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The Serpent star Tahar Rahim and Boiling Point’s Izuka Hoyle are leading Prisoner, the Sky thriller series from Matt Charman.

The pair are joined by Eddie Marsan (Back to Black, The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe), Catherine McCormack (Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, 28 Weeks Later), Leonie Benesch (September 5, Babylon Berlin), Finn Bennett (Black Doves, True Detective), Sam Troughton (Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, Black Doves), Laurie Davidson (The Girlfriend, Mary & George), Ken Nwosu (Black Doves, Sticks and Stones), Brían F. O’Byrne (Conclave, The Wonder) and Youssef Kerkour (Lockerbie: A Search For Truth).

Prisoner follows a principled young prison officer escorting a dangerous, high-value prisoner to court to testify against his elite crime syndicate. Throughout the journey, their relationship twists and turns, with the stakes escalating as the crime syndicate stops at nothing to track them down. Deadline revealed the project several weeks back from Charman, the...

Magnolia Pictures has secured the North American distribution rights for One to One: John & Yoko, a documentary offering an in-depth look at an 18-month period that redefined the lives of one of music’s most iconic couples, John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Details Of The Documentary

The film, directed by Academy Award-winner Kevin Macdonald (One Day in September), delves into the couple’s life during the early 1970s when they resided in New York City’s Greenwich Village.

It features rare, never-before-seen footage and newly restored material from Lennon’s only full-length post-Beatles concert. This audio restoration was overseen by their son, Sean Ono Lennon.

The documentary had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, followed by screenings at the Telluride Film Festival, and is set to be featured in the Spotlight section of the Sundance Film Festival, which runs from January 23 to February 2, 2025.

Magnolia plans an exclusive...

Exclusive: Magnolia Pictures is taking North American rights to Kevin Macdonald’s documentary One to One: John & Yoko, which after making its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and playing at Telluride is making a pit stop in the Spotlight section this week at the Sundance Film Festival. One to One: John & Yoko is getting an April 11 release exclusively in Imax. Pic will air on HBO and stream on Max in late 2025.

The docu is a revelatory look at the 18 months John Lennon and Yoko Ono spent living in Greenwich Village in the early 1970s with never-before-seen material and newly restored footage of Lennon’s only full-length, post-Beatles concert. Sean Ono Lennon, the couple’s son, oversaw the audio remastering of the concert in the pic.

On August 30, 1972, in New York City, John Lennon played his only full-length show after leaving the Beatles: the One to One...

“Conclave” leads the pack of 2025 BAFTA Film Awards nominees with 12 nods, one more than “Emilia Pérez,” which had appeared on the most BAFTA longlists (15) when they were announced on Jan. 3.

Mia McKenna-Bruce and Will Sharpe announced the 2025 nominees live on Wednesday in London.

The British academy nominated “Conclave” for best film, outstanding British film, best director (for Edward Berger), lead actor (Ralph Fiennes), supporting actress (Isabella Rossellini), and adapted screenplay (Peter Straughan). “Emilia Pérez” picked up nods for best film, director (Jacques Audiard), lead actress (Karla Sofía Gascón), supporting actress (Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldaña) and adapted screenplay (Audiard).

“The Brutalist,” meanwhile, received nine nominations, including best film, director (Brady Corbet) and actor (Adrien Brody), followed by seven each for “Anora,” “Dune: Part Two” and “Wicked.” Of those three, only “Anora” made the cut for best film and director (Sean Baker). Coralie Fargeat landed the last spot in the director category,...

She’s added to her collection. Jodie Foster has won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Limited Series for her turn as police chief Liz Danvers in “True Detective: Night Country.” Check out the full list of 2025 Golden Globe winners here.

When she won the 2024 Primetime Emmy for the role back in September, Foster became the first actor from any of the “True Detective” installments to win an Emmy. The Globe win adds to an extraordinary awards shelf for the 62-year-old Hollywood legend, including two Academy Awards for Best Actress (for “The Accused” and “The Silence of the Lambs”) and three previous competitive Globes wins and the Globes’ honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award.

Foster’s Chief Danvers is maybe the most memorable lead character in a “True Detective” installment yet. Here, she leads the local police force in Ennis, Alaska, a tiny town so far north that...

Hey there, pop culture fans! Google just dropped its annual list of trending celebrities in the United States, and boy, has it been a wild ride through 2024! From binge-worthy streaming hits to viral podcast moments, these stars had us all glued to our screens and furiously typing into our search bars.

Google Raster logo (2015-present) | Credits: Google Inc, Cc By-sa 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Some familiar faces reached new heights, while others burst onto the scene in spectacular fashion. Whether they were collecting awards, breaking the internet, or just living their best lives, these celebs definitely kept our Google search history interesting. Ready to dive into the top 10 most-searched stars who had Americans totally obsessed this year? Let’s get into it!

10. Jodie Foster Jodie Foster in a still from The Mauritanian (2021) | Credits: STXfilms

Can we take a moment to appreciate how Jodie Foster absolutely crushed it this year? The legend...

