News

Robert Harris’ novel “Conclave,” a political papal thriller set in the Vatican as cardinals jostle and conspire to elect a new Pope, was released in September 2016, coincidentally just weeks after House Productions, which would produce the film adaptation, had been officially launched by Tessa Ross and Juliette Howell.

Some eight years later, and “Conclave” — directed by Edward Berger and with Ralph Fiennes in the lead role — is now one of the titles to beat in awards season, going into the Oscars with eight nominations (including best film) and the BAFTAs with leading haul of 12, and with a box office already approaching $90 million.

For House, which worked on several noted film and TV projects in the meantime, producing the Zac Efron-fronted wrestling drama “The Iron Claw,” exec producing last year’s Oscar winner “The Zone of Interest” (considered by many to be one of the top films of 2023) and being...

Don’t hold your breath waiting for Benedict Cumberbatch to put his Sherlock coat and scarf back on.

Cumberbatch, who played the legendary sleuth for four seasons on PBS/Masterpiece’s modern remake, was blunt when asked by our sister site Variety what it would take for him to reprise his role as Sherlock Holmes. “A lot of money,” he said, adding that a new season of Sherlock would have “to be better than it ever was. You leave them or yourselves wanting more. There’s always that itch to scratch, but I think it would have to be the...

James Gunn is once again uniting a team of super-powered misfits in the new animated DC series, “Creature Commandos.” The “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “The Suicide Squad” filmmaker — and co-head of the new DC Universe — unites a cast full of familiar faces, including some you’ll recognize from “The Suicide Squad,” as a roster of less familiar superheroes, including Rick Flagg Sr., GI Robot and The Bride.

Check out a handy guide to the “Creature Commandos” cast and the DC characters to whom they’re lending their voices.

Getty Images/Max Viola Davis as Amanda Waller

Amanda Waller is the imposing leader of A.R.G.U.S. (Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans) and basically the closest thing the DC Universe has to its own Nick Fury. After the events of “The Suicide Squad,” Waller has been hemmed in; she can no longer use humans in her go-for-broke, off-the-books suicide missions. But don’t worry,...

Henry Cavill’s Mustache From Mission: Impossible Caused A $3M Hollywood CGI Drama. (Photo Credit – Instagram)

You’d be shocked to unveil the actual cost of Henry Cavill’s Mission: Impossible mustache. Yeah, that’s right. 2017, Cavill found himself in a wild standoff between Mission: Impossible and Justice League. While filming Fallout, Cavill also had to do some reshoots for Justice League—but here’s the kicker: Paramount refused to let him shave his signature moustache. Justice League? Too bad. No shave, no way.

So, Warner Bros. had to go complete CGI to remove it in post-production. The result? A blurry upper lip that fans couldn’t unsee. Classic Hollywood.

But the behind-the-scenes drama? It’s even crazier. Director Christopher McQuarrie spilled the beans in an Empire’s Film Podcast interview. Justice League director Charles Roven called him for help, saying they needed to shave Cavill’s ‘stache for reshoots.

International Emmy Awards 2024. (Photo Credit – Hotstar/Netflix)

The International Emmy Awards 2024, held in New York City on November 25th, were a star-studded affair. Hosted by comedian and actor Vir Das, the event honored the best of global television shows.

The nominations for 14 categories were announced in September 2024, with various talents from 21 countries competing to win the coveted trophies. While the awards night was memorable, it did irk some fans with its fair share of snubs and controversial moments.

The Night Manager Snubbed in Best Drama Series

Disney+ Hotstar’s The Night Manager was the only Indian series to get a nod at the International Emmy Awards 2024. The crime thriller series, starring Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, and Sobhita Dhulipala, was nominated in the Best Drama Series category.

Trending Benedict Cumberbatch Struggled While Playing A Drug Addict In Patrick Melrose?

Is Gladiator II A Historically Accurate Movie?

However, the award went...

Taylor Swift Upset Over Travis Kelce’s Crude Remarks (Photo Credit – Instagram)

It seems that there’s an unexpected twist in the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce love affair, and it is certainly not a good one.

America’s most famous boyfriend has reportedly drawn criticism for his crude remarks about his bedroom abilities.

Travis Kelce Recently Advice On How To Spice Up Sexless Marriage

The tight end’s troubles began when a listener called into the “New Heights” podcast, which he co-hosts with brother Jason Kelce, seeking advice on how to spice up his sexless marriage.

Trending Benedict Cumberbatch Struggled While Playing A Drug Addict In Patrick Melrose?

Is Gladiator II A Historically Accurate Movie?

“I will personally mention that I have no idea what that’s like],” Travis bragged before offering some bold suggestions. “Try role-play one night, see if she’s up for that. Go to Spencer’s novelty...

