While most spy narratives involve an intense mission, stellar stunts and special effects, Showtime’s “The Agency” offers audiences something different. An adaptation of Eric Rochant’s acclaimed French series “The Bureau,” the new show delves into the profound personal and psychological turmoil that comes with high-risk jobs and concealing one’s identity. Deeply engrossing (in the three […]

Having made a splash with tense and brutal petty crime caper short “No Key,” an Indie Short Fest winner that also screened at Fantastic Fest, Casablanca-born director Walid Messnaoui and fast-building Moroccan production house Caestus Films are preparing Messnaoiu’s first feature, “The Last Beast of Atlas,” described as a twilight Western and drama.  “The Last […]

“Wicked,” which was by far the highest grossing film in the world this weekend, failed to give the South Korea box office market a much-needed jolt. The Jon M. Chu-directed fantasy claimed a strong 45% share of the box office in Korea with $3.58 million earned from 501,000 admissions between Friday and Sunday. Over five […]

Swedish original series “Veronika” has been renewed for a second season at SkyShowtime, Variety can confirm. Starring Alexandra Rapaport (“Honour”) and Tobias Santelmann (“The Arctic Convoy”), the crime drama sees Rappaport return as police officer Veronika Gren. Santelmann plays her husband Tomas. Season 1 saw Veronika set out to uncolver the murder of two teenage […]

“Kraven the Hunter” has been granted a theatrical release in mainland China that is closely coordinated with its North American and international rollouts. It will open in Chinese theaters on Dec. 14, a Saturday. Its international campaign begins at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival on Dec 11, along with the first commercial outings […]

“Her Story,” a comedy-drama film told from a largely female perspective, topped the mainland China box office on its first weekend of release. “Gladiator II,” opening the same weekend, placed fourth. Data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway showed “Her Story” earning RMB125 million ($17.5 million) between Friday and Sunday. Including previews, it has a cumulative […]

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from the Season 5, Episode 11 episode of “Yellowstone,” “Three Fifty-Three,” which premiered Sunday, Nov. 24 on Paramount Network. Once it became clear that Kevin Costner wouldn’t return for the second half of Season 5 of “Yellowstone,” fans wondered how series creator Taylor Sheridan would write off his character, John […]

Indian cinematographer Pankaj Kumar (“Tumbbad,” “Ship of Theseus”) is set to make his feature directorial debut with “Konyak,” a tribal action drama set in northeast India. The project, was selected for the NFDC Screenwriters Lab 2024, part of the Film Bazaar, will be produced through Kumar’s newly established Jiboom Studios. Written by Uddhav Ghosh, the […]

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from the Season 5, Episode 11 episode of “Yellowstone,” “Three Fifty-Three,” which premiered Sunday, Nov. 24 on Paramount Network. Last week’s episode tied up some loose ends, but this week’s “Yellowstone” is all about violence, as we finally see John’s murder go down, as well as the assassination of a […]

Adele delivered an emotional farewell speech during her final Las Vegas residency date on Saturday night at the Colosseum Theatre at Caesars Palace. “It’s been wonderful and I will miss it terribly, and I will miss you terribly,” Adele told the audience, according to videos circulating online. “I don’t know when I next want to perform again.” […]

Production designer Nathan Crowley has been waiting his entire career for a film in which he could build an entire fantasy world. He found that with “Wicked.” When director Jon M. Chu called on him to work on “Wicked” for the film adaption of the Broadway musical, Crowley’s dream came true. “Jon wanted it to […]

Michael Villella, the actor known for playing the serial killer Russ Thorn in the cult classic “The Slumber Party Massacre,” has died. He was 84. Villella’s death was announced Saturday through a statement on his Facebook page: “Michael Pasquale Villella has left this world, may he rest in peace. May God welcome Michael with open […]

Everything’s still coming up Milhouse for Pamela Hayden. The actress, who has voiced Bart’s best friend on “The Simpsons” for 35 years, is retiring after Sunday night’s episode, “Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes.” But Hayden said she has no regrets in parting ways with the long-running show. “How many actors can […]

Larry Auerbach, a top agent at William Morris Agency for nearly 50 years who also served 25 years at USC School of Cinematic Arts, died Nov. 23 at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 95. Auerbach represented a wide range of talent during his 47 years with William Morris, including Alan Alda, Bea Arthur, […]

The unresolved case of JonBenét Ramsey has been the subject of countless documentaries and dramatic television retellings throughout the last 28 years. The latest content about the case is Netflix’s “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey” — a three-part docuseries about the 6-year-old child beauty queen who was brutally murdered on Dec. 26, 1996, in […]

Musicals aren’t the most successful genre at the box office (see: “Cats,” “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Joker: Folie à Deux”). But song-and-dance films may be enjoying — as Glinda sings — a newfound popularity with “Wicked,” Universal’s adaptation of Act One of the beloved Broadway show. The film collected $114 million in North America and […]

Eighty-five years after the release of “The Wizard of Oz,” director Jon M. Chu brings back this magical world to the big screen in “Wicked,” the film adaptation of the Broadway classic starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The musical movie, which grossed $114 million its in debut weekend at the domestic box office, has […]

Sweet Oz! “Wicked” fans now have a chance to visit Munchkinland. Well, sort of. When Jon M. Chu was making the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical, practical sets were a must. “Wicked’s” grand production shot in 17 stages and on four backlots, two of which were the size of four American football fields. Among […]

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, […]