Variety
British Government ‘Minded to Intervene’ in Sky’s Proposed $2 Billion Takeover of ITV
U.K. culture minister Lisa Nandy has signalled she is “minded to intervene” in Sky’s proposed $2 billion takeover of ITV, citing concerns about maintaining media plurality, particularly with regard to...
1 week ago
Russell Brand Trial: Woman Details Alleged Rape After Asking Her to Take Photos of Him Half-Naked
The second day of Russell Brand’s criminal trial is underway in London, with the first complainant detailing an alleged rape at the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth. Arriving to Southwark C...
1 week ago
Cineverse to Adapt Trevor Henderson’s Horror Podcast ‘Mayfair Watchers Society’ Into Movie (EXCLUSIVE)
Cineverse is teaming with Trevor Henderson, the horror creator behind viral characters like Siren Head and Cartoon Cat, to adapt his podcast “Mayfair Watchers Society” into a feature film, Variety can...
1 week ago
Christy Carlson Romano Says Her Salary Was Half of Shia LaBeouf’s on ‘Even Stevens’: ‘We Were Co-Leads and Had the Same Screen Time’
Christy Carlson Romano is claiming she was paid half of Shia LaBeouf’s salary on the Disney Channel series “Even Stevens,” despite the two being “co-leads” with “the same screen time.” Romano opens up...
1 week ago
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ VFX Boss Jerome Chen on Hulk’s Redesign, Finishing 445 Shots in a Week
Marvel and Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” involved nearly 2,000 VFX shots and just 24 weeks of post-production, with 445 shots delivered in a single week, overall VFX supervisor Jerome Chen reveal...
1 week ago
MK2 Films Scores Brady Corbet, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Céline Sciamma Shorts (EXCLUSIVE)
LYON, France — Short films by Brady Corbet, Kleber Mendonça Filho and Céline Sciamma are joining the international sales catalogue of Paris-based MK2 Films, which is expanding its collection of lesser...
1 week ago
FlyDubai Hijacking Incident Set for Development as an Inspirational Movie by Dori Media Group and India’s Sphereorigin
The harrowing but ultimately hopeful story of the FlyDubai airline hijacking incident last month is being developed as a narrative film by Dori Media Group and India’s Sphereorigin. The Sept. 30 incid...
1 week ago
What’s Driving Spanish TV? Spanish Drama Originals on Platforms, Renewals and Crossover Genres
What’s trending in Spanish drama series and how the sector fares abroad and at home were some of the points briefly outlined by Gloria Saló from Spanish consultancy firm GECA on Tuesday during a Mipco...
1 week ago
YouTube’s Virtues, Industry Consolidation, Christie Brinkley and ‘Baywatch’: Trends and Themes From a Busy Mipcom
A new virtuous circle is emerging for media and entertainment giants that promises to harness the advantages of disparate platforms, digital and linear, powered by the connective tissue of YouTube. Th...
1 week ago
Karla Sofía Gascon, Itziar Ituño Set for Political Fantasy Satire ‘When Devils Rule’ from Spain’s Atlantika Films (EXCLUSIVE)
Karla Sofía Gascón, Oscar-nominated for “Emila Perez,” and Itziar Ituño of “Money Heist” have committed to star in the good vs. evil Spanish TV show “When Devils Rule” (“Los demones mandan”), to be pi...
1 week ago
Mipcom Title ‘The Castle’ Shapes Up as Another Hit From ‘La Bola Negra’ Producer Movistar Plus
“Zodiac” with sex clubs, but a case also seen from the POV of the perpetrator and a victim, “The Castle” “El Castillo”) a big hit at San Sebastián, marks the series creator debut of Isabel Peña, part ...
1 week ago
Netflix’s ‘Victorious’ Spinoff ‘Hollywood Arts’ Is a Bland Copy of Shows From a Past Era: TV Review
Thirteen years after Nickelodeon’s “Victorious” did its final curtain call, Netflix is returning to the Los Angeles-based performing arts school with a brand-new spinoff, “Hollywood Arts.” Created by ...
