Kenneth Branagh Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Zack Sharf Judi Dench has been quite open with fans over the last several years about her degenerative eye condition, which has made it increasingly difficult for the 88-year-old Oscar winner to learn her lines. In a new interview on “The Graham Norton Show” (via People magazine), Dench said it’s now become “impossible” to learn lines because of her eyesight loss. The actor has long prided herself on having a photographic memory when it comes to scripts, but she can no longer rely on it. “It has become impossible and because I have a photographic memory, I need to find a machine that not only teaches me my lines but also tells me where they appear on the page,” Dench said. “I used to find it very easy to learn lines and remember them. I could do the whole of ‘Twelfth Night’ right now.”

EXCLUSIVE: Apple and Skydance have welcomed four to the cast of their action adventure pic Mayday from writer-directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley: Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), Marcin Dorocinski (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One), Lovell Adams-Gray (Power Book II: Ghost), and Clark Johnson (The Wire).

Cillian Murphy has secured another award win for his performance in Oppenheimer.The actor was recently named Best Lead Actor at the Irish Film and TV Academy Awards on Saturday (April 20) for his portrayal of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed biopic.This follows an impressive list of wins for the actor this award season, having been recognised at the Oscars, BAFTAs, Golden Globes and SAG awards.The Irish actor, who has collaborated with Nolan on six films, including the Dark Knight trilogy, acknowledged the significance of receiving the award on home soil.Having been presented his award by Killers Of The Flower Moon star and nominee for Best International Actress, Lily Gladstone, Murphy accepted the honour with: “God, I’m still so brutal at this.”He continued: “But being in this room is so special — being at home, with people that I love and admire amongst my fellow nominees and some of my favourite people.”According to Variety, the Peaky Blinders star spoke backstage after the ceremony at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre, sharing: “It feels lovely being home with so many friends and colleagues.”Nominated alongside Murphy in the category were All Of Us Strangers’ Andrew Scott and Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan.

Alex Ritman Fresh from his Academy Award win for best actor, “Oppenheimer” star Cillian Murphy now has a chance to claim the same honor at his local awards. The Irish Film and TV Academy (IFTA) has unveiled the nominees for its 2024 awards, with Murphy going up against “Saltburn’s'” Barry Keoghan and “All of Us Strangers” star Andrew Scott in the best actor category.

EXCLUSIVE: Sofia Carson (Purple Hearts), Kyle Allen (A Haunting in Venice), Sebastian De Souza (Fair Play), and Connie Britton (The White Lotus) have signed on to star in The Life List, a new Netflix rom-com from writer-director Adam Brooks (Definitely, Maybe).

Saltburn, One Life and Poor Things are all winners in the film categories of the British Film Designers Guild Awards, whose annual prizes were handed out Saturday evening in London.

The cast of Oppenheimer had a fantastic evening at the 2024 SAG Awards on Saturday (February 24).

A major awards show on a Saturday night is a rare occurrence, but the 2024 SAG Awards are here to shake up awards season a little bit!

On its way to the Oscars, Christopher Nolan’s historical epic Oppenheimer has set a record at Peacock, landing the biggest launch weekend for any film on the platform.

Christopher Nolan has revealed the reason why his longtime collaborator Michael Caine didn’t appear in Oppenheimer.The Oscar-nominated film took the box office by storm last year, and saw Cillian Murphy take on the role of the titular theoretical physicist who helped develop the first nuclear bomb.The project marked Murphy’s sixth time working with the renowned director, and first time taking on the lead role following supporting slots in Batman Begins and Dunkirk.However, Oppenheimer did not feature an appearance from another one of the director’s longtime collaborators: Michael Caine.The London actor has featured in eight of his films including The Dark Knight, Inception, Dunkirk, The Prestige and Interstellar, and speaking at the British Film Institute chairman’s dinner, Nolan shed light on why he didn’t take on a role in the 2023 blockbuster.Accepting the BFI Fellowship, Nolan explained that he was willing to have Caine in the movie, but the actor jokingly turned it down, saying: “OK, enough is enough” (via Variety).Discussing his reaction to Caine sitting Oppenheimer out, Nolan said: “I had to go off on my own. OK, I haven’t got Michael Caine, I’d better get Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Kenneth Branagh, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Cillian Murphy, Tom Conti, and hoped that all those greats would add up to one Michael Caine.”He later added: “So many people have helped me, so many people have been there for me, in so many different ways.

