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Nicole Kidman stars in an upcoming erotic thriller from the director of 2022’s Bodies Bodies Bodies. Here’s the trailer for Babygirl:

Fans of grown-up cinema releases are about to hit something of a dry spell over Christmas once Edward Berger’s Conclave is released at the end of this month. Still, the beginning of January 2025 heralds a new year and plenty of films with mature themes and ideas to get excited about. One of them is Babygirl, an erotic thriller that comes courtesy of A24. Nicole Kidman will be joined by Triangle Of Sadness’ Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas alongside Jean Reno and Sophie Wilde, star of 2022’s horror breakout, Talk To Me.

The film will be directed by Halina Reijn, who was behind 2022’s sharp horror satire, Bodies Bodies Bodies. This looks to be something of a genre shift for Reijn, but we’re hoping Babygirl can realise...

The Hollywood Reporter said Tuesday that Nicole Kidman will receive this year’s prestigious Sherry Lansing Leadership Award during THR’s annual Women in Entertainment breakfast gala, set for Dec. 4 in Los Angeles.

Attended by 600 industry leaders and VIPs, the invite-only gala coincides with the release of The Hollywood Reporter’s highly anticipated Women in Entertainment issue, which highlights the Power 100, a list of the most powerful female executives and talent in entertainment.

“Over the course of her illustrious career, Nicole Kidman has dazzled audiences through her dynamic performances,” THR co-editors-in-chief Nekesa Mumbi Moody and Maer Roshan said. “While her award-winning work as an actress and producer speaks for itself, she has also had a significant impact on countless women and children through her philanthropic work. She truly embodies the spirit of our Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, and we are beyond thrilled to honor her at this year’s Women in Entertainment gala.

Seven years ago, a young filmmaker named Malcolm Washington made the regional festival rounds with his debut short film, “Benny Got Shot,” and won the filmmaker-to-watch award at the Atlanta Film Festival among other honors. This year, Washington has made his feature film debut with “The Piano Lesson,” an August Wilson adaptation with an all-star cast and an awards-friendly release date from Netflix. Malcolm Washington has screened “The Piano Lesson” at several top film festivals this fall – including the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival – and will be honored with the Breakthrough Director award at this year’s Montclair Film Festival.

For young directors just starting – even those without Oscar-winning dads like Denzel Washington – that path is the dream scenario, one made possible by events like the one happening now in Montclair, New Jersey. Just ask Hannah Sperling, the 20-year-old director of the short film “Meek,” which...

Exclusive: In a highly competitive situation, Apple has landed rights to develop Off Season, a spec from Holland, Michigan‘s Andrew Sodroski, which Academy Award nominee Vanessa Kirby (Napoleon) will star in and produce through her Aluna Entertainment, according to our sources.

While specifics as to the film’s plot haven’t been disclosed, it’s described as a femme fatale thriller set in a luxury resort on Mexico’s Mayan Riviera. 42 developed the script, with Peter Dealbert and Ben Pugh to produce for the company, alongside Kirby and Lauren Dark for Aluna Entertainment. No director is yet attached to the project.

42

On a tear of late with roles in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Ridley Scott’s Napoleon opposite Joaquin Phoenix, Kirby will next be seen starring in Ron Howard’s thriller Eden, which is coming off of its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. Currently in...

Exclusive: Andrew Sodroski and Aggregate Films are in early development on a series inspired by Philadelphia’s Main Line Murders for Netflix, sources tell Deadline.

Netflix declined to comment. But we’re told this is a limited series that Sodroski will write and exec produce, with Aggregate producing.

The story here is thrust into motion in the early hours of June 25th, 1979, when the affluent Main Line area of Philadelphia was rocked by the brutal slaying of English teacher Susan Reinert. The case, which became one of the most infamous in the region’s history, began when Susan’s naked body was discovered stuffed in the trunk of her car in a Harrisburg motel parking lot. Her children, Karen and Michael, were missing, presumed dead, although their bodies were never found. The shocking nature of the murders quickly captivated public attention and drew intense media scrutiny, highlighting significant flaws in the criminal justice system,...

Is anyone’s star rising faster right now than Rachel Sennott‘s? Thanks to the success of “Shiva Baby” and “Bottoms,” the comedic actress is attached to several buzzy projects, including “SNL 1975” and Mimi Cave‘s sophomore feature “Holland, Michigan.” But before those, Sennott stars in what could be a star-making vehicle for her, or at least a movie that showcases her singular range and versatility.

Continue reading ‘I Used To Be Funny’ Trailer: Rachel Sennott Is A Comic Grappling With Trauma In New Indie at The Playlist.

Sebastian Stan is exploring roles beyond the shadow of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and making quite a good impression out of it. Also, it seems the actor has a newfound interest in the horror genre. Stan appeared in two horror movies recently, including Mimi Cave’s Fresh and his most recent A Different Man.

