Joystion - All video game news on a single website

Variety News

8191 articles stored · https://variety.com/ ↗

Variety

Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground to Recieve Greg Berlanti Social Impact Award

Higher Ground, the media company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama, will receive the second annual Greg Berlanti Social Impact Award, the Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA announced Thursday. Berlanti will present the award during the sixth annual Teens & Screens Summit on Oct. 22 at UCLA’s Luskin Center. “Higher Ground’s work reflects […]

Variety

’60 Minutes’ to Profile Sacha Baron Cohen (EXCLUSIVE)

“60 Minutes” will air a profile of Sacha Baron Cohen on Oct. 18. The episode comes ahead of the Oct. 23 premiere of “Ali G: Who Iz I?,” a film in which he reprises the role he first played on Channel 4’s “The 11 O’Clock Show” and Channel 4 and HBO’s “Da Ali G Show.” […]

Variety

10 Films to Track at El Gouna, From Cannes and Berlin Standouts to Rising Arab Filmmakers

The ninth edition of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival brings together a strong showing of Arab cinema to the Red Sea, with a lineup spanning emerging regional voices, established filmmakers, and prize-winning titles from Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance and Shanghai. Across its narrative, documentary and short-film competitions, this year’s selection features stories of love, memory […]

Variety

Kenny Ortega Says His New Lego Friends ‘Heartlake’ Movie Brings the Bricks to Life ‘in the Most Wonderful Musical Capacity’

Kenny Ortega is the talent behind iconic films ranging from “Hocus Pocus” to “High School Musical” not to mention dozens of music videos, concerts and two Olympics opening ceremonies. So it’s unsurprising he was the top choice when Lego were thinking about making their first musical feature based on the Lego Friends line. Ortega, who […]

Variety

El Gouna’s Amr Mansi on CineGouna Expansion, New Partnerships and Making ‘the Industry Our Hero’

Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival heads into its ninth edition with a mix of major international titles, including Cannes prize winners “All of a Sudden” and “Ben’imana,” major star power, and the Red Sea glitz woven into its DNA. Co-founder and executive director Amr Mansi wants to expand upon those founding elements, broadening GFF’s industry […]

Variety

Indonesian Zombie Franchise ‘Zona Merah: Dead City’ Unveils Teaser, Takes Outbreak Into the City

The first teaser for “Zona Merah: Dead City,” the big-screen adaptation of Indonesian zombie series “Zona Merah,” has landed ahead of the film’s Jan. 14, 2027, release in Indonesian cinemas. Screenplay Films, which unveiled the trailer on Friday, is billing the feature as the largest zombie production Indonesia has ever mounted. The source series, a […]

Variety

Chris Pratt and Pope Leo Explore St. Peter’s Tomb in Trailer for Vatican Documentary ‘Discovering the Origins’ (EXCLUSIVE)

A new documentary pairs Pope Leo and Hollywood star Chris Pratt to delve into the history, religious passion and archaeological discoveries surrounding the tomb of St. Peter at the Vatican. Titled “Pétros Ení — Discovering the Origins,” the doc — which launches from the Rome Film Festival on Friday ahead of its international rollout — […]

Variety

El Gouna Artistic Director Andrew Mohsen Puts ‘Discovery’ First: ‘We’re Trying to Draw Attention’ to Overlooked Films

For his first edition at the helm of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, artistic director Andrew Mohsen wants to widen the scope of what, and who, audiences discover on the shores of the Red Sea. “Discovery,” Mohsen asserts, sits at the heart of that vision, which builds on the festival’s established place as a showcase […]

Variety

How Creators Make Money: Digital-Native Leaders on What Drives Audiences and Brands in the Attention Economy

On the latest episode of Variety’s “Strictly Business” podcast, leaders of top digital-native firms discuss the factors that are funneling viewership, fan engagement and brand deals in the creator economy. Aaron Doades, senior VP of product management for Comscore, Zach Miller, president of JesserCo., Jarret Myer, CEO of Uproxx Studios, and Shaun Newsum, CEO of […]

Variety

Anna Faris Says ‘It Hurts’ After ‘Mom’ Creator Chuck Lorre Admits His ‘Reluctance to Hire’ Her Was Proven ‘Correct’ After She Exited the Show

