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Variety’s “Actors on Actors” Season 22 was the franchise’s most successful social campaign ever for an Emmys season.

The video series, which pairs actors in conversation with one another to discuss the top contenders of awards season, drew 98.2 million views across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X. The total viewership numbers exceed the figure for last year’s “Actors on Actors” for the Emmys season. The social campaign was spearheaded by Harper Mays, Variety’s social media coordinator, with key contributions from Abigail Lee, Variety’s social media and editorial intern.

“We are so proud that ‘Actors on Actors’ continues its unstoppable run, cementing its status as one of the biggest interview series on the internet,” says Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh, who serves as an executive producer of the series. “It’s become a can’t-miss stop on the awards campaign trail thanks to our journalists’ relentless drive to reinvent...

Searchlight Pictures has scooped worldwide rights to Alexander Payne’s next project “Somewhere Out There” which will star Renate Reinsve, the Cannes prizewinning Norwegian actor of Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World.”

The Danish-language movie, which will mark Payne’s first European feature, is being produced by Birgitte Skov at Scanbox Production, a Vuelta Group company, and will be shooting in 2026 in Denmark.

“Somewhere Out There” will reunite Payne with Searchlight Pictures 20 years after the studio successfully handled “Sideways” which became a cult film. Searchlight Pictures also handled “The Descendants.” Both “Sideways” and “The Descendants” won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay.

“Some of my very finest filmmaking experiences have involved Searchlight,” Payne said. “A return partnership was just a matter of time, and I’m elated.”

Matthew Greenfield, Searchlight Pictures president said, “Alexander Payne is a master storyteller, and reuniting with him is a true joy.

If the economic uncertainty of the past few weeks leads the U.S. into a full-fledged recession, studio and streamer marketing chiefs are confident Hollywood will hang tough against the headwinds.

That was one of the major themes discussed Thursday by a half-dozen senior film and TV marketing chiefs at the Variety Entertainment Marketing Summit, presented by Deloitte. The panelists traded notes on how the post-theatrical management of films has changed — for the better — for some major studios now that they have output deals with sibling streaming platforms such as Hulu, in the case of Disney, and Peacock, for Universal Pictures. The masters of ballyhoo chopped it up on the delicate handling of awards campaigns, the elusiveness of Gen Z consumers and how marketing around blockbusters and franchises is now a year-round obligation to keep fans engaged and interested.

Regarding the economic environment, the film chiefs noted that the biz...

Three months into 2025, it's fair to say that the movie business is in a bad, bad way. As of last week, films have only generated $1.34 billion, which is a 7% drop from this time last year. This poor start has been compounded by a string of big-budget flops and dire underperformers like Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite" follow-up "Mickey 17," Marvel Studios' "Captain America: Brave New World," and Disney's live-action remake of "Snow White." The failure of Director Bong's film is especially troubling given that it was essentially an original as far as moviegoers were concerned (the novel it was based on was not widely read), which brought out the anti-art contingent of the industry who'd rather imagine themselves as a savvy studio chief instead of a risk-taking auteur. Though "Mickey 17" was not as rapturously received as "Parasite," even its detractors had to admit that it was shot through with...

Editor’s note: Variety has revived its “Tenpercenteries” column that chronicles the inner-workings and client signings of Hollywood’s top talent agencies and management firms. Tenpercenteries was a staple of Variety from the mid-1990s through the early 2010s. We’re happy to bring it back with a heightened focus on deals and dish involving showbiz’s top talent representation firms.

The young (and the frugal) staff members at United Talent Agency were up in arms last week, sources told Tenpercenteries, over news from leadership that the company was suspending its free lunch service.

What began as a post-pandemic perk to lure staff back into the office had miraculously and generously lasted until 2025. UTA was serving up dishes from Leora, the restaurant that sits in the agency’s shadow in Beverly Hills. A turkey club sandwich will run you $15 and a sesame ginger salad sets you back $22.

The free chow was served daily,...

Finding ways to take creative risks in the tricky environment of corporate studio financing was a major talking point at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

As a mixed Indigenous woman, Kali Reis, who’s featured in the drama “Rebuilding” alongside Josh O’Connor, often reflects on her own values before signing onto a role or agreeing to a new project.

“I look like a lot of misrepresented and underrepresented communities and if they see me speaking up and staying true to myself, that means more to me than getting cast in a major project,” Reis explained.

Havana Rose Liu, Logan Lerman, Cooper Raiff and Sophie Nélisse joined Reis at the “Risk Takers” panel moderated by Matt Donnelly, Variety‘s Senior Entertainment and Media Writer. The panel was presented by Variety & Acura Cocktails and Conversations at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

“Yellowjackets” star Nélisse, who was at Sundance this year...

Jennifer Lopez steps out for the world premiere of her new movie Kiss of the Spider Woman held during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday evening (January 26) in Park City, Utah.

