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The killer doll who became the meme heard round the world is back, but she’s a bit different this time around – or is she?

Could this AI robotic invention-turned-terrorist doll that only a child named Cady could love actually redeem herself in an unexpected second act? Of course she can if her first film, made for just $10 million, grossed $180 million globally and in the process became a genuine pop culture sensation and dancing meme that inevitably would spark a sequel. But in the fast-moving world of AI technology, miles ahead now with ChatGPT and other somewhat frightening innovations since M3GAN first hit theaters in 2023, what would a 2.0 version need to look like?

That is what we get in this quickly assembled follow-up that retains the horror elements — and importantly the humor — of the first but really mixes it up with some kickass sci-fi action sequences that actually make...

M3GAN was a smash hit when it premiered in 2022, and its success led to Blumhouse greenlighting a sequel. Now, M3GAN 2.0 has unveiled a first look at the killer robot.

Vanity Fair shared a new exclusive photo of the upcoming doll. M3GAN followed a life-size robotic AI doll that would do anything to protect her owner, Cady (Violet McGraw), including murder. The new behind-the-scenes photo shows McGraw returning to the sequel, alongside head puppeteer Adrien Morot.

First BTS look at M3GAN 2.0In theaters on June 27, 2025.(Source: https://t.co/pfXBqUorCY) pic.twitter.com/wA0jG87dC1 DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 21, 2024

Related James Cameron's $405 Million Epic (That Still Needs a Sequel) Becomes Netflix Hit 5 Years Later

The 2019 cyberpunk action movie is based on a popular manga series and is still awaiting a sequel.

The new behind-the-scenes look doesn't give too much away from the upcoming sequel, especially since it was taken...

Blumhouse’s M3GAN franchise will expand with an upcoming sequel as well as a spinoff movie titled SOULM8TE, but today we’re here to talk about next year’s sequel M3GAN 2.0.

M3GAN 2.0 arrives in theaters on June 27, 2025, and Vanity Fair has shared a first-look sneak peek in an article this morning that previews all of 2025’s biggest new movies.

The outlet describes the photo they shared as follows: “Violet McGraw (returning as M3GAN’s human fixation) beholds the prop bot alongside the film’s lead puppeteer, Adrien Morot.”

Check out the behind-the-scenes shot below and expect more from M3GAN soon.

Allison Williams and Violet McGraw are back for the sequel, with Akela Cooper (Malignant, M3GAN) once again writing the script and James Wan on board to produce.

Timm Sharp, Aristotle Athari and Jemaine Clement will also star.

Gerard Johnstone (M3GAN) is back to direct the upcoming sequel.

A new behind-the-scenes image offers a glimpse of M3GAN 2.0. The upcoming horror movie is a sequel to the 2022 smash hit, which followed a life-size robotic doll gone rogue, committing a series of murders to protect her new owner, Cady (Violet McGraw), an orphan who is now in the care of her roboticist aunt Gemma (Allison Williams). The upcoming M3GAN 2.0 will feature the return of both main characters and the titular killer robot as well as Brian Jordan Alvarez as Cole and Jen Van Epps as Tess alongside newcomers Ivanna Sakhno, Timm Sharp, Aristotle Athari, and Jemaine Clement.

Vanity Fair has shared a new exclusive behind-the-scenes image from M3GAN 2.0. It features one of the dolls playing M3GAN herself, being inspected by returning star Violet McGraw and lead puppeteer Adrien Morot, who also worked on the original movie in addition to recent horror outings such as The First Omen,...

The Fangoria Chainsaw Awards are back this year and bigger than ever.

Once again airing on AMC’s Shudder, the 2024 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards has shifted the annual awards show’s shift to October; as such, the window of this year’s eligible horrors is an expanded one, encompassing all of 2023 and the first half of 2024. That means a much bigger selection of horror titles to pull from, and with the expanded categories this year, that means a massive list of 46 nominees. They even have a new category this year: Best Video Game.

Here’s where you come in; Fangoria needs your vote to decide on the winners! We have it on good authority that some of the categories are extremely competitive right now. And voting happens to be officially open for the awards show.

Participants can cast their votes via the official Fangoria website at www.fangoria.com/vote/. Voting...

The only award season that matters is here! Joking (kind of), but seriously, Fangoria just released the complete list of nominees for the 2024 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards. Considering how often horror gets shut out of the mainstream award shows, it's nice to have at least one thing we can rely on year after year.

Last year's Chainsaw Awards included big wins for movies like The Black Phone, Terrifier 2, and Prey. This time, the categories are again stacked, with films like Abigail, Evil Dead Rise, The First Omen, Talk To Me, Late Night with the Devil, and many more going head to head.

Specific performances are also being highlighted, like Tobin Bell in Saw X and Kathryn Newton for both Lisa Frankenstein and Abigail. It's been a fantastic few years for horror, and it'll be exciting to see which movies pull ahead this time around.