“Mom” star Anna Faris acknowledged that “of course it hurts” how show creator Chuck Lorre wrote about her in his recent memoir, in which he said he was “in fact, correct” about his initial reluctance to hire the actress. “Yikes,” she wrote in a statement posted on Instagram Thursday. “Yes, I read a few things. I really didn’t […]

Variety

Russell Brand Trial: Second Woman Alleges He Was a ‘Wild-Eyed Maniac’ as He Tried to Pull Her Into Bathroom

Russell Brand’s criminal trial in London continued on Friday, with his second accuser alleging that Brand was a “wild-eyed maniac” as he tried to pull her into a bathroom. The actor and comedian has been charged with three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault relating to incidents […]

Variety

Omar Sy on Taking Creative Control of Netflix’s ‘Lupin’ and Why ‘Black Dumas’ Will Spark Political Debate in France

Netflix’s smash hit heist series “Lupin” is back bigger and bolder after three years, and its French star Omar Sy, who plays French gentleman thief Assane Diop, has something to do with it. Sy, who served as artistic producer on previous installments, makes his debut as co-showrunner alongside Louis Leterrier for the show’s fourth part, […]

Variety

‘Toy Story 5’ Co-Director Kenna Harris on Going From Jessie Superfan to Pixar Filmmaker — and the Two-Week Rewrite That Reshaped the Sequel

Long before co-directing Pixar’s “Toy Story 5,” Kenna Harris spent childhood afternoons drawing Jessie, painstakingly reproducing details from “Toy Story 2” and even imagining Woody offering the cowgirl a flower. Decades later, the character helped Harris navigate a daunting first feature — including a two-week production pause to overhaul a story that was not yet […]

Variety

Netflix Is Profitable and Still Growing. Why Did It Just Make a Huge Round of Layoffs and Oust Its Top Content Exec?

In 2025, Netflix notched a net profit of $11 billion on a 16% increase in revenue, to $46.6 billion. It expects revenue growth to cool off this year, projecting an increase of 13%-14%, while the streamer is aiming to boost operating margin by 200 basis points, to 31.5%. It has a healthy balance sheet, with […]

Variety

Boo Junfeng’s ‘Trinity,’ Sidharta Tata’s ‘Slaughterground’ Among JAFF Market 2026 Selections

Boo Junfeng’s “Trinity” and Sidharta Tata’s “Slaughterground” are among 11 feature projects picked for JAFF Future Project (JFP), the film development strand of Indonesia’s JAFF Market, which has also chosen 10 intellectual properties for its adaptation-focused JAFF IP Connection (JIPCon) program. The third edition of JAFF Market, powered by Amar Bank, will run Nov. 28–30 […]

Variety

‘The Big Boom!,’ Documentary About Weapons Factory Workers, Picked Up by Lightdox Ahead of IDFA Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)

Lightdox has acquired world sales rights to “The Big Boom!,” the latest documentary from Swiss filmmaker Gabriel Tejedor, ahead of its world premiere in IDFA’s Frontlight program. The film explores the contradictions of a Bulgarian town pulled into Europe’s shifting geopolitical order, where arms production for Ukraine’s frontlines collides with enduring ties to Russia, personal […]

Variety

Sundance Winners Blerta Basholli and Myrsini Aristidou Compete in Thessaloniki’s Meet the Neighbors+ Competition (EXCLUSIVE)

The 67th Thessaloniki Intl. Film Festival, which runs from Nov. 5 to 15, has revealed the lineups of its Meet the Neighbors+ and >>Film Forward competition sections. Among the films in the Meet the Neighbors+ section are Blerta Basholli, who won at Sundance with “Hive,” and comes to Thessaloniki with Kosovan War coming-of-age drama “Dua,” […]

Variety

‘On the Line: The World Burger Games’: Full Day Productions Brings Five Guys Competition to Life in Prime Video Docuseries

Connor Schell’s Full Day Productions and Lost Tribe Creative just launched a new docuseries, “On The Line: The World Burger Games,” on Prime Video. The five-episode doc follows Five Guys’ global competition of crew members from local qualifying rounds to the ultimate championship. The competition began in 2013 as an idea from the Murrell family […]

Variety

‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ VFX Veteran Hal Hickel on Rotta’s Redesign, Phil Tippett and Jon Favreau’s ‘Less James Bond, More Jackass’ Approach

Industrial Light & Magic animation supervisor Hal Hickel approached Jon Favreau’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu” with a deceptively simple question: “What would Phil do?” The Phil in question was stop-motion pioneer Phil Tippett, whose work on the original “Star Wars” trilogy provided a template for everything from lumbering AT-AT walkers to a spectacular battle involving […]

