Cinematographer Polly Morgan remembers seeing “A Quiet Place” when it hit theaters and being terrified. As a young mother watching Emily Blunt’s Evelyn Abbott giving birth in a tub and later putting her crying baby in a box to save it from the creatures, she was fearful. “It was a family drama, and I cared about these characters, even though it was a horror film,” she says.

Morgan’s top priority on Pt. 2 of 'A Quiet Place' which hits theaters May 28 after more than a year’s delay due to the pandemic, was to stay true to the tone and lighting established by Charlotte Bruus Christensen, who lensed the first picture. “Since the sequel picks up right where the first movie left off, I didn’t want the audience to be jarred by the film’s look,” Morgan says.

For director John Krasinski, the decision to shoot on film was “nonnegotiable.” Not only did he want to avoid sequel tropes, but he wanted to maintain the feel of the original. “I wanted the first frame to feel nostalgic, and that it was any time and any place,” he says.

Krasinski and Morgan discussed ways to achieve a wider visual approach. They decided on the Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL2 camera and Panavision T-Series anamorphic lenses to enable close-ups and better serve low-light situations as the family leaves the farmhouse and goes out into the world. “We talked about the dynamics of movement through the characters and how we’d capture that,” Morgan recalls. “We also discussed how we wanted certain things to feel grand and other scenes to feel within the family.” Anamorphic lenses helped deliver the intimate shots: “I could get the lenses close to the actors and still hold focus.”

They also looked at modern Westerns for inspiration: “There Will Be Blood,” “True Grit” and “No Country for Old Men” — the latter two of which “Quiet Place Part II” production designer Jess Gonchor worked on — all served as ideas in helping to create the film’s color palette.

In the sequel, the power grids are still on since no one was able to turn them off and life hasn’t been normal for more than a year. That means the bulbs in the grids have expired, Morgan posits, so she used moonlight or ambient night light to inform her decisions. On occasion, visible light sources would be primary, so the characters  are seen in silhouette.

Gonchor found an old train car that he shipped in. It was big and practical and had tinted windows. It’s used during a sequence when Regan (Millicent Simmonds) is alone on the train; since she’s deaf, there’s no sound in the scene. Morgan set up a lighting crane to stream daylight in through the camera. By doing that, the light bounced off the floors and underlit Regan’s face to keep it mysterious. “I wanted to create tension and be with her as she explores this place,” Morgan says.

While she enjoyed working with film, there were sequences where digital had to be used because the environment couldn’t accommodate film cameras. “We ended up shooting an arena scene at night on digital because we could use its sensitivity to see out into the water at night,” she says. Other times, conditions were too cramped: “We did a scene in Emily’s Volvo because we simply couldn’t fit a film camera in that car to get the shots we needed.”

 Krasinski jokes that he probably terrified Morgan while shooting those scenes. Not only did he want to place the audience in the car with Blunt, but he wanted viewers to be walking the street with his own character. The opening sequence features the most stunts and a large number of visual effects to achieve that proximity. Says Krasinski of his DP: “She was the most can-do person.”

Chadwick Boseman was best known to audiences for his work onscreen, playing iconic figures like Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall and the Black Panther. But offscreen, he was known as a proud Howard Bison.

Howard University announced today that the newly re-established college of fine arts, led by Dean Phylicia Rashad, will be named the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, in honor of the late actor and distinguished alumnus.

Boseman died in August 2020 at age 43, after he was diagnosed with colon cancer.

In a statement celebrating the announcement, Boseman’s family shared their gratitude for Howard President Wayne A. I. Fredrick and the Board of Trustees for honoring their beloved Chad with the renaming of the institution.

“Chad fought to preserve the College of Fine Arts during his matriculation at Howard and remained dedicated to the fight throughout his career, and he would be overjoyed by this development,” the Boseman family said.

“His time at Howard University helped shape both the man and the artist that he became, committed to truth, integrity and a determination to transform the world through the power of storytelling,” the statement continued. “We are confident that under the dynamic leadership of his former professor and mentor the indomitable Phylicia Rashad that the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts will inspire artistic scholars for many generations.”

Boseman’s wife, Simone Ledward-Boseman, also shared her support for the move.

“I am extremely pleased that Howard University has chosen to honor my husband in this way and elated that Ms. Rashad has accepted the role as Dean,” she said. “Chad was a very proud Bison — both Howard and Ms. Rashad played integral roles in his journey as an artist. The re-establishment of the College of Fine Arts brings this part of his story full-circle and ensures that his legacy will continue to inspire young storytellers for years to come.”

Though Boseman’s full tenure at Howard was formative, the actor was particularly impacted by his time and training with Rashad, whose appointment as dean was announced earlier this month.

When discussing the announcement with Variety, Rashad shared that, in a touching gesture, some of her former students vouched for her to take on the position. “I was asked not to discuss this, but somehow some former students were aware of the fact that I was in process of being interviewed and they quietly voiced their support.”

Boseman had been very public about the way Rashad’s mentorship prepared him and was in support of her taking on the role, after having been such a significant part of his own journey.

In a statement about renaming the college in honor of her beloved student, Rashad said, “Unrelenting in his pursuit of excellence, Chadwick was possessed with a passion for inquiry and a determination to tell stories — through acting, writing, and directing — that revealed the beauty and complexity of our human spirit.”

The reestablishment of the independent fine arts college was a long-held dream of Boseman’s, who graduated in 2000 with a BFA in directing. While he was a student, Boseman led a protest against the College of Fine Arts’ absorption into the College of Arts & Sciences, which he referenced during his powerful commencement address in 2018, where he spoke about challenging the powers that be and finding your purpose.

“A Howard University education is not just about what happens in the classroom, students,” Boseman said, addressing the class of 2018. “In some ways, what you were able to do exemplifies some of the skills you learned in the classroom. It takes the education out of the realm of theory and into utility and practice.”

Famed author Ta-Nehisi Coates was a fellow student during those years, working as a reporter for the Hilltop newspaper.

“One of my outstanding memories of him as a public figure is of him being one of the leaders of the protest to preserve the College of Fine Arts, which we knew even at that time, had turned out so many alumni like Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack, Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen,” Coates tells Variety. “That was very present to us. We were all mourning when they shut it down.”

For Coates, looking back on that protest in 1997, as Boseman and his fellow students led a three-day sit-in at the administration building, not only represents Boseman’s leadership skills, but his long term dedication to Howard’s students past and present. And renaming the college of fine arts for Boseman continues that legacy.

“For him to go out into the world, to take the knowledge that he had acquired at Howard University, and become the artist that he became — obviously we all mourn his passing much, much, much too early — but I know how important that college was to him,” Coates says. “And given everything that he gave, I don’t know who else it could be named after. It feels totally appropriate for who he was.”

He adds: “The message that this really sends to me — especially for young people who think things are not going the way they think they should go at some point — is you just never know how it’s gonna come back, so, stick with it. Some fights are long and this was a near-25 year fight. I salute Chad and I salute President Fredrick for doing this.”

In addition to renaming the college for Boseman, The Walt Disney Company’s executive chairman Bob Iger will lead fundraising efforts to build a new facility for the college and an endowment in the “Black Panther” star’s name.

“Chadwick Boseman was an extraordinarily gifted, charismatic and kind-hearted person whose incredible talent and generous spirit were clearly reflected in his iconic performances, including as King T’Challa in ‘Black Panther,’ and in his tireless commitment to helping others,” Iger said. “Through his tremendous example he inspired millions to overcome adversity, dream big and reach beyond the status quo, and this College named in his honor at his beloved Howard University will provide opportunities for future generations of artists to follow in his footsteps and pursue their dreams.”

The building will also house the Cathy Hughes School of Communications and the University’s television and radio stations, WHUT-TV and WHUR 96.3 FM, creating a dynamic, one-stop complex for the arts and journalism combined.

“When Chadwick Boseman returned to campus in 2018 to serve as our commencement speaker, he called Howard a magical place,” said Howard University president Wayne A. I. Fredrick. “During his visit, I announced our plans to reestablish the College of Fine Arts and he was filled with ideas and plans to support the effort in a powerful way.”

“Chadwick’s love for Howard University was sincere,” Fredrick continued. “Although he did not live to see those plans through to fruition, it is my honor to ensure his legacy lives on.”

After the news was announced, a post on the actor’s social media accounts welcomed future students to the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts. The tweet also highlighted the full-circle nature of the moment, complete with the Hilltop newspaper clipping about the protest and a photo of Boseman at commencement, summing up the sentiment from all who knew the man — and those who admired him from afar — perfectly.

“Chad, you exemplify Howard’s core values of excellence, leadership, service, and truth,” the post read. “There is no one more deserving of such an honor. We are so proud of you, we love you, and we miss you every day.”

To donate, please visit https://giving.howard.edu/BosemanCollegeOfFineArts.

Samuel E. Wright, the actor who voiced Sebastian in “The Little Mermaid,” has died. He was 74.

The news of his death was confirmed in a Facebook post on Tuesday by his hometown Montgomery, N.Y. It did not confirm his cause of death.

“Today, the Town of Montgomery mourns the loss of Sam Wright,” the post reads. “Sam was an inspiration to us all and along with his family established the Hudson Valley Conservatory. Sam and his family have impacted countless Hudson Valley youth always inspiring them to reach higher and dig deeper to become the best version of themselves. On top of his passion for the arts and his love for his family, Sam was most known for walking into a room and simply providing PURE JOY to those he interacted with. He loved to entertain, he loved to make people smile and laugh and he loved to love.”

