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Allison Janney and Chris Cooper in Everything's Going To Be Great

Scottish director Jon S Baird and American screenwriter Steven Rogers' Everything's Going To Be Great is set in the world of regional theatre. It's a story about chasing one's dreams while contending with the challenges life throws at you. Buddy (Bryan Cranston) and Macy Smart (Allison Janney) try to raise their two sons, while Buddy keeps his dream on track and Macy keeps the family together.

Baird's previous credits include the adaptation of Scottish writer Irvine Welsh's novel Filth, the comedy-drama minseries Stonehouse, about a politician played by Matthew Macfayden who fakes his own death, and episodes of Babylon, Feed The Beast, and Vinyl, which was executive produced by Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger.

Rogers has written screenplays for I, Tonya, P.S. I Love You, Christmas With The Coopers, and was the series creator of Mike, about the...

Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier has been tapped to helm Marvel Studios' long-awaited X-Men reboot. The movie, which fans have been waiting for since 2019's Disney/Fox merger, will likely set the tone for the next era of MCU storytelling (widely theorised to be the "Mutant Saga").

With The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes scribe Michael Lesslie hard at work on the script, there have already been rumours about who will play the next generation of X-Men. Regarding Cyclops, one name that keeps coming up is Avatar: The Way of Water star Jack Champion.

Fans have responded positively to the prospect of him playing Scott Summers in the MCU, and asked Champion for his thoughts while talking to him, and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Pinocchio), for their new movie, Everything's Going to Be Great.

"It’s, uh, definitely news to me," the Avatar: Fire and Ash star responded. "I mean,...

Bryan Cranston takes on the role of a family man once again in writer Steven Roger’s new comedic drama, and we’ve got you covered on how to watch it.

The film, which also stars Oscar-winner Allison Janney, touches on themes related to identity, family struggles and goal-chasing, and even features some of writer Steven Rogers’ own lived experiences, including his father’s role as a theater producer.

The film, which was directed by Jon S. Baird, made its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival on June 9 and it’s about to hit select theaters this week. Here’s everything you need to know about how and where to watch.

When does “Everything’s Going to Be Great” come out?

“Everything’s Going to Be Great” comes out in theaters on Friday, June 20.

Is “Everything’s Going to Be Great” in theaters?

Yes, it appears that “Everything’s Going to Be Great” will be in theaters.

Bang!

Oh my god, everybody! Get down! This movie got me — oh my god, it got me! It got me right in the feels!

Sigh… you know, they say you never see the movie with your name on it. But I just saw “Everything’s Going to Be Great” and it’s me all over. Jon S. Baird’s kind and cutting drama about a family trying, failing, and trying all over again to make it in the theater is a heartening drama and a great big smile of a comedy. “Everything’s Going to Be Great” understands the hopeless can-do spirit of not quite getting there but coming close enough that you’ll never, ever give up.

Benjamin Evan Ainsworth stars, brightly, as Lester Smart, a finely dressed adolescent who fantasizes about befriending Noël Coward and Ruth Gordon. He doesn’t quite know he’s gay, but he knows that “vagina makes his skin crawl,...

A spirited rendition of “There’s No Business Like Show Business” during the opening credits gets the oddball dramedy Everything’s Going To Be Great off to a promising start, right in line with its optimistic title. What follows though is the story of a fairly dysfunctional family that takes to the road following patriarch Buddy Smart’s (Bryan Cranston) somewhat ill-considered dreams in the world of regional theatre. The idea comes from screenwriter Steven Rogers, who grew up in this world where his father worked putting on shows from town to town, something that inspired Rogers to take that idea, place it back in the late ’80s, and put on this show. The family here includes the practical and religious matriarch Macy (Allison Janney), wannabe-jock 16-year-old Derrick (Jack Champion) and his 14-year-old brother and budding star Lester (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) and seems to be each following their own separate trajectory as...

Bryan Cranston may be a master of transformation, but even the Breaking Bad legend can’t always land a hit. His newest film, Everything’s Going to Be Great, just debuted with a less-than-stellar 50% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes — and that’s from only 12 reviews so far. That’s a far cry from the critical acclaim Cranston has enjoyed in projects like Trumbo or Breaking Bad, and a bit surprising given the talent involved. Directed by Jon S. Baird (Tetris) and written by I, Tonya scribe Steven Rogers, the movie features a strong cast that includes Chris Cooper and Allison Janney. But the one turning heads isn’t any of the big-name adults — it’s breakout star Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, who reportedly steals the entire show.

Set in 1989 Akron, Ohio, the film follows Buddy Smart (Cranston), an obsessive regional theater director trying to keep his artistic dream afloat. His long-suffering wife...