After conquering the Dceu, riding shotgun in the Fast and Furious franchise, and taking hackers to task in Netflix’s Heart of Stone, Gal Gadot is locked into a race against time in director Kevin Madonald’s The Runner, an upcoming thriller set up at Amazon MGM Studios. David Kosse produces through his newly established Rockwood Pictures, with Amazon MGM Studios holding the worldwide rights.

Macdonald, whose films include One to One: John & Yoko, The Last King of Scotland, The Mauritanian, and more, directs The Runner from a script by Mark Gibson. According to Deadline, the plot finds Gadot playing “a high-powered attorney who must race through London, following the cryptic commands of a mysterious Caller, as she fights against time to save her abducted son.”

Before Gal Gadot laced up her sneakers for The Runner, she played the Evil Queen in Disney’s live-action adaptation of its first animated classic,...

Exclusive: Gal Gadot has been set to star in The Runner, a London-set action thriller that will be directed by Kevin Macdonald. Amazon MGM Studios has acquired worldwide rights to the film which was developed and will be produced by David Kosse under the veteran exec’s new venture, Rockwood Pictures.

Prolific award-winning filmmaker Macdonald is directing from a script by Mark Gibson.

Gadot plays a high-powered attorney who must race through London, following the cryptic commands of a mysterious Caller, as she fights against time to save her abducted son.

Wonder Woman star Gadot’s recent credits include Netflix’s Red Notice and Heart of Stone. She will next be seen starring as the Evil Queen in Disney’s live-action Snow White which is due for domestic release...

Ever so often, a role might come along and present a perfect opportunity for transformation, one that has the potential to redefine an actor. For Shailene Woodley, that moment appears to be right on the horizon, and we could soon see her reclaim the spotlight in a way that has been long overdue.

Theo James, Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley in Insurgent | Lionsgate Films

Time and again we’ve seen that navigating Hollywood’s ever-changing landscape requires not just talent, but bold choices that reflect versatility and commitment. By taking advantage of novel opportunities, artists can either be elevated to new heights, or quietly fade away.

Shailene Woodley Cast in the Janis Joplin Biopic Shailene Woodley in To Catch a Killer | FilmNation Entertainment

Shailene Woodley’s new project is officially backed by the California Film Commission’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program. As per their announcement, Woodley will bring Janis...

Cinetic Media has signed Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin MacDonald for management.

Macdonald won the Academy Award for Best Documentary for “One Day in September,” a look at the 1972 murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Summer Olympics In Munich. MacDonald’s narrative feature, “The Last King of Scotland,” earned the best actor Oscar for Forest Whitaker for his chilling performance as Idi Amin.

MacDonald will be attending the Venice Film Festival, where he will premiere a “One to One: John & Yoko,” a documentary about the music legends’ relationship from Mercury Studios. His recent documentary “Klitschko: More Than a Fight,” a look at Vitali Klitschko, a boxing champ turned the mayor of Kyiv, opened the 2024 Sheffield DocFest. Previous work in the non-fiction space include “Marley,” a portrait of reggae great Bob Marley; “Whitney,” an examination of pop sensation Whitney Houston; and “High & Low — John Galliano,” which charts the controversial fashion designer’s fall.

Zachary Levi must have really hoped that Shazam! was his ticket to the A-list category. However, his career appears to be going nowhere after the failure of the superhero film’s sequel and a couple of other failed films. His latest theatrical release, Harold and the Purple Crayon, is projected to become another disastrous entry from the actor.

Zachary Levi as Shazam in Shazam! Fury of the Gods | Warner Bros.

Levi had a promising career beginning, starring as Chuck Bartowski in the cult action comedy Chuck. He also landed the famous gig of voicing Flynn Rider in Disney’s Tangled and he was even nominated for a Tony Award for his Broadway performance in She Loves Me.

Fans Express Concern Over Zachary Levi’s Fall From Grace Zachary Levi in a still from Shazam! Fury of the Gods | Warner Bros.

Fans are always concerned when the career of an actor...

Harold and the Purple Crayon is projected to earn an opening weekend gross of $6 million. This total pales in comparison to its $40 million budget. The movie joins a recent string of box office disappointments for star Zachary Levi, including Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Harold and the Purple Crayon, a movie sequel to the children's book of the same name, has become another entry in a string of recent box office disappointments for star Zachary Levi. Levi had a recent hit when he starred in the 2019 DC superhero movie Shazam!. However, he followed that with roles in a string of underperforming movies including the sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which became the second lowest-grossing movie of the entire interconnected franchise. This has now been capped off by the Harold and the Purple Crayon release.

Per Deadline, as of Saturday morning, Harold and the Purple Crayon is projected to earn...

A24 has revealed the official trailer for We Live in Time, a decade-spanning romance from the director of Brooklyn starring Academy Award nominees Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh.

Rated R for language, sexuality, and nudity, We Live in Time will open in theaters on October 11, 2024.

Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) are brought together in a surprise encounter that changes their lives. As they embark on a path challenged by the limits of time, they learn to cherish each moment of the unconventional route their love story has taken, in filmmaker John Crowley’s decade-spanning, deeply moving romance.

Shot in London, the film was directed by BAFTA-winning director John Crowley (Brooklyn), with a screenplay by Olivier award-winning playwright and screenwriter Nick Payne (Constellations).

The film stars two-time Academy Award nominee and BAFTA-winning Andrew Garfield alongside BAFTA and Academy Award nominee Florence Pugh.

Crowley previously worked with Andrew Garfield on Garfield’s break-out role,...

While he may be best known for features such as “The King of Scotland” and “The Mauritanian,” Kevin Macdonald has directed a number of documentaries about well-known figures, including 2012’s Bob Marley doc “Marley,” 2018’s revelatory “Whitney” about Whitney Houston and last year’s “High & Low: John Galliano.” His latest film, “Klitschko: More Than a Fight” — which opens the 2024 Sheffield Doc/Fest on Wednesday (and lands on Sky Documentaries in August) — is a little different.

At its center is Vitali Klitschko, the Ukrainian heavyweight boxing legend who, alongside his brother Wladimir, dominated the sport for a decade starting in the mid-2000s. But unlike Macdonald’s other documentaries, “More Than a Fight” follows its subject in the present day and in an entirely different role, as mayor of Kyiv, the capital city at the epicenter of the deadly ongoing war with Russia. Klitschko is seen visiting destroyed homes, giving medals...

Exclusive: Wonderstreet, the company behind such award-winning and socially impactful features as Beasts of No Nation and The Mauritanian, has enlisted Jenna Mirza Mattison to script a feature adaptation of Dying to Be Me, the international and New York Times bestselling memoir from Anita Moorjani.

Published by Hay House Inc. in September 2014, the memoir recounts how Moorjani was miraculously cured of terminal cancer, just days after a near-death experience. After fighting cancer for years, the author’s body began shutting down — overwhelmed by the malignant cells spreading throughout her system. As her organs failed, she entered into an extraordinary near-death experience where she realized the actual cause of her disease. Upon regaining consciousness, Moorjani found that her condition improved so rapidly that she was released from the hospital without a trace of cancer in her body.

Within the pages of the memoir, the author also recounts stories of her childhood,...

True Detective season 4 features a stellar cast led by Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, tackling supernatural mysteries with unconventional methods. The series successfully recalls the brilliance of season 1 while introducing new, intriguing plotlines and character arcs. With compelling narratives and strong performances, True Detective: Night Country continues the legacy of being one of HBO Max's top originals.

Like its predecessor, True Detective season 4 boasts a talented cast that helps it carry on its legacy as one of the best crime anthology shows on TV. The series has been one of HBO Maxs most successful originals with one of the highest viewership on the network thanks to its compelling plotlines, character arcs, and unique narrative style. Harkening back to the original smash-hit season, True Detective: Night Country's characters are tasked with investigating supernatural mysteries and must utilize unconventional methods to uncover the truth.

Titled Night Country, the series boasts a...

The Benedict Cumberbatch psychological thriller Eric has become a Netflix hit. The show debuted at No. 3 on Netflix's weekly English-language television chart. The show likely succeeded thanks to strong reviews and its central star.

The Benedict Cumberbatch psychological thriller Eric has become a streaming hit. The Netflix show, which is set in New York City in the 1980s, was created by Abi Morgan and follows a puppeteer named Victor (Benedict Cumberbatch) whose son goes missing, leading him on a disturbing journey to attempt to solve the disappearance using the titular seven-foot-tall monster puppet. The Eric cast also includes Transparent's Gaby Hoffmann, Ozark's McKinley Belcher III, Vida's Roberta Colindrez, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them's Dan Fogler, The Wire's Clarke Peters, and The Office's David Denman.

Netflix has now calculated the global Top 10 list of their most-watched English-language TV shows for the week of May...

Courtesy of Studiocanal

by James Cameron-wilson

Hard to believe today, but Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1949 drama was a flop. A glum, perhaps cynical, claustrophobic piece of film noir shot in black-and-white, The Small Back Room was released just four years after the end of the Second World War – and it was not what postwar audiences wanted to see. Indeed, it is hardly one of the most celebrated titles in the Powell/Pressburger catalogue and I, for one, had never seen it before. Even so, having just watched this consummately photographed and magically restored work, I would say without hesitation it is one of my very favourite Powell and Pressburger films.

With the psychological complexity of a good play and replete with telling touches, it blends both the disciplines of Hollywood film noir with the Expressionism of the Weimar cinema of Germany, but with its own ineffable, stiff upper lip Englishness.

The Divergent series cast includes rising stars such as Shailene Woodley and Theo James, who gained fame from the movies. The Divergent series was canceled due to lack of success, leading the original cast to move on to other projects. Characters like Tris and Four faced themes of loyalty and sacrifice, evolving into formidable leaders in the faction-divided world.