In addition to popular categories such as Best Wide Release,...

Last year, Brendan Fraser won Best Actor for “The Whale,” which also won Best Makeup and Hairstyling for artists Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, and Annemarie Bradley. This is a combination of Oscar categories that have popped up several times over the years. But could it happen again this year? Well, theoretically, yes.

The brilliant makeup artist Kazu Hiro, also known as Kazuhiro Tsuji, turned Bradley Cooper into Leonard Bernstein in Netflix’s “Maestro.” Kazu Hiro landed himself an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling alongside Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell. Meanwhile, Cooper is nominated for Best Actor.

Along with “The Whale,” several other movies have done well with this pair of Oscar categories. In 2018, “Darkest Hour” won Best Actor for Gary Oldman and Hiro won Best Makeup and Hairstyling alongside David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick. In 2014, “Dallas Buyers Club” won both awards, too, with Matthew McConaughey winning for acting...

Director/Producer Jenn Wexler’s sophomore feature, The Sacrifice Game, arrives on Shudder on December 8, just in time to spread holiday fear for the season.

With co-writer Sean Redlitz, Wexler’s latest infuses Yuletide horror with a maniacal Satanic cult set at a boarding school in the ’70s.

Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Olympian Gus Kenworthy, Chloë Levine, Madison Baines, Derek Johns, Laurent Pitre and Georgia Acken star.

Bloody Disgusting spoke with Wexler about her devilishly fun Christmas horror feature, where she discussed her influences and ensured a movie titled The Sacrifice Game delivers on the bloodletting.

At the gooey center of a violent, bloody holiday horror tale lies the charming friendship between two teen girls held hostage by a deranged cult. Not only does friendship become the emotional backbone, but Wexler reveals that her horror movies ultimately speak to her childhood.

The filmmaker tells us, “The stories I want to tell,...

Thanksgiving director Elon Musk recently opened up about his new film’s Black Friday scene.

In an exclusive interview with Cbr, Roth discussed the Black Friday scene in Thanksgiving, a sequence that sets the tone for the rest of the movie and informs audiences what they’re in for. “I’d say it was the most difficult sequence of my career in terms of complexity in what had to happen and the amount of characters that we're tracking,” Roth said. The director went on to say that he was prepared for the filming of the scene, and that it was something he wouldn’t have been able to achieve when he was just starting out as a young filmmaker. He said, “I could never have made a sequence like that at the beginning of my career, and it's only when you're doing your ninth -- it's my ninth feature film...

After a tease in 2006's Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's double feature Grindhouse, a new holiday slasher movie comes out in theaters this November, with Eli Roth's Thanksgiving. A year after a Black Friday tragedy, a masked killer dressed as Pilgrim John Carver begins targeting people linked to the incident and murdering them in gruesomely imaginative ways. Based on a story written by Roth and childhood friend Jeff Rendell, Roth steps up to direct and produce this gory horror movie, weaving an intricate murder mystery as one town is plunged into terror by the vicious John Carver.

In an exclusive interview with Cbr, Thanksgiving filmmaker Eli Roth talked about the origins of the slasher movie, revealed what scene from the film was the most complex of his entire career to direct, and teased what audiences can expect when Thanksgiving carves its way into theaters.

Related: Eli Roth's Thanksgiving...

Best Actor looks set to be one of the most intriguing Oscar races this year with Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”) and Leonardo DiCaprio (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) currently battling it out at the top of our odds chart in this category.

Colman Domingo (“Rustin”) and Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”) are also predicted to reap nominations but it is Bradley Cooper in third spot that makes things really interesting. Cooper stars as Leonard Bernstein in Netflix’s “Maestro,” which he also produces, directs and co-writes. The Netflix feature, which opens on November 22, explores the complex marriage between the renowned composer and his wife Felicia Montealegre, who is played by Carey Mulligan. Mulligan is, as always, excellent, but Cooper has the transformative role here.

Makeup artist Kazu Hiro, also known as Kazuhiro Tsuji, turns him into Bernstein with astounding makeup and prosthetics. Cooper’s mannerisms, gestures, and vocal work prove add to his performance.

The MTV series Teen Wolf – which was loosely inspired by the 1985 comedy film Teen Wolf (watch our Awfully Good video on that movie Here) – wrapped up its six season run back in 2017, and back in January it got a feature film follow-up on the Paramount+ streaming service. (Read our review of Teen Wolf: The Movie at This Link.) Now Paramount+ is hoping that movie is going to rack up multiple Primetime Emmy Awards nominations.

Variety reports that the streaming service has submitted Teen Wolf: The Movie for Emmys consideration in the following categories: Outstanding Television Movie, Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Tyler Posey), Directing (Russell Mulcahy), Writing, Prosthetic Makeup and Original Music and Lyrics (“Lemon” by Tyler Posey).

Since Posey was also a producer on the film, Variety notes that these submissions give him three chances to earn an Emmy nod.

Teen Wolf: The Movie...

