dollhouse,” which ran on Fox from 2009-2010. “The Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator exited “The Nevers” on Nov. 25.

“This year of unprecedented challenges has impacted my life and perspective in ways I could never have imagined, and while developing and producing ‘The Nevers’ has been a joyful experience, I realize that the level of commitment required moving forward, combined with the physical challenges of making such a huge show during a global pandemic, is more than I can handle without the work beginning to suffer,” Whedon said in a statement at the time. “I am genuinely exhausted, and am stepping back to...

Les Arcs Film Festival’s Industry Village, one of the many events that switched to virtual due to the pandemic, has unveiled its award-winning projects, which include Delphine Girard’s “Most Alive,” Damien Manivel’s “Magdala” and Sabine Ehrl’s “Paradise Bleeding.”

The event has a stellar track record when it comes to unveiling projects that go on to premiere at prestigious festivals and win awards. Recent alumni include Alex Camilleri’s Malta-set movie “Luzzu,” which will compete at this year’s Sundance, as well as Charlene Favier’s “Slalom,” which was part of Cannes 2020’s Official Selection, and just won the Lumieres Award in France for best female newcomer award (for Noée Abita).

“Paradise Bleeding” was one of the eight projects pitched as part of the Talent Village, a development workshop and platform for emerging talent launched by Les Arcs in 2018. The project won the T Port-Award from a jury comprising producer Florence Gastaud,...

If you didn't realize Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix were a couple until they welcomed a baby together in September 2020, you're not alone. The low-key actors don't do social media and rarely give interviews, so their relationship is kind of a mystery even to those who knew they were an item. However, Joaquin did reveal how he and Rooney met in an October 2019 interview with Vanity Fair, and it was apparently all the way back in 2012 on the set of the 2013 movie Her, in which the two played exes.

"She's the only girl I ever looked up on the internet," Joaquin told Vanity Fair, adding, "We were just friends, email friends. I'd never done that. Never looked up a girl online." According to the magazine, he "believed Mara despised him during the making of Her but later learned she was just shy and actually liked him too." In 2016, the actors...

Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara have become first-time parents.

The 45-year-old Oscar winner and his fiance, actor Rooney Mara, reportedly welcomed their first child, a baby boy named River in August.

The pair named their son after Joaquin Phoenix's late older brother, actor River Phoenix, who died in 1993 at the age of 23 of a drug overdose.

According to US magazine, Russian filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky shared the happy news during a Q&a following a screening at the Zurich Film Festival Sunday of his documentary Gunda, which is executive produced by Phoenix.

“He just got a baby, by the way, his name was…a beautiful son named River, so he cannot promote it now," Kossakovsky said when asked about the 'Joker' actor.

Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix hit headlines in May after fans began speculating that the stars were expecting their first child, and on Sunday it was confirmed they had...

‘Lion’ and ‘Mary Magdalene’ filmmaker Garth Davis has signed up to helm the third instalment in the ‘Tron’ franchise at Disney.

Davis has been joined by Jared Leto, on the project in an undisclosed role. Taking to Instagram Leto stated how thrilled he was to be a part of the project.

“I’m struck with such gratitude for the opportunity to bring this movie to life, especially as both the original video game and the film affected me so deeply as a young child, “The fact that I get to be a part of this new chapter is mind-blowing.”

View this post on Instagram

I’m struck with such gratitude for the opportunity to bring this movie to life, especially as both the original video game and the film affected me so deeply as a young child. The fact that I get to be a part of this new chapter is mind-blowing.

‘Tron: Legacy.’

Garth Davis is attached to direct a reboot of Disney’s Tron franchise, starring Suicide Squad’s Jared Leto.

The Top of the Lake, Lion and Mary Magdalene director aggressively pursued the job, eventually winning over execs at the studio, according to Deadline.

Although the project is still in development, Deadline said Davis’ involvement is a push in the right direction for the future of the franchise.

Meanwhile Davis and his head of development Samantha Lang are continuing to develop feature film and TV projects for I Am That, a production co-venture with Iain Canning and Emile Sherman’s See-Saw Films.

“We are delighted about this new role for Garth and will continue to work closely with him,” Lang tells If.