Benedict Cumberbatch has certainly proven himself to be one of the greatest movie stars of his generation. Between starring in massive franchises like The Hobbit and the Marvel Cinematic Universe and receiving Academy Award nominations for his talented work in The Power of the Dog and The Imitation Game, Cumberbatch has proven that he can perfectly slip into any material. Despite his big screen success, Cumberbatchs origins are on television, as it was his breakout role in the BBC drama Sherlock that turned him into a household name. Sherlock had a passionate legion of fans, but Cumberbatch returned to television for the underrated drama series Patrick Melrose. Although the era of "prestige television" means that many of the most acclaimed movie stars have worked on the small screen for one project or another, the fact that an actor of Cumberbatch's caliber was taking on such a small project speaks volumes...

The Zurich Film Festival will this year present director Edward Berger with its prestigious Golden Eye A Tribute To…Award, honoring his life’s work.

Berger, whose 2022 war epic All Quiet on the Western Front was nominated for 9 Oscars and won 4, is back in the award conversations this year with his latest feature, Conclave. The gripping Vatican-set drama stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow in a behind-the-scenes thriller about the selection of a new pope after the death of the previous pontiff.

“With Conclave, Edward Berger has successfully created a masterpiece,” said Zurich Film Festival artistic director Christian Jungen. “Edward is a master of the classic style who allows his character actors like Ralph Fiennes to give room to their talent and whose directions are entirely intended to serve the story. He is multifaceted, able to navigate a wide range of genres and always manages to find the appropriate style and tone.

On Sept. 1, Netflix shared some good news with its subscriber base. It announced that the first season of the popular Showtime horror-thriller series Yellowjackets would be coming to the streaming platform in October. We definitely didn't see this coming, but we couldn't be more excited. Yellowjackets season 1 is slated to land on Netflix on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.

Recently, we've seen the release of several Showtime series on Netflix. For example, the streamer added the anthology drama series Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber, the drama miniseries Patrick Melrose and the legal drama series Your Honor to its platform in May 2024. Then, in June, we saw the addition of all eight seasons of the hit crime drama series Dexter on Netflix. So, it's not totally surprising that the streaming giant decided to acquire the streaming rights to yet another Showtime series.

(L-r): Juliette Lewis as Natalie, Melanie Lynskey as Shauna and...

“The Lord of the Rings” is the most successful film series in the history of the Academy Awards, winning 17 Oscars including two Best Picture awards out of 30 total nominations.

Both “The Fellowship of the Ring” and “The Return of the King” won Best Picture while Peter Jackson won Best Director for the latter movie, which holds the joint record for most Oscar wins of all time with 11 victories (the same number as “Ben-Hur” and “Titanic”). However, the lauded trilogy only received one acting citation — that was for Ian McKellen for Best Supporting Actor for “The Fellowship of the Ring.”

But while the Oscars didn’t nominate nearly enough actors in this trilogy (shout out to Andy Serkis), “The Lord of the Rings” cast is full of incredible actors who have received multiple awards nominations for other projects. Considering it is Emmys season, we’re going to focus on Emmys.

Below...

Zai Bennett is swapping Sky for BBC Studios (Bbcs) after a decade at the pay-tv giant, Screen’s sister site Broadcast can reveal.

Sky’s managing director of content for UK & Ireland is replacing Ralph Lee in an expanded role of chief executive and chief creative officer of BBC Studios Productions in November following a high-profile and international recruitment drive.

After Lee left Bbcs in April, the enhanced role will see Bennett have oversight for Bbcs’ stable of UK and international production divisions. This includes blue-chip Natural History Unit, owned labels and invested indies across its global entertainment, factual, scripted,...

Peacock’s new limited series “Apples Never Fall” is cut from the same cloth as “Big Little Lies,” with both shows adapted from the novels of Australian author Liane Moriarty.

“Apples Never Fall” follows a family, led by four adult children, trying to piece together the mysterious disappearance of their mother Joy (Oscar-nominee Annette Bening). Bening is reliably excellent in this limited series, as is “Jurassic Park” star Sam Neil, who plays her on-screen husband. And Jake Lacy and Allison Brie shine as two of the four adult kids. All four performances have been praised by critics and its these turns that could lead the Emmy charge for the series.

Brian Lowry (CNN) stated: “As for the old expression ‘How do you like them apples?,’ in this case, happily, the answer is quite a lot.”

Matthew Gilbert (Boston Globe) opined: “If the ending to the mystery is predictable, the getting...

“The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart” features a powerhouse performance from veteran star Sigourney Weaver, who once again reminds us that she is one of the best in the business. The acclaimed Amazon Prime Video limited series follows a young girl who survives a violent upbringing and is then subsequently raised on a flower farm by her grandmother. Weaver plays the grandmother, June, and ties the entire series together with the sheer might of her performance. She propelled the story to greatness and, as a result, propelled the series to excellent reviews.

Robert Lloyd (Los Angeles Times) opined: “The series, which is sensitively written, expertly performed by actors young and old, and beautifully shot, is in no rush to give up its mysteries, and by drawing out the drama, what’s obvious in the story comes off as proportionally more subtle.”

