Alfonso Cuarón Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Lise Pedersen LYON, France — Four-time Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón and “Time Bandits” helmer Terry Gilliam will join a star director-studded lineup at this year’s Lumière Film Festival including Wes Anderson, Alexander Payne and Wim Wenders. Cuarón (“Roma,” “Gravity”) is returning to Lyon – where he was a guest of honor in 2018 – to present a selection of films by Swiss filmmaker Alain Tanner (“Charles Dead or Alive,” “The Salamander,” “Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000”).

Taylor Swift, now an honorary Mexican after her sold-out concert in the Latin American country, is undoubtedly the most important pop artist of the moment. From dominating the top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 to her fans provoking an earthquake during one of the Eras Tour concerts, the singer continues making headlines and blowing everyone’s mind with her impeccable and spectacular production.Celebrities worldwide have flown to see Taylor perform live, while locals have postponed any previously planned activities to enjoy the show of the moment.

EXCLUSIVE: DNEG, the visual effects firm behind titles such as Oppenheimer, Dune, and Knives Out, has hired Oscar-Winning VFX vet Tim Burke as Visual Effects Supervisor.

William Earl The Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival will return for its 19th edition on Aug. 10. The event’s organizers have confirmed that the fest will continue despite the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. In a statement, the festival said: “HollyShorts supports both the WGA and SAG/AFTRA strikes. In fact, we support all Labor, including the many people who work so hard behind the scenes to make films, especially independent films which are difficult to get funding for and finish. We owe it to our filmmakers to showcase their wonderful work. HollyShorts 2023 will go forward in this spirit.” This year’s festival will feature more than 400 films. Some of the talent involved in the films include Ricky Gervais, Tom Holland, Bella Thorne, Cate Blanchett, Alfonso Cuarón, Lauren Keke Palmer and Tom Hanks.

Spider-Man spin-off film El Muerto starring Bad Bunny has been pulled from Sony’s 2024 release schedule.The company announced the film had been removed from its release slate on Wednesday (June 21), after it was originally scheduled for January 12, 2024. It was set to be directed by Jonás Cuarón, the son of director Alfonso Cuarón.According to The Hollywood Reporter, progress on the project has been impacted by the ongoing writers strike in Hollywood, with sources claiming that the “script needed additional work” as of mid-spring which hadn’t yet been addressed.It’s also claimed Bad Bunny’s touring schedule left the film’s release date up in the air, with it currently uncertain whether the project will go ahead.Bad Bunny originally announced a film adaptation of El Muerto at CinemaCon in April 2022, where he confirmed he’d take on the lead role.

Naman Ramachandran Lila Rawlings, head of creative: film and TV at “Roma” filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron’s U.K.-based outfit Esperanto Filmoj, is joining British independent production company Motive Pictures as an executive producer. Rawlings’ remit at Motive will encompass both TV and film projects as the company scales its team in the wake of its first wave of productions, including the Ruth Wilson drama “The Woman in the Wall” for BBC and Showtime. At Esperanto, Rawlings oversaw a slate of projects with Sarah Solemani, Jack Thorne and Charlize Theron and served as executive producer on “The Shepherd,” one in a series of films financed by Disney, directed by Iain Softley and starring John Travolta. Previously, Rawlings was executive producer at Left Bank Pictures where she was responsible for several projects, including “Sitting in Limbo,” a BAFTA- winning drama for BBC One and “Electric Dreams” for Amazon, Sony TV and Channel 4.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Scarlett Johansson revealed to Variety last month that she auditioned for the lead role in Alfonso Cuarón’s 2013 3D space epic “Gravity,” which became a box office blockbuster with over $720 million worldwide and earned 10 Oscar nominations, including best picture. Cuarón won the best director prize, while Sandra Bullock was nominated for best actress. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Johansson cited “Gravity” as one of her weirder Hollywood audition stories. “I did a screen test for the movie ‘Gravity,’ that Sandra Bullock is fantastic in, but I had to be in like the full, whole space suit thing, and sort of pretend I was kind of like floating in space,” Johansson recalled. “Even though I was just sitting in a chair with a helmet on.”

Scarlett Johansson has spoken out about how she once auditioned for Gravity and felt crushed after she lost the part to Sandra Bullock.Alfonso Cuarón’s 2013 box office blockbuster Gravity pulled in over $720million (£567million) worldwide and earned 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Cuarón won the Best Director prize and Bullock also got nominated for Best Actress.Angelina Jolie was originally offered the role but she turned down the part which led to Bullock, Natalie Portman, Naomi Watts, Carey Mulligan and Johansson being contacted.Speaking about her audition, she told Entertainment Tonight: “I did a screen test for the movie Gravity, that Sandra Bullock is fantastic in, but I had to be in like the full, whole space suit thing, and sort of pretend I was kind of like floating in space.

