Author: Deadline

Olivia Colman plays a singing nun. I’m almost prepared to say that’s all you need to know about Paddington in Peru: that Olivia Colman, living English treasure, gets her Julie Andrews on and leads a song-and-dance sequence on an alpine meadow that tells us that the hills are still very much alive. It’s not much of a spoiler to say that her Reverend Mother proves to be something less than exemplary in the deadly sins department, at least the ones that involve lying. That’s the best bit, in fact: the singing nun in the naughty corner.  Paddington in Peru is…

Joker: Folie à Deux director Todd Phillips has one solution to improve movie theaters: forgoing showing commercials ahead of a film’s screening. Speaking to Empire magazine as part of a filmmakers’ poll on what the future of movies and entertainment would look like — from artificial intelligence to streamers vs. theaters and beyond — the multi-Oscar nominee gave an answer slightly different from the rest. “Stop showing commercials before the movies,” he said. “We’ve paid for our tickets. We’re excited to be there. The commercials tend to take the air out of the room.” Presumably, the filmmaker is referencing the…

The director of Who Framed Roger Rabbit doesn’t think the cult classic could be made today. Although a script has been completed for a sequel, Robert Zemeckis recently explained why the follow-up “isn’t ever going see the light of day, as good as it is,” more than 35 years after the original Disney/Amblin film premiered. “There’s a good script [for a sequel] at Disney, but here’s the thing: The current Disney would never make Roger Rabbit today,” he said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “They can’t make a movie with Jessica in it.” Zemeckis added, “I mean, look what…

EXCLUSIVE: Temple Hill Entertainment, the producers behind box office horror hits Smile and Smile 2, and UK sales outfit Protagonist Pictures, are teaming up on horror Monitor. Written and directed by Ryan Polly and Matt Black (I Bet You’re Wondering How I Got Here) for their feature debut, the film is based on their short of the same name. Monitor is produced by Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey and John Fischer for Temple Hill (Smile, The Twilight Saga, The Maze Runner Trilogy), Nostromo Pictures (The Night Manager Season 2 ) is co-producing. Protagonist’s Dave Bishop and George Hamilton serve as executive…

Fox streamer Tubi has hired one of the architects behind ITVX as its first General Manager in the UK. Ross Appleton takes on the newly-created role shortly after Tubi launched in the nation. He will be responsible for setting commercial and content strategy, scaling the company’s UK team, and continuing to grow Tubi across the nation. Appleton joins after spending 12 years at ITV, where he was a launch director for fledgling free streamer ITVX and most recently served as Director of Operations for Streaming. Tubi launched in the UK earlier this year with more than 20,000 movies and TV…

EXCLUSIVE: Thomas Jane (The Predator) is among cast set for western Frontier Crucible, which is due to get underway next month in Monument Valley and Prescott, Arizona. Also starring in the film will be Myles Clohessy (The Pendragon Cycle), Eli Brown (Run Hide Fight), Eddie Spears (Yellowstone) and Zane Holtz (Hunter Killer), singer/songwriter Jonah Kagen and Australian newcomer Mary Stickley. Dallas Sonnier’s outfit Bonfire Legend is behind the film which will be directed by Travis Mills (The Pendragon Cycle) and adapted from the 1961 western novel Desert Stake-Out by Harry Whittington. Maxime Alexandre (Shazam!) will be the cinematographer. Pitched as…

The first time I meet Karla Sofía Gascón is on a London stage. I’m wrapping up a group interview in front of a live audience for Jacques Audiard’s film Emilia Pérez, and as the director, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz all file off into the wings to boisterous applause, I notice that Gascón, the titular actress, has stopped. She turns 180 degrees and heads back across the stage. The clapping becomes uncertain. They don’t really know her. They haven’t seen the film yet. What is happening? Up close to me, she says softly, “This was a small interview.”…

EXCLUSIVE: A decade after the last major overhaul of California’s film and TV tax credits program, Gov. Gavin Newsom today will unveil a massive increase in the incentives to jump start work and production in the home of Hollywood. In an announcement this afternoon at Raleigh Studios, the Governor will reveal that he aims to boost the state’s tax credits from their present level of $330 million a year to around $750 million annually, I’ve learned The whooping increase will not take place immediately, and is subject to approval by the Democratic majority legislature in the Golden State’s 2025-2026 budget.…

SATURDAY UPDATE, Refresh for latest…: Demonstrating continued strength at the international box office, Sony’s Venom: The Last Dance has chomped on $50.8M from 64 overseas markets through Friday. As noted yesterday (see below), and despite domestic’s underperformance, the full global weekend bow is looking to come in at $180M. That would bring the franchise total to $1.5B. The China gross through Friday was $22M, with Saturday (not reflected in the overseas cume above) pushing that to an estimated $36.8M across four days; and now expected to reach a $45M through Sunday. This is despite a 6.8 critical score from Douban,…

EXCLUSIVE: LA’s Micheaux Film Festival will honor Lil Rel Howery, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Dianne Houston during its 6th edition, which runs October 21 – 27 at The Culver Theater.  Lil Rel Howery, a Chicago native and veteran performer now best known for his scene-stealing turn in Jordan Peele’s Get Out, will receive the festival’s Oscar Micheaux Trailblazer of Excellence Award. The festival said the award honors “Howery’s significant contributions to the entertainment industry as a comedian, actor, writer, and director, celebrating his roots and the influence he continues to have on the Chicago arts scene.” McLendon-Covey will be recognized with…