Saoirse Ronan Lands Leading Role in Steve McQueen's New World War II Movie 'Blitz'

Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell both star in the upcoming movie "Spirited," a comedic, musical version of the holiday classic "A Christmas Carol."  A trailer for the Apple TV+ movie was released, showing a bit of the finished project that began filming in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2021.  According to Boston.com, scenes from the movie were shot in various Massachusetts locations, including Boston, Braintree, Devens, Everett, Framingham, Lynnfield, Melrose, Weymouth and Worcester.  Ryan Reynolds plays Clint Briggs in "Spirited" with Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer. ( Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images) Ferrell plays the Ghost of Christmas Present in the movie, while Reynolds plays Clint Briggs, a reimagined version of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Persol aviators are practically synonymous with Steve McQueen, who made the specs one of the most coveted luxury products in the world after wearing them in 1968’s “The Thomas Crown Affair.”Even if you aren’t behind the wheel of sports cars or riding first-class on high-flying planes, you can still achieve that Old Hollywood flare yourself, for only a fraction of the price, thanks to Amazon’s unbeatable Persol deals for Prime’s Early Access Sale. The Po0714 Aviator Sunglasses are currently 49% off on Amazon, bringing down the price of the designer sunnies to only $199 — cheaper than we’ve ever seen them (including June’s Prime Day event). 

Hans Zimmer is set to be explored in BBC documentary Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel.The hour-long film will chart the composer’s 40-year career from post-war Germany to Hollywood royalty. Over his career, he’s composed scores for blockbuster films like The Lion King, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Gladiator, The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Dune and many others.Along with his work in Hollywood, the documentary will cover his work on BBC projects like Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II and Frozen Planet II.Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel also features interviews with directors Ron Howard, Denis Villeneuve, Christopher Nolan, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Barry Levinson, James L Brooks, Gore Verbinski, Steve McQueen, Stephen Frears and Tim Bevan.Speaking about the documentary, Zimmer said: “I’m honoured to be sharing this insight into my career and life with the BBC audience.

Manori Ravindran International Editor With a week to go before kicking off the London Film Festival, the British Film Institute gathered the U.K.’s titans of cinema to toast the return of moviegoing and celebrate the next generation of filmmakers. The BFI’s Luminous gala took place at the swanky Londoner hotel in Leicester Square on Thursday evening (Sept. 29), where Variety had exclusive access. The event, which also featured the BFI and Chanel’s inaugural Filmmaker Awards, used to be a biannual bash, but was the first of its kind since the pandemic. The starry dinner convened around 400 guests, including actors Daisy Ridley, Ncuti Gatwa, Morfydd Clark, Rebel Wilson, Lily James, Malachi Kirby, Dame Joan Collins and Eddie Redmayne; directors Edgar Wright, Gurinder Chadha, Steve McQueen and Terry Gilliam; and producers including Working Title co-founder Eric Fellner, screenwriter Jemima Khan, and former BBC drama commissioner-turned-A24 international boss Piers Wenger.

Solange Knowles led the stars at the New York City Ballet on Wednesday evening, for the debut of the Fall Fashion Gala to celebrate their 10th anniversary.   The 36-year-old musician beamed as she arrived at the Lincoln Centre for the historic occasion, as she became the first Black woman to compose a score for the prestigious ballet.  Solange is also only the third woman to create music for the ballet in its 74-year-history.

Iulia Blaga More than 90 film professionals in Romania have requested that the head of the Romanian Film Center (CNC), Anca Mitran, steps down, after an interview in which she said that in recent years Romanian filmmakers have been making art films instead of films for the audience, and that documentaries are not meant to be screened in movie theaters, according to Film New Europe. The first to protest were a handful of documentary filmmakers, including Alexandru Solomon, Andrei Ujica and Andrei Dascalescu, and film editor Dana Bunescu, who launched an open letter signed by Alexander Nanau, Radu Jude, Calin Peter Netzer, Radu Muntean and Stere Gulea, among others.

EXCLUSIVE: Steve Toussaint, best known for his role as Lord Corlys Velaryon on HBO’s House of the Dragon, has signed with Paradigm.

Not counting “Small Axe,” his excellent anthology series, Steve McQueen hasn’t made a feature film since 2018’s “Widows.” Thankfully, that’s about to change. Deadline reports that McQueen’s next film is “Blitz,” a film about the Blitz of London in World War II, with Saoirse Ronan leading the ensemble cast.

Apple beat the competition for rights to the film in June. The shoot is expected to begin later this year.McQueen’s Lammas Park produces alongside Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title Films, and Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan, and Michael Schaefer from New Regency, with independent producer, Anita Overland.  “Blitz” was developed and packaged by New Regency under McQueen’s first look deal with the company; they previously collaborated on “12 Years a Slave” and 2018’s “Widows.”“Lady Bird,” “Little Women” and “Brooklyn” actress Ronan most recently starred in “See How They Run” opposite Sam Rockwell.

Four-time Oscar nominee Saorise Ronan is set join the ensemble of Steve McQueen’s next film Blitz from Apple Original Films. McQueen will write, direct and produce the film, which tells the stories of Londoners during the Blitz of World War II. It is set to begin filming later this year.

Rina Sawayama has spoken about moving into acting with a role in 2023’s Hollywood blockbuster John Wick: Chapter 4 in a new interview.In 2021, the pop star was announced to be a part of the upcoming sequel, which will premiere next year. She will play the part of Akira in the movie.Speaking to NME for the latest Big Read cover story, Sawayama spoke about scoring the role.

EXCLUSIVE: The UK Jewish Film Festival (November 10-20) has revealed its lineup of 2022 gala screenings and premieres, including special presentations of the single shot drama Shttl and Three Minutes: A Lengthening, the WWII drama co-produced by Steve McQueen and narrated by Helena Bonham Carter.

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