Noticias

To mark the Centenary of Peter Sellers on what would have been his 100th birthday (8 September 2025), Studiocanal is celebrating one of Britain’s most legendary comic actors with the release of two early career gems on Blu-ray – and you could Win a copy of both!

We’re giving away copies of the hilariously inventive Two Way Stretch (1960) and the wickedly sharp satire Heavens Above! (1963) – both sparkling new restorations from the Vintage Classics collection, complete with brand-new bonus features.

Two Way Stretch

Peter Sellers stars as Dodger Lane, a jailbird with a genius plan: break out of prison, steal a fortune in diamonds, and sneak back in before anyone notices! Co-starring comedy icons Bernard Cribbins and Lionel Jeffries, and packed with bonus extras including exclusive interviews, audio commentary and rare archival footage.

Heavens Above!

Sellers plays a well-meaning but naive priest whose radical honesty and generosity wreak havoc on a posh English village.

Released in the same year as The Pink Panther, the characters played by Peter Sellers in the crime caper and in social satire Heavens Above! come from opposite ends of the performance spectrum. While Clouseau was a larger than life comic creation, cut from full colour Hollywood cloth, Sellers’ man of the considerably more earthy cloth, The Reverend John Smallwood in the Boulting Brothers’ film is of much subtler design.

Although it was made only three years after the Ealing-comedy leaning Two Way Stretch – and features many of the same supporting cast – Heaven’ Above! is also much more rooted in the real world of smalltown England and feels bracingly modern by comparison, though some of the attitudes within it, inevitably reflect the times. The satire employed by John Boulting and Frank Harvey’s screenplay – based on an idea by journalist Malcolm Muggeridge, who also appears briefly in a cameo...

Exclusive: TikTok stars Adam Rose and Leah Kirkup are set to co-star opposite Outlander and A Place To Call Home actor David Berry in Gary Sinyor’s R-rated comedy Perfect Wedding Days, which has been retitled from the originally announced Something Blue.

Kirkup will play the bride in the wedding-themed comedy opposite previously announced Berry as the groom, with Rose taking the third co-starring role of the best man, who also has feelings for his friend’s wife-to-be.

With the groom getting married for the second time as the bride is embarking on wedded life for the first time, the couple have opted for an informal ceremony on the beach, with a few close friends and no religious elements.

UK writer, producer and director Sinyor is coming off the success of Peacock-acquired comedy show Hapless, about a gaffe-prone investigative journalist working for a Jewish newspaper, having previously made waves internationally...

Anyone armed with a magnifying glass looking for clues as to who will star in the forthcoming reboot of The Pink Pantherfranchise can stop the search, as comedy legend Eddie Murphy has confirmed that he is taking on the famed role of Inspector Jacques Clouseau in the new film, which comes 16 years after the last installment. The Beverly Hills Cop star has been circling the role since 2023, but he has now officially added it to his slate of upcoming projects. He made the surprise announcement while speaking to Today's Al Roker:

"I'm getting ready to do a George Clinton, Parliament-Funkadelic. I'm getting ready to do George Clinton. [I've] already started Shrek 5. And I'm going to be— I'm Inspector Clouseau in the next Pink Panther."

Roker was clearly taken aback by the news, prompting Murphy to reiterate, "Yeah, I'm the new Clouseau." However, when asked whether his version of the...

When a director arrives at a filming location, they have a lot of important tasks before the real work can begin. Department heads to consult. Actors to be prep. Schedules to lock. When Noah Hawley got to Bangkok to direct the first episode of Alien: Earth, he immediately had to have some suits made.

“One of the first things I did upon landing was go to a tailor and work up, not a full wardrobe, but a way, through linen and cotton, to try to manage the heat, in a...

Eddie Murphy is getting ready to bring some serious laughs to the big screen, this time as the one and only Inspector Clouseau in a new Pink Panther movie.

During a July 28 interview on Today with Al Roker, Murphy casually revealed that he’s stepping into the famous role made popular by Peter Sellers back in the 1960s.

While talking about everything he’s got lined up, including a George Clinton biopic and Shrek 5, Murphy dropped the news that surprised even Roker.

“I’m Inspector Clouseau in the next ‘Pink Panther,’” Murphy said with a grin. Roker had to double-check what he just heard. “Wait, what?” he asked. “Yeah, I’m the new Clouseau,” Murphy confirmed.

He then joked about what kind of accent he might use in the movie. “Well, he has to be French, but he could also be Haitian. I will tell you, he’s Black.

Eddie Murphy is ready to slip into the trench coat and mustache of one of the most iconic comedy characters ever, Inspector Clouseau. During an interview with Al Roker on Today (aired July 28), Murphy casually dropped the news that he’ll star as the famous bumbling detective in the next Pink Panther movie.

