Stanley Tucci may have warned everyone to “Gird your loins” in the original Devil Wears Prada but this time around he’s coming for TJ Maxx.
In The Devil Wears Prada 2, released on May 1, Tucci reprises his role as longtime Runway magazine staffer and art director Nigel. When Anne Hathway’s Andy makes her return to the mag years later in the film, Tucci’s Nigel quips, “Look what TJ Maxx dragged in.” Though a subtle jab from Nigel, Tucci on the other hand is ready to “stand corrected” and embrace being a “Maxxinisto” in a new ad campaign with the retailer (shared below.)
“I thought it was really funny,” Tucci told The Hollywood Reporter about being approached to collab with the retailer. “We got Ryan Reynolds’ company [Maximum Effort] involved in it, who shot it, directed it, came up with a concept with TJ Maxx folks. I just thought it was so funny [and] smart. I was like, why not? If you can go to a store and buy designer goods for a lot less and you’re gonna get them in the shop itself, I have no problem with that!”
Before stepping into Nigel’s fashionable shoes again for the sequel, Tucci told THR that an appeal of returning was where Nigel is years later — in the same place, doing the same thing. “There had been very little movement career-wise since the first film,” Tucci said. And despite Nigel being betrayed by Meryl Streep’s Miranda in the original film, Tucci said the pair seemingly continued to maintain a “perfect symbiotic relationship” in the second film.
Though the first film explored the harsh realities of what success can cost, the sequel examines maintaining or finding success in a rapidly changing industry and digital landscape. “There are a lot of odds stacked against journalists, magazines [and] newspapers now because of AI [and] our phones,” Tucci told THR. “The lack of a need for in-depth content is starting to disappear. I like that the story of the film addresses that.”
Ahead of the launch of his ad with TJ Maxx, Tucci spoke with THR about their collaboration, returning for the sequel, getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the warning the sequel gives to media.
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Meryl Streep has said in interviews that she didn’t want to return for a Devil Wears Prada sequel unless a purposeful story was there. For you, what was it about the story in the sequel that made returning to play Nigel feel right?
I liked the fact that he was still sort of in the same position that he was in 20 years before. There had been very little movement career-wise. I liked that [Nigel and Miranda’s] relationship. I like the fact that he was so devoted to her and to what he does. He, like she [Miranda], believes maintaining the quality of something is really important, no matter what odds are stacked against you. And there are a lot of odds stacked against journalists now, magazines [and] newspapers because of AI [and] our phones. The lack of a need for in-depth content is starting to disappear. I like that the story of the film addresses that. I think that’s it’s nice. It’s not just some sort of frivolous, “Oh, aren’t these pretty costumes.” Obviously, there’s that too, but I like that it’s enmeshed in a substantial story.
You mentioned that it was interesting that Nigel was still in the same position going into in this film. How did you personally want to see him evolve? What was there more to explore with Nigel that you were hoping to in the sequel?
The relationship with Miranda, the business and with Annie’s [Anne Hathaway] character [Andy]. He navigates things in very subtle ways. I like that about him. He plays things close to the vest. He never really shows what he’s thinking [or] what he’s feeling. He has this sort of peripheral vision that most people don’t have. I think that’s why he is so good at what he does. So to be able to jump back into that, and, of course, all of the snarky and kind of mean funny lines … that’s just fun.
In the first film, we saw this betrayal happen with Miranda sacrificing Nigel’s promised promotion to save her own job as editor-in-chief, and given the first film ended on Nigel having to make a professional compromise, so to speak, how would you say that his dynamic with Miranda has changed over time? And where do you see their relationship?
Well, you know, the thing is, it hasn’t changed, which is kind of the beauty of it. They’re both very much stuck in that relationship, but they want that relationship. If neither of them wanted that relationship, it would end. But they need each other. It’s a sort of perfect symbiotic relationship. The fact that they’ve had this relationship for so long, and yet, when she throws her parties in the Hamptons, he’s never been invited. And even if he had been invited, he would have begged off. I think that’s really interesting. I like that. They know that they have to take on all the changes in the world, but they can only really do it together. Then we see in the film, not to spoil it, this significant change in her towards the end.
The original film had so many iconic lines, one of which was Nigel’s “Gird your loins.” But this time around Nigel has a line “Look what TJ Maxx dragged in” which is a great one-liner Nigel delivers about Andy. Is what we see on film how it was written in the script or were there other options?
No that was it! We didn’t need another option. It was a great line. I laughed straight away when I read it!
To further celebrate that line, you’re collaborating with TJ Maxx for an ad. At what point did this TJ Maxx opportunity come your way and why did you say yes?
They came to me just a little while ago, and they said, “Would you want to do this commercial?” And I thought it was really funny. We got Ryan Reynolds’ company [Maximum Effort] involved in it, who shot it, directed it, came up with a concept with TJ Maxx folks. I just thought it was so funny, smart. I was like, why not? If you can go to a store and buy designer goods for a lot less and you’re gonna get them in the shop itself, I have no problem with that!
Given there’s a focus on the elevated quality without the elevated price, do you think Nigel would ever respect the hunt for a great deal on fashion?
Oh no question. Nigel is no millionaire. He just has the taste of one.
Now as you mention in the ad, you may stand corrected, but do you think Nigel could ever shop at TJ Maxx? If so, what would it take to convince him to change his tune and maybe offer his own “cerulean sweater” monologue about TJ Maxx?
I think he would do it in a second. I mean, he might do it when it’s dark. (Laughs.) How many costume designers you know who are great dressers use TJ Maxx and other places to get really, really nice stuff that you can dress your actors in? Why not? You’re gonna save a lot of money.
How do you think he would explain the appeal of TJ Maxx to someone like Miranda Priestly?
Oh he’d probably just lie to her and say it was given to them or something.
Given there’s a focus on fashion without the splurge, what bargains do you hunt for in your own life whether it be fashion related or anything else?
When I food shop. I always look at … well the price of beans is the old expression. But I look at them, or a can of tomato and I look at it, and I’m like, I cannot pay six pounds for a 14 ounce can of tomato. It’s upsetting! In a pinch, yeah, but I just think it’s crazy, and there are so many reasons why that can of tomatoes is six pounds, but some of them are just not justified.
I went to some place a little while ago, and there was nice pasta but there wasn’t a single pound of pasta under 10 bucks. The whole point of pasta is [it’s] kind of cheap. You can get good pasta for not a lot of money. Nowadays, you just have to buy in bulk.
Then you got to go to Costco.
Costco exists because of my parents.
Fans of the franchise really zero in on these one-liners and quote them over and over again. I can see this TJ Maxx line making its way into the cultural lexicon. Did you have a favorite line in the first film and sequel from your character?
Well from my character I obviously love “Gird your loins.” And I like, “Wake up six!” In this one, I like the line, “Did your parents hang all of your finger paintings?” (Laughs.) I like that because you don’t expect it to come. You know you’re not going to be applauded for everything.
What about your favorite Nigel look from the film?
That’s impossible! No, I’m serious. I love them all. I spent so much time in costume fittings. It sounds funny, but it is exhausting! You’re trying to figure out what’s really going to work, what’s too much, not enough, believable. And I have to say, every single look I was thrilled to wear. And Molly [Rogers], who designed it and her team, they were just great. It was a great collaboration.
Your character has a lot to do in this film, and, without spoilers, it seems like there’s more story to tell here. Would you be open to a third film? Would would be next for Nigel?
I love playing this character. He’s so incredibly satisfying to play. But in the end, I think for all of us, including the director and the writer, it really depends on the script. If it makes sense, yeah, sure. If it doesn’t make sense? Probably not.
I know you just got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Congratulations! How does it feel to receive the star especially amid a time when you’re revisiting a previous role that is beloved and being celebrated for your career thus far?
It was great! Especially doing it with Emily [Blunt]. The fact that we were honored together [and] our stars are together, that just makes me even happier. The fact that Felicity, her sister, was was there, and John [Krasinski] was there… We’re all very close, and the kids are very close. So to have that sort of professionally solidify our union with that symbo was really nice. And people said such nice things! It was fun and funny. It wasn’t uptight you know what I mean?
It was like a fun party.
It was fantastic, with a bunch of people watching. It was weird!
Just to end on the movie, the sequel tackles AI and the current uncertain state for media, journalism and the industry at large. Journalists watching the movie say it’s a horror film. What scares you the most about where things are headed? What do you hope the movie gets across?
The movie gets across the fact that we need to be careful, and we need to always remember that people are more important than anything. It is really scary for young people, in particular, because what’s happening now [is] people are starting to go back into trades: plumbing, air conditioning, heating, electrical … All that stuff, because those are the jobs that are going to exist. And a huge number of jobs are just going to be gone. Something that takes somebody a month assessing a company whether it’s worthy to be bought or whatever, that’ll be done in three hours. it’s already happened. AI does it. You don’t need that person. You don’t need that team. The other effect that it’s going to have — I was reading about this the other day — the fewer people you have working, the fewer taxes you’re going to collect. So governments are going to suffer and social safety nets are going to suffer. AI can’t fix that.
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Section: U.S. Documentary Distributor: Mubi Director: Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman Date Acquired: May 6 Buzz: Another prize winner has found a home, this time about a place in Canada that polar bears love to call home. Mubi bought the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize winner “Nuisance Bear,” in which the filmmakers spent years in Arctic conditions in Churchill, Manitoba and Arviat, Nunavut, specifically highlighting some bears in a Canadian community that are no longer afraid of humans, per the film’s title “Nuisance Bear.” The directors said of the film upon its acquisition, “The animals we label as unwanted often reveal a great deal about us. We were drawn to a bear no one wanted because its story felt deeply human.” Though it’s now a Mubi title, the documentary was actually produced by A24, and it’s based on a short film of the same name from 2021 that premiered at TIFF. Mubi says release plans will be announced in the near future.
“How to Divorce During the War”
Section: World Dramatic Distributor: Kino Lorber and Zeitgeist Films Director: Andrius Blazevicius Date Acquired: May 5 Buzz: This family drama follows a woman who seeks a divorce from her husband at the worst possible moment: a day before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, forcing the two of them to navigate their marital woes while also being refugees. Director Blazevicius won the directing prize from the World Cinema Dramatic Competition jury. Zeitgeist Films is leading the charge on the release, planning an IFC Center debut this summer before it rolls out wider nationwide.
“The Friend’s House Is Here”
Section: U.S. Dramatic Distributor: Greenwich Entertainment Director: Maryam Ataei and Hossein Keshavarz Date Acquired: April 28 Buzz: Notable for being shot in secret in Tehran before being smuggled out of Iran, “The Friend’s House Is Here” so far has won universal acclaim with a 100 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and also won the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast in the U.S. Dramatic competition. The film follows two young women who carve out a vibrant world of freedom, creativity, and sisterhood within Tehran’s underground art scene. But when their community is exposed, they are forced to fight to protect one another and the fragile life they have built. Our critic said it combines the daring, rebellious spirit of Jafar Panahi with the charm of “Frances Ha.” Greenwich is planning a theatrical release this fall.
“American Doctor”
Section: U.S. Documentary Distributor: Watermelon Pictures Director: Poh Si Teng Date Acquired: April 23 Buzz: Watermelon Pictures has had some success with Palestinian-centered stories like “Palestine ’36” and the Oscar-nominated “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” The distributor picked up another that shines a light on the Palestinian story, with the film following three physicians, one Palestinian, one Jewish, and one Zoroastrian, who enter Gaza with the mission to save lives and find themselves caught up in the mix between medicine and politics. The vérité documentary after premiering at Sundance has played at festivals like True/False Film Fest, CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, and SXSW and won several awards. Watermelon is planning a U.S. and Canadian release this summer.
“Buddy”
Section: Midnight Distributor: Roadside Attractions and Saban Films Director: Casper Kelly Date Acquired: April 23 Release Date: September 4 Buzz: The latest in the trickle of Sundance sales is one that we predicted could be buzzy and that IndieWire called the “first great midnight movie” of 2026. “Buddy” is “Too Many Cooks” director Casper Kelly’s murderous riff on “Barney,” a genre-bending horror film that stars Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, and Patton Oswalt. The film, which is Kelly’s feature debut after the viral Adult Swim short, imagines a children’s show complete with catchy jingles and tropes about friendship before taking a sharp descent into madness. The distributors plan to release it in theaters over Labor Day weekend.
“Union County”
Section: U.S. Dramatic Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories Director: Adam Meeks Date Acquired: April 20 Buzz: The (very) slow roll of Sundance sales trickled into April with Oscilloscope picking up writer-director Adam Meeks’ addiction drama “Union County” that stars two rising actors in Will Poulter and Noah Centineo. The arthouse distributor plans to release the film theatrically this summer or fall. More a recovery drama than an “addiction” drama, the film follows two brothers living in rural Ohio who are attending a court-sponsored rehabilitation program for people impacted by the opioid crisis. The film features non-actors participating in the real-life program alongside the strong performances by Poulter and Centineo. The film is the directorial debut for Meeks and is based on his 2020 short film of the same name.
‘Hot Water’Alfonso Herrera Salcedo
“Hot Water”
Section: U.S. Dramatic Distributor: Rich Spirit Director: Ramzi Bashour Date Acquired: March 30 Buzz: This debut feature has been described as an unconventional road movie, a dramedy between a Lebanese mother and her American son who are driving from Indiana to California for the son to live with his estranged father after he was expelled from school. The director Bashour told IndieWire at the festival that he wanted to make a convincing and rewarding road trip first and a movie second, and the film explores family and cultural diaspora through a humorous lens. The film stars Lubna Azabal and “Lurker” star Daniel Zolghadri, as well as a supporting part from Dale Dickey as one of the eccentrics the family meets on their road trip. Rich Spirit picked up North American rights and is planning a theatrical release this year after an April screening at the Museum of the Moving Image festival First Look.
“The History of Concrete”
Section: Premieres Distributor: Magnolia Director: John Wilson Date Acquired: March 25 Buzz: Though we might’ve guessed it was ticketed for HBO after the success of “How To with John Wilson,” Magnolia saw some commercial appeal in the film from the New York City documentarian’s feature “The History of Concrete” about the seemingly drabbest of subjects. The distributor is planning a theatrical release of the film later this year.
Our critic called it a “moving and hilarious meditation on death” that mixes together “DMX, Hallmark movies, Kim Kardashian, public diarrhea, a trailblazing Asian American judge, the world’s first 3D-printed Starbucks, and a 3,100-mile footrace that honors a dead Brooklyn cult leader” in order to find a debut feature that’s sturdy and solid, not unlike concrete itself.
“Cookie Queens”
Section: Family Matinee Distributor: Roadside Attractions Director: Alysa Nahmias Date Acquired: March 12 Buzz: It’s currently Girl Scout Cookie season, and Roadside Attractions with their box of Thin Mints also bought the U.S. rights to “Cookie Queens,” Alysa Nahmias’ charming documentary about the Girl Scouts ahead of it again playing at SXSW. The film is executive produced by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, as well as produced by “The Truffle Hunters” filmmakers Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw of their banner Beautiful Stories. IndieWire’s review said that while the film is indeed charming, it takes a skeptical eye to the “Big Cookie” industry that these “too-cute-for-words” girls manage to facilitate every year. Roadside is planning a summer 2026 theatrical release for “Cookie Queens.”
‘If I Go Will They Miss Me’Sundance
“If I Go Will They Miss Me”
Section: NEXT Distributor: Rich Spirit Director: Walter Thompson-Hernandez Date Acquired: March 3 Buzz: Rich Spirit, which is the upstart distributor behind Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice” and Khalil Joseph’s “BLKNWS: Terms and Conditions,” has acquired the U.S. rights (along with other international territories) to the coming-of-age drama from writer-director Walter Thompson-Hernandez. The film stars Danielle Brooks, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Bodhi Dell and also has Jon Batiste, who recorded a cover of the song “This Bitter Earth” for the film, as an executive producer. This would be just Rich Spirit’s third release, and the distributor is aiming for a theatrical release this fall. “If I Go Will They Miss Me” is based on Thompson-Hernandez’s Sundance-winning short film of the same name and follows a 12-year-old boy who struggles to connect with his distant father as he begins sensing mysterious visions that seem to follow him through his everyday world. IndieWire’s review called it a formally ambitious portrait of Black life in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, praising Thompson-Hernandez for his elliptical narrative and “painter’s eye.”
“Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass”
Section: Premieres Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics Director: David Wain Date Acquired: Feb. 27 Release Date: July 10 Buzz: That’s four now! Sony Pictures Classics is clearly finding some deals a month removed from the festival (Deadline reported that at least seven other bids were on the table for the film), as again picked up global rights to another buzzy, starry title, this time David Wain’s return to the big screen with “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass.” Zoey Deutch stars as a bride-to-be who discovers that her fiancé cashed in on a hall pass to sleep with a celebrity, inspiring her to do the same with her hall pass celeb, Jon Hamm playing himself. It’s a reunion between Wain and writer Ken Marino, and also Hamm and John Slattery from “Mad Men.” IndieWire called it one of Wain’s funniest films of his career.
Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin and Grant O’Rourke appear in The Incomer by Louis Paxton, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Anthony Dickenson.Anthony Dickenson
“The Incomer”
Section: NEXT Distributor: Sumerian Pictures Director: Louis Paxton Date Acquired: Feb. 26 Buzz: Remember when we said a distributor you’ve never heard of would make the biggest splash at Sundance? Though we thought it could be Row K, turns out it’s record-label-turned-film-distributor Sumerian Pictures, which IndieWire has learned has now bought its second award winner after the buzzy “Josephine.” “The Incomer” from director Louis Paxton picked up the NEXT Innovator Award, and the offbeat comedy and fantasy film stars Domhnall Gleeson and Gayle Rankin. Rankin and Grant O’Rourke play two siblings on the Isles of Northern Scotland who hunt birds for survival and protect their home from mythical “incomers,” only to have an awkward council worker (Gleeson) show up, one who hopes to uproot and relocate them on behalf of the government. “The Incomer” and Paxton landed on IndieWire’s critics poll of the best movies out of Sundance, and Sumerian is planning a theatrical release for later this year.
“The Shitheads”
Section: Premieres Distributor: IFC Director: Macon Blair Date Acquired: Feb. 26 Release Date: August 28 Buzz: Macon Blair’s third feature as a director stars Dave Franco and O’Shea Jackson Jr. as two unqualified screw-ups who are hired to bring a rich teen to rehab, only for mayhem to ensue along the way. Blair told IndieWire he and story writer Alex Orr have been trying to make the film as far back as 2017, with Franco attached from the very beginning. The film also stars Mason Thames as the teen, along with Kiernan Shipka, Nicholas Braun, and Peter Dinklage. “The Shitheads” had some solid if mixed reviews, as IndieWire’s called it “uneven” in its blend of films as unalike as “The Last Detail” and “Midnight Run.” IFC is planning to release the film theatrically this summer.
“The Only Living Pickpocket in New York”
Section: Premieres Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics Director: Noah Segan Date Acquired: Feb. 24 Buzz: Sony Pictures Classics had an appetite. In what is the distributor’s third buy out of Sundance, the distributor landed the global rights to “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” starring John Turturro and is planning a theatrical release for the film this fall. The film was hailed as a true love letter to New York City, one that follows an aging pickpocket who is struggling to still get by when everyone has stopped carrying cash and gone digital and what happens when he steals a USB drive and faces the wrath of a crime family. The film also stars Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, Victoria Moroles, and Steve Buscemi, and Segan is reuniting with T-Street producer Rian Johnson after originally starring in Johnson’s debut feature “Brick.”
‘Wicker’Lol Crawley
“Wicker”
Section: Premieres Distributor: Black Bear Director: Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer Date Acquired: Feb. 17 Buzz: Some Sundance movies don’t work beyond their kooky, twee premise, and some do and are destined to break out. “Wicker” was the latter, as IndieWire said the performances from Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård, a husband whom Colman’s character manages to craft out of Wicker, were “irresistibly weird and wonderful.” This is a notable, competitive win for Black Bear, which did not finance “Wicker” but instead comes from Tango and Topic Studios, the latter of which has had a string of recent Sundance favorites like “A Real Pain.” The distributor is planning a North American release of the film for this year and is also handling international sales. Peter Dinklage, Elizabeth Debicki, Marli Siu, and Nabhaan Rizwan also star in the film.
“Josephine”
Section: U.S. Dramatic Distributor: Sumerian Pictures Director: Beth de Araújo Date Acquired: Feb. 14 Buzz: Widely acclaimed and easily the most celebrated movie out of Sundance 2026, director Beth de Araújo’s “Josephine” was bound to find a home sooner or later, but it’s a surprise that it ended up with Sumerian Pictures, a relative newcomer to the space that has been widely known as a record label but is now getting into film. They made a splash by still scooping it up in a 7-figure deal and a competitive situation. It will get a theatrical release and an awards campaign. Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, and Phillip Ettinger star in the drama alongside breakout young actress Mason Lily Reeves, who plays an 8-year-old girl who witnesses a sexual assault in Golden Gate Park and has to grapple with what she saw, with her parents struggling to help her cope. After winning the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Prize out of Sundance, “Josephine” is again competing in competition at Berlin.
Dr. Clarence B Jones appears in ‘The Baddest Speechwriter of All’ by Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute
“The Baddest Speechwriter of All”
Section: Shorts Distributor: Netflix Director: Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry Date Acquired: Feb. 12 Buzz: Though it missed out on “The Invite,” Netflix is not coming out of Sundance empty handed. The streamer’s first purchase was surprisingly a documentary short, one that figures to be an awards player down the road. It acquired “The Baddest Speechwriter of All,” which along with Ben Proudfoot is the directorial debut of NBA great Stephen Curry. The 29-minute short film won the Grand Jury Prize for short films out of the festival. The film follows Dr. Clarence B. Jones, now 93, who was a lawyer and speechwriter — the baddest of them all — for Martin Luther King Jr. The film reflects on the personal cost and surprising truths of making history, offering an intimate insider’s view of the Civil Rights Movement. But it also stood out thanks to more than 3,000 entirely hand-painted watercolor animation sequences from artist Daniel Bruson. Elizabeth Goodstein and Gigi Pritzker produced for Madison Wells, as did Peter Rotter and Jane Solomon.
“Filipiñana”
Section: World Dramatic Distributor: Kino Lorber Director: Rafael Manuel Date Acquired: Feb. 12 Buzz: As if Michael Haneke directed “The White Lotus,” “Filipiñana” was a dazzling critical darling out of Sundance, with the New Yorker calling it a “masterwork” and Vulture noting how “the angle of a golf club can evoke suspense” or “a piece of fruit on the ground can feel like a tragedy.” Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lorber said in a statement too that the film is a “cinematic miracle” and he “can’t find enough adjectives to praise it.”
We were tracking the film early, having shared a striking teaser for the movie from director Rafael Manuel, who based his debut feature on his own short, one that won the Silver Bear at Venice and you can currently stream on The Criterion Channel. The film is a class critique set at a posh golf club in the Philippines that is hiding something violent and sinister beneath the immaculate facade and dutiful servants. Jia Zhangke is an executive producer on “Filipiñana,” and Kino Lorber picked up the North American rights just prior to the film making its European premiere at Berlin on Feb. 15. Kino Lorber will plan a theatrical release later this year.
“I Want Your Sex”
Section: Premieres Distributor: Magnolia Director: Gregg Araki Date Acquired: Feb. 10 Release Date: July 31 Buzz: Gregg Araki wants sex to come back to the big screens and get Gen Z horny again, and Magnolia is helping him do it. The buzzy film starring Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman sold in a competitive situation to Magnolia for a 7-figure deal. IndieWire had a lot of fun with the picture, and Magnolia is thinking so will audiences. The distributor is planning a theatrical release later this year. Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Johnny Knoxville, Margaret Cho, Roxane Mesquida, Charli XCX, and Daveed Diggs all co-star in the film.
‘The Last First: Winter K2’Sundance
“The Last First: Winter K2”
Section: Premieres Distributor: Apple Director: Amir Bar-Lev Date Acquired: Feb. 5 Buzz: In terms of pure visceral thrills, it’s hard to beat a good mountain climbing documentary. That’s the bet Apple made when it acquired “The Last First: Winter K2,” which also explores the corrosive affect that influencer culture has had on the world of mountain climbing. Bar-Lev has an extensive track record of delivering documentary hits about a wide range of topics, so the tech giant is likely hoping that it has the next “Free Solo” on its hands.
