David Fincher Talks ‘Alien 3’ Mistakes, Career Evolution With Steven Soderbergh: ‘I Came Out of a Truly F–d Up Situation’

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent For his third edition at the helm, Locarno Film Festival artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro has assembled a wide spectrum of films that “do not resemble each other in terms of tone or form” while reflecting “the world in all its expressions and manifestations,” he tells Variety. This boundless range is best exemplified by the fact that starkly surrealist Filipino arthouse star Lav Díaz’s latest work, “Essential Truths of the Lake,” will be vying for the fest’s Golden Leopard alongside fare that, at least on paper, appears much lighter. This includes U.S. director Bob Byington’s indie comedy “Lousy Carter” and Estonian helmer Rainer Sarnet’s “The Invisible Flight,” which Nazzaro says  “mixes Kung Fu, hard rock and the Orthodox Church.”

K.J. Yossman One of Kevin Spacey’s alleged victims compared the actor to the serial killer he played in David Fincher’s feature “Se7en” in a U.K. court on Monday. The man, who can not be identified under British law, detailed the allegations against Spacey in a pre-recorded police interview, which was played to the jury at Southwark Crown Court in London. He said Spacey had groped him “a good dozen times,” including touching his inner thighs and genitals over his clothes, “smack[ing] his arse” and putting the man’s hands on Spacey’s genitals. The alleged incidents took place over the space of “a few years.” During the interview, the man also compared Spacey to his character in the Fincher film. “His character in ‘Se7en,’ he’s a bit like that,” the man said. “A bit creepy. Maybe not quite as bad.”

Olivia Rodrigo has revealed she thought of the title for her upcoming second album ‘Guts’ before her 2021 debut ‘Sour’ had even seen the light of day.The album is set to drop on September 8 via Geffen and will feature Rodrigo’s new single ‘Vampire’, which she shared yesterday (June 30).In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Rodrigo was asked about the meaning of the album title and how it came about.“I had it for a long time. I had it actually when I was making ‘Sour’,” she said. “I’m like, ‘I want the next one to be ‘Guts’.’ I had it in my head.

Any parent’s worst nightmare would be that something bad happens to their child. That’s why kidnapping films and TV series have always struck a chord because the tension and emotions experienced by the parents attempting to find their missing kid are universal.

Naman Ramachandran A decade after scoring a major hit with “Raanjhanaa,” Indian director-producer Aanand L. Rai is returning to its universe with “Tere Ishk Mein.” “Raanjhanaa,” an intense Hindu-Muslim romantic drama, was the Hindi-language debut of Tamil cinema star Dhanush and featured chartbusting music by Oscar-, BAFTA-, Grammy- and Golden Globe-winner A.R. Rahman. While keeping the plot under wraps, Rai told Variety, “When we were working on the ‘Tere Ishk Mein’ script, we realized that we are catching on to the same aggression. And in terms of genre, it’s falling in that genre of tragedy and I said, it’s actually belonging to that world. They’re not similar stories, but they have a similar heartbeat. We were getting the same feeling what we were getting when we were working on ‘Raanjhanaa.’ I said, let’s start belonging to that world.”

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor SPOILER ALERT: This story includes minor spoilers for the upcoming R-rated comedy, “Joy Ride.” Stephanie Hsu wants people to know that her big naked reveal in “Joy Ride” is hilarious, but it’s not her. “It’s a body double. Let me be clear and let my mother know,” the Oscar-nominated actor told me Monday at the film’s Los Angeles premiere. “Joy Ride” is a raunchy R-rated comedy that stars Ashley Park as Audrey, a high-powered attorney who travels to China on business. Joining her on the trip are friends Lolo (Sherry Cola) and Deadeye (Sabrina Wu). Hsu plays Audrey’s college friend, Kat, who is now a Chinese soap opera star. The four find themselves in various bonker scenarios that include drugs, sex and even basketball star Baron Davis.

Seth Meyers just announced his latest project.

McKinley Franklin editor Jim Gaffigan will debut his next Amazon Original comedy special, “Dark Pale,” on Prime Video on July 25. “Jim Gaffigan: Dark Pale” is Gaffigan’s 10th comedy special, which will be available to stream in over 240 countries and territories. “Sometimes when people find out I have five kids, they think I’m good at parenting,” Gaffigan quips in the trailer for “Dark Pale. “Which is kind of like assuming people with lots of cats are not crazy.” Gaffigan is a seven-time Grammy-nominated comedian, actor, writer and producer who is known for his stand-up specials and roles in movies such as “Chappaquiddick,” “American Dreamer” and “Troop Zero.” As recently announced, he is set to embark on a five-city arena tour with Jerry Seinfeld this fall ahead of his Barely Alive Tour, which kicks off on Aug. 25 in Las Vegas.