The wolf pack is hoping for Emmys love.

“Teen Wolf: The Movie,” Paramount+’s adaptation of the MTV supernatural-thriller series, has been submitted for the Primetime Emmy Awards for outstanding television movie, Variety has learned exclusively.

Moreover, the streamer also submitted the film in five other categories: lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie (Tyler Posey), directing (Russell Mulcahy), writing, prosthetic makeup and original music and lyrics (“Lemon” by Tyler Posey). This provides Posey, who plays the True Alpha werewolf Scott and produces the film, three chances for recognition.

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Emmy predictions in all categories.

An unlikely contender to receive recognition, primarily based on the Academy ignoring the MTV original series, it’s fun to see networks throw hail marys for its genre programming. This year, the TV movie race is expected to have an abundance of genre films such...

The connection you never saw coming. Believe it or not, Darren Aronofsky's drama "The Whale" and the horror hit "M3GAN" have something in common — and it's definitely not what you expected.

It all stems from Aronofsky's film, which was approached much like a play, according to Backstage magazine. The publication went on to explain that "[Star Brendan] Fraser embraced the raw authenticity" of the film's production, and to him, that extended to the "hundreds of pounds of prosthetics and harnesses he wore." The design was created and executed by makeup artist Adrien Morot, who, funnily enough, is the same person who designed the M3GAN doll a mere couple of months later.

Fraser joked with Backstage in an interview, "Charlie could have been a creation such as a murder robot, but he wasn't. He's a human being. So often, the makeup we've seen when creating a person who lives with a larger...

Every bit as outrageously entertaining as horror fans would expect from Housebound director Gerard Johnstone, Malignant writer Akela Cooper, and producers James Wan and Jason Blum, M3GAN danced into theaters the first week of January.

With a persuasive marketing campaign led by a buzzy trailer and a strong social media presence, the film performed beyond expectations, grossing $173.4 million worldwide on a $12 million budget. A sequel, M3GAN 2.0, was swiftly put into development for a January 2025 release.

Until then, viewers can now enjoy both the theatrical and unrated cuts of M3GAN on Blu-ray. The release also carries three making-of featurettes: “New Vision of Horror,” “Bringing Life to M3GAN,” and “Getting Hacked.” Despite running a scant 14 minutes in total, they pack in soundbites from a wide array of cast and crew members.

In addition to Johnstone, Cooper, Wan, and Blum, participants include actors Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, Ronny Chieng,...

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Brendan Fraser is riding the comeback wave for his Oscar-winning role in The Whale, Darren Aronofsky’s awards-nominated film based on the Samuel D. Hunter play about experiencing grief and finding salvation.

The 54-year-old star on Sunday took home the best actor trophy for playing Charlie, a reclusive English teacher who gains hundreds of pounds over several years while grieving the death of his boyfriend. In the wake of the tragedy, he attempts to find redemption while reconnecting with his estranged teenage daughter, portrayed by Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink.

Co-star Hong Chau was nominated for best supporting actress for playing health care worker friend Liz, among other recognition this awards season. Ty Simpkins and Samantha Morton also star in the movie.

Fraser wore prosthetics for the role,...

Brendan Fraser won best actor for his leading role in "The Whale" on March 12 at the Oscars, and I hated it. Fraser was awarded for a role where he puts on a fat suit and pretends to choke on fried chicken and sandwiches and pizza. It's a movie where he literally eats himself to death, and it's portrayed as some sort of metaphor for love and redemption. Fraser and director Darren Aronofsky have said repeatedly that they wanted the movie to show the humanity of fat people, to invoke empathy toward them, but the movie fails to do anything close. And Fraser's win is the cherry on top - the affirmation from Hollywood that this is a good, worthwhile film and performance.

There's something kind of gross about how every time I talk about my issues with "The Whale," I feel pressured to hedge it. "Oh but I love Brendan though,...

As the credits began to roll at the end of the 2023 Oscars, host Jimmy Kimmel walked to the side of the stage, where somebody had placed an industrial workplace sign reading “Number of Oscars Telecasts Without an Incident,” and he triumphantly flipped the “00” to “01.”

That pretty much sums up the night.

Maybe you’re a person who loves chaos, in which case the Oscars telecast was doubtlessly a large disappointment. Maybe you’re a person who hates Everything Everywhere All at Once, in which case the Oscars telecast was doubtlessly infuriating. Maybe you hate Hollywood folks and think it’s inappropriate for the recipient of a professional honor to get emotional, in which case the Oscars telecast gave you plenty to be snide about.

I’m going to complain about things in the Oscars telecast. It’s what I do, and the telecast was hardly without flaws. But those flaws...

As expected, Daniels Kwan and Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once has come out on top at 2023’s Oscars ceremony, with the most wins of anything nominated.

The A24 multiverse dramedy, only the second feature film from the directing duo, took home seven awards: best picture, director, lead actress for Michelle Yeoh, original screenplay, editing, supporting actor for Ke Huy Quan and supporting actress for Jamie Lee Curtis.

