Jo Baier to Write, Direct Nazi War Criminal Thriller ‘Life Through a Dead Man’s Eyes’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Zack Sharf Digital News Director With Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” and Universal’s giant action tentpole “The Fall Guy” on the way, Ryan Gosling remains one of Hollywood’s most in-demand leading men. But that wasn’t always the case. The Oscar nominee recently told GQ magazine that his rise to leading man got its start because he landed his first few roles on the belief that he wasn’t leading man material to begin with. Gosling’s acting breakthrough came in 2001 with his leading role in Henry Bean’s “The Believer,” in which he played a Jewish kid from New York who becomes a Neo-Nazi. Gosling is none of these, but he said “the fact that I wasn’t really right for it was exactly why [Henry] thought I was right for it.” The actor got similar feedback when he went to audition for “The Notebook,” Nick Cassavetes’ 2004 Nicholas Sparks adaptation that turned Gosling and co-star Rachel McAdams into romance icons.

Angelique Jackson After nabbing a lead role in “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,” Ravi Cabot-Conyers has joined the cast of “Beneath the Grass,” a drama about the criminal justice system and marijuana incarceration rates. Cabot-Conyers (“#BlackAF,” “Encanto”) joins Mía Maestro, Quincy Isaiah and Jeff Kober in the film, which begins production next month in New Jersey, directed by Will Bermudez and Sam Friedman. Paradigm is representing worldwide sales for the title, which launched at the Cannes Film Festival. “Beneath the Grass” is set in 2008 and explores both the economic recession and the inequities of incarceration rates of the era. The film follows Leo, an inquisitive and sensitive Latino boy (Cabot-Conyers) who puts his single mother’s (Maestro) illegal marijuana business at risk when he befriends the new neighbors, a young white boy and his police officer grandfather (Kober).

Keeping kids and their often mucky fingers away from your TV screen can be a real test, so knowing the best way to get rid of those annoying little prints all over the display is important.

Haaland makes history with double award win

Arnold Schwarzenegger has somehow managed to take both his mental and physical well-being to new heights at the age of 75.

Ed Meza @edmezavar The 12th edition of Chile’s Sanfic Industria is set to kick off Aug. 20 alongside the Santiago Film Festival with new lab sections and a series focus on Chilean TV productions.   Among Sanfic Industria’s 11 sections will be the new Series Lab, which will select up to six Latin American scripted series projects. Creators and producers will receive advice from Sanfic Industria participants on the development of their works and strengthening international prospects. Industry reps will also take part in pitching sessions and one-on-one meetings for selected projects that will also be eligible for prizes and incentives. Also new is Sanfic ODS Lab, which aims to promote sustainable development goals among Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese projects. Producers, directors and scriptwriters are invited to present audiovisual projects with themes related to sustainable development and that are in an advanced state of development. Selected projects  will also receive incentives to strengthen their development and international prospects.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Alief has acquired world sales rights to Alex Kahuam’s single-take thriller “Failure!” starring Ted Raimi. Shot in a single, 87-minute take, the Mexican-U.S. co-production follows James (Raimi), a man who has just one hour to choose between financial ruin or murder to protect his family. The film gained a boost after bowing at the inaugural Fantastic Pavilion Galas, the Cannes Film Market’s new genre showcase. “I’m very excited to work with Alief because they understand what true cinema is,” said Kahuam. “The Fantastic Pavilion was the bridge and Alief was the catalyst to move the film where we thought it should go.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger is once more diving into the high-octane world of spies, shootouts and fistfights in his new action comedy series,. Which means the 75-year-old bodybuilder and screen legend has been working hard to keep fit.Schwarzenegger walked the red carpet at the special screening of at The Grove in Hollywood on Monday, and spoke with ET's Kevin Frazier about his workout routine — and how his love for exercise was something ingrained in him as a kid.For Schwarzenegger, getting up early every morning to hit the gym is just a way of life.«You know, I don't consider myself disciplined, because something that I've done since I was a little kid was workout in the morning,» he shared.

Ben Croll When director Elene Naveriani first read the book upon which “Blackbird Blackbird Blueberry” is based, they immediately recognized a whole community. “It was the story of my mom, the story of my aunt, the story of my neighbor,” Naveriani tells Variety. “I could name so many women around me that they were really going through the same interior kind of struggle, and I found it very important to bring this character to life on screen.” Playing in Directors’ Fortnight, “Blackbird Blackbird Blueberry” follows 48-year-old Etero (Eka Chavleishvili – the filmmaker’s first and only choice for the character) as she discovers her sexuality and enters into her first relationship later in life. In the film’s startling opening sequence, shopkeeper Etero survives a brush with death, returns to her small corner store, and seduces the first man who walks in – having her initial sexual relation on a momentary whim.

