BY Laura Berger
Trailer Watch: Natalie Portman Spirals After Space in “Lucy in the Sky”
“I saw my house from space — not literally, but my life,” says Natalie Portman in a new trailer for “Lucy in the Sky.” The Oscar winner plays Lucy, an astronaut...
Jennifer Reeder’s “Knives and Skin” Acquired by IFC Midnight
Jennifer Reeder’s latest has found a home. IFC Midnight snagged North American rights to “Knives and Skin.” The genre coming-of-age pic made its world premiere at the Berlinale and...
Trailer Watch: Anna Kendrick Saves Christmas in “Noelle”
“My name is Noelle Kringle. Christmas runs in my family,” says Anna Kendrick in the first trailer for “Noelle.” “My dad was Santa, and now, it’s my brother...
Wanda Sykes, Page Hurwitz, and Kim McKoy Developing “W.H.I.P.s” at BET
Wanda Sykes recently scored two Emmy nods for her Netflix special, “Not Normal,” and now the comedian is set to add another project to her packed slate. BET has put a half-hour...
Rebecca Stern’s “Well Groomed” Lands at HBO
Neon-colored doggos are coming to HBO. The premium cable network has acquired “Well Groomed,” Rebecca Stern’s doc about competitive and creative dog grooming. A press release...
Trailer Watch: Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe Find the Horror in Suburbia in “Greener Grass”
“On the surface, ‘Greener Grass’ is a comedy satirizing suburbia, but to us it’s a horror movie,” writer-directors Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe told Women and Hollywood...
Sarah Michelle Gellar Will Lead and Exec Produce “Other People’s Houses” for Fox
Sarah Michelle Gellar is reuniting with the creators of “Ringer.” The Emmy-nominated actress is set to topline and exec produce a dramedy from Nicole Snyder and Eric Charmelo that’s...
Trailer Watch: Eliza Scanlen Is Transformed by Love in Shannon Murphy’s “Babyteeth”
A trailer has dropped for Shannon Murphy’s feature directorial debut. “Babyteeth” sees “Sharp Objects” breakout Eliza Scanlen playing another disturbed, rebellious teen....
Billie Piper to Topline Sky Drama “I Hate Suzy”
Billie Piper is re-teaming with “Secret Diary of a Call Girl” scribe Lucy Prebble. The pair are credited as co-creators on “I Hate Suzy,” an eight-part series that’s...
Agnieska Holland’s “Mr. Jones” Acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films
Samuel Goldwyn Films has snagged North American rights to Agnieska Holland’s latest, “Mr. Jones.” Variety confirmed the news. Penned by Andrea Chalupa, “Mr. Jones” is based on...
Trailer Watch: “Sister Aimee” Is an Evangelist With a Hell of a Story to Tell
“I’m just an entertainer, that’s all,” says Aimee Semple McPherson (Anna Margaret Hollyman, “20 Weeks”) in a new trailer for “Sister Aimee.” “I...
Germany Adds “System Crasher” to the International Feature Film Oscar Race
“System Crasher” may be heading to the Oscars. A press release announced that Germany has selected Nora Fingscheidt’s debut feature as their submission for Best International...
Lena Dunham Launches Production Company and Announces a Slew of New Projects
Lena Dunham, “a voice of a generation,” continues to make a major mark on pop culture post-“Girls.” The Golden Globe-winning multi-hyphenate has launched a new production...
Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Diane Kruger, and Fan Bingbing’s “355” Gets Release Date
“355” has a release date. The star-studded Universal Pictures spy thriller sees Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Diane Kruger, and Fan Bingbing teaming up to prevent an international...
Lana Wachowski to Write and Direct a Fourth “Matrix”
A whole new generation will have to decide between red pills and blue pills. Neo and Trinity are headed back to theaters. A fourth “Matrix” installment is on the way with the...
Stacy Rukeyser Lands Series Order from Netflix for “Sex/Life”
Former “UnREAL” showrunner Stacy Rukeyser has another soapy dramedy on the way. Netflix has given a straight-to-series order for “Sex/Life,” The Hollywood Reporter confirms....
“Varda by Agnès” Gets Release Date, Will Coincide with Touring Retrospective of Varda’s Work
Agnès Varda’s final film has a release date. Janus Films will release “Varda by Agnès” November 22 in New York at Film Forum and Film at Lincoln Center with a national rollout to...
