Top Stories
Recent film-industry headlines from leading publications, with short summaries and links back to the original stories.
Wanda Sykes Reveals Why She Turned Down Kevin Hart’s Netflix Roast & What Bill Maher Had To Say About Her Golden Globes Joke
Prolific Emmy-winning comic Wanda Sykes, known for her tell-it-like-it-is style, recently revealed she ruffled some feathers in the scene — having turned down an appearance on Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart and getting unprompted feedback after a joke she told about Bill Maher at the 2026 Golden Globes. During a recent appearance on Vulture‘s […]
‘Act One’ Review: Acting Is Overreacting in Sophia Takal’s Intriguingly Off-Kilter Psychodrama
How far would you go for a woman who claims with a straight face to be “endeavoring to bring about a change in consciousness through our art?” Not that far, probably: Confronted with that statement, most people would likely make a polite excuse and back away slowly. But most people are not actors, or even […]
TV’s Hottest Stars on Growing Chest Hair, Bulking Up and Peeing in Buckets — For Art, Of Course
THR sits down with Richard Gadd, Kit Harington, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, Paul Anthony Kelly and Noah Wyle for a conversation about meltdowns, disrespectful cab drivers and channeling their inner Jax Teller.
The Partnership: How Vince Gilligan And Rhea Seehorn Rekindled Their ‘Better Call Saul’ Magic For ‘Pluribus’ & A Season 2 Update
Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn, the creator and star of Apple TV drama series Pluribus, have the kind of easy camaraderie that comes from logging over a decade of prestige television together. Their rapport first sparked back in 2015, with the follow-up to Gilligan’s Breaking Bad — the crime series Better Call Saul, which he […]
Box Office: ‘Disclosure Day’ Makes First Contact With $19 Million
Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi thriller “Disclosure Day” made first contact with theaters on Friday and landed at No. 1 on the box office charts. “Disclosure Day” made $19 million on opening day from 3,824 North American theaters. It’s expected to gross $44 million by the end of the weekend. Universal spent $115 million on the sci-fi […]
Michelle Yeoh, Tony Leung Lead Shanghai Film Festival’s Star-Studded Opening
The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival launched Saturday at the city’s Grand Theatre, drawing a constellation of Chinese-language stars to its opening red carpet and centering its ceremony on cinema’s human core rather than the geopolitical flash that has marked other festivals this year. Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who serves as jury president of the Golden […]
Donald Trump’s Name Removed From Kennedy Center Facade
UPDATED: Donald Trump’s name was removed from the facade of the Kennedy Center on Saturday morning, following last minute efforts by the president and the board of the arts institution to retain the designation on the outside of the complex. The center has “removed signage ‘that purports to rename the Kennedy Center after PresidentTrump,'” attorneys […]
Rex Reed Hated Everything. Someone Had to Edit Him
During his final years at 'The New York Observer,' the late legendary film critic was often his own worst enemy. A then-24-year-old staffer recalls how he became Reed's unlikely handler, confidant and — on more than one occasion — last line of defense.
‘Disclosure Day’ Heading to $44 Million Opening as ‘Obsession’ Defies Gravity in Week 5
Steven Spielberg's UFO movie is expected to be his top opening for an original movie, while Curry Barker's horror hit is the rare movie to have four consecutive weekends bigger than its opening.