While talking about his upcoming projects, which include a biopic where he plays funk legend George Clinton and returning as Donkey in Shrek 5, Murphy suddenly revealed, “I’m Inspector Clouseau in the next ‘Pink Panther.’” Roker, clearly caught off guard, asked him to repeat it. “Yeah, I’m the new Clouseau,” Murphy confirmed with a grin.

When asked if he’d be doing a French accent, Murphy joked, “Maybe. Well, he has to be French, but he could also be Haitian. I will tell you, he’s Black. He’s Black, for sure.”

The role of...

Eddie Murphy has confirmed he will play Inspector Clouseau in the next Pink Panther movie.The Shrek star was first reported to be in talks to take on the iconic character back in 2023, and he has now revealed it's among his upcoming roles.He told Al Roker on Today: “I’m getting ready to do a [biopic of] George Clinton, [his music collective] Parliament-Funkadelic. I’m getting ready to do George Clinton.“I’ve already started Shrek 5. And I’m going to be — I’m Inspector Clouseau in the next Pink Panther.”When asked if Clouseau will still be French, Murphy quipped: “Maybe. Well, he has to be French, but he could also be Haitian. I will tell you, he’s Black. He’s Black, for sure.”Sources previously told The Hollywood Reporter that the movie is to be a live-action/ CG hybrid.The original comedy film, The Pink Panther, was released in the...

As if Eddie Murphy wasn’t already synonymous with iconic franchises, the veteran comic and actor confirmed today that he’d soon be taking on the famed role of Inspector Clouseau in a new Pink Panther movie. Deadline was first to report he was circling the role in 2023.

Speaking to Today‘s Al Roker, Murphy said he had initially “planned on slowing down, and things just happened” with regard to his slate of upcoming projects.

“I’m getting ready to do a [biopic of] George Clinton, [his music collective] Parliament-Funkadelic. I’m getting ready to do George Clinton,” The Pickup star said, confirming Deadline’s scoop last year. “I’ve already started Shrek 5. And I’m going to be — I’m Inspector Clouseau in the next Pink Panther.”

When Roker reacted with surprise, asking if the canonically French character would still be written as such with Murphy occupying the role, the Saturday Night Live alum responded coyly: “Maybe.

Although usually billed as a “Peter Sellers film” and starring him in what amounts to the lead role, Two Way Stretch is much more of an ensemble piece than you might expect. Even within the confines of his character Dodger Lane’s cell, he is part of a trio, alongside Jelly Night (Sellers long-time friend and frequent collaborator David Lodge) and Lennie Price.

The three of them, with Dodger to the fore, essentially rule the roost, with milk delivered and a handy stash of booze tucked away. The warden, Jenkins (George Woodbridge), is also a soft touch, while the governor (Maurice Denham) is more interested in his marrows – yes, this is the sort of level of humour employed by John Warren and Len Heath’s script – than he is in making the men pay for their crimes.

If all this sounds suspiciously...

Eddie Murphy is officially signed on to star as the new Inspector Clouseau in the next Pink Pantherfilm.

Per Entertainment Weekly, the comedy legend confirmed the upcoming role during a recent appearance on the Today show with Al Roker. "I'm going to be, I'm the new Inspector Clouseau in the next Pink Panther," Murphy announced casually. "Yeah, I'm the new Clouseau." When asked if his version of the classic character would be French, Murphy simply responded, "Maybe."

"Well, he has to be French, but he could also be Haitian. I will tell you, he's Black. He's Black, for sure," Murphy added. The star, who is slated for a variety of roles ranging from the upcoming action comedy The Pickup to a Donkey-centric Shrek spinoff to a George Clinton biopic, went on to discuss the evolving nature of the roles he has been taking on in recent years. "Usually I'm the young maverick guy.

A couple of years ago, we reported on Eddie Murphy engaging in negotiations to star in a new continuity of Pink Panther films. The original movie starred Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau as he tracks down a notorious jewel thief known as “The Phantom” before he is able to steal a priceless diamond known as “The Pink Panther”. The opening credits included the cartoon panther that audiences have come to associate with the franchise, and sources said that this new project will attempt to meld both worlds. The live-action/CG hybrid movie is said to see “the Pink Panther’s live-action crew break him out of his animated prison to do a heist job.“

Since the news broke, Murphy has starred in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F and soon, he will be starring in Amazon MGM’s The Pickup. Murphy recently spoke with NBC‘s Al Roker on Today in...