Jon S. Baird’s family dramedy Everything’s Going to Be Great makes an impassioned plea to hopeless optimists everywhere to love and care for anyone with a wild dream—the people who know who they are and will do anything to find the place where they can be just that. That’s lovely and heartwarming if you’re making The Muppet Movie and the majority of your cast consists of giddily self-aware felt misfits buoying those emotions. But it’s more than a little irritating when it’s a family of flesh-and-blood but sitcom-grade theater weirdos.

Said family includes Buddy (Bryan Cranston), a wild-eyed regional theater director, Macy (Allison Janney), his pragmatic bookkeeper wife, and their son Lester (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), an unapologetically gay theater snob in training. Buddy and Macy’s older son, Derrick (Jack Champion), is the only normie in a family that spends their weekends playing dueling bagpipes in their backyard,...

Lester Smart (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) is the sort of kid who cannot help but be exactly who he is. He daydreams conversations with theater legends like Noël Coward (Mark Caven) and Tallulah Bankhead (Laura Benanti) and recites Hair lyrics at would-be bullies; he dons ascots and berets in a milieu where faded Motley Crüe tees are the norm. If these are challenging qualities for a 14-year-old boy in late-’80s suburbia, they’re also bound to serve him well once he’s old enough to try his luck on Broadway.

Everything’s Going to Be Great, the movie he’s in, could have used a little more of Les’ irrepressibility. Instead, the new film by Jon S. Baird (Tetris) feels frustratingly non-committal, a mish-mash of wavering tones, disjointed story beats and themes explored only glancingly. It’s not entirely a bad time, as things involving Allison Janney and Bryan Cranston tend not to be.

From the first scenes of "Everything’s Going to Be Great," the primary personality traits between the four members of the Smart family are clearly and neatly defined. Les (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) is the nerdy theater kid, a performer through and through. Buddy (Bryan Cranston) is the charismatic and fun-loving ringleader. Macy (Allison Janney) is the sensible matriarch, and older brother Derrick (Jack Champion) is the sports kid, endlessly embarrassed by his unusual family. Directed by Jon S. Baird (Stan & Ollie) from a screenplay by Steven Rogers, Everybody’s Going to Be Great catches up with the Smart family in Akron, Oh, in the late 1980s. With Buddy at the helm, they remain on their decades-long journey to finding success as...

“Everything’s Going to Be Great” is one of those movie titles that should have been ditched after the script attached to it was sold. It’s a title you can’t remember, one that feels too long because it voices a sentiment that’s too vague. (The one thing it lets you know is that everything that happens in the film probably isn’t going to be great. Not exactly a ringing invitation.)

The movie fully lives down to that title. “Everything’s Going to Be Great” is a ramble, an unconvincing grab bag, a domestic tall tale with too much stuffed into it. Set in 1989, it’s about a family of four whose members keep piling into their beat-up station wagon to travel from one town to the next, all because the parents are regional theater producers. They have to go where the work is. But wait a minute, you say.

“Echo Valley” is a new psychological thriller, directed by Jon S. Baird starring Sydney Sweeney and Julianne Moore, streaming June 20, 2025 on AppleTV +:

“…’Kate’ (Moore) is a mother struggling to make peace with her troubled daughter ‘Claire’ (Sweeney) — a situation that becomes even more perilous when Claire shows up on Kate’s doorstep, hysterical and covered in someone else’s blood.

“As Kate pieces together the shocking truth of what happened, she learns just how far a mother will go to try to save her child in this gripping tale of love, sacrifice and survival…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

The Tribeca Festival will launch its 24th edition Wednesday night with a brighter spotlight on shorts and more music documentaries then ever dotting its characteristically eclectic slate, and amid growing financial challenges for arts and entertainment.

World premieres like Tow by Stephanie Laing with Rose Byrne, Octavia Spencer and Demi Lovato, Everything’s Going To Be Great by Jon S. Baird starring Allison Janney and Bryan Cranston, Paul Andrew Williams’ Dragonfly with Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn, Michael Weithorn’s The Best You Can with Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, and Jim Sheridan and David Merriman’s Re-Creation with Vickey Krieps join animated psychedelic horror Dog of God from Latvia — the land of Flow. The lineup is heavy on directorial debuts with Kites from Brazil’s Walter-Thompson Hernández set in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, The Scout by Paula Andrea González-Nasser about a location scout in NYC, Westhhampton by Christian Nilsson...

Sometimes, even brilliant films end up flying under the radar, despite promising critical reception on release. The reasons can be multifold: poor marketing/release strategies, insufficient word-of-mouth, or good old bad luck. Streaming services like Prime Video can often spotlight such underrated gems, such as Jon S. Baird's dark comedy, "Filth, which recently became a hit on the streaming platform 12 years after its theatrical release. The same can be said about Rachel Morrison's feature debut "The Fire Inside," which is currently sitting at #5 on Prime Video's weekly Top 10 list (via FlixPatrol).