Chris Vognar (The Wrap) explained: “Weaver is the emotional...

Leo Woodall first came to prominence when he featured in season two of HBO’s “The White Lotus.” In that series, he played the, uh, “nephew” of Tom Hollander‘s character and made quite a splash in the role. Now, Woodall has gone from supporting player to leading man with Netflix’s new miniseries, “One Day.”

Adapted from David Nicholl‘s 2009 book of the same name (and the second adaptation overall after the much-maligned 2011 Anne Hathaway movie), “One Day” follows Woodall and “This is Going to Hurt” star Ambika Mod as two students (Dexter and Emma) who meet on graduation night. That chance meeting sparks an entwined relationship that encompasses friendship and lovers across a 20-year period as they continually meet on various July 15ths.

The result is a swooning, epic romance that hinges on the charisma of its two leads. Thankfully, both Woodall and Mod are up to the task.

Exclusive: TV and film writers will want to circle this one in their calendars: Poor Things and The Favourite producer Element Pictures is launching Storyhouse, a new Dublin-based screenwriting festival that will celebrate storytellers and storytelling.

Speakers at the first edition include Poor Things writer and Oscar nominee Tony McNamara, Arthur Harari, who won a BAFTA for Anatomy Of A Fall, and Iranian writer-director Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider). Molly Manning Walker (How To Have Sex) will also be there and appear in conversation with Charlotte Regan (Scrapper).

Other highlights include frequent Element collaborator Lenny Abrahamson (Room) interviewing One Day and Patrick Melrose scribe David Nicholls. The festival sessions will run over March 21-22. The venue is Dublin’s Light House Cinema, which is owned by Element co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew Lowe and Ed Guiney.

Storyhouse will cater for aspiring writers as well as established names and industry professionals. Storyhouse Lab,...

ITV Spent $68M On Diverse Shows In 2023

ITV invested £54.2M ($68M) of its Diversity Commissioning Fund last year on shows made by or about people from under-represented backgrounds such as Lenny Henry’s Three Little Birds. The fund was launched in 2022 with £80M to be spent across three years to “drive change towards racial equity and disability equity in whose stories get told,” with one quarter reserved for content made by “production companies led by People of Colour and/or Deaf, Disabled and/or Neurodivergent people.” The figures came as part of the Love Island network’s Diversity Acceleration Plan report for the previous 12 months, which said 475 productions across around 160 production companies have embedded Dei using ITV’s production principles over the past three years. The BBC has a similar £100M fund across a three-year period to March 2024 and says it has already exceeded this target. ITV said plans for...

Where to Watch Powered by

BBC's Sherlock is one of the most beloved adaptations of the Arthur Conan Doyle character, and while there have been no updates whether there will ever be a season 5, some believe a movie would be better anyway. Sherlock is a modern-day retelling of Sherlock Holmes, and many of Doyle's best stories have been adapted with slight twists. The popularity of the show continued to grow with each consecutive season, even when season 4 was mostly negatively received. Nevertheless, despite its growing popularity, there hasn't been a new season, and it has been over six years since Sherlock season 4 ended.

However, it has been debated that the Sherlock series should continue not with another season but with a movie, following in the footsteps of another BBC crime series, Luther, which had a movie sequel released in 2023. The possibility of a Sherlock movie was even addressed by the series' co-creator Mark Gatiss.

Neve McIntosh (“Shetland”) and James Anthony-Rose are joining the seven-episode fourth season of Masterpiece on PBS’ “All Creatures Great and Small.”

The drama, based on a collection of stories by best-selling author James Herriot that have sold 60 million copies internationally, is currently filming on location in Yorkshire and will air on the network in early 2024 and Channel 5 in the UK this fall.

Season 4 will return to Yorkshire Dales, picking up in 1940 as Churchill takes office and Europe is under serious threat. With Tristan away serving in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) and James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) bring in some extra hands to help around the practice.

McIntosh will play the highly efficient bookkeeper Miss Harbottle, while Anthony-Rose will play undergraduate vet student Richard Carmody who arrives at Skeldale as part of his placement under the guidance of James.

Also Read:

‘Succession,’ ‘Abbott Elementary’ and ‘The Other Two...

On Sunday, March 12, Edward Berger's film "All Quiet on the Western Front" won four Academy Awards: Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best International Feature, and Best Adapted Screenplay. In terms of Oscar records, it is only the fourth film in a language other than English to win that many awards. Although based on a 1928 German novel by Erich Maria Remarque, it is the first filmed version of "All Quiet" that was made in Germany. The previous two iterations were made in America, with Lewis Milestone's astonishing 1930 adaptation having won Best Picture, and the Delbert Mann's 1979 TV movie being readily available on multiple streaming services. 

