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  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander named 2025-26 Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year

    • 2025-26 NBA Awards: Complete coverage
    • Kia Clutch Player of the Year: All-Time Winners

    (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s trophy haul keeps growing.

    Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City guard who is the reigning MVP and NBA Finals MVP, is the Clutch Player of the Year award winner for this season, the NBA announced Tuesday.

    It’s the first of what could be several awards for Gilgeous-Alexander in the coming weeks. He’s a finalist to win a second straight MVP trophy — and because he’s a finalist there, he’s also a lock to make the All-NBA team for a fourth straight year.

    “This award means a lot,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on NBC Sports, which aired the award announcement. “To get this award, you have to help your team win games late and what I’m about more than anything is winning games.”

    Gilgeous-Alexander topped Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards and Denver’s Jamal Murray to win the clutch award.

    Edwards didn’t reach the 65-game eligibility standard for most league awards like MVP and the All-NBA team — and unsuccessfully appealed for a waiver that would have put him on those ballots — but his candidacy for the clutch award wasn’t affected by that rule.

    Instead, the finalists for the clutch award were decided by a survey of the league’s coaches. That whittled the group down to 14 names, which were then placed onto the ballot that a panel of 100 reporters and broadcasters who cover the league filled out last week to decide the various awards.

    Voting Results

    Gilgeous-Alexander has been a contender for the clutch award since it was added to the league’s slate of trophies; he was third last season, eighth in 2024 and seventh in 2023.

    And now, it’s his.

    “I’m proud I get to hoist it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It means I’m effective out there.”

    Gilgeous-Alexander becomes the fourth player to win the clutch award, which was added in tribute to Jerry West — the inspiration for the NBA’s logo and the player long known as “Mr. Clutch” as a nod to his exploits when the outcome of games was on the line.

    De’Aaron Fox (then of Sacramento, now of San Antonio) was the first clutch award recipient in 2023, followed by Golden State’s Stephen Curry in 2024 and New York’s Jalen Brunson last season. Brunson was a nominee again this year.

    For a play to be considered clutch, by the NBA’s definition, these are the criteria: The score differential has to be five points or less, and the game has to be in either the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or in overtime.

    All three of the leading vote-getters had compelling statistical arguments for the award:

    • Gilgeous-Alexander led the league with 175 points in clutch times, plus was ninth with 21 assists in those situations. The Thunder went 20-7 in the 27 clutch games in which he played, and outscored opponents by 93 points in those clutch situations with him on the floor.

    • Edwards shot 56.5% from the field in clutch moments, the best of any of the league’s 19 players that had at least 85 clutch-time points this season.

    • Murray was second in clutch points with 166 plus led the league with 30 clutch-time assists.

    The clutch award was the second to be handed out this season. San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama was the unanimous winner of Defensive Player of the Year, which was announced Monday.

    “It’s just very meaningful to me,” Wembanyama said Tuesday about being the first unanimous winner of the DPOY trophy. “It means that there’s no place for debate. It means that everybody agrees upon something.”

    On Wednesday, the Sixth Man of the Year winner — either the Spurs’ Keldon Johnson, the Nuggets’ Tim Hardaway Jr. or Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. — will be revealed. The league’s Sportsmanship Award winner will be announced Thursday, followed by Most Improved Player on Friday.

  • ‘Obsession’ Filmmaker Curry Barker to Direct ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Reimagining at A24 (EXCLUSIVE)

    ‘Obsession’ Filmmaker Curry Barker to Direct ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Reimagining at A24 (EXCLUSIVE)

    Upstart filmmaker Curry Barker continues his mainstream Hollywood takeover with a big new gig: director on A24’s anticipated film reboot of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

    Variety has learned exclusively that Barker will take the lead on the project, billed by insiders as a “reimagining” of the 1974 horror classic created by Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel. Barker’s vision for the famed killer Leatherface and the gaggle of young things he terrorizes are under wraps. The film is being developed alongside a “Texas Chainsaw” TV series from Barnstorm’s Glen Powel and Dan Cohen, and director JT Mollner.

    Barker’s rise has been swift, and Focus Features is less than a month out from releasing his acclaimed festival player “Obsession,” about a man whose wish for the love of a female friend turns deadly. That film was acquired in a bidding war that fetched a $14 million sale out of the Toronto International Film Festival. “Chainsaw” takes Barker from an $800 debut feature “Milk & Serial” on YouTube to one of the most prestigious arthouse brands in the industry.