In case you haven't heard of this 2024 boxing drama, you can blame the film's long, troubled production, along with the fact that Amazon MGM Studios failed to create hype around such a promising story before release. Having premiered at last year's Toronto Film Festival to glowing reviews, "The Fire Inside" was theatrically released in December 2024, but ended...

Some of James McAvoy's more twisted offerings are streaming hits in 2025, such as the Americanized remake of the Danish horror-thriller "Speak No Evil," which scared its way to the top of Amazon Prime Video's charts last month. However, viewers can also appreciate the actor's funny side, as "Filth" -- a dark comedy based on a novel by "Trainspotting" creator Irvine Welsh -- is also a hit on Prime Video, according to JustWatch.

As of this writing, the Jon S. Baird-directed film is sitting at number seven in the United States 12 years after its original theatrical release. In this one, McAvoy plays Bruce Robertson, a corrupt Scottish detective who spends his days drinking, doing drugs, plotting against his colleagues, and dressing up as his wife during his personal time. His ultimate end goal is to receive a promotion and reunite with his family, but his wild habits and psychological...

“Echo Valley” is a new psychological thriller, directed by Jon S. Baird starring Sydney Sweeney and Julianne Moore, streaming June 20, 2025 on AppleTV +:

“…’Kate’ (Moore) is a mother struggling to make peace with her troubled daughter ‘Claire’ (Sweeney) — a situation that becomes even more perilous when Claire shows up on Kate’s doorstep, hysterical and covered in someone else’s blood.

“As Kate pieces together the shocking truth of what happened, she learns just how far a mother will go to try to save her child in this gripping tale of love, sacrifice and survival…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

“Everything’s Going to Be Great” in these troubling times, right? Well, at least with Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney in the lead of a suburban dramedy, we know at least we’re in good hands. The respective Emmy and Oscar winners star as two married regional theater actors in “Everything’s Going to Be Great.”

Janney reunites with her “I, Tonya” scribe Steven Rogers for the feature which will debut at the Tribeca Festival June 9. Jon S. Baird (“Stan & Ollie”) directs. The official synopsis reads: “There’s no business like show business — for Buddy and Macy Smart, that means an unpredictable life in regional theater while trying to raise their radically different sons, Lester and Derrick. Through it all, Buddy pursues his unstoppable dreams, and Macy is left to pull it all together and keep the family afloat. As the family grapples with identity and belonging, they share a humorous and heartfelt journey of self-discovery,...

Anyone who’s tried running a local theater can tell you how difficult it is. The upkeep can be a nightmare, drumming up public interest is tricky, and then there are the actors—oh, the actors. Thankfully, Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney show us how it’s done in the Everything’s Going to Be Great trailer.

In Everything’s Going to Be Great, Bryan Cranston plays Buddy Smart, the patriarch of a family with roots deeply embedded in theater. In the film, Buddy uproots his wife, Macy (Allison Janney), and their sons, Lester (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) and Derrick (Jack Champion), to New Jersey to manage a regional theater. Buddy’s ambitions to turn the failing theater into a hot entertainment spot are endearing and admirable, but not everyone shares his enthusiasm. Buddy encounters push-back, doubt, and desperation as he tries to keep the theater afloat and encourage his family to believe in his dream.

"Things change on a dime in show business." Lionsgate has revealed the official trailer for Everything's Going to be Great, a lively, upbeat dramedy about a theater family. The film is directed by Jon S. Baird and set for release in June this summer - premiering at the Tribeca Film Fest. As the Smart family wrestle with their over-sized dreams, they come to realize that the struggle to find your voice & your place in the world can happen no matter what stage of life you're in. Starring Allison Janney and Bryan Cranston – "their chemistry grounds the film's journey through artistic ambition and life's unexpected detours... the tender exploration of how families navigate change and disappointment resonates with authenticity as these deeply human characters stumble toward reconciliation & renewal in this stirring celebration of life's messy beauty." Also starring Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Jack Champion, Simon Rex, and Chris Cooper. Looks like a charming,...

James McAvoy touched down in his hometown at the Glasgow Film Festival this weekend where the actor lifted the lid on his experience of directing his first feature film California Schemin’ , which he admitted was “the most stressful thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

Speaking to an audience at the Glasgow Film Theatre for an In Conversation event on Sunday, the Glasgow native said: “I remember waking up one morning feeling like I needed a root canal because my molars were killing me, and I had a toothache because I was clenching my jaw so much in the night. My face was swelling up and that’s quite problematic because I have to be in the film.”

The X-Men actor recently wrapped shooting California Schemin’, based on Gavin Bain’s autobiography of the same name, which was later re-printed as Straight Outta Scotland. The story was later adapted...