Sebastian Stan in A Different Man

Stan has tested his tolerance level for a role as well. While his appearance in horror movies is well adjacent to the actor, one horror movie frightened the MCU star. Jennifer Lawrence, who led the movie, also endured intense nightmares.

Mother! “Hyperventilated” Sebastian Stan Sebastian Stan in A Different Man

Darren Aronofsky is one of the Hollywood directors who has created a legacy by making some of the most disturbing movies, including Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, and Mother! Particularly, Mother! was frightening, and its disturbing elements were not exclusive to the audience.

Exclusive: Netflix’s film division has preemptively acquired a pitch for an untitled law school thriller from Holland, Michigan‘s Andrew Sodroski, sources tell Deadline.

Netflix could not be reached for comment. While plot details are unknown at this time, the pitch is said to be described as a contemporary spin on The Firm meets The Wolf of Wall Street. Ben Pugh and Peter Dealbert will produce for the L.A. and London-based management and production company 42.

Most recently, 42 worked with Netflix as a producer on its sci-fi actioner Outside the Wire starring Anthony Mackie, which debuted at #1 and was watched by 66 million households in its first quarter on the platform. Sodroski’s pitch marks 42’s second pre-emptive sale in a row on the heels of The Bet, a thriller spec from Enemy‘s Javier Gullón that sold to Warner Bros for what we’re told was a significant figure.

Matthew Macfadyen joins ‘The Miniature Wife’ (Photo Credit Josh Wool)

Two-time Emmy winner Matthew Macfadyen is following up his incredible run as Tom Wambsgans in HBO’s critically acclaimed Succession with a starring role in The Miniature Wife. Emmy nominee Elizabeth Banks is also on board to star in the series, and both Banks and Macfadyen will serve as executive producers.

The series, described as a romantic dramedy, was just given a straight-to-series order by Peacock.

“The Miniature Wife, based on the short story written by Manuel Gonzalez, is a high-concept marital dramedy examining the power (im)balances between spouses, Lindy (Elizabeth Banks) and Les (Matthew Macfadyen), who battle each other for supremacy after a technological accident induces the ultimate relationship crisis,” reads Peacock’s synopsis.

Jennifer Ames and Steve Turner (Boardwalk Empire) created the dramedy and will guide the series as showrunners and executive producers. Additional executive producers include Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer.

Following a turbulent year marked by dueling industry strikes and the violent contraction–if not yet full pop–of the streaming bubble, 2024 has thus far been pretty good to Hollywood. It certainly helps that we’re in the middle of awards season, which for cineastes amounts to a three-month holiday largely characterized by voluminous binge-watching. And not just binge-watching of the year’s top films. For the curious, the season also offers up a smuggler’s bounty full of talking special post-screening Q&As, roundtables, filmmaker panels, celebratory cocktail receptions and more.

Traditionally Film Independent’s Directors Close-Up series has been a little bit of all of the above, presenting behind-the-scenes insight into the year’s most important works of cinema, straight from the mouths and brains of filmmakers themselves. As the virtual portion of this year’s programming winds down (see below), we’re looking ahead now to our...

Nicole Kidman fears her legacy could be altered by AI.The ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ actress, 56, opened up about the reality of artificial intelligence being used to change past work on film through trickery such as de-ageing while discussing what she will leave behind when she’s gone.Nicole told Vogue Australia she was sure she would be leaving some kind of legacy “if it doesn’t all get changed by AI”.She added: “Sorry! So much of it is in the moment.”Mum-of-four Nicole went on to muse: “What are you leaving behind? “Hopefully, your children, who want to make a difference in the world and have purpose and will fight to keep this planet and people alive.”The actress had adopted children Bella, 31, and Connor, 29, with ex-husband Tom Cruise, 61, and has daughters Sunday Rose, 15, and Faith Margaret, 13, with her musician spouse of 18 years Keith Urban, 56.One of her latest...

When you’re hot, you’re hot, and Matthew Macfadyen — as himself and in character — is on fire.

The “Succession” star took home his second Emmy Award Monday night, winning the category for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama series. Macfadyen has been nominated for an Emmy three times for his portrayal of Tom Wambsgans on the HBO drama. He first won in 2022, and in the past eight days, he’s won a second Emmy, earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, and taken home the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.

As fans of “Succession” already know (and spoiler alert for those who don’t), his character also ended up as the CEO of Waystar Royco — out-maneuvering his wife, Shiv (Sarah Snook), her brothers Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Kendall (Jeremy Strong), as well as the many other aspiring kings new boss Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) was considering. While it...

To say anyone “won” at the end of “Succession” is a stretch, but there’s no denying who came out on top at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards. Matthew Macfadyen, who played the eternal shit-eater (turned CEO) Tom Wambsgans on HBO’s drama, took home the trophy for Best Supporting Actor. It was his first nomination and thus, his first win.

