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Reed Hastings, co-founder, chairman and former CEO of Netflix, has signed on as an executive producer of Costa Rica-set crime thriller “52nd State” — his first official credit as a producer on a film or TV show.

However, “52nd State” is not a Netflix production. The indie film is co-written and directed by Todd Yellin, a former longtime Netflix exec who served as VP of product before he exited in 2022 to pursue a career as a filmmaker.

According to the production’s reps, Hastings’ decision to join the project was “deeply personal” and driven by his attraction to the film’s “bold, high-stakes storytelling” and his long relationship with Yellin. Hastings, after 25 years at the helm of Netflix, in January 2023 stepped down as CEO of the company and now serves as chairman.

“At Netflix, Todd poured his creative energy into shaping the product experience and pioneering our personalization efforts — work that helped storytellers connect with millions,...

A couple of months ago, we heard that Sophie Thatcher (Companion), Kristine Froseth (Sierra Burgess Is a Loser), Havana Rose Liu (No Exit), and Charles Melton (Warfare) were set to star in Her Private Hell, the latest film from director Nicolas Winding Refn. Now, Deadline has revealed the names of several more cast members. They are: Dougray Scott (Mission: Impossible II), Diego Calva (Babylon), Aoi Yamada (Perfect Days), Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool & Wolverine), and Hidetoshi Nishijima (Drive My Car). Details on the characters they’ll be playing have not been revealed, which makes sense, since we don’t have any idea what the story is, either. We’re assuming that Sophie Thatcher is the “her” of the title, but it’s not clear what the “private hell” is.

Refn is best known for making the 2011 film Drive. His other directing credits include Pusher, Bleeder, Fear X, Pusher II, Pusher III, Bronson,...

Gold Derby's top news stories for April 23, 2025.

Die, My Love and The Chronology of Water added to Cannes lineup

The Cannes Film Festival announced several additions to its 2025 lineup, including Lynne Ramsay's psychological thriller Die, My Love starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, which will screen in competition, and Kristen Stewart's feature directorial debut, biographical drama The Chronology of Water, which will premiere as part of Un Certain Regard.

Other additions include Ethan Coen’s Honey Don’t in the midnights section; Saeed Roustaee’s Mother and Child in competition; Anna Cazenave Cambet’s Love Me Tender, Simón Mesa Soto’s Un Poeta and Pedro Pinho’s O Riso E A Faca (Le Rire et le Couteau) in Un Certain Regard; Kōji Fukada’s Renai Saiban, Hlynur Pálmason’s Ástin Sem Eftir Er, Lav Diaz’s Magalhães in premiere; and Vincent Maël Cardona’s Le Roi Soleil in midnights.

Directing the best American film of 2024 that’s also the uber-rare piece of experimental art to screen in multiplexes and––you know where this is headed––massive box-office bomb would typically spell the end of a director’s career. It’s to his fortune and ours alike that Robert Zemeckis’ well never quite runs dry, ergo: Deadline reports he’s set to direct Jennifer Lopez in the Netflix thriller The Last Mrs. Parrish, an adaptation of Liv Constantine’s novel that’ll be scripted by John Gatins (Flight) and Andrea Berloff (Straight Outta Compton).

Early comparisons to What Lies Beneath and Allied match with a description of said novel, which concerns a con artist (Lopez) who targets a wealthy couple, the Parrishes, “by befriending the wife and seducing the husband, with the master plan of becoming the next Mrs. Parrish, only to discover that the wife’s life is far...

Since moving on from playing the character Reggie Mantle on 91 episodes of Riverdale, Charles Melton has caught a lot of attention for his performance in the Todd Haynes film May December and for being part of the ensemble in Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s war movie Warfare. Now, Deadline reports that Melton has lined up another high profile gig, as he has signed on to star in Her Private Hell, the latest film from director Nicolas Winding Refn.

Refn is best known for making the 2011 film Drive. His other directing credits include Pusher, Bleeder, Fear X, Pusher II, Pusher III, Bronson, Valhalla Rising, Only God Forgives, The Neon Demon, Too Old to Die Young, and Copenhagen Cowboy. He was also one of the many directors who contributed to the “surreal and psychedelic journey” known as Circus Maximus. Although none of the projects he has made since Drive have been...

Nicolas Winding Refn is officially returning to direct his first feature film in 10 years with Her Private Hell, a star-studded new thriller that is co-financed and distributed by Neon Pictures. The social media accounts for the studio, which was previously behind such high-profile projects as Longlegs, Anora, and Parasite, teased the latest title on its roster with a post (shared below) containing a single image, a casting announcement, and a brief message that described the mysterious movie as "something groovy."

The cast so far features Sophie Thatcher (Companion), Charles Melton (Warfare), Kristine Froseth (Apostle), and Havana Rose Liu (No Exit). Their roles remain under wraps, as little is known about the latest project from Refn. The director, whose past credits include Drive, Only God Forgives, and Bronson, previously told Variety that he plans to start shooting his next movie, which could be Her Private Hell, in Japan's busy capital of...

