Marc Malkin: Last News

The Matrix Resurrections,” the fourth mainline entry in the sci-fi action franchise and the first in over 18 years. Picking up decades after the events of “The Matrix Revolutions,” Reeves and Moss reprised their respective roles as heroes Neo and Trinity, but the sequel stopped short of getting the entire band back together. Laurence Fishburne, who played Morpheus in the original “Matrix” trilogy, did not return to the franchise for “Resurrections.” Morpheus is long dead during the events of the sequel, but an artificial intelligence based off of the leader (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) does play a major role in the story.

Angelique Jackson If it seems like Jonathan Majors is everywhere lately, that’s because he has been. Michael B. Jordan shared the first official look of Majors as boxer Damian “Dame” Anderson in “Creed III” on Monday morning, but Variety caught up with the actor over the weekend at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Gala and the Newport Beach Film Festival honors. When the topic of his whirlwind few months came up, Majors summed it up simply: “It’s just the season,” he told Variety’s Angelique Jackson at Newport Beach on Sunday. Well, it certainly has been Majors’ season. The actor was honored at the festival with an Artist of Distinction award for his role in “Devotion,” in which he portrays pioneering fighter pilot Jesse Brown, the Navy’s first Black aviator. Following that part, the actor has a stacked slate of films in the works, including his eagerly-anticipated arrival as Kang the Conqueror in Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” due out in February.

William Earl The “On the Carpet” pre-show powered by DIRECTV at Variety Power of Women presented by Lifetime will be livestreamed on Variety.com and Variety’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages starting at 6:45 p.m. PT on Sept. 28. The red carpet will feature this year’s honorees: Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey, Chelsea and Hillary Clinton, Malala and Elizabeth Olsen. Presenters include Kathryn Hahn, Sandra Oh, Quinta Brunson and Diane Guerrero. Halsey will give a special musical performance to kick-off the night. Variety senior entertainment writer Angelique Jackson and senior TV features editor Emily Longeretta will host the carpet with commentary provided by senior culture and events editor Marc Malkin and senior correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister, live from the Variety HQ Studio.

Nicholas Hoult had some interesting insight to share about the evolution of Emperor Peter III, his character on Hulu’s “The Great.” Hoult shared his thoughts with Variety senior culture and events editor Marc Malkin during Variety On the Carpet presented by DIRECTV. “He’s now a doting father, which is the transition for most sex slaves, I think,” Hoult said during the red carpet interview. “It’s an examination of Catherine and his relationship, and Elle [Fanning] is such a wonderful actress, we have a lot of fun.” Hoult referred to the long-spanning relationship between the show’s two main characters, which has evolved drastically over the course of the show’s two-season run. Both Hoult and Fanning are nominated for their performances at Monday’s Primetime Emmy Awards, for lead actor and actress in a comedy series, respectively.

Selome Hailu The heat wave in Los Angeles couldn’t get in the way of the church of Sheryl Lee Ralph. The “Abbott Elementary” actor was met with a standing ovation in Beverly Hills on Sunday at the Creative Coalition’s Television Humanitarian Awards Gala Luncheon, where she was an honoree. Hosted by Variety‘s Marc Malkin, the ceremony was meant to celebrate a number of figures working in the TV industry who also devote their time to worthy social causes. Ralph received the honor, presented to her by “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star Reid Scott, for her work with DIVA (Divinely Inspired, Victoriously Anointed). She began her acceptance speech with a powerful rendition of Dianne Reeves’ “Endangered Species: “I am an endangered species / But I sing no victim’s song / I am a woman I am an artist / And I know where my voice belongs.”

Wilson Chapman editor Next year, Jude Law is set to lead the cast of the Disney+ “Star Wars” series “Skeleton Crew,” about a group of children finding their way home after being lost in space. Speaking to Variety senior culture editor Marc Malkin while promoting “Peter Pan & Wendy,” Law revealed his excitement to enter the iconic world of the film. “It was such an important part of growing up, the impact of that film and that world. The way it penetrated and exploded my imagination,” Law told Variety. “There are one or two more times every day where I’m walking on set and it hits me like a child. I get awestruck by certain characters that are around me, that I can’t say. ”

Jason Momoa is ready to be the bad guy. The actor can’t wait to unveil his villainous role in Universal’s “Fast X,” the tenth mainline entry in the “Fast and Furious” saga. Momoa offered a tease of what fans can expect from his character during Tuesday evening’s red carpet premiere of the third season of the actor’s Apple TV+ series “See.” “Time of my life. I get to be the bad guy finally. I’ve been the good guy for a while,” Momoa told Variety’s Marc Malkin. “He’s very sadistic and androgynous and he’s a bit of a peacock… He’s got a lot of issues, this guy. He’s definitely got some daddy issues.”