Variety

Singapore Media Festival Launches Creator Summit as Asia TV Forum Adds AI Zone, Microdrama Focus

The Singapore Media Festival will add a dedicated creator economy event to its lineup this year, launching the Asia Creator Summit alongside the long-running Asia TV Forum & Market when its next edition takes place Dec. 1–5. The festival is hosted by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). The new summit (ACS) and ATF will […]

Variety

Busan Takeaways: Record Crowds Meet a Political Storm as Asia’s Producers Close Ranks

The Busan International Film Festival drew its largest film audience in more than a decade at its 31st edition, which ran Oct. 6–15, while a political firestorm over a Korean box office hit and an Iranian director’s war speech kept politics in the spotlight. These are Variety’s takeaways from the festival and its Asian Contents […]

Variety

‘Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald’: Five Biggest Takeaways, From the SNL Firing to Concealing His Cancer Diagnosis

Norm Macdonald wasn’t for everyone. Armed with a deadpan delivery, devil-may-care attitude and cracker-barrel charm, the Canadian comic got his start writing for “Roseanne” before earning acclaim as the host of SNL’s Weekend Update, where his unrelenting ridicule of O.J. Simpson for being an alleged murderer — Macdonald was adamant that it wasn’t so “alleged” […]

Variety

Serielizados Program: Steven Moffat, Ferran Adrià, and Rodrigo Sorogoyen Bring Star Creator Power to Barcelona

Carmen Machi, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Hagai Levi, Steven Moffat, Sue Vertue, Victoria Martín, Ferran Adrià. All will bring star power to Barcelona’s leading series festival Serielizados which is set to kick-off Oct. 19 with the Catalan premiere of the 3Cat-HBO Max “In Vitro.” A prime launching pad for Spanish premieres, the festival will showcase six international […]

Variety

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Composer and More Speak Out About AI at Ghent’s WSA Film Music Days: ‘We Must Continue to Defend Our Art’

At a recent World Soundtrack Awards industry panel, composer Simon Franglen struck a common chord when talking about his work on “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” “We had hundreds of musicians in a room, pouring their emotion out in that precise second,” he recalled. “How can that ever be replicated by AI?” This year’s WSA Film […]

Variety

Nawazuddin Siddiqui to Star as Delhi Street Detective in ‘Kabootar’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Indian thespian Nawazuddin Siddiqui is attached to lead “Kabootar,” the debut feature from writer-director Ishan Sharma, produced by Nikhil Chaudhary of MDC Filmworks. The film is structured as a co-production between MDC Filmworks in India, Haiku Films in France, and Rein Film in Norway, with Rohit Saxena serving as co-producer on the Indian side. Principal […]

Variety

Cynthia Erivo’s ‘Bad Fairies’ Adds Kylie Minogue, Jonathan Groff and Catherine Tate to Voice Cast

“Bad Fairies,” the Warner Bros. Picture Animation and Locksmith Animation musical comedy led by Cynthia Erivo, has added Kylie Minogue, Jonathan Groff and Catherine Tate to its voice cast. Minogue will voice Clowder, the Cat Witch, Groff will voice Robin Goodfellow and Tate will voice the Fairy Gothmother, joining Erivo as Jayne Staplegun in the […]

Variety

‘Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald’ Review: Judd Apatow’s Juicy and Haunting Portrait of a Comedy Star as Troubled as He Was Hilarious

At times, he had a streak of Andy Kaufman’s antisocial hostility in him, as if comedy was his way of testing both himself and the audience, seeing what they would accept, and seeing if he would be accepted.

Variety

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Boss Unpacks Season 23 Premiere and Teases Dolly Parton Episode, Texas Spinoff and Whether This Really Could Be the Final Season

SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains major spoilers from “Collide,” the Season 23 premiere of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” streaming on Hulu. There’s a new sheriff in town at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. In the Season 23 premiere of “Grey’s Anatomy,” the doctors of TV’s most indomitable hospital are convened for the grand opening of a lavish […]

Variety

Why Did Netflix Boot Bela Bajaria?