The Divergent series main cast includes 12 prominent actors, many of whom rose to fame during the 2010s. Some of them may not have been big names when these movies came out in 2014-2016, but all of them are now bonafide stars on film and TV. The Divergent series refers to the trilogy of movies based on books by Veronica Roth, titled Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant. The three Divergent movies starred Shailene Woodley and Theo James in the lead roles, with a massive ensemble cast, including veterans, rising stars, and several award-winning actors.

Neon, the Oscar-winning distributor of “Parasite,” is getting back in business with “Titane” director Julia Ducournau.

In one of the first big rights deals of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the studio announced it has acquired North American territories for Ducournau’s “Alpha.” Plot details were not immediately disclosed, except that the film will be “genre-defying.” Neon previously released Ducournau’s acclaimed “Titane,” which won Cannes’ highest honor, the Palme d’Or, in 2021. She is only the second woman director to do so, following Jane Campion for “The Piano.”

“Alpha” will star Golshifteh Farahani and Tahar Rahim.

Producers are Jean des Forêts and Amelie Jacquis of Petit Film, and Eric and Nicolas Altmayer of Mandarin & Compagnie. Frakas Productions is co-producing. Charades and FilmNation Entertainment are handling global sales. The Neon deal was negotiated by its president of acquisitions and production Jeff Deutchman, with Charades’ Carole Baraton and FilmNation...

Alpha, the new, still-top-secret film from Titane director Julia Ducournau will be one of the hot projects being shopped to buyers at this year’s Cannes film market.

About Elly and Paterson actress Golshifteh Farahani and French star Tahar Rahim (A Prophet, The Mauritanian) are set to star in the feature, the plot details of which are still under wraps. Eric Altmayer and Nicolas Altmayer are producing for Mandarin & Compagnie, with Jean des Forêts and Amélie Jacquis for Petit Film, in co-production with Jean-Yves Roubin and Cassandre Warnauts of Frakas Productions. Delivery is planned for later this year.

Alpha will be Ducournau’s third feature after the one-two punch of her 2016 breakout debut Raw, which won the international film critics’ Fipresci Prize in its Cannes Critics’ Week debut; and Titane, the surprise Palme d’Or winner of 2021, which became France’s official Oscar contender that year.

Both combined elements...

FilmNation and Charades are teaming up to present “Alpha,” the new film from Julia Ducournau, to buyers at Cannes.

It’s the same place where Ducournau caused a sensation with 2021’s “Titane,” her subversive and divisive body horror film, which won the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top award. Ducournau became the second female director to win the award, following Jane Campion (“The Piano”). “Anatomy of a Fall” director Justine Triet would become the third female winner in 2023. Ducournau’s other films include 2016’s “Raw,” a coming-of-age film about a young vegetarian who develops a taste for cannibalism.

“Alpha’s” cast includes Golshifteh Farahani, who appeared in “The Patience Stone” and “Paterson,” as well as César award-winning Tahar Rahim, best known for his work in “The Mauritanian,” “A Prophet” and “The Serpent.”

“‘Alpha’ is Julia’s most personal, profound work yet, and we are looking forward to a global...

Global Screen, the Munich-based international sales outfit, has boarded worldwide sales on “The Trek,” the upcoming first feature from leading South African cinematographer and director Meekaaeel Adam. The film is a horror-Western, in which starvation, suspicion and madness plague a family as they cross the Kalahari Desert under the eyes of primeval spirits.

“The Trek” is set in 1846, when a Dutch-Afrikaans family and their British travel companion set off on a challenging journey through the Kalahari Desert. Along the way, they meet Atshumao, a stoic man of the Khoen people, one of Southern Africa’s original indigenous, nomadic population groups.

Despite Atshumao’s warning, the group attempts a shortcut through the unforgiving landscape, unaware that this will lead them to cross paths with two ancestral spirits – who will settle a centuries-old dispute by betting on the family’s lives. The group of travelers is soon plagued by misfortune, tragedy, thirst,...

Kevin Macdonald's High & Low – John Galliano is now showing exclusively on Mubi in many countries.High & Low – John Galliano.What are the limits of forgiveness? Is making a documentary about a disgraced public figure, in which that remorseful person is allowed to try to explain their actions, inherently an act of damage-control propaganda? Or can it be a way of letting them tighten their own noose? Since its premiere at Telluride last September, Kevin Macdonald’s High & Low – John Galliano (2023) has fueled such heated conversations. Leaving many of its inquiries open-ended, this documentary is about neither complete condemnation nor exoneration. Instead, Macdonald tries to make sense of the enigma at his film’s center: a man who does not deny committing a hate crime over a decade ago, but who still claims to have no memory of the events or how he got there.Widely admired for his audacious style and designs,...