Steven Spielberg’s ‘Disclosure Day’ Beaming Up $44M U.S. Opening, ‘Obsession’ Bests ‘Get Out’ – Box Office Update
SATURDAY AM: Universal and Amblin’s Steven Spielberg Disclosure Day is doing much better than expected with an expected $44M domestic opening, half of that fueled by Imax and PLFs, and that’s a good thing. There was some concern heading into the weekend that the wheels were going to fall off this UFO; Monday’s press screening […]
Halle Berry and Jamie Foxx Attend the World Cup in Los Angeles, François Arnaud Enjoys Dom Pérignon in NYC and More Celeb Red Carpet Photos: June 2026
It was anything but June gloom when the Gotham Television Awards kicked off the month in New York City. Winners and honorees included Chase Infiniti, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kerry Washington, “I Love LA” and “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.” In London, Variety launched its London edition of Power of Women with Cynthia […]
New York Knicks’ Bid For First Title In 53 Years Boosts Signal Of WFAN, The Original Sports Talk Radio Station
For an NBA team thriving on the new (new coach, new mix of players, new horizons), the New York Knicks have been headlining a decidedly old medium: radio. WFAN, which pioneered the sports talk format when it launched in 1987, has been aflame with Knicks conversation since April as the team has pursued its first […]
‘Awards Chatter’ Podcast: Tom Pelphrey on How Getting Sober, Landing ‘Ozark’ and Becoming a Parent Helped to Prepare Him for ‘Task’
The 43-year-old is back in Emmy contention for his portrayal of a single father and sanitation worker mourning the murder of his brother and robbing the biker gang responsible for his brother’s death, which puts him in the crosshairs of both that gang and an FBI task force.
Upriver Into Moral Morass: ‘Amazomania’ Takes Critical Look At Documenting Uncontacted Indigenous Tribes – DC/DOX
In the documentary Amazomania, which just screened at the DC/DOX festival in the nation’s capital, vintage footage shows a Swedish filmmaker and journalist in what appears to be a jungle setting, tying on his worn boots. A machete is suspended within easy reach, its long blade thwacked into a wooden post. Erling Söderström, the filmmaker-journalist, […]
Anna Faris Opens Up About ‘Scary Movie’ and Overcoming Anxiety: ‘I Was Convinced That I Was Going to Be Framed for Murder’
“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” says Anna Faris. The celebrated actress and comedian is on top of the box office once more, as “Scary Movie,” the sixth installment in the popular horror-spoof series, opened to a franchise-best $55 million last weekend. It all came to fruition thanks to Marlon Wayans, whose family was callously […]
Beauty vs. The Beast: Here’s Where to Watch Tommy Fury vs. Eddie Hall Boxing Pay-Per-View Live Online
The best boxers in the world travel to England, where British fighter Tommy Fury (11-0-0) takes on fellow-Brit boxer Eddie Hall (0-1-0) in the main event on Saturday, June 13. The Beauty vs. The Beast: Fury vs. Hall pay-per-view event takes place at AO Arena in Manchester, United Kingdom. Coverage and free-to-watch prelims begin at […]
Russell Crowe Recalls ‘Sticking to His Guns’ About No Sex Scenes in ‘Gladiator,’ ‘Failed’ Sequel, ‘Fantastic’ ‘Highlander’ Reboot
Russell Crowe proudly recalled “sticking to his guns” about not having sex scenes with Connie Nielsen in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator.” Speaking at the Taormina Film Festival, the New Zealand-born actor was asked about a “certain attitude” he showed about the 2024 sequel to his 2000 Oscar-winning epic. Crowe elaborated on the sequel’s issues by speaking […]
Russell Crowe Says ‘Gladiator II’ “Failed” Because It “Lacked A Moral Core” – Taormina
Russell Crowe has suggested Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II failed to ignite audiences in the same way as the original film because it lacked a “moral core”. He recalled how he had pushed back against studio moves to give his Gladiator character Maximus sex scenes back in 2000, in his belief that it would not chime […]
Claire Danes Says Leonardo DiCaprio Told Her Not to Play With Prop Guns on ‘Romeo + Juliet’ Set: ‘Claire, We Don’t Do That’
Claire Danes got some very valuable advice from a future Oscar winner. In her Variety Actors on Actors conversation with “Half Man” star Richard Gadd, the “The Beast in Me” performer reminisced about shooting 1996’s “Romeo + Juliet” with Leonardo DiCaprio. While the shoot — like the film — was emotionally intense, Danes, at 17, […]
Where to Watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans Livestream Online
This marks the 94th running of the world's oldest active endurance car race.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan Talk Season 3 of ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ and Maggie and Negan’s Relationship: ‘This Is Our Best Season – By Far. She Didn’t Stab Me One Time!’