Charles Melton and Sophie Thatcher are set to star in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell for Neon.

Kristine Froseth, best known forThe Buccaneers,andBottomsstar

Havana Rose Liu have also been cast in the feature. Neon is co-financing and distributing.

Refn and Neon announced the project on social media today (April 23), describing it as “something groovy”.

Plot details are under wraps but the Danish director recently said his next film would shoot in Tokyo, Japan and would involve ”lots of glitter, sex, and violence”.

Her Private Hell marks Refn’s first feature since 2016’s The Neon Demon. The director...

We now have a title and the principal cast for Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn’s next film, Her Private Hell. More on that below.

Some of us have been waiting for a very long time – 9 years to be exact – for news about a new Nicolas Winding Refn movie. The Danish director last graced the big screen with 2016’s deliciously deviant The Neon Demon before turning his gaze to the small screen, but Refn is now making what we hope will be a victorious return to the world of cinema.

Neon is co-financing and distributing the film and the studio took to Twitter/X to announce “Something groovy” with the new film’s title and some of the cast. Warfare and May December star Charles Melton, Companion’s Sophie Thatcher, Kristine Froseth, and Havana Rose Liu are set to star in the Danish auteur’s next film.

Something groovy with Nicolas Winding Refn and…...

Charles Melton and Sophie Thatcher are taking on new roles.

The 34-year-old May December actor and the 24-year-old Yellowjackets star are set to join the cast of Nicolas Winding Refn‘s new movie, Her Private Hell from Neon, per Variety.

Kristine Froseth and Havana Rose Liu were also announced as part of the initial cast.

Keep reading to find out more…

There are no other details yet about the project, which comes from the director of Drive, Bronson and Only God Forgives, with Neon only describing it on social media as “something groovy.”

It’s Nicolas‘ first feature since 2016’s The Neon Demon, following his work on Too Old to Die Young at Amazon and Netflix’s Copenhagen Cowboy.

Find out how one actress responded to a gossip report involving her and Charles Melton recently.

See the announcement…

Something groovy with Nicolas Winding Refn and…

Sophie Thatcher

Charles Melton

Kristine Froseth

Havana Rose Liu pic.

Nicolas Winding Refn’s next feature is taking shape.

“Her Private Hell,” announced by Neon, is set to star Charles Melton, Sophie Thatcher, Kristine Froseth and Havana Rose Liu.

Little else is known about the project from the director of “Drive,” “Only God Forgives” and “Bronson,” with Neon’s cryptic message on social media merely naming the cast and describing it as “something groovy.”

Whatever “Her Private Hell” is, it would mark Refn’s first full feature since 2016’s “The Neon Demon,” with the director having since focussed on TV with “Too Old to Die Young” at Amazon and Netflix series “Copenhagen Cowboy.”

For Melton, the film marks the next high-profile film director he’s worked with in a sharp cinematic trajectory since breaking out on...

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Dope Thief is a crime drama series created by Peter Craig. Based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Dennis Tafoya, the Apple TV+ series is set in Philadelphia, and it follows two best friends who pose as DEA agents to rob drug dealers’ houses. Still, when they accidentally rob someone extremely dangerous, their and their family’s lives are put in danger. Dope Thief stars Brian Tyree Henry, Wagner Moura, Marin Ireland, Amir Arison, Nesta Cooper, Kate Mulgrew, and Ving Rhames. So, if you loved the intense story, thrilling drama, and compelling characters in Dope Thief, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Banshee (Max & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Cinemax

Banshee is an action crime thriller drama series created by Jonathan Tropper and David Schickler. The Cinemax series is set in the...

Top Gun: Maverick‘s Miles Teller and Emmy nominee Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit) man posts on opposite sides of a gorge in the appropriately titled thriller, The Gorge. Heading to Apple TV+ on Valentine’s Day 2025, The Gorge comes from The Black Phone director Scott Derrickson and The Tomorrow War screenwriter Zach Dean.

Sigourney Weaver also stars, and David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Scott Derrickson, C.Robert Cargill, Sherryl Clark, Adam Kolbrenner, Zach Dean, and Gregory Goodman serve as producers. Miles Teller executive produces.

“Two highly-trained operatives (Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy) are appointed to posts in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge, protecting the world from an undisclosed, mysterious evil that lurks within. They bond from a distance while trying to stay vigilant in defending against an unseen enemy,” reads Apple TV+’s synopsis. “When the cataclysmic threat to humanity is revealed to them,...

M88 has signed actor, producer and photographer Lance Gross for representation.

