BY Laura Berger
Toni Collette and Catherine Hardwicke Reunite for “Mafia Mamma”
Toni Collette and Catherine Hardwicke are following up their last collaboration, 2015 tearjerker “Miss You Already,” with a comedy. The pair are reuniting for “Mafia Mamma,”...
Trailer Watch: Teenage Girls Are On the “Cusp” in Sundance Doc
“I don’t know how to describe me. I’m not an adult, but I’m not a kid anymore,” says one of the teens at the center of “Cusp.” From Parker Hill and Isabel...
Hilary Swank Will Star in and EP “Before She Disappeared” Series Adaptation
Hilary Swank is bringing a page-turner to the small screen. The two-time Academy Award winner is starring in a series adaptation of Lisa Gardner’s suspense novel “Before She...
Tessa Thompson to Play a Helpline Volunteer in “The Listener”
Slated to hit theaters later this month, Rebecca Hall’s “Passing” sees Tessa Thompson sharing the screen with Ruth Negga in a period drama about old friends who reunite as adults....
Julia Ducournau’s “Titane” Is France’s Pick for Oscars’ International Feature Category
“Titane” is eyeing a trip to the Oscars. Julia Ducournau’s history-making sophomore feature has been named France’s submission to the best international film category for the 2022...
Sophie Hyde’s Emma Thompson-Starrer “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” Acquired by Lionsgate UK
Sophie Hyde and Emma Thompson’s collaboration has found a UK home. A press release announced that Thompson-led comedy-drama “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande,” Hyde’s third...
Trailer Watch: Amanda Lipitz Follows Adopted American Teens on a Journey to China in “Found”
An unexpected connection forged on 23andMe leads to a life-changing trip to China in “Found,” Amanda Lipitz’s latest. A trailer for the doc sees three adopted American teenage girls...
Megan Mylan’s Doc Portrait of Syrian Families, “Simple as Water,” Acquired by HBO
Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Megan Mylan has a new film on the way. HBO Documentary Films landed worldwide and streaming rights to “Simple as Water,” an exploration of the bonds...
Trailer Watch: Jessica Chastain Recruits Lupita Nyong’o and More in “The 355”
Riding high on Emmy buzz for “Scenes from a Marriage” and Oscar buzz for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” Jessica Chastain is debuting a new trailer for “The 355.” The...
Pick of the Day: “The Rescue”
E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin are back with another crowd-pleasing, jaw-dropping look at a death-defying mission. They’re following up their Oscar-winning portrait of rock climber Alex...
Axelle Carolyn on Exploring Themes of Aging in Gothic Creature Feature “The Manor”
Axelle Carolyn has directed episodes of FX’s “American Horror Story” and Netflix’s “The Haunting of Bly Manor.” Her other credits include Shudder’s “Creepshow,”...
Unjoo Moon to Direct Adaptation of YA Novel “Frankly in Love”
From the origin story of a feminist anthem to a faux high school romance, Unjoo Moon has lined up her follow-up to 2019 Helen Reddy biopic “I Am Woman.” She’s been tapped to helm...
HBO Max & WarnerMedia Access Launch Animated Shorts Program for Underrepresented Talent
Driven by the goal to “discover and nurture new and distinct voices in adult animation,” HBO is launching a new initiative. The HBO Max X WarnerMedia Access Animated Shorts Program will...
Trailer Watch: Jessica Kingdon Explores China’s Industrial Supply Chain in “Ascension”
Shot in 51 locations across China, “Ascension” explores the country’s industrial supply chain. Director Jessica Kingdon described the doc to us as “an image-driven essay film...
Halsey Album-Film “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power” Heading to HBO Max
Halsey’s getting the best reviews of their career for their latest album, “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power,” and now the chart-topper is set to take on another medium. HBO...
Maria Finitzo’s Exploration of Women’s Sexuality “The Dilemma of Desire” Secured by Utopia
Described by director Maria Finitzo as “a film about power, and how power is easily taken when the truth is replaced with a lie,” “The Dilemma of Desire” “talks about...
Emma Stone to Exec Produce “Flicker in the Dark” Series at HBO Max
Emma Stone is adding to her off-camera résumé. Riding high on the success of “Cruella” and a sequel to the live-action “101 Dalmatians” prequel being greenlit, the star and...
Trailer Watch: Kate Siegel Can’t Wake Up in “Hypnotic”
Kate Siegel is following up “The Haunting of Hill House,” “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” and “Midnight Mass” by tackling the horror genre in another medium. She...