Fear and loathing are running high as Hollywood processes Thursday’s shock firing of Bela Bajaria from her post as Netflix chief content officer. Yes, the company that popularized the “keeper test” is known for abrupt exits. But despite Netflix’s recent stock struggles, many considered Bajaria too big to fail. Word of her ouster leaked before […]

Variety

The 27 Best ‘American Horror Story’ Characters, Ranked

“American Horror Story” has given audiences a lot to chew on over the years: wildly inventive themes, sadistic imagery, over-the-top performances and gleefully macabre mythology. But arguably its greatest contribution to television since its debut in 2011 is its characters, an ever-expanding company of ill-fated spooks and kooks who rarely find a happy ending, and […]

Variety News

Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground to Recieve Greg Berlanti Social Impact Award

’60 Minutes’ to Profile Sacha Baron Cohen (EXCLUSIVE)

10 Films to Track at El Gouna, From Cannes and Berlin Standouts to Rising Arab Filmmakers

Kenny Ortega Says His New Lego Friends ‘Heartlake’ Movie Brings the Bricks to Life ‘in the Most Wonderful Musical Capacity’

El Gouna’s Amr Mansi on CineGouna Expansion, New Partnerships and Making ‘the Industry Our Hero’

Indonesian Zombie Franchise ‘Zona Merah: Dead City’ Unveils Teaser, Takes Outbreak Into the City

Chris Pratt and Pope Leo Explore St. Peter’s Tomb in Trailer for Vatican Documentary ‘Discovering the Origins’ (EXCLUSIVE)

El Gouna Artistic Director Andrew Mohsen Puts ‘Discovery’ First: ‘We’re Trying to Draw Attention’ to Overlooked Films

How Creators Make Money: Digital-Native Leaders on What Drives Audiences and Brands in the Attention Economy

Anna Faris Says ‘It Hurts’ After ‘Mom’ Creator Chuck Lorre Admits His ‘Reluctance to Hire’ Her Was Proven ‘Correct’ After She Exited the Show

Russell Brand Trial: Second Woman Alleges He Was a ‘Wild-Eyed Maniac’ as He Tried to Pull Her Into Bathroom

Omar Sy on Taking Creative Control of Netflix’s ‘Lupin’ and Why ‘Black Dumas’ Will Spark Political Debate in France

‘Toy Story 5’ Co-Director Kenna Harris on Going From Jessie Superfan to Pixar Filmmaker — and the Two-Week Rewrite That Reshaped the Sequel

Netflix Is Profitable and Still Growing. Why Did It Just Make a Huge Round of Layoffs and Oust Its Top Content Exec?

Boo Junfeng’s ‘Trinity,’ Sidharta Tata’s ‘Slaughterground’ Among JAFF Market 2026 Selections

‘The Big Boom!,’ Documentary About Weapons Factory Workers, Picked Up by Lightdox Ahead of IDFA Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)

Sundance Winners Blerta Basholli and Myrsini Aristidou Compete in Thessaloniki’s Meet the Neighbors+ Competition (EXCLUSIVE)

‘On the Line: The World Burger Games’: Full Day Productions Brings Five Guys Competition to Life in Prime Video Docuseries

‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ VFX Veteran Hal Hickel on Rotta’s Redesign, Phil Tippett and Jon Favreau’s ‘Less James Bond, More Jackass’ Approach

Singapore Media Festival Launches Creator Summit as Asia TV Forum Adds AI Zone, Microdrama Focus

Busan Takeaways: Record Crowds Meet a Political Storm as Asia’s Producers Close Ranks

‘Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald’: Five Biggest Takeaways, From the SNL Firing to Concealing His Cancer Diagnosis

Serielizados Program: Steven Moffat, Ferran Adrià, and Rodrigo Sorogoyen Bring Star Creator Power to Barcelona

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Composer and More Speak Out About AI at Ghent’s WSA Film Music Days: ‘We Must Continue to Defend Our Art’

Nawazuddin Siddiqui to Star as Delhi Street Detective in ‘Kabootar’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Cynthia Erivo’s ‘Bad Fairies’ Adds Kylie Minogue, Jonathan Groff and Catherine Tate to Voice Cast

‘Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald’ Review: Judd Apatow’s Juicy and Haunting Portrait of a Comedy Star as Troubled as He Was Hilarious

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Boss Unpacks Season 23 Premiere and Teases Dolly Parton Episode, Texas Spinoff and Whether This Really Could Be the Final Season

Why Did Netflix Boot Bela Bajaria?

The 27 Best ‘American Horror Story’ Characters, Ranked

🔔 Keyword alerts