Gross starred in the Fox TV series “Our Kind of People,” produced by Lee Daniels, opposite Yaya DaCosta, Morris Chestnut and Joe Morton. He also won four NAACP Image Awards for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for his role on Tyler Perry’s long-running sitcom “House of Payne.” His TV credits include CBS’ “Hawaii 5-0” and “MacGyver”; Fox’s “Star”; USA Network’s “Royal Pains” and the Amazon limited series “Too Old To Die Young” from director Nicolas Winding Refn.

On film, Gross starred opposite Jurnee Smollett, Brandy and Vanessa Williams in Tyler Perry’s “Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor.” He also appeared in the remake of “Steel Magnolias” for Lifetime, opposite Queen Latifah, Alfre Woodard, Phylicia Rashad and Jill Scott; and alongside America Ferrera, Forest Whitaker and Carlos Mencia in Fox Searchlight’s “Our Family Wedding.

Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn is hoping to shoot a new film in Tokyo next year – and it seems it won’t be quite as family-friendly as his Famous Five adaptation.

Venice Film Festival is in full swing, and it seems that the entirety of Hollywood has landed in Italy.

Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn is at the Lido too with his short film Beauty Is Not A Sin, but the filmmaker also told Variety that he’s planning his return to feature filmmaking, something we reported on back in February. Winding Refn swore off Hollywood years ago and hasn’t made a feature since 2016’s The Neon Demon.

Variety details that Winding Refn is planning to shoot his new, still-untitled film in Tokyo, which will be in both English and Japanese. Winding Refn also described his return to feature filmmaking as an act of “defiance”.

“It’s a really...

In recent years, controversial Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn has kept his work on the small screen, helming three limited series for streamers, including “Too Old to Die Young” starring Miles Teller and “Copenhagen Cowboy.” His last feature directorial effort came in 2016 with “The Neon Demon,” but Variety is now reporting that Refn is set to make his return to the big screen with an original project that is financed and set to shoot in Tokyo next year.

The news was revealed at the Venice Film Festival, where Refn is currently set to premiere his latest short, “Beauty Is Not a Sin, produced by Art + Vibes for Italian motorcycle brand Mv Agusta. While there, he’ll also be screening his 1996 debut movie, “Pusher,” for Venice Classics.

“It’s a really interesting time to make movies because it’s such a chaotic situation,” Refn said to Variety of planning his Tokyo feature.

Nicolas Winding Refn, is one of the few directors who deserves the enfant terrible label. The Danish filmmaker, best-known for his neon-drenched tales of sex, violence and revenge — Drive, Only God Forgives, The Neon Demon — is at the Venice Film Festival this year with two works that, he says, represents both his “classic past and the future”: A restored version of his 1996 debut Pusher and Beauty Is Not a Sin, a seven-minute commercial for Italian motorcycle company Mv Agusta. “Whoever said a movie can’t be seven minutes long?” is its irreverent, Refn-esque tagline.

In recent years, Refn has pivoted from cinema towards streaming, bringing his acid Day-Glo aesthetic and digressive narrative style — he typically shoots in sequence, not knowing how his stories will end — to series like Too Old to Die Young for Amazon and Copenhagen Cowboy for Netflix. He also, surprisingly, reimagined Enid Blyton’s beloved kids...

Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn hasn’t directed a movie since The Neon Demon was released eight years ago, but that’s all about to change. Variety reports that Refn is preparing to shoot his next movie in Tokyo next year, which will be in English and Japanese.

Despite once claiming that “cinema is dead,” Refn believes it’s the right time to return. “It’s a really interesting time to make movies because it’s such a chaotic situation,” he said. “So going back and making a theatrical feature film again is almost like — not starting over — but with all the changes in our societies in the last five years and technology changes, it almost seems like the right thing to do for me.“

There aren’t many details about Refn’s new movie, but he did promise that it “will have a lot of glitter and [a] lot of sex and violence.

Fargo is one of the most brilliant and weird series that has probably ever been made. While the series is brilliant and gets better with each season, the wait between each season is very long because the creator Noah Hawley is attached to many projects, and he doesn’t have much time to create new seasons every year. So, if you love the surreal humor, psychological thriller, and crime drama aspects of Fargo here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Twin Peaks (Paramount+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – ABC

Twin Peaks is a surreal psychological mystery drama series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. The ABC series follows the story of Dale Cooper, an eccentric FBI agent as he visits a quaint little town, Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of a 17-year-old girl, the homecoming queen with the help of local Sheriff Harry S. Truman.

Viggo Mortensen is slamming Amazon for the “shameful” release of 2022 film “Thirteen Lives.”

Directed by Ron Howard and based on the true story of a Thai cave rescue, “Thirteen Lives” received a limited theatrical release plus a Prime Video debut less than a week later. Mortensen is now revealing that prior to the MGM-Amazon buyout, the film was set to have a full, wide theatrical release. According to the actor, that deal was not honored by Amazon.

