Features: Last News

J. Kim Murphy Prime Video has halted production on the final season of “Good Omens.” The decision comes two months after series creator and showrunner Neil Gaiman was accused of sexual assault by several women. The series, which stars Michael Sheen and David Tennant as a BFF angel-and-demon duo, was preparing to shoot in Scotland before the streamer elected to pause the production to consider changes.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Odessa Young knew right away she wanted to be a part of “My First Film,” director Zia Anger’s retelling about her first feature, 2010’s “Always All Ways, Anne Marie,” failing to be accepted to any film festivals. Young plays a fictionalized Anger named Vita. The movie follows Vita making a scrappy independent film in her hometown, and her unraveling as she has to cope with a burdensome boyfriend who wants them to become first-time parents.

died at age 93 on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, was one of Hollywood’s most recognizable talents and voices.

James Earl Jones, the prolific film, TV and theater actor whose resonant, unmistakable baritone was most widely known as the voice of “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader, died Monday morning at his home in Dutchess County, N.Y., his rep confirmed to Variety. He was 93. After overcoming a profound stutter as a child, Jones established himself as one of the pioneering Black actors of his generation, amassing a bountiful and versatile career spanning over 60 years, from his debut on Broadway in 1958 at the Cort Theatre — renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre in 2022 — to his most recent performance in 2021’s “Coming 2 America.” For that film, Jones reprised his role as King Jaffe Joffer from the 1988 Eddie Murphy comedy “Coming to America” — one of several roles, along with Darth Vader, that Jones revisited, including the voice of King Mufasa in Disney’s animated feature “The Lion King” in 1994, the 1998 direct-to-video sequel and the 2019 remake, and CIA deputy director Vice Admiral James Greer in three Jack Ryan movies, 1990’s “The Hunt for Red October,” 1992’s “Patriot Games” and 1994’s “Clear and Present Danger.” JAMES EARL JONES REMEMBERED BY ‘STAR WARS’ CO-STAR MARK HAMILL AND MORE Among his more than 80 film credits, Jones’ other notable movies include as a B-52 bombardier in Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 Cold War satire “Dr.

EXCLUSIVE: SeriesFest, the non-profit organization dedicated to advancing and celebrating innovation in episodic storytelling, is partnering with Ed Helms and Mike Falbo’s Pacific Electric Picture Co. on a new, comedy-focused iteration of its Storytellers Initiative, a premier competition designed to discover and elevate emerging storytellers.

Katcy Stephan Brianna Middleton and Stella Everett have been cast in leading roles for the feature adaptation of “Ride or Die,” the short film by filmmaker Josalynn Smith. Smith serves as writer and director for the feature, executive produced by Datari Turner of Foxxhole Productions. Smith will also produce alongside Matthew Keene Smith.

Film fans are invited to revisit a galaxy far, far away this September as every main Star Wars film brings some of cinema’s most iconic heroes and villains back to the big screen.

Autumn is officially here, bringing with it dark, chilly evenings. If you're someone who struggles with poor circulation or conditions like Raynaud's, the colder temperatures can be particularly harsh on your body, especially your feet.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Nafta Films, led by Esko Rips, and Film and Music Entertainment, headed by Sam Taylor, have teamed to adapt Stanislaw Lem’s novella “The Inquest of Pilot Pirx.” Previous films based on Lem’s work include Steven Soderbergh’s “Solaris,” starring George Clooney, and György Pálfi’s “His Master’s Voice.” British sci-fi novelist Adrian Tchaikovsky has adapted Lem’s story for the screen. Tchaikovsky’s series “Children of Time” won the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Hugo Award and British Science Fiction Assn.

The Princess of Wales has revealed that she has completed her preventative chemotherapy treatment following her unexpected cancer diagnosis earlier this year in a heartfelt family video. Kate, 42, described the past nine months as "scary" and "incredibly tough," but emphasised that "out of darkness, can come light."

The Scottish Government is tackling speeding on Scotland’s roads with a new road safety campaign, asking drivers in Lanarkshire to slow down to help reduce collisions and casualties.

Beyoncé was completely shut out of nominations for the 2024 CMA Awards… And fans are LIVID!

Andrés Buenahora editor Jocelyn Bioh, who has written for “The Acolyte” and “Tiny Beautiful Things” and will be featured on Variety’s “2024 10 Screenwriters to Watch” List, has won the 2024 Horton Foote Prize for her play “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.” Executive director Valerie Brea Ross and founder and prize board chair Mari Marchbanks announced the news Wednesday. Bioh will be presented the prize by the play’s director, Whitney White, on Oct. 7 at New York’s Lotos Club.

Apple rolled out the iPhone 16 at its annual September product event, showcasing the artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities of the new devices.

Andrés Buenahora editor In January 2015, former Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside recorded a triple double with blocks in a game against the Chicago Bulls. During his postgame interview, Whiteside told reporters he was “just trying to get my ‘NBA 2K‘ rating up.” Nearly a decade later, the lore surrounding player ratings in the basketball video game franchise remains as prominent as ever. Most recently, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo commented on a Bucks Instagram post, expressing his dissatisfaction with his “97” overall rating in “NBA 2K25,” the latest iteration in the franchise.

South Lanarkshire residents are being asked to consider volunteering as children’s panel members to conduct legal hearings supporting the interests of young people

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Apple took the wraps off the iPhone 16, the first generation of its flagship phones purpose-built for generative AI. The baseline iPhone 16 model will start at $799 (with a 6.1-inch screen) and the 16 Plus (6.7-inch screen) is $899, both with 128 gigabytes of memory, available in five colors: black, white, pink, teal and ultramarine. The iPhone 16 Pro (6.3 inch) starts at $999 with 128 GB and iPhone 16 Pro Max (6.9 inch) starts at $1,199, available with up to 1 terabyte of storage.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice stars Jenna Ortega and Catherine O’Hara have opened up about the film’s big dance scene.The sequel to the 1988 film has just hit cinemas, and features a big song and dance scene at the end featuring their characters Astrid and Delia.Opening up to NME about devising the moment, O’Hara explained that their moves were created by themselves, with the help of a choreographer.“You were the inspiration behind the performance art aspect of it,” Ortega then said of her co-star. “I think it read on the page as a proper dance, and you sparked an idea.”O’Hara elaborated: “I wanted the more… illogical to my mind… dance moves that kind of mean nothing in all modern… not all modern dance, modern dance is amazing.”“We were in a tent right off set and we were like, ‘Oh it’s funny when you do that,'” Ortega recalled, O’Hara adding that her fellow star “laid down on the floor and did” a dramatic pose, and they “went for it”.Beetlejuice Beetlejuice follows three generations of the Deetz family as they return to Winter River, as Lydia’s (Winona Ryder) daughter Astrid accidentally opens up the portal to the Afterlife.It also sees the return of Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse, while Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe join the ensemble alongside Ortega.In NME‘s four-star review of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, we said the film is held together by director Tim Burton’s “wicked imagination” and is “filled with brilliantly ridiculous moments”.“This film has its flaws, not least some unnecessary CGI sandworms that clash with the kitsch practical effects elsewhere, but its sense of fun never lets up.

EXCLUSIVE: Media industry veteran Karolina Waclawiak has been appointed to serve as Head of Documentary at BuzzFeed Studios.

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Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Future Games Show is expanding its event lineup with the Mobile Gaming Show. The Mobile Gaming Show will air on Sept. 26 at 1 p.m.