Lasse Hallstrom Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

The 1977 Abba movie – you know, ‘Abba: The Movie’ – will be screened in cinemas on two dates next month “transporting audiences to the disco era when the Swedish icons first ruled the charts and hearts of millions”. Or so we were told in an official announcement earlier this week.Directed by Lasse Hallström, the film follows the band on an Australian tour with a mockumentary-style subplot thrown in for good measure.Organisers of next month’s screenings add that the remastered film boasts “electrifying renditions of Abba’s timeless hits, including chart-toppers such as ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘SOS’, ‘Name Of The Game’ and ‘Waterloo’”.The screenings will also feature some extra content, including lyric videos and some insights into the making of the Abba Voyage shows in London.Says Mia Segolsson of Polar Music International: “I am THRILLED that we are finally able to showcase the iconic ‘Abba: The Movie’ again across the globe, almost 50 years since its opening.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Emily Blunt has gracefully conquered roles as varied as British royalty, a formidable fashionista, and a time-traveling warrior. The Oscar-nominated actress is celebrated as one of the most talented figures of her generation. To celebrate her birthday, Variety ranks her 12 best film performances of her career so far.

CBS Studios is continuing its push into international drama.

ABBA: The Movie – Fan Event is set to return to cinemas for two nights only on September 17 and 19.Directed by the Swedish director Lasse Hallström and starring Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Fältskog, the film goes behind the scenes of the band’s highly successful tour of Australia in 1977. An official description reads: “The film weaves a captivating mockumentary-style subplot into the narrative.

“We have too much scripted content,” new Viaplay CEO Jørgen Madsen Lindemann said today as he was pressed by investors on the state of the embattled Nordic outfit’s finances and future sustainability.

Viaplay is letting go of more than 25% of its staff as it pulls streaming out of the U.S. and UK and mulls a sale.

EXCLUSIVE: Viaplay has merged its in-house Swedish and Norwegian studios, leading to several layoffs.

Cordon bleu is the warmest color in Tràn Anh Hùng’s long but surprisingly light soufflé of a movie, a highly watchable Aga saga that’s so artful, charming and non-boat-rockingly old-school that it might make you wonder, even in a non-ironic way, what Lasse Hallström has been up to lately. In Cannes film festivals gone by, it could arguably have provoked the bidding war of the fortnight, given the track record of such foodie faves as Le Grand Bouffe, Babette’s Feast and Eat Drink Man Woman, which also debuted on the Croisette. But that’s faint praise for a story that, although it’s almost all about fillings, trimmings and toppings, doesn’t seem to have that much content or, more importantly, depth.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Considered one of the greatest actors of his generation, Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio continues his stronghold on Hollywood and modern-day cinema. With nearly three decades in cinema, he’s delivered some of the most memorable characters and performances, bringing in more than $6.5 billion in box office receipts, placing him in the top 10 highest-grossing leading actors of all time. Variety ranks DiCaprio’s 18 best film performances of his career so far.

Tomris Laffly Don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard of the name Hilma af Klint until recently — or before finding your way to “Hilma,” Lasse Hallström’s somewhat syrupy, conventional yet still respectable attempt to broaden the general public’s knowledge of, and affection for, the Swedish abstract artist. If so, you can hardly be blamed for your unawareness, considering af Klint’s longtime (and only recently reversed) obscurity in art circles. Hers is a story as old as time: A brilliant, ahead-of-her-time woman goes largely ignored despite significant contributions to her field, while her male counterparts claim the spotlight and all the glory. In that regard, it was af Klint herself who invented the notion of abstract painting years before Wassily Kandinsky, one of the most regarded Modernists and abstract painters of all time. And when she died in 1944, her magnificent work was locked away and kept from the public eye for years.

The court of public opinion has spoken and "Jeopardy!" fans are rife with fury. After Monday night's episode of the game show, viewers voiced their disdain on social media for what they believe was an allowed incorrect answer, altering the outcome of the show. Contestant and professor Melissa Klapper narrowly defeated teacher and football coach Jake Garrett as well as Kelly Barry, a marketing communications specialist.

Nordic programmer Viaplay has launched a streaming service in the U.S., delivering subscribers thousands of hours of programming for $5.99 a month.

EXCLUSIVE: Juno Films has picked up North American rights to Hilma — the latest film written and directed by three-time Academy Award nominee Lasse Hallström (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape), which is poised to make its North American premiere at the Palm Springs Film Festival. 

