Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor During the recently ended writers strike, many people who worked on the staffs of TV’s late-night shows wished things would get back to normal. Roy Wood Jr. was surprised to find that he was not one of them.
05.10.2023 - 21:05 / variety.com
Zack Sharf Digital News Director With over 40 films and television series under its belt and counting, the Marvel Cinematic Universe can often times feel like an unwieldy beast that’s impossible to conquer. The record-breaking Hollywood franchise kicked off in 2008 with the release of “Iron Man,” starring Robert Downey Jr. in the title role, but that’s not where an MCU newcomer should start if they’re trying to experience the universe in chronological order.
Both “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Captain Marvel” precede “Iron Man” on the never-ending journey that is the MCU story timeline. The MCU continues this fall with the releases of “Loki” Season 2, streaming exclusively on Disney+, and “The Marvels,” opening in movie theaters exclusively on Nov. 10.
The latter title picks up directly after the events of “Secret Invasion,” the Disney+ limited series that concluded in July, making it the most current film on the MCU timeline. “Loki” Season 2 is more untamable, as it picks up directly after the events of Season 1 and finds the title character hopping through different timelines. Part of the allure of the “Loki” franchise is that it’s not firmly set on the timeline.
All of this is to say that it’s increasingly challenging to define the true chronological order of the MCU. Many films and TV series appear to take place concurrently and thus the order in which you watch them matters less (see post-“Endgame” titles such as “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” “Eternals,” “Hawkeye” and more), while other films have a clearer spot in the story timeline (“WandaVision” leading into “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” for instance). Whether you’re just starting your Marvel journey or interested in a massive
.Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor During the recently ended writers strike, many people who worked on the staffs of TV’s late-night shows wished things would get back to normal. Roy Wood Jr. was surprised to find that he was not one of them.
Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Veteran RAI exec Adriano De Maio has been trying to shake things up at the Italian state broadcaster since last May, when he was appointed head of film and drama. To contend with the unstoppable disruption caused by digital and streaming in Italy’s TV landscape, De Maio is trying to steer RAI toward programming that provides more cultural enrichment, while also catering to the youth demographic that drives traffic on the pubcaster’s RAI Play streaming platform — which has more than 23 million subscribers, way more than Netflix’s Italian customer base. As RAI faces possible budget cuts due to the government’s decision to lower its license fee [RAI’s current allocation for film and TV series was not immediately available], De Maio sat down with Variety in Rome to discuss his vision for the scripted content he’d like RAI to acquire for its viewers.
Documentary filmmaking legend Errol Morris has built his extraordinary reputation on two principle foundations: what might be called dramatizations (he rejects the terms reenactments or recreations) and interviews of incredible insight and verve. He has conversed with a fascinating array of people — Robert McNamara, Donald Rumsfeld, Steve Bannon, owners of pet cemeteries, a woman accused of kidnapping and raping a Mormon missionary, to name a few.
One step forward, more steps back for women on the small screen: the latest Boxed In report from San Diego State University’s Dr. Martha Lauzen says that more females showed up as contestants on reality programs and game shows than on series during the 2022-23 season.
Naman Ramachandran Classic cult film streamer Cultpix has signed a content rights partnership with the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI), formerly known as the Taiwan Film Institute. The agreement, the fast-growing streamer’s 50th, will kick off with two films, “The Fantasy of the Deer Warrior” (1961) and “The Bride Who Returned from Hell” (1965), which have both been digitally restored by the TFAI. The partnership was revealed at the ongoing Lumière Film Festival in Lyon, France.
Manic Street Preachers and Suede have added an Eden Sessions show to their joint 2024 UK and Ireland tour – find out how to get tickets below.The bands, who toured Europe together in 1993 before recreating the line-up for a North American tour in 2022, recently announced a joint UK and Ireland tour for next year. Both acts head to Japan, Singapore and Taiwan this winter for other shared dates.Today (October 16) the Manics and Suede have revealed a fresh date for the tour, which sees them stop by Cornwall to play the Eden Sessions on June 29, 2024.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent MK2 Films has acquired a collection of films and TV series directed by Bruno Dumont, the award-winning French director behind “Life of Jesus,” “Slack Bay” and “Humanity.” The acquisition, unveiled during Mipcom Cannes, covers the bulk of the director’s work, spanning eight films and TV series including “Li’l Quinquin,” which premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. MK2 Films will represent rights to these titles in France and international markets.
