‘Squid Game”s Jung Ho-yeon to star in film adaptation of ‘The Governesses’

What actually went down at Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s downtown LA penthouse six years ago was back in the spotlight today in the former Pirates of the Caribbean star’s $50 million defamation case against his ex-wife..

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterThe jurors in Johnny Depp’s defamation trial were shown several text messages on Thursday in which he used violent and obscene language, and discussed copious drug and alcohol use.Depp took the stand for the third consecutive day in a courtroom in Fairfax, Va., as his trial against ex-wife Amber Heard continued. Depp claims that Heard lied when she accused him of hitting her, and is seeking $50 million in damages for the harm she caused to his career.In his testimony on Tuesday and Wednesday, Depp denied that he had ever hit any woman.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefLee Jung-jae, the lead star of Netflix hit series “Squid Game” will be at the Cannes Film Festival this year with the world premiere of his feature directing debut “Hunt.”The film (aka “Namsun”) will be presented next month in the Cannes festival’s Midnight Screening section. Two other films will receive midnight screenings: “Fumer Fait Tousser,” by Quentin Dupieux and Moonage Daydream,” by Scott Morgen. The bulk of the festival’s Offical Selection was announced Thursday at a press event in Paris.“Hunt” is a 1980s-set Korean-language spy thriller that Lee got caught up in after buying the rights and rewriting the screenplay.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe success of Korean shows “Vincenzo” and “Squid Game” and Japanese anime such as “Attack on Titan” are justifying Netflix’s heavy spending on Asian film and TV content.The streaming giant is forecast to grow its revenues in the Asia-Pacific region by 24% in the current year as subscriber numbers swell by 20%, according to new research, from Singapore based consultancy Media Partners Asia.That optimism stands in contrast to investment sentiment in January when Netflix announced its December quarter and 2021 full year data and a spooked the financial community with a cautious (global) first quarter outlook. Media Partners Asia’ latest note on the company indicates that Netflix could grow APAC revenues by 24% in the current year to December, to $4.1 billion.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterAfter losing in a U.K. court in 2020, Johnny Depp will get a second chance to try to refute allegations that he abused ex-wife Amber Heard at a trial opening today in Virginia.Depp sued Heard in 2019 over an op-ed she published in the Washington Post in which she alluded to prior allegations against Depp, saying she had become “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”She did not identify Depp by name in the op-ed or go into any details of the abuse, instead focusing on the backlash she had endured since making the claims in 2016 and the work still remaining for the #MeToo movement.

Hwang Dong-hyuk is talking Squid Game!

Squid Game creator, director and writer Hwang Dong-hyuk and actor Park Hae-soo joined TV editor Peter White for Deadline’s annual Contenders Television at Paramount Studios to discuss what fans might expect from the upcoming sophomore season of the Korean dystopian drama.

Without question, one of the most striking and gorgeous directorial debuts of the last few years was filmmaker Joe Talbot’s Sundance-adored picture “The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” starring Jonathan Majors. A24 released that picture, and given all the acclaim, it’s no surprise the indie studio is backing his follow-up sophomore effort.

The Governesses is going straight to the top of our list of highly anticipated movies of the next year!

Clayton Davis Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official awards predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis; Awards Circuit Column, a weekly analysis dissecting the trends and contenders by television editor Michael Schneider (for Emmys) and Davis (for Oscars); Awards Circuit Podcast, a weekly interview series with talent and an expert roundtable discussion; and Awards Circuit Video analyzes various categories and contenders by Variety's leading awards pundits. Variety's unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online, as well as provide inside reports on all the contenders in this year's awards season races.

Without question, one of the most striking and gorgeous directorial debuts of the last few years was filmmaker Joe Talbot’s Sundance-adored picture “The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” starring Jonathan Majors. A24 released that picture, and given all the acclaim, it’s no surprise the indie studio is backing his follow-up sophomore effort.

A24 has assembled an impressive package for The Governesses—the sophomore feature from Joe Talbot (The Last Black Man in San Francisco), in which Lily-Rose Depp (The Idol) will star, alongside recent breakouts Hoyeon (Squid Game) and Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World).

A24 has assembled an impressive package for The Governess—the sophomore feature from Joe Talbot (The Last Black Man in San Francisco), in which Lily-Rose Depp (The Idol) will star, alongside recent breakouts Hoyeon (Squid Game) and Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World).

Lily-Rose Depp (“The Idol”), “Squid Game” breakout Hoyeon and Renate Reinsve (“The Worst Person in the World”) are set to star in Joe Talbot’s sophomore feature “The Governesses” for A24, the company announced on Wednesday.The script is by Talbot and poet/novelist Olivia Gatwood (“Life of the Party”) based on Anne Serre’s novel of the same name. The film marks Talbot’s second film with A24 after his feature debut “The Last Black Man in San Francisco.”“The Governesses” follows three rebellious governesses who upend the household they work in  –– inspiriting the minds of the boys in their care, igniting the imaginations of the bohemian couple who employ them and abandoning their charges for erotic adventures.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefKorean-made series have continued to dominate viewership on Netflix, following on from the breakout successes of “Squid Game” and “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” in 2021.For ten of the 13 weeks in the first quarter so far this year, Korean shows have held top spot in Netflix’s global non-English series ranking. Romantic comedy “Business Proposal” is currently the top non-English series for the third week in a row (March 28-April 3, 2022), and is Netflix’s third-ranking series of all origins, behind only “Bridgerton” (seasons 1 and season 2) with over 32 million watch hours.“Business Proposal” has played particularly strongly in Asia, ranking as the top series in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam and in second place in India and Sri Lanka in the last week.

The Weeknd has shared a video for new single ‘Out Of Time’, starring Squid Game‘s HoYeon Jung and Jim Carrey – watch it below.It’s the latest track to be taken from the Canadian pop star’s most recent album, ‘Dawn FM’, following the singles ‘Take My Breath’, ‘Sacrifice’ and ‘Gasoline’.Directed by Cliqua, the video for ‘Out Of Time’ follows The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) and Jung as they enjoy an evening of karaoke. As the clip comes to a close, Carrey, dressed in scrubs, can be seen placing an artificial mask over what is presumed to be the face of The Weeknd.Carrey’s monologue from Dawn FM can be heard playing.

The Weeknd has a jam-packed night in the new video for “Out of Time”, released Tuesday.

Squid Game, has revealed that he is working on a “violent” new project.During his appearance at the MIPTV festival in Cannes on Monday (April 4), Hwang shared that he is working on a new movie with the working title Killing Old People Club or K.O. Club.According to Variety, the director and screenwriter said that the upcoming project would be “another controversial film” from him.

Squid Game, has revealed that the series’ much-anticipated second season has not been written yet.During an appearance at the MIPTV festival in Cannas, the 50-year-old director shared to the media that he has yet to write the script for the much-anticipated second season of Squid Game, but also hinted at when the show might be returning.“I have to work on season 2. Hopefully, I can show it to the fans by the end of 2024,” said Hwang on Monday (April 4), per The Straits Times.