News

Volatile markets fell, then really plunged, and rebounded some in wild trading to close off their lows for the day — but still in the red. Tariffs appeared to balloon then subside in another chaotic day for international trade prospects.

Tech stocks led a late bit of late rebound, and media was mixed with Disney squeezed (down 4.4%) on concerns over consumer sentiment amid an uncertain economy. SiriusXM fell 6% after its CFO was cautious on advertising prospects at a media conference, noting a recent dip in sales.

Much of media runs on advertising. Paramount stock fell 4% and Warner Bros. Discovery by 2%. Nexstar, Charter, Fox, Comcast, Snap, Roku and Google parent Alphabet lost ground. Tariffs are expected to raise prices for many goods even as post-Covid inflation lingers.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 500 points. The Nasdaq, S&P 500 and Russell 2000 all ended lower.

In an interview over the weekend, President Donald Trump...

"Look at those bricks. You ain't a cop, you're a working man." Amazon MGM Studios has debuted a gnarly second trailer for A Working Man, the new action thriller from David Ayer. The next big follow-up action movie reteaming Ayer and actor Jason Statham following The Beekeeper last year (and The Beekeeper 2 was also just announced). Formerly titled Levon's Trade, now known as A Working Man, this lands in theaters at the end of March. Levon Cade left his profession behind to work construction and be a good dad to his daughter. But when a local girl vanishes, he's asked to return to the skills that made him a mythic figure in the shadowy world of counter-terrorism. So he comes and beats up everyone. Starring Jason Statham as Agent Levon Cade, as well as David Harbour, Michael Peña, Jason Flemyng, and Arianna Rivas as Jenny. This is so funny...

Exclusive: ITV is among the first buyers to swoop for Mark Williams crime drama Safe Harbor here at the London TV Screenings.

We can reveal the UK broadcaster is joined by Ireland’s Virgin Media Television and Australia’s Sbs in acquiring the series from distributor Eccho Rights.

The eight-part series, which has been building buzz over the past year, will premiere on ITV streamer Itvx and Virgin in Ireland in the spring, with Sbs launching it later in the year. The sales are among the highest-profile deals unveiled at the London TV Screenings so far this week.

Safe Harbor, a high-octane action thriller set in the European drug trade, stars Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders), Colm Meaney (Hell on Wheels), Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones), and Martijn Lakemeier (Maxima).

It was commissioned by Dutch streamer Videoland and Belgium’s Streamz, with L.A-Dutch indie Submarine,...

Action icons Jason Statham and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are forced to join forces in this action movie spin-off, which has finally found a new streaming home. Released back in 2019, The Stath and The Rock’s Fast and Furious team-up movie, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, has not been available to stream anywhere. Which, frankly, is tantamount to cinematic sacrilege. Thankfully, streaming platform Peacock has now stepped up, adding the Hobbs and Shaw outing to its library.

Directed by David Leitch from a script by Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw takes place after the events of The Fate of the Furious and before the events of F9 and follows Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw and Dwayne Johnson Luke Hobbs as they face off against Idris Elba’s “Black Superman” Brixton Lore. Brimming with lively banter from the charismatic stars, as well...

"I'm not stopping until I bring her home." Amazon MGM Studios has revealed the first official trailer for A Working Man, the latest action thriller from David Ayer. This is the next team-up between Ayer and actor Jason Statham following The Beekeeper last year. Formerly titled Levon's Trade, now known as A Working Man, this is set to play in theaters at the end of March coming up in just a few months. Levon Cade left his profession behind to work construction and be a good dad to his daughter. But when a local girl vanishes, he's asked to return to the skills that made him a mythic figure in the shadowy world of counter-terrorism. Starring Jason Statham as Agent Levon Cade, with David Harbour, Michael Peña, Jason Flemyng, and Arianna Rivas as Jenny. As much as I enjoyed The Beekeeper because he was a funny character taking out idiot scammers,...

Jason Statham is in pursuit of a missing teenage girl in the trailer for the thriller movie A Working Man.

Director David Ayer’s action feature is set for wide theatrical release from Amazon MGM Studios on March 28. Rounding out the cast are Michael Peña, David Harbour, Jason Flemyng, Merab Ninidze, Maximilian Osinski, Cokey Falkow, Noemi Gonzalez, Arianna Rivas, Emmett J. Scanlan and Eve Mauro.

A Working Man centers on Levon Cade (Statham), a former black ops agent who has turned to a simpler life of working construction. When his boss’ daughter goes missing, Levon’s mission to find her plunges him into a world of corruption.

“This isn’t just some kidnapping,” Statham says in the trailer. “This is human trafficking.” Later, he declares, “Gangs, the Mob, corrupt government officials — they’re all involved in human trafficking.”

