George Lazenby, best known for his take on James Bond in the 1969 film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, has issued an apology after he was accused of making “disgusting” comments.
24.08.2022 - 09:45 / variety.com
John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Seasoned Finnish producer Ilkka Matila (“The Eternal Road”, “All the Sins”) of MRP Matila Röhr has signed with Estonia’s Taska Film and locked early support from the Finnish Film Institute and local commercial channel MTV3 for the $2.7m film “Between the Hammer and the Sickle.” Nordisk Film holds Scandinavian rights. To be pitched on Aug. 24 at the Nordic Co-Production Market in Haugesund, Norway, the title will be one of Matila’s most defining projects, a feature which he believes will stay, along the lines of the multi-awarded “Mother of Mine” or “The Eternal Road.” “Between the Hammer and the Sickle” will be one of the first features ever to portray Finland’s illustrious former president Urho Kekkonen. Head of state for nearly 26 years, Kekkonen served as the longest-serving Finnish president from 1956 until 1981 and masterminded his country’s policy of neutrality, keeping at bay the threatening Soviet Union with which Finland shares 800 miles of border.
“I grew up with the Cold War, now war is returning in Europe, and is at our doorsteps – Ukraine,” said Matila. “Our president at the time Kekkonen was known as the Soviet whisperer, for his policy of conciliation with the Soviets; he was able to maintain peace and stability, and acted to protect our fragile democracy, always threatened by the anti-democratic giant,” Matila recalled. He added: “I have made 44 features in the past 30 years and one thing I’ve learnt is that if I have a point to make, it becomes all the more evident when set in the past. To understand the present, you need to understand the past. As a filmmaker, I believe that intermediating between the present and the past is what we have to do for our
George Lazenby, best known for his take on James Bond in the 1969 film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, has issued an apology after he was accused of making “disgusting” comments.
star Vanessa Morgan takes her teen drama skills to feature-film lengths this month with the release of, a sci-fi thriller about a dystopian AI system. ET has an exclusive first look at the Paramount Pictures film.Morgan stars alongside Madison Pettis, Richard Harmon, Jedidiah Goodacre, Phoebe Miu, Jordan Buhat and Louis Lay as part of a group of seniors celebrating their final college days at a smart house with an AI system nicknamed Margaux.Though the innovation seems irresistibly attractive at first, Margaux soon «begins to take on a deadly presence of her own,» the film's synopsis reads.
Manori Ravindran International Editor IFC Films has acquired the U.S. rights to “Operation Avalanche” director Matt Johnson’s new movie, “BlackBerry,” about the ill-fated smartphone that took the world by storm in the early 2000s. The highly anticipated film, which was first revealed by Variety last month, tells the story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the BlackBerry, and stars an ensemble cast including Jay Baruchel (“This Is the End”), Glenn Howerton (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) and Cary Elwes (“Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning”). The pic will detail the operations of BlackBerry’s Canadian parent company Research in Motion, which was one of the country’s most illustrious and well-known tech companies before it floundered in legal disputes and eventually lost its market advantage to competitors such as Apple and Samsung. At the heart of the story is the business relationship between co-founders Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie.
When it comes to selecting their collaborators, Clean Bandit have always been one step ahead. Knowing exactly who'll complement their unique brand of EDM-classical crossover, members Grace Chatto, Jack and Luke Patterson certainly boast one of the UK dance scene's most successful CVs.
A Scottish Green Minister has raised the prospect of extending a planned rent freeze beyond March for private landlords only.
is heating up when season 11 begins later this month!NBC's firefighter procedural picks up right where the finale left off when a mysterious SUV pulls up to the cabin newlyweds Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) were honeymooning at, leaving their fates up in the air. Though it appears both Severide and Kidd make it out safely (whew!), the official synopsis for the premiere episode certainly doesn't ease minds, hinting that the couple had to endure hardships as they're met «by a dangerous person from their past.»Whatever went down at the cabin will be revealed in due time, but to tide everyone over until then, ET exclusively premieres a new photo from the explosive season 11 premiere, which sees a uniformed Severide and fellow Firehouse 51 team member Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) reporting to a chaotic scene at a wedding reception gone awry when pyrotechnics accidentally sets the party tent ablaze.“Season 11 blasts off with a relentless pace, starting right where we left Severide and Kidd last season -- and the episode never lets up for the full hour.