Larry Charles says that The Dictator wasn’t as good as Borat because Sacha Baron Cohen started taking too much advice from the A-list entertainment business crowd instead of following his comedic instincts. Was Pamela Anderson their Yoko Ono?

As a veteran comedy writer, director and producer, Charles’ fingerprints are all over American humor, but for all his work on seminal projects like Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, his most significant influence on contemporary comedy might just come from his time directing Baron Cohen in Borat, Bruno and The Dictator. The duo’s rebellious, revolutionary, in-your-face style of comedy filmmaking inspired countless other renegade, gonzo comics to go out in the world and test their chaotic characters out on unsuspecting strangers, but according to Charles’ recent comments, following the success of Borat and projects like it, Baron Cohen shifted his focus from transgressive trailblazing to traditional show business Bs years ago.

“Borat” director Larry Charles has lost touch with his once-frequent collaborator, Sacha Baron Cohen.

In a recent interview with the Daily Beast, Charles said he once considered Cohen a “comic genius,” comparing him to the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Peter Sellers. However, when they began production on their 2012 film “The Dictator,” their relationship deteriorated as Cohen started “pulling away” from the subversive character humor that made him famous. Charles suspected it was because “he wanted to be more of a traditional movie star.”

“He was surrounding himself with more traditional show business people and getting advice from them, which I don’t think was good advice for the kind of rebel sensibility that Sacha had had up until that time,” Charles explained. “And so, for a variety of reasons, it started to kind of fragment and fracture and fall apart. And the movie’s not bad. It’s good.

Steve Carell in a satirical movie about today’s big tech giants, with the creator of Succession writing and directing? Well, the pitch does not get any better than this. The HBO original Mountainhead was one of the most anticipated projects of the year due to the talent involved and the world explored.

Despite being set again in the world of elite CXOs and business deals like Succession, the movie has nothing more in common, apart from both media being created by Jesse Armstrong. Steve Carell actually compared the satirical drama to Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, claiming that the movie was as topical as Kubrick’s Cold War comedy.

Steve Carell compared Jesse Armstrong’s Mountainhead to Stanley Kubrick’s incredible comedy Steve Carell in Mountainhead | Credits: HBO

We live in a post-truth world and a hyper-reality full of misinformation, with everyone from companies to politicians trying to get control of the narrative.

Snake Eyes star Henry Golding has weighed in on whether he'd be interested in playing James Bond. Golding is often mentioned by fans as a potential contender to succeed Daniel Craig as the MI6 spy.

Golding has lined up an impressive string of credits that make him a solid candidate for the role, having tackled the necessary action scene experience in projects likeSnake Eyes and Assassin Club. The British actor has even explored the world of clandestine spy operations with his 2024 movie The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, a World War II action epic about a black ops spy mission to sabotage the Nazis during World War II.

Henry Golding Encourages James Bond Producers to 'Sign [Him] Up'

Golding told The Radio Times this week that he'd be excited about the possibility of playing Bond. After encouraging the Bond producers to "sign [him] up" for the role, Golding spoke about what it's like...

Bringing two movie stars together to do a buddy action flick has been one of Hollywood's greatest traditions. The appeal of these movies is watching personalities butt heads with each other until differences lead to a genuine comradery in the end. "48 Hrs," "Lethal Weapon," "Hot Fuzz" and "The Nice Guys" are but a few examples of the kinds of chaotic screen duos that we still talk about today. You would think that a gangster buddy flick starring Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds would be more fondly remembered, but it currently exists as an oddity that never took off in the way either of them wanted it to.

On paper, the 1930's-set "City Heat" sounds like a fun idea. Eastwood plays Speer, a Kansas City police Lieutenant who finds himself in quite a predicament when Reynold's Mike Murphy, a cop turned private eye, waltzes back in his life. The gist...

Wayne rose to fame in the 1930s, and throughout the 1940s and 1950s, built up his reputation as Hollywood's ultimate bastion of masculinity. Wayne didn't possess a lot of range as an actor, typically playing "John Wayne," but his character type proved to be pliable in certain kinds of ultra-popular genre films. He was a Western star and a War Movie star, and his no-nonsense, rah-rah-America personality was eagerly eaten up by audiences. As Wayne rounded the 1960s, however, a lot of his image had begun to tarnish. This was mostly because times were changing, and the kinds of Westerns and war movies that he once headlined became gauche with a new generation. Antiwar sentiment was more popular than the pro-war propaganda that was released in the wake of World War II. 

One can see Wayne struggling in his notorious stinker "The Green Berets," a film that attempted to apply...

