Lionsgate Buys Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lily James, Himesh Patel Crime Comedy ‘Greedy People’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Lily Gladstone is up for one of the biggest awards of the night at the 2024 Oscars next week, and she’s going into the ceremony with some very unexpected advice from her “ultimate actress” Cate Blanchett.

Witty, nimble, sharply dressed, and light on its feet, Guy Ritchie’s dexterous “The Gentlemen” is a largely surprising delight (mostly, anyhow)—an entertaining crime comedy with a snap, crackle, and pop that’s far superior to the more self-enamored 2019 film of the same name whence it came. The connections to the original are tenuous at best, nothing more than the cannabis and drug empires milieus in the U.K.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Multi-talented actor and comedian Marlon Wayans has his sights set on the comedy stage once again, this time with his latest uproarious venture, “Marlon Wayans: Good Grief,” on Amazon Prime Video, exclusively revealed to Variety. In what marks his fourth stand-up special, and set to air this summer, the versatile entertainer is poised to deliver a side-splitting performance at the iconic Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Black Bear has hired Courtney L. Cunniff as senior vice president of film.

Joseph Quinn‘s busy film slate gets even busier. Deadline reports that one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising stars adds another upcoming movie to his roster: an untitled war pic from A24, with Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza co-directing.

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate has acquired world rights to under-the-radar thriller Amber Alert, which will star Golden Globe nominee Hayden Panettiere (Scream VI). Golden Globe winner Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary) co-stars.

In 2019, filmmaker Guy Ritchie went back to his crime comedy roots with “The Gentlemen,” a film very much in the vein of early films like “Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch.” And, of course, in the ensuing years, especially during the pandemic, in the rush and craze for content, everyone wanted a spin-off that would pay handsomely for them, and creators were more happy to oblige.

EXCLUSIVE: Even after landing one of the highly-coveted roles in Marvel’s new Fantastic Four movie, Joseph Quinn isn’t done setting up a very robust film slate as sources tell Deadline he is in talks to join A24’s new untitled war pic that Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland are co-directing. Charles Melton is also on board to star.

The BBC has unveiled its biggest drama slate in years featuring a TV version of James Graham play Dear England starring Joseph Fiennes from The Crown producer Left Bank, Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood‘s debut writing project and a Rebecca Hall-starrer from Poor Things maker Element.

K.J. Yossman The BBC have unveiled a new slate of star-studded dramas including the TV adaptation of James Graham’s football play “Dear England” starring Joseph Fiennes, a new co-pro with “Euphoria” producer A24 and the screenwriting debut from “Sex Education” star Aimee Lou Wood. Director of BBC Drama Lindsay Salt revealed the 12-strong slate – which adds up to 66 hours of top TV – at a press event in London, U.K.

Director Ethan Coen – collaborating with wife Tricia Cooke instead of brother Joel – delivers a disposable but not entirely unentertaining lesbian-centered crime caper comedy in Drive-Away Dolls. With its raunchy sex and vivid violence, the film is more an affectionate tribute to hard R drive-in B movies that more resembles something from the mind of Russ Meyer than anything resembling smart, Oscar-y movies like the Coen Brothers’ No Country For Old Men, Big Lebowski, Barton Fink, Fargo, Blood Simple etc.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Music Box Films has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “Solo,” Sophie Dupuis’s queer love story of two rising drag performers starring Théodore Pellerin (“Beau Is Afraid) and Félix Maritaud (“120 BPM”). The edgy film — which is repped by SND and premiered at Toronto where it won best Canadian film — follows Simon, a rising star of Montreal drag queen scene, who falls in love with Olivier, the new recruit at the bar where he performs.

K.J. Yossman The musical play inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow‘s now infamous legal battle with Utah optometrist Terry Sanderson is transferring to the U.S, Variety has exclusively learned. But rather than head straight to Broadway, “Gwyneth Goes Skiing” will return to where it all began — Utah — with The Egyptian Theatre in Park City set to host the Awkward Productions show.

Crime Nation is coming this week.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Focus Features has bought international rights to Brady Corbet‘s “The Brutalist,” starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce and Joe Alwyn, Variety has learned. Corbet, who sits on the Berlinale jury, penned the film with Mona Fastvold (“The World to Come”), a Swedish filmmaker who is also his wife. The film charts 30 years in the lives of visionary architect László Toth and his wife, Erzsébet, who flee post-war Europe in 1947 and witness the birth of modern America.

Alex Ritman Saban Films has acquired North American rights to the British thriller “Kill,” starring Paul Higgins (“Slow Horses,” “Line of Duty”), Brian Vernel (“Star Wars: Episode VII – the Force Awakens,” “Dunkirk”), Daniel Portman (“Game of Thrones, The Angel’s Share”), Calum Ross (“Wednesday”), Anita Vettesse (“Outlander,” “Guilt”), James Harkness (“Darkest Hour,” “Phantom Thread”) and Joanne Thomson (“The Victim”). The film, which explores the history of violence, the power of family and the dangers of revenge, marks the feature directorial debut of Rodger Griffiths, who devised the story and co-wrote the screenplay with Rob Drummond. “Kill” follows a hunting trip that turns deadly when three brothers plot to murder their violent, abusive father.

Lily Gladstone is voicing her thoughts on the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.

Lily Gladstone is doubling down on her criticism of the Kansas City Chiefs after speaking out about Native American “misrepresentation” at Super Bowl LVIII.The “Killers of the Flower Moon” star, who is the first-ever Native American to be nominated in the Best Actress category at the Oscars, explained on Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast that both the Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers should be held “accountable” for their team names, but Gladstone especially has an issue with the Chiefs’ controversial Tomahawk chop. “Honestly, you could hold both teams accountable,” Gladstone, 37, said in the episode released Thursday.“The 49ers are based on the California Gold Rush, which was an incredibly brutal time for California Indians.

Lily Allen has revealed that she is underway with work on a new album, and told fans that they can expect to hear the new material “soon”.The update was shared by the British singer-songwriter last night (February 15), when she took to social media to respond to a fan asking about new music.“Please when are you making a follow-up to your best LP, ‘No Shame’?,” they asked the singer on X/Twitter yesterday, to which she replied: “I am making it now, I don’t know how long it will take, but you will be able to hear some things soon.”At time of writing, it is not yet clear what the album will be titled or when it is expected to be released. However, when it does arrive it will mark Allen’s first full-length LP ‘No Shame’, which arrived back in 2018.I am making it now, I don’t know how long it will take, but you will be able to hear some things soon.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor AGC Studios and Meridian Pictures has sold U.S. and Canada as well as Asia pay TV rights for the Brad Anderson-directed thriller “The Silent Hour,” starring “Suicide Squad’s” Joel Kinnaman, “1917’s” Mark Strong, “New Amsterdam’s” Sandra Mae Frank and “8 Mile’s” Mekhi Phifer, to the newly revitalized Paramount label Republic Pictures. In the film, Kinnaman plays a Boston police detective who suffers an on-the-job accident that leaves him hearing impaired.