Rome Showbiz Latest News and Updates

The official teaser trailer for the upcoming movie Megalopolis has been revealed and Francis Ford Coppola is teasing the film as his “best work ever.”

Demi Moore‘s new horror film The Substance has landed a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival.The new film from director and writer Coralie Fargeat is a body horror that focuses on the titular product, which allows people to create a younger and more perfect alter ego.The movie, which also stars Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid, made its debut at the festival yesterday (May 19), and critics have shared their praise, with the film debuting with 100 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.IndieWire called The Substance a “camp-adjacent instant classic [that] aspires to cast off with some of the most spectacularly disgusting body horror this side of The Fly or the final minutes of Akira.”Screen International said that “this potent body horror is executed with skill and compassion, bringing fresh insights alongside generous helpings of graphic gore”.“The Substance draws excellent performances from Demi Moore as a has-been Hollywood star and Margaret Qualley as the younger, prettier version she creates by injecting herself with the titular serum,” they added.Deadline suggested the film is like “David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive fused in a telepod with David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers“, calling it “the perfect breakout genre movie of the year”.The ongoing Cannes Film Festival recently saw the premiere of Francis Ford Coppola’s long-awaited passion project Megalopolis, which has drawn a mixed reaction including some boos from the audience.The film, which stars Adam Driver as an architect-scientist who wants to improve a fictional version of New York City called New Rome, currently sits at 52 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.The Guardian called the film “a passion project without passion”, though The

Fremantle’s Rome-based company The Apartment has boarded Karim Aïnouz’s next feature Rosebushpruning in partnership with The Match Factory, Mubi, Kavac Film and Rai Cinema.

Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor The Mediterrane Film Festival, held in the Maltese capital of Valletta, returns for its second edition between June 22-30 with a revamped programming structure led by new artistic director Teresa Cavina. The inaugural Golden Bee Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cinema will be awarded to British filmmaker Mike Leigh, following last year’s Memorandum of Understanding between the British and Malta’s film commission to enhance the collaboration between the countries’s screen industries.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Paolo Sorrentino is back in Cannes for the seventh time with “Parthenope,” a love letter to his native Naples but also, as he puts it, a film about his “missed youth” that comes as a natural follow-up to his autobiographical “The Hand of God.” Perhaps more significantly, “Parthenope” – an epic spanning several decades – is Sorrentino’s first female-centric film. Why? “In thinking of a modern hero, it came naturally to me that it would be a heroine, not a man,” he tells Variety. Let’s start with the film’s titular protagonist, Parthenope. Of course, Neapolitans in Italy are also known as “Parthenopeans.” My impression is that, after returning from Rome to Naples to make “The Hand of God,’ your native city drew you further back into its fold. It’s a bit more complex, actually, not necessarily just linked to Naples.

Peacock has released some first-look images for Those About To Die, Roland Emmerich’s epic drama set in ancient Rome, starring Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins.

The stars of Megalopolis are back on the red carpet!

The stars of Megalopolis are back on the red carpet!

David Gilmour fans.On Monday, May 13, the long-time Pink Floyd member announced his brief four-concert ‘Luck and Strange Tour,’ which included a pair of shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Monday, Nov. 4 and Tuesday, Nov.

Francis Ford Coppola has lamented the state of modern cinema, claiming some major studios no longer focus on making high quality films.Speaking at a press conference at Cannes Film Festival following the world premiere of his new dystopian drama Megalopolis, Coppola expressed his view that studios are mostly focused on making money due to their high levels of debt.“I fear that the film industry has become more of a matter of people being hired to meet their debt obligations because the studios are in great, great debt. And the job is not so much to make good movies, the job is to make sure they pay their debt obligations,” Coppola told Variety.However, The Godfather director believes streaming services could interrupt the old system and potentially have a positive impact on the industry.

