MGM+ Orders ‘Hollywood Black’ From Justin Simien, Forest Whitaker — Docuseries Exploring The Black Experience In Cinema History

J. Kim Murphy Adam McKay is partnering with Netflix again for his follow-up to “Don’t Look Up.” The streamer has acquired the director’s next feature comedy, titled “Average Height, Average Build,” which will star Robert Pattinson as a serial killer that looks to leverage American politicians to make murder easier. Amy Adams will star alongside Pattinson. She reunites with McKay after earning an Oscar nomination in best supporting actress for her turn as Lynne Cheney in their 2018 comedy “Vice.” The ensemble also includes Robert Downey Jr., Forest Whitaker and Danielle Deadwyler. Along with writing and directing, McKay will produce under his Hyperobject Industries banner with Kevin Messick. The film does not yet have an official release date.

Victoria Grace, who plays Wendy Shin on Days of Our Lives, is withdrawing her nomination from the Daytime Emmys.

Murtada Elfadl Movies have always thrived on the power of nostalgia, of viewers placing themselves in a historical context and seeing that self represented on screen — and this is just some of what Guinean filmmaker Thierno Souleymane Diallo explores in his debut feature “The Cemetery of Cinema.” Ostensibly the story of a quest to find a lost film — “Mouramani,” made in 1953 by Diallo’s compatriot Mamadou Touré — this documentary becomes both a playful meditation on why films matter and a rather sober examination of how history can be lost when not preserved. Diallo’s command of the thin line between absurdity and profundity makes it both an entertaining and contemplative watch.

Brent Lang Executive Editor To get the chance to make a movie of Judy Blume’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” producer James L. Brooks and writer and director Kelly Fremon Craig made the pilgrimage to the beloved author’s home in Key West, Fla. “I spent most of our time with Judy warning her about Hollywood and all the things it will do to you — basically, I warned her about folks like me,” says Brooks, the Oscar-winning director of “Terms of Endearment” and the co-creator of “The Simpsons” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Blume chose not to heed the admonition. By the end of their sit-down, Brooks, Craig and Blume’s husband George were all hugging. The film rights were theirs. It turns out Brooks and Craig had an ace up their sleeve: Blume had loved their collaboration “The Edge of Seventeen,” a sensitively drawn look at a teenager navigating the minefield of high school while processing her dad’s death. It’s a coming-of-age tale that’s similar to “Are You There God?,” which depicts the challenges and mortifications of being on the cusp of puberty. On April 28, fans of the book will get to see how successfully Craig, Brooks and their collaborators pulled it off when the Lionsgate release opens in theaters.

Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick linked up to promote their new Trolls movie Trolls Band Together at CinemaCon on Wednesday (April 26) at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Paramount Pictures put on a show at CinemaCon Thursday morning. Not only did they have an opening number to celebrate “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” a surprise in-person appearance from “The Smurf Movie” star and producer Rihanna, but made some noise announcing “Transformers One,” the first animated “Transformers” movie in decades, as well as the expected sequel to “Smile.” And the studio brought more than just a new trailer for “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” they screened 20 minutes from one of the summer’s most anticipated releases.

Jennie Punter The Changing Face of Europe, which is presented by European Film Promotion (EFP) in collaboration with Hot Docs, returns to Toronto with the sixth edition of its festival-within-a-festival program—nine features and one mid-length film—exploring themes around identity, belonging and struggle. “Over the years, the Changing Face of Europe has become one of the more impactful programs in the lineup, and also an essential component of our festival programming,” Hot Docs artistic director Shane Smith told Variety in advance of the festival. “Europe has a rich history of and strong connection to the art of documentary filmmaking,” he said. “We are delighted to showcase the powerful work coming out of the continent that sheds light on crucial issues facing Europeans today.”

Refresh for updates The studio that owns the highest grossing movie of the year so far, Universal with its billion bound Super Mario Bros Movie, brought the stars and filmmakers to CinemaCon. Could we expect anything less?