Beware: AMC’s “The Walking Dead: Dead City” Season 3 is coming. And it might be the best one yet. “This is our best season – by far. This is such a different relationship now,” said Jeffrey Dean Morgan at Monte-Carlo Television Festival on Saturday, following the premiere of the first two episodes at the festival […]
‘You Mastered the Guttural Sob’: Claire Danes and Richard Gadd on Body Transformations, Acting Nerves and Moving Past ‘Baby Reindeer’
This interview is part of Variety and CNN’s Actors on Actors series. Watch the full video interview now at CNN.com/Watch (or on the CNN app) and on Variety’s YouTube channel starting at 11:59 pm ET. Claire Danes and Richard Gadd both flirted with madness in high-profile acting duets this season. On “The Beast in Me,” veteran actress Danes played […]
Jeffrey Dean Morgan On ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ Season 3: “It Was So Different From Anything We’ve Done Before” — Monte-Carlo TV Festival
After a glitzy Monte-Carlo premiere of The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan broke down the evolution of the relationship between their characters, Negan and Maggie, and promised the upcoming season of the show breaks new ground. “I think we played as much hate as we could over the […]
Workers Start Pulling Trump’s Name Off Kennedy Center Building in Early Morning Hours
Workers began the process of prying “Donald J. Trump” off the facade of the Kennedy Center in the early morning hours on Saturday, after a court found the president’s renaming of the Washington, D.C., landmark was illegal. After crews set up scaffolding Friday in front of the Kennedy Center, they started pulling off the letters […]
Kristin Scott Thomas Talks ‘Slow Horses’ And Teases Her Second Movie As Writer & Director — Monte-Carlo TV Festival
EXCLUSIVE: Kristin Scott Thomas collected her Golden Nymph Award at the Monte-Carlo TV Festival’s opening ceremony on Friday night. At a press conference the following morning, the star slipped between English and French and talked about her career to date. She then sat down with Deadline and gave us the lowdown on playing an icy […]
24 Hours of Le Mans 2026: Here’s Where to Watch the Endurance Motorsports Race Live Online
The best and brightest driving teams from around the world, such as Ferrari AF Corse, Cadillac Hertz Team Jota, Toyota Gazoo Racing, BMW M Team WRT and others, travel to France to compete during the 94th running of 24 Hours of Le Mans. It takes place at the Circuit de la Sarthe in the city […]
Locarno Golden Leopard Winner Milagros Mumenthaler Talks ‘The Currents,’ Visual Memory and First Male-Led Project
Argentine-Swiss writer-director Milagros Mumenthaler is preparing a new project that will mark a notable shift in her filmography: for the first time, it will center on a young male protagonist. Speaking to Variety on Thursday afternoon, June 11, after her ECAM Forum masterclass in Madrid, Mumenthaler said the film is still at a very early […]
Kristin Scott Thomas Talks Playing ‘Ultimate Ice Queen’ Diana Taverner in ‘Slow Horses’: ‘I’d Love to See Her Laugh’
People still can’t get enough of Kristin Scott Thomas and Gary Oldman in “Slow Horses.” “We’ve worked together before. We’ve got very good acting chemistry. And it’s really fun. These two characters are so brilliantly written. You can’t beat great writing,” she tells Variety at the Monte Carlo Television Festival, where she picked up the Crystal Nymph […]
Kristin Scott Thomas Receives Crystal Nymph From Prince Albert II at Monte-Carlo Television Festival Opening
Prince Albert II of Monaco opened the 65th edition of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival on Friday and presented the Crystal Nymph Award to Kristin Scott Thomas, in recognition of her “outstanding contribution to television and screen storytelling.” The evening culminated in the international premiere of the first two episodes of Season 3 of AMC Studios’ […]
‘My Hero Academia,’ ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ Lead Toho Presence at Anime Expo 2026
Toho International, the U.S. subsidiary of Japan’s Toho Co., Ltd., will return to Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles this July with an immersive booth and a slate of franchise panels headlined by “My Hero Academia” and “Jujutsu Kaisen.” The Toho animation booth will mark the 10-year anniversary of “My Hero Academia” and the five-year […]
Shanghai Film Fest Launches Tech Unit, Reveals AI Industry Push
The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival opened on June 12 with the launch of a new Technology Creation and Fabrication Unit and a parallel press conference for the Shanghai High-Tech Films and Televisions City, held in the city’s Songjiang district. The event drew senior officials and industry figures to mark what organizers billed as a […]
Zhang Disha’s Sci-Fi ‘The Decisive Moment’ to Close Shanghai Film Festival
“The Decisive Moment,” a sci-fi feature directed by Zhang Disha and produced by Huang Jianxin, will world premiere as the closing film of the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival on June 21, screening at Shanghai Film Art Center following the Golden Goblet Awards Ceremony on the evening of June 20. The film, scripted by Hu […]
Pamper Yourself This Pride with 1991’s ‘Vegas in Space,’ the Fiercest Drag Film on the Planet Clitoris
The late Doris Fish's legendary sci-fi film is a landmark of queer indie cinema for a reason.
