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The idea of David Fincher directing Brad Pitt in a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, from a script by Quentin Tarantino, still feels like the April Fool’s Day joke we initially thought it was. But against all odds, the project appears to be moving forward. In an interview with Business Insider, Steven Soderbergh said he wasn’t surprised to see Fincher and Pitt teaming up again — but admitted he was taken aback that Tarantino actually signed off on it.

“I think they’re always on the lookout for something to do together,” Soderbergh said. “So this was, it sounds like, an unusual set of circumstances where Quentin decided he didn’t want to do it and Brad asked him, ‘Can I show it to David?’ and he said sure, and David read it and said, ‘Let’s do it.’ What’s surprising is Quentin’s agreeability.

Proof of Concept, an accelerator program supporting women, trans and nonbinary filmmakers founded by Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, producer Coco Francini and noted researcher Dr. Stacy L. Smith, debuted the work of its inaugural class at a showcase on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

“The showcase is a celebration of a cornucopia of new, wonderful points of view, and importantly, it’s a celebration of this vital step for these filmmakers,” said Blanchett. “From here, we know that these helmers can start shaping and remaking the industry.”

Blanchett appeared virtually, delivering her remarks from London, while Dr. Smith, Francini and Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria were on hand at Netflix’s Tudum Theater in Hollywood to celebrate with the filmmakers and some of their cast.

“Proof of Concept has done exactly what we hoped – yielded bold, inspiring filmmaking that proves these filmmakers are ready to take the next step with their projects,...

Vicky Krieps, arguably France’s Cate Blanchett, is leading the ultimate vacation Fomo film of the year: “Hot Milk.” With a title that begs the question of whether or not its spoilt, the queer drama balances the cream of romance with the sourness of a fraught mother-daughter dynamic. It’s Emma Mackey who leads the feature, and is torn between pursuing the allure of a fellow traveler (Krieps) and tending to her ailing mother (Fiona Shaw) while in the seaside town of Almería, Spain.

The official synopsis reads: “Set in the scorching heat of a Spanish summer, the film follows Rose (Shaw) and her daughter Sofia (Mackey) as they travel to the seaside town of Almería to consult Gómez (Vincent Perez), an enigmatic healer who may hold the key to Rose’s mysterious illness, which has led her to now use a wheelchair. But in the sun-drenched town, Sofia, trapped...

Steven Soderbergh was frustrated by the underwhelming box office performance of his latest film, “Black Bag,” and he is concerned that its poor earnings could represent a dark sign for Hollywood’s future.

When “Black Bag” hit theaters in March, the film received widespread praise and emerged as one of the most well-reviewed films of the year. Its critical success did not translate financially, though. The film grossed just over $38 million at the worldwide box office, falling short of its reported $50 million budget.

“It was frustrating. The people we needed to come out didn’t come out. And unfortunately, it’s impossible to really know why,” Soderbergh told Business Insider Monday about the spy thriller‘s financial performance. “My concern is that the rest of the industry looks at that result and just goes, ‘This is why we don’t make movies in that budget range for that audience because they don’t show up.

Celebrating the career of the late Irrfan Khan, Subhash K Jha shares what the brilliant actor told him in an earlier interview about how he becomes his characters and reveals what was Irrfan’s most cherished dream role.

Irrfan Khan was was hoping to play Jawaharlal Nehru in Joe Wright’s Indian Summer, is undeterred by the fact that he looks nothing like India’s first prime minister and says he can pull off the role convincingly.

He told me, “I’ll turn myself into the character through my attitude. When I was just out of the Nsd (National School of Drama) I had played Lenin at the age of 21. It made me realise my potential and direction as an actor. Since Lenin, I’ve played other biographical characters. I’m playing another real-life character, Pan Singh Tomar. I’ll be playing the Punjabi poet Pash in Anurag Kashyap’s film.

Andrew Karpen, a widely respected film executive and the founder of Bleecker Street Media, died on Monday in Connecticut. He was 59.

Karpen, an easygoing fixture of the indie film scene, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, in 2024. Before launching Bleecker Street in 2014, Karpen served as co-ceo of Focus Features for more than a decade.

“Our industry has lost a giant,” said Kent Sanderson, Bleecker Street’s president and Karpen’s longtime friend, in a statement. “Andrew taught us all so much, foremost of which is the value of kindness, honesty, and family above all else. His leadership and courage will inspire all of us at Bleecker Street for the rest of our lives.”

