‘Our Flag Means Death’ Creator on How the Pirate Queens’ Fiery Arrival Heralds a New Start For Stede and Blackbeard

Matthew Perry's Friends co-star David Schwimmer has been spotted for the first time since the news of the Chandler Bing star's sad passing.

Friends fans have taken to social media to point out that Matthew Perry's iconic character, Chandler Bing, eerily predicted that he would pass away first. It comes after the actor tragically died on Saturday, 28 October, at the age of 54 after being found dead in his jacuzzi. He had been candid with fans about his battle with drugs and alcohol addiction, which included 15 trips to rehab and $9 million spent on trying to get clean.TMZ reports that first responders were called to his home after reports of a cardiac arrest, with Matthew losing his life due to an apparent drowning accident.

It appears to be a busy year for Boris Johnson as the former UK prime minister not only became a father again with wife Carrie, but has accepted a new career venture. It's been revealed that the 59-year-old is set to join GB News, where he promises to share his "unvarnished views" on a variety of topics.

“The pandemic has finally passed, and cinema has returned to normal, but the way people think has changed dramatically,” Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou concluded when quizzed by Deadline about cinema post-Covid 19 during a brief chat at the Tokyo Film Festival (TIFF). 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Zootopia-themed land at Shanghai Disneyland is now confirmed to open in December. It will be the eighth land within the seven-year-old theme park. Based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios animated film “Zootopia,” which released in 2016, the new land will include a new attraction, Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, where guests can hop on an all-terrain cruiser powered by a trackless ride system in an action-filled chase through Zootopia’s different districts. Other themed entertainment experiences and character moments include the Zootopia Park Apartments, where a lineup of animal residents will interact with each other and guests throughout the day, appearing from time to time, in a show. Guests will also get the chance to spend at Fashions by Fru Fru, a merchandise store owned by Fru Fru, a Zootopia fashionista.

Come rain or shine, one food that always seems like a good idea is a curry. From the spices that help elevate the uniquely wonderful flavours, to the years of practice and superb skill that goes into making every mouthful the best it can be, there are few comfort foods more delicious.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Only the River Flows,” a pitch-black crime noir from auteur Wei Shujun, comfortably topped the mainland China box office on a quietish weekend. The film, ostensibly a murder mystery, but one concerned more with atmosphere than linear plotting, earned $12.6 million (RMB90.8 million) in its opening three days, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway, or close to a third of the market. The film had its premiere in Cannes where Variety gave it a rave review, calling it an “inventive riff on Asian-noir” and making comparisons with films by Park Chan-wook and Diao Yinan. “Only the River Flows” has since played at a succession of festivals ever since, including New Zealand, BFI London, Vancouver, Adelaide and last week’s Pingyao event in China. Falling to second place at the box office after three weeks on top was Zhang Yimou’s “Under the Light,” which earned $6.9 million for a four-weekend cumulative of $176 million. Chen Kaige’s war, propaganda film “The Volunteers: To the War” earned $5.3 million in third place.

Elaine Devry, whose career spanned film and dozens of television shows, died Sept. 20 at her home in Grants Pass, Oregon. She was 93 and no cause was given by the funeral home, which listed her under her married name of Davis.

Jon Stewart‘s show The Problem will not be moving forward at Apple TV+.

Jon Stewart is leaving late-night, again.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The weekly talk series “The Problem With Jon Stewart” is not getting a third season at Apple TV+, Variety has confirmed. The show originally debuted in 2021 as part of a multi-year first-look deal Stewart signed with the streaming arm of the tech giant. Season 1 of the show aired episodes every two weeks, while the second season switched to a weekly format.

EXCLUSIVE: Peter Luo’s LA-based finance and training vehicle The Stars Collective is teaming up with Chinese financier Hana Investments on an ambitious “cross media fund to invest in comics, films, games, collectibles, consumer goods, artificial intelligence and metaverse technology.”

Distributor Gkids has announced the English voice cast for Oscar-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s new feature, The Boy and the Heron. The dubbed version of the film will feature the voices of Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson and Florence Pugh.

‘Marie Antoinette‘ Back On The BBCThe BBC has announced that it has acquired the second season of Canal+ Creation Originale Marie Antoinette. Sue Deeks, head of acquisitions for the BBC, said the first season of Deborah Davis’ drama had been a “great success” for the corporation. Marie Antoinette is produced by Claude Chelli and Margaux Balsan for Capa Drama, Stéphanie Chartreux for Banijay Studios France, as well as Bedside Productions. Season 2 is currently in production.

Fix up and look sharp, NYC filmgoers: Wang Bing‘s latest, “Youth (Spring),” begins its US theatrical rollout at Metograph next month. And the new documentary is just the first in a trilogy of new films Wang Bing has worked on since 2014.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Australian TV journalist Cheng Lei has returned to her home country after three years in jail in China, the Australian government said on Wednesday. Born in China, but holding an Australian passport, having grown up in Melbourne, Cheng was a high-profile TV anchor for CGTN, the international broadcast arm of state-owned China Central Television. She fronted the “Global Business” daily show.

Caroline Brew editor Guillermo del Toro revealed he had to drop out of directing the sequel to his 2013 kaiju blockbuster “Pacific Rim” due to scheduling conflicts with “The Shape of Water.” The director walked away from 2018’s “Pacific Rim Uprising” as a result of significant delays caused by a producer’s late payment on Toronto soundstages, Del Toro revealed to Collider in a recent interview. “We were getting ready to do it, it was different from the first, but it had a continuation of many of the things that I was trying to do.

China’s Pingyao International Film Festival has announced the line-up for its seventh edition (October 11-18), which will open with Wei Shujun’s Only The River Flows and close with the world premiere of Fei Yu’s Football On The Roof. 

Want a doc to look forward to on HBO this Fall? How about “AKA Mr. Chow,” which looks at the life of one of the world’s most heralded restauranteurs, Michael Chow? Of course, Mr.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Variety has been given access to the international trailer for animated film “The Peasants,” which is Poland’s entry for the international feature category of the Academy Awards. The film had its world premiere in the Special Presentation section of Toronto Film Festival last month, and screens next week at the London Film Festival.