‘Oppenheimer’ Star Matthias Schweighöfer Teams With German Director Erik Schmitt For ‘The Life Of Wishes’

EXCLUSIVE: James Graham sets a mental timer of strictly 45 minutes for a conversation that will encompass tonight’s gala opening at London’s National Theatre — en route to a run at the Garrick Theatre — of his sublime stage adaptation of Alan Bleasdale’s landmark 1982 television drama Boys from the Blackstuff; followed by updates about the BBC TV version of his Olivier Award-winning soccer play Dear England, which will see him doing on-the-ground research at next month’s Euros in Germany; plus revelations about an epic new show he’s developing with House Productions that will explore the “mood sweeping across Europe.”

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Rolling off the Cannes Film Festival where it won several awards, Mohammad Rasoulof‘s “The Seed of The Sacred Fig” has been acquired by a flurry of high profile distributors in major international territories. Films Boutique, which represents the critically acclaimed political drama globally, has sold it to Lionsgate for the U.K.

Metallica have played ‘Inamorata’, their longest song to date, live for the first time – check out footage of the performance below.‘Inamorata’ is taken from the band’s 11th studio album ‘72 Seasons’, and it runs at just over 11 minutes. Metallica are currently touring Europe in support of the album as part of the ‘M72’ tour, and gave the song its live debut on Sunday night (May 26) in Munich, Germany.“This next song, we have never, ever played live before,” frontman James Hetfield told the crowd, as captured in fan-shot video.“And, you know, in our band we don’t recognise the word ‘mistake’, because there are no ‘mistakes’.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shocked the world in 2020 when they announced their decision to step down from their roles as senior working royals. They soon relocated to the US, where they started a new life with their son, Archie, and later welcomed their daughter, Lillibet.

Lives of historical figures often get cinematic treatment to tell sweeping tales of real life events. From United States Presidents to their wives and First Ladies, to Supreme Court Justices to scientists and brilliant minds, nobody is off limits, especially if the stories are triumphant. Others have more tragic endings.

What works theatrically? And how do you turn a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’ for a passion project in an everchanging entertainment landscape where there’s a push and pull between the big screen and streaming?

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter Steven Spielberg has lined up his next feature film, which will be released in 2026. Universal Pictures is backing the movie, which will open in theaters on May 15, 2026. It’s unclear what the untitled project — which the studio described as a “new original event film” — is about, though Variety previously reported that Spielberg is working on a UFO story.

Jennifer Garner and her middle child, Fin (formerly known as Seraphina Affleck), were spotted enjoying a casual outing to a local pet store. The duo were seen picking up various pet supplies, including a tennis ball blaster, indicating a fun-filled playtime ahead for their beloved pets.Fin, showcasing their unique style, rocked a head of vibrant pink hair paired with blue trousers, a graphic T-shirt, and a pair of trendy sneakers.

EXCLUSIVE: Paolo Sorrentino‘s anticipated new movie Parthenope has sold around the world for Pathé here in Cannes where the film is playing in Competition.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Swedish director Ruben Östlund, who won Cannes Film Festival‘s Palme d’Or for “The Square” and “Triangle of Sadness,” was among the guests at the German Films and Medienboard Reception on May 18 in the garden of the Mondrian Hotel in Cannes. Östlund, who is in the Riviera resort to promote his latest production, “The Entertainment System Is Down,” was accompanied by Philippe Bober of Coproduction Office, one of the film’s producers, and Erik Hemmendorf of Plattform Produktion, Östlund’s Swedish producer. (They are pictured above.) German Films, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, was represented at the event by managing director Simone Baumann, and Medienboard, which is a film fund for the Berlin-Brandenburg region, was represented by its CEO Kirsten Niehuus.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nicole Newnham (“Crip Camp”) is at work on her next documentary — “Tunnel 29,” about a secret escape tunnel built under the Berlin Wall in 1962. The film, co-produced by NBC News Studios and Story Force Entertainment, will chronicle the story of a group of students who risked their lives and defied the Iron Curtain by digging a tunnel under the Berlin Wall, enabling 29 East Germans to escape to the West. “‘Tunnel 29’ will cinematically immerse the audience in the fraught and tense time when the world grappled with the trauma and consequences of the Wall and the Cold War — a time that bears an astonishing resemblance to today,” says Newnham.

EXCLUSIVE: Since being launched in 2017 by a quartet including Jesse Armstrong, Various Artists Limited (VAL) has made shows ranging from Michaela Coel‘s I May Destroy You to Julia Davis’ Sally 4Ever,but bosses now see the comedy landscape heading in a somewhat different direction.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent German actors Elisa Schlott (“Das Boot” TV series), Max Riemelt (“Sleeping Dog”) and Alma Hasun (“Corsage”) are set to star in Italian director Silvio Soldini‘s drama “The Tasters,” which reconstructs the untold true story of the women conscripted to be Adolf Hitler’s food tasters. Shooting is set to start on Friday in Italy’s northern Alto Adige region on the Nazi-era drama, which is being pre-sold at the Cannes Marché du Film by Rome-based Vision Distribution, headed by sales agent Catia Rossi.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Chile’s Quijote Films, behind Cannes 2023 Un Certain Regard Fipresci Prize winner “The Settlers,” has tied down a powerful alliance of international partners on “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo,” the first feature of 2018 Cannes Cinéfondation top winner Diego Céspedes. An LGBTQ-themed drama, “The Mysterious Gaze” is set in a mining town where a strange illness is said to be transmitted between men who fall in love with each other.

NME’s latest star of The Cover, Songer, has shared a playlist exclusively to accompany the story’s launch – check it out below.The rapper is on this week’s (May 13) edition of The Cover, a renewal of NME’s commitment to supporting emerging talent across the globe on a weekly basis. Every week, a rising artist will feature on The Cover – you can read the profile of Songer here, written by Seth Pereira and featuring photography by Tom Oxley.The playlist takes cues from Songer’s recent mixtape ‘The Price of Therapy’.

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of the Cannes market, Lionsgate has taken North American rights off the table on one of the bigger-budget new packages that’ll be on sale next week: that’s action-thriller Mutiny, which will star action evergreen Jason Statham (Fast & Furious) and be directed by Jean-François Richet (Plane).

Charli XCX has shared a brand new single called ‘360’ – you can watch the star-studded official video below.The song serves as the fourth preview of the singer-songwriter’s sixth studio album ‘Brat’, which is due for release on June 7 (pre-order/pre-save here). It follows on from ‘Von Dutch’, ‘Club Classics’ and ‘B2B’.Directed by Aidan Zamiri, the ‘360’ visuals boast an all-star cast of Charli’s friends and collaborators. The clip begins with the pop artist meeting a group of pals at a restaurant, where they attempt to “fulfil the prophecy of finding a new hot internet girl”.“Or else our kind will cease to exist,” warns actor and model Chloe Cherry.

Kim Kardashian is COMING for Khloé!

EXCLUSIVE: Marco Kreuzpaintner has signed with CAA for representation. 

Paul Scholes described current Manchester United assistant Steve McClaren as "the best coach I ever had" as the former United midfielder left the blame for the club's current struggles squarely at Erik ten Hag's door.