Wright was born in Camden, S.C., eventually making his way into the entertainment industry when he landed on Broadway in the original 1971 cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Jesus Christ Superstar.” He went on to originate the roles of William in “The Tap Dance Kid” and Mufasa in “The Lion King,” both of which he was nominated for a Tony Award for best featured actor in a musical. In between, Wright made a slew of appearances on TV shows over the course of the ’70s and ’80s, which included his television debut on 1976’s “Ball Four,” “All My Children” and “The Cosby Show.”

In 1989, he voiced Ariel’s trusty sidekick and voice of reason Sebastian in “The Little Mermaid.” He would continue to lend his talents for the role in numerous video games, TV series “House of Mouse” and “The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea.”

“The greater Town of Montgomery Community mourns together today,” the Town of Montgomery Facebook post concluded. “As we say goodbye to a pillar in our community and ask everyone to share a memory and help us celebrate the life of this great man.”

Disney’s “Cruella” is both a live-action “101 Dalmatians” origin story and an ode to 1970s London. It’s set at the height of the punk rock era, when an “anything goes” mentality ruled music, fashion and makeup. When she took on the job, makeup head Nadia Stacey who had previously worked with “Cruella” star Emma Stone on “The Favourite,” happily realized she was free to follow the punk rock ethos of unapologetically expressing your style. “This isn’t standard. It’s going to be unexpected for Disney,” Stacey promises.

The film follows a young Cruella, who gets a job at a fashion house run by the Baroness, played by Emma Thompson. Stacey says one look, where Cruella shows up to an event in a red ruffled skirt paired with a black jacket, was inspired by Stone’s red-carpet makeup at the London premiere of “The Favourite.” Stacey recalls seeing Stone’s bold dark lip. “I remember thinking, ‘Not a lot of people can pull that off, so we should use that,’” she says.

Stacey referenced period looks while trying to add something modern. She studied 1920s photos of silent movie stars. “There was a doll-like feeling to one picture, and I wanted to create that,” she says.

Images from designer John Galliano’s collections also inspired her, as did punk rocker Siouxsie Sioux, who often rocked a razor-sharp, gradually tapered black eyebrow. With the eyes, “I went for the beetle-wings [effect], whereby you rub something dark in, and there’s a metallic look,” she says.

One of her favorite looks is when Cruella arrives by motorcycle at a fashion show attended by the Baroness at a time when Cruella is being portrayed as a rival designer. Stacey needed to incorporate the words “The Future” into Cruella’s makeup. “I asked Emma if I could write it across her face, and she said, ‘Yes, let’s do it.’”

To style the words, Stacey used the iconic stencil font from the album “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols” and airbrushed it on with MAC Cosemetics. When the motorcycle helmet comes off, she says simply, “I wanted it to boom.”

Article by: Jazz Tangcay for Variety

"We were running out of time and I kept hitting my face and the take didn't work," the actor says of the moment.

Article by: Ryan Parker for THR

“A-ha The Movie,” a documentary feature on the iconic Norwegian pop band, is set to have its world premiere at Tribeca on June 12.

The band’s hit “Take On Me,” accompanied by a pioneering sketch-animation video by Steve Barron, is still one of the most played songs of the last millennium. The documentary follows the band over a period of four years, sharing the full story of how three young men followed their impossible dream of making it big. When “Take On Me” reached number 1 on Billboard in the U.S. in 1985, that dream came true.

Almost 35 years after their breakthrough, A-ha still creates magic on stage with their music and tour the world together, but behind the scenes it’s a less united front: the group members drive in separate cars to their gigs and stay apart backstage. They only meet on stage, while doing the one thing they love. The film portrays the challenging creative and personal dynamics of a group of three strong individuals. It also notes their James Bond theme song for “The Living Daylights.”

“A-ha The Movie” is directed by Thomas Robsahm (“Punx”). Pic is distributed internationally by Esther van Messel’s First Hand Films. Theatrical deals in place include Japan (Klockworx), Korea (Company L), Poland (Mayfly), Norway (Euforia), Sweden (TriArt) and Denmark (Øst for Paradis). Salzgeber will release in Germany and Austria while First Hand Films will go out with the film in Switzerland.

TV sales include ZDF for ARTE Germany and France, SRF and RTS Switzerland, SVT Sweden, ERT Greece, YES Israel, VRT Belgium, YLE Finland and RUV Iceland. In-flight rights are with Encore.

There is currently strong interest from Singapore, Brazil, France, Benelux and the U.K. and sales outfit First Hand Films are in discussions with U.S. distributors.

The film is produced by independent production company Motlys, whose credits include Berlinale and SXSW title “Ninjababy,” Venice title “Beware of Children,” Toronto title “Hope” and Cannes title “Louder Than Bombs.”

Article by:Naman Ramachandran for Variety

A group of 108 film producers announced Thursday that they are seeking to form a union, as they aim to address low pay and skimpy health care benefits.

Calling itself the Producers Union, the group wants to negotiate a minimum basic agreement that will provide health benefits and set a floor for producer fees.

“We’re one of the very few people on a set that don’t have a union,” said Rebecca, producer of “It Follows” and the lead organizer of the group. “We’re seen as the ones making all the money. But the majority of producers are really struggling to pay their bills.”

Producers are considered supervisors or employers under the law, which creates enormous hurdles to any effort to organize. The Producers Guild of America— which represents 8,000 members — fought over a span of decades to represent producers in labor negotiations with the studios. But those efforts were thwarted by the courts and the National Labor Relations Board, which held that producers are not covered by federal labor law. The PGA operates instead as a non-profit trade association, with no authority to bargain on behalf of its members.

But the Writers Guild of America raised objections to the PGA’s authority to represent writer-producers, and a lengthy court battle ensued. The California Court of Appeal invalidated PGA agreement 1974, finding that the PGA was dominated by producers who had an ownership stake in their production companies, and who were thus employers.

In 1983, PGA petitioned to the NLRB for the right to unionize. A group of producers argued at a hearing that they were actually employees, and should be afforded rights under the National Labor Relations Act. But the NLRB administrator ruled that the producers acted as an arm of the employers, and often shared in the profits. He denied the petition, and an appeal was rejected.

The PGA joined forces with the Teamsters in 1985 in another bid for union recognition. The producers threatened to go on strike, and was able to force the studios to negotiate. In a compromise, the AMPTP agreed to provide pension and health benefits, but did not recognize the PGA as a bargaining unit. PGA members who work at least 600 hours in a six-month period on union projects on the West Coast are eligible to participate in the Motion Picture Industry health plan.

A spokesperson for the Producers Union noted that the offering is extremely limited. Only three of the 474 respondents in the Dear Producer survey reported that they got their health care through the MPI plan.

“We’re happy some can cover themselves, but this is not a true healthcare plan,” the spokesperson said.

In a statement, the PGA noted the roadblocks it had encountered in seeking union recognition. But it also noted that it remains committed to the best interest of its members, including seeking better working conditions. “Consistent with that, the Guild supports the efforts of those producers who, today, have sought to form a new union,” the PGA said.

Green also contested the notion that she is an employer. She said that her deals with financiers are all work-for-hire, and she does not have an ownership stake when a film is produced.

“We’re trying to shift the narrative and perception of who we are,” she said.

Article by: Gene Maddaus for Variety

'Yes Day' and 'You' grad Jenna Ortega will take on the role in the eight-episode drama, which is an offshoot of 'The Addams Family.'

Tim Burton has cast his new Wednesday Addams for Netflix live action Addams Family offshoot drama Wednesday.

Yes Day and You grad Jenna Ortega will star in the series from director Burton and showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville, Into the Badlands).

Wednesday is described as a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ years as a student at Nevermore Academy. Wednesday attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago — all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore.

Burton will direct and exec produce the series. Gough and Millar will exec produce alongside Andrew Mittman (The Addams Family, Alphas), Kevin Miserocchi (Tee and Charles Addams Foundation), Kayla Alpert (Code Black, Up All Night), Jonathan Glickman for Glickmania (Addams Family 2) and Gail Berman (The Addams Family, Alphas). The series hails from MGM/UA Television.

Ortega steps into the role of Wednesday that has previously been played by Lisa Loring, Christina Ricci and, more recently, Chloë Grace Moretz as the Addams Family has been adapted from its original TV series into other animated and live-action TV series, Broadway shows and animated feature films.

Repped by CAA, Gilbertson Entertainment and Jackoway Austen, Ortega’s credits also include Elena of Avalor, Jane the Virgin, Stuck in the Middle and the upcoming Scream revival that is due next year.

Wednesday was taken out to market late last year and became the source of a bidding war among streamers, with Netflix edging multiple other bidders for the property that marks Burton’s first live-action TV foray. Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Sweeney Todd, Batman) was previously attached to direct a 3D stop-motion animated take on The Addams Family nearly a decade ago, but the feature never came to fruition.

Created by cartoonist Charles Addams in 1938, the comic has been adapted for film and TV multiple times over the years. John Astin and Carolyn Jones starred in a live-action TV series for ABC in the ’60s. An animated series followed in the ’70s before the famed family was revived in the ’90s with a pair of features starring Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia and Ricci (as Wednesday). That feature inspired an animated TV series with Astin reprising his role. In the late ’90s, Tim Curry and Daryl Hannah starred in a direct-to-video feature and short-lived live-action series. More recently, Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth brought The Addams Family to Broadway.