At one point, Levon’s friend, played by Harbour, offers his own...

David Ayer's The Beekeeper was one of the best action movies of 2024. Starring Jason Statham as an actual beekeeper who's also a former operative of the secret organization Beekeepers, the film follows Adam Clay in a restless quest for revenge against a web of corruption. A scam causes Clay's friend to commit suicide, and he discovers that the criminals responsible are connected to the President of the United States. The plot evokes John Wick and Taken but finds its own lane.

Good news for those who liked The Beekeeper: Ayer and Statham have a seemingly similar movie set to be released on March 28, 2025. Titled A Working Man, the film is based on the 2014 novel Levon's Trade by Chuck Dixon. The script was written by David Ayer and Sylvester Stallone and the plot follows Lavon Cade, an ex-black ops agent who's pulled back into action when he uncovers a criminal conspiracy.

One of the earlier action movie roles for action hero superstar Jason Statham is all set to race its way onto Prime Video this Friday. Statham is, of course, now considered to be one of the best action movie stars of all time, with his characters often depicted as gruff fighting experts who are quicker to use their fists than their words. Well, in a slight change of pace, fans can watch The Stath turn on the charm in The Italian Job, which is due to land on the streaming platform on November 1.

Starring alongside an all-star ensemble cast that includes Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Seth Green, Mos Def, and Donald Sutherland, The Stath plays crew member Handsome Rob. Rather than a straight-up remake, The Italian Job is inspired by the 1969 British movie of the same name starring Michael Caine, and follows a gang of thieves who find...

Jason Statham has made a name for himself as one of Hollywood's most sought-after action stars and has plenty of exciting upcoming movies to look forward to. From a reunion with the director of his latest action hit, the final installment of a major action movie franchise, and a potential new release in one of the biggest up-and-coming franchises out there, Stathams slate of upcoming movies showcases him at the forefront of modern blockbuster cinema. As a star who consistently gets viewers into theaters, all of Stathams upcoming movies have something interesting to offer.

Many of the best Jason Statham movies have received sequels, leading to the development of acclaimed franchises. Into 2025 and beyond, Statham has several exciting potential projects that will continue his hot streak of major box office success, satisfying sequels, or even act as the inception point for brand new characters. Over the past 25 years, Statham has...

The belated Cliffhanger 2 could give Sylvester Stallone a much needed boost after a stretch of bad luck with franchises. During Hollywood's so-called Golden Age, movie stars avoided sequels, with most finding them inferior attempts to cash in on a hit. During the 1970s, Stallone was one of the first actors to recognize the value of building a franchise for himself, so when his post-Rocky movies flopped, he soon returned with Rocky 2. That's not to say he didn't find value in dipping back into the Rocky movie franchise and fleshing out new chapters in the boxer's life, however.

It was when Stallone hit big with the Rambo movies that he became the king of sequels, and could typically rely on a new sequel in either series to boost his box-office numbers. Other Sylvester Stallone franchises include The Expendables and Escape Plan, and over 30 years after the original, Sly...

Levon's Trade must match the box office success of The Beekeeper to be considered a financial hit. Amazon MGM is banking on Sylvester Stallone's involvement to help Levon's Trade surpass expectations. By following the same release strategy as The Beekeeper, Levon's Trade aims to replicate its success at the box office.

Jason Statham has another new action movie coming out in 2025, and expectations are even higher for Levon's Trade now that it's coming on the heels of The Beekeeper. Statham delivered a surprise hit at the start of 2024 as his and David Ayer's action movie far exceeded box office projections. The Beekeeper's box office ballooned to an impressive $152 million worldwide, and that meant Amazon MGM, who was behind the original action film, got right back into business with the duo. This brought the announcement of Levon's Trade and its 2025 release date.

The success of The Beekeeper came...

In the grimy, neon-lit streets of 2329 New York City, death is no longer an inevitability for those wealthy enough to afford immortality. Detective James Karra finds himself embroiled in a complex web of corruption and murder among Manhattan’s elite in this dystopian graphic adventure from Critical Hit Games.

Karra has lived many lifetimes already; his memories and skills have transferred from body to body as his physical shells fail. Now, in the toughest shell yet, he’s seen it all. But even a veteran detective like Karra isn’t prepared for the depths of depravity hidden beneath the shining towers of this future metropolis.

When a prominent politician dies in suspicious circumstances, the evidence points to suicide, but Karra’s gut tells him there’s more happening behind the scenes. With only his loyal police liaison Sara Kai and a bag of futuristic detective gadgets for backup, Karra digs...