Michael B. Jordan as Smoke and as Stack, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Sinners,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. When actors take on dual roles in movies, the characters often have pronounced differences — for example, Mike Myers as Austin Powers and Dr. Evil, Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove, and Eddie Murphy’s variety of roles in several of his movies. In the movie Sinners, Michael B. Jordan plays a set of identical twins with similar backgrounds, so he found himself facing quite a challenge: two roles that are simultaneously very similar but also with some important differences. During the filming process, Jordan spoke about he worked hard to differentiate the two brothers. (Click on the media bar below to hear Michael B. Jordan.) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Ryan_Coogler_Playing_Twin_Sinners_.mp3 Sinners is now playing in theaters.

In the early- to mid-1970s, a number of prominent filmmakers found modest success with star-studded whodunnits. In 1972, Joseph L. Mankiewicz directed Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine in a splendid adaptation of Anthony Shaffer's intricately plotted play "Sleuth." A year later, Herbert Ross directed the wickedly clever "The Last of Sheila," a mystery concocted by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim, and featuring such marquee names as James Coburn, Dyan Cannon, Richard Benjamin, Raquel Welch, and James Mason. Then in 1974, moviegoers got a double dose of Agatha Christie with Sidney Lumet's "Murder on the Orient Express", and Peter Collinson's "And Then There Were None".

There was no cultural development driving this sudden spate of whodunnits; it was just a reminder that people love to watch a bunch of great actors get thrown into the same location where foul play has been committed, and then try to work out...

After a century of non-recognition for their broken bones and unsightly bruises, movie stunt designers are finally getting their own Oscar. It’s about time stunt guys and gals get their flowers for death-defying feats. But forget Mission: Impossible Xiv and the next James Bond — many comedies are stuffed with outrageous acts of physical prowess, too.

Here are six of the most insane stunts from classic comedies…

1 Jackass 3D

The Guardian couldn’t get enough of this tour de force, featuring Steve O in a port-o-potty that’s shot into the air like a rocket. But wait — the flying toilet is tethered to the earth with bungee cords, meaning Steve O gets doused in doo-doo with each bounce. If the Academy had its act together in 2010, the Jackass team could have claimed its Oscar.

2 Safety Last!

The fact that Harold Lloyd hanging from a clock hand in 1923 still inspires sweaty...

It is now eight years since Hank Azaria stepped away from voicing his controversial The Simpsons character of Apu, but the conversation around why he stopped playing the character – and why he almost didn’t – continues to be a fascinating insight into the way racism is viewed and handled in the entertainment industry and by the public. Speaking on the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, the incredible actor, who continues to voice many characters on The Simpsons, explained that there are still people who don’t understand why he cannot voice Apu.

On the surface, there is a strange contradiction around depictions of race, gender, sexuality and pretty much anything that isn’t straight and white in the world. White actors cannot provide voices for Black, Asian, or Indian characters, but they can “put on” voices that mimic European accents without any push back. Straight actors playing queer roles are...

Hank Azaria performed the voice of Apu, the Indian Kwik-e-Mart manager on The Simpsons, since the show started. But then a wider discussion started to take place about whether it was appropriate for white actors to voice characters of color.

This cumulated in a 2017 documentary, The Problem With Apu, by Indian comedian Hari Kondabolu. Kondabolu believed the portrayal of Apu was racist against South Asians and a lightning rod for bullying. Though The Simpsons pushed back against the accusation, going so far as to release an episode where the characters comment on how past works can be seen as "politically incorrect," Azaria announced in 2020 that he would not be playing Apu anymore.

Now, he's spoken about that decision on an episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out. It's been a long and interesting journey for Azaria, and one where he's explored how things previously seen as innocuous can become offensive later on.

Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is rightfully regarded as one of the great dark comedies, and one of the first really modern black comedy films. It was pretty shocking 60 years ago, with its dark critique of the military and the President, not to mention its hilarious titular Nazi scientist and the apocalyptic finale. It's morbidly funny to watch as Dr. Strangelove (one of three characters played by the great Peter Sellers) frequently tries to stop his arm from Sieg Heling to "Mein Führer!" It's even more morbid in 2025, though, when the richest man on Earth attends the Presidential Inauguration (after contributing nearly $300 million to its victor) and defiantly gives the Nazi salute on stage — twice. Dr. Strangelove may be more topical than ever, so it's good that there is a new adaptation of the classic Stanley Kubrick film.

Taking on the roles...

Beginning in the 1920s and occurring almost annually since 1941, the White House Correspondents Association (the Whca) has held a fundraising dinner that brings together Republicans and Democrats for one evening, and features performers who traditionally lambaste both sides of the aisle. The dinner supports journalists and students, and has generally been the D.C. equivalent of the Met Gala or the Academy Awards. Many great comedians, musicians, and others have performed at the event, including Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Ed Sullivan, Milton Berle, James Cagney, Duke Ellington, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Peter Sellers, Chevy Chase, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart, Ray Romano, Aretha Franklin, Cedric the Entertainer, Ray Charles, Drew Carey, Seth Meyers, and more. Amber Ruffin was supposed to perform at the April 26 dinner this year. That won't be happening, apparently.

