The upcoming Wicked musical movie doesn’t use canned vocals, director Jon M. Chu says.
04.03.2024 - 16:30 / variety.com
William Earl administrator Artist and photographer Caitlin Cronenberg‘s feature directorial debut “Humane” has found a home fitting its dark vision. IFC Films and horror streamer Shudder have acquired the U.S.
rights for the film, with a theatrical release set for April 26 and a debut on Shudder planned for later in the year. Elevation Pictures will handle Canadian distribution.
Cronenberg, whose portfolio includes work as a still photographer on dozens of film and TV productions, shot the film in Hamilton, Ontario, with a cast including Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire and Peter Gallagher. Victory Man Productions’ Michael Sparaga wrote and produced “Humane.” The logline for “Humane” promises a “dystopian satire taking place over a single day, mere months after a global ecological collapse has forced world leaders to take extreme measures to reduce the earth’s population.
In a wealthy enclave, a recently retired newsman has invited his grown children to dinner to announce his intentions to enlist in the nation’s new euthanasia program. But when the father’s plan goes horribly awry, tensions flare and chaos erupts among his children.” “Caitlin has crafted a provocative directorial debut exuding a timeliness and evocative social critique that highlights one of the most assured and exciting new voices to contend with,” Scott Shooman, head of AMC Networks’ Film Group, said in a statement.
The upcoming Wicked musical movie doesn’t use canned vocals, director Jon M. Chu says.
As David Cronenberg fans wait to see if the director returns to Cannes with “The Shrouds” this May, his daughter Caitlin’s feature debut hits theaters next month. And “Humane” sounds like a story fit for a member of the Cronenberg family, an end-days tale about ecological collapse, euthanasia, and the lengths one will go to maintain normalcy.
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Belgian filmmaker Sofie Benoot‘s “Apple Cider Vinegar,” which has its world premiere in the International Competition section of Visions du Réel, has been picked up for world sales by Filmotor. The trailer and poster are being released exclusively by Variety. The film is narrated by actor Sian Phillips, who appeared in “I, Claudius” and David Lynch’s “Dune,” and is a veteran nature documentary narrator.
Ethan Shanfeld Thirty years after its release, the supernatural superhero thriller “The Crow” is getting the remake treatment from director Rupert Sanders and star Bill Skarsgård. But Alex Proyas, the director of the original 1994 film starring Brandon Lee, doesn’t think that’s a good idea. “I really don’t get any joy from seeing negativity about any fellow filmmakers work,” Proyas wrote on Facebook.
EXCLUSIVE: Nowhere Special by director Uberto Pasolini (The Full Monty, Still Life), and starring James Norton (Bob Marley: One Love, Little Women, Happy Valley), is set for theatrical release on April 26.
Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. “The Zone of Interest,” which won best international feature and best sound at the Oscars this past Sunday, will become available to stream from home next month. The film arrives on Max on April 5, and is also currently available to rent/purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV+.
William Earl administrator Sydney Sweeney is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, but fans are sure to be shocked by her wild new horror movie that pushes her creativity in front of and behind the camera to new extremes. “Immaculate” is the third project that director Michael Mohan and Sweeney have collaborated on, after the 2018 series “Everything Sucks!” and the 2021 thriller “The Voyeurs.” Their newest creative vision is a project filled with twists, blood and a surprising amount of horniness for a movie set at an Italian convent. Sweeney plays Cecilia, an American nun who transfers to Italy and is forced to face a lot of dark secrets hidden in the walls of the gorgeous nunnery.
Following the success of its 2023 series, the critically-acclaimed hit drama Shetland has been recommissioned by the BBC for two new series. A Silverprint Pictures production (part of ITV Studios) for the BBC, the double series commission - Shetland’s ninth and tenth - will film in locations on the Shetland Isles and across Scotland in 2024 and 2025.
Naman Ramachandran Oscar, BAFTA and Grammy-winning composer A.R. Rahman (“Slumdog Millionaire”) is set to release 16 new compositions with the Dubai-based Firdaus Orchestra. Firdaus Orchestra is an all-woman ensemble of 50 musicians from 23 Arab countries, mentored by the composer.
Oscilloscope Laboratories has announced a one night only theatrical release of Indigo Girls: It’s Only Life After All, and has rolled out the documentary’s trailer.
EXCLUSIVE: Specialty distributor 3388 Films has acquired rights to Vietnamese smash Mai, and has set a March 22 theatrical release across North America and Europe. From director Tran Thanh, the romance drama is now the No. 1 movie of all time in Vietnam, having crossed 500B VND ($20M) locally this past week.
Aramide Tinubu Unfortunately, no one makes it to adulthood without forming a series of preconceived notions. These points of view often determine how we judge certain people and observe various circumstances. John Patrick Shanley’s 2005 play “Doubt: A Parable,” set in 1964, opens with a sermon on doubt from the affable and modern-minded Father Flynn (Liev Schreiber).
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Warner Bros. is to handle the Southeast Asia theatrical release of Philippines-produced drama film “Under Parallel Skies.” The picture will have its world premiere this weekend as part of the Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong. Directed by Sigrid Bernardo, “Under Parallel Skies” follows the story of a Thai bachelor, portrayed by major local star Win Metawin, who travels to Hong Kong in search of his missing mother.
Ellise Shafer During the reading of the U.K. government’s spring budget on Wednesday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt revealed a 40% corporate tax relief for film and TV studios through 2034. The plan also includes independent films shot in the U.K.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor‘s ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ was almost New Radicals‘ debut single, the band’s frontman Gregg Alexander has revealed. Listen to a snippet of his original demo below.Alexander is credited as a co-writer and co-producer of Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 song, which has recently enjoyed a huge resurgence after soundtracking an already-infamous nude scene in Saltburn.Back in January, ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ reached its original position of Number Two on the UK singles chart (it is currently at Number 20), and broke into the Billboard 100 in the US for the very first time.Ellis-Bextor has since made her US TV debut, announced a run of North American headline shows and performed live at the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards off the back of her surge in popularity.However, during a new interview with The Guardian, Alexander explained that the song was initially intended to be New Radicals’ debut single, instead of their 1998 anthem ‘You Get What You Give’.“I almost flipped a coin between the two songs,” the singer-songwriter told the publication.“The record company wanted something urgently and I didn’t have the time or the budget to finish both.
Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg (“Crimes of The Future“) has fathered some talented children; his son Brandon Cronenberg already making a name for himself with blood-soaked mature projects like “Possessor” and “Infinity Pool.” Now, his artist daughter Caitlin Cronenberg is also getting into the moviemaking business with her feature film debut, “Humane.” The film was just acquired by IFC Films and Shudder from XYZ Films with a plan to hit the big screen before becoming an exclusive on the streaming service.
You blink - and it's March already. With spring just around the corner, it's a time to celebrate new beginnings - and, on our streaming services, a fresh batch of TV shows and films.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Atlas Distribution Company, a U.S. indie distributor, has set Vietnamese-American co-production film “A Fragile Flower” on course for a theatrical release in the U.S. Produced by the duo Mai Thu Huyen and Jacqueline Thu Thao, the romantic musical drama, with a screenplay by Vietnamese singing sensation Nhat Ha, is set debut from Mar.
EXCLUSIVE: Roadside Attractions and Vertical have acquired U.S. to the Zoe Saldaña thriller The Absence of Eden from first-time feature filmmaker Marco Perego. An April 12 theatrical release has been set.
Caroline Brew editor GKIDS is bringing the hand-painted animated film “Chicken for Linda!” to select theaters nationwide. It will be released April 5 in New York City at the Angelika Film Center and April 12 in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Royal.