Ridley Scott is reportedly in talks to helm an upcoming biopic based on the Bee Gees.According to a report from Deadline Hollywood, anonymous sources close to to the project told the outlet that Scott is currently in the negotiations phase with Paramount Pictures to lead its upcoming biopic based on the group.The film, which is currently untitled, has yet to receive a release date or cast. Scott will also supposedly co-produce the film alongside Graham King for GK Films, Stacey Snider and Michael Pruss for Scott Free.

Katcy Stephan Ridley Scott is in talks to direct Paramount’s Bee Gees film. Scott will produce the currently-untitled film alongside Graham King for GK Films, Stacey Snider, and Michael Pruss for Scott Free. John Logan, who wrote Scott’s 2000 epic “Gladiator,” will pen the script.

David Harewood is the new President of famed British acting school the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was the surprise warm-up act at a prestigious film industry event in London on Wednesday night that saw Oppenheimer director — and BAFTA and Oscar front runner — Christopher Nolan receive the British Film Institute Fellowship Award for his outstanding contribution to cinema.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Daisy Ridley spent her 20s on film sets, fighting Siths as Rey in the “Star Wars” trilogy and ironing out her alibi in Kenneth Branagh’s whodunit “Murder on the Orient Express.” So the actor marveled at experiencing the mundanity of office life in the indie drama “Sometimes I Think About Dying,” which premiered at last year’s Sundance and debuts in theaters on Jan. 26. She plays Fran, a lonely clerical worker whose morbid daydreams are more comforting than the world around her.

Anthony Hopkins has said that the role of Hannibal Lecter remains “one of the best parts I’ve ever read”.The actor won an Oscar for his portrayal of the cannibalistic serial killer in Jonathan Demme’s 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs, in which he starred opposite Jodie Foster.In a new interview with People, the 86-year-old reminisced about first receiving the script from his agent, which happened while he was appearing on stage in London in M. Butterfly.“He said, ‘I want you to read this’. I said, ‘Is it an offer?’.

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon MGM Studios‘ Orion Pictures has entered production on Hedda, its reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s famed 1891 stage play Hedda Gabler, announcing the addition of six to its cast. Newcomers include Imogen Poots (Baltimore), Tom Bateman (Thirteen Lives), Finbar Lynch (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan), Mirren Mack (The Witcher: Blood Origins), Jamael Westman (Hamilton), and Saffron Hocking (Top Boy).

BreAnna Bell “Blue Eye Samurai” has been renewed for a second season at Netflix. Created by Amber Noizumi and Michael Green, “Blue Eye Samurai” tells the story of Mizu (voiced by Maya Erskine), a mixed-race master of the sword. Set in Edo-period Japan, Mizu lives a life in disguise seeking the deliverance of revenge.

Netflix has renewed the critically acclaimed animated action series Blue Eye Samurai for a second season.

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has been confirmed for a theatrical release in Japan. Although it did not specify an exact date, local distributor Bitters End said today that the biographical epic will be in Japanese cinemas in 2024. The decision was made “following months of thoughtful dialogue associated with the subject matter and acknowledging the particular sensitivity for us Japanese,” Bitters End said in a statement (read it in full below.)

Uncharted starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg has topped the film chart on Netflix UK.Directed by Ruben Fleischer, the action-adventure flick is based on the PlayStation video game franchise of the same name, developed by Naughty Dog.The film follows Nathan Drake (Holland) who is recruited by Victor Sullivan (Wahlberg) in a race against corrupt billionaire Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) and mercenary leader Jo Braddock (Tati Gabrielle) to locate the fabled treasure of the Magellan expedition.Despite mixed reviews from the critics, the film went onto gross $407million at the worldwide box office, against a budget of $120million.The film, which arrived on Netflix on November 26, has topped the streaming service’s film chart two days later (November 28).Other films in the top five include Sing 2, Leo, Hatton Garden: The Inside Story and Illumination’s 2018 adaptation of The Grinch. You can check out the top 10 below.Kenneth Branagh’s BAFTA-winning film Belfast, meanwhile, landed at number six on the chart.