1 week ago
Gersh Launches Victoria House, Expanding Into Scripted Films, True Crime and International Co-Productions (EXCLUSIVE)
Gersh is stepping up its international content ambitions with the launch of Victoria House, the new identity of Emmy-winning Spanish production outfit You First Originals, as the U.S. talent agency co...
1 week ago
Kirti Kulhari’s Production Debut ‘Kinaare’ to Premiere at Dharamshala, Rima Das’ ‘Not a Hero’ to Open Festival
Kirti Kulhari’s first feature as a producer, “Kinaare” (“Shores”), will premiere at the 15th Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF), which will open with Rima Das’ Berlin-awarded “Not a Hero.”...
1 week ago
‘South Park’: Stan Discovers Sephora’s Backrooms Before Ike Aura Battles a Looksmaxxing Chad
In the third episode of “South Park” Season 29, the gang gets stuck in Sephora’s “Backroom,” Stan’s dad shrinks himself using products from the beauty chain and aura battles take over South America (t...
1 week ago
‘To Be Ordinary’ Review: A Compassionate, Even-Handed Taiwanese Family Melodrama
A high-speed traffic accident leaves a college student in a wheelchair for life, but that’s merely the starting point of the narrative in “To Be Ordinary,” a sensitive, slowly enveloping film with sca...
1 week ago
Sylvester Stallone Has ‘Millions of Regrets’ About Doing His Own Stunts: ‘I’m An Idiot for Doing That’
Sylvester Stallone is opening up about how decades of daredevilry have affected him—and why he considers himself an “idiot” for continuing to do his own stunts year after year. In a recent interview w...
1 week ago
Academy CEO Bill Kramer to Head to Tokyo for Leadership Award and Onstage Summit With Toho Boss Matsuoka Hiro
Academy CEO Bill Kramer is set to make his first trip to Asia later this month. He will collect a leadership award at the Tokyo International Film Festival and also sit down with Toho president and CE...
1 week ago
‘The Lowdown’ Creator Sterlin Harjo on the Films That Inspired Season 2, and What Convinced Tommy Lee Jones to Join the Show
As “The Lowdown” Season 2 opens, citizen journalist (or “truthstorian”) Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke) is in a completely uncomfortable position: success. He’s about accept a local media award for a piece h...
1 week ago
Anthony Edwards Names Justin Bieber ‘White Boy of the Year’ in Satirical Believe That Awards (EXCLUSIVE)
Move over, Chalamet — there’s a new white boy of the year. Minnesota Timberwolves player Anthony Edwards has brought back his satirical Believe That Awards, which went viral in 2025 — reaching 150 mil...
1 week ago
‘Full House’ Star Jodie Sweetin Says Dave Coulier is ‘Doing Great’ Following ‘Tough Battle’ with Cancer
Jodie Sweetin is giving fans a health update on her “Full House” co-star Dave Coulier, eight months after the actor announced he was in remission from tongue cancer. Speaking with People, Sweetin said...
1 week ago
‘Abbott Elementary’ Star William Stanford Davis Sets Memoir ‘Don’t Mess With the Fat Kid’ (EXCLUSIVE)
William Stanford Davis, who stars in “Abbott Elementary” as the janitor Mr. Johnson, is publishing a memoir titled “Don’t Mess With the Fat Kid” via BenBella Books. “Don’t Mess With the Fat Kid” will ...
1 week ago
‘Lanterns’ Season 2 Won’t Be Greenlit Until the Writers’ Room ‘Comes Up With a Worthy Successor to a Great First Season’
While HBO’s “Lanterns” hasn’t yet scored a second season renewal, one could be on the way depending on how things go in the writers’ room, according to DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran. While he didn’...
1 week ago
‘Beach Fictions’ Review: Utterly Beguiling, Time-Tweaking Korean Romance Shows What a Day a Difference Makes
Fatalism, self-determination and imagination all gently wrestle for control of the narrative(s) in “Beach Fictions,” an enchanting and subtly profound diptych that follows one young woman through two ...