It broke multiple records with its haul: Yeoh is the first woman to identify as Asian to win lead actress and only the second woman of color ever to win in that category. She also is the actor who has won for playing the most characters in a single film ever (around 70). Quan and Yeoh are the first actors to win for playing Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese-speaking characters, as well as it being the first ceremony multiple Asian actors won in a single year.

Brendan Fraser has officially solidified his Hollywood comeback as a newly minted Oscar winner.

The “Whale” star won Best Actor at the 2023 Academy Awards for his turn as a reclusive English professor grappling with his obesity and will to live. Sadie Sink, Ty Simpkins, Hong Chau, and Samantha Morton also star in the Darren Aronofsky film. Samuel D. Hunter wrote the script based on his semi-autobiographical play of the same name.

Fraser beat out fellow nominees Colin Farrell, Austin Butler, Bill Nighy, and Paul Mescal to win the Best Actor Oscar.

“The Whale” debuted at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival and immediately was labeled as Fraser’s role of a lifetime. His performance received a six-minute standing ovation following the premiere.

“For Fraser, ‘The Whale’ is a confident leap forward into the movie-star status that he rightfully deserves,” wrote Leila Latif in her review for IndieWire, adding that Fraser’s...

The films up for the 2023 Best Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar are “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “The Batman,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Elvis,” and “The Whale.” Our current odds show that “Elvis” (69/20) is favored to win, followed in order by “The Whale” (18/5), “The Batman” (9/2), “All Quiet on the Western Front” (9/2), and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (9/2).

Each of this category’s last five consecutive lineups has included a 70% first-time nominee majority, but this year’s rookie group is 16% smaller. The present subset is comprised of both “All Quiet on the Western Front” artists (Linda Eisenhamerova and Heike Merker) as well as two craftspeople from “The Whale” (Annemarie Bradley-Sherron and Judy Chin) and one each from “The Batman” (Michael Fontaine), “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Camille Friend), and “Elvis” (Jason Baird).

Baird shares his nomination with Mark Coulier and Aldo Signoretti, who have now amassed four bids apiece in this category. Signoretti...

Zaib Shaikh, Canada’s Consul General to Los Angeles, hosted the country’s annual Canada at the Oscars soiree Thursday at his official residence in Hancock Park.

The event was the first stop of the night for many Oscar-nominated Canadians including “Women Talking’s” Sarah Polley, Sheila McCarthy and Kate Hallet. Polley was headed to the Macro party. Other attendees were going to the Oscar Wilde Awards or the South Asian Excellence Pre-Oscars Celebration.

Also in attendance were “Turning Red’s” Domee Shi, who landed an Oscar for best animated feature, Brendan Fraser and “The Whale” prosthetics makeup designer Adrien Morot.

The night celebrated Canadian Oscar winners and nominees, past and present.

Last year’s nominated makeup artist for “Dune,” Donald Mowat, spoke with Variety about his upcoming work with frequent collaborator Jake Gyllenhaal. On the TV series, “Presumed Innocent,” Mowat said, “He gets to be a heartbroken lawyer with...

We keep updating these predictions through the awards season, so keep checking IndieWire for all our 2023 Oscar picks. Final voting is March 2 through 7, 2023. The 95th Oscars telecast will be broadcast on Sunday, March 12 and air live on ABC at 8:00 p.m. Et/ 5:00 p.m. Pt.

See our initial thoughts for what to expect at the 95th Academy Awards here.

The State of the Race

This year’s Best Actor race has been one for the books. It’s not often that we get three nominees on somewhat equal footing going into final voting. It’s even rarer to have the category consist completely of first-time nominees (the last time it happened was 1935). As Oscar night nears, one actor stands out as the likeliest winner, but it’d be unwise to suggest anyone is a lock.

While California-born “Elvis” star Austin Butler did not win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards,...

Remember the “McConaussaince” of 2013? If you’re reading this website, of course you do. Gold Derby founder Tom O’Neil referred to it as the time when Matthew McConaughey went from “surfer dude to serious actor” and was justly rewarded by the Academy Awards for his gut-wrenching performance in the docu-drama “Dallas Buyers Club.” A decade later, awards watchers are in the midst of another well-publicized career redemption, this time for Brendan Fraser. Hmm, how does “Fraserssaince” sound?

Following a breakout decade in the 1990s that featured instant classic performances in “Encino Man” (1992), “George of the Jungle” (1997) and “The Mummy” (1999), Fraser’s career experienced several setbacks in the 2000s. “I needed to take some personal time in my career and life,” the actor revealed in a recent interview with our senior editor Christopher Rosen. But that personal time ended last year with he got cast in A24’s “The Whale.”

SEEOscar...

“Sorry I’m a few minutes late, I’m just trying to situate my lap dog,” apologizes Brendan Fraser from his upstate New York home. “Isn’t it funny in this age of Zoom, we can’t pretend we’re not at home anymore,” he laughs.

