Berlin-based sales outfit M-Appeal has picked up international sales rights to Nicola Sorcinelli‘s “Balcanica,” starring Matilda De Angelis, which will have its world premiere in competition at the 23rd Giornate degli Autori, also known as Venice Days, held alongside the 83rd Venice Intl. Film Festival.
“Balcanica” follows the journey of the orchestra conductor Nasar and his tuba-playing son Jalil across the Balkans, after leaving Afghanistan, where music has been banned. Their path eventually crosses that of Greta, an Italian doctor whose empathy and resilience shine through the situation. As their journeys continue to intertwine, the three must face the life changing choices the moment demands.
The film stars Italian actress Matilda De Angelis, known for her leading role in the Netflix series “The Law According to Lidia Poët,” Silver Bear winner Babak Karimi, celebrated for his performance in Asghar Farhadi’s “A Separation,” winner of the Golden Bear at the 2011 Berlinale and the 2012 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and rising talent Ivar Wafaei. The screenplay is written by Sorcinelli and Andrea Brusa.
“Balcanica” is produced by Nightswim and Fremantle’s Wildside, in co-production with This and That Productions and Antitalent, and in association with M74 and Nieminen Film.
Sorcinelli said that “Balcanica,” her debut feature film, is “a story about a vital journey, denied freedoms and the deeply human need to keep searching for one’s place in the world. Bringing it to Venice is a joy that is difficult to put into words.”
Maren Kroymann, CEO of M-Appeal, described the film as “a powerful story of human connection and empathy in impossible situations.” She added that Sorcinelli “has crafted a timely, emotional and universal story that deserves to be seen everywhere, brought to life by an incredible cast.”
Matthew Macfadyen and Claire Foy are to lead the TV adaptation of “You Are Here,” the bestselling novel by “One Day” author David Nicholls.
The 8-part series — which was first announced by Variety earlier this year — has been green lit by the BBC and Starz, with Lenny Abrahamson directing, reuniting with the BBC for the first time since “Normal People.” Set to be filmed around in the Lake District and around Manchester, “You Are Here,” is being produced by the Fremantle-owned Irish powerhouse Element Pictures, who also produced “Normal People.” Global sales will be handled by Fremantle with De Maio Entertainment spearheading the partnership with Starz.
Set along the Coast to Coast walking trail from the Lake District to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire, “You Are Here” follows Michael (Macfadyen) and Marnie (Foy), strangers thrown together by a mutual friend who unexpectedly find themselves setting off on an epic walk. Against the odds, they end up on the brink of a relationship that neither was looking for, but which might be exactly the one they both need.
The series is “about finding a connection when you least expect it and overcoming the obstacles of midlife,” reads the description. “Treading the tricky path from loneliness to love, Marnie and Michael go coast-to-coast across the stunning (and sometimes soaking) English countryside, navigating an undeniable attraction that is as exhilarating as it is terrifying.”
“I’m so delighted to be working on ‘You Are Here’ with Element, the BBC, Starz and Lenny, whose work I’ve admired for many years,” said Nicholls, who adapted his own novel. “And Matthew and Claire are both just dream casting, wonderful in comedy and drama, so detailed and thoughtful and sympathetic. The intention with the novel was to write a close-up study of a relationship, but set against this magnificent landscape, and that’s our ambition here too; to make something both intimate and epic, funny and dramatic, a romantic comedy with real emotion. We can’t wait to bring Marnie and Michael’s journey to the screen.”
Added Abrahamson: “As a huge admirer of David’s writing, I’m delighted to be collaborating with him to bring ‘You Are Here’ to the screen. The novel is such a beautiful love story – funny, profound and ultimately deeply hopeful. I’m also extremely excited to have Claire and Matthew, two actors I hugely admire, playing Michael and Marnie.”
“You Are Here” is an Element Pictures, a Fremantle company, production for the BBC and Starz. Both Abrahamson and Nicholls serve as executive producers alongside Claire Foy and MacFadyen, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe and Emma Norton for Element Pictures and Jonny Richards and Anna Ferguson for the BBC. The series is produced by Clare Shepherd.
The life and career of Giorgio Armani is set to be the subject of a high-end TV series produced by Italy’s Lux Vide, which is collaborating with the fashion house founded by the iconic designer known for his close ties to Hollywood.
