Production Designers Behind ‘The Sympathizer,’ ‘Shogun’ and More Discuss Creating the Look of Sprawling Asian Cities

Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor The Mediterrane Film Festival kickstarted its second edition with the international premiere of Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte’s “The Count of Monte Cristo.” The film, shown at the heart of Malta’s capital of Valletta on Saturday night, was followed by a reception at the historic Mdina Ditch Gardens, in which Malta Film Commissioner Johann Grech highlighted the importance of the festival as an event to “unite the nations of the Mediterranean through film.” The sentiment echoes this year’s festival theme of Unity Through Film, with Grech adding that he hopes the festival will bring nations together to “share stories that celebrate not only our diversity but also our shared outlook.” The film commissioner emphasised the success of the festival’s first edition, claiming the return to the local economy “far exceeded our investment, showing once again what a force for good film is in our country.” Several members of the local film industry were present at the gathering as well as international attendees in this year’s jury president Jon S. Baird (“Tetris,” “Stan and Ollie”) and “Triangle of Sadness” actor Zlatko Burić, who was part of last year’s jury.

Prince William is a Swiftie, and he has the dad — sorry, we mean, dance — moves to prove it!

A London theatregoer has described the moment Sir Ian McKellen fell off stage and into her lap, saying she “went into shock.”

A pair of summer music festivals have new headliners. Tyler, the Creator has canceled his shows at Lollapalooza in Chicago and Outside Lands in San Francisco, replaced by Megan Thee Stallion and Sabrina Carpenter, respectively.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Writer/directors Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, who were behind the recent critically acclaimed FX limited series “A Murder At the End of the World,” have struck a deal with indie production shingle Sister to develop, write and produce original film and television projects. The deal, described as a “multi-year creative partnership,” reunites Marling and Batmanglij with Cindy Holland, the global CEO of Sister.

Nathaniel Shani was an ordinary 14-year-old boy in many ways. He enjoyed playing games on his PlayStation and hanging out with friends. He was also a proud air cadet.

Nicole Kidman, born on June 20, 1967, has achieved great success in Hollywood with her many Oscar nods, one win, and a wide range of films. Kidman broke into the business with the 1989 thriller "Dead Calm." It wasn't long before she joined Tom Cruise, her future beau, for the 1990 film "Days of Thunder." Cruise and Kidman were married the same year the movie was released. During their marriage, they starred in two more movies together, "Far and Away" (1992) and "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999).

Princess Diana had a big ol’ crush on Kevin Costner!? That’s what he heard…

EXCLUSIVE: Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, the filmmaking duo behind BAFTA-nominated Nick Cave pic 20,000 Days on Earth, have just wrapped filming a new performance film dubbed The Extraordinary Miss Flower. The project brings to life the remarkable story of Geraldine Flower and the discovery of a suitcase of letters sent to her in the 1960s and 1970s that inspired acclaimed Icelandic singer-songwriter Emilíana Torrini to return to the studio. 

Cardi B in their advertising campaign. The ninety-second commercial, which aired during the Kentucky Derby broadcast, gave viewers a glimpse of Cardi B engaging in a relaxed conversation with track and field Olympic hopeful Sha’Carri Richardson as they discussed the challenges of their professional pursuits.The ad also showed Cardi B and Richardson enjoying a pampering session at a nail salon, adding a touch of fun to their discussion.

Janelle Monáe, Chappell Roan, MUNA and more have been announced as part of the inaugural New York edition of All Things Go Festival.The festival, which has traditionally curated women-focused and LGBT+ inclusive lineups, will arrive to New York on September 28-29 at Forest Hills Stadium.Though it’s normally hosted in Columbia, Maryland, All Things Go has since expanded outwards to other cities such as Washington, D.C..Set to join Monáe, Roan and MUNA are Reneé Rapp, Ethel Cain, Towa Bird, Julien Baker, Holly Humberstone, Samia, Del Water Gap, Soccer Mommy, Mannequin Pussy, and more.Check out the full lineup for All Things Go below and get any remaining tickets here.A post shared by All Things Go (@allthingsgo)Previous headliners of All Things Go include Lorde, Bleachers, Mitski, Billie Eilish, HAIM, Charli XCX, St Vincent, Maggie Rogers, and CHVRCHES.It was recently announced that MUNA’s Naomi McPherson was to make their acting debut as Janis Ian on ‘SNL 1975’.The film centres around the first episode of Saturday Night Live, which aired in October 1975, focusing in particular on the behind-the-scenes moments before it first came to the small screen. Ian appeared on the show as one of its first musical guests, alongside Billy Preston, who will be portrayed in the film by Jon Batiste.

