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Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick Honor Stephen Sondheim at ‘Into the Woods’ Premiere
22 minutes ago
It was a night of celebration for the cast of the Disney-produced musical “Into The Woods,” at the world premiere at the Ziegfield on Monday.
Director Rob Marshall’s adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Stephen Sondheim musical starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick and Johnny Depp received praise from press and industry execs just hours after the film was honored by the American Film Institute as one of the top 11 movies of the year.
According to the cast, bringing the hit 1987 Broadway musical to the big screen has been rewarding, but a challenge. For Streep, donning prosthetics and yellow talons to play The Witch was no easy task.
“When I put the talons on — that was it for the day,” she told Variety. “I couldn’t run my fingers through my hair, I couldn’t get a moat out of my eye, I couldn’t do anything. I had »
- Paul Chi
‘Boyhood’ Stars Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke to Receive Award at Santa Barbara Film Fest
22 minutes ago
Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke have been honored with the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s 2015 American Riviera Award, marking the first time the distinction has been awarded to two honorees. The tribute will take place on Thursday, Feb. 5 at the Arlington Theatre.
“To honor Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke with the American Riviera Award is an immense privilege for Sbiff,” said Sbiff Executive Director Roger Durling. “Both have careers filled with significant achievements both on and off camera including their roles in Richard Linklater’s ‘Boyhood’ — which features some of the most unique performances of the year in a project they worked on for over a dozen years — and proves that they’re artists that continue to evolve and inspire us.”
The American Riviera Award is given to actors and directors who have had a strong influence on American cinema, with previous honorees including Robert Redford (2014), Quentin Tarantino (2013), Martin Scorsese »
- Laura Prudom
James Murdoch Says 21st Century Fox has ‘Clear Succession Plan’
1 hour ago
As media barons like Sumner Redstone and Rupert Murdoch began to show more mileage, questions of succession at the companies they run inevitably arise.
James Murdoch is no stranger to that kind of speculation. The 21st Century Fox co-chief operating officer stopped short of mapping out what the future holds for the entertainment conglomerate, but he did tout the combined experience of the company’s leadership, ticking off the names of Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey and Chief Financial Officer John Nallen, while fielding a question at the Ubs Global Media and Entertainment Conference on Tuesday about what will happen when his father steps down or dies.
“We do have a pretty clear succession plan,” said Murdoch, arguing that 21st Century Fox has been more transparent than its rivals in signaling how its future leadership might manifest.
The future, be it who wears the crown or how the content that »
- Brent Lang
Martin Campbell to Direct ‘Sebastian X’ for Nicolas Chartier, Gale Anne Hurd (Exclusive)
2 hours ago
Voltage Films, Valhalla Motion Pictures and publisher Humanoids are teaming to adapt the graphic novel “Sebastian X” as a movie with Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale”) directing.
Voltage’s Nicolas Chartier and Craig J. Flores will produce alongside Valhalla’s Gale Anne Hurd and Humanoids’ Pierre Spengler and Fabrice Giger.
Bill Marsilii has been tapped to the write the screenplay. The graphic novel by Michelangelo La Neve centers on an elite cop who, after a near-fatal injury, is implanted with the memories of the world’s most notorious terrorist — Sebastian X — in order to infiltrate his group before their next attack.
Dominic Rustam and Babacar Diene are overseeing the project on behalf of Voltage with Phillip Kobylanski overseeing on the Valhalla side. Matthew Miller, Jason Miller and Bobby Sabelhaus are executive producing.
Voltage Pictures will handle worldwide distribution.
Voltage Films is finishing post-production on “Fathers and Daughters,” directed by Gabriele Muccino »
- Dave McNary
Q&A: Bent Hamer Chats About Norway’s Oscar Candidate ‘1001 Grams’
3 hours ago
One of Scandinavia’s best-known directors, Bent Hamer sat with Variety to discuss his latest film, “1001 Grams,” Norway’s foreign-language Oscar candidate, and his English-language debut project, “The Middleman.” “1001 Grams,” a subtle and contemplative Paris-set film, shares the philosophical bent and, to a lesser extent, the satirical humor of his 2003’s critically-acclaimed “Kitchen Stories.” While “Stories” turned on a scientist whose job is to observe single men’s kitchen habits, “1001 Grams” follows Marie (played by Norwegian Shooting Star Ane Dahl Torp), a young scientist who travels to Paris for a seminar on the actual weight of a kilo and unexpectdely falls in love. As “Kitchen Stories” did in 2003, “1001 Grams” is competing for a foreign-language Oscar nomination and has garnered warm reviews throughout its solid festival run, which kicked off at Toronto. “1001 Grams” marks Hamer’s first film in four years, following his more mainstream pic, “Home for Christmas.” Les Films du Losange »
- Elsa Keslassy
Alex de la Iglesia Preps ‘The Bar’ To Follow Up ‘My Big Night’ (Exclusive)
5 hours ago
Cult Spanish filmmaker, Alex de la Iglesia (“Witching and Bitching”), is prepping two projects for 2015, one of which will be the first film he produces himself.