Scarlett Johansson is getting real about the ups and downs of being an actress. In a May interview with , the Black Widow actress opened up about wanting to quit the industry in 2011, after losing two roles that instead went to Emily Blunt and Sandra Bullock.«The first was  and then the other one was Alfonso Cuarón’s ,» Johansson told the outlet. «I had wanted that role so much. It was sort of the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Valentina Paloma Pinault, Salma Hayek’s daughter, was seen at the graduation celebrations of Olmo Cuarón, the son of Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón. It’s not surprising to see them together as their families have been close friends for many years and have even taken vacations together.

Hayden Christensen and Diego Luna have never met, but as Christensen puts it, they’ve occupied the “same galaxy” for years. Christensen rocketed from teenage obscurity in Canada when George Lucas cast him as Anakin Skywalker for 2002’s “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones” and 2005’s “Revenge of the Sith,” which chronicled the young Jedi’s transformation into the iconic villain Darth Vader. The Mexican-born Luna — who rose to prominence in Alfonso Cuarón’s 2001 coming-of-age masterpiece “Y tu mamá también” — joined “Star Wars” for 2016’s “Rogue One,” a prequel about the band of rebel spies, led by Luna’s Cassian Andor, that steal the plans for the Death Star.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The nominations for the Emmys are still weeks away. But there’s growing excitement in the Latino community as multiple lead actors continue to look well-positioned to receive deserved recognition. Two of the top contenders in the lead drama actor race — Pedro Pascal as the hardened survivor Joel from HBO’s apocalyptic video game adaptation “The Last of Us” and Diego Luna as the rebel hero Cassian in the “Star Wars” prequel series “Andor” from Disney+ — are Latino and star in buzzy sci-fi and fantasy series. Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Emmy predictions in all categories.

T.J. Newman is living her wildest dreams – she went from making $35K as a flight attendant to fielding seven-figure deals for her two books, which will both be made into blockbuster films.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Entertainment Lawyer Hillary Bibicoff, who has over the years repped such clients as James Cameron, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Nichols, Robert Towne, “How I Met Your Mother” and “Mom” producer-director Pam Fryman, and “The Power of the Dog” producer Tanya Seghatchian, is joining Beverly Hill firm Pierce Law Group. She moves there after more than a decade at boutique law firm Holmes Weinberg. Prior to that, she was a partner at Greenberg Glusker for a dozen years, arriving there after handling business and legal affairs at LIVE Home Video and then Rysher Entertainment. Bibicoff specializes in talent deals. She also handles production legal for live events, which have included the last two Democratic National Conventions and the most recent Presidential Inaugural Events, as well as seven Super Bowl pre-game and half-time shows.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Leonardo DiCaprio was seen taking a selfie with a lady in red as he sat sandwiched in between Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux and festival president Iris Knobloch, deep in conversation at Kering’s Women in Motion Dinner. As he left, he walked to the back balcony of the party where Salma Hayek was sitting on a step smoking a cigarette. He bent over and hugged Hayek as he headed home just before 1:00 a.m. If DiCaprio had stayed a bit later, he might have been dancing on a table with Michelle Yeoh and Brie Larson. Yeoh — the night’s honoree as the recipient of Kering’s Women In Motion Award for 2023 — left shortly before 2 o’clock in the morning, glistening with sweat after dancing the night away with Larson, who is a member of the Cannes jury. The two Oscar winners got up on chairs to dance and were joined by a saxophone player, who jumped on the table, and even Frémaux, who got in on the dance party. (The video, first captured by Variety, has now gone viral with Yeoh and Larson sharing on their social media and raving about meeting each other for the first time.)

Marta Balaga As high-profile international productions continue to flock to Italy, its film commissions have joined forces, leaving producers’ old divide-and-conquer playbook in the dust. “We believe that the success of one member is the success of all members,” says Cristina Priarone, president of the Italian Film Commissions Assn. The organization was created — alongside the Italy for Movies web site, with a searchable database — to help potential collaborators easily access information about available regional funds, and other advantages offered by different regions. “This network has increased Italy’s talent to attract productions, welcome them at the highest level and easily move their sets from one region to another,” adds Toscana Film Commission’s Stefania Ippoliti.