Being home must be really nice for the actor after spending countless days on the road attending events and international premieres to promote his critically acclaimed role in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. In it, Fraser plays Charlie, a 600-pound writing professor trying to reconcile with his estranged daughter before it’s too late. It’s an awards tour that allows Fraser to not only graciously accept the accolades, but also reflect on the experience of shooting this movie during the worst of the pandemic.

“I’m only too glad to comport myself to all of this, but this is more than just doing a tour,...

“The Whale” Oscar nominee Adrien Morot has worked with director Darren Aronofsky on multiple projects – including “mother!” “Noah,” and “The Fountain.”

“When he calls, whatever I’m doing, I’m dropping it and I’m going to work him,” Morot tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview.

But when Morot first heard about “The Whale” early in the pandemic, he knew this time was going to be different. “It’s sort of like a career-breaker or it can be the end of the career if you don’t succeed with a project like that,” Morot says. “A sane person would have run in the other direction. But I was like, ‘Come on, bring it on. Let’s see what we’re gonna do with this.’”

SEEDarren Aronofsky interview: ‘The Whale’

Based on the play by Samuel D. Hunter (who wrote the film adaptation of his own stage work), “The Whale...

One of the favorite tools of stop-motion filmmakers including Henry Selick and Guillermo del Toro for many years, 3D printing has become a dominant force in cutting edge costume design and prosthetics construction for this year’s awards season frontrunners. As techniques, materials and methods for adding color continue to develop, its reach could extend even further.

Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter has employed 3D printing techniques in her work for years. It was a crucial part of her designs for “Black Panther” and “Wakanda Forever,” which just earned her a fourth Oscar nomination. For her most recent film, Carter was faced with challenges that included making costumes, jewelry and crowns that would hold up to difficult environments including water and photograph in the correct color tones.

For the crown worn by Angela Bassett as well as other pieces including Namor’s armor, Carter drew on multiple inspirations including...

Brendan Fraser's lengthy makeup and prosthetics process for The Whale is shown off in detail thanks to a new time-lapse video. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, The Whale features Fraser as Charlie, a morbidly obese man who struggles to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Ellie, played by Sadie Sink. The film proved somewhat divisive among critics upon its release last year, but Fraser's highly affecting performance, in particular, has been showered with praise.

Now, EW has shared a new behind-the-scenes look at The Whale and how Fraser's transformation into a 600-pound man was pulled off.

In EW's exclusive clip, Oscar-nominated makeup designer Adrien Morot applies prosthetics to Brendan Fraser as part of a long process of bringing Charlie to the flesh in 'The Whale.' https://t.co/nLAWXsqRz7 — Entertainment Weekly (@EW) February 22, 2023

The total weight of all the prosthetics applied to Fraser amounted to hundreds of pounds, but...

Good news for people who don’t like to cry in public (and perhaps) Screen Actors Guild Awards voters who haven’t been able to get to the theater): “The Whale,” director Darren Aronofsky’s Oscar-nominated drama film, is now available to watch on-demand, which means you can sob at Brendan Fraser’s heartbreaking performance in the comfort of your own home. Distributor A24 announced that the film is available to buy via Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, and other platforms.

“The Whale” is about Charlie (Fraser), a reclusive, morbidly obese man who teaches writing classes over Zoom with his camera off. He’s trying to repair his relationship with his teenage daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), who resents him for leaving her and her mother years prior. He’s also trying to come to terms with his grief over the death by suicide of his lover, Alan.

All Quiet on the Western Front made good on its record number of BAFTA nominations with a major haul of wins at the film awards ceremony on Sunday night.

At London’s Royal Festival Hall, Netflix’s German anti-war epic took the BAFTAs for best film, alongside best adapted screenplay and best director, and hoovered up most of the craft honors for a total of seven gongs (a BAFTA record for a film not in the English language).

Away from the Western Front, Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin won four awards, including half the performance honors, with Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan landing supporting wins. Elsewhere, Austin Butler won leading actor for Elvis, and Cate Blanchett leading actress for Tar.

As had largely been expected, Richard E. Grant was a delightfully upbeat and uncontroversial host, with no political jokes or any jibes aimed at the guests (although he did reference Will Smith,...

‘Banshees’ duo, ’Navalny’, ’Aftersun’ among early winners.

The 2023 Bafta Film Awards show is taking place today (February 19) from London’s Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank this year (it was previously at the Royal Albert Hall).

The show started at around 18:00 UK time, finishing at approximately 21:00, and will be broadcast with a time delay on BBC One starting at 19:00, with the final four awards broadcast live for the first time.

Richard E. Grant is hosting the ceremony, with presenter Alison Hammond providing backstage and winners access through a new Bafta studio.

Screen is posting all the winners...

The ninth annual Variety Artisans Awards celebrated the craftspeople behind Oscar-nominated films at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Monday.