At Bleecker Street, Karpen oversaw the release of 75 films including “Trumbo” and “Captain Fantastic,” which received Oscar nominations for the performances of Bryan Cranston and Viggo Mortensen. The company also released arthouse box office...

The Og "Lord of the Rings" crew has been in the news cycle a lot lately. With Warner Bros. planning new live-action J.R.R. Tolkien film adaptations, everyone is wondering who could show up again after a 20-year hiatus from Middle-earth acting.

You can count Liv Tyler among those ready to jump right back into the action. Tyler is, of course, famous for playing the Elven queen Arwen in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy. While the character has a minor role in Tolkien's source material, Arwen is busy in the movies. She fills in for the Elf-lord Glorfindel by saving Frodo (Elijah Woods) from the Black Riders and encourages Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) to fulfill his destiny and confront Sauron. She was even filmed in various fight sequences, including the Battle of Helm's Deep (although that was later cut during post-production).

Now, Tyler has gone on record saying...

Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag heads to DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in the UK this June. With extra features too!

From the pen of David Koepp and directed by Steven Soderbergh, Black Bag was one of those rare things earlier this year: a movie star-headlined film for grown-ups. It didn’t set the box office alight, and Steven Soderbergh has been reflecting on that. Still, it’s a hugely enjoyable thriller, headlined by Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender.

The hope now is that the movie will make up ground on its home formats releases, and it’s already available via video on demand services to rent. Now, there’s a full physical media release coming as well.

Warner Bros is behind Black Bag, and it’s going to be releasing the movie on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in the UK. It’s set 16th June 2025 for this.

Pedro Almodóvar did not hold back on his opinion of Donald Trump as he accepted the 50th annual Chaplin award from Film at Lincoln Center on Monday evening in Manhattan.

As the celebrated Spanish filmmaker expressed his gratitude for the honor at Alice Tully Hall, he said, “I doubted if it was appropriate to come to a country ruled by a narcissistic authority, who doesn’t respect human rights. Trump and his friends, millionaires and oligarchs, cannot convince us that the reality we are seeing with our own eyes is the opposite of what we are living, however much he may twist the words, claiming that they mean the opposite of what they do. Immigrants are not criminals. It was Russia that invaded Ukraine.”

“Mr. Trump, I’m talking to you, and I hope that you hear what I’m going to say to you,” Almodóvar continued. “You will go...

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This May, Peacock is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the highly anticipated return of the crime comedy-drama series Poker Face to all of the John Wick films. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Peacock this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the ten best films that are coming to Peacock in May 2025 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

99 Homes (May 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92% Credit – Broad Green Pictures

99 Homes is a thriller drama film directed by Ramin Bahrani, who also co-wrote the film with Amir Naderi. The 2014 film is set in Florida, and it follows Dennis Nash, a single father living with his family. When his family is evicted from their home by a businessman, Dennis decides...

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Peacock is ready with an entertainment-packed May this year. The upcoming month will see the release of the much-anticipated Season 2 of the crime comedy-drama series Poker Face, as well as the streaming release of the brilliant spy thriller film Black Bag. Just like every month, Peacock is ready to overload you with great content. So, we’re here to tell you about the 10 new movies and TV shows coming to Peacock in May 2025.

The Notebook (May 1) Credit – Warner Bros.

The Notebook is a romantic drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes from a screenplay by Jeremy Leven. Based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks, the 2004 film is set in the 1940s, and it follows a young couple as they fall in love despite their parents’ disapproval, while their stories are read from a notebook in...

Alexander Payne is packing his bags for Italy: The Oscar winner has been announced as the Venice Film Festival jury president.

The 82nd Venice Film Festival will take place from August 27 to September 6. Payne and the rest of the jury will decide the Golden Lion winner for the best film, among other awards such as the Silver Lions for Grand Jury Prize and best director, Volpi Cup for best actress and best actor, the screenplay award, the Special Jury Prize, and the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best new young actor or actress.

“It’s an enormous honor and joy to serve on the jury at Venice,” Payne said in a press statement. “Although I share a filmmaker’s ambivalence about comparing films against one another, I revere the Venice Film Festival’s nearly 100-year history of loudly celebrating film as an art form. I couldn’t be more excited.”

Past...

Alexander Payne has been announced as Jury President for the 82nd Venice Film Festival, running from August 27 to September 6.

The director follows in the footsteps of recent jury presidents Isabelle Huppert (2024), Damien Chazelle (2023), Julianne Moore (2022), Bong Joon-ho (2021) and Cate Blanchett (2020).