“They were going to put it out worldwide in many, many, many thousands of theaters,” Mortensen told Vanity Fair. “Then Amazon bought MGM, initially promised to respect the deal that MGM had made with Ron Howard, and then they went back on that. Basically you saw that movie for a week in Chicago, New York and L.A., London, and that was that. Then you had the streaming, which I thought was really sad.

Plot: Special Forces commando Parker is on active duty overseas when she gets called back to her hometown with the tragic news that her father has suddenly died. Now the owner of the family bar, Parker reconnects with her former boyfriend-turned-sheriff Jesse, his hot-tempered brother Elvis and their powerful father Senator Swann, as she looks to understand what actually happened to her dad.

Review: It has been five years since Jessica Alba’s last big screen role. While she led the Bad Boys spin-off L.A.’s Finest alongside Gabrielle Union the year after, Alba has spent the last half-decade working as Chief Creative Officer for The Honest Company, which she co-founded. While she recently stepped down from that role, her work on Trigger Warning goes back to 2021. The three-year road for Alba’s first leading role in a decade should indicate the quality of the finished product. Marketed as being an...

Batman: Caped Crusader, set to release in 2024, promises a dark and intense exploration of Batman's noir roots and iconic characters. The show's cast includes Hamish Linklater as Batman, Christina Ricci as Catwoman, and Jamie Chung as Harley Quinn, among others. Caped Crusader has already been renewed for a second season, though when this chapter of the series will release is not yet known.

Batman: Caped Crusader has had many details, including the DC show's release date and cast, made available. The series was first announced in May 2021 at a WarnerMedia Upfront event and will be released in 2024. Executive producers Bruce Timm, J.J. Abrams, and The Batman director Matt Reeves have described the upcoming DC release as "thrilling, cinematic, and evocative of Batmans noir roots while diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters." With the return of Bruce Timm from Batman: The Animated Series and Matt Reeves, the new...

Exclusive: John Hawkes (True Detective: Night Country) has joined the cast of Prime Video‘s graphic novel series, Criminal, in a recurring role. He joins the previously announced cast of Charlie Hunnam, Adria Arjona, Richard Jenkins, Kadeem Hardison, Logan Browning, Pat Healy and Taylor Selé.

Criminal is an interlocking universe of crime stories based on the multi-Eisner Award-winning graphic novel series created by Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

Hawkes has been cast as ‘Sebastian Hyde,’ a hard man who is six months out from a stroke, and now walks with a cane. Once the biggest shark in the shark tank, Hyde is now showing his humanity a bit — maybe a bit too much. The owner of a gambling club, the kind of man whose name is accompanied by fear, Hyde can be both amused by someone one minute, and a ruthless enforcer the next.

As Deadline previously revealed exclusively, Ryan Fleck...

Col Needham, founder and CEO of online entertainment database IMDb and IMDbPro service for the entertainment industry, is back on the Croisette this year.

Ahead of the Cannes Film Festival, the industry and fest veteran took time to tell THR about some of his best and worst experiences in town. He also addressed his take on reporting the length of standing ovations at premieres.

Favorite meal in Cannes?

The côte de boeuf at Da Bouttau in the old town; the restaurant opened there in 1860, so they have had plenty of time to refine the menu (contextual reminder: Lincoln was elected president of the U.S. in 1860!).

Biggest Cannes faux pas?

A frequent one even after 16 years of attending Cannes: forgetting to check the weather before a screening and then getting soaked in a mid-May torrential downpour afterward because, in turn, I have no umbrella. I am sure my memory is playing tricks here,...

The mark of a successful actor goes beyond top billing, box office draw, trophies and name-dropping headlines. Perhaps the purest indicator of an actor’s success is when they show up on screen and the audience immediately trusts that they’re going to add something genuinely interesting to the story being told. Well, Babs Olusanmokun has belonged to this category of actor for quite some time now, and Guy Ritchie’s latest film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, makes excellent use of the Nigerian-American actor, including his innately enigmatic presence and the mellifluous rasp of his voice.

Olusanmokun and Ritchie previously worked together on the Jason Statham-led Wrath of Man (2021), and they nearly worked together again in Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023). Instead, Ungentlemanly Warfare became their second go-round, and Olusanmokun received a major promotion, jumping from 26th billing on Wrath of Man to fifth billing. His undercover spy character,...

Spoiler Alert: This article discusses plot points from “The First Omen.”

Director Arkasha Stevenson grew up as a fan of “The Omen” franchise, but any anxiety she felt about helming a prequel to the 1976 original was funneled into the potential of shifting the series’ perspective.

“It’s a pretty masculine franchise,” she says. “Exploring it through the point of view of a woman was exciting. It felt like it validated its place because it already had something new to say.”

The result is “The First Omen,” the sixth film in the franchise, which was last seen in a 2006 reboot. This feature, Stevenson’s first after directing episodes of television series like “Channel Zero” and “Brand New Cherry Flavor,” puts the events in motion to start the sprawling tale of Damien, a little boy who is the Antichrist. This kickoff chapter follows a young American woman named Margaret (Nell Tiger Free...