Article by: Lesley Goldberg for THR

Tight-lipped alien-invasion sequel feels even more unsettling in a world cautiously emerging from the coronavirus.

The Cannes Festival and film market have published new COVID-19 safety guidelines ahead of its planned in-person event this summer.

For the 74th Festival de Cannes attendees won’t be partying like it’s 2019.

The Cannes Film Festival and its accompanying film market have published new COVID-19 safety protocols ahead of the 2021 festival —set for July 6-17—and while organizers are confident the show will go on, expect a more somber affair than in Cannes’ past.

The new safety measures make masks mandatory indoors at all times —both for screenings and events — as well as social distancing measures to prevent crowding along the red carpet and outside market screenings. Cannes will extend its infamously-strict red carpet dress code to facial coverings as well, with guidelines mandating that masks “must cover the nose, mouth and chin at all times. It must also be a standard-issued (or surgical) mask, in excellent condition, with a filtration rate of over 90 percent.”

Following the so-called “stage 3” of the French government’s COVID-19 re-opening measures, which kick in on June 30, events with more than 1,000 visitors or delegates —a category that applies to the festival and the Cannes market —can take place but will require a “health pass” and strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols.

Festival pavilions – with their ever-present cocktail parties —will be allowed outside or on seaside terraces. However, according to the protocols, “dishes or plates resulting in the mixing of food between more than one guest is not permitted. When guests are seated at a table, masks must always stay worn until the first course is served.”

France is only just beginning to emerge from its second COVID-19 lockdown. Bars and restaurants have reopened for outdoor service and cinemas followed suit this week, though social distancing and other safety measures remain in place. Under stage 3, so ahead of the festival, France will lift night-time curfews and most other public restrictions, although nightclubs will remain shut.

The country is set to re-open to international tourists next month, though visitors will require proof of vaccination or a recent negative PCR test to be allowed in.

At this writing, travel from outside Europe remains restricted. That could soon change: with new proposals to re-open borders to tourists and other non-essential travelers from countries with low infection rates, a group that at the moment would include the United States, though not India or Brazil.

Article by: Scott Roxborough for THR

 On Monday morning, the day after making history with her two Oscar wins, Chloé Zhao is beaming. Her happiness is detectable even over Zoom. “It was just so, so beautiful to be in the room with people, and to be able to actually talk to them and to celebrate with my peers,” she says.

Not everything went as planned at the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday night; witness the show not ending with the usual best picture category, instead unexpectedly honoring an actor, Anthony Hopkins, who wasn’t even there, as its climax. But at least one thing went very right: Zhao landed the trophy for best director for “Nomadland” and also received the top prize for picture. She’s only the second woman to win an Oscar for director — after Kathryn Bigelow (for 2009’s “The Hurt Locker”) — and Zhao, who was born in Beijing, is the first woman of color to receive the prize. “Nomadland,” released by Searchlight Pictures, led all films with three Oscars, including actress for Frances McDormand.

Zhao went into the night with four nominations: In addition to producing and directing, she was up for adapted screenplay and editing. And after doing countless virtual panels, particularly with her fellow directors, she was at last together in person with the other nominees on Sunday night. Describing meeting nominee Emerald Fennell — both Zhao and the “Promising Young Woman” director wore sneakers — Zhao says she was able to “finally give a hug.”

“I think there’s a picture somewhere out there of the two of us with our sneakers together,” she says with a laugh.

Zhao’s “Nomadland” journey began in 2017 after McDormand sneaked out of her “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” promotional duties at the Toronto International Film Festival to see Zhao’s second film, “The Rider.” McDormand and producer Peter Spears had the rights to Jessica Bruder’s nonfiction book “Nomadland,” which chronicles the post-Great Recession stories of older Americans who’d been forced out of their homes and into their vehicles, traveling the country in search of work. After buying a van, Bruder immersed herself in the nomads’ world — as Zhao had done for both “The Rider” and her first movie, 2015’s “Songs My Brother Taught Me.” To McDormand, “Nomadland” seemed like perfect material for Zhao.

And it was. “Nomadland” premiered to raves at the September film festivals, where it began racking up awards. Critics prizes, Golden Globes, and Producers Guild, Directors Guild, and Independent Spirit awards followed, making “Nomadland” the most-awarded film in modern history. The movie captured the anxious, melancholy mood of the pandemic year: The isolation of Fern (McDormand) as she travels from place to place — sometimes connecting with fellow nomads, other times choosing solitude — felt authentic to this moment in history. As did the movie’s longing for a better future.

Linda May is one of the real-life nomads in the movie, and accompanied zhao— the “Nomadland” cinematographer and Zhao’s partner — to the Oscars Sunday night. In an interview, May recounts working closely with Zhao to craft her character, as well as the film’s portrayal of the nomad community. “No one could have done better than she did,” May says.

It wasn’t only that Zhao had to understand the story of “Nomadland” and its characters on a cellular level. Producer Dan Janvey describes the immense technical challenges of the shoot, which Zhao spread over fall 2018 and winter 2019 — with a rare hiatus in between — so that the movie could appear to capture a full year in Fern’s life.

Zhao was so good at each of her roles on the movie — writer, director, producer, editor — that it was as if different specialists were doing each of them, Janvey says: “And what’s crazy about it is the degree she harmonizes those different skills into one person. That’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”

A woman filmmaker with a singular point of view? It hasn’t always been seen as a good thing, as Barbra Streisand reminds Variety. “When I began shooting ‘Yentl’ in 1982, I had a clear vision of the film I wanted to make, so I ended up directing, acting, producing and writing,” Streisand says. “A lot of people were upset that I was assuming all those roles, and I remember getting attacked for wanting to have control over my work.

“So it’s wonderful to see Chloé Zhao be in full control of her movie by doing multiple jobs — which ensures the final cut is completely what she envisioned. I’m very happy for her and for the state of women filmmakers today. We’ve come a long way.”

And at 39, Zhao is just starting. Next up is her massively ambitious Marvel movie “Eternals,” based on Jack Kirby’s comic series, with a large ensemble cast featuring Gemma Chan, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek and Kumail Nanjiani. It’s a huge leap from her first three films, and after several COVID-19 delays, “Eternals” will hit theaters in November.

Zhao — a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the comics from which it originates — approached the company herself. She was originally considered for “Black Widow,” according to Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, but took herself off the list. Eventually, Zhao and Marvel executive Nate Moore began working together on an “Eternals” pitch, which Feige calls “spectacular.” It was, he says, “a very bold and very ambitious, sprawling 7,000-year story of humanity and our place in the cosmos.”

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Chloe-Zhao-Variety-Day-After-The-Oscars-Cover-Story-2.jpg?resize=120,150 120w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Chloe-Zhao-Variety-Day-After-The-Oscars-Cover-Story-2.jpg?resize=240,300 240w" alt="Lazy loaded image" width="1000" height="1250" data-lazy-loaded="true" />

Andrew Eccles for Variety

In a movie that would be full of visual effects and greenscreen — as all Marvel movies are — Feige says Zhao “was really fighting for practical locations” in accordance with her vision for it. At one point, they cut a sample reel of “Eternals” for Disney higher-ups to watch.

“And I had to keep saying, ‘This is right out of a camera; there’s no VFX work to this at all!’” Feige says. “Because it was a beautiful sunset, with perfect waves and mist coming up from the shore on this giant cliffside — really impressive stuff.” Later, watching “Nomadland,” he saw similar shots. “Oh! That is not just what she wanted to bring to Marvel,” he remembers thinking. “This is a signature style.”

Just hours after the ceremony ended, Zhao met with Variety for a photo shoot and a Zoom interview about her historic journey to the 93rd annual (semi-socially distanced) Academy Awards.

In your speech for best director, you quoted a saying from the Chinese text “Three Character Classic”: “People at birth are inherently good.” How did you decide what you wanted to say?

Just at 2 in the morning in my room alone. We had a really fortunate [awards] season, and I got to thank a lot of people along the way. I thought if I was fortunate enough to win, I wanted to think about where it all started. It’s definitely a sentiment that was very important to me, had an impact on me when I was a kid, and I carry that with me.

On a more trivial matter, people were obsessed with your choice of footwear.

I take a lot of inspiration from Frances McDormand, and I learned a lot from her through this journey. It’s a long night, a lot of walking — and I don’t have the courage to be in heels.

What was your creative partnership like with her?

I think we have a lot in common, Fran and I. We both like comfortable footwear, and also really like to work. Not a lot of words, more like a lot of doing. And through that process, I just learned so much from her. As a mentor, as a person — how she carries herself in the industry.

Linda May told me that money from nomdadland— which is amazing, but it shouldn’t be that way for a 70-year-old who’s worked her whole life. Can you talk about how the real stories of the nomads illustrated the points you wanted the movie to make?

When I read Jessica Bruder’s book — beautiful, beautiful work — there’s so much that she touched on. Almost behind every page, I felt this very universal emotion she captured, which is this collective feeling of loss, a loss of a way of life. And that’s what I wanted to focus on. Having made three films the way we did, by just telling human stories, the audience is going to take away the things that they need to take away. And they could have conversations and discussions like the one you just talked about, which is one that’s very dear to me: how we treat our elders in our society. When we go into each scene, that’s not what I think about. But I think by humanizing these characters, and making their stories universal, it will hopefully make the audience relate with them first, emotionally. And then ask the question you did: Why are they in that situation? You don’t just intellectually think about it, but you’re emotionally invested in it. And, obviously, in a capitalist economy, if you don’t contribute to the survival of the economy, you are disposable.