Berger's version of was co-written by the director and Scottish screenwriter/competitive athlete Lesley Paterson, now the possessor of both an Academy Award and three gold medals from the Xterra Triathlon World Championships. Oh, and she has also won two gold medals...

German composer Volker Bertelmann won the original score Oscar Sunday night for his music for the World War I epic “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

“By working on a film like that, you are always touched,” Bertelmann said in accepting the honor, referring to the harrowing nature of the film. “Sometimes you have to make the screen very small because there are so many explosions happening.”

It is Bertelmann’s first Academy Award. He was previously nominated, under his stage name Hauschka, for his music for the 2016 film “Lion” (co-composed with Dustin O’Halloran). He won the BAFTA for “All Quiet” on Feb. 19.

The German-language remake of the 1930 antiwar classic is the latest in a series of collaborations with director Edward Berger. Their best-known work in the U.S. is the five-part Benedict Cumberbatch series “Patrick Melrose,” which aired in 2018 on Showtime.

For this adaptation of the Erich Maria Remarque classic,...

“All Quiet on the Western Front” came out of the BAFTAs with seven wins, including Best Film and Best Director, and boasts nine Oscar nominations. With the influential international Academy voting bloc, could this win Best Picture?

Foreign-language Best Picture wins are still rare, especially without the directing nod that “All Quiet” lacks. Bong Joon Ho won Best Director and Best Picture with “Parasite” in 2020, and it remains an anomaly. The Korean crowd pleaser grossed $252 million worldwide and also won the SAG Ensemble award that went to 2022 Oscar winner “Coda” and 2023 frontrunner “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Still, grabbing a Best Picture nomination shows how competitive “All Quiet on the Western Front” could be in many categories and Netflix’s formidable awards machine is now focused on its strongest contender, from Best International Feature, Adapted Screenplay, and Cinematography to Production Design, Sound, and Score.

Over a wide-ranging conversation, Swiss director Edward Berger,...

Best Cinematography at the Oscars will be a particularly interesting category this year, since two of the nominees are the only nominations received by their respective films.

SEEJohn Williams (‘The Fabelmans’): 5 reasons why we’re all underestimating him at Oscars

It’s also interesting because four movies that received quite a bit of below-the-line support from other academy branches –”Top Gun: Maverick,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “The Batman,” and even the presumptive Best Picture favorite, “Everything Everywhere All At Once” – were omitted from the category. In fact, none of the bigger theatrical releases were nominated in favor of two streaming movies, two movies that didn’t make much of a dent at the box office, and Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” Also, only two of this year’s Cinematography-nominated films received a Production Design nomination (“Elvis” and “All Quiet on the Western Front”), whereas last year the two categories matched five-for-five.

Edward Berger’s German-language version of “All Quiet on the Western Front” packs a cinematic punch for a lot of reasons, as evidence by its seven BAFTA Awards, including Best Film. One of the winners was composer Volker Bertelmann, whose score is one of the year’s most singular.

The film’s theme is minimalism cranked to the max: three huge, distorted notes, played on a 100-year-old harmonium and hanging in the air at unexpected times throughout the film. At times, a vicious snare drum patter comes out of nowhere and feels as if it is attacking the viewer; at other times, more bucolic, pastoral music frames both the beauty of the European countryside and the barbarity of the fighting.

Bertelmann is a sometime rock musician who sometimes records under the name Hauschka and has a long history as an experimental composer working with everything from prepared piano to orchestras.

All Quiet on the Western Front has put the proverbial cat among the pigeons at this year’s film awards season.

The German-language adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 anti-war novel was released on Netflix last October to little fanfare.

However, the film swept last night’s (19 February) Bafta Awards, picking up wins in seven of the 14 categories it was nominated in, including Best Film, making it the most highly decorated non-English language film in Bafta history.

At the Oscars, All Quiet is nominated for a further nine awards, making it the second-most nominated film this year.

It’s fair to say then, that the film has been well-received in Britain and the US, however, it did not receive quite such a warm welcome in its native Germany.

Many native critics were unhappy with director Edward Berger’s adaptation, which changed elements from the book – Germany’s best-selling novel of all time.

All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger has launched a new production label, Nine Hours, and signed a two-year first-look deal with production giant Fremantle.

Berger, riding high on the success of All Quiet, which picked up 9 Oscar nominations, including for best picture, launched the new company together with producing partners Luke Rivett (Corner Office, Berlin Station) and Jeanne Tremsal (So Long Daddy, See you in Hell).

Fremantle’s deal will give the company the first crack at Nine Hours’ television projects and second-look access to Berger’s new film pipeline.

All Quiet on the Western Front, made for Netflix, has been a breakout success this awards season. In addition to its 9 Oscar nominations, the German film is the front-runner for this year’s BAFTA awards, with an astounding 14 nominations. The first-ever German adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s classic anti-war novel, the film stars Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch and Daniel Brühl.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” director Edward Berger has said he is “speechless and overwhelmed” by the Netflix drama’s record-making BAFTA nominations.