The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney has spoken to NME about the band’s upcoming tour of the UK and Europe, their “epic” new album, working with Noel Gallagher and why they’ll never play Glastonbury.The blues rock duo are set to kick off their European tour in Paris on June 19 before playing their first UK headline tour in over 10 years.“We’re both excited to get over there but we don’t feel any pressure about playing,” drummer Carney told NME. “Our first show in London was at the Camden Barfly to maybe 30 people and for a decade, we played every single venue imaginable to get to Ally Pally and The O2.“When you’re coming up, it can often feel like competition and you’re constantly stressed.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Netflix has ordered a supernatural drama series titled “The Boroughs” that boasts “Stranger Things” creators the Duffer brothers as executive producers, Variety has learned. “The Boroughs” hails from co-creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews. Netflix has given the show an eight-episode order. Per the official logline, “In a seemingly picturesque retirement community in the New Mexico desert, a group of unlikely heroes must band together to stop an otherworldly threat from stealing the one thing they don’t have… time.” “We’ve been fans of Jeff and Will’s writing for a long time, and when they pitched us their idea for ‘The Boroughs,’ we immediately knew they had something very special on their hands,” the Duffers said. “While the heroes in ‘The Boroughs’ have a few more years on them than the kids from ‘Stranger Things,’ they are a similarly lovable bunch of misfits, and we can’t wait for you to join them on an adventure that is at turns scary, funny, and deeply touching.”

In adapting Accused for an American audience, showrunner and executive producer Howard Gordon saw an opportunity to explore the grey areas of the justice system.

Mo star and creator Mo Amer discussed the difficulties and tender vulnerability that comes with addressing his family’s hardships and experiences when he joined Deadline’s Contenders TV event Sunday.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot developments in Season 3, Episode 9 of “Star Trek: Picard,” currently streaming on Paramount+. Gates McFadden didn’t know what to expect when she first got on a Zoom call with “Star Trek: Picard” executive producers Terry Matalas and Akiva Goldsman. A few years earlier, Patrick Stewart had taken the cast of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” — Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner and McFadden — to dinner to announce that he was going to star on the spinoff series without them. But for the show’s third and final season, Matalas wanted to bring the full cast back together. 

MGM+ has greenlit “Hollywood Black,” a new docuseries directed by Justin Simien (“Dear White People,” “Haunted Mansion”). Based on the book by historian Donald Bogle, this four-part docuseries tells the epic story of the actors, writers, directors and producers who fought for their place on the page, behind the camera, on the screen and in the credits.

Selome Hailu MGM+ has greenlit a docuseries titled “Hollywood Black” directed by Justin Simien, who executive produces alongside Forest Whitaker. In four parts, “Hollywood Black” focuses on the history of Black actors, writers, directors and producers who fought for their place in the entertainment industry. The series is based on the book of the same name by historian Donald Bogle. Simien is best known for writing and directing the 2014 film “Dear White People” and creating the Netflix series of the same name. He also directed and wrote 2020’s “Bad Hair,” and directed “Haunted Mansion,” the 2023 horror film based on the Disney theme park ride, which debuts later this year.

Pushing through. Emily Ratajkowski gave a rare glimpse at her life ups and downs following her split from estranged husband Sebastian Bear-McClard.

Big get for Hulu: The streamer has given a series order to Dan Fogelman’s next drama that will star Sterling K. Brown.

Aisha Tyler says “Friends” changed her life.

Friends”.The actor was speaking in a new interview when she reflected on her time working on the hit comedy series, and explained how she is still recognised for the role 20 years on.Tyler joined Friends for the ninth season in 2003, playing Charlie Wheeler, who was a palaeontologist and love interest of both David Schwimmer’s character, Ross, and later, Matt LeBlanc’s character, Joey.The series ran for 10 seasons between the period of 1994 and 2004, however, Tyler was the only Black character to be given a recurring role on the sitcom.“It was a massive show, a global hit,” Tyler said to Entertainment Weekly, reflecting on her role. “To this day, people come up to me and go, ‘Charlie, Charlie,’ or they just go, ‘Black girl from Friends.'”She continued, explaining how she had “seen every episode” of the show before being cast, and was “petrified” of taking on the role.“My knees were knocking.

Governor Ron DeSantis, seeking to gain an upper hand in his battle with The Walt Disney Co., on Monday ordered an investigation into the company’s move to retain extensive control over its sprawling Florida theme park property.