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nomadland-BTS.jpg?resize=150,84 150w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nomadland-BTS.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nomadland-BTS.jpg?resize=125,70 125w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nomadland-BTS.jpg?resize=681,383 681w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nomadland-BTS.jpg?resize=450,253 450w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nomadland-BTS.jpg?resize=250,140 250w" alt="Lazy loaded image" width="1000" height="562" data-lazy-loaded="true" />

Zhao gazes onto one of the lingering vistas highlighted in “Nomadland.”Joshua James Richards/Searchlight

What’s been your takeaway from the conversation about how Amazon is por- trayed in the movie?

I love that people are talking about it. I love movies that don’t necessarily tell me how I should feel or how I should think but give me this canvas that I can go away and have a conversation with myself and people around me. And I think we tried to do that with “Nomadland.” And the fact that people are having conversation is a good thing.

Kevin Feige said your original plan was that you were actually going to finish “Eternals” and it was even going to come out before you edited “Nomadland.” But because of COVID, you finished “Nomadland” so that was ready first. Is that right?

Yeah, I think so. I mean they were really back-to-back, those two movies.

That would have changed the course of history! Is it wild to think that if COVID hadn’t hit, “Nomadland” wouldn’t have come out this year?

I have gone through ups and downs in my relatively short career. And one thing I’ve learned is a bit of a cliché, but everything does happen for a reason. We never expected “Nomadland” to resonate the way it did. But everything worked out.

“Nomadland” seems like the kind of experience that would stick with you. Did making it change your life?

I have a whole new group of friends, people who are going to be in my life forever. Swankie is going to go kayaking, and Josh is going to go with her to Channel Islands this week. But also, I have never made a film about people who are elders. And just being around them, and just getting the wisdom from them about life and about mortality, about what’s important — it was life-changing.

This was your first major Oscar campaign. How was it for you?

It was longer than I thought. Look, we’re alone in our homes. We can’t see our family; we can’t see our friends. And being on Zoom, even though we all make fun of it, just seeing Emerald’s face, David [Fincher], Lee [Isaac Chung], Thomas [Vinterberg], and Aaron [Sorkin], doing all these panels with everyone, and seeing their homes, seeing their dogs and their families — it did make me feel less alone in this process, in this whole situation. So I’m grateful for this award season. I’m grateful for the people that came along.

How has it felt to navigate Hollywood as an Asian woman? Have you experienced any obstacles?

I’m sure I have. I know I have. The one thing that I learned really early on is that you’ve got to surround yourself with the right people. Because you can’t change how people think — you can’t control how they’re going to think, how they’re going to behave. But what you can do is make sure the people that are around you not only protect you but want to be with you because of who you are as an individual. I’ve been lucky in my whole career so far. Every single film we’ve made, I’m surrounded by people like that.

So even though I can sense things, and I’ve heard, obviously, people, my peers, experiencing these unfortunate situations, I have been very lucky that I’ve been protected.

What has this year of anti-Asian violence and hate crimes directed toward Asian people been like for you?

We’ve got to check in with each other. And I was very grateful for the phone calls, the messages, the Zoom calls I received. I think Tyler Perry said it really well last night. Sometimes it’s hard to have these conversations, but just by reaching out and to ask, “Are you OK? What can I do?” It means so much. Walk down the street and smile at a stranger — that might just make your day. So I think we have to start with ourselves — the small community and circle that we’re in. And if we all do that, I think we can make a change.

“Eternals” will have Marvel’s first gay superhero, a deaf character, a huge international cast. Did Marvel say yes to all those things?

It’s just been such an incredible experience working with the team at Marvel. I want to be careful saying “my vision,” even though I do want people to know they did support what I wanted to do. I want people to know that. But I also want to make sure they know that I got the support of this incredibly talented team, some of the most talented artists in the world. And it really is a village to make this film, but they did let me lead. Yes.

I know you’ve worked with small, tightly knit crews on your other movies. How different was “Eternals”?

Props to Marvel — from early on, they knew the way I wanted to make this film, how I wanted to shoot. It can’t be hundreds of people standing around. So they very much adapted how to run the set the way that I wanted to work. I’m still surrounded by 25 people. They just have armies, and each of them knew they needed to keep the army away.

During a conversation you had with Barry Jenkins when you were talking about “Eternals,” you said, “Can I put a spin on it while still being true to the essence of it?” How did you do that?

Jack Kirby and his imagination, his incredible work, is really the foundation of it. On top of that, there is what Marvel Studios has built, this incredible journey they have going on. And then on top of that is me as a fan of the MCU. And then, me as a fan of the genre, but also growing up with sci-fi and manga and fantasy films. And how can we have this big melting pot and cook up something that may just taste a little bit different? It was just an exciting thing; all of us went in wanting to do that. We’ll see.

You’ve said you’re getting a writing credit on it, and I know you’re in post-production now. Are you editing it too?

No. I’m working with two incredible editors, Craig Wood and Dylan Tichenor. And they’ve taught me so much. They were very patient with me, because they know it’s the first time that I’ve collaborated with editors that way. They’ve really helped me find the language to be able to communicate with them in a way that I hadn’t had to do to this extent.

Where are you with “Eternals” right now?

Final stretch. Just like sculpturing, you never want it to end. You just want to keep going until they tell you you can’t keep going anymore.

What can you tell me about your Dracula project for Universal that has been described as a “futuristic sci-fi Western”?

I love that you have the question mark at the end — a “sci-fi Western”?

Those things don’t necessarily go together!

No, I like that. It’s just like looking at Jessica Bruder’s book, and to really see behind the pages, to discover the meanings behind each page and the essence of it. I’m a huge fan of the book. And I wanted to see what essence I can find [in “Dracula”], and then be able to reimagine this really beloved character I love so much.

“Beloved character”? Interesting.

I like complicated characters.

So you love the book “Dracula”?

That was a very important book for me. Immortality is something that I started exploring on “Eternals,” but is something I want to question and understand.

And that’s the next thing that you’re going to do after “Eternals,” right? Or is there something in between?

I don’t know. I think right now I want to go back to my chickens and dogs. Hopefully they still remember me. And then I will see.

You’ve obviously forged your own path. But are there directors whose careers you look at in terms of their scope, and you think, that’s what I want to do?

When you’re talking about the scope of films, Alfonso Cuarón and Ang Lee, what they have been able to do, making intimate films, smaller films, but also films on a bigger scale — but you can see that they were able to bring themselves and those two worlds kind of together in a way that still keeps them true to the type of film they are. But you see a throughline. I love that, and I hope I can do that.

When I asked Dan Janvey what I should ask you, he said: “How quickly are you going back to work, and is that today?”

I think everyone in my life close to me knows that I’m maybe working a little too much. Yes! This afternoon I’m going back to Disney to work on “Eternals.” Right after this interview. I’m probably late.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Article by: Kate Arthur for Variety

This year, there were 366 films in Oscar contention, with 50-plus nominated — including three centering on disabled people. While that isn’t much, it’s three more than most years and, sadly, it qualifies disability awareness as an innovation.

The teams behind Amazon’s “Sound of Metal,” Netflix’s documentary “Crip Camp” and live-action short “Feeling Through” all express appreciation at the progress, but they’re aware that authentic depiction is an ongoing issue.

Supporting actor Paul Raci, one of the six Oscar nominations for “Sound of Metal,” says: “We haven’t turned the corner, but there is an opening in the consciousness, an expansion of awareness, and there are some initiatives to open up jobs to the deaf and disabled. We’ve heard this before. All we can do is keep expanding awareness, to make sure that films represent the population that we all live in.”

Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham, co-writers/directors of “Crip Camp,” held a virtual reunion to celebrate the anniversary of the January 2020 premiere at Sundance.

The doc begins in 1971 at Camp Jened in New York, a summer camp for teens with disabilities. The film then traces the activism that was fueled at the camp, through the successful 1990 fight for the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Newnham describes the Sundance standing ovation as an “otherworldly experience. You could feel that people got it.” LeBrecht — who might be the first wheelchair-using director recognized by Oscar — adds: “Something shifted that night. It was like we came into our own. People were seeing us not as ‘invalids,’ but as human beings.”

That’s the goal of those with a disability, who make up 20%-25% of the U.S. population but are wildly under-represented in Hollywood films, despite recent industry vows of inclusion.

Writer-director Doug Roland’s “Feeling Through” shows an encounter between a homeless youth (Steven Prescod) and a deafblind man — played by deafblind actor Robert Tarango, a groundbreaking (and memorable) piece of casting.

Asked what Hollywood executives should know, Tarango says: “Simply don’t be afraid. ‘Feeling Through’ has shown the community at large who we are. They may never have thought of us — other than Helen Keller — as part of the community. We live independently and we’re here. We are part of your everyday life. We walk the Earth, we go to work, we do everything that you do, so why wouldn’t we be represented?”

Marlee Matlin is an exec producer of the short. She won a lead actress Oscar in 1986 for “Children of a Lesser God,” and while many actors have received Oscars for playing a disabled person (Tom Hanks, Daniel Day-Lewis, Al Pacino, et al.), the only authentic honorees are Matlin and Harold Russell (“The Best Years of Our Lives”).

