Following the 2019 conclusion of his acclaimed BBC series “Luther,” Idris Elba is back as detective chief inspector John Luther in Netflix’s film continuation. “Luther” ran for five seasons between 2010 and 2019. Elba notched four Emmy nominations, plus two Golden Globe wins, a Screen Actors Guild award, a Critics Choice award and a Royal…
Kyrie ‘just glad’ that Durant ‘got out’ of Brooklyn
Kyrie Irving said he is “glad” that Kevin Durant “got out of there” just minutes after ESPN reported the Nets had agreed to trade the former NBA MVP to the Suns.
NFL experts predict Chiefs-Eagles: Our Super Bowl winner picks
NFL writers, analysts and reporters take their best guesses on the Super Bowl LVII matchup.
Jay Shetty Launches Purpose-Driven Talent Agency (EXCLUSIVE)
Bestselling author, podcast host, social media sensation, life coach and former monk Jay Shetty is expanding his media footprint, now launching a talent agency, Variety has learned exclusively. Shetty, along with partners Rula Zaabri, Brittany Louks and Blaire Zierke, has announced the formation of House of 1212, a full-service, purpose-driven talent agency that will represent…
Hulu’s ‘Stolen Youth’ Sensitively Tells the Harrowing Story of the Sarah Lawrence Cult: TV Review
Half the battle in pulling together a creatively successful true-crime documentary is, surely, finding the right story — one that can hold our interest and can, potentially, generate insights beyond the simple facts of the case. But the other half, the filmmaker’s approach, matters every bit as much. In narrating the famous tale of a…
EFM: China-U.S. Animation ‘Shimmy: The First Monkey King’ Picked Up by Odin’s Eye (EXCLUSIVE)
Odin’s Eye Animation has picked up sales rights to “Shimmy: The First Monkey King,” an animated family entertainment film that is rare official China-U.S. coproduction. Sales activity will begin at the European Film Market starting next week alongside the Berlin Film Festival. The story involves Shimmy, a cheeky monkey with newly discovered superhero-like powers who…
‘The Universe Works in Very Interesting Ways’: Paul Mescal on Emotional Timing of ‘Aftersun’ Oscar Nomination
Paul Mescal, nominated for best actor at the BAFTAs and Oscars for “Aftersun,” has reacted to the emotional timing when the latter nod was announced. The Oscar nomination announcement came as Mescal’s mother Dearbhla was preparing to go into chemotherapy for cancer, as revealed by his sister Nell. Speaking to Martha Kearney on BBC Radio…
M-Appeal Acquires Titles by Oscar Winner Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Closes Deals for North America, Taiwan (EXCLUSIVE)
Berlin-based sales company M-Appeal will be handling eight films by Academy Award winner Ryûsuke Hamaguchi made between 2008-2016. The deal follows M-Appeal’s previous collaboration with Hamaguchi and producer Satoshi Takata, of NEOPA Inc., in 2021 on the film “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy,” which premiered in Berlinale Competition and won the Silver Bear Grand Jury…
Dish’s Sling TV Rebrands Free-Streaming Service as ‘Freestream’
Sling TV, the internet-streaming division of Dish Network, is doubling down on free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) and free, ad-supported VOD — looking to beef up its offering for consumers who balk at paying a monthly subscription fee. The redubbed Sling Freestream is launching with 210 free channels and 41,000-plus on-demand titles. It’s a rebranding…
Russians would win ‘medals of blood,’ Usyk says
Oleksandr Usyk urged the International Olympic Committee to ban Russia from the Olympic Games, saying any medals they win in Paris next year would be tainted by the blood of his countrymen who have died in his country’s war with Russia.