The German helmer — best known for directing episodes of “Deutschland 83” and “Patrick Melrose” — also co-produced and wrote the World War One film. He called it “an enormous honor” to be acknowledged by the British Film Academy.

“All Quiet” picked up 14 nominations on Thursday — tying with “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” as the most-nominated non-English language film in the awards’ history. The film is also one of the most-nominated titles in BAFTA history, coming second (alongside 2007’s “Atonement”) only to “Gandhi” (1982).

Said Berger: “That the film has resonated with so many people is a testament to Erich Maria Remarque’s extraordinary book, written one hundred years ago and yet sadly still relevant today. It was our north star.

“The novel’s powerful anti-war message unites us,...

Composer Volker Bertelmann grew up reading the 1929 novel “All Quiet on the Western Front” when he was in school, which served as the basis for the 1930 Best Picture winner and the new 2022 Netflix adaptation, which recently made the Oscar shortlist in five categories including Best Score. “It’s a surprise and at the same time you feel uplifted on that day [for being] acknowledged for your work,” Bertelmann reveals about the film’s success on the awards front.

We talked with Bertelmann as a part of Gold Derby’s Film Composers Oscar Shortlist Panel Q&a event. Watch our exclusive video interview above.

SEEWatch hundreds of Gold Derby interviews with 2023 awards contenders

The film begins with a devastating battle scene in which there are notably no music cues at all. How does Bertelmann know as the composer when to showcase his score and when to hold back? “There’s definitely an intuitive...

Three top film composers will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2023 awards contenders. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Thursday, January 12, at 4:00 p.m. Pt; 7:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Marcus Dixon and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.

RSVP today to our entire ongoing contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.

This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following Oscar contenders on the 2023 shortlist:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Netflix)

Synopsis: A young German soldier’s terrifying experiences and distress on the western front during World War I.

Bio: Volker Bertelmann (aka Hauschka) was an Oscar nominee for “Lion.” Other...

Benedict Cumberbatch has entered into final negotiations to star in the Netflix limited series ‘Eric.’

Set in 80’s New York, the six-episode series would see Cumberbatch take on the role of Vincent Sullivan, the lead puppet maker and puppeteer of America’s most popular children’s show, whose life begins to unravel when his young son, Edgar, disappears. Now homeless and dealing with substance addiction, Vincent finds his only companion is Eric, a seven-foot-tall blue puppet, who leads him on a journey to find his son and find a way home.

Also in news – Gabriel Byrne cast in ‘John Wick’ spin-off ‘Ballerina’

The series comes from the creative mind of Abi Morgan who writes and executive produces the project. Jane Featherstone, Lucy Dyke, and Carolyn Strauss of Sister will also executive produce, with Lucy Forbes directing. Morgan executive produces via Little Chick.

Cumberbatch has previously starred in Showtime’s ‘Patrick Melrose,...

Benedict Cumberbatch is in final talks to star in the Netflix limited series “Eric,” Variety has learned exclusively from sources.

The six-episode series was originally announced in November 2021. Set in 1980’s New York, the show would see Cumberbatch star as Vincent Sullivan, the lead puppet maker and puppeteer of America’s most popular children’s show, whose life begins to unravel when his young son, Edgar, disappears. Now homeless and dealing with substance addiction, Vincent finds his only companion is Eric, a seven-foot tall blue puppet, who leads him on a journey to find his son and to find a way home.

Netflix declined to comment.

The series hails from writer and executive producer Abi Morgan, whose past onscreen writing credits include shows like “Sex Traffick” and the Emmy-winning series “The Hour,” as well as films like “The Iron Lady,” “The Invisible Woman,” and “Suffragette.” Jane Featherstone, Lucy Dyke, and...

War Sailor, the newest film by Norwegian writer and director Gunnar Vikene, is an emotional epic that shines a light on the human cost suffered by Norwegians during World War II. Based on true events, War Sailor tells the stories of sailors conscripted into service during the war, as well as the stories of their families. The film is Norway's submission to the Best International Feature category at the 95th Academy Awards; the country's previous submission, Joachim Trier's The Worst Person in the World, was one of only a few international films to receive a nomination that year.

The score for War Sailor was composed by Volker Bertelmann, an Oscar-nominated pianist and composer from Germany. Bertelmann, who often records and performs under the moniker Hauschka, is known for his experimental bent and innovative, nontraditional use of the piano. Bertelmann was previously nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music...

This story about “All Quiet on the Western Front” composer Volker Bertelmann first appeared in “The Race Begins” issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.

The new German-language version of “All Quiet on the Western Front” is one of the most harrowing and brutal war movies (or anti-war movies) ever made, and the music has a lot to do with that. At times, brutally sharp drum beats come out of nowhere and seem to assault the audience; other times, three enormous, foreboding chords blast in and linger, an unholy Dies Irae hanging in the air.