At the Golden Globes, the Supporting Actor race isn’t divided between Comedy and Drama contenders. There’s only one category for all supporting stars, meaning Macfadyen beat out not only his nominated co-stars, Alan Ruck and Alexander Skarsgård, as well as Billy Crudup’s dramatic performance in “The Morning Show,” but also Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“The Bear”) and James Marsden (“Jury Duty”), whose roles land them in the comedy categories at other awards shows. Thankfully, that means no one can whine about whether Macfadyen’s colorful quips should’ve forced...

Despite the pandemic nixing the physical edition and replacing it with the virtual one, it feels like it didn’t snow on Mimi Cave‘s parade. Fresh (read review) pulled in some solid reviews at Sundance and she managed to parlay the hype and push towards a sophomore project that is a Mount Rushmore in terms of quality. A top ranked 2013 Blacklist screenplay penned by Andrew Sodroski, Holland, Michigan was swirling around Hollywood for about a decade until the film gods pieced together what is pitched as a Hitchcock-style thriller with Nicole Kidman and Gael García Bernal toplining. Matthew Macfadyen and Rachel Sennott are also onboard.…...

Every Oscar season brings a perfect blend of unexpected movies joining into the race, films falling out and lots of other last-minute decisions. Our 2024 Oscars predictions center launched in early July with the eight top categories. Since then, we’ve received alerts and notices that 13 movies will be eligible instead for 2024 (and the 2025 Academy Awards competition).

More changes will certainly be made in the upcoming months with news from festivals, premieres, red carpet events and critical response. But for now, here are the 13 films that were initially available for 2024 prediction but have been removed. Keep in mind that the reasons for changes could be more editing/technical work needs to be done on these movies, quality level is low, getting away from the strikes timeframce, and/or holding to have more product in 2024 since production has been slowed down.

Also, any film listed below could be reconsidered and shifted back...

Exclusive: Sebastian Stan (Pam & Tommy) and Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) are attached to star in an untitled spy comedy in very early development at Paramount, Deadline has learned.

Jenny Bicks (Welcome to Flatch) is set to pen the script, which is said to involve a failed double agent who becomes an unlikely success, based off an original pitch. Paul Feig (The School for Good and Evil) is eyeing to direct and will also produce alongside Laura Allen Fischer for Feigco Entertainment, as well as Stan (A Different Man) and Emmy winner Emily Gerson Saines.

Stan landed his first Emmy, Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award nominations for his turn as Tommy Lee in Hulu’s acclaimed miniseries Pam & Tommy, also recently starring in Apple’s thriller Sharper opposite Julianne Moore, and in Mimi Cave’s horror-thriller Fresh with Daisy Edgar-Jones. The actor is otherwise...

Fresh off last year’s Bodies Bodies Bodies, Rachel Sennott has joined the cast of Mimi Cave‘s (Fresh) new movie Holland, Michigan, Deadline first reported this afternoon.

Lennon Parham (Minx), Isaac Krasner (Power Book III: Raising Kanan) and Jeff Pope (Interview with the Vampire) have also signed on this week, joining the previously announced Nicole Kidman, Gael García Bernal, Jude Hill and Matthew Macfadyen.

Cave’s Holland, Michigan comes from Amazon Studios.

The site’s report details, “The feature, based on Andrew Sodroski’s (Manhunt) script, topped the 2013 Black List, and involves secrets that lurk beneath a Midwestern town with a Hitchcock bent. Kidman will star and produce with Per Saari under her Blossom Films.”

Peter Dealbert is producing, with Kate Churchill executive producing.

Mimi Cave’s horror-comedy Fresh was released on Hulu last year, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan. In the film, “Frustrated by scrolling dating...

The Hitchcockian thriller Holland, Michigan is a project that has spent the last decade in development hell. It started out with a screenplay by Andrew Sodroski, creator of the Discovery television series Manhunt, that was featured on the Black List back in 2013. At one point, documentarian Errol Morris was going to direct a version of Holland, Michigan that was going to star Naomi Watts, Bryan Cranston, and Edgar Ramirez. But it fell apart before filming could begin. Now director Mimi Cave – who recently made her feature directorial debut with the thriller Fresh – and producer/star Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge) are working together to push the project into production for Amazon Prime Video… and it’s looking like this version of Holland, Michigan is actually going to happen! We’ve previously heard that Kidman is going to be joined in the cast by Gael García Bernal (Werewolf by Night), Matthew Macfadyen...

Exclusive: Prime Video’s Hitchcockian thriller Holland, Michigan continues to round out its cast with the addition of Rachel Sennott (Bodies Bodies Bodies), Lennon Parham (Minx), Isaac Krasner (Power Book III: Raising Kanan) and Jeff Pope (Interview with the Vampire).

The quartet joins an ensemble that also includes Nicole Kidman, Gael García Bernal, Matthew Macfadyen and Jude Hill, as we told you first.

The film helmed by Mimi Cave (Fresh) stems from a script by Andrew Sodroski which topped the Black List in 2013. It tells the story of a Midwestern housewife who uncovers a dark secret on the part of her husband, after coming to suspect that he’s having an affair.