The decision was made by the Board of Directors of La Biennale di Venezia, who confirmed the recommendation of the Director of the Venice Film Festival, Alberto Barbera.

In accepting the proposal, Alexander Payne said: “It’s an enormous honor and joy to serve on the jury at Venice. Although I share a filmmaker’s ambivalence about comparing films against one another, I revere the Venice Film Festival’s nearly 100-year history of loudly celebrating film as an art form. I couldn’t be more excited.”

Payne’s films have been nominated for a total of 24 Oscars, including four times for Best Picture and three times for Best Director.

He...

Michael Fassbender stars as George Woodhouse in director Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag, a Focus Features release. Credit: Claudette Barius/Focus Features © 2025 All Rights Reserved. Get ready to fire up Peacock this May because two exciting films are heading straight to your streaming queue! First up, on May 2nd, brace yourself for the spy thriller Black Bag from Focus Features. This one’s already Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, so you know it’s good! Directed by the acclaimed Steven Soderbergh and boasting a stellar cast including Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Pierce Brosnan, Regé-Jean Page, and Marisa Abela, this film promises twists, turns, and plenty of suspense. If you’re looking for a gripping watch to kick off the month, this is it. Ke Huy Quan as Marvin Gable in Love Hurts, directed by Jonathan Eusebio. Photo Credit: Allen Fraser/Universal Pictures Copyright © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. Then, just...

Penelope Cruz is the Oscar-winning actress who was born on April 28, 1974, in Madrid, Spain. Let's take a look back at 16 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Cruz has received four Oscar nominations throughout her career. Her first nomination was for Best Actress for the film “Volver” in 2006. She subsequently received two Best Supporting Actress nominations for “Vicky Christina Barcelona” in 2008 and “Nine” in 2009. She received another Best Actress nom for "Parallel Mothers" (2021).

She won the Oscar for “Vicky Christina Barcelona” making her one of seven actors to win an Oscar for a Woody Allen film.

Cruz first rose to fame in her native Spain. Her performances in many films there and especially in the work of Pedro Almodóvar allowed her to start appearing in American films. She initially struggled a bit to bring the same power in her acting when she spoke English as opposed to Spanish and...

“Black Bag”, the new action spy thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh, stars Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page and Pierce Brosnan, streaming May 2, 2025 on Peacock:

“…’Black Bag’ follows married intelligence agents ‘George Woodhouse’ and his wife ‘Kathryn’.

“When she is suspected of betraying the nation….

“…George faces the ultimate test…

“…loyalty to his marriage or to his country…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

The NBC competition series Destination X, hosted by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, will premiere Tuesday, May 27 at 10/9c, following the America’s Got Talent season premiere. A sneak peek will air after the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 3 at 8 pm Et/7:30 pm Pt on NBC.

In the program, “Europe is turned into a real-life gameboard as complete strangers are invited to participate in the trip of a lifetime and the ultimate geo-guessing contest,” reads the official description. “These adventurous players will traverse each country on a blacked-out Destination X bus with the goal of figuring out where the ‘X’ they are each week.

Everything Everywhere All At Once's Ke Huy Quan has not slowed down since winning his first-ever Academy Award for the Daniels' iconic 2022 film. The beloved actor quickly took on top-tier roles, like a major stint in Season 2 of Loki, an audio cameo in the latest season of The White Lotus, and starred opposite Ariana DeBose in this year's action comedy, Love Hurts. And if you missed that last one, have no fear, because Peacock announced that the streaming service will be the film's digital home starting on May 9, 2025.

In a press release on Friday, Peacock announced the arrival of Love Hurts to its platform alongside Steven Soderbergh's latest, the Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender spy thriller Black Bag. It will be interesting to see if the film will be a hit for the streamer, as Love Hurts ended up with divisive scores on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics loving...

Not even two months after its theatrical release, the latest film from Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh, Black Bag, will hit streaming. Black Bag, which stars two-time Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender, will drop on Peacock on May 2.

The spy thriller stars Blanchett as Kathryn St. Jean, the wife of Fassbender’s British intelligence officer George Woodhouse. In Black Bag, George is tasked with investigating a list of would-be traitors, one of whom may be his wife, Kathryn. The film also stars Pierce Brosnan (MobLand), Gustaf Skarsgård (Evil), Naomie Harris (Moonlight), Tom Burke (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), and Marisa Abela (Barbie). The movie was written by David Koepp, who has written movies like Jurassic Park (1993), Mission: Impossible (1996), and Spider-Man (2002).

