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Mick Jackson's "The Bodyguard" is one of the lousiest blockbusters ever made. It's no secret why the film, which grossed a stunning $411 million globally ($924 million in 2024 dollars) on a $25 million budget, caught on with audiences: Kevin Costner playing the Steve McQueen-esque guardian of Whitney Houston, who belts out her biggest hit ever at the end of the movie ("I Will Always Love You"), was just a crazy zeitgeisty combination of superstars in 1992. Even though the B+ Cinemascore indicates it didn't hit the sweetest of spots with moviegoers, the hook and that song proved irresistible.

So what if the R-rated action-romance played like the chastest Adrian Lyne movie ever made, or the 17-year-old screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan was a by-the-numbers bore? Did it matter that Costner and Houston had absolutely zero chemistry, or that critics generally abhorred the film?...

Angelina Jolie remembers the first time she was set to publicly embody the voice of prima donna assoluta Maria Callas in preparation for the Netflix film Maria. Her sons Maddox and Pax Jolie-Pitt stood watch protectively, like security. “I was so nervous,” Jolie recalls. “My boys guarded the doors.”

They were at a small theater in Greece, where, after months of singing lessons and vocal and breath coaching, Jolie would show filmmaker Pablo Larraín she was up to the task of portraying the famous arias associated with the legendary coloratura soprano. Callas died in 1977 and remains as popular now as when she was performing in great opera houses at the height of her fame in the 1950s and ’60s.

Like her boys, Larraín was protective of her too, ensuring a level of privacy a director usually reserves for shooting scenes of intense intimacy. Apart from him, only a handful of...

Deadline has launched a new Awards Hub — a magazine site within Deadline showcasing awards news, features, interviews, videos, events, photo galleries and more.

Head to the hub now to read the Gladiator II cover story, hot off the press from our Oscar Preview print magazine. The hub is a one-stop shop for everything awards, from documentary and crafts to predictions, reviews and our Deadline events like Contenders and Sound & Screen.

“We’re so excited to launch this new Awards Hub,” Deadline’s senior awards editor Antonia Blyth said. “It feels great to lean into shareable and accessible digital awards content. Plus, our motion cover stories and behind-the-scenes shoots have become a Deadline signature — we’re looking to the future with everything we’re doing.”

Check back at the Awards Hub for new, in-depth interviews: Angelina Jolie and Pablo Larraín describe how they bonded over take-out pizza in the making of...

Once known as the golden couple of Hollywood, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have constantly been in the spotlight, especially due to their legal battle. However, as Jolie returns to the screen with her new musical drama Maria, rumors have emerged suggesting that her ex-husband is attempting to undermine her Oscar chances.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Credit: 20th Century Studios

However, it is unlikely that the alleged attempts from Pitt would succeed, especially after the Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins, renowned for Moonlight, publicly praised Jolie’s performance and even went on to compare her work to that of Denzel Washington’s iconic performance in Malcolm X.

Barry Jenkins Praises Angelina Jolie’s Performance in Maria

Angelina Jolie is returning to the silver screen with her upcoming biographical psychological drama Maria, which premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival and has received positive reviews from critics.

Ahh November. You know it’s fall in Hollywood because the beaches empty out, the mountains light on fire, and people start to wear fashionable jackets that it’s entirely too warm for. But damn it, if we wish it hard enough, those leaves will change color and it will be perfect pumpkin-spice weather!

It is perfect movie weather though, and we have some hot ones for you this month. We have films from heavy hitters like Steve McQueen and Pablo Larraín, and some exciting sophomore features from the likes of Mati Diop and Jessie Eisenberg. Take a look what this month has to offer below:

Juror No. 2

When You Can Watch: Now

Where You Can Watch: Theaters (limited)

Creator/Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collete, J.K. Simmons, Kiefer Sutherland

Why We’re Excited: Recipient of the 2007 Spirit of Independent Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival, director...

Angelina Jolie is one of the frontrunners for the Best Actress prize at next year’s Oscars and she has been working hard on the awards campaign trail.

The 49-year-old actress attended a tastemaker screening of her movie Maria on Monday night (November 11) at the Crosby Street Hotel in New York City.

Also in attendance at the event were actresses Candice Bergen and Danai Gurira, filmmaker Mira Nair, and cast members from the Broadway musical The Outsiders, which Angelina produced.

Maria filmmakers in attendance included director Pablo Larrain, cinematographer Ed Lachman, hair designer Pamela Goldammer, and costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini.

The film follows the American-Greek soprano Maria Callas as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. Maria reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life. The film will debut in select theaters on...

Palestinian director Scandar Copti’s Happy Holidays has won the Golden Alexander-Theo Angelopoulos prize for best film at the 65th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, which ran from October 31-November 10.

