Variety — page 22

Coverage, page 22

page 22 of 28

‘Family Stone 2’ Gets Official Title ‘The Families Stone’ and Sets Cast: Rachel McAdams, Sarah Jessica Parker and More Returning

Searchlight has officially announced “The Family Stone 2,” a sequel to the 2005 holiday classic from returning writer and director Tom Bezucha. The follow-up is officially titled “The Families Stones” and will feature the returns of many of the original’s main cast members, including Rachel McAdams as Amy Stone and Sarah Jessica Parker as Meredith […]

Variety•Jack Dunn12 Sept

Taiwan Strengthens Global Co-Production Presence at Toronto Film Festival With ‘Happily Ever After,’ ‘The Age of Goodbyes’ and ‘Arrested Memory‘

A strong lineup from Taiwan hits the Toronto Intl. Film Festival, with two world premieres in the special presentations strand, a Taiwan-Japan genre title in Midnight Madness, virtual reality, market projects and an international Oscar contender. Feng-I Fiona Roan’s “Happily Ever After” will make its world premiere in special presentations. The film is Roan’s sophomore […]

Variety•Carolehorst12 Sept

Sci-Fi Franchise ‘Kri8 Universe’ Launches at Toronto Market (EXCLUSIVE)

“Kri8 Universe,” a five-world science-fiction IP ecosystem from production designer and filmmaker Uzair Merchant, will launch at TIFF: The Market, looking for global licensing, studio and strategic partnerships following 14 years of independent development. The universe consists of five interconnected worlds — Elixir of Life, Black Rose, the 8th Sin, Skye and Vault X — […]

Variety•Naman Ramachandran12 Sept

Nishikawa Miwa Confronts Japan’s Failure to Protect Its War Orphans in Toronto Platform Opener ‘Children Untold’

In the rubble left by the firebombing of Tokyo in WWII, a 12-year-old girl who once dreamed of a life in music learns to shine shoes, fall in with a band of orphaned boys sheltering under a local yakuza clan and, eventually, erase every trace of the person she used to be. That girl, Kotoko, […]

Variety•Naman Ramachandran12 Sept

Female Bucking Bronc Riders Take Center Stage in ‘Cheyenne,’ TIFF-Bound Doc Produced by Jenna Bush Hager (EXCLUSIVE)

The TIFF-bound documentary “Cheyenne” follows a quartet of fearless cowgirls who compete at riding wild broncos on the rodeo circuit after nearly a century of being excluded because of their gender. Variety has a first look at the film, in which director Taimi Arvidson profiles four cowgirls when the American rodeo circuit opens up a […]

Variety•Angelique Jackson12 Sept

From ‘American Hostage’ to Podcasts, Hollywood Digs Deeper Into Digital IP — But Will the Same Stories Told on Different Platforms Hurt Business?

Watching the MGM+ limited anthology series “American Hostage” with exec producer and star Jon Hamm at its Sept. 12 Toronto fest premiere, you might be reminded of last year’s Sept. 7 Toronto premiere, Gus Van Sant’s thriller “Dead Man’s Wire,” about the same 1977 Indianapolis hostage crisis. Or the 2022 podcast “American Hostage” with Jon […]

Variety•Carolehorst12 Sept

Jeremy Thomas, Legendary British Producer and Oscar Winner, Dies at 77

Jeremy Thomas, one of the film industry’s most highly respected independent producers with a body of work spanning more than half a century, has died. He was 77 years old. According to his team, Thomas passed away peacefully at his country home in Oxfordshire late on Friday Sep 11, surrounded by his family and loved […]

Variety•Alex Ritman12 Sept

Liam Neeson on the ‘Rage’ Behind ‘The Lost Children of Tuam’ and Turning Producer for First Time to Tell Story of Irish Scandal

Liam Neeson was in his home in upstate New York in late 2017 when he was sent a link to a New York Times article about a shameful episode in Ireland’s history. Almost a decade on and he tells Variety he’s “still coming to terms with my reaction to it.” The piece, written by Dan […]

Variety•Alex Ritman12 Sept

Maisie Williams Thriller ‘Ignition’ Bought by Saban for North America (EXCLUSIVE)

“Ignition,” the upcoming high-concept thriller led by Emmy-nominated “Game of Thrones” star Maisie Williams, has been acquired for North America. WestEnd Films — which launched the film in Cannes — has closed a domestic deal with Saban on the film, directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker James Erskine (“Copa 71,” “Billie,” “Sachin: A Billion Dreams”). The deal comes following […]

Variety•Alex Ritman12 Sept

‘On Behalf of My Son’ Director Gabriel Martins on Black Brazilian Representation in His Films: ‘It’s a Life Project To Me, Not Just Cinema’

In 2022, Gabriel Martins made waves at the Sundance Film Festival with “Mars One,” a sprawling ensemble drama chronicling the life of a Black Brazilian family. At that time, the industry was still wrestling with what a post-pandemic future would look like and, despite “Mars One” having a strong festival run, Martins struggled to secure […]