1 week ago
Critics Vindicate ‘Artificial’ After Messy Amazon MGM Breakup (and the Studios vs. Talent Wars Around AI Are Just Beginning)
Looks like “Artificial” is the real thing. Luca Guadagnino’s genre-blending movie about the evils of artificial intelligence (and one of its fathers, Sam Altman) had a triumphant U.K. premiere at the ...
1 week ago
Zach Bryan Announces 2027 Stadium Tour Dates, John Fogerty, Ryan Bingham, More to Support
Just days after announcing his “Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs” EP will be dropping this week — and not long after he broke the attendance record at Robert Kraft’s Gillette Stadium while wea...
1 week ago
’60 Minutes’ Sees Audience Dip Without NFL Lead-In
What was all the fuss about? An average of 6.06 million people tuned in to watch an episode of “60 Minutes” that became the spark of an intense debate between longtime correspondent Lesley Stahl and C...
1 week ago
Fox’s $22 Billion Roku Deal Approved by Shareholders of Both Companies
In an expected development, shareholders for both Fox Corp. and Roku voted to approve Fox’s $22 billion acquisition of the streaming-video platform company. At separate special meetings of shareholder...
1 week ago
YouTube to Label AI-Generated Songs Across Its Platforms: Listeners ‘Want Transparency’
YouTube will label AI-generated songs across its main website and YouTube Music, the latest service to publicly mark tracks as not produced by humans. “Generative AI is opening up new ways for artists...
1 week ago
Markus Schleinzer on Sandra Hüller, Star of His Austrian Oscar Entry ‘Rose’ and a Berlin Best Lead Performance Winner: ‘She’s the Queen’
As a filmmaker, Markus Schleinzer owes much to his 17-year career as a casting director. “Directing a movie and being a casting director are quite similar jobs,” he tells Variety. Both require making ...
1 week ago
Sally Rooney Speaks Out on Her Books Being Removed from U.K. Shelves Over Palestine Action Support: ‘I Am Wholly Prepared to Accept the Consequences’
Sally Rooney is sticking to her guns. The Irish author behind the bestselling novels “Conversations with Friends” and “Normal People” — the latter adapted into an award-winning miniseries that launche...
1 week ago
Variety’s 2026 Artisans to Watch: ‘Obsession’ Makeup Head, ‘Project Hail Mary’ Visual Effects Supervisor, ‘La Bola Negra’ Composer and More
In 2026, moviegoers came back to cinemas, packing theaters to see blockbusters like “The Odyssey,” “Project Hail Mary,” “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” “Toy Story 5,” “Michael” and “The Super Mario Galax...
1 week ago
‘Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed’ Renewed for Season 2 at Apple TV
“Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” has been renewed for a second season at Apple TV. Per the official logline, the series stars “follows newly divorced mom Paula (Tatiana Maslany) as she falls down a dange...
1 week ago
Bob Daly to Step Down as Chair of AFI Board of Directors (EXCLUSIVE)
After 17 years of leadership, Bob Daly will step down as chair of the American Film Institute Board of Directors at the next trustee meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 21, Variety can reveal exclusively. Daly...
1 week ago
Box Office: ‘Street Fighter’ Aims for $30 Million Opening, ‘You Can See Everything’ Could Score $8 Million Start
Strength in numbers? Movie theater operators are hoping the adage proves true as four new movies aim to bolster the October box office. Paramount’s video game adaptation “Street Fighter” will lead ove...
1 week ago
Mark Duplass Joins Cast of Hulu’s Erotic Thriller Limited Series ‘Victoria’
Mark Duplass has been added to the cast of Hulu’s limited series “Victoria,” joining previously announced stars Li Jun Li and Diane Lane. The San Francisco-set drama is described as an “erotic thrille...
1 week ago
‘Dune’ Immersive Experience Heads to L.A With Real Props, Sandworms and a $250 VIP Package
Fans won’t have to wait until December to return to Arrakis. Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment are bringing the world of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” films to downtown Los Angeles next month, with...