The family drama centring on an Arab-speaking Israeli family premiered earlier this year in Venice’s Horizons strand, winning best screenplay. Copti had previously won the best film and screenplay prizes at Thessaloniki in 2009 for his Academy Award nominated Ajami.

The Silver Alexander for best director went to Belgian Leonardo van Dijl for his debut feature Julie Keeps Quiet, winner of the Sacd award in Cannes Critics’ Week sidebar.

The jury of the international competition,...

From December 5–14, the Red Sea International Film Festival will present its most ambitious lineup yet, turning Jeddah’s historic Al Balad area into a lively movie-going spot. After two years at the Ritz-Carlton, this fourth version will bring 120 films from 81 countries to the city’s heritage quarter, a big move back to this area.

Egyptian director Karim Shenawy’s play “The Tale of Daye’s Family” will open the festival. It’s about an 11-year-old Nubian albino boy who wants to try out for “The Voice” in Cairo. Better Man, Michael Gracey’s unusual biopic of Robbie Williams, which shows the pop star as an ape, will be the last movie shown.

The event is sure to have many big names. Viola Davis, an Academy Award winner, and Mona Zaki, an Egyptian actress, are both set to receive special awards. Davis will do more than just accept the award. Through her production business,...

The Red Sea Film Festival has unveiled the bulk of the line-up for its fourth edition, which will showcase 120 films from 81 territories from December 5 to 14 in the port city of Jeddah.

The festival will open with Egyptian director Karim Shenawy’s The Tale Of Daye’s Family (aka Light) about an 11-year-old Nubian albino boy with a beautiful voice, who faces adversity due to his unique appearance.

Abandoned by his father and bullied by his peers, he dreams of following in the footsteps of his idol, singer and actor Mohamed Mounir. When he gets a chance to audition for The Voice, Daye and his family embark on a perilous 1,000-mile journey from Southern Egypt to Cairo.

Michael Gracey’s semi-biographical feature Better Man, inspired by Robbie Williams and portraying the pop icon as a chimpanzee, will close the festival.

Johnny Depp’s Modi, Three Days on the Wing of Madness...

Honors for and onstage appearances by Viola Davis and Egyptian star Mona Zaki (Perfect Strangers, Flight 404, Aserb: The Squadron, The Spider), Johnny Depp’s new movie as a director and a biopic about Robbie Williams will be part of this year’s Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, organizers said Monday.

They also unveiled the competition lineup for the fest’s fourth edition. Organizers said that the overall lineup features 49 world and international premieres, also highlighting that six female filmmakers will be featured in the competition program.

Among the 15 competition titles announced are Reema Kagti’s Superboys of Malegaon, which bowed at the Toronto Film Festival, and Kurdwin Ayub’s Moon, which had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival where it won the special jury prize.

The Rsiff on Monday also added several galas to its lineup, plus unveiled its International Spectacular and its Families & Children programs.

Nominations voting is from January 8-12, 2025, with official Oscar nominations announced January 17, 2025. Final voting is February 11-18, 2025. And finally, the 97th Oscars telecast will be broadcast on Sunday, March 2, and air live on ABC at 7 p.m. Et/ 4 p.m. Pt. We update our picks throughout awards season, so keep checking IndieWire for all our 2025 Oscar predictions.

The State of the Race

As we enter the fall/holiday season, “Wicked” (Universal) and “Gladiator II” (Paramount) are gathering early buzz for the Best Sound Oscar. Other standouts include “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix), “Blitz” (Apple TV+), “Maria” (Netflix), and “Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios). Still to come are the highly anticipated “Nosferatu” (Focus Features) and “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures). Another major contender, course, is “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.).

In “Wicked,” Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, we get the unlikely friendship between...

Yes, that’s Billy Zane beneath those prosthetics.

The “Titanic” alum is unrecognizable as late star Marlon Brando in the first trailer for biopic “Waltzing for Brando.” The feature, written and directed by Bill Fishman, is based on a memoir by Bernard Judge.

The film takes place between 1969 and 1974, with Brando readying to shoot “The Godfather” and “Last Tango in Paris.” During that time, the actor purchased an uninhabitable island in Tahiti and recruited Los Angeles architect Judge, portrayed by Jon Heder, to build the world’s first ecologically friendly retreat.

Richard Dreyfuss, “Emily in Paris” star Camille Razat, Alaina Huffman, Tia Carrere, and James Jagger co-star in the film, which is now seeking a buyer.

The film will close the Torino Film Festival and play the Tahoe Film Festival. Prior to its world premiere, “Waltzing for Brando” was picked up by Vmi Worldwide for foreign sales.

Billed as a comedy,...

Barry Jenkins predicts that Angelina Jolie will land an Oscar nomination for her turn as Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s “Maria.”

