Variety

Chris Hansen Says He Refused to Sign His Life Away to Preview Robert Pattinson’s ‘Primetime,’ So A24 Wouldn’t Screen It for Him

Chris Hansen didn’t get to take a seat for the new A24 movie “Primetime.” The 66-year-old veteran journalist went to the offices of indie distributor A24 to watch the Lance Oppenheim film, in which he...

6 days ago

Jaafar Jackson: ‘Michael’ Sequel Will Give ‘More Insight’ Into Child Abuse Allegations and ‘Let His Voice Be Heard’

Now that the second “Michael” movie is closer to starting production, star Jaafar Jackson says it will indeed address the criticisms and child abuse allegations Michael Jackson faced in the ’90s. Mic...

6 days ago

Ariana Grande Blasts Trump Administration for Using ‘We Can’t Be Friends’ in Social Post: ‘Your Truth Is False’

Ariana Grande has once again spoken out against the Trump administration for using one of her songs in a post on social media, this time for setting “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” as the s...

6 days ago

How ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Pulled Off That Madcap Puppet Episode

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” Season 4 Episode 5, titled “Level Five Transporter Accident,” now streaming on Paramount+. At long last, the most anti...

6 days ago

Prime Video Unveils Landmark $2 Billion-Plus Investment in Latin American Entertainment

Prime Video has unveiled a landmark $2 billion-plus investment plan in Latin American entertainment spanning 2027 to 2030 in a concerted bid to increase viewership and engagement. The move comes in wh...

6 days ago

The Hollies Officially Call It Quits, as Last Two Members of Classic 1960s Lineup Retire After Being in Band for 63 Years

The Hollies have officially called it a day. And perhaps, like many, you didn’t even realize a version of that classic rock band was still performing. Yet the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted group...

6 days ago

Lawmakers Offer Film Industry a Fix on California Tax Credit Cap

Lawmakers in Sacramento introduced a budget fix on Thursday that helps film producers by adjusting a state cap on tax credits. The agreement, first reported by Variety on Tuesday, falls short of a ful...

6 days ago

Diane Warren Adopts West Hollywood’s Runaway Pig: ‘Welcome Wilbur!’

The viral story of a runaway pig in West Hollywood turned out to have a Hollywood ending. This past weekend, a video showed a piglet running through the streets of West Hollywood. In the video Jamaal ...

6 days ago

TV Vet Chuck Saftler to Depart Disney and FX After Nearly 33 Years

Longtime TV exec Chuck Saftler, who helped build FX into the powerhouse it is — having joined the company in 1993, prior to its before its June 1994 launch date — is departing the company after nearly...

6 days ago

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Weighs In on Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger, Urges California AG Rob Bonta to Settle Antitrust Case: ‘This Is Not About Taking Si...

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged California attorney general Rob Bonta and Paramount to resolve their differences and work “urgently” to find a resolution to the 12-state antitrust lawsuit that is b...

6 days ago

Neutrogena Comments on Hayden Panettiere’s Death Amid Backlash and Says ‘We Made Her Feel Unsupported’; Actor Said the Company Nearly Fired Her for Ta...

Neutrogena, the popular cosmetics and skin care brand, has issued a statement following the death of Hayden Panettiere, who served as a spokesperson and brand ambassador for the company for nearly a d...

6 days ago

‘Lanterns’ Premiere Pulls in 9.3 Million Viewers in First Three Days on HBO Max

“Lanterns” haters are going to be green with envy. The series premiere of the DC Studios show has racked up 9.3 million views in its first three days of availability across HBO and HBO Max. That repre...

6 days ago

Sonic the Hedgehog to Headline Fortnite’s ‘Override’ Season (Gaming News Roundup)

Sonic the Hedgehog will headline Fortnite’s new “Override” season. Players will be able to play as Sonic and unlock the Tails Sidekick with the purchase of the Battle Pass for the hedgehog’s 35th ann...

6 days ago

Apple Music to Label AI-Made Tracks Later This Year

Apple Music will begin labeling songs on the platform derived from AI platforms, adding a “Made With AI” label to such songs later this year. In a note to its industry partners and one viewed by Varie...

6 days ago

Netflix, AMC Team for ‘Bannerman’ Series Based on John R. Maxim Spy Novels, Shane Black and Craig Silverstein to Write

Netflix and AMC Studios are set to co-produce the drama series “Bannerman,” Variety has learned. The series is based on John R. Maxim’s Paul Bannerman novels, of which five were published. This marks ...

