Variety

Are genre films set to overtake the Cannes Film Festival like a zombie horde? Two years after Coralie Fargeat’s grotesque, feminist fantasia “The Substance” shocked the Croisette and one year after Julia Ducournau’s body horror “Alpha” (following her equally gory, 2021 Palme-winning body horror “Titane”) and Ari Aster’s paranoid Western thriller “Eddington” vied for the Palme d’Or, this year’s line-up is stacked with genre titles like, well, bodies in a morgue. Across its various sections, the 79th Cannes festival features more than a dozen films that venture from science fiction to the supernatural to high-grade schlock and gore. Un Certain Regard got off to an outrageous start with Jane Schoenbrun’s meta slasher “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” while “Sanctuary” director Zachary Wigon unveils his latest, the 19th century-set supernatural horror “Victorian Psycho.” In some ways, the trend is a reflection of these anxious times. Read more from Variety's special festival print daily, published on the ground in Cannes during the 79th Festival de Cannes, running from May 12-23: https://lnkd.in/gdKi2j8Y

THE NEW BLOOD OF ‘SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’ The five new cast members of #SNL Season 51 — Veronika Slowikowska, Kam Patterson, Jeremy Culhane, Tommy Brennan and Ben Marshall — mark the sketch comedy series’ biggest single-season intake since 2013, when six were added to the cast. Ahead of the May 16 season finale with Will Ferrell and Paul McCartney, the five comedians gathered for a rare interview in a conference room at 30 Rock to trade jabs and reflect on their freshman year at Saturday Night Live. Read the full interview by Ethan Shanfeld: https://lnkd.in/e-a-T9Fu

The next James Bond movie is being directed by the visionary behind "Dune." Now, the veteran casting director responsible for filling out the "Game of Thrones" cast has been tasked with finding the next 007. Safe to say the franchise is (so far) in seemingly good hands. Check out our great exclusive from Brent Lang:

EXCLUSIVE: The hunt for the next James Bond has officially kicked off at Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios: wp.me/pc8uak-1lHgWg • Veteran casting director Nina Gold (#GameOfThrones) has officially started auditioning actors to play the next 007 • “The search for the next James Bond is underway,” Amazon MGM Studios said in a statement. “While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right.”

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#Sponsored | What happens in Hollywood doesn’t stay in Hollywood. As the American film landscape undergoes one of the most significant transformations in its modern history and impacts the global theatrical ecosystem, what is really happening behind the headlines and the consolidation? In Cannes, join Variety and the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC) for our exclusive panel “Hollywood at a Crossroads,” a conversation on the future of American cinema with among others Tom Bernard Co-President of Sony Pictures Classics, Scott Shooman Head of IFC Entertainment Group and Eugene Hernandez,Director of the Sundance Film Festival. May 15 at 10.15am at the CNC Pavillon, in partnership with Variety and Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education

Gillian Anderson had a “panic attack” when she watched a particular scene in “Teenage Sex & Death at Camp Miasma” in a cinema for the first time. “That blood day,” as she calls it, “was pretty serious… just remembering the amount of liquid and how to not drown while shooting the scene… it was a lot!” Without giving too much away, the scene in question comes towards the end of Jane Shoenbrun’s wild, hilarious and emotional psychosexual exploration of horror, fandom, identity, pleasure, trauma and awakening, the apex of a rousing crescendo of sublime, almost-magical delirium. And yes, there’s a whole lot of blood. But it was Anderson’s co-star, Hannah Einbinder who was really suffering that day. “We shot a lot of very intense stuff and I had to really put myself in the fear and approach it incredibly seriously,” the “Hacks” star tells Variety. “I was having trouble just regulating my energy.” Read more from Variety's special festival print daily, published on the ground in Cannes during the 79th Festival de Cannes, running from May 12-23: https://lnkd.in/gAAEdKFf

“Grown Ups 3” is officially in the works at Netflix with Adam Sandler: wp.me/pc8uak-1lHguD • While it’s rumored that at least the core five actors of the franchise — Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James and Rob Schneider — will return, the streamer did not confirm any casting news • Kyle Newacheck (“Murder Mystery,” “Happy Gilmore 2”) will direct

I remember interviewing Mo Amer all the way back in 2021 for Variety's 10 Comics to Watch list. At the age of 9, he and his family fled Kuwait during the Gulf War and immigrated to Texas. He then lost his father at 14. Since then, he's used comedy as a source of therapy. “Some of the most entertaining people I’ve ever met have been in refugee camps, and they’ve seen some of the darkest things. Coming from a world where you can’t talk about anything, especially politics, having that freedom of speech is liberating.” Congrats, Mo! Peabody Awards

Comedian Mo Amer is set to host the 86th annual Peabody Awards on May 31. “Mo Amer is the comedic voice we need now. His comedy is bold and refreshing because he mines his own personal, heartfelt experiences as a refugee and blends them with cultural commentary that is powerful, moving, and very funny. We can’t think of a better host for a night dedicated to the most impactful stories in media,” said Peabody executive director Jeffrey P. Jones in a statement. https://lnkd.in/ezuCyWne