The film’s director, Edward Berger, has said that he wanted music that would attack the images on screen — and to provide that attack, he turned to his longtime collaborator, Volker Bertelmann (who often composes under the name Hauschka). Bertelmann has scored three films for Berger, as well as five episodes of “Patrick Melrose” and three of “Your Honor.

As the Academy grows into an ever more international body, directors working outside the English language are no longer seen as fringe contenders — among the diverse array of filmmakers in the running for this year’s international feature Oscar are a number of names who could cross over into other categories.

Top of the list is ultra-cool Korean genre stylist Park Chan-wook, whose dizzying neo-noir romance “Decision to Leave” has been steadily gaining admirers since winning him the director prize at Cannes. Park is already known to Hollywood, having directed the 2013 Searchlight release “Stoker,” but has never been recognized by the Academy: now feels the time.

With five Oscars to his name, Mexico’s Alejandro G. Iñárritu has certainly received his due from the Academy, so don’t necessarily bet against his ambitious return to his home country: a sprawling, self-autobiographical meditation on art and identity, “Bardo” didn’t wow critics at the fall fest,...

Six top international filmmakers will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022/2023 awards contenders. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Tuesday, November 22, at 4:00 p.m. Pt; 7:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Denton Davidson and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.

RSVP today to our entire ongoing contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.

This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following Oscar and guild contenders:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Netflix)

Synopsis: A young German soldier’s terrifying experiences and distress on the western front during World War I.

Bio: Edward Berger was an Emmy nominee for “Patrick Melrose.” Other projects have included “Jack,...

Four top film cinematographers will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022/2023 awards contenders. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Wednesday, November 16, at 4:00 p.m. Pt; 7:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Daniel Montgomery and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.

RSVP today to our entire ongoing contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.

This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following Oscar and guild contenders:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Netflix)

Synopsis: A young German soldier’s terrifying experiences and distress on the western front during World War I.

Bio: James Friend was a BAFTA winner for “Rillington Place” and a nominee for “Your Honor.

Exclusive: Prasanna Puwanarajah said he jumped at the opportunity to appear in The Crown portraying infamous television journalist Martin Bashir, pummeled by a BBC inquiry that condemned the “deceitful” methods he used to obtain the controversial 1995 Panorama TV interview with Princess Diana, because ”roles like that just don’t really exist for Asian actors.”

Related Story Belfast Film Festival World Premiere For ‘Ballywalter’, Actor Prasanna Puwanarajah's First Feature; Seána Kerslake And Patrick Kielty Star Related Story Theo James Set To Lead Guy Ritchie's Netflix TV Series 'The Gentlemen' Related Story David Letterman Interviews Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy In Kyiv On Netflix's 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction'

The actor’s comments come as the UK print media continue to whip itself into a frenzied state over the Emmy-winning Netflix and Left Bank Pictures series, which takes a looking-through-the-keyhole approach to events that involved the late Queen Elizabeth II,...

Exclusive: Prasanna Puwanarajah as an actor has appeared in Doctor Foster: A Woman Scorned, Ten Percent and Patrick Melrose, and he’ll next pop up in two episodes of The Crown‘s upcoming fifth season portraying Martin Bashir, the controversial journalist who conducted the infamous BBC interview with Princess Diana. However, on Thursday he’ll wear a different hat when the Belfast Film Festival opens with the world premiere of Ballywalter, which marks his feature directing debut.

The film stars Northern Irish comedian and presenter Patrick Kielty — husband of So You Think You Can Dance host Cat Deeley — in his first major acting role playing Shane who, broken after the collapse of his marriage, chooses to rehabilitate by joining a stand-up comedy course; and Seana Kerslake as Eileen, a sharp-tongued Ballywalter local who has moved back home with her mum and pregnant sister, and borrowed her ex’s battered Toyota...

In 2021, “WandaVision” star Paul Bettany made history as the first man to be Emmy-nominated for a lead performance on a Marvel TV series, thus laying the groundwork for 2022 hopefuls Tom Hiddleston (“Loki”), Oscar Isaac (“Moon Knight”) and Jeremy Renner (“Hawkeye”). Although he lost the last Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor race to Ewan McGregor (“Halston”), he may now get an immediate second shot at the same prize based on his work on “A Very British Scandal.” Luckily for him, there is ample precedent for back-to-back bids in this category.

The first man recognized twice in a row for TV movie and/or limited series roles was Mickey Rooney. His example has been followed by 16 others, beginning with George C. Scott. Next came Hal Holbrook and Laurence Olivier, the latter of whom then became the category’s first three-time consecutive nominee with his 1975 bid for “Love Among the Ruins.”

SEEClaire...

Allison Williams has boarded the upcoming Showtime limited series “Fellow Travelers” alongside Matt Bomer, Variety has learned exclusively.

The series was picked up at Showtime back in April with an eight-episode order. It is based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Mallon.