Academy Award winner Jenkins recently moderated a post-screening AFI Fest conversation with Jolie, director Larraín, cinematographer Ed Lachman, production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas, and hairstylist Adruitha Lee, which IndieWire shares in an exclusive video below.

While praising Jolie’s performance as the late opera singer, Jenkins compared her dedicated transformation to other Oscar-nominated biopic performances from Denzel Washington (“Malcolm X”) and Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network”).

“The performance is so striking,” Jenkins said to Jolie. “It’s almost like, to me, Jesse Eisenberg is Mark Zuckerberg. Denzel Washington is Malcolm X, in a certain way. And I think you are Maria Callas in the same way. In this movie, in so many moments, you are performing with your whole body.”

Jenkins also went on to joke that he...

Exclusive: Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks locked deals on its AFM titles Electrophilia and Pacifico.

The company has sold Pacifico to Splendid Films for German-speaking Europe and Nashe Kino for Russia, Cis, and the Baltics. The film is set for a 2025 release in all the territories. Directed by Gonzalo Gutierrez, Pacifico is currently in post-production and is set to launch the pic with a market premiere next year. The company has said it’s currently in negotiations with U.S., Spanish, UK, and Latin American distributors.

Described as an adventure-Sci-Fi film, Pacifico follows a group of young travelers that are stranded on an island in the Pacific where they struggle to escape an evil presence that has been kept hidden from mankind for centuries.

The film stars an expansive Latin American ensemble, including Gabi de Faria (James Gunn’s DC Comic’s Superman 2025), Manolo Cardona (Undertow), Ricardo Abarca (Que Culpa Tiene...

Angelina Jolie looks radiant while stepping out after a movie screening on Sunday (November 3) in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The 49-year-old actress attended another screening and Q&a for her upcoming film Maria, which will be released later this month.

Angelina could seen wearing an all white look for her latest outing.

Maria is directed by Pablo Larraín, and follows the “American-Greek soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. Maria reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life.”

The film will debut in select theaters on November 27 and will drop on Netflix on December 11th. Check out the trailer here!

Earlier in the week, the Oscar winner greeted fans and signed autographs in Beverly Hills.

If you missed it, Angelina recently revealed why none of her children will be pursuing acting.

Check out...

Over the last eight years, Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín has made a triptych of biographies about famous women, starting with Jackie, then Spencer, and now Maria. Starring Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, one of the most iconic opera singers in all of history, Maria is incredibly intriguing, even if it is uneven. Although Maria suffers from pacing issues that could cause viewers to lose interest in the second act, its visual grandeur, strong performances, and ambitious thematic swings make it a worthy film.

Maria Review

Maria follows the iconic opera singer in the final days of her life in Paris as she reflects on her life. Like the rest of Larraín’s “melancholic” trilogy, Maria is far from your traditional biography. Although it tells the story of one of the most famous women of all time, it’s far more interested in the interiority of her experience than recounting the glory days of her life.

Für ihre Rolle der Maria Callas in Pablo Larrains „Maria“ wird Angelina Jolie bei der Verleihung der Gotham Awards am 2. Dezember mit dem Performer Tribute geehrt.

Angelina Jolie in Pablo Larraíns „Maria“ (Credit: Pablo Larraín)

Mit den Gotham Awards wird traditionell die Awards-Saison eröffnet. Bei der Verleihung am 2. Dezember wird Angelina Jolie für ihre Rolle der Maria Callas in Pablo Larrains von Komplizen Film koproduziertem Biopic „Maria“ (hier unsere The-spot-Besprechung) mit dem Performer Tribute geehrt.

Jeffrey Sharp, Executive Director der Gotham Awards, erklärt: „Wie die legendäre Figur, die sie porträtiert, geht Angelina Jolie über die bloße Darstellung hinaus und schafft etwas Außergewöhnliches. Ihre Interpretation fängt sowohl die Komplexität von Maria Callas als Künstlerin als auch die kulturelle Resonanz ein, die eine Ikone ausmacht. Wir sind begeistert, eine von Frau Jolies karriereprägenderLeistungen im letzten Teil von Pablo Larrains großartiger Trilogie zu feiern.“...

Angelina Jolie is set to receive the Performer Tribute at the 2024 Gotham Awards.

The event will take place Dec. 2 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. The Gotham Film & Media Institute said the Oscar winner will be honored for performance as the legendary, but troubled, opera singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain’s upcoming film Maria.

“Like the legendary figure she portrays, Angelina Jolie transcends mere performance to craft something extraordinary. Her interpretation captures both Maria Callas’ complexity as an artist and the cultural resonance that defines an icon,” The Gotham executive director Jeffrey Sharp said in a statement.

Maria has already done a tour of the Venice, Telluride and New York film festivals. The biopic explores the final days of Maria Callas in 1970s Paris, as she fights to get back the iconic voice she has lost.