The Killers shuffled their setlist and covered The Kinks at the second show of their ‘Rebel Diamonds’ UK and Ireland tour last night (June 14) – see footage and the full setlist below.It was the band’s second show at Dublin’s 3Arena in three nights at the start of a run of greatest hits shows that the band are playing across the UK and Ireland throughout the summer.Their 21-song set included a number of changes from the previous show, including tour debuts for eight songs, including four from 2006’s ‘Sam’s Town’ in the form of ‘Enterlude’, ‘For Reasons Unknown’, ‘Bones’ and ‘Exitlude’.The also opened with ‘My Own Soul’s Warning’ from the 2020 album ‘Imploding The Mirage’, and played the title track of their most recent studio record, 2021’s ‘Pressure Machine’.In among their own material, the band also indulged in a cover of The Kinks’ 1982 single ‘Come Dancing’.In addition, five tracks from 2004 debut album ‘Hot Fuss’ got an airing, including ‘Andy, You’re A Star’, which they only recently revived on stage for the first time in seven years.

Selena Kuznikov “Palm Royale” showrunner Abe Sylvia relied on his “guru” Joni Mitchell (via her song “People’s Parties”) when figuring out the tone for his Apple TV+ comedy: “Laughing and crying are the same release.” “Our show took itself really seriously even as it went absurd,” Sylvia said. “It’s a gay ‘Fantasia,’ right? It’s tone is maximalist gay.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood had to make between 200 and 300 leather bomber jackets for AppleTV+’s World War II series “Masters of the Air.” Despite having more than 80 credits to her name, Atwood had never done a WWII drama and was delighted to finally be tackling the era. She dove deep into researching the period, collecting photos of the young men on the military bases so she could create individual styles for the actors and their characters. She even got samples of the original uniforms.

It’s a late April afternoon when Shōgun breakout star Anna Sawai, who stars as the fierce Lady Toda Mariko in the gorgeously wrought, sharply modernized adaptation of James Clavell’s 1975 bestseller, spots castmate Tadanobu Asano and producer-star Hiroyuki Sanada across a studio floor. Her face lights up. It hasn’t even been a week since FX’s runaway hit historical drama ended its debut season on a breathtaking note of bittersweet catharsis, having enthralled viewers over 10 episodes with its sweeping saga of survival and sacrifice in 17th Century Japan. But as the rising actress reunites with her Shōgun co-stars, a new charge of electricity crackles in the air.

After the success of the pilot episode of Hazbin Hotel in 2019, Vivienne Medrano showed the potential that an adult animated musical series could offer. A potential that saw A24 joining into the animation space, leading to an eight episode season on Prime Video and a renewal for season 2. Joining Medrano on the project are songwriters Sam Haft and Andrew Underberg, who used multiple styles of music to give the series a more musical feeling than the pilot episode.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. If you missed Chappell Roan’s headline-making performance at Gov Ball this past weekend, there’s still time to catch the electric performer later this summer at New York’s All Things Go Festival, which will take place at the city’s iconic Forest Hills Stadium in September.

Shōgun music duo Atticus Ross and Nick Chuba joined Deadline’s Sound & Screen Television live-music event to discuss reutilizing archaic styles of music for the FX series. 

Editor’s note: Shōgun was originally selected for Deadline’s showcase of standout limited or anthology series scripts in 2024 Emmy contention. Following the show’s renewal and subsequent move to drama categories, it is no longer part of that series.

Eva Longoria is premiering her new series. “Land of Women,” based on the beloved novel written by Sandra Barneda, follows Longoria as an affluent New Yorker that’s forced to leave the city and move in with her mother after her husband gets involved in a scandal. Eva Longoria shares how she’ll implement diversity grant from Lauren Sanchez and Jeff BezosEva Longoria reminisced about early career castingsThe series, which will air on Apple TV+, has shared its first trailer.