Jodie Foster is undoubtedly one of the biggest female stars in Hollywood. The actress made a name for herself by playing the young prostitute Iris Steensma in Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, after having appeared in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore two years prior. But, while her filmography includes some important titles like The Accused (1988), Sommersby (1993), Maverick (1994), Contact (1997), Anna and the King (1999), Panic Room (2002), Flightplan (2005), Inside Man (2006), The Brave One (2007), Nim’s Island (2008), Carnage (2011), Elysium (2013), The Mauritanian (2021), and Nyad (2023), her best-known role is that of Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs, which also brought her her second Oscar. Recently, she also appeared in True Detective: Night Country.

But, while she has definitely gathered a large number of major roles, she has also – as you might have assumed – rejected and lost several other major roles, and from what we know now, one of these roles was a major Star Wars role.

Exclusive: Wonder Street Entertainment’s Christine and Mark Holder have announced the creation of the Boise Film Festival, which will make its debut October 10-13. The film festival’s epicenter and all screenings will be held at Boise’s Egyptian Theater Screenings (700 West Main Street) and The Flicks (646 West Fulton Street). The Call for Entries has begun with the Regular Deadline set for June 30.

Bff will be designed to highlight the creative community supported by the City of Boise, Idaho, by bringing filmmakers and film and television industry veterans to the city to celebrate independent film via a four-day event which will feature screenings, panels, Q&As, and masterclasses.

The Boise Film Festival will set forth on a mission to be a festival of discovery, looking to find, highlight, and celebrate new cinematic voices and faces, to promote the next generation of film makers and artists. Bff will also include...

Projects from Oscar-winning Scottish director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland), Philippine filmmaker Erik Matti (On the Job) and Austrian auteur Barbara Albert (Nordrand) have been picked as the most promising new TV pitches at this year’s Series Mania festival.

Macdonald’s George Blake, a real-life spy thriller about the famed double agent, and Matti’s The Squatter, an East-meets-West crime story about a secretive Filipino maid and a tenacious Ukrainian detective who team up, won this year’s Beta Development Awards and will receive $54,000 (€ 50,000) each in development cash from European production and sales company Beta Group.

In addition to his feature work, which includes The Mauritanian with Tahar Rahim and Jodie Foster, and State of Play starring Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe, Macdonald has helmed several acclaimed documentaries, including the Oscar-winning One Day in September (2000), 2004’s Touching The Void and 2013’s Marley.

Matti’s crime thriller On the Job 2: The Missing 8...

Jodie Foster is one of the most talented and respected actresses in Hollywood. From working on many critically acclaimed projects to being nominated for an Oscar five times and winning two out of them, she has certainly seen the heights of success in her career. Naturally, she has worked very hard for these achievements.

Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs

Her most recent work, Nyad, is the perfect example of her dedication as an actress. Not only was she nominated for an Oscar for her work in the sports-thriller film, but she also pushed her physical capabilities as much as she could.

Suggested“I didn’t want that life”: Jodie Foster Vowed To Never Commit The Same Mistake That Destroyed Madonna

It would seem that the 61-year-old actress had a point to prove when making the movie and would stop at nothing to make it.

Ten projects have been selected for the second edition of Seriesmakers, Series Mania’s development lab for feature film directors sidestepping into series production.

The lab is run in collaboration with Beta, and this year features projects helmed by directors including Kaouther Ben Hania, who directed the Oscar-nominated doc Four Daughters, and Kevin Macdonald, best known for The Mauritanian.

Ben Hania’s project is titled Freedom Academy and is produced by Nadim Cheikhrouha. The synopsis reads: In the competitive world of television, a cunning producer and his optimistic wife battle for control of a daring reality TV show set in a high-security prison, hoping to capture the intense competition among incarcerated radicals all while the jury grapples with their divergent opinions on prisoners’ rehabilitation.

Macdonald’s series is titled George Blake and is produced by Femke Wolting. Synopsis reads: What makes a person turn against everything they ever stood for?...

Jim Reeve, a British entertainment executive and producer with more than 40 years experience in the business, died on Feb. 27. He was 64.

Reeve founded and was chair of U.K. media company Great Point. “It is with profound sadness that Great Point must confront the sudden and unexpected loss of our founder, mentor and friend, Jim Reeve, who passed away on Tuesday February 27, 2024,” the Great Point team said in a statement. “Jim had a storied career in the entertainment business spanning 40 years, and his passing will be mourned by a great many. Our thoughts are with Jim’s family most of all during this incredibly difficult time.”

Prior to founding Great Point in 2013, Reeve served as senior investment director at the Ingenious Group.

Reeve has more than 120 credits as a producer or executive producer, in projects featuring top British and international talent, beginning with thriller “The Whistle Blower,” starring Michael Caine and James Fox,...

Tahar Rahim stars as a Spider-Man-type villain in Madame Web starring Dakota Johnson, Isabela Merced, Sydney Sweeney, Adam Scott and newcomer Celeste O'Connor. Rahim is best known for his dramatic roles opposite Jodie Foster in The Mauritanian, The Prophet and The Serpent (Netflix). The actor tells CineMovie why he went the superhero route and why he felt like a superhero during his wire work. ...