The Hollywood Reporter‘s chief film critic David Rooney wrote...

Angelina Jolie will receive the Performer Tribute for her performance in Pablo Larraín’s Maria at the upcoming 2024 Gotham Awards, the Gotham Film Festival & Media Institute announced today. Jolie plays iconic opera singer Maria Callas in the Paris-set film that finds Callas, in her final days, processing her life and career on stage. It follows films by Larraín about other 20th century women icons, including Jackie Onassis (Jackie) and Princess Diana (Spencer). “Like the legendary figure she portrays, Angelina Jolie transcends mere performance to craft something extraordinary,” said The Gotham executive director Jeffrey Sharp in a press release. “Her […]

The post Angelina Jolie to Receive 2024 Gotham Awards Performer Tribute first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Angelina Jolie will receive the Performer Tribute for her performance in Pablo Larraín’s Maria at the upcoming 2024 Gotham Awards, the Gotham Film Festival & Media Institute announced today. Jolie plays iconic opera singer Maria Callas in the Paris-set film that finds Callas, in her final days, processing her life and career on stage. It follows films by Larraín about other 20th century women icons, including Jackie Onassis (Jackie) and Princess Diana (Spencer). “Like the legendary figure she portrays, Angelina Jolie transcends mere performance to craft something extraordinary,” said The Gotham executive director Jeffrey Sharp in a press release. “Her […]

The post Angelina Jolie to Receive 2024 Gotham Awards Performer Tribute first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Angelina Jolie may have missed out on a competitive Gotham Award nomination this year for her acclaimed performance in “Maria,” but the Oscar-winning actress will still participate in the upcoming ceremony.

On Thursday, the Gotham Film & Media Institute announced Jolie will receive the Performer Tribute for her performance as Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain’s upcoming film “Maria.” The actress will receive the honor at the 34th edition of The Gothams, taking place on Monday, December 2 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. According to a press release, “The tribute will honor Jolie’s rendition of the legendary opera singer Maria Callas.”

“Like the legendary figure she portrays, Angelina Jolie transcends mere performance to craft something extraordinary. Her interpretation captures both Maria Callas’s complexity as an artist and the cultural resonance that defines an icon,” said Jeffrey Sharp, Executive Director of The Gotham. “We are thrilled to...

Despite blue skies over Greece’s second city ahead of the opening ceremony, the 65th Thessaloniki Film Festival kicks off Oct. 31 under clouds of uncertainty, with the war in Ukraine raging toward its three-year anniversary and the year-old Israel-Hamas conflict spilling into neighboring countries and threatening to engulf the entire Middle East. The U.S., meanwhile, heads to the polls next week for an election that’s been framed as a referendum on the fate of American democracy itself — with the eyes of the world watching.

For Thessaloniki festival director Orestis Andreadakis, a veteran film critic who’s been at the helm of the festival since 2016, global events have only brought a renewed sense of urgency “to find movies that matter,” he tells Variety on the eve of opening night. “Movies that say something about our lives, our situation in the world, with so many changes, so many dangers — wars,...

How does a 17-year-old singer from Greece end up sharing the screen with one of the biggest Hollywood stars in the world? For newcomer Aggelina Papadopoulou, who plays young Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s “Maria,” it all started with a mysterious request sent to her music school in Athens.

The request asked for female singers aged 17 to 22 with brown hair who could resemble legendary American-Greek soprano Maria Callas. The hopefuls learned nothing else before sending in their tapes. “We had less than a day to prepare the two songs you hear me singing in the movie,” Papadopoulou tells Variety ahead of the Greek premiere of “Maria” as the opening film of the Thessaloniki Film Festival.

It took less than three weeks between the singer sending in that first tape and hearing she got the role in the film. “It happened pretty quickly for me, but from what I know...

Greece’s Thessaloniki International Film Festival returns this evening for its 65th edition with a screening of Maria, the latest feature from Chilean director Pablo Larraín.

The pic, which stars Angelina Jolie and debuted at this year’s Venice Film Festival, will screen for audiences at Thessaloniki’s Olympia Theatre following an opening ceremony.

Running 31 Oct – 10 Nov, Thessaloniki will this year screen 12 films in its international competition. Titles include Edinburgh-based filmmaker Laura Carreira’s haunting debut feature On Falling. The pic, which debuted at Toronto and landed the Sutherland Award for debut film at London, follows Aurora, a young Portuguese woman who struggles to make ends meet across one week in her adopted home of Glasgow, Scotland. Other titles include Ariane Labed’s debut feature September Says and the buzzy Palestinian feature To A Land Unknown. A total of 252 feature and short films will be screened at Thessaloniki. The international...