The show is described as an epic love story and political thriller, chronicling the volatile romance of two very different men who meet in the shadow of McCarthy-era Washington. Bomer will play the handsome, charismatic Hawkins Fuller, who maintains a financially rewarding, behind-the scenes career in politics. Hawkins avoids emotional entanglements – until he meets Tim Laughlin, a young man brimming with idealism and religious faith. They begin a romance just as Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn declare war on “subversives and sexual deviants,” initiating one of the darkest periods in 20th-century American history.

Williams will star as Lucy Smith, the daughter of a prominent U.

The BAFTAs are one of the best predictors of who will win Best Actor category at the Oscars. In the past decade, nine of the 10 BAFTA champs went on to take the Oscar. The current frontrunner in both races is Will Smith (“King Richard”). But he has a strong rival in Benedict Cumberbatch for his layered portrayal of Phil Burbank in Jane Campion’s intoxicating neo-western, “The Power of The Dog.”

The one BAFTA winner that didn’t repeat at the Oscars was the English actor Chiwetel Ejiofor for “12 Years a Slave”; he lost to Matthew McConaughey, who was ineligible at BAFTAs as “Dallas Buyers Club” was not released in time in England. However, there is more than just nationality propelling Cumberbatch’s candidacy to triumph at BAFTA this year.

Ever since “The Power of The Dog” premiered at the Venice Film Festival last September, critics have raved about Cumberbatch’s performance.

The upcoming Apple limited series “Manhunt” has added Anthony Boyle and Lovie Simone to its cast, Variety has learned.

The pair join previously announced series lead Tobias Menzies. The show is based on the book “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer” by James Swanson. Menzies will star as Edwin Stanton, Abraham Lincoln’s War Secretary and friend, who was driven nearly to madness by the need to catch Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth (Boyle), and to carry out Lincoln’s legacy. The series will also feature Black historical figures, including Mary Simms (Simone), a former slave of the doctor who treated Booth’s injury and gave him safe harbor after his crime.

The show marks the second Apple series in which Boyle will star. He is also set to appear in the Apple World War II drama “Masters of the Air.” His recent TV credits include “The Plot Against America” at HBO,...

Benedict Cumberbatch is set to star in the limited series “Londongrad” currently in development at HBO, Variety has learned exclusively.

Based on the book “The Terminal Spy” by Alan Cowell, the series tells the true story of Alexander Litvinenko, the Kgb agent and later defector killed by poisoning with the radioactive isotope polonium-210 in 2006 in England. Cumberbatch will star as Litvinenko and will also serve as an executive producer on the project under his Sunnymarch banner.

David Scarpa is writing “Londongrad” and will also executive produce. Bryan Fogel will direct and executive produce via Orwell Productions. Len Amato of Crash&Salvage will executive produce as well alongside Adam Ackland and Claire Marshall of Sunnymarch.

Cumberbatch has held multiple highly-regarded TV roles during his career. Perhaps most famously, he played the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series “Sherlock,” for which he earned multiple Emmy and BAFTA nominations. He also recently...

As the 46th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (running September 9–18) moves forward in hybrid form with live events in Toronto as well as virtual screenings, Joana Vicente and Cameron Bailey, Co-Heads of TIFF, are mounting two awards tributes to follow the already announced TIFF Ebert Director Award to Canadian auteur Denis Villeneuve (“Dune”).

This year’s Actor Tributes go to Oscar nominees Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game”) and Jessica Chastain. Cumberbatch stars in two films showing at TIFF, Jane Campion western “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) and Will Sharpe’s period drama “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” (Amazon).

Chastain’s performance (and makeup) as a notorious televangelist in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Searchlight), is picking up Oscar buzz. Michael Showalter’s long-delayed marital dramedy will make its world premiere at TIFF.

2021 Oscar-winners Sir Anthony Hopkins (Sony Pictures Classics’ “The Father”) and Chloé Zhao (Searchlight’s...

As the 46th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (running September 9–18) moves forward in hybrid form with live events in Toronto as well as virtual screenings, Joana Vicente and Cameron Bailey, Co-Heads of TIFF, are mounting two awards tributes to follow the already announced TIFF Ebert Director Award to Canadian auteur Denis Villeneuve (“Dune”).

This year’s Actor Tributes go to Oscar nominees Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game”) and Jessica Chastain. Cumberbatch stars in two films showing at TIFF, Jane Campion western “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) and Will Sharpe’s period drama “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” (Amazon).

Chastain’s performance (and makeup) as a notorious televangelist in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Searchlight), is picking up Oscar buzz. Michael Showalter’s long-delayed marital dramedy will make its world premiere at TIFF.

2021 Oscar-winners Sir Anthony Hopkins (Sony Pictures Classics’ “The Father”) and Chloé Zhao (Searchlight’s...

Academy Award nominee Antonio Banderas (“Pain and Glory”) is set to star in Studiocanal’s ”The Monster of Florence,” a six-hour limited series based on The New York Times bestseller “The Monster Of Florence: A True Story” by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi.