For the uninitiated moviegoers who catch The First Omen this weekend, Nell Tiger Free’s performance will be something of a revelation. For fans of M. Night Shyamalan’s Apple TV+ series Servant, her performance will further expand on what they saw for four seasons.

The English actor, who’s also known for memorable roles on Game of Thrones and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Too Old to Die Young, plays American novitiate Margaret Daino in Arkasha Stevenson’s prequel to Richard Donner’s 1976 horror classic The Omen. The story centers around Margaret’s arrival at a Rome orphanage and her discovery of a wicked plot to spawn the antichrist. But as Free’s character dives deeper into the disturbing conspiracy, her own personal demons begin to resurface, leading to a scene that pays homage to Isabelle Adjani’s famous subway scene in Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession (1981).

Free ultimately needed just...

To characterize the work of writer/director Nicolas Winding Refn as divisive would be a vast understatement considering the extreme reactions that his films have inspired. While some have hailed Refn’s brooding characters, eclectic music choices, allusions to philosophy, and aptitude for disturbingly pulpy violence as the indications of a genius, others have accused him of being a largely opportunistic storyteller who merely serves as a product of his influences. Although Refn offered a taste of his subversive style in his gritty films like the heist thriller Drive and the controversial revenge saga Only God Forgives, his restraints were completely freed when he helmed the ten-part Prime Video neo-noir surrealistic epic Too Old To Die Young. While it’s unlikely to convert those who are already a fan of his work, Too Old To Die Young features a career-best performance by Nell Tiger Free, who nearly singlehandedly elevates the sordid material.

The actor on her path to her debut starring movie role in The First Omen.

Nell Tiger Free became an actor to exorcise her energy. “I was driving my mother insane,” the English actor explains from her flat in South London. “I had way too much energy as an 11-year- old. So she took me to a Saturday club where I could run around and sing and dance and act.”

Twenty-four-year-old Free has directed all that energy into dark-natured, suspenseful projects, from working with directors like Nicolas Winding Refn on Too Old To Die Young and M. Night Shyamalan on Servant to her first starring film role in The First Omen, the prequel to Richard Donner’s 1976 classic. “There’s the wiggle room to have the most fun on projects like that,” she says of her tense, terrifying body of work. “You really send yourself into ridiculous situations; situations you...

The First Omen is a prequel film in The Omen franchise, set to be released in theaters on April 5, 2024, and follows a young American woman in Rome who encounters a dark conspiracy that threatens to bring about the birth of evil. Nell Tiger Free, known for her roles in Game of Thrones and Servant, stars in the film alongside Tawfeek Barhom, Sonia Braga, Ralph Ineson, and Bill Nighy. It is directed by Arkasha Stevenson and produced by David S. Goyer and Keith Levine. The Omen franchise includes the original 1976 film, sequels, a reboot, and a TV series. The original film was a success and remains a classic horror favorite with strong performances from Gregory Peck and Lee Remick.

20th Century Studios has released its first trailer and new images for The First Omen, a prequel film for the long-standing The Omen franchise. The upcoming supernatural horror film, scheduled for a...

Nicolas Winding Refn’s next project will mark his first feature film since 2016’s The Neon Demon. More here.

Nicolas Winding Refn is one of those provocative directors who seems to revel in controversy. After wowing the world with the incredibly stylish Drive in 2011, the director follow it with two projects that foregrounded violence and other shocking elements such as necrophilia and cannibalism in his next two films: Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon.

Then Refn all but disappeared from feature filmmaking, choosing instead to dabble in a seres of left-field short films and focus on TV work, including the slow-moving crime drama series Too Old To Die Young for Amazon Prime Video in 2019. He also recently produced an adaptation of Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five for the BBC.

Whatever he’s dabbled in, Refn has seemed keen to avoid Hollywood, claiming back in 2022 on a Deadline podcast...

While the Max streaming service has been canceling popular shows lately, the streamer has nonetheless succeeded in delivering one of the year’s most exciting projects thus far with the second season of Tokyo Vice. Executive produced by Michael Mann, the gritty noir series has done a great job of examining the infrastructure of the Japanese yakuza whilst offering uniquely stylized filmmaking that makes it feel wholly distinct from procedural crime shows. The series is not currently headlining Max’s lineup due to its more artistic approach, but the success of Tokyo Vice indicates that there’s a strong fanbase for idiosyncratic neo-noir programs. Although shows like this are too far and in between, Prime Video’s underrated crime epic Too Old to Die Young is perfectly suited for Tokyo Vice fans.

Exclusive: Zosia Mamet is set to co-star alongside Ann Dowd in upcoming horror thriller The Undertaker’s Children, producer and seller The Exchange has announced as it rolls out sales at the EFM.