    Curry is currently in production on “Anything But Ghosts” at Blumhouse, serving as director, co-writer and star. The film centers on two fraudulent paranormal investigators who are forced to face real ghosts — and the lies underpinning their business. He’s also part of the internet sketch comedy duo That’s a Bad Idea alongside creative partner Cooper Tomlinson. Barker is repped by Underground Management, United Talent Agency and The Lede Company.

    The new “Chainsaw” film will be produced by Roy Lee and Steven Schneider of Spooky Pictures, and Stuart Manashil and Exurbia Films’ Pat Cassidy, Ian Henkel, and Kim Henkel. Ben Ross of Image Nation serves as executive produce.

    There are 9 films in the “Chainsaw” canon, including 1986’s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2,” which was directed by Hooper and written by L.M. Kit Carson, and 1995’s “The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre” aka “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation,” written and directed by Henkel and starring Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey. A novel, a comic book series and three video games have also been released under the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” IP.

    A24 won the prize piece of IP in a heated auction last year, formally announcing in February, and fended off competing offers from companies including Blumhouse. Verve repped the rights and was intent on partner with A24’s reach and forward-looking creative, while still preserving the film’s legacy.  

  • Mozilla says it patched 271 Firefox vulnerabilities thanks to Anthropic’s Claude Mythos

    Anthropic’s buzzy announcement about using AI to improve cybersecurity earlier this month was met with plenty of skepticism. However, Mozilla shared some details that support use of the company’s special Claude Mythos Preview model as a way to protect critical services. Using Mythos helped Mozilla’s team find and patch 271 vulnerabilities in the latest release of the Firefox browser. “So far we’ve found no category or complexity of vulnerability that humans can find that this model can’t,” the foundation said.

    The blog post from Mozilla feels like a positive sign for Anthropic’s Project Glasswing. Obviously the AI company would want to put itself in the best possible light while presenting its own initiative, but there’s something encouraging about hearing the benefits from a third party. Mozilla also noted that in its time with Claude Mythos, the AI wasn’t able to turn up any bugs that a human wouldn’t have been able to find, given enough time and resources, which indicates that AI isn’t presently able to do more to crack cybersecurity protections than a person can.

    An organizaion successfully using AI for good is certainly a refreshing change of pace in tech news. And for those Firefox users who aren’t personally interested in applying any generative AI in their browsing, Mozilla has given the option to turn it all off for the past several months.

  • SpaceX and Cursor strike partnership that might end in a $60 billion acquisition

    SpaceX and AI company Cursor have struck a new partnership that could see the owner of X buy the AI company for $60 billion later this year. “SpaceXAI and  @cursor_ai  are now working closely together to create the world’s best coding and knowledge work AI,” SpaceX wrote in a post on X.

    According to SpaceX, the deal allows for it to either invest $10 billion into the company known for its AI coding tool, or acquire it entirely “later this year” for $60 billion. If an acquisition were to happen, it’s not clear at what point Cursor could officially join the fold of Elon Musk’s rapidly expanding and increasingly enmeshed web of companies. SpaceX bought xAI, the billionaire’s AI company that also controls X, earlier this year. SpaceX is currently getting ready to go public this summer in what will likely be the biggest initial public offering (IPO) in history.

    Cursor, which has reportedly been in talks to raise its own $2 billion round of funding, is known for its AI coding tool of the same name that’s become the vibe coding platform of choice for many developers. It allows people to use either its own models or those from other leading AI companies, including OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and xAI.

    In a statement, Cursor said its partnership with SpaceX will “accelerate our model training efforts” while addressing infrastructure-related issues that have slowed it down in the past. “We’ve wanted to push our training efforts much further, but we’ve been bottlenecked by compute,” the company said. “With this partnership, our team will leverage xAI’s Colossus infrastructure to dramatically scale up the intelligence of our models for coding and beyond.”

  • Is Netflix Making a Big Real Estate Move In L.A.?

    Is Netflix Making a Big Real Estate Move In L.A.?

    For years, Netflix has been the anchor tenant at Sunset Studios in Los Angeles, making the ICON building its Los Angeles headquarters and occupying the EPIC and CUE buildings as part of the complex on Sunset Boulevard.

    The streaming giant run by co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters has a lease on those buildings through 2031 with the owner, Hudson Pacific Properties, which receives $27 million in base annualized rent from Netflix.