This Year’s Winner of Venice’s Golden Lion, Audrey Diwan’s “Happening,” Acquired by IFC Films
The winner of Venice Film Festival’s top honor is coming stateside. A press release announced that IFC acquired U.S. rights to Audrey Diwan’s “Happening”...
TV Adaptation of Jackie Collins’ “Lovers & Gamblers” in the Works from Sarah Phelps
Laura Fairrie’s not the only one taking inspiration from Jackie Collins. Back in June Fairrie’s documentary paying tribute to the trailblazing author, “Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins...
Trailer Watch: Olivia Munn Is a Film Exec On the Verge of a Breakdown in Justine Bateman’s “Violet”
“The way I’ve always been doing things just doesn’t work now. I want to be free,” says Olivia Munn in a new trailer for “Violet.” The “Newsroom” alumna...
Keira Knightley to Portray Loretta McLaughlin, Journalist Who Broke the “Boston Strangler” Story
Keira Knightley is set to portray yet another influential writer. Two of her most recent offerings, 2018’s “Colette” and 2020’s “Misbehaviour,” saw her playing...
“I’m Your Man” Wins Big at German Film Awards, Maria Schrader Takes Home Best Director Honor
Maria Schrader’s got another winner on her hands. Last year she took home the Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special Emmy and received a BAFTA award nomination...
Julia Ducournau’s “Titane” Lands Biggest U.S. Box Office Opening by a Palme d’Or Winner Since 2004
Julia Ducournau is making history yet again. The first woman director to take home Cannes’ most prestigious prize, the Palme d’Or, since Jane Campion in 1993, Ducournau is making a major...
Jocelyn Moorhouse & Katherine Langford Team Up for “Savage River,” Dynamic Television Lands Rights
Katherine Langford is a murder suspect yet again. Jocelyn Moorhouse is teaming up with the “Knives Out” actress for her next small screen project. Best known for her breakout, Golden...
Series Adaptation of Phoebe Robinson’s “Everything’s Trash” Ordered at Freeform
Phoebe Robinson is celebrating another milestone hot off the heels of HBO Max releasing the trailer for her first-ever solo stand-up special. Freeform has given a series order to...
Trailer Watch: Lily-Rose Depp Falls for a “Wolf” in Nathalie Biancheri’s Latest
“Life is no fairy tale — is it?” asks Lily-Rose Depp in a new trailer for “Wolf.” Described by writer-director Nathalie Biancheri as an exploration of “accepting...
Susanne Bier to Receive Lifetime Honor from European Film Academy
Already the owner of an Oscar, an Emmy, and two European Film Awards, Susanne Bier is adding another major honor to her list of accolades. The Danish writer-director is set to receive the European...
Trailer Watch: Zoe Saldaña Goes to Battle with Dark Lords in “Maya and the Three”
Zoe Saldaña is ready to vanish the dark lords of the underworld in a new trailer for “Maya and the Three.” The “Guardians of the Galaxy” star plays Maya, a princess...
Parminder Nagra to Star in ITV Crime Drama “DI Ray,” an Exploration of a Cop’s Cultural Identity & Heritage
Parminder Nagra is returning from outer space for a grounded look at life in British law enforcement as a person of color. The “ER” alumna will follow-up her latest series, Sky One sci-fi...
Gina Atwater Signs Overall Deal with Netflix and Sets First Project
Gina Atwater has signed a multi-year overall deal with Netflix. The “Westworld” scribe will be creating, producing, and writing new series and projects for the streamer, “focusing...
Series Adaptation of Judy Blume’s “Forever” from Mara Brock Akil in the Works at Netflix
Kelly Fremon Craig’s not the only one with a Judy Blume adaptation on the way. We’ve been looking forward to the “Edge of Seventeen” writer-director’s upcoming take on...
Céline Dion Doc On the Way, Irene Taylor Will Direct
Not to be overshadowed by Valérie Lemercier’s fictionalized account of her life, Céline Dion is telling her own story. Sony Music Entertainment’s (SME) Premium Content division announced that...
“The Boys” Spinoff a Go at Amazon, Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters Will Serve as Showrunners
Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters are set to show a different side of Supes in a YA spinoff of “The Boys.” Currently untitled, the series was just given a “formal series...
Trailer Watch: Phoebe Robinson Talks Quarantine and Reparations in HBO Max Special “Sorry, Harriet Tubman”
“It feels so good to be out — and away from my boyfriend,” announces Phoebe Robinson in a new trailer for her HBO Max comedy special, “Sorry, Harriet Tubman.” The...