“Once Upon a Time in Harlem”
Section: Premieres Distributor: Neon Directors: William and David Greaves Date Acquired: Feb. 5 Buzz: Few nonfiction films at Sundance generated more buzz than “Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” William Greaves’ posthumous collection of conversations from a 1974 cocktail party of Harlem Renaissance luminaries that was assembled by his son David. The film is a vital historical artifact, and the fact that it hails from a legendary documentarian only adds to its prestige. We’re hearing it generated offers from Netflix and MUBI and others and already has invites to some other major upcoming festivals. Watch out for this one come Oscar season.
“Bedford Park”
Section: U.S. Dramatic Competition Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics Director: Stephanie Ahn Date Acquired: Jan. 30 Release Date: September 22 Buzz: In its second acquisition in two days, Sony Pictures Classics picked up another set of worldwide rights to yet another U.S. Dramatic Competition title. “Bedford Park” is also the directorial debut of Ahn, and it’s a drama about a woman (Moon Choi) struggling between her loyalty to her Korean immigrant family and her own American identity, as a child raised in New Jersey. When her mother gets into a car accident, it leads to a fateful meeting with Eli (Son Sukku), an ex-wrestler battling his own fractured past.
Section: U.S. Dramatic Competition Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka Date Acquired: Jan. 29 Buzz: One of the buzzier competition titles at Sundance not because of its star power but because of its playful title and crowd pleasing sentiment, one that earned a standing ovation for director Josef Kubota Wladyka and his mother on whom the film is based, the real Ha-Chan. Shot in Japan, Rinko Kikuchi stars in “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!” as a woman who leaves the Japanese ballroom dance scene after tragedy strikes, only to be lured back onto the dance floor after developing an infatuation for a new instructor. SPC picked up the worldwide rights to the film. It also stars Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, Yoh Yoshida, and Damián Alcázar.
“The Invite”
Section: Premieres Distributor: A24 Director: Olivia Wilde Date Acquired: Jan. 27 Release Date: June 26 Buzz: This was a true, old-fashioned, late night bidding war between multiple interested buyers that ended up being a 72-hour, marathon competition. IndieWire hears that Neon, Black Bear, Netflix, Searchlight, and Focus Features — and even Warner Bros. at the 11th hour — were all in the mix for what was Olivia Wilde’s third feature as a director. We’re also hearing that the final bidding got into the 8-figure range. Others may have bid more, but Wilde was determined to get a theatrical deal. And it’s fitting too, because this was one of the starrier movies at the festival with Wilde, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, and Penélope Cruz all leading the ensemble cast. “The Invite” quite simply is about the dinner party from hell when a couple whose marriage is on the brink have dinner with another couple that’s polyamorous, but the crowds that saw it say there’s a lot more layers to this one than just that. Will McCormack and Rashida Jones wrote the screenplay based on a 2019 Spanish film called “Sentimental.” UTA Independent Film Group and FilmNation co-repped the sale, and the film hails from Megan Ellison and Annapurna, who also previously produced Wilde’s debut film “Booksmart.”
“Leviticus”
Section: Midnight Distributor: Neon Director: Adrian Chiarella Date Acquired: Jan. 27 Release Date: June 19 Buzz: A queer, coming-of-age horror movie? “Leviticus” is about two teenage boys who have to fight off a violent entity capable of taking the form of the other. The film plays on the real-life horrors of conversion therapy and stars Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie, Davida McKenzie, Nicholas Hope, Zahra Newman, and Mia Wasikowska. The film’s unique genre premise from writer/director Adrian Chiarella, his feature debut, was good enough for Neon to jump on worldwide rights in a seven-figure deal, as well as the first sale of the festival, an otherwise slow affair thus far, though one that has sparked an early bidding war for at least one other title. “Leviticus” will be released later this year and is actually Neon’s second deal for a horror movie out of the festival, as the distributor also over the weekend joined the next film from “It Ends” director Alex Ullom.
Films Arriving at Sundance with Distribution
‘The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist’Sundance
“The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist”
Section: Premieres Distributor: Focus Features Directors: Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell Buzz: The “Navalny” director teams up with producer Daniel Kwan (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”) on a film that goes deep into the perils and promise of artificial intelligence, all through the lens of Roher debating whether this is a good moment to bring a child into the world.
“The Brittany Griner Story”
Section: Premieres Distributor: ESPN Director: Alexandria Stapleton Buzz: The director of “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” sits down with Brittany Griner, the basketball star who was famously detained and became the subject of a media and political frenzy as she hoped to secure her freedom.
“Give Me the Ball!”
Section: Premieres Distributor: ESPN Directors: Liz Garbus and Elizabeth Wolff Buzz: More than a sports doc, this portrait of Billie Jean King looks at the tennis icon’s compulsion to hide her sexual orientation and eating disorders.
“In the Blink of an Eye”
Section: Premieres Distributor: Searchlight Pictures Director: Andrew Stanton Buzz: Though he’s directed plenty on TV, Pixar vet Andrew Stanton is returning to a live-action feature for the first time since “John Carter” dropped way back in 2012. “In the Blink of an Eye” is a triptych set in ancient times, modern day, and in the distant future, exploring how those three eras are connected by hope and the circle of life.
‘The Moment’A24
“The Moment”
Section: Premieres Distributor: A24 Director: Aidan Zamiri Streaming Date: May 29 on HBO Max Buzz: One of three films starring Charli XCX at the festival, the “brat” pop star plays a version of herself in an exaggerated mockumentary that comments on the idea of modern celebrity.
“One in a Million”
Section: World Documentary Distributor: PBS/Frontline Directors: Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes Buzz: This documentary was filmed over 10 years and follows a Syrian refugee girl who travels to Germany and then back to Syria with her family.
“Queen of Chess”
Section: Premieres Distributor: Netflix Director: Rory Kennedy Buzz: Perhaps a documentary for “The Queen’s Gambit” fans, this film follows a girl from Hungary who is a chess prodigy trying to break into a male-dominated competition circuit.
‘Saccharine’Courtesy of Shudder
“Saccharine”
Section: Midnight Distributor: Shudder Director: Natalie Erika James Buzz: Shudder picked up this body horror film from the “Relic” director just before the festival. It stars Midori Francis as a woman who takes part in a bizarre weight loss craze that involves eating human ashes, only to become possessed by demonic forces in the process.
“TheyDream”
Section: NEXT Distributor: Latino Public Broadcasting and ITVS Director: William D. Caballero Buzz: This animated film that combines a variety of styles, including 2D, 3D, and live-action, is a deeply personal autobiographical documentary from mixed media filmmaker Caballero, who looks back on his career and examines grief through the lens of his Puerto Rican family in North Carolina. Theatrical rights are still available.
“Time and Water”
Section: Premieres Distributor: Nat Geo Director: Sara Dosa Buzz: Like her Sundance breakout “Fire of Love” before it, “Time and Water” is a more elevated nature documentary and follows an Icelandic writer eulogizing both a glacier and his grandparents.
“Undertone”
Section: Midnight Distributor: A24 Director: Ian Tuason Buzz: A micro-budget horror movie in the vein of “Paranormal Activity” that first played at Fantasia Fest, the actual producers of “Paranormal Activity” helped give the film a new cut and are hoping for another horror hit.
When American Football reunited in 2014, they had to strike through certain milestones. First: a fan service comeback album that met the moment, inched the band’s sound forward, but largely stuck to the coveted LP1 format that was resonating more than ever. That’s LP2. The band ventured inside the Urbana, Illinois, student house/place of worship for the cover shot, but tellingly didn’t have the mettle to leave the premises.
Despite the fanbase’s approval, the band perhaps started to catch heat over playing it safe, so they moved to assert their credibility and converse with the mainstream emo/post-Hot Topic crowd as well as in-vogue emotion-forward music more generally. Bringing on Hayley Williams, Land of Talk’s Elizabeth Powell, and Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell to guest on LP3 did the trick there, as did covering Mazzy Star soon after. Instead of “Steve Reich but on guitars”—LP1’s well-documented M.O.—LP3 brought things full circle to, at times, pretty much just Steve Reich, exploding their historically limited guitar-guitar-drums palette with glassy vibraphones and magnificent choral vocal layers.
Then, in 2020, American Football had to split up again and eventually return with a fresh resolve and love. That would’ve been the by-the-numbers biopic angle, but the band had its biopic moment already—when a throwaway teenage project helped invent a genre movement, created cult heroes, and pulled 2/3 of the band members out of day jobs (Kinsella has been making music as Owen ever since American Football split up). And it’s not just that: any fan knows by now that things are never neat and rosy for American Football. The apocalyptic, blood-red sky on the cover of the new album confirms this, too.
“The story of my life is in disarray / It’s written in ink that never dries / What a mess I’ve made,” Kinsella sings on “Blood On My Blood.” The song features Caithlin De Marrais of the brilliant, underrated emo band Rainer Maria, for which Kinsella used to sling merch on the road—one of many ways in which American Football brings with it a history that has been recontextualized and renewed. Marrais doesn’t wail her guts out as she did on Look Now Look Again, but solicitously, ethereally fills in the gaps. That lyric above is one of countless times on the record where Kinsella jabs himself in the ribs or the eye or anywhere he can with his words. But perhaps there are benefits of wet ink: the story, though smudged, can continue advancing across the page. It isn’t formalized in stone, in the past, or in a confusing, nihilistic bardo. It’s like that quote from Grayson Haver Currin’s recent dishy, novella-length GQ profile: “In disappearing, American Football had existed as a perfect, phantom idea; in reappearing, they had to reckon with their own accumulating flaws, to figure them out in order to go forward.”
Seven years after the last record, this is the space LP4 both writhes and grooves in. American Football can’t help but turn their disgust at their own flaws into some of the most impressive, progressive, winding, melody-rich songs of their career. Half-familiar flavors of the Cure, Steve Reich, Mazzy Star, West African rhythms/percussion, and funereal fanfares filter through arena-rock textures, baroque-pop grandeur, and twee-pop playfulness. It’s a difficult record, to be sure; made in the midst of two members’ divorces, familial pressures, alcoholism for some, sobriety for others, and alarmingly bleak discussions of lost hope and rock bottom. At the same time, LP4 adds water back onto the canvas to reshape the colors—sonically and thematically. Long gone are the days of a band having to build on the legacy of LP1 or else pivot to outrun it. Here, they use the framework at their disposal to outgrow everything. This is the record that makes the most sense for American Football. The record they had to make to survive.
Another pertinent quote from that GQ profile—Kinsella’s words this time—“I could write the best emo album ever.” He’s always spoken in interviews with a cheeky self-awareness that belies the intensity of his work. LP4 doesn’t take the easy route, though it knows it could. It crams dozens of new references into every corner—from the gothic gongs and bongs of a Disintegration soundscape to pizzicato violins and The Edge-esque guitar pirouettes, all of which get space alongside the awkwardly-tuned, pretty playing Kinsella and Steve Holmes pioneered, as well as the grooviest beats Steve Lamos has ever crafted. More than that, it has a shocking amount of painful admissions; in some ways, the West End Girl of the emo world (sans butt plugs). At times, these feel tired and done-to-death: Kinsella’s bones ache to be buried on “No Feeling.” “Man Overboard” loops the boringly pessimistic refrain of “Man overboard / It’s hopeless”—two opening tracks that fail to foreshadow the greatness to come.
The eight-minute epic “Bad Moons,” however, unravels lines that will make you hold your breath as it balloons from twilit piano dot-to-dots and a Moon Safari bass groove into a queasy crescendo. “I lost my mind in the dark, told all my lies in the dark / I poured my drinks in the dark, explored new kinks in the dark…,” Kinsella croaks, and continues on like that. The list gets darker, scarier—he slits his wrists in the dark, he doesn’t exist in the dark—and then the music breaks: “‘til I found you in the dark.” Throughout LP4, these flickers of safety halt the spiraling darkness, often unexpectedly. Sometimes it’s the voice of “you”—his partner Justine Fallon sings on several tracks—a kind, whispery coo to undercut a slurred recrimination from her boyfriend. Sometimes it’s a big, starry major chord to break a cycle: the “Stay Home” theory. Sometimes it’s a whole song.
“Patron Saint of Pale” is the most outwardly friendly, not to mention one of the coolest, songs American Football have ever managed. It’s anchored by a strange little recurring hook of “Let’s play Rochambeau / One, two, three, throw!”, answered by pat-a-cake hand claps that have it shake out somewhere between The Go! Team and Belle and Sebastian. This is Kinsella applying a perversely oversimple, innocuous tactic (Rochambeau, aka rock-paper-scissors) to an impossible situation—divorcing the mother of his children—like when Mark Corrigan flips a coin to decide if he should go ahead with his loveless marriage in Peep Show. There are a million tiny things going on as Kinsella agonizes over the predicament—childlike backing vocals, glockenspiel clunks, intrusive, apparently accidental growls of distortion—as if emulating day-to-day interruptions and delays. And yet it all jumbles along, not quite happy and breezy, but not far off. The stunning, rollicking guitar part in the outro recalls “Honestly?,” unfolding like it’s laying a train track in front of itself while in motion. I guess that’s what American Football have been doing this whole time.
“Wake Her Up” will delight lifer fans even as the band massively expands on what we thought it was capable of, patchworking all its influences and more into this fucked-up, intriguing love song. It dances circuitously from icicle arpeggios over uneven snares to a gossamer outro of trumpets and whispers. But in between are woozy, flangey guitars tumbling on top of each other, and others that fizz in the red, blowing the arrangement off its axis. There are multiple stops and starts; hand claps and dreamy backing vocals; and lines of pure, chest-aching poetry snuck in like it’s nothing: “Your daughter’s not dead, she’s just asleep / For hours on end / For days / For forever she dreams.” It’s the highlight of the album.
“Lullaybye,” meanwhile, is a drop-tuned interlude of quiet snare pitter-patters and wincing trumpet that perfectly sets up “No Soul to Save,” the closer. This final track has the requisite lassoing guitar lines and unevenly shuffling drums, all sighing and major-key like the old days—but also not. It’s bigger and more confident, like the prize for sticking with them. Kinsella’s lyrics tell us that he’s fearless, unafraid—he hasn’t even got a soul anymore, so why would he be? You might read this as hopelessly nihilistic, like “Man Overboard” seemed earlier, but I sense a freedom in it this time. Maybe, eventually, a happiness too. “I wasn’t meant to live on a stage,” he sings, cutting himself some slack, reminding us that American Football was never meant to happen.
Parenting, alcoholism, divorce, starting over in your late forties—LP4 makes “Never Meant” sound like blink-182. Heck, it makes LP3 sound like LP1. The stakes are so much higher than they were in 1999. In some ways, it’ll be a surprise if these songs translate or resonate at all. This is so far from the fleeting, college-era lovesickness that first defined American Football. Everything feels far more permanent, or it should feel permanent these days—that’s why Kinsella laments the never-drying ink in which his story is written, the tangled mess he’s made of things, the death of his soul.
But the absence of a soul—of self-expectations, self-belief, self-love—is a kind of liberating permanence in itself, allowing for the free-flowing, stream-of-consciousness experimentation across the record and throughout the autumn of Kinsella’s career. The grittiness, the growing-with-you, the true-to-life is what makes these songs translate and resonate. Breaking from their previous ways, LP4 isn’t rushed. It isn’t a career-first move. It’s the exhausting process of pulling an increasingly gangly, weighed-down operation of middle-aged divorcees onto a new path. I’m not the first to muse on whether three college kids sold their souls in Urbana circa 1999—to become one of the most influential, iconic alternative bands of all time, you must endure a seemingly never-ending barrage of misfortune in return. Sometimes, it seems like American Football was never meant to happen. But LP4 sounds like it was meant to happen—had to happen. It’s what will finally set this band free. [Polyvinyl]
Hayden Merrick is a London-based music journalist and Features Editor at The Line of Best Fit. He also writes for Bandcamp Daily, FLOOD, and others.
The acclaimed docuseries “Dark Side of the Ring” has set the premiere date for its seventh season at Vice TV, Variety has learned exclusively.
The new season will kick off on July 7 at 9 p.m. ET with two back-to-back episodes. New episodes will then air weekly thereafter. The season will begin with a three-part deep dive into Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling and co-founder and performer Jeff Jarrett.
“’Dark Side of the Ring’ is one of our strongest franchises that speaks to our audience with its gritty exposition of the real emotional and physical costs behind professional wrestling,” said Vice TV president Pete Gaffney. “Wrestling is one of America’s most influential pop culture phenomenons, and this series further explores the blurred lines between wrestling’s spectacle and reality, ultimately uncovering the truths behind the stories fans thought they knew.”
Additional episodes in Season 7 will tell the stories of wrestlers like Paul Orndorff, Ray “The Big Boss Man” Traylor, and Missy Hyatt. There will also be episodes devoted to the infamous match between Necro Butcher and Samoa Joe, one-legged wrestler Zach Gowen, and Rick Wilson, an exotic dancer who had a brief run as Ultimate Warrior knockoff The Renegade.
“Each season, we try to challenge ourselves to go deeper, and season seven is our most ambitious yet,” said co-creators and executive producers Evan Husney and Jason Eisener. “That’s especially true with our three-part exploration of TNA Wrestling, where Jeff Jarrett’s journey of redemption and resilience gives us a unique lens into the highs, struggles, and lasting impact of the foundational years of the company. It’s a perfect example of how compelling and ultimately human these stories really are.”
“Dark Side of the Ring” is a Vice Studios production in partnership with Bell Media’s Crave. Husney is co-creator, executive producer, and writer for the series. Eisener is co-creator, executive producer, and director. Executive Producer for Vice Studios is Guillermo Garcia. Executive Producer for Vice TV is Lee Hoffman. The series is distributed worldwide by VICE Distribution.
“Dark Side of the Ring” remains one of Vice’s biggest TV hits. It spawned the “Dark Side” franchise that now also includes “Dark Side of Football,” “Dark Side of the 90s,” “Dark Side of the 2000s,” “Dark Side of Reality TV,” and “Dark Side of the Cage.”
Lauren Sanchezwalked the 2026 Met Gala carpet by herself. No Jeff Bezos. No A-list cushion. Just her, the cameras, and a $10 million sponsorship that lit the internet on fire.
Zendaya passed on the Met Gala. Meryl Streep too. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani made his absence known. Activists projected boycott slogans on the building near Jeff’s $120 million penthouse. A 72-year-old Amazon warehouse worker became the face of the protest videos. Taraji P. Henson posted “WTF are we doing?” while Lauren smiled for the step-and-repeat.
The Hollywood Reporter called it damage control. The internet called it karma. I want to call it something else.
A nervous system event. Two of them, actually. One on the carpet, one hiding from it.
The Carpet Was Always Going to Be a Crime Scene
Look at the photos again. Lauren is alone in a context she helped build. That’s the part everyone is missing while they argue about the guest list.
When a couple becomes a public lightning rod, their nervous systems do not logically process the PR implications. They go into biological panic. And panicked couples don’t strategize. They reach for the survival moves they learned as kids, long before there was a Met Gala or an Amazon or a billion dollars.
In my office, I’d call this the Waltz of Pain. One partner stays out front, managing the optics, holding the smile, trying to keep the connection alive by sheer force. The other partner retreats. Goes quiet. Hides. The Relentless Lover meets the Reluctant Lover, and the dance just runs itself.
The culture thinks this is about a sponsorship check or a celebrity snub. That’s the timeline trap. The who-said-what-when bucket is loud, and it tells you nothing about what’s actually happening between two people.
What’s actually happening is this: two exhausted nervous systems failing to co-regulate while the world watches. Lauren on the carpet asking, without words, “Are you there for me?” Jeff somewhere else asking, “Am I enough for you, or did I just make your life unlivable?”
Those are the only two questions the human heart ever really asks. Net worth doesn’t change that. Attachment lives in the body. It does not care about your balance sheet.
Why the High-Achiever Marriage Cracks Here
I work with founders and executives in San Francisco, and I’ll tell you what a decade of that has taught me. Entrepreneurs are disproportionately anxious or avoidant in their attachment styles. Not because entrepreneurship attracts broken people. Because the same wiring that makes you relentless in business makes you brittle in love.
Avoidance gives you independence, self-reliance, the ability to keep going when everyone else quits. It also makes it nearly impossible to lean on someone when you’re the one getting hammered.
So, when a billionaire couple gets publicly skinned, the high-achieving partner tries to solve the marriage like a quarterly review. One partner says, “I feel alone out there.” The other looks at the calendar and tries to fix logistics. The first partner doesn’t feel helped. They feel filed. Like a task. And the dance gets faster.
If you’re reading this and your stomach just dropped because you recognize the pattern in your own relationship, find out your relationship pattern before the next stress test hits. Because there’s always a next one.
Now, layer in shame. Shame is the interruption of positive feeling, and when it hits, humans go four directions. We hide. We go silent. We numb out. Or we attack. Pulling away from the carpet is a shutdown response, and from the outside it looks like indifference. From the inside it feels like survival.
A 72-year-old warehouse worker telling the world you ruined her life is not a PR problem. It’s an existential shame event. No matter how grown up and competent you become, you still have the heart of a little baby asking, am I good, am I bad, am I alone in this?
What I’d Actually Say if They Were on My Couch
The first thing I’d do is stop them from trying to solve the public relations problem. I’m not worried about your ability to solve logistical problems. Once you’re emotionally connected again, that part is easy. Couples like this are great at logistics. They’re terrible at sitting in a feeling together for ninety seconds.
Most couples walk into my office as the world’s renowned expert on the problems of their partner. If I hosted a conference on what’s wrong with Jeff, Lauren would be the keynote. If I hosted one on what’s wrong with Lauren, Jeff would headline. The Story of Other never leads to growth. Never leads to healing. Never leads to sovereignty.
I’d say to them what I say to every couple in crisis. Close the doors to repair the house. You don’t add a second story while the roof is leaking. You don’t host the Met Gala while your marriage is bleeding. Patch the roof first. Then you can see the view.
I’d turn to Lauren. “It makes sense that you feel entirely alone out there. You just want to know your partner has your back.” Then to Jeff. “It makes sense that you withdrew. When the world tells you you’re the villain, your nervous system wants to hide.” You both make sense. Always. Both partners always make sense.
The goal is what I call Empathy Cubed. Compassion for me. Compassion for you. Compassion for us. Held at the same time. Two suffering bubbles becoming one shared bubble. Once a couple can look at each other and say, “We’re both hurting because we mean so much to each other,” the armor drops. The carpet doesn’t matter anymore. The protests don’t either. Not because they’ve gone away, but because the two of you stopped being on opposite sides of them.
This is the work I do whether someone is rebuilding after an affair, untangling the science behind rebound relationship patterns, or surviving the worst week of their public life. The stressor changes. The nervous system doesn’t.
The Photo Nobody Took
There’s a photo that didn’t get taken last night. The one where Jeff and Lauren are alone in a hotel room afterward, makeup off, phones face down, and one of them finally says, “I’m scared.” And the other one doesn’t fix it. Just listens.
That’s the photo that would actually save the marriage. The carpet was never going to.
Empathi founder Figs O’Sullivan, LMFT and his wife Teale are couples therapists and relationship expert to the Stars and Silicon Valley, founder of Empathi, and built Figlet, an AI relationship coach trained on their clinical work.
It’s time: Cannes’ Focus COPRO, dedicated to first feature films, has announced this year’s seven projects.
That includes “A Summer Tale” (Germany) directed by Berthold Wahjudi, “Algiers Haze” (France) by Sarra Ryma, Gaël Kamilindi’s “The Zebra’s Shadow” (Switzerland), Laura Obradors’ “The Woodworm” (Spain), Alexandra Matheou’s “Shibboleth” (Cyprus and Greece), “The Snail Automation” by Thien An Nguyen (Vietnam, South Korea) and Dean Wei’s “The Apple Doesn’t Fall…” (China, Germany).
“After a remarkable 2025 edition, marked by an exceptionally diverse and promising range of projects, we are delighted to present another ambitious, strong and promising selection of seven projects led by filmmakers with bold and distinctive visions. These projects explore territories as varied as Vietnam, Rwanda, Cyprus, China, and of course Europe – a key driving force in international co-production,” Florian Fernandez, head of SFC and Rendez-vous Industry, told Variety.