Lise Pedersen Two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Alexander Payne shared his passion for film and his thoughts on contemporary American cinema with the audience at the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon where he is premiering his eighth feature film, “The Holdovers,” under the French title “Winter Break,” on October 15th. In a conversation skilfully led and translated by Los Angeles-based French film journalist Didier Allouch, Payne drew laughs from the Lumière crowd when he explained that the secret to making good films was “keeping your budgets low.” “John Huston approached Luis Buñuel one day and asked him, ‘How is it that you make these wonderful films, like “Viridiana” and “The Exterminating Angel”?’ And Buñuel replied, ‘How much money do you make and how much money do you think I make?’” said Payne with a smile.
Ed Meza @edmezavar Federation Kids & Family is unveiling a new animated series at MipJunior as part of a strong lineup of toon series and live-action series. “The New Adventures of the Triplets,” by Nicole Lambert, is an animated show aimed at 3-to-6-year-old kids that chronicles the comic escapades of three loveable children — each of whom has his or her own way of looking at the world.
Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Disney’s purchase of Marvel opened the door to live-action blockbusters including 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” the second-highest-grossing film ever. And while some may bemoan superhero saturation, it’s important to remember what a risk it was to build a cinematic universe around comic book characters when “Iron Man,” the first film from Marvel Studios, premiered.
EXCLUSIVE: UK-based sales and distribution company Blue Finch Film Releasing has acquired worldwide sales rights, excluding Australia and New Zealand, to Jordon Prince-Wright’s WW1 war feature Before Dawn. First-look materials will be available to view at the American Film Market, where Blue Finch will begin sales.
Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe know that there is always a running debate about who is the strongest Avenger. That’s one of those questions that has a lot of different answers, but we’re posing a different one today: Who is the richest member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes based on their estimated net worth?
It's no surprise that Kim Kardashian is worth billions of dollars, with her reality show, various product lines and business ventures raking in the cash. However, her former step-parent Caitlyn Jenner, 72, has revealed Kim's secret to success - and it's apparently pinching the pennies. Caitlyn, who discusses the family's rise to fame in Sky's new documentary House of Kardashian, revealed that Kim "calculated from the beginning" how to become a celebrity and has always had an impressive work ethic.
Anna Marie de la Fuente In a glittering event at Madrid’s Florida Park, Spain’s Secuoya Studios brought out its big guns, led by its president James Costos and Secuoya Content Group CEO Raúl Berdonés, to tout the fast-growing company’s slate, led by its 10-episode series “Zorro,” its most ambitious production. The series pilot will be unveiled at Mipcom in a special screening on Oct.
David Beckham is offering an unfiltered look at his extraordinary life and career in the new Netflix documentary Beckham.
EXCLUSIVE: Producer Dani Melia describes how “a scrappy team” that made filmmaker Lulu Wang’s acclaimed low-budget feature The Farewell joined forces with Blossom Films’ Nicole Kidman and Per Saari to make “this big international production” Expats for Prime Video.
Anna Marie de la Fuente Lisbon-based Ukbar Filmes, run by Pandora da Cunha Telles and Pablo Iraola, is prepping the period series “The Marquise of Alorna” (“A Marquesa de Alorna”), based on the eponymous bestseller by Portuguese author Maria João Lopo de Carvalho. Participating in the 2nd Iberseries & Platino Industria’s Co-Production and Financing Forum, the 6 x 50’ episode series will be directed by award-winning helmer Tiago Alvarez Marques, known for “Madre Paula” and “A Impostora.” Written by Mário Cunha, Cláudia Clemente and Rafael Afonso, the series turns on Leonor de Almeida Portugal, best known as the Marquise of Alorna, who as a poet, translator and teacher, was deemed among the first and most prominent feminists of Portugal.
Selena Gomez and H.E.R. made a surprise appearance at a Coldplay concert in Los Angeles, joining the band on stage for a performance of the song ‘Let Somebody Go’. The joint performance took place during Coldplay’s show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Sunday (October 1).
Awareness of ADHD symptoms are on the rise, but it can still be tricky for parents to tell if their children could be affected.
All eyes were on Taylor Swift at the Kansas City Chiefs vs. New York Jets football game during Sunday Night Football!