Warner Bros.’ “Sinners” has become a can’t-miss film, and the box office numbers show it. After earning a strong $48 million opening weekend, Ryan Coogler’s original horror film is holding its second weekend drop to a breathtaking 8% as industry estimates are projecting a $44 million total.

Exhibitor sources tell TheWrap that despite being in theaters for a week, sold out screenings for premium formats are being reported in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta and San Francisco. For Warner Bros., this is their best second weekend hold since their 2018 hit romcom “Crazy Rich Asians,” which opened to $26.5 million and then dropped just 6.4% with a $24.8 million second weekend.

The film is now on pace to become the first original film since Disney/Pixar’s “Coco” eight years ago to gross $200 million domestic with an industry estimated $121 million total through Sunday. Since its release, “Sinners” has enjoyed a level of critical and audience...

British actress Emma Mackey is set to star as the White Witch in Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia” movie at Netflix, TheWrap has learned.

The “Narnia” film is due to shoot this year with a screenplay by Gerwig, who also directs and will be shooting with Imax cameras. The upcoming film is apparently based on the sixth novel of the series, “The Magician’s Nephew.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the news, “White Witch, whose name is Jadis, is the primary antagonist of not just ‘Magician’s Nephew’ but also the best known of all the Narnia books, ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.’”

Mackey joins a cast which includes Meryl Streep, who is currently in talks to play Aslan, the talking lion who in the books is the King of Kings.

Gerwig’s “Narnia,” an adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ beloved fantasy series, is set to...

Bruce Logan, a special effects and cinematography innovator and pioneer who worked on “Star Wars” and “2001: A Space Odyssey,” died April 10 at the age of 78.

Logan’s daughter Mary Grace Logan confirmed his death on Instagram, where she wrote that her father changed the movie industry “before CGI ruled the screen.”

He was one of the “visionaries who lit the future by hand,” Mary Grace continued. “From ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ to ‘Tron,’ my dad didn’t just work on movies—he made magic. A rebel with a camera, a pioneer with a story, and my personal hero.”

“I’m so proud to be your daughter and to honor your life and legacy. Daddy—aka Bruce Logan, ASC—was a visionary cinematographer, director, and visual effects pioneer whose artistry illuminated films like ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Tron,’ and ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.'”

“But beyond your remarkable career, you were my dad.

Michael B. Jordan’s new movie version of The Thomas Crown Affair will be hoping for a big score in early 2027.

Amazon MGM Studios is set to release the heist film theatrically and in IMAX on March 5, 2027. Jordan directs and stars alongside Taylor Russell in the feature that follows Norman Jewison’s 1968 original of the same name starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway.

Drew Pearce (The Fall Guy) wrote the script for the new movie after Wes Tooke and Justin Britt-Gibson penned a previous draft. Serving as producers are Patrick McCormick and Marc Toberoff, while Jordan produces for his banner Outlier Society alongside Elizabeth Raposo. Alan Trustman, writer of the original film, executive produces.

The original Thomas Crown Affair landed two Oscar nominations and tells the story of an insurance investigator working to track down the perpetrator of a bank heist. It was remade in 1999, with the updated version starring Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo.

Jesse Plemons is headed to Panem. The acclaimed actor has joined the cast of “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” as a young version of Plutarch Heavensbee.

Plutarch was portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman in original films “Catching Fire” and “Mockingjay” Parts 1 and 2. Hoffman died in 2014 after filming the majority of his scenes for the “Mockingjay” films, with only a week of shooting remaining.

Director Francis Lawrence did not use any CGI technology to replicate the actor’s performance, instead choosing to rewrite scenes and give Hoffman’s dialogue to other actors. “He was one of the greatest actors, I think, of all time and I just think to try to fake a Philip Seymour Hoffman performance would have been catastrophic and I would never want to do that,” Lawrence said at the time. “I just think this was the best way to be able to get around such a horrible thing.

A judge has thrown out a lawsuit challenging Warner Bros.’ copyright to “Superman” in 10 countries, finding that the federal courts have no jurisdiction over the dispute.

Mark Peary, the nephew of late “Superman” co-creator Joe Shuster, sued the studio and its DC Comics subsidiary in January, arguing that Shuster’s estate had a right to cancel “Superman” copyrights in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, and other territories.

In a ruling on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman held that the court has no authority to address the estate’s rights under foreign laws.

“The Court concludes that it lacks subject-matter jurisdiction over this case; the case therefore must be and is dismissed,” Furman wrote.

Undeterred, Peary filed a nearly identical lawsuit on Friday morning in state court in New York. The state suit seeks an injunction that could, in theory, interfere with the July 11 release of “Superman,” the franchise...