Tras ‘Jackie’ y ‘Spencer’, Larraín centra la cámara en la conocida cantante. © Netflix

Ya se ha publicado el primer tráiler y póster de María, la película del director Pablo Larraín (El conde) y el guionista Steven Knight, creador de Peaky Blinders.

María narra los últimos días de vida de la legendaria soprano María Callas en el París de los años setenta, cuando se retira a la capital francesa tras una vida glamurosa y tumultuosa en el ojo público.

La película está protagonizada por Angelina Jolie (El sustituto), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Memoir of a Snail), Alba Rohrwacher (Yo soy el amor), Pierfrancesco Favino (El conde de Montecristo) y Valeria Golino (Retrato de una mujer en llamas).

Sobre el largometraje, Larraín ha dicho: «Es una imaginación creativa y un retrato psicológico de María Callas que, después de dedicar su vida a actuar para audiencias de todo el mundo, decide finalmente encontrar su propia voz,...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has signed on to star in Pendulum, a new feature produced by filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and directed by Mark Heyman (Black Swan).

The film will start principal photography in March 2025 in New Mexico. Black Bear is repping international rights on the film and will introduce the project to buyers at the American Film Market next week. UTA Independent Film Group, CAA Media Finance, and WME Independent hold domestic rights.

Described as a “terrifying new genre film,” the film follows the young couple Patrick (Gordon-Levitt) and Abigail on a journey to a new-age retreat in New Mexico, drawn by the possibility of healing after a traumatic event. Patrick is willing to do anything to help his wife but becomes distrustful of the retreat’s enigmatic leader even as Abigail falls under her spell. As paranoia builds, the couple must determine if the group’s unconventional spiritual practices offer genuine...

Hungary has extended its successful film production incentive for a further six years, through to 2030, with a projected $3bn budget.

The incentive, which was set to expire at the end of 2024, has been approved by the European Commission. It will continue at the current rate, through which film and TV projects produced in Hungary are eligible for 30% tax rebate based on their expenditure in the country.

Hungary has reached $910m direct annual film production spend across the past year – four times an increase in volume across the last five years.

Recent films to have used the country for production purposes include Denis Villeneuve’s Dune,...

Maika Monroe is reteaming with Watcher director Chloe Okuno on the feminist horror film Brides, which FilmNation and UTA Independent Film Group are launching at AFM.

Likely Story’s Anthony Bregman and Stefanie Azpiazu are producing the 1960’s, Italy-set tale, which is in pre-production and scheduled to start shooting in spring 2025.

Fresh off the independent horror smash Longlegs, Monroe will star in the feminist take on the Dracula myth as Sally Bishop, who travels with her husband to a remote villa in the wake of Sally’s nervous breakdown.

The villa’s owner, a mysterious count, takes a peculiar interest in Sally.

Angelina Jolie on Broadway?

After taking home a Tony in June as a producer on best musical winner “The Outsiders,” Jolie tells me she may be interested in making her Broadway acting debut next.

“I would love to, but I’d be very shy. But if you asked me if I would be singing opera a year ago, I probably would have said no,” she told me at the AFI Fest screening of her new Maria Callas biopic “Maria.” “I started with Strasberg and I started in theater so of course I would love to. But deep deep down, I probably don’t think I’m good enough.”

I suggested she consider a musical now that did seven months of intense vocal and singing lessons for “Maria.”

Jolie laughed, “I don’t know if anybody wants that.”

Jolie portrays Callas in the Pablo Larraín-directed drama about the last days...

Angelina Jolie has evolved into a sophisticated movie star known for her elegant looks and occasional public appearances. When the 49-year-old does step into the spotlight, it’s often with her children in tow. However, the Maleficent star enjoyed a solo evening out on Saturday night at the 2024 AFI Fest, stepping out of her comfort zone in a new way.

Angelina Jolie loosens up with fun, beachy hair Angelina Jolie at the 2024 AFI Fest on October 26, 2024 in Hollywood | Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Jolie recently let her hair down for the premiere of Maria at AFI Fest. The Eternals star enlisted the same celebrity hairstylist Renato Campora who styled her retro ‘70s disco curls for the September cover of Cr Fashion Book. Many fans found her voluminous zig-zag curls uncharacteristic of Jolie, as many Instagram followers commented “stunning.” One said it best, “Wow. She looks amazing. So happy to see her out there doing what she loves.

Natalie Portman was told she couldn’t be sexy in Hollywood ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

In a world that often dictated what it meant to be a leading lady, Natalie Portman was once told she couldn’t be sexy in Hollywood. Yet, she shattered that notion—and the entertainment industry—through sheer talent and unapologetic confidence. During a candid discussion at New York magazine’s Vulture Festival, Portman reflected on her experiences in the wake of Harvey Weinstein’s revelations. As stories of abuse and exploitation poured out, she initially thought herself fortunate to have escaped such horrors. But, in true introspective fashion, she realized she had her own stories to share.