It’s the time of year again when everyone braces for the American Film Market, where filmmakers from around the world come to sell their projects to studios. These film packages feature some of the most interesting casts and filmmakers of the year. One such project is “Dutch & Razzlekhan.”

Read More: 2024 Fall Film Preview: 50 Movies To Watch

According to Deadline, Gabriel Labelle and Isabela Merced are joining Chloë Grace Moretz in the cast of the forthcoming film, “Dutch & Razzlekhan.” The film, which is directed by Jon S.

Continue reading ‘Dutch & Razzlekhan’: Gabriel Labelle, Isabela Merced & Chloë Grace Moretz Star In Jon S. Baird’s New Heist Film at The Playlist.

Exclusive: Gabriel Labelle (Saturday Night) and Isabela Merced (Alien: Romulus) have signed on to star opposite the previously announced Chloë Grace Moretz in Dutch & Razzlekhan, the forthcoming true crime love story directed by BAFTA nominee Jon S. Baird (Tetris), on which we were first to report.

The pair take over roles originally announced as being played by Lewis Pullman and Ariana DeBose, who have departed the project due to scheduling conflicts. Being introduced to buyers at AFM by North.Five.Six, the film has another key creative now in Brad Feinstein, who has come aboard to produce and finance through his Romulus Entertainment banner. Production kicks off in New Jersey in January.

Based on the 2022 Business Insider article “The $4.5 Billion Question” by Rob Price and Becky Peterson, Dutch & Razzlekhan is the explosive and unbelievably true story of the most expensive heist in history, with Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan (Moretz) and Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein (Labelle) — lovers,...

Europe’s largest cosplay get together, Italy’s Lucca Comics and Games returns for its 58th edition over the Halloween weekend, with thousands of fans descending on the medival Tuscan town to celebrate all things geek. From TV shows launched by the top streamers to video, tabletop and role-playing games, comic books and horror movies, Lucca showcases the latest in fandom, paying homage to the pervasive power of pop culture at large.

And that is why “The Butterfly Effect” is the theme of this year’s edition, being held Oct. 30-Nov. 3.

Lucca Comic and Games has over almost 60 years accomplished a fantastic butterfly effect, artistic director Emanuele Vietina tells Variety. It’s become a type of event that’s being embraced by the world, from South Asia to all of Europe and North and South America, he points out. (See separate interview with Vietina). Significantly, this year’s poster is...

Turkish director Zeki Demirkubuz drama Life scooped the top Golden Bee award for Best Feature Film at Malta’s second Mediterrane Film Festival over the weekend.

This year’s selection was overseen by Italian film festival veteran Teresa Cavina, who pulled together a line-up of 45 works with Mediterranean basin connections, 15 of which were in the main Competition.

In the backdrop to the festival, leading English-language newspaper The Times of Malta continued to probe whether the event’s budget of $4.1M budget (€3.9) was good use of taxpayers’ money on the island nation, with a population of roughly 500,000 people.

Last year, the newspaper heavily criticized the event for allegedly splashing cash on business class fights and luxury hotels for actors, directors and journalists as well as a lavish black-tie closing event, fronted by UK star David Walliams.

Replying to fresh questions from the newspaper, Malta Film Commission head Johann Grech said the...

Turkish director Zeki Demirkubuz’s Life won the best feature film prize at the second annual Mediterrane Film Festival’s Golden Bee Awards in Malta this weekend.

Mahdi Fleifel’s To A Land Unknown won the Jury’s Choice prize, while The Strangers’ Case picked up two awards: best director for Brandt Andersen and best acting for Yasmine Al-Massri.

Mike Leigh received the festival’s career achievement award, while veteran Maltese production coordinator Rita Galea, whose credits include World War Z, received a lifetime achievement award.

The main competition jury was comprised of Jon S. Baird, Margery Simkin, Mario Philip Azzopardi,...

Zeki Demirkubuz’s “Life” was awarded the Golden Bee for best feature film at the second edition of the Mediterrane Film Festival.

Mahdi Fleifel’s Directors’ Fortnight breakout “To a Land Unknown” took the Jury’s Choice prize, while Brandt Andersen’s “The Stranger’s Case” won Golden Bees for Best Director for Andersen and Best Acting for Yasmine Al-Massri.

The awards were handed out at a glitzy ceremony at the grand Fort Manoel in the Maltese capital of Valletta, which served as a location for “Game of Thrones” and “Assassin’s Creed.” BAFTA-winning British filmmaker Mike Leigh was honored with the festival’s Career Achievement Award after giving an extended career talk earlier at the festival with Maltese veteran production coordinator Rita Galea (“World War Z”) receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award.

This year’s jury was headed by Scottish filmmaker Jon S. Baird (“Tetris”) and featured casting director Margery Simkin,...