    As of early March, Hudson Pacific CEO Victor Coleman described at an investor conference that “our conversations with them are fluid” regarding future leases. Netflix is the No. 2 tenant for Hudson Pacific among its office tenants, occupying 722,305 square feet of space, just behind Google, so a loss of the streaming giant would be a notable loss for the soundstage operator.

    “We remain fully engaged with Netflix and believe this portfolio is the optimal long-term solution for their LA office needs, given the quality, location and expansion potential of these assets,” Coleman had said on the company’s February earnings call.

    But it seems like an exit could be a stronger possibility now. Netflix is in talks with Goldman Sachs to buy the Radford Studio Center, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed sources, on Tuesday. Netflix and Hudson Pacific reps did not immediately reply for comment.

    The historic studio was in the hands of the then-named ViacomCBS corp until 2021 when it was sold — as part of a slimming down of the Shari Redstone-run empire — to Hackman Capital Partners and Square Mile Capital Management for $1.85 billion.

    At the time, Hackman Capital had bet that studio infrastructure would be a hot commodity as majors had been bulking up on spending for streaming shows near the height of what was then a race to catch up to Netflix. Then, ahead of the 2023 dual labor strikes of the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA, the content spend pullback hit and stage occupancy started waning.

    Investment bank Goldman Sachs had taken over the Radford lot after Hackman defaulted on its mortgage, Bloomberg reported in January, citing a letter to investors that wasn’t made public. (Hackman hasn’t commented on its sales or divestments.)

    Netflix, which just received a $2.8 billion break up fee in connection with its abandoned pursuit of Warner Bros., has made a concerted effort to build its soundstage bases over the years, outside of its L.A. office. Those include the formerly named ABQ Studios in Albuquerque, New Mexico as well as $1 billion to build its East coast base at the former site of Fort Monmouth, New Jersey (which won’t be ready for a few years).

  • Trump administration sues Southern Poverty Law Center on fraud charges

    Trump administration sues Southern Poverty Law Center on fraud charges

    Published On 21 Apr 2026

    The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in the United States has been indicted on federal fraud charges after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche accused the civil rights group of improperly raising millions of dollars to pay informants to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan and other far-right groups.

    The Department of Justice alleged that the law centre defrauded donors by using their money to fund the very ideology it claimed to be fighting.

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    It pointed to payments of at least $3m between 2014 and 2023 to people affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan, the United Klans of America, the National Socialist Party of America and other far-right groups.

    “The SPLC was not dismantling these groups. It was instead manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred,” Blanche said.

    The civil rights group faces charges including wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The Justice Department brought the case in Alabama, where the organisation is based.

    The indictment came shortly after the SPLC revealed the existence of a criminal investigation into its programme to pay informants to infiltrate far-right groups and gather information on their activities.

    The group said the programme was used to monitor threats of violence. The information was often shared with local and federal law enforcement, it added.

    SPLC CEO Bryan Fair said the organisation “will vigorously defend ourselves, our staff, and our work”.

    Blanche said the money was passed from the centre through two different bank accounts before being loaded onto prepaid cards to give to the members of the far-right groups, which also included the National Socialist Movement and the Aryan Nations-affiliated Sadistic Souls Motorcycle Club.

    The group never disclosed to donors the details of the informant programme, Blanche added.

    “They’re required to under the laws associated with a nonprofit to have certain transparency and honesty in what they’re telling donors they’re going to spend money on and what their mission statement is and what they’re raising money doing,” he said.

    The indictment includes details about at least nine unnamed informants who were paid by the SPLC through a secret programme that prosecutors say began in the 1980s.

    Within the SPLC, they were known as field sources or “the Fs”, according to the indictment. One informant was paid more than $1m between 2014 and 2023 while affiliated with the neo-Nazi National Alliance, the indictment said. Another was the imperial wizard of the United Klans of America.

    The SPLC said the programme was kept quiet to protect the safety of informants.

    “When we began working with informants, we were living in the shadow of the height of the Civil Rights Movement, which had seen bombings at churches, state-sponsored violence against demonstrators, and the murders of activists that went unanswered by the justice system,” Fair said. “There is no question that what we learned from informants saved lives.”

    The SPLC, which is based in Montgomery, Alabama, was founded in 1971, and has used civil litigation to fight white supremacist groups.

    The nonprofit has become a popular target among Republicans, who see it as overly leftist and partisan.

    The investigation could add to concerns that the administration of President Donald Trump is using the Justice Department to go after opponents and critics.

    It follows a number of other investigations into Trump foes that have raised questions about whether the law enforcement agency has been turned into a political weapon.