6 days ago

How an Indie Studio Convinced ‘Naruto’ Creator, TV Tokyo to Let Them Make Franchise’s First Official Digital Cards App (EXCLUSIVE)

“Naruto” fans will have access to the popular anime franchise’s first-ever official digital cards app with Thursday’s worldwide launch of “Naruto Ninja Cards.” Described as “a gamified card-collecting...

6 days ago

What Does Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Move Back to the U.K. Mean for the Royal Family?

The Sussexes are coming home. In a shock announcement on Wednesday, it was revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving back to the U.K. for an “extended period” with their two young childr...

6 days ago

Charles Melton in Talks for ‘Naruto’ Movie as Villain Kakashi

Charles Melton is in close talks to play the villain Kakashi Hatake in Destin Daniel Cretton’s upcoming “Naruto” movie, Variety has learned. Melton was recently Emmy nominated for his role in “Beef” a...

6 days ago

CBS Plans Special Morning, Primetime Coverage of 9/11 Anniversary

CBS will fill key morning and primetime hours on September 11 with live coverage and special programming devoted to the 25th anniversary of terrorist attacks on America on that date in 2001. The CBS p...

6 days ago

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Says the ‘Optics’ at Marvel Are ‘Obvious’ After ‘Wonder Man’ and ‘Blade’ Canceled: ‘If I’m Disney, I Do Not Want to Be Attached ...

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II says the “optics” at Marvel are obvious after the studio canceled his Emmy-nominated series “Wonder Woman” after one season and failed over multiple years to bring to life the “B...

6 days ago

‘Hot Spot’ Review: Eighties Cyberpunk Kitsch Is the Future in Agnieszka Smoczynka’s Peculiar Post-Apocalyptic Vision

In “Hot Spot,” the future of law enforcement looks somewhat different from what “RoboCop” predicted in 1987. With his bleach-blond, frizzy-permed mullet, giant hoop earrings, cuban-heeled Beatle boots...

6 days ago

Grown-Up Gear 2026: The Best Laptop Backpacks for Back-to-School and Office Commutes to Shop Online

Whether you’re heading to class or commuting to the office, you’ll need a decent laptop bag to keep all of your accessories or supplies together in one easy-to-carry package. That’s where a good lapto...

6 days ago

‘Sterling Point’ Renewed for Season 2 at Amazon

“Sterling Point” has been renewed for Season 2 at Amazon Prime Video, Variety has learned. The news comes just over two weeks after the YA series premiered on Aug. 5. It has been well received by crit...

6 days ago

‘The Odyssey’ Beats ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ as Biggest R-Rated Movie of All Time With $1.35 Billion

“The Odyssey” has notched another record on its epic box office voyage. Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster “The Odyssey” is officially the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time with $1.352 billion w...

6 days ago

‘Practical Magic’ Gets Witchy Jewelry Collection Ahead of Sequel

Nearly three decades after Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman first cast their spell as the Owens sisters, “Practical Magic” is getting a little extra sparkle. The Los Angeles-based jewelry brand Awe In...

6 days ago

BlizzCon 2026 Sets T-Pain, Simu Liu, deadmau5, YOASOBI and More Celeb Guests

T-Pain, Simu Liu, deadmau5, YOASOBI and more celebrities will be making special appearances for the return of Blizzard’s BlizzCon fan event this September in Anaheim, California. Presented by Blizzard...

6 days ago

‘Hunting Wives’ Sets Season 2 Release Date, Drops First-Look Photos

Netflix has set the premiere date for “The Hunting Wives” Season 2. The second season of the soapy drama will debut on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26. It will consist of eight episodes. Netflix has also re...

6 days ago

‘Yellowjackets’ Sets Fourth and Final Season Release Date

“Yellowjackets” Season 4 has set its premiere date at Paramount+. The fourth and final season of the critically-acclaimed series will debut on Nov. 20 on Paramount+ with the premium plan. The official...

6 days ago

Watermelon Pictures Acquires Diego Luna’s Migration Drama ‘Ashes’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Watermelon Pictures has made another splash, acquiring North American rights to migration drama “Ashes,” directed and co-written by Mexican actor, director and producer Diego Luna. The deal comes foll...