The Mediterrane Film Festival kickstarted its second edition with the international premiere of Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte’s “The Count of Monte Cristo.”

The film, shown at the heart of Malta’s capital of Valletta on Saturday night, was followed by a reception at the historic Mdina Ditch Gardens, in which Malta Film Commissioner Johann Grech highlighted the importance of the festival as an event to “unite the nations of the Mediterranean through film.”

The sentiment echoes this year’s festival theme of Unity Through Film, with Grech adding that he hopes the festival will bring nations together to “share stories that celebrate not only our diversity but also our shared outlook.” The film commissioner emphasised the success of the festival’s first edition, claiming the return to the local economy “far exceeded our investment, showing once again what a force for good film is in our country.

The Mediterrane Film Festival announced its complete program ahead of its second edition, taking place in Malta’s capital of Valetta from June 22-30. New titles selected include recent Cannes highlights in Coralie Fargeat’s Demi Moore-led body horror “The Substance” and Roberto Minvervini’s “The Damned,” which join previously announced films like Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Kinds of Kindness” and Jane Schoenbrun’s “I Saw The TV Glow.”

Further program additions include Mahdi Fleifel’s Directors’ Fortnight standout “To a Land Unknown,” which Variety labeled “a confident, angry, fully-realized drama,” and Truong Minh Quy’s Un Certain Regard breakout “Viet and Nam.” An extended version of the Malta-shot “Jurassic World: Dominion” will play as part of the Malta Expanded strand, while on the retrospective end of the program, the festival will honor David Bowie with screenings of Nicolas Roeg’s “The Man Who Fell to Earth” and Lisa Azuelos’s “My Way,...

Fresh out of its world premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Kinds of Kindness” is one of the titles headed to this year’s Mediterrane Film Festival, taking place in Malta between June 22-30.

Other highlights in the festival’s first wave of programming include Jane Schoenbrun’s Sundance breakout “I Saw the TV Glow” and Meryam Joobeur’s Berlinale competition entry “Who Do I Belong To.”

The festival’s sophomore edition marks the first under the curatorial guise of Artistic Director Teresa Cavina, appointed earlier in the year. Cavina reorganized the festival’s program into four strands: In Competition, featuring films from across the Mediterranean; Out of Competition, featuring films from the rest of the world; Mare Nostrum or Our Sea, showcasing films dedicated to sustainability and the environment; and Future Visions, focusing on experimental VR projects.

In a statement, Cavina said that this...

North.Five.Six has come on to handle international sales of “Dutch & Razzlekahn” and will introduce the project to buyers at Cannes later this month. CAA Media Finance will represent domestic rights.

BAFTA-nominated Jon S. Baird will direct from a screenplay by Logan Miller and Noah Miller. Chloë Grace Moretz, Lewis Pullman and Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose will star.

Andrew Lazar’s Mad Chance Productions is producing, with Michael Rothstein and Samuel Hall from North.Five.Six executive producing. Production is scheduled to begin this summer.

Based on the 2022 Business Insider article “The $4.5 Billion Question” by Rob Price and Becky Peterson, “Dutch & Razzlekahn” tells the true story of the most expensive heist in history, with Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan (Moretz) and Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein (Pullman), relentlessly pursued by the FBI and blackmailed master hacker Carla Vargas (DeBose).

DeBose, who won an Oscar for her role as Anita in “West Side Story,” is...

Ariana DeBose, Lewis Pullman, and Grace Moretz will star in the heist thriller Dutch & Razzlekahn, with North.Five.Six introducing to international buyers in Cannes next week.

Jon S. Baird, whose credits include Filth and Stan & Ollie, will direct from a screenplay by Logan Miller and Noah Miller, the writers behind Yann Demange’s White Boy Rick.

Based on the 2022 Business Insider article ‘The $4.5 Billion Question’ by Rob Price and Becky Peterson, Dutch & Razzlekhan recounts the true story of the most expensive heist in history.

Moretz and Pullman will portray Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan and Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein, who are pursued by the...

North.Five.Six is set to handle international sales for the true-life heist pic Dutch & Razzlekhan, on which we were first to report. Starring Chloë Grace Moretz (The Peripheral), Lewis Pullman (Lessons in Chemistry) and Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), the film will be introduced to buyers at Cannes later this month, with CAA Media Finance repping domestic rights.

Based on the 2022 Business Insider article “The $4.5 Billion Question” by Rob Price and Becky Peterson, Dutch & Razzlekhan is the explosive and unbelievably true story of the most expensive heist in history, with Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan (Moretz) and Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein (Pullman) — lovers, hipsters, and aspiring rapper-entrepreneurs — at its center. DeBose plays Carla Vargas, the master hacker who was blackmailed by the FBI to help track down the duo.

