How Costume Designer Paolo Nieddu Worked With Prada For “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”

Few musicians are as iconic as Billie Holiday. So much about Holiday was avant-garde for the time, and as a queer Black woman of power, she ruffled more than a few feathers just by existing. Lee Daniels’ new film The United States vs. Billie Holiday is focused around one specific event in the singer’s life, chronicling her determination to sing the protest ballad “Strange Fruit,” and the consequences of that commitment.

Golden Globes 2021: Female Directors Make History

The Golden Globes nominations are in, and female directors have made history. For the first time, the Globes have nominated more than one woman for the Best Director category. The nominees are Regina King (One Night In Miami), Chloe Zhao (Nomadland), and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman). This trio joins David Fincher (Mank) and Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7) in the category.

“The Suicide Squad” Synopsis Reveals an Epic Mission

We finally have an idea of just how suicidal the mission will be. Warner Bros. has revealed the synopsis for James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which “features a collection of the most degenerate delinquents in the DC lineup,” as they put it. Up until now, we’ve known very, very little about Gunn’s vision for his reboot of sorts. We learned during the DC FanDome event that the film would riff on epic 1970s war movies.

Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, and an A-List Cast Highlight First “Coming 2 America” Trailer

And now we’ve got our most sustained look yet at director Craig Brewer’s Coming 2 America, which really, couldn’t come at a better time. This long-awaited sequel to 1988’s Coming to America brings back a whole royal family’s worth of original characters. The ensemble is led, of course, by Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem, and the new trailer reveals he has risen in the royal ranks to become King. With the newly-crowned King Akeem preparing to take over Zamunda,

Sundance 2021: Writer/Director Carey Williams on his Romeo & Juliet Adaptation “R#J”

In partnership with producer Timur Bekmambetov, who is known for the innovative film style Screenlife as exampled by Unfriended and Searching, co-writer and director Carey Williams offers his feature debut with a modern and of-the-moment adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet,” R#J, told entirely through social media and smartphone screens. Using an entirely Black and Brown cast, and blending text messages and Instagram posts with timeless Shakespearian language,

Zack Snyder Reveals First Image of Joker in “Justice League”

Well folks, we’ve finally got our first, admittedly blurry look at Jared Leto’s Joker in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Snyder has revealed the image of Leto’s version of the Clown Prince of Chaos, who will be involved in some capacity in his upcoming HBO Max cut. The Joker was not a part of the original theatrical release of Justice League, which was shepherded by director Joss Whedon after Snyder had to leave the production.

HBO Unveils the Trailer for “Black Art: In the Absence of Light”

Yesterday, we published our interview with MLK/FBI director Sam Pollard, who is also the director behind HBO’s upcoming Black Art: In the Absence of Light, which will shed light on some of the best Black visual artists working today—and likely introduce them to many folks who haven’t seen their work or heard their names before. In discussing his long career making documentaries on immensely gifted Black talents, which Black Art: In the Absence of Light zeroes in on,

Ryan Coogler to Bring Wakanda-based TV Series to Disney+

Wakanda forever. With WandaVision now halfway through its run as the first-ever Marvel series to bow on Disney+, Disney has now tapped Black Panther co-writer/director Ryan Coogler to start developing a new series for their streamer. Coogler has a new five-year deal with Disney, via his Proximity Media, to develop a Wakanda-based Disney+ series, as well as working on other shows within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“Ryan Coogler is a singular storyteller whose vision and range have made him one of the standout filmmakers of his generation,” said Disney executive chairman Bob Iger in a statement.

Screenwriter Kemp Powers on Finding Truth & Beauty in “One Night In Miami”

After nearly two decades as a news reporter, Kemp Powers knew a good story when he found one. Discovering that four cultural icons — heavyweight champ Cassius Clay, soon to take the name Muhammad Ali; activist Malcolm X; crooner Sam Cooke; and NFL superstar Jim Brown — had hung out together in Miami in 1964 inspired him to recreate that night.

Powers’ play, “One Night in Miami,” enjoyed a string of regional productions before it was staged at the prestigious Donmar Warehouse in London in 2016,

Mid-Season “WandaVision” Trailer Highlights Mysteries Revealed & Pending

Assuming that if you’re reading this, you’re all caught up with Marvel’s first-ever Disney+ series WandaVision, showrunner Jac Schaeffer and director Matt Shakman’s gleefully odd show about the MCU’s most beloved odd couple. The fourth episode, which streamed this past Friday, began to reveal some of WandaVision‘s secrets. Or, we should say, began to peel back the edge of their reality—or surreality—that landed Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) in a sitcom world.

