Call it art imitating life.  Marielle Heller (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” “A Beautiful Day in the Neigborhood”) was at the top of the list for Amy Adams and author Rachel Yoder to write and direct “Nightbitch.”  What was not expected was Heller bringing real life experience to the project.  For a body-horror/comedy that closely tracks the struggles of a recent mother, her raising of her children, and her slow transformation into, no joke, a dog, Heller, oddly enough, took direct inspiration from her life.  As she recently expressed in an article for Vanity Fair:

“I was writing it after being isolated in my house for a year” during the pandemic…And my husband…was on production, so I was alone with two kids for the first time.

Continue reading ‘Nightbitch’ Trailer: Amy Adams Stars in Marielle Heller’s Body-Horror Comedy at The Playlist.

Greek weird-wave filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Favorite”) has been working on a fast clip these days. The Oscar-winning “Poor Things” came out just last fall, and his latest film, the dark comedy “Kinds Of Kindness,” which reteams him with his Best Actress-winning “Poor Things” actress Emma Stone, premiered about six months later at the Cannes Film Festival and then was released this summer in late June.

Continue reading ‘Kind Of Kindness’ Exclusive: Emma Stone & Yorgos Lanthimos Discuss How Costume Informs Character In New Digital Clip [Exclusive] at The Playlist.

After delivering audiences thrilling horror pics like “Ready or Not” and the previous two “Scream” installments, filmmakers Radio Silence—the moniker behind directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, with their producer partner Chad Villella— is back this week with the release of their new vampire flick “Abigail” (April 19). And the filmmaking collective has confirmed recent rumors to Entertainment Weekly that they are indeed working on “Ready or Not 2” for Searchlight Pictures, revealing that they have a gangbusters script for the sequel.

Continue reading ‘Ready Or Not 2’: Radio Silence Says Script For Horror Sequel Is “An Absolute F***ing Banger” at The Playlist.

If it’s April, that means many of Hollywood’s studios and distributors are figuring out their fall release plans. It also means many awards season movies are about to plant a flag on one opening day or another. This morning, Searchlight Pictures revealed that their acclaimed Sundance Film Festival acquisition, “A Real Pain,” will open in limited release on October 10.

READ MORE: “A Real Pain” Review: Kieran Culkin is Superb iI Jesse Eisenberg’s Funny and Moving Dramedy [Sundance]

Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, “A Real Pain” centers on two semi-estranged cousins, David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin), who travel to Poland following the death of their beloved grandmother.

Continue reading ‘A Real Pain’: Jesse Eisenberg Dramedy Sets October 18 Release Date at The Playlist.

Filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Favourite“) is easily one of the most exciting filmmakers on the planet, and thankfully, we won’t have to wait too long for his follow-up to “Poor Things.” Searchlight Pictures, who previously distributed Lanthimos’ last two movies, has dropped a first-look trailer for “Kinds of Kindness,” which will be released on June 21.

The impressive cast assembled around Oscar-winner Emma Stone in Lanthimos’ next film “Kinds of Kindness” includes Jesse Plemons (“Civil War,” “Killers of The Flower Moon”), Willem Dafoe (“Poor Things,” “The Lighthouse”), Margaret Qualley (“Drive-Away Dolls”), Hong Chau (“The Whale,” “The Menu”), Joe Alwyn (“The Favourite”), Mamoudou Athie (“Elemental,” “Jurassic World: Dominion”), and Hunter Schafer (“Cuckoo,” “Euphoria”).

Continue reading ‘Kinds Of Kindness’ Trailer: Yorgos Lanthimos & Emma Stone Reunite In New Triptych Fable Coming June 21 at The Playlist.

Fresh on the heels of Emma Stone wining Best Actress at the Oscars “Poor Things,” Yorgos Lanthimos‘ next picture now has an official release date.  Searchlight Pictures announced today that “Kinds Of Kindness” will hit theaters this summer on June 21. Yup, that’s about half a year between two Lanthimos films (with possibly something else coming swiftly after this).

Continue reading ‘Kinds Of Kindness’: Searchlight Pictures Dates Yorgos Lanthimos’ Next Film For June 21 at The Playlist.

With Benedict Cumberbatch leaving Searchlight Picture‘s “A Complete Unknown” due to scheduling conflicts, James Mangold needed a new actor to play musician Pete Seeger. It sounds like he found one, as Deadline reports Edward Norton will replace Cumberbatch as the folk singer one production starts in NYC this summer. Norton joins an ensemble cast with Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, and more.

Continue reading ‘A Complete Unknown’: Edward Norton Replaces Benedict Cumberbatch As Pete Seeger In James Mangold’s Upcoming Bob Dylan Biopic at The Playlist.

We’ve already seen quite a bit of career fallout facing Jonathan Majors after his domestic violence conviction recently. He’s been fired from his Marvel Studios gig. He’s been pulled from the upcoming Dennis Rodman biopic. And now, it appears his award-winning Sundance drama from 2023 is without a distributor. 