The 55-year-old entertainer stars in the upcoming musical film adaptation, and also serves as an executive producer. Her ex-husband Ben Affleck and his longtime best friend Matt Damon are also producers on the film.

At the premiere, Jennifer was joined by writer and director Bill Condon, as well as co-stars Tonatiuh, Aline Mayagoitia and Josefina Scaglione.

Earlier in the day, JLo wore an off-white outfit while making her way around town to promote the movie.

While attending the Variety Studio that day, she opened up about waiting her whole life for a role like this.

Keep reading to find out more…

“I was waiting my whole life to be able to do a real big MGM Hollywood musical, and...

Jennifer Lopez brought major star power to the Variety Studio presented by Audible at Sundance ahead of the world premiere of her new musical, “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” She was joined in the interview by the film’s director, Bill Condon, best known for writing the Oscar-winning “Chicago” and for directing “Dreamgirls,” and co-star Tonatiuh. Lopez was exuberant in saying she’s waited her whole life for a film role like this.

“I was waiting my whole life to be able to do a real big MGM Hollywood musical, and I finally got to do it,” Lopez told Variety’s Matt Donnelly. “It was more [than I hoped]. Me and Diego [Luna] were on set and we’re dancing around and we’re singing and looking at each other and it’s like we don’t want to do anything else but musicals. Diego said that! Me too. I don’t want to do anything else.

Reporting by Jem Aswad, Matt Donnelly, Angelique Jackson, Elsa Keslassy, Gene Maddaus, Marc Malkin, Pat Saperstein, Michael Schneider, Tatiana Siegel, Jazz Tangcay, Chris Willman and K.J. Yossman.

Before mid-afternoon on Jan. 7, the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles was a salt-air oasis tucked into the second-largest city in the country. It was “a kind of Mayberry,” in the words of one resident, that overlooks the Pacific Ocean, lying between Santa Monica to the east and Malibu to the west.

By late afternoon that day, the Palisades had turned into an unimaginable hellscape. The community that had long been home to hundreds of entertainment industry workers was engulfed by a wildfire whipped into a merciless inferno by 80-mile an hour winds. The force of the howling gusts sent embers flying for miles. That ensured that the devastation would spread far and wide, as tiny molten torpedoes landed indiscriminately on roofs and patios,...

Variety and “Entertainment Tonight” have partnered for the second year in a row to produce the official digital red carpet pre-show for the Golden Globe Awards, which will air live on Jan. 5 on Variety.com, CBS and Paramount+.

The digital pre-show will kick off at 3:30 p.m. Pt on Variety’s digital and social platforms, ETOnline.com, Et’s YouTube Channel, Et’s streaming network, which can be viewed on Pluto, Paramount+, Samsung TV and more platforms, and GoldenGlobes.com.The pre-show will also stream across properties such as Billboard, Rolling Stone and SheKnows, all owned by Penske Media Corp., which also owns the Golden Globes in a joint venture with Eldridge.

The official pre-show will be hosted by Variety’s senior culture and events editor Marc Malkin and “Entertainment Tonight” correspondent Rachel Smith, with fashion coverage from Variety’s senior entertainment writer Angelique Jackson and senior entertainment and media writer Matt Donnelly.

Saban Films has promoted its top executive team and extended their deals through 2026, Variety has exclusively learned.

Bill Bromiley has been promoted to Vice-Chairman, where he will work on advancing key strategic goals, while Shanan Becker and Jonathan Saba will now serve as Co-Presidents. Becker will focus on the company’s financial and operational functions while Saba will shape content, marketing and monetization.

“As we celebrate Saban Films’ remarkable journey over the past decade, we are thrilled to see Bill, Shanan and Jonathan take on these pivotal leadership roles,” Haim Saban, Chairman and CEO of Saban Capital Group said in a statement with Adam Chesnoff, President and COO. “Their vision, dedication, and expertise have been instrumental in establishing Saban Films as a leader in independent film distribution. With this exceptional team at the helm, we are confident the company is poised for continued success.”

Bromiley co-founded the company in 2014 in the role of president.

Variety leads the field in nominations for the 17th annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards. The list includes a bid for best entertainment website, four contenders for journalist of the year honors, a photo journalist of the year mention for veteran staffer Dan Doperalski and a nonfiction book of the year nom for co-Editor in Chief Ramin Setoodeh.

Variety nominations are spread widely across the masthead, recognizing a range of journalists as well as the photography, illustration and design of the weekly print magazine and social media efforts.

Nominated for print journalist of the year are executive editor Brent Lang, Tatiana Siegel, executive editor of film and media, and Chris Willman, chief music critic and senior music writer. Clayton Davis, senior awards editor, is up for online journalist of the year. The eligibility period for the kudos administered by the Los Angeles Press Club is July 1, 2023 through June 30.

Willman is...