The still-untitled Armani biopic series — which will be tailored for the international market — has enlisted Turkish-born Italy-based director Ferzan Ozpetek, who is known for combining artistic depth with box-office appeal.
Ozpetek, who knew Armani personally, recently scored a global hit with the 2025 crowdpleaser “Diamonds,” about a group of warm-hearted women in a Rome atelier rushing to fulfill a demanding order from an Oscar-winning costume designer client in the 1970s. “Diamonds” scored mightily at the box local office and traveled widely. Ozpetek’s TV experience includes 2022’s first Disney+ Italian original series “The Ignorant Angels,” a romantic drama spun off from his local hit “Ignorant Fairies.”
“I knew, admired and spent time with Giorgio for many years, both on official occasions and in more private settings,” Ozpetek said in a statement to Variety. “We talked about cinema, of which he was notably passionate and an expert. But also about art, costumes, architecture, and, I would say, life itself. I could see within him a visionary and a brilliant artist. But also a down-to-earth and very determined man.”
The director added: “The opportunity to tell his story is both an exciting honor and a challenge that involves capturing the many facets of such a complex, original and captivating personality.”
Ozpetek is co-writing the screenplay for the Armani series in collaboration with Lux Vide’s head writer Francesco Arlanch, whose credits include Lux’s widely exported series “Medici,” “Hotel Costiera” and medical drama “Doc.” Storylines and series structure are being kept under wraps.
Known globally as the Milan-based fashion pioneer with piercing blue eyes and a vision that combined laid back elegance and attention to detail, Armani first made his mark with the unlined men’s sports jackets and deconstructed suits worn by Richard Gere in 1980 in “American Gigolo.” But Armani also reimagined the woman’s power suit. He dressed scores of Hollywood’s female stars including Julia Roberts, Diane Keaton, Jodie Foster, Cate Blanchett, Lupita Nyong’o, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Yeoh in both minimalist attire — such as the Armani men’s suit famously worn by Julia Roberts when she won a Golden Globe for “Steel Magnolias” in 1990 — and glittery gowns like the “Nairobi blue” crystal-encrusted sequin gown worn by Lupita Nyong’o at the 2024 Academy Awards. The long list of male actors who regularly wore Armani on red carpets, and also on screen, comprises Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney Russell Crowe, Robert De Niro and Tom Cruise, to name a few.
His Hollywood connection earned Armani wardrobe film credits in more than 200 movies.
Armani — a self-made man who fully owned his $10 billion fashion empire at the time of his death on Sept. 4, 2025 at age 91 – was known to often appear in dark trousers and his trademark black T-shirt. He was born in the northern Italian town of Piacenza on July 11, 1934. After two decades in the fashion industry starting in 1957, he and his partner Sergio Galeotti sold their Volkswagen for $10,000 to start up their own menswear ready-to-wear label. They launched both men’s and women’s lines the following year.
Fiercely private, Armani rarely discussed his personal life. He did tell Vanity Fair that he had romances with both men and women. He was in long-term relationship with Galeotti until his AIDS-related death in 1985.
The Giorgio Armani fashion house has agreed to support production of the Fremantle TV series, providing access to its “archives, creations and iconic locations, offering an unparalleled insight into the world and legacy of one of fashion’s most influential figures,” according to a Fremantle statement.
“For years, Lux had been chasing the dream of telling the world the story of Giorgio Armani, an artist who invented a unique and recognizeable style,” Lux Vide founder and president Matilde Bernabei said in a statement. She went on to describe Armani as “a standard-bearer of Made in Italy who rewrote the rules of style and elegance.”
“It will be an ambitious series,” Bernabei added, “and we are proud to know that the market has immediately embraced this project with interest, enthusiastically confirming its international potential.”
Disney+ has greenlit “House of Fates,” a spinoff of the record-breaking Korean competition series “Battle of Fates,” from the original show’s producer and writer.
The new series, shot on location in Korea, is fronted by the three top-placing fate readers from “Battle of Fates,” joined at points by other contestants from the original cast. The format sends its participants around the country to sites tied to Korean spiritual practice, where they take in ceremonies, regional customs and communal meals.