Jason Statham's upcoming action thriller, Levon's Trade, promises to build on the success of The Beekeeper. Based on Chuck Dixon's novel, Levon's Trade reunites Statham with The Beekeeper director David Ayer. The film has the potential to become Statham's next big action franchise, especially if The Beekeeper 2 doesn't happen.

Following The Beekeeper's critical and commercial success, Jason Statham's upcoming action thriller holds exciting promise. The Beekeeper cashed in at the box office early this year, more than tripling its estimated $40 million budget for a total $152 million worldwide gross. Albeit far from the highest-grossing movies of Statham's career, which are often installments of big-name blockbuster franchises, The Beekeeper still achieved impressive accomplishments, including the title of the 13th highest-grossing film of 2024 (as of this writing). Against previous box office hits, like The Meg or Fast X, The Beekeeper also secured Statham's best Rotten Tomatoes score since 2015.

2015's...

Jason Statham's acting heroes are Sylvester Stallone, Paul Newman, Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, and Clint Eastwood, who all influenced his onscreen persona. Statham's action-packed films reflect the stoic screen presences of many of his idols and a preference for action over words. Paul Newman's charisma and charm also inspired Statham, who admires the late actor's versatile career and has seen many of his movies repeatedly.

Jason Statham once revealed his five biggest acting heroes, and it's interesting to note how each one influenced his onscreen persona. Statham had appeared in several music videos but essentially had no acting experience before his debut in 1998's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The success of Guy Ritchie's dark comedy made it seem like the actor's future lay in British gangster fare, but following Statham's first action role in 2001's Ghosts of Mars, he took a hard swerve into action movies.

Jason Statham will reteam with David Ayer for Levon's Trade, promising a thrilling action movie with a unique toilet interrogation scene. Levon's Trade, based on Chuck Dixon's novel, introduces a new kind of action hero for Statham, combining brains and brawn. With Statham's track record in action franchises, Levon Cade could be the start of a successful new series for the star.

Jason Statham will reteam with director David Ayer for his next film, which will feature an iconic sequence involving a toilet. Statham's first action role in Ghosts of Mars did little to raise his profile, but he's been a genre mainstay pretty much since 2002's The Transporter. Jason Statham action movies are (almost) always a fun time, and the star has been especially prolific in recent years. In 2023 alone, Statham appeared in four movies, fronting hits like Meg 2: The Trench and suffering through box-office duds...

One of Jimmy Fallon’s guests on Wednesday June 12th is someone who should be plenty familiar to the host and his audience—Questlove.

The Tonight Show bandleader is set to make the short walk from his drumkit to the guest chair to promote Hip-Hop Is History, which will hit bookstores on Tuesday.

The new book sees Questlove, who grew up as an obsessive fan of the then-emerging genre and ultimately became a six-time Grammy Award–winning musician himself, trace the first half-century of hip-hop as only he can.

In recent years Questlove has emerged as America’s unofficial historian of hip-hop, and of music in general. Hip-Hop Is History is a follow-up to his 2021 bestseller Music Is History, and he famously won an Oscar in 2022 for his documentary film Summer of Soul.

Continue reading Questlove To Trade <i>Tonight Show</i> Drumkit For Guest Chair Next Weds at LateNighter.

Jason Statham's Levon's Trade could be the start of a new action franchise. The gritty vigilante story in Levon's Trade mirrors themes from Denzel Washington's Equalizer franchise. With potential for sequels and strong audience interest, Levon's Trade could fill the gap left by the conclusion of the Equalizer movie series.

Jason Statham's upcoming action thriller Levon's Trade could fill in the gap left behind by the end of a certain Denzel Washington franchise. The number of Jason Statham action franchises appears to be growing year by year. He's a regular among the ensemble of The Fast and the Furious saga and fronts his own series like The Meg or The Expendables. The surprise success of David Ayer's The Beekeeper means that a potential Beekeeper 2 is also a strong possibility.

Ayer and Statham enjoyed working together so much they're reuniting for the upcoming novel adaptation Levon's Trade. This...

The next collaboration between Jason Statham and David Ayer (with a Sylvester Stallone script) – Levon’s Trade – is now shooting, with further casting announced.

Earlier this year we were treated to a rip-roaringly good time when director David Ayer and star Jason Statham brought us The Beekeeper. You can catch our review for that film here, but in short, it was lots of fun and following a theatrical run where it grossed north of $150m, it likely made a profit for all involved.

As such, the production companies behind The Beekeeper have once again acquired the services of Ayer and Statham and are hoping to repeat the trick once again, this time with Levon’s Trade.

As with The Beekeeper, Amazon MGM has agreed to handle distribution in the US, and none other than Sylvester Stallone has adapted the screenplay from Chuck Dixon’s novel.