Emmerdale star Amy Walsh has got her trip off to a good start as she ditched the UK with her actress sister as they rpepare to support their Girls Aloud star sibling Kimberley Walsh.

As Megalopolis looks to seek a U.S. distribution deal, pic’s filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola was asked to comment on the state of the film industry and whether the movie’s best destination is on streaming.

Francis Ford Coppola’s 140-minute dystopian drama Megalopolis received a mixed reaction at its Cannes Film Festival premiere on Thursday (May 16), with some members of the audience initially booing.The Godfather director’s new, self-financed film stars Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina, an architect-scientist who wants to improve a fictional version of New York City called New Rome.Audience members reportedly started booing after the film ended. However, according to World of Reel‘s Jordan Ruimy, the boos soon turned to cheers when an “In Memoriam” segment proceeded to play for Coppola’s late wife Eleanor. The director and cast then received a seven-minute standing ovation.“Thank you all so much.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italy’s film industry is fighting to stay vibrant amid disruption caused both by politics and market forces.After reaping the rewards of a protracted growth spurt, local producers are facing a forced slowdown as the country’s right-wing government dithers with modifications they plan to make to several key regulations, most significantly to the country’s currently stalled tax incentives for film and TV production. At a packed protest event held in early April at Rome’s Cinema Adriano multiplex, industry figures from all sectors – including producers, writers, actors and big-name directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Marco Bellocchio – lashed out against having to wait endlessly for the culture ministry to approve new guidelines so production companies can apply for the 40% tax credits that basically drive the business.

It's been a week since Rylan Clark dazzled us with his sartorial choices and expert commentary at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden. Now, fans are getting to see a different side of the beloved presenter in a new documentary series with his good mate Robert Rinder.The dynamic duo have been showcasing their incredible friendship and love for travel in a fresh BBC series called Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour.The pair have been documenting their journey from Venice to Florence and then onto Rome, hoping to find enlightenment and do a bit of soul searching along the way, reports Wales Online. Of course, the show is filled with plenty of wise words and cheeky charm, quickly winning over the hearts of viewers at home.

Rylan Clark has opened up about an 'intimate' moment he shared with TV star Rob Rinder while their were filming their recent TV show Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour. During an appearance on This Morning to promote the show, the pair discussed their antics in Italy on Thursday, 16 May.

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.

Rafael Nadal finds himself in a difficult position with his tennis. The beloved Spanish player is coming off of a destabilizing loss in Rome that’s making him reconsider playing in one of his favorite tournaments, the French Open, also known as the Roland Garros. Rafa Nadal is supported by his family at his first Madrid Open matchRafa Nadal’s emotional goodbye at the Madrid OpenEarlier last week, Nadal lost against Hubert Hurkacz in Rome.

Annika Pham Rome-based sales outfit Intramovies has picked up international rights to “Uncle Jens,” the directorial debut of Norwegian helmer of Kurdish origin Brwa Vahabpour, credited for the hit series “Countrymen.” Renée Hansen Mlodyszewski, associate producer on “The Worst Person in the World,” is producing for True Content Production, the Oslo branch of Scandi group True Content Entertainment, headed by Yellow Bird founder Ole Søndberg. Anda Ionescu of Bucharest-based Tangaj Production serves as co-producer.

TV presenters and pals Rylan Clark and Rob Rinder made a joint red carpet appearance on Sunday 12 May at the TV BAFTAs in London, adding to the rumours circulating of a possible romance between the pair. However, while the two do star in a new TV show together – the travel series Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour that began on BBC Two on Sunday – Rylan has been quick to dispel any rumours that they are more than just friends.Taking to X the following day, he wrote: “The answer is no. I’m not dating Rob Rinder he’s one of my closest friends.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent European powerhouse Mediawan has appointed Italian film and TV producer Carlo Degli Esposti – who is founder and chief of its Rome-based Palomar shingle – as a member of its board of supervisors and strategic committee. Degli Esposti in his new role will be involved “in all strategic decisions” at Mediawan, a statement said, adding that he “will make his experience available to the group’s activities in the Italian market and, in particular, for future development operations and acquisitions in this important European territory.” Mediawan, which is a global production conglomerate comprising more than 85 labels around the world — it recently announced its acquisition of German production-distribution outfit Leonine — is clearly in expansion mode in Italy where, besides Palomar, they are in final stages of acquiring a 51% stake in Our Films, the new company being launched by prominent producers Mario Giananani and Lorenzo Mieli after their recent exit from the Fremantle fold.