‘A Summer Tale’
Focus COPRO
“Among the debut feature projects, several are represented by filmmakers selected in Cannes this year with their short films – which lies at the very heart of the program. Whether it’s in the Official Selection (Thien An Nguyen), Semaine de la Critique (Berthold Wahjudi and Sarra Ryma) or Directors’ Fortnight (Alexandra Matheou), these filmmakers embody the spirit of the initiative.”
Wei recently won a Tiger short award at IFFR. Kamilindi Berlin’s Teddy Award for best short film. Obradors’ film was selected in collaboration with ECAM Industria’s La Incubadora.
Directed by Berthold Wahjudi, German comedy “A Summer Tale” focuses on a 13-year-old Siegfried. Small for his age and the only Asian kid in his German school, he tries to impress his much taller crush Charlotte by playing the class clown. But when Yuan, a shorter and even funnier Chinese-German boy arrives and draws her attention, Siegfried suddenly sees his own insecurities reflected back at him.
“Though this very personal story deals with political themes like migration and nationalism, it is also a tribute to the teen movies I loved as a kid. I want this to be a comedy that’s both entertaining and subversive – my anti-assimilation manifesto, but told like a pubescent joke,” said Wahjudi.
It’s produced by Jonas Egert for If… Productions Film.
‘Algiers Haze’
Focus COPRO
“Algiers Haze” by Sarra Ryma – produced by Julie Mathieu-Moreau for Colors Films – follows Rayane and Ahmed, two 18-year-old Algerians, who wander between an oil base and the desert. When dromedaries overrun the base, they follow them across the margins.
“I want to film this moment just before departure, already steeped in the nostalgia for what we are losing. The desert replaces the crowd, silence shapes bodies. Youth is wandering, displaced by territory, desire and loss. Follow the dromedaries; let the film drift toward the invisible of exile,” said Ryma. It will be shot in the Sahara Desert.
“Shibboleth,” a co-production between Cyprus and Greece, sees a surrogate mother who joins the couple expecting her baby on a vacation. As a love triangle quietly takes shape, she is confronted with the emotional cost of surrogacy and the realization that her role doesn’t always end at birth.
‘Shibboleth’
Focus COPRO
“Within the universe of this island, the story unfolds in a place that seems to have defeated death; or so its people believe,” noted director Alexandra Matheou.
“For as long as I can remember, my existential anxiety around the subject of death has been a constant shadow. This is why I created a playground where I could ask: if eternal life were possible, would it actually make life better? Or would it unravel everything we think we know about living?”
Tonia Mishiali is producing for Bark Like a Cat Films, with Homemade Films coproducing.
Spain’s “The Woodworm” is about the teenage daughter of a well-known painter who discovers her father’s unsettling creative obsessions as she develops an intense, deep relationship with a foreign exchange student staying at their home.
“Inspired by the life of my best friend, the film immerses us in a pivotal summer in the life of a teenager who has grown up in a hostile, male-dominated environment,” said director Laura Obradors. The film is produced by Sergio Adrià (Espurna Films).
“Haunted by the absent and ambiguous figure of her father, his influence shapes the way she navigates both desire and guilt.”
‘The Zebra’s Shadow’
Focus COPRO
“The Zebra’s Shadow,” set in 1994, is about Pacifique. At a rave, he’s overwhelmed by a traumatic flashback that begins to reveal a troubled past. As fragments of buried memories resurface in his dreams, he sets out for Rwanda, a place where history has tried to erase him.
“We follow Pacifique’s intimate yet tremendous quest to reclaim a fractured past shaped by colonial violence. We explore how absence, memory, and inheritance define identity, belonging, and transmission across generations,” noted director Gaël Kamilindi. Aline Schmid and Cécile Tollu-Polonowski produce for Beauvoir Films.
“Pacifique confronts erased histories to understand what he can pass on, transforming a personal search into a collective reckoning with truth, exile, and return,” added Kamilindi.
‘The Apple Doesn’t Fall…’
Focus COPRO
Dean Wei offers something different with the comedy-musical “The Apple Doesn’t Fall…,” which he described as a “satirical portrait of the average Chinese one-child family.”
It sees Xiaoliu, a college dropout, returning home from abroad after suddenly losing the ability to speak. But nothing is as it was. Her father has been made redundant, her mother stages the illusion of unity, and her grandmother finds more comfort in a hired caretaker than her own family.
“Through a series of absurd events, we observe them from a distance, like creatures in their natural habitat. Their lives shift from the unremarkable to the downright banal as they slip in and out of their inherited roles.”
Jiaqi Liu produces for The O Eye.
“The Snail Automation” is produced by Thao Quiengg Nguyen Doan (Kontribute) and co-produced by CJ Vietnam and East Films.
Director Thien An Nguyen said: “Through a satirical and allegorical lens, I want to explore a world where people remain chained to antiquated dogmas while desperately trying to invent new forms of faith.”
In the story, after evading a murder charge because the police refuse to believe his client was turned into a snail, a hustler turns the absurd concept into a cult-like service, scamming lonely seniors out of their life savings under the guise of spiritual transformation.
“The film is a composite portrait of a younger generation struggling to find its footing in a hyper-consumerist, superficial society. Simultaneously, it holds a mirror to grim realities in my country.”
“The Daily Show” took aim at the Trump administration’s ongoing conflict with Iran during Wednesday night’s episode, mocking reports that the White House is pursuing a “one-page memo” to end the war.
“We are now in week nine of our four-week war with Iran, and it hasn’t been going great,” host Desi Lydic joked before reacting to reports that “the U.S. and Iran are closing in on a one-page memo to end the war.”
“How can Trump end a war with less paperwork than it took me to end my Planet Fitness membership?” she quipped.
“Whoever wrote that memo, can you please organize all bachelorette trips?” the Comedy Central host added. “Can we actually– can we see a copy of this memo?”
The comedian also targeted Secretary of State Marco Rubio for invoking rap lyrics while discussing Iran during a recent interview. After Rubio described Iranian leadership as “insane in the brain,” Lydic responded: “A little inappropriate to be quoting old rap lyrics while you’re talking about war. I mean, can you imagine your doctor telling you, ‘If you’re looking for the tumor on this scan, whoomp, there it is?’”
She then launched into an extended riff featuring clips of Rubio using hip-hop references in increasingly absurd situations, joking that the secretary of state sounded like some “lame wedding DJ” before cutting to a video of him behind a DJ booth at a wedding last weekend.
“How is no one in this administration busy? Marco Rubio’s DJing. Kash Patel is partying in locker rooms,” she asked.
She also ridiculed reports surrounding Trump’s proposed White House ballroom project, including allegations that soil from the construction site tested positive for toxic chemicals before being dumped near a public golf course in Washington, D.C.
“Ugh, not the f–king ballroom again,” she said. “People didn’t even want the ballroom when he was building it for free. Now Trump’s like, ‘OK, I hear you, but what if it cost a billion dollars?’”
“And if this ballroom story is making you sick, don’t worry. It can also make you literally sick,” she added.
You can watch the full segment in the video above.
9-1-1is preparing to wrap up season 9 — but will the finale conclude with Angela Bassett‘s character Athena leaving the show?
During the penultimate episode of the hit ABC series, Detective Hooks (Josh Stamberg) convinced Athena to accompany him to make arrests in the trafficking case. The situation took a turn, however, when he shot at her.
“It remains to be seen,” Bassett, 67, told Good Morning America ahead of the May 7 finale about whether her character will survive. “I wish I could say. But Athena is strong.”
Bobby’s death on 9-1-1 came out of nowhere — but why was the decision to kill off Peter Krause‘s character so controversial? 9-1-1, which premiered in 2018, introduced Us to the professional and personal lives of Los Angeles first responders. Krause was one of the major players in the role of Bobby, a.k.a. the LAFD […]
“I’m excited for all the characters, actually. I can’t really spoil where we’re going in the last three episodes, but I’m also excited and scared about what’s going to happen to Athena,” he told Decider. “I think it’s going to be a really thrilling story.”
Minear went on to tease season 10, adding, “I’m going to start a story here at the end of this season that’s going to carry over into next season. I’m pretty excited about it!”
Jack Zeman/Fox/Everett Collection
Concerns about Athena’s survival comes after the ABC series shook things up by killing off Peter Krause‘s fan favorite character Bobby. After the show faced backlash for killing off Bobby, Krause, 60, released a statement about his shocking departure.
“I’ve heard that many fans are upset by this loss and they have a right to be. It is a loss. That said, it was more than a bold creative choice on a bold show. Bobby Nash was written in sacrifice and he was built for this,” Krause wrote in a statement. “First responders risk their lives on the job so that others can see another day. His story arc honors them. We at 9-1-1 salute all the incredible men and women who do these dangerous jobs and strive to keep us safe.”
“I don’t think it’s going to be, you know, that real sad, sad grieving process that we’re used to seeing,” Bassett teased exclusively to Us Weekly in August 2025 about what is to come. “[She’ll be] throwing herself back into work. You can’t catch her. She won’t land somewhere. She keeps moving. Keeps distracting herself.”
Bassett noted that even when people try to “hold her still,” Athena will break free. “It’s like, ‘Put me out there, [Captain]. Put me on the field,’” she shared.
While actors like to hold forth about pursuing challenging roles, Tony Leung Chiu-wai is quick to say that’s not how he operates.
“I’m the kind of actor who loves to stay in my comfort zone,” said a jovial Leung, 63, speaking in English during a recent video call from his home in Hong Kong. “As you can see, in my past 20 years I mostly worked with one director, Wong Kar-wai. That makes me feel very safe.”
And yet, the star, whose longing, expressive eyes have enamored cinephiles in landmark romantic dramas like Wong’s “In the Mood for Love,” has recently taken on distinctly new characters in movies far from home.
The latest, “Silent Friend,” due Friday from the Hungarian director Ildiko Enyedi, is Leung’s first appearance in a fully European production. The story follows three people in different eras who encounter the same ginkgo tree. Leung’s character, Dr. Tony Wong, is a renowned neuroscientist on a work trip in present-day Germany.
Wearing a white sweater and glasses during the interview, Leung still resembled an elegant scholar. Behind him a display cabinet held a collection of exquisite vases. It’s a Zen space.
His selectiveness has nothing to do with the geographical location of the job, but instead his compatibility with the filmmaker. “I pick every project because of the person, not the story,” he said of agreeing to work with Enyedi. “I trust my instinct rather than my head.”
Leung’s naturalistic acting style first began to take shape while working with the Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien on “A City of Sadness” (1989), where an actress without formal training impressed him. “I told Hou Hsiao-Hsien, ‘I want to act like her someday,’” he recalled.
He finally felt he’d achieved such realism when he saw his long, dialogue-free scene in “Days of Being Wild” (1991), his first film with Wong. His loyalty to the director was born.
When the director Destin Daniel Cretton reached out to ask him to play the antagonist in the 2021 Marvel action saga “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” a skeptical Leung took three months to consider whether to call back. “I always have self-doubt — ‘Am I good enough to do this?’ Especially such a big production, it made me a bit stressed,” he said.
One day, Leung’s wife nudged him to finally get in touch with Cretton. The two met on a video call that offered the actor little in the way of information about the story or his role.
“For Marvel movies, they cannot tell you anything. Everything is under wraps. What I knew from the director is that my character had many layers, and that’s it,” Leung said laughing.
Still, he agreed to work with Cretton solely based on how “laid-back” he found the director. Leung thought he could perhaps trust the filmmaker. “That’s the first movie I really stepped out of my comfort zone for,” he added. The experience, Leung said, reminded him of playing martial arts heroes with superpowers in Chinese-language wuxia television shows early in his career.
The video interviews Leung did to promote “Shang-Chi” inspired Enyedi to write “Silent Friend” with him as the lead.
“He had a real person-to-person interaction with the interviewers,” Enyedi recalled. “He wasn’t shielding himself. I felt a person who wasn’t just doing what is asked of him, but creating a meaningful moment.”
Had Leung refused the role, as he often does when approached, Enyedi would have rewritten the story and turned the character into a “goofy guy.” The director hoped to portray Leung with a vulnerability she didn’t think he’d been given the chance to tap into before.
She said she suggested a humble approach that included shaving his head “because I wanted to show what I had seen in him during those interviews, this monk-like focus and a tenderness towards the world.”
During their first meeting, Leung asked Enyedi about whether Buddhism had influenced the writing of “Silent Friend.” His character develops a spiritual bond with the ginkgo tree. That curiosity about the film’s philosophical intent pleased the director. Leung said she didn’t give an answer at the time. But Buddhism is important to her, Enyedi said, as is the study of plant communication.
After making the film, Leung, who is a Buddhist, found new appreciation for all life-forms around him. “I jog on the top of the mountain every day with all kinds of plants and trees. They’re not just plants to me now. They’re sentient beings. Maybe they have a conscience.”
To convincingly transform into a neuroscientist, Leung’s preparation was fiercely intellectual. Enyedi assigned him several heady books, including the eco-philosophy tome “Ways of Being” by James Bridle.
“I try to have a beginner’s mind on every movie,” Leung said. “I don’t treat myself as a professional actor. Really experienced actors miss a lot of things when they think, ‘Oh I went through it before, I know what it is.’ No! Every time is different.”
Another of Leung’s frequent collaborators, the Hong Kong action master John Woo, seconded Enyedi’s thoughts about the actor’s natural sensibilities. Woo, however, harnessed those attributes for high-octane pictures like “Hard Boiled” (1992) and “Bullet in the Head” (1990).
“Tony is just like me, very quiet and very introverted. He has such wonderful eyes that speak,” Woo said via email. “You don’t need to hear him say any words but with just his gaze, he is able to convey such a strong emotion.”
Leung’s eyes are often the focal point when people discuss his onscreen allure. Their piercing depth, the actor said, comes from a “difficult but happy childhood.”
“I didn’t quite talk to others, I tried to isolate myself because I didn’t want to talk about my family,” he continued. “I kept everything inside. I never showed emotion to anyone until one day when I learned acting, and I found a way to express myself without being shy.”
Playing someone else provided an outlet for his internal pain. “I have a lot of suppressed feelings and emotions, and that makes my eyes have a lot of things inside them,” Leung added.
He’s won dozens of prizes over 40 years, including the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2023 from the Venice Film Festival. At the ceremony Leung was visibly moved. But ultimately accolades, he said, feel more like a burden.
“I never put any trophies in my house, I put all of them inside a cabinet. I don’t want to see them, because in every project I want to have a beginner’s mind,” he said.
In the final stage of his acting career, as he thinks of this period, Leung said he felt relaxed, especially after “Silent Friend,” which he described as an “inspiring journey” unlike anything he’s experienced before. Still, that doesn’t mean he wants to take on more roles now.
“I cannot say I just do it for fun, but if things come to me and I can help some really intellectual directors like Ildiko fulfill their dreams, then I’ll do it,” he said.
For all the credit Leung denies himself, those who know him well don’t hesitate to praise him.
“Everyone considers Daniel Day-Lewis to be one of the most talented actors who ever lived, and in Hong Kong we have Tony Leung, that’s how great he is,” Woo said.
Against all odds, Wonder Man managed to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe in an unexpected direction by telling the story of a struggling Hollywood actor and his unlikely best friend.
Debuting last January on Disney+, the series introduced audiences to Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), a struggling actor who secretly has superpowers.
Image: Disney
Throughout the series, Williams forms an unlikely friendship with Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), who reprised his roles from Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It is a relationship that ultimately shapes both of their journeys.
“Aspiring Hollywood actor Simon Williams is struggling to get his career off the ground. During a chance meeting with Trevor Slattery, an actor whose biggest roles may be well behind him, Simon learns legendary director Von Kovak is remaking the superhero film ‘Wonder Man,’” the series synopsis explains.
“These two actors at opposite ends of their careers pursue life-changing roles while giving audiences a peek behind the curtain of the entertainment industry.”
‘Wonder Man’ Began as a Joke
While Wonder Man ultimately won over critics and fans with its fresh take on the superhero genre, the series actually began as something of a joke.
In a recent interview with Deadline, executive producer Destin Daniel Cretton revealed that the idea first emerged while working on Shang-Chi.
“The genesis of the idea actually sprouted when we were on the set of Shang-Chi and I just loved working with Sir Ben. I really loved his character and felt like in every movie Trevor Slattery has been a standout and underutilized,” Cretton said. “So I did a joke pitch to my producer Jonathan Schwartz and said, ‘We should do Trevor Goes to Hollywood.’”
What started as a joke quickly gained traction.
Producer Jonathan Schwartz even created a mock poster with the art department, featuring Trevor Slattery in a convertible with a stylized 1980s look.
“That’s when I thought we have to do this show,” Cretton added.
Worlds Collide
As development continued, Marvel was already working on a separate Wonder Man concept centered on Hollywood and the entertainment industry.
Image: Disney
“When we were really pitching the show, we found out that Wonder Man was also being developed around what a show would be like in the MC Hollywood. Those two ideas collided and that’s when [executive producer] Andrew [Guest] came in and helped us create the real vibe of the show,” Cretoon explained.
Image: Disney
With that, a hit Disney+ series was born.
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James Gunn’s DCU just pulled one of Batman’s strangest villains out of the shadows, as the first live-action look at Clayface was revealed in a nightmarish, horror-driven new teaser trailer. The upcoming film, appropriately set to release on October 23 at the height of spooky season, introduces one of the Caped Crusader’s lesser-known villains in the DCU’s boldest move yet.
Clayface stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a rising actor whose life takes a gruesome turn before he becomes the shape-shifting Gotham monster. Rather than playing like a traditional superhero spin-off, the footage leans into full body horror, showing Hagen bandaged, bloodied, and his skin dripping, drooping, and stretching like malleable pottery clay.
DC Studios
Clayface follows Matt Hagen after he is horribly disfigured, pushing him toward an experimental procedure that transforms his body into clay. Naomi Ackie co-stars as the scientist tied to that transformation, while Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, David Dencik, Nancy Carroll, and Joshua James round out the cast.
That setup gives the DCU something it has not had yet: a Gotham story not primarily about Batman, establishing the city even though the DCU’s Bruce Wayne has not been cast. That makes Clayface a rare kind of world-building project, one that can establish Gotham’s darker corners without the Dark Knight being present.
DC Studios
Director James Watkins is steering the film from a script by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amin. The story is inspired by the “Feat of Clay” arc of Batman: The Animated Series, which established Clayface as a tragic character rather than just an everyday villain.
That approach makes Clayface feel even more important. He is not being introduced as a villain in a Batman movie or a mid-credits tease. He is headlining his own movie, one that DC Studios is pushing as a horror thriller rather than a typical masked-hero adventure.
It also shows how flexible Gunn’s DCU can be. Superman introduced the franchise with classic superhero optimism, Creature Commandos opened the door to adult-oriented animation, and Clayface is now taking a Batman villain into R-rated-adjacent nightmare territory.
Clayface may not have the Joker’s name recognition or the Penguin’s crime-boss familiarity, but he gives the DCU something different: a villain whose powers are visual, psychological, and deeply disturbing.
Other Batman Villains Revealed in DCU
Clayface is far from the only member of the Dark Knight’s rogues gallery to debut in the cinematic universe. Other Batman-related villains have appeared in recent DCU projects, spanning live-action and animation. These are the Batman villains who have already made their DCU debuts.
White Rabbit
DC Studios
Jaina Hudson appeared in Peacemaker, portrayed by Brey Noelle, after interviewing to join the Justice Gang. While the DCU version was framed more as a rejected hero hopeful, the comics version of Jaina Hudson is tied to Gotham City and Batman’s rogues gallery.
Doctor Phosphorus
DC Studios
The animated Creature Commandos introduced Alex Sartorius, voiced by Alan Tudyk, as a radioactive former scientist from Gotham City. In DC Comics, Doctor Phosphorus is traditionally a Batman villain, making his DCU debut one of the franchise’s earliest Gotham connections.
Rupert Thorne
DC Studios
Creature Commandos also brought in Rupert Thorne, a Gotham City industrialist and gangster, voiced by Benjamin Byron Davis. In the DCU, Thorne was responsible for Alex Sartorius’ transformation into Doctor Phosphorus.
Orca
DC Studios
Grace Balin, better known as Orca, appeared in Creature Commandos as a Belle Reve inmate. Her comics history connects her to Batman as a marine biologist who becomes a human-orca hybrid and eventually an enemy of the Dark Knight.
The CEO of Hooded Horse, Tim Bender, announced on LinkedIn that he would be managing a new fund for Griffin that has pledged $100 million to aid the development of indie titles in exchange for a flat percentage of revenue share.
“$100 million to put directly in the hands of indie studios,” read the announcement, “on a no-recoup, no-equity basis — just simple terms of a flat percentage revenue share in exchange for the funds to make the game.”
He goes on to say that this is a direct result of many games being pitched to Hooded Horse that fall outside the scope of their publishing focus. He adds that he isn’t starting a new publisher, nor is Hooded Horse changing its focus, but that this is simply a new way for indie developers to get the support they need.
Griffin is a leading venture fund exclusively focused on gaming and gaming-adjacent industries, and was founded by Peter Levin, Phil Sanderson, and Nicholas Tuosto in January 2019. Since then, it’s built up a portfolio managing $1.5 billion dollars in capital investments.
All three are gamers to some degree, with Peter stating that his favorite game is Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Nick enjoys Magic: The Gathering, and Phil is a Dungeons and Dragons man.
Their website states that they invest in gaming startups at all stages, and lists Discord as one of its projects.
The company shares its email address via a button on the website, opening the door to anyone to submit their game.
No one shared exactly what the revenue split would look like, but one has to imagine that it will depend on the stage and total capital invested.
As part of our never-ending series of firmware updates to products released to fix minor issues that sometimes, but not always, stem from other firmware updates, we have a new update available for Blackmagic Design Desktop Video.
Set to fix one minor issue with DeckLink 8K Pro capture cards, this update isn’t major, but it does fix a bug that would be recommended to take care of now rather than later.
Here’s what you need to know about this latest update for Desktop Video 16.0.1.
Desktop Video 16.0.1 Update
As mentioned above, this isn’t a huge update. In fact, it really just has one bug fix, and that’s it. The bug is a 12G-SDI issue on the DeckLink 8K Pro capture card,, specifically, when the HDMI mezzanine card is not installed.
And yup, that’s pretty much it. Yet, despite its simplicity, it’s certainly a recommended update you should probably download and install now rather than later, especially if you’ve experienced this issue and are looking for a quick fix.
Along with the aforementioned DeckLink 8K Pro, the update can also be applied to other supported models, including:
DeckLink Duo 2
DeckLink Quad 2
DeckLink Quad HDMI Recorder
DeckLink 8K Pro G2
DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G
DeckLink IP HD
DeckLink IP HD Optical
DeckLink IP/SDI HD
DeckLink IP 100G
DeckLink Micro Recorder
DeckLink SDI Micro
DeckLink Mini Monitor HD
DeckLink Mini Monitor 4K
DeckLink Mini Recorder HD
DeckLink Mini Recorder 4K
DeckLink SDI 4K
DeckLink Studio 4K
UltraStudio Recorder 3G
UltraStudio Monitor 3G
UltraStudio HD Mini
UltraStudio 4K Mini
UltraStudio 4K Extreme 3
Intensity Pro 4K
ATEM Mini Extreme ISO G2
Third Party Software Support
DaVinci Resolve 19 and 20.
Fusion Studio 19 and 20.
Apple Final Cut Pro.
Adobe Premiere Pro CC 24 and 25.
Adobe After Effects CC 24 and 25.
Adobe Photoshop CC 24 and 25.
Adobe Character Animator CC 24 and 25.
Autodesk Flame 2025.
Avid Media Composer 2025.
Avid Pro Tools 2025.
The Foundry Nuke (Intel Macs only).
Blackmagic Design notes that if you have installed the drivers before installing any of these applications, you should uninstall and reinstall the drivers. This will ensure that all relevant components are installed in their required locations.
Singapore-based Mokster Films and Lester Hsi’s Taiwan-based D-Day Pictures are jointly producing Taiwanese horror film Revive, a project exploring the intersection between grief, technology and the unknown.
Mokster Films is also handling international sales on the project, directed by emerging filmmaker Danny Tseng, and will introduce it to buyers in Cannes.