If you’ve been following this one enthusiastically,...

Jason Statham's next movie, Levon's Trade, has the potential to break his bad luck with novel adaptations. Previous attempts at adapting books into potential movie franchises starring Statham have failed for various reasons. Statham's successful adaptation of The Meg proves he can succeed in a different genre, but Levon's Trade may not reach the same level of success.

Jason Statham's next movie after The Beekeeper can break a streak of bad luck he's had with adapting novels. After his breakout roles in Guy Ritchie's early work, Statham moved swiftly into action movies. To the shock of many, he molded himself into a modern-day action star in the vein of Sylvester Stallone or Jean-Claude Van Damme, during a time when CGI-heavy blockbusters shrunk the market for those types of movies. Despite some misses along the way, Jason Statham's movies have proven consistently popular for over 20 years and counting.

The Beekeeper's box-office success solidifies Jason Statham's leading man status after the disappointment of Expendables 4. Statham's self-aware personality adds an enjoyable element to his high-octane machismo in his movies. Sylvester Stallone's involvement in Levon's Trade suggests the movie could be a surprise hit, given the level of talent involved.

The Beekeeper is the latest action movie under beloved actor Jason Statham's belt, but with The Beekeeper's box-office success, Statham's next action movie is already poised to be even bigger. While there are many reasons The Beekeeper's box-office success has been admirable, the biggest contribution stemming from the movie's exceptional performance is that it assuages any doubts audiences may have had about Statham's leading man status after the abysmal performance of Expendables 4. As such, Statham's next action movie could continue the trend that The Beekeeper started.

Although many of Statham's movies aren't made with Academy Award sensibilities in mind,...

Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone and David Ayer are teaming up to make the movie, Levon's Trade. Statham will star as the lead character, Levon Cade, who is drawn back into the world of black ops to find a missing college student and protect his new way of life. The film is based on the first installment in author Chuck Dixon's Levon Cade book series, and filming is expected to start in London this spring.

Merely mentioning their names together conjures up visions of action-packed cinema. Yes, Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone are teaming up again, but this time outside of The Expendables franchise. Amazon MGM Studios now controls the theatrical rights to the title, Levon’s Trade. Sly Stallone is writing the project's screenplay, and Statham will star in the lead role. Additionally, according to Deadline, Prime Video has landed the streaming rights to Levon’s Trade.

Statham’s director,...

Exclusive: In a lucrative pact, Amazon MGM Studios has landed U.S. theatrical rights to Levon’s Trade, with Prime Video taking streaming rights in a slew of major international territories, we can reveal.

As we told you last year, the film helmed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad) will star Jason Statham (Fast & Furious franchise) and hail from producers Black Bear and BlockFilm. The screenplay was adapted by Sylvester Stallone (Creed), with revisions by Ayer, and is based on prolific comic author Chuck Dixon’s first novel in the “Levon” series.

Amazon MGM has signed a deal for a wide theatrical release in the U.S. Outside of the Prime Video international territories (where the film conceivably might go online only), Black Bear has sold Levon’s Trade independently to theatrical distributors in multiple overseas markets.

The movie will chart how Levon Cade (Statham) left his “profession” behind him...

Levon's Trade, a new action film starring Jason Statham, promises to deliver the intense and action-packed storyline that fans of the actor have come to love. With a screenplay written by Sylvester Stallone and directed by David Ayer, the combination of talent behind the project is impressive, adding to the anticipation for the film. Jason Statham's proven success in action roles and his loyal following make him a reliable leading man, guaranteeing that Levon's Trade has the potential to be a box-office hit.

Levon's Trade is the latest action project that will see renowned actor Jason Statham take on the titular role. Widely known for his work within the action genre, Statham-led films have, more often than not, performed quite well at the box office. The Meg franchise, in which Statham takes on the role of Jonas Taylor, has accumulated nearly $1 billion worldwide.

For fans of action movies, a Statham-led film becomes a must-see.

Stallone and Statham's new movie, Levon's Trade, sounds like a promising action film that could make up for the disappointment of The Expendables 4. Levon's Trade will be directed by David Ayer, which suggests it won't be a generic action flick and may bring something fresh to the table. Despite the poor reception of The Expendables 4, Stallone and Statham's creative partnership is far from over.

Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham have a new action movie in development, which already sounds like an improvement on The Expendables 4. Part of the excitement surrounding the original Expendables was that icons like Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Bruce Wills and many more were teaming together. In reality, the bulk of the films were shouldered by Stallone - who also created the series - and Jason Statham. Leading up to the first film, Statham had become the heir apparent to the action stars of the past,...

Action star Jason Statham is set to work with David Ayer on the Sylvester Stallone-penned action movie Levon's Trade.