Along the way, cast members sit for personal fate readings and open up about relationships and losses in their own lives, then move into direct contact with shamanic ritual, a practice the format positions as central to Korean spiritual life.
“Battle of Fates” premiered on Feb. 11 and became the No. 1 series premiere on Disney+ Korea based on views in its first 12 days. The competition series featured masters of shamanism, tarot, face and foot reading, saju and other divination disciplines competing in challenges that tested their abilities, using tools including fans, bells, dowsing rods and modern-day laptops.
Local adaptations of “Battle of Fates” are also in development in other markets. “House of Fates” is the first spinoff greenlit by Disney+ since the original series premiered.
“Battle of Fates” Season 1 comprises 10 episodes, all available to stream on Disney+ alongside other Korean variety titles including “I Am Boxer,” “The Zone: Survival Mission” and “My Name Is Gabriel,” starring Blackpink’s Jennie.
Disney+ has not yet revealed a release date for “House of Fates.”
SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for Season 5, Episode 2 of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” which aired on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
Ben Affleck has joined the pantheon of celebrity winners of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” taking home the top prize with a little (or a lot) of help from “Jeopardy!” champion Jamie Ding.
Affleck conquered the $1 million question almost exactly one year after his “Good Will Hunting” co-star and best bud Matt Damon did the same. Damon was similarly paired with a “Jeopardy!” wiz — current host Ken Jennings — who helped him reach the top prize for charity.
The money from Affleck and Ding’s victory will go toward Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative, the first U.S.-based advocacy and grant-making organization dedicated to supporting the people living in the African region.
In the final question, Affleck and Ding had to guess which turkeys were not pardoned by a U.S. president: A) Peanut Butter & Jelly; B) Tater & Tot; C) Mac & Cheese; D) Spaghetti & Meatball. Not knowing the answer, the contestants used their lifeline to ask host Jimmy Kimmel. While Kimmel said he was not 100% sure, he guessed the answer as Spaghetti & Meatball. Affleck and Ding then used another lifeline to phone a friend, which was Ding’s longtime trivia partner Stephen Morrison. Morrison did not know the answer either and declined to guess, which led Affleck to suggest they should go with Kimmel’s guess. “I would bet on Jimmy,” he said. “I would go for it.”
As Ding locked in the answer, with $1 million for charity on the line, Kimmel said, “I have such a stomach ache right now.” After a long moment of suspense, the show revealed Spaghetti & Meatball to be the correct answer. As confetti rained down on the studio, Affleck and Ding jumped for joy and hugged, with genuinely shocked looks painted on their faces.
Affleck and Ding are the fifth winners of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” during Kimmel’s tenure, which began in April 2020. David Chang became the first winner of the show’s new iteration in November 2020, followed by celebrity pairs Ike and Alan Barinholtz in August 2024, Damon and Jennings in July 2025 and “The Office” stars Oscar Nuñez and Kate Flannery in September 2025.
In July, Kimmel told Variety of the Affleck-Ding duo, “I’m not sure Ben knew that he was paired with a champion when he agreed to do the show. But when I told him, he seemed surprised and delighted. I think he was prepared to do it on his own. He’s very smart, that Ben Affleck.”
Watch the moment Affleck and Ding won the $1 million below.
Author Joyce Carol Oates came to the defense of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” after translator Emily Wilson wrote a viral review attacking the film.
“Rather than disagreeing with interpretations of Homer in a collegial manner, this person, who has benefited enormously from Nolan’s film, speaks in the crude language of MAGA folks attacking someone with ideas that differ from hers,” Carol wrote on X. “One would expect a translator, of all people, beholden to a text, in service to a text, to be just a wee bit more thoughtful & respectful of others who are acting in good faith just as (she would claim) she is.”
Wilson, who translated a 2017 version of Homer’s “The Odyssey,” slammed Nolan’s take in a review for the London Review of Books. She wrote that the film lacked “psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth” and had “nothing convincing to say.”
Wilson’s review reads, “I had hoped that Nolan’s affinity with these Homeric themes might push him to new creative heights, and enable him to conjure more believable characters. But ‘The Odyssey’ features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality … the film’s vision is too confused, its characters too underdeveloped, to deliver what it half-promises in terms of big ideas – although it is very good at conveying big bangs and big giants.”