After stealing over $4 billion worth of cryptocurrency, the millennial couple was caught by the Department of Justice and charged with conspiracy to launder the stolen...

UK director Mike Leigh will receive a lifetime achievement award at Malta’s second annual Mediterrane Film Festival (June 22-30).

The seven-time Oscar nominee will also host a masterclass and participate in an in conversation with Adrian Wootton, CEO at the British Film Commission, with whom the festival has a partnership.

Leigh began his career in theatre and TV with work including Abigail’s Party in 1977. He focused on features throughout the 1990s, winning acclaim for films such as High Hopes, Life Is Sweet, Naked and Secrets And Lies. The latter won the Palme d’Or in 1996.

His following films included Topsy-Turvy,...

Mike Leigh, the veteran director of “Vera Drake,” “Another Year” and “Happy-Go-Lucky,” will be honored at Malta’s Mediterrane Film Festival with its Career Achievement Golden Bee Award.

Leigh will also host a masterclass at the festival, the second edition of which is taking place June 22 to 30 in Malta’s capital city of Valletta. The director, who has earned seven Oscar nominations and won the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or for 1993’s “Naked,” will be in conversation with Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission.

The Mediterrane Film Festival has also revealed its first jury members, who will judge the festival’s competition section, consisting of 12 films from the region. At the festival’s Golden Bee Awards closing ceremony on June 30, prizes will be handed out for best feature film, acting performance, screenwriting, production design, creative technical performance and the special jury award.

Jury...

Exclusive: Simon Rex (Red Rocket) is joining Rose Byrne, Octavia Spencer, Ariana DeBose, Dominic Sessa and Demi Lovato in Stephanie Laing’s Tow, which is currently in production.

Tow will tell the true story of Amanda Ogle, an unhoused Seattle woman who fought her way out of tow-company hell to reclaim her life and the car that held it all together after receiving a tow bill for $21,634. Ogle also serves as an executive producer.

The original screenplay is written by Jonathan Keasey, Brant Boivin, and Annie Weisman. The Exchange acquired international sales rights and CAA Media Finance will rep domestic.

Producers are Byrne, Laing, via her newly launched Cake or Death Pictures, Brent Stiefel and Justin Lothrop of Votiv Films and Brian O’Shea and Danyelle Foord of The Exchange. Executive producers include DeBose, Jonathan Keasey, Jonathan Tropper, Ogle, Josh Ricks, and Danny Gusman, Nat McCormick and Giovanna Trischitta of The Exchange,...

Exclusive: Chloë Grace Moretz (The Peripheral), Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), and Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) have signed on to star in Dutch & Razzlekhan, a heist film based on a true story that will go into production this summer under the direction of BAFTA nominee Jon S. Baird (Tetris).

Logan Miller and Noah Miller penned the script, with Andrew Lazar’s Mad Chance aboard to produce. CAA Media Finance will arrange financing for the film and represent its worldwide distribution rights.

Based on the 2022 Business Insider article “The $4.5 Billion Question” by Rob Price and Becky Peterson, Dutch & Razzlekhan is the explosive and unbelievably true story of the most expensive heist in history, with Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan (Moretz) and Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein (Pullman) — lovers, hipsters, and aspiring rapper-entrepreneurs — at its center. After stealing over $4 billion worth of cryptocurrency, the millennial...

In 2019, rumors circulated that Shia Labeouf and Mel Gibson would be featured in a new movie about the affluent Ashkenazi Jewish noble banking Rothschild family. The project, which was said to delve into the mysterious and secretive world of one of the wealthiest families in history, was met with excitement by fans.

However, since the initial announcement, there have been few or no updates regarding the status of the film, causing many to wonder: What happened to Gibson’s Rothschild movie? The project was supposed to be helmed by Tetris director Jon S. Baird.

Mel Gibson in the John Wick spin-off, The Continental

Speculation has been rife concerning the causes of the apparent delay or possible demise of the project. The movie’s title and subject matter caused controversy then, and Gibson was forced to deny any link between Rothchild and the wealthy Jewish banking dynasty of the same name.

Despite being significantly hit by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023, U.K. film studios and production facilities are looking to pick back up where they left off after a record-breaking year for film and high-end television production spend in 2022.

When asked what the industry can expect in terms of business in the year ahead, Samantha Perahia, head of production U.K. at the British Film Commission, says she feels positive that demand “is going to be ramping up.”

She continues, “We already know that some of our studio facilities in the U.K. are getting very busy. While not every facility in the U.K. is jampacked again, there seems to be some momentum now, which is very welcome.”

The production spend in the U.K. jumped from £726 million ($376 million) in 2016 to $7.8 billion in 2022. At the same time, the U.K. considerably expanded its studio and stage provision to...