Mamet, whose credits include the HBO TV series Girls and The Flight Attendant, has been seen most recently in Columbia Pictures action-sci fi picture Madame Web.

Inspired by real events, The Undertaker’s Children is about a reclusive undertaker (Dowd), who is forced to take in the children of a deceased distant relative.

When the older sister uncovers her sinister plan to get rid of them, she contacts a child welfare nurse (Mamet), pleading for help. As things escalate, the girl has no choice but to escape with her brother before helps arrives, unleashing an evil that knows no bounds in the process.

Alex Gayner makes his directorial debut on the movie, after working as a second...

Criminal, the Eisner Award-winning graphic novel series written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Sean Phillips, will soon become a TV series on Prime Video.

Prime Video has given a series order to Criminal, nearly a year after it was put on the development fast-track. A writers’ room for the project was put together early last year, but the WGA strike brought development to a halt. Criminal tells “the interweaving saga of several generations of families tied together by the crimes and murders of the past.” Ed Brubaker wrote the script for the pilot and will co-showrun the series with Jordan Harper (Hightown). Both will also executive produce alongside Sean Phillips, Sarah Carbiener, Phillip Barnett, and Legendary Television.

Related Batman: Caped Crusader animated series finds a new home at Amazon

“Criminal is a beloved graphic novel created by the most iconic team in the history of comics,” said Nick Pepper,...

Amazon’s Prime Video has ordered a series adaptation of the Ed Brubaker graphic novel “Criminal,” Variety has confirmed.

Brubaker created the graphic novel along with Sean Phillips. Both serve as executive producers. Brubaker also wrote the pilot script and will serve as co-showrunner alongside executive producer Jordan Harper.

“’Criminal’ is a beloved graphic novel created by the most iconic team in the history of comics,” said Nick Pepper, head of U.S. SVOD wholly owned development at Amazon MGM Studios. “I know our global Prime Video customers will immediately embrace this story, and I look forward to working with Ed, Jordan, and the team to bring it to the screen.”

The series is executive produced by Brubaker, Harper, and Sean Phillips, Sarah Carbiener, and Phillip Barnett. Legendary Television will also serve as an executive producer. The series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios.

“Sean and I have been building...

Prime Video has given a series order to Criminal, a drama based on the multi-Eisner Award-winning graphic novel series created by Ed Brubaker, who writes the comic, and Sean Phillips, who illustrates it. Brubaker, who penned the pilot script, will co-showrun the TV series with crime fiction author Jordan Harper (Hightown).

The project, produced by Amazon MGM Studios, has been on fast track development at Amazon, which opened a writers room in early 2023. The process was interrupted by the WGA strike.

Criminal is described as an interlocking universe of crime stories. As Brubaker explained to Deadline in a 2019 interview, “Criminal tells the interweaving saga of several generations of families tied together by the crimes and murders of the past.”

Brubaker and Harper executive produce alongside Phillips, Sarah Carbiener, Phillip Barnett and Legendary Television.

“Criminal is a beloved graphic novel created by the most iconic team in the history of comics,...

Nicolas Winding Refn has swapped ultraviolence for Enid Blyton. His The Famous Five adaptation is coming to Cbbc on 9 December.

The Famous Five, Nicolas Winding Refn’s adaptation of Enid Blyton’s classic series of children’s adventure books, is set to air its first feature-length programme on BBC on 9 December, at 5.25pm.

The series will consist of three episodes, all of them lasting 90 minutes. While the first episode is set to air on Cbbc and BBC iPlayer next week, the two remaining episodes won’t be available until sometime in 2024. The first episode of The Famous Five will also be broadcast on BBC One between Christmas and New Year.

The series, as well as the books, follows four young adventurers and their dog as they “encounter treacherous, action-packed adventures, remarkable mysteries, unparalleled danger and astounding secrets” as described by the BBC.

Elliott Rose, Kit Rakusen, Flora Jacoby Richardson and...

The First Omen is a prequel film in The Omen franchise, set to be released in theaters on April 5, 2024, and follows a young American woman in Rome who encounters a dark conspiracy that threatens to bring about the birth of evil. Nell Tiger Free, known for her roles in Game of Thrones and Servant, stars in the film alongside Tawfeek Barhom, Sonia Braga, Ralph Ineson, and Bill Nighy. It is directed by Arkasha Stevenson and produced by David S. Goyer and Keith Levine. The Omen franchise includes the original 1976 film, sequels, a reboot, and a TV series. The original film was a success and remains a classic horror favorite with strong performances from Gregory Peck and Lee Remick.

20th Century Studios has released its first look image of The First Omen, a prequel film for the long-standing The Omen franchise. The upcoming supernatural horror film, scheduled for a theatrical release...

The biggest story of this year’s International Bluegrass Music Association award show wasn’t that Billy Strings won his third consecutive Entertainer of the Year honor. Nor was it that Sierra Hull took home her sixth Mandolin Player of the Year trophy. And it wasn’t even that Molly Tuttle pulled off a trifecta with Female Vocalist, Song, and Album of the Year.

