Sony Pictures Classics Hails Ride With ‘Daddio’, Christy Hall’s Telluride & Toronto Premiere; Sean Penn & Dakota Johnson On JFK Yellow Cab Ride

C*A*U*G*H*T, the Sean Penn-starring war satire series, is opting out of next week’s Mipcom Cannes following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Sony Pictures Animation is shoring up its executive ranks with the addition of Damien de Froberville, who has been named executive vice president of production and operating strategy. De Froberville comes from the Spain-based shop Sergio Pablos Animation and will largely assume a portfolio held by long-serving SPA executive Pam Marsden.

Sean Penn, Matthew Fox, and Kick Gurry are heading to Mipcom Cannes to talk about their satirical comedy series C*A*U*G*H*T.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Sean Penn, whose Volodymyr Zelenskyy documentary “Superpower” recently launched on Paramount+, will be on the iconic stage of Cannes’s Grand Auditorium later this month — but it won’t be for a movie. The Oscar winner is set to attend Mipcom, the international TV conference, alongside Matthew Fox (“Lost”) and Kick Gurry (“Edge of Tomorrow”) to discuss their wartime satire series “C*A*U*G*H*T” as part of a Media Mastermind Keynote on Oct. 18.

UPDATED, 11:34 a.m.: Sony Pictures Classics has firmed up release plans for its drama Freud’s Last Session, starring Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode, which charts the relationship between psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and author C.S. Lewis. Based on the stage play by Mark St. Germain, who wrote the script, the film opens in theaters in New York and L.A. December 22nd, with an expansion to follow in January.

‘Poor Things’ to Screen at Chicago International Film Festival With Costume Designer Holly Waddington Accepting Tour de Force Award Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” had been added to the lineup of the 59th Chicago International Film Festival, which will run from Oct. 11-22. Costume designer Holly Waddington will appear to receive the festival’s Tour de Force Award.

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American rights to Stage 6 Films, Participant and Symbolic Exchange’s We Grown Now, which had its world premiere in the Centerpiece and Next Wave Selects section at this year’s TIFF. The movie’s writer, director, producer Minhal Baig received TIFF’s Changemaker Award which explores issues relevant to young people and is focused on themes of social change and youth empowerment.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has learned that Michelle Grady has been upped to President of Sony Pictures Imageworks. She was previously, EVP Sony Pictures Imageworks.

Sean Penn, director of the new Ukraine war documentary Superpower, does not hold back in an in-depth interview for Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast.  

Caroline Brew editor In collaboration with Sony Pictures, the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) announced the return of the CAPE Animation Directors Accelerator. The initiative aims to identify and equip the next generation of AAPI animation professionals with the skills to become directors in feature film and episodic animation.

Sony Pictures has snapped up rights in North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand to The Peasants, the latest animated feature from Loving Vincent helmers DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman, which world premiered in Special Presentations at this year’s Toronto Film Festival. Further details on release plans have not yet been disclosed.

Superpower director Sean Penn isn’t mincing words in his denunciation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Sean Penn and his girlfriend Olga Korotyayeva are enjoying some quality time with friends.

Superpower, Sean Penn and Aaron Kaufman’s doc about Ukraine’s fight for freedom, is getting a launch in the war-torn Eastern European country today.

Sean Penn urged the White House to take a more aggressive approach toward arming Ukraine, telling a crowd at a screening of his film Superpower that those who are influencing U.S. policy “need to get out of the pure caution business.”

At this point, we’re almost two years removed from Will Smith‘s infamous on-stage slap of host Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars ceremony. So why is Sean Penn still talking about it? Well, it’s partially to drum up hype for his upcoming doc about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who wasn’t allowed to speak about Russian’s invasion of his country at the Academy Awards that year.

Will Smith‘s slap at last year’s Oscars.In a recent cover story for Variety, the Oscar-winning actor questioned why his peers stood and applauded Smith’s Best Actor win for Kind Richard, just moments after he walked onto the stage and slapped host Chris Rock for making a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s hair.Smith, who is subsequently serving an Oscars ban until 2032, has apologised for his outburst numerous times.“I don’t know Will Smith. I met him once.

Sean Penn was truly angered by Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars.

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, the notoriously hot-tempered Sean Penn is questioning why he was jailed for a similar incident.“I don’t know Will Smith. I met him once,” Penn, 63, told Variety in a new interview. He seemed very nice when I met him.

Sean Penn is promoting the new documentary he co-directed, “Superpower”, which focuses on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the stand taken by the Ukrainian people to defend their homeland, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.