Kidman and Per Saari are producing for Blossom Films, alongside 42’s Peter Dealbert, and Churchill Films’ Kate Churchill. The forthcoming film will stream on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Sennott broke out with her...

Roses are red. Violets are blue. We hate Valentine’s Day. How about you?

Ok, “hate” is an overstatement. At the very least, capitalism’s annual ode to the big L-o-v-e is an excellent excuse to revisit our favorite rom-coms and dramatic love stories. From “The Notebook” and “Moonlight” to “Notting Hill” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” the best movies about the highs and lows of finding The One can bring smiles to our faces and tears to our eyes. Arguably, it’s these films that make the most compelling arguments for a holiday wholly dedicated to flowers, greeting cards, and other displays of chocolate-dipped devotion.

Still, Valentine’s Day draws ire for its materialistic center and vaguely exclusionary culture. More than ever, singles, couples, and so-called “situationships” are foregoing the traditional dinner-for-two and enjoying Galentine’s, Palentine’s, and other counter culture celebrations on or around February 14. Whether you’re...

Director Mimi Cave – who recently made her feature directorial debut with the thriller Fresh – is now set to take the helm of a Hitchcockian thriller called Holland, Michigan, and she’s busy building a supporting cast around the film’s star and producer Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge). A couple weeks ago, it was announced that Gael García Bernal (Werewolf by Night) had joined the cast. Now Matthew Macfadyen (Succession) and child actor Jude Hill (Belfast) have also signed on to play roles in Holland, Michigan. Details on their characters have not been shared.

Holland, Michigan is a project that has spent the last decade in development hell. It started out with a screenplay by Andrew Sodroski, creator of the Discovery television series Manhunt, that was featured on the Black List back in 2013. At one point, documentarian Errol Morris was going to direct a version of Holland, Michigan that was going to star Naomi Watts,...

Exclusive: Belfast breakout Jude Hill has come aboard for a role in Holland, Michigan, the Hitchcockian thriller being directed for Prime Video by Fresh helmer Mimi Cave. He’s set to star alongside Nicole Kidman, Gael García Bernal and Matthew Macfadyen, whose castings were previously announced, in a role that has not been disclosed.

The film based on the 2013 Black List-topping script by Andrew Sodroski hinges on the secrets that lurk beneath a Midwestern town. Producers include Kidman and Per Saari for Blossom Films, Pacific View Management & Productions’ Peter Dealbert, and Churchill Films’ Kate Churchill. Holland, Michigan will stream in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Hill is best known for playing the lead role of Buddy in Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical Focus Features drama Belfast — a coming-of-age tale set against the tumult of 1960s Ireland. The Academy Award and BAFTA-winning feature had the young actor starring alongside Judi Dench,...

Up next from director Mimi Cave (Fresh) is the thriller Holland, Michigan, and Deadline lets us know today that Emmy winner Matthew Macfadyen (“Succession”) has signed on.

The film’s cast also includes Nicole Kidman and Gael García Bernal.

Cave’s Holland, Michigan comes from Amazon Studios.

The site’s report details, “The feature, based on Andrew Sodroski’s (Manhunt) script, topped the 2013 Black List, and involves secrets that lurk beneath a Midwestern town with a Hitchcock bent. Kidman will star and produce with Per Saari under her Blossom Films.”

Peter Dealbert is producing, with Kate Churchill executive producing.

Mimi Cave’s horror-comedy Fresh was released on Hulu last year, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan. In the film, “Frustrated by scrolling dating apps only to end up on lame, tedious dates, Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) takes a chance by giving her number to the awkwardly charming Steve (Sebastian Stan) after...

Exclusive: Succession‘s Matthew Macfadyen is the newest addition to the cast of the Hitchcockian thriller Holland, Michigan. The Prime Video film from director Mimi Cave (Fresh) will see him star opposite Nicole Kidman and Gael García Bernal.

While Holland, Michigan is said to concern secrets that lurk beneath a Midwestern town, specifics as to the plot of the film scripted by Andrew Sodroski are under wraps. Blossom Films’ Kidman and Per Saari are producing alongside Pacific View Management & Productions’ Peter Dealbert, and Churchill Films’ Kate Churchill. Pic will stream in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Macfadyen is best known for his Emmy- and BAFTA-winning role as Tom Wambsgans in HBO’s drama series Succession, which returns for its fourth season March 26. The actor also recently led the ITV and BritBox drama series Stonehouse, based on a true story, as well as AMC’s limited series Quiz. His most...

Seven months have passed since it was announced that Nicole Kidman would be starring in and producing a Hitchcockian thriller called Holland, Michigan – a project that has spent the last decade in development hell. It started out with a screenplay by Andrew Sodroski, creator of the Discovery television series Manhunt, that was featured on the Black List back in 2013. At one point, documentarian Errol Morris was going to direct a version of Holland, Michigan that was going to star Naomi Watts, Bryan Cranston, and Edgar Ramirez. But it fell apart before filming could begin. Now Kidman is working with director Mimi Cave – who recently made her feature directorial debut with the thriller Fresh – to finally make Holland, Michigan happen. And The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that Kidman has secured a co-star: Gael García Bernal (Werewolf by Night).