Aside from acting, Matlin has been a tireless advocate. She says: “There are plenty of people who don’t think outside the box. We can approach them and educate them, or we can create our own project. Authenticity is so crucial in all aspects of the entertainment business. Deafness or deafblindness, or any disability, shouldn’t be a costume that an able-bodied person puts on and then takes off. We are people, not costumes. If they listen to us, fine. If not, we’ll find someone who does listen to us.”

Judy Heumann, whom LeBrecht describes as “one of the great civil-rights leaders of our time,” is a Camp Jened alumna and a prominent activist. At the Sundance premiere, an audience member expressed amazement at what the film revealed about disability struggles, asking, “Why don’t we know this story?” Heumann said, “This is an educated audience. If you don’t know, maybe you weren’t listening.”

Next year’s Oscar race might also include disability-themed films. The biggest hit of Sundance 2021 was “CODA,” starring Matlin. CODA stands for children of deaf adults; Raci is one: American Sign Language was his first language, with English coming later.

“Sound of Metal” director Darius Marder questions the idea that disabled people have reached a turning point this year. Marder says, “I don’t think we ever get there. That’s so much of what this film is about. If you passed Ruben [the character played by Riz Ahmed] on the street, you wouldn’t know what he’s been going through. We all look at each other and have no idea that he’s another us. Our call is to continue to be curious and try to be compassionate and open. It’s never-ending.”

Article by: Tim Gray for  Variety

Proximity, whose exec ranks include Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, and Ludwig Göransson, counts its first feature film as the six-time Oscar nominee 'Judas and the Black Messiah.'

Proximity Media— the banner that is run by Black Panther director Ryan Coogler among others— has expanded its footprint behind features and television, into non-fiction content, podcasting, and music.

Along with Coogler, Proximity, which recently released Judas and the Black Messiah is now headed by Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian (Searching), Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson, RCA Records alum Archie Davis and Emmy-winning documentarian Peter Nicks (Homeroom).

The Cooglers and Ohanian will oversee all of Proximity’s operations. Göransson will serve as principal music executive, Davis overseeing marketing, soundtrack, and podcast production, and Nicks spearheading the company's non-fiction division.

In podcasting, Proximity partnered with Radiotopia founder Roman Mars to produce podcasts that are ancillary to their films' subject matter. The first of these efforts is Judas and the Black Messiah Podcast, a six-part series produced by Christopher Johnson and hosted by Elvis Mitchell and Chairman Fred Hampton Jr.

In television, the company has signed a five-year overall deal with The Walt Disney Company. Their first announced project under the pact is a Black Panther Spin-Off series for Marvel Studios and Disney+.

Proximity's first feature film is Judas, which was nominated for six Oscars, including best picture. Upcoming projects include the LeBron James fronted Space Jam sequel and the third Creed film, set to be directed by star Michael B. Jordan.

Article by: Mia Galuppo for THR

Angelenos are still processing their grief about the closure of the ArcLight theaters. Pacific Theatres announced on Monday that it would close all of its locations which include the ArcLight Hollywood and the historic Cinerama Dome.

Not as well known is that the theater chain also owns the Cinerama technology. The three-camera filming technique was introduced in 1952 in response to the rise of television, and was virtually obsolete by the time the dome opened on Sunset Boulevard in November 1963. The name lived on for a few years after that, in the form of single-camera 70 millimeter releases that were marketed as Cinerama films — including “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” the first film ever shown at the dome.

Dazzling duds dominate the Oscar race for costume design this year.

Ann Roth landed her fifth nomination and potential second win for “Ma Rainey’s Black
Bottom”; the costume designing legend only had a few scarce pictures of the real-life Rainey to use as research but she managed to bring the Godmother of Blues to life.
As Rainey, Viola Davis rocked a show-stopping blue velvet dress over a rubber suit, which gave Davis a big- ger frame similar to the real Rainey. Chadwick Boseman’s dapper Levee also had to make a big impression, especially his shoes, as those items stand in for more than just nice footwear.

“Manks” Trish Summerville is a debutante at Oscar’s ball this year. Despite having worked in black and white before on projects — she dressed Justin Timberlake and Jay Z for the “Suit & Tie” music video — the David Fincher-helmed film marks Summerville’s full feature in monochrome.

She had to create glamourous gowns and suits galore, finding colors that would translate to the specifics of black and white filmmaking.

Summerville dressed a large cast of characters, in a wide range of socio-economic classes, over a decade. Her costumes offer visual shorthand, defining each person before they speak, including dressy costumes at Hearst’s party, homeless people and “Mank’s” support group when he’s writing “Citizen Kane.”
In re-creating the glamour and troubles of Hollywood in that era, her costumes are notable without being showoffy. The only costume designer to win for a B&W film in the past 50 years was Mark Bridges, for “The Artist” (2011), but don’t be surprised if Summerville joins that club.

Another newcomer to the Oscar race is Bina Daigeler, who dressed Disney’s “Mulan” Numerous versions of warrior armor were created for the action sequences, which were further enhanced in visual effects. Daigeler’s costumes allow all the actors maximum mobility — a necessity when you have a film as action-packed with martial arts. The film also runs a wide gamut.

On one side, there is the toughness of the leather and scales of the villains’ armor, in stark contrast to the heroine’s side. And then there are the intricate, beautiful gowns seen in the early matchmaking scene, wildly feminine in contrast to the rest of the film and made of yards of colorful fabric.

Six-time Oscar nominee Alexandra Byrne earned her latest nod for her work on “Emma” Blues yellows, maroons and pinks were the core of Byrne’s color palette for this incarnation of the Jane Austen classic, with the title character, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, given different shades for each season.

Massimo Cantini Parrini’s world of costumes in “Pinocchio” was a blend of traditional, modern and poetic for this version of the fairy tale. Parrini took inspiration from the 18th and 19th centuries with much of the film’s looks echoing his research of those periods. For Pinocchio’s red suit, Parrini used a crepe fabric to reflect the “paper” costume he wears in the book.

Article by:Jazz Tangcay for Variety

Only “The Trial of the Chicago 7’s” Phedon Papamichael has been in this race before — for 2013’s “Nebraska.” But watch this award closely, as whoever wins here could signal the director win. The cinematography Oscar has matched director six times in recent years, the last time when Alfonso Cuarón won for 2018’s “Roma.”

Still this is probably one below-the-line race where “Nomadland” is locked to win. DP Joshua James Richards has picked up wins along the way — from fests and critics.

“Judas and the Black Messiah”

Sean Bobbitt

Director Shaka King and Bobbitt spent a lot of their prep watching other films, looking at what they wanted to avoid.

The Cleveland location proved a perfect stand-in for the film’s Chicago of the 1960s action. Bobbitt’s camera and lenses of choice were the Arri Alexa LF with Arri DNA LF prime lenses. He alternated between handheld to capture shootouts, and the demonstrations, while
using cranes and dolly shots for conversational scenes.

Bobbitt says, “As bespoke hand-made lenses constructed from lens elements of classic lenses they a unique vintage look which helped to subtly enhance the period feel we were trying to achieve.” He adds, “The Arri Alexa LF camera was chosen for its great look and contrast ratio. Having shot on it in the past I was confident that it would be able to accurately handle the wide range of flesh tones without having to resort to special lighting for the lightest and the darkest.”

“Mank”

Erik Messerschmidt

Messerschmidt chose the Red Helium Monochrome with Leica Summilux-C lenses for his feature-length debut.

“We think about the timing of the dolly move, the speed of the pan, the speed of the tilt-up relative to the actor standing up,” he says. “There are times when the speed of that actor rising with the tilt affects the audience’s experience differently from the actor’s experience.”

Despite its visual beauty, Messerschmidt says many of the conversations he had with helmer David Fincher were not about the film’s aesthetics. “They’re about storytelling. And breaking the scene apart into the dramatic beats and figuring out what is it that we’re trying to communicate emotionally, if it’s the exposition or if it’s an emotional beat.”

“News of the World"

Dariusz Wolski

This is the first Oscar nomination for Ridley Scott’s go-to DP. For Paul Greengrass’ sweeping Western, he chose Arri Alexa LF and Mini LF cameras, Angénieux Optimo EZ1 and EZ2 zoom lenses, a Panavision Primo 11:1 zoom, and Panavision System 65s.

His influences were the Ken Burns documentary “The West” and old-fashioned Westerns, as well as Roger Deakins’ work on “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” “You go and see what lights they have and what they used,” Wolski says.

Lighting was important to him, making use of the environment as much as possible, relying on natural lighting for day exterior shots, and enhanced night exteriors with enhanced kerosene lamps for night.
As the film’s protagonists move across the Texas frontier, he says, “it was about playing with color, just to distinguish the dusky sunrise from those other moments.”

“Nomadland”
Joshua James Richards

Landing his first nomination, Richards picked the Arri Alexa LF with Arri DNA LF prime lenses and Arri Amira. Comfort was key to Richards as he and helmer Chloé Zhao traveled across five states including Nebraska, Arizona and South Dakota following Fern (Frances McDormand), a modern-day nomad.

Richards says he chose the camera for the “ergonomics of the Amira camera coupled with a small mini body meant we were equipped for different situations. We could move quickly and nimbly.”