The project marks the second collaboration between Mokster Films and D-Day following Phantom, an invisible man horror announced at last year’s Cannes and now in post-production, with producers Lester Hsi, Fiona Hu and Nelson Mok reuniting on the film. Hsi is a leading director-producer in Taiwan, whose debut feature The Bridge Curse became a breakout box office hit in 2020.
Revive will be the live action feature debut of award-winning short filmmaker Tseng, who is known for his distinctive visual language and innovative approach to storytelling. His short film Torii won Second Place at The Dor Awards, while his other shorts, including Dear Grandma, Graveyard and Water, received multiple accolades across international competitions including Project Odyssey and Curious Refuge.
Blending horror with Eastern spiritual beliefs, Revive follows a struggling artist who returns home after her estranged mother’s death and turns to ‘REVIVE’, an advanced funerary service that restores the deceased.
As her life is reshaped under its influence – reviving her stalled career while quietly eroding her sense of self – the bereaved artist is confronted by a series of unexplained tragedies that force her to question whether the presence guiding her life is truly her mother at all.
The project has already won awards at Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) and Golden Horse Film Project Promotion (FPP) and is scheduled to start production in Taiwan at the end of the year.
“With Revive, we wanted to explore how technology reshapes our relationship with memory and loss – and how dependence on it can delay acceptance, distorting reality and allowing something far more dangerous to take hold,” said producer Fiona Hu.
Tseng added: “I began my journey making short films and new technologies opened doors for my work to be seen and recognized at international competitions. Now, as I move into theatrical feature filmmaking, I’m driven by the desire to bring my stories to the big screen and connect with audiences in cinemas.”
As a Star Wars prequel defender, it’s my job to recommend you watch (or rewatch) Episode III – Revenge of the Sith today, a day known to fans as “Revenge of the 6th” — and I take that job very seriously. Revenge of the Sith is, in my opinion, the best of the prequels (and dare I say one of the best Star Wars movies, period?) that actually does get better on rewatch. It’s actually aged quite well! Episode III wraps up the prequel trilogy that detailed the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker, that began with an optimistic podracing child in Episode I and ended with the Chosen One’s downfall and transformation into Darth Vader.
Jimmy Kimmel compared President Donald Trump’s negotiating tactics with Iran to bad sex, mocking the administration’s handling of the escalating conflict in the Middle East
“But this is how he does it. For him, a negotiation, it’s like sex,” Kimmel joked on Wednesday night’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” “He’s bad at it. It mostly consists of flailing around. And he can only do it for a short amount of time before he starts yelling that he’s finished.”
The ABC late-night host spent most of his opening segment roasting reports that the White House is nearing a deal with Iran despite the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and rising tensions in the region.
“The details of this supposed deal are still very much in flux,” Kimmel said. “As in, what the flux are we doing over there?”
Kimmel also mocked Trump over reports that a proposed agreement with Iran could include a uranium enrichment moratorium lasting more than 10 years, comparing it to the Obama-era nuclear deal, which included restrictions lasting up to 15 years, that Trump repeatedly criticized during his first term.
“And now he’s going to top it by making an even worse worst deal in history,” Kimmel joked. “It’s called ‘The Art of the Deal.’ Folks, you should read the book.”
Kimmel also mocked the shifting language used to describe the conflict with Iran, joking that the administration has avoided calling it a war to sidestep congressional approval.
“One of the most ridiculous things about this war is that half the time they talk about it, they don’t call it a war because you’re supposed to get approval from Congress to go to war, which Trump did not do,” Kimmel said.
“He calls it a skirmish,” Kimmel responded to a clip of Trump talking about the state of the conflict. “First it was an excursion, then it was a mini war. And now it’s a skirmish. Next month it’ll be a tiff. It’ll be a $200 billion tiff.”
The late-night host also poked fun at Trump’s vocabulary during the same appearance, particularly his explanation of maritime drug trafficking.
“Drug traffic coming into our country’s way down. And by sea, by sea, by ocean, by the water. You know, a lot of people say, ‘What do you mean by sea? Is it sea like vision?’ No, it’s the sea,” Trump said in the clip.
Kimmel added: “Oh, I thought it was the sea like senile. I didn’t know. I know I was also confused by that.”
You can watch the full “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” segment in the video above.
Kanye West took the witness stand at a copyright trial in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, and the artist now known as Ye showed visible signs of irritation.
When the plaintiffs’ lawyer, who claims Ye owes more than half a million dollars for alleged infringement tied to his Grammy-winning track “Hurricane,” greeted him after the lunch break with, “Good afternoon, Ye,” the artist stared back silently without responding. Asked whether he repeatedly changed lawyers and licensing representatives in 2022 and 2023, making him difficult to reach, Ye answered in a flat monotone, repeatedly saying, “I don’t recall” and “I don’t remember.”
Ye noticeably loosened up when his own lawyer took over questioning. Asked what first inspired him to make music, he said it was “seeing Michael Jackson on TV.”
Describing his creative process, Ye said inspiration “could come from me just singing in the shower,” or from a sample sent by another producer. He said he endlessly reworks his songs, cycling through countless versions before he’s satisfied.
“It’s hard, but it’s therapeutic, because I want to deliver the best product to the audience and to my fans,” he testified, wearing a dark taupe suit and matching dress shirt with an iridescent sheen. He arrived at the federal courthouse with multiple bodyguards wearing all black who positioned themselves inside and outside the courtroom.
Rolling Stone was in the room for a portion of Ye’s testimony, while Billboardwas on hand when the rap star insisted he and his team “went through the normal process” to clear the “MSD PT2” sample used in the early version of “Hurricane” played at his listening event attended by tens of thousands of fans at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on July 22, 2021. He denied stonewalling or failing to fairly compensate the four musicians behind “MSD PT2,” saying he viewed himself as highly collaborative. “I pride myself on giving people what they deserve,” he testified.
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“I feel like a lot of people try to take advantage of me,” Ye told the jury, according to Billboard. “As I sit in this courtroom today, I just think people are trying to make more than they otherwise would because it’s me.”
Ye was called to the stand on the third day of a trial pitting him against a company called Artist Revenue Advocates (ARA), a Texas company formed to fight on behalf of the four “MSD PT2” composers. During opening statements, the lead plaintiff’s lawyer claimed Ye owes $564,046 in damages for unlicensed use of the recorded sample at the Atlanta stadium. The figure comprised a percentage of ticket sales, merchandise sales, Ye’s streaming deal with Apple Music, and a portion of the revenues from the jacket he wore on stage and then released a day later through his Yeezy collaboration with Gap.
The four musicians — Khalil Abdul-Rahman, Sam Barsh, Dan Seeff, and Josh Mease — agreed to transfer their copyrights to ARA, “so that they could seek some justice,” their lawyers wrote in court filings. ARA initially sued over both the sampled sound recording of “MSD PT2” played at Ye’s Atlanta listening event and the underlying composition of the one-minute instrumental track, which it claimed was improperly interpolated into the final version of “Hurricane,” released in August 2021.
In February, however, the judge dismissed the potentially more lucrative composition claims, ruling the musicians had previously signed contracts assigning away their composition royalty rights under agreements that remained in effect. The musicians tried to argue those agreements had been waived through oral deals with former business partners, but the judge ruled any such changes had to be made in writing.
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Britton Monts, an ARA manager, testified Tuesday that the company was formed to “acquire copyrights from working musicians” who are “unable to enforce their rights” because “they can’t afford it.” He said ARA hoped to pursue additional cases, but he acknowledged the lawsuit against Ye was the company’s only one so far.
In his opening statement, Ye’s lead lawyer, Eduardo Martorell, suggested ARA was being financed by a backer trying to hide their identity. “Who’s behind it?” Martorell asked jurors. “We don’t know who owns it, because they won’t tell us. Why not sue under your own name?”
Martorell also told jurors the four musicians ultimately did receive songwriting credit on the final version of “Hurricane.” He said they were listed among the song’s 27 writers on Spotify and Apple Music, and that their combined share of the composition royalties was around 30 percent. After splitting those royalties with publishers, each musician received a writer’s share of 3.85 percent, he said.
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When Seeff testified Tuesday, he claimed he had received only “some small payments” tied to the song despite its commercial success. He also told jurors it was standard in the music industry for composers of instrumental music to receive 50 percent of a song’s composition publishing, with the remaining 50 percent divided among the writers of the melody and lyrics.
“Key art” is the visual backbone of your film’s marketing. At its simplest, it’s your poster—but in reality, it’s much more than that. It extends across everything from streaming thumbnails to social media assets, forming a cohesive visual identity for your film.
Done well, key art instantly communicates three things: what the film is, who it’s for, and why someone should care.
It also needs to be flexible. Today’s campaigns demand artwork that works just as well in portrait, landscape, and square formats—whether it’s on a cinema wall, a phone screen, or a streaming platform.
A Quick Evolution of Film Posters
Film posters haven’t always looked the way they do now.
Back in the 70s and 80s, posters were often beautifully hand-illustrated—rich, detailed, and instantly iconic. By the 90s, digital tools shifted the industry toward photography. This gave rise to cleaner, simpler designs… and also some overused ideas (like the infamous “floating heads”).
Today, the trend leans toward minimal, bold, and striking imagery. But the reality is: there’s still a huge range—from brilliant to forgettable.
Why So Many Posters Look the Same
If you’ve ever felt like film posters blur into one another, you’re not wrong.
Like any area of marketing, key art is full of trends and tropes. Once something works, it gets repeated—often to the point of exhaustion.
Some common patterns include:
Colour coding by genre Blue and orange for action/sci-fi. Yellow for indie comedy. Dark blue tones for thrillers.
The “floating heads” composition A collage of cast faces layered over a background—still widely used, especially in big studio films.
Back-to-back characters A go-to for rom-coms and buddy movies.
The lone figure (seen from behind) A staple for westerns and action dramas.
Close-ups of eyes or faces Particularly common in horror and psychological films.
These visual shortcuts exist for a reason: they help audiences quickly recognise genre and tone. When someone is scrolling through endless content, familiarity can be a powerful trigger.
But there’s a fine line. Lean too heavily on clichés, and your film risks looking generic.
The Balancing Act: Familiar vs Original
Great key art sits somewhere between recognisable and distinctive.
Audiences want signals they understand—it helps them decide quickly if something is “for them.” But they also want something that stands out.
That’s why simplicity often wins. A clear, bold idea that reads instantly at thumbnail size can outperform a more detailed, “clever” design.
What Makes an Effective Poster?
There’s no exact formula, but strong key art usually does a few things well:
Clearly signals the genre
Highlights key cast (if relevant)
Uses strong, high-quality imagery
Keeps the concept simple and readable
Works at small sizes (think streaming platforms)
Sometimes posters include critic quotes and star ratings—but not always. Many modern campaigns favour a cleaner, more minimal approach, especially for teaser artwork.
Why Assets Matter (More Than You Think)
One of the biggest challenges in poster design isn’t creativity—it’s what you’re given to work with.
If your production stills are weak, your poster will struggle. It really is that simple.
You can try to fix gaps with stock imagery, compositing, or even new photoshoots—but all of this adds cost and complexity. And sometimes, the simplest solution (using what already works) is the best one.
The takeaway? Invest in strong photography during production. It pays off later.
Don’t Get Lost in the Details
It’s easy to obsess over tiny design tweaks—moving a logo slightly, adjusting spacing, refining small elements.
But audiences don’t see posters that way.
They react instinctively: “That looks good, I’ll watch it” or “That doesn’t interest me.”
Detail matters—but over-polishing doesn’t move the needle. Your time is often better spent getting the artwork in front of more people.
Using (and Adapting) Supplied Posters
If you’re a distributor, you’ll usually receive a poster as part of your acquisition.
Sometimes it’s worth using it as-is—especially if it’s strong and aligns with your audience. Other times, you’ll adapt it:
Resizing for different formats
Adding local ratings and certifications
Updating taglines or quotes
Adjusting billing and logos
This process is called localisation—and it’s standard practice.
When Things Go Wrong (And How to Fix Them)
Missing full-body shots? Weak imagery? No clear focal point?
These are common problems.
Workarounds include:
Creative compositing using existing stills
Supplementing with stock imagery
Shooting small additional elements (hands, backgrounds, textures)
Planning carefully to maximise what you do have
Constraints can actually lead to more inventive solutions—but they also highlight the importance of planning ahead.
Why Design Is Worth Paying For
For independent filmmakers especially, budget is always tight. But cutting corners on key art is a false economy.
Your poster is often the first—and sometimes only—chance to grab attention.
A professional design doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does need to look credible. Poor artwork can undermine even the best film.
Creative vs Commercial: A Necessary Tension
There’s often a disconnect between how filmmakers see their film and how distributors want to market it.
Filmmakers may favour subtle, nuanced artwork. Distributors may push for something clearer and more commercially recognisable.
And honestly, in a crowded digital landscape, the simpler option often works better.
A poster isn’t just an artistic expression—it’s a tool. Its job is to stop the scroll and drive interest.
A New Golden Age of Poster Design?
After a period where film posters felt increasingly formulaic, there’s been a noticeable shift.
Some distributors have embraced more distinctive, design-led approaches—bringing creativity back into the space.
At the same time, there’s also a renewed appreciation for older styles, particularly illustrated posters, now reimagined in modern ways.
Final Thought
Key art isn’t just decoration—it’s strategy.
It’s how your film introduces itself to the world.
And in an era of endless choice and shrinking attention spans, that introduction has to work instantly.
So whether you go bold, minimal, familiar, or completely original—make sure your key art does one thing above all:
Make people want to watch your film.
About the Author
I’ve spent years working across film distribution, marketing, and design—helping bring films to market and making sure they connect with the right audiences.
A big part of that work has involved developing key art campaigns: from creating posters from scratch to adapting international campaigns for UK release, often working with limited assets and tight budgets. I’ve worked on everything from independent films to larger international releases, collaborating with designers, agencies, and distributors to shape how films present themselves to the world.
I’m particularly interested in the intersection between creative design and commercial strategy—how a single image can influence perception, positioning, and ultimately, performance.
Need Help With Your Film’s Key Art?
If you’re a filmmaker, producer, or distributor looking to elevate your film’s visual identity, I offer:
Key art concept development
Poster design and art direction
Campaign adaptation and localisation
Strategic positioning and marketing insight
Whether you’re starting from scratch or working with existing materials, I can help you create artwork that not only looks great—but works.
Feel free to get in touch or connect if you’d like to discuss a project. You might find that it’s more affordable than you imagine!
Jonathan Sadler is an entertainment marketing lead, distributor and content strategist specialising in independent film, television and music culture. With senior experience spanning theatrical releases, home entertainment, audience growth and fan-led campaigns, he has worked with companies including Arrow Films, Revolver Entertainment, Momentum Pictures and Warner Music. Jonathan is also the author of Film Marketing & Distribution: An Independent Filmmaker’s Guide and currently works across film releases, content campaigns and creative audience development.
“The system in Los Angeles isn’t struggling; it’s fundamentally broken,” Pratt said at the “They Let Us Burn” public demonstration on January 7, 2026. “It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favors with, while the rest of us drown in toxic smoke and ash. Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I’m done waiting for someone to take real action.”
He continued, “This just isn’t a campaign; this is a mission, and we’re gonna expose the system.”
Spencer Pratt‘s run for mayor of Los Angeles has his former reality TV castmates talking — and they are definitely not all on the same page. The Hills alum announced his candidacy at the “They Let Us Burn” public demonstration in January 2026, on the one-year anniversary of the Palisades Fire that killed 12 people […]
In April 2026, a UCLA Luskin poll showed current Mayor Karen Bass was leading the race at 25 percent, followed by Pratt at 11 percent. At the same time, the poll stated 40 percent of voters remained undecided ahead of the June 2, 2026, primary.
As the race continues, Us Weekly is breaking down what celebrities are saying about Pratt’s run for political office. See who could vote for the Hills alum and who publicly opposes his latest career ambitions.
Meghan McCain
The former View panelist shared her prediction for Pratt’s candidacy on social media without revealing who she would hypothetically vote for.
“I’m telling you this guy is going to win,” McCain, who lives outside California, wrote via X on April 29, 2026, when showcasing one of Pratt’s campaign ads against Bass.
Following a mayoral debate on May 6, 2026, McCain suggested that Pratt was the “blueprint” for all politicians of her age group.
“This is not hyperbole – @spencerpratt is the blueprint for how my generation of older millennials needs to communicate and present their ideas and campaign messaging when running for office,” she tweeted. “He is 10/10 no notes. Absolute raw talent. Killed the debate.”
James Woods
The Casino star had compliments for Pratt following a mayoral debate on May 6.
“Spencer Pratt is surprisingly effective, direct, polite, and prepared in tonight’s debate,” Woods tweeted. “The other two have history as their enemy because everything they’ve done has been a catastrophe. He can absolutely win this thing.”
Yvette Nicole Brown
The Community actress expressed concerns that Pratt could pull ahead in the Los Angeles race for mayor.
“This nation is unserious and has learned nothing. 💔,” Brown wrote via Threads on April 24, 2026, seemingly referring to President Donald Trump, a former reality TV star-turned-politician.
Stephanie Pratt
Spencer’s sister said she will not be endorsing her family member for mayor of Los Angeles.
“Spencer has done great work for the Palisades. But LA does not need another unqualified and inexperienced mayor,” Stephanie wrote via X on February 14, 2026. “A vote for him is a vote for stupidity. He’s just trying to stay famous and sell his memoir don’t be fooled. In an ideal world, the Palisades would have their own mayor and police department. I would love [for] him to be mayor of [the] Palisades but not LA with 4 million people. I’d be impressed if a republican could turn LA democrats thb.”
Joe Rogan
Spencer Pratt and Joe RoganCourtesy of Spencer Pratt/Instagram
“Listen, man, I’m voting for you,” Rogan told Pratt during the April 15, 2026, episode of his “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast.
While the podcast host later clarified that he lives in Texas, Rogan added, “I mean, if I lived in Los Angeles, no question whatsoever, I would vote for you.”
Kristin Cavallari
Although she currently lives in Tennessee, Cavallari couldn’t help but express her support for Pratt’s political ambitions.
“This is more The Hills, but coming off of Laguna [Beach], I had a lot of people say, ‘Talk about Spencer running for mayor.’ So you know what? Let’s talk about it,” Cavallari said during the April 21, 2026, episode of her “Let’s Be Honest” podcast. “I think Spencer running for mayor is f***ing genius. Because I think everyone in politics — I don’t care what side you’re on — everyone is corrupt.”
She continued, “To get to that level, you have to play their game. It’s all an agenda, and I think their goal is to keep all of us divided. They want us fighting, and that’s why I don’t buy into any of it.”
Get out the vote! Celebrities are using every tool in their arsenals to encourage people to vote, including posting photos of themselves exercising their civic duty. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Enter your email Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy […]
Patti Stanger
The Millionaire Matchmaker star has expressed her support for Pratt on social media.
“Here we go CA,” she wrote via X on April 24, 2026, when sharing an article that revealed Pratt has raised more money than Bass in the race for mayor. “It’s time to go red with @spencerpratt @SteveHiltonx ca is done with this crooked woke s***!”
She threw her support behind Pratt again in a May 4, 2026, X post. “I know @spencerpratt personally and he’s not only a great guy but a smart one! Only once [sic] choice la or we are donned [sic]! Spencer will lead us out of this s*** hole!” she wrote.
Johnny Bananas
The Challenge veteran threw his support behind Pratt with a short social media post.
“That’s my mayor 🤘,” he wrote via X on April 30, 2026, while sharing a link to one of Pratt’s political ads.
Audrina Patridge
Pratt’s former Hills costar said she is rooting for the Los Angeles resident as he runs for mayor.
“He’s very smart. He knew how to work reality TV. I know politics is very different — but I mean, he seems very intelligent and is well educated on what he needs to do,” she exclusively toldUs Weekly on May 1, 2026. “I’m actually excited. He impressed me.”
While Patridge lives in Orange County, California, and can’t vote in the L.A. mayoral election,, she proudly threw her support behind her former costar.
“He impressed me. I listened to some of his interviews, and at first when I heard, I was like, ‘Wait, is he really doing it? Is it a joke? Is it real?’” she shared. “But he is, and he is very intelligent, and I think that he would make a lot of change to L.A. and he would follow through with what he said.”
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Jonathan “FoodGod” Cheban
“From what I’m hearing, L.A. is literally getting a little bit of a heartbeat back. There’s only one chance to save L.A. and one person: Spencer Pratt,” FoodGod said via Instagram on May 4, 2026. “Just because he’s a reality star does not mean he can’t be mayor. Reality stars become billionaires. Reality stars become doctors. They’re very smart.”
The Kardashians star continued, “If you want to save L.A., you got to vote for Spencer Pratt ASAP.”
Jax Taylor
“This race has nothing to do with politics for me,” the Valley alum wrote via X on May 6, 2026. “It has to do with cleaning up this absolute s*** hole of a city I live [in] and making it safe again for our children and our community because right now its [sic] a very scary unsafe for people to live. @spencerpratt.”
It appears KJ Apa has some beef with himself? His alter ego? It’s not exactly clear, but the Riverdale actor has officially taken to social media to call out Mr. Fantasy.
In September 2025, Mr. Fantasy initially went viral for not only his eccentric personality, quirky style and signature black bob, but also because fans were convinced he was Apa’s alter ego. To back up their theories, fans point out that the pair have the exact same tattoos.
Up until now, the actor hasn’t addressed the comparisons that have been swirling on social media for months, especially as Mr. Fantasy has continued to see his star power rise from garnering more than 1.2 million followers on TikTok to performing his song “Mr. Fantasy” at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
On Wednesday, Apa posted a lengthy video on his Instagram (below), calling out the singer for stealing his image. “So there has been something going on for a long time that I haven’t addressed because I didn’t think it was even worth addressing,” the actor said in a serious tone. “But now, because of how it’s impacted my life personally, I feel like I have to talk about it, and I don’t usually do this, take things here to talk about. But I have to do it now because it’s hurting me, and my career, and there was recently a music video that was released that included a bunch of people who were really close to me by a guy who’s completely and utterly stolen my image and misappropriated my image. And I think we all know who we’re talking about.”
While Apa doesn’t name Mr. Fantasy directly, it’s obvious that the message is directed towards him, as the singer released a music video for his new song “Do Me Right” last week. Numerous celebrities make cameos in the video, including Apa’s Riverdale co-stars Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart and Madelaine Petsch. Other stars featured are Alex Warren, Dave Franco, Rob Lowe, Nick Jonas, Neal McDonough, Hough Kiernan, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sombr and Zoey Deutch, among others.
“It’s fucked up,” Apa continued. “It’s fucked up because I just lost on a huge job. And can no longer go in for serious work because people think that I’m a joke because of this guy. And I don’t know what to do about it other than bring it here and do everything that I can to protect myself because it’s completely fucking disrespectful and completely wrong to do that.”
“If anyone out there thinks that it’s OK to take someone’s image, literal tattoos, and to use it for their own success, it’s completely wrong. And I can’t just sit back and watch it happen and see my life literally, everything that I’ve worked hard for, now come to a halt because of this fucking idiot. That’s all I’ll say. You know, this person advocates for positivity and for kindness and for all of this stuff. Look in the mirror and tell yourself that you’re not a fucking liar and a thief because that’s exactly what you are,” The Map That Leads to You star concluded.
Fans will just have to wait and see if Mr. Fantasy drops a response to Apa.
When The Hollywood Reporter caught up with the “Wayuwanna” singer last year, Mr. Fantasy said he wasn’t bothered by people comparing him to the actor on social media.
“Not bothered by it, not bothered by it,” he said at the time. “Things bother me sometimes, but I keep my eyes upward, and I keep trudging the happy road of happy destiny. You know, things can be hurtful, sure, but I focus on the positive. I focus on the people whom I love and who love me and that have a positive influence on my life, like James Franco.”
Will Trent shocked fans with a heartbreaking character death, and the showrunners are talking about it!
Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for Will Trent season 4 finale
Will Trent fans are still reeling from the unexpected murder of GBI boss and Will’s mentor Amanda (Sonja Sohn) earlier in season 4. Yet they still weren’t ready for the season finale as the main team investigated a kidnapping that exposed a child trafficking ring with major ties to Atlanta power players.