Rather, the takeaway from the 2023 gathering at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, North Carolina, is that the ongoing “transition” within the...

Danish auteur Nicolas Winding Refn is infamous for being one of the most provocative filmmakers working today, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that several of his favorite films are some of the most disturbing movies ever made. Over the years, Refn has given wide-ranging interviews that don’t hide the influences that have driven his feature films, from “Pusher” to “Bronson,” “Drive” to “Only God Forgives,” “The Neon Demon” and more.

Born in 1970, Refn made his directorial debut at 26 years old with “Pusher,” a violent crime thriller that introduced the cinematic world to the talents of Mads Mikkelsen. Two sequels followed in 2004 and 2005, and 1999’s “Bleeder” was another Copenhagen-set crime drama starring Mikkelsen. His initial excursions into English-language filmmaking, including the John Turturro-led “Fear X,” the Tom Hardy vehicle “Bronson,” and another Mikkelsen film “Valhalla Rising,” were all moderately well received, although most failed to entirely take...

Danish film director and writer Nicolas Winding Refn puts streamers on blast while speaking at the Venice Film Festival.

Refn took aim at streamers such as Netflix for being “overfunded and rotten with money and cocaine.” According to Variety, the director said streamers have “kind of saturated everything” and “devalued content to just a swipe.” The film director changed his tune about declaring that "cinema is dead" back in 2018 while describing the importance of art. “It’s incredibly sad and terrifying because art is essentially the only thing – besides, you know, sex, water and happiness — that makes us exist,” he said continuing: “Even though I projected it was dead a few years ago, it has changed into something we have to fight for. Theatrical movies are part of what makes us human and experience creativity.”

Related: "Drive's" Nicolas Winding Refn Wants to Make a Batgirl Film

Nicolas Winding Refn Highlights the Dangers of A.

Danish writer/director Nicolas Winding Refn isn’t as pessimistic as he was back when he declared that “cinema is dead,” but he’s no fan of the streamers that, in his words, have “kind of saturated everything” and “devalued content to just a swipe.” He made the comments while participating in a masterclass at the Venice Film Festival. According to Variety, the filmmaker behind “Drive” and “The Neon Demon” called the streamers “overfunded with money and cocaine.”

Refn, whose last project was Netflix series “Copenhagen Cowboy,” argued that “it’s incredibly sad and terrifying because art is essentially the only thing – besides, you know, sex, water and happiness — that makes us exist.”

While arguing that cinema was not quite as dead as he projected a few years ago, he stated that film has changed into “something we have to fight for.” He declared, “Theatrical movies are part of what...

Nicolas Winding Refn is calling on Hollywood to save cinema, especially if it means taking the streamers down a peg or tow. The “Drive” and “Only God Forgives” director slammed streaming content for having “saturated everything” and “devalued” film to “just a swipe” during a tribute to Ruggero Deodato at the Venice Film Festival, as reported by Variety.

“It’s incredibly sad and terrifying because art is essentially the only thing — besides, you know, sex, water, and happiness — that makes us exist,” Refn said, while adding that streamers have been “overfunded and rotten with money and cocaine” for years. Refn previously helmed “Copenhagen Cowboy” for Netflix and “Too Old to Die Young” for Prime Video, which he claimed Amazon buried on the platform for fear of “looking bad.”

The filmmaker walked back past statements that cinema was dead in the streaming era, and instead called on audiences to “fight for...

While at the Venice Film Festival to pay tribute to Ruggero Deodato, “Drive” and “The Neon Demon” filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn participated in a masterclass and bashed streamers for being “overfunded and rotten with money and cocaine.”

The director, who previously infuriated some in the film biz by claiming that “cinema is dead,” said he has somewhat changed his mind and will now fight for cinema to continue on because streamers have “kind of saturated everything” and “devalued content to just a swipe.”

Refn, who last directed the series “Copenhagen Cowboy” for Netflix, said “it’s incredibly sad and terrifying because art is essentially the only thing – besides, you know, sex, water and happiness — that makes us exist.”

“Even though I projected it was dead a few years ago, it has changed into something we have to fight for,” he added. “Theatrical movies are part of what makes us human and experience creativity.

Photo-Credit_-Tyler-Golden Harry Bosch knows no rules when it comes to his legacy! Today, Amazon Freevee released the teaser for the highly anticipated second season return of the hit drama, Bosch: Legacy. The second season picks up with the Season One cliffhanger, following a masked assailant abducting Madeline “Maddie” Bosch (Madison Lintz). The first two episodes of the new season will be available to stream exclusively on Amazon Freevee in the U.S., UK, Germany, and Austria beginning on October 20, with two additional episodes available each Friday through November 18. The series will also be available day-and-date as an Amazon Original in 35 other territories around the world via Prime Video. The new season includes the return of beloved characters from the original Bosch series, including Jerry Edgar (Jamie Hector), Det. Robert “Crate” Moore (Gregory Scott Cummins), and Det. “Barrel” Johnson (Troy Evans), who join Bosch (Titus Welliver), Honey “Money” Chandler (Mimi Rogers...