Brad Pitt took a moment to comment on his recent fashion escapades at the Los Angeles premiere of “Bullet Train” on Monday evening.The actor has been making an impression as he’s continued the global promotional circuit for the action movie, making headlines last week for wearing a linen skirt to the film’s premiere in Germany.Pitt gave the best explanation he could for the inspiration behind the look.“I don’t know! We’re all going to die, so let’s mess it up,” Pitt told Variety’s Marc Malkin.#BulletTrain actor Brad Pitt on wearing a skirt: "We're all gonna die, so let's mess it up." https://t.co/c4Ce3LROrj pic.twitter.com/m0RQImAidz— Variety (@Variety) August 2, 2022The star wasn’t in a skirt for the film’s Los Angeles premiere, instead sporting a roomy green suit complemented by a teal undershirt and vibrant yellow sneakers. “Bullet Train” stars Pitt as a hitman who has to fight his way through a train filled with dangerous killers, played by actors like Bad Bunny, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry. The group discover that all of their assignments overlap with one another’s and things spiral out of control from there.

Anya Taylor-Joy is married! The Argentine actress quietly got engaged and said “I do” to her boyfriend, Malcolm McRae. According to Page Six, the pair tied the knot at an intimate courthouse wedding.The publication reported that The Queen’s Gambit actress was photographed wearing a ring with a green stone on her left finger.Recently Taylor-Joy opened up about her relationship with McRae. “I said to my partner [the musician and actor Malcolm McRae] the other day that he was my hobby,” she told British Vogue in March 2022.

Sasha Urban editorTiffany Haddish is unstoppable. She stars in mystery comedy series “The Afterparty” on Apple TV+, she had a featured role alongside Nicolas Cage in “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” she has a number of other films and TV shows in the works, and she just released a children’s book, “Layla, the Last Black Unicorn.” But before her current string of successes, she spent time in foster care with no guarantee of her future.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorThe highly-anticipated  “Furiosa,” a spin-off from “Mad Max: Fury Road” has started filming.Chris Hemsworth, one of the film’s stars, shared a post via social media saying, “A new journey in the Mad Max saga begins.” Anya Taylor-Joy stars alongside him. The “Mad Max” prequel movie is based on Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa character from 2015’s “Mad Max: Fury Road.”Miller calls the sequel “a saga,” which will unspool over a 15-year period, differing from its predecessor which spanned three days in its timeframe.George Miller is set to  direct, co-write and produce “Furiosa,” along with his longtime producing partner Doug Mitchell.A new journey in the Mad Max saga begins #FURIOSA pic.twitter.com/nhxqRXB73z— Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth) June 1, 2022Most recently, Miller revealed that  he and composer Tom Holkenborg, aka Junkie XL, will work together again on the film’s score.

William Earl Variety has announced the lineup for its virtual Changemakers Summit on June 14. The event features keynotes and panel conversations highlighting individuals who are advancing equality and elevating underrepresented voices in the entertainment industry.

William Earl Variety announced additional speakers to its Virtual TV Fest, including an “HBO Max Actors and Producers Roundtable,” featuring Zendaya (“Euphoria”), Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”), Oscar Isaac (“Scenes From a Marriage”), Taika Waititi (“Our Flag Means Death”), Ben Foster (“The Survivor”), and Paul W. Downs (“Hacks”). Moderated by Senior Culture Editor Marc Malkin, the session will explore creating breakthrough characters.Other programming additions include the roundtables, “Meet the Makers: Showtime’s ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth'” featuring Executive Producer and Showrunner Alex Kurtzman and Supervising Producer Jason Zimmerman; and “Meet the Makers: Amazon Freevee’s ‘Bosch: Legacy,'” featuring Michael Connelly, executive producer and author of the books from which the series is based. Actor Mimi Rogers and Executive Producer Henrik Bastin will also join the discussion.