    The SPLC has faced intense criticism from conservatives, who have accused it of unfairly maligning right-wing organisations as far-right groups because of their viewpoints. The centre regularly condemns Trump’s rhetoric and policies around voting rights, immigration and other issues.

    The centre came under new scrutiny after the assassination last year of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

    The centre included a section about Kirk’s group, Turning Point USA, in a report titled “The Year in Hate and Extremism 2024”. It described Turning Point USA as “a case study of the hard right in 2024″.

    Kash Patel, Trump’s appointee to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), ended his agency’s relationship with the centre, which had provided law enforcement with research on hate crime and domestic far-right ideology and practices.

    Patel said the centre had been turned into a “partisan smear machine” and accused it of defaming “mainstream Americans” with its “hate map”, which documents alleged antigovernment and hate groups inside the US.

    Republicans in the House of Representatives hosted a hearing centred on the SPLC in December, saying it coordinated efforts with former President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration “to target Christian and conservative Americans and deprive them of their constitutional rights to free speech and free association”.

  • ‘Fighting With My Family’ Being Developed Into a Stage Musical With Stephen Merchant and Dwayne Johnson Producing

    ‘Fighting With My Family’ Being Developed Into a Stage Musical With Stephen Merchant and Dwayne Johnson Producing

    Stephen Merchant‘s 2019 film “Fighting With My Family,” starring Florence Pugh and Dwayne Johnson, is being adapted into a stage musical.

    Producers include Merchant, Johnson and Dany Garcia for their Seven Bucks Productions, Tilted Musicals, Kevin Misher and Birmingham Hippodrome. Olivier Award-winning playwright Jon Brittain (“Rotterdam,” “Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!”) is penning the book and lyrics, with Miranda Cooper (who has written songs for Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Pet Shop Boys and more) and Nick Coler providing the soundtrack.

    Written and directed by Merchant, “Fighting With My Family” premiered in 2019 at the Sundance Film Festival and starred Pugh in the extraordinary true story of WWE superstar Paige. Vince Vaughn played her trainer, while Johnson appeared as himself and produced the film with Garcia.

    Like the movie, the “Fighting With My Family” musical will follow Saraya Knight (aka Paige), “a goth outsider who is raised in a chaotic but loving British wrestling dynasty,” according to its synopsis. “When a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity takes her from Norwich to America’s glitzy WWE, she must confront who she really is without her family in her corner.”

    “When we were making the film, I always thought of it like a musical: a young woman from the ‘chorus line’ fighting to get her big break, surrounded by theatrical, larger-than-life characters and huge sweeping emotions,” Merchant said in a statement. “I approached each wrestling match like it was a different dance number, building to a big show-stopping finale. Seeing the film reimagined for the stage feels like the natural next step. The team have captured the humor, grit and heart of the story in a way that feels both faithful to the film and completely fresh.”

    Added Johnson: “’Fighting With My Family’ feels exceptionally well suited for the stage. It’s packed with personal emotion expressed through the dynamic world of wrestling, which has always been about storytelling and connecting with a live audience. Working with Stephen Merchant on the film was a truly special experience, and his brilliant work deserves this new act. As it comes to life musically, I have no doubt it will be an absolute blast for theatergoers.”

    “Fighting With My Family” will mark the first musical developed by the newly formed Tilted Musicals, a production company led by Cooper and U.K. producer-director Sam Hodges. Closed workshops are set to start this year before a public presentation in 2027.

  • ‘Jury Duty: Company Retreat’ Submits 19 Actors for Emmys, Including Sia; Participant Anthony Norman Ineligible (EXCLUSIVE)

    ‘Jury Duty: Company Retreat’ Submits 19 Actors for Emmys, Including Sia; Participant Anthony Norman Ineligible (EXCLUSIVE)

    The jury may still be out on whether the Emmys will embrace “Company Retreat” — but Amazon is going for it anyway.

    Prime Video has revealed its Emmy strategy for the second season of the reality hoax series exclusively to Variety, submitting across 19 categories. The eight-episode season will be entered for outstanding comedy series, with 15 cast members vying in the supporting actor and actress races and four additional performers submitted in guest acting categories. Unfortunately, this year’s central subject, Anthony Norman, will face the same eligibility limitation as Season 1’s Ronald Gladden: as the unwitting participant at the heart of the series, he is ineligible for lead acting consideration under the Television Academy rules.

    Created by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, the second season follows Norman, who believes he has been hired as a temporary worker at a family-owned business, Rockin’ Grandma’s Hot Sauce, to help manage the annual company retreat. As in the first season, every participant surrounding Norman is a professional actor.