The Film Will Get a Physical Media Release

Black Bag, despite its 96% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, failed to make back its budget, having earned just $37.7 million against its budget of around $50 million to $60 million.

Black Bag failed to recoup its $50 million investment at the box office, but the Steven Soderbergh-directed spy thriller will look for new life in the streaming realm. Starring Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett, Black Bag was a smash hit for critics, garnering an impressive 96% Certified Fresh rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. The film follows two married intelligence agents, George and Kathryn Woodhouse, played by Fassbender and Blanchett, respectively, the latter of whom is suspected of betraying her nation.

It was announced on Friday morning that Black Bag would begin streaming on Peacock starting May 2. It will stream exclusively on the aforementioned platform after becoming available for purchase or rent on digital on-demand stores in early April. At the worldwide box office, Black Bag only managed to gross $37.7 million, well short of the reported $50 million production budget. Now, the Focus Features-produced picture looks to find a new audience on the streamer,...

Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag has finally concluded its run in theaters, and after falling short of one final box office milestone, the film just got a major streaming update. Peacock has announced that the Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett-led spy thriller will begin streaming on the platform on May 2, less than two months after the film hit theaters on March 14. Black Bag concluded its theatrical run with $21 million at the domestic box office and $16 million internationally for a worldwide total of $37 million. This comes on a $60 million production budget, meaning that the film didn’t even earn back its production cost and fell well short of breaking even. Fans can purchase Black Bag on Prime Video or Apple TV+ ahead of its Peacock debut.

Black Bag follows George Woodhouse (Fassbender), an Sis operative who suspects his wife of betraying the nation and him after she jets out on several conspicuous international business trips.

Peacock on Friday announced premiere dates for Steven Soderbergh’s spy thriller Black Bag and action comedy Love Hurts starring Ke Huy Quan.

Black Bag begins streaming exclusively on Peacock on May 2, with Love Hurts arriving on the service on May 9.

Hailing from Focus Features, Black Bag follows legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) and his beloved wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). When Kathryn is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.

Pierce Brosnan, Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, Tom Burke, and Pierce Brosnan also star. Soderbergh directed from a script by David Koepp, with Casey Silver and Gregory Jacobs producing, and Koepp serving as executive producer.

From 87North, the company behind recent action pictures Nobody and Bullet Train, Universal’s Love Hurts follows Marvin (Quan), who left behind a violent life to hide in suburban Milwaukee as a mild-mannered realtor.

In what would go down in history as one of the most scandalous and most discussed celebrity arrests in Hollywood, the undisputed King of Pop, Michael Jackson, voluntarily walked into the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office on November 20th, 2003.

The entire world watched wide-eyed as Michael Jackson faced a media frenzy that was quick to blur the lines between legal reality and tabloid fodder. Fans sobbed, cameras clicked, and skeptics readied their weapons as the pop star turned himself in for a formal arrest warrant against him on suspicion of child molestation.

What unfolded post his surrender was an absolute dramatic spectacle, costing Jackson a hefty $3 million in bail money. His mugshot, eternally imprinted in pop culture memory, marked a bizarre chapter in Jackson’s life, one that threw his public perception and fame all in one big scandalous melting pot.

Michael Jackson’s charges came as a shock to...

The former roommate of Miriam Haley, one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers, took the stand on Thursday at the former Hollywood producer’s retrial in New York City.

Elizabeth Entin, who lived with Haley in the East Village in 2006, recalled that Haley confided in her during the summer of that year about an alleged sexual assault by Weinstein. Entin described Haley’s demeanor as “very unfocused” and “anxious,” noting that she stood awkwardly in the doorway while Entin was lying in her own bed, before finally approaching her.

“She looked shaken,” Entin told the courtroom. While she was not able to disclose the specific details of her conversation with Haley, she summarized it by saying, “He had forcibly put his mouth on her vagina without her consent.”

Entin said she advised Haley to contact a lawyer and consider pursuing criminal charges against Weinstein. “Miriam, that sounds like rape. I think you should call a lawyer,...

Leslie Abramson — or at least her TV surrogate — is stepping into the spotlight.

Ari Graynor, who plays the defense attorney in Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, will be submitting as Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie for the upcoming Emmy Awards, Gold Derby has learned exclusively.

Graynor stars opposite Javier Bardem, Chloë Sevigny, Cooper Koch, and Nicholas Alexander Chavez, in the true-crime anthology series created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, chronicling the murders of José and Kitty Menendez at the hands of their sons, Lyle (Chavez) and Erik (Koch).