David Fincher isn’t a perfect filmmaker. Sure, he’s one of the best working today, but his films aren’t always instantly beloved.

The Los Angeles Times that he keeps TCM on one of the screens in his editing suite while he’s working.“It gives me something to turn to, to bounce off of, to rest in, to reinvigorate my thinking — just glancing at some image or combination of images at a certain moment,” he told the outlet. “It’s more like a presence in the room, a reminder of film history as a living, ongoing entity.”“I fear for the future of TCM,” he added at the time. “So does everyone else I know who loves movies.”Zaslav himself touted the network when joined Spielberg and Anderson at the 14th TCM Classic Film Festival in April.

While it doesn’t hold the same place in film history as “The Social Network,” which is thought to be one of the best films of the past 20 years, there are still folks who praise David Fincher’s work on “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” However, it would be silly to suggest that the film was a runaway success, as it is seen by many as a misfire in the incredible career of Fincher.

Sir David Jason is to return to TV, but not in a sitcom like his previous starring roles in Only Fools and Horses and Open All Hours. Instead the 83-year-old actor is set to take up a presenting role as he hosts a BBC series titled Touring Toolshed with his new best mate Jay Blades from BBC's The Repair Shop. The pals will host the series on BBC2 as it focuses on the presenting duo as they visit guests in locations across the UK via their touring toolshed hut to discuss their hobbies and passion projects.

The 2023 edition of the Tribeca Film Festival closed out last night with a conversation between two of the best filmmakers of their generation, David Fincher and Steven Soderbergh. The Q&A covered all sorts of topics, but Fincher dropped an intriguing nugget in the midst of it.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Shooting for me is a lot of indigestion,” David Fincher told the audience at the 2023 Tribeca Festival during a spirited conversation with fellow director and longtime friend Steven Soderbergh. The “Fight Club” and “Mank” Oscar nominee was asked by Soderbergh which part of the filmmaking process he loves the most. Fincher said it’s certainly not the physical shooting of a movie. “I love rehearsal,” Fincher said. “I love talking to people about the intention and going over every single word and what the script means and listening to people read it. I love the casting process. I love designing the movie and sitting with the production designer and the DP and talking about what do we want to say, where do we want people’s attention, and what do we have to underline.”

David Fincher said he’s not one to go back and re-watch his films. “I don’t. I’m not brave,” he said at the Tribeca Festival. “I’m fundamentally like, look, no, I can’t. It’s like looking at middle school pictures. I don’t want to even acknowledge that.”

David Beckham has left fans cooing as he was seen sporting a pink feather boa during a night out with her daughter Harper Seven. The doting dad's relationship with his youngest child, who he shares with wife Victoria Beckham, has been hailed as 'lovely' as they headed to see Harry Styles.

David and Harper Beckham have been hailed the ‘cutest duo’ as they sang away together at Harry Styles’ concert at Wembley Stadium. The football icon, 48, and his 11 year old daughter donned matching pink feather boas as they belted out Harry’s hit Late Night Talking and One Direction smash You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful. David, who shares four children with wife and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, posted a series of photographs and videos from Wednesday night’s gig to his Instagram account.

Charna Flam The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has announced the 2023 Art+Film Gala will honor Judy Baca and David Fincher. “Through his award-winning films, David Fincher tells compelling stories and sheds light on human psychology. His unique vision pulls the audience deeper into his cinematic world,” LACMA CEO Michael Govan said in a statement Tuesday morning. Fincher has remained a fixture in contemporary cinema, helming “Mank,” “Se7en,” “Fight Club,” “Zodiac,” “The Social Network,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “Gone Girl.” “Judy Baca is one of the most important American artists working today. Drawing inspiration from her hometown of Los Angeles, Baca gives permanence to local histories through her monumental artworks, such as ‘The Great Wall of Los Angeles,'” Govan said. “We are thrilled to honor Judy for her achievements, for her commitment to public art and for her impact in the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and beyond.”

Of all the filmmakers working today, you have to put Steven Soderbergh in a class all of his own when it comes to experimentation in visual storytelling. Sure, folks like James Cameron are pushing technology to the limits, but Soderbergh is equally as experimental when it comes to story, structure, and delivery.

From the moment Tribeca Festival (no longer just film!) dropped its TV lineup, one title caught our eye: Steven Sodebergh’s “Full Circle.” His latest Max original, another reteaming with “Mosaic” and “No Sudden Move” writer Ed Solomon, looked like just the kind of miniseries sensation the summer needs. We’ll have a full review of the series later, but here’s what we learned at Tribeca — both from the first two episodes and the Q&A that followed.