The franchise kicked off in 1982 with Tron, a sci-fi action-adventure set in the fantastic world inside a computer program, starring Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner and directed by Steven Lisberger.

Tron 3 is about to emerge from its imprisonment in the proverbial Grid of Disney’s backlog, as evidenced by the Mouse House’s appointment of a director.

Garth Davis is now set to direct the long-gestating untitled third film in the Tron franchise, reports Deadline. Davis, an emerging talent known for indie dramas, most recently directed the 2018 Rooney Mara-starring Biblical epic, Mary Magdalene, and the Oscar-nominated 2016 Dev Patel-starring biographical piece, Lion, along with television runs with Top of the Lake and Love My Way. While the status of the script is not quite clear as of yet, the most recent draft of the Tron 3 script was written by Jesse Wigutow.

The appointment of Davis to this coveted director’s chair is the first significant bit of news about the Tron threequel since early 2017, when it was reported that Jared Leto had signed on as its star. While...

Disney’s third “Tron” film in the video game franchise is getting another life. The studio has tapped “Lion” filmmaker Garth Davis to direct Jared Leto in the sci-fi movie, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.

Jesse Wigutow wrote the most recent draft of the script for the next “Tron” installment, which follows the innovative, cult 1982 film “Tron” and the 2010 sequel “Tron: Legacy.” The new film, which remains in development at Disney, however will not be a direct sequel to either film.

Leto will also produce the new film alongside Justin Springer and Emma Ludbrook.

Also Read: Will Disney's 'Risky Gamble' With 'Mulan' Pay Off?

The Australian director Davis’ debut film “Lion” was nominated for six Oscars back in 2016, including Best Picture, and he followed that film up with 2018’s “Mary Magdalene” starring Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix. This however would be his first foray into sci-fi and a big,...

For the 2020 Power of Young Hollywood Issue, Variety profiled three young stars making an impact in the entertainment industry. For more, click here.

Long before Shira Haas drew universal acclaim and an Emmy nomination this year for her portrayal of the daring Esty Shapiro in Netflix’s “Unorthodox,” she co-starred in the Israeli drama “Shtisel,” about a sprawling Orthodox family in Jerusalem. As Ruchami Weiss, the oldest daughter in a family of six kids, Haas plays the character as steadfast and kind, with an undercurrent of anger that can ripen into rebelliousness. In December 2018, Netflix started streaming the two seasons of “Shtisel” that ran on Israeli television in 2013 and 2015-16, making the show an international phenomenon. As a consequence of that popularity, “Shtisel” began filming its long-delayed third season this summer.

“To be Ruchami again is amazing,” Haas says during a recent conversation from her home in Tel Aviv. “I...

Roger Deakins’ “Team Deakins” podcast continues to be a must-listen event for cinephiles. Following last week’s interview with Denis Villeneuve, the latest guest to appear on the podcast is Deakins’ fellow cinematographer Greig Fraser. An Oscar nominee for “Lion,” Fraser has two massive Warner Bros. projects in the pipeline as the cinematographer of both Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” and Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.” Fraser avoided revealing details about these new films outside of calling it “a blessing” to work with Villeneuve, which is something Deakins knows quite well as the cinematographer on “Prisoners,” “Sicario,” and “Blade Runner 2049.”

One of the more fascinating parts of the conversation is when Fraser asks Deakins what the worst part about being a cinematographer is. “The worst thing is saying yes to a film I knew I shouldn’t have done,” Deakins answered. “I knew I shouldn’t have done a film but...

Vincent Sheehan, Liz Watts and Anita Sheehan.

After 23 years and a body of work that spans 15 features, five TV series, two docos and three shorts, Porchlight Films will cease operations as founding partners Vincent Sheehan, Liz Watts and Anita Sheehan move on to pursue new opportunities individually.

The company is best known internationally for producing three of David Michôd’s four features, including his Oscar-nominated debut, Animal Kingdom, as well as The Rover and Netflix’s The King.