The Best Skits From John Krasinski’s Debut on “SNL”

Saturday Night Live returned this past weekend with John Krasinski making his debut as host, nearly a year after Krasinski was supposed to have made his first appearance in Studio 8H. Krasinski’s original debut was slated for March of 2020, pegged to the release of his highly anticipated A Quiet Place Part II. Of course, none of that happened—SNL stopped production, and A Quiet Place Part II‘s release date was pushed due to the pandemic.

Documentarian Sam Pollard on his Must-See New Film “MLK/FBI”

A couple of days after Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his era-defining “I have a dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial, J. Edgar Hoover’s second in command at the FBI penned a memo describing him as “The most dangerous Negro in America.” As documented in Sam Pollard‘s new film MLK/FBI (On Demand and in select theaters), that 1963 memo launched the Bureau’s obsession with discrediting America’s foremost civil rights leader by tapping his phones and bugging the hotel rooms he stayed in.

“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” Gets Release Date & New Posters

We’ve got an official release date for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, otherwise known as the Snyder Cut. If you thought this GameStop story revealed the potential power of a group of committed people collaborating online to make something big happen, the upcoming HBO Max release of Snyder’s revamping of Justice League is also emblematic of online people power.

HBO Max has revealed that the new and improved Justice League will stream on March 18.

Viola Davis, Shonda Rhimes & More Pay Tribute to the Legendary Cicely Tyson

The legendary Cicely Tyson, a history-making actress, humanitarian, and style icon beloved within the entertainment industry and beyond, passed away on Thursday at 96. Tyson died just two days after her memoir, “Just as I Am,” was published. She’d recently given interviews about the book, including this sit-down with Gayle King:

Tyson’s career, which included many critically lauded performances, was trail-breaking in every sense of the word,

The Trailer for Kristen Wiig’s “Barb & Star” Has Major “Stranger Things” Vibes

If you ever wondered what a trailer for a Kristen Wiig comedy would look like if it were modeled on Netflix’s juggernaut fantasy/sci-fi series Stranger Things, today is your lucky day. Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar‘s new trailer opens with an extremely credible facsimile of Stranger Thing‘s intro, down to the typeface used in the titles and a shot of a kid pedaling on a bicycle.

Future Critics: Benji Cherukuri on Composers Hans Zimmer & Nicholas Britell

In the first installment of our series Future Critics, we’d like to introduce you to Benji Cherukuri. Benji’s an avid movie fan, musician, and performer himself. You can check out Benji’s videos—which he edits—on his YouTube channel. Today, however, Benji becomes our first Future Critic.

Benji took some time out from his busy schedule, which includes doing homework for his sixth-grade classes, playing “Fortnite” and “Among Us” with his friends,

An Animated “Game of Thrones” Series Under Consideration at HBO Max

Last week we learned about a fresh Game of Thrones prequel based on George R. R. Martin’s novellas, “Tales of Dunk and Egg.” Now, The Hollywood Reporter reveals that an animated Game of Thrones drama is under consideration at HBO Max. THR reports that the animated idea is part of a larger strategy to expand Martin’s fantasy world of dragons and direwolves at HBO.

Currently,

Kristen Stewart is a Young Princess Diana in First “Spencer” Image

The first image of Kristen Stewart as a young Princess Diana in Pablo Larraín’s Spencer is a visual reminder that this is one of the more intriguing films slated for 2021. Stewart and Larraín have teamed up to tell a story about a very specific time period in Princess Diana’s life—the weekend when she decided she was going to leave Prince Charles.

First, check out the full image from Neon:

Kristen Stewart is Diana,

Let Omar Sy Explain Why You Need to Watch “Lupin” on Netflix

“I think Lupin is the ideal character for an actor,” Omar Sy says in this new video from Netflix, titled “The Multiple Faces of Assane Diop.” Sy’s character, Assane Diop, is a gentleman thief. Inspired by the adventures of the titular Arsène Lupin, a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created by the French writer Maurice Leblanc in 1905, the new Netflix series boasts a stellar cast and crew. It just might be your next binge.

Worlds Are About To Collide on “WandaVision”

If you’ve been watching WandaVision, you’ve seen hints that the bizarre sitcom world that Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) have been living in is fracturing. The first three episodes of showrunner Jac Schaeffer and director Matt Shakman’s series have beautifully walked the line between comedy and drama. Wanda and Vision are somehow living inside a world of evolving period sitcoms, with all the goofy hijinx that entails (wacky neighbors, dreadful dinner parties,