A crowd of movie lovers, local Academy members and students from the nearby University of Santa Barbara came to see the artisans discuss their processes and talk about the biggest misconception people have about their crafts.

The full panel of honorees included “Rrr” songwriter M.M Keeravaani, composer Ryan Lott representing Son Lux who did the music for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Elvis” costume designer Catherine Martin, “Babylon” production designer Florencia Martin, “Top Gun: Maverick” cinematographer Claudio Miranda, “The Whale” hairstyling and makeup artist Adrien Morot, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” editor Paul Rogers, “Avatar: The Way of Water” VFX supervisor Eric Saindon and “All Quiet on the Western Front” sound designer Markus Stemler.

“Avatar 2’s” Saindon discussed the difficulty of filming underwater, including using 70 cameras above the water line and 70 below.

American Cinematheque will celebrate Brendan Fraser with “Fraser-Thon,” a marathon featuring four of his most beloved films at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, Calif. Fraser will participate in the evening’s in-person event with an introduction and Q&a (along with a surprise guest).

The selected films represent the range of his 30-year career, including dramas, comedies, action movies and critically acclaimed performances. They are Robert Mandel’s coming-of-age drama “School Ties” (1992), Stephen Sommers’ action-adventure “The Mummy” (1999), Hugh Wilson’s rom-com “Blast From the Past” (1999) and Darren Aronofsky’s Oscar-nominated “The Whale” (2022). For “The Whale,” Fraser is nominated for best actor at this year’s Academy Awards, in addition to supporting actress (Hong Chau) and makeup and hairstyling.

The first 200 attendees will receive a free “Brendan Fraser Zine,” courtesy of A24. The tickets for the four-film evening will go on sale via the Cinematheque website on Feb. 15 beginning at 1:00 p.

“Elvis” did well at the Makeup Artists & Hair Stylists Guild on Feb. 11 winning two of its three bids. It claimed the prizes for both period/character makeup and hairstyling but lost the special effects race to one of its Oscar rivals, “The Whale.” Another Oscar contender, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” won contemporary makeup.

These wins boost the odds of one of these three films prevailing at the Academy Awards. Last year marked the only time in the nine-year history of these guild honors that one of its winners had not gone on to claim the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. While “Coming 2 America” won three awards here, it was “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” that won over academy voters. That biopic had lost both period/character guild awards (hairstyling to “Being the Ricardos” and makeup to Oscar rival “Cruella”) plus the special effects category to “Coming 2 America.

We will update all our Oscar predictions throughout the season, so keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2023 Oscar race. The nomination round of voting will take place from January 12 to January 17, 2023, with the official Oscar nominations announced on January 24, 2023. The final voting is between March 2 and 7, 2023. Finally, the 95th Oscars telecast will be broadcast on Sunday, March 12 and air live on ABC at 8:00 p.m. Et/ 5:00 p.m. Pt.

See our initial thoughts for what to expect at the 95th Academy Awards here.

The State of the Race

Oscar nominees “Elvis,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” and “The Whale” were the Feature Motion Picture winners along with “Everything Everywhere All at Once” February 11 at the 10th annual Muahs Guild Awards (held at the Beverly Hilton).

“Elvis” took two awards: period/character makeup and period hairstyling/character hairstyling; “Wakanda Forever” won for contemporary hairstyling; and “The Whale” snagged special makeup effects.

Elvis topped the feature competition at the 10th annual Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards (IATSE Local 706), winning a pair of awards for period make-up and period hair styling.

Accepting with the team, Shane Thomas said of the team’s challenge to creating Elvis Presley, “We wanted to represent and respect, but not impersonate.” He also saluted director Baz Luhrmann’s “unwavering commitment” to filmmaking.

Also on Saturday at The Beverly Hilton, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever collected the award for contemporary hair styling. Department head Camille Friend dedicated the award to the late Chadwick Boseman.

Angela Bassett – who is Oscar-nominated for her role as Queen Ramonda in Wakanda Forever – received the Guild’s Distinguished Artisan Award during the ceremony. Bassett called the Guild members the “unsung heroes of filmmaking” as she accepted the award. “For any show, there is a team who works long and hard to help us bring to life the character.

Updated with complete winners list: Oscar Best Picture nominee Elvis scored wins in both motion picture period make-up and hair styling categories Saturday at the 10th annual Make-up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards.

The contemporary make-up team from fellow Best Pic Oscar nominee Everything Everywhere All at Once and the special make-up effects team behind The Whale also took top honors tonight in the ceremony at the Beverly Hilton, as did Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for its contemporary hair styling.

Angela Bassett received the Distinguished Artisan Award on Saturday

Tonight’s film winners are now vying for Oscar frontrunner status in the Make-up and Hair Styling category; Elvis, Black Panther and The Whale are nominated there this year along with All Quiet on the Western Front and The Batman. Elvis and Batman were triple Muahs nominees tonight.