Details on the character Bernal will be playing have not been revealed.

It looks like Amazon and Gael García Bernal will join forces again after the buzzy world premiere of “Cassandro” at Sundance last month (read The Playlist’s review here). The Hollywood Reporter reports that Bernal joins Nicole Kidman for the upcoming Prime Video thriller “Holland, Michigan.” “Fresh” director Mimi Cave helms the project.

Continue reading ‘Holland, Michigan’: Gael García Bernal Joins Nicole Kidman For Mimi Cave’s Upcoming Thriller For Amazon Prime Video at The Playlist.

Fresh off Old and “Werewolf by Night,” Gael García Bernal will star alongside Nicole Kidman in a thriller titled Holland, Michigan from the director of Hulu’s Fresh, Mimi Cave.

THR first reported the news this afternoon.

Cave’s Holland, Michigan comes from Amazon Studios.

The site’s report details, “The feature, based on Andrew Sodroski’s (Manhunt) script, topped the 2013 Black List, and involves secrets that lurk beneath a Midwestern town with a Hitchcock bent. Kidman will star and produce with Per Saari under her Blossom Films.”

Peter Dealbert is producing, with Kate Churchill executive producing.

Mimi Cave’s horror-comedy Fresh was released on Hulu last year, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan. In the film, “Frustrated by scrolling dating apps only to end up on lame, tedious dates, Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) takes a chance by giving her number to the awkwardly charming Steve (Sebastian Stan) after a produce-section meet-cute at the grocery store.

Gael García Bernal is joining Nicole Kidman in the Amazon Prime thriller Holland, Michigan.

Mimi Cave is directing the movie, which is described as a “Hitchcock-style thriller involving secrets that lurk beneath a Midwestern town.”

Andrew Sodroski is behind the screenplay. Kidman is producing with Per Saari via her Blossom Films banner, which has a longstanding relationship with Amazon, having recently teamed for Things I Know to Be True, an adaptation of Andrew Bovell’s award-winning play, and the upcoming drama series Expats. Pacific View Management and Productions’ Peter Dealbert is also producing. Churchill Films’ Kate Churchill is executive producing.

Bernal, repped by WME and Hansen Jacobson, is reteaming with Amazon following his role in Cassandro, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to overwhelmingly positive reviews. Reads The Hollywood Reporter‘s festival review: “Bernal nails his best role in years, giving a performance steeped in cheeky humor, resilience...

Humanity is going to hell in a handbasket. At least, that seems to be the rearview consensus on 2022: a year that saw some things get better, a lot of things get worse, and the consequential uncertainty further taking over politics and pop culture.

Anyone reading this list knows horror movies mean some kind of catharsis. But as worldwide trends get more dreadful year over year, the thematic link between “our trying times” and the satisfaction we get from nightmares playing out onscreen has become stronger and more apparent. Now, perhaps more than ever before, scary movie fans can acutely consider why some new terrors captivate and excite, while others don’t or can’t.

Take last year’s inexplicable cannibalism trend: “Bones and All,” “Fresh,” “Resurrection,” all great movies that make our list. But why did consuming flesh consume our interest? And why did that subject matter so often intersect with sex?...

As an appreciator of the culinary arts (a "foodie" or whatever), my favorite type of visual storytelling is always food-based. There's so much a single dish can tell in terms of story: Attention to detail unlocks the psyche of its chef, while the grade of meal in specific scenarios conveys particular emotions. Food may just be food to some people. Still, movies and television shows have long found unique ways to incorporate five-star narrative devices that are flame broiled, served fresh, and intricately layered beyond what's visible from the outside.

As we conclude another year in media entertainment, let's look at some of the year's best incorporations of cinematic cuisines.

10. Meatball (Fresh)

Sebastian Stan plays a most charming cannibal in "Fresh," where he butchers women for their delicious cuts of human meat. In it, Stan's "Steve" or "Brendan' — depending on who he's talking to — indulges prisoner Nora's (Daisy Edgar-Jones) questions about cannibalism.

For me, the score or soundtrack is one of the most vital pieces of a film. It doesn't just set the tone for the story — it shapes the way you feel about it. Music can pull you right out of a scene if it doesn't fit or push you over the edge if you're on the verge of tears. It can fill your heart with happiness or punch you right in the gut. Music can also make you feel completely and totally understood.

None of us would be writing for /Film if we weren't compulsive in our love of movies and TV, but of all my obsessions — which also include books and comics — music is the one that I've always had the deepest ties to. I listen to music when I do literally anything. It's my gospel, the altar at which I worship, my lifeline. I truly believe my life...

