The London Action Festival has revealed a packed program for its second edition. Highlights of the first round of programming that has been unveiled include: Anatomy Of A Set Piece where The Raid franchise creator Gareth Evans and others to be announced will break down chosen set pieces from their works; a screening of “The…

Hot Cannes title “Firebrand,” a period drama about Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII, has sold out internationally ahead of its world premiere on Sunday. Sources tell Variety that the film has sold into STXInternational for the U.K. and to Sony Pictures for most other overseas markets. FilmNation has sold remaining…

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said CNN is rebuilding itself to be a news network that presents “both sides” of every issue rather than an “advocacy network” — comments coming as CNN continues to face a backlash over the town hall with Donald Trump last week. Zaslav, speaking at the MoffettNathanson Technology, Media and…

The Alliance for Women in Media will award Marlo Thomas with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s 48th Anniversary Gracies Awards, Variety can exclusively reveal. On May 23, Thomas will be presented with the award at the Four Seasons Hotel in L.A., an honor bestowed upon women in media who embody the essence of…

When Lester Holt visits Florida next week, it won’t be for a vacation. But he will take the regular format of “NBC Nightly News” on a short trip. The veteran anchor will visit Fort Myers Beach and Miami early next week, and on each of two nights will spend a significant amount of time delving…

A new documentary about Avicii, the late Swedish DJ who became an international phenomenon in the 2010s, is underway, with Lawrence Bender, known for his many projects with Quentin Tarantino, and longtime talent manager Orlando John as producing partners. John will co-direct the film with Jonas Trukanas. “Avicii changed the music industry,” said John, a…

On June 1, Adam McKay and his company Hyperobject Industries and Sony Music Entertainment will release “Death on the Lot,” an eight-episode podcast telling the stories of the deaths of James Dean, Hattie McDaniel, John Garfield and other notable Hollywood figures who died prematurely in the 1950s. Variety can exclusively unveil the trailer for “Death…

In a ruling that could have vast implications in the copyright world, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that images of Prince created by Andy Warhol that were based on photos taken by Lynn Goldsmith violated her copyright, according to CNN and multiple news outlets. The ruling was 7-2. The court rejected arguments made by…

More that forty years after his bitter battle with Bob Guccione over cult classic “Caligula,” Italian director Tinto Brass is still fighting. Just as Penthouse Films International has unveiled a new cut of the raunchy 1980 epic about the fall of the Roman ruler titled “Caligula: The Ultimate Cut” – that screened on Wed. in…

Though the CW is beginning to pivot much more heavily to reality fare, with “All American” as the only original scripted series on its fall 2023 lineup, the network has added three new scripted projects to its slate for 2024: “Joan,” “The Librarians: The Next Chapter” and “The Swarm.” Additionally, 2024 will see the premieres…