When Aubrey Plaza first got the call about her role in Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, she’d literally just stocked up on Godfather-themed keychains and lighters from an actual Godfather gift shop. It should be noted she was not obsessively combing eBay for insane fan memorabilia. In fact, there was a legitimate reason for her purchases: she just happened to be in Taormina, Sicily — the home of The Godfather, if you will — where it was partly shot. And of course there’s a gift shop.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Our new film ‘Megalopolis’ is the best work I’ve ever had the privilege to preside over,” reads a quote attributed to iconic director Francis Ford Coppola attached to the official trailer for his new epic film. The picture, which will premiere in competition on Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival, has been a project many years in the making for the director, who first began work on the screenplay in the 1980s. The legendary filmmaker behind “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” has invested $120 million of his own money into the film.

David Gilmour just announced he will perform four U.S. concerts this year as part of an international tour in support of his forthcoming solo album “Luck and Strange.”His first two North American gigs will be at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday, Oct.

Annika Pham Rome-based Intramovies has clinched further key sales on the Swedish pic “Paradise is Burning” for which rising talent Mika Gustafson won best director and writer at the 2023 Venice Orizzonti. The coming-of-age drama was sold to Conic in the U.K. and Ireland, HBO Max for Eastern Europe (TV and VOD rights), Leopardo Filmes in Portugal, Providence/Belas Artes Grupo Brazil, and Mongsang in South Korea.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent New Italian media company Be Water – which is in Cannes for the first time – has announced its full roster of partners and scope of business activities comprising film, documentary and scripted TV production as well as theatrical film distribution, podcasts and live events. The Rome-based potential powerhouse is operating with what is being described as a holistic approach to content production that is congenial to the digital age, which is certainly a novelty for Italy.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor Mark Damon, an actor-turned-independent sales executive who was a force in the foreign sales world and at film markets for many decades, died Sunday in Los Angeles, according to his wife. He was 91. Damon won the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer for his starring role in 1960’s “House of Usher” for director Roger Corman, who died Thursday, then went on to appear in numerous Spaghetti Westerns and other B-movies shot in Europe, from “Johnny Yuma” to Mario Bava’s “Black Sabbath.” Born Alan Harris in Chicago, Damon earned an MBA at UCLA, then moved to Rome where he established a busy acting career.

Rob Rinder launches a fun new travel show, Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour, tonight but the lighthearted programme couldn't be further away from the trauma the star has been experiencing in recent months.TV star Rob, 45, will be joined by pal Rylan Clark to follow in the footsteps of romantic poet Lord Byron in the BBC Two series as they take a cultural tour of Venice, Florence and Rome, with plenty of laughs along the way. But Rob's recent TV appearances have been much more sobering as he has spoken out about the fear that he and his loved ones have been feeling over the conflict in Gaza and attitudes about it in the UK.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday launched a global outreach campaign called Academy100 intended to expand its scope and connection with a worldwide base. Academy President Janet Yang and CEO Bill Kramer launched the Academy100 initiative, that entails a $500 million fundraising drive, at a Rome event hosted by the Eternal City’s storied Cinecittà Studios. The fundraising drive has already raised $100 million from partners inlcuding Rolex, which has long supported the Academy.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Friday that it is launching Academy100, a $500 million “global revenue diversification and outreach campaign” that will lead up to the 100th Oscars ceremony in 2028.