‘The Department’: George Clooney To Direct A New Political Thriller Series For Showtime

Naman Ramachandran For a solid decade, the U.K. contributed some of the most iconic floppy-haired lotharios, airport dashes and front-door confessions in romcom history. Films such as “Four Weddings and a Funeral” (1994), “Notting Hill” (1999) and “Love Actually” (2003) basically invented such hallmarks of the genre. But in the last decade, the global-facing British romcom has all but disappeared from cinemas. Richard Curtis, the brains behind the aforementioned hits as well as the “Bridget Jones” adaptations, says the heavy lifting keeping romcoms alive has largely been carried out in the television ranks. The writer cites examples such as the BBC’s “Gavin & Stacey” and “Fleabag” and Channel 4’s “Catastrophe” as “blazing examples.”

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George Clooney has reportedly been giving his friend Brad Pitt advice on his latest relationship.

Rebecca Lenkiewicz will be this year’s recipient of the WGA West’s Paul Selvin Award in recognition of her adapted screenplay for She Said, the Universal film about the New York Times reporters who broke the story that exposed disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. The guild said Thursday that she will be honored at the WGA Awards’ Los Angeles ceremony March 5 at the Fairmont Century Plaza.

EXCLUSIVE: Smokehouse TV and 101 Studios have made a multiyear overall deal for original scripted and unscripted content for television.

An acting legend. Jack Nicholson has been a force in Hollywood since landing his breakout role in 1969’s Easy Rider.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Mary Elizabeth Winstead has signed on to star opposite Ewan McGregor in the upcoming Showtime & Paramount+ series “A Gentleman in Moscow,” Variety has learned exclusively. McGregor was first reported to be starring in the show back in August 2022. It is an adaptation of the Amor Towles novel of the same name. Production on the limited series is now underway. It will debut on Showtime in the U.S. and on Paramount+ in additional markets around the world. Per the official logline, the series “follows Count Alexander Rostov (McGregor) who, in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, finds that his gilded past places him on the wrong side of history. Spared immediate execution, he is banished by a Soviet tribunal to an attic room in the opulent Hotel Metropol, threatened with death if he ever sets foot outside again. As the years pass and some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history unfold outside the hotel’s doors, Rostov’s reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery. As he builds a new life within the walls of the hotel, he discovers the true value of friendship, family and love.”

Alicia Silverstone candidly spoke out about her rise to fame and admitted it was an uncomfortable experience.  The 46-year-old actress confessed that after the 1995 hit movie "Clueless" debuted she wasn’t prepared to skyrocket to stardom. "When ‘Clueless’ came out, it really shifted.

Amy Winehouse’s father Mitch has joked that he wanted to be played by George Clooney over Eddie Marsan in biopic Back To Black.Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, the biopic stars Marisa Abela (Industry) as the late singer, alongside Jack O’Connell as Amy’s ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil, Marsan as Mitch, and Lesley Manville as her maternal grandmother.Speaking to The Mail On Sunday about the casting, Mitch said: “I told my friend that Eddie was playing me and he said – excuse my French – ‘Eddie fucking Marsan! He’s not very good-looking.’ I said, ‘I know – I wanted George Clooney!’”Mitch said he requested script changes to Taylor-Johnson over his portrayal, adding: “I sent the first script back. It made me look like a saint – like I should be knighted.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic Quick, what do the following movies have in common? The cheesy middle-aged rom-com “Ticket to Paradise,” the curmudgeon-finds-his-heart-of-gold drama “A Man Called Otto,” and “80 for Brady,” a road comedy about four octogenarians girl-tripping their way to the 2017 Super Bowl. All three are built around those once larger-than-life entities known as movie stars (Julia Roberts and George Clooney in “Paradise”; Tom Hanks in “Otto”; Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Lily Tomlin and Rita Moreno in “Brady”). All three are solid mid-level hits at the domestic box office (“Ticket to Paradise” made $68 million, “A Man Called Otto” has grossed $60 million and “80 for Brady” is chugging its way to the $50 million yard line). That’s a fact that many have taken note of at a time when the most savory offerings of the awards season (“Tár,” “The Fablemans,” “The Banshees of Inisherin”) starkly underperformed at the box office.

Naman Ramachandran Editors at Penguin’s children’s imprint Puffin have taken a red pencil to the works of iconic, but divisive British writer Roald Dahl, known for “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Matilda” among many others. An extensive report by U.K. newspaper The Telegraph says “language related to weight, mental health, violence, gender and race has been cut and rewritten.” In 1964 novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which has been adapted twice as films in 1971 and 2005, starring Gene Hackman and Johnny Depp respectively, for example, the phrase “enormously fat” has been edited to just “enormous.” The same phrase in 1970 book “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” adapted as an animated film by Wes Anderson with a voice cast of George Clooney and Meryl Streep in 2009, has also been edited to “enormous.”

Brad Pitt spent Valentine’s Day apart from his new girlfriend Ines de Ramon, but he made sure to pamper her with a special treat!

Poorna Jagannathan is teaming up with George Clooney and Brad Pitt in their latest Apple TV+ thriller “Wolves”.

An underwear-clad Austin Abrams is on the run from co-star Brad Pitt as they film their new movie Wolves on Wednesday evening (February 15) in New York City.

EXCLUSIVE: Poorna Jagannathan (Never Have I Ever, Defending Jacob) has joined the cast of the untitled Apple Original Films thriller starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt from writer, producer, and director Jon Watts.

Briana Middleton, one of the leads of Apple TV+’s upcoming movie Sharper, has been tapped by the streamer to headline its high-profile drama series Metropolis, inspired by Fritz Lang’s classic 1927 science fiction film. Middleton is the first actor cast in the project, from Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail and UCP where he is under an overall deal.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Briana Middleton has been cast in the lead role of Sam Esmail’s Apple series adaptation of the film “Metropolis,” Variety has learned. The series was originally greenlit at the streamer in March 2022. It is inspired by the 1927 Fritz Lang sci-fi film of the same name, which has been hailed as one of the greatest and most influential films of the silent film era. Middleton will play the role of Finnie Polito. The announcement of her casting in the series comes days ahead of the Friday launch of the Apple film “Sharper,” in which Middleton also stars. Her other recent credits include the George Clooney film “The Tender Bar.” Her casting in the series marks her first starring television role.

EXCLUSIVE: We hear that New Line has landed The Watchers, a project from Ishana Night Shyamalan which will mark her feature directorial debut and which she adapted from the A.M. Shine novel of the same name. There’s a lot of excitement around the thriller which is being fast-tracked for a June 7, 2024 global theatrical release; cameras rolling later this year. New Line beat out other studios with a competitive bid.

Fuzzy fit! Brad Pitt looked extra stylish while out and about in New York City.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “The Penguin” series at HBO Max has added Rhenzy Feliz to its cast, Variety has learned. Feliz joins previously announced series stars Colin Farrell, who will reprise the role of Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot from “The Batman,” as well as Cristin Milioti. Details on Feliz’s character are being kept under wraps. The eight-episode series is said to continue the story of the film. It is believed to take place in the immediate aftermath of the events of “The Batman.” Milioti will star as Sofia Falcone, the daughter of Gotham mob boss Carmine Falcone. The role means Feliz has now held roles in both the Marvel and DC Universes. He previously starred in the Marvel series “The Runaways,” which aired for three seasons on Hulu. He also recently lent his voice to the hit Disney animated film “Encanto.” His other TV credits include “American Horror Stories” and “Teen Wolf,” while his other film credits include the George Clooney directorial effort “The Tender Bar.”