'Top Gun' to star at Cannes film fest under Ukraine shadow

is almost here! The long-awaited sequel hits theaters on May 27, and only ET has an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Tom Cruise's return to the skies as Captain Pete «Maverick» Mitchell.«My whole life, I've wanted to make movies or fly airplanes or go to space,» Cruise says in a new featurette for the upcoming film. «I wanted to jump off buildings, go ride fast motorcycles… My life has just been filled with stories — telling stories, creating characters.»For Cruise returns to his beloved character from the 1986 original. Maverick's spent his time in the intervening years as a test pilot, refusing the Navy's attempts to promote him up the chain of command so he can stay in the air as much as possible.

Lady Gaga is giving fans a taste of her  song. The singer made it official Wednesday on Instagram that she wrote a song for the film, and explained that the track, «Hold My Hand,» is a «love letter to the world.»Then on Friday, Gaga released a teaser of the track, and what appears to be a snippet of the music video.

teased fans on Instagram and on Twitter Wednesday with lyrics from “Hold My Hand,” which she wrote for the upcoming “Top Gun: Maverick” film on Wednesday. Gaga, 36, posted a photo of herself wearing a white tank top, dog tags and an aviation suit while standing in front of the “Top Gun” logo.

Italian actor and director Valeria Golino has been set as jury president for the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival this year.

Lady Gaga has shared details of a new track, ‘Hold My Hand’, set to feature on the forthcoming Tom Cruise film Top Gun: Maverick.Posting on social media, Gaga explained that she had been working on the track “for years”, and spoke candidly about what both the process and end result meant to her.“When I wrote this song for Top Gun: Maverick, I didn’t even realize the multiple layers it spanned across the film’s heart, my own psyche, and the nature of the world we’ve been living in,” she wrote.“I’ve been working on it for years, perfecting it, trying to make it ours. I wanted to make music into a song where we share our deep need to both be understood and try to understand each other – a longing to be close when we feel so far away and an ability to celebrate life’s heroes.”After thanking the song’s key contributors, the 36-year-old added: “This song is a love letter to the world during and after a very hard time.

Zack Sharf Italian director, actor and producer Valeria Golino will serve as the president of the jury for this year’s Un Certain Regard sidebar at the Cannes Film Festival. Golino follows in the footsteps of last year’s jury president Andrea Arnold.

After what was rumored to be a long search, Thierry Fremaux has found his president for the 2022 Cannes Film Festival Jury. Legendary French actor Vincent Lindon, who starred in last year’s Palme d’Or winner, “Titane,” will take the mantle following Spike Lee‘s reign last year.

Cannes has added a raft of movies to its lineup ahead of the festival next month.

Claudia Eller Co-Editor-in-ChiefIt’s beyond distressing how women directors continue to get short shrift at Cannes.How could it be that this year only three movies helmed by females will be contenders in the main competition of the world’s most prestigious film festival?It’s horribly disappointing, but far from shocking, given that last year only four out of 21 competition titles were directed by females and considering Cannes’ poor track record when it comes to recognizing women filmmakers competing throughout its 75-year history. After all, just two movies by women directors, Jane Campion’s “The Piano” and Julia Ducournau’s “Titane,” have ever won the coveted Palme d’Or.Of course, I’m thrilled for director Kelly Reichardt (“Showing Up”), Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (“Forever Young”) and Claire Denis (“Stars at Noon”), but nonetheless their movies represent a meager portion of the 18 titles in competition at Cannes.

Tom Cruise was ready to soar in his latest film. The long-delayed sequel to 1986’s "Top Gun," titled "Top Gun: Maverick," will finally premiere on May 27. In a behind-the-scenes featurette leading up to the movie’s debut, the 59-year-old detailed how he and his co-stars committed to full-on training for their gravity-defying roles.

Tom Cruise to make his return to the big screen as Captain Pete «Maverick» Mitchell -- nearly four decades after the beloved original made audiences feel the «need for speed» — had to be something the cinematic world had never seen before.«I wasn't ready to make a sequel until we had a special story worthy of a sequel,» Cruise admits in a new featurette for which Paramount shared on Monday. «And until technology evolved so we could delve deeper into the experience of a fighter pilot.»The technology is unprecedented.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentA few hours after unveiling Cannes Film Festival’s 2022 Official Selection on the Champs Elysees, artistic director Thierry Fremaux sat down with Variety to discuss the festival’s drive to not give in to calls for a cultural boycott of Russian films and filmmakers, efforts to have more female directors in competition, discussions to bring back streamers in a near future and what those rumors about David Lynch in the lineup were about. The all-star competition lineup of this upcoming 75th edition boasts no less than four Palme d’Or winning directors, including Japanese master Kore-eda Hirokazu (Japan) and Swedish helmer Ruben Ostlund (“Triangle of Sadness”), as well new films by David Cronenberg (“Crimes of the Future”), Kelly Reichardt (”Showing Up”), James Gray (“Armageddon Time”) and dissident Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov (“Tchaïkovski’s Wife”).

The 75th Cannes Film Festival, which runs May 17-28, was already due to be a starry affair with the likes of Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick and Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis screening out of competition. Today it got even hotter with a strong Official Selection that should make for glamorous red carpets, but one that will likewise treat serious subject matter.

a competition lineup with only three films directed by women. While additional films could still be added to the slate for next month’s festival, the Cannes lineup falls short of the already dismal record of the last two editions of the festival.

Not only is the Cannes Film Festival returning to its traditional May timeframe for its 75th edition, but the easing of the pandemic means non-European attendees will no longer have to be tested for COVID every other day. Oh, and big world premieres are on tap too, of course.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Cannes Film Marché has unveiled the full lineup of its Ukraine in Focus program which will provide Ukrainian filmmakers and producers with networking, pitching and co-financing opportunities over two days during the Cannes Film Festival, on May 21 and 22.Under the program, key market initiatives such as Goes to Cannes, Cannes Docs Showcase and the Producers Network will be skewed towards projects and executives from Ukraine in order to support the country which was invaded by Russia on Feb. 24 and has been at war since then.

EXCLUSIVE: The Cannes Film Festival and Marché will host a ‘Ukraine Day’ on Saturday 21 May to support the country’s beleaguered film industry.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAs the Cannes Film Festival will announce its Official Selection on Thursday, Variety is starting to get a slightly clearer picture of what 75th edition will look like, though fewer titles than usual have leaked. Led by Cannes’ artistic director and general delegate Thierry Fremaux, the selection committee has been flooded with late submissions and is now in the thick of deliberations.Most surprisingly, according to two well-informed sources, there will even be a David Lynch feature film which has been completely off the radar and stars Laura Dern — either as a cameo or a supporting role — along with some other Lynch regulars.We already know the sun-dappled celebration will land several high-profile films from U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: The most highly anticipated sequel of arguably the last 36 years, Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick, is firing up its jets heading into its Memorial Day opening weekend on May 27.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – OCTOBER 18: Actor Will Smith poses backstage at The Hollywood Awards Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel October 18, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Will Smith