Valérie Lemercier’s Céline Dion-Inspired Pic “Aline” Lands at Roadside Attractions, Samuel Goldwyn Films
A new day has come: audiences stateside are finally going to get the chance to see Valérie Lemercier’s unofficial Céline Dion biopic. Loosely inspired by the life of the French-Canadian...
Patricia Arquette Will Direct & Star in “Love Canal” Showtime Limited Series from Colette Burson
Patricia Arquette has yet another series in the works. With two small screen projects already in development, the Oscar and Emmy winner has added a third. She’ll star in, direct, and exec...
Trailer Watch: Maisie Crow Investigates a Law Enforcement Education Program in “At the Ready”
“People are looking up to you. People need you to do great things,” students are told in a new trailer for Maisie Crow’s “At the Ready.” The Sundance doc spotlights...
Trailer Watch: “Jacinta” Explores Intergenerational Trauma and Addiction
First-time director Jessica Earnshaw takes viewers inside Maine Correctional Center, where 26-year-old Jacinta and her mother, 46-year-old Rosemary, are incarcerated together, in...
Pick of the Day: “I’m Your Man”
A researcher finds herself serving as an unenthusiastic participant in someone else’s study in “I’m Your Man.” A sci-fi rom-com from Emmy-winning “Unorthodox”...
Trailer Watch: Kristen Stewart Enters the Oscar Race with Her Portrayal of Lady Di in “Spencer”
Told to “stand very still and smile a lot,” Kristen Stewart begins to crumble under mounting pressure at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in a new trailer for “Spencer,” a...
“Roswell, New Mexico’s” Heather Hemmens to Make Feature Directorial Debut with “Ella Minnow Pea”
“Roswell, New Mexico” star Heather Hemmens is stepping behind the camera. The actress, whose other on-screen credits include “If Loving You Is Wrong” and...
Trailer Watch: Erin Lee Carr Investigates Another Scandal with “Britney vs Spears”
“I just want my life back,” says Britney Spears in a new trailer for “Britney vs Spears.” Erin Lee Carr’s latest explores yet another headline-making legal case....
Trailer Watch: Tracey Deer Revisits the Oka Crisis Though the Eyes of a Mohawk Girl in “Beans”
“You need to be able to stand up for what’s important to you,” a 12-year-old Mohawk girl is told in a new trailer for “Beans.” Set against the backdrop of the Oka...
Kathryn Hahn to Play Joan Rivers in Showtime Limited Series “The Comeback Girl”
Kathryn Hahn is following up her Emmy-nominated turn as the fantastical Wicked Witch of Westview on “WandaVision” by playing an iconic, trailblazing comedian. The “Bad Moms”...
“Pitch Perfect” Series Coming to Peacock, Megan Amram Serving as Showrunner
Megan Amram has exited “The Good Place” and is entering the world of a cappella. The five-time Emmy-nominated “Good Place” and “Parks and Recreation” alumna is...
Claire Scanlon Starts Production on “The People We Hate at the Wedding,” Allison Janney & Kristen Bell Star
Claire Scanlon has kicked off production on her sophomore feature. She’s following up her 2018 Netflix hit “Set It Up” with another rom-com, “The People We Hate at the...
Trailer Watch: Jamie Lee Curtis Is Coming for Michael Myers in “Halloween Kills”
Michael Myers is alive, thriving, and adding to his whopping body count. A gory new trailer for “Halloween Kills” sees the masked murderer returning to where it all began: his childhood...
Trailer Watch: Claire Simon Revisits Marguerite Duras’ Passionate Love Affair in “I Want to Talk About Duras”
A trailer has arrived for “I Want to Talk About Duras,” Claire Simon’s French-language drama inspired by French writer Marguerite Duras’ romance with Yann Andréa. Thirty-eight...
Lynne Sachs Film Series Coming to Criterion Channel, “Film About a Father Who” to Make Streaming Premiere
Following career retrospectives at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2020 and the Museum of the Moving Image in 2021, Lynne Sachs is being paid tribute to by the Criterion Channel. A press release announced that...
Lesli Linka Glatter Elected President of the Directors Guild
“Love and Death” isn’t the only exciting project on Lesli Linka Glatter’s horizon. Besides directing the upcoming Elizabeth Olsen-starrer for HBO Max, the Oscar- and...