Industry insiders from Google, Warner Bros., Disney, DC Studios, Pinterest and more returned for Variety’s annual Entertainment and Technology Summit, presented by City National Bank. The day-long summit, held at the London Hotel in Los Angeles, explored the ever-changing relationship between technology and the entertainment industry.

The morning started with an electric conversation between CEO of AMC Theatres, Adam Aron and Variety’s Senior Entertainment Writer Matt Donnelly. The movie theater mogul predicted a very “bright future” for the business and revealed that the theater chain spent $100 million on coke freestyle machines for all their theaters.

“Why?” Aron asked. “Because they have 140 flavors, and that beats having eight flavor choices.” (Watch the full conversation here).

“Fortnite” co-creator Donald Mustard, who recently joined Anthony and Joe Russo’s production company Agbo, broke down how they measure risk at the “Power Couple: Entrepreneurship + Entertainment” panel discussion. A very special episode of...

Variety won eight first-place awards Sunday night at the Los Angeles Press Club’s 66th annual SoCal Journalism Awards, including a top win for executive editor Brent Lang as entertainment journalist of the year.

Variety came into the 2024 ceremony with 74 nominations, representing work published by staffers online or in the weekly print edition during the 2023 calendar year.

Lang led the list of staff wins by picking up three awards in all. Besides his entertainment journalist of the year trophy, Lang also won for personality profile/magazines for his cover story on Michael J. Fox, and he shared the award for entertainment feature/TV with Tatiana Siegel and Matt Donnelly for their story “Showstopper! Strikes Plunge Hollywood Into Chaos With Pricey Movie Delays, Pay Battles and AI Anxiety.”

Siegel was a double-winner. Besides sharing the latter award with Lang, she also won in the category of entertainment news/magazines for the story “A Fired ‘Scream’ Star,...

Captain America 4 still has almost a year to hit the global theatres, but in a strategic move to create hype among fans, Marvel showed a glimpse of the upcoming sequel to the attendees at CinemaCon. Starring Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson in the role of the new Captain America, the film garnered positive reviews.

Anthony Mackie in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World

As Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige showed off the brand new look at 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World at CinemaCon 2024, the first thing that the film reminded fans of was Chris Evans’ Winter Soldier. Offering their opinions on the clip of the upcoming film that is yet to be released officially, fans and attendees took to social media.

Captain America 4 Dropped a First Glimpse at CinemaCon 2024

Following Chris Evans’ exit from MCU, as Anthony Mackie took over Captain America’s mantle as Sam Wilson,...

Ricky Strauss is exiting from his role as head of marketing at Apple TV+ after leading the department for nearly a year and a half. An Apple spokesperson confirmed Strauss would be stepping down from his Culver City-based role.

Another insider familiar with Strauss’ moves indicated that the exec is looking to pursue other creative endeavors. It is unclear whether the now-vacated position will be filled and who will step in if so.

Hired in January 2023, Strauss’ responsibilities included overseeing marketing campaigns, advertising and promotions for Apple TV+ programming, working under Tor Myrhen, Apple’s vice president of marketing communication.

Prior to his time at the tech giant, Strauss had spent nearly a decade at Disney and held the position of president of content and marketing for Disney+, helping steer the launch of the streaming service in 2019. He had also served as president of programming for Hulu and Disney+. Prior to those positions,...

The long-awaited live-action “Masters of the Universe” movie is one step closer to becoming a reality, with Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Films dating the project for worldwide theatrical release on June 5, 2026.

Travis Knight is on board to direct the film adaptation of the popular franchise, with Chris Butler writing the screenplay, following initial drafts written by David Callaham and Aaron and Adam Nee. Mattel Films’ Robbie Brenner, Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch are producing.

According to its official synopsis, “Masters of the Universe” introduces a 10-year-old Prince Adam, who crashed to Earth in a spaceship and was separated from his magical Power Sword — the only link to his home on Eternia.

“After tracking it down almost two decades later,” the synopsis explains, “Prince Adam is whisked back across space to defend his home planet against the evil forces of Skeletor. But to defeat such a powerful villain,...

Netflix’s film division is being reorganized under new film chief Dan Lin.

While about 15 staffers are being let go, the reorganization does not represent a reduction in force — Lin will replace the departing executives in the coming weeks as part of his new vision for his group, which will now be split up by genre.

Included in that new regime are Ori Marmur, who will oversee action, fantasy, horror and sci-fi, Kira Goldberg, who will handle dramas, thrillers and family films, Niija Kuykendall on faith-based, holiday and young adult projects, and Jason Young overseeing comedies and rom-coms.

Lin only took his desk at the streamer a week ago, but has had nearly a month to ponder what the operation should look like. He was named as the streaming behemoth’s new film head in February, replacing Scott Stuber and reporting to chief content officer Bela Bajaria.

Lin and Netflix...

“Masters of the Air” launched with more viewers in its opening weekend than any Apple TV+ series ever has in its first season, according to the streamer. Though an exact number of viewers was not made available, that puts the epic war miniseries launch above other high-profile original titles like “Hijack,” “The Morning Show” and “Severance.”