Like many series this season, Monsters experimented with single-take episodes to tremendous success — critics called it "a standout — earning Graynor raves as well. In Episode 5, titled "The Hurt Man," she's seen only from the back as she talks to Erik about the abuse he endured at the hands of his parents.

"It was...

Much of the Emmy conversation around Adolescence's acting chances has centered around Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper, as they play the two key characters in the harrowing project. However, Gold Derby is now predicting that five total performers will receive nominations this year.

The four-episode crime drama is created and written by Graham and Jack Thorne, and stars Graham as Eddie Miller, the father of Cooper's 13-year-old Jamie Miller, who is arrested for allegedly stabbing a classmate to death. Each episode is directed by Philip Barantini and filmed in a single take as viewers learn more about Jamie's crime from the viewpoints of the police, his psychiatrist, and his family.

Also expected to nab Emmy nominations for the cast are Ashley Walters as Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe, Erin Doherty as child psychologist Briony Ariston, and Christine Tremarco as Jamie's mother and Eddie's wife, Manda Miller. Cooper and Doherty are...

Exclusive: The TV and film production sustainability sector is welcoming a new player.

Zsófia Szemerédy, formerly International Manager at BAFTA’s environmentally-focused arm Albert, has launched Leverage Point Entertainment (Lpe). Her London- and Budapest-based boutique sustainability agency aims to close space between artistic vision and environmental responsibility in film, TV, commercial and entertainment production.

Szemerédy said it was aiming to “help the industry see sustainability not as a constraint, but as a creative force.”

As such, Lpe will seek to help creatives and production companies find their ‘leverage point’ for change by building sustainability considerations into storytelling and budgets. It will help with decarbonization strategies, and work with companies to revise their slates and policies around long-term sustainability practices.

Among other services, Lpe will help embed sustainability values in scripts through consultations, and provide training, panels and courses to up-skill industry works. It will also help with building sustainable elements...

Exclusive: Steven Soderbergh is out to the town with an untitled feature doc, centered on the final interview of John Lennon, multiple sources tell Deadline.

This is the first doc in many years for Soderbergh, who released And Everything Is Going Fine — on the life of multi-hyphenate artist Spalding Gray — through Sundance Selects in 2010. We’re told Soderbergh is in production now, and the search for a distributor is on, with the film to be completed by end of year.

EPs on the project include Soderbergh, Michael Sugar and David Hillman of Sugar23, and Nancy Saslow and David Hudson of Mishpookah Entertainment Group.

Lennon’s final in-depth interview took place alongside wife and creative collaborator Yoko Ono on the fateful day of December 8, 1980 — the only radio interview granted around the release of their album, Double Fantasy. That afternoon, the pair met a team of three from Rko Radio at their Dakota apartment.

Dave Bautista has received an honorary deputy sheriff distinction from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, recognizing the actor’s longstanding ties to the Tampa community. The announcement was shared publicly by Bautista on April 19 through his Instagram account.

The former professional wrestler posted a selfie holding the badge and ID. “I didn’t see that one coming either,” he wrote, adding thanks to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister and WWE Global Ambassador Titus O’Neil. “Big love and thanks to my brother @titusoneilwwe and Sheriff @chadchronister for the honor and for everything you do for this community. Appreciate you both.”

Bautista has lived in the Tampa area for over twenty years, relocating there during his rise in WWE. He mentioned the personal significance of the city in the same post: “Tampa’s held a special place in my heart ever since I moved here 20 years ago. Always has. Always will.

The wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista can now add “honorary deputy sheriff” to his hyphenates.

Taking to Instagram prior to the weekend, the Guardians of the Galaxy star revealed he was bestowed the distinction in his current residence of Hillsborough County, Fla., which encompasses the city of Tampa that he’s lived in for the past two decades.

“I didn’t see that one coming either.

Top 5 Martin Scorsese movies that slayed at Box Office (Photo Credit – Prime Video)

While Martin Scorsese films often tackle gritty, thought-provoking themes, he’s also proven to be a force at the box office. From mobsters to saints, and from the streets of New York to the heights of Hollywood, Scorsese’s career has spanned decades of commercial hits that showcase his genius in both storytelling and visual artistry.

Sure, he’s been known for pushing boundaries and making films that aren’t always designed for mass appeal, but there’s no denying his impact on both critics and audiences alike. Some of his films are as revered for their craft as they are for their box office success. So, grab your popcorn and buckle up as we dive into the top 5 Scorsese flicks that made the most money at the worldwide box office, because even legends need a little box-office love!