Attending the Marrakech Festival to give a directing master-class, Iglesia spoke to Variety about his recent projects, including documentary “Messi” which screened in Venice, and short “The Confession,” part of the Guillermo Arriaga-originated “Words with God.”
De la Iglesia also revealed details about the projects he aims to direct in 2015: “My Big Night” and “The Bar.”
Explored in distinct enclosed spaces – a TV studio and a bar – in which characters are forced into extreme but comical situations, they explore themes of deceit, betrayal and guilt, – which he said in Marrakech that he’s particularly interested in. He has already picked up on them in many of his films, including his “Words With God” short.
Both are co-written by Iglesia’s long-term co-scribe, »
- Martin Dale
Epic War Movie ‘Japan’s Longest Day’ To Be Remade
8 hours ago
Tokyo – Shochiku has announced the cast for its remake of the 1967 Kihachi Okamoto epic “Japan’s Longest Day.”
The film, which details the events leading up to Japan’s unconditional surrender on August 15, 1945 following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, stars Koji Yakusho as army minister Anami, a role originally played by Toshiro Mifune.
The director is Masato Harada, whose 2011 “Chronicle of My Mother,” which starred Yakusho as a best-selling writer with mother issues, won a slew of domestic and international prizes, including the jury prize at the Montreal World Film Festival.
Okamoto’s movie was based on a 1965 best-selling novel by Kazutoshi Hando about diehard militarists plotting a coup to stop the Emperor’s surrender announcement on August 15. Anami is caught between his loyalty to the Emperor, who wants to stop the killing, and his reluctance to admit defeat, even at the cost of more Japanese lives.
Harada’s »
- Mark Schilling
Atf: China’s iQIYI to Double Production Slate in 2015
8 hours ago
Singapore – Mainland Chinese online video portal iQIYI plans to more than double original production in 2015, with at least 30 titles and 500 episodes on the slate so far compared to 13 in 2014, iQIYI’s chief content officer, Ma Dong, says.
Speaking at the Asia TV Forum and Market in Singapore on Tuesday, Ma said the commitment to original content “doesn’t mean we have no cap” on investment. He did not disclose total production budgets.
“We consider the needs of our viewers in making investments,” he said. For instance, RMB5 million per episode spent on drama “The Lost Tomb,” “was much more than we initially anticipated but because the programme is worthwhile, the investment is worthwhile,” he said.
The debut season of “The Lost Tomb,” an adaptation of a popular Chinese novel, will be released in March 2015. Iqiyi plans to make eight seasons over the next eight years.
Ma said iQIYI, which is »
- Janine Stein
Film Review: ‘Casanova Variations’
14 hours ago
John Malkovich is the human equivalent of Marmite: You either love him or hate him. The creators of “The Giacomo Variations,” a touring “chamber opera play,” are firmly in the former camp, having crafted a postmodern stage piece around the actor embodying himself and Giacomo Casanova, melded into various Lorenzo da Ponte characters from Mozart’s operas. It’s clever as a concept, with obvious Don Giovanni-Casanova parallels, yet “Casanova Variations,” the film adaptation by the play’s author, Michael Sturminger, is so full of its own forced charm that only diehard Marmite fans, like producers Paulo Branco and Ulrich Seidl, will feel enriched. Europe will be more welcoming than the States.
Since audiences are meant to get the in-jokes, it helps if viewers are conversant not just with the Mozart operas and Casanova’s memoir “Histoire de ma vie,” but also “Dangerous Liaisons” and “Being John Malkovich. »
- Jay Weissberg
Watch: First Trailer for Dog Tale ‘White God’
15 hours ago
Magnolia Pictures has unveiled the first trailer for its March 27 release of “White God,” which won the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes.
“White God,” a Hungarian-Swedish-German co-production from Hungarian director Kornel Mundruczo, centers on a 13-year-old girl’s separation from her dog leading to a canine uprising.