In the midst of it all, Angie (Erika Christensen) finally went into labor (after several episodes joking about her long pregnancy). She and husband Seth (Scott Foley) raced to the hospital only to be hit by a car on the way. As Angie was brought to the operating room, Seth was shown grabbing his side and collapsing.
Will (Ramon Rodriguez) arrived and told terrible news, his expression making fans worry Angie or her baby or both had perished. Instead, while they had survived, Seth had died of his wounds. A time-skip montage showed Will caring for Angie and her child for a few months before they all returned to work.
Speaking to TVLine, showrunners Liz Heldens, Karine Rosenthal, and Daniel Thomsen discussed Seth’s fate and how they had it all planned, despite how wonderful Foley was. In unison the pair confirmed that Seth was always marked for dead and they knew his and Angie’s happily ever after would be short-lived.
“We did,” Rosenthal admitted of knowing that the pair would not get a happy ending. “Then when we saw the wedding, we were just like, ‘Oh my God, how are we even…?’ It was awful. We felt like horrible, horrible people. It was so beautiful.”
Heldens added, “And we were, like, ‘What else can we do?” Both of these deaths were very hard, and there was a lot of debate in the writers’ room. But yeah, we did have that on our mind to get Angie and Will back in each other’s orbit.”
WILL TRENT – ÒThis KidÕs Gonna Be AlrightÓ – Will and Faith dive into the high-profile murder of a famous rapper, uncovering a web of corruption stretching beyond the music industry. Meanwhile, Angie and Ormewood investigate an underground swingerÕs club, where nothing is quite as it seems. TUESDAY, MARCH 11 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.)
SCOTT FOLEY
Why Seth had to die on Will Trent
Fans had been worried about Seth’s fate in the show, especially given he was stabbed in an earlier episode, which contributed to his later fatal internal bleeding. The creators admitted they wanted to play around with viewers, making them think Seth would die there, then make them think he was safe afterward.
As Thomsen explained, “to me, specifically the stabbing wasn’t it, but as we were writing the episode, you were supposed to think like, ‘Oh no, there’s a gunman and Seth is being forced to [treat this patient] at gunpoint…”‘So yeah, the smart audience — the audience that’s seen 10,000 hours of an ABC soap — is going to be, like, “Oh, he’s not getting out of this one alive.”
It appears that a major reason for Seth’s death is the simple fact that Scott Foley is a pretty in-demand actor. Remember, he’s never been a full main cast member, only listed as recurring since his debut in season 3. Foley also has the Prime Video series It’s Not Like That as a distraction. Heldens even acknowledged that they weren’t able to use Foley as much as they wanted to and thus wanted a big send-off.
“But we also wanted to get the most out of Scott Foley while we had him. He is just a wonderful man, and I want to work with him many more times in my career. And it was fun to get him in an action sequence on our show, and it was fun to give him some hero moments.”
Obviously, Seth’s loss will rock Angie for a long time as she adjusts to motherhood, even with Will at her side. It’s a sad loss for the show but it serves the character to go out protecting his family and adds more drama to Will Trent.
The internet’s most controversial looksmaxxer is in hot water again.
Clavicular, born Braden Eric Peters, has been charged in Florida’s Miami-Dade County in connection with a video that circulated on social media showing an alligator, which appeared to be dead already, being shot repeatedly in the Everglades. Two others are also facing charges in connection with the incident: Andrew Morales, 22, known online by the moniker “Cuban Tarzan,” and Yabdiel Anibal Cotto Torres, 26, who goes by “Baby Alien.”
Peters is facing a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully discharging a firearm in a public place, according to court records obtained by The Times. The Miami-Dade state attorney’s office filed the charges April 29.
Steven Kramer and Jeffrey Neiman, attorneys for Peters, told The Times in a text message, “Our client has been summoned to appear for a misdemeanor charge that stems from following the instructions of a licensed airboat guide. He relied on that guidance. No animals or people were harmed. We are confident that once the full picture is understood, people will see this for what it is.”
The shooting took place at the Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area boat ramp dock on or about March 26, court records said. The video shows the men aboard an airboat firing at the alligator more than a dozen times.
“Yeah, it’s definitely dead,” Peters is heard saying after firing.
Shortly after the video went live on social media, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced it had launched an investigation into the incident.
“Florida’s wildlife and waterways deserve respect, not content farming,” Lt. Gov. Jay Collins said March 26 on X. “Under my watch, anyone who abuses wildlife in Florida will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Morales’ attorney Richard Cooper emailed The Times a statement Wednesday. “We urge the public not to rush to judgment. Importantly, there is no allegation that any animal was injured, and the available evidence does not support the sensationalized narrative that has circulated online,” the statement read. “My client relied on information and guidance provided by those in authority and had no criminal intent.”
The same week Peters’ alligator video caught the authorities’ attention, the manosphere influencer was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor battery. He was taken into custody on a warrant issued by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and released soon after on bond. Police allege that in February the 20-year-old internet celebrity instigated a fight between his girlfriend, Violet Lentz, 24, and a 19-year-old influencer at a Kissimmee, Fla., short-term rental. That incident was also live streamed to his hundreds of thousands of followers.
Then in April, Peters was live streaming from a Miami nightclub when he appeared to overdose on camera. In the video, Peters is seen taking a swig of an unknown substance and then subsequently starting to mumble, sway and close his eyes as the camera panned away.
TMZ obtained the audio from a 911 call alerting emergency services to the possible overdose of a 20-year-old man. Additional videos, taken by bystanders, showed Peters being carried out of the nightclub.
A source close to Peters told The Times that he was hospitalized for the overdose and checked himself out the following morning. Within hours of his release from the hospital, he was back on streaming platform Kick and telling his followers he would be out at a nightclub that night to promote its grand opening.
Avengers: Secret Warsmight be omitting Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, despite fans’ strong belief that he will play a significant role in the Multiverse Saga capper. Holland’s Peter Parker is set to continue his MCU journey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with him dealing with the consequences of being erased from everyone’s memory after No Way Home. While Avengers: Doomsday will reportedly feature a version of Spider-Man, rumors claim it will not be Holland under that mask, as signs point to Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man instead. Given his looming absence in Doomsday, many are expecting Holland’s Marvel web-slinger to play a bigger role in Avengers: Secret Wars, but a new interview may have derailed that hope.
THR: “That’s impressive. Let’s talk padel. How often do you play?”
Tom Holland: “So admittedly, I have not played padel in ages. I’ve been so busy. I’ve been so lucky the last year to do The Odyssey and Spider-Man back-to-back. I really did not want to get injured while I was working, and when I play padel, I like to play at 100 percent capacity which means that I’m very, very vulnerable to rolling an ankle or something. So I was being very careful. But now that I’m not filming for the rest of the year, I’m really excited to get back into it.”
In 2025, Holland was busy with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and the production of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which explains his absence in Doomsday, as the Marvel Studios movie had its own intense April to September 2025 production.
Sony Pictures
This situation made it impractical for Holland to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, much to the disappointment of many fans. While this development could change due to the ongoing reshoots of Avengers: Doomsday, Holland’s earlier statement that he is not filming anything for the rest of the year makes it less likely.
Tom Holland’s potential absence as Spider-Man in Avengers: Secret Wars is notably significant, mainly because he is being positioned for a bigger role in that movie to compensate for his absence in Doomsday.
There is always the chance that Holland might be lying in the interview to not spoil his role in Avengers: Secret Wars. This could be the most plausible reason, considering that the actor had accidentally spoiled his involvement and some plot details of his Marvel movies in the past.
It’s also possible that Holland is telling the truth and could be filming scenes for Secret Wars in next year’s reshoots instead, but this is still a sad development because it could mean he will have a less significant role.
Avengers: Secret Wars is set to arrive in theaters on December 17.
Why I Think Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Will Still Appear in Secret Wars
Sony Pictures
Avengers: Secret Wars is best positioned to give Tom Holland’s Spider-Man a relevant and standout role because he is the perfect hero to lead the charge or save the day after Doctor Doom’s eventual takeover of the Multiverse at the end of Avengers: Doomsday.
The isolation of Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day serves as the perfect launchpad for Secret Wars, as it strips him down to his core, forcing him to undergo raw, personal growth that makes his eventual return to the Multiversal stage feel earned.
This storyline could also lead to high-stakes, emotional reunions with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s respective Spider-Men in Secret Wars, showcasing how he has changed since their last adventure in Spider-Man: No Way Home. It would also lead to an epic, emotionally charged clash between Holland’s Spider-Man and Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, a villain who wears the face of his former mentor.
Whatever the case, it’s clear that the absence of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in Avengers: Doomsday only heightens his eventual return to the MCU, and there is no better stage to do it than Avengers: Secret Wars. This film serves as the perfect arena to turn one of Marvel’s most grounded heroes into a potential savior for the Multiverse when it matters most.
How much time do you actually need to fall in love with a TV show? A full weekend? Two seasons and a little homework to remember the side characters’ names? Or just one long, perfectly spent night? I’ve done all versions of binge-watching. I’ve snuck happily into an 8-to-10 episode limited series that somehow still requires two sittings. I’ve also burned through tight, two-season masterpieces with 30-minute episodes that feel like snacks. While they’re quick and satisfying, they’re not quite filling. But if I’m being honest, the sweet spot, the format that hits every single time, is the six-episode (or fewer) miniseries. It’s the storytelling equivalent of a perfectly portioned, protein-dense meal.
The miniseries format has exploded over the years, offering everything from prestige dramas to pulpy thrillers, but the shorter ones stand out because they don’t waste time on filler character arcs or padded subplots. They cut straight to the marrow of the story. Telling a story in fewer than six episodes forces creators to be deliberate. Every scene matters, every piece of dialogue lands perfectly, and the structure feels intense enough to keep you hooked all night. That’s rare, since so many TV shows stretch themselves too thin. Here are 10 miniseries, six episodes or fewer, that give you zero excuses not to hit “next episode.”
‘Black Bird’ (2022)
6 Episodes | Apple TV
Apple TV
True crime as a genre can feel exhausting. It’s just procedurals dressed up as journalism and tragic events repackaged as content. Black Bird isn’t that. Developed by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone) and based on James Keene’s memoir, In with the Devil, it follows Jimmy Keene, who cuts a deal with the FBI to infiltrate a prison for the criminally insane and befriend Larry Hall, a suspected serial killer.
Black Bird gives you six episodes to figure out whether Hall committed those crimes, and whether Jimmy can get it to say so on record. The tension is unbearable because the show never lets you settle on Larry Hall one way or the other. Paul Walter Hauser plays Hall as soft-spoken and deeply strange, cycling between innocence and something darker, and every conversation makes you wonder if Hall is a murderer or a compulsive liar.
‘Angels in America’ (2003)
6 Episodes | HBO
HBO
Mike Nichols called this the best thing he ever made. Given that his filmography includes The Graduate and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, that statement has some weight. Based on Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning two-part play, Angels in America is a six-episode HBO miniseries set in New York City in 1985, a time of Reagan-era politics and the AIDS crisis metastasizing across the city. The characters include a closeted Mormon lawyer, a man sick and abandoned, a ghost, and an angel. While it’s a lot, it’s also extraordinary.
Al Pacino plays Roy Cohn, the real-life political fixer dying of AIDS while publicly denying it. Meryl Streep, the absolute queen that she is, plays multiple roles, including a Mormon mother and Ethel Rosenberg’s ghost. Emma Thompson is the Angel. And Jeffrey Wright, the only cast member reprising his Broadway role, is Belize, the nurse. Angels in America won 11 Emmy Awards from 21 nominations, which was notable since that record had only been held by Roots, which won 9 awards from 37 nominations in 1977. It’s towering, funny, angry, and strange. Watch it as a six-hour movie on a Friday night and see how it wrecks you by Saturday morning.
‘Pride and Prejudice’ (1995)
6 Episodes | BBC
BBC1
The reputation of this one is so locked in at this point that it almost obscures how good it is. The 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, written by Andrew Davies, remains the standard against which all Austen adaptations are measured. And most of them don’t come close. Let’s talk about the Pride and Prejudice performances first. Colin Firth’s Darcy redefined how literary heroes are portrayed on screen, and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet matches him at every turn.
Now, let’s talk about the writing. All six episodes are exquisitely paced, treating Austen’s wit not as a museum piece but as something barbed and alive. The restraint holds up well, too. Davies and director Simon Langton understand that the best parts of the story are the things that the characters don’t say. Remember the letter Darcy wrote? The glances across the ballroom? Also, the famous lake scene with Firth (not actually in the novel, invented for the series) became culturally iconic. I usually treat Pride and Prejudice as a series that is great to rewatch when I need something cozy and familiar.
‘We Own This City’ (2022)
6 Episodes | HBO
David Simon returned to Baltimore in We Own This City, 20 years after The Wire, and he brought the same cold, detached clarity he always does. But here, it’s more concentrated. The series is based on Justin Fenton’s non-fiction book about the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force. It chronicles the rise and fall of Sergeant Wayne Jenkins and the unit of officers who spent years robbing civilians, planting evidence, stealing drugs from dealers, and operating as an organized crime syndicate with badges.
Six episodes are enough to lay bare the corruption without feeling repetitive. The show uses a non-linear structure alternating between Jenkins’ rise through the department and the federal investigation, which keeps things moving fast. Critics drew the obvious Wire comparison, with the Rotten Tomatoes consensus actually calling it “a spiritual successor to The Wire with an even more pessimistic outlook on law enforcement.” However, We Own This City has its own voice, and it’s not interested in redemption.
‘Small Axe’ (2020)
5 Films | BBC / Amazon Prime Video
BBC One
Small Axe is one of the most unusual things on TV, and that’s why it deserves to be talked about. Steve McQueen spent a decade developing this project. It’s made up of five standalone films, each between 64 and 128 minutes, each following a different story from London’s West Indian community across the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The series aired weekly, and each episode is linked by theme and period, not characters.
The anthology is titled after a Bob Marley proverb: “If you are the big tree, we are the small axe.” The five films – Mangrove, Lovers Rock, Red White and Blue, Alex Wheatle, and Education – couldn’t be more different. Mangrove is a courtroom drama; Lovers Rock is a real-time love story set over the course of a single house party; and John Boyega anchors Red White and Blue as a Black scientist who joins the Metropolitan Police, hoping to reform it from the inside.
‘And Then There Were None’ (2015)
3 Episodes | BBC
BBC
And Then There Were None is Agatha Christie’s best novel, and by most accounts, the bestselling crime novel of all time. It finally got the adaptation it deserved with this BBC production in 2015 from writer Sarah Phelps. Three episodes aired over three nights and tell the story of 10 strangers who are invited to an isolated island off the Devon coast in 1939. Their mysterious host is absent, and one by one, they start dying.
While the setup is so perfectly engineered that it has been imitated a thousand times, this adaptation is the rare version that commits to how genuinely dark and bleak the source material actually is. The casting is exceptional. Aidan Turner, Charles Dance, Miranda Richardson, Sam Neill, Toby Stephens, Maeve Dermody, and Anna Maxwell Martin headline the whole production with unforgettable performances. It’s the kind of mystery series binge-watch that feels like a single, long nightmare.
‘Adolescence’ (2025)
4 Episodes | Netflix
While I’ve watched many miniseries, nothing prepared me for Adolescence. Created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne and directed by Philip Barantini, the four-episode Netflix series follows the arrest of 13-year-old Jamie Miller for the murder of a female classmate. And then, over the next four hours, it dismantles assumptions about how a child from a loving family ends up capable of something like this. Each episode is shot in a single take, and it’s truly remarkable to watch.
The technical achievement would mean nothing without the performances, and Owen Cooper, in his first acting role ever, is breathtaking. Episode 3 is a therapy session between Jamie and a forensic specialist played by Erin Doherty. It’s essentially two people in a room for an hour, and it’s so intense and devastating that it makes you sit very still for a long time afterward. Within two weeks of release, Adolescence became Netflix’s most-watched scripted show, and it won multiple Emmys, including acting awards for Graham, Cooper, and Doherty.
‘Chernobyl’ (2019)
5 Episodes | HBO/Sky
HBO
HBO’s Chernobyl isn’t a show that you watch casually and then return to for another episode when you feel like it. Created by Craig Mazin, the miniseries reconstructs the 1986 nuclear disaster, from the explosion in the early morning hours of April 26 through the trial of the officials responsible three years later, with a level of detail that feels suffocating.
Jared Harris as physicist Valery Legasov is impossible to look away from, and Stellan Skarsgård matches him as Boris Shcherbina, the Soviet official sent to manage the crisis, who slowly grasps its true scale. Over five hours, Mazin and director Johan Renck make the bureaucratic mechanics of the disaster feel as tense as any thriller. Every episode of Chernobyl is so perfect that it received 19 Emmy nominations and won for Outstanding Writing, Directing, and Limited Series. Watch it and then read the companion podcast transcripts after that because Mazin’s episode-by-episode breakdowns are as fascinating as the show itself.
‘The Little Drummer Girl’ (2018)
6 Episodes | BBC/AMC
I’ll admit, The Little Drummer Girl requires patience in the first episode, but then it rewards you for the next five. Drawn from John le Carré’s 1983 novel and directed by Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden, No Other Choice), the miniseries is set in 1979, and it follows Charlie (Florence Pugh), a fiercely political young English actress who gets recruited by Israeli intelligence to infiltrate a Palestinian cell responsible for a series of bombings across Europe. The Mossad officer who recruits her manufactures a fake romantic history between them, and it’s so convincing that Charlie starts losing track of what’s real and what isn’t.
If you’re familiar with his work, then you know that Park’s direction separates this one from other le Carré adaptations. He shot the whole miniseries like a movie, and the production design, complete with the Greek island locations, the late ‘70s wardrobe, and the Acropolis at night, is sensational. Florence Pugh, then 22, gives a performance that makes it clear in retrospect how inevitable her subsequent rise was. The Little Drummer Girl holds a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences were less sure. Maybe it’s time to give it another chance?
‘Alias Grace’ (2017)
6 Episodes | CBC/Netflix
Netflix
The second Margaret Atwood adaptation to arrive in 2017, after The Handmaid’s Tale, Alias Grace is the one that no one discusses. Honestly, that’s a shame because it’s arguably the more interesting of the two. Based on Atwood’s 1996 novel, it dramatizes the case of Grace Marks, an Irish immigrant convicted in Canada in 1843 for the murder of her employer and his housekeeper. It follows Dr. Simon Jordan, a young American psychiatrist, as he interviews Grace in prison and tries to determine whether she should be pardoned on grounds of insanity.
Adapted by Sarah Polley and directed by Mary Harron, the six episodes build around the one question that the series never answers: Did Grace do it? And if she did, how much of what she tells Jordan is true? Sarah Gadon plays every version of Grace at the same time. She’s obedient, calculating, innocent, knowing, broken, and sharp. Each episode ends with an a cappella folk song called “Let No Man Steal Your Thyme,” and I think that’s so clever.
Did we miss a perfect six-episode miniseries to binge? Drop your pick in the comments!
Now, in a new 30-minute presentation on the official Xbox channel, the Yakuza / Like a Dragon studio has revealed more information on the game, including its cast and story details.
As previously confirmed, the game will take place over five time periods, in five different locations. These are as follows:
1915 – Kokura
1929 – Kure
1943 – Osaka
1951 – Atami
1965 – Shinjuku
The cast includes Yu Shirota (Hana-Kimi), Dean Fujioka (Fullmetal Alchemist), Snoop Dogg (Training Day), his son Cordell Broadus, Moeka Hoshi (Shogun), Akio Otsuka (Lupin III), Tokuma Nishioka (Shogun), Takashi Ukaji (Tokyo Park) and the late Bunta Sugawara (Battles Without Honor and Humanity), as well as singers Tori Kelly, Satoshi Fujihara and Ado.
The game opens in 1915 and follows Makoto Daito, a young man born from an American feather and a Japanese mother.
“A man of industry, Makoto’s father travelled all across the world, settling in many different places,” executive director Masayoshi Yokoyama explained during the presentation.
“The family eventually settled down in his father’s hometown in America. However, not long after they arrived, Makoto’s father abruptly passed away. A Japanese mother and child with little English proficiency were left alone without the protection they once knew.”
As Makoto and his mother are met with prejudice from society, his mother eventually dies too, leading Makoto to decide to move to Japan.
“It’s here he’s met with a pivotal decision,” Yokoyama explained. “Stay in a dangerous and potentially damning America, or to try his luck in Japan – his mother’s home country – a place where many should look just like him.”
Makoto boards a ship alone and encounters a smuggler called Orpheus (Snoop Dogg), who decides to take Makoto on as his sidekick because of his ability to speak Japanese.
The resulting story spans 50 years, following the life of Makoto and his lifelong friend Yu Shinjo, and the troubles they find themselves in.
The game’s combat mechanics differ from those of the Yakuza / Like a Dragon games in that the left and right bumpers and triggers control Makoto’s left and right limbs. This allows him to perform various combinations, or – as an example shown during the presentation – attack with his left hand when an enemy is grabbing onto his right hand.
Music also plays a central role in the game, with Makoto able to collect sounds from things he hears in the environment, then combine and arrange these sounds to create original musical compositions.
The presentation concluded by announcing that Stranger Than Heaven will be released this winter on Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, and will be available on Xbox Game Pass.
As The Boys heads into its final two episodes, Eric Kripke is stressing the importance of concluding every character’s story.
The creator of the Prime Video series recently responded to social media complaints about “filler episodes” in the fifth and final season of the comic book adaptation, which releases its penultimate episode next Wednesday on the streaming platform before the series finale premieres May 19 at 9:30pm in 4DX theaters and its Prime debut the next day.
“None of the things that happen in the last few episodes will matter if you don’t flesh out the characters. I’m getting a lot of online dissatisfaction, to put it politely,” he told TV Guide. “And I’m like, ‘What are you expecting? Are you expecting a huge battle scene every episode?’”
Explaining there was not enough budget for constant fight scenes in the final season, Kripke argued that direction “would be so empty and dull, and it would just be about shapes moving without having any import.”
Kripke added, “At no point during the writing of it was I like, ‘Oh yeah, we’re making filler episodes. So who cares?’ We all thought at the time we’re really getting these important character details. We have something like 14 characters, maybe 15. And I owe it to all of them — in that television is the character business — I owe it to all of them to flesh them out and humanize them and their stories.”
Chace Crawford as The Deep, Antony Starr as Homelander and Nathan Mitchell Black Noir in ‘The Boys’
The 2x Emmy nominee and his writers felt they provided some “crazy, big things” for the final season. “It’s just sometimes it’s a giant character movement,” said Kripke.
“But apparently, just because it’s not plot, you’re like, ‘Nothing happened!’ I’m like, ‘Nothing happened, what?’” added Kripke. “The craziest, biggest moves happened. It just wasn’t someone shooting someone else and going, pew, pew, pew. And if that’s what you want, you’re just watching the wrong show.”
Although The Boys is coming to an end, the prequel series Vought Rising premieres on Prime Video in 2027, and Kripke previously told Deadline that The Boys: Mexico is “heading in the right direction” as executive producers Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal develop the spin-off writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer.
Meanwhile, college offshoot Gen V was cancelled after two seasons last month, and the animated series The Boys Presents: Diabolical is unlikely to get a Season 2 renewal.
Top helmers and other industry insiders gathered May 5 in West Hollywood to sip and dish at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors.
The invitation-only gathering brought together a group of production professionals who were treated to sandwiches, tea cakes and extremely scrumptious scones and brownies. The High Tea kicked off Variety’s TV Week of FYC events spotlighting the cutting-edge of creative execellence that will pace the race for Emmy statuettes this year.
The afternoon High Tea featured two conversations with directors and multihyphenates who are at the top of their game and hugely in demand for prestige TV assignments.
Janicza Bravo (FX’s “The Bear”), Lesli Linka Glatter (Apple TV’s “Imperfect Women”) and Lisa Joy (Prime Video’s “Fallout”) compared notes on the complexities of directing episodic television.
Lucia Aniello (HBO Max’s “Hacks”), Susanna Fogel (Peacock’s “Ponies”) and Christina Alexandra Voros (Paramount+’s “The Madison”) discussed the collaborative process in TV and the leadership demands that fall to directors.
The guest list included numerous Directors Guild of America members as well as friends and colleagues of the six panelists.
Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Guests attend the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Janicza Bravo
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Director Janicza Bravo (“The Bear”) at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Lesli Linka Glatter
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Director-executive producer Lesli Linka Glatter (“Imperfect Women”) at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Lisa Joy
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Director-executive producer Lisa Joy (“Fallout”) at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Christina Alexandra Voros
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Director-executive producer Christina Alexandra Voros (“The Madison”) at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Lucia Aniello
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Director-executive producer Lucia Aniello (“Hacks”) at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Susanna Fogel
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Director-executive producer Susanna Fogel (“Ponies”) at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Susanna Fogel, Lucia Aniello and Christina Alexandra Voros
Director-executive producers Susanna Fogel (“Ponies”), Lucia Aniello (“Hacks”) and Christina Alexandra Voros (“The Madison”) talk shop and compare notes during the Variety High Tea held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Ryan Robinson and Marina Zenovich
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Variety‘s Dea Lawrence and Donna Pennestri flank directors Ryan Robinson and Marina Zenovich at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Pamela Romanowsky
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Director Pamela Romanowsky at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Kate Herron and Aubrey Lee
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Director Kate Herron and Aubrey Lee at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Anna Chi
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Director Anna Chi and guests at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Kestrin Pantera and Breeda Wool
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Director Kestrin Pantera and actor Breeda Wool at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Emily Longeretta, Dea Lawrence and Donna Pennestri
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Variety‘s Emily Longeretta, Dea Lawrence and Donna Pennestri at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Directors Sunday Stevens, Julie Herlocker, Shawn Pipkin, Eva Vives, Rachel Goldberg, Jade Jenise Dixon, Allison Scagliotti and Variety‘s Cynthia Littleton (second from right) at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Rachel Feldman
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Director Rachel Feldman at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Kate Aurthur and Emily Longeretta
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Variety’s Kate Aurthur and Emily Longeretta at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Sonja O’Hara, Jessica M. Thompson and Anna Halberg
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Directors Sonja O’Hara, Jessica M. Thompson and Anna Halberg at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Lesli Linka Glatter, Christina Alexandra Voros and Janicza Bravo
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Directors Lesli Linka Glatter, Christina Alexandra Voros and Janicza Bravo at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Maegan Philmore
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Unit production manager Maegan Philmore at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Susanna Fogel and Amber Sealey
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Directors Susanna Fogel and Amber Sealey at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Lucia Aniello and Guest
Image Credit: Anna Webber
Director Lucia Aniello, right, and guest at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Lesli Linka Glatter, Janicza Bravo and Lisa Joy
Image Credit: Variety
Directors Lesli Linka Glatter (“Imperfect Women”), Janicza Bravo (“The Bear”) and Lisa Joy (“Fallout”) at the Variety High Tea Celebrating Female Directors, held May 5 at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.
Every month, streaming services add movies and TV shows to their libraries. Here are our picks for some of May’s most promising new titles. (Note: Streaming services occasionally change schedules without giving notice. For more recommendations on what to stream, sign up for our Watching newsletter here.)
New to Amazon Prime Video
‘Spider-Noir’ Starts streaming: May 27
For the animated film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” Nicolas Cage voiced an alternate universe Spider-Man, who was both a 1930s private eye and a superhero. Cage reprises that character in the live-action series “Spider-Noir.” He plays Ben Reilly, a broken-down detective who once wore a costume and fought crime, before personal tragedy turned him cynical and reclusive. When one of Ben’s cases puts him in the path of a crime boss (Brendan Gleeson) and several superpowered henchmen, Ben’s journalist friend Robbie Robertson (Lamorne Morris) urges him to use his spider-powers again, to save the city. “Spider-Noir” is available to watch in either black-and-white or color. Both versions evoke old movies and pulp novels.
Also arriving:
May 6 “Citadel” Season 2
May 8 “No Place to Be Single”
May 13 “Off Campus” Season 1
May 15 “It’s Not Like That” Season 1
May 20 “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War”
New to AMC+
‘The Terror: Devil in Silver’ Starts streaming: May 7
The third installment of the horror anthology series “The Terror” adapts a Victor LaValle novel, “The Devil in Silver,” about a man wrongly admitted to a mental institution, where the nightmare of administrative incompetence gets supercharged by some truly sinister supernatural force. Dan Stevens plays that man, Pepper, who on his first night in the asylum sees a monster in his cell — which may be real or which could be a hallucination, brought about by the medication the residents are forced to take. Pepper has to rely on his similarly doped-up peers to stand up against the corrupt staff (played by Aasif Mandvi, CCH Pounder, Stephen Root and John Benjamin Hickey, among others) and find out what evils this place may be hiding.
‘Zodiac Killer Project’ Starts streaming: May 15
The experimental documentary filmmaker Charlie Shackleton offers an offbeat take on true crime with “Zodiac Killer Project,” a movie that is more of a commentary on the genre than an example. As Shackleton explains early in the film, he originally intended to make a documentary about a California police officer who had claimed to have solved the infamous Zodiac Killer case. But when Shackleton lost the rights to tell that story, he decided instead to make a movie about the movie he did not get to make, by demonstrating in general terms what he would have shot and how he would have edited it. “Zodiac Killer Project” is a thoughtful and often funny film about the stylistic clichés of true crime docs, and why these kinds of stories appeal so much to artists and to audiences.
Also arriving:
May 1 “Heresy” “Tales from the Crypt” Season 1
May 8 “Whistle”
May 15 “Something Is About to Happen”
May 22 “This Is Not a Test”
May 28 “Marilyn & the Mob”
May 29 “Smothered”
New to Apple TV
‘Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed’ Season 1 Starts streaming: May 20
In this Hitchcockian thriller series, Tatiana Maslany plays Paula, who, recently divorced, copes with her loneliness by chatting with male models on erotic webcam services. When she witnesses an act of violence during a session, she has to figure out whether her favorite model is really in danger, or if she is being scammed. She has to keep her investigation a secret, though, because her ex-husband, Karl (Jake Johnson), is planning to move across the country with their daughter, and is arguing in court that he is the more stable parent. Created and written by David J. Rosen and directed by David Gordon Green, “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” is about a woman who is paying a steep price for some questionable choices, but trying desperately to work her way out of trouble.
‘Star City’ Season 1 Starts streaming: May 29
The long-running Apple TV series “For All Mankind” begins in an alternate history version of the 1960s and imagines how the space race might have been different if the Soviet Union had reached the Moon first. The spinoff series “Star City” also starts in the ’60s but tells another version of that story — this time from the Russian point of view. Rhys Ifans plays the Soviet space program’s chief designer, who tries to hold onto his progressive vision for the future while dealing with excessive government secrecy and political infighting. As is the case with its parent show, “Star City” cuts between the story lines of multiple characters, including cosmonauts, security officers, and various low-level employees and spouses, many of whom fear the Soviet state but are still committed to what it can accomplish.
Also arriving:
May 8 “Unconditional” Season 1
New to Disney+
‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ Starts streaming: May 12
Jon Bernthal returns to his role as the vigilante antihero Frank Castle in this one-off Marvel Television special, spun off from “The Punisher” TV series and “Daredevil: Born Again.” Frank is known for waging a ferocious one-man war against crime, governed by a belief that the ends justify any means, even if he has to break the law. In “One Last Kill,” he is trying to live a changed life, letting go of his anger and his need for retribution. But after years of honing his instincts, Frank still sees trouble around every corner; and when a new threat arises in his community, he has to reckon with the realization that he may be the only one capable of stepping up and saving lives.
Also arriving:
May 1 “Magicampers” Season 1
May 9
“Chibiverse” Season 4
May 22 “BeddyByes” Season 1
May 26 “Sofia the First: Royal Magic”
New to HBO Max
‘Wuthering Heights’ Starts streaming: May 1
The most recent adaptation of the novelist Emily Brontë’s gothic romance is one of this year’s biggest box office hits so far, finding a huge worldwide audience for its depiction of class conflict and forbidden lust in 18th-century England. Margot Robbie plays Cathy, the daughter of an aristocrat whose Yorkshire Moors estate is in decline. Cathy is expected to marry a wealthy neighbor and secure her family’s legacy, but the plan is complicated by her feelings for the handsome and hot-tempered Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi), a foundling who was raised alongside her. This version of “Wuthering Heights” was written and directed by Emerald Fennell (“Saltburn,” “Promising Young Woman”), who applies a daringly florid visual style to Brontë’s story, enhancing the book’s emotional sweep.
Also arriving:
May 8 “Greenland 2: Migration” “The Palau Family: Under a Dark Spell”
May 9 “Song of the Samurai” Season 1
May 12 “Behind the Bars: Shot in the Spotlight” “U.S. Against the World: Four Years with the Men’s National Soccer Team”
May 13 “The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas”
May 14 “On the Roam” Season 2
May 15 “Lurker”
May 21 “Slaves of Faith: Heralds of the Gospel”
May 22 “Josh Johnson: Symphony”
May 29 “Miss You, Love You” “The Moment
New to Hulu
‘Arco’ Starts streaming: May 22
An Academy Award nominee for best animated Feature, this French fantasy film begins in the year 2932, when humans live in the sky and have developed time-travel technology. When a young boy named Arco accidentally gets stuck in 2075, he meets Iris, a lonely 10-year-old girl who has mostly been raised by robots while her parents are off at work. Iris tries to help her young visitor get what he needs to return to his own time. Directed and co-written by Ugo Bienvenu, “Arco” is a colorful, imaginative family-friendly adventure movie with philosophical undertones, as the two young heroes discuss the advantages and disadvantages of their eras. It’s a story about a shared hope for the future, stretching across decades and centuries.
Also arriving:
May 8 “We Bury the Dead”
May 11 “The Split”
May 14 “Welcome to Wrexham” Season 5
May 15 “Lisa Ann Walter: It Was An Accident” “Rivals” Season 2
May 19 “The Nightmare Upstairs: What Happened to Ty and Bryn”
May 26 “Descendent”
May 28 “Deli Boys” Season 2
New to Paramount+
‘Battlestar Galactica’ Seasons 1-4 Starts streaming: May 1
Paramount+ and Pluto TV are the new streaming homes for one of the best TV dramas of the 2000s. Based on the late-1970s series of the same name, “Battlestar Galactica” follows a fleet of spaceships that contain the last survivors of a dozen devastated planetary colonies, who are trying to find their way to a possibly mythical 13th colony called Earth. On their tail: an army of super-advanced robots, who in many ways are more noble and moral than their human creators. This science-fiction saga’s four seasons (supplemented by a mini-series, a movie and a spinoff) tell one dense, deep story, about the remnants of humanity struggling to unite around a common purpose, while often descending into conflict and chaos.
Also arriving:
May 1 “Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries” “Battlestar Galactica: The Plan” “Caprica” Season 1 “Doin’ It”
May 15 “Couples Therapy” Season 5 “Dutton Ranch” Season 1
May 21 “SkyMed” Season 4
May 22 “The Chi” Season 8
May 28 “Criminal Minds: Evolution” Season 19
New to Peacock
‘M.I.A.’ Season 1 Starts streaming: May 7
The “Ozark” co-creator Bill Dubuque returns to the world of provincial organized crime with “M.I.A.,” a revenge thriller set in South Florida. Shannon Gisela plays Etta Tiger-Jonze, whose parents have long operated a successful fishing charter business, enhancing their income with regular drug-smuggling runs. When ruthless Miami crime bosses lean on the family to expand their operations into human trafficking, the smart and headstrong Etta soon finds herself pitted against some of the region’s most dangerous gangsters. Cary Elwes plays Kincaid, a private investigator who takes an interest in the Tiger-Jonze case, looking into how it connects to the succession drama that follows the death of a drug kingpin.
Viewers of The Valley campaigned for Jax Taylor to be removed from the show’s call sheet last year after displaying disturbing behavior on and off screen. But now, with the arrival of the series’ junior season, some watchers are singing a different tune.
At the center of season two’s storyline was a domestic incident that occurred between Jax and his wife, Brittany Cartwright. In the series premiere, the former couple recounted a moment where Jax got angry and flipped a coffee table, which bruised Brittany’s knee. At the first Valley reunion, Brittany alleged Jax broke her Stanley cup, phone, laptop and threw her into a bush, though he denied her claims.
Then came the announcement many Bravo viewers were waiting for: Jax was to step away from The Valley, to focus on his sobriety, mental health and coparenting with Brittany.
Jax’s behavior on season two did not make the decision shocking to those watching the show, and it was rather reminiscent of his firing from Vanderpump Rules back in 2020. Last year, Valley viewers flooded Reddit and TikTok arguing for his removal from the show for season three. Now this year, as the latest installment hit Bravo a little over a month ago on April 1, The Valley has faced a wave of criticism for its content, and in some instances, the lack of Jax in the cast.
Brittany’s impending divorce is addressed on The Valley, but it is not the show’s center point. Instead, the former Vanderpump star is in her first relationship post-Jax, which has, in real-time, already dissipated.
Zack Wickham and his boyfriend Benji Quach have moved in together. Michelle Saniei and Jesse Lally are still working on getting divorced, and the latter’s partner, Lacy Nicole, has finally agreed to film. Jasmine Goode and Melissa Carelli are planning their wedding. And Lala Kent and Tom Schwartz are there, too.
What is at the core of season three is the struggles Kristen Doute and Luke Broderick are facing after welcoming their first child. Luke’s comments about his fiancée not wanting to be intimate after recently giving birth and navigating postpartum have particularly resulted in backlash. Nia Sanchez also just had her fourth child, and the fallout from her husband, Daniel Booko’s, intense season two conflict with Janet Caperna, is the underlying tension of The Valley‘s plot.
With Jax gone, Janet assumes the villain role imposed upon her by most of her castmates. Lala often acts as a bridge between Janet and the rest of their co-stars, though Nia, Danny and Kristen are stubborn in not pursuing any form of relationship with Janet after she said Danny “sexually assaulted” Jasmine Goode’s partner, Melissa Marie, at an event that was not filmed.
Their feud leaves The Valley in an awkward position, reawakening a trope (or a storyline, one could call it) that has become all too common on modern reality television shows; that of castmembers refusing to film with other castmembers.
In return, viewers have deemed season three “boring.” That, coupled with two women who are being candid in their struggles with postpartum having to navigate criticism from their partners, has left a very sour taste in the mouths of the audience.
Some have pointed back to the lack of Jax, a known pot-stirrer across his eight seasons on Vanderpump Rules and two-year run on its spinoff, for why season three of The Valley could be missing an added flair.
“I really tried this season but it’s boring. I literally fell asleep last time while watching,” one Redditor wrote online. “Nothing is happening. It’s just a bunch of 40 yo people with boring lives and kids. Like who wants to watch this? And sorry not sorry but it got even worse since Jax left.”
Leslie Ye, a reality TV TikTok creator, argued in a recent video that The Valley doesn’t necessarily need Jax Taylor on its cast, but they need a Jax Taylor figure on the series to keep it afloat.
“You have to have someone who’s willing to go there with each and every person on the cast. And unfortunately, no one really seems to be willing to,” she said. “Whether it’s that they care too much about their relationships with the other people on the cast, or they’re too scared of the fans, or they just don’t want the noise, nobody really seems like they’re clocking into work this season.”
Ye continued, “Somebody needs to step up. Somebody needs to say, like, I don’t care that there’s all this shit in my backyard; I’m gonna point out everybody else’s crap, because that’s the job that I signed up to do. And unless somebody does that soon, this show is either gonna get canceled, or they’re gonna have to bring Jax back because it’s not giving Bravo. It’s not even giving TLC, because they’re just giving nothing. They’re doing absolutely nothing with the screentime.”
Another Reddit user echoed Ye’s argument, writing in a thread that Jax “was the straw that stirred the drink,” and that the season three cast lacks “a strong personality or two as the spoke of a wheel, and it doesn’t have that.” (In scripted TV terms, think Sex and the City without Carrie Bradshaw or The Sopranos without Tony Soprano.)
It’s polarizing how quickly the fanbase has shifted their viewpoint on Jax’s merit to The Valley, arguably so because last year’s fan backlash played a significant role in his exit. In a pre-reunion interview with The Hollywood Reporter last spring, executive producer Alex Baskin said that the audience’s concerns about Jax continuing on the show were taken into account by his team and Jax himself when deciding if he’d move forward for season three.
“I think in some cases the response from the audience is a good thing, and I think it forces someone to assess where they are and what they might need to do. The audience was very clear, understandably, how they felt about the situation,” Baskin said. “And certainly that’s something that we take into account, and he took it into account. It’s hard to say whether or not he would have made that decision on his own but for the influence of the audience.”
Part of The Valley burnout may stem from the stacked lineup of shows Bravo has running in its current programming. Breakout hits like The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, steady gems including Southern Hospitality and, of course, the scandal of Summer House now dominate the network’s orbiting fan forums and social media pages.
“[The Valley] doesn’t know what it wants to be, or WHY anyone should be invested,” one user wrote on Reddit. “It doesn’t have the chaos of Vanderpump, the relationships of Southern Hospitality, the elitism of Real Housewives. So what is it? Is it 40-somethings with kids? Okay, and then what?”
They continued, “Obviously they had a show with Jax and Brittany and a few of their ‘friends,’ and Jax with the bar etc. I’m not saying that was amazing, but okay it had a direction. Now it’s just flailing with toxic people who don’t have real reasons to interact.”
The best unstructured reality shows are founded upon the basis of human relationships, and how the everyday aspects of a castmember’s life intersect and result in conflict. The Valley is made up of a pool of people who are half-friends, half-coworkers, which is already a leg up from some of Bravo’s other shows that are clearly cast on no basis of prior connections.
And one lackluster season doesn’t indicate that the series should be thrown out, or that a controversial castmember is what it takes to save a show. Though it should serve as a warning for what could result if the Valley-goers don’t tap into the raw potential that its debut 2024 season leaned into on the coattails of its predecessor, Vanderpump Rules.
Director James Cameron and The Walt Disney Company have been sued for unauthorized use of an Indigenous actress’ likeness without her knowledge and consent.
In the complaint, obtained by Variety, actress Q’orianka Kilcher alleges that when she was 14 and had recently appeared as Pocahontas in Terrence Malick’s film “The New World,” Cameron extracted her facial features from a published photograph and directed his design team to use it as the foundation for the character of Neytiri in “Avatar.” The filing states, “Plaintiff never consented to Defendants’ use of her likeness, either in Avatar or in any related product or promotion.”
Kilcher also names Lightstorm Entertainment and multiple visual effects companies in the lawsuit.
According to the complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Kilcher’s likeness was replicated in production sketches, sculpted into three-dimensional maquettes, laser-scanned into high-resolution digital models, and distributed across multiple visual effects vendors to form the character’s image. The image was later seen in theaters, on posters, in merchandise, across sequels and re‑releases without her knowledge or consent.
“What Cameron did was not inspiration, it was extraction,” said Arnold P. Peter of Peter Law Group, lead counsel for Kilcher. “He took the unique biometric facial features of a 14-year-old Indigenous girl, ran them through an industrial production process, and generated billions of dollars in profit without ever once asking her permission. That is not filmmaking. That is theft.”
According to the filing, Kilcher and Cameron first met briefly at a charity event just months after the 2009 release of “Avatar.” At that event, Cameron personally invited Kilcher to visit his office. When she arrived approximately one week later, Cameron was out and a member of his staff presented Kilcher with a framed print of a sketch Cameron had made. Attached to the print was a handwritten note from Cameron reading: “Your beauty was my early inspiration for Neytiri. Too bad you were shooting another movie. Next time.”
“When I received Cameron’s sketch, I believed it was a personal gesture, at most a loose inspiration tied to casting and my activism,” Kilcher said. “Millions of people opened their hearts to ‘Avatar’ because they believed in its message and I was one of them. I never imagined that someone I trusted would systematically use my face as part of an elaborate design process and integrate it into a production pipeline without my knowledge or consent. That crosses a major line. This act is deeply wrong.”
According to the filing, Kilcher learned the truth late last year when a broadcast video interview with Cameron began circulating on social media. In the interview, Cameron stands in front of the Neytiri sketch and specifically identifies Kilcher: “The actual source for this was a photo in the L.A. Times, a young actress named Q’orianka Kilcher. This is actually her…her lower face. She had a very interesting face.”
The complaint also claims the defendants violated California’s recently enacted deepfake pornography statute.
“It is deeply disturbing to learn that my face, as a 14-year-old girl, was taken and used without my knowledge or consent to help create a commercial asset that has generated enormous value for Disney and Cameron,” said Kilcher.
The first “Avatar” film earned more than $2.92 billion worldwide and the series is among the highest-grossing film franchises of all time.
“The complaint describes a deliberate analog-to-digital creative process that misappropriated Ms. Kilcher’s identity,” said Asher Hoffman, co-counsel for Kilcher.
The complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages, disgorgement of profits attributable to the use of Kilcher’s likeness, injunctive relief, and corrective public disclosure.
Variety has reached out to Disney and Cameron for comment.
Amy (Julia Coulter) lives in the Upper Valley and has worked at the same coffee shop since she was a teenager. Her father, Kevin (Reed Diamond), a bike enthusiast who owns the local bike shop, plans to ride in the L’Etape Du Tour. When faced with a moment that challenges everything she knows, Amy decides to train for the ride of her life, even in the face of a congenital heart defect.
In her debut film, Julia Coulter serves as director, writer, producer, and lead actor as Amy. Her efforts are on full display. Having been at the helm of short films previously, Road to L’Etape Du Tour is a moving achievement about the power of the human spirit.
As Amy, Coulter brings a raw depth to a character that is highly relatable and down to earth. The self-reflection and corresponding doubt she brings to her performance is palpable. The audience rides along with her on her training journey, her heartbreak, and the ultimate crossroads she is presented with along the way.
“…Julia decides to train for the ride of her life, even in the face of a congenital heart defect.”
As her fiancé Jacob (Brian Muller) struggles to keep their spark alive, Amy must navigate her growing feelings for her father’s bike shop employee, Lucas (Luis Augusto Figueroa). Both Muller and Figueroa create characters whose love for Amy cannot be doubted. Reed Diamond as Amy’s father Kevin provides the inner strength and support that Amy needs to achieve her goals.
A film such as this would not be complete with scenes in which the protagonist must train against all odds and Road to L’Etape Du Tour is no exception. The rolling hills and scenic backroads of Vermont and New Hampshire serve as the training ground where Amy prepares for the grueling trek beautifully captured by cinematographer Seth Macmillan, truly bringing Coulter’s gripping screenplay to life.
Coulter has managed to maintain the intimacy of her previous short films, Brothers and Habit despite the larger landscape she has to work with here. With a talented cast and crew and a story that resonates with anyone who has faced adversity and the challenges of life’s ever-changing backdrop, Road to L’Etape Du Tour is an emotional ride sure to move those who embark on it.
Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran at a ‘higher level and intensity’ unless it agrees to end the war amid claims an agreement between the two countries is close.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, the President confirmed Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, will end if a deal can be reached between Washington and Tehran.
‘Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran.
‘If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.’
His declaration comes after it was reported the US and Iran are closing in on an agreement in the form of a one-page memorandum of understanding to cease the conflict.
Recap all the day’s developments below
This live blog has now closed.
Thanks for joining our live coverage of the US-Iran war today as we end our updates here.
Donald Trump has said Iran will face more bombing unless it agrees to a peace deal with an agreement apparently close.
Iran has confirmed it is considering the proposal but describes some of the US demands as an ‘American wish list’.
Although this page is closing, you can still catch all the news and analysis on the Daily Mail website.
Israelis official claims Americans ‘did not surprise us’
An Israeli official has claimed the country was made aware of a proposal put forward by the US to end the war in Iran.
Earlier an Israeli source told Reuters they were not made aware of any memorandum of understanding which could see a cease in conflict.
But an Israeli official has told Axios that Tel Aviv was not left in the dark with Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu said to be in ‘continuous contact’.
Netanyahu is said to have instructed the Israeli military to prepare for all scenarios including a return to fighting.
Macron – We are ready to secure Strait of Hormuz
French President Emmanuel Macron says the deployment of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in the Red Sea shows readiness to secure the Strait of Hormuz for ships to navigate freely.
The flagship of the French Navy and its escorts is transiting the Suez Canal en route to the southern Red Sea, the defence ministry has said.
Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are leading a multinational mission to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while emphasising the force would be entirely defensive and only deployed once lasting peace in the region was agreed.
More than 40 countries have begun military planning in London.
‘The movement of the carrier strike group is separate from the military operations initiated in the region and complements the security posture,’ the defence ministry said.
Its presence near the Gulf will allow ‘an early assessment of the regional operational environment ahead of the possible launch of the initiative’, the ministry added.
Spain’s tourism industry is hitting record highs as holidaymakers pivot away from Middle Eastern destinations due to the Iran conflict, flocking to safer alternatives in Europe.
The first quarter of 2026 saw 17.5 million tourists arrive in Spain, a 2.6 per cent increase from the same period last year.
Although the rise in tourism brought a €25 million economic boost to the Spanish economy, locals are frustrated by severe overcrowding and skyrocketing rent prices.
Last month, residents in Seville launched an anti-tourist ‘guerrilla campaign’ after accommodation in the city reached 100 per cent capacity.
Buildings in the city used for temporary stays were graffitied with the words ‘Airbnb out’ and ‘Guiris go home’. ‘Guiri’ is a Spanish slang word commonly used to describe English-speaking tourists from the UK and Australia.
Iran considering US proposal
Iran is considering a US proposal to end the war, Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesman has said.
Esmail Baghaei told the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA): ‘The American plan and proposal is still being reviewed by Iran, and after summing up its points of view, Iran will convey its views to the Pakistani side.’
ISNA reports the proposals put forward by the US contain ‘ambitious and unrealistic proposals’ which have already been rejected by Iran.
The report states Iranian negotiators are also discussing how to end the war and are not involved in talks about its nuclear programme.
Israel ‘unaware Trump is close to deal with Iran’
Israel is not aware the US is potentially close to a deal with Iran that would end the war and pave the way to unblock shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, it is claimed.
An Israeli source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the country was instead preparing for an escalation in fighting.
Suspect who attempted to ‘assassinate Trump’ may have been motivated by Iran war
The gunman accused of breaching the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner and attempting to shoot President Trump was potentially motivated by the war with Iran, a bombshell report states.
A preliminary report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence Analysis surmised that suspect Cole Thomas Allen, 31, had multiple social and political grievances,’ Reuters reported.
The report is dated two days after the shooting, on April 27.
It concludes that the US war with Iran ‘may have contributed to his decision to conduct the attack.’
The analysis cited social media posts from Allen critical of US actions against Iran during the months-long war.
Iran calls on China to play ‘positive role ‘ in ending the war
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Aragchi has said he hopes China continues to play a ‘positive role’ in the ending the war, adding Tehran ‘trusts’ Beijing.
Aragchi visited his counterpart Wang Yi in the Chinese capital this week ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to China next week.
In his remarks following the visit, Aragchi said both sides reaffirmed Iran’s right to sovereignty and dignity.
He said:
The Iranian side trusts the Chinese side and expects the Chinese side to continue playing a positive role in promoting peace and stopping war, and supports the establishment of a new post-war regional architecture that can coordinate development and security.
Iranian MP describes one-page memorandum is ‘American wish list’
An Iranian MP has voiced doubts over an apparent near agreement between Iran and the US to end the war amid claims a deal is close.
Ebrahim Rezaei suggested the American demands are unrealistic and that no such agreement is near in comments on his X page .
Responding to the report in Axios that both countries are close to agreeing a one-page memorandum to halt the conflict, Rezaei said:
The Axios text is an American wish list rather than a reality. The Americans will not achieve in a losing war what they have not achieved in face-to-face negotiations.
Rezaei later stated Iran is ‘on the trigger and ready,’ adding:
If they do not surrender and do not make the necessary concessions, or if they themselves or their dogs try to misbehave, we will give a harsh and regrettable response.
Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier moves to Red Sea ahead of Strait of Hormuz mission
France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier is moving into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as part of efforts by France and Britain to prepare for a future mission to help freedom of navigation on the Strait of Hormuz.
The French Armed Forces ministry said in a statement that the aircraft carrier group had crossed the Suez Canal on Wednesday, en route to the south of the Red Sea.
This French aircraft carrier strike group was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean shortly after the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, and it can stay at sea between four to five months.
Trump says it’s ‘too soon’ for face-to-face talks with Iran
Donald Trump has said it is ‘too soon’ to consider face-to-face talks with Iran, according to an interview with the New York Post.
Asked by the newspaper whether it should send a reporter to Pakistan for a fresh round of talks following claims a peace deal is close, the President apparently responded: ‘I don’t think so.’
He then added: ‘I think we’ll do it— it’s too far. No, it’s too much.’
Trump has previously indicated he would be willing to travel to Pakistan to sign a peace agreement out of respect for the mediators who have worked on the deal.
China calls for ‘comprehensive ceasefire’ after Iranian minister visits
Wang Yi greets Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that China is “‘deeply distressed’ over the war that has lasted more than two months and said a ‘comprehensive ceasefire’ is needed.
The top Chinese diplomat met with Mr Araghchi in Beijing, the first time the Iranian foreign minister has travelled to China since the war with the US and Israel started on February 28.
Mr Wang said:
We believe that a comprehensive ceasefire is urgently needed, that a resumption of hostilities is not acceptable, and that it is particularly important to remain committed to dialogue and negotiations.
The Chinese comments could inject new energy into stalled efforts to push for an agreement between the United States and Iran that would end the war.
Key Updates
Trump says it’s ‘too soon’ for face-to-face talks with Iran
Trump – If Iran doesn’t agree the bombing starts
Agreement reports come hours after Trump suspends Project Freedom
What we know about the memorandum between Iran and the US
US and Iran ‘close to agreement to end war’
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Trump threatens Iran will face bombing ‘at higher level and intensity’ unless peace deal is agreed
Not your average tee! Zoë Kravitz, Gracie Abrams, Laufey, Audrey Hobert, and a growing list of It-girls are stocking their wardrobes with Cleo’s signature tops, and once you see them, the appeal is instant.
With three-quarter length sleeves, a reversible neckline (low in the front or the back), plus two delicate buttons on the left side, the tee strikes a balance between effortless for day and elevated for night.
Cleo Camp/Instagram
So, what’s the secret behind the viral staple? According to founder Cleo Camp, it all starts with that wear-anywhere appeal.
“I design an everyday elegance line for the girl who I imagine is the busiest girl in the world. She is busy building her own dream. … Cleo clothes and accessories fit 9-5 and 5-9 because my customer can do it all, without stopping at home to change,” she tells ET.
The celebrity co-signs prove the point.
Kyle Berger
“Audrey shows up on stage in front of hundreds of people in my Cleo Tees in the same way she would meet a friend or go out to dinner,” Camp notes.
With six colors available, along with two dress options, the brand makes it easy to build a rotation you can rely on all week, something that feels especially personal to Camp.
“My grandmother, Christie, is my big inspiration. She had a signature look. She would re-wear the same silhouettes in different colors and materials over and over again, creating a stylish uniform that I knew as only hers,” she shares.
Laufey/Instagram
That familial influence goes beyond philosophy; it shaped the top’s form itself.
“My mom and grandma always wore quarter sleeves which I found really flattering and I was really focused on silhouette when I designed my tee. I wanted to frame the shape of the female body. … I used that to create my version of the perfect tee, and luckily others thought so too.”
Outside of her chic relatives, Camp’s aesthetic is rooted in a love of vintage fashion and pop culture. She often looks to designers like Agnès B., Vivienne Westwood, Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, Norma Kamali, and Betsey Johnson, as well as iconic television shows for inspiration.
Cleo Camp/Instagram
“Fashion is just what I consume and look for naturally. … In the studio, I replay episodes of Entourage and Sex and the City. I obsess over the details of every outfit from an era or style in fashion and TV that I wish still existed and find vintage designer pieces online late at night from eras before I was born.”
To take your own look up a notch, Camp recommends pairing her tees with the brand’s handcrafted leather and suede bags, which are equal parts practical and conversation starting.
“I’ve heard stories of women meeting on the street in a foreign city because they both had the same bag or a guy using my bag as an excuse to talk to a girl,” the California native spills.
Cleo Camp/Instagram
But the designer’s ultimate outfit formula brings it back to individual style.
“Wear an accent or floral pin, a pair of standout shoes, heels or not, a perfectly fitting pair of Levi’s, and something meaningful that’s been passed down to you.”
After Microsoft invested $10 billion in OpenAI in early 2023, Elon Musk said in a social media post that OpenAI was “effectively controlled” by the tech giant.
Shivon Zilis, a confidante of Mr. Musk who had spent years working for his companies and had approved the Microsoft deal as a member of OpenAI’s board of directors, disagreed.
“You are naïve,” he told her.
Ms. Zilis, who is also the mother of four of Mr. Musk’s children, described her private conversation with the world’s richest man during testimony on Wednesday in a blockbuster trial in an Oakland, Calif., federal court that pits Mr. Musk against OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman.
Mr. Musk sued OpenAI two years ago, accusing the artificial intelligence company of breaching its founding contract by putting commercial gain over the public good. He founded OpenAI as a nonprofit in 2015 with Mr. Altman and a group of A.I. researchers. But after a power struggle with Mr. Altman, Mr. Musk quit.
Mr. Altman and the other founders later attached a for-profit company to the A.I. lab and began raising billions of dollars from Microsoft and other investors. Now Mr. Musk is asking for $150 billion in damages and a court order that would unravel the for-profit company that OpenAI created. He also wants to remove Mr. Altman from OpenAI’s board of directors.
Ms. Zilis had a unique view of the yearslong struggle between Mr. Musk and Mr. Altman. She started working for OpenAI as an adviser in 2016, developed friendships with Mr. Altman and OpenAI’s president, Greg Brockman, and had a romantic relationship with Mr. Musk around the same time, according to her testimony.
Ms. Zilis worked as Mr. Musk’s de facto chief of staff, Mr. Musk said during his own testimony last week. Ms. Zilis denied on Wednesday that was her role, but she said she worked for three of his ventures: OpenAI, the electric car company Tesla and the brain-implant company Neuralink.
OpenAI’s lawyers tried to paint Ms. Zilis as Mr. Musk’s woman on the inside at OpenAI. Mr. Musk, they say, was always aware of what was happening at the A.I. lab — in fact, Ms. Zilis kept him well-informed — but he did not sue until OpenAI had a hit on its hands with the chatbot ChatGPT.
After Mr. Musk left OpenAI in 2018, Mr. Musk appeared to want her to stay on the board so she could keep him informed about its work, according to evidence in the trial. He also discussed with her poaching OpenAI employees for Tesla.
“Do you prefer I stay close and friendly with OpenAI to keep info following or begin to disassociate? Trust game is about to get tricky so any guidance for how to do right by you is appreciated,” she said in a text message to Mr. Musk.
“Close and friendly but we are going to actually try to move three or four people from OpenAI to Tesla,” Mr. Musk replied.
OpenAI’s president, Greg Brockman, said in testimony on Tuesday that when Ms. Zilis joined OpenAI’s board, many at the company were wary of her. But he said he trusted her to keep her work with Mr. Musk separate from her involvement with OpenAI.
While Ms. Zilis was serving on the board, she told Mr. Brockman that she was pregnant but did not tell him that Mr. Musk was the father, Mr. Brockman said. He learned that Mr. Musk was the father from news stories, he said.
When Mr. Brockman asked Ms. Zilis about the stories, he said she told him that she had conceived through in vitro fertilization and that her relationship with Mr. Musk was platonic.
Ms. Zilis said on Wednesday that she had a romantic relationship with Mr. Musk going back at least a decade. But, during testimony, she said she did not reveal that Mr. Musk was the father of her children until a reporter from Business Insider contacted her to say the publication was about to release a story naming him as the father.
Ms. Zilis felt comfortable with OpenAI’s $10 billion deal with Microsoft while she was still on the board. But she said she grew more concerned about OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft after she left the board in 2023 and after her conversation with Mr. Musk.
Her worries escalated after OpenAI’s board fired Mr. Altman in late 2023 and Microsoft helped him get his job back five days later. She concluded the nonprofit was no longer in control of the for-profit company. “I remember being terrified,” she said. “After that ouster happened, everything we put together over so many years with the nonprofit lost its teeth and it was not able to fulfill its role.”
Sarah Eddy, a lawyer for OpenAI, showed a document that Ms. Zillis wrote in 2017 in which she helped plan an event at Tesla, saying the electric car company planned to compete with the world’s leading A.I. companies. OpenAI’s legal team has repeatedly argued that Mr. Musk worked to compete with OpenAI through his own for-profit companies.
Mr. Musk acknowledged during his own testimony that he tried to fold OpenAI into Tesla that same year.
Before Ms. Zilis took the stand, the court heard a video deposition from Mira Murati, who joined OpenAI in 2018 and served as its chief technology officer from 2022 until late 2024. Her testimony focused on the weeks before and after the brief firing of Mr. Altman.
Before Mr. Altman was fired, she said, she did not completely trust him, because he was not always candid with her and that he sometimes undercut her role as a key executive. “It was completely management related,” she said. “I was asking Sam to lead with clarity and not undermine my job.”
She also criticized OpenAI’s board over the way it handled Mr. Altman’s firing. She said that the board was not transparent about its reasons for firing Mr. Altman and that they did not understand the consequences. “They were not prepared for the transition and stabilizing the company,” Ms. Murati said.
(The New York Times has sued OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming copyright infringement of news content related to A.I. systems. The two companies have denied the suit’s claims.)
One former FBI official suggested that Kash Patel start “acting like a grownup” instead of targeting the press for its coverage of his actions as FBI director.
On Wednesday’s episode of MS NOW’s “Katy Tur Reports,” the host questioned former FBI official Chris O’Leary about Patel’s choice to open a criminal leak investigation into The Atlantic reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick after a story ran about his alleged heavy drinking.
“As an FBI agent, you cannot open up investigations based on somebody’s speech or their First Amendment protected rights,” O’Leary said. “You can’t go after the press. But none of those standards seem to matter anymore. And, you know, Kash Patel and other false patriots very conveniently shred the Constitution as quickly as they can when it is inconvenient for them, when such granular reporting comes out about things that we’re already seeing with our own eyes.”
He added: “If he doesn’t want critics to continue to report on him, he should start acting like a grown-up, like a professional, and like you would expect the Director of the FBI to be.”
FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson denied any investigation in a statement, claiming Fitzpatrick is “not being investigated at all.”
“Every time there’s a publication of false claims by anonymous sources that gets called out, the media plays the victim via investigations that do not exist,” he said.
Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg told TheWrap in a statement that, if there was an investigation, it would be “an outrageous attack on the free press and the First Amendment itself.”
“We will defend The Atlantic and its staff vigorously; we will not be intimidated by illegitimate investigations or other acts of politically motivated retaliation; we will continue to cover the FBI professionally, fairly, and thoroughly; and we will continue to practice journalism in the public interest,” Goldberg said.
The alleged investigation comes on the heels of the FBI Director suing the publication for $250 million in a defamation lawsuit following Fitzpatrick’s report that alleged Patel’s extensive drinking had impacted his performance, including episodes where his security detail had struggled to wake him up.
You can watch the full segment in the video above.
Justin Anderson joined Realscreen as senior staff writer in 2021, reporting and writing stories for the newsletter and magazine. During his 20-year career he’s filled a variety of roles as a writer and editor at a number of media organizations, covering news and current affairs as well as business, tech, the film and music industries and plenty in between. He’s also spent time behind the scenes in television production, having written everything from voiceover scripts for documentaries to marketing copy. He has a degree in Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University).
Jatadhara tries to blend mythology, horror, and faith but ends up testing your patience. With weak performances, messy writing, and zero scares, it’s horror in all the wrong ways.
Jatadhara hit theatres on November 7.
Jatadhara U/A
1/5
7 November 2025|Hindi2 hrs 15 mins | Fantasy Mystery
Watched Jatadhara starring Sonakshi Sinha, Sudheer Babu, Divya Khosla Kumar, and Shilpa Shirodkar in pivotal roles, and I can surely say I loved one thing about this film: that finally, after 132 minutes, it ended. With that being the first thought, let’s break down what Venkat Kalyan & Abhishek Jaiswal’s directorial tried, and mostly failed to deliver.
Jatadhara:
The movie revolves around a folklore from the past, where wealthy men would use tantra-mantra to summon a pishachi (demon) to guard their gold and wealth from being looted. And every time they wanted it back, they had to make a sacrifice, whatever the demon demanded, from killing a hen or a goat to a human.
Now, in Jatadhara, Sonakshi plays Dhanpishachani, and Shilpa Shirodkar plays Shobha, a woman driven by greed who summons Dhanpishachani with the aid of a tantric. The demon demands the sacrifice of a child. When Shilpa’s character fails to meet the demand, every member of her family dies. That child grows up to become a ghost hunter, played by Sudheer Babu.
Review:
Why? What was the need? These are the exact questions everyone, along with me, sitting in those comfortable theatre seats, had for the entire cast, especially Sonakshi Sinha. The entire movie could easily have been a science lecture with the moral: “Energy can’t be created, can’t be destroyed, but can be neutralised.” There, I’ve just summarised the entire plot.
Drama in the film? Over the top. Dialogues? Cringe. Acting? Yet to be found.
With Jatadhara, blaming the script alone wouldn’t be right. The problem runs deeper: when you deal with folklore, it’s not just about telling a story; it’s about telling it with conviction. These tales already exist in our culture, rich with mystique and meaning. What’s missing here is the belief that makes the unbelievable feel real.
It’s not like we don’t have such stories in India. The Maddock Horror-Comedy Universe is a perfect example of how a movie full of fictional characters can be made; it thrives on fiction and folklore, yet remains convincing. Because when you make the audience believe, they willingly suspend disbelief. Jatadhara never earns that faith.
Let’s talk performances:
While Sonakshi Sinha has been credited as the lead in the film, it could easily be described as an extended cameo. Her character, supposedly meant to be scary and give you sleepless nights, only delivers some unintentional laughter, and at times, cringes, thanks to the annoying sound she makes by grinding her teeth.
Shilpa Shirodkar decided to have a second inning with Bigg Boss, and then chose this script after finishing her stint on the reality show, quite a questionable choice. The character had no depth whatsoever.
Sudheer Babu plays Shiva, a ghost hunter who doesn’t believe in ghosts. He roams around haunted places to prove a point that ghosts don’t exist, only to suddenly encounter the spirits of his real parents. Shocked by this, he starts believing in spirits and decides to defeat Dhanpishachani to end an ancient curse. In the process, he gets killed, then suddenly lands on Kailash Parvat, meets Lord Shiva, and starts performing tandav! Like, what even? Did that make sense to you? No? Exactly, neither did it while watching.
Divya Khosla Kumar’s role as Shiva’s love interest is equally paper-thin. The two accidentally meet in a palace and suddenly can’t live without each other, head over heels, with zero story buildup.
Technical aspects:
Visually, the film tries to impress with dark, shadowy frames and special effects, but it’s the inconsistent CGI and rushed sequences that undermine the effort. The background score also tries to heighten the tension, but ends up feeling loud and distracting in most places rather than immersive. The editing feels uneven, too, with abrupt transitions that make some scenes unintentionally comedic.
Final verdict
Jatadhara promises horror but delivers only exhaustion. The movie doesn’t just need changes; it needs a complete rewrite, with character arcs more sharply expressed and jumpscares actually scary, because right now, if endurance were a genre, this film would ace it.
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First Published:
November 07, 2025, 11:46 IST
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When the news broke Wednesday that Ted Turner, the renowned media and sports mogul, had died at the age of 87, leading voices in the media and entertainment world showered praise upon his legacy.
“He believed deeply in the power of ideas, in doing things differently and in building platforms that could inform, inspire and connect people around the world,” said David Zaslav, the chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery. “That belief inspired generations of leaders, myself included. He did not just disrupt media. He transformed it.”
“Ted Turner’s vision for 24-hour cable news transformed the media industry and gave viewers everywhere a front seat to witness history unfold,” Murdoch said in a statement. “His impact as a trailblazer has left an indelible mark on our cultural landscape. He was a great American and friend.”
That last line struck many by surprise, given the heavily publicized public feud between the two going back decades.
The enmity presumably began in 1983 during the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, a 630-nautical mile race starting in Sydney, News South Wales, and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. Turner, an avid sailor who’d graced the cover of Sports Illustrated after winning the 1977 America’s Cup, came out of retirement to command an 80-foot vessel dubbed Condor. And Condordid emerge victorious, but only on protest. You see, Turner’s yacht was run aground in the final minutes of the race by Nirvana, an 81-foot vessel owned by Marvin Greene of Reeves Communications.
According to Neil Chenoweth’s book, “Rupert Murdoch: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Media Wizard,” Turner delivered “a long and rambling speech” at the post-race dinner “in which he vented his displeasure not toward Greene or the crew of Nirvana but toward the man he believed was a sponsor of Nirvana, Rupert Murdoch,” going so far as challenging him to a televised fistfight in Las Vegas.
Things heated up further in 1996, when Murdoch spent over $100 million to launch the Fox News Channel as a direct competitor to CNN. Turner, meanwhile, had recently sold his Turner Broadcasting to Time Warner Inc.
As The New York Times reported, “While Time Warner came very close to a deal with the News Corporation, the company ended up agreeing to double the distribution of MSNBC, while refusing to carry the Fox News Channel on any of its systems.”
But Murdoch had the Giuliani administration on his side, thanks to Murdoch’s hiring of former Giuliani advisor Roger Ailes — who was later forced to resign over a slew of sexual harassment allegations — to lead the fledgling news network. Turner loudly and repeatedly accused Murdoch and Fox News of trying to get Giuliani to “intercede on Fox’s behalf,” reported the Times, further alleging that Murdoch had “bought the government of New York City” and had Mayor Giuliani “in his pocket” by running an endorsement for him in the New York Post and giving his wife a job as an anchor on WNYW-TV, Channel 5, which Murdoch owned. (Giuliani denied carrying water for Murdoch.) Turner further compared Murdoch to Hitler — or “the late Fuhrer,” as he put it — to a group of journalists, saying the two employed similar yellow journalism tactics in smearing the opposition.
Seven years later, in 2003, Turner took aim at Murdoch once more over his support for the war in Iraq, first challenging him to another fistfight and then branding him a “warmonger.”
“Fox News, which is controlled by News Corp, was one of the staunchest pro-war news organizations in the U.S. and its pro-Bush stance helped it overtake CNN, founded by Mr. Turner, as the most popular news network during the conflict,” The Guardian reported at the time, prompting the following response from Turner: “Just because your ratings are bigger doesn’t mean you’re better. It’s not how big you are, it’s how good you are that really counts.”
The final blow came in 2011. Following the revelation that the Murdoch-owned U.K. tabloid News of the World had been hacking voicemails, Turner called on Murdoch to step down.
“I’m past retirement age now. So, I’m 72. That’s a little late to be running a corporation. Murdoch’s still doing it at 80, but for not for much longer, I’m afraid. I think he’s going to have to step down,” Turner told Bloomberg.
“This is serious… It’s going against the law. You know, not even Rupert Murdoch should be allowed to break the law. Nobody should…,” Turner continued. “He should have known. I mean, he was chairman of the board. He’s responsible. I took responsibility when I ran my company. You never heard me say, ‘Well, I didn’t know.’ You never saw me get in that kind of trouble, did you?”
Turner also told Bloomberg that he’d buried the hatchet with Murdoch: “I did, and I still have made amends. I’m just, quite frankly, I’m very disappointed that this has occurred. A major media company should definitely be following the law, that’s all.”
“Rupert and I have long since made amends,” he said. “Years ago (I was out of the media industry at that point), I invited him to lunch at Ted’s Montana Grill in New York, and we had a great time catching up.”
CTI teams are buried in attack data, making it difficult to see what’s relevant and then extract insights across attacks. The Cyberattack Agent helps you filter through that data to the attacks that matter to your organization. Ask AI is now available in the Cyberattack Agent to help you analyze attack patterns so you can act fast.
Run your own prompts across multiple attacks:
to quickly assess attack vectors and understand how threat actors operate.
to surface campaign patterns, profile threat actors, extract TTPs, and turn raw attack data into ready-to-share intel in minutes.
Here are seven use cases that show what that looks like in practice.