James Corden isn’t quite sure what his next move will be after leaving “The Late Late Show” in 2023, but the trained theater actor told Variety senior culture and events editor Marc Malkin on the red carpet of the 2022 Met Gala that he’s not opposed to going back to his roots.When asked if he’d consider a return to Broadway, Corden said, “Well I’d love that, that’d be great.”The late night host has appeared in two plays on the Great White Way: “History Boys” in 2006 and “One Man, Two Guvnors” in 2011. He’s also appeared in a number of movie musicals, including “Cinderella” (2021) and “Into The Woods” (2014), in addition to utilizing his singing and acting chops on his show in segments such as “Crosswalk: The Musical,” where he performs mini-renditions of musicals at a crosswalk outside the CBS studio before the light changes back to green.

Wilson Chapman editor“It’s All Coming Back to Me,” a romantic drama film starring and featuring the music of Celine Dion, will release in theaters Feb. 10, 2023.Formerly titled “Text for You,” “It’s All Coming Back to Me” is based on the 2016 German film “SMS für Dich” by Karoline Herfurth. The film stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas as a woman struggling to move on from the death of her fiancé.

Angelique Jackson The call list for Hollywood’s Barbie movie has grown longer than the Mattel icon’s resume. Since news broke that Margot Robbie would produce and star in the upcoming flick, fans have wondered what a live-action version of the Malibu princess’ world will look like.Back in 2019, at the premiere of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Robbie explained why Barbie is a character worth bringing to life.

Zack Sharf Diddy told Page Six that Will Smith and Chris Rock settled their feud after an altercation at the 94th Academy Awards. Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head while presenting the documentary feature category (the comedian said he could not wait to see Pinkett Smith star in “G.I. Jane 2,” a reference to the 1997 film where Demi Moore appears with a shaved head), which resulted in Smith taking to the stage to slap Rock.

Will Smith ended his time at the 94th Academy Awards with a smile and a dance. Hours after the Mar. 27 event – where Will, 53, slapped Chris Rock before winning the Oscar for Best Actor – the King Richard star attended Vanity Fair’s post-Oscar bash alongside wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. During the after-party, the DJ played Will’s songs “Gittin’ Jiggy Wit It” and “Miami.” In the video recorded by Vanity Fair editor Ramin Setoodeh, Will channels his “Bigg Willy Style” persona while holding his Oscar, rapping, and dancing along to his own music.

Will Smith did early Monday morning at the Vanity Fair Oscars after party in Hollywood hours after he slapped Chris Rock across the face during the live award show.Smith, with wife Jada Pinkett Smith nearby, cheerfully sang along as the DJ played his songs “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” and “Miami,” according to tweets from Variety editors Marc Malkin and Ramin Setoodeh. “Asked Will Smith how he’s doing and he said, ‘It’s all love,'” Malkin shared with four pictures of Smith clenching his golden statue. Vanity Fair correspondent Rebecca Ford said Smith was also smiling for pictures throughout the night.Asked Will Smith how he’s doing and he said, “It’s all love.”#JustforVariety pic.twitter.com/E2EPiYx3XhBut Will was singing a different tune during the show’s live broadcast.

Wilson Chapman editorJessica Chastain is nominated for best actress at the 2022 Oscars for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” a film produced by Disney-owned company Searchlight. On the red carpet of the awards show, Chastain discussed the company’s controversial response to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida.“I think it’s important to take a stand against discriminatory, bigoted legislation,” Chastain told Variety senior culture and events editor Marc Malkin on the Oscars red carpet.

Wilson Chapman editorBefore the Oscars, Amy Schumer made headlines by revealing that she had pitched a segment in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would appear via a livestream or pre-recorded video. While walking the red carpet, her Oscar co-host Wanda Sykes revealed she had a very different opinion about Zelenskyy potentially appearing.“I think he’s very busy right now,” Sykes told Variety senior culture and events editor Marc Malkin on Variety On the Carpet presented by DIRECTV.