On Sunday April 20 2025, CBS broadcasts Made in Hollywood!

Pulse, Bosch: Legacy – Season 3, The Ballad of Wallis Island Season 20 Episode 29 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “Made in Hollywood” titled “Pulse, Bosch: Legacy – Season 3, The Ballad of Wallis Island” promises to be an exciting watch. This episode features a talented cast, including Willa Fitzgerald, Cate Blanchett, Titus Welliver, Carey Mulligan, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, and Ashley Greene. Each actor brings their unique skills to the screen, making the episode highly anticipated.

Viewers can expect a captivating storyline that intertwines crime, drama, and personal struggles. The show continues to explore the complex world of its characters, with a focus on the challenges they face on Wallis Island. The setting will likely play a significant role, adding depth and atmosphere to the narrative.

With a mix of seasoned actors and rising stars, this episode is set to deliver strong performances. Willa Fitzgerald and...

Academy Award-winning Steven Soderbergh recently reflected on his latest project, the buzzy and well-reviewed espionage thriller Black Bag, lamenting the dissonance between its critical success versus its lackluster draw at the box office.

The prolific filmmaker sat down with The Independent to discuss his disappointment and disillusionment with the waning attendance at theaters, seeing it as a negative harbinger for the entertainment industry.

“This is the kind of film I made my career on,” he began. “And if a mid-level budget, star-driven movie can’t seem to get people over the age of 25 years old to come out to theaters — if that’s truly a dead zone — then that’s not a good thing for movies. What’s gonna happen to the person behind me who wants to make this kind of film?”

Starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as two married intelligence agents who must reckon with both interpersonal and international stakes,...

Actors get different paydays depending on a variety of circumstances. A well-established A-lister can demand a lot of zeroes on their check and even dictate unique contract terms. That's how Sandra Bullock got a huge payday for "Gravity" through a 15% share in the profits. When actors are earlier in their careers, though, they often settle for less money in exchange for experience, enhanced resumes, and the ability to partake in special projects. That was the case for many of the actors who signed up for Peter Jackson's massive "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

In an interview with Business Insider on the red carpet for the 2025 Texas Film Awards in Austin, Frodo actor Elijah Wood (of current "Yellowjackets" fame) became the latest Lotr alumni to address rumors about his Middle-earth payday. Some gossip claims he made around $250,000 for "The Fellowship of the Ring" movie alone. Another version of the...

It takes a lot to sell a movie to adult audiences these days, especially one that doesn't feature A-listers. Even Steven Soderbergh's Black Bag struggled commercially, despite the involvement of Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett, and near-unanimous praise from critics. But Disney seems to have done it with The Amateur. Less than a week into its theatrical run, the espionage thriller is set to out-gross Soderbergh's movie, and has managed to push star Rami Malek's career box office haul past a majestic mark. The Amateur opened with $15 million in its debut weekend domestically, and a little over $30 million worldwide.

It has now passed the $35 million mark at the global box office, against a reported budget of around $60 million. Black Bag also cost about as much, but received significantly superior reviews. It's Soderbergh's highest-rated film on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, having settled at a 96% score. The Amateur, on the other hand,...

Historical films have always captivated audiences with their ability to transport us back in time. Let’s face it, who doesn’t love a good period drama with gorgeous costumes and epic battle scenes? However, not all of these cinematic journeys stay true to the facts, not even close!

While artistic license is expected in filmmaking, some movies take such extreme liberties with historical events that they essentially create alternate timelines. Historians often watch these films through gritted teeth, seeing their carefully researched subjects transformed into barely recognizable Hollywood fantasies.

Here are ten of the most notoriously inaccurate historical films that have left academics shaking their heads and history buffs rolling their eyes.

10. Pearl Harbor (2001)

Michael Bay‘s big-budget war romance Pearl Harbor promised to deliver a historically accurate portrayal of the infamous 1941 Japanese attack that brought America into World War II. Instead, what we got was a historically muddled...

Both Europe’s most right-wing nation and its second hottest destination for international shoots, Hungary has shocked the world with its recent ban on LGBTQ+ public events. But Hollywood is not yet ready to give up on the country’s generous tax incentives.

An amendment to the constitution passed on Monday by the Hungarian parliament codifies a law passed in March that made it an offense to hold or attend events that violate Hungary’s “child protection” legislation, which prohibits the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to minors under 18.

The Hungarian government will use measures to enforce the ban including the use of facial recognition software to identify those attending LGBTQ+ public events — such as Budapest Pride — and infractions can come with fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints ($546).