Ruffin is an Emmy- and Tony-nominated comedian and writer known for writing and performing for Late Night with Seth Meyers,...

The Oscar winner answers your questions about playing everyone from Peter Sellers to the Marquis de Sade, his home town of Toowoomba and new care-home horror The Rule of Jenny Pen

The Rule of Jenny Pen looks terrifying! Does the prospect of sudden ageing frighten you? BenderRodriguez

It’s not sudden. I was in [King] Lear when I was 64 and said: “I need a wig that’s grey because he’s supposed to be 80.” Now I’m 73 and I still think inside I’m a brunette. This is the 54th year of my career. The last decade has just galloped past. I waited for something like this – a project that I latched on to. There’s been a lot of stuff that I turned down. I’m now being very pernickety about what I commit three or four months of my life to.

No doubt there was also a lot of work behind it,...

Robert De Niro‘s latest movie, “The Alto Knights,” gives the Oscar winner twice as many roles as usual. Directed by Barry Levinson and written by “Goodfellas” writer Nicholas Pileggi, the film charts the real-life power struggle between 1950s Mafia bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello as it spirals into an all-out, blood-on-the-streets conflict. De Niro plays both Genovese and Costello in the drama, which also stars Debra Messing and “Shōgun” breakout Cosmo Jarvis.

De Niro is not the first major actor in Hollywood history to take on the sizable challenge of playing more than one role in a film. Some have even dared to take on more than two In honor of De Niro’s dual turns in “The Alto Knights,” though, here are five other great films that also star actors in two roles.

Jake Gyllenhaal in “Enemy.” (Entertainment One) Jake Gyllenhaal in “Enemy”

“Enemy” is director Denis Villeneuve’s surreal,...

There are some good reasons for actors to play multiple roles in a film. If they’re playing twins, for example. Or clones. Or if the film is so outlandish that it feels appropriate, like Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove.

But having Robert De Niro play real-life gangsters Frank Costello and Vito Genovese at once simply feels like a casting stunt. The end result is that Barry Levinson’s otherwise sober-minded The Alto Knights too often feels like The Patty Duke Show if Patty and Cathy had become mafiosos.

If this film feels familiar, that’s because it is. From its pedigree to its casting to its themes, Levinson’s new effort comes across like a retread. Even its original title, Wise Guys, well, you know. That doesn’t make The Alto Knights (a terrible title, by the way, taken from the name of the social club where the gangsters...

Will filmgoers rally behind space travelers who “hate dying” but keep courting death?

The director who gave us Parasite, a cool, curmudgeonly social comedy, is challenging filmgoers with a big-budget, genre-bending epic titled Mickey 17 that will likely be a tougher sell.

Fans of Bong Joon Ho’s movies will now have to deal with dystopian class warfare spearheaded by a Donald Trump leader (Mark Ruffalo) who disdains “Expendables.” Loud and orange, he has big ambitions for a frozen planet that’s as hospitable as a hockey rink. Jeopardy lurks everywhere: Even sex is death defying.

Mickey 17 is a $120 million satire – “one that may challenge the public mood,” observes one veteran distributor, who readily admits that no one understands the “public mood.” Robert Pattinson adeptly plays Mickey 17 and is resigned to become Mickey 18 too, and beyond, as he’s meticulously “re-printed” after every death.

Warner Bros...

Peter Wolf, has always been one of the great rock & roll raconteurs, ever since his days as the loudmouth singer of the J. Geils Band. But the Boston blues madman has finally written the book everyone always hoped he would write, with Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, and Goddesses. It’s a music memoir like no other — instead of chronicling his rock-star career, Wolf tells stories about the characters he met along the way, from Muddy Waters to Andy Warhol, from Alfred Hitchcock to Bob Dylan. “I...

Good news for comedy fans — and terrible news for English-French relations — Monty Python and the Holy Grail will be returning to theaters this spring in order to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary. Yes, it’s been five whole decades since the Pythons somehow convinced a bunch of rock stars to fund their groundbreaking parody of Arthurian legends.

On May 4th, the legendary comedy will return to theaters thanks to Fathom Events and Shout! Studios, who acquired the Monty Python catalog last fall. They’ll also be screening it on May the 7th, presumably in case some Python fans already have “Star Wars Day” plans that can’t be canceled.