Overview
There’s roughly one cyberattack every 39 seconds; that’s over 2,200 attacks per day. For CTI analysts, the challenge isn’t just keeping up with the volume, but making sense of it fast. They need to quickly identify patterns across multiple attacks, connect related campaigns, and understand how threat actors are evolving their tradecraft. This requires hours of manual comparison, and even then, critical connections can get missed.
Ask AI in the Cyberattack Agent brings personalized AI prompting into your existing threat research workflow. Analysts can run custom queries across up to 100 cyberattacks at once to surface patterns and insights that would otherwise take hours to piece together.
From assessing specific threat actors and mapping active campaigns to generating reports tailored to your stakeholders, Ask AI transforms your workflow from manual, time-consuming attack-by-attack analysis into fast, comprehensive intelligence.
Example 1: Threat landscape overview
Use this prompt to generate a structured, 30-day intelligence report on cyberattacks targeting your region and industry and provide a ready-to-share briefing that keeps stakeholders aligned on sector-specific risks over time.
Cyberattack Agent filter combinations:
Ask AI Prompt:
Based on the selected attacks, generate a threat landscape overview for [region] and [industry]. Include the most active threat actors, predominant TTPs, commonly targeted assets, and any clustering in campaign activity that reveals how the threat environment is evolving within this dataset.
Ask AI Response:
Example 2: Attack Vector Assessment
Quickly assess how attackers gained their foothold by extracting and analyzing the attack vectors behind incidents. For each vector, you can surface what was exploited, how it was leveraged, and why existing controls failed to stop it, then walk away with a prioritized list of the highest-risk entry points to close before the next wave hits.
Cyberattack Agent filter combinations:
Ask AI Prompt:
Given the following incidents, identify and summarize the attack vectors the threat actor used to succeed. For each vector, explain: (1) what it was, (2) how it was exploited, and (3) why it worked (e.g., misconfiguration, human error, unpatched vulnerability, weak controls). Present the vectors in chronological order based on when each was exploited. Conclude with a prioritized list of the most critical entry points to address, ranked by severity and likelihood of recurrence.
Ask AI Response:
Example 3: Threat actor research
Build a comprehensive profile of the new threat actors behind attacks by surfacing each actor’s known motivations and sponsorship ties, TTPs, targeted sectors, and recent behavioral shifts. This gives you the intelligence foundation to anticipate their next moves, assess your organization’s exposure, and keep stakeholders informed on who is actively operating in your threat landscape.
Cyberattack Agent filter combinations:
Ask AI Prompt:
Which threat actors are most active across these attacks? Create a threat actor profile for each, including an executive summary, identity and attribution, motive, victimology, capability assessment, modus operandi, strategic analysis, technical appendices, and references.
Ask AI Response:
Example 4: TTP and IoC research
Use this prompt to surface what’s new across the attacks in your Intel Agent. Ask AI will identify novel techniques, tactics, and procedures being leveraged in recent activity, along with associated IoCs, so you can update detections, refine hunting queries, and track how your known threat actors are evolving their tradecraft.
Cyberattack Agent filter combinations:
Ask AI Prompt:
What novel TTPs and IoCs are being leveraged in these attacks?
Ask AI Response:
Example 5: Data exposure and impact assessment
Ask AI will identify which types of data were exposed, which sectors or organizations are affected, and who is most at risk, providing an impact assessment to quickly scope the extent of a breach.
Cyberattack Agent filter combinations:
Ask AI Prompt:
For each breach, identify the organization affected and the data exposed. Then assess the third-party risk: if this organization is a vendor, partner, or service provider in my supply chain, what is the potential impact to my business operations? Flag any downstream risks including shared infrastructure, data flows, or dependencies, and prioritize which third-party relationships warrant immediate review or contingency planning.
Ask AI Response:
Example 6: Report generation for leadership
Ask AI will synthesize findings across all ingested attacks and package them into a report your team can share. For instance, if you are briefing your CISO or leadership team, Ask AI will deliver a clear, business-contextualized summary of what’s happening, what’s relevant to your organization, and where your team should focus next.
Cyberattack Agent filter combinations:
Ask AI Prompt:
My CISO has been asked about our exposure to the latest wave of attacks in our sector and region. Generate a focused briefing that answers: Are we a likely target? What TTPs should we be watching for, and do we have the controls to detect or stop them? Close with a short, prioritized action list framed around business risk and decision-making, not a full landscape review, just what leadership needs to respond with confidence right now.
Ask AI Response:
Example 7: Visualization
Get a visual breakdown of each phase of the attack chain, from initial access to impact, so you can quickly spot where campaigns converge, identify the most exploited entry points, and communicate the full scope of an attack in a visual manner.
Cyberattack Agent filter combinations:
Ask AI Prompt:
Visualize the attack chain for these incidents with a diagram mapping each phase from initial access to impact. Highlight the most common entry points, lateral movement techniques, and end-stage objectives across campaigns.
Ask AI Response:
Grounded in real sources and the Feedly Threat Graph
What sets Ask AI apart from generic AI tools is that every query is grounded in the Feedly Threat Graph, a continuously updated map of relationships gathered from 10,000+ sources. This means the response reflects what’s actually happening in your threat landscape now. Every answer is also fully cited, so you can trace findings back to their original sources and dive deeper into any piece of intelligence used to build the response.
In short…
Ask AI in the Cyberattack Agent gives CTI analysts a faster way to move from raw attack data to actionable intelligence. With it, you can quickly assess the attack vectors behind any incident, track campaign patterns, assess threat actors, scope a breach, or brief executives, all by running custom queries across up to 100 attacks at once, grounded in the Feedly Threat Graph.
Start uncovering patterns across 100 cyberattacks
Get responses grounded in the Feedly Threat Graph, so patterns, threat actor profiles, and campaign insights surface in minutes, not hours.
James Gunn’s Superman became the fan-favorite superhero movie of 2025, officially launching the new DCU on the big screen. And in 2027, we’ll get our first continuation, which DC Studios has called the next chapter in the “Super Family Saga.”
There are a lot of new faces in Man of Tomorrow, including Matthew Lillard. He’s truly having a career Renaissance with Five Nights at Freddy’s, Scream 7, and Daredevil: Born Again. It is not clear whom he will play.
At CinemaCon, James Gunn, Nicholas Hoult, and David Corenswet shared a new tease of the Superman sequel movie and its core plot. Gunn shared the movie boiled down to, “Try saving the world with your sworn enemy.” While Hoult revealed that the Superman movie would see “a new villain and an unlikely alliance.” They also revealed that Man of Tomorrow would begin filming in April of 2026… And now it officially has.
Here is everything we know so far about the much-anticipated return of the Last Son of Krypton to the big screen in Man of Tomorrow.
Title
DC Studios
The official title of the Superman follow-up is Man of Tomorrow, and not Superman: Man of Tomorrow, as many have speculated. According to James Gunn, Man of Tomorrow is “as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie.”
DC Studios
Man of Tomorrow’s Plot
The plot of this sequel will have Superman and his arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor, team up to take down a greater threat, which we know will be the despotic alien android, Brainiac. Based on the teaser art released by Jim Lee to go with the title announcement, Lex Luthor will wear his comic book-accurate warsuit in the film.
Behind-the-Scenes
DC Studios co-head James Gunn is once again back as writer/director. John Murphy and David Fleming are expected to return to score the sequel as well.
Man of Tomorrow’s Cast
DC Studios
Much of the cast of Superman will return for Man of Tomorrow. David Corenswet is back as Superman/Clark Kent, naturally, and Rachel Brosnahan also returns as Lois Lane. Nicholas Hoult will co-star as Lex Luthor, and Frank Grillo is also returning as Rick Flag Sr. Most of the Daily Planet staff are presumably also returning. This includes Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, and Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant. And as the evil Brainiac, Gunn has cast German actor Lars Eidinger.
Netflix/DC Comics
Isabel Merced has confirmed she is also flying back into Metropolis as Hawkgirl. There’s no official word on Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, or Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho. But we expect at least some of these Justice Gang members to return. Some storyboards seen in Superman special features suggest Supergirl (Milly Alcock) will also feature in this story in some capacity. Oh, and we think there will be riots if Krypto doesn’t come back as well.
According to Variety, Aaron Pierre will also join the cast of Man of Tomorrow. This news comes ahead of his debut as John Stewart in the Lanterns TV series. Finally, Adria Arjona has been cast in the DCU for this movie. But we don’t yet know which role she is playing.
Man of Tomorrow’s Release Date
The official release date for DC Studios’ Man of Tomorrow is July 9, 2027.
Sunset Visitor’s upcoming game Prove You’re Human bears an ominous title. Its debut trailer is just as provocative as its name lets on, and introduces us to Mesa, a seemingly rogue AI who has dreamt of her body and needs irrefutable proof that she is not human. The upcoming title from the developer behind 2024’s critically acclaimed sci-fi narrative 1000xResist purports to address a growing anxiety around the notion of human performance and things that try to pass for us.
Elsewhere, a late-night worker at a gas station must check IDs and reference a database filled with the specific characteristics that make each customer who walks through its doors an individual. A person. As the only clerk on the midnight shift, they are tasked with distinguishing friend from foe, person from nonperson. And when the time comes to defend themself, they are encouraged to blast anything that would harm them or impersonate any real human. At least, that’s the way of the world in the upcoming game Shift at Midnight, which has become a viral hit before it’s even released thanks to a spate of demos and glowing coverage from popular gaming personalities, like Iron Lung director Mark “Markiplier” Fishbach.
Shift at Midnight features creepy skinwalkers that stalk the gas station.
I don’t think Prove You’re Human will suddenly become a guns-blazing first-person shooter, nor will Shift at Midnight begin waxing philosophically. Yet despite taking different tacts and centering distinct forms of mimicry, these titles are in conversation and represent the future, both near and far, of a trend I’ve noticed: the sounding of an alarm.
D’Addario, who is Variety‘s chief correspondent, recently traveled to Madrid to interview the veteran thespian who is as in-demand as he’s ever been with a Spanish pic at Cannes this year and Warner Bros.’ “Dune: Part Three” and Apple TV’s “Cape Fear” coming up later this year. Bardem is in the prime of his life and career and he appears to be relishing the moment, D’Addario says.
“The word that comes to mind is contentment. I think he simultaneously works very hard at his career and is constantly in demand, both in Spanish productions and in American studio fare. But also, he lives a very real life,” D’Addario says. “He lives in Madrid, outside the Hollywood bubble with his wife, who is also a famous actress, Penélope Cruz. But as he told me, for instance, they never work simultaneously unless they’re working together, so they have a real toehold in their life as a family with a teenager and a pre-teen.”
Bardem went deep with D’Addario on thorny issues including his decision to speak out against the war in Gaza and his concerns about AI’s impact on his children, not to mention the future of his profession.
“He really has a lot of perspective on what’s important to him in his art and what’s important to him in his life. And those are not necessarily always the same thing,” D’Addario says. “I think he sees the circus for what it is, and that’s also what enables him to speak out and be such an effective voice or advocate for the causes in which he believes. Because to him, the career is not the be all and end all.”
The following article is an excerpt from the new edition of “IndieWire’s The Lead Up,” a weekly newsletter in which our Awards Editor Marcus Jones takes readers on the awards trail, interviewing key figures responsible for some of the most compelling stories of the season, and offering predictions on who will win. Subscribe hereto receive the newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday.
For any newcomers who are familiar with IndieWire’s awards coverage through The Lead Up, I wanted to venture outside the world of Emmy predictions for a second, and give a brief look at how we have covered the Primetime Emmys in the past, as a way to preview what we have planned to publish at least once every weekday through Emmy nominations voting in June.
Our first recurring feature is called My Favorite Scene. In it, we speak to actors or performers behind a few of our favorite television performances about their personal-best onscreen moment this past TV season, and how it came together.
That sometimes takes form in an interview with Sam Rockwell about his infamous monologue from “The White Lotus” Season 3 that had everyone talking (and earned him an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series nomination). But it also can result in “Only Murders in the Building” star Martin Short, a perennial Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series nominee, going on a roll that leads him from complimenting guest star Melissa McCarthy to explaining the science behind his Jiminy Glick interviews.
Another feature we’ve rolled out the past few Emmy seasons is called It’s a Hit, where we speak to creators and showrunners behind some of the buzziest television programs of the season about the moment they realized their show was breaking big.
Last season provided a huge pool of new shows to choose from, leading to interviews with the creatives behind “The Pitt,” “Paradise,” and “Nobody Wants This,” which are all already back in the running this Emmys season. But the concept also extends to something like eventual Outstanding Television Movie winner “Rebel Ridge,” which shifted the narrative around what caliber of films could be eligible for that category, and “Stranger Things” Season 4, which became an even bigger phenomenon coming back after a years-long hiatus (the show’s final season is also back in contention this year).
Finally, a new series of interviews we started last year is called Pour One Out and is about celebrating the characters we said goodbye to this past season, whether it be because they died, their show concluded, or both. Expect more interviews this season, considering all the shows that are in the midst of their final season.
But there are five days in a week, and a lot of stories to mine from the Emmys race, so expect more dispatches from For Your Consideration events, where the main takeaway last year was how meaningful it was to voters for a show to have shot in Los Angeles. Plus, trend pieces like how the success of series like “Slow Horses” ushered in several more spy shows last year, and how internet series are becoming more like traditional late night TV shows as late night TV shows start producing more short form content distributed on the internet.
Ultimately, we pride ourselves on providing the clearest picture of how the Primetime Emmys race is going at any given point in time, so even when there are wins that comes as a big surprise, like Jeff Hiller winning Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the final season of “Somebody Somewhere,” or Lamorne Morris winning Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for the most recent season of “Fargo”— to use two recent examples — we always have an article we can point to that gives you the context for why and how that happened.
See IndieWire’s full list of 2026 Emmy predictions, complete with frontrunners, contenders, and long shots on our website. As a reminder, my email is majones@indiewire.com if you’d like to share any feedback.
In a new feature with The Hollywood Reporter, Gina Carano expresses feeling, when she settled with Disney over her Mandalorian firing, that not enough of the press picked up on the fact that the company wrote that Carano was “always well respected by her directors, co-stars and staff” and that it looked “forward to identifying opportunities to work together.” We certainly did, and noted how differently the company spoke about her after accusing her of “trivializing the Holocaust” when complaining online about how hard it is to be a conservative in the United States. “Nobody really picked it up,” claims Carano. “But it’s such a remarkable contrast from that first very horrendous statement that they had put out years earlier. I don’t recall Disney really doing that a lot at the time. That speaks leagues.”
To hear Carano tell it, she and the company now get along famously. She’s also been mending fences with the people involved with Star Wars, particularly Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. They “were two people that I always respected, and we went through two seasons together, and we had a great relationship,” Carano says. “And even during everything that was happening, Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau were never the bad guys to me.” She had a Zoom call with the two of them earlier this year but declined to say whether they talked about a potential return to Star Wars. (Again, Disney already publicly said they looked forward to working with her again soon, so it’s not hard to imagine that the topic came up.) “I love peace,” she says elsewhere in the interview. “When all parties can be happy, we can move on.” Whatever was in that settlement must have been pretty nice.
She is widely regarded as one of the greatest living actresses and holds the record for the most Oscar nominations of any actor, with 21 across the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories.
(L to R) Meryl Streep, Ed Begley Jr. and Roseanne Barr in ‘Postcards from the Edge.’ Photo: Columbia Pictures.
A cunning and resourceful housewife (Roseanne Barr) vows revenge on her husband (Ed Begley Jr.) when he begins an affair with a wealthy romance novelist (Streep).
“The story of the greatest evil ever known to man… His ex-wife.”
Release Date: Dec 8, 1989
Run Time: 1 hr 39 min
Budget: $20,000,000
Tells the life story of Danish author Karen Blixen (Streep), who at the beginning of the 20th century moved to Africa to build a new life for herself. The film is based on her 1937 autobiographical novel.
Release Date: Dec 20, 1985
Run Time: 2 hr 41 min
Budget: $31,000,000
Julia Child (Streep) and Julie Powell (Amy Adams) – both of whom wrote memoirs – find their lives intertwined. Though separated by time and space, both women are at loose ends… until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible.
“Based on two true stories.”
Release Date: Aug 7, 2009
Run Time: 2 hr 3 min
Budget: $40,000,000
The story of Florence Foster Jenkins (Streep), a New York heiress, who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, despite having a terrible singing voice.
“Every voice deserves to be heard.”
Release Date: Aug 12, 2016
Run Time: 1 hr 50 min
Budget: $29,000,000
The story of three women (Streep, Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman) searching for more potent, meaningful lives. Each is alive at a different time and place, all are linked by their yearnings and their fears. Their stories intertwine, and finally come together in a surprising, transcendent moment of shared recognition.
“The time to hide is over. The time to regret is gone. The time to live is now.”
Release Date: Dec 27, 2002
Run Time: 1 hr 54 min
Budget: $25,000,000
The cast of ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Five years after meeting her three fathers, Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) prepares to open her mother’s hotel. In 1979, young Donna Sheridan (Lily James) meets the men who each could be Sophie’s biological father.
“Discover how it all began.”
Release Date: Jul 20, 2018
Run Time: 1 hr 54 min
Budget: $75,000,000
Photographer Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood) wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson (Streep) for four days in the 1960s.
“The path of Francesca Johnson’s future seems destined due to an unexpected fork in the road…”
In 1964 Bronx, two Catholic school nuns (Streep and Amy Adams) question the new priest’s (Philip Seymour Hoffman) ambiguous relationship with a troubled African-American student (Joseph Foster).
“There are no simple truths.”
Release Date: Dec 12, 2008
Run Time: 1 hr 44 min
Budget: $20,000,000
Ten years after their divorce, Jane (Streep) and Jake Adler (Alec Baldwin) unite for their son’s college graduation and unexpectedly end up sleeping together. But Jake is married, and Jane is embarking on a new romance with her architect (Steve Martin). Now, she has to sort out her life—just when she thought she had it all figured out.
“First comes marriage. Then comes divorce. And then…”
Release Date: Dec 25, 2009
Run Time: 2 hr 1 min
Budget: $85,000,000
Madeline (Streep) is married to Ernest (Bruce Willis), who was once her arch-rival Helen’s fiancé. After recovering from a mental breakdown, Helen (Goldie Hawn) vows to kill Madeline and steal back Ernest. Unfortunately for everyone, the introduction of a magic potion causes things to be a great deal more complicated than a mere murder plot.
“In one small bottle… The fountain of youth. The secret of eternal life. The power of an ancient potion. Sometimes it works… sometimes it doesn’t.”
As Miranda Priestly (Streep) nears retirement, she reunites with Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) to face off against her former assistant turned rival: Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt).
Release Date: May 1, 2026
Run Time: 1 hr 59 min
Budget: $100,000,000
Better known as ‘A Cry in the Dark’, the movie is based on the true story of Lindy Chamberlain (Streep) who, during a family camping trip to Ayers Rock in central Australia, claimed she witnessed a dingo take her baby daughter, Azaria, from their tent. Azaria’s body was never found and, after investigations and two public inquests, she is charged with murder.
“A family torn apart. A public filled with outrage. A woman accused of murder.”
Release Date: Nov 11, 1988
Run Time: 2 hr
Budget: $15,000,000
Gail (Streep) and Tom Hartman (David Strathaim) are struggling to stay together and decide to take a white-water rafting holiday adventure in Montana for their son Roarke’s (Joseph Mazzello) 10th birthday, only to meet up with a pair of mysterious men whose desperation grows, turning their vacation into a nightmare.
Release Date: Sep 30, 1994
Run Time: 1 hr 51 min
Budget: $45,000,000
Like most of the people in her town, Karen Silkwood (Streep) works at the local nuclear plant producing highly radioactive plutonium. Exposed one day to a lethal dose of radiation, Karen faces the blank walls of corporate indifference and denial. As her illness increases, her protest grows louder and she becomes an obvious danger to the powers that be.
“On November 13, 1974, Karen Silkwood, an employee of a nuclear facility, left to meet with a reporter from the New York Times. She never got there.”
Release Date: Dec 14, 1983
Run Time: 2 hr 11 min
Budget: $10,000,000
Charlie Kaufman (Nicholas Cage) is a confused L.A. screenwriter overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, sexual frustration, self-loathing, and by the screenwriting ambitions of his freeloading twin brother Donald (also Nicholas Cage). While struggling to adapt “The Orchid Thief,” by Susan Orlean (Streep), Kaufman’s life spins from pathetic to bizarre. The lives of Kaufman and Orlean’s book, become strangely intertwined as each one’s search for passion collides with the others’.
“From the creator of Being John Malkovich, comes the story about the creator of Being John Malkovich.”
Release Date: Dec 6, 2002
Run Time: 1 hr 55 min
Budget: $19,000,000
(L to R) Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in ‘The Post.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country’s first female newspaper publisher (Streep) and a hard-driving editor (Tom Hanks) to join an unprecedented battle between journalist and government. Inspired by true events.
Release Date: Jan 12, 2018
Run Time: 1 hr 56 min
Budget: $50,000,000
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (George Clooney), bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers. The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his family.
“Dig the life fantastic.”
Release Date: Nov 25, 2009
Run Time: 1 hr 27 min
Budget: $40,000,000
Three steelworkers (Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and John Savage) enlist in the army and are sent to Vietnam, one leaving behind a rushed marriage, the others a shared love. What they encounter during the war changes their lives forever.
“One of the most important and powerful films of all time!”
Release Date: Dec 8, 1978
Run Time: 3 hr 3 min
Budget: $15,000,000
Is there love after death? After he dies suddenly, the hapless advertising executive Daniel Miller (Albert Brooks) finds himself in Judgment City, a gleaming way station where the newly deceased must prove they lived a life of sufficient courage to advance in their journey through the universe. As the self-doubting Daniel struggles to make his case, a budding relationship with the uninhibited Julia (Streep) offers him a chance to finally feel alive.
“The first true story of what happens after you die.”
Release Date: Apr 5, 1991
Run Time: 1 hr 51 min
Budget: $20,000,000
Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) is a career man for whom his work comes before his family. His wife Joanna (Streep) cannot take this anymore, so she decides to leave him. Ted is now faced with the tasks of housekeeping and taking care of himself and their young son Billy (Justin Henry).
“There are three sides to this love story.”
Release Date: Dec 19, 1979
Run Time: 1 hr 45 min
Budget: $8,000,000
(L to R) Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine in ‘Postcards from the Edge.’ Photo: Columbia Pictures.
A substance-addicted actress (Streep) tries to look on the bright side even as she’s forced to move back in with her mother (Shirley MacLaine) to avoid unemployment.
“Having a wonderful time, wish I were here.”
Release Date: Sep 14, 1990
Run Time: 1 hr 41 min
Budget: $22,000,000
Stingo (Peter MacNicol), a young writer, moves to Brooklyn in 1947 to begin work on his first novel. As he becomes friendly with Sophie (Streep) and her lover Nathan (Kevin Kline), he learns that she is a Holocaust survivor. Flashbacks reveal her harrowing story, from pre-war prosperity to Auschwitz. In the present, Sophie and Nathan’s relationship increasingly unravels as Stingo grows closer to Sophie and Nathan’s fragile mental state becomes ever more apparent.
“Between the innocent, the romantic, the sensual, and the unthinkable. There are still some things we have yet to imagine.”
Release Date: Mar 4, 1983
Run Time: 2 hr 31 min
Budget: $12,000,000
A spirited young bride-to-be (Amanda Seyfried) living with her single mother (Streep) on a small Greek island secretly invites three of her mother’s ex-boyfriends (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård) in hope of finding her biological father to walk her down the aisle.
“A mother. A daughter. Three possible fathers. A trip down the aisle you’ll never forget.”
Release Date: Jul 18, 2008
Run Time: 1 hr 48 min
Budget: $52,000,000
A look at the life of Margaret Thatcher (Streep), the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with a focus on the price she paid for power.
Release Date: Jan 13, 2012
Run Time: 1 hr 45 min
Budget: $13,000,000
Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly in 2006’s ‘The Devil Wears Prada .’
A young woman from the Midwest (Anne Hathaway) gets more than she bargained for when she moves to New York to become a writer and ends up as the assistant to the tyrannical, larger-than-life editor-in-chief (Streep) of a major fashion magazine.
“Meet Andy Sachs. A million girls would kill to have her job. She’s not one of them.”