Simona Tabasco, fresh off her breakout role on Season 2 of “The White Lotus,” has joined the cast of the upcoming horror-thriller, “Corporate Retreat.” The film’s ensemble also includes Alan Ruck (“Succession”), Ashton Sanders (“Moonlight”) and Rosanna Arquette (“Pulp Fiction”).

Aaron Fisher (“Inside the Rain”) is directing “Corporate Retreat” with principal photography set to start in June. Uri Singer (“White Noise”) is producing the film. Fisher and Kerri Lee Romeo co-wrote the script.

Tabasco received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work as a clever and calculating sex worker on HBO’s “The White Lotus,” as well as a SAG Award in the Drama Ensemble category. She also starred opposite Sydney Sweeney in Michael Mohan’s psychological horror film “Immaculate,” which was a box office hit when it was released in 2024. Before her appearing on the HBO series, Tabasco appeared in several Italian series and movies,...

Sydney Sweeney is set to star in a film adaptation of hit video game “Split Fiction” with Jon M. Chu directing, Variety has learned. The script for the movie is being written by “Deadpool & Wolverine” screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

The “Split Fiction” film will be produced by Mike Goldberg and Dmitri M. Johnson’s Story Kitchen (formerly dj2 Entertainment), which is taking out the talent package now to studios, and Chu’s Electric Somewhere. Sweeney is set to executive produce.

From developer Hazelight Studios and publisher Electronic Arts, “Split Fiction” blends fantasy and science fiction, following a pair of authors, Mio and Zoe, who become trapped in the worlds they wrote. Written by director and Hazelight studio chief Josef Fares and Sebastian Johansson, “Split Fiction” is a co-op adventure game that features gameplay mechanics involving split-screen combat, platforming challenges and differing abilities for each character.

Sources tell...

Blue Finch Films has closed a raft of international deals for its animated festival darling “Lesbian Space Princess,” which took home the Teddy Award following its world premiere at this year’s Berlinale.

Cineverse’s curated streaming service Fandor has nabbed U.S. rights to the LGBTQ+ animated feature with plans for a theatrical rollout later this year. The stateside pact was hammered out between Cineverse’s executive director of acquisitions Brandon Hill and Blue Finch’s Mike Chapman, who represented the filmmakers.

Additional territory sales include Canada (Renaissance Media), Germany (Salzgeber), Spain (SelectaVision), Singapore (Anticipate Pictures), and Ukraine (KyivMusicFilm), with Umbrella Entertainment handling rights for Australia and New Zealand. Blue Finch stated that more deals will be announced shortly.

The debut feature from Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese follows a sheltered space princess who embarks on a galactic mission to rescue her bounty hunter ex-girlfriend from the Straight White Maliens.

"Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" is an interesting exercise in localizing international television for American audiences. The show spliced together fight footage from the "Super Sentai" series "Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger" with clips of U.S. actors playing teenagers to create wholly original stories about a group of teens when they're not fighting evil creatures. The result was the first "Power Rangers" show, which remains a good time all these years later. It was also a monumental hit in its day, lasting for three seasons while combining different generations of "Super Sentai" into a Frankenstein's Monster of a TV series (even if the kids watching at home never realized that's what it was).

But "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" was more than just a ratings superpower; it was also a merchandising juggernaut and pop culture phenomenon, spawning a theatrical film and even a live touring show in 1995. Nevertheless, the series eventually came to an end,...

1989's "Batman" made Tim Burton a box office hero, exposed mass audiences to a truly dark interpretation of the Dark Knight, and ensured Joker actor Jack Nicholson never ran out of money for the rest of his life. The movie was a major success, changing how Hollywood marketed blockbuster movies going forward and influencing every single superhero movie that came in its wake. Burton himself is a big part of why the movie worked as well as it did, holding fast to his artistic vision for the character even as Warner Bros. tried to steer him away from it at multiple turns. But we also wouldn't have that vision without Sam Hamm and Warren Skaaren's script, which contains some of the most memorable lines in superhero movie history, from Joker's "Where does he get those wonderful toys?" to Michael Keaton's legendary "I'm Batman."

Interestingly enough, that script took...

Virginia Giuffre, an earlier accuser of Jeffrey Epstein and founder of the Speak Out, Act Out, Reclaim (Soar) nonprofit, died at her farm in Western Australia on April 25, according to The New York Times. She was 41.

According to a statement from Giuffre’s family to the Times, she died by suicide, less than a month after she posted on Instagram that she was in danger of dying of renal failure. Giuffre had incurred injuries as part of a car crash with a school bus, in which she was allegedly traveling at nearly 70 miles per hour.

“The world lost a fierce warrior,” Giuffre’s sister-in-law, Amanda Roberts, told People. “She wished for all survivors to get justice. That is who she was.” In a statement, her family described Giuffre as “the light that lifted so many survivors.”

In 2009, Giuffre (then identified as Jane Doe 102) sued Epstein and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, accusing...