In any given year, British TV can be relied on to provide plenty in the way of crime drama, and 2023 was no different. Between these returning series and newcomers A Town Called Malice, Blue Lights, Marlow, Payback, Rebus, Steeltown Murders, The Gold, The Sixth Commandment, Wolf and more, crime continued to flourish on the small screen.

Happily though, that was far from all that UK TV offered this year. There was fantasy too, in the form of Netflix’s South London super-powers drama Supacell, ghost detective series Lockwood & Co., Greek and Roman mythology series Kaos, and sci-fi in Prime Video’s The Rig.

Add to all those the romances, dramas inspired by real-life, and several other book adaptations, period and otherwise plus music-based dramas Champion and This Town, and it was a pretty full slate.

January Stonehouse

Succession‘s Matthew Macfadyen and Crossfire‘s Keeley Hawes star in this three-part ITV drama,...

‘Blue Jean’, ‘My Old School also among awarded films.

Aftersun was the big winner at the 2023 Bafta Scotland Awards, taking three prizes for best actor for Paul Mescal, best director (fiction) for Charlotte Wells and best writer (film and television) for Wells.

Aberdeen-based Hassan Nazer’s Iran-set family drama Winners, produced by Nadira Murray and Paul Welsh, received the feature film award; while Lucy Halliday took the actress film prize for her role as a gay girl in 1980s northeast England in Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean.

The director factual award went to Jono McLeod for My Old School, a...

Exclusive: Jon S. Baird, the Scottish filmmaker known for his work on Tetris and Stan & Ollie, has signed with Range Media Partners.

Baird’s most recent feature, the true-life thriller Tetris, earned him a nomination for Best Director – Fiction at the upcoming 2023 BAFTA Scotland Awards, after world premiering at SXSW. The Apple TV+ pic tells the story of Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton), a video game enthusiast turned entrepreneur, who stumbles upon a little-known title called Tetris at a tech expo and becomes embroiled in a high-stakes battle for its rights, facing off against rival companies, the Kgb, and even Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Baird previously directed Stan & Ollie, a feature about comedy legends Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Hardy (John C. Reilly), for eOne and BBC Films, which was nominated for Outstanding British Film of the Year at the BAFTA Film Awards. The filmmaker also with that title secured...

Frankie Corio becomes youngest-ever Bafta Scotland nominee.

Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun leads the nominations for the Bafta Scotland Awards 2023, recognised in five categories: actor film, actress film, director fiction, feature film and writer film/television.

The UK-us co-production has acting nominations for Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio, with Corio becoming the youngest-ever nominee at Bafta Scotland.

Scroll down for the full list of nominations

Wells receives the other three nominations, with producers Mark Ceryak, Amy Jackson, Barry Jenkins and Adele Romanski nominated alongside her for feature film.

Aftersun previously received four nominations at the Bafta Film Awards earlier this year, winning...

Exclusive: United Talent Agency has signed actor Jack Champion for representation in all areas, Deadline can exclusively reveal.

Champion is best known for starring alongside Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang and more in Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron’s sequel to his groundbreaking 2009 sci-fi epic Avatar, which came in upon its December 2022 release as the third-highest-grossing film of all time.

The fast-rising talent proved a standout in his role as Miles “Spider” Socorro, the 16-year-old human son of the world-conquering Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who bonds deeply with the human-turned-Na’vi Jake (Worthington), as well as his mate Neytiri (Saldaña) and their children while growing up on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Champion will continue his work with Cameron on installments of the franchise still to come, including the as-yet-untitled Avatar 3, set for release on December 19, 2025.

Most recently, Champion appeared in Paramount and Spyglass’s Scream VI,...

Apple TV+ is being sued over its film Tetris following a copyright dispute.

A legal battle has emerged in the entertainment industry as Dan Ackerman, the editor-in-chief of the tech news site Gizmodo, alleges the Apple TV+ movie released earlier this year illegally borrowed content from his book about the iconic video game. In a lawsuit recently filed, Ackerman is seeking a substantial sum of at least $4.8 million in damages from Apple and other parties involved.

Related: 10 Video Game Movies That Managed To Get A Sequel

Ackerman's legal action is based on the movie's alleged unauthorized adaptation of his book's content that delves into the origins of the video game Tetris, tracing its roots to the former Soviet Union and the subsequent battle for global licensing rights. He contends that the film improperly replicated significant portions of his book, mirroring specific chapters and pages. Ackerman asserts that this unauthorized adaptation...

The “Tetris” movie has inspired a new puzzle. The Apple Original film, which premiered at SXSW this year before arriving in theaters and the streaming platform in March, stars Taron Egerton as American video game salesman Henk Rogers, who discovered Tetris in 1988 and set out to acquire and popularize the Russian computer game.