READ MORE: ‘Magazine Dreams’ Review: Jonathan Majors Shoulders The Weight of This Incel, Bodybuilder Drama [Sundance]

According to THR, Searchlight has officially parted ways with the film “Magazine Dreams,” which stars Jonathan Majors and is directed by Elijah Bynum, after the actor’s recent domestic violence conviction.

Continue reading ‘Magazine Dreams’: Jonathan Majors’ Sundance Drama Dropped By Searchlight & Looking For A New Distributor at The Playlist.

It was supposed to be a breakout role for the ages for Jonathan Majors and a favorite in this year’s award season. Now it looks like “Magazine Dreams” will stay on Searchlight‘s shelf indefinitely. THR reports that in the leadup to Majors’ February 6 sentencing for assault and harassment convictions, the studio mulls its options on the film they acquired after its award-winning Sundance premiere.

Continue reading Searchlight Mulls The Future Of ‘Magazine Dreams’ As Jonathan Majors Awaits Sentencing Hearing at The Playlist.

While audiences wait for the arrival of “Poor Things” in theaters next Friday, don’t forget that Yorgos Lanthimos already has his next movie in post-production. And IndieWire reports that it has a new title, too. “AND” is now “Kinds Of Kindness,” and its name change likely means Searchlight Pictures will have it ready for the festival circuit next year.

Continue reading Yorgos Lanthimos Retitles His Upcoming Film ‘AND’ To ‘Kinds Of Kindness’ at The Playlist.

And the theatrical calendar shake-ups continue as the SAG-AFTRA guild strike fails to resolve itself. The biggest shift announced today? It’s something that’s not directly about the standoff between SAF and the AMPTP, actually: Searchlight has pulled “Magazine Dreams” from its December 8 release date as its star, Jonathan Majors, faces his domestic violence trial date on November 29.  

READ MORE: ‘Magazine Dreams’ Review: Jonathan Majors Shoulders The Weight In This Incel, Bodybuilding Drama [Sundance]

It’s telling that Searchlight has pulled “Magazine Dreams” from its calendar entirely, not resetting it for another date.

Continue reading Disney Unsets ‘Magazine Dreams’ As Jonathan Majors’ Trial Approaches, Moves Live-Action ‘Snow White’ To 2025 & More Schedule Shifts at The Playlist.

After winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Yorgos Lanthimos‘ “Poor Things” may be the most anticipated movie still to come in 2023. But it’s not just nabbing Venice’s top prize: “Poor Things” received unanimous praise from the Lido, with many critics already proclaiming it the year’s (or even decade’s) best film. Is it all hype or is Lanthimos on his way to collecting another Best Picture Oscar at the Academy Awards?

Continue reading ‘Poor Things’ Extended Look Trailer: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Latest Film With Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo & More Hits Theaters On December 8 at The Playlist.

TIFF 2023 gets underway tomorrow, and that means plenty of world premieres over its ten-day schedule. And there several movies debuting in Toronto to get excited about, like Brian Helgeland‘s “Finestkind,” the GameStop short comedy “Dumb Money,” and the star-studded New England noir “Reptile,” which makes the feature debut for Grant Singer.

READ MORE: TIFF 2023: Taika Waititi’s ‘Next Goal Wins’ Starring Michael Fassbender Will Premiere In Toronto

And there’s also Taika Waititi‘s “Next Goal Wins,” which has its world premiere at TIFF this weekend.

Continue reading New ‘Next Goal Wins’ Clip: Taika Waititi’s Soccer Comedy With Michael Fassbender Has Its World Premiere At TIFF This Weekend at The Playlist.

Bradley Cooper‘s sophomore directorial effort, “Maestro,” a biopic about legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, hits Netflix later this year. But even with that film still in the post-production process, Cooper already has his next directing gig lined up. And according to Deadline, it sees the actor/director star alongside his longtime friend Will Arnett.

READ MORE: Bradley Cooper Says ‘Maestro’ Probably Won’t Come Out Until Fall 2023

Deadline report that Cooper joins the Searchlight pic “Is This Thing On?

Continue reading ‘Is This Thing On?’: Bradley Cooper To Direct, Star In Upcoming Searchlight Flick Alongside Longtime Friend Will Arnett at The Playlist.

If audiences are lucky, they’ll see not one but two Yorgos Lanthimos films on the big screen this year. And given the Greek director’s penchant for perplexing cinema, don’t be surprised if “Poor Things” makes a lot of Top 10 lists from critics at the end of the year (or tops those lists). Unfortunately, there’s no official word yet if “And,” Lanthimos’ other upcoming film, will drop this year, but “Poor Things” arrives in September, and now here’s its first teaser.

Continue reading ‘Poor Things’ Teaser: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Latest Hits Theaters Everywhere On September 8 at The Playlist.

Monica Barbaro has flown in the skies with Tom Cruise‘s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Now she’ll sing alongside Timothée Chalamet‘s Bob Dylan. THR reports that the actress is in final talks to star opposite Chalamet in James Mangold‘s upcoming Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” set to start production in NYC this summer.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023

Who will Barbaro be playing?

Continue reading ‘A Complete Unknown’: Monica Barbaro In Talks To Star Opposite Timothée Chalamet In James Mangold’s Upcoming Bob Dylan Biopic at The Playlist.

