Steven Spielberg calls ‘Dune: Part Two’ “one of the most brilliant science-fiction films I’ve ever seen”

Masters of the Air is the third World War II miniseries from Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, following Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Goetzman said Spielberg’s father had been pushing them to do the series about WWII pilots since their first.

Carolyn Giardina Chris Hemsworth, the voice of a young Optimus Prime, and Brian Tyree Henry, the voice of a young Megatron, got an enthusiastic welcome at CinemaCon as they introduced a first look and 3D scene from “Transformers One,” Paramount‘s animated origin story based on the Hasbro toys. “This origin story is how they transformed from brothers in arms to sworn enemies,” said Henry from Las Vegas on Thursday. In the clip, Optimus Prime, Megatron and their friends “proven worthy” are given their powers to transform — and awkwardly get accustomed to using those powers.

CinemaCon this morning got a first look at the extended trailer for and a 3D scene from Paramount’s animated Transformers One. The origins story is due for release on September 13. From Paramount Animation and Hasbro; in Association with New Republic Pictures, it’s directed by Josh Cooley. 

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. “Dune: Part Two” is barreling to streaming. The epic sci-fi sequel, starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, will become available to rent and purchase on digital starting Apr.

The annals of unmade Christopher Nolan films are not particularly long. Perhaps one of the legendary projects mentioned in the past was Nolan’s unrealized Howard Hughes project—some brief elements of which he folded into Bruce Wayne’s recluse period in “The Dark Knight Rises.” There was also, at one point in the past, Nolan’s intentions of remaking the surreal 1960s TV series, “The Prisoner,” created by and starring Patrick McGoohan (which is loosely rumored to be among the next projects he is thinking about making post “Oppenheimer”).

The holds on Legendary/Warner Bros’ Dune Part Two have been great week-to-week since its March 1 opening, nothing steeper than -45% in a given week and as low as -36% in its third. That’s all due to Imax, and for fans who savor the Denis Villeneuve directed sequel, it’s getting an extended run in that large format exhibitor’s auditoriums.

Refresh for latest…: A busy holdover weekend for wide studio releases was led by the trio of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Kung Fu Panda 4 and Dune: Part Two. And, in a soaring performance, Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar winner The Boy and the Heron swooped into China helping the market set a new Qingming holiday record. 

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor When Jason Reitman announced that he’d bought the Fox Village Theatre in Westwood, film fans were stunned that some of the world’s most prominent directors, from Steven Spielberg to Chloé Zhao to Christopher Nolan, wanted a stake in the classic movie palace. But it’s a strange time for the theatrical exhibition business. Moviegoing always sees an uptick when blockbusters come to town, but for independent theaters, the past four years have been dreadful.

As “Dune: Part Two” looks to potentially double the global box office grosses of the original installment in the coming weeks (it currently sits at $628.8 million), fans of the franchise were a little surprised a few characters were missing in the sequel. One of those characters was Stephen McKinley Henderson‘s Thufir Hawat, a loyal member of House Atreides, prominently featured in the first film.

Star Wars franchise filmmaker George Lucas has been revealed as the richest celebrity in the world.The director, 79, who has accumulated a $5.5billion fortune, topped the annual Forbes list of celebrity billionaires.Lucas, who was the executive producer, writer and director of the Star Wars franchise up until Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in 2005, also produced the Indiana Jones film series.His production company, Lucasfilm was sold to Disney in 2012 for $4billion, and has produced the later films in the Star Wars series, along with other projects.In his early career, Lucas wrote and directed the 1973 hit, American Graffiti, for which he received Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Picture.But it was 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, the first film in the franchise, which would secure his success, becoming the highest-grossing film at the time and winning six Oscars, as well as nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.Lucasfilm have also produced two upcoming Star Wars spin-off series, The Acolyte, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, both scheduled for release this year.Sitting at second place on the list is celebrated director of Jaws, E.T: The Extra Terrestrial and Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg, with a hefty $4.8billion.Others in the top 20 list include NBA star Michael Jordan, broadcaster Oprah Winfrey, Lord Of The Rings creator Peter Jackson, and singer Taylor Swift.Swift appeared on the annual list for the first time, in 14th place, following reports by Bloomberg last October that she had become a billionaire.The singer, 34, has broken multiple streaming, box-office and ticket sale records in the past year with the success of her global tour and the release of the concert film, Tay

It’s a rare treat when two genre filmmaking giants like Steven Spielberg and Denis Villeneuve come together to share their insights. In a recent episode of The Director’s Cut—A DGA Podcast, these visionary filmmakers sat down for a conversation that was both entertaining and enlightening.

Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune: Part Two is getting Steven Spielberg‘s seal of approval. The Oscar-winning director is praising not only the film, but the Canadian filmmakers vision and creativity.

EXCLUSIVE: Actor Steven Waddington (The Imitation Game) has penned a screenplay that he will direct based on the life of veteran Snooker player Jimmy White, with Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk) and Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) signed on to star. 

Jack Dunn Celina Biniaz, who at 93 is the youngest of the 1,200 people saved by Oskar Schindler in 1944, slowly walked her way to the podium as the ballroom fell still. In her presence, the audience of about 265 people who gathered Monday on the USC campus were eager to watch living history unfold on stage, no doubt with memories of friends and family lost during World War II on their minds. The audience at included 30 Holocaust survivors.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” said Steven Spielberg today. “I am increasingly alarmed that we may be condemned to repeat history–to once again have to fight for the very right to be Jewish,” the Schindler’s List director added at an event Monday celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Spielberg founded Shoah Foundation.

After three weeks in theaters, “Dune: Part Two” currently reigns as the top-grossing film of 2024 with $512.1 million earned globally. That’s about $80 more total gross than its 2021 predecessor, which guarantees Warner Bros. will greenlight “Dune: Messiah,” right? Not so fast.

Dune and Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve has commented on what it would take for him to make a third film in the sci-fi franchise.Speaking with Empire, Villeneuve spoke about the newly-released Dune: Part Two, in which he completes his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s first Dune book. Villeneuve has not shied away from addressing the potential of a third Dune film, though he previously stated that he’s planning to take a break first.Now, Villeneuve has reiterated to Empire that he doesn’t have Part Three – dubbed Dune Messiah after the book of the same name – on his mind right now: “I did both movies back-to-back, which makes absolute sense for me.

One of America’s most celebrated writers and one of Steven Spielberg’s go-to collaborators spoke out today on the Haaretz Podcast about the controversy over Jonathan Glazer‘s speech after Zone of Interest won Best International Feature Film at the Oscars.

Coming out of the weekend, and with Sunday’s actuals and Monday’s numbers included, there are new global milestones to celebrate for the two major Hollywood titles currently in release.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Sufjan Stevens is bringing his musical talents to Broadway. The singer-songwriter’s show “Illinoise,” based on his album of the same name, will open at the St. James Theatre in the spring.