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At one point in the mid-2010s, "The Walking Dead" was the biggest show on cable television. More than that, the zombie series, which was based on Robert Kirkman's Image Comics title of the same name, had generated an entire multimedia franchise. AMC struck gold, and the network was looking to capitalize in a big way around 2018, making the jump from the big screen to the small screen.

In November 2018, it was confirmed that Andrew Lincoln would headline a trilogy of "Walking Dead" movies centered on Rick Grimes. These were intended as big-budget features that would expand the scope of the franchise in a big, bad way. "The Walking Dead" chief content officer Scott M. Gimple had this to say about the ambitious project at the time of its announcement:

"The story of Rick will go on in films.

With over 100 IMDb credits to his name, Tobin Bell first debuted in an uncredited role in Woody Allen's "Manhattan" in 1979, and has been consistently performing in film and television for more than four decades. But his legacy and most memorable performance is with the "Saw" series thanks to his role as the maniacal trap architect and retribution seeker Jigsaw, aka John Kramer. "Saw" put the so-called "torture porn" subgenre on the map and features one of the most convoluted timelines in movie history, but what anchors all the twists and turns is Tobin Bell's chillingly even-keeled performance.

Interestingly, one of Tobin Bell's many credits is on the NBC sitcom "Seinfeld," in season 4, episode 18, "The Old Man." The episode centers around Jerry and the gang volunteering for a senior citizen program, which inadvertently ends up helping with Kramer and Newman's scheme to make money by selling records. Tobin Bell's...

It’s easy to see shadows of David Cronenberg in his newest film, “The Shrouds,” now playing in theaters via Sideshow and Janus Films. Vincent Cassel stars as Karsh, a Canadian tech guru who creates a graveyard where you can watch your loved ones rot in their coffin in real-time via an app. Between Karsh’s styling — which looks very similar to Cronenberg’s signature shock of hair and minimalist chic wardrobe — and the fact that Cronenberg wrote this film after his wife’s passing in 2017, many critics took this to mean the work was largely autobiographical. Cronenberg’s rejection of the notion was just one of the first surprising musings from a discussion with Variety about his approach to art, including his consideration of the audience, embrace of technology and rejection of genre.

So many of your movies feel like they have personal elements. “The Shrouds” seems like one of your most personal works.

In discussions of Sherwood Schwartz's 1964 sitcom "Gilligan's Island," one can often detect a note of ambivalence from the speaker. On the one hand, "Gilligan's Island" may be one of the most important American texts, providing the nation with their own updated version of Commedia dell'Arte archetypes; even those who haven't seen "Gilligan's Island" might know each of the seven central figures by name, and what their personalities are. Thanks to eternal reruns, multiple generations grew up watching "Gilligan's Island," allowing it to seep deeply into the American subconscious.

At the same time, however, most people acknowledge that "Gilligan's Island" is supremely stupid. The gags are lightweight, kid-friendly, and don't require much intellectual engagement from an audience. The jokes are, by Schwartz's own admission, silly and dumb. The seven stranded castaways are ostensibly fighting for survival, but they never face any serious issues of scarcity or starvation. Everyone typically wears the same outfits,...

We all kind of think we know what VFX looks like — or at least what bad VFX looks like. We can often feel when computer-generated imagery clashes with the visual language of a film’s world and is too plastic-y or textureless, when that world is all of a sudden too dark or crumbling into an indistinct mass of large-scale destruction porn. Especially with greater attention now on the punishing crunches and production sprints imposed on visual effects artists and the advent of soulless AI slop, there’s been a reaction against VFX as a useful tool, a desire to do everything practically — or at least a desire to say that everything is being done practically.

“The Legend of Ochi” got caught up in this “VFX is for Marvel movies (derogatory)” discourse when the first trailer for the A24 film dropped. So many online comments accused the film of being...

Of the three sitcoms in "The Big Bang Theory" universe, "Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage" is easily the least nerdiest. The show centers around Montana Jordan and Emily Osment's titular newlyweds as they work blue-collar jobs and raise their baby in Texas, never discussing science, "Star Trek," or any of the other subjects Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and his buddies are interested in. Sheldon doesn't feature in the latest spin-off either, which gives the show an advantage, according to co-creator Steve Holland in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

"This is the first time in 18 years that we're not writing for Sheldon, and Sheldon's a great character and I'm so proud to have been a part of writing that character, but this is a different show. I don't have to keep Googling science facts anymore or trying to pretend that I know what I'm talking about."

Holland added that "Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage...

At some point in the future, the number of Stephen King adaptations on screen will outpace the number of stories the horror master has written for the page. Hollywood is always hungry for new and old King tales alike, and has rarely slowed its adaptation machine down in the nearly 50 years since "Carrie" first hit theaters.