“When I heard everything coming out, I was like, wow, I’m so lucky I haven’t had this. And then, on reflection, I was like, okay, definitely never been assaulted, definitely not…” But as her thoughts deepened, a...

Actress Angelina Jolie took on one of her toughest roles yet in the new film “Maria.” The movie tells the story of legendary opera singer Maria Callas. Jolie plays Callas in her later years in 1970s Paris.

To prepare for the role, Jolie underwent seven months of intense vocal training. She learned how to properly use her voice for opera singing. This was very new for Jolie, who had never received training like this before. “I had to learn how to sing at the top of my voice in a healthy way,” Jolie stated.

Director Pablo Larraín chose Jolie because he believed she could capture both Callas’ powerful stage presence and commitment to her art. The film required someone who would seriously train their voice for an opera role. Jolie embraced this challenge and the training process transformed her.

Though daunting, Jolie embraced exploring her artistic limits. She worked closely with Larraín,...

After a whirlwind tour of the Venice, Telluride and New York film festivals, Angelina Jolie and Pablo Larraín brought their film Maria to AFI Fest in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

The project — following Larraín’s previous looks at Jackie Kennedy in Jackie and Princess Diana in Spencer — explores the final days of legendary but troubled opera singer Maria Callas in 1970s Paris, as she fights to get back the iconic voice she has lost.

At a post-screening Q&a, moderated by Barry Jenkins, Larraín noted that “I don’t think there was another alternative, I don’t think this movie would exist if Angelina would have passed,” and required a star who could both capture Callas’ “larger than life” diva presence and have the discipline to learn to sing opera.

“I think when I was asked if I could sing, I thought, one, sing like an actor — I’ll sing as much as I can,...

Angelina Jolie is mixing up her look while promoting her new movie Maria.

The 49-year-old actress, who is normally known for a sleeker hairstyle, attended the movie’s premiere at the 2024 AFI Fest on Saturday night (October 26) with a head full of glorious curls.

She posed for photos outside of the Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. wearing a champagne colored silk dress with a dark brown shawl. Her bright red lip matched her nails and she finished things off with a glam new hairstyle.

Keep reading to find out more…

Angelina was joined at the premiere by director Pablo Larrain. We’ve got photos of them posing together in the gallery!

Maria is a biopic about iconic opera singer Maria Callas, with Angelina playing the titular character. The movie follows the “American-Greek soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. Maria...

The world’s largest college-run film festival, the Scad Savannah film festival, returns to Georgia Oct. 26 with its consistently eclectic programming mix of documentaries, box office hits, indies, animated films, short films and more.

“Scad honors the screen’s brightest stars, from Annette Bening to Lupita Nyong’o to Richard Linklater,” says Scad President and founder Paula Wallace. “Come for the stars and stay for a tour of Scad’s recently expanded Savannah Film Studios backlot… glitz, glamour, and good films.”

This year’s programming includes of Steve McQueen’s “Blitz” and Pablo Larrain’s “Maria” as well as a centerpiece screening of Robbie Williams’ unconventional biopic “Better Man.” The festival will also screen “Emilia Peréz,” Jacques Audiard’s musical drama which won the Jury Prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, and a 35mm print of Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” which netted the filmmaker the Silver Lion for directing in Venice earlier this year.

Is The Crown Season 5 Hinting at Future Royal Scandals? Let’s Break It Down!(Photo Credit – YouTube)

Buckle up, folks! The drama train’s already chugging full steam ahead for Season 5 of The Crown, dropping on November 9. The chatter’s hotter than a cup of English tea, with columnists firing off their spicy hot takes, politicians making headlines, and even award-winning actors throwing shade. The real kicker? Everyone’s asking if The Crown has taken its royal dramatization a tad too far!

Since its royal debut in November 2016, The Crown has spun a fictional web around Queen Elizabeth II’s reign—officially wrapped up on September 8, 2022. It’s not the first pop-culture offering to dip its toes in royal waters. Remember A Royal Night Out, where Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret had a cheeky incognito adventure on V-e Day? Or The Queen, which tackled the whirlwind aftermath of Princess Diana’s tragic passing?...

Is the Netflix Oscar drought finally about to end?

The streamer has long been chasing the elusive Academy Award for best picture. After a series of near misses, 2024 might just be the year the streaming giant claims the coveted prize — thanks to Jacques Audiard’s critically lauded crime musical “Emilia Pérez.”

The Spanish-language drama premiered to fanfare at Cannes and has a star-studded cast, including Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón and Adriana Paz. The bold narrative, riveting performances and groundbreaking representation garnered critical acclaim, leading to a shared best actress prize for the four stars. Some pundits believe “Emilia” has the goods to go the way of Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite,” which in 2020 became the first non-English-language film to win best picture. “Emilia” is also France’s submission for international feature, which further positions it as a viable Oscar darling.