Per Deadline, the Expendables franchise stars will work together with the director of the 2016 Suicide Squad movie, with Levon's Trade to be produced by former Miramax boss Bill Block under the production banner Black Bear and BlockFilm. Serving as a screenwriter and producer, Stallone will be adapting the first of 11 Levon Cade thriller novels created by legendary comic book writer Chuck Dixon. Stallone's banner Balboa Productions had initially acquired the rights to the Levon Cade stories for a potential television series. Production is set to begin on location in London in March 2024, presumably after the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Meg 2: The Trench Sets Streaming Premiere Date on Max

"I am thrilled to be reuniting with some of my most talented and longstanding partners on Levon’s Trade," Block said.

Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone will reunite for Levon's Trade, with Statham in front of the camera and Stallone writing the script. Levon's Trade follows Statham's character, Levon Cade, a former black-ops agent turned construction worker, who is drawn back into the world of violence and secrets when his boss's daughter goes missing. The movie is based on the novel by Chuck Dixon and is being produced by Black Bear and BlockFilm, with high expectations for another spectacular action movie from director David Ayer and the dream team of Statham, Stallone, and Ayer.

The Expendables stars Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone will reunite for the upcoming action movie, Levon’s Trade. But rather than share the screen, the project will instead see Statham in front of the camera with Stallone having written the script, which follows the Fast X star as a construction worker who is, you guessed it,...

Here's a film boasting two reunions for Jason Statham. He's already :a[worked on The Beekeeper]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/jason-statham-unleashing-vengeance-in-the-beekeeper-trailer/' } for director David Ayer. And he's attached to star in new action movie Levon's Trade, which Ayer will direct from a script by Statham's :a[Expendables]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/expendables-review/' } colleague Sylvester Stallone. And while the concept sounds like an awfully familiar one, the combination of talent is certainly intriguing.

Stallone, who scored an Oscar nomination for :a[Rocky]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/rocky-review/' } in 1977 and most recently scripted :a[Rambo: Last Blood]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/rambo-last-blood/' }, adapted Levon’s Trade from the novel of the same name by comic author Chuck Dixon. The book is the first of 11 in the popular Levon Cade thriller series. Stallone’s production company had previously developed the idea as a TV series,...

Jason Statham is to star in 'Levon's Trade', a new action movie written by Sylvester Stallone.The 56-year-old actor has signed up to portray Levon Cade in the film, which marks Stallone's first screenplay since 'Creed II' in 2018 and 2019's 'Rambo: Last Blood', and is adapted from the novel of the same name by Chuck Dixon, the first of eleven in his popular thriller series.The movie - which will be directed by David Ayer - will chart how Levon decided to go "straight" and lead a simple life working in construction and being a good father for his daughter, but he is called back into the shadowy world of black ops when his boss' teenage daughter goes missing, taking him into the midst of a sinister criminal conspiracy.David and Chris Long will producer for Cedar Park Entertainment, as well as Jason for Punch Palace Productions,...

Exclusive: Black Bear and BlockFilm — the new production label of former Miramax boss Bill Block — are set to heat up the AFM market some more today with action movie Levon’s Trade, which will star Jason Statham (Fast & Furious franchise) and be directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad) from a screenplay adapted by Sylvester Stallone (Creed).

The project marks Stallone’s first screenplay since Rambo: Last Blood in 2019 and Creed II in 2018. The screen icon, who was famously Oscar-nominated for his Rocky screenplay in 1977, has adapted Levon’s Trade from the novel of the same name by comic author Chuck Dixon. The book is the first of eleven in the popular Levon Cade thriller series. Stallone’s Balboa Productions had previously developed the project as a TV series.

The movie will chart how Levon Cade (Statham) left his “profession” behind him to go ‘straight’ and work in construction. He...

Jim Caviezel's controversial film Sound of Freedom was the surprise blockbuster hit of the summer movie season. A true story film by an indie studio with a measly budget that had absolutely no advertisement or publicity beforehand that continues to surpass the big name, big-budget movies like The Flash and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, falling behind only to the massive combined run of "Barbenheimer," which includes both Greta Gerwig's hot pink fever dream Barbie and Christopher Nolan's dark biopic Oppenheimer.

Sound of Freedom follows the true story of Tim Ballard, an ex-CIA agent who gave up his career and risked his life to rescue child victims of sex trafficking. Plenty of other films in Hollywood history delved into the depths of despair to present audiences with the true horrors and courage of real-life heroes and villains that are hard to find in a Marvel movie.

