SPOILER WARNING: This story discusses minor plot details for “Mufasa: The Lion King,” now in theaters. Lin-Manuel Miranda and composer Dave Metzger both knew the mighty musical legacy they had to uphold when writing the music for Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King.” The “Lion King” prequel tells the story of young Mufasa, voiced by Aaron Pierre, […]

Criterion Collection’s art director Eric Skillman is constantly collecting names. Skillman is the mastermind behind finding the artists who design or illustrate Criterion Collection’s DVD artwork, and that’s why he has thousands of artists in an archive. He’s always looking for new artists, but he’s also looking for the perfect match. Speaking with Variety over […]

There was never any question about what format director Brady Corbet would shoot “The Brutalist” on. Cinematographer Lol Crawley says, “We’ve always shot on film.” “The Brutalist” tells the story of Hungarian Jewish architect László Tóth, played by Adrien Brody. He escapes the Holocaust and moves to the U.S., where he gets a taste of […]

When Steve McQueen was casting “Blitz,” his World War II drama about the bombings over London, actress Saoirse Ronan expressed interest. But there was a hitch. The role of a mother in search of her young son who has gone missing required some singing. So he hopped on a Zoom with Ronan, and they had a […]

James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown” follows the rise of Bob Dylan, played by Timothée Chalamet, as a young musician who moves to New York in 1961, and it culminates with the 1965 Newport Folk Festival and his move to electric guitar. Mangold is no stranger to the period (his “Ford v Ferrari” was mostly set […]

Pamela Anderson’s eldest son Brandon Thomas Lee is getting emotional. It’s taken years, but he might have helped shatter a Hollywood stereotype that has been a cloud over Anderson’s career for years. The actor-turned-producer is sitting on Zoom discussing her recent success in Roadside Attractions “The Last Showgirl,” which Gia Coppola directed. In the film, […]

Angelina Jolie completely transforms into opera superstar Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s “Maria” through the hands of the Oscar winner’s personal makeup and hair team, Adruitha Lee and Pamela Goldammer. While subtlety was key to the transformation, Lee and Goldammer worked to establish what that specific look needed to be. “You do have to look […]

Greg Kwedar’s “Sing Sing” is a one-of-a-kind film set in the prison of the same name. Rather than look at the broken justice system, the A24 film focuses on a group of inmates and their rehabilitation through the arts. Colman Domingo stars as John “Divine G” Whitfield, a playwright who is incarcerated at Sing Sing […]

How and why did the kind-hearted, smart and green Elphaba Thropp become such a nasty, powerful, dare we say wicked witch of the classic tale “The Wizard of Oz”? The big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical “Wicked” uses subtle nuances to hint at Elphaba’s growing powers, but also nod to Black women. “Wicked” follows Elphaba […]

Okay Goodnight and Orchard Pictures will pair up to produce the documentary, “I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust.” The short is based on Emily Grodin’s memoir of the same name. Marta Kauffman is on board to produce. Robbie Rowe Tollin and Hannah K.S. Canter of Okay Goodnight and Roberta Grossman are also set […]

The Casting Society has announced the film nominees for the 40th Artios Awards. “A Complete Unknown,” “Blitz,” “Civil War,” “Dune: Part 2,” “Gladiator 2” and “Queer” are among the nominated films in big budget drama. In big budget comedy, the nominated films are “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Challengers,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Nightbitch,” “Saturday Night” and “Wicked.” The awards honor […]

Greek-American opera superstar Maria Callas is the subject of Pablo Larrain’s latest feature. “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie, picks up with Callas at the end of her life, as she mourns the end of her career. The film, now streaming on Netflix, is mapped with flashbacks showing snapshots of her stardom; performing at La Scala and […]

The Costume Designers Guild has announced nominations for the 27th Costume Designers Guild Awards, with “Wicked,” “Gladiator 2,” “Maria,” “Nosferatu” and “Dune: Part Two” among the titles landing nominations. The costume designers behind “The Book of Clarence,” “Gladiator II,” “Maria,” “Nosferatu” and“Saturday Night” will vie for the top prize in excellence in period film, while the […]

Cate Blanchett knew exactly what look she wanted for her character Catherine Ravenscroft in the limited Apple TV+ series “Disclaimer.” Despite playing a wealthy, award-winning journalist, she didn’t want to look like one, so she’d send costume designer Jany Temime pictures of boho society women as examples. Temime wanted to make sure Catherine’s look wasn’t […]

“I’ll sing when I’m ready to sing.” That’s a line from Pablo Larrain’s “Maria,” now streaming on Netflix, based on the final days of opera superstar Maria Callas. The film is peppered with flashbacks of arias by Verdi and Puccini when Callas was at the height of her success. And was Angelina Jolie, who portrays […]

“Love Actually” director Richard Curtis and songwriter and musician Ed Sheeran go way back: Sheeran’s first girlfriend even babysat Curtis’ children. Since then, they’ve collaborated on several projects, including Comic Relief and the Danny Boyle-helmed 2017 film “Yesterday,” in which which Sheeran stars and Curtis co-wrote. So when Curtis was conceiving his TV special “That […]

Yes, Timothée Chalamet pre-recorded his vocals to play Bob Dylan in James Mangold‘s “A Complete Unknown,” but he also sang live. Mangold decided he was going to go with the live performance after being blown away by the actor’s performance. Mangold is no stranger to his actors singing live. Joaquin Phoenix did it for “Walk […]

“RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” Season 4 winner Monet X Change is set to host “Drag Race’s” Season 17 weekly recap show, “The Pit Stop.” X Change and a guest will review and recap each episode of “Drag Race” Season 17, which returns to MTV on Jan. 3. “The Pit Stop” will air on the “RuPaul’s […]

Coralie’s Fargeat’s “The Substance,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and “The Deliverance” led the 12th annual Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Award nominations. The body horror of Fargeat’s “The Substance” resonated with the make-up and hair stylist guild with three nominations. Special effects artist Pierre Olivier Persin explained that Fargeat wanted to use practical effects, instead of […]