On the TV side tonight, multiple winners include Pam & Tommy, The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special,...

“Elvis” took the crown at the 10th annual Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards, leading all films. Presented Saturday evening at the Beverly Hilton, the Baz Luhrmann spectacle in which hair and makeup helped transform Austin Butler into Elvis Presley at every stage of his illustrious career, won two awards in the five feature-film categories, for period and/or character make-up and period and/or character hair styling.

Other film winners included “Everything Everywhere All at Once” for contemporary make-up, “The Whale” for special make-up effects and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” for contemporary hair styling.

“Elvis,” “The Whale,” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” are all nominated for the Best Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar, along with “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “The Batman.”

Since the Muahs Awards started up again after a hiatus in 2013, all but one Oscar winner for makeup and hair had previously won an award from the guild.

The Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild held its 10th annual awards ceremony Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” dominated the night with two wins for best period and/or character make-up and period and/or character hair styling. Best special make-up effects went to Adrien Morot, Kathy Tse and Chris Gallaher for “The Whale. Michelle Chung (Variety’s 10 artisans to watch recipient for hair and makeup) and the “Everything Everywhere All At Once” team took home the award for best contemporary make up, while the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” team won for best contemporary hair.

On the TV front, Hulu’s “Pam and Tommy,” “American Horror Story: Dollhouse” and “Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special” all took home awards.

Make-up artist D’Andre Michael and Muah winner Camille Friend presented the Distinguished Artisan Award to Angela Bassett.

Bassett told the room full of local 706 artisans,...

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages are Davis’ assessment of the current standings of the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any film or performance. Like any organization or body that votes, each individual category is fluid and subject to change. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Last Updated: Feb 9, 2023

2023 Oscars Predictions: Best Makeup and Hairstyling The Whale, Brendan Fraser

Category commentary: The 10th annual Make-Up and Hair Stylists Guild Awards are this weekend where Oscar-nominated movies “The Batman” and “Elvis,” both from Warner Bros., lead the charge.

Netflix’s “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which is one of the five Oscar-nominated movies alongside Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and A24’s “The Whale,...

Two of the five Oscar nominees for Best Makeup and Hairstyling — “The Batman” and “Elvis” — contend in three categories apiece at the guild awards on Feb. 11. Another contender, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” has a pair of bids while “The Whale” has a single nomination. The fifth Oscar contender, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” was snubbed by the Makeup Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards.

Last year marked the first time in the nine-year history of these guild awards that the eventual Oscar winner was shut out here first. “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” lost both period/character races (hairstyling to “Being the Ricardos” and makeup to Oscar rival “Cruella”) plus the special effects category to another Oscar contender, “Coming 2 America.” The other two Oscar nominees — “House of Gucci” and “Dune” — were also overlooked by the guild despite three and two bids respectively.

Our exclusive odds predict that five films...

The Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling is particularly tough to predict early on because of the complicated system by which the nominees are determined in two stages. First, upwards of 15 members of the branch who attend special screenings cast preferential ballots with the top 10 vote-getters moving on to the second stage (it was a lucky seven till 2021). Those members from the first stage and any other members who either attend screenings of excerpts from these semi-finalists or attest that they have seen them cast preferential ballots and the top five films are nominated; that is up from three in years past. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2023 Oscars Best Makeup and Hairstyling predictions.).

As a result of being well-received at these screenings, titles that had not been part of the conversation in the first few months of awards season end up as nominees. For example, the Swedish films “A Man Called Ove...

Ryan Coogler‘s “Black Panther” made history four years ago when it won the first Oscar for a Marvel Cinematic Universe film — in fact, it won three: Best Costume Design, Best Production Design and Best Score. Now, the highly anticipated sequel, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” has been nominated for five Academy Awards and could very likely win the same number of trophies. Just like last time around, the sequel is the favorite to win Best Costume Design for Ruth E. Carter. Its other potential victories are for a pair of A-list superstars: Angela Bassett in Best Supporting Actress and Rihanna in Best Song. (“Wakanda” is also nominated for Best Makeup & Hairstyling and Best Visual Effects.)

The original blockbuster received a total of seven Oscar nominations including a coveted Best Picture bid, a first (and so far only) such feat for an MCU movie. “Black Panther” won for costumes, production design and score,...

M.M Keeravaani, “Rrr” composer and “Naatu Naatu” songwriter; Catherine Martin, costume designer, production designer and producer on “Elvis”; Claudio Miranda, cinematographer of “Top Gun: Maverick”; and Florencia Martin, production designer for “Babylon” are among the recipients of Variety’s Artisans Awards.

The honorees will be feted at the Santa Barbara Film Festival on Feb. 13 at the Arlington Theatre.

Now in its ninth year, Variety‘s partnership with the Santa Barbara Film Festival celebrates the artisans who have showcased the most innovative work of the year in their craft.