The 2000s was a great era for Star Wars Lego sets, featuring a combination of prequel and original trilogy models as well as sets from the Clone Wars series. Some classic Star Wars Lego sets from this era include the Battle Droid, Darth Maul, Cloud City, Ultimate Lightsaber Duel, Imperial Star Destroyer, Trade Federation Mtt, Republic Attack Gunship, Death Star, Clone Turbo Tank, The Malevolence, Palpatine's Arrest, and Duel on Geonosis. These sets were highly sought after by collectors and are now considered classics, with some reaching high resale prices, showcasing the nostalgia for the pre-Disney Star Wars era.

The 2000s featured some great Star Wars Lego sets. A combination of prequel trilogy sets released in conjunction with the movies as well as original trilogy models, one of Lego's best-selling product lines rapidly grew with several impressive sets that have since become true classics. Featuring sets from the animated Clone Wars series as well,...

Some of the best movies like Sound of Freedom shed light on the dark realities of trafficking and its harrowing impact on individuals and communities. Human trafficking, a modern-day form of slavery, remains a distressing global phenomenon that preys on the vulnerable and exploits their hopes for a better life. This heinous crime takes many forms, from sex trafficking and forced labor to organ harvesting and child exploitation.

Throughout cinematic history, filmmakers have tackled the subject of human trafficking with both sensitivity and urgency, presenting audiences with compelling narratives that aim to educate, raise awareness, and inspire action. These films delve into the depths of despair and resilience, highlighting the courage of survivors and the tireless efforts of those who fight against this global scourge. The following are 10 impactful movies that have navigated the complex terrain of human trafficking, portraying the harrowing experiences of victims, the struggles of those dedicated to eradicating trafficking networks,...

Michael Cera‘s super bad old phone prevented him, albeit slightly, from forming an even stronger bond with the cast of Barbie. All good though. Cera says his character in the film would have probably kept a distance anyway.

People recently reported in its Barbie special issue that before the start of shooting principal photography, Margot Robbie hosted a sleepover for her fellow Barbie actresses. The outlet quoted Barbie actor Simu Liu describing what took place.

“Margot was so great. She had a sleepover with the Barbies before photography started, and the Kens were allowed to either visit briefly or to phone in and say hi,” he said.

He went on to say that the Kens “made sure to show our support but not be overbearing with our presence,” so “all the Barbies and Kens got in a group chat.”

Except one person was missing from the group chat. Cera,...

When Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels thinks of those who inspired him, Patrik-Ian Polk easily comes to mind.

Known for telling groundbreaking stories centered on Black gay life — including the independent film Punks, which premiered at Sundance in 2000, and Noah’s Arc, which ran on Logo TV for two seasons from 2005-06 — Polk is a creative force who has chronicled (and continues to chronicle) the lives of underrepresented people while championing diversity way before “Dei” became a buzz term.

“[Polk] was way ahead of the curve, and he took the bullets for all of us when it just wasn’t accepted to do what he was doing,” Daniels, 63, says of Polk, 49. “His bravery is what I ran with in my career. I learned from Patrik that I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. When I say he really has inspired me — he’s a mentor.”

Polk has been a bold...

The recently-reunited Anohni and the Johnsons have shared “Sliver of Ice,” the latest single from the group’s upcoming album My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross.

A gentle, brooding ballad, “Sliver of Ice” comes with a heavy backstory: “A friend of mine expressed to me in the final months of his life that the simplest sensations had begun to feel almost rapturous; a carer had placed a shard of ice on his tongue one day and it was such a sweet and unbelievable feeling that it caused him to weep with gratitude,” Anohni said in a press release. “He was a hardcore kind of guy and these moments were transforming the way he was seeing things. I wrote ‘Sliver of Ice,’ remembering those words of his.”

Those words translate into powerful lyrics: “Now that I’m almost gone/ Sliver of ice upon my tongue/ In the day...

Because Lego has been making Star Wars sets ever since 1999, there are sets that deserve to be remade with more modern updates. Due to their limited time on the shelves, some Star Wars Lego sets have received multiple remakes over the years (such as Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder). However, there are just as many that were only ever made once despite being major moments from the Skywalker saga or iconic starships from the galaxy far, far away.

The majority of the Star Wars Lego sets in need of updating come from the prequel and original trilogies. In the case of the more recent sequel trilogy, there's less of a need for remakes and more of desire to have brand-new sets depicting moments and ships that have yet to be given the brick-built treatment. Keeping that in mind, here are 10 Star Wars Lego sets that definitely deserve a remake in the near future.

Surprise, surprise. Bartise Bowden is a father.

The “Love Is Blind” star took to Instagram on Friday and posted a series of photos and videos revealing the little guy. In the first photo, Bartise can be seen with the little boy sleeping in his arms. The next slide shows video of Bartise and the kid on the couch watching The Masters. He looks into the camera and says that watching the major golf tournament’s a tradition he had with his father.