    The original “Jury Duty,” which premiered in April 2023, was a breakout hit for the streamer, earning three Emmy nominations, including outstanding comedy series, outstanding supporting actor for James Marsden and outstanding writing. The sophomore season, now rebranded as “Company Retreat,” dropped March 20.

    A centerpiece of the awards campaign is Episode 207, “Mergers and Acquisitions,” the penultimate installment in which Norman learns the truth about his colleagues. The episode will serve as the official submission for both directing, representing Jake Szymanski, and writing, representing Anthony King.

    Among the ensemble standouts are Alex Bonifer, who plays Dougie Jr., the heir apparent to the faux hot sauce empire; Jim Woods as the “ally” and enthusiastically supportive Jimmy; and LaNisa Renee Frederick, whose deadpan comic timing is among the season’s most consistent pleasures.

    On the guest acting side, Grammy winner Sia, who portrays an exaggerated version of herself, will compete for what would be her first career acting nomination. Also submitted in guest acting is Lisa Gilroy, known to comedy audiences for her work on Dropout’s “Game Changer” and “Make Some Noise” in addition to Jarrad Paul and Ian Roberts.

    This year’s Emmy timeline begins with nomination-round voting from June 11-22, followed by nominations on July 8.

    “Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat”

    Prime Video

    The full list of Emmy submissions is below.

    • Comedy Series: David Bernad, Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupinsky, Nicolas Hatton, Anthony King, Chris Kula, James Marsden, Todd Schulman, Jake Szymanski, Andrew Weinberg (executive producers); Robyn Adams, Alexis Sampietro (co-executive producers); supervising producer (Albertina Rizzo); Christian Hoffman (producer); Matt McIntyre (produced by)
    • Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Alex Bonifer, Jerry Hauck, Chris Kula, Rob Lathan, Marc-Sully Saint-Fleur, Jim Woods, Ryan Perez
    • Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Blair Beeken, LaNisa Renee Frederick, Erica Hernandez, Stephanie Hodge, Rachel Kaly, Emily Pendergast, Wendy Braun, Rachel Hein
    • Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Jarrad Paul (Episode: “Culture Fit”), Ian Roberts (Episode: “Accountability”)
    • Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Sia (Episode: “Culture Fit”), Lisa Gilroy (Episode: “Team Building”)
    • Directing for a Comedy Series: Jake Szymanski, Episode 207: “Mergers and Acquisitions”
    • Writing for a Comedy Series: Episode 207: “Mergers and Acquisitions” by Anthony King
    • Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour): Episode 207: “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Joe Warson, production designer; Jillian Gilbert, set decorator)
    • Casting for a Comedy Series: Susie Farris
    • Cinematography for a Series (Half-Hour): Episode 207: “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Chris Darnell)
    • Contemporary Costumes: Episode 207: “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Annie Bloom, costume designer; Allison Bloom, costume supervisor; Chelsea Robbins, key costumer)
    • Picture Editing for a Comedy Series: Episode 207: “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Christian Hoffman)
    • Contemporary Hairstyling: Episode 207: “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Florence Witherspoon, hair department head; D’nelle Almanda, hairstylist [petition])
    • Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic): Episode 207: “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Rebecca Lee Castro, makeup department head; Laura Calvo, makeup artist [petition])
    • Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score): Episode 207: “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Danny Dunlap, John Nau and Andrew Feltenstein, music by)
    • Music Supervision: Episode 206: “Culture Fit” (Melany Mitchell, music supervisor)
    • Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation: Episode 207: “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Vanessa Flores and Rayne Beckman, sound editors)
    • Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation: Episode 207: “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Blas Kisic and Dan Kelly, production mixers; and Colin Moran, re-recording mixer)
    • Stunt Coordination for Comedy Programming: Episode 205: “Offsite” (Charles Grisham, stunt coordinator)
  • Dwayne Johnson and Stephen Merchant Adapting ‘Fighting With My Family’ Into Stage Musical

    Dwayne Johnson and Stephen Merchant Adapting ‘Fighting With My Family’ Into Stage Musical

    Dwayne Johnson and Stephen Merchant‘s 2019 film Fighting With My Family is getting the musical treatment.

    Merchant’s biopic is being developed for the stage by Tilted Musicals, in collaboration with Seven Bucks Productions (co-founded by Johnson and Dany Garcia), Merchant himself, Kevin Misher and Birmingham Hippodrome.