HBO Max Slate Includes Projects from Meryl Streep, Lena Dunham and “Practical Magic” Prequel
HBO Max’s lineup is coming into focus. The upcoming WarnerMedia streaming service has ordered pilots for a half-hour dramedy from “Girls” alumna Lena Dunham and a “Practical...
Trailer Watch: Gitanjali Rao Tells an Epic Love Story in “Bombay Rose”
Variety has dropped a trailer for Gitanjali Rao’s feature debut, “Bombay Rose.” The musical romance is slated to kick off the 2019 Venice Critics’ Week on August 28. Set on the...
Mati Diop to Receive Inaugural Mary Pickford Award at TIFF 2019
Mati Diop made history at Cannes this year as the first black female filmmaker to screen a feature in competition at the fest, where she took home the Grand Prix for “Atlantics,” her feature...
Exclusive: Rosine Mbakam’s Features to Make Joint Theatrical Premiere
Cameroonian director Rosine Mbakam’s first two features are set to make their joint theatrical premiere. Women and Hollywood can reveal that “The Two Faces of a Bamileke Woman” and...
Paley Center to Honor Carol Burnett and Lily Tomlin
The Paley Center for Media is set to celebrate Carol Burnett and Lily Tomlin. Described as “comic trailblazers who left their indelible mark on television,” the pair are among those to be...
“Finding Farideh” Is Named Iran’s Submission for the International Feature Film Oscar
“Finding Farideh” is an Oscar hopeful. Co-directed by “From Iran, a Separation” collaborators Azadeh Mousavi and Kourosh Ataee, the documentary has been selected as Iran’s...
Trailer Watch: Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon Reinvent “The Morning Show”
“Good morning. I’m bringing you some sad and upsetting news. And while I don’t know the details of the allegations, Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell), my co-host and partner of 15 years...
Natasha Lyonne Lines Up Directing Work on Awkwafina-Led Series, “Shrill,” & “High Fidelity” Reboot
“Russian Doll” co-creator, star, writer, director, and exec producer Natasha Lyonne is keeping busy before she heads into production on the second season of her “Groundhog...
Olivia Wilde to Helm Psychological Thriller “Don’t Worry, Darling”
Olivia Wilde is branching out. After making her feature directorial debut with teen comedy “Booksmart” and signing on to helm an untitled holiday comedy for Universal, she’s set to...
Haley Bennett-Starrer “Swallow” Goes to IFC
IFC has snagged U.S. rights to “Swallow,” a horror pic led by “The Girl on the Train’s” Haley Bennett. Variety broke the news. “Swallow” tells the story of a...
Luisa Leschin Will Be Honored with Norman Lear Writer’s Award at Imagen Awards
Writer, playwright, producer, and actress Luisa Leschin has been named as this year’s recipient of the Imagen Awards’ annual Norman Lear Writer’s Award, Variety confirms. The honor...
Trailer Watch: A Family Is Divided in Locarno Opener “Magari”
A newly released trailer for Ginevra Elkann’s “Magari” (“If Only”) kicks off with a young girl pleading with the saints on her knees. “I’ll make a sacrifice...
Viola Davis and Julia Hart Developing a “Fast Color” Series Adaptation at Amazon
“Fast Color” could be making its way to the small screen. Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions is developing a series based on the Gugu Mbatha-Raw-starrer alongside the...
Trailer Watch: Betty Gilpin Won’t Go Down Without a Fight in “The Hunt”
Liberty Belle takes the fight outside of the ring in a new trailer for “The Hunt.” “GLOW” breakout Betty Gilpin stars as Crystal, a woman who wakes up in a clearing with 11...
Trailer Watch: Lucy Lawless Solves Mysteries in “My Life Is Murder”
Best known for her role as a warrior princess in “Xena,” Lucy Lawless continues to kick ass in “My Life Is Murder.” A trailer just dropped for the Australian mystery series,...
Rita Moreno Doc in the Works at PBS
Over five decades after co-starring in the original musical feature, Rita Moreno is currently filming Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story.” “Chamacas” director...
Trailer Watch: Children Are Haunted by the Drug Wars in Issa López’s “Tigers Are Not Afraid”
“We forget who we are when things from outside come to get us,” says Estrella (Paola Lara) in a trailer for “Tigers Are Not Afraid.” Set against the backdrop of Mexico’s...
