Disney Celebrates May The 4th With ‘Star Wars’ Tribute Supercut

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount’s Republic Pictures label has acquired North American rights to dystopian drama-thriller The End We Start From, starring BAFTA and Emmy winner Jodie Comer (Killing Eve).

Ben Croll A veteran of Pixar, Blue Sky, and DreamWorks Animation, Spanish creative Rodrigo Blaas brought two decades of Hollywood experience to Madrid when he co-founded his own studio, El Guiri. And so, when Hollywood came knocking, Blaas answered with a bit of Spanish flair. “Some opportunities put you in a place to embrace the unknown,” Blaas says. “I saw it myself, watching Brad Bird come into Pixar and kind of break the system there. That’s what I wanted to do; I wanted to come up with something that could break the mold.” That something is “Sith,” a 14-minute short, commissioned by Lucasfilm to serve as Season 2 opener for the anthology series “Star Wars: Visions.” Written and directed by Blaas, and developed and produced fully in-house at El Guiri, the lauded short premiered earlier this month on Disney+ and will screen as part of a Spanish animation showcase at the Cannes Film Festival.

Every year, on the third Thursday of May, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Vyshyvanka. The occasion pays tribute to the country's original folk traditions and sees citizens wearing embroidered Ukrainian clothes, including the Vyshyvanka, a loose-fitting shirt, which is often in black or white and features geometric patterns stitched around the edges.  This year’s celebration was seen as a symbol of national unity against the Russian invasion.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Oscar-nominated Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania (“Beauty and the Dogs,” “The Man Who Sold His Skin”) is back in Cannes with “Four Daughters” a powerful drama that mixes documentary and fiction to delve into the story of Tunisia’s Olfa Hamrouni who rose to international prominence in April 2016 when she publicized the radicalization of her two teenage daughters who had left Tunisia to fight with ISIS. The film, which is the only Arab entry in competition, stars Egyptian-Tunisian star Hend Sabri in the lead role of an actor who must play Hamrouni and gets coaching from the real Olfa on how to prepare for the role. Ben Hania spoke to Variety about the bold choice she made.

Metallica song and Star Trek Klingon quote being included at his ceremony.Labour councillor Tom Coles was chosen to take over from councillor Hugh Mason in Portsmouth, but in a less-than-traditional approach to the service the new mayor requested the ceremony start with him walking in to a famous Metallica song.Sporting his mayoral robes, Coles chose the band’s 1988 song ‘Eye Of The Beholder’ to be the music played during the historic event — a track taken from the metal band’s fourth studio album, ‘…And Justice For All’. Check out footage of the moment below (via BBC).As if the choice of music wasn’t enough to make the ceremony one that attendees wouldn’t forget, the new mayor also included a Klingon quote in his speech, paying reference to Star Trek.“It’s been a long road getting here and I’m humbled and honoured to stand before you as the Lord Mayor,” he also said at the annual city council meeting (via Portsmouth’s The News).

Logan Paul celebrated one year of romance with his girlfriend, Nina Agdal, on Wednesday. The WWE star posted a tribute to his «Danish queen» on Instagram to commemorate the milestone. «One very special year with my Danish queen,» Paul, 28, wrote on Instagram.

EXCLUSIVE: Benedict Cumberbatch has signed to star in Dylan Southern’s adaptation of Max Porter’s acclaimed novel Grief is the Thing With Feathers about a father and his two young sons dealing with the sudden death of their wife and mother.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic There has never been a compilation album in the history of rock as influential as “Nuggets,” a 1972 double-LP that revived a period and style that was seen as having ended about five years before. It was nostalgia of a sort for the very recent past — as opposed to the very distant past that’s now being celebrated with fondness as “Nuggets” itself surpasses the half-century, arguably no less central to a certain rock ‘n’ roll ethos than ever. Lenny Kaye, now best known as the guitarist for Patti Smith’s band, but then highly regarded as a rock critic, compiled the original “Nuggets” for Elektra and may have saved an early wave of garage-rock for the ages … although some would give the collection even more credit, for helping invent, or at least bring into focus, the burgeoning punk-rock movement in the 1970s.