Variety•Rafa Sales Ross12 Sept

First Clip of ‘Club Kid’ Star Jordan Firstman as U.S. Voice Cast Lead in Cannes Breakout ‘Jim Queen’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Jordan Firstman, fresh off directorial debut “Club Kid” – acquired by A24 for release this November – leads the English-language voice cast of “Jim Queen.” Variety reveals the exclusive first clip here: The animated comedy, directed by Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané, premiered at Cannes to rave reviews. Variety’s Guy Lodge called it a “hilarious rare […]

Variety•Marta Balaga12 Sept

‘Dau’ Review: Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s Vast Cinematic Experiment in Historical World-Building Remains More Impressive From a Distance

More than six years after Ilya Khrzhanovsky premiered “DAU. Natasha” and “DAU. Degeneration” at the Berlin Film Festival — right before the global COVID lockdown — to a politely muted reception and limited distributor interest, you might think the moment has passed for another missive from the DAU Cinematic Universe. Turns out, however, that you […]

Variety•Guy Lodge12 Sept

‘Totém’ Director Lila Avilés Wraps Production on ‘Cábula,’ Releases First Look (EXCLUSIVE)

Mexican filmmaker Lila Avilés (“Totém”) has wrapped production on her next feature film, “Cábula,” and shared an exclusive first-look image with Variety. The director presented the film during the Venice Gap-Financing Market, which took place from Sept. 4 – 6. Set in the fictional Mexican town of Mexicalpan, “Cábula” follows Toña, a dedicated and deeply […]

Variety•Postcardjunky12 Sept

Gary Oldman Predicts HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Series Will Be ‘More Satisfying’ for Fans Than the Movies

Gary Oldman, who played Sirius Black in four “Harry Potter” movies, said he believes HBO’s forthcoming TV series adaptation set in the Wizarding World will be a bigger crowd-pleaser than the Warner Bros. films. That’s because the movies were significantly abridged from J.K. Rowling’s original books, whereas HBO’s “Harry Potter” is including far more of […]

Variety•Todd Spangler12 Sept

Paramount Argues States’ Antitrust Suit Will ‘Collapse Under Scrutiny’

Paramount’s lawyers filed a legal response to the states’ antitrust lawsuit against the Warner Bros. Discovery merger on Friday, sketching out arguments and defenses it may use at a trial next March. Among other defenses, Paramount’s lawyers said they may claim that the coalition of 12 states lacks the authority to regulate the merger, “which […]

Variety•Gmaddaus12 Sept

Jimmy Kimmel’s Pulled TV Interview With James Talarico Hits 5 Million Views in 24 Hours on YouTube

Jimmy Kimmel’s pulled TV interview with James Talarico, the Texan Democrat running for the U.S. Senate, has crossed 5 million views in the 24 hours since it was posted to YouTube. It was revealed during Wednesday night’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” that the interview would not air on his ABC show because of threats […]

Variety•Selome Hailu12 Sept

‘The Julia Set’ Review: Chase Infiniti Confirms Her Movie-Star Mettle in Niki Byrne’s Riveting Math-Geek Bad Romance

In "The Julia Set," she portrays a numbers genius in the most convincing way possible — by wearing her virtuosity lightly and casually, as if it were second nature (which, for someone like Julia, it is). But she also makes Julia a highly focused and mature young woman who is still, by virtue of age and inexperience, just naïve enough to be poised between assertion and following the lead of a dude she should have steered clear of.

Variety•Owen Gleiberman12 Sept

Lil Durk Acquitted in Murder-for-Hire Trial

A Los Angeles federal jury on Friday found Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk not guilty of murder-for-hire, conspiracy and stalking resulting in death charges in the 2022 killing of rapper Quando Rondo’s cousin, according to the Los Angeles Times. Prosecutors alleged that rapper (real name: Durk Banks) directed hit men to target rapper Quando Rondo, born […]

Variety•Jem Aswad12 Sept

‘The Uprising’ Star Woody Norman on the ‘Power Trip’ Playing King Richard II and Going Meatless at Age 10 After Working With Joaquin Phoenix

Filming “The Uprising” gave British actor Woody Norman, who plays 14-year-old King Richard II in the historical fiction drama, a massive headache. It turns out the only crown they had for him to use during the shoot got damaged the first day of filming. “So it didn’t fit my head,” Norman, 17, tells me over […]

Variety•Marcmalkin12 Sept

Ocean Way Festival Featuring Killers, Olivia Dean and Jack White Is Canceled, as Santa Monica Blames Beach Damage From Hurricane Forces

Ocean Way is going away, at least for a year. Goldenvoice’s inaugural Ocean Way Festival, which was scheduled to take place on the beach in Santa Monica Sept. 26-27, has been called off, with city officials saying the culprit is erosion along the shore caused by recent hurricane-level forces off the coast. A statement from […]

Variety•Chris Willman12 Sept