Kitano Takeshi Sets Samurai Movie ‘Neck’ As Final Directorial Effort With Ken Watanabe

EXCLUSIVE: Rainfall, the action sci-fi starring Ken Jeong, Temuera Morrison, Daniel Gillies and Jason Isaacs, has sold around the world for Film Mode Entertainment.

Manori Ravindran International EditorLily Franky (“Shoplifters,” “Like Father Like Son”), Ciaran Hinds (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” “The Terror”) and Ryô Nishikido (“Hospitality Department”) have joined the cast of Oscar-nominated “Philomena” producer Gabrielle Tana’s forthcoming film “Cottontail,” starring Jessie Buckley.BAFTA “Brit to Watch” director Patrick Dickinson directs. Japanese actor Franky replaces Ken Watanabe, who was previously attached to star in the pic.

The Tokyo International Film Festival has announced the dates for the 34th edition of the festival as well as dates for TIFFCOM, the film and television market. Japan's flagship festival is set to run for 10 days from Oct.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Director Tetsuya Nomura has confirmed that he will not be directing the next installment of the Remake series.In an interview with Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, Nomura confirmed that the co-director of the Final Fantasy VII Remake, Naoki Hamaguchi, will take over the job of directing Part 2, and Nomura himself will step back into a creative director role. Explaining the reason behind stepping down, Nomura said that handing duties off to Hamaguchi was due to him

Kim Kardashian stepped out in public for the first time since she filed for divorce from Kanye West on Feb. 19.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRina Sawayama’s self-titled debut album is indisputably one of the most innovative pop records of recent years, a head-spinning fusion of nu-metal, Lady Gaga-style pop and ballads that is catnip for critics, fans of daring music (such as her big fan Elton John) and prestigious awards like the Brits and Mercury Prize.So there was no small outcry when Sawayama, 30, who was born in Japan and is not a British citizen but has lived in the U.K.

Netflix has unveiled the first look at Age of Samurai – a series that looks more like an action flick than a documentary.

Zack Snyder’s second feature this year after his recut of Justice League is the zombie Netflix title Army of the Dead, and it will drop on May 21.

 Nicki Minaj ’s father Robert Maraj, 64, reportedly died after being hit by a car on Friday, February 12. TMZ confirmed the tragic news with Nassau County Police in New York, learning that Robert was out walking near Roslyn Road and Raff Avenue around 6 PM ET when he was hit by a vehicle.

The father of rapper Nicki Minaj has been killed in a hit-and-run accident according to reports in the US.

Demon Slayer: Hinokami Kepputan.The footage was showcased during the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba amine second anniversary event for the Japanese streaming service AbemaTV.

The 64-year-old father of rapper Nicki Minaj has died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in New York, police said. Robert Maraj was walking along a road in Mineola on Long Island at 6:15 p.m.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentM-Appeal has taken world distribution rights to Japanese filmmaker Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy,” which has its world premiere In Competition at the Berlin Film Festival. Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer.

Sandra Bullock is the latest addition to the upcoming movie, Bullet Train.

Naman Ramachandran In today’s Global Bulletin, Transilvania Film Festival sets summer edition; The Story Lab pacts with Japan’s Fuji TV for unscripted formats; Court TV launches on U.K. platform Freeview; and U.K.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentKitano Takeshi, the 74-year-old icon of Japanese gangster films and TV comedy, has set “Kubi” (Neck) as his next film — and possibly the last movie that he will direct.The film is a period actioner based on Kitano’s 2019 novel of the same title, published by Kadokawa, according to local magazine Josei Jishin, which reported the news as an unconfirmed exclusive. Contacted by Variety, Kitano’s agency had no comment.

Olivia Wilde says she has a "no a--holes policy" on the sets of movies she directs. The 36-year-old actress and director discussed her decision while speaking about filmmaking on Variety's "Directors on Directors" with Emerald Fennell.