Harry Bosch is returning to Amazon Freevee on Oct. 20 – and he’s taking matters into his own hands to save his daughter in a new teaser for “Bosch: Legacy” Season 2.

The drama series’ second season finds Bosch (Titus Welliver) working alongside Honey “Money” Chandler (Mimi Rogers) to track down a masked assailant who kidnapped his daughter Maddie (Madison Lintz) before time runs out. But as the FBI scrutinizes Carl Rogers’ murder, Bosch and Chandler are placed under suspicion.

In the clip, Jerry Edgar (Jamie Hector) tells Bosch that he needs to let authorities do their job to find his daughter, to which he replies: “Don’t cut me out!.” He also makes clear that while the FBI has to do things the “right way,” those rules don’t apply to him.

In addition to Edgar, Season 2 will see the return of Detective Robert “Crate” Moore (Gregory Scott Cummins), and Detective...

Babs Olusanmokun brings depth and warmth to the character of Dr. M'Benga in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, adding more depth and likability compared to his previous appearances in Tos. In Strange New Worlds, Dr. M'Benga is portrayed as a highly-skilled fighter and combat medic with a complicated history, including his involvement in the Klingon War and Starfleet special forces. The creators of Strange New Worlds incorporated Olusanmokun's real-life Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills into the character of Dr. M'Benga, adding an additional layer of authenticity and depth to the character's abilities.

Nigerian-born actor Babs Olusanmokun plays Dr. Joseph M'Benga in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Dr. M'Benga was first introduced in the Star Trek: The Original Series season 2 episode "A Private Little War," where the character was played by Booker Bradshaw. M'Benga would only make one more appearance in Tos season 3's "That Which Survives." In Strange New Worlds, Dr. M'Benga...

14 Spanish productions selected for this year’s festival, which runs September 22-30.

Isabel Coixet’s romantic drama Un amor, Isabel Herguera’s animation Sultana’s Dream and JaioneCamborda’s drama The Rye Horn are among the 14 Spanish productions selected for the 2023 San Sebastian International Film Festival (Ssiff), running from September 22-30.

Scroll down for full line-up

Coixet will compete for the first time in San Sebastian’s official section with Un Amor, starring Laia Costa and Hovik Keuchkerian. Sold by Film Constellation, Un Amor is based on Sara Mesa’s novel that follows a woman struggling to start afresh in a countryside hamlet.

It’s safe to say that no one saw this one coming. Danish enfant terrible Nicolas Winding Refn, director of Drive, The Neon Demon and the Pusher trilogy, has been tapped to reboot The Famous Five, based on Enid Blyton’s classic series of children’s books.

Blyton wrote 21 books on the adventures of the group of four children — Julian, Dick, Anne and George, along with their dog Timmy — beginning with Five on a Treasure Island, first published in 1942. The books have been adapted for television multiple times.

Refn will act as creator and producer on a new The Famous Five limited series adaptation, which has begun filming across the southwest of the U.K. The Danish director is executive producing through his byNWR Originals company together with BBC Studios-backed Moonage Pictures (Amazon Prime’s The Pursuit of Love) for the BBC and German public broadcaster Zdf. Tim Kirkby,...

Nicolas Winding Refn started out the 2010s as the new indie darling to beat. With the 2011 film Drive, Refn was dominating the conversation and leaving everyone whispering about what he’d do next. His follow-up project was another challenging Ryan Gosling directorial effort called Only God Forgives, which didn’t quite take off as Drive did. The Danish director has, since 2016, focused on television with projects like Too Old to Die Young and Copenhagen Cowboy. He hasn't helmed a film in years and it’s looking doubtful his measured, slow-paced style of filmmaking will ever rekindle the kind of inescapable heat he cultivated back in 2011. Refn is comfortable with just making his oddball auteur projects and that’s incredibly admirable.

Halo season 2 gets an exciting update directly from lead star Pablo Schreiber. A recent update on the status of Halo season 2 indicated that the Paramount+ video game adaptation was a long way from debuting new episodes. The second installment, which was renewed in March 2022, began filming in September of that same year with occasional social media posts from cast and crew that allowed followers to track the production's progress. While it still may be the case that the show won't return for a while, given the time needed for post-production and editing, one major hurdle has been cleared.

Schreiber, who plays the lead character of Master Chief, confirmed on Instagram that Halo season 2 had wrapped filming. The actor was posting his gratitude for the show's crew, calling them "a team of artists working their asses off to help make that one performance possible." In the comments of the post, Schreiber...