Soon after “Saltburn” debuted on Amazon Prime, it joined the 1 million watch club on Letterboxd (the leading social media app for film lovers) and was one of the fastest to do so this year. The film has completely taken over social media due to its provocative, erotic sensibilities. “Transfixing and hypnotic, writer/director Emerald Fennell has crafted a provocative and diabolical masterpiece”, writes Awards Daily. Despite being nearly a month since its release, “Saltburn” remains in the top 3 most watched programs on the platform, film or television, in both the UK and US.

“Saltburn” reaped five bids at the Critics’ Choice Awards including Best Picture. Lead Barry Keoghan and scene-stealer Rosamund Pike contended at the Globes. Fennell’s sophomore feature merited 11 longlist mentions at BAFTA.

Among those in the running at BAFTAs is Jacob Elordi for Best Supporting Actor. He plays Felix Catton, an aristocratic who becomes the object of desire for Keoghan’s character,...

Exclusive: Topic Studios, the award-winning production company behind titles like Theater Camp and 100 Foot Wave, has laid off over 20 employees, multiple sources tell Deadline. Employees were notified on Tuesday, and we hear that almost all divisions are affected, with all of those working on the TV side being cut.

A company spokesperson emphasizes that despite changes being made when it comes to the small-screen arena, “Topic Studios continues to produce television programs. This week’s staff changes have not impacted the multiple scripted and non-scripted television projects in production and development. While our scripted television strategy will be evolving, we plan to increase investment in this area.”

The layoffs come at a time of general turbulence in entertainment, which is still reeling from last summer’s double strikes and the pandemic that preceded it. Other media companies hit with mass layoffs just recently include Amazon, Hallmark Media, Great American Media,...

Last Song From Kabul Photo: Doc NYC

A tribute to the courage of a group of girls who made a daring escape as Afghan civic society collapsed, and an ode to the musical traditions that the Taliban are trying to destroy, Kevin Macdonald and Ruhi Hamid’s short documentary Last Song From Kabul is one of the strongest contenders on this year’s Oscar shortlist. It’s thrilling to watch as it pieces together events using footage recorded at the time, and one hopes that it will serve to remind people that for all their silence on the world stage, Afghan women – and many others there too – remain in desperate need of help.

Kevin and I met up a few days after he got the news about the Oscars. He was understandably excited, especially because, though he’s known for accomplished features like The Last King Of Scotland and The Mauritanian...

Jodie Foster (“Nyad”) is being underestimated this awards season. The two-time Oscar and Golden Globes champ for “Silence of the Lambs” and “The Accused” has had renaissance, of late. She opted to take on less acting work through the 2010s as she switched her focus to directing. She reaped an Emmy bid for helming an episode of “Orange Is The New Black” and directed installments of “House of Cards” and “Black Mirror.” Two years ago, she delivered a powerhouse performance in “The Mauritanian” and won another Golden Globe for her portrayal of Nancy Hollander.

She is back in contention at the Globes tonight for her work in the Netflix biopic “Nyad.” As the stalwart Bonnie Stoll, she is the heart of the picture, which chronicles the attempts by Diana Nyad to swim from Cuba to Key West. Annette Bening portrays the marathon swimmer while Foster is her best friend and coach.

Jodie Foster is fast becoming a sure thing for a Best Supporting Actress nomination at this year’s Oscars and her status as Golden Globe favorite for “Nyad” only boosts that theory.

Foster c0-stars in this Netflix biopic which charts Diana Nyad’s attempts to swim across the 110-mile open ocean from Cuba to Florida. Annette Bening takes on the titular role while Foster features as Nyad’s coach and friend, Bonnie Stoll. Foster arguably has the meatier role out of the two as the entire climax of the film features Bening’s Nyad swimming, largely without dialogue. That leaves Foster’s Stoll as the narrative anchor and the actress delivers a supporting turn that feels like a co-lead (this is something Oscar voters love in this category but we’ll get back to that later). Critics love Foster’s performance, too.

Peter Debruge (Variety) observed: “Foster proves a...

Hey, Danielle Brooks: Just because your film “The Color Purple” was snubbed in the top movie race at the Golden Globes on Monday morning, that doesn’t mean you can’t still win the supporting actress trophy. In fact, this exact same scenario has happened five times in the past 16 years, with reigning champ Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) being the most recent example.

While “The Color Purple” was predicted by Gold Derby to receive four total nominations on December 11, it only wound up with two: Brooks in supporting actress and Fantasia Barrino in lead comedy/musical actress. The Warner Bros. crowd-pleaser was snubbed for comedy/musical film and for Taraji P. Henson in supporting actress, among others. See what Gold Derby editors had to say about all of those snubs and surprises.

See Golden Globes nominations list: Nominees for 81st annual ceremony

Brooks plays Sofia in Blitz...