Remarkably, following the premiere of “Masters of the Air,” viewership across all of Apple TV+ climbed by 65% worldwide when compared to the previous seven-day period. The streamer also maintained double-digit growth across more than 100 territories.

“Masters of the Air” is currently debuting new episodes, with its sixth installment premiering on Friday, Feb. 23. The finale will bow on the streamer on March 15.

“Masters of the Air” is executive produced by Steven Spielberg for Amblin Television, as well as Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman for Playtone. Amblin’s Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey serve as co-executive producers,...

Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are reuniting for their fifth film together – the first since 2006’s “Inside Man.” Apple Original Films and A24 are partnering on “High and Low,” which will be released theatrically by A24 before a global launch on AppleTV+.

The thriller, which starts production in March, is the English-language reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s crime thriller of the same name. The 1963 film starring Toshiro Mifune was based on the Ed McBain novel “King’s Ransom,” which chronicles the ruin of a businessman following a ransom payment to kidnappers.

Developed and produced by A24, Escape Artists and Mandalay Pictures, “High and Low” features a script written by Alan Fox and Spike Lee.

As Apple is a co-financier on “High and Low,” this project will not be included in a recent multi-year deal that A24 brokered with competing streaming service Max last year, sources familiar with the movie said. The...

The creatives behind this year’s awards contenders convened for a series of conversations about their craft during Variety FYC Fest on Dec. 6 in Los Angeles.

Variety‘s senior awards editor Clayton Davis, senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay and senior entertainment and media writer Matt Donnelly moderated several panels throughout the event. From the environmental documentaries “Common Ground” and “The Issue With Tissue: A Boreal Love Story,” to Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” a diverse array of filmmakers behind this year’s movies pulled back the curtain on their process.

Cord Jefferson Panel “American Fiction” Spotlight

“American Fiction” director and writer Cord Jefferson sat down for a one-on-one interview with Variety‘s Davis.

Jefferson revealed that after stumbling upon a review of Percival Everett’s “Erasure,” he immediately picked up the novel that would later inspire his screenplay. “It resonated with me deeper than any piece of art had ever resonated with me,...

Jennifer Lopez is attached to star in a feature adaptation of the 1993 Broadway musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” written and directed by “Dreamgirls” filmmaker Bill Condon, Variety has confirmed with a source close to the production. The music is by legends John Kander and Fred Ebb, based on the novel by Manuel Puig and the book of the musical by Terrence McNally.

The musical is set in an Argentinian prison in 1981. Lopez would play the titular role, a fantasy woman named Aurora created by Luis Molina, a gay hairdresser serving an eight-year sentence for allegedly corrupting a minor. To escape the horrors of his imprisonment, Molina imagines movies starring Aurora as a classic silver screen diva, including a role of the spider woman, who kills her prey with a kiss. Molina’s life is upended when a Marxist, Valentin Arregui Paz, is brought into his cell, and the two form an unlikely bond.

A group of A-list actors is adding pressure on SAG-AFTRA leadership to find a way to resolve the actors strike, which has now lasted 97 days.

George Clooney, Tyler Perry, Scarlett Johansson, and others held a Zoom meeting on Tuesday afternoon with Fran Drescher, the president of SAG-AFTRA, and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s executive director.

Though the tone has been described as “supportive,” the actors did not call the meeting merely to express support. According to several sources, the A-listers represent significant discontent within the guild that talks have broken down, and are looking for a path to restart negotiations and end the strike.

Perry employs hundreds of people at his studio in Atlanta, and has been concerned for weeks that he cannot resume production.

The group, which also includes Emma Stone and Ben Affleck, was said by one source to have given a “presentation” to Drescher and Crabtree-Ireland.

Updated: The Writers Guild of America resumed bargaining with the major studios on Wednesday, as the 142-day writers strike closed in on a record duration.

In a break from previous sessions, several top CEOs joined in the talks on Wednesday in Sherman Oaks. They were Bob Iger of Disney, Ted Sarandos of Netflix, Donna Langley of NBCUniversal and David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The talks concluded by late afternoon, with a plan to return to the table on Thursday, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. All four CEOs are expected to be back in the room again on Thursday.

In a potential sign of progress, the two sides issued a rare — albeit terse — joint statement at 5 p.m.

“The WGA and AMPTP met for bargaining today and will meet again tomorrow,” they said.

The source said the WGA representatives spent the session mostly listening to new proposals...

Updated: The Writers Guild of America met again with negotiators from the major studios on Friday afternoon, but the sides appeared to make little progress toward ending the 109-day strike. The guild issued a message to members Friday evening confirming that the sides plan to gather again next week.

The guild has held talks each of the last four days with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, but the two sides remain far apart on the major issues, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. The WGA’s message to members stated that the sides “continue to exchange proposals” and will meet again next week though no specific dates were included.