At a certain point, it became clear that King, who's only produced a handful of adaptations based on his own work, would have to cede control of his considerable source material and let each new interpretation do its own thing. Still, he's famously made his opinions on the adaptations known over the years, and always seems interested in the ways filmmakers distinguish their version of the story from his. Several King movies and shows by now feel like unique properties in their own right, with Osgood Perkins' deeply personal and sickly hilarious take on...

On this week’s Screen Talk, co-hosts Anne Thompson and Ryan Lattanzio dig into Ryan Coogler’s $90-million period vampire musical “Sinners,” starring Michael B. Jordan as twins Smoke and Stack, as well as the boffo box office and the controversial deal.

Warners opened the movie to a bigger-than-expected $48 million Easter weekend, and a weak $15 million overseas. The only other horror film to ever earn an A CinemaScore was James Cameron’s sequel “Aliens” in 1986. It’s rare and bodes well for a broader audience. Nearly half of the opening-day audience was Black, which increased to 38 percent by the weekend’s end.

Warners has bragging rights over this one and, with “A Minecraft Movie,” enjoyed two movies grossing over $40 million. It spells some relief for embattled studio heads Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy. The movie is original and unusual, and thoughtful and entertaining enough to warrant success. It’s...

David Carson's 1994 film "Star Trek: Generations," contained a very, very convenient contrivance. It seems that there was a small, free-floating energy ribbon, nicknamed the Nexus, that regularly traversed the galaxy. The Nexus contained a seemingly infinite micro-universe where time never passed. When a humanoid was sucked inside of the Nexus, they found themselves in what was essentially Heaven. Some unexplained psychic force in the Nexus provided its denizens with their deepest wishes. Captain Kirk (William Shatner) was sucked into the Nexus at the start of "Generations," and Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) was sucked in 87 years later. Because time had no meaning in the Nexus, though, the two men could meet at the same moment. 

Picard explains to Kirk that he was sucked into the Nexus while trying to stop a mad scientist named Dr. Soren (Malcolm McDowell) for destroying a star and wiping out an inhabited planet that orbited it.

Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) has officially launched her Late Night show. This means that after hours of seemingly tilting at comedy and Hollywood industry windmills, not to mention an escalating feud with head writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), “Hacks” Season 4 needed a late-night show of its very own. Production designer Rob Tokarz was given an honest-to-goodness late-night soundstage — the Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky-created Max series picks up the baton, location-wise, from the studio where Conan and Kelly Clarkson shot talk shows in the past — and the task of Vance-ifying it.

But “Hacks” has always been in touch with how its two protagonists fit into the larger history of women in entertainment — no less of an icon than Carol Burnett gives Deborah advice on how to get over the nerves of finally being on the verge of achieving her dream — and the all-too-current absurdities that...

It doesn't sound too surprising when a show with a 20-year lifespan decides to go off the air, but it came as a real shock when the cast and crew "Gunsmoke" learned about the show's sudden cancellation. Without a proper heads up that their version of Dodge City was going dark, the long-running CBS western drama was without a proper ending for our main characters. That decision was made on account of the higher-ups cleaning house, playing the time-honored game of out with the old, in with the new. The "good ol' days" era of when "Gunsmoke" was on television was coming to a close, leaving the show in an awkward position.

The best thing you can hope for in a series finale is something memorable to leave longtime viewers with, but the season 20 closer isn't exactly the best note for "Gunsmoke" to go out on. "The Sharecroppers," which aired...

After tackling gender power dynamics in the post #MeToo era, Prime Video’s raunchy comedy series “Escort Boys” is returning for a second season that’s several shades darker and is world premiering today at Canneseries.

Adapted from the Israeli show “Johnny and the Knights of Galilee” (“Milk and Honey”) and directed by Ruben Alves, the half-hour comedy series portrays four young men who become escorts to make ends meet and save their family business in a picturesque town in Southern France.

Boldly addressing timely themes such as romantic love, female sexuality and toxic masculinity, Season 1 was a hit, even luring Wild Bunch TV which acquired international sales (to seasons 1 and 2), and France’s leading commercial channel TF1 which bought second-window rights.

Myriam Gharbi-de Vasselot at Mediawan-owned Oberkampf Productions ‘(“Les Papillons Noirs”) who produced the series with Charlotte Toledano-Detaille and Rtl Tvi, said Season 2 is taking a departure from the original format.

Among the more popular genres in K-dramas, i.e. South Korean scripted television, are heartbreakingly sad dramas and hilarious family comedies, with both consistently a hit with local audiences. One particularly popular series, combining elements of both, was the 2023 medical dramedy "Doctor Cha." Though successful overall, especially in its native South Korea, the show did garner a significant amount of local controversy during the course of its initial broadcast run. This prompted a formal response from the creative behind the series, with the controversy fortunately not overshadowing the show's legacy or visibly impacting its viewership numbers or critical reception.