The canine protagonist, Hagen (played by brothers Luke and Body), was awarded the Palm Dog Award in Cannes and attended the film’s premiere, went to the photo-call, walked up the red carpet and appeared on stage – becoming the first dog in Cannes history to do so.
The trailer for “White God” includes a scene in which 200 dogs escape from a kennel and run down a street in rebellion against their human captors.
»
- Dave McNary
Kathryn Bigelow Campaigns to Stop Elephant Poaching with Short Film
16 hours ago
Oscar-winning filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow has made a short film aimed at raising funds to halt elephant poaching.
Bigelow has launched the film and web site lastdaysofivory.com to stop illegal ivory trade and put the terrorists profiting from it out of business in order to protect endangered elephants and innocent people.
“An elephant disappears every 15 minutes,” she said. “It is our hope that this film helps to bring an activist into existence at least that often.”
Bigelow said she decided use animation to make the 3-minute film in order to get the project done as quickly as possible.
“To make a feature film about such a topic would likely take years during which more elephants would die, so instead I approached a team of fellow filmmakers and we made ‘Last Days’ as an animated piece, which we thought would give it a broader audience (besides, the internet is filled with »
- Dave McNary
Natalie Portman Passes on Steve Jobs Biopic
16 hours ago
After beginning discussions to join “Jobs” before the Thanksgiving break, Natalie Portman has parted ways with the female lead in the Steve Jobs biopic.
“Jobs” currently stars Michael Fassbender as Jobs and Seth Rogen as Steven Wozniak with Danny Boyle directing. Aaron Sorkin penned the script with Scott Rudin, Mark Gordon and Guymon Casady producing.
The pic is based on the Walter Isaacson biography and was originally set up at Sony before Universal picked it up out of turnaround when Sony let it go.
Production is expected to start in the spring and while sources don’t have an exact reason why Portman passed, other than news probably breaking before the actress had made a decision on the film, sources say “Jobs” is still on track to make its production date and actresses are already meeting for the part.
Portman can be seen next in the Gavin O’Connor western »
- Justin Kroll
FBI Will Brief Sony Staff in Wake of Hacking Attack
17 hours ago
Sony Pictures Entertainment will host cyber security briefings by the FBI on its Culver City lot this week as well as an “all hands” meeting Friday to discuss a recent hack attack that has left the studio reeling.
In a note to staffers, Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton said the studio is continuing to work with law enforcement officials on their investigation into the cyber attack that has led to the leak of internal documents, film budgets, staff salaries and the personal information of thousands of employees. A group calling itself the Gop or the “Guardians of Peace” has taken credit for the attack.
“I know it is unsettling that we have been the target of such an attack, but I want to assure you all that we have the recognized experts working on this matter and looking out for our security,” Lynton wrote.
His message went out to staffers »
- Brent Lang
Watch: First Trailer for Julianne Moore’s ‘Still Alice’
17 hours ago
Sony Classics has released the first trailer for Julianne Moore’s drama “Still Alice,” five weeks before its wide release.
Moore portrays a linguistics professor who’s diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.
“I can see the words hanging in front of me and I can’t reach them and I don’t know who I am,” she explains to her daughter, played by Kristen Stewart.
“Still Alice” is receiving a one-week qualifying run in Los Angeles. The movie, written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, also stars Alec Baldwin and Kate Bosworth.
»
- Dave McNary
Edgar Ramirez Joins Jennifer Lawrence in David O. Russell’s ‘Joy’
17 hours ago
Edgar Ramirez is in final negotiations to join Jennifer Lawrence in David O. Russell’s biopic “Joy” for Fox 2000.
Robert De Niro is also on board to play Lawrence’s father in the film, based on the true story of Joy Mangano, a struggling Long Island single mom who became one of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs after inventing the Miracle Mop.
Ramirez will play Mangano’s then husband, Tony.
John Davis, John Fox and Ken Mok are producing with Annie Mumolo penning the script.
The film is gearing up for a first quarter start and is already set to open next Christmas to make a late awards season push.
Ramirez, who is repped by CAA and Impression Entertainment, recently wrapped production on Alcon’s “Point Break” reboot and was last seen in Screen Gems’ “Deliver Us From Evil.”
»
- Justin Kroll
Charles Roven’s Atlas Entertainment Expands Into Management
17 hours ago
Charles Roven’s Atlas Entertainment is expanding into management with Atlas Artists, headed by Dave Fleming.
Fleming’s clients include Olivia Munn, Kristin Davis, Jaimie Alexander (“Thor”), Kim Raver, Kathryn Morris, Jaime Pressly, Holt McCallany, Natalie Martinez, Dawn Olivieri (“House of Lies”), Tessa Thompson (“Dear White People,” “Selma”) and Blake Jenner (“That’s What I’m Talking About”).