“Thank you for the many messages of support and solidarity as we talk with the AMPTP. As always, be skeptical of rumors from third parties, knowing that the Guild will communicate when we think there is something of significance to report,...

The Writers Guild of America responded Tuesday to the latest proposal from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, but any hopes for an easy resolution of the 106-day strike were quickly dispelled.

The WGA did bend slightly on a few items, according to sources familiar with the talks. But the union negotiators did not offer the significant concessions that the studio side was looking for in response to its own offer.

The guild has continued to hold to its proposal for a minimum staff size for TV writers, though it offered to lower the minimum by one writer. But the WGA was unimpressed with the AMPTP’s offer to give showrunners the authority to hire up to a certain minimum, which would increase based on the production budget.

By no means is that the only sticking point. The two sides remain at odds on items across the board,...

Angus Cloud completed production for his role on Universal’s upcoming monster thriller from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett before his death, a source close to the project confirms.

Set for an April 2024 release, the untitled feature stars Cloud alongside a cast including Kathryn Newton, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, Kevin Durand and Will Catlett. Melissa Barrera, who starred in the fifth and sixth “Scream” entries, also reunites with Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett for the film. The pair compose the directorial muscle behind the collective known as Radio Silence, which includes producer Chad Villella. Tripp Vinson is also producing, alongside William Sherak, Paul Neinstein and James Vanderbilt for Project X Entertainment.

The film isn’t complete yet and remains impacted by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.

Cloud died Monday in Oakland Calif. at the age of 25. The Oakland Fire Department stated that it responded to a medical emergency at approximately 11:30 a.

Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers,” starring Zendaya, which had been set as the Venice Film Festival opener, has been pulled from the festival due to promotional complications prompted by the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Venice has announced that the sexy sports comedy — in which Zendaya plays a former tennis prodigy turned coach entangled in a love triangle with two pro tennis players, played by Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist — has changed its distribution strategy. The film’s promotion has been disrupted by the current actors strike, which prohibits SAG-AFTRA union members from doing any type of promotional activity.

This means Zendaya, O’Connor and Faist would not have been able to launch the film on Aug. 30 on the Venice red carpet.

After a week of discussions, Venice organizers confirmed in a statement on Friday that the film “will not participate at the festival following a decision made by the production.”

Variety understands that...

When not even Gerri can keep herself from being washed away by the “tsunami” of “Barbie” marketing that has flooded the cultural discourse over the last two months, it’s clear a major movie event is afoot. But until Sunday night, following the “Barbie” premiere in Los Angeles, any kind of critical reaction to Greta Gerwig’s latest feature – her third film as a solo director – has been absent. So what’s the early word from those lucky enough to attend the lavish debut event?

Well, it’s a little incomplete. For industry observers, awards pundits, and Film Twitter devotees hoping for an early consensus from the top critics and industry veterans, it might be better wait until next week when the “Barbie” review embargo lifts after Warner Bros. finally shows “Barbie” to critics in New York and Los Angeles on a wider scale. But at least some prominent voices...

Variety won 14 first-place awards Sunday night at the Los Angeles Press Club’s 65th annual SoCal Journalism Awards, more than twice as many as any other entertainment publication.

The 14 awards represented a historic high for Variety at the SoCal Journalism Awards, topping the previous best of 12 first-place prizes the magazine earned in 2018. Variety came into Sunday’s ceremony with a record 96 nominations, representing work published online and in print during the 2022 calendar year.

The awards were handed out during a gala dinner attended by hundreds in the historic Crystal Ballroom at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Several staffers won dual honors. Owen Gleiberman, Variety‘s chief film critic, won best obituary/appreciation for a look back at actor William Hurt, plus best online arts commentary for the column “Is ‘Tar’ Rooting for or Against Cate Blanchett’s Superstar Predator Conductor?” Chris Willman, senior writer and chief music critic,...

One of the most talked-about titles at this year’s Cannes Film Festival isn’t a movie, but a TV show. “The Idol,” a scandalous, sexy and sure-to-be-polarizing series (think “Euphoria” but set in the world of pop music) about the price of fame, premiered the first two of its five episodes at the festival and instantly inspired a thousand hot takes about all that on-screen nudity, bodily fluids and Hollywood sycophants.

But before “The Idol” — the brainchild of “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye — even made its way to the Croisette, an explosive report by Rolling Stone detailed on-set turmoil, including allegations of a toxic work environment, last-minute script rewrites and budgets gone wild.

At a Cannes press conference on Tuesday, the day after the premiere, Levinson responded directly to the allegations and denied any behind-the-scenes drama. “When my wife read me the article,” he recalled,...

Johnny Depp made a rare public appearance at the Cannes press conference for “Jeanne du Barry,” a costume drama that opened the 76th edition of the film festival. The movie marks the actor’s first leading role in three years, following his high-profile legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard. As he reemerged into the limelight, Depp appears to have mixed feelings about his years-long absence from Hollywood films.