homelessness in 2017.The veteran actress, 76, stars in the indie feature “Dog Boy” as Vera Summers — a selfish Hollywood has-been who is on the verge of financial bankruptcy until she meets a cabbie who changes her perspective on life.Wood — who most famously played Plenty O’Toole opposite Sean Connery’s James Bond in 1971’s “Diamonds Are Forever” — got very candid on her economic struggles and how the film helped get her back on her feet.“It touched so many parts of me,” the little sister of the late, great Natalie Wood told Fox New Digital. “I identified with so many of the things that the character was going through or had gone through. There were some moments when it could have been me.
Naman Ramachandran In its 15th weekend of release, Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” is still flying high at the U.K. and Ireland box office. The Tom Cruise vehicle collected £600,258 ($692,670) in third place at the box office, according to numbers released by Comscore. With a total of £81.6 million ($94.1 million) it has overtaken “Titanic” (£80.3 million) to occupy the No. 9 position on the all time box office chart in the territory. Sony’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” swung back into cinemas with an extended cut and collected £469,309 in fifth position in its 38th weekend in the territory. With a total of £96.9 million, it has swung past James Bond film “No Time to Die” (£96.7 million) and is now No. 3 among the territory’s all time box office champions. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (£123.2 million) and another Bond title “Skyfall” (£103.2 million) are the top two.
At the ripe young age of 90, veteran Hollywood composer John Williams says there’s still one more major film franchise he’d like to tackle: “James Bond.” The composer behind iconic scores for such blockbusters as “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” “Jaws,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Superman,” “Jurassic Park” and “Indiana Jones” — the fifth installment of which he’s currently working on — briefly opened up about the possibility of composing a 007 score in an interview with Classic FM (via the Guardian), saying only, “I’d love it” when asked if he’d be interested in the opportunity.
At the ripe young age of 90, veteran Hollywood composer John Williams says there’s still one more major film franchise he’d like to tackle: “James Bond.” The composer behind iconic scores for such blockbusters as “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” “Jaws,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Superman,” “Jurassic Park” and “Indiana Jones” — the fifth installment of which he’s currently working on — briefly opened up about the possibility of composing a 007 score in an interview with Classic FM (via the Guardian), saying only, “I’d love it” when asked if he’d be interested in the opportunity.
Carson Burton Zev Raben and Chad Russo have been promoted to partners at Ramo Law PC. The duo now joins a team including founder and managing partner Elsa Ramo, managing partner Michelle Chang and partner Erika Canchola. “We are thrilled to include Zev Raben and Chad Russo as partners of the firm,” Ramo said. “Zev joined our firm transitioning from litigation and his experience and know how has been paramount in our growing finance practice. Chad has been impactful in building our podcast division from the inception days and has a stellar reputation in supporting production legal for our clients. They both exemplify the firm’s entrepreneurial ethos and are essential to our continued growth and success.”
Manori Ravindran International Editor Variety can reveal a first look at Maggie Smith and Laura Linney in the new drama “The Miracle Club,” which has wrapped production in Ireland and is now in post. The Dublin-shot film, which also stars Kathy Bates, centers on four Dublin women who come together on a pilgrimage to the holy city of Lourdes in France, where they discover the solidarity in their friendship and unveil their own personal miracles. Directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan, “The Miracle Club” wrapped over the summer at Ardmore Studios in Dublin. The film also features Oscar nominee Stephen Rea (“The Crying Game,” “The Usual Suspects”) and up-and-coming star Agnes O’Casey (“Longbourn,” “Ridley Road”).
