Ephraim Sykes, a Tony nominee for the Temptations musical “Ain’t Too Proud,” is returning to Broadway in “Room,” a stage version of the Oscar-winning movie. The play and the 2015 film, starring Brie Larson, were based on Emma Donoghue’s 2010 best-selling novel. “Room” tells the story of Ma, who was kidnapped as a teenager and…

“Avatar 2: The Way of Water” star Jamie Flatters looks unrecognizable in stills from his upcoming indie feature “Black Dog,” revealed here exclusively by Variety. Shedding his blue CG ensemble, Flatters, who plays Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington’s eldest Na’avi son in James Cameron’s billion-dollar smash, reverts to type in “Black Dog” as a London…

Submarine Entertainment is launching sales at Berlin’s European Film Market on high-profile doc “Milano — The Inside Story of Italian Fashion,”  directed by John Maggio (“The Perfect Weapon”). Billed as the definitive story of the explosion of Italian fashion in the 1970s and 80s, as told by the insiders, the star-studded doc extensively features Giorgio…

Major Japanese film group Toei Company has reorganized its senior management following the death of Tezuka Osamu, its CEO and president. And it unveiled a new ten-year plan that calls for investment and international expansion. Tezuka, who is not a relation of the late anime director of the same name, was 62. He joined Toei…

Principal photography has kicked off on “Backspot,” the upcoming queer cheerleading film starring Devery Jacobs (“Reservation Dogs”) and newcomer Kudakwashe Rutendo as the leads. It will mark helmer D.W. Waterson (“That’s My DJ”) directorial feature debut. The film is expected to shoot until mid-March in the Toronto area. The film hails from Elliot Page’s Page…

Blue Fox Entertainment has taken on worldwide rights to the American crime thriller “The Stolen Valley,” which it will be launching sales at the Berlin Festival’s European Film Market.  Directed by Jesse Edwards (“Draft Academy”), the film stars Briza Covarrubias (“All Rise,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) and Allee Sutton Hethcoat (“Triumph,” “Nashville,” “The Vampire Diaries”). Edwards also…

Angela Schanelec’s “Music,” which will have its world premiere on Feb. 21 in competition at the Berlinale, has debuted its trailer with Variety. The film, which stars Aliocha Schneider and Agathe Bonitzer, is freely inspired by the myth of Oedipus. International sales are handled by Shellac. Found at birth abandoned on a stormy night in…

The European Film Market kicking off this week in Berlin could mark a return to a familiar, old-fashioned balance of power between buyers and sellers. And as the impact of the pandemic retreats, there is cautious optimism that activity levels may now be more sustainable and fairer. Certainly, leading film sales companies and local distributors…

Hong Kong-based sales agency Golden Network Asia has amassed a large collection of advanced sales on upcoming Jackie Chan-starring film “Ride On.” The film, pitched as an action dramedy and one in which Chan pays homage to old-school stunt men, has recently been given an April 7 release date in mainland China. The date also…

Here’s something I can’t get my head around. Two of the biggest and most technically complicated television events the BBC would ever have to broadcast — the King’s Coronation and the Eurovision Song Contest — are both taking place back-to-back over an eight-day period this May. The King’s Coronation will involve considerable outside broadcast resources…