“Did I feel boycotted by Hollywood? You’d have to not have a pulse to feel like, ‘No. None of this is happening. It’s a weird joke,'” he told the press on Wednesday. “When you’re asked to resign from a film you’re doing because of something that is merely a function of vowels and consonants floating in the air, yes, you feel boycotted.”

Depp was presumably referring to a sequel to the “Harry Potter” spinoff series “Fantastic Beasts,...

“Kokomo City” star Koko Da Doll was found fatally shot on Tuesday in Atlanta. She was 35 years old.

The Atlanta Police Department reported that Koko was found with a gunshot wound in Southwest Atlanta shortly before 11 p.m. on Tuesday. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Koko, whose given name is Rasheeda Williams, was a prominent transgender woman featured in the award-winning documentary “Kokomo City,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. The film, which marks the feature directorial debut of Grammy-nominated producer, singer and songwriter D. Smith, presents a raw depiction of the lives of four Black trans sex workers living in Atlanta and New York City — Koko, Daniella Carter, Liyah Mitchell and Dominique Silver — as they confront the dichotomy between the Black community and themselves, as well as the persistent threat of violence they face each day.

Following the film’s Sundance premiere, Koko — who...

As a global audience starts to tune in for the 95th Academy Awards, one thing that is guaranteed to surprise viewers is the creative decision not to have a red carpet, but a champagne-colored runner instead. But can this bold choice withstand the traffic on Hollywood’s biggest night? Update: It cannot, and the backlash is already brewing.

“I think the decision to go with a champagne carpet rather than a red carpet shows how confident we are that no blood will be shed,” joked Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel at the unrolling ceremony.

This is the first time since 1961 that the famous Oscars red carpet has not been red, one of the many big changes made for this year’s ceremony including a new dress code and the addition of an Academy Award “crisis team.”

Here's a look behind the scenes at the #Oscars champagne carpet. https://t.co/i5wEon5M8t pic.

Courtney Valenti is in talks for a leadership film position at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, now under ownership of Amazon.

The development comes after five months of speculation regarding MGM targeting Valenti, a seasoned production executive with decent talent relationships. Valenti exited her role as president of production and development for Warner Bros. Pictures in October 2022. Her departure from Warner Bros. marked the end of a 33-year long tenure at the studio.

Since Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy vacated MGM’s film leadership positions last spring (there soon after taking over as co-chairs of Warner Bros. Picture Group), Amazon has undertaken an ongoing search for a steward of the iconic entertainment banner.

Other individuals familiar with the talks have stated that a deal between Valenti and MGM is far from complete.

Amazon declined to comment for this story. Valenti did not immediately respond for comment.

As president of production and development at Warner Bros.

HBO’s “House of the Dragon” has tens of millions of viewers, but Emilia Clarke is not one of them. Why? “I just can’t do it,” she told Variety’s Matt Donnelly at the Variety Studio presented by Audible at Sundance. “It’s so weird. It’s so strange.”

Clarke became a household name thanks to her breakout role as Daenerys Targaryen on HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” which she starred on for all eight seasons. “House of the Dragon” is a prequel series that follows Daenerys’ ancestors, making the show hit far too close to home for Clarke.

“No! Can you [forgive me]?” Clarke said when asked about watching “House of the Dragon.” “It’s too weird. I’m so happy it’s happening. I’m over the moon about all the awards… I just can’t do it. It’s so weird. It’s so strange. It’s kind of like someone saying,...

After last year’s cancelled in-person fest, the Sundance Film Festival has returned to (pretty much) normal for the first time since the pandemic arrived in 2020. Although the bulk of the films are available to watch online in the days following their premieres, the usual blend of cinema buffs, industry professionals and press took over Park City for the Jan. 19 opening night.

“Long time no see,” one happy festival-goer exclaimed to another while waiting to get into the Eccles, one of Sundance’s main hubs. There seemed to be an eagerness for things to return to “normal,” for Sundance to pick back up where it left off more than two years and two virtual iterations ago.

Unfortunately, Covid was still the talk of the town, as attendees gossiped about winter illnesses that ripped through their friend groups back home, as well as lamenting the recent rise in cases of the new Covid-19 subvariant,...

Variety won 22 National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards at a ceremony in Universal City Sunday night, including a staff win for for entertainment website of the year. The 22 trophies represented the most scored by any publication at the event.

Also scoring top honors were deputy music editor Jem Aswad, winning online journalist of the year, and Elizabeth Wagmeister and Clayton Davis, co-hosts of “Variety’s The Take,” as anchor/hosts of the year.

The 15th annual awards, presented by the Los Angeles Press Club for work in national and local publications from July 2021 through June 2022, were handed out at the Universal Sheraton Hotel’s Grand Ballroom.