Christopher Vourlias Debutante director Ramata-Toulaye Sy will join one of world cinema’s most select clubs when she climbs the stairs of the Grand Theatre Lumière on May 20 for the premiere of “Banel & Adama,” which unspools in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It marks just the second time in the French fest’s 76-year history that a Black woman will compete for the Palme d’Or, a glass ceiling that was shattered only four years ago by Sy’s French Senegalese compatriot, Mati Diop (“Atlantics”). While acknowledging the honor, it is a club, Sy admits, about which she has some ambivalence. “I really hope that soon all this will be taken for granted — that we won’t be counting the Black directors, that we won’t be counting women,” the helmer tells Variety. “It means that there’s still something wrong, that there’s still something that hasn’t become completely normal and natural.”

Ed Meza @edmezavar German cinema is in Cannes with new works by Wim Wenders and films that explore Nazi propaganda, gender identity, economic crisis, romance, betrayal and fast cars. In addition to domestic films, a dozen German co-productions are screening in this year’s Cannes Film Festival lineup, including major works from the likes of Wes Anderson, Aki Kaurismäki and Jessica Hausner. Wenders is in Cannes with “Perfect Days,” which is vying for the Palme d’Or, and the documentary “Anselm” in Special Screenings. “Perfect Days” tells the story of a Tokyo janitor (Kôji Yakusho) who seems very content with his simple life, structured routines and passion for music, books and photography. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past. The Japanese-German co-production is sold by the Match Factory.

Martha Stewart‘s historic Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover was only announced this week, but she hinted that she’s already feeling the impact in the romance department.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover, and it’s resulted in some potential love interests.Ever since she landed the gig, Stewart has “gotten a few inquiries. Just a couple,” she told Entertainment Tonight at Sports Illustrated’s party in NYC on Thursday, attended by the likes of Megan Fox, Machine Gun Kelly and Kim Petras.But the 81-year-old is “still working really hard,” and a new relationship isn’t her top priority at the moment.“You have to make time for certain things.

Martha Stewart beamed brightly on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit party's red carpet after a legendary cover photo shoot. Stewart, 81, arrived at the New York City event in a gold gown that featured shiny detailing throughout. In one snap, the former cooking show star is seen smiling as she holds her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover.

Christopher Vourlias Actor Sebastian Stan has come on board to produce “Blue Banks,” the feature debut of Romanian director Andreea Cristina Borțun, whose 2021 short film “When Night Meets Dawn” premiered in Directors’ Fortnight. Pic follows Lavinia, a single mother trying to make a better life on her own terms for herself and her 13-year-old son, who live in a poor Romanian village. She is impulsive, prone to misreading situations, and not sure how to love. But her son, on the threshold between childhood and adolescence, needs his mother more than ever, and over the course of four seasons their relationship is put to the test. Stan, who was born in Romania, will produce the film alongside Romanian producer Gabi Suciu, French co-producers Jean-Laurent Csinidis and Jerome Nunes and Slovenian co-producer Ales Pavlin. Shooting will take place in Romania throughout the year and is set to wrap in October.

Martha Stewart's latest gig has resulted in several potential suitors coming forward. ET's Rachel Smith spoke to the 81-year-old cover star of 's swimsuit edition at the magazine's New York City party on Thursday, and Stewart revealed how her love life has changed since she landed the coveted gig.«I've gotten a few inquiries. Just a couple,» Stewart told ET, without naming names as to who slid into her DMs. Entering into a new romance isn't Stewart's priority now, as she noted that she's «still working really hard.»«You have to make time for certain things.

Retirement is far from Martha Stewart’s mind.

William Earl Variety and the Golden Globes Awards have announced a partnership celebrating breakthrough artists at the Cannes Film Festival. The event will take place on May 19 at the Barriere Beach at The Majestic Cannes. At the event, Variety will present its Breakthrough Awards which highlights actors whose work have them poised to be some of the most promising talents in the business. This year’s recipients include Cannes 2022 Best Actress winner Zar Amir-Ebrahami, Charles Melton who co-stars in Todd Haynes’ “May December”, Tye Sheridan who stars and produced the film “Black Flies”, and Shaunette Renee Wilson who co-stars in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”

Lise Pedersen Cannes Docs, the Marché du Film sidebar dedicated to documentary film, has unveiled the line-up of its Doc Day, which unspools on May 23, as the final event in at Cannes Docs. Veteran U.S. cinematographer and documentary filmmaker Kirsten Johnson, president of Cannes Festival’s Œil d’or Jury which hands out an award to the best doc in Cannes’ Official Selection, will open the morning session in a conversation with writer, director and producer Guetty Felin (“Ayiti Mon Amour,” “Closer to the Dream”). Entitled “Cinema and the Pleasures of the Impossible,” it will explore the many ways filmmaking creates possibilities to search for the invisible, to bring life to the dead and to time travel in their lives.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Since its establishment in 2019, Leonine Studios has become one of Germany’s leading film distributors. Forged by the merger of two companies, Concorde Film and Universum Film, the distribution powerhouse releases between20 and 25 films a year, including around five in-house productions or co-productions, says Bernhard zu Castell, Leonine Studios’ chief distribution officer. “Our aim is to offer a slate of event movies that is an optimal blend of genres for all target groups and all our partners in the highest possible quality,” adds zu Castell, who previously headed Universum Film. “This strategy was key in establishing ourselves as a reliable distributor and licensor for all content platforms.”