Trust no one! "True Detective: Night Country" is just around the corner. The fourth season in HBO's anthology series, created and executive-produced by Nic Pizzolatto, is coming to the small screen in January, and there are plenty of reasons to be excited. I could spend this entire piece focusing only on one: the star casting of Jodie Foster. Foster is an absolute legend, a versatile powder keg of performance power who has taken some wild career swings as of late -- directing episodes of "Black Mirror" and "Tales From the Loop," executive producing and appearing in a documentary about pioneering filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché, and leading the ensemble of the incisively political 2021 film "The Mauritanian." 

In "True Detective," as we know from the previous trailer, Foster will play Detective Liz Danvers, who, alongside partner Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis), is investigating a particularly gruesome and bizarre crime. Per that trailer: "We've got...

Alexandra Hedison shared a sweet tribute for her wife Jodie Foster’s 61st birthday on Sunday.

“Loving you is as easy as cake. Happy birthday, beautiful,” Hedison, 54, wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of Foster smiling with a birthday cake.

Hedison and Foster married in 2014 after one year of dating. Although much of their relationship has been kept private, Hedison has never been shy about supporting her wife.

When Foster was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2021 for her role in The Mauritanian, Hedison posted a photo of herself taking a photo of her wife, writing “What happens in quarantine stays in quarantine. Every day I’m a proud wife but today you get a special shout out in the remote land of Instagram.”

“I’ll have to show you my phone for you to see this but still… I’m shouting from the rooftops,” Hedison continued. “Congratulations to you…...

Exclusive: Plan B Entertainment has set a joint venture with Oscar-winning documentarian and filmmaker Kevin Macdonald, known for movies including Touching The Void, One Day In September, Whitney, The Last King Of Scotland and State Of Play.

Per the Jv, the two parties will co-develop and co-produce unscripted films and series with both established and emerging directors.

Among Plan B’s current unscripted work is the ongoing Lego Masters series for Fox and the recent Wayne Shorter documentary Zero Gravity for Amazon. French media company Mediawan took a majority stake in the company late last year.

Macdonald’s previous work in documentary also includes Life In A Day, Marley and High & Low — John Galliano. He won a Best Documentary Oscar for One Day in September about the 1972 murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Summer Olympics In Munich, Germany. His most recent narrative feature was The Mauritanian, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Jodie Foster,...

Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon,” an epic look at the French emperor and military leader’s rise to power, is one of the final potential awards hopefuls awaiting its first reactions from critics and pundits. As awards season approaches, Variety has learned exclusively which Oscar categories the film will be submitted for. Most notably, Vanessa Kirby will vie for best supporting actress.

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.

Joaquin Phoenix, who won best actor for the villain origin story “Joker” (2019) and has received three additional mentions during his career, will submit for leading actor for his performance as Napoleon. Kirby, who picked up her inaugural nom for “Pieces of a Woman” (2020), will vie for supporting actress for her role as Josephine, Napoleon’s wife and one true love. Two supporting actors will be submitted — Tahar Rahim (“The Mauritanian”) and Rupert Everett (“My Best Friend’s Wedding...

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is a legal war drama film written and directed by William Friedkin. The Showtime film is based on Herman Wouk‘s 1952 play named The Caine Mutiny, which was based on Wouk’s book of the same name. The film revolves around a trial against a naval officer who is accused of mutiny. The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial stars Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Clarke, and Jake Lacy. So, if you love the film here are some similar shows you could watch next.

A Few Good Men (AMC+ & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Columbia Pictures

Synopsis: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore star in Rob Reiner’s unanimously acclaimed drama about the dangerous difference between following orders and following one’s conscience. Cruise stars as a brash Navy lawyer who’s teamed with a gung-ho litigator (Moore) in a politically explosive murder case. Charged with defending two Marines accused of killing a fellow soldier,...

Europe has a brand-new media giant.

Vuelta Group, a private-equity fueled company headed by former Canal+ and Goldman Sachs executive Jerome Levy, made a very big launch on the European scene on Thursday, announcing its acquisition of Scandinavian independent film company Scanbox, German distributor/producer SquareOne Entertainment and French international sales company Playtime.

Vuelta (Latin for “to go around”) is planning future acquisitions in France, Italy, Spain and the Benelux region as it looks to build a pan-European television and film studio focusing on the production and distribution of European content across the continent.

The Vuelta launch is a further sign of consolidation in the European indie market, which has already seen several independent producers and distributors subsumed into Pe-backed studios such as Leonine and Mediawan or snatched up by global indie giants like Fremantle and Banijay.

The Veulta setup will see each of its subsidiary companies continue to operate...

Four TV sound experts will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2023 Emmy Awards contenders. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Tuesday, May 30, at 4:00 p.m. Pt; 7:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Marcus Dixon and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.

RSVP today to our entire ongoing contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.

This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following Emmy contenders:

Cobra Kai (Netflix)

Synopsis: Decades after their 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament bout, a middle-aged Daniel Larusso and Johnny Lawrence find themselves martial-arts rivals again.