It was released 20 years ago, but watching Love Actually over the Christmas period has become as much of a tradition as snogging under the mistletoe and overcooking the turkey. Somehow, we never tire of seeing a distraught Karen (Emma Thompson) sob in her bedroom after discovering the necklace her husband Harry, played by the late, great Alan Rickman, bought her for Christmas was actually a gift for his beautiful new assistant Mia (Heike Makatsch).

Taika Waititi directed two of the four Thor films starring Chris Hemsworth and as rumors that a fifth installment is being developed, the director is saying he is not involved.

TV icon Eric Richard shot to fame after playing the role of Sergeant Bob Cryer in the hit ITV show The Bill. Eric starred as the copper for more than 789 episodes between 1984 and 2004. His character left the show after he was accidentally shot and injured by PC Dale Smith.

Hunger Games” prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” has received an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA, which means that stars Zegler, Blyth, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage and Hunter Schafer are allowed to promote the film before it premieres in theaters on Nov. 17. It’s not clear why the agreement was granted so close to the film’s release date.

Will Tizard Contributor Producer Pierre-Olivier Bardet has become a hero to filmmakers who rock the boat – feature and documentary revolutionaries who work in ways that he says are “completely unique,” as he puts it: Albert Serra, Frederick Wiseman, Wang Bing and Alexandr Sokurov. And it’s hard to imagine anyone else who would have agreed to produce an English version of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” directed by Kenneth Branagh (after Francis Ford Coppola and several luminaries declined the project), set in World War I.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. “A Haunting in Venice” is getting a digital release just in time for Halloween. Kenneth Branagh‘s third Agatha Christie adaptation, which hit theaters in September, will debut on digital retailers and Hulu on Oct.

Matthew Vaughn returns to theaters next February with “Argylle,” his latest loony spy feature. But in the build-up to his new film, the director has been candid about his career’s earlier work, particularly a film he walked away from: “X-Men: The Last Stand.” Vaughn was initially scheduled to direct the film, but he bailed on it after concerns about the budget and how fast producers wanted it (ironically, he did the same thing on Marvel’s “Thor” before Kenneth Branagh took over).

The plays of William Shakespeare are arguably the most frequently adapted in the world. But one of his most famous plays, “Much Ado About Nothing,” hasn’t been adapted for the big screen since 1993’s version by Kenneth Branagh.

EXCLUSIVE: While it will continue to have a deal with Skydance Media for tent pole live action film and TV fare, Apple is parting ways with Skydance Animation, the company run by former Pixar chief John Lassiter. Their multi-year deal has come to a conclusion, and Apple is making other kinds of films, notably this weekend’s opener Killers of the Flower Moon, which opens globally Friday.

The third-highest grossing movie of the year, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer ($942M) arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and digital on Nov. 21. And boy, are there a lot of extras.

Paramount+ has set a UK boss for the first time.

One of the biggest stars of hit Netflix series Sex Education has been the Norwegian-inspired chalet home of lead characters Otis (Asa Butterfield) and his mother Jean (Gillian Anderson), and now the house is for sale, as the show’s finale beckons.

Sir Michael Gambon has been fondly remembered by Harry Potter fans across the nation following the tragic news of his passing on Thursday at the age of 82.

Naman Ramachandran Disney’s Agatha Christie adaptation “A Haunting in Venice” stayed atop the U.K. and Ireland box office for the second successive weekend with £1.4 million ($1.8 million), per numbers from Comscore. The film, directed by Kenneth Branagh, where he plays detective Hercule Poirot, now has a total of £4.9 million after two weekends in release.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “The Expendables 4,” an action-thriller starring Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham, misfired in its box office debut, tumbling to a franchise-low $8.3 million. It landed in ever-so-slightly second place behind “The Nun II,” which collected $8.4 million in its third weekend. It’s possible the order could flip by the time the final tally is revealed on Monday.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Kenneth Branagh’s latest Agatha Christie adaptation “A Haunting in Venice” has been rattling North American theaters for a week now, signaling the start to spooky season with a packed ensemble cast featuring the likes of Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh and “Yellowstone” star Kelly Reilly. Branagh’s players (and the director himself) weren’t able speak on behalf of the moody chamber piece due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Variety caught up with veteran producer Judy Hofflund (who made the first two Poirot films with Branagh, “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile”) to discuss Fey’s journey to leading lady status in a film from this era, as well as the future of Branagh’s mustachioed sleuth.