Tying for the most wins — four apiece — were Aswad and senior music writer and chief music critic Chris Willman. Close behind was chief correspondent Wagmeister, who scored three wins during the ceremony. Five staffers scored two awards each: senior vice president Tim Gray, executive editor of music Shirley Halperin,...

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are reuniting as business partners with the launch Artists Equity, a production venture backed by RedBird Capital Partners that vows to expand profit participation and provide a “talent-friendly” environment to creatives.

Media investor Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird is said to have committed at least 100 million to funding the venture. Affleck will serve as CEO while Damon is chief content officer. Michael Joe, an alum of Universal Pictures and STX Films, has signed on as chief operating officer of the L.A.-based company.

“Artists Equity was conceived from Matt’s and my longtime passion for the art of storytelling and our

shared desire to help creators deliver on their vision, as we have been fortunate to do throughout our

careers,” Affleck said in a statement. “Our goal with Artists Equity is to build a creator-focused studio that can optimize the production process with shared participation...

After two years of virtual events or limited-capacity premieres, the festival returns in spectacular fashion, with more than 250 films expected to screen during the 10-day event. To break down the musts from the meh, here are nine films we’re dying to see.

“Causeway” (A24/Apple Original Films)

Though Jennifer Lawrence had a juicy supporting role in Adam McKay’s disaster comedy “Don’t Look Up” last year, we have not seen the former Katniss Everdeen in the driver’s seat of a film since the one-two punch of “Mother!” and “Red Sparrow”. She returns in earnest at TIFF with “Causeway,” about a soldier with a traumatic brain injury trying to readjust to normal life.

— Matt Donnelly

“Empire of Light” (Searchlight Pictures)

Sam Mendes crafts an ode to the power of movies with this story of a cinema ticket-taker (Olivia Colman) who finds herself drawn to a new employee (Michael Ward). Colman,...

Neon, the independent film distributor behind Oscar winners “Parasite” and “I, Tonya,” is assessing options for its financial future.

The New York-based company has tapped the investment bank Raine to explore a sale of some or all of its business. The move comes as Neon looks to expand its distribution business internationally and consider opportunities in television and streaming. The company also plans to use potential investments to bolster its production businesses.

Neon declined to comment.

Neon was receiving inquiries about mergers and acquisitions, so it hired Raine to sort through their options. Sources close to the situation say Neon hopes to find a deal that keeps the company in tact, though it would be open to a minority stake sale. There’s also talk that Neon could become a label on a prominent streaming service. Tom Quinn and Dan Friedkin are currently the majority owners.

Neon’s mission to...

Sun Valley, Idaho — Rupert Murdoch will attend Allen & Co.’s Sun Valley conference this week, Variety has confirmed.

The annual event colloquially known as “summer camp for billionaires” kicks off as usual on July 5 at the Sun Valley Lodge in the titular Idaho resort town. Murdoch, 91, arrived on site during the July 4th holiday on Monday, according to a source familiar with the matter, two days after the Fox Corp. and News Corp. baron attended granddaughter Charlotte Freud’s wedding to rapper Lukey Storey in the U.K.

Murdoch’s decision to come to the Sun Valley retreat — an event he has attend numerous times over the years — is an interesting surprise, as his name was not among those on the list of invite-only Sun Valley guests obtained by Variety last month.

However, Murdoch’s sons James Murdoch, CEO of Lupa Systems, and Lachlan Murdoch, the current CEO of Fox Corp.

“Top Gun: Maverick,” Tom Cruise’s long-awaited return to the danger zone, had to take a few detours due to Covid-19.

When the pandemic hit, the sequel to 1986’s “Top Gun” was supposed to open on June 24, 2020. Those plans had to be rearranged when theaters shuttered and moviegoing struggled to return. Now, at long last, Cruise was on hand in the South of France on Wednesday for the Cannes premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick,” a film that has earned critical raves and seems primed for box office riches. But did he ever think about sending the sequel to streaming, a fate that befell many other films during the early days of the coronavirus?

“That’s not going to happen. Ever,” Cruise said during a wide-ranging talk about his work at the festival.

The audience at the Grand Palais’ Debussy theater applauded loudly. Cruise explained further, “I’ve spent a lot of time with theater owners.

Cannes is bringing the metaverse to the film industry.

The first-ever NFTCannes Summit will take place at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. This annual event is designed to connect leading minds from the media and entertainment industry to innovators, creators and investors in web3.

Officially kicking off on May 23 at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, the summit is run by a coalition of groups, including production studio Electromagnetic Productions (Emp), global cryptocurrency financial management company Galaxy Interactive, Nft app OP3N, leading blockchain platform Avalanche and private investing platform Republic. The invitation-only event features conversations and panels that delve into the growing intersections between media institutions and web3 technologies.

The program will focus on topics spanning the future of current Nft applications in entertainment, fan and community-building opportunities, as well as live events and experiences. The hosts of the first-ever summit are Mark Kimsey, co-founder and co-ceo of Emp; Sam Englebardt,...