At one point, it appears Bartise identifies the little boy as Ayden or Aiden.

“Ready to see your first ever Tiger Woods golf shot? Look at that. Look at that. Let’s see if he watches,” Bartise says in the video. “I used to do this with my dad. There it goes. There it goes. There goes Tiger. Masters weekend. Say hi, Aiden. Yeah, he’s interested. He...

Handel’s keyboard suites have remained strangers to most concert pianists. Seong-Jin Cho hopes that his latest album for Deutsche Grammophon will shed new light on some of the most heartfelt of all Baroque music. Out today, The Handel Project contains three of the 28-year-old South Korean pianist’s favourite suites from Handel’s first collection of Suites de pièces pour le clavecin. These are coupled with Brahms’s virtuosic Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, which Cho believes to be “the best variations that have ever been written”.

The artist was drawn to Handel’s keyboard suites after years of immersion in music from later periods. Having fallen in love with their wealth of musical ideas and wide-ranging melodic invention, Cho listened to recordings of the works on harpsichord, the instrument for which they were conceived, and refined his finger technique in order to give different tone...

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

“Why do fathers take an extra pair of socks when they go golfing? In case they get a hole in one.”

Ever sit through an afternoon with your dad relaying one cringe-worthy joke after the other? Yeah, us too. Well Father’s Day is right around the corner, and if you’re still looking for an out-of-the-box gift for the father figure in your life, we’ve got you covered.

Acclaimed Canadian nature documentary “Geographies of Solitude” was Wednesday named the best film in the international competition section at South Korea’s Jeonju International Film Festival. The parallel Korean competition was won by “Jeong-Sun,” directed by Jeong Ji-hye.

The two previous editions of Jeonju were disrupted by Covid. But this year the festival, with 217 films from 52 countries, was held predominantly as an in-person event. Some 112 titles are additionally available for online viewing. In 2020, the 21st edition took place entirely online and with a delay of a month. The 2021 affair was an online-offline hybrid.

“Geographies,” which had its world premiere in Berlin in February, delves into the decades-long chronicling of flora and fauna on Sable Island by naturalist Zoe Lucas. She is joined by experimental filmmaker Jacquelyn Mills to observe the sand dunes, freshwater ponds, wild horses and washed-up plastic waste. It won three prizes in Berlin including the Cicae prize...

Festival line-up includes 84 world premieres.

Elizabeth, the feature documentary directed by the late Roger Michell, heads the programme of the 53rd edition of Switzerland’s Visions du Réel (VdR) film festival.

The film will play as a special screening out of competition at the non-fiction festival in Nyon. Elizabeth looks at the life of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving female head of state in history.

Elizabeth comes to VdR following a world premiere at Belgium’s Ostend Film Festival earlier this month.

It is produced by Kevin Loader for the UK’s Free Range Films, with Embankment Films handling sales...

Trails Of Yue

[17 mins]

Premieres Friday, 2 April

‘Trails of Yue’ follows the lives of Heng and Yue, an elderly couple as they navigate through the news of Yue’s impending death.

Dainta

[21 mins]

Premieres Friday, 9 April

Wrestling – it could be one’s dream but yet another’s dislike. ‘Dainta’ tells a story of a former wrestler who secretly took part in a wrestling match for one last time; to show his doting grandson what a great persona he used to be, but took the ultimate gamble of severing his ties with his only daughter.

Trade Secrets

[22 mins]

Premieres Friday, 16 April

‘Trade Secrets’ centres around 21-year-old University student, Wing, who seeks comfort and attention in an adults-only site. One night, she chances upon a male student filming another student showering without her consent. She faces the moral dilemma of either keeping mum and getting through school in peace, or exposing him and risking getting her own secret exposed.

Samara Weaving is heading to the Playboy Mansion.  The Ready or Not actress is set to portray Holly Madison in an upcoming limited series about the life of the late Hugh Hefner's former girlfriend and star of E! reality series The Girls Next Door, Sony confirmed to E! News.  The upcoming series is based on Madison's 2015 memoir Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny with Marieke Hardy adapting the tale described as looking "beyond the polished facade of the Playboy brand." The show will "depict the visceral, often deeply damaging stories of the women who entered following a dream and found...

Hold onto your hats, TV Fanatics, because this will be a long ride to the finish.

There is so much news out of the TCA Winter Press Tour today that we can hardly keep up.

Here's a roundup of some new and returning shows that you do not want to miss. What a way to start the weekend!

Starz announced today that their upcoming limited series, The Gloaming, will premiere on Sunday, March 21, across all available platforms.