“The Monster of Florence” relates the extraordinary real life investigation carried out by American fiction writer Preston and Italian crime reporter Spezi into what Studiocanal describes as “one of the most riveting and notorious serial murder cases in European history. Banderas will play Spezi.

Denmark’s Nikolaj Arcel, Academy Award nominated for “A Royal Affair,” will direct from scripts written by Arcel and Anders Thomas Jensen, who penned the screenplay for Susanne Bier’s Oscar winner “In a Better World.” Arcel also co-wrote the original “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” starring Noomi Rapace. Banderas and Emanuel Nuñez will serve as executive producers.

Delivering an original twist...

Exclusive: Patrick Melrose actress Jessica Raine and Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi have been cast as the leads in Amazon’s The Devil’s Hour, the latest series from Sherlock and Dracula producer Hartswood Films.

From rising British writer Tom Moran, The Devil’s Hour is a UK original that tells the story of Lucy Chambers (Raine), a woman who wakes up every night at exactly 3.33Am, in the middle of the so-called devil’s hour between 3Am and 4Am.

Lucy Chambers’ eight-year-old son is withdrawn and emotionless. Her mother speaks to empty chairs. Her house is haunted by the echoes of a life that isn’t her own. Now, when her name is inexplicably connected to a string of brutal murders in the area, the answers that have evaded her all these years will finally come into focus.

Capaldi features in the six-part series as a reclusive nomad, driven by a murderous obsession.

In a pioneering alliance, Starzplay is partnering with Studiocanal, Europe’s leading film-tv production-distribution-sales company, on Starzplay’s first French co-production, the series “All Those Things We Never Said.”

Adapting the bestselling novel of the same title by Marc Levy, France’s most-read living author, the comedy-drama series is commissioned by Starzplay and Studiocanal parent, Vivendi’s Canal Plus Group — Europe’s second-biggest pay TV/SVOD operator.

Written by Levy, who will also showrun, the 10-part half-hour series has just initiated principal photography, starring Jean Reno and Alexandra Maria Lara. Studiocanal will handle international sales outside Starzplay and Cpg’s extensive distribution footprints.

Levy’s original novel was published in 2008. Described by Studiocanal, Starzplay and Cpg as “a bittersweet comedy with soul” and “wryly fun,” it taps into human relations — a reconnection with a father and a lost first love; a second chance at life — which carries new meaning as...

Netflix has ordered “The 39 Steps,” a limited series based on the 1915 John Buchan novel that will star Benedict Cumberbatch, with Edward Berger at the helm and Mark L. Smith writing.

The series will reunite Cumberbatch and Berger, who last worked together on Showtime’s 2018 mini-series “Patrick Melrose.” The at least six-hour series will be produced by Anonymous Content, Chapter One Pictures and SunnyMarch, the U.K.-based film and TV production company founded by Cumberbatch, Adam Ackland and Adam Selves.

“The 39 Steps” has already been adapted several times, most famously by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935, starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. Buchan’s original spy thriller takes place just before the outset of World War I, centering on Richard Hannay, a man who comes into possession of a key to a global conspiracy and goes on the run.

Cumberbatch was most recently seen in “The Mauritanian,” and remains in the thick of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,...

Jennifer Jason Leigh has joined Amazon Prime Video’s “Hunters” for the drama’s upcoming second season, TheWrap has learned.

“Hunters” follows a diverse band of Nazi hunters living in 1977 New York City. The Hunters, as they’re known, have discovered that hundreds of high-ranking Nazi officials are living among us and conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in the United States.

The first season, which launched last year on Feb. 21, starred Al Pacino, Logan Lerman and Jerrika Hinton. As of right now, we know that Lerman and Hinton will be returning, but there’s no word yet on if Pacino will be back.

“The Hateful Eight” star Leigh has joined the cast of “Hunters” Season 2 in the leading role of Chava. No details about the character have been provided and the plot for the show’s second batch of episodes is being kept under wraps.

Created by David Weil,...

Vivendi-owned European film and TV studio Studiocanal has sealed a deal with Shanghai Senyu Media to represent Studiocanal’s “The Adventures of Paddington Bear” animated series in mainland China. Rights are being promoted at the virtual edition of Hong Kong rights market FilMart.

The series debuted on Nickelodeon in western markets and has already delivered two seasons. Two feature movies have been completed and a third has been announced.

The series is targeted at a pre-school audience. Each 11-minute episode takes a lead from Michael Bond’s original books and tells a new story in animated form. It is written by Jon Foster and James Lamont and produced by Heyday Films, Studiocanal, Copyrights Group, with the participation of French broadcaster M6.

Senyu Media has previously distributed other western children’s IP in China including “Pj Masks” and “Paw Patrol.” “Paddington is a renowned brand in China and we believe it...