“The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Phedon Papamichael

Papamichael’s signature style has always been to use older glass from the ’70s and early ’80s. For Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Panavision Anamorphic lenses — C-Series and T-Series with his set of spherical Canon K-35s — were paired with the Arri Alexa LF Mini.

“Our objective was to get the right glass that could cover the large format sensor of the Alexa LF, but also that could give us a vintage quality to the era we were trying to re-create,” he says.

While he opted for a lot of close-ups in the courtroom scenes, Papamichael was conscious of the group dynamic. “I wanted to capture their looks and reactions to each other’s actions. Having the camera up close on our defendants and witnesses without isolating them from their surroundings by maintaining the wider field of view, was made possible by shooting on a large format with wider focal lengths (40mm and 50mm).”

Winner prediction: “Nomadland”

Article by: Jazz Tangcay for Variety

Oscar-winning filmmaker Bong Joon Ho said he's been watching the wave of Anti-Asian hate and violent incidents across the United States, and he believes Hollywood can respond by being unafraid to tell bold stories that tackle the issues as a way to create change.

“I’m far away in Korea and I have to see everything in the news from an outsider’s perspective, but as someone who is a part of mankind, as a person, it’s quite fearful to watch the hate crimes against Asian-Americans and the BLM movement," the Parasite filmmaker said Thursday night during an appearance as the guest speaker featured on the latest installment of Chapman University's Dodge College virtual Master Class series. "Creating a film takes a lot of time and a lot of money; it’s a big unit that can’t really respond quickly to issues that are currently happening in society. … But ironically, because of that, creators and filmmakers can be bolder with dealing with issues and they shouldn’t be afraid to confront them."

Bong cited Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing as an example, adding that he recently watched it again on Blu-Ray. "That film came out in 1989," he noted. "It was three years before the L.A. Riots but almost predicted the riots were going to happen. That’s the role creators and artists can play, not necessarily to predict what will happen in society but to use your insight to portray the issues that are currently boiling underneath the surface of society that can explode later on. For me, Parasite was a film where I tried to take that approach … [the film] talks about the haves and have-nots of our current society. It began with a question of ‘what does it mean to be poor or rich in our current times?’"

He continued: "As creators and artists, you sort of have to see through the essence and the central questions in our society through the days that you live through and send a reply to those questions through your work.”

The filmmaker was the latest high-profile Hollywood insider to have appeared as part of Chapman's Dodge College Master Class series, following Bryan Cranston, Frank Marshall, Jason Blum, Lena Waithe, and former Warner Bros. communications executive Dee Dee Myers. Bong weighed in on a number of subjects by offering advice on how to stay focused while trying to break into the industry, using camera movement to tell a story and the hot button topic of movie theaters vs. streaming.

Of the latter, Bong said it has become trendy to consider theaters as relics from another time but he doesn't subscribe to that notion. "I still believe in the overwhelming strength and power that theaters have. Last year, there was this anecdote where Martin Scorsese asked his physician if he watched The Irishman and the physician answered that he had been watching 10 minutes of the film every day. But I actually went to a theater in Seoul to watch the full three hours and was unable to press the stop button. I really remember feeling moved after those whole three hours and theater cinemas are still the only way that lets you access that kind of experience."

Article by: Chris Gardner for The Hollywood Reporter

The Sacramento film scene is coming in hotter than ever, as locals in our community have started to make a name for themselves in the entertainment industry.  Feature films have started to come out, with names of directors and producers coming straight from Sacramento. One filmmaker, in particular, Felipe Cisneros, has recently come out with his very first sci-fi feature called "One and the Same".  On March 29th, I received an opportunity to not only talk to Felipe about his come-up in the film industry but of course his new feature film "One and the Same" that is out now!

After watching the CFF breakdown and also doing some digging, I found out you actually started off as an Actor but then later on you became a director and I'm wondering why was that?

I never got that far into acting. I actually took a couple of courses and got a feel into the field of arts. I realized I was interested in movies and figured that that was a good place to start and get used to it (early on). After taking acting, I realized that I wasn't able to apply it to life. I was living in  Oregon, where there were not many acting opportunities- before backstage and actors access that we had to actually hear from somebody about those kinds of opportunities. A few years later, I retraced back to film and acting and that's where for a lot of people stuff can change. Acting was not for me and I think I was interested in it because I glamorized it. I was unsure if I was going to sustain it and I wasn't confident enough to pursue it. Especially because acting is those things where it can be very consuming, and you may have to drop a lot of things. I was past that point where I could have just dropped everything and go to LA to pursue it. 

Once that happened, I had to put my career on pause and I wanted to explore more options that were able to help me add value to film. I thought to myself "What else can I do?" I was proficient in writing and while taking it at school, it came to me naturally - ideas for films. It never struck me that in film this was something I should go and combine together. I ended up doing lots of research by reading, googling, and doing deep dive searches. "This is a program I can use" and I kept flushing out ideas until I finally felt comfortable enough to tell a story. Once my first short film came out, I decided to just go for it. 

Was there a specific film or director that inspired you to work in this industry? 

When I was younger I had a lot of things stick with me. Especially because while I was growing up there was not as much content out so there would be a lot of reruns of the same shows.  One that I was stuck watching a lot was Big Trouble in Little China, and it had a blend of Sci0Fi, humor, drama, and action. I remember thinking that film was larger than life and up to now, it's still stuck with me. 

Genres that you are taking on with things that you do, there are ideas that are also out there as well. I can't pinpoint it exactly to that film, but I do want to say it was very impactful and influential.  I would strive to create at least one piece of work people would like to rewatch from any point in their lives. 

What are your goals,? For example, do you want to impact the local community, inspire smaller filmmakers? Personally, I love how your recent film, makes it much more meaningful especially to locals that it was created by someone from Sacramento. 

When I first started out, I was lacking because although I was trying I needed somebody to tell me how to get started. It took a minute to find somebody to take me under their wing. Nick Leisure showed me how to be on set and I started to pick things up. Before that point, I didn't know much about it and I was lost and I really wanted to create something but I didn't know-how. Having someone to help and give guidance was exactly what I was looking for because I didn't know what it felt like to create. It can feel discouraging but once you see hope it all clicks and comes together. This leads me to the point I wanted to make which is that I'm all about the community aspect. It's impossible to do everything yourself, there is a role for everybody and also a rewarding feeling when you achieve that unity. Once I started creating, I wanted to feel more of that personal satisfaction of having everyone come together and work with so many parts. 

What aspects of production were something you had to familiarize yourself with/ had assistance with?

The feature film was bigger than any other thing. I've created short films before but there were still pieces that I know that I still had to learn.  On "One and the Same" I had an even bigger picture of the responsibilities. Working with a crew of 30+. There were people on set doing multiple things that I wasn't familiar with and I was back to asking more questions. I didn't know there were so many roles on set, and I realized my scope was small and limited. This new film opened up more possibilities and knowledge that my biggest takeaway was the production process itself. 

Transitioning into your recent film "One and the Same" what was the plot inspired by and was there a significance of it being set in Sacramento?

Honestly yes. This story was set in 2 places. I wanted to do a small city and one big city.  Sacramento is a big city don't get me wrong, but compared to SF it's different. I wanted a small-town feel like Sacramento, and a big city feels like San Francisco. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the locations I wanted due to the costs and cutting out a large part of our people. Instead, we took it to Baja, and I got creative and I was able to get locations I wanted while keeping the locations similar to Sac/SF (not identical). I also added in some small details so people could get a glimpse of where the story was set. As an example, one of the newspapers in the film said "Lincoln Newspaper: and I wanted to remind people that these are places I am familiar with and grew up in. 

Knowing that this production only 16 Days, Can you go more into how the experience was like, and the pressure if any you faced?

That's funny because I created two short films in the past and I was also faced with similar situations. I was creating longer shorts of about 20 minutes and due to funding and budgets, I had a 2-day time frame. I was very ambitious and it was hard to do. My back was almost up against the wall, and it's like at that point I HAVE to do it.  It really was impossible, I had to literally do pickup shots in Sacramento. 16 Days allowed no room for error and only some errors had to be made up the next day. Toward the last week, we could no longer spend time on certain things and so right down to the wire there was such immense pressure that I knew I could not come back with failure. Some people can actually excel with pressure, but at this point, I didn't put too much focus on certain things and I pushed past it. Once the filming began, I was like "well I have to keep going I can't focus on it now" almost every day. Something that did help me out, was that the crew had professionalism. I'm glad to be able to have people on my team who lead the way and helped me get through it. They offered me alternatives if certain plans did not work out the way I wanted to, which greatly helped because I was focused on other aspects. Not to mention, as a director you need a crew of experts who can pick you up when you're tired and winded.

 Did "One and the Same" run into any issues due to the pandemic post-production?

 We wrapped up in February 2020 and that's when we began to start submitting to festivals. We were watching the situation unfold, and that was when we had to pull the plug on our festival. We weren't going to throw money out and have it not happen. It was very unknown and we had to wait for feedback and audience testing to see what they thought. This also gave us more of a chance to reshoot and add more additional scenes. We ended up altering the film and making it that much better and accessible. It worked out for the best and things would've been better if we submitted to the festival but it wasn't in our cards. What we worked out then, was pitching to directors and that was a whole other process until we got picked up by a distributor. I think that's what all filmmakers want is for their film to find a home after so much hard work has been put into it.

