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SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for Francis Ford Coppola‘s “Megalopolis,” which premiered at Cannes Film Festival May 16. The wait is over: “Megalopolis,” Francis Ford Coppola’s sci-fi drama has finally premiered at Cannes Film Festival, shocking and dividing critics. The film, a $120 million epic starring Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Giancarlo Esposito and Shia LaBeouf, was financed by Coppola himself — and has yet to secure a distributor in the United States. Regardless, the movie earned a 7-minute standing ovation from Cannes, as Coppola hugged Driver and Esposito and delivered an emotional speech dedicating the film to hope and family.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor “Shōgun” is officially in the drama race for the Primetime Emmys. FX has confirmed that the once limited or anthology series heavyweight has been officially submitted and accepted in the drama categories, where it will compete against Netflix’s “The Crown,” Apple’s “The Morning Show” and Prime Video’s “Fallout.” In addition, the network has shared exclusively with Variety the complete list of 40 Emmy submissions, which includes six submissions for directing, four for writing, and two eligible guest actors.

Siddhant Adlakha A chilling historical drama rendered with impeccable sleight of hand, Rithy Panh’s “Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot” (“Meeting With Pol Pot“) reveals its political dimensions through layers of obfuscation. While based partially on real events (and on the writings of American war journalist Elizabeth Becker), it crafts a fictitious tale of three French journalists attempting to interview Cambodian dictator Pol Pot in 1978.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. When it comes to shorts discourse, there is one preeminent question to consider: how short is too short? In womenswear, it seems, the cheek is the limit. Micro-shorts took off as a trend this past spring, with everyone from Emily Ratajkowski to Hailey Bieber to Sydney Sweeney being photographed in the leg-baring style.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “Grand Theft Auto 6″ has been slated for a fall 2025 release by Rockstar Games. The news was announced Thursday when Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive reported its fourth-quarter and full fiscal year 2024 earnings, revealing the company posted a $2.9 billion loss for the Jan. 1-March 31 period.

Ben Croll Mediawan Rights, the distribution arm of the wider media group, manages scripted, unscripted, format and feature documentary sales, keying European content onto international airwaves. And if initially heritage titles, foreign-language fare and time-tested perennials made up much of the catalogue, the group’s expanding footprint and well-capitalized partnerships promise a new yield of premium fare developed in-house and marked by global ambitions.

Ellise Shafer Is Francis Ford Coppola’s controversial magnum opus “Megalopolis” any good? The two hour and 20 minute dystopian drama certainly divided the audience at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday night with its collision course of shocking scenes: a doctored sex tape featuring Adam Driver, Shia LaBeouf dressing in drag and playing a Trumpian figure and Aubrey Plaza dominating her way through a slew of men in the film. But there was still a huge amount of respect for iconic director Coppola, who received a four-minute standing ovation upon entering the room. After the credits rolled and the crowd clapped for seven minutes, Coppola hugged Driver and Giancarlo Esposito and got emotional as he made a speech dedicating the film to hope and family.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “The Thundermans” are back — again. Nickelodeon Studios has announced a greenlight for a new spinoff series based on the popular live-action superhero comedy. The announcement comes after the successful launch of the TV movie “The Thundermans Return,” which premiered on Nickelodeon and Paramount+ in March.

Thania Garcia For a second consecutive year, Drake leads the nominations list for the upcoming BET Awards on June 30. His longtime colleague, and fellow rapper, Nicki Minaj follows with six nominations. GloRilla, Latto, Muni Long, Sexyy Red, Shaboozey and Victoria Monét are set to deliver live performances for the show.

Addie Morfoot Contributor The May 17 release of the 2024 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue celebrates the swimsuit franchise’s 60th anniversary. A new documentary highlights the woman who founded the issue in 1964 – Jule Campbell.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Sharon Stone, Liam Neeson and more actors are coming to the defense of Kevin Spacey and calling for his return to the industry at large. Spacey has not worked in Hollywood since being accused by several men of sexual misconduct starting in 2017. The two-part documentary “Spacey Unmasked” recently aired in the U.K.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Lovo, a Berkeley-based AI startup, was accused in a class action lawsuit on Thursday of stealing actors’ voices to create Genny, a publicly accessible AI generator. Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage, a New York couple who work as voice actors, alleged that they were deceived into providing voice samples through a freelance website. They were paid $1200 and $400, respectively, for reading scripts, and were told the recordings would be used internally, or for academic purposes.

Rudie Obias editor If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Although it was released back in Nov. 2023, the Sony PlayStation Portal has been sold out just about everywhere.

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter Freddy Fazbear will return to haunt multiplexes in 2025. Universal and Blumhouse’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” a horror sequel set in the haunted Chuck E. Cheese-esque establishment known as Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, will land in theaters on Dec.

Jordan Moreau Tony McFarr, who was Chris Pratt‘s stunt double in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” and two of the “Jurassic World” movies, died on Monday. He was 47.