But the press release makes no mention of whether or not these screenings will include any complimentary coconuts. Famously, Monty Python and the Holy Grail substituted coconuts for real horses because the production couldn’t afford them. According to John Cleese,...

He’s got an Oscar, played Albert Einstein, and even shared a flat with Mel Gibson. Now, the Australian actor is here to answer your questions

It’s not all that often you get the chance to put your questions to an honest-to-goodness best actor Oscar winner, but that’s what we’ve got coming down the pipe. Geoffrey Rush won the big one back in 1997 for his role as pianist David Helfgott in Shine, and he’s won a ton of others, including Baftas, Golden Globes, an Emmy, a Tony and four Screen Actors Guild awards. In fact it’s easier to ask what award hasn’t he won?

Now, Australia has produced more than its fair share of premium acting talent, from Cate Blanchett and Hugh Jackman to Nicole Kidman and Guy Pearce, but Rush is definitely up there with the best of them. Aside from Shine, he...

Bobby Meyers, veteran film sales and distribution executive and co-founder of the American Film Market, died at his New Jersey home at the age of 90, according to the Independent Film & Television Alliance.

Meyers’ first executive position in his 55-year career was at Columbia Pictures International, where he rose to become the studio’s European sales manager and worked out of Paris and Brussels. He later held executive positions at National General Pictures, Lorimar, Filmways, Orion Pictures and Village Roadshow.

Among the films Meyers handled distribution on are Brian De Palma’s breakout film “Obsession” and the Peter Sellers dramedy “Being There.”

With independent filmmaking on the rise in the 1970s, Meyers was one of several executives who saw a need for a hub for producers and filmmakers to make distribution and financing deals. In 1981, Meyers was part of a group of executives that co-founded the American Film Market and...

Robert “Bobby” Meyers, a founding member of the American Film Market whose half-century-plus career in indie movies, sales and distribution included stints at Columbia, Lorimar, Orion and Village Roadshow, died Sunday at his New Jersey home. He was 90. AFM producer Independent Film & Television Alliance confirmed the news but did not provide a cause of death.

During a long career that started in 1956, Meyers was behind the release of such notable films as Brian De Palma’s Obsession (1976) and Blow Out (1981), Robert Aldrich’s Burt Lancaster starr Twilight’s Last Gleaming (1977) and Hal Ashby’s Peter Sellers-led classic Being There (1979).

Born on October 3, 1934, Meyers joined Columbia Pictures International during the 1950s, serving in Paris and Brussels and eventually becoming the European sales manager. He later held executive posts at National General Pictures, Lorimar Motion Pictures, Filmways Productions, Orion Pictures and Village Roadshow, playing a pivotal role in international film sales and distribution.

Gene Wilder's impressive career boasts starring roles in Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and The Little Prince. He was also iconic in the cult classic Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, soon streaming on Tubi.

Tubi will stream Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory for free starting Mar. 1. The 1971 movie adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now a beloved classic, all thanks to Gene Wilder's version of the main antagonist. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was a box office disappointment when it was released, grossing $4 million against its $3 million budget; interest for the film waned until the 1980s, when repeated TV broadcasts fueled a resurgence. The film made a successful comeback in 1996, earning $21 million from its 25th anniversary theatrical re-release.

Related10 Best Quotes From Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, Ranked

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a beloved film that is full of memorable characters,...

Stanley Kubrick wasn’t exactly known for being a laugh riot — although he did originally intend Eyes Wide Shut to be a Steve Martin farce. Nevertheless, the legendary filmmaking genius did happen to make one of the greatest comedies of all time: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb starring Peter Sellers, Peter Sellers, George C. Scott and Peter Sellers.

Famously, Dr. Strangelove was originally going to be a very serious drama about the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons, based on the novel Red Alert by Peter George. That is, until Kubrick and his co-writer began cracking jokes during the writing process, at which point it morphed into a “nightmare comedy.”

But despite the fact that it was reworked into a satire starring Inspector Clouseau, it was still viewed as a potentially incendiary film by the American government.

Dr. Strangelove was released in...

February is a time for lovers. Romance, as well as the hope to find it are abound and what better place to seek it out than at your local repertory cinema. Sure, a dark theater full of strangers may seem like an odd space for finding a potential suitor, but who knows what can happen at the concession stand or under the marquee? One thing’s for sure: There’s nothing quite like the allure of the big screen.

This month’s offerings across New York and Los Angeles feature a whole host of fare designed to fill audience’s hearts, not just in the sense of discovering love, but also reaching to the soul. Starting January 31 and running through March 5, Film at Lincoln Center will be hosting a career retrospective titled “Frederick Wiseman: An American Institution” that is sure to envelop newcomers to the documentarian’s hypnotic work, as well as longtime fans.