Other notable film credits include Justin Kurzel’s True History of the Kelly Gang, Garth Davis’ Mary Magdalene, Rachel Perkins’ Jasper Jones, Tony Krawitz’ Jewboy and Dead Europe, Daniel Nettheim’s The Hunter, Tony Ayres’ The Home Song Stories and Walking on Water, Cate Shortland’s Lore, Rowan Woods’ Little Fish and David Caesar’s Mullet.

In television and episodic, the team have produced Foxtel drama The Kettering Incident, created by Vicki Madden...

Australian production firm Porchlight Films will cease operations after 23 years of making features that include Justin Kurzel’s “True History of the Kelly Gang,” and Garth Davis’ “Mary Magdalene.” The company also produced David Michod’s 2010 Australian “Animal Kingdom” feature that sparked a successful U.S. TV series.

The three founding partners Vincent Sheehan, Liz Watts and Anita Sheehan will move on to pursue new opportunities individually. Watts and Vincent Sheehan will continue to work on projects currently in development. Anita Sheehan, MD of Porchlight since 2015, will take a short break before pursuing other business opportunities.

The three partners will retain ownership of Jetty Distribution, which will continue to manage the ongoing rights in Porchlight’s catalogue.

Productions currently being financed will continue to be produced under the Porchlight banner into 2021. These include Kitty Flanagan’s comedy series “Entitled” and Nakkiah Lui and Gabe Dowrick’s “Preppers.”

The company’s...

Rooney Mara is pregnant! The Oscar nominee is expecting her first child with Joaquin Phoenix, according to multiple reports. This news comes shortly after Rooney was spotted out in Los Angeles, delivering flowers to sister Kate Mara on Mother's Day. "Rooney is about six months along," an insider told Us Weekly. "Joaquin is great and has been accompanying her to appointments." Rooney, 35, and Joaquin, 45, were first romantically linked in Jan. 2017, when they were spotted at a wellness retreat together. This sighting came four years after the actors starred in the movie Her. They later reunited on the 2018 movie Mary Magdalene. In May 2017, the private pair...

Jóhann Jóhannson died in 2018, but as one of the most celebrated composers in Hollywood, he left behind a legacy and a body of work that included scores for Prisoners, The Theory of Everything, Sicario, Arrival, Mandy, Mary Magdalene, and more. Now there’s one more element being added to that legacy: Jóhansson’s feature directorial debut, […]

The post Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Posthumous Directing Debut Will Play at This Year’s Berlin Film Festival appeared first on /Film.

Hildur Guðnadóttir has had a historic few weeks.

It began Sunday, January 4th, when the Icelandic composer became the first solo woman to win a Golden Globe for Best Original Score for Joker; it continued the Tuesday after that, when she picked up two prizes — one for Joker, one for her music for TV show Chernobyl — at the inaugural Society of Composer & Lyricists’ awards; and it culminated today when she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score.

Amid everything, though, Guðnadóttir had to accompany her husband to the doctor,...

When she was first offered the chance to work on “Joker,” composer Hildur Guðnadóttir wondered if she was “really the right person to score a superhero movie,” since nothing in her filmography bore any resemblance to previous “Batman” movies. But when she read the script, which touches upon “subjects that are so much deeper and quite current,” she realized she was indeed a perfect fit. Watch our exclusive video interview with Guðnadóttir above.

See Lawrence Sher Interview: ‘Joker’ cinematographer

In the hands of director and co-writer Todd Phillips, the DC super villain is portrayed as a sad, deranged young comic named Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), whose isolation and resentment lead to a life of crime. For Guðnadóttir, “it was definitely not a superhero movie.” Rather, it was “a story about the emotional landscape and turbulence of someone who’s been grossly mistreated,” so she was interested in exploring the “inner journey of this character,...

"His way of doing it was not going to school, it was just going to the movies." Deutsche Grammophon has released the full video tribute made in memory of beloved Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, who passed away in early 2018. This lovely short documentary was made to be included in the upcoming release of a collection called "Retrospective I", a CD box set and hardcover book featuring Jóhannsson's early work. Producer Áine Devaney and filmmaker Blair Alexander head to Iceland to discover Jóhann's roots in Reykjavík, Iceland, interviewing his parents and friends / collaborators - including a record shop owner who talks about his unique sound. Jóhannsson is best known for his work composing scores for films including Prisoners, The 11th Hour, Sicario, Arrival, Mandy, and Mary Magdalene. Take a few minutes to watch this. Thanks to Indiewire for the tip on this video. Original description from YouTube: "To celebrate the release of 'Retrospective I',...