"Doctor Cha" follows middle-aged housewife Cha Jeong-suk (Uhm Jung-hwa), who tabled her aspirations of a medical career to focus on raising her family. After a near-death experience, however, Jeong-suk decides to resume pursuing her professional dreams by working at the local hospital where her estranged husband Seo In-ho (Kim Byung-chul) is the chief surgeon.

Opening title sequences are dying a slow death. Though they may have been replaced by the closing credits sequence (thanks Marvel), even those are a rare treat. Filmmakers simply don't deliver a 2.5-minute opening title sequence that often, perhaps suspecting today's viewers don't have the patience. Blame our micro-second attention spans, somewhere between fruit flies and goldfish. Or maybe -- considering every other movie is a 2.5-plus-hour epic -- filmmakers simply don't want to spend one second on scenes they didn't shoot. Whatever the reason, it's a darn shame, as great opening title sequences have often contributed greatly to cinematic masterpieces. So we're going to celebrate the best!

Firstly, we're saluting opening title sequences, not opening credits scenes. What's the distinction? While a title sequence is separate from the movie itself, whjile a scene occurs within the movie. Secondly, this is not a ranking. Honestly, we're not even sure how...

There are some shows that break into the cultural consciousness at the exact right time and "Seinfeld" is no doubt one of them. Creating a sitcom that serves as a pillar of television comedy whose fire can never be extinguished is a testament to the sharp writing of series co-creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. Over three decades on, "The Contest" is rightfully upheld as one of the funniest sitcom episodes ever produced. It's all thanks to the teamwork of the show's writers and the foursome ensemble, who were often a perfect storm of comedic genius. It's no accident that some of the funniest bits, however, emanate from Jason Alexander.

"Was that wrong; should I not have done that" is a great line to come out of George Costanza in defending his decision to have sex with the cleaning woman on his desk in "The Red Dot," but the two...

"Sinners" isn't slowing down. After surpassing expectations at the box office in its debut last week, Ryan Coogler's Jim Crow-era vampire horror is on track to drop just 8% in its second weekend. Variety reports that "Sinners" grossed $13 million on Friday and is looking at an estimated $42 million+ total for the weekend, compared to its $48 million domestic opening last week. That's a phenomenal hold, considering it's typical for movies to drop 40-60% in their second weekend.

It's even more impressive when you take into account the fact that the opening weekend total included $4.7 million in Thursday previews. The Friday-to-Sunday total was $43.3 million, meaning that "Sinners" is not only holding steady but could actually go even bigger this weekend than it did in its first. Exhibitors have responded to the demand, with the movie expanding from 3,308 venues to 3,347. 

Anecdotally, here in the UK, my local multiplex started "Sinners" in an 89-seater...

A generation of kids grew up watching Raja Gosnell's 2002 live-action comedy flick "Scooby-Doo," an adaptation of Hanna-Barbera's long-running Scooby-Doo cartoon shows from the 1970s. In the film, Freddy, originally voiced by Frank Welker, was played by Freddie Prinze, Jr., and Shaggy, originally voiced by Casey Kasem, was played by Matthew Lillard. Prinze was squarely in the public eye after starring in hit films like "She's All That" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer," while Lillard was famous for his turns in "Hackers," "Scream," and "Slc Punk!" Lillard, incidentally, was also in "She's All That." Both actors were very much their generation's "It" boys, and the decade proved to be very lucrative for them both. 

Well, "Wing Commander" notwithstanding. 

"Wing Commander" is not well-remembered by too many people. It was based on a series of 1990s "Wing Commander" video games created by Chris Roberts, who also directed the film.

The 2007 CBS TV series "Viva Laughlin" was a remake of the show "Blackpool," which ran on BBC One in the mid-2000s. In the British series, David Morrissey played Ripley Holden, a character who became embroiled in a murder in a local video arcade right when he was planning on transforming it into a hotel and casino. Georgia Taylor played Shyanne, Ripley's bratty daughter, while Sarah Parish portrayed Ripley's wife Natalie, and erstwhile "Doctor Who" star David Tennant played a cop who was convinced that Ripley was guilty. "Blackpool" ran for six episodes in 2004 and then returned for a 2006 TV movie titled "Viva Blackpool." The show's main selling point was that it featured multiple musical numbers in every episode. The works of Elvis Presley, Elvis Costello, Queen, Billy Idol, the Clash, and many others were crooned by the cast.

In 2007, "Blackpool" was adapted for the American airwaves by Bob Lowry...

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We are already a quarter through 2025, and it is clear that television has been quite exemplary so far. One of the year's most buzzed-about series is the Max original, "The Pitt," which stars Noah Wyle as the protagonist, Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinovitch. Wyle is receiving widespread acclaim, with some predicting him to be a major contender at this year's Primetime Emmy Awards, having been nominated five times for his role as John Carter, M.D. in "ER."