Read: You can see all Academy Award...

This winter, Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie will be vying for her third Oscar nomination. The movie star previously won Best Supporting Actress for Girl, Interrupted in 2000 and was nominated for Best Actress for The Changeling in 2009. Now, she's going for another Best Actress nod for her surely spectacular performance in the upcoming Netflix movie Maria.

From director Pablo Larraín and writer Stephen Knight, Maria made its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in August 2024, when the film was acquired by Netflix for distribution in the United States. So far, the film has been well-received by critics, currently holding a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes before its streaming release in December.

Netflix will release Maria in the United States on Wednesday, Dec. 11 following a limited theatrical release over the Thanksgiving holiday on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Additional territories will receive the movie in 2025 when it's released theatrically in Italy, the United Kingdom,...

Studiocanal has launched the full official trailer for Pablo Larraín’s Angelina Jolie-led ‘Maria.’

The movie will tell the tumultuous, beautiful, and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest female opera singer, relived, and reimagined during her final days in 1970s Paris.

Directed by Pablo Larraín and written by Steven Knight, it stars Angelina Jolie, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer, Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Also in trailers – Full trailer revealed for ‘Dune: Prophecy’

The film hits cinemas across the UK and Ireland on 10 January 2025.

The post Angelina Jolie takes to the stage on full trailer for ‘Maria’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Angelina Jolie shines as real-life opera singer Maria Callas in the debut trailer for Maria.

The film, directed by Pablo Larraín, follows the “American-Greek soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. Maria reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life.”

Head inside to watch the trailer…

Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Valeria Golino, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Haluk Bilginer all star.

Maria hits select theaters in the U.S. on November 27 and arrives on Netflix on December 11.

The film received an 8 minute standing ovation at a recent film festival, and THR predicts that Angelina will be nominated for an Oscar for her performance.

Watch the trailer below, and see stills from the movie in the gallery!

"I will sing when I am ready to sing!" Let her sing! Netflix has unveiled the full official trailer for the film Maria, the latest cinematic work from renowned Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain, continuing his series about tormented women - after Jackie and Spencer before this. This new film focuses on the beloved opera singer Maria Callas, as portrayed by the beloved actor Angelina Jolie. It premiered at the 2024 Venice Film Festival earlier this year, with stops at NYFF & London as well. And it's set for a theatrical release in November before it's streaming on Netflix in December. From acclaimed director Pablo Larraín, Maria will tell the tumultuous, beautiful, and tragic story of the life of the world's greatest female opera singer, relived, and reimagined during her final few days living in 1970s Paris. Also starring Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Valeria Golino, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Haluk Bilginer. With costumes by Massimo Cantini Parrini,...

Netflix has released the official trailer and poster for Maria, the drama starring Angelina Jolie. The film opens in select theaters on November 27, 2024, and launches on Netflix on December 11.

Academy Award-winner Angelina Jolie plays Maria Callas, one of the most iconic performers of the 20th century, in acclaimed director Pablo Larrain’s operatic Maria.

The film follows the American-Greek soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. Maria reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life.

Written by Steven Knight, the movie has been rated R by the MPA for some language including a sexual reference.

In addition to Angelina Jolie, the cast includes Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Valeria Golino, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Haluk Bilginer.

Juan De Dios Larraín, Jonas Dornbach, Lorenzo Mieli, and Pablo Larraín are the producers. The film’s cinematographer is Ed Lachman,...

The final days, hours, and minutes in the life of Greek opera singer Maria Callas are reimagined to vivid effect in Pablo Larraín’s latest biopic in miniature, “Maria.” As the third and last film in his trilogy of doomed historical women, following “Jackie” and “Spencer,” “Maria” stars Angelina Jolie in the title role. It’s one that demanded seven months of training in the art of opera singing — though what’s ultimately in the Venice world premiere out this fall from Netflix is vocally a blend of Jolie’s more nascent chops with Callas’ iconic and inimitable pipes. Watch the trailer for the film below.

Jolie is widely tipped as a Best Actress Oscar nominee for her role as a pill-swilling, self-pitying, vocally fraying Maria Callas in a drama with dialogue that bites, thanks to screenwriter Steven Knight behind the wheel of Callas’ demise. When Callas’ sister (Valeria Golino...

“Maria” is ready to sing.

On Thursday, Netflix released the first trailer for Pablo Larrain’s “Maria” starring Oscar winner Angelina Jolie as the legendary opera singer Maria Callas. A regular on the film festival circuit since its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in August, “Maria” will enjoy a limited theatrical release in late November before hitting Netflix on December 11.