It’s about to get crowded at multiplexes.

That’s because four movies — Lionsgate’s “Hellboy” remake, Universal’s comedy “Little,” Laika’s stop-motion animation “Missing Link” and Aviron’s romantic drama “After” — are all opening nationwide. The quartet of films joins an already packed box office marquee that includes last week’s champ “Shazam!” and Paramount’s horror pic “Pet Sematary.”

Unless one of this weekend’s newcomers becomes a surprise hit, it’s likely that “Shazam!” will repeat No. 1 in North America. The comic-book tentpole debuted with $53 million, along with $102 million overseas. As of Wednesday, it has earned $162 million worldwide, including $59 million at the domestic box office. If “Shazam!” sees holdover similar to other recent superhero origin stories like “Ant-Man,” “Wonder Woman,” and “Captain Marvel,” it could add another $24 to $28 million in its second weekend of release.

“Hellboy,” the reboot that sees “Stranger Things” actor David Harbour take...

Somehow, March is about to end. Ladies and gentlemen, as I seem to find myself saying around this point each and every single year…time really does fly. Believe it or not, we’re now a full three months into the 2018 movie calendar, which means we’re literally a quarter of the way through the film slate for the year. Wow. Just…wow. That got me thinking about what the best of the bunch so far this year has been, as I’m prone to do around this time each year. Since now is around the time when the film slate begins to transition into summer releases and counter programming independent fare ramps up, I thought it was the perfect time to praise the best of 2019 so far. Basically, anything that hit screens between January 1st and March 31st will be up for grabs here for my personal honors. Once again,...

IFC Films is acquiring U.S. rights to the biblical drama “Mary Magdalene,” starring Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix and Chiwetel Ejiofer.

The distributor has set an April 12 release date on the weekend prior to Easter week. “Mary Magdalene” is directed by Australian filmmaker Garth Davis and was produced by See-Saw Films and Porchlight Films. The movie had its world premiere at the National Gallery in London in 2018 and generated $11.6 million in international markets.

The North American rights to “Mary Magdalene” were originally held by The Weinstein Company, which filed for bankruptcy last year and was shut down. The film was written by Helen Edmundson and Philippa Goslett and produced by Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, and Liz Watts.

In the film, Mara portrays Mary Magdalene as a women who flees the marriage her family has arranged for her, finding a sense of purpose in a radical new movement led by Jesus...

Topics that were popular with Screen subscribers this year included BFI funding, industry staff moves and our Brit 50 list.Top 10 News

Screen unveils Stars of Tomorrow 2018 Cannes 2018: Official Selection in full BFI unveils plan to boost UK indie film including two new funds Creative England’s new-look iFeatures selects first 12 projects (exclusive) The Favourite’ dominates 2018 BIFAs with record 10 awards Sundance 2019 unveils feature film line-up Bankside Films co-managing director Hilary Davis steps down (exclusive) Icon Film Distribution sold to Kaleidoscope Tributes pour in for French indie titan Sammy Hadida, who has died aged 64 Entertainment One president of international film Alex Hamilton...

The World Soundtrack Academy has released early nominees for the 2018 World Soundtrack Awards, celebrating 2017-18 films and series for their musical soundtracks and scores.

Contenders include award veterans John Williams, Alexandre Desplat, and Carter Burwell in the film composer of the year category, recognizing a large body of film scores from Williams’ “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” to Desplat’s “The Shape of Water,” which also took home the 2018 original score Oscar.

Among the TV composers nominated are Ramin Djawadi, composer for “Game of Thrones” and “Westworld,” Adam Taylor, composer for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and Rupert Gregson-Williams, composer for “The Crown” and “The Alienist.”

Meanwhile, in the original song written for a film race, Kendrick Lamar and the “Black Panther” team scored a nod for the superhero blockbuster’s title track, 2018 Oscar winning duo Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez received a nomination for “Remember Me” from “Coco,” while “The Greatest Showman...