6 days ago

‘Never After Dark’ Trailer: Stephen King Raves This Psychic Medium Thriller Is ‘Amazing and Haunting’ (EXCLUSIVE)

The first trailer for dark festival hit “Never After Dark” has been released, and it has some big-time fans. Horror icon Stephen King has called the film, about a psychic trying to unravel the mystery...

6 days ago

AI Music Companies Udio and GRAI License Swath of Patents From UMG-Backed Music IP Holdings (EXCLUSIVE)

Patents are often the bedrock of new innovation, and a suite of patents defining how AI-generated music can be created, licensed and monetized has hit the market — with multiple AI companies lined up ...

6 days ago

Ava DuVernay’s ’14th’ Documentary Sets Netflix Release Date (EXCLUSIVE)

Ava DuVernay’s new documentary “14th” is set to premiere globally on Netflix on Dec. 4, following a theatrical release in select U.S. and U.K. theaters beginning Nov. 27. As previously announced, “14t...

6 days ago

Netflix’s Engaging Crime Drama ‘Blood Sacrifice’ Spotlights Inept Policing: TV Review

“Hijack” and “Lupin” creator George Kay is no stranger to engrossing dramas, and in his newest Netflix series, “Blood Sacrifice,” a grisly Swedish crime thriller, Kay unpacks the unending mental toll ...

6 days ago

Brand Marketing Veteran Justin Breton Joins Gap to Drive Original Content

Walmart marketing alum Justin Breton has joined Gap Inc. to drive original content across a range of genres and platforms to support the apparel giant’s “Fashiontainment” business initiative. Starting...

6 days ago

Soccer Drama ‘Forza’ Sets Indonesia Release, Global Rollout (EXCLUSIVE)

“Forza,” a family sports drama from Riva Studios, will open theatrically in Indonesia in late 2026, with an international rollout to follow in early 2027. The studio also released the film’s teaser. “...

6 days ago

The Freyas, a New Awards Ceremony Celebrating Nordic Film and TV Talent, to Launch in Helsinki (EXCLUSIVE)

Helsinki is to host a new awards ceremony, to be known as The Freyas, which will celebrate Nordic film and TV talent, bringing together the region’s leading filmmakers as well as international industr...

6 days ago

Charter Closes $34.5 Billion Cox Deal in Cable Megamerger, Company to Adopt Cox Communications Name

Charter Communications, already the No. 1 cable operator in the U.S., closed its acquisition of Cox Communications, creating a cable giant with operations in 45 states serving roughly 37 million custo...

6 days ago

Christine Vachon on Why Landing Pedro Pascal to Replace Joaquin Phoenix in ‘De Noche’ Gave Todd Haynes the ‘Happy Ending’ He Deserved

“Being a film producer is like childbirth. You really have to forget the pain or else you wouldn’t keep doing it.” So claimed Christine Vachon, speaking at the Variety Lounge at Edinburgh Internationa...

6 days ago

Mubi Set to Stream Manuela Martelli’s ‘The Meltdown’ After Its Screening at San Sebastián (EXCLUSIVE)

Global film distributor and production company Mubi has picked up “The Meltdown” (“El Deshielo”) by Chile’s Manuela Martelli (“Chile’76”), which world premiered at the Un Certain Regard sidebar at Can...

6 days ago

Asghar Farhadi Condemns Politicians and Media for Focus on ‘Difference’ and ‘Hate’: ‘Why Do You Think a Mother in Afghanistan Is Different Than Your M...

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi is a man of many accolades, including two Oscars and a Golden Bear, but the filmmaker has also managed one thing very few others have: achieving great box-office succes...

6 days ago

After ‘Burlesque the Musical’ Cancels More Performances, ATG Entertainment Says Show Must Go On

Following four more canceled performances of the touring production of “Burlesque the Musical” this week, partner ATG Entertainment has said it is “working closely” with producers of the beleaguered m...

6 days ago

Sundance Prizewinner Luke Lorentzen’s Documentary ‘Boatbuilders’ Boarded by Metfilm Sales Ahead of Venice World Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)

MetFilm Sales has acquired worldwide sales rights to “Boatbuilders,” Luke Lorentzen’s portrait of a Maine boatbuilding community, which is set to receive its world premiere in the Open Section of the ...

6 days ago