There’s lots of anticipation in Yorgos Lanthimos Land because the director has not one, but two films on the way: hopefully both of them this year. No word on if that will happen, but now audiences know “Poor Things” will at least reach theaters this year.  Searchlight Pictures has some first-look images from Lanthimos’ next feature, and they foretell a film as perplexing as spooky as anything the Greek director has made before.

Continue reading ‘Poor Things; First Look: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Latest With Emma Stone Lands In Theaters On September 8 at The Playlist.

UPDATE: We have included the U.S. Trailer below.

There are some moments when you look at the state of the rom-com and you feel like you’ve seen it all. How many different ways can two disparate people meet in a cute way and then fall in love? Sometimes, filmmakers try to inject a bit of action into the mix to liven it up. Other times, such as in the case of “Rye Lane,” it takes some really solid comedy, a heaping helping of style, and some unique perspectives to make the tired rom-com feel fresh.

Continue reading ‘Rye Lane’ Trailer: Raine Allen-Miller’s Sundance Rom-Com Is Coming To Hulu In March at The Playlist.

It’s been a little under a year since it was announced that Aziz Ansari’s feature film directorial debut, “Being Mortal,” experienced a production shutdown after sexual misconduct allegations were levied at star Bill Murray. At the time, it was revealed that Searchlight Pictures, the studio behind the production, was shutting the film down but allowing the filmmaker to find a new home for “Being Mortal.” Well, nearly a year later, it would appear that “Being Mortal” is likely dead. 

Continue reading Aziz Ansari’s ‘Being Mortal’ Scrapped & Won’t Be Finished Following Bill Murray Allegations [Report] at The Playlist.

Taylor Swift‘s musical accolades speak for themselves: ten albums, eleven Grammy wins and being the only female artist to win Album Of The Year three separate times. But recently, Swift has added video work into her repertoire, with great success. She’s also nabbed two MTV VMAs for Best Director for her work on “The Man” and “All Too Well: The Short Film,” the latter also screening at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and TIFF.

Continue reading Taylor Swift To Make Her Feature Directing Debut With Searchlight Pictures at The Playlist.

Nearly six months ago, film fans were shocked to learn that production on Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut, “Being Mortal,” was shut down due to allegations of misconduct against Bill Murray. Shortly after the news broke, Murray came out and took responsibility for what he described as a joke that he thought was funny, but “it wasn’t taken that way.” Since then, production has yet to restart on the film, and people have been wondering when it might start up again.

Continue reading Bill Murray Reportedly Accused Of Sexual Assault During ‘Being Mortal’ Production, Which Led To Production Stoppage at The Playlist.

You can’t mention director Andrew Stanton’s name without thinking about two things, the Oscar-winning Pixar animated film “Wall-E” and the infamous box office flop “John Carter” which starred Taylor Kitsch. The last movie, which debuted in 2012, seemed to have derailed Stanton’s feature-length film work for years. However, the fallow period appears to be ending. A new report reveals a second live-action studio film in the works with a considerable scope. 

Continue reading Director Andrew Stanton Returns To Sci-Fi With Searchlight’s Ambitious ‘In The Blink Of An Eye’ at The Playlist.

Yorgos Lanthimos‘ follow-up to 2018’s “The Favourite,” “Poor Things,” doesn’t even have a release date yet, and news about his next movie is already here. Deadline reports that Lanthimos teams up with Searchlight Pictures for the fifth time with “AND,” and the film stars much of the same main cast as “Poor Things.”

READ MORE: ‘Bleat’ Trailer: Emma Stone Stars In A New Yorgos Lanthimos-Directed Short Premiering May 6 In Greece

“AND” sees Emma Stone, Margaret Qualley, and Willem Dafoe return to work with Lanthimos again, just after finishing up “Poor Things.” Joining them is Jesse Plemons, Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the film starts production next month in New Orleans.

Continue reading ‘AND’: Yorgos Lanthimos Has New Movie Coming With Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe & Margaret Qualley To Star at The Playlist.

Ned Benson made a big splash in 2014 with his trifecta film debut “The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby.” The films star a first-rate ensemble that includes Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Viola Davis, William Hurt, and more to tell a romantic epic about love and loss. Benson’s debut was a big swing, but he’s been silent since, with only a story credit on “Black Widow” to his name.  

Continue reading ‘The Greatest Hits’: Lucy Boynton Will Stars In Ned Benson’s Latest Film From Searchlight Pictures at The Playlist.

It’s almost half a decade since Irish director Martin McDonagh had his breakout with 2017’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri.” “In Bruges” and “Seven Psychopaths” are cult films, to be sure, but ‘Billboards’ was the director’s first critical sensation. The film pulled in $160 million at the global box office, nearly five times as much as “In Bruges.” And the movie also won Oscars for Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell’s performances, along with a Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay nomination for McDonagh.

Continue reading ‘The Banshees Of Inisherin’ First Look: ‘In Bruges’ Stars Colin Farrell & Brandon Gleeson Reunite For Martin McDonagh’s Latest at The Playlist.