Thank you, Felipe, for taking time out of your schedule to have an interview with me. Before you go is there some advice you'd give to someone who wants to break into this industry?

With my experience I feel like doing films is very different when creating in your early 20's versus the '30s. You have a lot of room to play around with and do what feels right for you. Most people in their thirties have jobs, families, and other responsibilities. People spend years doing short films but for those who are trying there is NO rush and anyone can jump into this industry. It all comes down to trying and not getting discouraged. 

Again. Figure out what it is that you want to do and play around with genres you're into until you eventually feel comfortable in your skin. Get more experience on set because that's where you'll learn the jargon and the process of things. It also doesn't hurt to do more research, and if you do a good blend of both you can get it done. There is no reason why you couldn't but use the resources you have, like shooting on an iPhone is possible. Not everyone has expensive equipment. 

Felipe's film, One And The Same, is out on all streaming platforms now.. Check it out!

By Sarai Argueta for CFF

With coronavirus vaccinations rolling out fast, shuttered theaters are reopening their doors, letting film lovers view previously delayed releases and new films. The year will also see the debuts of long-awaited sequels, such as the horror film “A Quiet Place Part II” and “Space Jam: A New Legacy” starring NBA superstar LeBron James.

On March 23, Disney announced an overhaul of its remaining slate of 2021 films. Despite some delays in expected release dates, “Black Widow” will still hit screens come summer. The latest Marvel entry, along with the live-action “Cruella,” will simultaneously release in theaters and on Disney Plus with Premier Access, which costs a $30 rental fee. For Broadway fans, June will bring Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In the Heights,” featuring a predominantly Latinx cast.

Read on to see all the highly anticipated films of 2021.

Raya and the Last Dragon

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/raya.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/raya.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/raya.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/raya.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Raya and the Last Dragon" width="998" height="575" />

 

Photo : Disney

(March 5)

Featuring the voices of Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina, Walt Disney Animation’s upcoming animated feature is its first to center on a Southeast Asian heroine and will premiere both on Disney Plus and in theaters. It will follow the journey of Raya, a passionate warrior on a quest to find the last dragon to restore peace in a mythical world. 

Coming 2 America

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Coming-2-America.png?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Coming-2-America.png?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Coming-2-America.png?w=1024 1024w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Coming-2-America.png?w=1091 1091w" alt="Coming 2 America Eddie Murphy" width="1024" height="571" />

 

Photo : Courtesy of Amazon Studios

(March 5)

Eddie Murphy is back as Prince Akeem in this long-awaited sequel to the 1988 film. Directed by Craig Brewer from a screenplay written by Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield, Prince Akeem is set to become King of Zamuda when he discovers he has a son in America (Jermaine Fowler). Of course, hilarious antics ensue. 

Godzilla vs. Kong

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/godzilla-king-kong.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/godzilla-king-kong.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/godzilla-king-kong.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/godzilla-king-kong.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Godzilla King Kong" width="1000" height="562" />

 

Photo : Warner Bros.

(March 31)

Set to debut on both HBO Max and in theaters, the crossover sequel to “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and “Kong: Skull Island” will see the iconic monsters square off in an epic battle for the ages, while humanity hopes to wipe out both of them in order to take back the planet.

Cruella

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/cruella.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/cruella.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/cruella.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/cruella.jpg?w=1280 1280w" alt="Emma Stone Cruella" width="1022" height="575" />

 

Photo : Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

(May 28)

Set against the punk and fashion scenes of 1970s London, Disney’s live-action feature will introduce Emma Stone as a younger Cruella de Vil, the iconic villain from 1961’s “101 Dalmatians.” It will also star Emma Thompson, Joel Fry Paul, Walter Hauser and Mark Strong.

A Quiet Place Part II

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/a-quiet-place-2.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/a-quiet-place-2.jpg?w=751 751w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/a-quiet-place-2.jpg?w=751 751w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/a-quiet-place-2.jpg?w=751 751w" alt="" width="751" height="563" />

 

(May 28)

“A Quiet Place Part II” will again see the family members played by Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe stay silent and evade deadly monsters in a dystopian world. Despite his character’s demise in the first movie, John Krasinski returned to direct the sequel. Watch a trailer here.

The French Dispatch

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/the-french-dispatch.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/the-french-dispatch.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/the-french-dispatch.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/the-french-dispatch.jpg?w=1280 1280w" alt="The French Dispatch" width="785" height="575" />

 

Photo : Searchlight Pictures

(Summer)

Wes Anderson’s latest film boasts a cast of Timothée Chalamet, Tilda Swinton, Saoirse Ronan, Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Elisabeth Moss, Willem Dafoe, Christoph Waltz and many more. Set at the office of an American magazine in a fictional French city, the movie is described as a “love letter to journalists” and follows three different storylines. Watch the trailer here.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ghostbusters-trailer-e1585684007345.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ghostbusters-trailer-e1585684007345.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ghostbusters-trailer-e1585684007345.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ghostbusters-trailer-e1585684007345.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trailer" width="1000" height="563" />

 

Photo : Sony Pictures Entertainment Screencap

(June 11)

The upcoming installment of the iconic franchise picks up 30 years after 1989’s “Ghostbusters II” and follows a family that moves to a small town to discover their connection to the ghost-catching business. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts reprise their roles from the original movie, and they’re joined by Finn Wolfhard, McKenna Grace, Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon.

In the Heights

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/intheheights.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/intheheights.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/intheheights.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/intheheights.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="In the Heights" width="1000" height="562" />

 

Photo : Courtesy of Warner Bros.

(June 11)

Debuting both on HBO Max and in theaters, the musical drama — directed by “Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon M. Chu and produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda — explores three days in New York City’s Dominican American neighborhood of Washington Heights. Based on Miranda’s musical of the same name, the adaptation stars Stephanie Beatriz, Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera and more. Watch the trailer here.

Fast & Furious 9

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/fast-3.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/fast-3.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/fast-3.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/fast-3.jpg?w=1280 1280w" alt="Fast and Furious 9 F9" width="1022" height="575" />

 

Photo : Giles Keyte/Universal

(June 25)

This ninth installment of the beloved action franchise again follows Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel, whose crew and family members join forces to battle one of the world’s most talented assassins and high-performance drivers — his estranged brother, Jakob, played by John Cena. The new movie also sees the return of Han Lue, a fan-favorite character thought to be long-dead. Watch the trailer here.

Top Gun: Maverick

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/top-gun-2.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/top-gun-2.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/top-gun-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/top-gun-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Top Gun 2" width="1000" height="563" />

 

Photo : Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

(July 2)

After completing years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) returns 35 years after the original blockbuster to confront his past while training a new squad of graduates for a life-threatening mission. The Joseph Kosinksi-directed action flick co-stars Jennifer Connelly, Jean Louisa Kelly, Val Kilmer and Miles Teller. Watch the trailer here.

Space Jam: A New Legacy

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/space-jam.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/space-jam.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/space-jam.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/space-jam.jpg?w=1280 1280w" alt="Space Jam" width="1022" height="575" />

 

Photo : Courtesy of Warner Bros.

(July 16)

NBA superstar LeBron James teams up with Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes crew for this long-awaited sequel to the 1996 classic, which debuts on HBO Max and in theaters. The family comedy, directed by Malcolm D. Lee, includes Sonequa Martin-Green, Don Cheadle and NBA players like Klay Thompson, Chris Paul and more.

Black Widow

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/black-widow-trailer-2.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/black-widow-trailer-2.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/black-widow-trailer-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/black-widow-trailer-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Black Widow Trailer" width="1000" height="562" />

 

Photo : Courtesy of Marvel

(July 19)

Scarlett Johansson is finally getting a standalone Black Widow movie. The long-awaited Marvel film, also starring David Harbour, Florence Pugh and O-T Fagbenle, is set after 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War.” It will see Natasha Romanoff on the run and forced to confront her past as a spy, long before she became an Avenger. Watch a special clip here.

Jungle Cruise

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/jungle-cruise-trailer.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/jungle-cruise-trailer.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/jungle-cruise-trailer.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/jungle-cruise-trailer.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Jungle Cruise Trailer" width="1000" height="563" />

 

Photo : Courtesy of Disney

(July 30)

Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson star in the adventure fantasy film based on Disneyland’s park ride where a small riverboat transports a group of travelers down the Amazon through a supernatural jungle. Watch the trailer here.

The Suicide Squad

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/suicide-squad.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/suicide-squad.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/suicide-squad.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/suicide-squad.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="The Suicide Squad" width="1000" height="563" />

 

Photo : Courtesy of Warner Bros.

(Aug. 6)

Directed by James Gunn and premiering on both HBO Max and in theaters, the “Suicide Squad” standalone sequel follows the comic book roots of Harley Quinn and her gang of supervillains, rather than continuing the narrative of the 2016 film. The star-studded cast features Viola Davis, Margot Robbie, Taika Waititi, Sylvester Stallone, Idris Elba, Jai Courtney and Pete Davidson.

Candyman

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/candyman.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/candyman.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/candyman.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/candyman.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Candyman" width="1000" height="562" />

 

Photo : Universal Pictures/YouTube

(Aug. 27)

Audiences were deeply excited to see Nia DaCosta’s take on the “Candyman” last October, but like many films on this list, it was pushed. We’ve only seen glimpses of the director’s vision including a couple trailers and this haunting shadow which she released with these thoughts via her twitter account: “CANDYMAN, at the intersection of white violence and black pain, is about unwilling martyrs. The people they were, the symbols we turn them into, the monsters we are told they must have been.”