Awards season is upon us, and if there's one thing we know for sure, it's that horror movies are about to get snubbed again. Because that's the norm for most major awards shows. In a world where Toni Collette can't get nominated for "Hereditary," Lupita Nyong'o can't get nominated for "Us," and Rebecca Hall can't get nominated for "The Night House," what hope is there for all the other awesome horror movie performances?

So if the Academy is going to ignore the vast majority of great horror genre performances — there are a few exceptions throughout history, but not terribly many — it falls to us to make sure the exceptional work this year doesn't get forgotten. And since it's been an unusually spectacular year for the horror genre, narrowing the great work down to a manageable size is itself a leviathan effort. We don't have space to celebrate every great horror actor,...

Rounding up the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood, as voted on by hundreds of film executives, The Black List has been a strong resource to clue one in on projects to potentially anticipate, but first, to kickstart Hollywood on bringing them to screen. Today we have this year’s edition, as voted on by over 300 film executives.

Topping the 2022 edition is Catherine Schetina’s Pure, with a logline as follows: “Obsessed with food purity, Hannah’s trip to her sister’s destination wedding descends into madness when she contracts a mysterious foodborne illness that threatens to destroy her from within.”

Other scripts feature a look at the employees of Four Seasons Total Landscaping on November 7, 2020, the makings of It’s a Wonderful Life and the Madden videogame, a dark comedy about the Hindenburg Disaster, biopics on Dolly Parton, Michael Phelps, and Jerry Springer, and quite a heaping of sci-fi stories.

As...

The Black List, an annual ranking of the most popular unproduced screenplays in Hollywood, has released its 2022 rankings — a list crawling with juicy biopics about superstar singers and sports world redemption tales.

Founded by Franklin Leonard, the list surveys 300 studio executives who weigh in with the strongest screenplays to have crossed their desks over the year. An individual script must be mentioned at least six times to warrant inclusion. The year’s most popular is “Pure,” a psychological thriller that would set Gwyneth Paltrow on edge.

“Obsessed with food purity, Hannah’s trip to her sister’s destination wedding descends into madness when she contracts a mysterious foodborne illness that threatens to destroy her from within,” reads the official longline.

Other notable projects include: “Dumb Blonde,” an origin story of Dolly Parton’s rise in the male-dominated country music landscape of the ’60s, by Todd Bartels and Lou Howe; “Resurfaced,...

Screenwriter Catherine Schetina has topped the 2022 Black List — the annual roundup of Hollywood’s most-liked unproduced screenplays — with her script, Pure.

Unveiled on Monday morning, the 2022 Black List consists of 74 scripts by 80 writers, which were selected by 300+ film executives. Among the titles selected are films on such notable figures as John Madden, alleged alien abductees Barney and Betty Hill, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, country icon Dolly Parton, escape artist Harry Houdini, GOP strategist Lee Atwater, It’s a Wonderful Life collaborators Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart, tabloid talk show host Jerry Springer, and pop star Britney Spears .

Related Story The Black List 2022 Scorecard: CAA, Bellevue Productions Top Agency And Management Lists Related Story Sony Pictures Animation and The Black List Announces Fredrick Leach As Inaugural Writers Program Fellow Related Story Alex Liu Receives Blind Feature Film Script Deal Through MGM & The Black List Partnership

The synopsis for Pure, which led the list with 25 votes,...

Timothée Chalamet as Lee and Taylor Russell as Maren in ‘Bones and All’ (Photo Credit: Yannis Drakoulidis © 2022 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc)

Vampires are experiencing a resurgence, thanks to AMC’s Interview with a Vampire and Peacock’s Vampire Academy, while zombies are on the decline. And the question now is, can cannibals fill the void left by the exit of The Walking Dead et al? If Mimi Cave’s Fresh and Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All are any indication, then, yes, cannibals are prepared to gnaw their way into our horror-loving hearts.

Bones and All is weird and warped, and am I wrong when I call it the first legitimate coming-of-age cannibal love story? The gore’s delivered in ample servings, but there’s such an amazingly sweet love story flowing through Bones and All’s veins that even those who don’t normally like their dishes served rare will...

Click here to read the full article.

The Alice Initiative, backed by a group of anonymous female film executives, has released its annual survey of up-and-coming female directing talent, ready for their first studio feature.

The Alice Initiative’s 2022 List of Emerging Female Directors is voted on every two years by executives and producers and is made up of 10 directors who have directed at least one, non-studio feature and another 10 directors that have yet to direct a feature but have garnered attention for their work on TV or in short films.

Past list honorees have included The Farewell’s Lulu Wang and Portrait of a Lady on Fire‘s Céline Sciamma. Feature film directors from The Alice Initiative’s 2020 list included Laure de Clermont-Tonnere, who helmed Netflix’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and Where the Crawdads Sing directors Olivia Newman.

The Alice Initiative is continuing its partnership with Women Wednesdays. Started by Carly Kleinbart,...