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Yellow Veil Pictures has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Canadian director Charlotte Le Bon’s “Falcon Lake” which world premiered at Cannes’ Directors Fortnight. The coming-of-age tale, handled by Memento International, marks the feature debut of Le Bon, an actor-turned-filmmaker who notably starred in Sean Ellis’s “Anthropoid,” Lasse Hallström’s “The Hundred Foot Journey” and Terry George’s “The Promise.” “Falcon Lake” follows two teenagers, Bastien and Chloé, who spend their summer vacation with their families at a lake cabin in Quebec which is haunted by a ghost legend. Despite the age gap between them, they form a singular bond. Ready to overcome his worst fears to earn a place in Chloé’s heart, the young boy experiences a turbulent pivotal moment during this holiday.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentTom Wlaschiha (“Game of Thrones,” “Stranger Things”) and Jazzy de Lisser (“Game of Thrones”) have joined the cast of Viaplay’s major English-language original feature “Hilma.” The film is written and directed by Lasse Hallström, the Oscar-nominated director of “The Cider House Rules” and “My Life as a Dog.”The biopic, which explores the life of revolutionary Swedish artist and feminist pioneer Hilma af Klint, will bow this fall in theaters and on Viaplay, Scandinavia’s leading streaming service.Wlaschiha stars as Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian artist and founder of the anthroposophical spiritual movement. Steiner became a key figure and mentor for Hilma af Klint who created more than a thousand striking paintings, sketches and watercolors that remained largely unknown until decades after her death.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentCharlotte Le Bon, the Quebec-born actor and filmmaker who is presenting her feature debut, “Falcon Lake,” at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, has already enjoyed several careers. She moved to Paris over 10 years ago after a working as a model, and became an instant star with her hilarious comedy sketches that she delivered on a Canal Plus primetime talk show.

It’s one of busiest opening weeks in some time for indie releases with Neon (Pleasure), Bleecker Street (Montana Story), IFC Films (The Innocents) and Roadside Attractions (Family Camp) in theaters — even as the imminent closure of the Landmark Pico underscores just how arthouses are struggling to win back core demos.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMemento International has boarded “Falcon Lake,” the feature debut of Quebec-born artist and actor Charlotte Le Bon which will world premiere at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. Penned by Le Bon, François Choquet and Karim Boucherka, “Falcon Lake” is adapted from Bastien Vivès’s graphic novel “A Sister.” The story follows Bastien, a 13-year old boy who moves with his family from Paris to a lakeside chalet in Quebec where he bonds in an unexpected way with Chloé, 16.

Trafalgar Releasing and Warner Bros. will present a digitally remastered ABBA: The Movie for two night in May to celebrate the Swedish pop sensation’s 50th anniversary.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentNordic streamer Viaplay is partnering with filmmaker Mikael Håfström to produce the ambitious period film “Stockholm Bloodbath.” The female-led epic adventure movie will mark the service’s second English-language film original, following Oscar-nominated helmer Lasse Hallström’s biopic “Hilma,” which will premiere later this year.Set in 1520, “Stockholm Bloodbath” explores a dark chapter in Sweden’s history, which saw the infamous massacre of nearly 100 nobles and civilians in the Swedish capital. The story is told through the eyes of Anne and her foster sister Freja as they seek revenge on the men who murdered their family at Anne’s wedding.

EXCLUSIVE: NENT streamer Viaplay is seeking to partner with more major U.S. distribution platforms as it beds in “for the long term,” according to EVP and Chief Content Officer Filippa Wallestam.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentOscar-winning French actor Juliette Binoche has given her sprawling career a second wind with striking performances in Claire Denis’ comedy drama “Let The Sunshine In” and sci-fi “High Life” (opposite Robert Pattinson). Best known by American audiences for her romantic roles in Anthony Minghella’s “The English Patient” and Lasse Hallström’s “Chocolat,” Binoche has worked with some of the most revered filmmakers worldwide, including Abbas Kiarostami (“Copie Conforme”), Leos Carax (“Les amants du Pont-Neuf”), Michael Haneke (“Caché”) and Olivier Assayas (“Clouds of Sils Maria”).In her latest film, “Between Two Worlds,” Binoche stars as a well-known author from Paris who goes undercover in Northern France for her new book on low-paid workers facing injustices.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar nominated writer/director/playwright and novelist Peter Hedges has signed with UTA for worldwide representation in all areas.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentLily Cole (“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”), Rebecca Calder (“I May Destroy You”), Maeve Dermody (“The Beast Must Die”) and Catherine Chalk (“Hereafter”) have joined the cast of “Hilma,” Lasse Hallström’s English-language biopic of the revolutionary Swedish artist and feminist pioneer Hilma af Klint.As previously announced, Lena Olin (“Enemies”) and Tora Hallström will play Klint at different ages of her life.Now shooting in Stockholm and Vilnius (first still

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentNordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) is set to produce two major English-language films every year, kicking off with “Hilma,” a biopic of the revolutionary Swedish artist and feminist pioneer Hilma af Klint, starring Lena Olin (“Enemies”). Lasse Hallström (‘The Cider House Rules”), one of Sweden’s most celebrated directors, is on board to write and direct the film.

Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), a leading digital player in Scandinavia, is committing to produce two English-language films per year that will debut directly on its Viaplay streaming service.