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Studiocanal has boarded Quentin Reynaud’s timely disaster thriller “The Blaze” ahead of its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. The film reteams Reynaud with popular French actor Alex Lutz, who headlined the director’s feature debut “Final Set.” Lutz stars alongside revered French actor André Dussolier (“Tell No One”). “The Blaze” follows Simon and his father Joseph who embark on a race-against-the-clock to escape a wildfire. The first-look image features Simon and Joseph who must leave everything behind to escape their coastal region alongside multiple evacuees who are fighting to survive.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Paris-based company Indie Sales has boarded Emad Aleebrahim Dehkordi’s feature debut “A Tale of Shemroon” which is set to premiere in the New Directors competition at San Sebastian. Set in the north of Tehran, “A Tale of Shemroon” follows Iman and his younger brother Payar who live with their father. After the death of their mother, Iman starts a business thanks to his connections with the city’s affluent youth, but these new opportunities bring him on a dangerous path affecting his family’s destiny. “We are proud to be a part of San Sebastian’s New Directors competition with this new voice from Iranian cinema,” said Nicolas Eschbach at Indie Sales. “Emad (Aleebrahim Dehkordi) depicts the reality of the Iranian youth living in parts of Tehran that have seldom been seen before,” Eschbach continued.
Sean Connery's 92nd birthday. The actor, who was born in 1930, made a name for himself in Hollywood for playing James Bond in seven films over three decades. He kicked off his 007 tenure in 1962 with Dr No.
Naman Ramachandran “Explorer,” a portrait of Ranulph Fiennes, credited with the title, World’s Greatest Living Explorer, is set for a digital and on demand release. The documentary feature peels back the layers of Fiennes’s life to go beyond his record-breaking achievements and reveal the man behind the myth. Fiennes was the first to circumnavigate the world from pole to pole, crossed the Antarctic on foot, broke countless world records and discovered a lost city in Arabia. He has traveled to the most dangerous places on Earth, lost half his fingers to frostbite, raised millions for charity and was nearly cast as James Bond. And, the man who prefers to be known as just ‘Ran,’ is a cousin to actors Ralph and Joseph.
Dylan McDermott is going undercover to kick off the new season of ! Only ET exclusively debuts the first official photos from the season 4 premiere, which finds Remy Scott (McDermott), leader of the FBI's Fugitive Task Force, taking on a new identity as he tries to solve the latest case.In the premiere episode, titled «Iron Pipeline,» the Fugitive Task Force investigates a connection between a family of four from New York shot dead in a Georgia hotel room and the sale of illegal firearms. Meanwhile, Barnes (Roxy Sternberg) struggles with Remy's leadership style upon her return from maternity leave, and Remy and his sister plan for their mother's care.In ET's exclusive photos, Remy expertly slips into his new persona, showing off his tats, rocking a sleeveless tank and black leather vest, and capping off the new look with a metal chain necklace as he fully embodies the «bad boy» image alongside his motorcycle.“Nothing is more exciting than to ride a Harley, change my look and go undercover for the premiere episode of season 4 of !” McDermott tells ET.See the first official season 4 photos from below.Joining the action in the new season is 's Edwin Hodge, who will play Ray Cannon.
Sean Connery's 92nd birthday. The actor, who was born in 1930, made a name for himself in Hollywood for playing James Bond in seven films over three decades. He kicked off his 007 tenure in 1962 with Dr No.
Bindi Irwin has shared a heart-warming video of her daughter, Grace, admiring her grandmother 'Bunny' Terri and late grandfather, 'The Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin.READ: Bindi Irwin mourns loss of 'beautiful family member' as fans send supportThe 24-year-old zookeeper got her - almost 5 million - followers in the feels when she posted the video on her Instagram.Bindi Irwin & Chandler Powell play Hello/GoodbyeThe emotional video sees one-year-old Grace trot to the photo mural of her grandparents with a koala in their arms. Bindi can be heard in the video, saying: "Oh it's koala.
John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Italy’s I Wonder Pictures has boarded Finnish comedy “The Player” as a co-producer ahead of its bow at Haugesund’s industry sidebar New Nordic Films. The company will also handle local distribution. The project is directed by Teemu Nikki and produced by It’s Alive Films’ Jani Pösö. “I consider Teemu Nikki as one of the best European directors. He is brilliant, prolific and always surprising,” Andrea Romeo, I Wonder Pictures’ general manager and head of acquisitions, told Variety. “I think that his cinema will be increasingly appreciated in the world, as well as in Italy. His movies always talk about important issues, keeping a perfect balance between black comedy and auteur cinema. It’s also a great pleasure for us to work with a producer like Jani and a company as prestigious as It’s Alive Films.”