She later added, “The writing is abysmal. None of the characters has a convincing motivation for their actions or words. There are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible.”
Nolan previously praised Wilson for her translation of the ancient text. He told Empire that he used the opening line of her version, “Tell me about a complicated man,” as a north star when fleshing out Matt Damon’s role as Odysseus.
The Bruin Theater in Los Angeles’ Westwood Village is set to reopen in October, with the announcement capping a big month for the city’s movie lovers. Last week, Sony Pictures announced it will take over operation of the Cinerama Dome with Alamo Drafthouse running the former ArcLight theaters multiplex.
Now the Bruin Theater, built in 1937, is planned to reopen in October with Rui Pereira, a Canadian theater operator, taking over the lease for the historic site. “It’s a magical place,” says Pereira, who also operates Toronto’s Kingsway Theater.
Pereira plans to add 35mm and 70mm projection and program first-run movies, classic films and special events. The sound system has had recent upgrades, according to Ben Steinberg, who helped bring attention to the Cinerama Dome reopening and is assisting Pereira with marketing.
“We want to keep the essence of the theater,” says Pereira, who wants it to feel upgraded but still like a classic theater.
“It’s not just about the movies — it’s about going out to the movies, going out to do something. The latest example is ‘The Odyssey’ — you see the excitement and the interest that’s generated,” Pereira says. Before the opening, the marquee will display ads for “Practical Magic 2” as well as promotions for UCLA, he adds.
The 670-seat Bruin is less than half the size of the Village across the street, which was taken over by Jason Reitman and his consortium of filmmakers and is now operating as Director’s Village before a renovation planned for the fall. The Bruin played an important role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” when Margot Robbie’s character Sharon Tate goes to the theater to watch the movie she stars in, “The Wrecking Crew.”
The Bruin has been shuttered since 2024, when Regency Theatres’ lease ended at both the Village and the Bruin.
Once the bustling hub of moviegoing on the Westside of Los Angeles, Westwood’s theaters have gradually shut down over the past few decades. The Landmark Westwood, opened in 1946, is still in operation on Broxton, while Blue Fox Entertainment recently took over the iPic Theater on Wilshire. Westsiders have largely migrated to AMC’s Century City 15, while the Landmark’s Nuart and Laemmle’s Royal continue to program specialty films on Santa Monica Boulevard.
Tomi Adeyemi, author of the novel “Children of Blood and Bone,” said the upcoming Paramount film adaptation of her book was “the worst thing I have ever had to live through” and “I never want to hear about this project again” in a five-minute video posted on Wednesday.
“What I’m about to share is not a secret to the people involved,” she said in the social media clip. “It’s a reality that I’ve had to live with for about a year and a half, and everyone involved, at least at the highest level, has been made aware of this reality, and they haven’t done anything to make it better. If anything, they’ve only antagonized me, and I accept that. But I also accept if I don’t say something, I think it’s just going to be worse.”
Adeyemi alleged that she left the “Children of Blood and Bone” set “hyperventilating and sobbing” and that she is “still being antagonized behind the scenes.” Representatives for Adeyemi, Paramount and director Gina Prince-Bythewood did not immediately respond to Variety’s requests for comment.
“I’m not going to speak on what I endured to make it through the young adult trilogy, and I’m not going to speak about everything that I also suffered through or endured to make the adaptation a reality,” Adeyemi said. “I’m actually only going to speak about what happened after I left that set of my own film adaptation, hyperventilating and sobbing. There are many witnesses, so it’s not really a secret. I came back to America and suffered such severe somatic pain and so many panic attacks. I knew it was so bad that I would never ever be able to watch this film, and I made peace with that.”
“But as it is being marketed,” Adeyemi continued, referencing the trailer which launched on Tuesday, “And as I am still being antagonized behind the scenes, which is where I hoped all of this would stay, it’s become apparent to me that reality needs to at least be made known, so that you guys can understand how this film, which I worked on to make it a little better for us to be alive, is also the worst thing I have ever had to live through.”