1 week ago
Celine Dion Gets Her Own Barbie Doll Inspired by Iconic ‘Titanic’ Oscars Performance
Celine Dion’s comeback year now includes a Barbie doll. Mattel has unveiled a new collectible doll honoring the Canadian superstar, recreating her look from the 1998 Academy Awards, where she performe...
1 week ago
Steve Hilton, Republican Candidate for Governor, Rolls Out Expanded Hollywood Plan
Steve Hilton, the Republican contender for California governor, rolled out a plan Wednesday to revive Hollywood production that includes increased tax credits and state-backed financing for studio rep...
1 week ago
Xavier Becerra’s Film Policy Is Vague. Was It Written by AI?
On his campaign website, Xavier Becerra has a page devoted to Hollywood. The 1,600-word policy statement is long on platitudes — “California Is the Home of Film and TV and We Intend to Keep It That Wa...
1 week ago
For the Love of Television, Please Watch ‘The Lowdown’ Season 2: TV Review
On the one hand, it wouldn’t be very apt for a show about a scrappy citizen journalist in a small heartland city to become a massive hit. On the other, FX’s “The Lowdown” was one of the great TV......
1 week ago
Universal Music Group Hit With Layoffs, Several Top Execs to Leave Company
As has long been expected, Universal Music Group is being hit with extensive layoffs across its U.S. and U.K. operations, with multiple top executives departing, among many others. The moves, which ar...
1 week ago
‘Hazara Town,’ About the Hazara Community in Pakistan, Acquired by Filmotor Ahead of IDFA World Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)
World sales outfit Filmotor has acquired the global sales rights to “Hazara Town,” the debut feature documentary by Khadim Dai. The film will have its world premiere in the International Competition a...
1 week ago
Nia Long Joins Teyana Taylor’s Directorial Debut ‘Get Lite’ at Paramount (EXCLUSIVE)
After starring in the blockbuster biopic “Michael,” Nia Long has joined the cast of Teyana Taylor’s directorial debut “Get Lite.” The Paramount movie stars Emmy winner Storm Reid and NFL rookie-turned...
1 week ago
ESPN Launches ESPN JV YouTube Channel for Kids
ESPN JV isn’t for second-stringers. The new YouTube channel aims to cultivate younger sports fans who will keep the Disney sports-media giant in mind as they grow up. The new channel, to be found at y...
1 week ago
RadicalMedia’s New CEO Wants to Test Business Models That Give Production Powerhouse Stakes in Work It Does for Others
At production powerhouse RadicalMedia, the only thing constant is change. Originally conceived as a way for founders Jon Kamen and Frank Scherma to explore new content formats after many years in the ...
1 week ago
Netflix Film VP Doug Belgrad Is Out Amid Layoffs
Netflix’s film VP Doug Belgrad has been let go amid a massive restructuring at the streamer. Netflix is laying off around 1,000 employees, around 6% of its workforce, in what marks the company’s large...
1 week ago
Wang Chao’s ‘A Woman’ Swooped on by France’s Malavida, Which Sets 2027 Retrospective
LYON, France — French distributor Malavida has picked up Wang Chao’s “A Woman,” the Chinese filmmaker’s 2022 drama that won the screenplay prize at San Sebastián but has never received a theatrical re...
1 week ago
Content Market and Conference Mipcom Attracts 10,100 Delegates, Down by Around 500
As Mipcom, the annual content market and conference in Cannes, wound down on Wednesday, Lucy Smith, the event’s chief, revealed attendance figures for this year’s edition. Total attendance this year w...
1 week ago
Paul McCartney Calls Out Beatles Movies Because Paul Mescal Is Shorter Than John Lennon Actor; He Texted Director Sam Mendes: ‘Don’t Do This!’
Paul McCartney has a bone to pick with Sam Mendes, the director of the upcoming four Beatles movies starring Paul Mescal as McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison ...
1 week ago
English (US) 