Ariana Grande Launches Brighter Days Ahead Foundation For Arts Education, Youth Mental Health & More
Ariana Grande has launched the Brighter Days Ahead Foundation to support youth mental health, arts education and community causes. On Friday, the 3x Grammy winner announced the nonprofit, which is designed to uplift and directly fund small organizations doing meaningful work through partnerships that will create longterm impact. “I am beyond excited to finally announce […]
‘Love Island USA’ Season 8 Cast Revealed
The new season of Peacock's hit reality show, hosted by Ariana Madix, premiered June 2.
‘Summer House’s Ciara Miller & Tefi Pessoa Make First ‘Love Island USA’ Appearance Ahead Of ‘Aftersun’ Premiere
Ciara Miller and Tefi Pessoa made their first appearance on Love Island USA ahead of the premiere of their weekly talk show Love Island USA Aftersun. The Summer House star and the podcaster entered the villa to host a game with the Islanders. The duo had their slo-mo entrance, making them officially part of the […]
How ‘Every Year After’ Star Matt Cornett Used the Novel and Fan Edits to Find His Character
The 27-year-old actor stars as the leading man in Prime Video’s latest romance novel adaptation based on Carley Fortune’s novel, ‘Every Summer After.’
The Moment Of Truth For 555 Programs As Emmy Nomination Voting Hits Fever Pitch This Weekend – Notes On The Season
A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit. It is finally time to stop watching and start voting, people. Emmy ballots are in hand (or laptop), and if you think this has been a long season, it has actually been longer than that. I cannot remember a year in the four decades or […]
Longtime ABC7 New York Anchor Bill Ritter Steps Down, Reveals Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
Bill Ritter, an anchor for WABC-TV New York’s ABC7 Eyewitness News since 1999, announced Friday during his staple 6 p.m. newscast that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and is stepping down from the role. Ritter, a San Diego native whose journalism career started in Los Angeles first with the Los Angeles Times and later […]
Inside the Directors Guild’s Four-Year Deal: A Focus on Jobs, the Health Plan and AI Protections
The union secured commitments from employers to lobby for a federal film and television tax incentive and to fund a “skills enhancement” program focused on generative AI in its deal struck June 9.
DGA Board Approves 4-Year AMPTP Deal That Addresses Unemployment Issues With Health Plan Increases, New AI Protections, Multi-Hyphenate Guardrails & More
The Directors Guild of America is one step closer to sealing the deal on a new four-year contract with the major film and television studios after union’s National Board of Directors unanimously voted to recommend ratification to the membership this week. The contract now goes to the full membership for approval. That vote is expected […]
DGA Deal Lands Health Plan Gains, Streaming Residual Hikes and Responds to TV Slump by Limiting Actors and Others From Taking Director Jobs
The Directors Guild of America has secured a provision in its new contract that limits actors and others who work on TV series from directing episodes, as it seeks to preserve jobs for career TV directors. The provision is meant to address the 40% downturn in production jobs over the last four years, which has […]