Bio: Patrick Hogan is a nine-time Emmy nominee for “Anne Frank: The Whole Story,” “Dune,...

Signature Entertainment has acquired the U.K. and Irish rights to The End We Start From, starring Jodie Comer, from Anton.

The feature is directed by BAFTA winner Mahalia Belo (The Long Song) from a script written by Alice Birch (Normal People, Dead Ringers) and based on the novel by Megan Hunter. The film is led by BAFTA and Olivier award winner Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts), Joel Fry (Cruella), Gina McKee (Notting Hill), Nina Sosanya (Love Actually), Mark Strong (Kingsman) and Benedict Cumberbatch (The Mauritanian). Cumberbatch also produces.

When an environmental crisis sees London submerged by flood waters, a young family is torn apart in the chaos. As a woman and her newborn try and find their way home, the profound novelty of motherhood is brought into sharp focus in this intimate and poetic portrayal of family survival.

The film is produced by Leah Clarke (The...

Exclusive: Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald is among the marquee names set to participate in Sheffield DocFest’s Industry Program, according to an announcement Wednesday from the UK’s leading documentary festival.

Macdonald, director of the scripted/narrative features The Last King of Scotland and The Mauritanian, and the documentaries Whitney, Marley, and Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang among other films, will serve as a mentor for the DocFest’s Filmmaker Challenge. Under the innovative program, “six early-career UK filmmakers will make a short documentary in and around Sheffield during the festival… on the fly, with a micro budget and equipment support… All filming is to be undertaken in a single day and the final work will be screened for industry and invited guests on the last day of Sheffield DocFest.”

Cutler’s Hall, one of the venues for the Sheffield DocFest Industry Program

The Filmmaker Challenge — supported by Prime,...

Exclusive: Benedict Cumberbatch has signed to star in Dylan Southern’s adaptation of Max Porter’s acclaimed novel Grief is the Thing With Feathers, about a father and his two young sons dealing with the sudden death of their wife and mother.

Cumberbatch will play a young father whose hold on reality crumbles following his wife’s death as a strange presence begins to stalk him from the shadowy recesses of the apartment he shares with his two young sons.

This mysterious creature, known as “Crow,” seemingly brought to life from the pages of his work as an illustrator, becomes a very real part of all their lives, ultimately guiding them towards the new shape family must take.

Related: Cannes Film Festival Full Coverage

The feature adaptation, entitled The Thing With Feathers, is produced by Andrea Cornwell with SunnyMarch’s Adam Ackland and Leah Clarke. The script was developed with Film4,...

New hire was STX president of distribution.

Kevin Grayson has been named president of domestic distribution at Lionsgate Motion Picture Group as the company’s longtime distribution head David Spitz departs.

Spitz has played a leadership role for nearly 20 years at the company and oversaw distribution strategies on the John Wick, Hunger Games, Twilight Saga, Saw, Tyler Perry and Expendables franchises along with La La Land, Knives Out, Wonder, Crash, Fahrenheit 9/11 and Precious, among others.

“David has been an incredibly valued leader of Lionsgate’s distribution business for nearly 20 years,” said Adam Fogelson, vice chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group.

Exclusive: Longtime Lionsgate Film Distribution Head David Spitz is exiting, Deadline has learned, with former STX distribution vet Kevin Grayson getting named President of Domestic Distribution of the studio’s motion picture group.

‘The Hunger Games’

Spitz came to Lionsgate via its absorption of Blair Witch Project studio Artisan. Before that, Spitz was at Reservoir Dogs distributor, Live Entertainment which was acquired by Artisan. Spitz, son of legendary late distribution boss Jimmy Spitz, has had a leadership role at Lionsgate since 2003. Spitz handled several franchise hits including John Wick (the latest Chapter 4 of which became the highest grossing in the franchise with $180M+ this weekend), Hunger Games, Twilight Saga, Saw, the Tyler Perry canon and Expendables. He was also behind such notable counterprogramming and awards hits as La La Land, Knives Out, Wonder, Crash, Fahrenheit 9/11 and Precious, among many others.

“David has been an incredibly valued leader of Lionsgate...

Exclusive: Oscar winner Fisher Stevens has today announced the launch of Highly Flammable, a new director-led production company that will focus on setting up premium unscripted stories for streamers across various series and feature formats, operating out of both New York and Los Angeles.

Joining Stevens as Partners at the company are Emmy nominated director-producer Maura Anderson (Menudo: Forever Young) and producer Zak Kilberg of Social Construct. Iz Web and Caitlin Lawrie are also on board to support the company as part of the development team.

We Are Guardians

Highly Flammable is premiering its first feature doc, We Are Guardians, at the Hot Docs Film Festival on May 3rd, with UTA to handle sales. The company is completing editorial on a documentary about New Orleans’ Zulu Club, directed by Matthew Henderson, with Impact Partners and Terry Douglas/Rhea Films, and is also in production with Exile Content and Muck Media...