Lexi Carson Meryl Streep lends her voice to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s children’s literacy program, Storyline Online. Streep reads “The Three Questions,” which is a children’s book based on a story by Leo Tolstory, written and illustrated by Jon J. Muth, accompanied with watercolor illustrations and published by Scholastic.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The Emmy race just got a bit more spicy. Three popular YouTube web series have found their content creators taking a chance on themselves, which could significantly impact the Emmy race in some categories. The spicy chicken wing interview series Hot Ones, hosted by Sean Evans, has successfully petitioned to be included in the outstanding talk series category.

William Earl Variety has announced the initial lineup for the Kering Women in Motion Talks at the Cannes Film Festival. This year’s talks include some of the most important women working in cinema. On May 18, Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh will interview NBCUniversal Studio Group chairman and chief content officer Donna Langley, touching on a major year for the studio that includes the upcoming feature “Wicked.” The conversation comes at a pivotal time for Langley and the studio as Universal Pictures will receive the International Achievement in Film award from Variety at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and Langley is receiving the Women in Motion Award at a dinner hosted by Kering on May 19.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Few companies in the world have had such as impact on their local film industry than Globo Filmes, the feature co-production arm of Brazilian giant Globo, which is Latin America’s biggest communications conglomerate. Over the last 25 years, Globo Filmes has backed more than 500 movies, almost all through co-production.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Glen Powell remained the king of grassroots publicity at an Austin, Texas, screening of his new Netflix movie, Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man.” The leading man hit the red carpet at the event accompanied by his family, but his mother and father decided to troll their son with signs directed at the press line that read: “Stop trying to make Glen Powell happen” and “It’s never gonna happen.” It appears Powell’s parents have been paying attention to all the press attention their son has been getting over the last few years. Every time Powell appears in a movie, be it Netflix’s “Set It Up” or Tom Cruise’s blockbuster “Top: Gun Maverick” or Sony’s rom-com “Anyone But You” with Sydney Sweeney, the press can’t help but say he’s got bona fide star power and is the next big thing.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Sony Music Group is sending out warnings to what sources say are around 700 AI developers and music streaming services, warning them not to use its content to train AI. These so-called “opt-out” letters, which have been obtained by Variety, state that developers will need explicit permission to use that content and warns that some may already be in violation.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent A key driver in Brazil’s late 1990s cinema resurgence, Globo Filmes has co-produced iconic box office blockbusters, Oscar and “A” Fest plays, arthouse breakouts. movies sparking big TV spin-offs.

Selena Kuznikov “The Sympathizer” star Hoa Xuande had never heard of the nonprofit Gold House before he started working on projects in the U.S. Growing up in Australia, he told Variety, he never thought there could be a group of people so passionate and dedicated to uplifting Asian and Pacific Islander communities as the nonprofit does. “It’s stepping stones.

Katcy Stephan Rock Soul Productions, the entertainment company formed by CEO Fantasia Barrino Taylor and president Yvonne McNair, is bolstering its ranks. It’s tapped Teddy Riley for management, music production for film/TV soundtrack scoring and producing on Broadway. It has also partnered with Adam Blackstone for musical supervision, creative direction and development for scripted and non-scripted content, and Dennis Reed for management, music direction, songwriting, and vocal coaching.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Billie Eilish’s third studio album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” doesn’t officially release until Friday but you can already purchase the 10-track LP on vinyl starting today.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Glen Powell, Bad Robot and Imax have released a theatrical trailer in support of The Blue Angels Foundation, a non-profit created by former Blue Angels pilots that funds critical services for wounded veterans and their families. The trailer will run nationwide in anticipation of the Imax original documentary “The Blue Angels,” which starts its Imax exclusive run May 17. Opening with an introduction from Powell, the trailer goes inside the Warrior Foundation Freedom Station 1 in San Diego, Calif., a housing and support facility for those receiving care from The Blue Angels Foundation.

Lexi Carson The Paramount+ Movie Nights series will return to New York this summer with over 25 free, outdoor screenings. Paramount+ will also be the official sponsor of Bryant Park Movie Nights, the longest running outdoor movie series in New York City, and Brooklyn Magazine’s Movie Nights, now at four parks across Brooklyn including Coney Island. The showings are open to the public and boast free admissions.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Morgana Studios, ReachStar and ReDefine Originals are partnering on the animated feature “Diamante,” set on the lush Caribbean Island of the Dominican Republic. The film will be directed by Mathieu Ratthé with the screenplay written by Ratthé and Leticia Tonos Paniagua from an original idea by Claudio Lluberes. Animation will be handled by ReDefine Originals, which is part of DNEG.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Microsoft‘s Activision has launched a new internal, standalone studio with one mission: creating a new narrative-based and genre-defining AAA franchise. Titled Elsewhere Entertainment, the studio will be headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, with additional staff in the United States.