The third film in Larrain’s unofficial trilogy on prominent women of the 20th century following “Jackie” (about Jacqueline Kennedy) and “Spencer” (about Princess Diana), “Maria” follows “the American-Greek soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye.” The film, which unfolds over Callas’ final days, “reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life.” Callas died in 1977 at the age of 53.

“This film is my most personal work yet. It is a...

Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín is perhaps one of the most versatile filmmakers we have. His career includes the political marketing drama, “No,” the surrealist biopic, “Neruda,” the psychological horror and Stephen King adaptation, “Lisey’s Story” series, and the searing relationship drama, “Ema” to name just a few. But in his ascendence to Hollywood and working with some of the best actresses in the world, he’s also pivoted to some incredible artful films about the complicated lives of various famous female figures: Natalie Portman in “Jackie” about Jacqueline Kennedy, “Spencer” with Kristen Stewart about Princess Diana, and now his latest, “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie.

Continue reading ‘Maria’ Trailer: Angelina Jolie Leads Pablo Larraín’s Drama Of An Iconic Opera Singer at The Playlist.

“Tell me how it felt to be onstage,” the journalist played by Kodi Smit-McPhee says to Maria Callas in the new trailer for Maria. “An exultation,” she responds. “An intoxication. I thought the stage itself would burn.” Starring Academy Award-winning actor Angelina Jolie, Pablo Larraín’s Maria is a swooning portrait of that cocktail of emotion.

Jolie earned an Academy Award for her performance in Girl, Interrupted,and has displayed her incredible range in films like Changeling, The Good Shepherd, Maleficent, and Those Who Wish Me Dead.

Renowned Chilean filmmaker Larraín is known for such films as Jackie, Spencer, No, Neruda, and 2023’s El Conde, which garnered a Best Cinematography Oscar nomination for Edward Lachman’s chiaroscuro work.

Larraín says, “I’m excited to partner again with the Netflix team who care so passionately about movies. This film is my most personal work yet. It is a creative imagining and...

Actress Angelina Jolie, stars in the new feature “Maria”, directed by Pablo Larraín, opening November 27, 2024. Plus take a look at her posing for “The Hollywood Reporter”, wearing Jean Carol, photographed by Blair Getz Mezibov:

“…’Maria’ is a biographical psychological drama film about opera singer ‘Maria Callas’, set during Callas' final years in the 1970’s when she was living in Paris…

“…starring Jolie in the title role, with Valeria Golino as her sister ‘Yakinthi’ and Haluk Bilginer as ‘Aristotle Onassis’…

“…in the third and final film in director Pablo Larraín’s trilogy of iconic women, succeeding ‘Jackie’ and ‘Spencer’…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Hollywood may be synonymous with moviemaking, but Los Angeles has historically been fickle about supporting a major film festival. AFI Fest, which will unfurl the red carpet for opening night on Wednesday, hopes to certify its status as the city’s landmark festival, especially after seeing an encouraging growth in presales this fall. On the first day of availability, advanced tickets showed a spike of 200% over last year’s edition, per American Film Institute president Bob Gazzale.

“I hate to say it, but the question abounds: ‘Are people still going to the movies?’ Yet our passes are sold out,” Gazzale tells Variety. “It says something about the terrific programming team, because they’re finding films of interest. That’s naturally going to attract an audience, no matter what city we’re in.”

Strong programming hasn’t always guaranteed sustained support for local fests, though. The once-popular L.A. Film Festival...

The fall festival season has wrapped up! Each year, dozens of movies premiere at festivals with distributors looking to launch them before they’re released in theaters or on streaming services. But dozens more are independent films without distribution that came to the festivals looking to be discovered. This year, over 200 movies made their world premieres across the Venice Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival, and we’ve seen some big name movie sales across all four.

Right as Venice got underway, we saw U.S. deals for two of the biggest competition titles on the slate, Pablo Larraín’s “Maria” to Netflix and Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer” to A24. A24 also picked up the rights to Venice Silver Lion winner “The Brutalist” in a competitive situation. And some of the hottest discoveries like “Nutcrackers,” “September 5,” and TIFF Audience...

“Maria” serves as the third entry in the unofficial trilogy from director Pablo Larraín about iconic 20th-century women during a specific period when they receded from public view. 2016’s “Jackie” examined the role Jackie Kennedy played in the aftermath of her husband’s assassination, and “Spencer” took a measured approach to the life of Diana Spencer before her official divorce from the future King Charles of England. To say that “Maria” is the least all-encompassing of this trilogy is not an insult, but rather a calculated choice on Larraín’s part. This isn’t the story about how the consciousness of a nation was thrust on the shoulders of a young woman, but rather a deconstruction of the artifice of celebrity.

“Maria” stars Angelina Jolie in the role of Maria Callas, the world-renowned opera singer who attained such fame that even those unfamiliar with the “bel canto” technique could recognize...