Megyn Kelly is calling out Charlize Theron.

Kiefer Sutherland is ready to go on down the Rabbit Hole again but is not sure where Paramount+ stands on picking up the series for a second season.

Eurovision alumni paid tribute to the legendary artists of Liverpool – where this year’s Song Contest was hosted – by performing a medley of classics from the likes of John Lennon, Dead Or Alive and Atomic Kitten.The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest was hosted last night (May 13) at Liverpool Arena; Sweden came in first place with 583 points, followed by Finland and Israel. The event opened with last year’s champions, Kalush Orchestra, performing their winning song ‘Stefania’.

Sophia Scorziello editor John Travolta and Katherine Heigl will star in Nick Vallelonga’s upcoming rom-com “That’s Amore!” Palisades Park Pictures made the announcement Thursday ahead of the sales launch for the film at Cannes Film Festival. Additionally, Christopher Walken is in talks to join the cast. “Nick Venere (Travolta) is a modern-day “Marty” – he’s never been married and his best dating years are well behind him. He’s never heard the words “I love you” and figures he never will,” said the official film synopsis. “Patty Amore (Heigl) has her share of problems as well. Shy and introverted, she’s filled with various tics and nervous habits. A secret from her past, combined with her over-protective father, have caused her to withdraw from the dating game. When Nick and Patty meet, literally bumping into one another, they share an immediate connection. When these two emotionally damaged people attempt to date one another, their families get involved, and the results are hilarious.”

Manuel García-Rulfo has been cast in the title role of Netflix’s Spanish-language film Pedro Páramo. Shooting has begun on the Mexican film, which marks cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto’s directorial debut.

Theo James will star in the latest feature film adaptation of a Stephen King short story. “The Monkey” will be adapted for the screen by Osgood Perkins, who will write and direct. The film will be produced by Atomic Monster’s James Wan and Michael Clear, C2 Motion Picture Group’s Jason Cloth and Dave Caplan (Babylon).

EXCLUSIVE: Fresh off starring in season two of HBO’s The White Lotus, Theo James has been set to lead new horror movie The Monkey, based on the short story of the same name by Stephen King.

If you want to watch one of the most unique and stylish directorial debuts of the past five years, definitely check out Andrew Patterson’s “The Vast of Night.” That film is one of the best-underseen films of 2020, and announced Patterson as a filmmaker to keep an eye on. Now, it appears he’s about to level up in a big way with his next film, “The Rivals of Amziah King.” READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2020 You Didn’t See According to Black Bear International, handling sales for the film, Andrew Patterson’s next film is set to be “The Rivals of Amziah King,” which will feature Matthew McConaughey as the lead.

Matthew McConaughey has been set to lead crime thriller The Rivals of Amziah King, written and directed by Andrew Patterson (The Vast of Night). Black Bear International will launch offshore sales in Cannes with WME Independent repping U.S. rights.

unofficial holiday for fans of the franchise — May 4.The date, also known as May the Fourth, has been adopted as “Star Wars Day” because the date sounds like the signature quote from the movies: “May the force be with you.” Some devotees decided to make it their wedding day. Six couples tied the knot on Thursday in 15-minute ceremonies at the Highland Universal Gathering Spot in Akron with the original 1978 movie, “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” playing in the background.

A long time ago in a Springfield far, far away…

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Maggie and Grogu are teaming up for a galactic adventure in honor of May the 4th. Disney+ announced this week a new crossover short film between “The Simpsons” and “Star Wars.” Titled “Rogue Not Quite One,” an obvious play on the franchise’s 2016 film “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” the animated short will star the Springfield toddler as she evades the Empire in her very own aeronautical pram inspired by Grogu’s in “The Mandalorian.” In the four minute short, per the release, “Homer loses track of Maggie who hops in Grogu’s hovering pram for a hyperspace-hopping adventure across the galaxy. Facing a squadron of Imperial TIE fighters, Maggie brings the battle to Springfield in this epic short celebrating all things ‘Star Wars.'”