It’s not Hungary’s first anti-lgbtq+ law. Back in 2021, the country’s parliament passed a law forbidding the dissemination of content...

© Warner Bros, A24 & Universal Pictures Los pecadores © Warner Bros

Michael B. Jordan por duplicado, vampiros y terror con sello Ryan Coogler. En Los pecadores, Jordan interpreta a dos hermanos gemelos que regresan a su pueblo natal con la esperanza de dejar atrás sus problemáticas vidas y empezar de nuevo, solo para descubrir que un mal mayor les está esperando. Nuestro crítico Enrique Constans ha dicho sobre ella: «Un paso de gigante de Coogler como narrador de historias, siendo fácilmente su mejor película hasta la fecha».

Confidencial (Black Bag) © Universal Pictures

Michael Fassbender y Cate Blanchett se sumergen en un duelo de lealtades y engaños en este thriller de espionaje con dirección de Steven Soderbergh. La película, con buenas reacciones en Estados Unidos donde ya se ha estrenado, sigue a George Woodhouse, un legendario agente de inteligencia, y su esposa Kathryn, una espía igual de brillante que él. Pero cuando surgen...

When even Daniel Day-Lewis is out of retirement, you have to start wondering whether actors just like messing with people

Cate Blanchett is an actor’s actor. Cate Blanchett is the type of actor whose characters – flinty, steely, sly, sophisticated – are hardly distinguishable from the person herself. She speaks with the jarringly refined accent of an alien trained only on stage melodramas. She does not laugh; she titters. She does not walk; she glides. She does not debase herself with the prosaic concerns of you or I.

This is why it is very hard to believe that she is “giving up”. In an interview with the Radio Times on Monday, Blanchett suggested she was no longer an actor. “My family roll their eyes every time I say it, but I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting,” she said. “[There are] a lot of things I want to do with my life.

Cate Blanchett announced earlier this week that she is considering stepping away from acting. In a recent interview with Radio Times, the two-time Oscar winner revealed, “My family roll their eyes every time I say it, but I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting. [There are] a lot of things I want to do with my life.”

While Blanchett has remained busy with high-profile projects — including Disclaimer for Apple TV+ and Jim Jarmusch’s upcoming film Father, Mother, Sister, Brother, c0starring Adam Driver — she sounded sincere about stepping away from the business. Fame, she admits, has never felt entirely natural.

“When you go on a talk show, or even here now, and then you see sound bites of things you’ve said, pulled out and italicized, they sound really loud. I’m not that person,” she explained. “I make more sense in motion – it’s been a long...

The celebrity lifestyle is glamorized to the extent that everyone, at least once, dreams of themselves being in that position. However, Cate Blanchett, star of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003), wants to leave the glitz and glam life behind. The legendary actress is seriously considering stepping out of the spotlight, simply because she wants to see what else life has to offer. While she isn't the only actor/actress to share these thoughts, and most likely won't be the last, Blanchett has accomplished what many, unfortunately, will never in a lifetime. She has won two Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globes, among many other notable accolades.

Some actresses in the industry leave due to the lack of roles Hollywood has to offer. While that's unfortunate, it's not the case for Blanchett, who is currently promoting a new project. The 55-year-old is starring in her first radio drama,...

Cate Blanchett, a two-time Oscar winner, has told the British press she is retiring from acting in the near future.

The actor-producer said in an interview with Radio Times this week that she wasn’t sure calling herself an “actress” was quite accurate: “It’s because I’m giving up… My family roll their eyes every time I say it, but I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting. [There are] a lot of things I want to do with my life.”

The Australian star spoke ahead of BBC’s Radio 4 airing an adaptation of Wallace Shawn’s The Fever, Blanchett’s first radio play. It follows a woman from a privileged background who visits an impoverished foreign country and suddenly becomes ill. She becomes emotionally unsettled and contemplates the little impact she’s had on the world.

Only recently, Blanchett’s acting credits include Alfonso Cuarón’s Apple TV...

The actor has a string of films on the way, but insists her plan to quit is ‘serious’ and she has other plans for her life

Cate Blanchett says that she is “giving up” acting to do other things “with [her] life”.

In an interview with Radio Times, Blanchett suggested she was uncertain over calling herself an “actress”, saying: “It’s because I’m giving up.”...

With two Oscars in tow over the course of her 30-year-plus career — where she has played everyone from Queen Elizabeth I to fantasy heroes to an embattled maestro — Cate Blanchett said she is “serious” about stepping away from her craft one day.