United Talent Agency has promised to reimburse its employees for travel expenses relating to reproductive health services that are not accessible in their states of residence, according to a memo obtained by Variety.

In the memo, UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer wrote, “We’re doing this to support the right to choose that has been a bedrock of settled law for almost half a century. Several states have already introduced restrictive legislation, and the draft Supreme Court ruling leaked yesterday, if it comes to pass, could make abortion illegal in more than half of the country.”

On Monday, Politico published a leaked majority draft opinion from the Supreme Court that revealed the justices have privately voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, which has protected basic abortion rights in the United States since its 1973 ruling.

Hollywood talent agencies often take up the mantle of social justice causes championed by clients. In 2017, UTA...

CinemaCon is set to reevaluate its safety protocols following an incident on April 26 in which Olivia Wilde was served a mysterious manila envelope on stage at the Las Vegas event while presenting her new film “Don’t Worry Darling.” The envelope included the words “personal and confidential” on it. Wilde thought the file was a script when she opened it on stage. The incident occurred during Warner Bros.’ CinemaCon presentation.

“To protect the integrity of our studio partners and the talent, we will reevaluate our security protocols,” NATO managing director and head of CinemaCon Mitch Neuhauser told Variety. “We will act accordingly because it’s the right thing to do. We want to do the safe, proper thing.”

Variety has numerous eye witnesses who said the individual who served Wilde the envelope was credentialed by CinemaCon.

According to Deadline, the envelope contained custody documents being served to Wilde on behalf of Jason Sudeikis.

Spoiler Alert: This story contains major details about the new horror thriller “Fresh.”

“Fresh” is not for the squeamish. The new Hulu film stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Noa, a woman who falls for Steve, a handsome surgeon (Sebastian Stan) she meets in a grocery store. Little does she know he’s a black market dealer of human meat who sells to enormously rich men who enjoy eating female flesh. Edgar-Jones’ character wakes up one day to find she’s been kidnapped, and her new beau has plans to cut off various body parts for his clientele.

I caught up with Edgar-Jones, who shot to fame during the pandemic for her work opposite Paul Mescal in the limited series “Normal People,” for this week’s “Just for Variety” podcast ahead of “Fresh’s” Los Angeles premiere.

“Post-‘Normal People,’ I was really keen to find something really different from anything I’d done before.

This year’s 79th Annual Golden Globes awards ceremony wasn’t televised or livestreamed, and has never been seen by anyone other than those in attendance for the show on Jan. 9 at the Beverly Hilton. Until now.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has shared with Variety three excerpts from the 2022 ceremony, which opened with HFPA president Helen Hoehne and featured representatives from educational and philanthropic organizations — recepients of grants from the org — as presenters. Despite the lack of any at-home audiences, the show was still produced with the sheen of a full-fledged telecast, as directed by Patricia Lowry and produced by Neil Mandt, Michael Mandt and Matthew Brady.

The Mandt brothers, whose credits include “Jim Rome is Burning” and “Destination Truth,” spoke to the Golden Globes website about the show: “This is certainly a unique year,” Michael Mandt told the org. “We knew the challenges given the timing considering the world’s Covid situation,...

Variety has scored 98 nominations for the 2021 National Art and Entertainment Journalism awards, leading all publications.

The awards are presented yearly by the Los Angeles Press Club.

“Thank you to the Naej for recognizing the hard and wonderful work of our great team of writers and editors. We’re so honored,” said Claudia Eller, editor-in-chief of Variety.

Variety was nominated twice for print entertainment publication, for its “Hitmakers” and “Gamechangers” issues. Variety.com was nominated for entertainment website. Senior vice president Tim Gray and features editor Chris Willman both earned nominations for print journalist of the year, while deputy music editor Jem Aswad is nominated for online journalist of the year.

Variety scored six nominations across the photography and art category, including two nods for cover art, for the “Death of Cable” and “Power of Women” covers. Photo director Jennifer Dorn, former creative director Raul Aguila and photographer Sophy Holland were...

From Issa Rae of “Insecure” to Discovery Inc.’s indefatigable CEO David Zaslav, this year Variety chronicled — as we have since 1905 — the stories of the biggest power brokers, dealmakers and creative trailblazers in Hollywood. Stephen Colbert, Anthony Mackie, Chloé Zhao, Phoebe Bridgers, Michaela Coel, Lil Nas X, Jean Smart and Jack Harlow are just some of our 21 favorite Variety cover stories of 2021. Taken collectively, these stories offer a portrait into another pandemic year in Hollywood, when it wasn’t always easy to conduct business as usual. But these entertainers and executives still powered through, reminding us of the resilience and improvisational spirit that’s always been crucial to the DNA of show business.

Actors on Actors Movie Issue: A ‘Silence of the Lambs’ Reunion

Jan. 20

Like many things in entertainment, our Emmy-winning Actors on Actors franchise had to go virtual in 2021. But that didn’t stop us from putting together...