Scarlett Johansson admitted that she began to question her future in Hollywood after losing two major acting roles to Emily Blunt and Sandra Bullock. The 38-year-old actress told Variety that she became demoralized after being rejected for parts in the 2010 Marvel blockbuster "Iron Man 2" and the 2013 science fiction hit "Gravity."  "I got turned down for two roles — the first was ‘Iron Man 2’ and then the other one was Alfonso Cuarón’s ‘Gravity,’" Johansson told the outlet.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Three years ago, T.J. Newman was handing out peanuts and pouring drinks for airplane passengers. Last month, she was hustling between Zoom calls with Nicole Kidman and Jerry Bruckheimer as they tried to outbid each other for the rights to “Drowning,” her upcoming novel about a jetliner that crashes into the ocean. It’s all part of an improbable Cinderella story that’s taken Newman, a flight attendant-turned-bestselling writer, from manning first-class cabins to becoming one of Hollywood’s most in-demand talents.  Newman admits she still hasn’t accepted her change in fortunes. “Any time I board a plane, I still want to get up and collect trash or help someone put their bag in an overhead bin,” she says. “I have to remind myself: You can sit and order a drink instead of serving it.” 

Shanghai Film Festival Sets Dates For Return As In-Person Event

EXCLUSIVE: In one of the wildest book rights auctions the town has seen in some time, Warner Bros. production co-heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy tonight landed screen rights to the upcoming T.J. Newman novel Drowning: The Rescue Of Flight 1421. Studio paid $1.5 million against $3 million, and there were five seven-figure bids on the table, sources said.    

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent U.S.-Lebanese actor Tony Shalhoub, who played the “defective detective” on “Monk,” is set to star as former auto mogul-turned-fugitive Carlos Ghosn in a high-profile TV series directed by Michael Winterbottom. Ghosn is the French-Lebanese-Brazilian former CEO of automakers Nissan and Renault who in 2020 jumped bail and absconded to Beirut hidden in a music case on a private jet while on trial in Japan for alleged financial misconduct. Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan. The six-part series titled “Fall of the God of Cars” is written by Winterbottom, the prolific British director of “Welcome to Sarajevo,” whose TV work comprises hit sitcom series “The Trip” and, more recently, “This is England” starring Kenneth Branagh as Boris Johnson.

A dramatization of the life of Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan/Renault CEO who escaped from arrest hidden in a music case, is in the works from Oscar-winner Alfonso Cuarón and This England’s Michael Winterbottom.

Guillermo del Toro is already casting for his next project.

An Irish Goodbye from Network Ireland Television won the Live Action Short Film Oscar on Sunday.

Hunter Ingram When your day job is spent plotting a rebellion in a galaxy far, far away, it helps to have something that can bring you back down to Earth — or whatever planet you call home.   When he’s not the Empire’s most wanted on Disney+’s “Andor,” Diego Luna grounds himself by returning to the theater. He grew up going with his father, and it has been the constant of his career.   “In a way, it has kept me sane,” says the actor after a long day on the London set of “Andor” Season 2. “Theater is a great way to go back and put your feet on the ground and remind you what this is all about.” 

Jonás Cuarón has his new Netflix project lined up. The son of revered filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón will be adapting the story of the Chupacabras, the spooky and famous folkrore tale that has haunted the dreams of many Latinos.Diego Boneta says Tom Cruise was like his mentor; does hilarious impressionBad Bunny’s Marvel movie will be directed by Jonás CuarónHere's a first look at CHUPA, an adventure-fantasy movie coming to Netflix April 7.Directed by Jonás Cuarón, the story follows Alex, a teen who discovers a young chupacabra while visiting his family in Mexico.

The Academy Awards will air on March 12th, revealing the winners of some of this year’s best films. A handful of Latinos earned nominations in significant categories, a feat that must be acknowledged and celebrated, even if there’s still a long way to go in terms of representation and recognition. Oscars 2023: Jimmy Kimmel teases the Oscars, makes fun of ‘the slap’Ana de Armas reportedly doesn’t think she is going to win the Academy AwardScroll down to have a look at some of the Latinos that earned recognition from the Academy Awards this year, and where you can watch their films: The most notorious Latina nominee this year is Ana de Armas.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Mexico’s Yalitza Aparicio, Oscar nominated for her career-launching turn in Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” and Infinity Hill, producers of the Oscar-nominated Argentine drama “Argentina 1985,” have boarded sweatshop thriller “Bonded” as executive producers. The drama features a stellar cast that includes Golden Globe nominee Diego Calva (“Babylon”), Chile’s Alfredo Castro (“From Afar”), Mexico’s Paulina Gaitán (“Narcos”) and Jason Patric (“The Lost Boys”). The directorial feature debut of helmer-scribe Mohit Ramchandani, “Bonded” is produced by Mexican filmmaker Luis Mandoki (“Innocent Voices), Jon Graham (“The Vault”) and Kyle Stroud (“In Full Bloom”).