The reveal came during a new interview with the U.K.’s Radio Times magazine, where the venerated actress is promoting her forthcoming and first-ever audioplay, BBC Radio 4’s The Fever, premiering this weekend. The adaptation of Wallace Shawn’s drama features a 90-minute monologue from an unnamed woman who travels to a civil war-torn country and becomes ill, realizing that her material comforts and privileges are bankrolled by oppression spurred by global capitalism.

While introducing herself for the tape, she hesitated to announce her title as actress, which co-director John Tiffany pointed out. She replied, “I did, didn’t I? It’s because I’m giving up.

Cate Blanchett said she sees herself retiring soon; she has a handful of projects to complete. Reflecting on a fulfilling career in film, theater, and TV, she said there are other things she now wants to do with life outside of acting.

Cate Blanchett has appeared in more than 70 films and 20 theater productions; her impressive, critically acclaimed career is highlighted by films like Elizabeth, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and The Lord of the Rings. She's also prolific on stage and TV. Garnering a total of 166 wins across multiple award-giving bodies, she holds multiple Oscar Awards records; she is the only female actor to earn an Oscar nomination for playing the same role in multiple films (Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age). Speaking to the Radio Times, Blanchett mused over her legacy and why she's now looking at retiring.

"My family roll their eyes every time I say it,...

When Cate Blanchett spoke with Radio Times for their latest issue, the veteran and two-time-winning Academy Award actress made fans and film lovers across the globe do a double take when she revealed her quite serious intentions to step away from the silver screen.

“My family roll their eyes every time I say it, but I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting,” said the 55-year old icon, adding, there are “a lot of things I want to do with my life”.

For those having trouble pinning their...

Borderlands was one of the biggest box-office bombs of 2024. The adaptation of the acclaimed video game franchise grossed just $33 million in theaters and was absolutely trashed by critics. While speaking on The Town podcast, Borderlands director Eli Roth reflected on the failure of the movie, saying Covid played a big part.

“None of us anticipated how complicated things were gonna be with Covid,” Roth said. “Not just in terms of what we’re shooting, but then you have to do pick-up shots or reshoots, and you have six people that are all on different sets, and every one of those sets is getting shut down because the cities have opened up, and now there’s a Covid outbreak and it was just like… we couldn’t prep in a room together, I couldn’t be with my stunt people, I couldn’t do pre-vis, everyone’s spread all over the place.

Cate Blanchett says she wants to retire from Hollywood.

The 55-year-old actress revealed in a new interview that she is seriously considering stepping away from the entertainment industry permanently.

“My family roll their eyes every time I say it, but I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting. (There are) a lot of things I want to do with my life,” she told The Standard.

The Black Bag star then elaborated on how she still hasn’t completely adjusted to fame, even after an iconic three-decade career.

Keep reading to find out more…

“When you go on a talk show, or even here now, and then you see soundbites of things you’ve said, pulled out and italicized, they sound really loud. I’m not that person. I make more sense in motion – it’s been a long time to remotely get comfortable with the idea of being photographed,...

Cate Blanchett has said she is seriously considering stepping away from acting, citing other personal interests and a long-standing discomfort with public attention. In a recent interview with Radio Times, the two-time Academy Award winner stated that her family often dismisses her comments about retiring, but she remains firm in her intent.

“My family roll their eyes every time I say it, but I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting,” Blanchett said. “There are a lot of things I want to do with my life.”

Blanchett is currently featured in BBC Radio 4’s upcoming drama The Fever. The interview also touched on her ongoing discomfort with public appearances and celebrity culture. Speaking about the experience of being quoted out of context, she said, “When you go on a talk show, or even here now, and then you see soundbites of things you’ve said, pulled out and italicized,...

2024 wasn't a great year for Lionsgate, but Borderlands stood out as the studio's biggest box office flop. Following a disastrous $9 million opening weekend, the movie ended its month-long run at the box office with a mere $33 million worldwide.

With a production budget of $115 million and a $30 million marketing campaign - which saw fans of the games largely reject everything they were seeing - the studio lost upwards of $100 million. 

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer previously said, "Nearly everything that could go wrong did go wrong: it sat on the shelf for too long during the pandemic, and reshoots and rising interest rates took it outside the safety zone of our usual strict financial models."

Borderlands director Eli Roth reflected on the movie while speaking to The Town (via GameFraggercom) and argued that Covid-19 and Zoom meetings were the main issue. He also pointed to the reshoots he was unable to...