Earlier this month in a since-deleted TikTok video, Adeyemi posted what appeared to be a group chat that included “Children of Blood and Bone” actor Amandla Stenberg. Adeyemi wrote, “Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me” and appeared to block Stenberg, according to the L.A. Times. Stenberg had previously received backlash from book fans over her casting as Princess Amari due to allegations of colorism.
“I am four months into training for ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ and I am getting my ass whooped,” Stenberg previously said in a deleted TikTok video last year. “I want everyone to know that this is important to me, and I think about it with every choice that I make. I would never navigate my career blindly, not thinking about my skin tone or the space I occupy. I would never go after a role I didn’t feel was right for me. I want to see all skin tones represented in media. I know that colorism is an insidious system that relentlessly impacts every facet of entertainment.”
Despite the insinuation about a feud with Stenberg, Adeyemi has not clarified what happened on the “Children of Blood and Bone” set.
“I don’t wish to speak on it anymore. I don’t know if that’s possible,” Adeyemi said in the clip posted on Wednesday. “I understand that I have a public presence, and that this is a global project. It’s probably useless posting a video. I really don’t know. I don’t do things like this, but I also understand that being silent about it is making the pain a lot worse. And even though it feels awful to share this, it’s better to share it and have it known and understood before I see a bunch of you for this new book. So please understand, I never want to hear about this project again. I don’t have anything to say about the people who made it. I do not care anymore. I’m trying to move on. This video might make it worse, but I don’t know how it can be any worse. So I’m just going to share that and let it live.”
“Children of Blood and Bone” hits theaters on Jan. 15.
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T-Mobile is making it more affordable to cut ties with traditional internet providers.
For a limited time, new customers who sign up for any T-Mobile 5G Home Internet plan can receive their first month of service on T-Mobile1, plusup to $200 back through a virtual prepaid card.2
The rebate amount depends on which plan customers select. New subscribers can receive $100 back with the Rely or Amplified plans, while those who choose the higher-tier All-In plan are eligible for the full $200 virtual prepaid Mastercard.
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet uses the carrier’s cellular 5G network rather than a traditional cable or fiber connection. Customers receive a wireless gateway that converts the nearby mobile signal into a Wi-Fi network for devices throughout the home, helping eliminate the need for cable installation or a technician appointment.
The service has become an increasingly prominent alternative to major cable companies, particularly for households looking for simpler pricing and fewer long-term commitments. T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet plans include unlimited data and do not require annual contracts, though availability and speeds vary by address.
T-Mobile also includes a five-year price guarantee with eligible plans, promising not to raise the price of fixed-wireless 5G internet data during that period. Exclusions like taxes and fees apply.
The All-In plan also adds perks including Hulu with ads and Paramount+ Essential – totaling more than $20 in monthly savings compared to the streamers’ regular subscription prices.
Find out more about T-Mobile’s best home internet deals here.
“The Daily Show” blew out the candles on 30 years this month, and to celebrate, the Comedy Central talk series is putting out a three-episode podcast series titled “30 F#@king Years: The Daily Show Remembers.”
The limited audio series is hosted by the News Team — that’s Jordan Klepper, Desi Lydic, Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, Josh Johnson, Grace Kuhlenschmidt and Troy Iwata — as they recount their favorite moments from “The Daily Show’s” three-decade history. Per the description, the anchors will discuss “iconic field pieces and legendary correspondents that helped define ‘The Daily Show’s’ unparalleled legacy.”
“The Daily Show” has produced a catalog of ancillary podcasts and video series over the years. The audio version of the nightly show, “The Daily Show: Ears Edition,” has generated 767 million lifetime listens. And Jon Stewart’s “The Weekly Show” podcast finds the host interviewing political figures from Zohran Mamdani to JB Pritzker.
Last week, “The Daily Show” put out a 17-minute video with clips from throughout the series’ history, including the early years hosted by Craig Kilborn and Trevor Noah’s seven-year stint in between Stewart regimes.
“The Daily Show” has been on the upswing since Stewart returned behind the desk in 2024 — even if only on Mondays. The show is up for seven Emmys this year, including for outstanding variety series. And in the first quarter of 2026, the program scored its best young adult ratings in more than eight years. On Stewart’s Mondays, “The Daily Show” is the No. 1 show in late night with adults 18-49.