Noah Wyle has had quite the prolific career, appearing in numerous TV series and films in both lead and supporting roles. Through his work in television, he has appeared in "Falling Skies," "The Librarians," and "Leverage: Redemption." Some of his notable film appearances include "A Few Good Men," "Donnie Darko," and "W." However, one of his most famous roles was as arguably the...

Although he returns to theaters this weekend with the video game adaptation “Until Dawn,” director David F. Sandberg reportedly swore off working on IP-based projects after the negative fan response to “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.”

Sandberg spoke candidly to GamesRadar about how his experience working on the “Shazam!” sequel (particularly the negativity from fans) drove him away from seeking out IP-based projects, at least temporarily.

“I mean, to be honest, fans can get very, very crazy and very angry with you,” Sandberg said. “You can get, like, death threats and everything, so after ‘Shazam 2,’ I was like, ‘I never wanna do another IP-based movie because it’s just not worth it.'”

Though “Shazam!” may have soured his appetite for IP, Sandberg said the script for his new film, “Until Dawn,” was so good he couldn’t pass it up. “I was sent this script, and I was like,...

When reality begins to catch up to dystopian fiction, such speculative stories lose their edge over time. The same can be said about the latest entries in Charlie Brooker's "Black Mirror," a show once hailed as bleakly provocative in the best sense of the term. It's possible our current reality is so hopelessly strange that the show's cautionary, pessimistic stories can't help but feel hollow in comparison.

All the same, "Black Mirror" has consistently told timely, thought-provoking tales about technological excess, absurdist metropolises, and the steady erasure of everything that makes us human. The series brings a distinct vibe to mainstream television, one where we hunger for stories that push the limits of the genre while compelling us to slow down and think. There's a conscious desire for episodes that take wild swings, especially ones that combine the chilling coldness of technology with the warmth of human connection (which...

Bryce Dallas Howard may still not have gotten a chance to direct her dad, Ron, but she’s at least been able to see someone else do so. Speaking at a recent Q&a for a live version of Josh Horowitz’s “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Bryce revealed that she was on hand for her father’s recent cameo on Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s hit Hollywood satire “The Studio.” The Apple TV+ comedy sees Howard play a much more aggressive version of himself caught up in the middle of a difficult editing process with executives.

“I was very nervous for him, so I went with him. I was like a ‘momager,'” said Bryce. “I went with him to set. I liked what he was wearing, I approved of that.”

Bryce also joked about making sure “he was hydrated.” In truth though, Ron proved a pro, being “so...

It's hard to say if the 1994 late-night TV series "Weird TV" could really be described as a "sketch comedy show." It was more like a collage show or a showcase of the weird. The series' executive producer, Chuck Cirino, assembled hour-long freakouts that consisted of comedic sketches, yes, but also documentary shorts, imported live-action films, and other experimental video projects. One might more accurately describe it as a media barrage, an artifact from a phenomenon that '90s outsiders once referred to as "culture jamming" or "reality hacking."

Indeed, there was an underground movement in the 1980s and '90s that sought to sift through the blithering mess of American media and re-edit it in such a way that, for lack of a better term, the truth of all things was revealed. It was a time when archivists were having a ball spelunking into the deepest and darkest of pop cultural obscurities,...

Although Anna Kendrick, who starred in the first “Accountant” film, is missing from the sequel, franchise director Gavin O’Connor says she’s ready to help complete the trilogy.

Joined by star Ben Affleck and screenwriter Bill Dubuque, O’Connor told The New York Times that Kendrick is ready to return as Christian Wolff’s love interest, Dana Cummings, for a potential third film. Affleck added that he, too, is ready for a threequel, and is “just waiting for another great script.”

Of Kendrick’s involvement, O’Connor said that he and Dubuque “have had some preliminary conversations. I am personally running from another puzzle movie, which we’ve done twice now. One thing we’ve talked about is the idea of bringing Anna Kendrick back. Maybe Christian can finally get the love that he deserves.”

“We’re hoping she still likes us,” Affleck interjected. O’Connor then added, “Actually, Ben,...

James Cameron's 2009 ultra-hit "Avatar" seems to be praised and lambasted in equal measure. The film's script is often mocked for its simple dialogue, poor characterization, and embarrassing "going native" conceit. At the same time, though, one cannot fault the film for its dazzling special effects. Cameron utilized the most advanced computers available to visually realize Pandora and the Na'Vi, making them look as realistic as he could. And he succeeded. The effects are legitimately amazing. Say what you will about the story, "Avatar" is one of the slickest movies ever made.

The lead visual effects company on "Avatar" was the New Zealand-based Wētā FX, the studio responsible for the "Lord of the Rings" movies, and many others. The sheer volume of digital effects famously drove prices up on "Avatar," leaving its budget somewhere close to $237 million. As we all know, though, "Avatar" made all that money back and then some.