Sebastian Stan had a great 2022 with his starring role in Hulu‘s “Pam & Tommy” and Mimi Cave‘s divisive feature film debut, “Fresh.” So, what’s his follow-up for early 2023? How about “Sharper,” an NYC-set comedy thriller about con artists with Julianne Moore for A24 and Apple TV+?

Continue reading ‘Sharper’ Teaser: Julianne Moore & Sebastian Stan Star In A24 Comedy Thriller Hitting Apple TV+ On February 17, 2023 at The Playlist.

We’ve ranked final girls and villainesses. We’ve remembered Fay Wray and honored Jamie Lee Curtis. We’ve ruminated on director Mary Lambert’s “Pet Sematary,” celebrated star Jess Weixler kicking the hell out of “Teeth,” and considered the limitations imposed by so-called sanity in “Carrie,” “Unsane,” and more psychological fright fests.

We’ve waxed poetic about our favorite horror movies and pestered genre goddesses of all kinds to do same with Kristen Connolly (“The Cabin in the Woods”), Leigh Janiak (“Fear Street”), Thora Birch (“Hocus Pocus”), Barbara Crampton (“Re-Animator”), Milly Shapiro (“Hereditary”), Essie Davis (“The Babadook”), and more weighing in. Heck, Cassandra Peterson — yes, the Elvira — even sat us down for a whole conversation picking apart what sets her Halloween-loving heart aflutter, in an interview that also explores the LGBTQ underpinnings of countless scary movies.

Now, IndieWire’s Seven Days of Scream Queens — our horror-themed tribute to women...

At the controversial intersection of graphic violence in pop culture and women’s liberation in politics, you’ll find the taboo and too often overlooked subgenre of feminist body horror.

These extreme scary movies wield over-the-top gore and violence like exacting scalpels, peeling away society’s thick skin of deference and niceties to reveal an insidious underbelly of gendered violence, gendered shame, gendered betrayal, gendered hell.

As with other body horror films, these themes can play out on the flesh of the hero, villain, or both. What sets them apart is not who wins and who dies, who suffers and who laughs, who has a penis and who doesn’t, but the emotional and sociopolitical motivations behind the filmmakers’ decision to shock — and even brutalize — their audiences with violent story pieces applied to specific characters. From puberty, sex, assault, and rape to conception, abortion, birth, and motherhood, literal arenas of...

[Editor’s note: This list was originally published on June 30, 2022. It was updated on October 6, 2022 to reflect new inclusions.]

Googly eyes. High-flying fighter jets. Terrifying aliens. Genies in bottles (and beyond). Lovable robots and wild red pandas. Medieval tweens. Meat. Romance. Dancing. Incredibly bad vacations. Farts. Freedom. The first nine months (and change) of 2022 have already gifted film fans with a wide array of incredible cinematic offerings, and there’s still plenty of titles yet to arrive on a screen near you.

Some of our favorite filmmakers have returned to the cinema with fresh visions, including everyone from Kogonada to Andrea Arnold, David Cronenberg to Daniels, Terence Davies to Peter Strickland, Lena Dunham to George Miller. And there have been plenty of new names to admire, too, including Audrey Diwan, Panah Panahi, Mimi Cave, John Patton Ford, Owen Kline, Adamma Ebo, and Jerrod Carmichael, all of whom have bowed debuts that make us feel hopeful for the future of film.

A handful of the films that have already earned...

Celebrating the 21st anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Howard Shore’s Academy award-winning score will be presented live, in concert.

“Experience the epic motion picture and its legendary score at the historic Radio City Music Hall, beneath a giant screen accompanied by 238 musicians, including symphony orchestra, chorus and soloists, this coming February 6 & 7, 2023.”

Get your tickets here for February 6

Get your tickets here for February 7

As Daredevil prepares to suit up for the first time in the MCU proper, more rumors are beginning to surface that another fan-favorite character from the Marvel Netflix days will be appearing on Daredevil: Born Again.

“Daredevil (Charlie Cox) is officially coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in the upcoming Disney+ series, Daredevil: Born Again. Cox first starred as a Matt Murdock (a.k.a. Daredevil) in the Netflix series, Daredevil, which ran for 3 seasons before it was canceled.

One of the breakout stars of the pandemic, Daisy Edgar-Jones, was finally out and about at Locarno Film Festival, where she picked up the Leopard Club Award and introduced her latest film “Where the Crawdads Sing,” based on a novel by Delia Owens.

“The whole idea of being a ‘breakout star’ is a strange thing to comprehend anyway. The strangeness of that, happening in tandem with the strangeness of the pandemic, meant that those things will be forever mixed up together for me,” she tells Variety, recalling “Normal People’s” triumphant unveiling during the lockdown.

“In reality, nothing in my life was changing. I was still in my bedroom on Zoom. This year, I have been all the more grateful for being able to promote the projects I worked on and actually be with the people I made them with.”

Her new film, set in the South and starting all...