    With the book and lyrics by Olivier Award-winning playwright Jon Brittain (Rotterdam, Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!), Fighting With My Family will feature a new soundtrack by singer-songwriter Miranda Cooper and Nick Coler.

    The movie, directed and written by the U.K. Office co-creator Merchant, premiered in January 2019 at Sundance. The movie follows the true story of WWE superstar Paige (real name Saraya Bevis), played in the film by Florence Pugh. Vince Vaughn depicted her WWE trainer, and The Smashing Machine star Johnson featured as himself, as well as a producer on the film opposite Garcia for Seven Bucks Productions.

    Merchant confessed he always thought of the film as a musical. “A young woman from the ‘chorus line’ fighting to get her big break, surrounded by theatrical, larger-than-life characters and huge sweeping emotions,” he said. “I approached each wrestling match like it was a different dance number, building to a big show-stopping finale. Seeing the film reimagined for the stage feels like the natural next step.”

    Johnson, who will next be seen in the live-action Moana and Jumanji 3, said Fighting With My Family feels “exceptionally well-suited for the stage.” He continued: “It’s packed with personal emotion expressed through the dynamic world of wrestling, which has always been about storytelling and connecting with a live audience. Working with Stephen Merchant on the film was a truly special experience, and his brilliant work deserves this new act. As it comes to life musically, I have no doubt it will be an absolute blast for theatergoers.”

    It marks the first musical developed and produced by Tilted Musicals, a new production company run by Cooper and U.K. producer-director Sam Hodges.

  • ‘On the Road (En El Camino)’ Tops Winners at 43rd Miami Film Festival – Film News in Brief

    ‘On the Road (En El Camino)’ Tops Winners at 43rd Miami Film Festival – Film News in Brief

    “On the Road (En El Camino)” led the winners at the 43rd Miami Film Festival, taking the festival’s top jury prize, the $10,000 Marimbas Award. Directed by David Pablos, the film was recognized as the narrative feature that best exemplifies “richness and resonance for cinema’s future,” according to the festival.

    Additional top honors included the Made in MIA Feature Film Award, which went to “The Old Man and the Parrot,” directed by Gabriel de Varona. The prize, which carries a $15,000 cash award, recognizes films that prominently feature South Florida in their story or production.

    The $10,000 Jordan Ressler First Feature Award was awarded to “Second Victims,” directed by Zinnini Elkington, honoring the best debut narrative feature.

    Audience awards were led by “Comandante Fritz,” directed by Pavel Giroud, which won the Audience Feature Film Award. “Milly, Queen of Merengue,” directed by Leticia Tonos Paniagua, was named first runner-up, followed by “I Swear,” directed by Kirk Jones.

    In documentary categories, “TheyDream,” directed by William D. Caballero, won the Documentary Achievement Award, while “Runa Simi,” directed by Augusto Zegarra, took the Audience Documentary Film Award.

    The festival, presented by Miami Dade College, ran April 9–19 and featured films from around the world, continuing its focus on Ibero-American and international cinema.

    Monday, April 20

    Manny Jacinto, Liza Soberano, and More to Star in Filipino Animated Series “Sun Chaser,” Pilot Launches at Annecy International Animation Film Festival

    The animated adventure-comedy series “Sun Chaser” will launch its pilot during the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, held June 21–27 in Annecy, France.

    Created by Bobby Pontillas and Bernard Badion and produced by an all-Filipino team of artists, “Sun Chaser” follows the story of Jordan Santos (Manny Jacinto), “a self-absorbed teen whose carefree summer is upended when an ancient icy villain attacks his grandmother’s island in the Philippines. Thrust into an unexpected role as protector of his younger cousins, Jordan and his crew are pulled into a mythic ocean realm, setting sail aboard a legendary vessel known as the Sun Chaser. As they navigate enchanted seas and extraordinary islands to rescue his grandmother and save the island, Jordan must evolve from a reluctant kid into a true leader.”

    Along with Jacinto, Liza Soberano (“Forgotten Island”), Eugene Cordero (“Loki”), and stand-up comedian JR De Guzman will star. Philippine performers Charo Santos, Dingdong Dantes, Zia Dantes, AC Bonifacio, and KD Estrada round out the cast.

    “Sun Chaser” previously won Animation du Monde at the 2025 festival and is produced by Miguel Del Rosario and Marlyn Montano. The film is animated entirely by the Toon City and PlayLab studios in the Phillipines and is co-produced by Liza Soberano’s Funny Face Films.