The Turner Classic Movies (TCM) network unveiled themes, spotlights, and stars it will feature in 2025, as well as the year’s tentpole events and returning podcasts. Last year the network celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Among offerings this year will be 31 Days of Oscar, the second iteration of Two-for-One films, Summer Under the Stars and monthly birthday celebrations of the legends who made their mark on the industry. Also announced during the festival was the renewal of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Paul Thomas Anderson’s stewardship to TCM through 2025.

TCM will celebrate a different star every month, including Elvis Presley on what would have been his 90th birthday, Peter Sellers, Angela Lansbury, Rock Hudson, Paul Newman, Tony Curtis and Donald O’Connor on what would be their 100th birthdays, as well as Dick Van Dyke, on his 100th birthday in December. Other stars featured throughout the year include George Raft, Barbara Stanwyck,...

Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Paul Thomas Anderson have renewed their commitment to Turner Classic Movies, and George Stevens Jr. and Michael Schultz will be honored at the TCM Classic Film Festival in April, it was announced Saturday.

TCM also noted that new episodes of Two for One will return to the channel in April, with filmmakers and Ben Mankiewicz co-hosting a double feature on Saturday nights. Joe Dante, Kathy Bates and Jamie Lee Curtis will be among the guests.

TCM will continue to celebrate a different star every month, like Elvis Presley on what would have been his 90th birthday; Peter Sellers, Angela Lansbury, Rock Hudson, Paul Newman, Tony Curtis and Donald O’Connor on what would have been their 100th birthdays; and Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday in December.

George Raft, Barbara Stanwyck, Red Skelton, Mae West, Gary Cooper and Merle Oberon will also be featured throughout 2025.

During its 31st year,...

Two comedies. Two difficult productions. One flat-out classic. The stories of The Producers and Fierce Creatures are explored in this episode.

When it comes to making your feature directorial debut, The Producers isn’t a bad way to get off the mark! But Mel Brooks’ now much-loved comedy faced a bumpy path to the screen, not least the struggle to write it in the first place. That, and the kind of subject matter that Hollywood studios didn’t have much desire to go near.

Plus, it turned out that the fate of the film owed a bit of a debt to Peter Sellers.

After the success of A Fish Called Wanda meanwhile, the question was asked: would John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Palin and Kevin Kline come back for a sequel? Well, not quite: and despite Fierce Creatures being billed as an ‘equal not a sequel’, the comedy had a very,...

From Mickey 17 to The Alto Knights, 2025 has an unusually high number of upcoming movies starring lead actors playing multiple different roles. 2025 is shaping up to be a very interesting year for movies. Paul Thomas Anderson has a new film starring Leonardo DiCaprio that’s rumored to be a modernized adaptation of Vineland, James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe will begin proper with the release of Superman, and Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible hero Ethan Hunt is coming back to the big screen one last time for The Final Reckoning.

The movies of 2025 will continue a few ongoing trends in the film industry. The new versions of Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon will continue the trend of live-action remakes of animated classics. Screamboat and Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare will continue the trend of horror movies based on iconic characters in the public domain. It looks like 2025 will start a new trend,...

When it comes to infamous incompetent detectives, French Inspector Jacques Clouseau undoubtedly ranks high on the list, with his questionable French accent and penchant for slapstick. But no matter his methods and skill set, or lack thereof, he always managed to solve the case, sometimes accidentally. The result is the Pink Panther franchise, one of the best and most beloved comedy series to this day, with a total of 11 films, including reboots, five of which starred beloved comedic actor Peter Sellers as Clouseau. Another reboot is in the works, this time starring Eddie Murphy.

Cinemas want you to pre-book your tickets. Historically, cinemas have also not made this job particularly easy.

It’s a difficult piece for me to write this, given that I love the cinema, and that picturehouses around the world are in such challenging times. I still contend though that sometimes, the modern multiplex can be its own worst enemy.

There’s a video down at the bottom of this post where I natter about this a little bit more, but my technically excellent local cinema, which I’ve been a patron of since the 1990s when it first opened, isn’t short of its annoying quirks. An unlimited pass that now has restrictions on which seat you can book, pic ‘n’ mix that lists the individual calories per sweet (can’t touch the stuff ever again now) and an Argos-style way of ordering your food and drink. On the (significant) plus side,...

In Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, United States Air Force Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper goes rogue and launches an unprovoked nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. He is asked by Raf Group Captain Lionel Mandrake — a voice of reason in the madness — to recall the B-52 bombers that will end civilization. Ripper refuses. Mandrake asks politely, in an arch British way, why he feels the need to blow up the world. The general talks of how forces beyond our comprehension are slowly poisoning America with a toxic chemical known as … fluoride.