Other clients include Alison Sudol (“Transparent”), Aimee Garcia, Sarah Wynter, Amanda Righetti, Jessica Szohr, Alexandra Breckenridge and G Hannelius.
“The goal will be to help build new and different platforms across all media for our clients and the Atlas brand,” Fleming said.
Fleming has been a manager and producer at The Gold/Miller Company for 15 years. He recently executive produced “Billy Boy,” starring Blake Jenner and Melissa Benoist, and “To Whom it May Concern,” starring Dawn Olivieri and Wilmer Valderrama.
Roven and Fleming have known each other through their work together at Mosaic Media Group, »
- Dave McNary
Sony Hackers Apparently Demand Studio Pull ‘The Interview’
18 hours ago
A group calling itself GOP posted a message online on Monday that warned Sony to stop “immediately showing the movie of terrorism which can break the regional peace and cause the war.”
Gop — which stands for Guardians of Peace — did not specifically identify the movie. Authorities have been investigating whether the hacker attack is in some way be connected to “The Interview,” the movie that has generated condemnation from the government of North Korea.
The message from GOP said that they “have given our clear demand to the management team of Sony, however they have refused.”
“You, Sony, & FBI, cannot find us.”
The note also included a link connected to the names of Any Pascal and Stephen Mosko.
A spokeswoman for Sony said they had no comment. An individual close to the studio said that they have received no demands.
The message also claims to “know nothing about the threatening email received by Sony staffers, »
- Ted Johnson
Sundance Film Festival Announces 2015 Premieres Lineup
19 hours ago
Viola Davis, Jennifer Lopez, James Franco, Ewan McGregor, Greta Gerwig, Jesse Eisenberg, Saoirse Ronan, Ryan Reynolds, Peter Sarsgaard and Lily Tomlin — as well as directors Noah Baumbach, Michael Almereyda, Rodrigo Garcia, James Ponsoldt, Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman — are among the big names in the Premieres lineup at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, unveiled today along with Documentary Premieres and a new Special Events section.
Festival director John Cooper noted that while this year’s 16 Premieres selections will be among the buzziest, most commercial titles in Park City, “they’re not without an independent feel to them, and that’s what I’m always looking for. There is a very independent spirit behind these films.”
By way of example, Cooper cited “Last Days in the Desert,” a description-resistant foray into father-son territory from Garcia, a director known for his stories about women (“Nine Lives,” “Mother and Child”); John Crowley’s “Brooklyn, »
- Justin Chang
AFI Awards Break Tradition by Saluting 11 Films; 10 TV Works Cited
19 hours ago
Evidently 2014 films are good enough to make the AFI Awards salute 11 films, rather than the usual 10. The honors, announced Monday, gave the season’s first validation to “American Sniper,” “The Imitation Game,” “Interstellar” and “Into the Woods” in the list of the year’s notable film and TV works.
AFI also saluted “Birdman,” “Boyhood,” “Foxcatcher,” “Nightcrawler,” “Selma,” “Unbroken” and “Whiplash,” which have chalked up awards recognition by various voting groups in the last eight days.
Last year, seven of AFI’s 10 film picks ended up with an Oscar nomination for best picture.
In their 15th annual roster, AFI saluted six new TV works and four continuing series: “The Americans,” “Fargo,” “Game of Thrones,” “How to Get Away With Murder,” “Jane the Virgin,” “The Knick,” “Mad Men,” “Orange is the New Black,” “Silicon Valley” and “Transparent.”
The organization usually cites new series and longforms, as well as offering recognition of ongoing »
- Tim Gray
Fox Launching Vice Films as Joint Venture
19 hours ago
Vice Media and 20th Century Fox are teaming on Vice Films as a joint venture film label for movies from emerging directors.
The new venture will develop, produce, finance, market, acquire and distribute at least two films a year.
Vice already releases documentaries and TV shows through the Vice Films label. Its first theatrical release was “White Lightnin'” in 2009, followed by “The Ride” in 2010.
Vice has released a trio of movie titles this year — “Fishing Without Nets,” the skateboard documentary “All this Mayhem” and the Iranian vampire film “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.”
Vice announced in June that it had agreed to a digital distribution deal with Fox’s home entertainment arm for its Sundance pic “Fishing Without Nets,” which tells the story of a young Somali lured into the world of piracy to support the family he loves.
Fox parent 21st Century Fox invested $70 million last year »
- Dave McNary
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