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who recently won an Emmy for his work on “Watchmen,” stars as the film’s lead and Oscar-winning director Jordan Peele co-wrote the script along with DaCosta and Win Rosenfeld. If you’re looking for something to tide you over until August, we strongly recommend watching DaCosta’s 2018 feature “Little Woods” (written by DaCosta as well) and getting familiar with her work – you’re going to be hearing a lot from her, as she’s already slated to direct the sequel to “Captain Marvel.”

Three Thousand Years of Longing

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/idris-elba.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/idris-elba.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/idris-elba.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/idris-elba.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Idris Elba" width="1000" height="563" />

 

Photo : BBC Two

(September)

Written and directed by George Miller, the upcoming film will star Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton. Not much has been shared about the film, but it’s been described as a two-handed “epic love story” that is “the opposite of ‘Fury Road'” about a woman who travels to Istanbul and encounters a genie.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/shangchi.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/shangchi.jpg?w=726 726w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/shangchi.jpg?w=726 726w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/shangchi.jpg?w=726 726w" alt="" width="726" height="408" />

 

Photo : Courtesy Amazon

(Sept. 3)

Another installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Just Mercy” director Destin Daniel Cretton introduces Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), a master martial artist. Co-starring Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Florian Munteanu and more, this will be the first MCU film with a mostly Asian and Asian American cast.

Paul Thomas Anderson's Soggy Bottom

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Paul-Thomas-Anderson-Bradley-Cooper.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Paul-Thomas-Anderson-Bradley-Cooper.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Paul-Thomas-Anderson-Bradley-Cooper.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Paul-Thomas-Anderson-Bradley-Cooper.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Paul Thomas Anderson Bradley Cooper" width="1000" height="562" />

 

Photo : AP Images

(Sept. 10)

Not much has been shared about Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1970s-set film — which has the working title “Soggy Bottom” — other than that it’s a coming-of-age tale set in California’s San Fernando Valley. Bradley Cooper co-stars with Joseph Cross and Benny Safdie.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/venom-sony-pictures.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/venom-sony-pictures.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/venom-sony-pictures.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/venom-sony-pictures.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Venom Sony Pictures" width="1000" height="562" />

 

Photo : Courtesy of Sony Pictures

(Sept. 17)

Tom Hardy is back as the classic Spider-Man villain, this time ready to take on the superpowered serial killer Carnage, played by Woody Harrelson. Andy Serkis directs the sequel, which fans speculate could be building up to more Marvel crossovers down the road.

The Many Saints of Newark

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/david-chase.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/david-chase.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/david-chase.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/david-chase.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="FILE - In this March 3, 2006 file photo, David Chase, creator and producer of the hit HBO series "The Sopranos," poses on a set in the Queens borough of New York. Warner Bros. Pictures says Thursday that New Line has purchased a screenplay for a “Sopranos” prequel from series creator David Chase and Lawrence Konner. The studio says the working title is “The Many Saints of Newark” and will be set in the 1960s during the Newark riots. Chase’s acclaimed series about the mobster Tony Soprano played by the late James Gandolfini ran for six seasons on HBO and won 21 primetime Emmys. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff, File)" width="1000" height="563" />

 

Photo : AP

(Sept. 24)

The prequel to HBO’s wildly successful series “The Sopranos,” “The Many Saints of Newark” depicts the 1967 riots in Newark, N.J. and the tension between the town’s Italian and Black communities. Directed by Alan Taylor, who also helmed several episodes of “The Sopranos,” the film stars Alessandro Nivola, Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Michael Gandolfini, Billy Magnussen, John Magaro, Michela De Rossi, Ray Liotta and Vera Farmiga. “The Sopranos” creator David Chase is also on board as a producer and writer, as is Lawrence Konner.

Dune

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/dune-warner-bros-e1600210676962.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/dune-warner-bros-e1600210676962.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/dune-warner-bros-e1600210676962.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/dune-warner-bros-e1600210676962.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Dune" width="1000" height="565" />

 

Photo : Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

(Oct. 1)

Premiering on both HBO Max and in theaters, the long-awaited Denis Villeneuve remake of the sci-fi epic stars Timothée Chalamet as a young duke named Paul Atreides leading a battle to control the desert planet Arrakis. Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem round out the star-studded cast. 

No Time to Die

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/no-time-james.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/no-time-james.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/no-time-james.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/no-time-james.jpg?w=1280 1280w" alt="No Time to Die" width="1022" height="575" />

 

Photo : Nicola Dove/MGM

(Oct. 8)

The 25th movie in the James Bond franchise, starring Daniel Craig in what is likely his last tour as the iconic spy, sees Bond’s retirement in Jamaica cut short when an old friend, Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), comes seeking help. 007’s mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist puts him on a collision course with Safin (Rami Malek), a mysterious masked villain armed with dangerous technology. 

The Last Duel

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Last-Duel.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Last-Duel.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Last-Duel.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Last-Duel.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="The Last Duel" width="1000" height="563" />

 

Photo : Niall Carson/PA Wire via AP Images

(Oct. 15)

Based on Eric Jager’s book “The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France,” Ridley Scott’s historical drama tells the story of two 14th-century men ordered to engage in a fight to the death. It stars Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer.

Mission: Impossible 7

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/mcj-11965r.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/mcj-11965r.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/mcj-11965r.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/mcj-11965r.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT from Paramount Pictures and Skydance." width="1000" height="563" />

 

Photo : Courtesy of Chiabella James

(Nov. 19)

Tom Cruise is back again to save the world as Ethan Hunt in the latest “Mission: Impossible” action film. Details have not been shared for his upcoming adventure, but Cruise’s fierce adherence to COVID-19 safety guidelines has already made headlines and drawn plenty of buzz for the action flick.

Nightmare Alley

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/brad-cate.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/brad-cate.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/brad-cate.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/brad-cate.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Cate Blanchett Bradley Cooper" width="1000" height="562" />

 

Photo : AP

(Dec. 3)

Based on the novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham, “Nightmare Alley” is a psychological thriller directed by Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro. Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett are attached to star as a manipulative carny and a psychiatrist with dangerous tendencies, respectively. Willem Dafoe, Toni Collette and Rooney Mara are just a few more names in the all-star cast.

West Side Story

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/west-side-story-remake-2020.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/west-side-story-remake-2020.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/west-side-story-remake-2020.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/west-side-story-remake-2020.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="West Side Story Remake 2020" width="1000" height="562" />

 

Photo : Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

(Dec. 10)

Directed by Steven Spielberg, this long-awaited adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical stars Ansel Elgort and newcomer Rachel Zegler as star-crossed lovers Tony and Maria. In comparison to the 1961 film adaptation, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner’s script is expected to closely mirror that of the original theater production. Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the 1961 film, will also appear in a supporting role.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ef80a1df-07090_rv2.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ef80a1df-07090_rv2.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ef80a1df-07090_rv2.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ef80a1df-07090_rv2.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Tom Holland is Spider-Man in Columbia Pictures' SPIDER-MAN: ™ FAR FROM HOME." width="1000" height="563" />

 

Photo : Jay Maidment/Sony Pictures

(Dec. 17)

The third “Spider-Man” film led by Tom Holland is already making fans excited at the seemingly endless rumors about returning villains from past movies. Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus from “Spider-Man 2” starring Tobey Maguire and Jamie Foxx’s Electro from Andrew Garfield’s “Amazing Spider-Man 2” will reprise their roles, in what is sure to be an ambitious, universe-crossing superhero film.

The Matrix 4

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-matrix.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-matrix.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-matrix.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-matrix.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="The Matrix Reloaded" width="1000" height="562" />

 

Photo : Warner Bros/Village Roadshow Pic

(Dec. 22)

Get ready to re-enter the Matrix. Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lambert Wilson and Daniel Bernhardt will reprise their roles for the fourth film in the beloved sci-fi franchise, directed by Lana Wachowski.

The Tragedy of Macbeth

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/denzel-washington-afi-lifetime-acheivement-award.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/denzel-washington-afi-lifetime-acheivement-award.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/denzel-washington-afi-lifetime-acheivement-award.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/denzel-washington-afi-lifetime-acheivement-award.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Denzel Washington AFI Lifetime Acheivement Award" width="1000" height="563" />

 

Photo : Michael Buckner/Deadline/REX/Shu

(TBA)

Based on the Shakespeare play, the currently undated film will feature Oscar winner Denzel Washington in the title role and Joel Coen in the director’s chair – a rare case where he isn’t directing with his brother, Ethan. Frances McDormand will play Lady Macbeth, with Brendan Gleeson as King Duncan and Corey Hawkins as Macduff.

Annette

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/marion-adam.jpg?w=640 640w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/marion-adam.jpg?w=800 800w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/marion-adam.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/marion-adam.jpg?w=1000 1000w" alt="Adam Driver Marion Cotillard" width="1000" height="562" />

 

Photo : AP

(TBA)

French director Leos Carax is set to make his English-language debut with “Annette,” a musical film starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. Written by sibling duo Ron and Russell Mael — also known as the band Sparks — “Annette” tells the story of a stand-up comedian and his world-famous soprano wife. But, their lives take an unexpected turn when their daughter, Annette, is born.

 

Article by: Natalie Oganesyan, Ellise Shafer, Haley Bosselman for Variety