Dual performances always catch the eye, and they have often been used to showcase multiple sides to an actor's talents. Jim Carrey has been getting a lot of attention for playing two characters in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and some of the most exciting movies of 2025 also feature actors working overtime. Robert Pattinson, Robert De Niro and Michael B. Jordan all have dual roles lined up for 2025.

Actors mostly play multiple characters in comedy movies, just like Carrey in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Other common reasons for having a dual performance in a movie include stories with twins, or sci-fi movies with clones or humanoid robots. A dual performance is always an interesting novelty that a studio can use to promote a movie, but the best actors can turn these types of roles into more than just a gimmick.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) Jim Carrey Plays Dr. Robotnik And Professor...

Sad news in the world of late-night comedy. Conan O’Brien’s parents both passed away this week, within just three days of one another. The redheaded host’s father, Dr. Thomas O’Brien died on Monday at the age of 95, while his wife, 92-year-old Ruth Reardon O’Brien, died “peacefully” on Thursday.`

While much of the news of the O’Briens’ deaths has obviously been framed around their celebrity son, it turns out that they were incredibly impressive professionals in fields that in no way involved, say, having a meltdown on YouTube while rubbing hot sauce on your nipples.

O’Brien’s mother, for example, was reportedly “one of just four women in her Yale Law School class.” She later clerked for a “former chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, became a real estate attorney and was the second woman to become a partner at the renowned Ropes & Gray law firm in Boston.

Television host Conan O’Brien recently endured a family tragedy that came out as a double loss. The comedian’s mother has recently passed away. Notably, this comes out just days after O’Brien’s father had also died.

Conan O’Brien’s Parents Had Been Married For Sixty-Six Years

The comedian’s mother, Ruth O’Brien, passed away on December 12, 2024. She was 92 years old at the time of her death.

Notably, this comes out just three days after the death of the late night host’s father, Dr. Thomas O’Brien. He had been 95 at the time of his passing.

Conan O’Brien – YouTube

An obituary was published for Ruth on the Bell O’Dea Funeral Home’s website. It was noted that she “passed away peacefully” and had been married to her husband for “sixty-six” years.

As a graduate of Yale Law School, the obituary also noted that Ruth “was...

An exclusive look inside how the Apple TV+ comedy staged a surprise “How I Met Your Mother” meet-up.

Season 2 of “Shrinking” saved one of its best casting reveals for last. In “Changing Patterns” — the antepenultimate episode of the Apple TV+ comedy’s strong second season — Jason Segel’s Jimmy has a charged meet-cute with a fellow single parent named Sofi, played by Segel’s former “How I Met Your Mother” co-star Cobie Smulders. It’s the first time Segel and Smulders have appeared together onscreen since the CBS comedy’s finale in 2014.

“We wrote the part and then we were like, ‘Who do we put in this?’ And I said, ‘What about Cobie?’ And everyone was like, ‘Yeah, that’s great,’” Segel tells Gold Derby about getting his former co-star onto the show. “It’s a pretty small world, and everybody kind of knows everybody one way or another. So...

We have some tragic news to report about one of the world’s best-loved comics, Conan O’Brien.

Multiple sources have now confirmed that both of Conan’s parents passed away within the past week.

Longtime fans of Conan’s comedy know how frequently the former late night host referenced his close-knit, Massachusetts-based Irish-Catholic family.

Conan O’Brien visits SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios on May 17, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

A Devastating Week

Conan’s dad, Dr. Thomas O’Brien, was the first to pass away. He died on Monday at the age of 95. According to a report from The Boston Globe, “his health had been failing,” for some time before his death.

Just three days after that sad development, Conan’s mother, Ruth Reardon O’Brien, died at her home in Brookline, Massachusetts

Just four days shy of her 93rd birthday, Ruth passed away “peacefully,” according...

Conan O’Brien has been hit by double heartbreak after losing both of his parents just three days apart. The beloved talk show host’s father, Dr. Thomas O’Brien, died on Monday, December 9, at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, per The Boston Globe. He was 95. Then, just three days later, Conan’s mother, Ruth Reardon O’Brien, passed away on Thursday, December 12, also at their home. She was 92. Conan and his brother, Justin, spoke to the Globe about their parents, with the former crediting his father with instilling in him a love of comedy. “The loudest I’ve ever heard anybody laugh was sitting next to him in a theater watching Peter Sellers in a Pink Panther movie,” Conan recalled. “He was often the funniest guy in the room. And when he would laugh, his whole body would convulse and he would almost hug himself.” Ruth and Dr. Thomas O’Brien; Legacy.