The nonfiction 2016 book “The Tetris Effect: The Game That Hypnotized the World” charted the history of Tetris. Now, author Dan Ackerman is alleging that the film illegally copied from his book without fair compensation. Ackerman, who is also the editor-in-chief of Gizmodo, is seeking at least $4.8 million in damages from Apple, “Tetris” screenwriter Noah Pink, and Tetris Co.

Per the lawsuit, as first reported by Reuters, Ackerman claimed he sent a pre-publication copy of “The Tetris Effect” to Tetris Co., but the company sent him a “strongly worded cease-and-desist letter” and refused to discuss adaptation rights, plus...

Dan Ackerman, editor in chief of tech-news site Gizmodo, alleges Apple TV+ film “Tetris” illegally copied from his book on the popular video game, in a lawsuit he filed seeking at least $4.8 million in damages from Apple and others.

Ackerman’s “The Tetris Effect: The Game That Hypnotized the World,” published in 2016, is about the game’s origins in the former Soviet Union and the fight for its global licensing rights. The lawsuit touted the book as a “literary masterpiece” and described it as “in the style of Cold War spy thriller.”

According to the lawsuit, Ackerman sent a pre-publication copy of the book to the Tetris Co. in 2016 but that the company refused engage in a deal with him for any projects related to the book — and sent him a “strongly worded cease-and-desist letter.”

In the lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Ackerman asked the...

Services remained a bright spot for Apple as it reported revenue of $94.8 billion for its second fiscal quarter of 2023, beating Wall Street estimates. Quarterly revenue had been forecasted to hit approximately $93 billion, marking a 4% year-over-year drop. The actual drop was 3%.

The company announced quarterly earnings per diluted share were $1.52, beating estimates (and unchanged year-over-year). Analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research had predicted earnings per share of $1.44. The company reported earnings per share of $1.52 in the year-ago quarter.

A contributor to the above results was its services business, which includes Apple TV+. While the company declared its services business hit all-time highs, what remains unclear is the size of the role Apple TV+ played in those figures, as Apple declined to get specific with its subscription numbers and raw revenue.

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Exclusive: Simon Rex (Red Rocket) and Chris Cooper (Little Women) will star alongside Bryan Cranston, Allison Janney, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Jack Champion in Everything’s Going To Be Great, the new film that Jon S. Baird is directing for eOne and Astute Films. No character details have been disclosed.

Written by I, Tonya‘s Steven Rogers, the film currently shooting outside Toronto area is billed as a valentine to big dreamers whose dreams won’t necessarily come true. It’s about individuality vs. conformity, fantasy vs. reality — but mostly, it’s about family. As the Smart family moves from one state to the next, they cope with loss and struggle with identity, all while performing in regional theater.

eOne is co-financing, with Jillian Share, Jen Gorton and Courtney L. Cunniff overseeing production, alongside Astute Films’ Fred Bernstein and Rick Jackson. Rogers is also producing alongside Clubhouse Pictures’ Bryan Unkeless and exec producer Scott Morgan,...

"Tetris" is a new biographical drama feature, directed by Jon S. Baird, starring Taron Egerton, following 'Henk Rogers' who discovers the game 'Tetris', now streaming on AppleTV+:

"...this is the story of how one of the world's most popular video games found its way to players around the globe. 

"Businessman 'Henk Rogers' and T'etris inventor 'Alexey Pajitnov' join forces in the Ussr, risking it all to bring Tetris to the masses.

Click the images to enlarge...

There are no sure things in life, but if you're making a film with Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney as co-leads, I'm fairly certain you've got the goods.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, this dynamic thespian duo is set to topline Jon S. Baird's "Everything's Going to Be Great." The project originated with "I, Tonya" screenwriter Steven Rogers, and if you're any kind of theater nerd, it sounds like this will be right down your alley. There's not a lot of information currently available regarding the film from  Entertainment One and Astute Films, but this is a project we'll certainly be keeping our eyes on as things develop. 

Everything's Going To Be Great Plot Details And When You Can See It

Janney and Cranston will star as the heads of the Smart family, a peripatetic clan dealing with matters of loss and identity as they bop from state to state.

Bryan Cranston is to star in 'Everything's Going to Be Great'.The 'Breaking Bad' actor is attached to feature in the movie alongside Allison Janney, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Jack Champion.The film is being directed by Jon S. Baird from a script by 'I, Tonya' writer Steven Rogers and production has started in Toronto.The movie tells the story of the Smart family as they cope with loss and struggle with identity as they move from one state to the next while performing in regional theatre.Baird's previous film credits include 'Stan and Ollie', the biopic starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as comedy greats Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, and the recent Apple TV+ movie 'Tetris' that features Taron Egerton.Meanwhile, Bryan previously revealed that he will only eat a meal on set if a scene requires it.The...