Javier Bardem has just left a movie theater in Madrid, where he screened his new animated musical movie “Spellbound” for his kids — Leo, 13, and Luna, 11 – and 15 of their friends. “They loved it,” Bardem tells me during a phone conversation. “But they were fed up with me rehearsing at home because […]

Good grief! “The Masked Singer” pays tribute to Charlie Brown, Snoopy and friends next week with “Peanuts Night.” The event will also air one day later than usual, Thursday, Nov. 28, as a Thanksgiving special. Variety has a first look at the Thanksgiving “Peanuts Night” edition of “The Masked Singer,” which kicks off with panelists […]

U.K. reality star Molly-Mae Hague is set star in her own docuseries following the breakdown of her relationship with boxer Tommy Fury. The six-part series, which is headed for Prime Video in the new year, promises to “take viewers beyond the headlines to uncover the real Molly-Mae.” Cameras will follow the former “Love Island” contestant […]

In the HBO documentary “Surveilled,” Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ronan Farrow travels across the globe to investigate and expose the dark underbelly of the multi-billion-dollar advanced spyware industry. The film reveals that repressive regimes aren’t alone in using spyware to hack into citizens’ cell phones and computers clandestinely; democratic governments are also guilty of spying on […]

Indian entrepreneur Prasanna Ajarekar has launched Anashwar Media and Entertainment, marking the company’s debut with director Nikhil Mahajan’s “Taxi Driver” at the ongoing Film Bazaar project market. The film follows a taxi driver and a thief whose lives intersect during one fateful night, revealing an unexpected connection from their past. Production is set to commence […]

When Cynthia Erivo signed on to play Elphaba in Universal’s big-screen adaptation of “Wicked,” she knew one thing: she wanted to be green. But Erivo wanted to actually be green, not have the color superimposed onto her skin in post. So, the film’s makeup designer Frances Hannon — who was thrilled by the actor’s insistence […]

Ratings continue to sunset at MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” after the hosts surprised audiences earlier this week by announcing they had gone to visit Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago following years of feuding with him. On Wednesday, MSNBC’s morning mainstay lured an average of 647,000 viewers overall, and just 51,000 viewers between 25 and 54, the demographic […]

Before his death in May, songwriter Richard M. Sherman’s final gig for Disney was to write a new, bonus verse for “It’s A Small World.” Now, a new ABC special is set to unveil that verse for the first time. In “The Last Verse,” a three-and-a-half-minute short film airing next Wednesday on ABC, the new […]

Variety will host the inaugural Faith and Spirituality in Entertainment Honors, presented by the Coalition for Faith & Media on December 4 in Los Angeles. The evening ceremony will celebrate individuals who are supporting often underrepresented themes of faith in storytelling and entertainment. These awards will celebrate diverse portrayals of faith and spirituality that are […]

Lindsay Lohan appeared on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live” as part of her press tour for the upcoming Netflix holiday movie “Our Little Secret” and earned big applause when she revealed how she playfully fired back at the CEO of Disney while attending the world premiere of “The Parent Trap” in 1998. Lohan was just […]

Paramount Global is offering $1 million retention bonuses to two top executives, contingent on them remaining with the company through the close of the Skydance Media merger. On Thursday, the media conglomerate — parent of CBS, Paramount Pictures, and cable networks including MTV and Comedy Central — said it was granting $1 million potential cash […]

An estimated 55 delegates from various women’s and cinematographer organizations around the world participated in a two-hour meeting on Thursday with EnergaCamerimage representatives, for what was described as a private forum to voice views and ideas as a step toward continued discussion and a goal of addressing diversity, inclusion and representation at the annual cinematography […]

Maciej J. Drygas’ “Trains” won Best Film in the International Competition at this year’s International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, with Miguel Coyula’s “Chronicles of the Absurd” taking the Best Film in the Envision Competition.  “Trains” is a journey through the 20th century told entirely through archival footage. The jury of the International Competition, comprising Juliana […]

NBCUniversal’s long-awaited move to spin off most of its cable assets and reorganize the studio’s top leadership inspired plenty of questions about the media conglomerate’s future – and, for many in the industry, a case of Donna Langley déjà vu.   The veteran film executive who had been chief content officer across all of NBCUniversal has […]

Samuel L. Jackson is in negotiations to star in the next movie from director J.J. Abrams. If the deal closes, he’ll join a cast that includes Glen Powell, Jenna Ortega and “Sex Education” star Emma Mackey. Abrams is writing and directing the untitled feature, of which details have been kept under wraps. Bad Robot, the […]

Is “Red One,” Dwayne Johnson’s Yuletide action extravaganza with a gargantuan $250 million budget, a sign of where the movie business is headed or a relic from its free-spending, streaming wars past? After the movie opened last weekend in the U.S. to a less-than-festive $32 million (revised downward from an estimated $34 million on Sunday), […]

The NBC comedy series “Happy’s Place” has received an order for additional episodes at NBC. The freshman multi-cam comedy has been picked up for five more episodes, bringing the total episode order to 18. The series debuted in the Friday 8 p.m. timeslot on Oct. 18. Per NBC, the series premiere has pulled in 14 […]

MGM+ has renewed “From” for Season 4. The sci-fi horror hit, the most-viewed series in MGM+’s history, will return in 2026. Production on the 10-episode fourth season is scheduled to begin in Nova Scotia sometime in 2025. Starring Harold Perrineau, “From” takes place in a mysterious and nightmarish town that traps all who enter and […]

“Gavin & Stacey” fans are set to rejoice as the BBC unveils a first look image of the long-awaited special reunion. The image features the show’s lead quartet, James Corden, Ruth Jones, Matthew Horne and Joanna Page. Corden returns as Smithy, Jones as Nessa, Horne as Gavin and Page as Stacey for the upcoming special. […]