Darth Vader might be the face of the Empire in the “Star Wars” saga — but even he has a boss.

The Emperor has existed as long as the franchise itself, from a passing mention in “A New Hope” to his unexpected (and controversial) reappearance in “The Rise of Skywalker.” But the 2005 prequel finale “Revenge of the Sith,” now re-released to theaters and celebrating its 20th anniversary on May 19, forms the inflection point between his benevolent public persona and his true (and truly evil) identity. Remarkably, Scottish actor Ian McDiarmid has inhabited the role for 42 years; along with Anthony Daniels as C-3P0, that ranks among the longest tours of duty in “Star Wars” history.

To commemorate the “Revenge of the Sith” anniversary, McDiarmid spoke with Variety from his flat in London to discuss the character’s climactic pivot, and the process of building his arc after first being cast in...

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Westerns might have fallen out of favor decades ago, but they never truly died altogether. Even after the genre became reliably unpopular in the 1970s, we still had a trickle of truly great Westerns from 1992's "Unforgiven" to 2010's "True Grit." Heck, there's even been some great Western movies to come out of the last decade. Still, it remains true that the genre's glory days are long behind it.

But in recent years, as Hollywood has discovered that conservatives also watch things and dads everywhere have finally learned how to use streaming services, there's been hints of a modest Western revival. By far the most influential factor at play here is Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone" and its various spin-offs, which have proved that Westerns, both neo and traditional, not only maintain a certain appeal, but can be the basis for...

It's been years since "Game of Thrones" ended, bringing the HBO series' tight grip on pop culture to a close (if only temporarily). The show took TV by storm in the 2010s, with characters like Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, and Tyrion Lannister becoming household names. However, it owed a lot to the books it was based on, "A Song of Ice & Fire" by George R. R. Martin. 

Although the television series was predated by five books, the show quickly moved past where they left off, resulting in a second half of the series that is divisive amongst fans. Some speculate that every main character's ending in "Game of Thrones" is reminiscent of how they'll end up on the page, but the show still took drastic creative liberties along the way, from cutting integral characters to simplifying Martin's overcomplicated plots.

We're now 14 years out from the most recent book's release,...

For a sense of the challenge of today’s incomprehensibly diffuse media ecosystem, consider the scope of activity in digital advertising within the Magic Kingdom alone.

“In any given week, there are 4 billion to 5 billion ad impressions running across Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN,” said Josh Mattison, executive VP of digital operations for Disney Advertising, during a session at Variety’s Entertainment Marketing Summit. “In any given month, we see 50,000 pieces of ad creative come in.”

Disney’s Josh Mattison

Mattison shared those numbers during a conversation about using AI tools to assist with the staggering volume of advertising and marketing materials that flow through Disney’s digital pipes. Those stats underscore the issue that vibrated underneath just about every panel at the April 24 event: The methods for capturing audiences’ attention are proliferating at an exponential rate, while many consumers — especially Zoomers and millennials — have grown increasingly allergic to the perception...

Homer's epic "The Odyssey," as any seventh grader could tell you, began its life as part of an ancient Greek oral tradition, shared over campfires on long, balmy Athenian nights. The epic wasn't written down until maybe the seventh century Bce, finally codifying a tale that, no doubt, had undergone several hundred changes during its life. "The Odyssey" takes place after the events of the Trojan War. Its hero, Odysseus, had become trapped on a Mediterranean island with a beautiful nymph named Calypso, living with her for eight years. However, Odysseus misses his wife Penelope and eventually sets out on a journey home. Penelope has, in the interim, had to fend off a lot of dumb, freeloading, muscle-bound suitors who assume Odysseus is dead and want to horn in on his home.  

The most famous passages from "The Odyssey" are about Odysseus' fantastical encounters with monsters and gods. The...

"The Accountant 2" has been filed into movie theaters across the U.S. The movie reunites director Gavin O'Connor and Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff, a savant accountant and vigilante, but many (including /Film) have called this sequel an improvement over the 2016 original.

Ah, 2016. That was a lynchpin year for Ben Affleck's career, but not in a great way. He starred in three movies, none of them hits either critically or commercially. After his early 2000s rough patch, Affleck had been back on the upswing since 2006's "Hollywoodland." For the next ten years, he proved himself as a director (first with 2007's "Gone Baby Gone") and as an actor worthy of respect. When he was cast as Batman in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," it seemed like Affleck's movie star redemption was complete. Sure, Bat-fans had their doubts at first, but he was joining the superhero boom as one of the world's biggest superheroes.