Sebastian Stan made a splash in the indie film pool earlier this year as a man with peculiar appetites in “Fresh.” Mimi Cave‘s debut polarized audiences at Sundance in January, then Hulu subscribers on March 4. However, Stan must have loved the experience on “Fresh,” as he’s acting in not one but two upcoming A24 films. That’s quite a change of pace for the Winter Soldier after so many Marvel appearances.

Continue reading ‘A Different Man’: Take A Look At Sebastian Stan’s Stunning Transformation For The New A24 Film at The Playlist.

Sebastian Stan has done twice the transformations in 2022.

The MCU alum earned an Emmy nomination for playing Tommy Lee in Hulu’s “Pam and Tommy” limited series, and now Stan has gone completely face-first into his upcoming role for A24’s “A Different Man.”

Stan shared an Instagram photo of himself as Edward, a man who undergoes facial reconstructive surgery and becomes obsessed with the actor portraying him in a play based on his life. Stan simply captioned that it was “incredible work” done by prosthetics artist Mike Marino, who was recently behind Colin Farrell’s transformation into the Penguin for Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.”

Stan executive produces “A Different Man,” which is written and directed by Aaron Schimberg. The film also stars “The Worst Person in the World” breakout Renate Reinsve and “Under the Skin” alum Adam Pearson. “A Different Man” is currently in production in New York City.

British actor Daisy Edgar-Jones, best known for her role as Marianne in the Hulu and BBC series “Normal People,” will be feted by the Locarno Film Festival with its Leopard Club Award.

The Swiss fest dedicated to indie cinema will celebrate Edgar-Jones on Aug. 5 when her latest film, Olivia Newman’s “Where the Crawdads Sing,” in which she plays the lead, will screen on the 8,000-seat outdoor Piazza Grande venue.

On the following day Locarno will also screen Bill Buckhurst’s coming-of-age film “Pond Life” which marked Edgar-Jones’ debut in a theatrically released feature.

She also starred opposite Sebastian Stan in the movie “Fresh,” directed by Mimi Cave which premiered at Sundance and was released on Hulu and Disney +.

Edgar-Jones trained at the National Youth Theatre before landing her first role at age 17 as a series regular in the British Comedy-Drama “Cold Feet” alongside James Nesbitt for ITV.

She has earned Critics Choice,...

The animated film Spellbound led by West Side Story‘s Rachel Zegler has expanded its voice cast, with the Being the Ricardos duo of Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem signing on for roles, along with John Lithgow (Killers of the Flower Moon), Nathan Lane (Only Murders in the Building), Jenifer Lewis (I Love That for You), André De Shields and Jordan Fisher (Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen).

The upcoming musical from Apple Original Films and Skydance Animation will have Kidman voicing Ellsmere, the kind and just, yet hyper-precise Queen of Lumbria, with Bardem as Lumbria’s boastful yet big-hearted King, Solon. Together, they are the parents of Princess Ellian (Zegler), who they join on her daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms them into monsters and threatens to cover Lumbria in darkness forever. Lithgow and Lewis will voice Princess Ellian’s royal advisors,...

Following up The Nest, director Sean Durkin has set his next feature. The Martha Marcy May Marlene helmer will write and direct Iron Claw for A24, Deadline reports. Set to star Zac Efron, the film will capture the wild true story of the Von Erichs, the wrestling dynasty family who made a mark in the 1960s up to the present day. It hasn’t been revealed yet who Efron will play or how many years the film will capture, but it sounds like compelling material for Durkin to capture.

Lingua Franca director Isabel Sandoval is moving forward with her next project. Deadline reports she will be writing, helming, and starring in Tropical Gothic, a 16th-century, Philippines-set tale that is an allegory on Western colonialism. The story follows a Native Priestess who convinces her Spanish master that she is possessed by the spirit of his dead bride, in order to manipulate...

Scribe Andrew Sodroski might finally get to see the film project that gave him his big break in the business finally receive the big screen treatment. Almost an entire decade after Holland, Michigan shot up to the top of Black List (same year as A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) and then found Errol Morris looking to direct and Naomi Watts looking to topline, it is another Australian in Nicole Kidman who’ll be doubting her hubby’s cheating ways. Coming onboard as star and producer, Kidman teamed with Amazon (who picked up the rights in 2016) and they’ve set Sundance break-out helmer Mimi Cave to direct.…...

Nicole Kidman kicked off her relationship with Amazon Studios last year with great success. Her role as Lucille Ball in Aaron Sorkin‘s “Being The Ricardos” nabbed her a Golden Globe for Best Actress – Drama win and a nomination for a Best Actress Oscar. She has “Expats” coming out on Amazon soon, too, based on Janice Y.K. Lee‘s 2016 novel “The Expatriates,” which she stars in and co-produces.

Continue reading Nicole Kidman To Produce & Star In Amazon Show ‘Holland, Michigan,’ Mimi Cave To Direct at The Playlist.