Said Roger Durling, the festival’s executive director, “From big-budget productions to independent cinema, artisans have shown us this past year the strength and vitality of the collaborative process in filmmaking, and we at Sbiff cherish our partnership with Variety and the opportunity to spotlight the accomplishments of these singular artists.”

Jazz Tangcay, Variety‘s senior artisans editor, will moderate a...

‘The Whale’s star Brendan Fraser has said that his Oscar nomination is “a gift he certainly didn’t see coming”. The 54-year-old star has been nominated for the best actor prize at the Academy Awards in recognition of his role in ‘The Whale’, while the film has also been shortlisted for best make-up and hairstyle and his co-star Hong Chau is in the running for supporting actress, reports ‘Female First UK’.

Reflecting on the news, he told ‘People’ magazine in a statement that he is “absolutely overjoyed and deeply grateful to The Academy for this recognition and for recognising Hong Chau’s beautiful performance and Adrien Morot’s incredible make-up”.

He added, quoted by ‘Female First UK’: “I wouldn’t have this nomination without (director) Darren Aronofsky, (writer) Samuel D. Hunter and the extraordinary cast and crew who gave me the gift of Charlie.”

“It’s about finding...

The 2023 Oscar nominations are finally here, full of surprises across the board, both positive (Andrea Riseborough! Brian Tyree Henry!) and unfortunate (where's the love for "Rrr" or "Decision to Leave?"). Some truly excellent films received well-deserved and ample recognition, like the wonderfully ecstatic "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and the haunting "The Banshees of Inisherin." One not-so-surprising turn of events is the Best Actor nomination of Brendan Fraser in Darren Aronofsky's controversial entry "The Whale," based on the play by Samuel D. Hunter.

"The Whale" follows Charlie, a 600-pound English instructor with a good and vulnerable heart, who is literally eating himself to death following the tragic loss of his boyfriend and his estrangement from his furious daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink). The film sees Charlie routinely embarrassed, rejected, engaged in acts of clear self-hatred, and on the receiving end of a parade of hate speech over his weight in...

Through his performance as Charlie in The Whale, beloved actor Brendan Fraser has earned his first Oscar nomination and has given an emotional reaction to the news. The Whale was released on December 9, 2022, and features the return of Fraser to the big screen with an emotionally gripping portrayal of Charlie, a reclusive, morbidly obese English teacher who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink). Ty Simpkins, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, Sathya Sridharan, and Jacey Sink also appeared in the David Aronofsky-directed feature. The film collected three Oscar nominations from the Academy Awards ahead of March's ceremony.

In a statement through the Pa news agency, shared by Yahoo!, Fraser has shared an emotional reaction to the news of his first-ever Oscar nomination. Fraser was one of five actors nominated in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role category. Colin Farrell, Bill Nighy, Paul Mescal,...

The Academy has released the list of nominations for the 2023 Oscars. Everything Everywhere All at Once led the pack this year with 11 nominations, followed closely by the war drama All Quiet On The Western Front and dark comedy The Banshees of Inisherin.

A few actors who made big comebacks this year received nominations for their roles, including Brendan Fraser for The Whale and former child actor Ke Huy Quan for Everything Everywhere All at Once. Also in the running for best actor are Austin Butler, Colin Farrell, Billy Nighy and Paul Mescal, all first-time nominees. In a surprising nod to indie film To Leslie, Andrea Riseborough scored a nomination for best actress. The race also includes Cate Blanchett, Ana de Armas, Michelle Williams and Michelle Yeoh.

Jimmy Kimmel will return to host the Oscars, making his third appearance as emcee after his previous hosting stints in 2017 and 2018.

Here is the...

At last, the 2023 Oscar Awards nominations have been announced and this year’s nominees are feeling a mix of emotions from “overwhelmed” to “overjoyed with happiness.”

Stars, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Austin Butler and Brendan Fraser are reacting to the exciting news ahead of the 95th Academy Awards, airing Sunday, March 12 on ABC, live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

Check out how some of your favourite celebs are celebrating their nominations below.

Brendan Fraser’s remarkable performance in “The Whale” has earned him his first-ever Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Fraser shared that he’s feeling “absolutely overjoyed and deeply grateful to The Academy for this recognition.”

He also thanked The Academy “for recognizing Hong Chau’s beautiful performance and Adrien Morot’s incredible makeup. I wouldn’t have this nomination without Darren Aronofsky, Samuel D. Hunter, A24 and the extraordinary cast...

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” breakout star Stephanie Hsu learned that she’d earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination on Tuesday just after her flight landed in Los Angeles. And the first text message of congratulations to reach her was short and to the point: “Holy s—.”

“I knew that the announcements were happening today and I was flying back from Sydney. I woke up just before it was happening. And then I put my phone on the little tray next to my coffee and it just started going zoing zoing!” Hsu said with a laugh. “I got the news sort of right as I was landing, so I thought I was hallucinating.”

Hsu was just one of many nominees from “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” as the film topped all other entries with 11 overall nominations, including acting nods for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Other...