Trailer Watch: Melanie Martinez Goes to Boarding School in “K-12”
A trailer has dropped for “Dollhouse” singer Melanie Martinez’s directorial debut. Titled “K-12,” the musical feature is set in a fairy tale-like boarding school. At the...
Lena Waithe, Blake Lively, and Connie Britton Sign Amazon Deals
Lena Waithe, Blake Lively, and Connie Britton are making major commitments with Amazon Studios. Each has signed a deal with the streamer. Best known for her history-making Emmy win for writing on...
Mary J. Blige Will Star in “Power” Spinoff
Mary J. Blige is adding another credit to her rapidly expanding acting resume. The Grammy-winning singer and Oscar-nominated “Mudbound” actress is set to star in a “Power”...
Trailer Watch: The Pfeffermans Sing Through Their Grief in “Transparent’s” Musical Finale
“What is it going to be like, now that she’s not here?” The Pfeffermans are left contemplating life without Maura (Jeffrey Tambor) in the musical season finale of...
Sofia Carson Will Topline Elissa Down Dance Pic “Feel the Beat”
Sofia Carson is going to show a group of youngsters how it’s done on the dance floor. The “Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists” and “Descendants” star has signed on...
Amy Schumer Has a New Hulu Show on the Way
Amy Schumer is returning to television. The Emmy and Peabody-winning co-creator, star, writer, director, and exec producer of “Inside Amy Schumer” has received a series order from Hulu...
Trailer Watch: Maxine Peake Sheds Blood in “Gwen”
A newly released trailer for “Gwen” starts with a heartfelt prayer and ends with sobbing and shrieking. A nightmarish situation unfolds in between. Set in in 1855 in Snowdonia,...
Meryl Streep to Be Honored with the TIFF Tribute Actor Award
Meryl Streep is saying goodbye to “Big Little Lies” and hello to yet another statuette. Just days after the Season 2 finale of “Big Little Lies” comes word that Streep will...
Trailer Watch: Linda Ronstadt Sings Her Way Into History in “The Sound of My Voice”
Linda Ronstadt has earned the admiration of millions of fans since she launched her career in the 1960s — Dolly Parton among them. “Linda could literally sing anything,” says Parton...
“Moana’s” Auli’i Cravalho Takes the Lead in “Sorta Like a Rock Star”
Auli’i Cravalho has landed her first leading role in a live-action film. Best known for voicing the titular character in Disney smash “Moana,” Cravalho has signed on to topline...
Nina Dobrev Will Topline and Exec Produce Jennifer Cram’s Feature Debut
“Fam’s” Nina Dobrev has signed on to star and exec produce “Sick Girl,” Deadline reports. The indie comedy marks casting director Jennifer Cram’s feature directing...
“Good Girls Revolt’s” Dana Calvo Will Serve as Co-Showrunner on “Dune: The Sisterhood”
Dana Calvo is switching gears from period drama to sci-fi. The “Good Girls Revolt” creator has signed a multi-year overall deal with Legendary Television Studios that sees her serving as...
Catherine Hardwicke to Direct Female-Led LGBTQ Viking Fantasy
After taking on drug cartels in “Miss Bala,” the Big Bad Wolf in “Red Riding Hood,” and vampires in “Twilight,” Catherine Hardwicke is set to direct another genre...
Jennifer Lawrence to Star in and Produce “Mob Girl”
Jennifer Lawrence has found time to line up her next project while filming theater director Lila Neugebauer’s feature debut. The Oscar-winning actress will topline and produce an adaptation of...
Uzo Aduba-Starrer “Miss Virginia” Goes to Vertical Entertainment
“Miss Virginia” has found a home. A press release announced that Vertical Entertainment acquired North American rights to the drama starring “Orange Is the New Black’s”...
Jane Goodall Doc in the Works at National Geographic
National Geographic has another Jane Goodall documentary on the way. The project comes on the heels of 2017’s “Jane,” National Geographic Documentary Films’ Emmy-winning and...
Janelle Monáe Will Topline Season 2 of “Homecoming”
Janelle Monáe is heading to the small screen. After strong supporting turns in “Hidden Figures” and “Moonlight” the eight-time Grammy nominee is taking on the lead in Season...