Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey have been friends for nearly two decades, but his latest film, Netflix’s “The Six Triple Eight,” marks the first time Perry directed the cultural icon. The film reveals the untold story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only troop of Black women and women of color to serve […]

The Black List has partnered with Onyx Collective on an initiative that will put an unpublished manuscript on the pipeline to production with the offer of an 18-month film or TV option deal. The Black List, known for its annual list of the most-liked unproduced screenplays and its screenplay submission service, will assist Onyx Collective, […]

U.S. audiences will have to wait a little longer to get their Paddington fix, as the successful film franchise’s third installment, “Paddington in Peru,” shifts from a Jan. 2025 release to Valentine’s Day. Instead of debuting on Jan. 17, the family film will now bow on Feb. 14, which also happens to coincide with the […]

Although Kerry Washington finds the fact that she’s receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame “surreal,” her father, Earl Washington, thinks she should’ve gotten a star a lot sooner. “Anytime he would hear that somebody was getting one, he was like, ‘Why don’t you have one?’” Washington tells Variety, laughing as she recounts […]

Last Friday night, “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo surprised a theater full of moviegoers at the Odeon Leicester Square in her hometown of London. As the actor walked onto the small stage, the audience erupted into screams at a pitch that rivaled Elphaba’s own high notes. “This has been the most amazing tour, but this is […]

Charlize Theron is the latest bold-faced name to join the cast of Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie at Universal. The Oscar winner joins a star-studded ensemble that includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o and Robert Pattinson. Details about the highly-anticipated film’s plot remain tightly under wraps and sources tell Variety that loglines […]

It’s been a big weekend for the Washington family. While patriarch Denzel Washington chewed the scenery on multiplex screens in “Gladiator II,” the next generation of Washingtons stormed onto streaming with the film adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winner “The Piano Lesson.” With the Netflix film, Denzel and Pauletta Washington’s kids — director Malcolm, […]

Idris Elba (via his 22Summers production company) and Chiwetel Ejiofor have signed on as executive producers for “The Brown Dog,” a short animated film commissioned by WeTransfer. The film stars the late Michael K. Williams (“The Wire,” “Boardwalk Empire”) in his last featured performance. Williams, who memorably portrayed Omar Little in “The Wire” and Chalky […]

Usher was named the global visionary of the year at Ebony’s Power 100 Gala on Nov. 17. On stage, the Grammy winner discussed using his Super Bowl halftime show performance to showcase Southern culture. “Over 20 million people tuned in as I managed to squeeze 30 years of a career into 15 minutes and grace […]

“The Hunger Games” franchise director Francis Lawrence has signed a first-look producing deal with Lionsgate through his company About:Blank. Lawrence also closed a deal to return to direct and produce the next film in the “Hunger Games” franchise, “Sunrise on the Reaping.” The filmmaker is prepping work on that project, which is based on a […]

“Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo’s production company, Edith’s Daughter, has signed a first-look deal with Universal Pictures. The pact expands on the Tony, Grammy and Emmy-winning star’s relationship with the studio after Erivo starred as Elphaba in the highly-anticipated film adaptation of Broadway musical “Wicked.” Part 1 of the Jon M. Chu-directed film will be released […]

Legendary R&B group Boyz II Men are developing a feature film biopic that will chronicle their 30-year career, which has spawned such hits as “End of the Road”, “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”, “On Bended Knee,” “One Sweet Day” and “Motownphilly.” The four-time Grammy-winning group has partnered with production and financing companies […]