Way back in 1986, when Gene Roddenberry was still developing ideas for "Star Trek: The Next Generation," he gave himself and his collaborators a series of restrictive mandates. Most notorious of these was his infamous "no conflict" rule, demanding that none of the new show's stories revolve around interpersonal conflict between the main cast members. In Roddenberry's eyes, the future would be an idealized place where co-workers never bickered, and all problems were solved, without issue, as a group. This, as one can imagine, frustrated Roddenberry's writing team, who felt that the only way to generate drama was through interpersonal conflict. 

Another mandate was Roddenberry's insistence that familiar "Star Trek" aliens be eschewed. "Next Generation" was to be a distinct entity, set nearly a century after the events of the original series, and Roddenberry wanted it to stand on its own. If it contained a Vulcan, Roddenberry knew that audiences would...

They say the devil’s in the details, and with “Sinners,” Oscar-winning production designer Hannah Beachler paid special attention to every cloud of dust that rolled onto the set.

As soon as Ryan Coogler told her he was writing the script, Beachler began researching. The director had just done the Blues Trail through the Mississippi Delta, talking to blues artists and learning the history behind the music, so Beachler decided to do the same. “I wanted to be there talking to older generations and younger generations. We met a couple of owners of some juke joints, and [learned] what the vernacular and the architecture were,” she tells Variety, explaining that much of the trip was about observation. “What are the things that I’m noticing?”

Beachler noticed she could drive for 30 minutes and not see another car. On the drive, she noticed a field and drove through it, traveling for at...

Be it a sitcom or an hour-long drama, the will-they-or-won't-they relationship struck up between two wildly appealing characters who seem fated to end up in each other's arms is one of the most reliable, ratings-driving plot devices in television. Like Sam Malone and Diane Chambers on "Cheers" and Maddie Hayes and David Addison on "Moonlighting," the chemistry generated by these characters kept viewers tuning in week after week to see if this was the episode where they finally gave into their carnal desires and, predictably, made an even bigger mess of their already messy lives.

This narrative tradition has extended into the 21st century with such notable examples as Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth on "Bones" (they did), Don Draper and Joan Holloway on "Mad Men" (never happened!) and Tony Dinozzo and Ziva David on "NCIS" (they did it offscreen). One will-they-or-won't-they that proved especially tantalizing for medical procedural fans...

Max's "The Pitt" is the best medical drama in years, with the series being praised for its tension and authenticity. The R. Scott Gemmill-created show is set in a fictional Pittsburgh hospital, but professionals within real-life medical communities have praised the drama for being realistic -- especially when it comes to its portrayal of hospital staff and the challenges they face. "The Pitt" also cast real-life nurses and its creatives consulted with professionals to bring the story to life, so its bona fides cannot be disputed.

The medical accuracy of "The Pitt" is admirable, but the show also turned to real life for one of its best -- and most emotional -- scenes. Toward the end of season 1's "10 A.M" episode, Noah Wyle's Dr. Robby consoles an elderly father's adult son and daughter during his passing. In the scene, he tells the siblings to stay close, as...

To celebrate Alien Day, FX has released a new teaser trailer for writer/director/showrunner Noah Hawley’s upcoming series, “Alien: Earth.”

Set on Earth, obviously, and the series centers on the Weylan Corporation and how they are genuinely the real monsters of this ongoing creature saga. “Alien: Earth” is set in 2120 when five corporations—Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic and Threshold— wield the power of nations, and proprietary advancements in technology provide the promise of a new tomorrow.

Continue reading ‘Alien Earth’ Teaser: Fear Takes On New Forms As Multiple Monsters Descend On Earth at The Playlist.

When you're a young actor beginning to make a bit of headway in Hollywood, you might be tempted to look ahead at what your career could be five years from now and strategize with your agent to target roles in the types of films that best showcase your talents. Perhaps you come alive in romantic comedies. Maybe you're ideal as a hissable heavy. It's possible you're the Laurence Olivier of grease-stained ex-con mechanics who get harassed by detectives while toiling away at the undercarriage of a car. You might know where you're headed, but you don't want to cut off opportunities before you're booking steady work.

Consider the career of Russell Johnson. The man who would be Professor Roy Hinkley on "Gilligan's Island" survived getting shot down by the Japanese military during World War II before seeking fame and fortune as an actor in Hollywood. He had every right to...

Michelle Pfeiffer is currently filming “Margo’s Got Money Problems,” the Apple TV+ series adaptation of the bestselling novel co-starring Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning, in Los Angeles. In the last 20 years or so, Pfeiffer says of the 23 projects she’s worked on, only three have shot in the city.

“That’s crazy,” the three-time Oscar nominee told me Friday, following her hand and footprint ceremony at the Tcl Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Like so many people in television and movies, Pfeiffer worries Los Angeles is on the verge of no longer being an industry town.

“I don’t know lot about the politics of it all, but I know you need to bring back tax incentives,” Pfeiffer said. “People look at the bottom line for productions — where are we going to get the most for our dollars because you want all that money to go on screen, and if...