When a woman is found brutally killed, the clues surrounding her death connect to murders both past and present. Political corruption and shady business dealings are soon entwined with sinister crimes and occult practices.

At the center of this web are two detectives, Molly McGee and Alex O’Connell, who share a tragic past.

In a harrowing journey to find the truth, their fate is coerced by the ghosts of the unsettled dead that...

Sony Pictures TV is developing a limited series about former Playboy bunny-turned-reality TV star Holly Madison, with Samara Weaving attached to star.

The project, which does not yet have a network or streaming platform on board, is based on Madison’s 2015 memoir, “Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny.” Australian writer Marieke Hardy will write the screen adaptation, with Will Gluck, Richard Schwartz and Judith Verno on board as executive producers. Madison herself will also serve as an executive producer.

Here is the logline for the project: The story looks beyond the polished facade of the Playboy brand to depict the visceral, often deeply damaging stories of the women who entered following a dream and found themselves manipulated, controlled and abused by the machine.

Madison rose to fame after starring in the E! reality series “The Girls Next Door,” which followed Madison and...

Holly Madison’s bestselling memoir, Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny, is in the works for the small screen. Sony Pictures Television has optioned the tell-all book for development as a limited series with Samara Weaving (Hollywood) set to star as Madison. Australian writer Marieke Hardy (Laid) is attached to pen the adaptation and Madison will serve as an executive producer. Will Gluck’s Olive Bridge Entertainment also will executive produce.

Down the Rabbit Hole looks beyond the polished facade of the Playboy brand to depict the visceral, often deeply damaging stories of the women who entered following a dream and found themselves manipulated, controlled, and abused by the machine.

The book spent multiple weeks at the top of The New York Times best seller list upon its release by Harper Collins in 2015 and was described by Buzzfeed as “a celebrity memoir...

SAG Award winner Samara Weaving is hopping into an exciting new role: Playboy Bunny.

The actress has signed on to play Holly Madison in Sony Pictures Television’s limited series based on Madison’s 2015 memoir Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny, TVLine has learned. A network is not yet attached.

More from TVLineTVLine Items: Kinnear Plays Husband to Cox, Star Wars Vet to Hulu and MoreSMILF Boss Frankie Shaw Reportedly Investigated for Abusive Behavior, Mishandling Sex Scenes and MoreShowtime's Smilf Pilot Adds Ash vs Evil Dead, Ray Donovan Alums

Per the official logline,...

A week after guitarist-composer H.E.R.’s era-appropriate “Fight for You” was nominated for a 2021 Golden Globes Award for best song in a motion picture, the full track list for the soundtrack to “Judas and the Black Messiah” has been revealed. “Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album” drops this Friday, Feb. 12 via the Six Course Music Group together with RCA Records.

Executive produced by Hit-Boy (who appears on the new album with “Broad Day”), director-writer Ryan Coogler, Interscope’s VP of A&r Dash Sherrod and RCA Records SVP of marketing Archie Davis, the “Inspired” package features the first-ever collaboration between the late Nipsey Hussle and today’s freshly-anointed Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee, Jay-Z, on the song, “What It Feels Like.”

In addition to Jay-Z, the Black Panther-themed, Fred Hampton biopic features a handful of legacy rappers such as Nas (with “Epmd”), Rakim (“Black Messiah”), and The...

Faith-based sales agent announces raft of deals.

Pure Flix / Quality Flix sales head Ron Gell has started talks with AFM 2020 Online buyers this week on a slate of rom-coms staring Kristy Swanson, Lee Majors, and Scott Baio.

The sales agency known for working on faith-based titles has also announced a raft of sales on the new films and other titles.

Courting Mom & Dad features Swanson (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Baio, John Farley, Vanessa Angel, and Bailey Baio.

The story centres on three children who seek the help of an eccentric personal injury attorney to delay the divorce of their parents.

Director Peter Mackie Burns’ Rialto takes the stage play Trade by Mark O’ Halloran (who writes the screenplay here too) and reworks it into a feature, with equally insightful and emotive results. The title translates in english as ‘exchange’, and in this case that definition takes on multiple meanings.

Rialto picks up with 46-year-old dockyard worker Colm (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor), who is married with kids and living comfortably but he is secretly gay, and the shame he feels, not to mention the increasingly changing direction of his life, all begin to consume him. However, in teenage sex worker Jay (Tom Glynn Carney) he finds some kind of connection but with potentially further devastating consequences.

Colm’s self-destructive decisions, spiralling addictions to alcohol, desperate clinging to his paid sex with Jay, increasing frictions at home and tough upbringing, all amount to a compelling but shattering, and sometimes harrowing, portrait of a troubled soul.